Rank 1: Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls 3)
Slave Knight Gael, a human, an undead, and yet the most powerful boss in the entire Dark Souls franchise. Slave knights were considered troops that Gwyn used to win the worst and most hopeless battles before Dark Souls 1.
Gael was one of them, and although the chances of survival in such battles were often close to zero, Gael survived. Theories circulate about which battles slave knights were sent to, with the most plausible being against the demons of Izalith or the Everlasting Dragons.
Now, Gael has endured countless ages where the first flame was constantly ignited until the end of Dark Souls 3. No man could remain sane for such a long time without becoming hollow.
Driven by a plan to help the painter create a new world, he set out to find and absorb the entire Dark Soul – a task of astronomical proportions as the soul had been divided countless times. Upon arriving in the Ringed City, he hunted down the last dwarf princes and eventually drained the remnants of their dried-up souls.
Overloaded with the nearly complete power of the Dark Soul, Gael only needed the last piece from the protagonist, but he succumbed in battle.
Nevertheless, the fact that Gael, despite the immense power of the Dark Soul, did not become entirely deformed and could still fight in a humanoid form shows that his body can withstand the forces that the Dark Soul has to offer. Even Manus could not handle that, and he had only a very small part of the Dark Soul within him.
To achieve such a feat as a human in the world of Dark Souls, for the good of the remaining survivors, while surviving for millennia without becoming hollow, and then finally sacrificing himself while absorbing the power of the Dark Soul within him, demonstrates true strength. Had Gael absorbed the last fragment of the Dark Soul, he would have been invincible.
These were the strongest bosses according to the lore of Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3. Do you agree with the list or do you have other favorites that should have made it into the ranking? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Elden Ring also offers an interesting lore; more on this can be found in our summary: Elden Ring Lore: The complex story explained briefly
