Final boss theme

The final boss theme, also called the final battle theme, is the music that plays for the final boss in the Final Fantasy series. Some final boss themes are named after the boss, while others have unique names. Many are simply titled "The Final Battle" or "Battle to the Death." Final boss themes are generally bombastic and in later games have numerous parts to accompany different final boss stages.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy===
The original releases had no boss theme, and so the battle with Chaos used the normal battle theme. In the WonderSwan Color, Origins, Dawn of Souls, Anniversary and mobile remakes, a final boss theme was produced titled "Last Battle." This also appears as a Battle Music Sequence in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival.
===Final Fantasy II===
In the original NES release, the Emperor used the same boss theme as other bosses, called "Battle Scene 2." In the Origins version and subsequent releases, two boss battle themes were produced for normal bosses, and "Battle Scene 2" was used as the final battle theme.
In the All Sounds of Final Fantasy I & II compilation album, there are four unused tracks for Final Fantasy II. One is labeled "Battle Scene 3" and has been speculated by fans to be what was supposed to play during the final battle, as it has similarities in style to the unused "Dungeon" theme, and to the theme played as the Emperor returns from Hell.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Vd6DFLgLs
===Final Fantasy III===
The theme plays during the battle with the Cloud of Darkness. It is the first final boss theme in the series. In some remixes on soundtracks, the theme is titled "Kurayaminokumo," which literally translates into English as "Cloud of Darkness."
===Final Fantasy IV===
"The Final Battle" plays during the battle with Zeromus (Zeromus and 3D). In the second album with The Black Mages, the theme is titled "Zeromus."
====Final Fantasy IV: The After Years====
Four themes play during the final battle with the Creator. "Planetary Core" is for the first phase of the fight against the Creator's shell, and is also used during the scripted section of the Creator's final form. The theme which plays in the second battle, "Master of Imagination," is also the theme used for the lowest section of the Depths (which is a remix of the Maenad's theme), and acts as the Creator's personal theme.
The third theme, "Straying from Evolution," plays during the Creator's third form and is entirely original. The last plays for the Creator's final form after the scripted section and is called "The Battle for Life." It is a remix of both "Straying from Evolution" and the "Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV."
"The Final Battle" is used during the battle with Zeromus's Malice.
===Final Fantasy V===
"The Final Battle" plays during the battle with Neo Exdeath. In the third album by The Black Mages, it is retitled "Neo Exdeath."
===Final Fantasy VI===
The first final boss theme to have a specific name, "Dancing Mad," is divided into four parts, each of which plays during the battle with one of the tiers of enemies leading up to Kefka. Remixes of several other themes from throughout the game, including Kefka's own theme, are spliced into the overarching theme.
Kefka's ultimate weapon in the Dissidia series is named after the theme.
===Final Fantasy VII===
The final boss theme used for the fight with Safer∙Sephiroth‎ has since become the signature theme of Sephiroth himself. It has been remixed many times since its original appearance for Sephiroth's various appearances outside of Final Fantasy VII. However, the theme that plays for the cinematic boss fight after this is "Those Chosen by the Planet".
====Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-====
"Chaotic End" plays during the final battle against Omega Weiss. It is a soft orchestral piece.
====Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-====
"Desperate Crisis" plays during the three phases of the final battle against Zirconiade. It is loud, with many heavy electric instruments, such as the guitar.
====Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-====
"The SOLDIER Way" plays during the final battle with Genesis. "The Price of Freedom" plays during the scripted event of Zack's Final Stand.
===Final Fantasy VIII===
Played during the final battle with Ultimecia, "The Extreme" incorporates "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" into its opening. The track was rearranged by the Black Mages for their third studio album, The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight. It also features the intro to a traditional battle theme after over a minute has passed.
===Final Fantasy IX===
"The Final Battle" plays during the battle with Necron. In the third album by The Black Mages, it is retitled "Grand Cross."
