10 Video Game Bosses You Never Got To Kill

Lan Di has been the primary antagonist of the Shenmue franchise since its inception, an extremely powerful crime lord who effortlessly murders protagonist Ryo's father Iwao at the start of the original 1999 game.

The villain's appearances throughout the trilogy have ultimately been sporadic at best, but fans were nevertheless excited to take on Lan Di in the recent Shenmue III - even with writer-director Yu Suzuki insisting this wasn't the end of the story.

And yet many were disappointed to discover that the final boss fight against Lan Di amounts to 30 seconds of sparring, with Ryo landing not a single hit on an ever-blocking Lan Di before a cutscene takes over and the villain swiftly escapes again.

Though some have argued that having Lan Di die at the end of Shenmue III would've resulted in Suzuki's vision for the series being cut short, considering that the game's mere existence is a miracle two decades in-the-making, a "to be continued..." ending unavoidably felt like a slap in the face.

At least if Shenmue IV does indeed happen - and that's certainly not guaranteed - fans will hopefully keep their expectations for a proper final showdown in check.