Psycho Mantis

The boss Psycho Mantis is from Metal Gear Solid. He is one of the 5 FOXHOUND troops, under the command of Liquid Snake, who have taken over the Nuclear facility in Alaska. He wears a gas mask to cover his deformed face, and uses his psychic powers to control the special forces troops.

When his psychic powers were awoken at a young age, everyone else in his town was killed. He was taken as an tool by the Soviet Union, until it fell, where he was then employed by the FBI. It was in this position that he became insane by diving too far into the mind of a serial killer.

Mantis is a unique boss fight, and is considered by many to be one of the most innovative and best boss fights ever. (In GameInformer's top 10 boss fight's of all time, this fight was ranked number one!) Because Mantis is psychic, before the battle, he will "read your mind" by telling you what kind of games you like. This is done by check for saved games on your memory card. In the original PlayStation game, he will name Konami created games like Castlevania. In the remake, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, he will name Nintendo created games like Super Mario Sunshine and Eternal Darkness. He even uses the power of his mind to make your controller shake (via built-in rumble feature). This breaking down of the fourth wall was a sudden change that exemplifies the weird innovation in Hideo Kojima games.

Beating Psycho Mantis
His psychic powers allow for an creative battle, too. Because he can read your mind, Mantis will be able to dodge any of your attacks, whether they are bullets or punches. However, he does this by reading your controller. By removing your controller to the 2nd port (Or 3rd or 4th on the GameCube version), he will be unable to detect your moves and be open to headshots.

In the GameCube version, shooting at Mantis in first person too long will send you into Mantis' perspective, temporarily turning it into a rare second person boss battle.