History Main / FinalBossPreview

* ''VideoGame/MetalGHear'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' episode "The Gauntlet", the Turtles (who have grown too confident in their fighting skills) encounter the Shredder for the first time and he utterly curbstomps them. It's only through the Shredder being distracted by the mutation of his two henchmen that they escape.

* ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'' has the White Queen appear in ''every single book''. The reason she doesn't simply kill Kyousuke is because she's [[{{Yandere}} madly in love with him]], and lets him live so she can continue having her fun.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' has this very early, [[spoiler:just when you were about to enter the Raccoon City Police Station. The Nemesis makes a BigEntrance and you can choose to either fight him or run inside. If you choose to flee, he later comes through the window, carrying a rocket launcher — and you are both in a ''very'' narrow hallway. If you choose to fight, you better have a .357… but this only means he will later reappear without the rocket launcher. And if you beat him inside the station, that ''still'' doesn't mean he's dead. After all, he is the FinalBoss]].

* The very first boss in ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' is the BigBad. Naturally, he knocks you out in one hit. If not for CutscenePowerToTheMax, it'd be a very short game.

* ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy]]'' has a ''[[TrueFinalBoss True Final Boss]] Preview''. If you say "I am a master." to the tutorial moogle, he throws you and the Level 1 [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] you've been taking the tutorial with into a fight against a level 130 [[spoiler:Feral Chaos]] equipped with the same equipment and abilities as is ultimately fought in the post-game. [[SarcasmMode Have fun.]]

** The first ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' plays with this a little. You get your first look at [[spoiler:Kessler]] after one of the early missions. You don't fight him or anything, though; he just proceeds to show you a vision of the future.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', the very first Dragon you see in the game is Alduin himself interrupting your execution with his own attempt to kill you.
** Not to mention [[spoiler:that you have to fight him alongside Paarthurnax on top of Throat of the World after learning Dragonrend, only to have him get bored and leave before you can do any real damage]].

* In an interesting case in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Revolver Ocelot is the very first boss, and the very last boss [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots three games later]] as Liquid Ocelot. What's interesting is that the final fight with him is more reminiscent of the final boss from the first game, Liquid Snake. You also fight Ocelot as the first boss [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater 40 years earlier]] in a fight very similar to the first one.
** Speaking of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', Naked Snake's mentor (appropriately named The Boss), easily breaks just about every bone in his body and tosses him off a bridge after she defects to the Soviet Union in the prologue. He squares off against her several more times in cutscenes over the course of the game, and noticeably improves on each occasion until the stage is finally set for their last confrontation at the denouement.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{EXceed}} eXceed 3rd]]'': If you're doing well enough, the BonusBoss, Remedy, will pop up in the middle of Stage 4 to challenge you. To unlock the Extra stage and fight her for real, you have to "impress" her during this fight, which means completing it ''perfectly'': no deaths and no bombs.

* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', Ed's encounter with [[TheDragon Envy]] and Lust in Laboratory 04 count, [[spoiler:as Envy is the last person in the anime Ed fights since Dante is the non-fighting type]].

* Played straight in the0 start of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', when the villians are shown in conversation. As is normal, the heroes are shown to be eavesdropping, and promptly get beaten to within an inch of their lives.
** There's also an odd one with this game and its [[VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge sequel]]. The Doom Dragon you face in the final battle atop Mars Lighthouse… turns out to be [[spoiler:the parents of the main characters who went missing at the start of the first game]]!

** In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]], Ed's encounter with [[TheDragon Envy]] and Lust in Laboratory 04 count, [[spoiler:as Envy is the last person in the anime Ed fights since Dante is the non-fighting type]].

*** In the Blue Lion and Golden Deer routes, you face the [[TheHeavy Flame Emperor]] [[spoiler: ''six times'']]. The last time you face them before the climax, they are ThatOneBoss: they're a MightyGlacier so they are strong and resistant. However, unlike the ''other mighty glaciers'', they're also pretty fast. The worst part ? You ''must'' defeat them to win the battle and it's really hard to do so without losing any units.
*** On the Black Eagles route the first fight with the Flame Emperor happens later because [[spoiler: depending on wich path you take she's either TheHero(ine) or TheHeavy]]. If [[spoiler: you become Edelgard's enemy]] the two first time you face them before the TimeSkip they're already powerful. However things become worst ''after'' the TimeSkip because it starts Byleth having a CutsceneBoss battle with TheEmperor. They don't loose but they don't win either. It ends with a draw, because now the villain is just as strong is Byleth.

*** The BigBad of the Black Eagles route, [[spoiler: Rhea/Seiros]] shows up for the first time [[spoiler: ''during an optional paralogue you can perfectly miss]] ! '' They're already a powerful foe but fortunately they're on ''your'' side and will easily defeat any Mooks coming near them. You then face them as the DiscOneFinalBoss and they prove themselves very challenging. However it's still possible to defeat them. In fact, that's the thing to do to clear the map... except that after you beat them they reveal their OneWingedAngel form and defat Byleth, leading to the TimeSkip...oops.
*** The BigBad of the overall game [[spoiler: Thales]] shows up after the DiscOneFinalDungeon is cleared and casually gives a CurbStompBattle to Byleth nearly killing them. To top it all it happens in a ''cutscene'' '''and''' this is the event that leads to the TimeSkip in all routes but the Black Eagles one (as explained above). Why is this the event that kickstarts the TimeSkip ? [[spoiler: Well, because Thales nearly kills Byleth, leading to them being unconscious for '''five years''' of course]] !

