As a franchise, so many memorable features in Final Fantasy defined the franchise throughout the years. From the sweeping and compelling stories about love and justice, the unforgettable characters that act on them, and even its ancient entities that harness spectacular powers, every game in the franchise will always have something to chew on for days.
Let's add to these the most brutal Final Fantasy boss battles!
These fights between the player's party and some of the best antagonists in gaming history become entries in any self-respecting Final Fantasy fan's gaming diary. Whether it's engrained in the story or just outright unfair in difficulty, here are the villains that made players earn their hard-fought victories!
5. The Five Judges (Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age).
Final Fantasy XII was the first step in a new direction the franchise tested more than a decade ago. Its most significant change was the gameplay. The ultimate test for players regarding the combat system change is going through The Five Judges.
Related: Final Fantasy Creator Teases New Project
The post-game content boss fight has the player party fight five of the toughest enemies that the game had to offer during the time. Extensive mastery of the newly introduced Gambit system is needed to emerge victorious, with constant spamming of debuffs for the judges and buffs for the entire party.
If you're fighting the judges for the first time, go for Ghis first. This judge has the lowest hit points!
4. Elmdore (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Fans often consider Final Fantasy Tactics one of the franchise library's underrated entries, and for good reason.
Apart from the engaging gameplay and the compelling story, one boss fight that elevated Tactics to a great game is against Marquis Elmdore or just Elmdore. He possesses very powerful attacks that level the player's party fast and sustain him for battles of attrition. Defending against his attacks can be difficult, but it might help with survival at crucial points of the fight.
3. Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)
Easily one of the most memorable villains in the Final Fantasy franchise, the charismatic court mage Kefka Palazzo provides very challenging battles for players. Yes, Kefka is fought multiple times in Final Fantasy VI; each is as unforgiving as the next!
His signature attack is Havoc Wing, a fearsome spell that reduces the entire party's hit points to a measly 1! However, if the party can recover quickly after this attack, they might have a chance against the Mad Clown. Take time whittling Kefka's resilience down to foil his chaotic plans!
2. Ozma (Final Fantasy IX)
?file=Doomsday-Ozma-FFIX.png){kind=link}
Ozma is one of the stranger bosses in the franchise, appearing just as a multicoloured sphere fighting the party. However, no matter how silly it might look, it is still one of the most brutal Final Fantasy boss battles in franchise history!
Related: Final Fantasy 16: Hunt Battles Explained
The fight borders on unfair, especially as it can easily limit the offence of the player's party while counterattacking with a self-heal. But with patience, it is possible to claim victory over Ozma.
1. Penance (Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster)
At 12 million hit points, the bonus boss Penance, previously only available in the PAL version of the original Final Fantasy X, can be a daunting challenge to defeat.
It can easily eat damage that a party can dish out and give it back tenfold. Penance's most powerful ability is Judgment Day, an attack that deals with 9,999 hit points AND 999 magic points! The battle demands careful and intricate strategy from the player if they want to emerge victorious.
With the sheer size of the Final Fantasy franchise, finding tough boss battles can be pretty easy. While most of these battles can be difficult, there are just some fights in which the victories are genuinely earned, and these are Final Fantasy's tests for only the best players.
READ MORE: Final Fantasy: Unforgettable Furry Friends
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!