Scariest Final Bosses In Final Fantasy Games, Ranked

Few moments in gaming are more intense for a player than taking on the final boss in a Final Fantasy title. Upon reaching those last few moments of the game, players will have spent many, many hours leveling up their party and acquiring powerful weapons and equipment. But despite that, the one enemy who can still manage to invoke fear with their overwhelming strength and prowess is the last boss; the final hurdle standing in the way of players and the final credits.

While the absurd power of a final boss can contribute to their scare factor and how terrifying they come across to the player, their design also plays a big role. Square Enix has conjured up some truly horror-esque appearances for the final villain bosses in the Final Fantasy games. Let’s dig into which are the scariest of them all, when taking both strength and design into account.

8

Ultimalius – Final Fantasy 16

An Intimidating And Eerie Design

Clive’s journey of revenge and redemption in Final Fantasy 16 ends with a final duel against Ultima, a god-like being who enters this creepy transformation at the beginning of the battle. The sheer size of this boss already makes it unnerving to look at, and the multi-eyed mask and strange limbs stretching from the back only add to the creepiness.

As strong as Clive may have been by the end of the game after obtaining enough Eikons, Ultimalius still comes across as a genuinely scary boss to take on, especially if players have made the mistake of leaving Clive a little underleveled for the final fight.

7

Jet Bahamut – Final Fantasy 13-2

While Bahamut appears in almost every mainline game in the series, Square Enix decided to make him look extra intimidating when he assumes the role of final boss in the direct sequel to Final Fantasy 13. Jet Bahamut looks gigantic in this battle, towering over Serah and Noel with a menacing grin on its face. Its bright eyes continue to track the characters until they perform another move to try and chip off an inch of health.

Related

The 12 Best Final Fantasy Soundtracks, Ranked

Like the games that they accompany, the best Final Fantasy soundtracks leave a lasting impression on players.

Advertisement

This is one of Bahamut’s scariest designs to date. The familiarity of the monster also contributes to its intensity. Players are well aware of how powerful this beast is, so one can only imagine how devastating the superior version could be in battle.

6

Orphan – Final Fantasy 13

Effective Use Of Body Horror

While some Final Fantasy final bosses are built up throughout the game, such as Sephiroth or Ultimecia, others seemingly come out of nowhere to act as one final challenge for the player to overcome. Appearing so suddenly does come with the benefit of being able to catch players by surprise. Orphan is a prime example, who Lightning and the gang take on in the closing moments of Final Fantasy 13.

Similar to the other Fal’ Cie, Orphan has a disturbing appearance that is essentially an obscure mismatch of numerous human body parts. While a menacing face stares at the party from the side, a medley of small faces, arms, and legs make up the core of the body, resulting in an unnerving design.

5

Cloud Of Darkness – Final Fantasy 3

Ambushes Players In The World Of Darkness

The end of Final Fantasy 3 sees the party wander into the World of Darkness, an area packed full of all kinds of horrors. From human-eating worms to bloodthirsty cerberus, the World of Dakness throws plenty of spooky enemies at the player. But none can match the eeriness of the Cloud of Darkness, a ghostly witch-like monster who acts as the final enemy of the game.

While Cloud of Darkness has a very disturbing presence in the remake of Final Fantasy 3, the design is especially odd in the original, almost looking like a disturbing science experiment gone horribly wrong. This is also one of those bosses who can take out party members with a single swipe, just in case players weren’t already nervous from looking at them.

4

Necron – Final Fantasy 9

The Embodiment Of Death Creates A Sense Of Dread

Necron is a boss designed to be the representation of death itself, and it’s fair to say that he echoes the sense of dread and fear that can be related to that concept. While Necron has long and dangling purple limbs hanging from each side which it will use to decimate the party, he keeps his regular arms crossed, as if he’s looking down on his helpless prey.

Related

8 Weirdest Final Fantasy Games, Ranked

Advertisement

These final fantasy games are some of the franchise’s weirdest titles.

This odd, supernatural design looks incredibly imposing when close to the party, who all look like a group of ants in comparison. Necron’s appearance makes him a scary final boss right off the bat, but he becomes a lot more terrifying when unleashing some of his most devastating abilities, especially Grand Cross.

3

Ultimecia – Final Fantasy 8

Takes On A Demon-Like Form

Final Fantasy 8 features some pretty spooky imagery, with an iconic example being the faceless Squall who shows up during a flashback. Ultimecia is the maniacal main villain of the game, who tries to compress all of time and space. When she shows up in her final form to take on the party, she brings this motif back, while also sprouting razor-sharp wings and claws.

Seeing Ultimecia’s head cracked wide open, paired with the strange demonic-like body, makes this creepy design look like something ripped straight out of a horror game. It’s an effective use of body horror that still manages to retain the eeriness of Ultimecia through a few of its unique details.

2

Kefka – Final Fantasy 6

Kefka’s Sinister Final Form Catches Players By Surprise

At first, Kefka doesn’t seem like he’s going to play the role of the main villain of Final Fantasy 6’s story. He’s a member of the Empire and a devious trickster who cared little for human life. But it’s only after he plunges the world into ruin that his nihilistic view of the world truly shows. Kefka already came across as a sinister guy due to his sadistic attitude, which is why this god-like form, which sees him sport angelic wings and a formidable physique, turns him from a silly jester to a spine-chilling deity.

What also ramps up the scare factor of this boss is how, before this, every fight with Kefka was designed in the player’s favor, essentially handing them the win. As a result, the dynamic flipping makes for a genuinely creepy encounter, especially when paired with the Dancing With Madness choir in the background.

1

The Dark King – Final Fantasy: Mythic Quest

Becomes A Grotesque Mutant That Preys On The Party Members

• Platforms: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii, Wii U
• Initial release date: October 5, 1992
• Developer: Square
• Genre: Japanese role-playing game

Final Fantasy: Mythic Quest is a fairly niche title in the franchise, released as a way to introduce new RPG players to the series. Though the game didn’t end up being received too well due to its limited gameplay and weak story, it does still feature some unique enemy designs. A prime example is the horrific depiction of the final boss, the Dark King.

The Dark King’s final form takes the shape of a spider-like monster with giant fangs and a wild bunch of red tentacles sprouting from its body. Placing the characters on a small platform with this grotesque beast approaching them from above is a clever way to invoke fear. It makes this larger-than-life enemy seem even more horrifying, creating what is arguably the scariest final boss in the entire series.

More

Advertisement

8 Scariest Villains In Open-World Games

These iconic foes make up the scariest villains in the open-world genre, terrifying players through gameplay and cutscenes.