===Final Fantasy X===
The final boss is Yu Yevon, whose theme is "Final Battle." However, due to it being impossible to lose to Yu Yevon short of creatively killing oneself, Braska's Final Aeon is widely considered the true final boss. The song that plays during the battle is "Otherworld," which also plays during the opening cinematics.
====Final Fantasy X-2====
The music that plays during the battle against Shuyin is called "Their Resting Place," known as "Resting Place" in Luca sphere theater.
===Final Fantasy XI===
There are different final boss themes for each main line of missions:
*"Awakening" - battle against the Shadow Lord (original game).
*"Eald'narche" and "Belief" - battle against Eald'narche (Rise of the Zilart).
*"Dusk and Dawn" and "A Realm of Emptiness" - battle against Promathia (Chains of Promathia).
*"Ragnarok" - battle against Alexander (Treasures of Aht Urhgan).
*"Goddess Divine" - battle against Lilith Ascendant (Wings of the Goddess).
*"Echoes of Creation" - battle against the Seed Crystal (A Crystalline Prophecy).
*"Luck of the Mog" - battle against Riko Kupenreich (A Moogle Kupo d'Etat).
*"A Feast for Ladies" - battle against Shantotto and Domina Shantotto (A Shantotto Ascension).
*"Shinryu" - battle against Shinryu (Abyssea Series).
*"Provenance Watcher" - battle against Provenance Watcher (Voidwatch battle series, included as content for Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess).
*"The Price" - battle against Hades (Seekers of Adoulin)
*"Wail of the Void" - battle against the game's ultimate final boss, the Cloud of Darkness (Rhapsodies of Vana'diel)
*"Valhalla" - first phase of the battle against Chaos (The Voracious Resurgence)
*"All-Consuming Chaos" - second phase of the battle against Chaos (The Voracious Resurgence)
===Final Fantasy XII===
"Struggle for Freedom" is played during the battle with The Undying. The piece incorporates variations of the themes used throughout the game's soundtrack, particularly those in "The Archadian Empire".
====Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings====
"Struggle for Freedom" is reused as the final boss theme for Feolthanos Exultant.
===Final Fantasy XIII===
The two tracks played during the final battle against Orphan are "Born Anew" and "Nascent Requiem". Both are composed by Masashi Hamauzu.
====Final Fantasy XIII-2====
The track that plays during the final battle is "Unseen Abyss," composed by Mitsuto Suzuki and Naoshi Mizuta.
In "Requiem of the Goddess" downloadable content, "Heart of Chaos" plays during the final battle against Chaos Bahamut.
====Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII====
"Divine Love" plays against the first three forms of the final boss. The track that plays during the final form is "Almighty Bhunivelze" and incorporates various themes from the trilogy.
===Final Fantasy XIV (version 1.0)===
In Version 1.0, the final boss theme is "Rise of the White Raven", which plays during the battle against Nael Deus Darnus. It features a duet singing in Latin. An instrumental version called "Bite of the Black Wolf" is used during battles against other Garlean legati, though it is named after and associated with Gaius van Baelsar in particular, while "Rise of the White Raven" is again used in the rematch against Darnus in the Second Coil of Bahamut.
====Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn====
In A Realm Reborn, "The Maker's Ruin" and "Ultima" play during the battles against the Ultima Weapon. In the original version of the Praetorium the Ultima Weapon was technically the penultimate boss with Lahabrea as the final boss, but the battle against Lahabrea was significantly easier, as such the Ultima Weapon was considered the true final boss. The theme for the battle against Lahabrea was "Thunderer".
Following the Praetorium's revamp in patch 6.1, Lahabrea was separated into a more challenging solo quest battle befitting a final boss. He retains "Thunderer" for the first phase of this battle, but the second phase now uses "Torn from the Heavens". The Ultima Weapon remains the final group content boss.
====Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward====
In Heavensward, the final boss theme is "Heroes", an aggressive mix of "Solid", the theme of Ishgard, as well as incorporating parts of "Ominous Prognisticks", the expansion's main dungeon boss theme. It plays during the final battle against King Thordan. "Dragonsong", the main theme of Heavensward, serves as the theme for the first phase of the final boss for the Dragonsong War storyline. "Freefall" and "Revenge of the Horde" used in the 2nd and final phases of the battle respectively.
====Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood====
In Stormblood, the final boss themes are "Scale and Steel" and "The Worm's Tail", which play during the final battle against Shinryu.
====Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers====
In Shadowbringers, a version of the main theme titled "Who Brings Shadow" serves as final boss theme for the first phase of the battle against Hades, where it has been slightly shortened with the "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" and "Eternal Wind" sections of the song having been cut out. The second phase features an orchestral theme titled "Invincible". "To the Edge" serves as the theme for the final battle against Elidibus in patch 5.3.
====Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker====
In Endwalker, "Endwalker - Footfalls" plays for the final battle against Zenos viator Galvus in a solo battle. For the final group content against the Endsinger, "The Final Day" plays for the first portion while "With Hearts Aligned" plays for the final phase. "The Final Day" is a medley of prior final boss themes "Ultima", "Heroes", "The Worm's Tail", and "Invincible", while "With Hearts Aligned" is a medley of "The Maker's Ruin" and "Endwalker - Footfalls".
===Final Fantasy XV===
The piece that plays during Noctis's final battle with Ardyn is called "Magna Insomnia" and is a dramatic arrangement of "Somnus" and "Ardyn". Much like "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI, "Magna Insomnia" is comprised of three separate movements that play during each of the battle's three phases. Its first movement is later reused during "Kingly Clash", owing to it being an alternate take on the final battle.
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus====
The final boss theme is "Battle on the Big Bridge (EPISODE GLADIOLUS version)". The final boss is Gilgamesh, a recurring character in the series who has been associated with "Battle at the Big Bridge" since his debut in Final Fantasy V.
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto====
Both Barbarus and Immortalis can be considered the final boss. The boss theme against Barbarus is "Aberrant Experiment" and the theme that plays against Immortalis is "Sins of the Father".
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis====
There are two paths the story can take. In the canon path where Ignis retaliates against Ardyn in Altissia, the theme that plays is "The Blazing Tactician". In the alternate path where Ignis plays along and goes with Ardyn, the boss theme against him is "Become the Fire", though when Ignis is granted the full power of the Ring of the Lucii, the final boss theme changes to "Ashes to Ashes".
====Final Fantasy XV: Comrades====
The final boss theme against Bahamut is "A Clash of Swords", an arrangement of the main theme "Choosing Hope". After Bahamut has been defeated a rematch with him is unlocked with a second phase and the theme that plays there is "The Wrath of Swords", composed and arranged by Tsutomu Narita.
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn====
The song that plays when Ardyn fights Somnus starts with intense strings to signify Somnus's impending arrival, and the vocals emerge as he draws his sword. The first battle phase includes Latin chanting in the background before bars from both Ardyn's theme, as well as "Somnus" start playing side by side. During the second phase of the battle, a more somber feminine chant is heard before picking up pace, with it finishing after Ardyn delivers the final blow. The theme has no known title.
===Final Fantasy XVI===
The final battle against Ultima consists of multiple different phases, each with their own unique theme. The theme for the more cinematic first phase, "A Far Cry from Heaven", is a tense song mainly comprised of Ultima's motifs with a strong choir and rapid percussion in the background, with the Bahamut motif appearing during Bahamut's attacks against Ultima Prime. The second phase, and the beginning of the true final battle, reuses "'Neath the Pall" from the battle with Typhon at Drake's Head and the first battle with Ultima at Drake's Spine. "'Neath the Pall" has an ethereal choir with a more ominous melody. The song played during the battle between Ifrit Risen and Ultima Risen, "Logos", is a more orchestral version of "Catacecaumene", the theme used against Typhon's second phase; an upbeat motif appears before the song loops. The song that plays during the battle with Ultimalius, "Hymn of the Penitent", is a more low-tempo and melancholic track compared to the previous music in the battle, combining Ultima's motif with that of "Find the Flame", performed by a solo female vocalist and a male choir. The music used for the final phase of the battle, after Ultimalius Limit Breaks, is "All as One", a grand orchestral version of "Find the Flame", changing to the upbeat chorus of the song as Clive throws his sword through Ultimalius's chest and punches him in the face in a final QTE.
