When looking past its complex storyline and whimsical Disney elements, Kingdom Hearts is truly one of the best Action RPG franchises in the entire industry. This is not only evident in its deep mechanics and its flashy combat, but also in its amazing boss battles.

Related

Kingdom Hearts: 8 Bosses That Should Have Been Harder

The Kingdom Hearts series is renowned for its challenging secret boss battles, but some of the series other boss fights are pretty underwhelming.

Every single Kingdom Hearts game is home to some of the best boss battles in the franchise, whether it’s because of their engaging gameplay, the emotional context behind them or a balanced combination of both. However, highlighting the best ones is a difficult task, since there’s a lot to choose from, across the series' 12 different games.

10 Marluxia

The Epic Final Boss Of A Confusing Game

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and its remake can be confusing games, because of their strange combat system and complex plot. However, every struggle is worth it just so players can face the final boss of this game: Marluxia, the evil mastermind behind everything that happened in Castle Oblivion.

This battle is made up of three different phases, and each one of them gets crazier and crazier, as Marluxia summons a gigantic Nobody to fight alongside him. The atmosphere is intense, the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, and the gameplay is extremely satisfying, since it makes perfect use of the card-based mechanics of this game.

9 Xehanort Replicas

Fanservice In The Form Of A Boss Fight

When Kingdom Hearts 3 originally came out, many fans were disappointed by the fact that Sora seemed to be the only relevant Guardian of Light during the climactic final encounter against Master Xehanort, while the rest of them were relegated to the background. Fortunately, this was fixed in the Re:MindDLC with just one amazing boss fight.

Seeing beloved characters like King Mickey, Riku, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Aqua, Terra, & Ventus not only fighting together against Xehanort’s many Replicas, but also interacting with each other through clever bits of dialogue, is a treat for longtime fans. The gameplay mechanics may not be too deep, but they’re entertaining enough to make this a fulfilling experience.

8 Sephiroth

The Villain Of Final Fantasy 7 Is A Memorable Secret Boss

In Kingdom Hearts 1, seeing beloved Final Fantasy icons like Cloud Strife or Squall Leonhart assisting Sora during his adventure was quite fun, but players could find a mind-blowing surprise when they enter the Platinum Match of Olympus Coliseum, only to discover that Final Fantasy 7’s Sephiroth is a secret boss.

Related

Kingdom Hearts: Hardest Games To 100% Complete

Some Kingdom Hearts games are really difficult, and that's especially the case when trying to 100% them.

This is the most challenging boss in the entire game, as he can only be defeated by players who have mastered every single aspect of the combat system. It may feel frustrating at first, but it ends up being incredibly rewarding. As if he wasn’t already an intimidating boss, Sephiroth’s iconic theme song, "One Winged Angel", plays during the entire battle, which is a great detail.

7 Lingering Will

A Challenging Secret Boss With A Lot Of Foreshadowing

For a time, Sephiroth was definitely the hardest secret boss that fans had encountered. This changed with the release of Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, where they could fight the mysterious Lingering Will. This fight is relentless, and even players who mastered every single Organization XIII Data Battle beforehand may struggle with it.

Lingering Will not only hits hard and requires a lot of damage to take down, but he can also mess around with some of the game’s mechanics in devious ways, like completely suppressing Sora’s magic or physical attacks. Despite the challenge, this is a very emotional battle that foreshadows a lot of crucial plot beats from future installments. Most people’s perspective on Lingering Will changes after playing Birth by Sleep, which makes this battle even more brilliant.

6 Ansem, Xemnas, & Young Xehanort

Fighting All The Main Villains At Once

Kingdom Hearts 3 was the emotional climax of the franchise’s entire plot, so it was a genius idea to have a boss fight that is made up of the three main Xehanort incarnations, each the antagonists of previous installments: Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort. All while Master Xehanort himself assists them from the background.

Despite having three targets to attack, the combat is not as confusing as one would initially think, and taking all of them down feels amazing. This is an epic encounter, made specifically for those fans that played through every single installment and defeated these villains in the past. Witnessing the speeches that Xemnas and Ansem give to Sora and Riku as they’re fading away feels oddly emotional, as if players are saying goodbye to a pair of characters they have known for many years.

