True Final Boss: Difference between revisions

This can also be annoying if the [[Guide Dang It|Game guide]] intentionally fails to mention this boss.

Compare [[Final Boss]], which it is by definition, and [[That One Boss]], which it will usually become. Also compare [[Bonus Boss]], as by definition the [['''True Final Boss]]''' is technically optional (however, ''do not confuse the two''). May be [[The Man Behind the Man]], or just the original final boss's [[One-Winged Angel]] form, or a [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]. Can also overlap with [[Bait and Switch Boss]] if the [['''True Final Boss]]''' replaces the normal one.

If the reward for beating this guy ''[[Bragging Rights Reward|isn't]]'' the [[Golden Ending]] (or some sort of huge bonus feature), there will be [[Angrish|great rage]]. Indeed, if beating the standard [[Final Boss]] nets you some sort of [[Downer Ending]], [[Bittersweet Ending]], or [[Gainax Ending]], nine times out of ten, there's a [['''True Final Boss]]''' waiting in the wings that you'll have to uncover and defeat to get a happy ending that provides some sort of closure to the story. (This goes double if the game was lighthearted up until everything went down the tubes at the "end".)

* In [[The Legend of Zelda Oracle Games|Oracle of Ages/Seasons]], there is a [[One-Winged Angel|multi-stage final boss]] at the end of each game. If you beat one and then [[Old Save Bonus|transfer your save file to the other]] via code or wire, you get to see new things. One of these things happens after you beat the final boss of the ''new'' game. Zelda comes to you, and is promptly kidnapped by [[The Dragon|Twinrova]], who then reveals that the first two final bosses were just sacrifices to bring back [[Big Bad|Ganon]], and Zelda is the final sacrifice. Cue two [[Bullet Hell|insanely]] [[Nintendo Hard|hard]] [[True Final Boss|battles]] against them.

* The SNES version of ''[[Sparkster]]'' has this. When you play on Hard, instead of the [[Final Boss]] dying before he launches the missile, he dies right ''after'' he hits the button. Guess what the [[True Final Boss]] is this time? And it really is deserving of [[That One Boss]], as even the [[Unexpected Gameplay Change|mecha battle against Axel Gear]] seems easy compared to this boss.

* In ''[[Bomberman (Video Game)|Bomberman]] 64'', a player who has gotten [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion|every Gold Card]] and "flawlessly" defeats Altair will get to see {{spoiler|Sirius}} reveal himself as one of these, vaporize Altair with a [[Wave Motion Gun]], and dare you to come after him.

* In ''[[Nie RNieR]]'', the true final boss for Endings C and D is {{spoiler|Kainé}}, who is unlocked in your third playthrough.

* Clearing every Grudge Match in ''[[Custom Robo (Video Game)|Custom Robo]]'' ''Arena'' (which in turn requires beating the game and reaching [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion]]) unlocks two more fights; a rematch against {{spoiler|Eddy}}, and after that, a fight against {{spoiler|Liv}}.

* In ''[[Mitsumete Knight (Video Game)|Mitsumete Knight]]'', you get to fight the leader of the enemy army, [[Black Knight|Wolfgario]] [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|the Ravager]], in his unmasked version if you have killed all the Generals who have appeared before him during the game. He's not more powerful than his masked version, but still follows this trope well, as his defeated animation in battle is different: instead of just dropping his sword and standing, contracted in pain, he now holds out his arm towards the sky, gets shocked by a thunderbolt, and falls on the ground.

* Akuma is a popular [[True Final Boss]] in the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' games, first appearing in ''Super [[Street Fighter II (Video Game)|Street Fighter II]] Turbo'' to [[Bait and Switch Boss|take out usual final boss Bison in one shot and then take you on]] if you beat every previous opponent without losing a single match.

** ''[[Street Fighter IV (Video Game)|Street Fighter IV]]'' moves it up a notch, having Akuma as a true final boss, then the harder to reach Gouken as the true true final boss.

** ''Super Street Fighter IV'' turns them into their Shin forms, making them MUCH harder. And the Arcade Edition adds Shin Evil Ryu and Shin Oni into the mix.

