Making it all the way to a final boss in an RPG is one of the greatest achievements a player can reach. Beating them is another source of accomplishment. RPGs are some of the lengthiest games to complete, and that time can easily double if the RPG is also an open-world game.
Sixty to a hundred hours later, there stands before players a boss, or several in a gauntlet, that will test their skills. Not every final boss is created equal though, as they can sometimes be disappointing. Right now, let's focus on final RPG bosses that are truly unforgettable years and sometimes even decades later.
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There will be spoilers.
Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)
Behold, The One-Winged Angel
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Sephiroth is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy 7, who appears to torture Cloud’s psyche on and off. Players won’t fight him until the end of the game, and when they do, the battle features several phases, starting with Bizarro-Sephiroth.
Players are divided into three turn-based teams to face him, a novel approach for the game. His next form, Safer-Sephiroth, is the one everyone remembers, as that’s when the iconic song “One-Winged Angel” plays. It’s hard to forget a boss with epic music like this, plus there's the fact that Sephiroth grew tentacle legs.
Ansem (Kingdom Hearts)
Tall, Dark, And Battleship
Kingdom Hearts
- Released
- September 17, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Ansem is another silver-haired final boss that appears in a Square Enix game, in this case the first Kingdom Hearts. His first phase finds Sora fighting him as a human along with his dark guardian, but the next phase is absolutely bonkers. Players will have to fly around a giant ship-like creature and defeat its organs before they can resume fighting Ansem at the ship’s top. It’s so over-the-top that it almost felt like a parody of final bosses in video games at the time.
Human Reaper (Mass Effect 2)
Is That A Terminator Baby?
Mass Effect 2
- Released
- January 26, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter
Mass Effect was all about Commander Shepard convincing a galactic council that the long-rumored Reapers are real, and that they are coming. This finally comes to a boiling point in Mass Effect 2 when players have to face a Reaper for the first time as the final boss.
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The Reaper resembles a giant Terminator baby and is terrifying just to look at, let alone fight. As far as the Mass Effect trilogy goes, this is the boss that stands out purely for its creep factor and is a high point in the series overall.
Flowey (Undertale)
Breaking The Fourth Wall
Undertale
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Tobacco
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Undertale is a turn-based indie RPG that can be played several ways. To get the best ending, players will have to spare their enemies and talk their way through battles. This culminates when they get to innocent-looking Flowey, who is the game’s unassuming final boss.
After an initial encounter, Flowey breaks the flow of the game, booting players out of their save file before restarting as the oddly designed Photoshop Flowey. It’s as fourth-wall-breaking as a boss could possibly get.
Big Bad Government Guy/Nazi Zombie Princess Kenny (South Park: The Stick Of Truth)
Seeing Is Believing
South Park: The Stick of Truth
- Released
- March 4, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
South Park: The Stick of Truth is one of the best South Park games ever made, as it’s a celebration for fans. There are many references and moments that will surprise players, especially during the final boss phase. Princess Kenny will be turned into a Nazi Zombie, and the oddly named Big Bad Government Guy will fight alongside them, fully nude. It’s funny, but also completely out of the blue, which is what the South Park team does best.
Red (Pokemon Gold/Silver)
He Truly Did Become A Pokemon Master
Pokemon Gold and Silver
- Released
- October 15, 2000
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Cartoon Violence, Simulated Gambling
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
There will never be games like Pokemon Gold, Silver, and technically Crystal again, as Game Freak seemingly knew they could only pull this surprise once. After defeating the Elite Four of Johto, which is set up as the final boss, players are then invited to collect Gym Badges in the first game’s region, Kanto.
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At the end, players will have to face the previous Pokemon Master, Red, and his team of incredibly high-powered Pokemon, with Pikachu as his number one. There aren’t many games wherein the final boss is the previous game’s protagonist, which is why this still sticks out decades later.
Yaldabaoth (Persona 5)
Say Hello To My Little Friend
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Social Simulation
The Persona series is known for having bombastic battles at the end, usually against some godlike entity. In Persona 5, players will have to face Yaldabaoth, which is a trial as it has many buffs against attacks. After weakening him, players will get to summon the Persona, Satanael, who has a huge gun that can blast Yaldabaoth full of holes. Satanael’s appearance is what makes this fight memorable, and it will be a hard one for Persona 6 to top.
The Ultimate Being (Parasite Eve)
Baby Got Back
Parasite Eve
- Released
- September 9, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Animated Violence, Mature Sexual Themes
- Genre(s)
- Horror, Action RPG
Parasite Eve blended horror games with turn-based RPGs well on the PS1. The final act takes place on a boat wherein the so-called Ultimate Being is born, which has four phases to its battle.
It begins as a demonic baby before evolving into its deadlier forms. But even after defeating the fourth form, it’s not over yet. Players are then chased through the ship as it stalks them, and one wrong move will result in Game Over. To defeat it, players have to run away while Jaws-like music plays, ignite the boiler, and then escape the ship before it blows the ship and creature up.
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