Introduced in Chain of Memories, Organization XIII very quickly asserted themselves as formidable and genuinely intimidating antagonists. Although Sora and Riku manage to take out five of their numbers over the course of the game (Vexen, Larxene, Laxaeus, Zexion, and Marluxia,) leaving eight members prime for battle in Kingdom Hearts II.

Interestingly, while the Organization is certainly still intimidating in KH II, they take on a far more casual approach in their interactions with Sora. No one’s nearly as menacing as Axel was in Chain of Memories for instance. All the same, every time Sora fights an Organization member in the story stands out as some of the best in Kingdom Hearts II. Although some are better than others.

8 Demyx

Demyx tends to be a good chunk of fans’ least favorite Organization XIII member, in large part due to his potentially very frustrating boss fight. “Dance, water, dance!” the lunatic shouts as aquatic familiars swarm the boss arena, giving Sora little time to defeat them all lest players suffer from an instant game over. It’s grueling, and Demyx has to be fought twice.

It’s really the rematch that’s the hair puller. The first fight against Demyx is short enough where players shouldn’t die, but he does not relent when fought in Hollow Bastion. Demyx’s second fight is one of the hardest in the game, but it doesn’t have the fun factor to back up the difficulty.

7 Xaldin

One of the first members of Organization XIII players will defeat in Kingdom Hearts II, Xaldin is an interesting man with an interesting fight. He spends the entire story at Beast’s Castle chipping away at the Beast’s spirit, trying to break his belief in love. It makes it all the more cathartic when it comes time to beat him into the ground.

Xaldin’s skill set seems to be stylized around the Dragoon class from Final Fantasy, complete with plenty of jumping around. Xaldin also spends a fair share of time flying around the boss arena which can be quite boring to wait for. The spectacle of the fight is nice, as is the set up, but Xaldin just isn’t as fun as his brethren.

6 Xigbar

Xigbar’s become one of the bigger players on the villain’s side of things these days, but there was a time where he was little more than just another member of Organization XIII. Albeit the member pretty much everyone liked. The fight against Xigbar can be quite difficult considering the reaction commands and perspective shifts at play, but it’s nonetheless a fun, frantic boss battle.

Xigbar is incredibly aggressive, so it’s pertinent to stay on the move. At the same time, it’s important to keep an eye on Xigbar, as he only gives Sora so many opportunities to really lay into him. Letting these moments pass you by can lead to a very long fight in the game’s last world. And right before a whole mess of bosses, too.

5 Saix

The second to last boss in the game, Saix is fought in The World That Never Was right before players head up to confront Xemnas for the last time. Styled after Final Fantasy’s Berserker class, Saix is a heavy hitting boss who only gets more aggressive as the battle goes on. Sora can use Saix’s Berserk properties against him, but it’s a fight that can turn against the player at a moment’s notice.

Narratively, Saix’s boss battle really helps cement this feeling of finality that’s been building up over the course of Kingdom Hearts II. Sora’s journey is just about at its end, and he’s reached it with all his friends in tow. That’s good context for a boss fight.

4 Luxord

Luxord’s the real star of the lead up to Xemnas, though. Sandwiched inbetween Xigbar and Saix, Luxord offers players a very interesting gimmick battle. Utilizing his cards, Luxord outright changes the Command Menu’s property. There’s a lot of timing at play in this boss fight, and it’s important to react at the right time, to the right things.

Luxord can be a challenging boss fight for anyone who doesn’t like gimmick battles, but he’s wildly fun for those who do. Just give in to his mini-games and Luxord stands out as one of the most memorable Organization battles in the entire series.

3 Axel

Axel is fought twice by Roxas early on in the game, but only their rematch counts as a tried and true battle: and what a battle it is! Brandishing two Keyblades for the first time (so we think,) Roxas’ playstyle suddenly changes from stiff and slightly awkward to incredibly fluid and engrossingly fun.

Roxas glides across the screen with his two Keyblades, and Axel creates a unique boss arena out of fire that can actually be manipulated with reaction commands. This is a very early fight, but it’s one of the best designed in Kingdom Hearts II and a fantastic sign of what’s to come.

2 Xemnas

Not many games have the audacity to end with a six phase final boss fight, but this is Kingdom Hearts II; and to its credit, the final fight against Xemnas is amazing. It’s easily one of the best final boss fights in any game period, a culmination of build up from both Kingdom Hearts I and Chain of Memories. Sora and Riku work side by side as Xemnas takes them from set piece after set piece that make great use of KH II’s core mechanics.

From fighting Xemnas in a one on one duel, to slicing down skyscrapers to reach his suit of armor, to briefly taking control of Riku to save Sora’s life, this is a phenomenal conclusion to Kingdom Hearts II– but it’s not the best Organization fight in the game.

1 Roxas

That honor belongs to none other than Sora’s Nobody, Roxas. In the original release of Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas’ arc was resolved exclusively in a cutscene. For Final Mix +, however, the dev team added a brand new boss fight against Roxas. It’s one of the most challenging in the game, but it’s one of the best all the same.

Emotionally charged, this fight is the end of everything Roxas has fought for. He needs to come to terms with his role inside of Sora, but he wants to fight it as best he can. It’s tragic, partially because the player knows they need to win, but from a pure design perspective, Roxas is an incredibly fun boss to fight. He makes use of the core mechanics better than any other boss in the game. Fitting for Sora’s other half.

NEXT: Kingdom Hearts II: Every Party Member, Ranked