History Main / HeWasRightThereAllAlong

** Slime Eyes, boss of the Key Cavern, is hidden and drops {{Mooks}} from the ceiling until you dash into a wall and dislodge him, causing him to drop into sight. If you don't pick up on the hint to use the Pegasus Boots and ram the walls, he'll eventually drop down of his own volition.

** Unlike the other major bosses, Waterblight Ganon has a designated chamber for his boss battle that can be entered from the get-go as soon as you enter the dungeon. However, he will only appear after you activate the five terminals and return to the podium in the boss room, wherein he reveals that he was possessing the podium all along. It's quite a surprise if you fight him as your first boss.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': When the player enters its boss arena, Marbed Gohma is present only as an inert pile of Gloom-infused rocks on the ceiling. It will stay that way until the player gets Yunobo to do his RollingAttack on one of the room's curved walls, which will have him roll into and smash open the cluster, awaking the beast and starting the battle. This serves to clue the player from the start that this is a thing that can be done, since it is necessary to harm the boss when it climbs on the ceiling during the second phase and isn't otherwise an immediately obvious option.

** The TrueFinalBoss arena starts empty except for a couple platforms leading to a Challenge prompt. Enter [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast THE RADIANCE]] with full-screen BossSubtitles.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'':
** Gi Nattak, who is nothing but a frightening mural on the wall when you enter the room that he is in, but after a short conversation, the mural suddenly comes to life.
** Another example in the same game (and really every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' that features this monster) is Demon's Gate, who starts out as simply a creepy wall with audible heartbeats, but later appears through said wall and attacks.

** This is how bosses appear in Octo Valley. [='=]s Octo Canyon. Once the player approaches the [[LevelGoal Zapfish]] at the center of the arena, an Octarian tentacle will reach out from the boss beneath it and pull it in, before the boss itself springs to life.

*** Dark Souls 3 has the two Deep Accursed minibosses do this via CeilingCling, and they will drop: a few seconds after you enter its room (first one) when you try to pull the lever it's guarding (second one).

*** Dark Souls 3 has the two Deep Accursed minibosses do this via CelingCling, and they will drop: a few seconds after you enter its room (first one) when you try to pull the lever it's guarding (second one).

*** Dark Souls 3 has the two Deep Accursed minibosses do this via CelingCling, and they will drop a few seconds after you enter its room (first one), try to pull the lever it's guarding (second one).

* ''Franchise/{{Alien}}''

For applications of the trope on a very large scale, see ThatsNoMoon. Also see JawsFirstPersonPerspective, EmptyRoomUntilTheTrap. DropInNemesis ''sounds'' like an alternate name for this trope, but it is something else entirely. The same goes for RightBehindMe. TeleportingKeycardSquad operates under the same idea but for in-game enemies. See also SoNearYetSoFar.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': When the player enters its boss arena, Marbed Gohma is present only as an inert pile of Malice-infused rocks on the ceiling. It will stay that way until the player gets Yunobo to do his RollingAttack on one of the room's curved walls, which will have him roll into and smash open the cluster, awaking the beast and starting the battle. This serves to clue the player from the start that this is a thing that can be done, since it is necessary to harm the boss when it climbs on the ceiling during the second phase and isn't otherwise an immediately obvious option.

* On the November 11, 2005 ''Wrestling/{{WWESmackDown}}'', there was a scene with Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/{{Lita}} backstage with Edge talking about how ''[=SmackDown!=]'' [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure General Manager]] Wrestling/TeddyLong putting him in a Street Fight against Wrestling/{{Batista}} can't happen and that he was going to talk some sense into Batista and that he was going to put some security on the door so nobody could come into the room. Edge walked out and the room got briefly dark before lighting up again and [[Wrestling/{{Boogeyman}} THE BOOGEYMAN]] popped up from behind the couch! He told the scared Lita, "Close your eyes! [[CatchPhrase I'm the Boogeyman, and I'm coming to get you!"]], sending Lita screaming from the room.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': When the player enters its boss arena, Marbed Gohma is present only as an inert pile of Malice-infused rocks on the ceiling. It will stay that way until the player gets Yunobo to RollingAttack on one of the room's curved walls, which will have him roll into and smash open the cluster, awaking the beast and starting the battle. This serves to clue the player from the start that this is a thing that can be done, since it is necessary to harm the boss when it climbs on the ceiling during the second phase and isn't otherwise an immediately obvious option.