I haven't made a big ol' list in a good while, so I figured that now was the time to do one. I was inspired to create it when I heard one of the most awesome boss themes on youtube yesterday and I was like "man, games today don't even have boss music like this anymore". I spent lots of time going through my cache of games and reading about games on wikipedia so I could remember as many games as I could. I came up with a list of 70 boss themes from the ages, classic to this gen.

I decided that each game may only have 1 song. This is because RPGs often have more than one boss theme.

In ordering, I started with my top 10 and said to myself "If I wanted to make a top 10, which of these could never be out of the top 10?" and kept going down by 10s until the list was completed.

This was a difficult list to create because of the fact that just because a game was good, didn't necessarily mean it would have one of my favorite boss themes. All the songs on this list are based on nothing but how I'm feeling right now in this moment in time. It's not an indictment of the game's quality. Some fan favorites may be way down the line because I just don't care about that song. Don't have a fit because your favorite was too low.

Additionally, this is a list of ONLY the games I have played in my lifetime. If, say for instance, Chrono Trigger didn't appear on this list at all, I wouldn't want someone like Lantis b*tching at me for not mentioning his sacred cow. It would mean that I hadn't played it OR I thought it sucked.

That said, in the next post, I will start the countdown of 70 pieces of music.

I will likely do 10 a day until it's done.

#70
Super Princess Peach - Bowser 2 ->

Just barely making the list is Super Princess Peach's Bowser theme. It's nice to listen to.

#69
Ape Escape - Galaxy Monkey ->

The climatic showdown with your intelligent monkey adversary has a kind of reprise of the main AE theme that rubs me the right way.

#68
Mega Man X4 - Boss ->

Mega Man makes his first appearance on this list, but not last. I like a lot of Mega Man music, but the boss themes aren't exactly my cup of tea. I LOVE stage themes. But, since this is ONLY boss themes, it goes here.

#67
Kirby's Super Star - vs. Meta Knight ->

It's a pretty low tune, but it conveys all the stakes perfectly. And forces you to use a sword.

#66
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose - Duck Vader ->

The final boss theme from the SNES classic is pretty good. I love the sinister "we're tiny, we're toony" part in it.

#65
Mega Man X3 - Boss ->

Mega Man makes another appearance this quick? What can I say? I love Mega Man games, but the boss themes are alright.

#64
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos - Boss ->

The beat goes crazy nice on this one. I'm all ready to beat some devil ass when this comes on.

#63
Mega Man IV - Boss ->

Mega Man 4 has one of the catchiest boss themes in the series. I chalk it up to that da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da bassline.

#62
Sonic Rush - Wrapped in Black (Final Boss) ->

Sonic makes his first, but not last, appearance on the list. While the majority of new Sonic games suck ass, most of the time you can at least enjoy the music. The final boss theme of this game is quite good, since it's not trying to pretend it's a classic throwback to anything.

#61
Mega Man 2 - Boss ->

Mega Man makes yet another appearance! I like this boss theme. I hope I haven't made anyone throw a fit of anger yet.

#60
Legend of Legaia - Disciples of the Mist ->

It's time to defeat a Mist Guardian. Are you a bad enough dude? With this song, you may be.

#59
Kingdom Hearts - Shrouding Dark Cloud ->

Fighting Heartless has never seemed more important than when a song like this is playing.

#58
Adventure Island II - Boss ->

Master Higgens is willing to commit genocide for his girlfriend. He also gets to hear a theme like this while throwing many axes at things until they die.

#57
The Firemen - Raging Fire (Boss) ->

When you're a fireman facing a huge fire monster that can fly and shoot more fire at you, wouldn't you like a tune to help you put it down? Guys, give this one a few seconds to get JAMMIN'.

#56
Parasite Eve II – Distorted Evolution (Final Boss) ->

SHE’S BAAAAACK! Mortal enemies go at it one more time in one of the hardest boss battles out there! Good thing it had this music that you could listen to over and over and over…

#55
Demon’s Crest – The Infinite Demon (Secret Boss) ->

Once you beat the the game, you must beat the game. The Infinite Demon is the ultimate challenge in Demon’s Crest and the music makes the encounter as epic as it should be.

