You're gliding over Gotham, the rain is hitting Batman’s cowl, and suddenly, you hear it. This haunting, distorted opera music. It doesn't fit the vibe of a city under siege by a militia. It’s out of place. It’s wrong. If you’ve played Batman: Arkham Knight, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You follow the sound and find a body. Not just a body—a "masterpiece" pinned to a wall. This is the start of The Perfect Crime Batman Arkham Knight side mission, and honestly, it’s easily the most unsettling part of the whole game.
While the main plot is all about Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, this "Most Wanted" mission is a slow-burn detective story. It’s one of the few times the game actually forces you to be the "World’s Greatest Detective" rather than just a guy in a tank. You aren't just punching thugs here; you’re scanning layers of skin, muscle, and bone to identify victims that some lunatic has tried to make "perfect."
Tracking the Operatic Serial Killer
The mission kicks off pretty early. After you drop Poison Ivy off at the GCPD, Aaron Cash mentions a body found on Merchant Bridge. That’s your first lead. From there, you're on your own. The game doesn't just put waypoints on your map for the other five victims. You have to actually explore the three main islands of Gotham to find them.
The trick is the music. If you’re gliding and the soundtrack shifts to that eerie, high-pitched opera singing, stop. Look for a bright spotlight hitting a wall. The killer, who we eventually learn is Professor Pyg, wants his work seen.
The Bleake Island Victims
Bleake Island is where you start. Most players find Anthony Lund first because the game explicitly points him out. He’s at the front of Merchant Bridge. When you scan him, you have to find three specific markers: a ring scar on his ear (skin), a missing kidney (muscle), and a titanium plate in his pelvis (bone).
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The second one on Bleake Island is a bit harder to spot. You’ll find Franklin Accardo on the Gotham Herald building. He’s basically north of the GCPD. Look for the body hanging on the wall of a walkway. You're looking for a birthmark, a scarred lung, and a prosthetic knee.
Moving to Miagani and Founders' Island
Once you cross the bridges—which, let’s be real, takes a while since you have to lower them in the main story—the hunt continues.
Miagani Island has two more. Robert Kincaid is on the roof of the Heavenly Hotel. This one usually trips people up because it’s so high up. You’ll need to scan a tattoo, a shell casing in his chest, and some missing toes. Then there’s Lisa Mendes near the Salvation Bridge. She’s on a building that’s easy to miss if you’re just zooming by in the Batmobile.
Finding the Final Bodies
The last two are on Founders' Island. You can't even get to these until much later in the game when the bridges are open or you’ve progressed the story enough to fly over the drones.
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- Ella Montgomery: Found near the Perdition Bridge. She’s along the eastern edge of the island.
- Alison Wears: This one is in the Ryker Heights area, specifically near the northern docks.
Honestly, by the time you find Alison, the dialogue between Batman and Alfred gets pretty dark. They realize these people weren't just killed; they were "rejected" by the killer because they weren't perfect enough. It sets the stage for the absolute nightmare that is the Pretty Dolls Parlor.
The Confrontation with Professor Pyg
After you’ve scanned all six, Alfred manages to track the source of the music to a basement in Ryker Heights. This is the "Pretty Dolls Parlor." When you walk in, the atmosphere shifts. It’s not a warehouse or a street corner; it’s a surgical theater.
This is where you meet Lazlo Valentin, aka Professor Pyg. He’s wearing a pig mask, singing to himself, and surrounded by "Dollotrons." These are people he’s operated on, removed their pain receptors, and basically turned into mindless zombies.
How to Beat the Professor Pyg Boss Fight
The fight is unique. You can't just mash the attack button. The Dollotrons don't feel pain, so they won't stay down from regular hits. You have to use Ground Takedowns (R2 + Triangle / RT + Y) or Environmental Takedowns.
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While you're fighting the mob, Pyg will throw meat cleavers at you from behind his surgical table. You have to counter these. It feels a bit like a rhythm game. Once the room is clear of Dollotrons, you can’t just walk up and punch Pyg either. He’ll block you. You have to wait for him to throw a cleaver, counter it to stun him, and then perform an environmental takedown on the table he’s standing behind.
Why This Mission Sticks With You
There’s a reason Batman: Arkham Knight got an M-rating, and I’m 90% sure it’s because of The Perfect Crime Batman Arkham Knight. The body horror is intense. Professor Pyg isn't a "supervillain" in the sense that he wants to take over the city or rob a bank. He’s just a deeply broken, delusional man who thinks he’s "fixing" people by mutilating them.
Dwight Schultz, the voice actor for Pyg, does an incredible job of making him sound both pathetic and terrifying. The way he talks about "making them pretty" while you’re looking at these lobotomized victims is genuinely chilling. It’s a side of Gotham that feels more like a horror movie than a comic book.
Actionable Tips for Completionists
If you're trying to wrap this up for the 100% (or 200% or 240%) completion, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Listen for the Opera: Seriously, play with headphones. The spatial audio makes finding the bodies ten times easier.
- Layer Scanning: Don't forget that you can switch layers of the Deep Tissue Scanner with the triggers. If a scan isn't working, you're probably on the "Bone" layer looking for a "Skin" mark.
- Wait for the Story: Don't drive yourself crazy looking for the Founders' Island bodies in the first hour of the game. You can't get there. Just play the main campaign until the bridges go down.
- GCPD Interactions: After you lock Pyg up, go talk to him in his cell. The dialogue changes as you catch more villains, and his rants are some of the weirdest writing in the game.
Once you’ve tossed Pyg into the GCPD lockup, you’ll earn the "Monster Machine" trophy. It’s a satisfying end to a grisly case. Just make sure you check the nearby Riddler trophies in the Pretty Dolls Parlor while you're there—no point in coming back twice to that creepy basement.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough:
Check your Mission Select screen to see which island you are currently missing a victim on. If you've found all six, head straight to the Pretty Dolls Parlor in Ryker Heights to finish the investigation.