The Legend of Zelda has dozens of amazing boss battles littering the series' history. Boss fights are often the height of a dungeon experience, and although some fan favorites have appeared in no less than five games, several bosses have only appeared once in the series proper.
This clearly can't be a popularity contest, though, because some of the best bosses have only graced us with their presence the one time. Many of them wouldn't even work in another game, but that doesn't change how influential and beloved these bosses were when they were around.
10 Link's Shadow
Link has faced many shadowy visages of himself, but only one has ever been his actual shadow manifest with a grudge. Link's Shadow is the final boss of Zelda 2, and there is little to no explanation other than that it's a test to earn the Triforce.
The mystery surrounding this figure has only ballooned over the years as new incarnations from Dark Link to Shadow Link have emerged. There's just something so fundamentally 'fantasy' about fighting your doppelganger that it's no wonder the concept has been revisited, but it's more than a little strange that it's always a slightly different shadow figure. Cheers to the first.
9 Stallord
The Arbiter's Grounds from Twilight Princess understandably makes many lists for the best Zelda dungeons. It's morbidly fascinating. Zelda is typically tight-lipped with its background lore; little is told about these ancient execution grounds. The boss, Stallord, is likewise lacking in any deep description.
They're a perfect complement to the silent halls they occupy. Despite lacking any history, the concept of a skeletal dragon guarding a prison was enough to make them the center for plenty of lore theories. Dragons are typically god-like figures in Zelda, and this one must've held an important role in a location like this.
8 Yuga
Many Zelda games feature a flagship villain, and A Link Between Worlds brought us the wonderfully disturbing Yuga. He's an alternate dimension Ganondorf, so he plays the typical antagonist role, but Ganondorf's dastardly charm is perverted into a slimy type of charm. The same kind that gets advisors named 'Worm Tongue' inexplicably hired as the queen's right hand.
The queen is also evil, so suppose evil rulers need evil advisors, which is why Yuga deserves a nod, despite being viscerally upsetting to watch sometimes. He's too fun to hate, as he wrings his hands together between trapping girls in paintings to hang on his wall. Evil Hyrule is an excellent concept, and we want to return someday.
7 Blind The Thief
A Link to the Past shares most of its bosses with other games, but a few haven't been stolen yet. Agahnim deserves a mention for being the most unique boss in the game, being the true alter ego of Ganon post-dorf. However, a shadow version of him technically appears in Link's Awakening, so Blind the Thief is an obvious second.
Blind occupies the Bandit hideout in the ruins of what should be Kakariko Village. It's a very distressing time for all involved. Being led around a dark murder den by a pale girl you just so happened to meet alone, in the otherwise empty and bone-ridden dungeon basement, into a room you had explored earlier, you would know is a dead end, is a disquieting experience, to put it lightly.
6 Bongo Bongo
The creepy bosses really do tend to stick out more than the others. Something about their macabre appearance in an otherwise light-hearted fantasy setting really hammers in their most disturbing qualities. The headless, armless Bongo Bongo from Ocarina of Time's Shadow dungeon is remembered for precisely that.
Bongo Bongo is also a really fun boss once you get to know him. You'll never forget that off-putting first encounter, but you'll gain a friend afterward. His only real means of attack is to swat at you with his hands; otherwise, he just plays his drum all day. Bongo Bongo lives the best of both worlds for being remembered as genuinely disturbing while also being a source of jokes in the community.
5 Puppet Ganon
It's not every day you get to fight a giant enemy in Zelda. If you do, the game typically gives you something to even the score, like a train cart to ride or a cannon to launch. Puppet Ganon from Wind Waker offers you none of those things. It's just you, a giant pig doll, and hope.
The fight uses the reflective floor to show the boss's full scale during its drop attack. You must also cut its strings as if it were a real marionette. It's just clever. While Ganon's other puppets are nondescript phantom versions of himself or Zelda that one time, theming this boss as a literal puppet on an empty stage really helped give it a unique identity.
4 Zant
Zant may be the first boss fans think of when they hear 'flagship villain.' Ganondorf wasn't heavily advertised as the main villain of Twilight Princess, so if you only saw the trailers, you would've thought Zant was your antagonist for half of the game, and it's a menacing first half. The scene where Zant storms Hyrule castle lives in many heads rent-free.
However, Zant is known for much more than his calm homicidal rage. No, he's also known for his spectacular nose dive into lunacy, breaking every bone on the way down, earning a perfect ten from every judge, and never recovering. It's stunning. No boss has ever worn both coats so well and poorly by juxtaposition. He's the perfect train wreck.
3 Vaati's Minish Form
Vaati first appeared in the Four Swords games before being given his origin story in The Minish Cap. Because of this, Vaati only spent one game in his minish forms before transforming into his frankly less appealing demon form, but it feels like there's more they could do with a humanoid enemy rather than a giant, blobby thing.
Vaati's picori form has an understated quality lost when put in a bigger body. Unlike Ganon, it's not his physical form that's the threat. It's the sheer level of destruction his magic can cause. So Vaati is worthy of being the only other recurring main villain in the series. We need more of him.
2 Ghirahim
Zant is memorable for being menacing and unhinged, but his problem is that these are separate traits that don't complement each other. Ghirahim? He doesn't have that problem. Ghirahim can dance into frame in what must be a custom-made singlet, threaten you with sincere boredom in his voice, compliment you in the same breath, and you will leave wanting more.
Ghirahim is a well-coordinated disaster prancing with scissors. It's a blessing that he appears so many times throughout Skyward Sword because he'll likely never appear again. Ultimately, he was just a sword because nothing about this guy could be normal. That's why everyone loves him, though. His energy is unforgettable yet indescribable.
1 Majora
So much has been said about Majora's Mask. It was given the monumental task of following up Ocarina of Time, and it managed to be something many consider the best in the entire series. The villain, Majora, does a lot to cement the game as unforgettable, both terrifying and strangely sympathetic.
Majora's Mask wears this bizarre overtone that makes every interaction feel off-balanced. Majora is a culmination of that feeling. Their boss arena is otherworldly. Their form becomes alien, and the noises they make are viscerally distressing. Majora may have only appeared one time, but they're still one of the best bosses and characters in the entire franchise.