#54
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Boss ->

The big bad of the stage is here. IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! Then you beat his ass to this track.

#53
Super Bomberman - Boss ->

This song sounds like something I’ve heard before. Well, of course it does. But I mean something different. Anyway, facing off against a boss feels pretty frantic with this one.

#52
Resident Evil 3 - Nemesis ->

In Nemesis, there’s ALWAYS a chance a boss fight could happen. Or a boss avoid. Haha. I don’t think I need to mention how much my heart sank when I heard this theme.

#51
Kirby’s Adventure – vs. Nightmare ->

Kirby’s Adventure is one of the last great NES games. How suiting is it that it also goes out with one of the greatest boss themes of all time?

#50
Sonic the Hedgehog – Final Zone ->

This is it. Once you beat Robotnik this time, he’s kaput once and for all. The theme really tells you “hey, listen, I’m for f*cking real this time, bro” and means it. Epic.

#49
Super Mario World - Bowser ->

Speaking about themes that mean business, Bowser yet again makes sure you know he’s trying to kill you. Very much so. I can still remember the buildup as he came down in his flying clown death machine.

#48
Metal Gear Solid – Duel (.vs Boss) ->

The stakes are high as Solid Snake squares off against a member of the rogue Foxhound unit! Pulsing and driving to let you know to watch your step.

#47
Super Mario 64 – Ultimate Bowser (Final Boss) ->

Very spooky song, y’all! The organ is damn amazing and it’s also amazing how menacing it makes Bowser feel this time around! One of my top Mario picks, for sure.

#46
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie – Boss ->

Yes, this song IS boss. It makes me want to don a green suit and start whoopin’ some ass myself!

#45
Plok – Boss ->

SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS. Listen to this thing. It’s horror movie sh*t. I’ve never beaten this game, but maybe this theme was why back in the day. It’s still a crazy scary song and when you combine it with the odd-looking bosses…man.

#44
Left 4 Dead - Tank ->

This theme is also known as the “try again” theme if you’re playing on anything past Normal. How many times has a man’s heart sank upon hearing this ungodly tune?

#43
Streets of Rage – Attack of the Barbarian (Boss) ->

The song’s name explains it all. The boss is coming! But this is a straight-up JAM son. When I was younger, I would just avoid the bosses so I could keep hearing the music. Yuzo Koshiro is the man!

#42
Sunset Riders – Draw Pilgrim! (Hawkeye Hank Hatfield) ->

After using a horse to catch up with a train, you come across the base of operations for Hank Hatfield. He says “Draw” and you better do it or die. Awesome classic theme.

#41
No More Heroes – Pleather for Breakfast (.vs Bad Girl) ->

This insane broad is just one of the many crazy and interesting bosses in No More Heroes. She also has the best theme in the game.

#40
Legend of Dragoon – Boss Battle 1 ->

It’s go time. Legend of Dragoon, like many RPGs has multiple boss themes. This is the one that got me the most pumped to go in and wreck sh*t.

#39
Maximum Carnage - Boss ->

Spiderman and Venom take on the boss with this wicked tune. Since you can climb on the walls and enemies can’t grab you for the most part, check this one out.

#38
Bomberman Hero – Tripod (.vs Nitros) ->

Bomberman’s nemesis Nitros attacks multiple times throughout the game. He also has a theme that makes me happy to do so. I wish more people had played this game. Don’t be a fool: listen to this gem.

#37
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom – Boss ->

The Lufia series has some of the best music in the world. Is it a wonder that the boss theme from Lufia is on my list? If it is, then you need to play more Lufia.

#36
Super Mario Brothers 2 – Wart (Final Boss) ->

It’s time to send Wart to Dreamland! Throw as many veggies down his gullet as you can! Mario depends on your abilities!

#35
Final Fantasy VIII – Force Your Way (Boss) ->

Final Fantasy makes its long-awaited debut on the list! Force Your Way is a great, important-sounding theme to take care of what lies before you.

#34
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Boss ->

You’ve searched throughout the dungeon. You unlock the boss room. The boss appears with this theme in tow. Oh yeah, it’s so on.

