As a JRPG, Final Fantasy takes great inspiration from the fantasy genre. This influence can be seen in both the world and the characters that appear in a game, but the enemies in each entry are great examples of how the fantasy genre often gets implemented.
The Final Fantasy series is home to some of the most challenging bosses in video game history. What makes these bosses so tough usually comes down to how powerful they are, but not all of them follow the game's rules. Some don't play fair, and while this can often result in frustration, it's hard not to appreciate how refreshing these bosses can feel when compared to an entry's other, more predictable foes.
5 The Undying - Final Fantasy 12
Upon battling through the main story of Final Fantasy 12 and eventually reaching the Sky Fortress Bahamut, Vaan and his companions will need to survive three boss battles if they hope to stop Vayne. The first two battles pit him up against Gabranth and then Vayne, but the third and final battle is arguably the hardest. During this battle, Venat transforms Vayne into a monstrous entity, and in doing so, grants him some baffling powers. Defeating this deformed version of Vayne is quite difficult due to his new moves and the restrictions the battle places on the player.
Unlike other boss battles in Final Fantasy 12, the battle against the final boss, The Undying, doesn't allow players to see the enemy's health. Much of what makes Final Fantasy 12 so enjoyable is how it encourages players to strategize mid-battle, but doing so against The Undying is quite difficult since his health is hidden.
4 Famed Mimic Gogo - Final Fantasy 5
Upon entering the Walse Tower and descending into its abyss, Bartz and his companions will face the Famed Mimic Gogo, one of the most fascinating bosses in all of Final Fantasy. Before the battle begins, Gogo will reveal to the party that he plans to counteract whatever attacks they make with similar attacks of his own. This sounds like a fair exchange at first, but players will quickly realize how unfair it is when they see just how powerful Gogo actually is.
If hit with a physical attack, Gogo will retaliate with a staggeringly powerful physical attack; if struck with magic, Gogo will respond by casting an extremely powerful spell. Being aggressive during this battle will result in Gogo becoming the most challenging boss in the game, but if the player refuses to attack, Gogo will have nothing to copy. This battle can easily be won by simply doing nothing; otherwise, surviving Gogo's onslaught can be incredibly hard due to his high Strength and Magic.
3 Dark Yojimbo - Final Fantasy 10
Upon defeating Yunalesca in the Zanarkand Ruins, Tidus and his companions will gain access to the airship. While on board, they can all travel to previously visited locations, some of which feature new challenges for them to conquer. The death of Yunalesca unleashed a new threat unto Spira in the form of Dark Aeons, ridiculously powerful beings who can devastate entire parties in one fell swoop. To even consider facing these formidable foes, players will need to travel a great deal on the Sphere Grid, while increasing each character's base stats as much as possible.
While each Dark Aeon offers a unique challenge, Dark Yojimbo is arguably the most unforgiving. Depending on the party's equipment, much of Dark Yojimbo's attacks are quite easy to negate, but his Zanmato overdrive isn't. No matter how well-prepared the party is, Zanmato will always deal 99,999 points of damage. To make matters worse, it removes the Auto-Life ability if anyone in the party has it applied. The only way to survive this move is to either defeat Dark Yojimbo before he unleashes it or by summoning an Aeon to take the hit instead.
2 Bahamut - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
While it's possible to obtain some incredibly useful summons by playing through the main story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, some of the best can only be acquired by facing them in Chadley's virtual reality missions. Most of these battles function like simple boss battles, but the fight against Bahamut in the Shinra Combat Simulator features a pretty surprising twist.
This version of Bahamut is arguably one of the strongest foes Cloud will face in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, mostly because of its summoning abilities. Once enough of Bahamut's health has been depleted, it will summon forth Ifrit, a fellow god-like entity who can also be quite hard to defeat. Just when players think the battle is about to end, it suddenly becomes a battle against two ridiculously strong bosses. While it's not uncommon to see certain Final Fantasy bosses calling for help, it's rare to see a summon calling forth another summon.
1 Sephiroth - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
Fans who played Final Fantasy 7 likely knew Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion would showcase Sephiroth's transition from good to evil, but they might have been surprised when they were forced into a boss battle against the famed One-Winged Angel during Zack's trip to Nibelheim.
The first battle against Sephiroth is pretty straightforward, but things get a bit more complicated during the second battle, wherein Zack must defeat him before being pushed off the edge of the platform he is standing on. During this minigame-like fight, players need to defeat Sephiroth as quickly as possible, because if Sephiroth pushes Zack to the platform's edge, the battle will be lost. Seeing that Sephiroth is one of the most infamous bosses in all of Final Fantasy, it makes sense for him not to play fair.