* ''[[Super Smash Bros.]] Brawl'' parodies this trope, actually naming the second-to-last event match "The Final Battle" (Versus Bowser, Ganondorf, and King Dedede) and the actual last match "The Final FINAL Battle" (Versus Snake, Sonic, and a GIANT Mario).

* In ''[[Fatal Fury]] 3'', you could only face the Jin Brothers if you had a high enough score after beating Yamazaki. If you made it to Chonshu, you could only fight Chonrei if you had a grade of B or higher after beating Chonshu. Otherwise, you get the [[Bad End]]. In ''Real Bout Special'', if you had a score of over 750,000 after beating Wolfgang Krauser, Geese Howard appears to challenge you in a special "Nightmare" battle. If you lose to him (which will happen quite often), it's [[Game Over]]. In ''Real Bout 2'', get a high enough rank and/or beat Geese and Krauser without losing a round and you fight... Alfred, the protagonist of ''Dominated Mind''. Many consider him to be an [[Anticlimax Boss]], since his appearance is just a tie-in to a PS1 port of ''Real Bout Special'' that never left Japan. In ''Mark of the Wolves'', Kain R. Heinlein only appears if you have a high enough grade after beating Grant.

** In ''2003'', depending on how you defeat [[Cloning Blues|Kusanagi]], you fight either Adelheid or Mukai.

* If you beat I-no in ''[[Guilty Gear]] XX Slash'' or ''Accent Core'' without continuing, and getting at least 10 Overdrive finishes, she creates a portal and transports you to the past, where you fight... Order Sol, an alternate version of Sol Badguy that wears Ky's jacket and doesn't use his trademark Fireseal sword. The character is available from the start, but the CPU Order-Sol is faster, stronger, and regenerates his exclusive charge meter. Not only that, he has an exclusive super move called Flame Distortion which is basically his normal Dragon Install on steroids. It regenerates his health faster than I-no, increases his power and speed even '''[[Beyond the Impossible|further]]''', and gives him an unlimited super meter and charge meter. And it lasts for double the time of a normal Dragon Install (15 seconds). Oh, and you can't continue against him -- losehim—lose and it's an automatic [[Game Over]].

* Your score determines your final opponent in ''[[Capcom vs. SNK 2 Mark of the Millennium]]''. If it's too low, the game stops after the last team match. If it's in the middle, you fight either Akuma or (on a higher score) Rugal. A higher score than that gives you Shin Akuma instead, and if it's higher than ''that'', you fight God Rugal. Note that the SNK bosses are your rewards for higher scores... (If your score is high enough after the third team, incidentally, you get a midboss fight - either M. Bison or Geese Howard.)

* ''[[Digimon Battle Spirit (Video Game)|Digimon Battle Spirit]]'' has a partial example: Fulfilling certain conditions would cause Impmon to replace the Digimon you were supposed to fight beforehand, which acts as an [[SNK Boss]] (complete with power-nerfing as an unlockable). However, he doesn't entirely fit the trope because he's a midboss, not a final boss. The trope was more properly done in the [[No Export for You|Japan only]] expanded version. If you get to Milleniumon and beat him without losing once, it'll transform into ZeedMilleniumon.

* In the [[PSPlayStation 2]] version of ''[[Virtual On]]'', if you beat all 8 mechs in under 15-2515–25 seconds, you will fight the original version of Fei-Yen. This version of Fei-Yen is always in Hyper Mode, but with no downsides and increased stats.

* ''[[SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos (Video Game)|SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos]]'' had 2 true final bosses: A goddess version of Athena from the old ''[[Athena (Videovideo Gamegame)|Athena]]'' arcade game, and Red Arremer from ''[[Ghosts N'n Goblins (Video Game)|Ghouls 'n Ghosts]]''. Failing to meet them would give you a generic, text-only ending stating your character was never seen again.

* In the NES version of ''[[Double Dragon|Double Dragon II: The Revenge]]'', the final stage (which is simply the final boss battle) is only accessible on Supreme Master mode, the hardest difficulty setting. The Warrior mode ends the game on the penultimate stage (after the battle against the doppelgangers), while Practice only lasts the first three stages. This doesn't apply to the Famicom version, [[Difficulty Byby Region|in which the entire game could be played on any of the three settings]].