#33
Final Fantasy V – The Fierce Battle (Boss) ->

I haven’t beaten this game, but I love getting into boss battle with this theme blaring away.

#32
Contra III: The Alien Wars – Boss ->

Imagine this. A huge metal claw comes through the wall. Then another. Then the walls separate and a huge robot snatcher is staring at you and breathing fire and leaving timebombs in your room when he’s not shooting lasers from his eyes. Yeah, this goes with that.

#31
Final Fantasy IV – Boss Theme ->

Yet another Final Fantasy I haven’t beaten, but the music is timeless. I first heard it in Super Mario RPG. Did anyone else?

#30
Kirby's Dream Land – King Dedede ->

The first time I heard this, I was hooked. After beating all of Dedede's goons, you launch an assault on Mt. Dedede and face the king of all evil: a giant penguin with a hammer. Epic and catchy.

#29
Kingdom Hearts II - Sinister Shadows (1000 Heartless) ->

Sora and the gang have to take out 1000 Heartless to this tune. It's quite the song and I like how different it is for a boss theme. (Fess-up time! From what I've read after I compiled this list, this isn't considered a boss theme because there's no one main boss creature. However, I think that fighting a multitude of small enemies does count as being worthy of a boss battle, so I included it here anyway.)

#28
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – Final Boss ->

I guess Sonic didn't beat Robotnik once and for all last time. Well, this time, he's really gonna give him something to remember. Take your time and don't lose your concentration! Admittedly, sorta hard since your heart is pounding to the beat.

#27
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time – Super Shredder (Final Boss) ->

People don't understand why I was so angry at the Turtles in Time "remake" taking out all the original music. This is why. What replaced this had none of the soul or energy this had.

#26
StarTropics II: Zoda's Revenge – Battle with Zoda (Final Boss) ->

A game that has had way too few fans, for sure. Featuring the original Mike Jones (who?) busting up space alien ass long before it was the "in" thing to do, this is the moment of the ultimate rematch with his nemesis from the first game, Zoda.

#25
Star Fox 64 – Star Wolf Theme ->

You only get to square off against Star Wolf a few times in the game, but their legacy is preserved by their awesome theme. Which you get to destroy them to. Hah.

#24
Brave Fencer Musashi - Skullpion ->

Musashi goes one-on-one with the Crest Guardian, Skullpion, in a small pit while it breaths fire and tries to smoosh him flat. It's a lengthy battle, but the music goes a long way.

#23
Plants vs. Zombies – Brainiac Maniac (Dr. Zomboss' Theme) ->

Often, I don't hear music in games because I'm way too focused on kicking the ass of the boss in front of me. That's why I'm glad I didn't miss this neo-classic (imo) boss theme. I'm a big fan of piano work and it's all over this one. It's a really game-y piece, too. Awesome one that I'm sure some of you missed.

#22
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libery – Yell Dead Cell (Boss) ->

This is the first Metal Gear Solid game I played (practically) and the only Metal Gear Solid game that I've beaten, but not the only one I've played. As soon as I came into contact with the first boss, Fatman, and this started going off when he roller-bladed away to plant bombs, I was completely entranced.

#21
Final Fantasy VII – Still More Fighting (Boss Theme) ->

Final Fantasy VII was an experience to behold, yes. This still holds up as one of my top RPG battle themes. It has all the upbeat highs that you could ask for and just before going back to the main theme, it has a twinge of "am I gonna make it out" before it pumps you back up again. Everyone knows this one.

#20
Resident Evil 2 – The Second Malformation of G (Birkin Battle #2) ->

William Birkin, the unfortunate Umbrella scientist, continues to transform and then confronts you on a confined train platform. Tensions running high, for real.

#19
Sonic & Knuckles - The Doomsday Zone ->

As Super Sonic, you mount a high-speed, high-altitude (and high-attitude) rushdown of Robotnik, who's taken the Master Emerald and ran off in one final, desparate chance to change the tides against Sonic. Ain't hap'nin'.

#18
Final Fantasy IX – Boss ->

I love this one. It's an awesome boss tune. Very serious, very foreboding. Just what a boss theme needs.

