Every fighting game needs to have a big and intimidating final boss who provides the ultimate challenge for the player to overcome. These enemies usually appear at the very end of a story or arcade mode, and they are primarily designed to test everything the player has learned from their last few fights to see if they're worthy of being the very best. The Tekken series is packed full of unique final bosses who have stood the test of time as being very memorable thanks to their unique designs, their role in the story, and how downright brutal they can be to beat.

2:26

Related

Every Tekken Game, Ranked

As far as Japanese fighting games go, Tekken is one of the most beloved. While most of Bandai Namco's games are great, some are better than others.

Tekken is already renowned for being quite a difficult fighting game series to learn, but the games' final bosses will hold nothing back when they are encountered, and won't pull any of their punches just to try and even the playing field. Instead, they are always as relentless and aggressive as possible, sometimes even having unique buffs and enhancements that make them objectively stronger than the player, but out of all of them, which stands tall as the very best in the eyes of Tekken fans?

9 Azazel - Tekken 6

Azazel Unfortunately Just Isn't Anywhere Near As Powerful As He Looks

The giant ancient demon known as Azazel, while very unique and intriguing in its design, is a pretty lackluster final boss, primarily because of how gigantic his hitboxes are. This means that it's incredibly easy to chain combo strings against him, and although he does have a few devastating attacks of his own, Azazel unfortunately isn't anywhere near as strong as he looks.

What also makes the fight a lot less memorable than it should have been is how it ends. Rather than Jin finally taking out the demon, which was the primary reason that he instigated an entire war in the first place, Azazel instead survives and now exists in a spiritual form within Zafina's arm. While Azazel stands out for its incredibly eye-catching appearance, as an actual combatant, it's a lot less interesting.

8 Heihachi - Tekken

Proved How Immensely Strong He Was Through His Boss Encounter

Heihachi's final confrontation at the end of the arcade mode in the very first game doesn't contain any surprises or multiple phases, it's just a challenging one-on-one confrontation that does an excellent job of portraying Heihachi as a big and powerful individual within the universe. Considering that it was the first game, there hadn't been too much lore given to Heihachi at the time, but even just seeing him in combat was enough to convince many players that he was not to be messed with.

While the fight isn't too difficult, Heihachi is still a lot trickier to take down compared to the other fighters, and his constant dashing and spiral kicks are very hard to predict and avoid. It might not stand out compared to many of the series' future boss battles, but Heihachi still posed a significant challenge during his appearance at the end of Tekken.

7 Unknown - Tekken Tag Tournament 1 & 2

Unknown's Unique Fighting Style And Creepy Design Makes Her A Memorable Final Boss

• Game: Tekken Tag Tournament 1 & 2
• Release Date: October 2000 / September 2012
• Platforms: PlayStation 2 / PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U

Just as her name implies, there isn't too much that is known about the mysterious fighter simply named "Unknown." While she bears a striking resemblance to Jun Kazama, which has inspired countless discussions and theories online, what makes Unknown stand out is her unique fighting style. In the first Tekken Tag Tournament game, she will mimic other characters' abilities and moves, resulting in a pretty tricky and very unique fight.

Related

Tekken 8: 7 Best Character Episode Endings

Tekken 8 continues the tradition of the series having some of the most weird, wacky and wonderful character endings in the fighting game genre.

In the second game, Unknown uses a combination of Jun's moveset from Tekken 2, along with a few extra moves thrown into the mix, such as the ability to raise large slime constructions to overwhelm the opponent. Considering that the Tekken Tag Tournament games aren't considered canon, Unknown doesn't make much of an impact on the story, but she still provides a pretty fun final boss fight for both games.

6 Heihachi - Tekken 4

Heihachi's Boss Encounter Is Full Of Spectacle And A Great Way To Finish Off The King Of Iron Fist Tournament

By the time Tekken 4 rolled around, Heihachi had been well-established as a pretty formidable antagonist. His obsession with retrieving the power of the Devil Gene had turned him into an incredibly ruthless version of his former self, which is why facing him as the final boss of the game feels like such a memorable spectacle. Similar to his boss fight in the first game, Heihachi doesn't use any whacky powers or abilities; this is simply just a hand-to-hand fight to see who is truly the strongest.

What separates this Heihachi battle from the previous encounter is the slightly more absurd aspects of the fight. Not only does it take place at the top of a massive skyscraper with crowds of adoring fans, but Heihachi also shows up wearing a fundoshi, which is a traditional Japanese undergarment, as opposed to his usual attire. It's details like these that end up making the fight so memorable, and although the battle itself isn't too difficult, it's still very enjoyable to take part in.

