8 Best Video Game Boss Battles Of 2022

At its core, the theme of the Pokemon franchise is of overcoming overwhelming odds, as if you're going to become the very best, you're going to need to go through a tonne of trials and personal growth to get there.

And if there's any mainline entry Pokemon title up against the wall, it's Pokemon Violet and Scarlet, a duo of games that has been rightly raked over the coals by both critics and fans alike for its rushed production, shoddy framerates, and a seeming desire to play it safe after the prior Poke-experience Arceus sought to shake things up. However, that just speaks to the sheer quality of this pair's final showdown with The Paradise Protection Protocol that it not only is a great boss battle for the franchise but also is appearing on this list.

What makes this confrontation so memorable is the lead-up to the clash, in which it's revealed that Professor Sada isn't actually the real Sada at all! It turns out that the professor actually died in a prior accident and what stands before you is a robotic body with an AI comprised of Sada's memories. As the AI Sada leads you to the time machine deep within the lab she reveals that as soon as you try tampering with the machine she will try and defeat you as the lab's safety protocols will override her programming.

It's a terrifically sad start to the battle, to take down an unwilling foe, but what follows is a real challenge in the form of high-level Pokemon that can dish out punishment quickly to an unprepared team. And yet it only gets better after the first phase, as now with support from your friends arriving at the lab, you get a Legendary Pokemon showdown for the ages, in which thanks to the support of your team and the bonds you've built you can finally use the Legendary beasts true Battle Form, making for a cathartic moment and an even more touching goodbye to one of the best-written bosses in all of Pokemon.