History Main / RecurringBoss

** Certain boss vehicles also return quite regularly. The [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Emerald Hill Zone boss]] turns up in the final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}}'', and the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Metropolis Zone boss]] turns up in ''Sonic & Knuckles'', and gets a variant in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4''. Similarly ''Sonic 4'' also brings back the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone boss]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Labyrinth Zone boss]] and [[Videogame/SonicTheHedgehog Green Hill Zone boss]] who also turns up in [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sky Sanctuary Zone]] and [[VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy X Zone]]. Similarly, Generations also brings back [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Perfect Chaos]] (whose fight is almost identical), [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed the Egg Dragoon]] and the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Death Egg Robot]] who also reappears at the end of ''Sonic & Knuckles'' as part of the TrueFinalBoss, and at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' as the FinalBoss, except in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' it's merely [[DegradedBoss the first boss]].

* In ''VideoGame/StarFox'', Phantron and the Great Commander, the Route 1 and Route 3 bosses of Venom respectively, are both fought twice, first in orbit, then in OneWingedAngel form on the planet's surface.

** V1 first meets [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Gabriel]] at the end of the Gluttony layer, where he serves as the final boss of Act I. Though he gives a good fight, Gabriel is ultimately forced to retreat after V1 puts up more resistance than he expected. [[SoreLoser He does]] ''[[SoreLoser not]]'' [[SoreLoser take to losing very well]], and [[WeWillMeetAgain swears to crush V1 in their rematch]]. Said rematch takes place at the end of the Heresy layer, where Gabriel once more serves as the final boss of Act II. While he spends half of the fight [[UnstoppableRage enraged]] at V1 for humiliating him, [[BloodKnight he somehow grows to enjoy the fight during the second half]], [[WhatIsThisFeeling something that confuses him greatly]]. After V1 defeats him again, rather than get mad [[GracefulLoser he accepts his defeat]] and takes his leave to [[ContemplateOurNavels reflect on his actions]]. If [[spoiler:his murdering the [[CouncilOfAngels Council]], [[YourDaysAreNumbered knowledge of his impending death]] and [[TheLastDance subsequent return to Hell]] in the ensuing cutscene]] are any indication, he's poised to return for Act III.

*** Jenova is fought three times throughout the game: once aboard the Cargo Ship (Jenova-BIRTH), once at the City of the Ancients (Jenova-LIFE), and once at the Whirlwind Maze (Jenova-DEATH).

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', there's both [[QuirkyMinibossSquad The Tu*rks]], who you are forced to fight twice, but there are three optional boss fights with them. The Ultima Weapon is also fought several times, but is a {{Superboss}}.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' Judge Gabranth and Doctor Cid are both fought twice. Ba'gamnan and his cronies are also fought twice, though the second fight is an optional hunt.

** Yutaka Yamai of ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' ties with [[VideoGame/Yakuza0 Daisaku Kuze]] at ''five'' encounters in one game. Unlike Kuze, though, most of his fights happen within the first half of the game, as opposed to being more spread out.

** ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' has Reiji Ishioda, who's fought four times, though the first time you're mostly fighting the wrecking ball he's manning. You then fight him again in that same chapter alongside [[spoiler:Nanba]], then in the next chapter by himself, and then once again in the penultimate chapter alongside Mirror Face.

** Zenos yae Galvus shows up repeatedly over the course of ''Stormblood''. The first two times, he pulls out just what he needs from his Ronco Peel-O-Matic knife rack. The third time, all the chips are down. [[spoiler: And then he fuses with Shinryu. He shows up a fourth and final time as an instance boss near the end of the MSQ (albeit with an [[GreaterScopeVillain Ascian]] controlling his corpse).]]
** Gilgamesh, a guest character from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', is fought twice over the course the 2.X Hildebrand questline: once on a Big Bridge, and again in a Big Keep. [[spoiler:He shows up a third time in Kugane Ohashi (another big bridge) in the 4.X Hildebrand questline after discarding his disguise as the mercenary samurai Yojimbo.]]

* ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'', just about every single boss type is used multiple times, usually with different stats and slight move set variations. Counting the Gauntlets of Strength, only ''two'' bosses are never reused: the Armored Warrior and O'Rin of the Water. Discounting the Gauntlets, there are ten bosses that never get reused: the two already mentioned plus Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, Lady Butterfly, Folding Screen Monkeys, Emma, Isshin Ashina, Sword Saint Isshin,[[note]]They're the same character but different bosses with different models and move sets.[[/note]] the Divine Dragon, and the Demon of Hatred.