5 Jinpachi - Tekken 5

Tekken 5's Jinpachi Is Often Considered To Be One Of The Most Brutal Boss Fights In Video Game History

After experiencing just how brutal Kazuya and Heihachi can be as combatants, players were finally able to go against the man who started the Mishima Zaibatsu all those years ago, Jinpachi. When he does show up as the final boss in Tekken 5, he's simply a body being possessed by a demonic entity, which does give him a few gimmicky abilities, such as being able to teleport around the stage. Nonetheless, it's a thrilling fight that poses quite a challenge, even for experienced players of the series.

Not only does he have plenty of hard-hitting moves, along with an abundance of projectiles and electric attacks, but he's also incredibly fast given his size, being able to quickly navigate around the arena with his fast and deadly shoulder barges. This is also without a doubt one of the best-designed bosses in the series, looking like an unstoppable behemoth who's able to strike fear into even the most hardened of warriors.

4 Kazuya - Tekken 7

The Epic Final Confrontation Between Kazuya And Heihachi Lived Up To All The Hype

Fans had been eagerly waiting for the final confrontation between Kazuya and his father Heihachi for so many years, and when it finally happened at the very end of Tekken 7, it's fair to say that it did not disappoint. Taking place in the middle of a massive volcano, the two fearsome warriors hold nothing back, with every punch feeling extremely powerful thanks to the stunning cinematics that play out in between the fight itself.

Throughout this challenging encounter, numerous flashbacks will pop up that reflect on the intense rivalry that has developed between Kazuya and Heihachi over the years, adding an extra layer of emotional depth to the fated battle. While it initially starts with classic hand-to-hand combat, things get much more chaotic once Kazuya activates his Devil Form, granting him plenty of new moves and abilities to play around with to keep the gameplay fresh throughout. While Akuma's inclusion at the end does feel a little jarring, the actual confrontation between Kazuya and Heihachi itself is an absolute blast and a ton of fun to play.

3 Devil Kazuya - Tekken 2

Seeing Devil Kazuya For The Very First Time Is A Terrifying Moment That No Fan Can Ever Forget

Although the Devil Gene is used quite liberally by Kazuya in modern Tekken games, back in Tekken 2, it was a much more mysterious and strange power that was spoken about often, but only rarely ever seen. Therefore, while many players predicted Kazuya to be the final boss of the game, no one could have expected that they would be forced to face him in his terrifying devil form.

Related

Tekken 8: 7 Best Stages, Ranked

Tekken 8 features some of the most detailed and visually impressive stages of any fighting game, with these being the best of the bunch.

While Kazuya still uses his iconic Mishima fighting style, he also has a few extra demonic powers up his sleeve that he will occasionally throw out, such as a powerful laser beam that can dish out tons of damage from the other side of the screen. He's even able to hover in the air for a few moments before firing projectiles down at his opponent when he spots an opportunity to do so.

The bright purple design scheme of Devil Kazuya in this game is also very distinct, looking truly evil and even frightening when compared to the more realistic designs of every other character. This final boss was a massive surprise and one that longtime fans of the series will never forget.

2 Ogre - Tekken 3

Tekken 3 Makes Players Hate Ogre's Guts Before Taking Him On At The End Of The Game

It's hard not to hate Ogre after witnessing him mercilessly kill Jin's mother at the beginning of Tekken 3, and it makes taking him down at the very end all the more satisfying. After beating numerous opponents in the King of Iron Fist Tournament, which was all set up to lure Ogre out, players will stand face-to-face with the monster that stole Jin's mother away from him, and what ensues is one of the most intense fights in all of Tekken.

While his regular form is already incredibly strong, the fight gets taken to a whole new level when he transforms into True Ogre, where he obtains a chaotic fighting style where he's able to fly around the map and breathe down fire. Considering how much the game had been building up to this, the unforgiving challenge presented by Ogre perfectly suits the high stakes of the encounter, making it a very memorable battle.

1 Kazuya - Tekken 8

Kazuya And Jin's Final Battle Is A Big And Bombastic Homage To The Series' History

Not only did Tekken 8's final boss bring an end to the longrunning Mishima saga, but it also felt like a heartfelt homage to the series' history, and to the fans who have stuck with the franchise for so long. During Jin's epic bout with Kazuya in the middle of a chaotic whirlwind, Jin will use multiple different fighting styles from previous games, including his Tekken 3 moveset, and even Jun's fighting style. The music in the background will even change depending on Jin's current style, which is a nice added touch that brings back so much nostalgia from those early titles.

What makes this final encounter so memorable is how over-the-top and bombastic it is, with the numerous slo-mo shots and freeze frames adding to the suspense and making the whole battle feel like a true fight to the death. Out of all the final boss fights throughout Tekken's history, this has to be one of, if not the most emotional of them all, and it's a fitting end to the blood feud that had existed ever since the series began.

More

The Hardest Boss Fights In Dark Souls History, Ranked

The Dark Souls trilogy, developed by From Software, harbors some of the most dangerous and aggressive boss fights in history.