#17
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest – Boss Bossanova (Boss) ->

This was a tough choice because Crocodile Cacophony (K. Rool) is in this game. But...I've always fancied this over the equally-good final boss theme. That said, listen for yourself. This has epic pirate battle written all over it.

#16
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars – Battle Against an Armed Boss ->

Another agonizing choice. All of the boss themes in Mario RPG are legendary. I went with Battle Against an Armed Boss because it was playing when fighting against Bowyer and I always look forward to it the most on my playthroughs. The beat really gets you into what you're doing.

#15
Chrono Trigger – Battle with Magus ->

Finally, Lantis can quell his building nerd rage over where Chrono Trigger ("the best game ever made") was gonna end up on the list. Slow build-up into a roaring battle session, this song is the best boss theme in CT. It made weathering Magus dark hax attacks worth it.

#14
Metroid: Other M - Ridley ->

While the game is quite sparse when it comes to its music, the best they saved for series' badboy Ridley. This is easily one of the most epic versions of the theme I've ever heard. Oh yeah, there's a giant space dragon that needs to be killed. Excuse me.

#13
Star Ocean: The Second Story – Dynamite (Boss) ->

From the second I heard this, I was ALL OVER IT. The drums, the beat, the energy, the tension! YES!

#12
The Revenge of Shinobi – Terrible Beat (Boss) ->

Far from its name, this kicks so much ass I can't explain it in words. This is ninjas kicking ass. That's it.

#11
Super Mario Brothers 3 – The Evil King Koopa (Bowser Theme) ->

This one is in my heart forever. Mario 3 was the first Mario game I owned and also the first one I ever beat. After struggling through all 8 worlds (I never knew about warp whistles until later), I made it to the final confrontation with the king of evil. I was in complete awe. It still gives me chills today.

Now that we're hitting the top 10, I'm sure many people will start hating me for my organization of these. But I simply went with instinct.

#10
No More Heroes 2: Desparate Struggle – Philistine (vs. Margaret Moonlight) ->

SPOILERS
The world of NMH is one of assassins who fight in one-on-one battles to the death to become the #1 ranked in the association. They all have distinct personalities and backgrounds that make them very interesting opponents. Margaret Moonlight is one that particularly stands out to me. She has one particular tune that she likes to sing. When her targets hear this theme, it is the end for them. That's right, she actually sings this theme while trying to kill Travis. But he doesn't die. Since killing is her art, she calls him a philistine for failing to die. Then, when Travis beats her, she asks him if he remembered her song. He can later be heard humming her tune.

This is a new one for my top 10. It's very unique and I'm in love with it, even though I didn't notice it on my original playthrough, since Margaret is a b*tch to beat and I was concentrating.

#9
Streets of Rage 2 - Never Return Alive (Boss) ->

This is my f*cking sh*t. I drive down the interstate with this sh*t blaring and thinking about how I could make an awesome Streets of Rage movie. All the music is there! Make a solid, if throwaway, popcorn plot and it could be awesome.

Anyway, this is crazy awesome boss music. The sirens at the beginning let you know there's danger coming. The beat is intense. Everything about this is epic as hell. Oh yeah.

#8
Donkey Kong Country – Gangplank Galleon (vs. K. Rool) ->

Starts off as a simple pirate tune. I wasn't too impressed with it at first. But 30 seconds in, hold on to your face. Great, great music.

Did anyone else die when they played the "Kredits"?

#7
Earthbound – The Battle of Final Destiny (.vs Giygas) ->

A nice NES-styled intro leads into the SNES era. Bigtime. I remember being so nervous about facing Giygas for the first time. And this theme told me that "yes, I've made it and this is it" very loudly. The only problem I have is that the first fight is so short.

#6
Super Metroid – Final Boss ->

The best way to describe this tune is "oh sh*t" via instruments. It's a very short theme, but it does its job incredibly well at staking up the stakes. As the giant Mother Brain stretches out her limbs to face you, who is around 1/16 MB's size, it really does send a chill down your spine. War drums and trumpets are the center of attention here.

#5
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Final Boss ->

It's all come down to this. Sonic with 0 Rings. Robotnik in a giant Robotnik suit. The Sonic Team of old knew that if this adventure was going to end up in space that it better damn-well have an epic finale piece to go along with it. This theme screams to me that Sonic is f*cked and he's going to have to do everything he can to win. I think that the 0 Rings make everything feel that much more serious and ominous.

