Top 10 RPG Boss Battle Themes

While its normal battle theme just barely missed the cut on our Top 10 RPG Battle Themes list, the original MarioRPG’s boss battle theme managed to jump its way onto this one, just like the mustachioed everyman it stars. With its wacky mix of tooting horns and low drumming, this song fits the game’s bizarre tone well; playing during battleswith thieving dinosaurs, four-eyed dogs, and even wedding cakes!

For most Dark Souls players, the Taurus demon is the second boss they encounter, (If you count the Asylum Demon as a boss) so this music helps set up what to expect from Dark Souls bosses: pain. Facing the minotaur-esque demon atop a crumbling wall with its steps rattling the stones underfoot, while listening to this song, makes for an intimidating fight. With its thoroughly gothic chorus and unnerving string instrumentals, the theme of Taurus demons is sure to inspire dread.

Just when the heroes of Minstrel Song think they’ve defeated the God Saruin, he changes into his second form, like most final bosses do, and this track starts to play. With its rapid drums, strings, synth keys, and guitar, this theme instills plenty of urgency to prove to the evil god that his first loss to mortals was more than just a fluke. And if players want to stack on even more desperation, they can make Saruin even stronger, depending on how many Fatestones they offer up.

Though not well known in the west, the Ys [ee-su] series is even older than Final Fantasy and features some formidably excellent bosses, and boss music. Termination plays during the final battle of Ys Origin, where the player faces Darm, Who Transcends All, the eldritch fusion of a corrupted priest and a powerful artifact. Featuring epic, mournful solos on both violin and electric guitar, backed by a symphonic strings section and a chanting choir, this is a song that conveys more than words can.

Those aren’t your sins crawling on your back, that’s actually this song giving you goose bumps as you take on this guy, named after a font. A song that only plays during the genocidal run of this unorthodox RPG, uses a combination of Sega Genesis era chiptunes and modern bombastic instruments to create … something you shouldn’t play to motivate a genocidal maniac. Developer/Composer Toby Fox originally composed this tune for ROM hack of Earthbound, and with it appearing again in Homestuck, this tune has become Fox’s signature piece.

Anyone at all familiar with video games knew this one was coming; it was only a question of when. Beating out Kefka’s and Seymour’s final battle themes, Even people who have never played Final Fantasy VII know about “One Winged Angel.” The last showdown with Sephiroth is appropriately accompanied by a warlike marching beat, eerie sound effects and an latin choir! While it’s far more commonplace these days, back in 1997, it was completely unheard of. And thanks to the lyrics, Nobuo Uematsu will be reminding you who you’re fighting all the time.

With its innovative Song Magic system for battles, the Ar Tonelico series might be the most successful entry on our list at integrating background music with story and gameplay. EXEC_PURGER, sometimes called EXEC_PAJA, is the song which plays during your party’s final battle with the virus ELMA-DS. Depending on who your song mage is, the music will vary, but our pick has to go to Misha’s version, for its fast paced, Hindi-like chant . You’ve definitely never heard anything like this, probably because they made up a fictional language for the lyrics.

“The black wind begins to blow…” Though not the ultimate antagonist of Chrono Trigger, Magus is undoubtedly its best developed villain, and the music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda which plays during your biggest confrontation with him is just as complex. Beginning haunting and eerie, complete with howling wind, the song captures the mood of the Fiendlord’s Keep, where the fight takes place. From there it only builds in intensity, with overlapping percussion, strings and some piccolo work; the combination of which helps make your showdown with Magus a grand and memorable experience.

Radiant Historia’s resident boss theme, Red Locus is an interesting contrast of tones. Its mournful organ work evokes a sense of despair in the face of your foes, while the orchestral strings and horns are hopeful and optimistic; like light breaking through dark clouds. And when your foes include everything from kings to multiple giant spiders, you and your party are going to need something to keep you optimistic.
Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Beat the Angel
“Tales of Symphonia” (2003)

Silver Will
“The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter” (2006)

Unfounded Revenge
“Mother 3” (2006)

Final Battle Demon Vesper
“Zweii!” (2001)

I’ll Face Myself
“Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4” (2008)

It says a lot about a theme when it’s used as both the main theme of the game and as the battle music for the final boss. Le Ali de Principio, or the Wings of Principle, is also unusual for how emotional it is, for the player, the characters, and even composer Motoi Sakuraba, who viewed it very personally, and with good reason: his wife Yuko wrote the lyrics, which were translated into Italian, and their then nine year-old daughter Mio is the vocalist. Sometimes a good final boss song is about reflecting on the journey.

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