* If you clear Arcade Mode in ''[[Blaz BlueBlazBlue]]: Calamity Trigger'' with 10 or more Distortion Finishes and no rounds lost, you get the displeasure of fighting Unlimited Ragna, who has triple health and permanent [[Super Mode|Blood Kain]].

** And in the console versions of ''Continuum Shift'', beating Hazama with the right amount of Astral Finishes and without losing a round rewards you with a fight against Mu-12. Unlimited Mu-12 that is. If you're using Mu in [[CS 2]]CS2 though, you fight Unlimited Ragna instead.

** You actually fight him three times. The first time, he ties a hand behind his back and still hits pretty hard. The second time is the final boss fight, and he's pretty tough. The third time, as the [[True Final Boss]], he decides he doesn't need to hold back ''at all'', and will ''easily'' pummel you with moves you haven't seen before.

* ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'' has three scenarios for the three main characters, each scenario has its own [[Final Boss]]. The [[True Final Boss]], though, is fought in the Final Episode (accessed by collecting all off the [[Gotta Catch Them All|Xehanort reports]] throughout the three scenarios) {{spoiler|as Aqua, fighting desperately against the crazed [[Big Bad]] Xehanort [[Grand Theft Me|possessing her friend Terra's body.]]}}

** Also, in ''Impact'', you fight [[Chars Counterattack|Char Aznable in his Sazabi]] if you get 50 skill points out of 99.

** [[Super Robot Wars Z]] 2 has a variation -- ifvariation—if you reach the final boss with enough Skill Points to be on Hard Mode, you are given the option to fight him at level 99 instead of his standard level 70.

* The ''[[MegamanMega Man Battle Network]]'' games have SP versions of the main boss replace the normal ones after conditions are met, generally requiring that beating the [[True Final Boss]] is the only thing left needed to achieve [[One Hundred Percent Completion]].

** The sequel series ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'' recently switched this up on us: the [[True Final Boss]] of ''Star Force 2'' comes ''after'' the SP version of the final boss. It's a fiendishly difficult super-version of [[The Rival]].

* In ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe (Video Game)|Fire Emblem Elibe]]: Sword of Seals'', defeating [[Big Bad]] King Zephiel with all the gaiden chapters completed and all legendary weapons intact unlocks a few extra chapters, pitting you against [[The Remnant]] and culminating in the real final boss fight with Zephiel's literal [[The Dragon|Dragon]], still under orders to carry out his ultimate plan.

** In ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia (Video Game)|Mystery of the Emblem]]'', if the player has all legendary weapons intact and Sirius is alive, Marth finds out that his quest to defeat Hardain was just a distraction so [[Hijacked Byby Ganon|Garnef could revive Medeus]].

** ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Path of Radiance]]'' has something of an [[Anticlimax Boss|anticlimactic]] final boss on Easy and Normal mode, but he springs a cruel surprise on Hard mode: not only does he start moving (with a massive movement range of 10 spaces), after you "beat" him, he immediately invokes a dark god and resurrects with wildly increased stats and fully-replenished (and jacked-up) HP. And it's '''still your turn''', meaning any units that attacked him are unable to act until your next turn! Adding to that, maybe five characters can actually inflict damage on him before he resurrects. (Eagle-eyed players might suspect something is amiss going into the final chapter, as there are [[Suspicious Videogame Generosity|less enemies on the map]] than in Normal mode.)

* ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]: Revenant Wings'' makes the [[Final Boss]] and [[The Dragon]] level 99 if you have [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion|100% mission completion]]. Have fun [[Level Grinding]].

* In ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' (and the [[Video Game Remake|Remakes]]), Red, the main character from the previous games, becomes this. You only meet him after getting all the Kanto badges (which only become available after beating the normal final boss) and going to Mt. Silver. After you defeat him, you get the second "ending", and the credits roll.

* ''[[Tales of Graces (Video Game)|Tales of Graces]]'' -- the—the [[Final Boss]] of the original "main" game was {{spoiler|Lambda}}. However, the "Lineage to the Future" makes the [[True Final Boss]] be {{spoiler|The Fodra Queen}}.

