Bonus Boss: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Tyrant Overlord Baal]]? [[Genre Savvy|Wasn't he just a ploy]] [[No Fourth Wall|to force players into]] [[Fake Longevity|playing their games for 100 hours longer]]?"''|''[[Disgaea 3]]''}}

A lot of the times, this is meant as a test of the player's skill. (Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned this as being the sole purpose of the Lingering Sentiment in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]] [[No Export for You|Final Mix]]''. Then, it turned out [[Lying Creator|his pants were practically ablaze]].)

* The Four Sword Links in the ''[[The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'' port on the [[Game Boy]] Advance. Each Link had some abilities that Link could use, such as the Hurricane Spin, the Magic Cape, etc. Beating them was purely for bragging rights.

* The [[Updated Rerelease]] of ''[[The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening]]'' for Game Boy Color featured a [[Bonus Dungeon]] based on color. The boss of the dungeon wasn't more difficult than the other bosses, but could only be defeated by knowing the color of his clothing and attacks.

* ''[[Castlevania Order of Ecclesia]]'' gave you the option to fight the Chinese vampire, Jiang Shi, in the Large Cavern bonus dungeon. He's not very hard though, seeing as how proper use of Melio Scutum and any slashing Glyph would easily reduce his 6000+ HP down to nothing. Though this boss is interesting in the fact that when he dies, a seal is placed on his face, but if you break it off with an attack, he comes back to life, allowing you to fight him again as many times as you want. Not worth the attribute points though (30, 60, or 120)

* Galamoth in ''[[Castlevania Symphony of the Night]]'' has more HP than Dracula and hits really, really hard. Fortunately, you don't have to beat him to meet the Count.

* Legion, Nucleolous, and Golden Bones in ''[[Castlevania Curse of Darkness]]''. The former are more hidden than ultra-difficult, but the last...

* The Whip's Memory, an image of Richter Belmont in ''[[Castlevania Portrait of Ruin]]'', is part of a ritual to unlock the [[Infinity+1 Sword|true power]] of a [[Magikarp Power|weakened Vampire Killer whip]]. Unlike the rest of the game, you can only battle this boss with Jonathan. Thankfully, "dying" in this battle just boots you out of the battle with full HP and MP instead of yielding a Game Over.

* ''[[Castlevania Lament of Innocence]]'' has The Forgotten One, a [[Colossus Climb|giant]], [[Gorn|skinless]] demon trapped in the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Prison of Eternal Torture]], an area accessible when you open the [[Hub Level]]. (You still need a late-game artifact to fight him, but the area is open.) Everything about him is terrifying, and he's pretty difficult. {{spoiler|Unless you use the Ice Whip.}}

* ''[[The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks]]'' has {{spoiler|Dark Link}} at the end of [[Boss Rush|Take Em All On's]] Final Level.

* ''[[Aquaria (Video Game)|Aquaria]]'' has a number of optional bosses, but many consider Simon Says to be the most interesting. He's well hidden, and you don't actually fight him - instead you play, well, [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|simon says]], with a very useful third cooking slot as your reward for playing well.

* ''[[Okami (Video Game)|Okami]]'' has a number of these. The prize for beating them is usually a Stray Bead.

* ''[[Metroid Other M]]'' brings us the Metroid series's first bonus boss. If you play the post-credits sequence for 100% and the extra ending, you have to butt heads with Phantoon from ''Super Metroid'', who not only has new powers, but is also much scarier looking than before.

* [[Cave Story (Video Game)|Cave Story]] has Ballos, who was entombed within the island many years ago, and whose magic is causing the island to fall; the Heavy Press, who comes before Ballos; Ma Pignon, who will restore Curly's memory; and the Red Demon, who you find at the end of the hidden Final Cave.

* The Red Dragon also features as a [[Bonus Boss]] in ''[[Tower of Doom]]'' and ''[[Shadow Over Mystara]]'', the Capcom [[Beat'Em Up|Beat Em Ups]] based on [[Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|Dungeons and Dragons]].

* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' was arguably the [[Trope Maker]], with [[Mortal Kombat (Video Game)|the first game]] having Reptile as a secret boss. There is [[Luck-Based Mission|a very small chance]] that he will appear before the fight begins and give you clues on how to find him (ex."Look To La Luna"). You can only fight him if, on the fight at the Pit stage, you don't block, get a [[Flawless Victory|Double Flawless]] on your opponent, and finish them with a Fatality. Furthermore, [[Luck-Based Mission|there must be a ghost floating in front of the moon]]. If the conditions are met, the screen will flash with the words "You have found me, now prove yourself!" appearing, whereupon you will be taken to the Bottom of the Pit to fight him.

** ''[[Mortal Kombat 2 (Video Game)|Mortal Kombat 2]]'' continued the tradition with Noob Saibot, Jade, and Smoke. Noob Saibot appears only if you win 50 battles consecutively. Jade appears if, on the fight before the question-mark box, you only use the Low Kick button to defeat your opponent (can be done on any round). Smoke is arguably the most difficult to get, as you have to make Dan Forden appear and say "TOASTY!" while fighting on the Portal stage, then hitting Down + Start while he's on the screen.

