What if players got the chance to become a part of their favorite Disney film? Moreover, what if gamers got to meet their favorite Square Enix characters? Thanks to Kingdom Hearts, players not only get to have an adventure with Donald and Goofy, but they do so while saving both their favorite Disney and Final Fantasy worlds. In fact, thanks to Kingdom Hearts 3, hardcore Disney and FF fans experience quite an engrossing story along the way.
However, despite the sheer blast players had in Kingdom Hearts, gamers can't deny the appeal of its fast-paced gameplay. In fact, the franchise has a dynamic combat system that combines FF's Magicka with quick attacks to put other action titles to shame. Unfortunately, this also meant including bosses that pose quite the challenge to even the most quick-witted of gamers. To those who want a challenge, just who are the hardest bosses in Kingdom Hearts? And are there even "weak" bosses in the series?
Updated December 7th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: There have been a ton of amazing boss fights sprinkled throughout the Kingdom Hearts series. Players will spend a lot of time leveling up and unlocking new abilities to take down some of these impressive foes. Unfortunately, there are also some bosses that leave a lot to be desired and some of them can be outright pushovers. To give fans a look at some of the hardest bosses in Kingdom Hearts, as well as some of the weakest, the following list has been updated and includes even more entries than before.
14 Hardest: Dark Inferno
Kingdom Hearts 3 offers up an option boss with Dark Inferno, a dual-wielding Heartless that looks like it came straight from Fantasia. Its massive swords give it impressive reach and it's capable of rattling off punishing combos. Even worse, its health bar is absolutely massive, turning this into a battle of stamina and focus for players that want to take it down.
That said, Dark Inferno is possibly one of the easier "hard bosses" on this list. Players can tangle with this beast at a surprisingly low level and come out on top through persistence thanks to its telegraphed attacks. Make no mistake, though, this still isn't a boss that players can simply hack and slash through. Those that fail to guard against its powerful combos or speedy attacks will find themselves on the ground pretty quickly.
13 Weakest: Lucifer The Cat
There are some interesting and entertaining bosses in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Unfortunately, Lucifer the cat isn't one of them and serves as one of the weakest and most boring boss battles in the entire franchise. Players will tangle with this beast during the Cinderella-based arc in Birth by Sleep and most should have no problem defeating the overgrown house cat without much effort.
The battle itself can drag out a bit depending on how much damage players are capable of putting out but dodging Lucifer's lumbering attacks. It's incredibly easy to tell when the cat is going to pounce and most of the time it will stun itself when hitting the ground. This fight feels like more of a chore than an epic struggle.
12 Hardest: Kurt Zisa
Players that found themselves cruising through the original Kingdom Hearts were likely stonewalled by Kurt Zisa the first time they met the imposing option boss. Kurt Zisa isn't just a threatening foe but also comes with a caveat, stealing the player's magic use until they can destroy the orbs of light it summons. This makes the beginning of the fight a nightmare for the unprepared, as they'll soon find themselves unable to heal.
To make matters worse, Kurt Zisa hits incredibly hard, punishing those he knows can't heal themselves from damage. Like most of the super bosses in the Kingdom Hearts series, it's best to be slow and steady when challenging this mighty foe.
11 Weakest: Grim Reaper
The concept of the Grim Reaper sounds outright punishing when you first meet it in Kingdom Hearts 2 but it's an absolute let-down during its first encounter. Players will have to tussle with an upgraded version of the boss later on, which can prove to be a bit harder, but the first time that gamers fight this Heartless leaves a lot to be desired.
Most of the fight is spent chasing the Grim Reaper itself around the ship, trying to land attacks as it teleports away or lumbers around. The only time players are even remotely threatened by damage is when the Grim Reaper spins around, an attack that is easily dodge or blocked.
10 Hardest: Lingering Will
Players of KH 2 Final Mix can fight Lingering Will, as in Terra's Keyblade Armor that contains his desires and thoughts. However, unlike other boss battles, Lingering Will can push players to their limits with its sheer speed and powerful attacks. Lingering Will possesses harsh counters that force players to time their attacks, as well as Keyblade Formchange-based attacks. For instance, he can transform his Keyblade into a powerful cannon or a Keyblade Glider for speed-based attacks. He can also summon drones that follow and attack Sora.
These abilities, combined with his swift attacks, make him extremely formidable. Moreover, Lingering Will's berserk state will split its Keyblade into two separate weapons capable of firing difficult-to-dodge attacks. Thankfully, Sora can dodge, guard, and reflect against most of these attacks. However, players do need to quickly identify which maneuver helps against which attack.
9 Weakest: Riku
Riku serves as a final boss for the player's journey throughout KH 358/2 Days. In the game's timeline, Riku becomes the last obstacle Roxas will face before he finally comes back to Sora and begins the latter's journey in KH 2. Of course, given the climactic nature of the battle, players expect Riku's fight to serve as a proper "closer" to Roxas and Xion's journey. Unfortunately, it's likely for this fight to become a breeze.
For instance, players at this point would manage to predict the flow of Riku's attacks and dodge with ease. Moreover, the skillset of players at the time - coupled with their enhanced Keyblade - would likely boost their Limit Breaks against Riku anyway. Compared to Xion's boss fight with multiple stages, Riku's definitely underdelivered.
