History Main / RivalFinalBoss

** This is also the case in the first ''Pokémon TCG'' game for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Unlike the other ''Pokémon'' examples, your rival is never available for a rematch.

* The FinalBoss of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney: Trials and Tribulations'' isn't the SerialKiller BigBad, or even their accomplice, but [[spoiler: Prosecutor Godot, who turns out to actually be responsible for the murder in the final case in an effort to stop the aforementioned BigBad]].

* This happens in the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series several times:
** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'', after defeating [[CorruptPolitician Kyohei Jingu]] and his personal goons, Kiryu takes a moment to embrace his old flame Yumi and her daughter Haruka, only for his EvilFormerFriend Nishikiyama to come by and interrupt the scene, intent on getting the 10 billion yen and settling the score with Kiryu.
** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'', after dealing with the real masterminds of the game, Kiryu and Ryuji Goda lock themselves in an elevator with a giant bomb ticking down, intent on settling [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne who gets to be the "Dragon" of the criminal underworld]] while both are on their last legs.
** In ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', while the ClimaxBoss for all intents and matter is [[TheBrute Yosuke Tendo]] the final battle of the game is a fight where Ichiban takes on Ryo Aoki, AKA [[spoiler:his former ward Masato Arakawa]] in a fistfight. Since this game is a turn-based JRPG unlike the other games, the fact that [[DuelBoss Ichiban is fighting by himself]] and is [[FisticuffsBoss forced into his "Freelancer" Job]] is meant to be reminiscent of the above boss fights.

* In ''[[Literature/MakingMoney Discworld's Making Money]], Moist solves a financial crisis, an uprising, and a man who realises [[ItMakesSenseInContext he's been a clown the entire time]]. It quells public unrest, solves a whole lot of issues, but then he's confronted by his old partner in crime Cribbins who knows [[AntiHero Moist von Lipwig]]'s DarkSecret. When he's boistering and bluffing he's going to end his former friend, Cribbins, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard whom is wearing stolen ill fitted dentures with springs he never bothered to get maintained]] [[CaughtMonologuing just keeps taunting Moist he's going to expose it all]] and then... the spring, after a whole lot of book of Foreshadowing of them being faulty and dangerous and hurting him [[note]](He's a conman and a crook, without Moist's GentlemanThief aspects of "For the thrill of it")[[/note]], snap, breaking off his lower jaw and leaving him a crying mess. Moist doesn't even need to attend to Cribbins, the City Watch take him away to get medical attention.

* In ''[Literature/MakingMoney Discworld's Making Money]], Moist solves a financial crisis, an uprising, and a man who realises [[ItMakesSenseInContext he's been a clown the entire time]]. It quells public unrest, solves a whole lot of issues, but then he's confronted by his old partner in crime Cribbins who knows [[AntiHero Moist von Lipwig]]'s DarkSecret. When he's boistering and bluffing he's going to end his former friend, Cribbins, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard whom is wearing stolen ill fitted dentures with springs he never bothered to get maintained]] [[CaughtMonologuing just keeps taunting Moist he's going to expose it all]] and then... the spring, after a whole lot of book of Foreshadowing of them being faulty and dangerous and hurting him [[note]](He's a conman and a crook, without Moist's GentlemanThief aspects of "For the thrill of it")[[/note]], snap, breaking off his lower jaw and leaving him a crying mess. Moist doesn't even need to attend to Cribbins, the City Watch take him away to get medical attention.

** In ''C2: Judgment Clay'', the final boss is your EvilTwin [[CloningBlues created by Dr. Kiln]], who has a different palette and various modified moves.

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' inverts this slightly, as the player character's Rival Battle comes right before the real BigBad: Seth.

* ''Videogame/MaverickHunterX'': The final boss of [[VillainProtagonist Vile]] [[AnotherSideAnotherStory mode]] isn't [[BigBad Sigma]], but a DualBoss against X and Zero.

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'': Captain America and Iron Man were already at odds with each other regarding the Sokovia Accords, but it's [[BigBad Helmut Zemo]] revealing to Cap, Stark, and Bucky what really happened with the murder of Stark's parents that causes Stark himself to snap and go on the complete offensive against Bucky ''and'' Cap (the later credited for not telling Stark about what really happened).