** ''[[Mortal Kombat 3 (Video Game)|Mortal Kombat 3]]'' had Smoke as a hidden boss via one of the 11 hidden treasures of Shao Kahn that you can access after beating the game, as well as Noob Saibot. ''Ultimate [[Mortal Kombat]] 3'' added Mileena, Ermac, Classic Sub-Zero, and Human Smoke. ''[[Mortal Kombat]] Trilogy'' added Chameleon and Khameleon, who were basically all the male and female ninjas rolled into one, respectively. You can also fight every single one of these characters via the Kombat Kode system.

* Akuma from the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' series is usually a bonus boss in the games where he isn't the [[True Final Boss]], particularly in ''[[Street Fighter Alpha (Video Game)|Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' (as Shin Akuma) and in ''[[X Men Children of the Atom]]''. Even if you're playing as a character whose final boss is supposed to be Akuma (like Ryu or Gen), you will simply fight Shin Akuma first and then you'll face the regular version of him.

** The CPU version of Dan also served this role in the first ''[[Street Fighter Alpha (Video Game)|Street Fighter Alpha]]'', as did Q in ''[[Street Fighter III (Video Game)|Street Fighter III]]: 3rd Strike''.

** In ''[[Street Fighter Alpha (Video Game)|Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' and ''[[Street Fighter III (Video Game)|Street Fighter III]]: 2nd Impact'', each character has a specific rival who can only be fought if the player manages to fulfill certain conditions without losing a single match.

** Much earlier in the series, ''[[Fatal Fury]] Special'' had a [[Bonus Boss]] in [[Art of Fighting|Ryo Sakazaki]], who was the first seed in the long running franchise known as ''[[The King of Fighters (Video Game)|The King of Fighters]]''.

** In both Melee and Brawl, we have [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Crazy Hand]], Master Hand's [[Evil Counterpart|south-pawed counterpart]], who will appear alongside Master Hand (after Master Hand reaches half health or at the beginning of the fight in Melee and Brawl respectively) if certain conditions are met while playing Classic Mode. Aside from there being two bosses to defeat instead of one, they are able to perform coordinated attacks that are more dangerous than what they could do individually.

* The ''[[Virtual On]]'' series has several of these, some exclusive to certain versions. In the first game, if you win all your battles by Time Over, you'll get a Warning message and then enter a special battle with Jaguarandi, a mutated version of Raiden that varies each time you fight it. When you first fight it, it's about the size of a Raiden or a Belgdor, and its color is the opposite color of your mech. If you continue against it, [[Bait and Switch Boss|it changes to a miniature toy-sized version that is colored purple, and its armor weakens severely (so much so that a close range attack from Apharmd will kill it instantly), and if you continue again, it can be killed in 3 hits by Temjin's Beam Rifle!]] In the Japan-only [[PS 2]] version, if you beat all 8 virtuaroids in under 30 seconds, [[True Final Boss|you will hear a special chime and fight the original Fei-Yen instead of Z-Gradt]]. This version of Fei-Yen is always in Hyper Mode, but its armor is not weakened and its attacks are more powerful than the regular Fei-Yen.

* The final boss of the story mode in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy (Video Game)|Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'' is Chaos, who is only level 50 or so and thus can be defeated easily with [[Level Grinding]]. However, beating him opens an extra campaign whose final boss is a level 110 Chaos called Ultimate Chaos.

* ''[[Borderlands (Video Game)|Borderlands]]'' has some in the optional side quests, some of which, like Mothrakk and Marley and Moe, can reach [[That One Boss]] status.

** The ''true'' [[Bonus Boss]] doesn't come until you've downloaded and finished ''The Secret Armory of General Knoxx''. That unlocks a fight against Crawmerax the Invincible, which is pretty much [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]].

* In the [[Sequel]] to [[Otogi Myth of Demons]] the last bonus mission in the Forest of Havoc is a dual with The Crimson King, a recuring character from the first game. How hard is he? Lets list the ways. He hits like an angry truck, he can move just as fast as you, he throws magic fireballs that cause a bad status effect, and his ultimate attack hurts like hell...did I mention that it's a [[Homing Projectile]]? If you had trouble beating the last boss of the game then The Crimson King will wreck you without mercy.

** The best example, however, is Algalon the Observer (a.k.a. [[Fan Nickname|Algalon the Raid Destroyer]]) in the Ulduar raid. He is only accessible if you complete a quest that requires the player to kill several bosses in [[Harder Than Hard|hard mode]], and if he's not killed within an hour or so from summoning him, he'll despawn and you have to wait till the raid reset to summon him again. Algalon was ''not'' the hardest boss in the game when he was released - that honor went with Yogg-Saron on full [[Nintendo Hard|hard mode]]; see above - but he was the one that the fewest raids defeated, between the difficulty of the path to get to him and the difficulty of the fight itself. (As a special bonus, story-wise, if you fail to defeat Algalon, he sends a signal to ''his'' superiors to begin [[The End of the World As We Know It|sterilizing the planet to rid it of corruption so that life can begin anew]].)

* [[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]] has the Notorious Monsters. The most, well, notorious of these are the Pandaemonium Warden, a Sequential Boss with 10 different forms who has to be beaten in 2 hours, and Absolute Virtue, who was originally designed as a [[Hopeless Boss Fight]]. Allegedly, they revamped him to be beatable, but other than exploiting bugs, nobody has yet beaten him. That's right: in an online game with over a million players, no group has even once managed to overcome Absolute Virtue.

