Degraded Boss/Playing With

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Basic Trope: A boss in a video game returns later as a regular enemy.

  • Played Straight: Captain Shadowclaw appears as the boss of level one, but by level five is a regular recurring enemy.
  • Exaggerated: Shadowclaw is fought as a boss in one room. In the next room, there are five of him acting as standard enemies.
  • Downplayed: Shadowclaw doesn't return as an Mini Boss until the last level, and there's only one of him.
  • Subverted: Recurring Boss
  • Double Subverted: He's a Recurring Boss, then an enemy.
  • Parodied: Shadowclaw was a Zero Effort Boss in the first place, so it's quite fitting.
  • Deconstructed: As a standard enemy, Shadowclaw has to live through the gruelling life of the working class.
  • Reconstructed: Shadowclaw returns at the end of the game as the final boss again.
  • Lampshaded: "Weren't you a boss some time ago?"
  • Invoked: Enemy recruitment is easier with someone who already has experience as a villain.
  • Exploited: The Hero doesn't defeat Shadowclaw, knowing that he'd just come back as an enemy later anyway.
  • Defied:
  • Zig-zagged: Shadowclaw is a Recurring Boss in levels 1, 2 and 3, then a Mook in Levels 4 and 5, before being a boss again for Level 6.
  • Played for Laughs: Shadowclaw keeps trying to monologue while an enemy before realizing that he is not in that position.
  • Played for Drama: All of the minions that he treated like crap before hate him now that he's their equal.
  • Justified: Members of the Five-Bad Band get no second chances and are demoted after one mistake.
  • Inverted: Shadowclaw was a Mook at the beginning before being promoted to a boss.
  • Averted: Shadowclaw never returns after his first appearance.
  • Discussed: "It's weird how many people get demoted from villain to Mook, eh?"
  • Conversed: "Will there ever be a villain who doesn't show up again later in the game?"

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