(RPG-ween) Top 10 Greatest RPG Final Boss Themes! · 12:07am Oct 8th, 2016
Let's begin the spooky season with some kickass tunes!
Final bosses in video games can be some of the greatest battles in said game. Hell, sometimes they're even some of the greatest battles of all time! But we're not here to talk about them right now. Instead, let's talk about how badass their themes are! From fast-paced and adrenaline-rushing to sorrowful and somber, most final boss themes are incredible, and we're here to count them down!
The rules are simple. Obviously the only themes on this list are from RPGs, but what do I classify as an RPG? Turn-based battle systems and real time battle systems, potions, magic, leveling up, the whole sort. This includes games like Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem and Dark Souls, but not stuff like Monster Hunter as that is an action game with RPG elements. There is a difference, believe it or not. Secondly, one game per franchise. I want to narrow down some things on this list so we aren't here forever, because let's face it: there's some really badass themes out there in Final Fantasy and I don't want this to just be a list about it.
So buckle down and let's get going! Oh, and lookout for spoilers! If you don't want to be spoiled for some games, don't continue reading into this or you'll regret it!
Number 10:
Vs. Champion Diantha
Yes, surprisingly enough; I enjoy this theme more than Cynthia's and Ghetsis's. Do NOT get me wrong though: Cynthia's theme is equally as good, and Ghetsis's theme is still amazing and symbolic, but there's a certain charm to this theme that I feel GameFreak nailed right on the head. And this is coming from a guy who's not a huge fan of X and Y's soundtrack! But wow, this theme just gets everything Pokemon is about right. The bells at the start give off the feeling of intensity which only further's as the theme picks up in pace and shows you Diantha isn't messing around. And then the second part of the song plays that cheers you on and gives you a feeling of fun and excitement! It's a subtle lesson to some certain players of Pokemon that won't be named.
I mentioned before that I consider the final battle against Lysandre to be the better boss, and let's not lie when we say Diantha wasn't the most difficult champion even without the EXP-Share. However, in terms of just sheer excitement, this theme kicks Lysandre's out the window and over to next Tuesday. It's just that good.
Number 9:
Howl of the Departed
This song starts off slow and builds up some fantastic atmosphere. And then, right around the 0:59 mark... BAM! Electric guitar in your face!
Lost Odyssey is a curious game that delves into some dark things, like the pain and misery of being immortal. Ouch. The villain was kind of a letdown (though he still had his moments, don't get me wrong), but goddamn this theme all makes up for that! The inclusion of an electric guitar in choir music is the work of only one sadist insane enough to do such a thing: Nobuo Uematsu. Yes, that very same Nobuo Uematsu who composed such incredible soundtracks as the Final Fantasy series and Chrono Trigger. And this is no exception. This theme truly tells you that this is the last battle, and if you don't defeat Gongora he'll... uh... y'know, I forget what his plan was. I know he killed Kaim's daughter, so that's enough to warrant him villain status.
I guess. Whatever, this theme is awesome.
Number 8:
The Shadow Queen
This theme is haunting; like, it legitimately scares me when I listen to it. May I remind you that this is a MARIO GAME?! Y'know Mario: the games always filled with joy and color! NOPE! You get the Shadow Queen who possesses people and controls them, and literally eats the souls of people to recover health! FUN TIMES!
Alright, alright, enough joking around. This theme kicks ass! The beat is great and keeps up the fast-paced and intense flow of the theme, and the inclusion of violins in just the right place is, again, haunting. Whenever I listen to this theme, I can still hear the screams of agony when the audience was sucked into the floor by the Shadow Queen's shadowy hands. It's a perfect theme for an already perfect battle, and I honestly can't think of another place where the song could be used effectively as it is here. It's unfortunate that we may never hear a song as perfect as this one in a Paper Mario game again considering what path the series is going down now.
Number 7:
Last Decision
I don't really play the Shin Megami Tensei series, but I didn't want to exclude it because of this fact. So I searched the internet for a theme from Persona, the original series and other such spinoffs, but I never found one I really liked. Nothing against the songs, I just never found any of them interesting.
That is until I heard this.
The loop is short, yes, but goddamn that loop takes every advantage to be awesome. A full-on electric guitar theme that's slower than Howl of the Departed, but I feel as if that works in its favor. And no, I didn't just put this theme on here for the sake of having something from Shin Megami Tensei, I legitimately love this theme. Hell, I love this theme enough to be on the list, so how's about that, huh?! And hey; maybe I'll actually go and play some Shin Megami Tensei someday.
