Boss fights are arguably one of the highlights for any action game, and they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some fights are brutal while others can be forgettable, but the most interesting types of bosses are the ones that can best be described as silly. This can be due to some hilarious boss design, funny mechanics, weird difficulty, or perhaps something completely different – and we will be running down 15 of such silly boss fights in games with this feature.

Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)

Metal Gear Solid - Psycho Mantis

Metal Gear Solid has a reputation for featuring boss fights that defy player expectations – and Psycho Mantis is definitely one such fight that really shocked gamers back in the day. You see, Psycho Mantis will always evade your moves since he’s reading them directly from the controller – which makes it impossible to damage the boss at first. Psycho Mantis can also read your memory card, and his dialogues will reflect what saves are present on your card.

The solution to beating him is to switch the controller from port 1 to port 2, which makes him open to attacks. Once that’s done, this boss fight becomes ridiculously easy and you can easily gun him down and get on with the story. On repeat playthroughs when you know what needs to be done, Psycho Mantis becomes a very silly albeit creative boss fight that poses little to no threat to the player.

The Great Mighty Poo (Conker’s Bad Fur Day)

the great mighty poo conker bad fur day

Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a big departure from Rare’s other family friendly platformers of the era, and what we get is a game that’s filled to the brim with silly jokes and dark humor. And of course, The Great Mighty Poo boss fight is emblematic of all these traits. As the name suggests, Conker has to battle a large pile of dung all while it sings a silly opera song to set the mood for this fight. Defeating this boss requires hurling rolls of toilet paper into his gargantuan mouth, because why not? It’s a really hilarious boss fight that’s sure to remain with you long after the credits roll.

General Corrosive (Metal Arms: Glitch in the System)

General Corrosive Metal Arms Glitch in the System

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is one of the most underrated games of recent memory, and those who haven’t played it should definitely give it a spin. The moment-to-moment combat and boss fights are all great on their own, but none are as brutal as General Corrosive who can easily pummel you down in a few hits. But why is this boss fight funny, you ask? Well, that can be attributed to General Corrosive’s design which defies any and all logic. And of course, you wouldn’t think that a rusty robot that’s barely standing on its own two feet would give you this much trouble.

Ripper Roo – Crash Bandicoot Series

riper roo crash

Ripper Roo can best be described as a crazy kangaroo in straitjackets, and behaves exactly like you’d expect from someone with that description. The boss fight takes place against the backdrop of a waterfall, and is one of the easiest fights in the game – and even easier if you know what to do. You need to make a TNT box explode near Ripper Roo a total of three times all while he jumps across nine platforms in the arena. Sticking to the sides of the arena guarantees that you won’t be pummeled down by his attacks, which makes this silly looking boss fight an absolute cakewalk as well. And if you think that’s easy, wait until you meet Dr. Ripper Roo in Crash 2 where he lays down TNT boxes and gets knocked down by his own explosions time and time again.

Senator Armstrong (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

The Senator Armstrong isn’t silly on account of its difficulty or mechanics, but rather the entire premise itself. On the other hand, it’s actually a brutal boss fight that’s fitting for the game’s conclusion. But you wouldn’t think that a senator would be the final boss of an action game like Metal Gear Rising, but here he is – ready to take Raiden head on with his nanomachine-infused bare hands. And if that’s not enough, Senator Armstrong will exchange unintentionally hilarious banter with Raiden during the fight about his political ideas and of course, the nanomachines – which is sure to crack you up at the absurdity of it all.

Mr. Patch (Banjo-Tooie)

mr patch banjo tooie

Found in the Nutty Acres area, Mr. Patch is a weirdly intimidating boss fight that’s sure to stay with you long after you roll the credits. Mr. Patch is an inflatable balloon that hurls Bi-planes at Banjo and Kazooie, and defeating him requires shooting at patches on his body whilst in the air, which is a formidable challenge on its own. But what makes this boss worth remembering is the sheer ingenuity of turning a harmless children’s balloon into a rather fearsome boss – one that would be worthy of a 9 year old’s worst nightmare.

Fatman (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

Fatman from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty continues the trend for silly boss fights that Psycho Mantis started in the first game. But unlike the first game, the silly aspect comes from the boss design rather than the fight itself. You see, Fatman is a master of explosives who glides around the arena on his roller skates and sipping fine wine – and if that doesn’t make you laugh, I don’t know what will. That said, the fight itself is pretty enjoyable as you try to diffuse the many bombs he set throughout the arena all while planting claymores and mines of your own to repeatedly trip down your enemy. Fatman is the perfect embodiment of Hideo Kojima’s eccentric design philosophy of combining great mechanics with hilarious designs – which is why it’s remembered so fondly even after all these years.

