Needless to say, the Final Fantasy series is one of the biggest names in RPG history. As ropey as things looked for the company when the original was released, the franchise went on to define everything that makes RPGs what they are.
First and foremost, players want to be taken on epic journeys in an RPG. They want some dramatic encounters along the way, all culminating, of course, in a final boss battle worthy of everything that came before. Do the Final Fantasy games deliver on this promise? Well, that depends on who you ask. While some of the series’ final battles have been fantastic, others have been a little questionable, for a whole variety of reasons. Let’s take a look!
10 Best: Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII)
Yes, series fans certainly have mixed opinions on Final Fantasy VIII. The black sheep of the family is still controversial for its Junctioning system, which brought a sure-why-not-become-an-invincible-powerhouse-before-even-reaching-the-Fire-Cavern element to proceedings. One thing we will say for the game, though, is that the dramatic showdown with Ultimecia was done well.
Not only do we have to pass through a whole gruelling dungeon (rife with challenging mini-bosses) to get to her, we have to tackle her powerful GF first. After that comes Ultimecia herself, who has a number of interesting gimmicks in play. For one, she can remove your party members and pick who you use to fight her, meaning that relying on your favorites (a common Final Fantasy tactic) could leave you in some trouble. She also wields some super powerful magic.
9 Worst: Yu Yevon (Final Fantasy X)
Now, granted, some players don’t class Yu Yevon as the absolute last boss of Final Fantasy X. Others certainly do, however, so we feel more than justified in snarking on this ‘battle.’
Yes, the meeting with this titan within the core of Sin is quite a spectacle, but the bottom line is that it’s literally impossible to lose (short of actually going out of your way to sabotage yourself). We don’t know about you, but when we do battle with odd ethereal space-spiders, we like to be at least a little challenged.
8 Best: Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
As is Final Fantasy’s wont, the climactic battle with Sephiroth in the core of the North Crater goes on and on… and on. This isn’t because the animation for Safer Sephiroth’s Supernova attack takes 7-10 business days to complete (it does, though), but because it’s split into several smaller fights.
After dispatching yet another Jenova form, Bizarro Sephiroth and its body-part-HP shenanigans pop up. then it’s the aforementioned one-winged form. Finally, you get a chance to Omnislash a ‘regular’ Sephiroth out of existence. The whole sequence isn’t especially difficult, but it’s an emotional and worthy way to cap off one of the most beloved video games of all time.
7 Worst: Necron (Final Fantasy IX)
Conversely, what isn’t an emotional and worthy way to cap off one of the most beloved video games of all time? We’ll tell you what. Throwing in a bizarre, lumpen, wing-y, claw-y death monster at the last moment out of absolutely nowhere, that’s what.
With the showdown against the formidable trance Kuja complete, Necron appears as the true final boss of Final Fantasy IX. We don’t know where it came from, or where it went. It was a Cotton-Eye Joe of a Final Fantasy villain, in short, and that’s not something any of us needed in our lives. Especially with its penchant for devastating and/or irritating attacks featuring all manner of status effects.
6 Best: Chaos (Final Fantasy)
Next, we’re giving a well-deserved shout out to Final Fantasy’s first-ever big bad: Chaos. Design-wise, he almost took the generic demon route, but switched things up with what looks like two owl’s heads as knees and a creepy dragon’s head in his chest/crotch region. So, you know, that’s a bold decision we can appreciate.
If that’s not enough for you, we’ll remind you that he made for one heckola of a final boss. Sporting incredible magical defense (you were in a little trouble if your party wasn’t physically powerful enough), monstrous magic spells of his own --like Flare-- and the ability to heal himself, Chaos was the blueprint of every Final Fantasy end boss to follow. The ones that just wanted to crush the player’s party into meatballs, anyway.
5 Worst: Orphan (Final Fantasy XIII)
Final Fantasy XIII is another series instalment that’s highly controversial among the fanbase. A visual treat at the time of its original release, it also took a linear route for the majority of the game which simply wasn’t the Final Fantasy way.
It has an interesting place in the series’ legacy, as does its final boss: Orphan. Lore-wise, there’s a lot of confusing stuff going on here, but the central issue is that Orphan’s final form could be a huge pain or super easy, depending on how lucky you happened to get. The gimmick was that you had a limited time to deplete its vast HP reserve, and could only inflict damage on the being while it was staggered. During that window, though, it was vulnerable to the Death spell… if you could hit it with it!
4 Best: Memiroa (Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles)
For our next shout out, we’re going to take a look at a boss from outside the core series. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles’ Memiroa was a formidable opponent, and a perfect way to cap off this charming co-op title.
You’re going to want to be playing in co-op to dispatch this monstrous amalgamation of Lady Mio and the game’s main big bad, Raem. With its great damage output and deadly spells, this encounter took many players by surprise, even those who had enjoyed a fairly comfortable ride to the game’s end.
3 WORST: Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV)
As we’ve seen, then, when it comes to Final Fantasy end bosses, we tend to expect something pretty darn special. You know, scales, horns, taller than the Chrysler Building, absurdly powerful attacks, confounding gimmicks. That tends to be the deal.
The latest instalment in the franchise wasn’t about that life at all, however. Final Fantasy XV’s climactic battle saw Noctis take on Ardyn, a foe who had all of our protagonist’s powers and remained his usual snarky human self throughout. It lent a uniquely personal air to the battle, but robbed it of the usual scope and grandeur.
2 BEST: Kefka (Final Fantasy VI)
Ah, yes. For many, Kefka is the most powerful villain in the entire franchise. That’s a hotly debated topic we don’t want to dive into right now, but he’s a contender for sure.
Whatever your feelings on that one, there’s no doubt that he’s a formidable opponent. His final form looks incredible intimidating, for one thing, and he kicks off the match by casting Heartless Angel to devastate the party’s HP. Throw in the fact that he starts to counter your attacks with Ultima as you deplete his HP, and let’s just say you’re in for a rough ride.
1 WORST: Emperor (Final Fantasy II)
Younger or more casual fans may never have tangled with the last boss of Final Fantasy II. This is the second time you take on the diabolical Emperor, and he is absolutely not kidding around now.
Why is he one of the worst? Not because it’s a bad battle, like some others on this list.  Simply because he’s the worst. Very high damage output combined with an HP siphoning effect makes for a very bad time for everyone concerned.