** In ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', you face [[BlackKnight Mecha-Knight]] 2/3 through the game. He's defeated bu survives and returns in the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon for a rematch. He's the last foe before the BigBad.

** In ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', you face [[TheHeavy King Dedede]] halfway through the game. The second fight with him is in the lair of the Beast Pack, [[spoiler:as [[OneWingedAngel Masked Dedede]]]], right before the final level proper.

** In ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', you face [[BlackKnight Meca-Knight]] 2/3 through the game. He's defeated bu survives and returns in the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon for a rematch. He's the last foe before the BigBad.

** In VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand, you face [[TheHeavy King DeDeDe]] halfway through the game. The second fight with him is in the lair of the Beast Pack, [[spoiler:as [[OneWingedAngel Masked DeDeDe]]]].

* In the first book of the ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series, Lone Wolf may end up in the Graveyard of the Ancients. If he is foolish enough to open up a mysterious sarcophagus, he will encounter an [[UltimateEvil "ancient and timeless evil, far older and stronger than the Darklords themselves"]] that uses the corpse within to ensnare the fledgling Kai. The UpdatedRerelease reveals that this timeless evil [[spoiler:is [[GodOfEvil Naar the King of the Darkness]]. Naar does not take a direct role in the series again until the Grand Master books.]]

* Happens twice in ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy 4'', first against Holy Godcat at [[spoiler:the end of Crystal Cavern]] and second against Dark Godcat in [[spoiler:the lava cave in Lankyroot Jungle]]. Both times you are forced to try your best and survive as she slaughters your party member until she gets bored and leaves. Good news is that she will only attack one party member at a time and leaves after 2 - 3 turns, spawning 2 lesser mooks that you can actually beat.

* The first boss battle against Takeda/Tiny in the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}'' initially features BigBad Takahisa/Guido as part of the enemy party. Kei/Nate attempts to attack him, only to miss. Takahisa counters with a Mabufu spell before retreating. Of course, [[spoiler:he isn't the final boss…]]

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', this happened every first time the Digidestined encountered the BigBad of the arc: When they first encounter Devimon, he scatters them across the broken pieces of File Island, [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether forcing them to seek each other out]]. Etemon is their first encounter with an Ultimate level villain (one who has the ability to nullify their digivolutions). Myotismon first attacked them in a field and showed that he was leagues beyond Etemon. The Dark Masters took this UpToEleven when they all ganged up on the children and toyed with them as they attempted to fight back, with Piedmon even easily taking out [=WarGreymon=] and [=MetalGarurumon=] in an instant.

** ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'' has a particularly ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown nasty]]'' case of this happen after the 10th ranked fight with Mr. Blackhole. FU appears personally at the motel and Travis starts fighting him, until Shinobu leaps in and tries to [[spoiler:cut him in half]], to no avail. FU proceeds to [[spoiler:rip ''both of her arms off'' and]] subdue her. Then [[spoiler:Bad Man]] arrives to whack FU a few times in retaliation, but gets easily manhandled and killed by him, [[AvengingTheVillain just to even out Mr. Blackhole's death]]. Angry at this, Travis tries to summon his Full Armor, until he realizes that he already had been cut on his stomach by FU and passes out.

** In ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', you Meca-Knight 2/3 through the game. He's defeated bu survives and returns in the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon for a rematch. He's the last foe before the BigBad.
** In ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', you face [[AnIcePerson Francisca]], [[HotBlooded Flamberge]] and [[TheDragon Zan Partizanne]] during world 3 and Zan almost kills Kirby by blowing up her base. Once they're defeated, they return in the last world and Zan acts as the PreFinalBoss before her master [BigBad[ Hyness]][[spoiler: and her god [[GreaterScopeVillain Void Termina]]]]

* Played straight in the start of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', when the villians are shown in conversation. As is normal, the heroes are shown to be eavesdropping, and promptly get beaten to within an inch of their lives.

* ''Webcomic/TheChosenFour'' adds one to the battle against the Mani Mani Statue in Moonside. Whereas in the [[VideoGame/{{Earthbound}} video game]] it was mostly just a conventional boss fight, here [[spoiler:Giygas is controlling the statue directly, and as Ness and Jeff damage it, he loses what remaining sanity he has left until he becomes the EldritchAbomination that appears at the end of the game. It's only thanks to the intervention of manifestations of [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings Ninten and his friends]] that Ness and Jeff manage to survive.]]

The point of this is to give the plot a shift to high gear by giving the protagonist a taste of battles to come and something to fight for, as well as building up the villain as a serious threat. In VideoGames this often coincides with CutsceneIncompetence, {{Railroading}}, HopelessBossFight, and HeadsIWinTailsYouLose, making victory impossible. The exception being in a NewGamePlus where you can beat the villain, but they [[TheBattleDidntCount teleport away before the final blow]]. (Or maybe you ''do'' get to beat them and send the plot careening OffTheRails, probably leading to a GainaxEnding.)