Zelda 30th Anniversary | Top 15 Bosses

Helmethead - The Adventure of Link

Jump, jab, retreat. Rinse and repeat. Basic, right? Well, the thing is, knocking off the first and second layers of protective headgear, whilst avoiding Helmethead's own strikes, was made all the more tricky since incoming pain-inflicting balls of light were being emitted from his...head, eyes, mouth...nostrils? Who knows? All that mattered was that they were flying around in abundance, and after removing two layers from his noggin' it meant even more were present as those parts of his helmet came back to life, floating around and attacking Link at the same time.

Yes, there are more exciting bosses, and those that have far more intricate attack patterns, but Helmethead caused a young boy trauma, and managed to ingrain himself in my memory forevermore.
- Adam

Jalhalla - The Wind Waker

Being a ghost, Link can use the Mirror Shield to reflect light at Jalhalla, forcing him to temporarily take on a corporeal form. With the boss becoming solid, Link can lift Jalhalla (a feat in itself) and toss him toward the spiked pillars lining the room, after which Jalhalla splits into his smaller, panicked forms again, and defeating all of these is the key to winning the fight. The defeated giant Jalhalla will still try to get away, but a ray of light finds him and puts him to rest for good.
- David

Twinmold - Majora's Mask

Link will need the Giant's Mask to make Twinmold pick on someone its own size, as the twin snakes wrap and writhe around the desert knocking over ruins (which contain health and magic for Link). It's the first of many colossal boss fights in the Zelda series, but perhaps the only one that lets Link size up to match his enemies, and the kaiju-tinged fight stands out as one of the most unique in Zelda lore.
- David

Stallord - Twilight Princess

Upon defeat, a giant platform rises from the sand, but Stallord isn't done yet. Now a flying, floating head, Link must use the Spinner again to ride the walls of the arena and the platform, dodging Stallord's fireballs, until he can get close to knock the head out of the sky and give it a good taste of the Master Sword.
- David

Agahnim - A Link to the Past

These elements have arguably been overused in future titles, but Agahnim remains one of the most iconic bosses of the series, and has become so from his sole appearance in the SNES classic alone. Sure, he lives on as one of the Shadow Nightmares in Link's Awakening and a resembling wizard mini-boss in Oracle of Seasons, but Ganon's alter ego has perhaps been forgotten over time, even if his Dead Man's Volley "mini-game" hasn't.

There isn't a place for the return of Agahnim in the canon series, but an appearance as one of the villains in a potential Hyrule Warriors 2 certainly wouldn't go unappreciated.
- Az

Volvagia - Ocarina of Time

Perhaps the best part of the fight is the almost cartoon-like sound effect of a stunned Volvagia - there are no birds or stars orbiting the dragon's exposed head, but taking the Megaton Hammer to the face like that nonetheless leaves the mighty beast dazed and vulnerable to the vorpal slices of the Master Sword… or, even better, the Biggoron Sword.

After the Hero of Time has thoroughly, and quite literally, smashed Volvagia's face with a hammer, the wyrm rises from the molten stone and flies one last circle around the arena, bursting into bright flames as the evil resurrection magic of Ganondorf fades, leaving behind nothing but a Heart Container. The scourge of the Gorons has been defeated; the Sworn Brother of the Gorons has once more saved them from certain doom.
- Aria

Gohma - The Wind Waker

Using the Grappling Hook to manoeuvre around the cavern, once Link has removed its armour, the classic Gohma eye is revealed, ripe for the attacking, so long as Link avoids the creature's fire breath. The whole battle is a fantastic display of The Wind Waker's beautiful graphics, with lava, smoke, and the flowing textures of Gohma's body up front and centre, with all their reds and oranges and blacks offset by Gohma's glowing green and pink eye.
- David

Blind the Thief - A Link to the Past

Discovering what is apparently the fourth captured Maiden in one of the cells of the dungeon, suspicions are exacerbated when she stops Link from taking her outside of the exit. Venturing further and bombing a cracked floor on a higher level of the area to allow sunlight to reach the boss room below, it isn't until taking the Maiden to this now-brightly-lit chamber that the true nature of this "young lady" is revealed; befitting of a crafty and untrustworthy thief itself, the disguise vanishes, and Blind, once leader of the gang of thieves that occupied this hideout and in cohorts with Ganon, finds his sneaky plan is ruined.

