Which bosses over the years left the biggest impression on Japanese Final Fantasy fans?

Final Fantasy, over its 30 year history, has definitely seen a lot of bosses. When a series’ core set has 15 games, plus plenty of spin-offs and sequels, that’s going to be a given. Of course, some boss battles are more memorable than others, though: some are easy, while some nearly destroy your whole party, and still others can be comical, terrifying, or emotional, depending on the context of the story.

You might have your own list of favorite Final Fantasy bosses, but do you know which ones Japanese players think are the most memorable? Goo Ranking polled its users to find out, and we’ve got the answers for you.

Spoiler alert: The descriptions and videos contain plot and endgame spoilers, so if you haven’t played the games yet, beware!

10. Zeromus (Final Fantasy IV)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83vCkplpsMw

He’s the final boss of Final Fantasy IV, but not only that, he’s also the spirit of the main antagonist, Zemus, reborn just after his defeat at the end of the game. Perhaps Zeromus is memorable because, for a brief second, players think they’ve won the game before the real final battle occurs. Or perhaps it’s because he’s got two terrifying forms and two damage blasting moves. Either way, he was memorable enough to make it to number 10.

9. Chaos (Final Fantasy)

Chaos is the very first archvillain of the series with a very interesting story. In the beginning of Final Fantasy, he was a skillful knight who was corrupted by power, but is quickly defeated. However, unbeknownst to the player, after his defeat he is sent back in time by the Four Fiends of Chaos, whom he then creates out of his hatred and sends to the future, so that they can send him to the past every time he is defeated by the Warriors of Light, creating a time loop where he exists for eternity. Players later travel back in time to fight him in the final battle, but he absorbs the power of the Fiends and turns into a ruthless monster. This interesting (if not mind-boggling) story and Chaos’ role as the first final boss makes it almost surprising that he doesn’t rank higher than number nine.

8. Nemesis (Final Fantasy X)

Nemesis is an optional super-powered boss that players can battle to earn a lot of experience points and loot, but it doesn’t really affect the story of Final Fantasy X. It’s a rather tedious enemy to unlock, and even harder to beat, as it has 10,000,000 hit points and a vicious attack that can one-hit KO even the toughest of characters. But that’s probably why it earned a spot on this list, in spite of its non-influential role in the game.

7. Omega (various games)

Another superboss, Omega is a powerful, four-legged steel robot that is believed to be able to travel across dimensions (which allows it to appear in multiple games). It is said to have been created to destroy Shinryu, a similarly powerful boss dragon. Its attacks can do some pretty heavy damage, so challengers need to be prepared before challenging it, in whichever game they’ve encountered it. Having to go through repeated, difficult battles against this creepy spider-robot might be the reason why it made the list.

6. Golbez (Final Fantasy IV)

Not a final boss, but a pretty formidable foe, Golbez, an agent of Zemus, appears twice in the original FFIV: the first is in a cut-scene battle that doesn’t end too well, and the second in a heated battle with the player’s party. In the beginning of this battle he uses a sweeping move called Binding Cold that paralyzes the party, which he takes advantage of to summon a dragon that kills the party members one by one. Pretty memorable, if you ask me.

5. Sin (Final Fantasy X)

Sin, a huge creature made to look somewhat like a whale, was thought to be sent as a punishment for the people of Spira’s sinful ways. Its purpose was to annihilate any city that gets too large or uses too much machina. It’s so big that when it appears you rarely see it in its entirety and in fact the more terrifying aspect of it is the disaster it always leaves in its wake. With many dramatic and heart-breaking cutscenes like the one below, it’s a wonder Sin doesn’t actually rank higher on the list.

4. Bahamut (various games)

Also known as the Dragon King, Bahamut is one of the strongest summoned monsters in several games throughout the series. A battle with Bahamut is a test of the main character’s worth, but once defeated the player can sometimes earn the ability to call upon him as a powerful ally.

3. Kefka (Final Fantasy VI)

Kefka, the Psycho Clown, is one of the most popular villains of the Final Fantasy series. Unlike other villains featured in this list, who are calm and cold-blooded or just plain monsters, Kefka leans more on the maniacal aspect (although he might really have a tender and handsome side we don’t know about). He seems to hate everything and is bent on destruction of life and all existence, and perhaps what makes him most memorable is that he actually succeeds in destroying the world halfway through Final Fantasy VI. The final time the player encounters Kefka, he becomes a god, and a super-hard final boss. No wonder he’s an easy favorite among fans.

2. Gilgamesh (various games)

Like Kefka, Gilgamesh is a different kind of Final Fantasy villain, but in a less sinister sort of way. He’s often presented as comically incompetent, but he keeps trying anyway. Though he’s not always portrayed as a villain, since he’s appeared in more games than most other characters, and is one of the only characters to appear in more than one of the core games, he’s pretty notable as an iconic Final Fantasy boss.

1. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

As the most famous Final Fantasy bosses from the most important game of the series, it’s not really surprising that Sephiroth would rank at number one. This powerful ex-Soldier, who descended into madness after learning the terrible secrets of his past and his creation, is fought three times and in three different forms as part of the final battle, to a ridiculously epic theme song, no less. His heart-breaking story and important role in the intense conclusion of Final Fantasy VII, plus his incredibly long sword, make it no surprise that he would be the most memorable boss in the Final Fantasy series, and that’s not even taking into account his appearance in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie.

With Sephiroth at number one and Kefka ranking pretty highly, it would seem that this list would be approved by most FF fans, with perhaps a few minor changes here or there. It’s a pretty comprehensive list of the most difficult and the most unusual bosses in the franchise. Now if we could only find out what’s coming next, we might have a new face to add to the rankings in the next few years!

Source: Goo Ranking via My Game News Flash
Top image: YouTube/Avielmatic