** Season 3 has Sam facing off against Tory once again, who leads the Cobra Kais in their assault against the newly-formed Miyagi-Fangs at the [=LaRusso=] Residence.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'': After Alexander Pierce has been killed, HYDRA has been defeated, and the Helicarriers are currently in the midst of destroying themselves, Steve Rogers has to deal with his still-living rival, the Winter Soldier, [[spoiler:though instead he refuses to fight his brainwashed friend]].

** ''Tekken 4'': The BigBad of the game is (who else?) Heihachi Mishima, but the last guy Hwoarang fights is Jin Kazama, his rival.

** This is also the case in the first Pokemon TCG game for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. Unlike the other Pokemon examples, your rival is never available for a rematch.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts''. After beating TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon you find your posessed rival Riku on Destiny Islands' beach. However, approaching him causes [[BigBad Ansem]] to mock him as he casts away that form and fights you as himself.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts''. After beating TheVeryDefiniteFinalDungeon you find your posessed rival Riku on Destiny Islands' beach. However, approaching him causes [[BigBad Ansem]] to mock him as he casts away that form and fights you as himself.

** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' does this for the finale with Heart vs. Shinnosuke. Heart even mentions that they will have a final battle once they overcome [[DoomsdayDevice Sigma Circular]]. [[spoiler:Subverted, as Heart is mortally wounded during battle with said DragonAscendant and isn't able to even carry out the battle.]]

** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' has Kaito become the final boss for Kouta to fight. It overlaps with BigBad, considering that he becomes a major threat for a bit of the end game.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' does this for the finale with Heart vs. Shinnosuke. Heart even mentions that they will have a final battle once they overcome the BigBad and his DragonAscendant. [[spoiler:Subverted, as Heart is mortally wounded during battle with said DragonAscendant and isn't able to even carry out the battle.]]

** Subverted in ''Series/KyukyuSentaiGoGoV''. The BigBad Grandienne is killed before the final battle and it appears the second of her [[DragonInChief Dragons-in-Chief]] will be the final boss while using his predecessor as a soulless attack dog, which would count as this due to their longer history with the heroes. However, after their defeat Grandienne's spirit comes back and uses their bodies as her vessels for one last fight.

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'': Averted in ''New Generatio'', as all characters have Gill (the BigBad of this game) as their final boss, but all the other battles are random (including a chance of a MirrorMatch taking place). Played completely straight in ''2nd Impact'', those that don't fight Gill at their final stage, fight him one stage before it. Inverted in ''3rd Strike'', as the rival battles are one stage before the final battle with Gill (similar to Seth in ''SFIV'' below.)

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'': Averted in ''New Generation", as all characters have Gill (the BigBad of this game) as their final boss, but all the other battles are random (including a chance of a MirrorMatch taking place). Played completely straight in ''2nd Impact", those that don't fight Gill at their final stage, fight him one stage before it. Inverted in ''3rd Strike'', as the rival battles are one stage before the final battle with Gill (similar to Seth in ''SFIV'' below.)

SubTrope of PostFinalBoss, in that this battle is usually less climactic than the (previous) final boss battle, but still potentially hectic. Often overlaps with the DuelBoss. Compare ItsPersonalWithTheDragon, where the TheDragon is the most bitter enemy of the hero, not the BigBad. Also compare DragonTheirFeet.

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' inverts this slightly, as the player character's Rival Battle comes right before the real BigBad: Seth. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: 2nd Impact'' and ''3rd Strike'' before it followed a similar trajectory with the fights preceding Gill.

** ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' also has Dante and Vergil duking it out after taking down the BigBad, though this time, over whether to rule over humanity or not.
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' has [[spoiler:Dante and a resurrected Vergil duke it out once again because by this point, that's just what they do. Nero finally gets fed up, backhands Dante, and personally beats Vergil just to make him submit and get them to stop fighting.]] In contrast to the vanilla version, playable Vergil's campaign mode changes the context of the FinalBoss battle, where he and Dante proceed to fight without Nero's on-screen intervention.