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{{trope}}
[[File:
Bosses have a number of ways to announce their presence, but nothing quite says "[[Boss Battle]]" like splashing a banner across the screen to say:
{{center|{{
{{center|'''Boss Name'''}}
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See also [[Dramatis Personae]], and [[Adjective Noun Fred]].
{{examples
== Anime and Manga ==
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** [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Used gloriously]] in the last episode to make the [[Title Drop]], just before the [[Final Battle]]. The subtitle is even in the same [[Useful Notes/Fonts|font]] as the main title.
** In first movie, it also happens after the three Generals and Viral combine their Dai-Guns (Dai-Gunkai, Dai-Gunten, Dai-Gundo and Dai-Gunzan II). The name-tag says "Dai-Gun Doten Kaizan".
** In the second movie's final battle, we get {{spoiler|Tengen Toppa Solvernia (Nia), Tengen Toppa Enkidulga (Viral), Tengen Toppa Yoko W Tank (Yoko), Tengen Toppa Twin Vulcan (Jorgun & Balinbow), Tengen Toppa Kidd Knuckle (Kidd), Tengen Toppa Ainzaurus (Iraak), Tengen Toppa Sozoshin (Zorthy), Tengen Toppa Moshogun (Makken), Tengen Toppa Grapearl (Gimmy and Darry) and finally Tengen Toppa Dai-Gurren (everyone else) all get epic entrances complete with their own respective subtitles. And then they combine to form Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. He gets a subtitle too, of course.}} There are two mecha in the final battle without
* ''[[
** This also applies to characters important enough that their name is a chapter name. In fact, this is necessary for some undubbed characters, as it is the only way to spell their name correctly when it is written in English. As an example of both variations: {{spoiler|Great Whirlpool Spider Squad}}.
* The early episodes of ''[[Digimon Savers]]'' did this with newly-encountered [[Mons]] instead of the usual [[Enemy Scan|Digimon Analyzer scene]]. Tradition prevailed and the analyzer scenes were back by episode eight or so. ''[[Digimon Xros Wars]]'' did it near-constantly with every Mon instead of anything resembling a Digimon Analyzer; it even repeated the subtitles for characters outside Xros Heart / Blue Flare whenever they showed up in multiple episodes, the practical upshot being that they were displayed almost ever time repeat villains like Lilithmon, Tuwarmon and DarkKnightmon showed up.
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* ''[[Vampire Princess Miyu]]'' TV series. Every single episode.
* ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]'' slipped in and out of this depending on how many new characters were being introduced. The manga also had more detailed versions for primary antagonists like Principal Uchiyamada and Teshigawara.
* ''All'' characters in ''[[Bobobo-Bo
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' occasionally made use of this trope. It's even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] at one point when Misora is trying to maintain a secret identity... a task which might've been easier if a caption displaying her full name and even her seat number hadn't shown up. An annoyed Misora immediately [[How Did That Get in There?|asks what it's doing there]] and [[Medium Awareness|tries to shoo it away]].
** Done to much greater effect in Chapter 300, where everyone gets their own
* ''[[
* The ''Prince of Tennis'' manga does this whenever new players are shown. Not that it helps, considering there's [[Loads and Loads of Characters]].
* ''[[Rosario
* The first episode of ''[[
* Lampshaded in ''[[Cromartie High School]]'', where all the main characters and bosses are introduced with subtitles in ''every'' single segment.
* The [[Monster of the Week]]'s name is displayed in the original Japanese version of ''[[Samurai Pizza Cats]]''.
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* ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]'' also does this for every character, even the major ones at least once per season. The format is usually the former, with the 'Descriptive Sentence' denoting military rank as well as position within government (i.e. Chief Minister Of Internal Affairs, Fleet Admiral William Von Ribbentrop. Note: This is not an actual character, in order not to spoil). This is a courtesy extended by the producers to the viewers, as it's another case of [[Loads and Loads of Characters]].
* In ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'', it's standard practice for both Flame Hazes and the Crimson Lords they hunt to have titles like this, such as "Margery Daw: Chanter of Elegies", or "Supreme Throne: Hecate".
* Starting from [[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
* ''[[Madoka Magica]]'': Each [[Monster of the Week|witch]] gets their name displayed in [[Cypher Language|runes]].
