9 Video Game First Boss Battles That Totally Broke You

8. Murai - Ninja Gaiden

Heralder of trade-ins, crusher of ambitions and all-round nunchuck-wielding annoyance, Murai is the guy that comes in and swiftly reminds you that all the rumours you'd heard about Ninja Gaiden's difficulty really were true after all.

At this stage you'd only been playing for a good half hour or so, slaying enemy goons with shurikens and bounding off the walls like the ninja badass you always knew you were. Then Murai steps up to bat, and before you can say "But I was so good at Dead or Alive!" he's depleted your health, locked you in a grapple or slam-dunked you off the training mat - perhaps all three.

Murai is a cruel master indeed, but a necessary one to prepare you for what was to come.