Among many other triumphs, theFinal Fantasyseries gets a lot of love for its final bosses — whether for their music, strength, or lengthy encounters. And somehow, they’ve always got one more, completely off-the-rails transformation tucked away.
Last boss encounters and their various otherwordly forms are a surefire way of keeping players constantly on the edge in both the narrative and gameplay fronts, and I’d argue all games should take a few notes from the series’ iconic battles. Let’s look at the most memorable challenges standing between us and our much-deserved victory lap through the credits.
Whether it be for their punchy ending themes or painful party-wipe mechanics, here’s a list of some of the bestFinal Fantasylast boss encounters.
7. Chaos – Final Fantasy
With a mere one, yes, just one, form, Chaos might not feel like theFinal Fantasyyou know now, but he’s the baddie that started it all. To make his lack of flashy transformations worse, I think that he looks cooler before he transforms into his battle form. He’s also surprisingly easy to beat, but Chaos got the ball running for the franchise, so let’s give him some credit, shall we?
Also, he gets bonus points for inspiring the hilarious plot ofFinal Fantasy: Stranger Of Paradise.May we always remember the memesJack shouting “Chaos”spawned.
6. Vayne – Final Fantasy XII
The battle against Vayne is far from a fan favorite, but I think it has a lot of charm and something for everyone. Vayne’s first form feels like going up against a real player inFinal FantasyOnline. He acts like you, down to his use of quickenings. Naysayers complain thatFFXIIfeels more like an MMO than a traditionalFinal Fantasyexperience, but I’m totally down for the more experimental gameplay that maintains it as a single-player affair.
And then I think nobody should complain, as Vayne’s final form, The Undying, is a classicFinal Fantasyendboss through and through.
5. Braska’s Final Aeon aka Jecht – Final Fantasy X
We spend the entirety ofFinal Fantasy Xlearning to hate Jecht, then we learn that he actually sacrificed himself to save the world, andthenwe have to kill him. Jecht is the only final boss in the history of the series who doesn’t want to kill the main party, but that’s not his choice to make. He wasn’t the best dad to Tidus, but damn, it was enough to pull at the ole heartstrings.
Jecht doesn’t put up all that much of a fight, but that can be excused by the fact that he was trying to contain his power. Nice save, writers! Also, I know that Jecht isn’t thetrueend boss ofFinal Fantasy X, but I think we’re all better off ignoring Yu Yevon.
4. Ardyn – Final Fantasy XV
Ardyn subverts your expectations as to what a final boss should be and should appeal to those really intoFFXIV’sEmet-Selch. Are you expecting this guy to turn into a monster? Nope. He already is one. Are you expecting to use the power of friendship to overcome the terrible odds of going up against a seemingly immortal, and surprisingly very sexy, old man? You better not be.
The final fight against Ardyn is a 1v1 battle between him and Noctis, and it feels like one of the most personal affairs in the history ofFinal Fantasybattles. It’s like Cloud and Sephiroth’s final duel but cranked up a notch and expanded into a full battle.
3. Kefka Final – Fantasy VI
Kefka remains one of the most beloved villains in the series, and the showdown with him has all the staples offinalFinal Fantasybattles turned up to eleven. Kefka is both a battle and a final dungeon, one with monstrosities that grow wilder as you climb and don’t stop until meeting his final form at the top.
He’s got every boss signature nailed, with his timeless theme and creepy laugh sound effect I still can’t shake. Kefka really drew the blueprint for the best battles in the series.
2. Ultimecia – Final Fantasy VIII
Ultimecia is theFinal Fantasyend boss perfected. Once you reach the end of her castle — the best final dungeon in the series — you’ll meet her four forms, each one weirder and scarier than the previous one.
What begins as a simple attempt to kill a sorcerer devolves into a fierce battle against the most powerful summon in existence, culminating into a battle against an indescribable creature hellbent on keeping your party members’ HP ateither one or zero. She gets bonus points for also featuring the bestfinal boss song in the seriesand for giving way to what I’d argue remains the best video game endingcutscene in history.
The only reason Ultimecia doesn’t easily land at #1 is that she doesn’t have much of an emotional connection to any of the characters in the game.
1. Sephiroth – Final Fantasy VII
Even though the Northern Crater doesn’t feel like a very inspired final dungeon,Final Fantasy VIImore than makes up for that with its climactic final battle. The game spent its entire runtime prepping up Sephiroth as the final antagonist, and it sure does deliver.
I could talk about the various awesome forms, such as the memorable Safer Sephiroth, which we have to fight while listening to the beautifulJimi Hendrix-inspiredOne Winged Angel, but the best part is the unexpected post-fight moment.
It’s only when we think we’ve gotten rid of Sephiroth for good that he pulls Cloud back for a back-to-basics 1v1 showdown. That’s when we finally get to unleash the Omnislash on him to get revenge for the death of you-know-who. Now that’s how you end a villain — and a game.
