Video game composers have a hard job: they have to make us feel emotions through music about a pre-written story. Final bosses are always presented as the biggest hurdle for the protagonist, even if that's not always the case. A moment of such intensity demands some truly epic fight music.

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A good final boss theme is the difference between a culmination of the entire game and an awkward, anticlimactic battle. Some final boss themes are better at giving you goosebumps than others. By reusing leitmotifs, conveying the gravity of the battle, or giving you hope, these tracks are the best at it.

10 Resident Evil 5

Deep Ambition

Resident Evil 5

Survival Horror 3.5/5 Released March 5, 2009 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Engine havok, MT Framework Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One Genre(s) Survival Horror Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Albert Wesker

Composer

Kota Suzuki

Performer

Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra

One of the greatest rivalries in gaming is that of Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker. The one-time coworkers went their different paths when Chris decided to walk the line, while Wesker opted for world domination. Unlike many rivalries that seem never-ending, this one came to a definitive close in Resident Evil 5, closing one of the saga's biggest chapters.

As Chris punches through boulders and Wesker rants about his grand designs, the track you'll hear is Deep Ambition: a suffocating, grandiose piece that conveys the true darkness of Wesker's heart.

9 The World Ends With You

Twister-Remix

The World Ends With You

Action RPG Released July 27, 2007 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Unity Platform(s) Nintendo DS, Switch, Android, iOS Genre(s) Action RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Draco Cantus

Composer

Takeharu Ishimoto

Performer

Sawa Kato

The alternative soundtrack of The World Ends With You is integral to the game. Music is how Neku chooses to hide himself from people, refusing to socialize and shying away from human contact. The soundtrack is what he'd be hearing in his headphones as an angry teenager in the 2000s: a mixture of rock, hip-hop, and nu-metal.

When he's ready to leave his self-defeating philosophies behind and fight for the friends he's made, a remixed version of the game's opening theme plays. This is one of the coolest moments in the game: Neku's journey has come full circle and he's ready to expand his narrow worldview, set to the same song it all started with.

8 Metal Slug (Series)

Final Attack

Metal Slug

Action Released April 19, 1996 Developer(s) SNK Publisher(s) SNK Engine unity Platform(s) PlayStation (Original), Neo Geo, Sega Saturn Genre(s) Action Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Different bosses in each entry

Composer

Takushi Hiyamuta

Performer

Various performers in each entry

If your favourite run and gun series of all time isn't Contra, it's Metal Slug. The gameplay is so chaotic and the pixel art style is so gorgeous, but SNK added another ingredient to the concoction: superb music. One of the most iconic Metal Slug themes is Final Attack, which plays during the final boss.

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While it shows up with different instrumentation in each entry, the best version by far is that in Metal Slug 5. With its heavy metal arrangement, the song hits harder and is sure to make your hair stand on end. It's so epic that you might not even wonder where the random final boss came from.

7 Persona 3 & Reload

The Battle For Everyone's Souls

Persona 3 Reload

JRPG RPG Life Simulation Strategy 4.0/5 Released February 2, 2024 Developer(s) P-Studio Publisher(s) Atlus, Sega Engine Unreal Engine 4 Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC Genre(s) JRPG, RPG, Life Simulation, Strategy Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Nyx Avatar

Composer

Shoji Meguro

Performer

Yumi Kawamura and Lotus Juice

It's guaranteed that Persona 3 will eventually be viewed as one of the most influential video games of all time. Its social simulation and dating sim aspects might not have been the first, but it popularized the concept of JRPGs. Yet at the end of such a journey centering on high school friendship, Persona 3 remembers what it is: a turn-based RPG that needs a truly epic theme for its final fight.

Persona 3 Reload updates the instrumentation, reflecting how popular music tastes have changed in the 18 years since. It's a good deal more danceable, but something has been lost in the guitar sound. Whichever version you pick, however, this theme truly lives up to the gravitas the story demands.

6 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 & Reunion

The Planet Has Become My Guardian And The SOLDIER Way

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion

Action RPG Released December 13, 2022 Developer(s) Square Enix, Tose Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Unreal Engine 4 Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One Genre(s) Action RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Genesis Avatar and Genesis

Composer

Takeharu Ishimoto

Performer

Takeharu Ishimoto

If we wanted to, we could fill this entire article with just Final Fantasy themes: Nobuo Uematsu isn't one of the most revered video game composers for nothing. But you've already heard Dancing Mad and One-Winged Angel enough times, so we'd like to highlight the work of Takeharu Ishimoto.

