Summary
Thebest JRPGs aroundare known for featuring optional content that’s a joy to uncover, especially if this secret content includes boss fights that house great rewards and tantalizing power. Players will love fishing out these challenges and optimizing their party to ensure that these enemies can be taken out with a sound strategy. However, while JRPG fans love bosses who are as challenging as they come, there’s a limit that, when crossed, can turn a tense encounter into a frustrating one.
After all, the whole reason why the superboss moniker exists is that these enemies are harder than the final boss. Fans can breathe easy knowing that fighting these bosses is optional, but players who want to master their favorite JRPGs will bash their heads against the wall time and time again when facing the following bosses.
1Demi-Fiend (Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga)
Arguably The Hardest Secret Boss In JRPG History
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Sagais one of the most overlooked JRPGs on the PS2. The game takes place in a digital simulatorfollowing a techno-apocalypse, making for a riveting setting that’s dark without being oppressively so. Seeing the inter-faction conflict develop in the Junkyard as the Embyron use their newfound powers to destroy the other tribes is a captivating premise, with the combat being tactical and challenging without being too overbearing.
However, players who want to take out the toughest foe in this game will be tearing their hair out in no time after a few encounters with the Demi-Fiend. The protagonist from Nocturne is no pushover and forces players to utilize every technique in their arsenal to maximize the damage they can inflict in each turn. However, even after pulling off an immaculate strategy, the Demi-Fiend humbles the player in no time and forces them to go back to the drawing board over and over again before they finally attain the means to defeat this foe.
Final Fantasy 10’s Sphere Grid is easy to understand, but this leveling system hides a ton of complexity that most fans won’t explore if they never stray far from the beaten path. However, while players may get overpowered if they attain all the Ultimate Weapons, upgrade them, and explore the Omega Ruins, they’ll sing a different tune once they tackle the Dark Aeons. Each dark version of the recognizable Aeons hits like a truck and requires high-level party members to take out these imposing foes.
After defeating all these Dark Aeons, players can take on the ultimate challenge ofFinal Fantasy 10. The fact that many people consider this superboss to be the toughest foeacross the entire seriesspeaks volumes when it comes to the challenge posed by this boss. Penance requires max-level party members and a near-perfect strategy to attain victory, with players having to divide their attention between the arms and the main body at regular intervals to ensure that players aren’t annihilated with a fight-ending Judgement Day.
An argument can be made that Galdera isn’t exactly optional in the firstOctopath Travelergame, even if players have to complete some obscure side quests to unlock the path to the game’s final boss. Meanwhile,Octopath Traveler 2addressed fan complaints by including Vide as the final boss of the main story, posing a significant challenge that can be dealt with as long as players are diligent about controlling both parties in battle. However, Galdera is also present as a superboss in the game, and this version of the boss is way tougher than fans could expect.
Since there are numerousways to game the system inOctopath Traveler 2and dish out a ton of damage in no time, Galdera’s boss fight was constructed in such a manner that players had to either optimize their party to kingdom come or engage in a boss fight that could last for hours and tear them up in no time. Given how easy the rest of the game is, Galdera’s fight is such a whiplash in terms of the difficulty curve that players will either have to grind for ages or give up.
ThePersonagames aren’t known for boasting a major challenge, making them way more approachable than the mainlineShin Megami Tenseigames. However, Atlus knows that its fans deserve to face off against a worthy opponent if they want, which is where the many superbosses in this series come into the picture. Perhaps the most infamous one of the lot is Lavenza,an optional boss added inPersona 5 Royalthat will make players cry, beg, and plead after failing against her might time and time again.
The All-Out Attack she unleashes on players looks beautiful the first time around, only to leave players traumatized as they encounter this frustrating demise time and time again. A perfect party setup is downright necessary to beat Lavenza since a single slip-up will lead to the player’s demise in no time.
In a time when JRPGs were expected to take players on adventures that could potentially last for hundreds of hours,Parasite Evedelivered a concise and breathtaking adventure with a modern setting where players controlled a single character in a hybrid combat system. It was a breath of fresh air, with the game containing numerous instances of body horror and a riveting story fuelled by science to keep players engaged. Players who know what they’re doing canfinish the story in just around ten hours, which unlocks EX Game Mode.
This mode unlocks the Chrysler Building, a bonus dungeon where players climb 77 floors and battle a host of challenging enemies along the way. The ascent is far from easy, but players who feel like they can best anything that comes their way will sing a different tune when they come face-to-face with Truebred Eve. Formed from the cells of Aya’s sister, this optional boss is easily the toughest foe in the entire game. Haste is a downright necessity if players don’t want to be one-shot by its powerful attacks, and a healthy stock of restoratives will ensure that Aya emerges victorious by the skin of her teeth.