8 Hardest: Mysterious Figure
As with most of Kingdom Hearts secret bosses, Mysterious Figure has forced a lot of fans to endure one of the most frustrating boss fights ever. They can fight the Mysterious Figure in the Land of Departure after beating Birth by Sleep. He's known for concealing his identity via the black cloak as well as wielding two blades. At first glance, Mysterious Figure seems like the typical fighter thanks to this speed and agility. However, the fight becomes more irritating once he starts teleporting, cloning, and even using elemental magic.
In addition, Mysterious Figure has an atrocious attack speed and punishing spells that force players to stay on the defensive. Due to these abilities, players who want to fight Mysterious Figure head-on might face severe counter-attacks and fruitless chasing. Other fans resort to amping up defense while utilizing stronger AOE attacks such as Thunder Surge.
7 Weakest: Scar
When players visit Pride Lands in KH 2, they get transformed into a lion cub to "fit in" the world of The Lion King. Of course, as the game follows the film's story, fans will likely anticipate a climactic showdown between Scar and Simba. Unfortunately, with Sora's intervention, Scar faces off not just Simba but also Sora and the gang. Moreover, thanks to Sora's sheer speed, it becomes easy to keep up with Scar's movements.
As such, it becomes fairly easy to tear through Scar's HP bars with basic combos. Moreover, thanks to Simba's Proud Roar, players can easily defeat Scar in no time.
6 Hardest: Unknown
Players of KH Final Mix will encounter Unknown in Hollow Bastion's Chapel, where they previously defeated Dragon Maleficent. He never gets to reveal his true identity, but hardcore fans will instantly remember KH 2 Xemnas with his fighting style. At first, Unknown seems easy to attack. It's when he starts whipping out orbs, AOE spells, and a black hole form that things get tricky. After all, black hole Unknown is impervious to physical attacks.
Moreover, his Shock ability paralyzes Sora completely that only a timed press can release. In addition, he learns new AOE attacks that deal massive damage the closer he is to defeat. As such, Sora needs his best healing and best dodging maneuvers to outlast Unknown.
5 Weakest: Darkside
Sora needs to defeat Darkside two times in KH 1. The Keyblade Master first faced Darkside in Destiny Islands at the beginning of the game. However, fans might get surprised to face this again just prior to the final battle. Unfortunately, it's almost as though Sora will have to fight the same Darkside from the beginning of the game.
Granted, the game may have thrown this to show Sora's growth. After all, Darkside served as an overwhelming first boss. However, thanks to Sora's development throughout KH 1, Darkside this time becomes a piece of cake.
4 Hardest: Vanitas Remnant
Vanitas Remnant of Birth by Sleep seems like an easy opponent with his single health bar. That's great, right? After all, since Birth by Sleep is a portable game, it's not like bosses can perform as well as their console counterparts. Thing is, Vanitas Remnant boasts an incredibly aggressive attack pattern with high-speed combos. Moreover, he has cannons, cloning attacks, and even a tunnel vision ability that either handicaps the player or makes them open for one-shot kills.
As such, players need to master not just dodging Vanitas Remnant's attacks, but also knowing when to pull their guard. Moreover, they're generally advised to stock up on Mega Potions, Renewal Blocks, and even Mine Square to ensure the most advantages throughout the battle.
3 Weakest: Genie Jafar
In the Aladdin franchise, Aladdin foils the Sorcerer Jafar by taunting him to transform into a genie. As such, Aladdin gets to use Genie's own lamp to trap Jafar in his genie form. Fans get to explore this concept again in KH 1, this time with Sora facing off against the cosmic entity. Unfortunately, the boss fight against Genie Jafar transformed into a puzzle platformer.
For instance, instead of facing a multifaceted boss, Sora instead has to dodge flying boulders and traverse obstacles. Unfortunately, despite their size, Sora can easily destroy these boulders with special attacks as well.
2 Hardest: Sephiroth
Interestingly, fans can actually fight Sephiroth as one of the KH 2's late-game bosses. However, true to his popularity, Sephiroth boasts sheer firepower with his Masamune sword. In fact, Masamune's length and Sephiroth's sheer speed makes most of his attacks difficult to dodge. Moreover, being caught in one of his combos most likely assures instant death. To top it off, Sephiroth can teleport at will, summon meteors, and even make powerful lunges against Sora.
If possible, Sora should probably get the Ultima Weapon to get its perks while mastering Sora's maneuvers. Despite his sheer speed, the game is fair when battling Sephiroth. As such, catching Sephiroth will let players dish out their preferred combos. It's when Sephiroth escapes and counters that he becomes extra deadly.
1 Weakest: Ursula
Players originally face Ursula in KH 1, where Sora needs to defeat Ursula in her lair as a merman. In KH 2, players need to defeat Ursula again - this time in a rhythm game. As such, the Ursula boss fight essentially becomes a scripted cutscene with quick-time events - like a toned-down version of Resident Evil 4.
Unfortunately, this boss fight serves as perhaps one of the easiest to do - if it even counts as a fight. After all, players simply need to conveniently press a button with a slow timer to progress through the boss battle.