* ''[[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Mega Man X]] 6'' had some bonus bosses by going through alternate routes to fight Zero Nightmare, which nets you Zero, and High Max, which lets you skip straight to the last areas of the game, although it's hard to find out [[Guide Dang It|how the hell you're supposed to even damage him.]] (Hint: {{spoiler|Stun him with a charge shot, then hit him with any special weapon}}.) Going to the secret areas again will let you fight Dynamo, which lets you get large amounts of souls.

* In ''[[Mega Man Zero (Video Game)|Mega Man Zero]] 3'', in a secret area in the second-to-last level that can only be opened by going into [[Cyberspace]], Zero will encounter Phantom, who died two games earlier, ready to fight him to [[Secret Test of Character|test his worth as a hero]]. Victory will net the player the [[Infinity+1 Sword|infinity plus one, er, boots]].

* ''[[Mega Man (Video Game)|Mega Man]]'':

** ''[[Mega Man 8 (Video Game)|Mega Man 8]]'' had two in the [[Sega Saturn]] version, and they happen to be Cut Man and Wood Man from the first two games, respectively. Unlike their original appearance, however, they only give you bolts to buy weapons with. Cut Man is hidden in Duo's stage halfway through the game. Wood Man doesn't play the trope straight, though, as you fight him right before the continue point in Search Man's stage.

* In ''[[Mega Man ZX (Video Game)|Mega Man ZX]]'', there is a similar type of battle. I forget the details, but near the end of the game, you can find {{spoiler|Omega Zero, from the last battle in ''Zero 3'', complete with famous quote.}} This battle is noteworthy for actually being HARD, not just "OMG he's level 500", since this time your character has far fewer abilties. {{spoiler|Omega's}} AI has also become much more aggressive since the last game, and can defeat you in literally seconds if you're not quick with the fingers. Beating him gives you {{spoiler|Model OX, who is - you guessed it, Omega Zero, complete with a crapload of awesome special moves and total badassery.}} [[Bragging Rights Reward|Only not really, since you only get it after beating the game]] and it's not really that much better then Model ZX.

* The boss of the Engine Room in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]'' is technically a Bonus Boss, because getting to the final boss only requires ''unlocking'' the Engine Room and collecting 60 stars (from anywhere). Of course, it is required to beat this boss for [[Hundred-Percent Completion]], as beating it opens up the last few levels.

* ''[[La-Mulana (Video Game)|La-Mulana]]'' 's infamous [[Bonus Level of Hell|Hell Temple]] has its own guardian, The Boss (no, not [[Metal Gear Solid|that one]] ), a giant blob with Naramura's (the game ideator) signature face that [[Shout-Out|behaves a lot like the 4th boss of ''Maze Of Galious'']] and summons smaller copies of himself that throw grenades around. Interestingly enough, The Boss is generally easy compared to the level around him.

* In any version of ''[[Initial D Arcade Stage (Video Game)|Initial D Arcade Stage]]'', defeating every opponent in Legend Of The Streets mode will take you to a free battle with Bunta Fujiwara. He is extremely difficult to beat, often sporting [[Rubber Band AI]]. Whether or not you defeat him, the credits will roll afterwards.

* ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]] DS'' had an Alternate Final Boss, the Dream Devourer, which has ties to the final boss of ''[[Chrono Cross (Video Game)|Chrono Cross]]'', the Time Devourer. It is unlocked after you clear all three of the [[Bonus Dungeon|Bonus Dungeons]] that appear after you defeat the normal [[Final Boss]].

* The bounty bosses in ''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]] Legends''. They are also [[That One Boss]] - because even for a bonus boss, their difficulty is sadistic.

* Ragu o Ragula in all of the ''[[Wild Arms (Video Game)|Wild ARMs]]'' games for [[Play Station]], [[PS 2]], and PSP. Angolmois also appears in some of them. In fact, the Wild ARMs games have many bonus bosses, often found [[Sealed Evil in A Can|sealed in crystals]] found throughout the game. Ragu o Ragula is neatly incorporated into all of these titles as the sleeping demon who is fated to destroy Filgaia, centuries after the conflict-of-the-day is finished off. Big extra credit for overachieving heroes.

* Gabriel Celesta and the Iseria/Isis/Ethereal Queen in ''[[Valkyrie Profile]]'', the ''[[Star Ocean]]'' series, ''[[Radiata Stories (Video Game)|Radiata Stories]]'', and ''[[Infinite Undiscovery]]''...most tri-Ace games in general.

** Ruby Weapon and Emerald Weapon in the international version of ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]]''.

** Ultima and Omega, or Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon, appear in many of the games, including ''[[Final Fantasy V (Video Game)|Final Fantasy V]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy VIII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VIII]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy X (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy X 2 (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X 2]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]''. Omega also features prominently in ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]''. Ultima was a mandatory boss in ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]]'' as well as ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]]'', under the name Atma Weapon, which is a stupid mistranslation. Omega and Ultima are storyline bosses in XI's Chains of Promathia expansion, and are [[Sequential Boss|Sequential Bosses]] to boot.

