Bosses are an integral part of any Final Fantasy game. The character design and backstory of the boss pairs with its overall mechanics to be challenging and interesting or totally unfair and annoying. Worse yet: bosses could be boring, managing to sour an otherwise awesome gaming experience.
Some fans of the franchise absolutely love idiosyncratic bosses like the Phantom Train while others loathe them. Phantom Train is undead, so players can just use healing magic and items on it. These kinds of “easy win” mechanics don’t sit well with some fans in the community. Neat concepts aren’t enough to make fantastic and memorable boss fights.
Truly fun and amazing boss fights don’t have to be final bosses either. Extra, optional bosses are typically frustrating, too (looking specifically at Ruby/Emerald weapon). So what are ten of the best boss fights in the Final Fantasy franchise?
10 Final Fantasy VI: Kefka
Starting in no particular order, there's one of the all-time greatest villains in video game history: Kefka Palazzo. That might sound like too-high acclaim for the clown, but even non-Final Fantasy fans will often recognize him. He also comes with what might be the best theme for any Final Fantasy villain — entitled "Dancing Mad." But he appears as a boss a few times across Final Fantasy VI.
In fact, he successfully destroys the world and takes over as the supreme leader. The final Kefka incarnation appears like a demonic angel and has no doubt stayed on the mind of every person who played the game.
9 Final Fantasy XIV: Good King Moggle Mog XII
Final Fantasy XIV didn't perform so well in its initial iteration. But A Realm Reborn has persisted as one of the best available MMORPGs on the market. It capitalizes on the nostalgia of the series while enhancing the lore and world, as well. For instance, the game ventures into Ivalice, the realm where Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII occur. But it also has all the hallmarks of Final Fantasy including creatures like chocobos and moogles.
All fans will remember the adorable versions of Moogles across all of the games. FFXIV switches that formula up just a tad with Good King Moggle Mog XII. In a move straight out of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the Mooglesguard group tries to summon a legendary and powerful Moogle. However, they instead summon a Primal spirit who requires Aether to live and goes on a rampage. The ensuing boss battle has a wonderful theme and it is an interesting subversion of fan expectations.
8 Final Fantasy XV: Titan
Titan has appeared in the series as a powerful (or middling) summon in the past. He is introduced to fans very early on in Final Fantasy XV as a battle initially. But he is also there to help Noctis after testing his abilities.
But the coolest thing about this boss battle is how it shows off the game graphics and Titan's own form. Never have fans witnessed such direct carnage and danger in a battle with this feeling of scale. It truly established the tone of combat for FFXV.
7 Final Fantasy VIII: NORG
Final Fantasy VIII had a ton of memorable boss battles from Squall vs. Seifer, Edea vs. the team, and Ultimecia vs. everyone (times three). But one of the most overlooked parts of the game was how giant, corrupt Shumi was manipulating Balamb Garden.
NORG came in, initially, as a financier for the garden and worked with Cid to open it. However, as the years progressed, NORG became obsessed with money and his own vanity. The context of the boss fight alone makes it extremely memorable and the mechanics make it good fun, as well.
6 Final Fantasy X: Anima
All of the battles against Aeons in Final Fantasy X stand out as being fun, fulfilling, and engaging. But the battle against Anima is not a normal fight to obtain a regular aeon. It takes place in an abandoned temple (the one where Tidus first found himself in Spira) with a derelict Fayth.
That Fayth turns out to be none other than Seymour’s dear old mum and her very pained aeon Anima. A creature of bandages, chains, and chaos, Anima is the manifestation of Seymour’s painful childhood as a person of mixed heritage. The music and tone are totally different than most of the other boss battles and the context makes it all the more striking.
5 Final Fantasy XII: Doctor Cid
Final Fantasy XII was ahead of its time with its converging storylines, political intrigue, and family drama. It also subverted a well-accepted trope in the Final Fantasy series: that of Cid being a “good guy.” For the most part, Cid had been a helpful character or even a party member as with FFVII. But Balthier’s father, Cidolfus Demen Bunansa a.k.a. Doctor Cid, is a mad scientist.
He works for the Archadian Empire studying nethicite, having created manufactured nethicite himself. His pursuit of freedom from the Occuria resulted in a cruel "ends justify the means" approach. The battle against him is not only epic, but it tugs at the player's heartstrings, too.
4 Final Fantasy IX: Soulcage
Despite the more child-like nature of Final Fantasy IX, the enemies can be quite frightening. Beyond the concept of Kuja manipulating a queen into killing thousands of people, there's the Garland of it all. He was a robot who needed to resurrect souls from another planet using the life force of the main planet from the game. Enter: the Soulcage.
Found at the sacred Iifa Tree on the Outer Continent, the Soulcage is a twisted, skull-faced tree entity. He seems cruel, but only because its job is to process souls which creates a monster-spawning mist. Paired with his unique design, the emotional context of the battle, and its capable skillset, this was a battle most fans agree was memorable, fun, and cool. What would it look like if FFIX got the remake treatment?
3 Final Fantasy VI: Ultros
One of the best parts of any game in this series is how goofy it can be at times. Fans will remember that FFVI might be the most serious game in the series. After all, the world does get destroyed halfway through the game. So, Ultros' appearance in FFVI is a well-needed moment of levity amidst the heavy plot of the game.
His sprite is also quite amusing as he appears as a toothy octopus of sorts... on land. The party can engage him a total of four times and isn't a very challenging boss; he is squarely there for entertainment. He has appeared in subsequent games, as well.
2 Final Fantasy X-2: Angra Mainyu
Many fans regard Final Fantasy X-2 as something of a red-headed stepchild in the franchise family. But others appreciated the game focused around Yuna and the different tone. It also featured a unique take on the job system Final Fantasy has popularized over the years.
Angra Mainyu required every trick in the book with its incredible defense, anomalously high HP, and heavy-hitting attacks. The name is a reference to Zoroastrianism and references the religion’s manifestation of evil. In the game, he is an optional boss, but beating him helps out the Al Bhed, as well as the local cactuars of Bikanel Desert.
1 Final Fantasy VII Remake: Rufus
There were many epic moments in the new Final Fantasy VII Remake like fighting Sephiroth or fighting The Turks. But one of the best boss fights in the game is fighting Rufus and Darkstar. Squall vs. Seifer may be an old classic, but Cloud vs. Rufus has the shiny sheen of almost-current-generation paint.
On top of his edgy aesthetic, Rufus necessitates depending on Punisher mode for the first phase before he calls in his helicopter. The game made it so satisfying, and then horribly soul-crushing, to almost put the beat down on a guy who funded an eco-terrorist group just to destabilize his father's seat of power so that he could eventually take it for himself.