History Main / FisticuffsBoss

* In ''Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror'', the main character hunts downs and captures various terrorist leaders around the world. After mowing down their security forces via regular gunplay, the player throws away his guns and takes on each leader hand-to-hand, eventually leading up to a Kung Fu showdown with {{Osama bin Laden}}.

You made it to the boss and you're going to use your most powerful weapon, thus easily defeating it, right? Wrong! Every weapon except your fist (or, depending on the game, your basic melee weapon) is either disabled, removed, or unusable, i.e. DuelBoss meets NoGearLevel. This can be a form of FakeDifficulty, particularly if it involves a UnexpectedGameplayChange (you never had to/have been able to use your fists before). Expect a speech or two about how GoodOldFisticuffs is the one true form of combat.

** Fisticuff [[FinalBoss Final Bosses]] are something of a tradition in Franchise/MetalGear. In ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', you box Gray Fox in a mine field, and burn Big Boss with an [[ImprovisedWeapon aerosol can and lighter]].

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', [[spoiler:Senator Armstrong]] breaks Raiden's sword after the first phase of the fight, reducing him to his arms and legs. He can't even use his subweapons. Already taking simply ScratchDamage from your sword, [[spoiler:Armstrong]] is even less effected by Raiden's fists and feet and once you've knocked off 0.1 percent of his health, Raiden will attempt two rounds of RapidFireFisticuffs, both of which the boss {{No Sell}}s but will move the fight onto the final phase.

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', [[spoiler:Senator Armstrong]] breaks Raiden's sword after the first phase of the fight, reducing him to his arms and legs. He can't even use his subweapons. Already taking simply ScratchDamage from your sword, [[spoiler:Armstrong]] is even less effected by Raiden's fists and feet and once knocked down to 0.1 percent of his health, Raiden will attempt two rounds of RapidFireFisticuffs, both of which the boss {{No Sell}}s but will move the fight onto the final phase.

* The climax of the original ''AliensVsPredator'' game, in the Predator missions, involved doing battle with an Alien Queen in which all of your plasma weapons were disabled. While it's possible to kill her with the speargun, you usually end up running out of ammo - and being reduced to your claws.

* In ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'', the player controls a female superspy said to have too slender a frame to carry dead or unconscious bodies around. At one point she is required to defeat a certain villain through fisticuffs. Said villain is much larger than her, very muscular and is said to be able to tackle several opponents at once in brawls.
** Made even [[ThatOneBoss scrappier]] by the fact that the guy doesn't fight fair. He shakes the floor by punching it and ''throws sticks of dynamite at you''.
** This example can be seen as a PuzzleBoss of sorts, although the developers probably didn't intend it that way. Seeing how he is a MightyGlacier to Cate's FragileSpeedster, your best tactic is to abuse your mobility advantage and [[spoiler:jump on top of him while he ducks, then pummel away at him from above--his fists won't reach that high]].

* In ''RedSteel'', during every boss battle, your character puts away his vast variety of guns to instead have an honorable sword duel.
* In ''Fugitive Hunter'', the main character hunts downs and captures various terrorist leaders around the world. After mowing down their security forces via regular gunplay, the player throws away his guns and takes on each leader hand-to-hand, eventually leading up to a Kung Fu showdown with {{Osama bin Laden}}.

* In the game ''TrueCrime: Streets of LA'' many of these will pop up and when you [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim try to shoot the guy]] Nick will respond with a one-liner explaining why he won't. Examples: ''Nah. I'd rather beat ya senseless.'', ''Guns are overrated... Sometimes.'', ''Let's do this honorably.''

For a literal fisticuffs boss, see GiantHandsOfDoom.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}} 2'', you start the 2 last missions with nothing but the fiber wire, while every enemy has a gun - and no spare ammo to loot.

** [[TheBrute Sanchez]] in ''Absolution'' is a combination of this and CutsceneBoss if the player chooses to dress as The Patriot. Of course, given the game's multiple options for assassination, this can also be averted by simply shooting him or dropping the lighting gantry on him.

* In the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', after you beat both forms of Metal Gear REX, you fight Liquid Snake on top of REX. However, he's removed all your weapons, and your shirt. This also happened in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', in which Raiden lost all his weapons except a sword before the final showdown, and in ''VideoGame/MetalGear3SolidSnake'', in which all of Snake's equipment catches on fire and must be discarded by the player before the final bosses.

** The whole ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack'' is this, as at the beginning of the game Necrodius splits Kirby depriving him of most of his abilities, most notably his trademark MegaManning. The flock of Kirbies has no other way to fight than dogpiling enemies.