** The Monster Arena monsters in ''[[Final Fantasy X (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X]]'', and the Dark Aeons and Penance in the International version. Some of the Dark Aeons were required encounters if you want to backtrack to certain areas. Penance is entirely optional, and he's accordingly brutal... 12 ''million'' HP, potent attacks that devastate an unprepared party, and supporting limbs that do even more fun damage.

** The Via Infinito monsters, led by Paragon and Trema, in ''[[Final Fantasy X 2 (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X 2]]'', which are rather nasty for causing status effects [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|even if you're immune to them]].

** Hell Wyrm, Yiazmat, Behemoth King, the eight non-story line Espers (which includes Zodiark), Omega Mk. XII, etc. in ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]''. To date, Yiazmat is the boss with most HP in all of ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' (a grand total of ''[[Marathon Boss|50 million]]''), and can take multiple rounds to defeat.

** ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics a 2 (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics a 2]]'' had Upsilons A1 (leveled somewhere in the 60s) and A2 (Level 96) and the Level 99 mage clan.

** ''[[Final Fantasy I (Video Game)|Final Fantasy I]]'' had a [[Boss in Mook Clothing|special secret random encounter boss that was only able to be encountered on the walkway heading towards Tiamat.]] The boss was a mecha named Warmech and had damage capabilities surpassing Tiamat.

** ''[[Final Fantasy IV (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IV]]'' had four optional boss fights against [[Summon Magic|Phantom Beasts]]: Ashura, Leviathan, Odin, and Bahamut. Only one of these was particularly difficult. The others required very specific strategies rather than a highly leveled party to defeat, making them closer to [[Puzzle Boss|Puzzle Bosses]] than anything else. This was fitting, as the battles were intended to be [[Defeat Means Friendship|tests of your skill]]. Furthermore, several powerful weapons and armor in the final dungeon are guarded by horribly powerful [[Palette Swap]] bosses, including one that hits the entire party with unblockable Doom when the fight starts (giving you a time limit before [[Total Party Kill]]).

** ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]] Advance'' adds the bonus boss Kaiser Dragon, a monster that was [[Dummied Out]] of the original game and, due to having an associated monologue, seems to have been intended to have been a bonus boss in the original version, but to have been cut for time.

** ''[[Final Fantasy V (Video Game)|Final Fantasy V]]'' had two of these, Omega and Shinryu, both who gave [[Bragging Rights Reward|trinkets praising your deed]] upon death, and who made Neo Exdeath look like a marshmallow peep in comparison .

*** ''Final Fantasy V Advance'' was especially brutal with these, creating an entire [[Bonus Dungeon]] full of them. This included such prestigious opponents as {{spoiler|Enuo, the frickin' original creator of The Void, which was the [[MacGuffin|Mac Guffin]] that was Exdeath's entire goal, and something that he couldn't control in the end;}} Omega MK II and Neo Shinryu, souped-up versions of the bonus bosses of the original game, both of whom made their originals look like marshmallow peeps in comparison (Omega MK. II was very notable, housing a huge floor full of copies of Omega, each one as strong as the bonus boss of the same name, proving just how much stronger the players had to be to stand a chance.) But they are much weaker than the SNES originals.

** Ozma (unique in that his difficulty has little to do with inflated stats and almost everything to do with proper strategizing, albeit with more than a hint of [[Guide Dang It]]) and Hades in ''[[Final Fantasy IX (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IX]]''. Kinda complementary - Hades turns out to be a legendary synthesist, and one of the rewards for beating Ozma is something you can synth off to obtain Ark, the ridiculously over-the-top summon.

** ...and ''[[Final Fantasy XIII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XIII]]'' continues the tradition with Vercingetorix, boss of the final [[Sidequest|Mission]]. This bad boy has 15.8 million hitpoints and can't even be accessed until after you beat the game. Long Guis probably also qualifies, having even more HP and huge stats.

** ''[[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]]'' actually has a ''entire class'' of monsters for this: Notorious Monsters. While some are actually related to a quest or mission story, the vast majority of them only exist to kill for epik lootz and [[Loot Drama]].

*** ''[[Final Fantasy XI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XI]]'' undoubtedly has the most vicious on this list. One guild attempted to kill the newest boss, "Pandemonium Warden," but gave up after fighting it for ''[http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/new-game-enemy-takes-a-solid-day-to-defeat/1238418 eighteen straight hours]''. Then there's [[Nigh Invulnerable|Absolute Virtue]], which has never been beaten without the dev team completely removing the method for doing so after it's been found. '''''Ever.'''''

* ''[[Final Fantasy XIII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XIII]]-2'' features some optional bosses too but just three of them take the cake. There is Yomi a weaker version of Vercingetorix(but still formidable!). Long Gui can be challenged again and finally there is Raspatil who starts as a random encounter but if challenged, gives you a run for your money and is considered the hardest fight in the game.

** [[Kingdom Hearts (Video Game)|First game]]: The Clock Tower Phantom (gives you the last Stop spell upgrade), as well as many of the tournaments.

*** The international release [[Regional Bonus|added]] [[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Sephiroth]] (bragging rights), [[Hercules (Disney)|Ice Titan]] (bragging rights), Kurt Zisa (bragging rights),

*** The Final Mix version adds in the international bosses, gives you decent rewards for beating them (extra Keyblades for Seph and Ice Titan, and the Zantetsuken attack for Kurt), and adds the Unknown, who is later revealed to be {{spoiler|Xemnas, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]''}}.

** ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]'': Sephiroth + tournament matches again. The Final Mix included multiple upgraded versions of the Organization (including the ones who had died in [[Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories|the previous game]]), made {{spoiler|Roxas}} an actual fight instead of a [[Cutscene Boss]], and filled the "Unknown" slot with a mystery Keyblade Master named the "Lingering Sentiment" who is later revealed to be {{spoiler|Terra's soul trapped inside his armor after Master Xehanort took over his body in ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep]]''}}. He is found via a portal at Disney Castle and is ''[[That One Boss|THE hardest boss in the entire game.]]''

** ''[[Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days Over 2 (Video Game)|358/2 Days]]'': Dustflier. He can be found before beating the game, in a late-game mission where the goal is to defeat six bosses scattered through Twilight Town in succession, and only appears after all six are dead. And while you can ''complete'' the mission by only taking out the first six, you have to go and finish Dustflier to fill up the extra portion of the Mission Gauge, which is part of [[Hundred-Percent Completion]]. (Fortunately, ''358/2'' allows you to redo missions at will.)

*** The Final Mix adds adding three more Bonus Bosses that can be fought in the Mirage Arena: [[Pinocchio (Disney)|Monstro]] and the armors of Master Eraqus ("Armor of the Master") and Master Xehanort ("No Heart").

* Mewtwo in ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue (Video Game)|Pokémon Red and Blue]]'', Red in the [[Pokémon Gold and Silver (Video Game)|second generation]] (though it's debatable whether he's this or the [[True Final Boss]], since the credits roll after you win), and as mentioned below, Steven in ''Emerald Version''.

** The Generation IV games, ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Video Game)|Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]''/''Platinum'', also give us Heatran, Giratina, Cresselia, and Regigigas; four legendaries that can only be encountered after you've beaten the main storyline and obtained the [[Gotta Catch Em All|National Dex]] (with the exception of Giratina in ''Platinum'').

** Latios/Latias and Rayquaza in ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Video Game)|Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]''/''Emerald''. Rayquaza can be captured ''before'' you take on the Elite Four in ''Emerald'' (and Groudon and Kyogre take its place as [[Bonus Boss|Bonus Bosses]].

** All of the Legendary Pokémon let alone the Legendary Birds, Groudon, and Rayquaza from the first ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Video Game)|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]'' games, and most Legendary Pokémon that have no relation to the plot in the second set of ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Video Game)|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]'' games.

* Divine Dragon/Divinegon in ''[[Dragon Quest III (Video Game)|Dragon Quest III]]'' became available to fight after beating the game. You even needed to beat him five times to gain access to all of his wishes.

* [[God]] in ''[[Dragon Quest VII (Video Game)|Dragon Quest VII]]''. Seriously.

* The Dragon King in ''[[Dragon Quest VIII (Video Game)|Dragon Quest VIII]]''.

* Pretty much half of the bosses in ''[[Dragon Quest IX (Video Game)|Dragon Quest IX]]''. Of special note are the grotto bosses, {{spoiler|who are revealed to be fragments of the Grand Architect Zenus}}, and the legacy bosses, the final bosses and some midbosses from every previous serial title (e.g. Dragonlord, Zoma, Estark, Rhapthorne, etc.) The best kind of [[Pandering to The Base]]. You can even opt to give the legacy bosses the experience you gain from beating them, and they will level up each time, to a max of 99.

* ''[[Dragon Quest VI (Video Game)|Dragon Quest VI]]'' has Nokturnus (better known as Dark Dream), who, thanks to his appearances in the ''Monsters'' series, is considered by many to be ''the'' quintessential [[Bonus Boss]] of the series.

* In the ''[[SaGa]]'' series of games, most of the ''game'' is optional, including many of the bosses. ''[[Saga Frontier (Video Game)|Saga Frontier]]'' does have a few optional bosses who are ''particularly'' difficult, including the Earth Dragon in the Bio Research Lab, and [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|cheating bastard]] Jotnar, who likes to employ his most powerful attack four consecutive times on his second turn.

* ''[[Golden Sun (Video Game)|Golden Sun]]'' had Deadbeard, an undead pirate found at the bottom of Crossbone Isle, who guards the game's most powerful armor. One path to him contained another bonus boss, a weather controlling lizard.

* ''[[Super Mario RPG (Video Game)|Super Mario RPG]]'' has two: tiny martial arts master Jinx, who you must fight three times (after defeating his apprentice, Jagger), and ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' [[Shout-Out]] Culex, a powerful magic-using entity from another dimension who attacks using four elemental crystals and is quite possibly harder than the game's [[Final Boss]]. Both of these bosses live in Monstro Town.

* ''[[Paper Mario (Video Game)|Paper Mario]]'' has Bloopers, who show up every time you find a new shortcut in the sewer. Kent C. Koopa also blocks a road and makes you pay to pass; beating him lets you pass for free. Then there is a Dojo, where you can fight for bragging rights. The final blooper, Kent C., and the Dojo Master could all give Bowser a run for his money if he didn't have the Star Rod.

* Bonetail in ''[[Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door (Video Game)|Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door]]'' is literally more powerful than the game's final boss (which is lampshaded by [[Meta Guy|Goombella]]) and requires going through 90 (99 floors with a "breather" every 10) battles to reach him. There's also Atomic Boo, but that one's easier.

