Some villains are just megalomaniacs with inflated egos and just the right amount of insanity that inform them they are right, and everyone else is wrong. These bosses serve the purpose of giving the protagonist a nemesis to vie against in the final hours, and someone they can gleefully hate for their inexcusable, senseless acts of villainy.
But, there are bosses who are somewhat justified in their hatred of the world. These bosses are the ones that are given tragic backstories that players can sympathize with, or even reach an understanding with. This adds another layer of heartbreak, as the player will be forced to inevitably kill them.
8 Opera Boss - NieR: Automata
One of the earliest and most memorable bosses in all of NieR: Automata, the Opera Boss is a terrifying huge construct obsessed with her pursuit of beauty, vocalizing her need to become more beautiful before unleashing a flurry of attacks. She is the boss that terrorizes the Amusement Park and the robots that live there are incredibly fearful of her..
After beating the boss, players are given an ephemeral glimpse into what Simone was before cannibalizing her way to the Goliath-class machine life-form. She was a much smaller being once, desiring the love of another machine, despite admitting she doesn't know much about love herself. 9S's story delves much deeper into the lore of Simone, showing her desperation to find ways to woo Jean-Paul, and her eventual descent into madness that turned her into the monstrous machine she became.
7 Scott Shelby - Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream's hit title Heavy Rain was one filled with tragedy, following the tale of four different protagonists centering around the activities of the notorious Origami Killer, and just how far a father will go to save his child. The game opens on the sad scene of Ethan losing his son in a tragic accident, setting the tone for the game immediately.
One of the four main protagonists, Scott Shelby, is revealed at the end to be the Origami Killer in a very shocking plot twist. Though his actions throughout the game have been so evil and twisted, players are given a glimpse into Scott's past to help better understand why he did it. He and his brother were raised in a trailer park by their abusive, alcoholic father, finding only solace in each other. One day while they are playing, Scott's younger brother John is trapped in a water pipe, and is not strong enough to save him, and their father refuses to save his son. Scott is forced to watch his brother drown, a traumatic event that would change the course of his life.
6 Baldur - God Of War
The 2018 God of War title introduced the Norse gods to the list of pantheons Kratos has carved a blood campaign through, including famous gods and goddesses such as Freyja, Thor, Odin, and Baldur, son to Freyja and one of the bosses Kratos must overcome. The tragedy in Baldur's story is a curse placed on him by his own mother, which inevitably turned him against her.
After it was prophesied he would die a meaningless death, Freyja blessed her son with immunity to all manners of physical harm, but the blessing came with a curse. Baldur would be unable to feel anything, rendering his senses of taste, touch, and smell utterly void. He would not be able to enjoy the taste of food or drink, nor enjoy physical intimacy with another. This unintended side effect would drive him to insanity, and turn him into one of the game's primary villains.
5 Zachary Comstock/Booker DeWitt - Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock Infinite delves deeply into the sciences and mysteries behind alternate dimensions, and what people could be in an alternate timeline. In this instance, Booker meets a version of himself that lords over the floating city Columbia, and Zachary meets with the version of himself that has spiraled into a void of depression, regret, and alcoholism, but has what he wants the most--a child, after excessive use of Tears rendered him infertile.
The tragedy on this side lies more in DeWitt's story, witnessing how he initially agreed to sacrifice his daughter to wipe away his debt, only to regret the decision and watch as his infant daughter is torn from his arm, and also to see himself as the villain in this other dimension. It's a reminder that no one is immune to corruption, and everyone is just one choice away from becoming the worst version of themselves.
4 Orphan of Kos
The Orphan of Kos is one of the truly grotesque boss creatures from Bloodborne, and one with tragic origins that would soften the hearts of even the most stoic hunters. Even NPCs refer to this creature as "the poor wizened child", which is an apt enough descriptor for this tragic enemy.
The Orphan is the child of the deceased Kos, and the orphan itself died following the Kos, which eventually led to the creation of the Hunters Nightmare. When players first encounter this boss, he is simply staring out at the moon and sobbing next to the body of Kos, as though he is actually mourning her death, and during the actual fight he calls out for help from his mother. While this boss is often viewed as one of the most mechanically grueling in the game, it's also the most emotionally draining.
3 Broodmother - Dragon Age: Origins
The Deep Roads are one of the most memorable locations in Dragon Age: Origins for a multitude of reasons, and none of them are pleasant. The broodmother is one of those reasons, a towering grub-like creature with layers of mammary glands and multiple tentacle creatures that can call upon hordes of darkspawn to aid in any combat, reminiscent of an insect-queen.
The truth behind the Broodmother is both disgusting and tragic. Broodmothers were once actual humanoid women that are captured by darkspawn and turned into a broodmother to breed further darkspawn. Players learn all the gruesome details about the Broodmothers' formation in a chilling poem recited by Hespith, a dwarven woman encountered in the Deep Roads. One cannot even imagine the horror the poor captive women were subjected to.
2 Abby - The Last Of Us 2
Abby was a character met with much contention among The Last of Us fans, since main protagonist and fan favorite Joel was killed by her hand rather early into the second installment in gruesome fashion while Ellie was forced to watch, setting Abby up as the main antagonist of The Last of Us 2. And although she was merciless in how she killed Joel, Abby was not without her reasons.
During the final mission in the first game when Joel infiltrated the hospital to rescue Ellie, Joel gunned down the Fireflies inside the hospital, one of which was Abby's father Jerry. This loss devastated Abby, leading her on her path of vengeance and making her a tragic, misunderstood villain. If events at the hospital happened differently, Abby never would have ventured down this dark path, and may have even become an ally to Joel and Ellie.
1 Skull Kid - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Majora's Mask stands out as one of the darkest Zelda titles of all time, due in large part to the impending apocalypse looming over Termina--quite literally. Skull Kid, the main antagonist and major boss of the game, is threatening to bring an end to the city by pulling down an eerie-faced moon on top of it to completely obliterate the town and all who have dared remained there. At first, Skull Kid just seems like another senseless villain doing bad deeds for kicks, but the more players soon learn the great tragedy behind his mask.
As his name implies, Skull Kid is just a young child saddened by his lack of face and has a penchant for mystery, and as such most of his actions are a direct result of him being under the influence of the evil and powerful mask. Though he stole the mask from the Happy Mask Salesman, Skull Kid himself is not evil, and merely wanted power to alleviate his loneliness, as his friends the four giants left Termina to guard the four different sections of Termina.