* In the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', after you beat both forms of Metal Gear REX, you fight Liquid Snake on top of REX. However, he's removed all your weapons, and your shirt. This also happened in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', in which Raiden lost all his weapons except a sword before the final showdown, and in ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', in which all of Snake's equipment catches on fire and must be discarded by the player before the final bosses.

** The final boss of ''MetalGearSolid2'' is a true fisticuffs boss if you challenge him as Snake (either in the Boss Survival mode or in one of the ''Substance'' version's ''Snake Tales'').

* The final boss in ''DeadRising'''s Overtime mode is a Special Forces officer who you fight on top of a main battle tank in the middle of a sea of zombies (Oh, yeah). While trying to fight him normally is quite difficult, his AI has an [[GoodBadBugs easily exploitable bug]] that makes him jump up to the turret if he's hit while jumping down. Delivering a series of jump kicks in this manner is an easy win.

* For a non video game example, the FightingFantasy book Seas of Blood ends with a fight against a cyclops who snatches away your sword, forcing you to fight bare-handed.

* Movie Example: the ''Film/StreetFighter'' movie. Bison (RaulJulia) insists on meeting Guile (Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme) hand-to-hand, then [[LoopholeAbuse cheats]] by using [[PowerFloats electromagnetic levitation]].

** The whole ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack'' is this, as at the beginning of the game Necrodius splits Kirby depriving him of most of his abilities, most notably his trademark MegaManning. The flock of Kirbies has no other way to fight than ganging up on enemies and wrestle them until they die.

** If you bothered to do the [[GuideDangIt 'wonderful' side-quest]], that is.

* The ''VideoGame/BatmanDoom'' GameMod has its final battle with Bane in the ruins of the Batcave, and your weapon for the battle is a special gauntlet that you only get on the level. Switching to any other weapon gets you a message saying "You failed to fight Bane with your fists" and locking out all your weapons with a mocking "Is that your best?" from Bane, making the game essentially {{Unwinnable}} unless you restart the level.

** Fisticuff [[FinalBoss Final Bosses]] are something of a tradition in Franchise/MetalGear. In ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', you box Gray Fox in a mine field, and burn your father with an [[ImprovisedWeapon aerosol can and lighter]].

* ''GodHand'' may be less of an example because your character doesn't really ''use'' any weapons throughout the game.
* In ''WarcraftIII: The Frozen Throne'' the RPG style Orc quest has a fight where you are forced to fight without "any magic toys". Sadly for your opponent by that point in the game you can summon a half dozen animal minions to tear him limb from limb.

* Movie Example: the ''Film/StreetFighter'' movie. Bison (RaulJulia) insists on meeting Guile (JeanClaudeVanDamme) hand-to-hand, then [[LoopholeAbuse cheats]] by using [[PowerFloats electromagnetic levitation]].

* In ''Videogame/Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath'', after being stripped of his equipment and [[spoiler:outed as a [[OurCentaursAreDifferent Steef]]]], Stranger decides that [[HeKnowsTooMuch he can't let D. Caste Raider and his crew live]] and fights them bare-handed. Luckily for him, he gains a new charge attack and there's [[BattleAmongstTheFlames fire everywhere to knock them into]].

->''At last, we can fight as warriors. Hand-to-hand: it is the basis of all combat. Only a fool trusts his life to a weapon.''
--> -- '''Gray Fox''', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''

* In the JamesBond game ''VideoGame/EverythingOrNothing'', Bond get cornered by the villain Jaws a couple times, and the player can only use Bond's fists for the duration of the fight. Not because he's lost his weapons, but because it's the stylish kind of thing that James Bond does. (It helps matters that Jaws is established in the films as being [[NighInvulnerability next to unkillable]] through conventional means, anyway...)

* In the JamesBond game ''EverythingOrNothing'', Bond get cornered by the villain Jaws a couple times, and the player can only use Bond's fists for the duration of the fight. Not because he's lost his weapons, but because it's the stylish kind of thing that James Bond does. (It helps matters that Jaws is established in the films as being [[NighInvulnerability next to unkillable]] through conventional means, anyway...)

* Non-videogame example in ''KamenRiderKuuga''. [[spoiler:The FinalBattle has Kuuga and [[BigBad N-Daguva-Zeba]] both end up reverted to human form, forcing them to finish the fight hand to hand without their powers. Yuusuke ultimately beats Daguva to death.]]

** The whole KirbyMassAttack is this, as at the beginning of the game Necrodius splits Kirby depriving him of most of his abilities, most notably his trademark MegaManning. The flock of Kirbies has no other way to fight than ganging up on enemies and wrestle them until they die.