5 Riku-Ansem

The Franchise's Most Infamous Boss Fight

The tragic tale of Riku is one of the biggest emotional plot beats of the original Kingdom Hearts. Throughout the game, Sora’s best friend slowly succumbs to the darkness, as he follows Maleficent’s orders. But the moment in which he accepts Ansem's influence and is possessed by the main villain of the game is a huge turning point in the story.

With the full power of darkness in his hand, the fight against Riku-Ansem is the most difficult non-optional boss in the entire game, and it’s infamous because of how many people initially got stuck in it. It’s actually a very balanced battle that requires the player’s full attention and skills in order to complete. Coupled with an amazing battle theme known as "Forze del Male", this is undoubtedly one of the most intense battles in the franchise.

4 Xion

A Tragic Battle Against A Good Friend

While Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is not a perfect game, it is deeply beloved among fans, who praise its deep and emotional storyline following Roxas’ experience with Organization XIII. The addition of Xion was definitely the most interesting part of this narrative, and it all culminates in a fateful final battle against this replica that was ordered to absorb Roxas’ powers.

Related

Kingdom Hearts: 8 Underrated Characters

Many of the characters in the Kingdom Hearts series are beloved by the majority of the fanbase, but these characters deserve some more love.

During the first three phases, Roxas and Xion travel through many Disney worlds, and the replica actually fights by using some of Sora’s iconic moves and abilities, which is a clever touch. But the best phase is the final one, which is set in the Clock Tower. This may just look like an epic battle with gigantic attacks, but it’s also a tragic encounter between two best friends who are forced to kill each other, and it’s made even more painful by the beautiful piece of music that plays during the fight, titled "Vector to the Heavens".

3 Xemnas

The Best Final Boss In The Franchise

Sora and his friends fought and defeated the entire Organization XIII over the course of two games, and it all finally culminated at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, when he was tasked with taking down their leader, Xemnas. This franchise is no stranger to mind-blowing spectacles, and this final boss is a perfect example.

The long level that precedes it, where Sora has to slice through giant buildings and take down enormous structures, is already epic enough, but it gets even better when he and Riku are isolated and have to face Xemnas on their own. With his crazy attacks, this battle not only feels like a worthy conclusion that perfectly utilizes this game’s combat system, but it also has some great surprises hiding up its sleeve. Like the moment where players are forced to play as Riku in order to save Sora, or the incredible Laser Barrage at the very end.

2 Yozora

The Most Challenging Boss Fight In The Series

In a way, the combat of Kingdom Hearts 3 is considered to be the conglomeration of every mechanic in the franchise, and this is especially evident during the secret boss fight against Yozora in the Re: Mind DLC. This battle presented a challenge like nothing that longtime fans had experienced before, and was way harder than Sephiroth or Lingering Will.

As expected, Yozora can kill Sora in one hit, but this is not solely where his challenge lies. He can also mess with the game’s mechanics in frustrating yet unique ways, like taking Sora’s Keyblade, stealing his healing items, or even starting the entire encounter with his most powerful attack. Yozora is the franchise’s ultimate challenge and a masterpiece in boss battle design, so defeating him is an incredibly rewarding experience.

1 Roxas

The Perfect Kingdom Hearts Battle

The best Kingdom Hearts boss battles may have solid gameplay, important narrative context, or challenging mechanics, but there’s one that combines all of these elements in a way that makes it the absolute best fight in the entire series. This is the climactic encounter between Sora and Roxas, in Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix.

The tale of Roxas is really tragic, so being forced to face him inside Sora’s heart is incredibly emotional, and it’s made even better by his beautiful battle theme, "The Other Promise". But the gameplay is truly where this battle shines, as Roxas is not only extremely tough to beat, but he also has some amazing mechanics that will give players goosebumps. His Reaction Command, in particular, is the best part of this fight, since Sora can steal his two weapons and attack him by using three Keyblades at the same time. After it’s all over, this amazing boss is followed by a legendary cut scene in which Roxas finally accepts his fate.

MORE:

Kingdom Hearts: 8 Underrated Bosses

The Kingdom Hearts series has always featured fantastic boss battles, but these boss fights have been unjustly ignored by the fanbase.