Boss

**Bosses** are a special category of enemies in the *Xenoblade Chronicles* series. As in other series, they are typically fought in one-time battles at important points in the story, though each game also contains a handful of bosses which are fought at the end of a Quest or Mission. Bosses can be characters or monsters, and they tend to have high stats as well as unique names and skills.

Bosses can usually be identified in-game by a special enemy icon, which varies between games.

For most story-related bosses, the party is also unable to escape the battle arena unless they defeat the boss or are incapacitated themselves. If this is the case, the edge of the arena is clearly defined, either through in-universe physical obstacles or a barrier that appears at the start of the battle.

Some story bosses can summon or are accompanied by minor Story Exclusive Enemies. Bosses who appear as part of a quest or mission are also considered Quest Exclusive or Mission Exclusive.

It should be noted that Unique Monsters, Tyrants, and Superbosses are not bosses, although many may be stronger than actual bosses.

## *Xenoblade Chronicles*

*See also: **List of bosses in Xenoblade Chronicles***
Bosses in *Xenoblade Chronicles* are almost entirely story-related. Only one side boss, the Mysterious Telethia, can be found, while there are forty story battles with twenty-six other distinct bosses.

Bosses can be identified by their target window, in which an ornate, light green frame surrounds their name. Many battles are also accompanied by the track "An Obstacle in Our Path". In inescapable battles, the edge of the arena is defined by a green field barrier.

Most bosses do not drop Treasure Chests, with the exception of Demon Pavlovsk, which drops a silver chest. While they may carry items, bosses are immune to Riki's Yoink!, making these items impossible to steal.

## *Xenoblade Chronicles X*

*See also: **List of bosses in Xenoblade Chronicles X***
*Xenoblade Chronicles X* is the first game in the series to have more side bosses than story bosses. There are fourteen story battles with twenty-two story bosses, and over forty missions with boss battles.

Unlike other games, the special boss target window does not apply to all bosses, though all enemies with the frame are bosses. Instead, whether a mission exclusive enemy is a boss is determined by its entry in the Enemy Index, if there is one. Bosses that do have the special target window, which consists of several sets of concentric circles on each side of the name, are considered **Main Bosses**, while those that do not have this frame but appear in the Enemy Index as bosses are considered **Secondary Bosses**.

Due to the nature of story progression in *Xenoblade Chronicles X*, nearly all story bosses can also be considered mission exclusive enemies.

## *Xenoblade Chronicles 2*

*See also: **List of bosses in Xenoblade Chronicles 2***
*Xenoblade Chronicles 2* brings the largest variety of bosses yet to the series. There are forty-eight story battles with forty-five distinct bosses, while at least thirty-seven Side Quests feature battles with enemies considered bosses. In addition, many of the battles in the Challenge Battle Mode DLC finish with a boss not found elsewhere.

Bosses can be distinguished from non-boss enemies only when they are *not* targeted. Bosses sport a field icon featuring an ornate emblem around the level indicator. If a battle is inescapable, as is the case with all story bosses as well as those in Challenge Battle Mode, the arena is surrounded by a bright red line on the ground.

### *Torna ~ The Golden Country*

Unlike all previous games, *Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country* features no side bosses; the only bosses that appear in this game are the story bosses. Mechanically, the battles function identically to those in *Xenoblade Chronicles 2*, with the same boss emblem and arena boundary marks.