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', whenever a new captain or lieutenant was introduced during the Soul Society [[Story Arc|arc]], a small panel appeared on screen: [Name of character] [Captain/lieutenant of division [insert number here]]
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== Comic Books ==
* Happens in ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'', with "bosses" like The Evil League of Ramona's Ex-Boyfriends, since the book's plot is halfway between a romance manga and an old-school [[Beat
** The characters are also able to read them, as Roxie objects to her caption classifying her as Ramona's fifth [[Psycho Ex
*** Scott is shocked when Knives' subtitle finally changes to "18 years old". He comments on Ramona's age being listed as "Unknown," and he reads "Knows everybody" off of Comeau's box.
* Protagonist example, ''[[The Authority]]'' are introduced using a mix of these and a [[Batman Cold Open]]. Midnighter's subtitle ("Night's Bringer of War") is probably the best of the lot.
* The [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] and [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]] loves this too. Usually they go "Name, Codename, power, short description". The description can often be completely tangential, odd, or just funny. Examples:
** "Scott Summers, Cyclops, Optic Blasts, leader of the X-men. Owns a jetpack."
** "Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, Teleportation, fan of Errol Flynn movies."
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* ''[[The Losers]]'' introduces the main characters by freeze framing before shifting to the comic book art's style, showing their name and military specialty.
* This apparently is (or perhaps used to be) fairly common in Japanese films. In a broadcast of ''[[
* In ''[[The Good, the Bad
** And at the end, too.
* Done in the opening scenes of ''[[Zoolander]]'' with the main characters. Played with later on when David Bowie (playing himself) also gets a subtitle despite being little more than a cameo.
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** And who can forget Fiona's jewel, "Forget that, anyone who messes with a fifteen year old girl is nothing more than a bloody pervert!" Cue recycled subtitle: "Felix Cole: Pervert"
** It's also used to dramatic effect at two points. The subtitle for {{spoiler|Simon}} is simply "?" and Management gets no subtitle at all.
* [[Scrubs
* The first episode of the ''[[Gokusen]]'' live-action drama introduces the major characters this way.
* ''[[Super Robot Red Baron]]'' did this much like the [[Super Robot Genre]] examples above, with the Iron Alliance robots and later with the Space Iron Alliance robots.
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== Video Games ==
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
** Subverted to great effect right at the end of ''Ocarina of Time'' when the final boss rears up in front of you and the bold letters plainly and simply state: '''GANON'''
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
* Used in a tongue-in-cheek fashion in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie|Banjo-Tooie]]'', with unusual bosses like "Giant Wobbly Inflatable Thing '''Mr. Patch'''", "Visually-Impaired Welding Torch '''Weldar'''", and "Self-Important Angler Fish '''Lord Woo Fak Fak'''".
* [[Diablo III]] has gotten into the act. Random unique enemies will have a title under their health bar in place of attributes like most special enemies. For example, in Act II you can run into "High Cultist Murdos, Cruel and Powerful Cult Acolyte" or "Ashek, Diminutive Fallen Fighter"
* Used in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] [[Sonic Adventure 2
** The two versions of ''[[
*** ''[[
* Seen with the bosses in ''[[
* ''[[
* Likewise used for almost all characters in ''[[Max Payne 2 The Fall of Max Payne]]''.
* Done for party members in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', except it only shows the description. You get to name the characters yourself.
** Similarly, the DS remake of ''[[
* ''[[Viewtiful Joe]]''
* ''[[
* ''[[Beyond Good
** This only happens with Jade and Pey'j, though.
* Throughout one of the bonus mission pack missions in ''[[Guild Wars]]'', which was a pastiche of kung-fu movies, every boss character is introduced in this way.
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' '''loves''' this to bits, following the 'Character Name' - 'Voice Actor' format. Main characters like Snake or Raiden even get big music stings to go with them. ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]: [[Updated Rerelease|Substance]]'' parodied it with the more standard boss variation and 'The Monster From Another Dimension - Gurlugon'.
** Holding a button when this occurs will display the character's motion-capture actor instead of the voice actor.
** Apparently Kojima took this concept from the Japanese dubs of many mainstream Hollywood films, which would often show the name of every main actor whenever they first appeared next to the name of the Seiyu voicing them.