* ''[[Super Paper Mario (Video Game)|Super Paper Mario]]'' doubled it, though. {{spoiler|The first of the two bonus bosses was really another version of the game's first boss. To even face the second boss, you have to clear a dungeon filled with even stronger enemies that are all pitch black, making distinguishing subtypes near impossible without Tippi/Tipptron until it's too late.'' '''Twice.'''''}}

* ''[[Tales Series]]''

** ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' had at least 6 hidden bosses {{spoiler|(Seles, Abyssion, Maxwell, three former Tales characters (Woodrow/Garr, Farah and Meredy), and the Sword Dancer, and the Living Armor at the end of [[Bonus Level of Hell|Forbidden Anamnesis]])}}, the second of which gives you [[Infinity+1 Sword|weapons]] that makes the rest of the game ridiculously easy - [[Bragging Rights Reward|as if it weren't already for anyone powerful enough to defeat him in the first place]].

** ''[[Tales of Phantasia (Video Game)|Tales of Phantasia]]'' had Pluto, who gave you his summon, and Odin, who is also a [[Duel Boss]]. Apparently, he really was ''that'' Odin.

** ''[[Tales of Eternia (Video Game)|Tales of Eternia]]'' had <s>Dhaos</s> Sekundes, the summon of Time, although you didn't have to beat him to enlist his services. Maxwell and Shadow were also technically optional, but you ''did'' have to beat them. Cless gives you his bandanna and the Eternal Sword if you beat him in the Arena, and Valkyrie stands before a ''lot'' of treasure chests. Things like this make ''Eternia'' end up a very long and interesting game.

** ''[[Tales of Vesperia (Video Game)|Tales of Vesperia]]'' has the "Traitor to the Heavens" ({{spoiler|[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Kratos]] fulfilling the role of a cameo boss}}). It also has a bit of an odd case with the Radiant Winged One, {{spoiler|who, while entirely optional, if the player opts to fight him, [[True Final Boss|ends up as the last boss anyway]].}}

*** Vesperia also features {{spoiler|[[Tales of Phantasia (Video Game)|Dhaos]], [[Tales of Eternia (Video Game)|Shizel]], [[Tales of Destiny (Video Game)|Barbatos]] (who still HATES item), and [[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Kratos]]}} as bosses in the 200 Man Melee.

*** The [[PS 3]] [[Updated Rerelease]] adds several more optional bosses, such as Clint of the Hunting Blades, the Sword Dancers {{spoiler|which reward you with Flynn's normal, non-Fell Arm [[Infinity+1 Sword]]}}, and {{spoiler|the Spiral Draco, lord of the Entelexeia and possibly the most difficult boss in the entire [[Tales Series]]}}.

** ''[[Tales of the Abyss (Video Game)|Tales of the Abyss]]'' contains {{spoiler|Nebilim}}, who's practically impossible to beat on your first playthrough, as well as Reid, Mint, Nanaly, and Philia. (Reid is annoying... you think saving him for last is the good thing, right? AURORA WALL! Oh damn it, he just revived his harem!)

** ''[[Tales of Graces (Video Game)|Tales of Graces]]'' has the post-game boss Solomos, as well as all the other bosses in the [[Bonus Dungeon|Zone Cage]] and Coliseum (including {{spoiler|Veigue, Kohak/Amber and Reala as the previous Tales cameo battle}} and {{spoiler|Poisson}}. Defeating Solomos also ''changes'' the real final boss, {{spoiler|Lambda Angelus}} into {{spoiler|Lambda Theos}}. In addition, you can re-fight your first boss, although he is no longer the [[Warmup Boss]] that he was before. You also can fight the incredibly large and strong [[Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever|Rockgagan]], although in the [[PS 3]] version, you only really get a [[Bragging Rights Reward|trophy]] for defeating him - not even experience points.

* The four-legged Dragons (not to be mistaken with the two-legged wyverns) in ''[[Monster Hunter (Video Game)|Monster Hunter]]'', as well as Kirin the lightning unicorn.

* In the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network (Video Game)|Mega Man Battle Network]]'' series, there is so much extra content and so many bonus bosses that the time taken to defeat them is longer than the main story line. In all of them, however, you face Bass/Forte. Unlike other continuities, here he is a god-like [[Badass]].

** The sequel series, ''[[Mega Man Star Force (Video Game)|Mega Man Star Force]]'' is similar, although it doesn't take nearly as long to do so. Usually there's a secret area after beating the [[Final Boss]] where you have to fight upgraded forms of each boss in the game, followed by an all-new secret boss. After doing that, the storyline's final boss is upgraded, with it being the truly strongest boss in the game. The only exception to this is the second game, where after beating the upgraded final boss, you fight {{spoiler|an upgraded Rogue after the credits finish.}}

* ''[[Mega Man X Command Mission (Video Game)|Mega Man X Command Mission]],'' meanwhile, had two Bonus Bosses plus another set of nine. Rafflesian and Duckbill Mole gave X, Zero, and Axl new abilities that were useful in what remained of the game by that point. Ninetails and the preceding eight Tails Clan members, on the other hand, who were definitively even more this trope, could only be fought ''after'' beating the final boss, making the rewards for beating ''them'' [[Bragging Rights Reward|pretty much awesomely worthless.]]