* ''[[Tales of Innocence]]'' also threw people for a loop when people played the remake. The DS version ends with Mathias transforming into an [[Eldritch Abomination]] combining three of the protagonists' past lives. However, the remake version has her suddenly get back up and transform ''two times''.

* ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' features the sidequest variant. In order to attain the ending, all you really have to do is just beat Duke and Duke in his [[One-Winged Angel]] form. However, if you grab all the Fel Arms, all of a sudden, when you beat Duke's [[One-Winged Angel]] form... prepare to say [[Oh Crap]] as the game will now conclude with its version of [[Tales of the Abyss|Nebilim]].

* In ''[[Star Ocean the Second Story (Video Game)|Star Ocean the Second Story]]'', doing a seemingly totally random Private Action will release the "limiter" on the final boss, jacking up his stats and making him nigh-impossible to beat without ridiculous level grinding in the bonus dungeon.

* ''[[Romancing Sa GaSaGa]]: Minstrel's Song'' has an optional True Final Boss. If you manage {{spoiler|to acquire all ten Fatestones (something that requires quite a bit of planning and cannot be accomplished until you have cleared the game at least twice), you can offer them all up to the final boss,}} vastly increasing his powers. The jump in strength for each stone beyond the fifth gets larger and larger, and the jump to the tenth is what makes 10FS Saruin a True Final Boss.

* ''[[Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al -Revis]]''. The [[Final Boss]] is {{spoiler|your ''main character'' fighting against his friends trying to [["I Know You Are're in There Somewhere" Fight|snap him out]] of making a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}. The only way to fight the [[True Final Boss]] is to {{spoiler|increase one character's [[Relationship Values]] with the main character to maximum, releasing him from the hold of his ''powers''}}. The latter (italicized to avoid confusion) given "physical form" is the [[True Final Boss]].

* ''[[Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories]]'' has a rare example of this (rare for the series anyway, which tends much more towards Bonus Bosses) if you go for the Worst Ending. Upon defeating Zenon, you end up fighting {{spoiler|Rozalin/the real Overlord Zenon,}} who is at level ''2000.'' (Compare with the previous fight with an enemy at level 90.) And unlike the other storyline fights with enemies at this level, you're supposed to win this one. Granted, it'll take a lot of grinding of a sort just to unlock this fight, but it can still catch you off guard. Luckily, there's a way to back out of qualifying for this ending. Which is a ''good'' thing, as your reward for victory is some [[Nightmare Fuel]].

** ''[[Disgaea 4: a Promise Unforgotten (Video Game)|Disgaea 4 aA Promise Unforgotten]]'' puts you up against against a different, much higher-leveled final boss if you clear the second to last stage using only the main character at level 500 or higher. {{spoiler|You fight the messengers of [[God Is Evil|God]]. Unfortunately, your reward is a [[Downer Ending]].}}

* In ''[[Record of Agarest War]]'', after spending how many hours in the game, you'd think {{spoiler|Summeril is the [[Final Boss]].}} If you unlocked the True Ending route (itself a [[Guide Dang It]]), you get to fight off against {{spoiler|''five'' sealed gods who are level 300 and the [[True Final Boss]] who is at level 350, when your level at this point is at most level 100.}}

** Taken [[Up to Eleven]] in the prequel ''[[Record of Agarest War Zero]]'', where the true end (still a [[Guide Dang It]]) nets you close to 20 additional boss fights (each progressively harder than the last) before facing the [[True Final Boss]] if you played on hard.

** [[Dracula]] has a secret 3rd form in ''[[Castlevania]]: The Dracula X Chronicles'' that appears only if you rescue Annette (which means you have to save Iris and Terra. Saving Maria is not a requirement). After you beat the 2nd form again, he reverts to his original form and sprouts 6 demon butterfly wings and vanishes. He then proceeds to fire bats, fireballs, meteors, turn into a wolf, and use his own version of Richter's Hydro Storm. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

* In ''[[Cave Story (Video Game)|Cave Story]]'', if you [[Guide Dang It|do all the contrived stuff in the alternate route]], you'll get one of these after you defeat the Undead Core. It's only made worse by the fact that you can only save immediately after Undead Core and then have to make your way through a [[Brutal Bonus Level]] and yet another nontrivial new boss (who can come out of nowhere [[Kaizo Trap|and still kill you even during his death animation!]]) ''before even reaching the [[True Final Boss]].'' Then, when you reach him, you find out you get very limited HP/missile/weapon recovery, no new save point, and ''four'' difficult fights in a row against his various forms.

