Mirror Boss: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[Kirby|Swallowing enemies whole]]. [[Rocket Knight Adventures|Flying around with a jetpack]]. [[Super Mario Bros.|Or just jumping high]]. Video game heroes can have a wide variety of powers; they're fun to play around with, and they'll let you conquer just about any boss battle. You just need to dodge around its attacks and [[Attack Its Weak Point]] for massive damage.

 

But what if those same powers were used against you?

 

 

'''Compare:'''

* [[Evil Knockoff]], an evil copy of a hero.

* [[Shadow Archetype]] and its many subtropes, which frequently overlap with this trope.

 

'''Contrast:'''

* [[Mirror Match]], which is when two players (or the AI) of a multiplayer game select the same character.

 

* The ''[[Kirby]]'' series's King Dedede can swallow and spit out enemies, as well as float/fly, just like Kirby can. But not copy abilities, though.

** While Meta Knight can't do what Kirby usually does, he fights just like a better version of Kirby with the sword... [[Duel Boss|And often makes Kirby use a sword against him.]] {{spoiler|In some games, this is optional.}}

** Also see ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]''. The whole game was replete with mirror bosses, having each of the characters fight their alternates on the other team. You basically have to fight each mirror boss twice since they are the exact same regardless of which team you are playing on and both teams have to be completed in order to get the ''[[Golden Ending]]''

** Knuckles in [[Sonic 3 and Knuckles|Sonic 3 & Knuckles]] if you're not playing as him. He's [[Curb Stomp Battle|ridiculously easy to beat]] but Hidden Palace Zone is a [[Breather Level]] anyway. He is pretty much the same Knuckles you can play as, only with some HP instead of rings, a punch attack and the ability to block by ducking. He even takes collision damage, though trying to walk into him will just get you punched. But you can stand infront of him and get Tails to walk into him from behind if playing as Sonic and Tails. Tails takes damage too, but he's invincible (in 2P mode). If Knuckles drops from a glide on your head, only he'll take collision damage.

** Half of the bosses in both [[Sonic Rivals]] games are battles with another playable character. Doubly so as every character plays exactly alike.

** Also, in ''[[Sonic Generations]]'', Shadow has all the moves available to him Modern Sonic has...including Boost.

* While ''[[Metal Gear]]'' has lots of [[Evil Counterpart]] characters, few of them fall under this. One that does is The Boss from ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]: Snake Eater''. In that game, you basically have 3 specialties: guns, CQC, and camouflage. The Boss carries the Patriot machine gun, is the one who ''taught'' you CQC, and wears a white jumpsuit which provides excellent camouflage in the field of flowers where you fight.

** {{spoiler|Liquid Ocelot}} from ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' engages the player in a close combat based fight at the end.

** In ''Mother 3'', the Masked Man fights in a similar style to Lucas and his party. He hits hard with his weapon, has the ability to destroy your shields like you can with the Shield Snatcher, uses a lightning attack that is similar to PK Thunder, and also possesses PK Love Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Omega, which is the same powerful technique Lucas uses. {{spoiler|The reason the Masked Man can use the powerful PK Love attack is due to him being Claus, brother of Lucas.}}

* In ''[[Touhou Project]]'' 9.5, ''Shoot the Bullet'', this is Shikieiki's last spellcard, "Cleansed Crystal Judgment": a magic mirror that produces a clone of the protagonist that uses her attacks.

* Anubis in ''[[Zone of the Enders]]: The 2nd Runner''. It was built as part of the same project as Jehuty, and not only are they the only two Orbital Frames in existence that can use Zero Shift {{spoiler|and control Aumaan}}, but their normal beam attacks are parallel as well.

** In the original ''Zone of the Enders'', Viola and her frame Neith are a Mirror Boss, mainly because all the other bosses are absolutely humongous even by [[Humongous Mecha]] standards.

** Red's quest has a [[Recurring Boss]] named Metal Black, a robot warrior who remodels himself after every defeat. His final form is modeled after Red's superhero identity, Alkaiser; he even has a copy of Red's finishing move, Dark Phoenix.

* {{spoiler|The Guy}} from ''[[I Wanna Be the Guy]]'' looks mainly like a larger version of The Kid, right down to the blue jumpsuit and red cape. And the gun.

* Kojack, the Access Hangar boss in ''[[MadWorld]]'', looks a lot like Jack and fights identically to him on a motorcycle. The commentators, of course, have a field day with this - "Jack must feel like he's kicking his own ass!" [[Breather Boss|He's hardly a threat, though.]]

* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'':

** Terra's final boss in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'' exclusively uses Terra's own moves against him. His best moves, like Quake and Meteor, Chaos Blade, and the like, and his two best Shotlocks: Dark Salvo and [[BFG|Ultima Cannon]]. He can even go into Command Styles that Terra is able to use; specifically Dark Impulse. He even can do things that normally only the player characters can do, like dash and block and counterattack, and ''heal himself with Cure spells'' (he even chuckles when he whips that one out). This is all handily explained by the fact that {{spoiler|Terra's final boss is ''Terra himself''. Specifically, it's Master Xehanort after having [[Grand Theft Me|taken over Terra's body]]. You play as Terra's cast-off armor, which has [[Animated Armor|risen up to fight]] under the influence of Terra's memories.}}

* Implemented with in-universe [[Justified Trope|justification]] in ''[[.hack GU]]'': The Doppelgangers are designed to be a copy of the player if they hang around too long in a field-type area. The thing is that they are always 8 levels higher than you are (but not above the level cap of the game; 50 in the first game, 100 in second, and 150 in third), always has +50% speed, constant HP/MP regen, damage reduction, healing spell, has weapon effects that mirror yours if your weapon is fully customized, and can change weapons at will (mirroring what ''you'' use). The difficulty spike reaches to [[Nintendo Hard]] levels for unprepared players in Volume 3, although the rewards (provided the player played the two volumes before it) are phenomenal (even this is a [[Your Mileage May Vary]], the Doppel weapons dropped in volume 2 are outclassed in volume 3, even if the armor and accessory is useful to an extent).

* At the end of ''Extermination'', after defeating its giant monster form, the Alien Lifeform transforms into a copy of your character; basically a soldier with an assault rifle.

* Happens near the end of ''[[Drakensang]] 2''. The clones sports the same weapon you're using, so if you disarm your character right before the cutscene where the clones are created, the clones are unarmed and helpless.

* The third boss in ''[[Crash Bandicoot|Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced]]'' is Fake Crash, who mimics the player's movements. Like the ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' example, the only way to beat him is to move him so he stands where you shouldn't. If you collide into him you'll die and he'll produce a cheering animation.

* Mecha-Turtle in ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (video game)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''(NES).

** The final boss of the DLC {{spoiler|uses quick time events, even with similar on-screen inputs}}.

* In ''[[Super Robot Wars Z 2]]'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-A96vSQKvA Anti-Spiral pilots] a [[Palette Swap]] of the Gurren Lagann with Anti-Spiral Nia instead of the Grand Zamboa because Tengen Toppa wasn't in the game. He also pilots Chouginga Anti-Gurren Lagann.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Boss Battle]]