* In ''[[Atelier Iris 2]]'', the fights at the Dragon's Nest, particularly the last one against 3 Instant Brownies. However, while they are more powerful than the last boss, the overly-easy battle system makes them no more difficult than anything else, provided the player has stocked up on resurrection items.

* ''[[Breath of Fire III (Video Game)|Breath of Fire III]]'' had the Berserker, difficult because it attacked for three to four hundred damage, and often attacked several times before any of your characters got to. Worse, it was a [[Boss in Mook Clothing|random encounter]] on the way to getting one of your dragon genes, and was a normal monster.

* ''[[Breath of Fire IV (Video Game)|Breath of Fire IV]]'' has Rider as a hellish random encounter in Mukto. With 40,000 HP he is already a tough opponent but he also regenerates 20,000 HP every turn...try to overcome that.

* ''[[Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter (Video Game)|Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter]]'' had Dover, who was the final boss in the [[Bonus Dungeon]]. As long as you have a high enough level (around 50), he's not that bad. The only problem is is that his defense switches from regular ol' attacks to Dragon defense. So your time limit is based on how much you have left on the D-Counter. [[Spell My Name With an "S"|Lin's/Rin's]] "Shatter!" technique is particularly effective here.

* The {{spoiler|Demi-Fiend}} battle in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei (Franchise)|Shin Megami Tensei]]'' game ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'', quite possibly one of the hardest bosses in the history of [[JRPG|JRPGs]], if not ''the'' hardest boss. Not only will he instantly kill you in the first turn if you have a "forbidden" move set, but the strategy required to defeat him requires a very specific use of one usually worthless skill that you would ''never'' use in the main game. I have no clue how anyone could figure this out without the use of a strategy guide. Beating him gets you a useful accessory that you can only use in the sequel.

* The ''[[Persona (Video Game)|Persona]]'' series:

** ''[[Persona 3 (Video Game)|Persona 3]]'' has Elizabeth, although she can only be fought on the second playthrough after finishing all of her requests. Although she seems to be nothing more than a thin blonde girl dressed like a bellhop, she is the most powerful foe in the game, can only be fought one-on-one (she'll kill any other party members right away), gets to attack twice every turn (where you can only attack once), has multiple personas and powerful attacks, and heals herself completely when at low health. Even worse, if any of her attacks are nullified, reflected, or absorbed (which they invariably will be, considering her attack rate and huge range of attacks), she goes berserk and spams a 9999-damage attack (out of max possible HP of 999) nonstop until you die. Amusingly enough, the [[Updated Rerelease]] version of the game features an upgraded version of your starter Persona which seems to be tailor-made to fight her, as it resists every type of attack, giving you a good overall defense against anything she tosses out and avoiding driving her berserk.

* ''[[Persona 4 (Video Game)|Persona 4]]'' continues the tradition with Margaret. While you can bring in party members and she won't (immediately) wipe them, she's just as frustrating. Nice changes include only healing once. She'll still 9999 Megidolaon you if you bring in a forbidden item, and dump lesser ones on you every 50 turns. She'll also exploit 1 More relentlessly if you give her the chance in the pattern.

* ''[[Devil Survivor (Video Game)|Devil Survivor]]'' brings in the Fallen Morning Star, Lucifer, for its battle. While insanely difficult (infinite range, level 99, etc.), beating him does give you the ability to fuse him. Most people just take advantage of the fact that Recarm gives the revived the next turn to attack, and just suicide run him.

* ''[[Devil Survivor 2 (Video Game)|Devil Survivor 2]]'' has a whole slew of these<ref> (Sage of Time, Belial, Nebiros, Lilith, Belzaboul)</ref>, culminating in Alice. She isn't as difficult as Lucifer, but she does have Belial and Nebiros fighting with her. Belial doubles as a callback to the first Devil Survivor.

* ''[[Etrian Odyssey (Video Game)|Etrian Odyssey]]'' series as a whole have a '''''LOT''''' of bonus bosses; many of them are usually part of [[Sidequest|SideQuests]].

* Panthera Cantus from ''[[The World Ends With You (Video Game)|The World Ends With You]]'' is the toughest boss in the entire game; that bastard's tough even on ''Easy'' level! It has the highest attack power of all the Noise and two separate bodies; {{spoiler|a tiger on top and a lion on the bottom}}. Trying to avoid getting creamed by both at the same time makes the fight quite epic, if not frustrating.

* While it's part of the natural plot, ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]'' has Lavos at the Ocean Palace. It's meant as a [[Hopeless Boss Fight]], but there's still the potential to defeat it with enough skill and planning.

* ''[[Grandia Xtreme (Video Game)|Grandia Xtreme]]'', rather than a new and unique boss, gave you the chance to go back to the old dungeons after beating the final boss, and in one of them you can fight a super-powered level 200 version of a boss you already faced.

* ''[[Bahamut Lagoon (Video Game)|Bahamut Lagoon]]'' has special "side quests" - essentially single battles - available throughout the game. One of them, appropriately named Hard Dungeon, is only available in the last seven chapters and is far more difficult than the final boss.

