Summary
- Final Fantasy bosses can be epic or tedious, with lengthy, multi-phase battles that leave a lasting impression.
- Bosses like Kefka, Ultimecia, and Ultima require strategic gameplay and epic attacks to be defeated.
- Superbosses like Penance, Adamantoise, and Yiazmat can be extremely challenging with lengthy battles that test players' patience.
Final Fantasy is no stranger to its fair share of epic and lengthy battles that can take a while to get through. Some of these fights are so cinematic that players don't mind spending a long time beating down these foes across multiple phases.
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Meanwhile, other bosses can be a downright chore to deal with, to the point where most players choose to shy away from these ultra-lengthy boss encounters. Either way, these bosses will leave a lasting impression on players as they pull out their A-game to complete these long, grueling battles.
Spoilers Ahead!
8 Kefka Palazzo
Players Ascend To The Heavens Before Taking On This Pseudo-God
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 6 is one of the greatest video games ever made, with a final boss fight for the ages. After storming Kefka's Tower and reaching the top, players will realize that their ascent is far from over.
Firstly, players must fight the Statue of the Gods and slowly ascend to the heavens with each victory, with any KO'd party members being replaced over each phase. This eventually leads to a fight against Kefka, who has become a God of Magic and must be defeated with the party's strongest attacks.
7 Ultimecia
A Four-Phase Boss Fight Where Griever Joins The Fray
Final Fantasy 8
- Released
- February 11, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Ultimecia is one of the most epic Final Fantasy encounters of all time. Her appearance as an antagonist may come out of nowhere, but this is something most fans are okay with when they get to marvel in the sheer epic scale of this encounter in Final Fantasy 8.
This powerful sorceress starts the fight in her base form, before Griever, the ultimate Guardian Force, joins the battle for the second phase. Seeing how tough the heroes are, Ultimecia decides to fuse with this Guardian Force for the third phase, before the fourth and final phase sees players tackle the toughest form of this boss in a long and cinematic battle that can go on for a while if players don't know what to expect.
6 Ultima
Clive's Final Fight Against Ultima Is A Lengthy Gauntlet
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Final Fantasy 16 has its issues, but one can't deny that the cinematic boss encounters are as epic as they come. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the final battle against Ultima, which is no joke.
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After being pushed to the very limit, Dion sacrifices himself to try and defeat Ultima. This doesn't work, and Joshua decides to follow in Lesage's footsteps by giving all his power to Clive in a bid to help him save the world from Ultima and his race. This leads to multiple phases , culminating in epic battles where Clive manages to demonstrate to Ultima the power of humanity, eventually defeating his toughest form and securing victory.
5 Omega Weapon
The Superboss Added To The Game Is No Joke And Can Take A Ridiculously Long Time To Defeat
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The Royal and Windows Editions of Final Fantasy 15 did a great job of adding a ton of special content to the game. This included an expanded version of a ruined Insomnia that made the endgame more meaty and epic, letting players see just how Ardyn has completely destroyed a once-beautiful city.
Numerous new encounters can be found in this area, including a superboss in the form of the legendary Omega Weapon. Even if players target its weaknesses to Royal Weapons and Thunder, the fight is a lengthy, challenging affair where players must use a massive stock of Phoenix Downs and other revival items to keep their party in tip-top shape to the very end.
4 Long Gui
A Superboss Who Can Be An Absolute Nightmare To Deal With
Final Fantasy 13
- Released
- March 9, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Final Fantasy 13's combat system may seem automated, but fans soon realize that it's actually one of the hardest to master in the series. Players will come to this conclusion firsthand when they try to challenge the game's superbosses.
Long Gui is basically a souped-up Adamantoise, one who is no joke and will flatten unprepared players. The party must arrive to the battle with an ironclad strategy, slowly draining the HP of this boss over the course of a lengthy battle where a single mistake will be punished.
3 Penance
Even With An Ironclad Strategy And The Highest Damage Numbers, This Boss Fight Will Take A While
Final Fantasy 10
- Released
- December 17, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
The superboss of Final Fantasy 10 is possibly the hardest one in the series, with players having to prepare for hundreds of hours before they can even think of taking a crack at fighting it.
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Even with maxed-out Sphere Grids and powerful items, the boss fight against Penance is a lengthy, stressful affair. Players need to implement a smart strategy in combat, since a single misstep will cause them to face an attack that KOs all allies and forces players to start from the beginning.
2 Adamantoise
Without The Ring Of The Lucii, This Superboss Is A Brutal Fight
- Seen in: Final Fantasy 15
There's a reason why the Adamantoise was touted as such a lengthy encounter by the Final Fantasy 15 developers. While the claims of this boss taking three real days to defeat were a stretch, that doesn't take away from the sheer length of this grueling encounter.
Even with max DPS and the strongest abilities, it will take a long time for players to take down Adamantoise legitimately. Sure, players can use the Ring of the Lucii to trivialize this encounter, but where's the fun in that?
1 Yiazmat
The 50 Million HP Will Trigger A Player's PTSD
Final Fantasy 12
- Released
- October 31, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
To this day, Final Fantasy 12 players get chills down their spines whenever Yiazmat is mentioned. This superboss boasts fifty million hit points and can be a downright nightmare to deal with because of how brain-numbingly boring this fight can get.
The only respite players have is that they can just dip out of the encounter and come back without this boss regaining its health. However, the fight is still a massive pain and can take hours upon hours to win, as players repeatedly use their strongest attacks just to see Yiazmat's massive health bar go inch down excruciatingly slowly.
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