Elden Ring's pantheon of demigods hosts some of the toughest bosses FromSoftware has ever created, which begs the question: which among them would win in a fight? Among the demigod contestants are major Elden Ring bosses Morgott, Malenia, Rykard, Mohg, Radahn, and Godrick, as well as the NPC Ranni and background characters Miquella and Godwyn. Considering that three of the nine demigods can't actually be fought, picking a winner will require some speculation, but many players likely feel they already know the answer.
Malenia, who many argue is the toughest boss in FromSoftware history, stands out as the likeliest contender. An optional boss that's not required to be defeated in order to progress the game's story, Malenia has created plenty of frustration among Elden Ring players, requiring either significant skill and practice to defeat, or the assistance of someone like Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her. That said, the game's own lore describes Malenia and Radahn as having essentially fought to a stalemate, adding an extra wrinkle to any speculations about which demigod might actually definitively be the strongest.
Luckily, there is some practical evidence that helps point to a winner, though that alone can't be considered entirely conclusive. A YouTube video by Garden of Eyes uses a mod to pit all six bosses against each other in a battle royale, and conditions are changed between battles. The winner depends on the demigods' initial positions in the arena, with Mohg and Malenia each securing two victories. Though Radahn canonically fought Malenia to a stalemate during Elden Ring's brutal shattering, she seems to far exceed him both as an in-game boss fight and when paired up via mods. These two coming out on top might not surprise fans, as both winners are debatably the toughest of the lot, but Mohg also fares shockingly well against the dreaded Malenia. Radahn and Rykard expectedly hold their own most rounds, while the performances of Godrick and Morgott vary.
Elden Ring's Malenia Is (Unsurprisingly) Its Toughest Demigod
The top two contestants are neck-and-neck, but while Mohg tends to excel in group fights, using area attacks to spread status effects and devastate opponents over time, Malenia is the ruler of one-on-one combat due to her ability to drain and absorb health. Another Garden Of Eyes video pits Malenia against each major boss individually, and she handily dominates the other five demigods; interestingly enough, she only loses to Maliketh. Thus, in terms of solo fighting ability, Malenia wins among the demigods, with Mohg in a close second place.
Placing the background characters is fairly easy considering Miquella is basically comatose and Godwyn died before the story of Elden Ring's Shattering began. Ranni is a bit more challenging, but being a spirit confined to a doll's body puts her at a theoretical disadvantage. Ranni never displays much combat prowess, and though she is clearly a capable sorcerer, she needs others to help accomplish her goals. Maybe she could stand against Morgott or Godrick, but she does not have enough evidence to draw a real conclusion.
In the Garden Of Eyes video pitting Radahn against other bosses, Radahn crushes Godrick but barely beats Morgott, and he definitively loses to Rykard, Mohg, and Malenia. YouTubers Wasek and shaan7030 pit Godrick against Morgott, with Morgott claiming victory in three out of four fights. This clears up the final rankings for which demigod is the best fighter: Malenia wins, followed by Mohg, with Rykard in third. Radahn claims fourth place, then Morgott, who is contentiously ahead of Godrick. Ranni ranks seventh as the best non-boss demigod, and Elden Ring's Miquella, who's stuck inside an egg, is second to last by virtue of being alive. Poor Godwyn brings up the rear, but his actual fighting prowess is unknown. Any player stuck raging against Malenia can take comfort in knowing even most demigods are no match for her. The Goddess of Rot officially reigns supreme.
Source: Garden of Eyes/YouTube (2, 3), Wasek/Youtube, shaan7030/YouTube