GLaDOS: Portal

portal glados

GLaDOS is one of the most hilarious robotic characters of all time, so it stands to reason that a boss fight with this enemy would be a memorable one. The whole fight revolves around having to expose different cores of the machine and incinerate them one by one, and GLaDOS is on top of its humour game while this goes on. Each core corresponds to a different part of its personality, and seeing it rapidly change during the course of this boss fight is sure to cause a few smirks as you take down this one hell of an antagonist.

Mysterio – Spider-Man 2

Mysterio is one of the most recognizable villains in the Spider-Man universe, so one wouldn’t obviously expect him to go down easily. Yet that’s what exactly happens with Spider-Man 2 2004. Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man intercepts Mysterio while robbing a store, and Mysterio seems furious at the superhero for laying waste to his plans. Mysterio’s health bars build up in layers before the fight starts, and as soon as you land the first punch – he goes down in one fell swoop!

It turns out that some opportunist kid tried to trick innocent citizens into thinking he’s Mysterio to get a few free goodies. But the fact that Mysterio would try to rob a convenience store and the build up to the fight makes it all pretty hilarious, and you are sure to crack up at some point.

Toasty – Spyro The Dragon

Spyro The Dragon is a game that mostly caters to younger audiences with its fable-like stories and forgiving gameplay. As such, it isn’t surprising that the bosses here would hinge on the verge of being silly at best. Toasty is the very first boss fight in the game, and is an appropriately funny and easy boss fight. Spyro has to make his way through waves of enemies before reaching the boss, and Toasty is revealed as a tall and horrific witch that should pose a formidable challenge . But the moment you spew your fire breath upon him, Toasty starts running for its dear life. Do this a couple of times, and his cloak burns away and we see that the boss is nothing but an ordinary harmless sheep in stilts – which is pretty funny if you ask me.

Jasper Rolls – Psychonauts

jasper rolls psychonauts

Psychonauts is easily one of the most fun games of the last couple of generations, so it stands to reason that a boss fight would find its way onto this list. Jasper Rolls is our pick for this list, who is the boss of Gloria’s Theatre and is a large critic that has become the central cause of Gloria’s gloomy nature. He attacks Raz with fancy worded criticisms, which sounds pretty hilarious in Jasper’s eccentric voice. The fight itself is pretty enjoyable on its own, but the sheer absurdity of the entire premise is what makes this fight absolutely hilarious. Even more so when you consider that this is coming from a video game critic himself.

Titan Joker – Batman Arkham Asylum

batman arkham asylum joker titan

Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the best games in this franchise and a lot of that praise can be attributed to the amazing representation of Gotham’s most iconic villains. The Joker is obviously at the epicenter of it all, so fans were understandably excited about his final move. So when he transformed into the towering Titan Joker, we were all expecting a white-knuckle challenge at the very least.

But alas, what we got was a lackluster boss fight where you essentially have to fight the same goons you’ve been fighting for hours at this point. And once you’re done with each wave, you get a prompt to knock down Joker with your Batclaw and pummel him with a few hits until he goes back up. Rinse and repeat it a couple of times, and you’re done with the boss. While it’s rather funny to see how he falls so easily despite his menacing design, it just ends up being a silly ending battle to an otherwise fantastic adventure.

Yawn – Resident Evil 1

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The original Resident Evil is an unforgiving survival horror game, but that brutality is contrasted by unintentionally funny dialogues which makes for a unique experience. And that dichotomy can be perfectly illustrated by the Yawn boss fight, which sees Jill Valentine fighting off a huge snake. The fight takes place in two phases – the first requires you to keep running around in circles while your ally shoots the snake with a shotgun. Once that’s done, you get the shotgun and you need to unleash a handful of rounds into the snake before it goes down. The snake looks dangerous with its towering presence and fierce shrieks, but it goes down so easily which makes the whole affair ultimately a silly one.

Gary – Bully

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Bully remains one of the most unique games under Rockstar’s portfolio of open worlds, and this boarding school epic is chock full of school stereotypes and tropes that are sure to put a smile on your face. Bully tends to go over the top towards its climax, and Bullsworth is plunged into a state of absolute chaos by Gary and Jimmy tries to stop it once and for all. Witnessing the absolute chaos in the school premises and the headmaster being tied to his chair would make you think that Gary would be a hard foe to take down, but that’s far from the case. After a brief chase sequence to the rooftop, Gary and Jimmy get embroiled in a fist fight. He goes down all in a matter of a few punches and kicks, which makes the entire build up to this fight feel really silly.

Scarecrow (Batman: Arkham Asylum)

batman arkham asylum

Yet another character from Arkham Asylum, we have Scarecrow who constantly toys with the Batman’s already twisted psyche after injecting them with the Scarecrow Toxin. The nightmare sequences are a fresh change of pace from the usual state of affairs, which makes the boss fight pretty enjoyable on its own. But what makes this boss fight silly is how Scarecrow messes with the player by breaking the fourth wall – even causing the screen to shudder and glitch out at one time and displaying a game-over scene in the other. It’s not on the same level as Psycho Mantis as we discussed earlier, but it’s still memorable nevertheless.