** In ''Yoshi's New Island'', [[EvilSorceror Kamek]] appears as the boss of every [[MiniDungeon mid-world fortress]], sharply contrasting the first two ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' games where he is TheUnfought and all mid-world fortresses have each its own mini-boss.

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' reuses just about every boss and miniboss, to varying degrees.

* In the Prehistory chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', you fight Zaki three times, though the third fight is interrupted by [[TerrifyingTyrannosaur Odo]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'': The series has a few of these, though ''Yakuza Kiwami'' easily has the best example with Goro Majima, who can easily be fought dozens of times over the course of the game, to the point that the fights are part of their own mechanic (called "Majima Everywhere"). ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' has Daisuke Kuze, whom Kiryu crosses paths and fists with five times over the course of the game.

* The Blind Demon in ''VideoGame/FatalFrame1'' is scripted to be fought ''7'' times in total.

* ''VideoGame/AtelierIris2TheAzothOfDestiny'' has Chaos, TheRival with the twin to [[TheHero Felt's]] sword. And despite being optional, Punis Taro, Jiro, and Kichi in almost every ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' game are of the third variety.

* TheRival in near-every ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' game, including the leader of TheSyndicate in each of the ''Pokémon'' games and a few protege trainers. N in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' is unique in that his party is assembled primarily from Mons that can be found in the nearby areas, and completely different every time.

* ''VideoGame/Onimusha2SamuraisDestiny'' has Gogandantess [[CatchPhrase "Greatest Swordsman of all the Demons"]], who hounds the player and challenges him to a dual 3 times before you can finally shut him up.

** Desann, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast'', is the second variety - at the point you first fight him in the story, Kyle has abandoned his Force abilities out of fear of falling to the Dark Side, meaning he's completely and totally outmatched by Desann - he doesn't even really directly attack you so much as let you kill yourself with your own deflected blaster shots, when he's not pushing and pulling you around the arena with the Force. [[spoiler:His [[TheDragon Dragon]], Tavion, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere retreats completely]] when Kyle defeats her later but returns for the sequel, ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'', as the new Big Bad, proving to have been of the first variety. She is now much stronger, and when you think she's done for in the Light Side ending path, you find she's got the tendencies of the ''third'' variety.]] And ''she'' now has a Dragon of her own, who is the first type.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'''s love affair with Striders. Notably, while they're all exactly the same creature/mech, they fit different boss tropes every time due to the very different resources ''you'' have at your disposal, and the varied arenas they appear in, with each encounter.

* Technically, the Special Infected (which once sometimes also referred to as "Boss Infected") in ''Videogame/Left4Dead'' and [[Videogame/Left4Dead2 its sequel]], as you fight them in various points throughout the game, some are durable, some can be highly detrimental to progress, and they're definitely both.

* The player(s) actually kill the boss, only for them to be resurrected later on by some means and come back for another go. (This isn't much different from facing distinct bosses, but may help refine the scope of the story.)

* ''VideoGame/Killer7'': Ayame Blackburn, a hijacked woman who is roleplaying as an anime superhero, is fought twice (both in the fourth chapter, Encounter). The first fight takes place in a wide, empty parking area beyond an amusement park where your bullets only inflict damage as long as she runs past a light post (she's invincible in the dark); while the second takes place inside a narrow garage where you have to keep and eye on what door opens so you can shoot her. However, the chapter's final boss is someone else (Curtis Blackburn, the man who hijacked Ayame).

** Desann, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast'', is the second variety. [[spoiler:His [[TheDragon Dragon]], Tavion, returns for the sequel, ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'', as the new Big Bad, proving to have been of the first variety. She is now much stronger, and when you think she's done for, you find she's got the tendencies of the ''third'' variety.]] And ''she'' now has a Dragon of her own, who is the first type.

* ''VideoGame/TeenTitans2'': In contrast to [[VideoGame/TeenTitans2005 the previous Game Boy Advance tie-in]] to ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', every boss fight except for the final confrontation with The Brain is against either General Immortus or Monsieur Mallah.