Highlights

• Ocarina of Time’s Twinrova is a standout boss encounter in the series, with its climactic and cinematic nature adding to its appeal.
• Majora’s Mask’s Goht is a great pick for the best boss, as its unconventional race and beat mechanics provide a refreshing change from other Zelda bosses.
• The Puppet Ganon boss in Wind Waker takes advantage of the game’s expressive art style to create a terrifying conflict, making it a memorable encounter before the finale.

THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

A consistent feature throughout the extended history of Zelda games are the boss fights. Almost every Zelda game features some form of dungeon, and the final obstacle before their completion will be a final strong enemy Link is tasked with taking down.

Related: Best Legend Of Zelda Bosses Of All Time

While these enemies were formidable in Link’s earlier 2D adventures, these encounters became even more threatening and memorable when the series took the dive into 3D. Some 3D Zelda games are better known for their boss encounters than others, every Zelda game has at least one boss which is a stand-out experience. So, what is the best boss in every 3D Zelda title?

7 Ocarina of Time – Twinrova

Image Credit: http://www.game-art-hq.com/113484/twinrova-from-the-legend-of-zelda-in-the-ga-hq-video-game-character-db/

Link’s first foray into 3D is still seen as a classic for a reason, and it still holds up incredibly well even decades later. Part of the reason for this is the much more climactic and cinematic boss encounters.

There are plenty of contenders with Ocarina of Time featuring few duds, but the final encounter in the Spirit Temple, being the twin witches Twinrova is a definite highlight.

The encounter isn’t too complex with Link utilizing the Mirror Shield to his advantage, however, the final combination of the pair in their final phase is a surprise that shakes up the formula. It is no surprise that Twinrova is seen as one of the best encounters throughout this landmark adventure.

6 Majoras Mask – Goht

Compared to its predecessor, Majoras Mask features far fewer bosses, with the game only having 4 dungeons and then a final boss. However, this means that the few bosses they do feature stick out a lot more.

While some of the bosses aren’t that great for a game with so few to choose from, Goht is a great pick for the best with how unconventional the encounter is.

This fight requires precise use of the Goron mask to simultaneously beat and race with Goht until it is defeated. This is a great change of pace from other Zelda bosses, which can be a bit more static than Goht.

The Goron mask is also one of the most fun items to use in the game, so getting a boss designed around it is a great finale for the dungeon.

5 The Wind Waker – Puppet Ganon

The new art style that debuted with Wind Waker made this incarnation of the Zelda world a much more expressive one. This helps give the characters more emotional range but also makes the enemies a bit cuter than they tend to be.

However, this did nothing to stop the bosses from still feeling like a threat, and the last boss before the finale of Wind Waker uses the game’s style to its advantage to make a terrifying conflict.

Related: The Legend Of Zelda: Every Game Ranked By Difficulty

The Puppet version of Ganon is a perfect example of an uncanny valley, with its movements feeling unsettling and its unrelenting attacks posing a challenge for Link. If the final boss of Wind Waker wasn’t also so good, it easily could have been overshadowed by Link’s penultimate rival.

4 Twilight Princess – Blizzeta

One way to make a boss encounter more memorable is to give the boss an attachment to the protagonist, and no other encounter in Zelda is a better example than this than Blizzeta. The Snowpeak Ruins is a unique boss, with the puzzling frequently interrupted by Link chatting with the yetis living there.

When Link finally finds the shard of the Twilight Mirror he is looking for, it possesses one of Link’s new yeti friends and freakishly transforms into Blizzeta. The fight following this features Link needing to display mastery of the ball and chain, with him satisfyingly crushing the possessed Yeti’s icy projectiles.

Luckily, Link’s yeti friend survives the fight even if Link wins, giving the dungeon a happy ending.

3 Skyward Sword – Koloktos

The bosses featured in Skyward Sword are unique compared to other Zelda bosses for how much most of them rely on the motion controls. This can help make some bosses more immersive but makes others feel a little like a tech demo rather than an enemy for Link.

Related: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Every Boss, Ranked

An example of a boss in Skyward Sword that perfectly utilizes the motion controls to create a satisfying challenge is Koloktos. The unnerving possessed statue needs to have its limbs weakened with the careful use of Link’s whip, and then Link is able to collect the massive swords used by the boss to inflict massive damage.

While Koloktos is a pretty surprising encounter in Skyward Sword, it remains one of the most memorable.

2 Breath of the Wild – Thunderblight Ganon

Breath of the Wild is perhaps the most popular 3D Zelda for how it revolutionized the formula these games followed and seamlessly translated it into an open world. However, a casualty of this is the bosses feeling a little repetitive and simple.

The choice for all the main story bosses to be Ganon’s Blights had potential, but unfortunately, it means they tend to blend together a little. The strongest of these encounters is Thunderblight Ganon.

This boss has the widest range of attacks, is aggressive with quick movements, and utilizes its unique arena well to challenge Link. It unfortunately still shares a similar appearance to the other 3 Blights, but its unique movements are what help it stick out.

1 Tears of the Kingdom – Mucktorok

The bosses in Tears of the Kingdom fix the misstep made by Breath of the Wild by featuring bosses that all have unique designs to make the encounters much more memorable. Of course, they are not all perfect, but one that definitely sticks out is Mucktorok.

The boss is a massively powered-up version of the classic Zelda enemy Octoroks but is clearly mutated to make it a much more challenging encounter for Link.

The Water Temple is a beautiful arena that contrasts the mucky boss perfectly, and its desperate transformations make it a memorable encounter, with the jumping shark especially giving Link a good reason to flee for cover. Getting to team up with Sidon and use his powers is a satisfying combination to make beating Mucktorok a fun fight.

Next: Most Unique Boss Fights In Zelda History