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* ''[[Ganbare Goemon|Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon]]'' makes good use of this. A personal favorite is "Wartime Kabuki Robot KASHIWAGI." The final boss is {{spoiler|"The Fairy of Love and Dreams D'ETOILE."}}
** From ''Goemon's Great Adventure'' there's "Ukulele Hawaiian GODS OF WIND AND THUNDER." What else would you expect from a [[Widget Series|series]] like ''Ganbare Goemon''?
* Every normal stage in the ''[[Mega Man (
** Boss descriptions came about as early as ''[[
*** Blizzard Man: "[[An Ice Person|Master of Snow]]"
*** Tomahawk Man: "[[An Axe to Grind|Master of Tomahawk]]"
*** Yamato Man: "[[Blade on a Stick|Master of Spear]]"
*** Knight Man: "[[Epic Flail|Master of Mace Ball]]"
*** Centaur Man: "Ability Unknown"
* The ''[[Touhou]]'' games do this whenever the protagonist reaches the boss battle at the end of a given stage. Mid-bosses usually do not get subtitle introductions (unless they're also the main boss of a stage). Because of the format of the games, pretty much every character has at least one of these.
* Taito's widescreen shooter ''[[Darius]]'' (and its sequels) introduces the stage's boss with this: "WARNING! A HUGE BATTLESHIP (boss's name) IS APPROACHING FAST."
* The ''[[.hack]]'' videogames show special animations before you fight the eight phases, the first of which is Skeith: The Terror of Death.
* Before a boss appears in ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'', you're given a warning that names the boss and their attacks. A lot of them tend to have silly names and attacks, but that won't stop them from beating the crap out of you if you don't know what you're doing.
* ''[[
* The [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPG]] ''[[Mabinogi]]'' does this when you reach the boss of an instanced dungeon. As does its [[Darker and Edgier]] prequel ''[[Vindictus]]''.
* When someone important shows up in ''[[
* ''[[The Warriors (
* Every installment in the ''[[The House of the Dead (
* ''[[
* Every boss in ''From the Abyss''. Most of them will also have a pre-fight taunt after the subtitles fade, the only exception being the penultimate boss, the Abyss Cocoon (which is a giant beating heart).
* The first ''[[
* Every boss encounter in ''[[Avalon Code]]''.
* ''[[Ikaruga]]'': Before encountering a stage end boss, a red warning is displayed on the screen stating "''The big enemy is approaching at full throttle. According to the data, it is identified as Butsutekkai. NO REFUGE''"
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** A variation of this is played in ''[[Touhou]] 11'', where Okuu's nuclear-themed spellcards are preceded with two scrolling strips that say "CAUTION".
* The ''[[Yakuza]]'' games do this almost every time an important character is introduced, boss fight or otherwise. Of course, this being a series set in modern-day Japan, most of the subtitles are fairly mundane, which sort of makes it funnier.
* ''[[
** It's [[Crowning Moment of Funny|incredibly funny]] when it gets to the bosses though, like with this one:
{{quote|
'''Sledge. PS. You aren't friends.'''
{{spoiler|'''Undead Dr. Ned. HOLY F*** ING SHIT!!!!!!'''}}
'''Knoxx: Doesn't like Mondays''' }}
* ''[[Marvel Ultimate Alliance]] 2''
* Not typical in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', but happens sometimes. Mainly, Illidan Stormrage, "The Betrayer". Also, Kael'thas Sunstrider, "Lord of the Blood Elves" or Kil'jaeden "The Deceiver".
* ''[[
* ''[[Star Fox (
** The 3DS [[Video Game Remake|remake]] of ''[[
* Every time a new type of enemy appears in ''[[Bayonetta]]'', it's accompanied with a short cut scene and a [[Pastel
** {{spoiler|'''The Infinite One: Father Rodin'''}}
* ''[[
* ''Colin McRae: [[
* ''[[Super Smash Bros
** ''Brawl's'' Subspace Emissary, characters that appear for the first time get their name to appear onscreen, probably referencing the first trailer.
** Mr. Game and Watch doesn't get one for some reason.
** The only other non-playable characters who get one are Master Hand and Tabuu, both of whom are featured in boss fights.
