Top Five Video Game Boss Battle Themes

Over the years that video games have been released, some incredibly moving, epic and memorable pieces of music have come out of the industry. In particular, climactic boss battles have dominated our audio sense with some truly outstanding pieces of work. During my time playing video games, I’ve purchased several entire soundtracks, and have come here to share what I consider to be some of the greatest boss battle themes I have ever heard in video games.

Keep in mind that this is just my personal choice. If you think I’m missing something even more magnificent, then please let me know in the comments. I am always trying to expand my collection of video game music, and who knows… You might even introduce me to a new game I wind up loving! Before I get started though, please nobody mention One Winged Angel, I intentionally left that out because I’ve never actually played FF7.

5. The Doppelganger (Devil May Cry 3)

Not only was the Doppelganger my favourite boss battle in Devil May Cry 3, it also had my favourite track from the entire game. While the music for the final battle against Vergil was incredibly moving and perfect for the epic conclusion to the game, the Doppelganger battle music so perfectly suited the daemonic enemy Dante faced during his final ascent of Temen-Ni-Gru. Fast paced, terrifyingly dark and with a mix of industrial and orchestral, the Doppelganger battle music was simultaneously haunting and adrenaline pumping. Given the nature of the foe you’re facing, the theme is perfect and makes it into my list at number 5.

4. Philistine (No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle)

There’s not a lot to say about this music. In a game that’s made almost entirely out of boss battles, there was a lot to choose from. But Philistine stands out as one of the catchiest tunes I have ever heard in a video game. Despite playing this game only once, very briefly at a friend’s house, this song was stuck in my head for months afterwards until I finally got my hands on it to put on my MP3 player.

3. Disappeared (Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix)

I prefer this version of the song over the version found in Kingdom Hearts 2. It was for a long time my favourite battle music from the series. For those who don’t know (since the Final Mix version was Japan only), Disappeared plays during the fight against the “Enigmatic Man” (though you discover who he is in KH2), a cloaked figure who serves as an optional boss battle. An optional boss battle that is flat out ruthless. The music goes so well with the fight, Sora struggling to overcome a frighteningly powerful foe you know nothing about. He simply shows up (literally out of nowhere), says some disturbing phrases to unnerve Sora and then – when you think you’ve beaten him – he just waves off the injury you gave him and vanishes into thin air. He is terrifyingly fast, hits like a train and has some unforgiving special moves. And the music is creepy and powerful enough to go with him.