10 Optional Bosses Harder Than The Final Boss

Kurt Zisa is an Emblem Heartless that the player can encounter in the desert of Agrabah in the Aladdin level. Despite being an optional boss, he is considered one of the hardest encounters in the original game, even outdoing Sephiroth himself. And that's saying something.

Zisa's difficulty comes from the ridiculous number of phases and battle modes he has. In one stage of the fight, he can completely block your magic attacks; in another, he will become immune to physical attacks instead and force you to rely exclusively on magic. In addition, each phase gives him a new attack mode to use against you, so anytime you think you've just learned his moveset, he can surprise you with another trick.

Everything about fighting Kurt Zisa is a weird case of trial and error that you don't really experience with other bosses, including Ansem at the end of the game. He is an utterly unpredictable enemy who rarely lets you catch a break.

Also, did you know Kurt's name was the result of a real-life contest? He was named after a lucky winner from New York, who was probably really confused to furiously scream his own name every time in-game Kurt was destroying him.