Summary
Boss enemies inResident Evilgames usually take on the form of large and grotesque B.O.W whom the player will need to use every last bullet and explosive round to take down if they want to progress further in the story. While every game in the series features boss enemies, the total amount can vary quite a bit between each entry, depending on how challenging and action-packed Capcom decide to make the overall experience.
Some of theResident Evilgames can essentially be seen as boss-rush gauntlets with how many boss encounters they throw at the player, but when push comes to shove, which has the most encounters of them all? Grab a First Aid Spray and stock up on Magnum rounds, as this list is going to dive into the world ofResident Evilbosses, and the games in which they appear most frequently.
This list focuses on the number of bosses, and will not count re-tellings likeDarkside ChroniclesorOperation Raccoon City.
Resident Evil 0features a pretty unique catalog of enemies, since while it does still contain good old-fashioned zombies, many of the other enemies are mutated versions of animals, and nowhere can this be seen more clearly than with the bosses. Starting off with the giant and deadly scorpion who confrontsBilly and Rebeccaon the train, from that moment on, the game pits players against a handful of other eerie boss enemies, including the always terrifying Queen Leech.
By far the most infamous boss of this underrated entry though is the Giant Bat, primarily because beating it requires a lot more luck than it does skill considering how fast and agile this thing is. Nonetheless, the creepy boss designs inResident Evil 0still make these durable foes some of the most memorable in the entire series.
Despite initially being seen as little more than a handheld experiment for the 3DS,Resident Evil Revelationswould end up being a pretty important game for the franchise with its lore dumps and return to survival-horror gameplay. Though the game does admittedly take a while to introduce its first boss, the Comms Officer, it’s certainly worth the wait, as this disgusting mountain of bodies is one of the most visually disturbing bosses in any of the games, and even has anentire documentthat chronicles how the officer became a mutant in the first place.
Revelationsalso feature Malacoda, a giant aquatic B.O.W which is recorded as being the largest boss, or enemy for that matter, in the entire series, requiring an army’s-worth of firepower to take down for good. Needless to say, the bosses inRevelationscome in all kinds of shapes and sizes, though beating them is far from easy considering how little ammo is afforded to the player as they explore the Queen Zenobia ship.
As players venture deeper into the Spencer Mansion in the remake of the first entry, they will uncover plenty of secrets about the gigantic manor, and will also be able to see for themselves the kinds of gross and obscure creatures that dwell within. Each boss in the originalResident Evilgame says something about the Spencer Mansion as an area, whether it’sNeptune, who was tossed away as a failed experiment, or the gigantic snake Yawn, who too was used for experiments, but eventually managed to break out and wreak havoc until it was eventually taken down.
The most harrowing example of this, though, is Lisa Trevor, a young girl who was turned into an unrecognizable mutant after being separated from her family and used as a test experiment by Wesker and his pals. Capcom was clearly very particular about the sorts of bosses that appeared in this game, making sure that each of them presented something about the wider story and environment, which makes them all extremely memorable.
After finding herself trapped on the zombie-infested Rockfort Island at the beginning ofCode Veronica, Claire is forced to blast her way through hundreds ofdeadly enemiesin order to make a grand escape. However, whileCode Veronicafeatures quite a few tricky boss enemies, many of them are overshadowed by the Tyrant, who has been the cause of more than a few soft-locks, since if players don’t have enough ammo to defeat him, they can find themselves restarting the entire game.
Simply put, a lot ofCode Veronica’sbosses can seem pretty unfair, and will often get away with things that they really shouldn’t be able to. In the Steve fight, for example, the mutated version of Claire’s new friend is guaranteed to always deal at least a little bit of damage, no matter how fast the player is moving, meaning if they’re out of herbs, there can literally be no way out.
It’s astonishing howLeon Kennedycan stumble across some of the most horrific-looking bosses in the series, and still act all cocky and brash before the fight even begins.Resident Evil 4contains arguably the most recognizable collection of bosses in the entire series, whether it’s the giant salamander known as Del Lago, the ever-annoying mutated Salazar, or the lightning-fast Verdugo, Leon is challenged in all kinds of ways during his mission to save Ashley.
Despite so many boss enemies in this game, they are also some of the toughest the franchise has seen. The U-3, for example, is a boss who players will need to try and deal damage to, while simultaneously hitting switches to make their way through the arena, making for an incredibly intense engagement. Considering Leon will always have one big final boss enemy at the end of each of the three areas, players are heavily encouraged to stock up as much as they can until then to stand a chance against the deadly Los Illuminados and their twisted experiments.
Chris and Sheva come across all kinds of terrifying monstrosities during their adventure across Kijuju, all of which range wildly in size and power. While the Popokarimu may only take a few shotgun rounds and a grenade or two to take down, the Uroboros specimen that the duo meets early on can only be defeated by using flames, while Excella’s mutated form requires an entire laser blast until she finally gives up.
While the game might therefore feature plenty of boss enemies, the variety helps to ensure they never become too predictable or boring, especially since many of them also come with a unique gimmick that encourages players to work together in order to deal damage. Of course, it’s impossible to mentionResident Evil 5bosses without also giving a special shout-out to Wesker, who manages to feel just as absurdly powerful in-game as he does in the cutscenes.
Admittedly, the individual campaigns that are featured inResident Evil 6don’t feature too many bosses, despite re-using most of them numerous times throughout the story. The reason the boss tally is so high though is simply because this game has 4 full stories, all of them featuring a few unique bosses, and some that are shared between the campaigns.
While nobody can ever forget the Nemesis-like Ustanak, who chases Sherry and Jake through pretty much the entirety of their campaign, Carla, Simmons, and theenormous B.O.W known as HAOSare also standouts from the game. If this list were counting boss fights, then this number would be much, much higher, but in terms of strict enemies,Resident Evil 6still introduces an abundance of tough bosses as part of its gameplay, which leans heavily into the action genre.
When playing throughResident Evil: Village, it can often feel as though Ethan is tasked with taking down more bosses than regular enemies along his adventure, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, considering how weird and wacky a lot of these boss enemies are, such as the giant hungry baby that lives inBeneviento’s estate, or the immensely popular Lady Dimitrescu, it makes it fun to wonder what sort of freakshow Capcom has conjured up for players to find next.
Because Ethan must travel through four different areas in the game in order to restore his daughter Rose back to her regular form, he will need to take down each of the Lords in order to move on to the next locale. Along the way though, there are plenty of smaller bosses that will try to block his path, including a giant hammer-wielding Lycan, and all three of Dimitrescu’s daughters who each have their own unique battles to partake in.
