Victory Lap Final Bosses

"One for the money, two for the show."

This list is about games that have two final bosses: one mechanical (a boss that serves as a final challenge for the player's skills but isn't technically the "final" boss), and one story (the actual final encounter of the game that is more to wrap up the plot or serve as a thematic finish for the adventure rather than as a traditional "final boss fight")

As always, open to suggestions.

Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5
The first time only. Subsequent runs are an actual challenge.
Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
Furi
Furi
God Hand
God Hand
Ikaruga
Ikaruga
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby: Planet Robobot
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Library of Ruina
Library of Ruina
Live A Live
Live A Live
Manhunt
Manhunt
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace
Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace
Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker
Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Fusion
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Rise
Mother 3
Mother 3
NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata
No More Heroes III
No More Heroes III
Persona 3
Persona 3
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Double Pack
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Double Pack
Pokémon X
Pokémon X
Pokémon Y
Pokémon Y
Radiant Silvergun
Radiant Silvergun
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption
The Saboteur
The Saboteur
Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon

19 Comments


1 year ago

Mother 3 is really the only one I can think of lol

1 year ago

Library of Ruina
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Devil May Cry 5
Final Fantasy 7

1 year ago

In Pillars of Eternity 2, the final boss mechanically is an enemy that you fight at the start of the final area (unless you completed a sidequest in a specific way in which case someone will fight it for you), there's a combat encounter after that against the leader of the most powerful faction in the Deadfire aside from the one you backed, but they are much easier than the aforementioned enemy. And then the actual final encounter is a conversation against someone who can still kill you if you just abjectly refuse to engage with the themes of the game.

Pillars of Eternity 2 rules

1 year ago

Final Fantasy VII (shirtless Sephiroth dies in one hit)
Undertale(?) (Asriel is basically a scripted encounter)

1 year ago

If MOTHER 3 is on here, then MOTHER 1 and 2 should be as well because of how their final bosses also work in similar ways

1 year ago

planet robobot, at least outside of the true arena

sonic 3 & knuckles

mega man star force 3

1 year ago

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

1 year ago

Live A Live (The Original, not the Remake)
Xenoblade Chronicles
Breath of the Wild, I guess

1 year ago

Did the Live A Live remake change the final boss rush???? That sucks so much

1 year ago

Pokémon X and Y
Metroid Fusion (I guess) and Dread

1 year ago

@Archagent I saw that the remake adds an extra boss after the final rush which is pretty :/ idk much about it beyond that it exists but cmon now

1 year ago

Trails of Cold Steel III also falls into this category; the "final" story boss is a walk because you lose control of your power and is more or less there to set the tone.

1 year ago

Gitaroo Man comes to mind

1 year ago

@Ricecreammm The Liva a live remakes final boss does have two phases tho, one which is more of an actual challenge and a second that is more of a victory lap, although the first phase is still pretty easy. (Also I personally liked it's addition a lot but idk what the general consensus is on it)

1 year ago

Just had a thought that you might want to add Furi to this list, in that the 10th boss in the prison (The Beat) is pretty much a home run stretch after fighting two of the hardest bosses in the game, The Burst and The Edge. Technically, the secret final boss is after The Beat, but you don't have to fight this boss if you don't want to.

1 year ago

think pokemon scarlet/violet gotta be added to this list now
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Can't most pokemon games be added to this list?


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