* The later ''[[
* In [[Aeria Games]]' ''Grand Fantasia'', this happens frequently, no matter what part of the world you are in and no matter where the boss monster appears. It also occasionally has a WARNING tacked onto the front (to let you know that a monster on the other side of the continent is coming to get you), accompanied by an ominous bell chime. More often than not, five minutes later there will be another message popping up to let you know that the monster has been defeated.
* ''[[Live a Live]]'' has ''enemy'' subtitles. At the beginning of every battle, the game introduces each enemy by showing their name at the top of the screen.
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* ''[[No More Heroes]]'' did this (with the exception of the first boss) when ever you entered a boss fight. Starting with a digitize voice announcing the boss's name and a quote from them. The sequel uses a different approach, ''in reverse''; The boss' name gets revealed ''after'' the battle is won, along with the subtitle stating that they are defeated.
* ''[[Ace Combat Zero]]'': Starting with the player's Galm team, whenever a new boss-level squadron appears, their name and emblem appears on the screen during the introductory cutscene. This is also the case with the interviews, showing the character's callsign, their full name, and their squadron's name.
** ''[[Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy
* Used for each boss in the freeware RPG ''[[A Home Far Away]]''
* ''Spyborgs'' is one of the cases where they do it to introduce new regular enemies.
* The ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'' series does this with stage bosses, examples include ''Motonari Mori: Terrifying Tactician'' and ''Kojuro Katakura: Doing Work.''
* [[The Dishwasher]]: Vampire Smile has one for every boss {{spoiler|save the last}}. It's pretty much always played seriously, though a couple are a little snarky.
* ''[[
* ''[[Trauma Center (
* ''[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]'' introduces main characters this way.
* ''[[Magical Doropie]]'' has Boss Intertitles. After the [[Red Alert]] sounds and the boss appears, the game cuts to a screen with the heading "'''ALERT!!''' Big Enemy!!" Underneath this is shown a short data file on the boss. Concluding this screen is a "message for you from your friends."
* The [[
* The [[PC
{{quote|
"(Boss's name)" is coming
(Line of proverbial advice) }}
* [[Clock Tower (
* As a romhack of ''Mega Man 6'', ''[[Rockman 6: Unique Harassment]]'' displays this under the Robot Master's name if they're selected.
** Tomahawk Man: "Master of Tomahawk"
** Spark Man: "Charge Man Sun"
** Dust Man: "[[Necromancer|Necro Summoner]]"
** Pharaoh Man: "End of Anubis"
** Napalm Man: "[[Added Alliterative Appeal|Bomb Bomber Bombest]]"
** Chill Man: "[[Sublime Rhyme|Freeze or Please]]"
** Jewel Man: "[[Fanboy|Admiring Culex]]"
** Galaxy Man: "[[Master of Illusion|Cosmic Illusionist]]"
== Web Original ==
* An FAQ for ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'' actually did this. Many of these were pretty good, like "Fairytale Pirate [[Peter Pan|Captain Hook]]", "Evil form of a lost friend, Dark Riku", or "The one behind it all, [[Big Bad|Marluxia]]."
* Used for major fights in all three seasons of [[The Massive Multi Fandom RPG (Roleplay)|The Massive Multi Fandom RPG]], sometimes getting creative, such as when a character's paranoid boss battle expectations come true:
{{quote|
'''TZEENTCH'S HORRORS''' }}
== Webcomics ==
* Chapter 12 of ''[[
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130203032701/http://girlyyy.com/go/686 Spoofed] like so many other things in ''[[Girly]]''.
* Every villain in ''[[Titanzer]]'' gets introduced with subtitles, like [https://web.archive.org/web/20111114160213/http://titanzer.com/2011/03p13/ so].
* Pages in ''[[Bibliography (web comic)|Bibliography]]'' get a short message indicating their name and codex if they haven't introduced themselves yet.
* The Spanish webcomic ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* [[Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner
** Parodied at least once when the subtitles actually were the actual scientific names for roadrunner and coyote.
*** Not to mention [[The Simpsons (animation)|Bart and Homer]] being defined as Brat'us Don'thaveacow'us and Homo Neanderthel'us, respectively.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Boss Battle]]
[[Category:Video Game Interface Elements]]
[[Category:Boss Subtitles]]
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