Top 10 Video Game Boss Fights with the Best Music
With these bosses, the music is just as good as the fight. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the boss battles that just so happen to have theme songs that are absolute bangers! Be on the lookout for spoilers ahead!
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00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the boss battles that just
00:11 so happen to have theme songs that are absolute bangers. Be on the lookout for spoilers ahead.
00:26 Number 10 - Giganto - Sonic Frontiers
00:34 Whatever you think of the fluctuating state of modern Sonic the Hedgehog games, there's
00:38 always been a thread that's remained true throughout the Blue Blur's tenure. His soundtracks
00:42 always slap. And nowhere is this better proven than in Frontiers. Despite the rest of the
00:54 OST largely being zen in its execution, the boss battles go hard. Like, insanely so. The
01:00 best example comes from the first boss, a giant sentient robot, complete with a theme
01:05 song featuring Kellen Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens fame. We didn't know we needed Super
01:14 Sonic beating the tar out of a mecha while screaming vocals blasted in the background,
01:19 but Undefeatable proved that we did.
01:27 Number 9 - The Mantis Lords - Hollow Knight
01:35 Christopher Larkin is a mad lad of a composer, as every track to come out of this metroidvania
01:41 is exceptional. Though to our ears, one of the earliest boss confrontations goes the
01:45 hardest. The Mantis Lords are fast and frenzied in their approach to combat, something that
01:55 is effortlessly reflected in their theme, courtesy of one hell of a musical motif. The
02:00 way the harpsichord is used to dictate the pace of the battle while simultaneously amplifying
02:04 the pressure is a masterstroke. Unless you're able to match both the lords and the song's
02:09 chorus, then you're in for a mighty rough time.
02:15 Number 8 - Asriel Dreamer - Undertale
02:25 Sans and Megalomania were, without a doubt, a viral phenomenon, and rightly so. That being
02:30 said, when it comes to Toby Fox's crowning composition, it undoubtedly goes to the final
02:35 bout against Asriel come the end of the pacifist route. Not only is the battle filled to the
02:45 brim with Undertale's signature charm and out of the box animation, but the accompanying
02:49 song - Hopes and Dreams - is the butterscotch cinnamon flavoured cherry on top. If Determination
02:55 had a musical score, this would be it.
03:03 And that's without gushing about how intrinsically it ties to the game as a whole, since it carries
03:08 various flares and motifs from the game's previous songs. It's a tune that truly makes
03:12 you believe you can best an omnipotent god goat.
03:21 Number 7 - The Red Judge - Metal Health Singer
03:31 You even need to make a case for this. It's Serge Tankian. You know, beloved vocalist
03:36 of System of a Down, heavy metal icon, Serge Tankian. Well, in case you didn't know, he
03:41 sang the theme for the final boss in a shoot 'em up rhythm game already filled to the
03:45 brim with equally talented members of the industry. Naturally, the result was magnificent.
03:57 The only downside is that the song itself is so much of a headbanger that you may end
04:02 up forgetting to shoot the hellish abomination in front of you. If nothing else, No Tomorrow
04:06 deserves a spot in your music library for that fact alone.
04:17 Number 6 - Ludwig - The Accursed - Ludwig - The Holy Blade - Bloodborne
04:28 From Software's creativity and diligence when it comes to their boss fights is the
04:32 furthest thing from limited. Not only do they always nail the visual presentation of the
04:37 horror the players must overcome, but they always, always come paired with an incredible
04:42 soundtrack and Ludwig might just be the pinnacle in both categories.
04:54 Much like the battle itself, the song comes in two phases. The Accursed is an ode to dread
04:58 itself, an overpowering barrage of classical and gothic flourishes to whisk you away to
05:03 your doom, and then it shifts into the Holy Blade. The triumphant return of a warrior
05:16 lost whose reclaiming of both their weapon and their soul comes complete with a thundering
05:20 anthem that is all too easy to be swept up in.
05:29 Number 5 - Avion - Shadow of the Colossus You'd be hard pressed to find any of the
05:43 colossi lacking when it comes to sweeping, haunting theme songs, but there's something
05:48 about the fifth Colossus that just hits different. Echoing the sensation of clinging to the ancient
05:53 beast as it soars through the air, a despair-filled farewell is a booming, powerful track that
05:59 invokes wonder, fear and exhilaration. It perfectly captures the rush of wonder traversing
06:13 Avion's wingspan, in the fleeting hope of slaying it before it sends him crashing down
06:18 to earth. It's one of the most gratifying examples of video game music and mechanics
06:23 perfectly meshing together.
06:31 Number 4 - Dante - Devil May Cry 5 The final battle against Vergil was the DMC
06:42 franchise reclaiming its crown in the realm of action games. That being said, the alternative
06:47 showdown against Dante during Vergil's campaign might be a cut above the rest. Why?
06:52 Well aside from the fact you get to play as Mr Motivation himself, we get to listen to
06:57 Bury the Light. A song that has no right to be this many shades of epic. Just when you
07:10 thought Casey Edwards had finished cooking, he gifts us with a track that goes far beyond
07:15 smoking sexy and stylish.
07:27 Number 3 - Infernal Icon and Infernal Shadow - Final Fantasy XVI
07:39 It's Soken. What did you expect? The man has been releasing hit after hit for years
07:44 now. Though we'd argue his collection of tracks chronicling Clive's tale of revenge
07:48 might just be his magnum opus. Final Fantasy XVI plays host to a multitude of incredible
07:54 set pieces, often accompanied by stellar tracks. But none quite match Clive battling against
07:59 his inner demons, in the most literal sense. The moment he accepts the truth, activates
08:12 his limit break and throws himself into the fray, we're treated to the unfiltered magnificence
08:18 that is Find the Flame. Just try watching a Kaiju battle between two Ifrits with this
08:30 blasting in the background and not be rendered speechless.
08:54 Practically every boss encountered in Raiden's hack and slash saga comes equipped with an
08:59 outrageously awesome theme song. But there's one that stands above them all in both stature
09:04 and sound. It has to be this way lyrically, tackles some pretty heavy stuff in regards
09:09 to Armstrong's ideology, about why he's got to burn down the modern world and start
09:13 over.
09:23 Not that you'll be able to pay too much attention on that front, since the instrumentals
09:27 are so entrancing and the battle itself so hectic, that the result is a smorgasbord of
09:32 rock that will have you headbanging right up until you rip out the senator's heart.
09:36 It certainly puts the metal in metal gear.
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10:11 What's better than a boss battle with a charismatic, menacing, luciferian figure who sings his
10:17 own theme song?
10:18 Raphael was already on track to be one of the most brilliantly written video game villains
10:23 in recent memory, but then he went and displayed his vocal range by busting out a tune that
10:27 would put classic Disney to shame.
10:36 Fittingly titled "Raphael's Final Act", the song boasts a sinister ambiance courtesy
10:41 of its orchestral background, right before the devil himself interjects with his solo.
10:46 It's so unexpected, yet so devilishly on brand for the character, we can't help but
10:51 adore it.
10:59 Which video game boss do you think has the greatest song to their name? Let us know in
11:03 the comments.
11:16 [music]