Top 10 Best Bosses from the Streets of Rage Series

Some bosses make you groan. Others make you grit your teeth and tighten your grip on the controller. In Streets of Rage, they make you remember.

The bosses in this series aren't just roadblocks tossed in to pad out levels. They're flashy, brutal, often completely unhinged, and almost always the kind of fight that ends with your palms sweating and your last life hanging by a pixel.

You've danced around electrified cages, taken down musclebound wrestlers with names that sound like rejected '80s action figures, and squared off against twin assassins who treat you like their personal punching bag. These are the fights that made you hit restart just to take another shot. Or throw the controller, curse the AI, and swear you were done, only to come back five minutes later like a moth to the face-kicking flame.

So now it's your turn to weigh in. Which bosses had the most style, the nastiest moves, or the sheer audacity to show up looking like that and still wreck you? Vote for the ones that deserve the spotlight and help shape the ultimate list of Streets of Rage baddies that earned their place in beat-'em-up legend.

1. Mr. X

   Ah yes, the classic boss from Streets of Rage through Streets of Rage 3 (Robo X), usually armed with a Tommy gun so that he could enjoy the show, blasting you to smithereens, including spraying his bullets all over the place. This affects not only you but his own goons. Just the diabolical megalomaniac villain we need in this video game series. He's the villain who defined Streets of Rage.

2. Bongo

   Who would forget about this fire-breathing individual who sprays fury like a red dragon? Oh, I certainly can't forget about him. Though he can appear as one of the enemies in Streets of Rage 2 through 4, he's an enjoyable character to play around with.

3. Onihime and Yasha

   Japanese twins who are both very strategic and agile fighters. Don't greatly underestimate their power and abilities, they'll beat and kill you in a heartbeat. I highly suggest thinking like them to beat them.

4. Abadede

   A Caucasian wrestler who's very buff, just like Max Thunder. Very strong and cunning for a wrestler like him. Very dynamic and jolting in energy. Seems to be an easy boss to beat, though beware of his thrashing uppercut. It will cost you more than you'll ever bear.

5. Rocky Bear

   One of the toughest opponents I've ever faced in any Streets of Rage game. It's nearly impossible to beat him. The cheapest way of defeating this tough individual is to slash him with a Samurai sword many times until he falls down. This Russian morbid boxer sure does have furious fists of steel.

6. Shiva

   Of course, Mr. X's right-hand man. He's rather one of the most flashy, agile, and the best fighters in the franchise. But he was formerly a criminal and instead led his life teaching at a Buddhist monastery.

7. Estel Aguirre

   An alpha gal who turns out to be fluent in hand-to-hand combat and is never afraid to use force and to hold her ground, even though she's shown to call in reinforcements from her walkie-talkie. Pretty intriguing boss. It turns out she snapped herself out from the brainwashing caused by the Y twins and joined the side of the vigilantes.

8. DJ K-Washi

   A DJ whose role is to brainwash the entire city with his brainwashing music but was stopped by the vigilantes. His attack set is pretty intriguing and adds more flavor to the combat when it comes to fighting bosses. If I'm honest here, he's the boss with the most variety out of all bosses, all because of his design and his attack set.

9. Jet

   Pretty much the easiest opponents I've ever beaten, alongside Barbon. Just play their anticipation and jump-kick his face. I put it this low because the boss seems pretty bland compared to DJ K-Washi.

10. Barbon

    A bartender who turns out to learn karate and resembles the appearance of Freddy Mercury. The easiest opponent out of all.