Number 6:
The One Ruling Everything
I've mentioned in the past that I really, REALLY dislike The Last Story for being so painfully bland and linear, but I don't think I really went into depth about how much Nobuo Uematsu's music makes my dick rock hard. This song is perfect for a finale, even if it was wasted on this god-awful game.
The song gets a bit repetitive at the time, probably because Nobuo didn't want to really associate himself with this game (can you really blame the man?) but it's still fantastic nonetheless. The buildup doesn't mess around, giving us powerful beats right off the bat and a fantastic sense of escalation to the main song. And then the true theme beings and we're blown away by those odd but strangely fitting techno sounds. Afterwards we get odd chanting and screaming during the last third of the song which really creeps me out and makes me want to hide in a corner and cry. Absolutely horrifying the emotions being conveyed here. But the best bit of the theme is when it finally loops back to the start: the note takes an all-time high and most of the instruments take a backseat to the guitar. It's my favorite part and it only lasts a few seconds, but what an amazing few seconds they are!
Number 5:
Darkness of the Unknown
If Kingdom Hearts can get anything right, it was the gameplay and the music. In this case, the music.
This theme is a lot slower than the other themes on this list, but in a weird way it kinda works. A lot of the notes mesh well with the slower pace and tone of the battle, and the addition of the somber violin perfectly shows you that you are fighting one of the most powerful adversaries you have ever gone up against. Xemnas himself is a threatening enough character (darkness, darkness, darkness) and this theme fits his personality and role in the story perfectly. This theme is so good, it's been remixed in other games. Hell, it's been remixed in THIS game. You can all thank Yoko Shimomura for this wonderful final battle theme because she deserves WAY more attention.
Number 4:
The God-Slaying Sword
Never have I heard such a godly theme in my life. You are literally fighting god at the end of the world in a dimension where time and space does not flow. You and your team have faced hardships, betrayals, death and endless suffering, and standing before you now is the asshole that started it all. Needless to say you want to kill this heartless bastard as soon as possible, and this is without a doubt the theme you play when you're doing so.
Though the buildup is literally a minute and forty seconds long, it is one of the best buildups I have ever heard in my life. It starts out heavenly and serene with a choir and a single low organ note playing in the background. And then, the bells kick in, signalling a drastic change in pace. All of a sudden, the choir picks up and an entire orchestra is behind the theme. With a clap of the symbols, the buildup ends and the choir basically screams that you're fighting this world's equivalent of god. But most prominently, the theme shows how much your entire team has grown. But holy cow, that's enough Xenoblade symbolism for one day!
Number 3:
The Soul of Cinder
Here you are at last. After you've tracked down and killed all the Lords of Cinder in Lothric, your final trial is here. You have one final push to reach your goal and the only thing standing in your way now is the amalgamation of every single Lord of Cinder you have ever faced rolled into one. And with this theme playing, it is absolutely glorious.
The theme starts out with a powerful orchestra and choir that perfectly represent the seriousness of what is at stake here, but the second phase hits and then you start hearing... Gwyn's theme. This thing is literally Gwyn back from the dead... er... undead to rain hell upon your body. I have seen huge Dark Souls fans crying over this part of the theme, and can you really blame them? It's almost as if this whole adventure has gone full-circle.
But of course... that's for you to decide, isn't it?
Number 2:
End of All (Below)
I definitely over-hyped this game. What I originally praised I now kinda just... let it exist. I don't hate Fire Emblem Fates, I just think they could have done a WAY better job executing their story. I mean, when FANS are making better stories than the one you knuckleheads came up with YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG!
That having been said, keep your composer around a little while longer, because this theme is absolutely fantastic! What is such a beautiful and even symbolic song doing in such a poorly made story? This song isn't just a final boss theme, this song is a victory lap cheering you on to beat the evil dragon Anankos and save the world! No note is used incorrectly here, it all blends perfectly together. And then when the vocals kick in, shit gets realer than it had already before. I absolutely cannot find the words to describe such beauty and grace; you simply have to listen to it yourself.
Number 1:
Dancing Mad (Final Tier)
Hey look everyone! SuperKamek loves Final Fantasy VI! I couldn't FUCKING tell!