During battle, Blind's inhumane form miraculously rebuilds its head, as the previous ones fly off around the room, spitting fireballs at Link, after he manages to deal enough damage to the criminal monster. Through carefully watching its predetermined movements, however, one of the craftier bosses in the series, Blind the Thief, is overcome.
- Az

Trinexx - A Link to the Past

Once the two necks at the side are destroyed, Trinexx retreats into its shell before it escapes from the remains and chases Link around the arena. Any ice patches created on the floor from the previous round at this point can be the cause of death, so careful control and accurate swings of the sword at the middle of the foe's body are required to finish Trinexx off and complete the Turtle Rock dungeon.
- Az

Link's Shadow - The Adventure of Link

Luckily, a simple exploit renders Link's Shadow, the final boss of the game, an absolute joke; crouching and stabbing in the corner makes Link himself invulnerable to attacks. Since the doppelganger will charge in and stab, it's just a matter of time before Link, crouched in the corner and occasionally jabbing with his sword, lands enough blows to defeat his inner darkness made corporeal. This is a boon to players because Shadow Link is almost impossible otherwise. Iron Knuckles, Lizalfos, Wizzrobes, and even the Fokkas are nothing compared to this foe - a fitting end boss to what is widely considered the most challenging game in the franchise.
- Aria

Goht - Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask is undeniably a dark entry in the franchise, so having a fight where a spiky Death Wheel of Doom controlled by the player ripped around a circular arena and flung itself into a gigantic bull was welcome relief from the gravity of the rest of the game. Though the lightning bolts were frustrating at times, Goht remains one of the most memorable bosses, solely on the basis of fun.
- Aria

Majora's Mask - Majora's Mask

Once defeated, the mask sprouts arms and legs, running at fast pace (and sometimes walking backwards), while emitting warped, chicken-like sounds in a downright creepy second tier battle. Once the wiggly, screechy thing is finished, it beefs up and grows a new head, calling itself Majora's Wrath, and attacks with whip arms and piercing laughter. After defeating its final form, the mask disintegrates and takes the awful moon with it, and Termina's impending destruction is finally undone.
- David

Bongo Bongo - Ocarina of Time

After riding a rickety old ghost ship and exploring a chilling, haunted dungeon, Bongo Bongo serves up the climax - a creepy monster that has dismembered hands that are used to pound drums, and slap, grab and squeeze the life out of its victims. It's down to Link to use the Lens of Truth to keep the boss in view, keep its hands at bay, and give its glowing red eye a poke with the Master Sword. Bongo Bongo is a toughie, but, with persistence and the Hover Boots, can be overcome by sticking to its rhythm.
- Jorge

Twinrova - Ocarina of Time

This particular boss is made up of two segments. The first is a battle against two aging witches; the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf. Both are draped in black robes and are known to be extremely dangerous within the Gerudo, able to wield unforgiving magic. It's down to Link to pit them against each other, with the Mirror Shield being essential to deflect the opposing magic against the other sister. When the pair has had enough, they merge together into the diabolical Twinrova, powered up to fire a combination of both fire and ice attacks.

Interestingly, the duo is named after two older twin sisters in the Japanese novel The Village of the Eight Gravestones, with Koume's name coming from a Japanese pickled plum and Kotake's meaning a type of bamboo.
- Jorge

Shadow Nightmares - Link's Awakening

A nightmare it truly is, as well, as, after working his way through the Wind Fish's Egg maze, some of the toughest enemies Link has faced are reborn to do battle in Shadow Nightmare form. The Giant Gel begins the fight, and is seemingly impervious to just about anything Link does to it…until a sprinkling of Magic Powder is thrown in an almost "last resort" course of action. Link's A Link to the Past memories expand further when Nightmare versions of Agahnim, Moldorm, Ganon and then Lanmola spring to life, operating and attacking in very familiar ways as their real counterparts. They are generally simple enough to work out how to beat, with some requiring strong weapons or sword Spin Attacks to put them down, but it is the final Shadow Nightmare, DethI (Death Eye), that poses the biggest threat. Spinning its arms around its body, gradually in faster and more out-of-sync motions, Link needs to use the Roc's Feather to time his jumps well, shooting arrows at its single eye that occasionally opens a hefty number of times to finally destroy the Shadow Nightmares once and for all and reveal the truth behind Koholint Island…
- Az