* In ''[[Iji (Video Game)|Iji]]'', after you have beaten the game once, you can use a switch to make the final boss much harder. This is literally done by activating the "make the boss harder" console accessible via teleport right before him. And the game even warns you.

** Other dungeons have bosses only available in heroic mode, such as the new Deadmines and Vanessa [[Van Cleef]].

** Storywise, Madness of Deathwing is this. Deathwing is technically two battles, the first battle is on his back and after he is defeated, the aspects assume that's that. However, Deathwing wasn't quite done and is ready to use the final cataclysm.

* The [[Kirby]] games ''Dream Land 2'', ''Dream Land 3'', and ''64'' keep their [[True Final Boss]] hidden until you achieve [[One Hundred Percent Completion]].

** Kirby ''SuperstarKirby Super Star'' requires you to complete each of its modes, including mini-games, before revealing ''another'' mini-game in which you must [[Run the Gauntlet]], defeating every enemy in the game in random sequence, keeping accumulated damage between battles.

* In ''Kirby 64'', not finishing the game with [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion]] and thus the [[True Final Boss]] gets you a fake ending cutscene, that is [[Nightmare Fuel]] to a lot of younger gamers: The fairy queen secretly smiling a pretty creepy [[Slasher Smile]] into the camera from behind her [[Scary Shiny Glasses]], revealing that she's still being [[Demonic Possession|possessed by Zero]]. For many, this was the ultimate motivation to complete the game -- Everybodygame—Everybody wanted to erase that creepy scene out of history. {{spoiler|Once you ''do'' have all the Crystal Shards, you get to see the Crystal shoot a [[Frickin' Laser Beams|big beam of light]] at the fairy queen, driving Dark Matter out of her body. Dark Matter retreats to the center of the galaxy, and you chase after it and infiltrate it. After you get through the absurdly easy platforming bit, Dedede launches you into the air, and you fall through a void until Ribbon catches you. The Crystal turns into a gun, and a [[Ugly Cute|grotesque-looking cherub thing]] drops its disguise to reveal itself to be a resurrected Zero, hell-bent upon kicking your ass.}}

** You also can notcannot retreat from this battle. If you pause, your only options become the usual continue, and "FIGHTTough ITIt OUTOut!"

* ''[[Ghosts N'n Goblins (Video Game)|Ghosts N Goblins]]'' series always required you to play through the whole game twice (In one sitting) to get the right weapon to kill the [[Final Boss]], but Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Goblins spiced things up by requiring you to find "magic rings", often hidden in impossible-to-reach places, to open the doors leading to Astaroth first and Hades later (the latter one requiring ALL of the 33 rings).

* Every 2D ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' game since ''[[Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Video Game)|Sonic & Knuckles]]'' has had an extra boss battle if you get all of the Emeralds. The main games usually open up a similar final boss battle by beating all of the branching storylines.

** ''[[Sonic Heroes (Video Game)|Sonic Heroes]]'' made you beat all four storylines ''and'' collect all seven Emeralds before you could face the final boss.

** And the trend continued with ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 (Videovideo Gamegame)||Sonic the Hedgehog 2006]]'', where you must complete the three different storylines, each of which had their own different final bosses, to unlock the last episode where the three hedgehog heroes ([[That One Level|after the worst level in the game]]) take on the ultimate final boss.

* ''Earthworm Kim'', [[Earthworm Jim (Videovideo Gamegame)|Earthworm Jim]]'s [[wikipedia:Anima and animus|Jungian anima]], who you only face if you collect all the [[Solve the Soup Cans|Soup Cans]] in ''Earthworm Jim 3D''.

