10 Most Iconic Super Bosses In JRPGs

These JRPG bosses are no laughing matter.

Superbosses, also called alternative bosses, are powerful bosses that are hidden in video games, but you don’t have to fight them to beat the game. They are the ultimate test to see if you have learned every mechanic and know how to use every item well enough to defeat these monsters that are almost impossible to stop.

It has been a long-standing custom for JRPGs to have one “superboss” per game. You can usually find these bosses in the dungeons at the end of the game, going about their own business. These superbosses are memorable for many reasons, but mostly because they can wipe out your whole party before you even know what hit you.

Culex – Super Mario RPG

Super Mario RPG was made by Square and came out for the SNES in 1996. It was the first time the famous gamer tried his hand at an RPG, and it was both fun and good. You can find Culex behind a locked door in Monstro Town. He is a superboss that you don’t have to fight. He is also a very clear reference to Square’s other popular RPG series, Final Fantasy.

He is the only enemy in the game that looks like a 2D sprite. His design is classic Final Fantasy grandioso, and even his music sounds a lot like the boss theme from Final Fantasy 4. Oh, and like all good superbosses, Culex is much stronger than Smithy, the last boss in the main plot.

Caroline And Justine – Persona 5

Caroline and Justine are twins who work as jail guards and helpers for Igor in the Velvet Room. They also help you combine Personas in a way that is both eerie and funny in a dark way. In Persona 5 Royal, the twins are Strength confidants, and once they have joined together to become Lavenza, their true form, they can also be fought as an extra superboss in New Game Plus mode.

Even though Lavenza is the optional boss fight with the most difficult fight in its true form, the twins and the fact that you are fighting two strong bosses at the same time are scarier and more memorable. The fight itself isn’t too hard, but it’s best to go in with characters that are above level 60 and Personas that are at the endgame level.

Lingering Will – Kingdom Hearts 2

Even though Sephiroth might be the most well-known superboss in Square Enix and Disney’s wildly popular JRPG series, he isn’t the only one. Another secret, powerful boss in the game needs to be recognized for what he is. This is the strange Lingering Will, of course.

The Lingering Will first showed up in Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix. It is a keyblade user with gold, black, and red armor. Lingering Will might be a tougher boss than Sephiroth if he or she is a secret boss. Even when Sora, Donald, and Goofy are at their highest level and have the best guns and gear, Lingering Will can still be a big problem. Those who want to beat this dangerous superboss need to be able to remember patterns, react quickly, and have a little luck.

Adamantoise (Final Fantasy 15)

On first sight, the Adamantoise boss from Final Fantasy 15 can easily beat all of the other entries here. It looks like a hunting task, and the best time to do it is after the game is over, when Noctis gets a distress call saying that strong earthquakes are happening in Leide.

Once you accept the Lonely Rumblings hunting task in Hammerhead, an event will happen that will introduce you to the Adamantoise. What you thought was a rock in the distance is actually its shell, and its size will cause tremors hundreds of kilometers away. Even though this boss fight won’t be too hard, it will be long and hard. Adamantoise is one of the most epic and movie-like boss fights, which is reason enough for it to be in the game.

Black Rabite – Trials Of Mana

The Black Rabite superboss from Seiken Densetsu 3 and its remake, Trials of Mana, can be one of the most scary bosses to look at or one of the most modest. At the Dark Castle, you can find it by interacting with its figure. This will take you to its nest.

The Black Rabite looks the same as any other Rabite in the game, except that it is black. If you didn’t know, Rabites are like the Slimes in Dragon Quest in that they are used to feed the gun. Now, the Black Rabite is not that. To be more specific, you are the bullets in this situation. It is very strong, hits like a freight train on steroids, and can even call on strong demons to help it fight. Advice: use everything you have to get rid of it.

The Immortal One – Lost Odyssey

Lost Odyssey is an underrated JRPG made by Mistwalker. It came out in 2008 specifically for the Xbox 360. Since the famous Nobuo Uematsu wrote the music for the game, you can bet that the boss fights will have some epic tunes, and you will be right. It also has one of the best superbosses in the Immortal One, a weird-looking monster that looks like it belongs on a ship, which you will face at the end of the Backyard side quest.

The Immortal One is the hardest enemy you will face in the game. He is even stronger than the final boss. So, it’s best to fight this creature before you start the finish with high-level characters and weapons. This superboss is very hard to beat, and if you want to get the best reward for beating it, you have to do it in less than 30 turns. With over a million HP, that is easier to say than to do.

Yiazmat – Final Fantasy 12

From the Final Fantasy series alone, it would be easy to make a whole list of the best bosses in video games. Yiazmat is another boss you will remember, for better or worse, along with Warmech, who was possibly the first superboss.

The amount of time you will spend fighting Yiazmat is what makes him such a memorable superboss. This superboss could take you anywhere from one to eight hours to beat. All of it will depend on how good your party is and how lucky you are. Yiazmat is one of the most scary extra bosses to fight because he has 50 million health points. It can take longer to beat this superboss than it does to finish some small games.

Ethereal Queen – Valkyrie Profile

The Ethereal Queen is a mainstay of creator Tri-Ace’s IPs and is one of the hardest superbosses in JRPGs. She is in Valkyrie Profile. She has been in both Eggy Car and Valkyrie Profile, but you only have to fight her if you choose to. In Valkyrie Profile, the Seraphic Gate is the post-game area where you can fight the Ethereal Queen.

This dungeon is full of powerful monsters, and if you want to beat the Ethereal Queen, you’ll need the strongest party members and the best weapons, armor, and other gear. Even with those, you might not win because the Ethereal Queen can kill your whole party in one turn. If you want to fight the Ethereal Queen, make sure you have a lot of recovery items and pray that Lady Luck is on your side.

Red – Pokemon Gold & Silver

Not often do you get to fight the main character from the last game in a series, but Pokemon Gold & Silver gave fans that chance. Talk to Professor Oak after beating all 16 Gyms. He will then open the way to the top of Mount Silver. At the top, you’ll find Red, who was the main character in the first Pokemon game.

Fans of the Pokemon series will enjoy this moment, but only until Red challenges you to a battle and you learn the hard way why the Champion from Pallet Town is known as a living legend. Red can choose from a wide range of Pokemon, all of which are above level 70. Bring a team of high-level Pokemon that are just as different from each other if you want to win.

Warmech – Final Fantasy

The Warmech is not like most superbosses in that it is a super rare enemy that only shows up 1 out of every 64 times at random in the Flying Fortress level. It’s not a typical superboss, but it might as well be given how powerful it is. It is also the first “true” superboss in the history of video games.

The Warmech, also known as the Death Machine, is so strong that it is easily stronger than 99 percent of all monsters and bosses in Final Fantasy, with the exception of Chaos, the game’s final boss. The Warmech is even more dangerous because it attacks first in a fight.

Depending on your level, this attack will probably put your whole party on or close to yellow status, putting you on the defense from the start. If that wasn’t enough, the Warmech also heals itself every time it turns. If you want to beat this machine that deals death, you will have to hit fast and hard.