by Jason Parker (Ragachak)
The first Superboss technically was Warmec in Final Fantasy 1, though in all honesty, he’s just a really rare, ultra-powerful fight. It would be far too easy to just populate this with Final Fantasy Superbosses because there are just so many of them that were bone-breakingly difficult. But Warmech is really where the concept began as far as I am concerned. However, before I go any farther, a bit of a caveat: No Remake Superbosses. So, none of the Final Fantasy remake Superbosses can be on this list. That counts Kaiser/Czar Dragon from Final Fantasy VI, even though he was supposed to be in the game but was not. But what is a Superboss? A Superboss is an incredibly powerful, optional boss. These are not always post-game encounters, and in fact, many are in the main course of the game. They can be avoided or skipped, and more often than not, are harder (much harder) than the actual final boss.
There are, of course, honorable mentions! Red, from Pokemon G/S/C, he’s a nice example. Red is an optional battle on Mount Silver, and he’s absolutely not to be trifled with. His squad is leagues better than anything you do battle with in the Pokemon Leagues (either of them), and will not go easy on you. He stands alone on the top of the mountain, waiting for anyone foolhardy enough to try and take him down. In normal playthroughs, he just smashes whoever shows up the first time, and that’s it. Then you realize that even being on the same level as him (Pokemon levels, that is) is not enough. The Dark Aeons of Final Fantasy X count, because the International Release is not a remake. I didn’t include them because honestly, those fights make my blood boil, and are deserving of their own write-up. If you aren’t aware of where they are in the world, you can accidentally get into a fight and immediately die.
Demi-Fiend (Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner): That’s right, the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is an optional superboss in another of the SMT titles, Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner. Easily the hardest boss in the game, possibly in all of the DDS/SMT games, Demi-Fiend can only be fought in a New Cycle+. Many of his attacks have an incredibly high critical hit chance, and his Gaea Rage can hit for up to 30,000 damage on all characters. He can also summon be some absolutely insane demons, and for every two demons summoned, Demi-Fiend will Gaea Rage. Technically, this boss has 27,000 hp, because once you get him to half hp, one of his demons will heal him back to full (gratefully, this only happens once). I can’t think of too many bosses that are honestly harder than him, and I’m sad to say I did not defeat Demi-Fiend.
Culex (Super Mario RPG): For such a light-hearted, fun RPG, I was really surprised to see Culex the first time. After all, a boss that is a tribute to Final Fantasy IV, hidden away in the depths of Monster Town in Super Mario RPG? He is the Dark Knight of Vanda, and his 4,000 HP is pretty high for Super Mario RPG. He can cast an assortment of spells, and his elemental crystals can also attack. His stats are absurd, with 250 Attack, 100 Magic Attack, 100 Defense, 80 Magic Defense and 50 Speed. You can kill the Crystals separately, but if your magic defense is strong enough, you might just want to kill Culex first, since the other crystals will die without him there. You need a Shiny Stone in order to open the door to fight him, and he’s a worthy challenge. I included Culex more for the surprise factor though.
Indalecio (Limiter Off) (Star Ocean: The Second Story): This is another boss I rightly have not beaten, because Indalecio/Gabriel (Limiter Off) is absolutely damn insane. However, I didn’t know any cool tricks of builds to deal with him (Bloody Armor/Agol Shield on Chisato for example)Even having max HP, he can still wipe your entire party with Earthquake, just because he’s Indalecio. Most people I’ve talked to say he’s considerably more different than Iselia/Ethereal Queen unless you leave his limiter on. Then he’s not such a task to beat. His physical hits (Divine Wave, Divine Comedy, Normal Attack) also cause petrification, because why not? Oh, and he has 1.5 million HP, in Star Ocean 2! He’s terribly difficult. Not unbeatable, but absolutely infuriating, and if he should Earthquake, you’re pretty much dead.
Shinryu (Final Fantasy 5): Omega and Shinryu are technically the first real, legit Superbosses in the Final Fantasy franchise, but Shinryu was my favorite between the two, if only by a narrow margin. If you aren’t protected against it, his opening Tsunami will hit for easily 8,000+ damage and can cast a plethora of Blue Magic (making him worth challenging if you lack these spells). He can petrify, poison, zombie, old, he can cast Mighty Guard on himself, and has Fire, Ice, Water, and Lightning elemental attacks. Most of his attacks are AOE, making this divine dragon truly one of the most terrifying bosses I’ve dealt with in any Final Fantasy game. Shinryu is a mighty divine beast, but he can be overcome with the right set up and proper gear (Coral Rings, Ice Shields).
Uber Prinny Baal (Disgaea): In Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, there is an optional area, Baal Castle that you can unlock. Within hides Tyrant Baal, which is already overwhelmingly difficult (189k stats at least), but after you defeat Tyrant Baal, Baal takes a new form: Uber Prinny Baal. Uber Prinny Baal is at least level 6,000 and has at least 6,000,000 HP. That not enough to terrify you? His bare minimum stats are 394K, and while he uses Prinny attacks, they are souped-up beyond belief. It’s important to steal his gear because of 1. It’s incredible and 2. It will weak him, even a little bit. Prinny Baal appears in several other Disgaea games, but this is his first, and honestly, it’s my favorite. The idea of the greatest challenge you can overtake being an adorable Penguin demon? That’s just perfect in my book. He’s also a Prinny that cannot be killed by throwing him. Uber Prinny Baal is the epitome of Superbosses. He’s on top of the mountain.
Who are your favorite Superbosses though? We’d love to know!