* In a form of [[Easy Mode Mockery]], ''[[Mega Man X]] 8'' features {{spoiler|Sigma}} as the [[Final Boss]]. The [[True Final Boss]] can only be fought on Normal and Hard modes.

* ''[[Meat Boy (Video Game)|Super Meat Boy]]'' has a second, much more difficult battle against Dr. Fetus once you beat most of the Dark World levels.

* Beating the story mode of ''[[Super Mario Bros.|Dr. Mario 64]]'' without continuing would pit you against Vampire Wario if you were Mario or Metal Mario if you were Wario.

** In Fever, if you are playing Raffine's storyline, {{spoiler|if you purposly lose 7 times, and defeat Ms. Accord without losing,}} the character who replaces Popoi is none other than '''Carbuncle!''' In fact, {{spoiler|defeat Carbuncle and you will unlock him as a selectable character.}}

* In ''[[Pokémon]] [[Puzzle League]]'', beating the game on Very Hard reveals that Gary wasn't the Puzzle Master -- ratherMaster—rather, Mewtwo decided to use his psychic powers [[Mundane Utility|to be very good at this game]]. If you lose, you'll have to face Gary again before getting another shot.

* [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team (Video Game)|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team]] has [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere|Deoxys]], who can only be fought once every single Pokemon in that game is fought and recruited (the final boss for Story Mode is Rayquaza).

** This came out of an [[Good Bad Bugs|unintended feature]] in earlier versions of the game, where nuking the Cyberdemon still counted as a win, despite the fact you just killed yourself. In later versions, this was changed to marking it as a "partial" victory on your record, since you did technically commit suicide. Now, if you want to try to win that way and survive, the [[True Final Boss|true final boss]] is there to make sure you're not just taking the cheap way out. Unfortunately for people actually trying to face the true final boss, you have to get lucky enough to find an Invulnerability Sphere on the level before the Cyberdemon, making it a [[Luck-Based Mission]].

* ''[[The Binding of Isaac (Video Game)|The Binding of Isaac]]'' has Mom as the final boss in the first playthrough. However, after that, two new levels are added with Mom's Heart as the final boss. After the 9th playthrough, Mom's Heart is replaced with It Lives, a harder variation of Mom's Heart. The Halloween Update adds a new final level that is normally unlocked after defeating It Lives, although there are a few ways to reach it earlier. At the end of the level, you fight {{spoiler|[[The Devil|Satan.]]}} The trope then reaches [[Exaggerated]] status when you add its [[Expansion Pack]], ''Wrath of the Lamb'', to the mix, since it adds yet another level after that, with yet another True Final Boss.

** The second game, ''The Story of Eastern Wonderland'', had a proper [[True Final Boss]] with Mima's second form (really third, but you don't fight the first one), which you can only see if you don't continue until then. Interestingly, you can continue at that form, but you get the bad ending.

** It should be mentioned that theThe unlockable [[Bonus Dungeon|Extra Stages]] with their [[Bonus Boss|Extra Bosses]] are technically ''not'' this trope gameplay-wise, as unlike other examples, the Extra Stage is really ''selected from the title screen''. Storyline-wise, it is debatable and depends on which game is being played.

* ''[[MushihimesamaMushihime-sama]] Futari'' one-upped the genre with ''two'' consecutive true final bosses [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztCxpBmXuA&feature=related which really do have to be seen to be believed.]

* ''Ketsui Death Label'' has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jti0nXyG2Dg "DOOM Mode,"] which lets you fight the [[True Final Boss]], Evacaneer DOOM ([[Doom|no relation]]) right off the bat. The catch is that you initially fight an easy version of it, and you fight it again and again, with the boss getting harder on subsequent rounds.

** Of course, this is still not as bad as Evacaneer DOOM in Death Label on Extra mode....yeah they upped him a BIT.

* The [[Light Gun Game]] ''[[Razing Storm]]'' has this of sorts -- Thesorts—The third stage has you defeat the terrorist leader, and if you managed to survive the [[Last Ditch Move|last-ditch]] [[Macross Missile Massacre]] of the [[Spider Tank]], you're treated to the '''true''' final stage, a bonus stage of sorts. Where you finally face against a [[Cool Airship]] that [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere|comes out of nowhere]].