Alright, in all seriousness, I know I gush over this game a lot and it can get pretty annoying sometimes, but I'm sorry; Final Fantasy VI is simply one of my favorite games of all time. Sure the dialogue is a bit dated by today's standards (Get on that remake, Square!), but the music, the story and the characters all have a special place in my heart.
I've already gone into depth on how much I love Dancing Mad, especially the final tier which I have chosen to talk about in order for sake of condensing this whole thing. The intro builds slowly before jumping you straight into a powerful rhythm and beat of insane proportions, quite literally in this sense. It represents Kefka's madness and godhood. And then the theme shifts into a much more sorrow tune, it represents the fact that Kefka understands the situation at hand and is prepared for his inevitable demise. That, my friends, is what I call pathetic.
But goddammit, it was enough to land straight at the number one spot of this list!
Hey everyone, thanks for reading! If you liked this, be sure to leave a comment down below to tell me your thoughts on it. Did you like it or hate it? Do you feel as if another final boss should have been on this list over another one? And do you think that I'd be better off with or without a collection of books I never read? I'd be happy to hear your thoughts below!
Until then, this is SuperKamek saying thank you, have a great night, and speaking of Final Fantasy VI: you guys are going to love what I have for you all on Sunday! Or not, it all depends on your tastes I guess.
Great list! All these themes are pretty great IMO.
Glad I'm not the only one who really seemed to like Diantha's theme in X and Y. It was a lot of fun :)
Last Decision is pretty good, I've only played Devil Survivor 2, need to pick up the first one at somepoint.
I think Xemnas' final boss theme may be my favorite of all time in any game whatsoever.
Dark Souls does have some pretty beast Final Boss music. Gwyn's theme in particular is pretty majestic.
Dancing Mad is pretty damn excellent, a majestic theme for a majestic final boss.
Unfortunately, the only theme I recognize is the last one after looking for Final Fantasy boss themes. And I haven't played the game yet.
4245344
There were so many other things I wanted to put on this list, but alas I simply couldn't do it. Nonetheless, I'm glad how this turned out. And yeah, Xemnas's final battle theme is kick-ass as all hell.
Out of all ten of these games, I've only played Paper Mario and Kingdom Hearts. And it's been so long since I've played Paper Mario that I don't remember the Shadow Queen's theme and the internet's so damn slow YouTube isn't working.
4245405
But did you like the other themes?
4245493
Well, it kinda goes "BWAM BA DUM BA DUH DAAAA!!!" and there's a violin at the end.
There. Whenever you need a perfect rendition of a song, call for SuperKamek.
4245500 Thanks, man.
4245495 Oh, yeah! They're pretty good. Personally, I remember Senator Armstrong's theme to be a final boss theme that was memorable, because I actually beat him.
4245465
Honestly Kingdom Hearts music in general is pretty kickass. It, Xenoblade, and Persona (With the exception of the final boss themes.) are probably my favorite soundtracks of this past decade. (Though Project Diva F2nd is a pretty strong contender too.)
I really like FFIV's for obvious reasons.
FFVI's final boss theme carries a lot of allusions to classical pieces, like "Toccata an Fugue" so it makes a former band geek like myself well... geek out.
As someone who loves final boss themes in general, I of course love this list of epic themes.
you got a great list Soul of Cider is my favorite and the God Slaying Sword but lets not forget Zanza the Divine
and I am also one of those people who are waiting for a remake of 6.
4245542
I think the third tier is literally mocking Toccata and Fugue.
4245863
Which one of these ten were your favorite?
4246030
How could I forget the best track in the game? But "Zanza" isn't the final boss theme, so alas it must be off the list.
4246185 I would of put both on the list
Thank you for this...just...thank you.
I didn't know all of them, but for those I did, Nostalgia. Pure nostalgia
4246774
No problem!
Which ones did you find nostalgic then?
4246184
Sorry for the long wait. Busy Day.
From these ten I would say... Fire Emblem is for me the best (one of the few games on this list I actually played)
I'm also a bit surprised you included nothing from Undertale. Wasn't "Megalovania" in your "Top Ten Final Boss Themes"?
4246958
Sigh...
I'll talk about that on a later date...
Just know... opinions change.
4246855
Thanks
X,Y
Paper mario,
Kingdom hearts
Dark souls,
and of course FF6