Top 10 Best Hollow Knight Bosses

Hollow Knight marks what is easily one of my favourite games in recent times, taking the metroidvania style gameplay of old, then adding even more freedom, along with an in depth combat system, amazing art style, and simply perfect atmosphere, along with many other amazing components. The game also features a lot of high quality boss battles, further increasing the all around quality of it, with this list detailing my favourites of them.This list will contain any form of boss, including dream variants and the like.
The Top Ten
1 Nightmare King Grimm

This is still by far the battle that took me the longest to beat, due to it requiring great skill, with no easy way to get past. The only way to win is to simply learn the patterns and get better at the game, which is always a sign of a well-designed fight. The fight itself is quite fun as well, with a wide moveset making him difficult to predict, keeping you on your toes.

2 Pure Vessel

I'll just say that The Hollow Knight is included in this because that chap is the best boss in the game (in my humble opinion, that is). You really sympathize with the pain and agony it's going through, especially in the third phase, where the fight slows down a considerable margin and it legitimately starts stabbing itself.

The point is, it's easy for that point in the game because it feels like the boss doesn't want to fight - it wants to save The Knight from its almost inevitable doom. Also, the music is ace.

3 Grey Prince Zote

A pretty entertaining fight packed with humor, especially due to the fact that you're facing off against someone who is usually so unbelievably pathetic. His attacks are all extremely sloppy and amateurish in their execution, with one of his main attacks being running around while flailing his sword, which, despite how stupid it looks, works quite well. The battle is amusing and cheesable, yet still decently challenging and fun.

I love his boss theme and the fact that his title gets even bigger each time you beat him. Plus, he is ridiculously hard, especially when he can one-hit kill you.

4 Hornet Protector

Okay, this fight took me about 45 minutes to complete, but it felt great. Every time I got knocked down, I managed to get three seconds more time to fight. I may have fought with only my nail in Fight 2, but it was still good!

5 Dung Defender
6 Sisters of Battle

Take the already awesome Mantis Lords fight and up the ante by a few thousand notches, making for the fastest fight in the game by far, while also being very fair and undoubtedly fun. The first time they were encountered was also such a surprise, making the battle that much more spectacular.

It was so fun and fast-paced that I didn't even know what was going on for a bit until I was instinctively dodging like a maniac, and just like that, the fight was done. I love this boss, but Pure Vessel might be better. (I don't know yet.)

7 Radiance

Very hard moves to dodge, and she is very unpredictable, making her difficulty high, but not as high as the other version (you know what I'm talking about). But she's not easy as well, making her difficulty perfect. The music is undoubtedly the best soundtrack in the game, and when you see those Siblings (dark enemies in The Abyss) rising up to kill The Radiance together... definitely the best fight in the game.

The massive scale of this boss is what makes it so impressive, with each attack covering the whole stage more or less. Additionally, being the final boss, it can accommodate and be built around all of the abilities the player obtains throughout the game, leading to one of the most complex fights in the game.

8 Soul Master

An awesome early-game fight. The top of the Soul Sanctum, at the roof of the City of Tears, is such an incredible setting. It is also a really fun but challenging boss, probably the most difficult one at that point in the game. The music is really cool too and fits the Soul Master better than any other boss in the game, which is good because this piece only plays here - making the fight that much more memorable in my opinion.

Also, the lore is great, which is covered later in his second encounter in the Dream Realm. And, of course, there is the awesome fake-out section in the middle where you think you've beaten him, but in fact, that was just the first phase (I love that part and really didn't see it coming). Generally, the Soul Master is an unforgettable fight that is pretty underrated, though the backtracking through the whole Sanctum can get pretty frustrating if you died to this boss as many times as I did.

9 Troupe Master Grimm
10 Great Nailsage Sly

The fights involving someone approximately of your size tend to be more difficult, often having fewer windows in which you can punish them, along with them acting more human than most bosses. Nailsage Sly takes this one step further by not only doing all of this but actually punishing you for being overaggressive through follow-up attacks that will only be used when the player is close. Otherwise, these attacks will be completely skipped, making the window of attack much smaller. This makes for an extremely cool, unique fight.

The Contenders
11 Mantis Lords

Best boss in the game. They built up the Mantis Tribe throughout the entirety of the Fungal Wastes, with NPCs and tablets talking about how dangerous the Tribe is. So, after getting the Mantis Claw and fighting your way through the Village, you meet the Mantis Lords just vibing on their throne.

The Mantis Lords don't attack you - you have to challenge them. The player challenging a boss is only reserved for The Radiance. This makes the Mantis Lords stick with you.

The fight is an absolute gem, with one Mantis Lord having a few but tough moves. After beating her, you initially think that it's going to be a one-after-another fight. However, phase one was a tutorial, and the other two fight you at the same time.

After beating them, you get a few rewards. Hallownest further opens up, the other Mantises bow to you and do not attack you, and you get one of the best charms in the game.

12 White Defender

Nice, easy, and just fun to fight.

13 Soul Tyrant
14 Nosk

Kinda creepy and just an imitation of yourself.

15 Elder Hu
16 Brothers Oro and Mato

The multiperson fights in this game are really great in general, with them all being highly balanced, providing ample windows both to dodge and to punish. While these guys aren't as fun as most other ones, I still find it extremely fun to fight them. Their delayed method of attacking is enjoyable to figure out and play around.

They just wanted to be brothers and be by each other again.

17 Failed Champion

I didn't realize they could make the first boss of the game so challenging. The attacks here are lightning quick, leaving very little room to dodge or react. Despite this, once you figure out its AI, it becomes extremely satisfying to take him down with very little issue. It's the kind of boss fight that you'll either do near flawlessly or die horribly, with very little room in between.

18 Lost Kin

Lost Kin is definitely one of the hardest bosses due to the quick and strong attacks. The design for an infected vessel is very unique and great as well!

19 Traitor Lord

The Traitor Lord is a really cool boss because it could go one of two ways, which is pretty nice. Also, the gameplay is really fluid and puts the Shade Cloak to great use.

20 Gorb
21 WInged Nosk
22 Hive Knight

Although not the biggest name in boss fights, Hive Knight is my favorite. Their theme is one of the best and really hits home. Their mechanics are fun, even if they take a bit to get used to. And lore-wise, the noble knight defending their queen and home, even after it's already fallen, is really cool.

Their death animation - kneeling in front of their dead queen with their nail for support and then finally falling - was really cool.

23 Hollow Knight
24 Markoth
25 Brooding Mawlek
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