* Andross's Brain in ''[[Star Fox 64 (Video Game)|Star Fox 64]]'' and the Anglar Emperor in ''Star Fox Command''.

* In ''Every Extend'', Heavy mode has a different (replacement, not subsequent) final boss if you collect 7 quicken powerups and 800,000 points. This is doable but not particularly easy, although there's other ways to bring him in the area.

* In ''[[Tyrian]]'', this actually happens twice in a row; first, you fight a giant brain, after which everything is said to be over, BUT THEN! ,<ref>yes, it's written like that in the game</ref>, the former [[Big Bad]] Vykromod appears as a giant nose. If you beat him, the game again states that everything is over, but if you found a certain secret earlier in the game, you now have to fight a minigame-like boss on the planet Soh Jin, which, if you win, is revealed to be a creation of Zinglon himself, who you then fight in an offscreen battle. In Episode V, it's revealed that Zinglon was behind Microsol and Vykromod in the first place.

* In ''[[Illbleed (Video Game)|Illbleed]]'', there was a hidden final boss that could only be accessed in a New Game Plus, by purposfully ''not'' saving your kidnapped friends. Stranger still, every time you let one of them die, Eriko (the protagonist) loses her clothing, until she is eventually completely naked save for a tiny thong-like panty scrap and a couple of band-aids over her nipples. Reach the final arena like this, and instead of introducing the final boss, the announcer will start drooling over you and come down there himself. And believe it or not, it gets even stranger from there...

* ''[[Resident Evil Outbreak]]'' has a final boss fight. Your characters run to escape only to be confronted by the boss you just defeated, ''again.'' You have the option of blowing him up with whatever weapons you have on hand or injecting him with the cure for the T-virus, which makes him explode.

** ''[[Resident Evil Outbreak]] File #2'' had this one boss follow you throughout the last leg of the finale scenario. Then, if you have to take the long way around to complete the scenario, the game fakes you out by making it seem like you have to fight him again, even if you killed him earlier. But {{spoiler|another BOW absorbs him into its body and the [[True Final Boss]] fight begins!}}

* ''[[Resident Evil 2 (Video Game)|Resident Evil 2]]'' features ''two'' in the B Scenario. In the A Scenario, the last fight is against lion-like Birkin, who's tough, but still pretty easy to kill. In the B Scenario, you have to fight {{spoiler|a heavily mutated Mr. X T-103 Tyrant}}, who's much faster than before, hits harder, and can only be defeated by the timely intervention of rocket-based explosives. Then, you reach the end of the story, only to find out that the A Scenario ended prematurely, and you have to fight {{spoiler|Birkin one more time, plus he's mutated even further into a horrific vagina-esque blob}}. Only then will you see the real ending to the game.

* The true enemy and ending in ''[[Parasite Eve (Videovideo Gamegame)|Parasite Eve]]'' can only be accessed by beating the game once, which unlocks the [[Bonus Dungeon|Chrysler Building]]. Reach the top floor and Aya will confront {{spoiler|the Original Eve, possessing the "body" of Aya's deceased sister, Maya}}.

* ''[[Fatal Frame]] 2'' usually ends with a fight against "Rope Man" (aka the Kusabi). However, on Nightmare difficulty on the [[PSPlayStation 2]] or Fatal difficulty on the Xbox, you fight Sae Kurosawa after him, and get a different, somewhat happier ending.

* ''[[True Crime: Streets of LA]]'' had, based on player performance, story forks that led to worst to successively better endings and another [[Big Bad]]. Fortunately, each of these forks were well-written self-contained stories, and had their own unique features that made it worth it to explore each one, and doing so made the [[True Final Boss]] appear for the [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] ending. {{spoiler|It turns out to be the same boss as in the worst ending, [[This Is Your Premise Onon Drugs|but on steroids and crack]].}}

* ''Winback'' plays with this by having you fight the true ''penultimate'' boss (Dan) before the normal final boss (Cecile).

* ''[[Air ForceAirforce Delta]] Strike'' features NAVIGATOR on the final mission for 3rd Element. The only way to get to this boss is by using 3rd Element pilots for almost all of the space-based part of the game.