Ishimoto had been collaborating with Uematsu since Final Fantasy 10, but for Crisis Core he took on the job solo and delivered one of the most stirring soundtracks to a video game ever. The final boss tracks are incredible: one is a breakcore rocker, while the other plays when Genesis finally acknowledges Zack as an equal. We know it's two songs instead of one, but just like the boss himself, Crisis Core's final battle track has multiple phases.

5 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

It Has To Be This Way

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Action Released February 19, 2013 Developer(s) Platinum Games Publisher(s) Konami Engine Havok Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360, PC Genre(s) Action Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Senator Armstrong

Composer

Jamie Christopherson

Performer

Jimmy Gnecco

Senator Armstrong will forever go down in history as one of the most charismatic gaming villains, and he doesn't even show up until the end of the game. After espousing his motives, he engages Raiden in mortal combat.

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's final fight is an epic battle even in its conceit; it's a fight between the poor and the rich, the hungry and the overfed, the underprivileged and the elite. True to form for the entire game, it's backed up by an incredible track. The lyrics could be taken to be from either Raiden's or Armstrong's perspective, further highlighting that some villains aren't doing it just for fun.

4 Brutal Legend

Painkiller

Brutal Legend

Real-Time Strategy Action Released October 13, 2009 Developer(s) Double Fine Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Engine Unreal Engine 2.5 Platform(s) PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One Genre(s) Real-Time Strategy, Action Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Doviculus

Composer

Judas Priest

Performer

Judas Priest

Unlike most boss fight themes here, Painkiller wasn't written with a video game in mind. Instead, the video game was written with the music in mind: Brutal Legend is an incredibly fun and heartfelt love letter to heavy metal. What better song to round out the game's soundtrack than Judas Priest's Painkiller? It's heavy, it's brutal and it's intense.

In 1990, Painkiller served as a reinvention for Judas Priest which kept them one of the freshest long-running metal bands. In 2008, it served as an incredible final boss song for Brutal Legend.

3 Undertale

Hopes and Dreams

Undertale

RPG Released September 15, 2015 Developer(s) Toby Fox Publisher(s) Toby Fox, 8-4 Engine GameMaker Platform(s) PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Switch, PC Genre(s) RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Asriel Dreemurr

Composer

Toby Fox

Performer

Toby Fox

An oft-repeated joke about Undertale is that despite its hundred-song soundtrack, Toby Fox was done composing after writing just four musical motifs. In that case, we applaud him: his use of those themes over and over in Undertale, with different arrangements for each boss, is nothing short of genius.

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The final boss of Undertale is Asriel Dreemurr: he's confident in his triumph, and for most of the fight, he has reason to be. It's the end: what chance do you have against him? Just the fact that you're carrying the hopes and dreams of every critter in the Underground. With that on your side, there's no way you can lose; Hopes and Dreams is an amazing track that inspires you to refuse defeat.

2 Sonic Adventure 2

Live and Learn

Sonic Adventure 2

Platformer Released June 19, 2001 Developer(s) Sonic Team USA Publisher(s) Sega Engine The Hedgehog Engine Platform(s) Sega Dreamcast, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One Genre(s) Platformer Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Finalhazard

Composer

Jun Senoue

Performer

Crush 40

Crush 40 was Sonic the Hedgehog's house band for several years: led by Jun Senoue's powerful guitar riffs, the group provided various theme songs for Sonic games that continue to be celebrated by fans today. Out of all the Crush 40 tracks, Sonic Adventure 2's Live and Learn is the best.

While it retains a bit of the cheesiness that makes Sonic songs so entertaining, it's a truly inspiring and anthemic track that makes you feel like you, too, can beat up a giant lizard aboard a space station.

1 Valkyria Chronicles

Final Decisive Battle

Valkyria Chronicles

RPG Tactical Third-Person Shooter Released October 31, 2008 Developer(s) Sega, Media Vision Publisher(s) Sega Engine CANVAS Engine Platform(s) PC, PS3, PS4, Switch Genre(s) RPG, Tactical, Third-Person Shooter Powered by Expand Collapse

Boss

Maxmilian

Composer

Hitoshi Sakimoto

Performer

Eminence Symphony Orchestra

Valkyria Chronicles ends aboard a ship with one man facing your entire squad. Even in defeat, Maximilian refuses to give up his villainous ambitions and transforms himself into an artificial Valkyria. It's up to Squad 7 to stop him and save Gallia.

Final Decisive Battle is an amazing orchestral piece. It starts in a minor key and makes you feel fear and oppression. But when the trumpets come in, you feel ready to answer the call: using all your knowledge of the game, you will take down a Valkyria. The theme is so iconic that it ended up being reused in all the Valkyria Chronicles games and makes you feel patriotism for a country that doesn't even exist.

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