===Final Fantasy Tactics===
"Ultima's Perfection" plays during the second part of the battle with Ultima. In the in-game sound test mode of The War of the Lions remake, it is titled "Heartless Hellion". The first form features the song "Ultima's Transformation".
===Final Fantasy Tactics Advance===
"Incarnation" plays during the battle with Li-Grim. Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, there exists two version in the original soundtrack: the Game Boy Advance original version and the "Full Sound," orchestral version.
====Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift====
"The Unfolding Darkness" plays during the battle with the Neukhia. Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, it is the 22nd track of disc 2 of the original soundtrack.
===Vagrant Story===
"A Man Consumed" plays during the final fight against Guildenstern. It starts off with percussion that led to the antagonist's theme, and followed by a militaristic march and synthesizer voices.
===Final Fantasy Type-0===
When the battle begins, "Tempus Ratio" plays for the first phase of the final battle against the Rursan Arbiter. For the second phase, "Vermilion Fire" plays.
===Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles===
"Fusion, Descent" is played during the final battle against Memiroa.
====Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates====
"Galdes Battle" is played in the final battle against Great Galdes.
====Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time====
"Last Battle" is played in the final battle against Neo Larkeicus.
====Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers====
===The Final Fantasy Legend===
The theme "Furious Battle" accompanies the battle against the Creator.
===Final Fantasy Legend II===
The theme "Saving the World" is played in the final battle against the Arsenal, during the second phase. The first phase features the traditional boss theme, instead.
===Final Fantasy Legend III===
The final battle against Xagor, after the brief battle with Sol, is accompanied by "Spiritual Battle."
===Final Fantasy Mystic Quest===
"Battle 3" is played during the final battle against the Dark King.
===Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light===
"The Final Battle" is the theme that plays during the last stage of the battle with Chaos.
===Final Fantasy Dimensions===
"IMPERATOR" and "Inside the Swirl of Chaos" are the final boss themes.
===Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)===
"Chaos" plays during the battle with Chaos. Though the theme is one continuous piece, it is segmented into three when used in-game, and each portion is used for one of the three battles with Chaos.
Several of the final boss themes from previous games are also available as music choices to be heard in battles. Some of the final boss themes are already available, others must be purchased in the PP Catalog.
====Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy====
"Cantata Mortis & God in Fire" plays during the battle against Feral Chaos.
Several of the final boss themes from previous games are also available as music choices to be heard in battles. Some of the final boss themes are already available, others must be purchased in the PP Catalog.
====Theatrhythm Final Fantasy====
"Chaos Shrine" from Final Fantasy is the battle music used for the final battle against Chaos. It is of the few tracks to be remixed.
===World of Final Fantasy===
"Ex World of Battle" and "Last World of Battle" are the final boss themes, played respectively during battles with Exnine Bahamut's first and second forms.
===Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin===
"Battle: Darkness Manifest" and "Battle: Become Chaos" are the final boss themes, played respectively during battles with Darkness Manifest's first and second forms.
For the "Trials of the Dragon King" scenario, the theme "Battle: One to Sever the Chains of Time" plays during the final battle against the Warrior of Light. For the "Wanderer of the Rift" scenario, the themes "Battle: Death Machine" and "Battle: Weapon of Interference" play for the final battle against the Death Machine. For the "Different Future" scenario, the themes "Battle: The Emperor" and "Battle: Leading to Dissent" play during the battle against Emperor Mateus. When fighting against Jack Garland in another final mission for the scenario, "Battle: Warriors of the Dark Crystal" plays.
==Citations==
Category:Musical themes