#4
Final Fantasy VI - The Decisive Battle (Boss) ->

I've played this game about 4 times and haven't beaten it once. Every time I try, something happens and I lose my damn save. I know the game by heart up until the latter half of the World of Ruin. My poor saves.

Anyway, to this song, I suplexed a train. Re-read that last sentence. This is part of a soundtrack that's Uematsu's masterpiece. No other FF game captures the pure essence of boss battle like this one does. It makes every boss battle seem like the most important fight on Earth.

#3
Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals – Battle Theme #3 (Sinistral Boss) ->

Legendary theme. I had such a difficult time choosing between Battle Theme #2 (Boss) and this one. They change positions in my head regularly. But since this one is used much less and used for the biggest and most epic of the boss battles, I went with it.

Where can I begin with this music? The whole piece is just ear sex. The buildup with the drums, the main melody that comes in after that's so full of tension and dread at the seriousness of the situation you're in, the bridge that sounds like the heroes making efforts, the final part that sounds like you have a little hope, the cymbol clashes throughout that sound like thunderbolts. Did I mention I liked this song?

#2
Mega Man 9 – Wily Machine (Final Boss) ->

This is the most awesome Mega Man final boss music EVER. Sure, Mega Man's faced off against Wily 8 other times in the past, but that was practice for this moment. From the get-go, it's red alert, red alert, small buildup and then 100% pure epic all over my face. A 3-part Wily fight helps make this a really memorable fight.

#1
Contra 4 – Tunnel Boss ->

My #1 pick is from Contra 4. Really, any of the Top 10 could have been my top choice on different days of the week, but they aren't. Why do I like this so much? Because I'm an bare-chested, sweaty, machine gun-toting warrior fighting any time of huge nightmare creature and I'm not breaking a sweat. The strong "HEY YOU'RE FIGHTING A BOSS AND YOU MIGHT NOT MAKE IT" mixed with that melody change-up of "you have a bit of hope!" (I seem to love that in my boss music, it seems) combine to form and Axis of Awesome. PURE BOSS MUSIC.

Note: I was originally thinking about putting down the original, then I remembered that Contra 4 had this theme and then I struggled with OG and NewG.

Here's the OG Contra's theme:

So that's my Top 70 Favorite Boss Themes of All Time. I'm sure I've missed some boss themes that you guys know and love, but don't get all emo about it. Hell, I missed boss themes from games I'VE played in the past. Plus the organization of them is pretty arbitrary. If you asked me a year from now, even a month from now, they would change. I love videogame music and just made this topic so I could share some of something I love with you guys.

Now that it's over, give me your feedback on the list!

Mysterious!

I approve what was said in the third post.

Whereas I couldn't disagree more. It was needlessly incendiary.

There's no mystery anymore. The topic has revealed itself.

*Complains in the manner of a female dog at Ix for not mentioning my sacred cow!*

Ah I never got to the last boss in that Tiny Toons game (And I did try a lot! Couldn't get pass by the money bags cannon)

I'm only familiar with 3 of the bottom 10 (or care about, for that matter)

Anyway, I like adding some VG's themes to my collection, I guess I could find a couple I like here.

Today's 10 are added. The first counted for last night.

@Nex: The money cannon is a pain in the ass. You had to keep on keeping on.

Hopefully, everyone will give these songs a quick listen. Expand your horizons some, my negroes.

A nice idea, although the high number and limiting it only to boss battles is unusual. I can't even think of 70 boss battle themes at all right off, much less weeding out those I didn't like and just choosing the 70 best.

However, 70 Youtube vids on one page is a really, really bad idea. I doubt I even click on this after the first couple days for fear of load time annihilation.

You do realize they don't load unless you click play first. And unless you are on 56k, this shouldn't be an issue even if they did.

Nah, not 56k, just a slow cable connection on an old PC. I notice a slight slowdown already, so I'm sure things will only get worse as the topic expands.

Dang. Choosing a favorite from Final Fantasy IV must've been pretty difficult.