* All three episodes of ''[[Xenosaga (Video Game)|Xenosaga]]'' have some:

** Episode 3 has two mechas: Omega Universitas {{spoiler|AKA [[Xenogears (Video Game)|Id Weltall]]}}, and Erde Kaiser Sigma. The latter is the only mecha in the game who's fought without the use of E.S.'s.

* ''[[Mother 3 (Video Game)|Mother 3]]'' features several. First there is Lord Passion who carries Duster's [[Infinity+1 Sword|Infinity Plus One Shoes]], Lil Miss Marshmallow guards a decent weapon for that point of the game, and the King Statue is just there for experience and is ridiculously easy if you know what to do.

* ''[[Dragon Age (Video Game)|Dragon Age]]'' has several optional bosses among its many sidequests. The Revenants are powerful undead warriors that are managable on their own but get downright nasty with backup such as the ones that drop the Juggernaut equipment. Gaxkang the Unbound is an homage to Kangaxx from ''[[Baldurs Gate]]''. {{spoiler|Flemeth}} shapeshifts into a High Dragon. An actual High Dragon (who ''could'' be beaten easily if you surrounded it with [[Useless Useful Skill|Traps]] before you aggro). And many more.

* ''[[Ys (Video Game)|Ys]] VI: The Ark of Napishtim'' has Majunun, a blowfish-like creature that will kill you in one hit the first time you can access it. To have a chance at all, you need to nearly max out your EXP, which takes many hours, as all the enemies only give 1 EXP on the highest few levels.

** [[Fallout New Vegas]] has the four (five with Old World Blues) legendary creatures, which are [[Underground Monkey|reskinned]], upsized, and [[That One Boss|overpowered]] versions of their normal species. Admittedly, a sufficiently leveled character can make short work of most ( {{spoiler|Legendary!Cazadore, Legendary!Nightstalker, and Legendary!Fire Gecko}}) but the {{spoiler|Legendary!Deathclaw}} from the main game, and {{spoiler|Legendary!''Bloatfly''... [[Goddamned Bats|WTF?]]}} from old world blues can usually kill you in... Two hits. Almost always.

* ''[[Fire Emblem]]''''Radiant Dawn'' has Levail, General Zelgius' apprentice. While Ike fights a [[Duel Boss]] battle with Zelgius, the rest of your team takes on Levail and his army. Defeating Zelgius is all that you have to do to beat the level, and the rest of your troops don't even have to move, let alone fight Levail (who as a top level Sentinel equipped with the [[Blade On a Stick|Wishblade]] is one of the few genuine threats you'll meet in the last quarter of the game). Many choose to engage him though, out of the desire to kill a few more opponents and maybe get their hands on [[Infinity+1 Sword|The Wishblade]].

* ''[[Dark Souls (Video Game)|Dark Souls]]'', with it's [[Metroidvania]] inspired world design, is practically made of this. Eight of the game's 22 bosses are entirely optional.

* The ''[[Trauma Center (Video Game)|Trauma Center]]'' series has the X operations, which have you performing [[Epileptic Trees|simulated/imagined/secret/God-knows-what]] operations involving [[Nintendo Hard]] variations of GUILT, Stigma, or Neo-GUILT.

* Two of them are available in the combat sequences-filled [[Dating Sim]] ''[[Mitsumete Knight (Video Game)|Mitsumete Knight]]'' : {{spoiler|Zeelbis the Bloody}} and {{spoiler|Salishuan the Spy}} of the Eight Generals of Valpha-Valaharian, the main enemy squad of the game. While not a storyline-related boss unlike the other two, [[The Cameo|Sparkster]] of the ''[[Rocket Knight Adventures]]'' series count too.

* Demon Supreme Overlord Baal in [[Nippon Ichi]]'s ''Marl Kingdom'' series, ''[[La Pucelle (Video Game)|La Pucelle]] Tactics'', ''[[Disgaea]]'', ''[[Phantom Brave]]'', ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'', and ''Disgaea 2''. In fact, most Nippon Ichi games let you fight characters from their other games as bonus bosses, and they're always at obscene levels. Laharl, Etna, and Flonne from ''[[Disgaea]]'' are all Bonus Bosses in ''[[Phantom Brave]]'', for example. In many cases, defeating them will recruit them into your party. While the final bosses of the games tend to be at level 90-100, the bonus ones usually start somewhere around level ''1000.'' That's ''start'' mind you. In "Etna Mode" of the new ''[[Disgaea]]'' PSP remake, Baal is literally level 9999.

* The re-release of [[Disgaea 2]] brought back [[Mythology Gag]] Pringer X as a [[Bonus Boss]], and he's more dangerous than Baal up there for a good reason: he can become immune to any special that's already been used against him, meaning you can't spam the same attack over and over, you HAVE to round out your move set. Later on, you get the chance to fight ''Eight'' of them, and they will all become immune to any special used against one of them, but that's not all: You can later pass a bill that turns all of the Land of Carnage monsters from Uber to Uber Lord, making them not only stronger, but you can't capture them and the bill sticks for that cycle. If you go back to take on Pringer X's army again, their stats are maxed out at 40 million, meaning damaging them is a daunting task in and of itself, much less hitting them.

** They return in ''[[Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten (Video Game)|Disgaea 4 a Promise Unforgotten]]'' as the final bonus boss.

* ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics]]'' gave us Elidibs and the Zodiac summon.

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