Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / LoneWolfBoss

Go To

1->''"Meet Konk. He likes to think of himself as some rival to Starfy. ...But he's really harmless, so he's more entertaining than anything else. He doesn't have anything to do with Mashtooth or those others..."''
2-->-- ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy''
3
4A BossBattle, ArcVillain, or other minor villain that isn't teamed up/associated with or even [[EvilVersusEvil opposing]] the BigBad, but is instead a lone wolf. They aren't anyone's lackey; they're a villain on their own.
5
6Relatively common in {{RPG}}s, where the player party often winds up just running into wild monsters that just happen to be at the end of caves, attacking the town, guarding {{MacGuffin}}s, etc.
7
8Often overlaps with GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere, but while the Giant Space Flea From Nowhere comes from out of, well, nowhere, the Lone Wolf Boss is often established into the plot, and occasionally even plays a crucial role in some way, but has nothing to do with the aims of the BigBad. Compare PlotIrrelevantVillain and VillainOfAnotherStory.
9
10Different from, although not mutually exclusive with, WolfpackBoss.
11----
12!!Examples:
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Action Games]]
17* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': The [[MuckMonster Mother Grub]] is a mutated monster that was formed in the sewers beneath [[AbandonedLaboratory Freeway 42]] and it blocks Ann's path to the control center when it attacks. It virtually has no connection to [[TheSyndicate The Factio Pugni]] and [[NGOSuperpower The Consortium]] as it is acting entirely on its own instincts.
18* Mystery G in ''VideoGame/NeoContra''. He has no connection to the villains of the game, yet he's only there as a mini-boss in Mission 2 to make sure that Bill Rizer is the ultimate soldier. [[spoiler:He also pulls a HeroicSacrifice halfway through the game, depending on how good your performance was throughout the game.]]
19* Dante plays this role in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4''. Nero thinks he is the [[BigBad main villain]] at first, since the first thing he does is interrupting a sermon and killing the local Pope. He's actually just here to get Yamato back and discover what the Order of the Sword (for which Nero works) is up to. Then Nero discovers that the NotQuiteDead Pope in question is the real villain, so Dante sort of becomes an AloofAlly.
20* In ''VideoGame/ClashAtDemonhead'', Rowdy is a boss monster faced on an off-road route and must be defeated to free the Hermit and obtain Force Powers. He's the only boss that isn't affiliated with the Demon's Battalion, and doesn't get the standard "boss" music.
21* ''VideoGame/GodOfWar''
22** The Hydra in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'' is merely a monster that Kratos encounters at the very beginning of the game while sailing to Athens and has no relation with Ares or his attack on Athens. The novelization confirms Ares has nothing to do with the Hydra, even asking if the other gods were responsible for it and it's implied that [[spoiler:Athena might have been the one to send it in order to convince Poseidon to grant his magic to help Kratos progress in his quest]].
23** The Dissenter in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarGhostOfSparta'' is a Ares worshiper that sics a lion on Kratos in an attempt to kill him. He is a mere obstacle that has nothing to do with Kratos' quest to rescue his brother Deimos.
24* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
25** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': Several minibosses in the game, given the nature of the game's villain. Among them, the ancient creatures and peoples of Ikana Canyon stand out, including Captain Skull Keeta, Igos du Ikana, and all of the Garos (including their Master).
26** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Gohdan is a creature born of the Gods' need to test the potential hero. As such, he has no association with Ganon and is not fought again at Ganon's Castle.
27** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': Moldarach and Tentalus (both, incidentally, found in Lanayru Desert) are the only two bosses with no connection to Ghirahim. This extends to the minibosses located in the Lanayru Sand Sea ([[DegradedBoss another Moldarach]] in the Shipyard and Scervo in the Sandship); the former simply happens to be on Link's way while he looks for clues about the Sandship, and the latter has usurped the Sandship itself for his own motives and was already Skipper's lifelong enemy since long before the prologue of the game.
28** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Unlike all the other overworld bosses (which are part of the demonic bestiary summoned by Ganondorf to bring terror to Hyrule), the Flux Construct isn't aligned to his cause, and merely attacks Link because he's entering its territory. This is justified, because a friendly Construct NPC in the Great Sky Island tells him that the combat-oriented Constructs are mistakenly registering him as an unwanted presence in what should be Zonai-only areas. The exception is the [[spoiler:Seized Construct, the boss of the Spirit Temple; it is shown to be under the influence of Ganondorf's Gloom, and is deliberately obstructing Link and Mineru in their way to gather the last Sacred Stone, which corresponds to the latter as the Sage of Spirit]].
29* In ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'', Asteroidean is the only boss that has no association with Yami or Akuro, because it's merely a specimen of the aquatic wildlife Chibiterasu and Nanami find in their way to the Sage Shrine. They still have to defeat it in battle because it won't let them go otherwise.
30* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', Dynamo isn't helping Gate and his Nightmare Investigators, nor X and the maverick hunters; he's just there to gather some nightmare souls (which in this game are something like Experience points) to make himself stronger.
31* Cyborg Ninja in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' is the only boss in the game that isn't a part of Fox Hound. He's a tertiary factor, antagonistic to both sides. [[spoiler:It turns out to be Gray Fox, who left Fox Hound before [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 the events]] [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake of the game]]]].
32* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
33** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'': The Security Robot B.O.X. is the only boss in the game to not be infected by an X Parasite. The first time, anyway, as it reappears for a second round once an X Parasite infects its organic components.
34** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'': Crocomire and Botwoon do not seem to be affiliated with the SpacePirates at all, mostly just being random Zebesian creatures until Samus shows up and attacks them.
35** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'': The game has almost all of its bosses being either Ing or Ing-possessed creatures. The exceptions are Dark Samus, who appears three times doing her own thing; the Alpha Blogg, a creature that doesn't get possessed and is simply left as a trap; and the Caretaker Class Drone, a random machine that attacks Samus.
36** ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'': [[spoiler:Proteus Ridley is the only Space Pirate to appear, having shown up to steal the last Metroid from Samus]]. Arachnus, returning from ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'', reprises its role as a non-Metroid boss, and was the only one back in the original ''Metroid II''. ''Samus Returns'' also adds the Diggernaut, which is a Chozo mining machine that goes haywire and has no affiliations with the Metroids.
37* Of the seven sea monsters in ''VideoGame/TheOceanHunter'', five of the seven are explained to have been the creations of the seventh, [[BigBad Rahab]] [[MadGod the sea god]]. The sixth one, [[SandWorm Midgardsorm]], is implied to be a completely unaffiliated party but may have caused more death and destruction than Rahab himself.
38* ''VideoGame/KunioKun'':
39** Benny and Clyde from ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom'' - they're not affiliated with any of the gangs working for Slick, and it's strongly implied that they fight Alex and Ryan solely because the latter two intruded on the former two's hangout.
40** ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirls'': All of the main bosses have no affiliation with each other, Misako and Kyoko just run into them while searching for clues regarding their boyfriends' whereabouts.
41* ''VideoGame/SavageHalloween'' is a MonsterMash of a game where your enemies are zombies, ghosts, Frankenstein's monsters, or are otherwise related to the supernatural. And then there's the third boss, Skull, which ''isn't'' an animated skeleton (despite the name) but a robot in a spaceship, who attacks using dual {{Arm Cannon}}s and can sic exploding projectiles. Being the only boss with a sci-fi motif he naturally sticks out like a sore thumb.
42* All of the bosses in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'' aside from Dr. M's mutant creatures.
43* The Ox in the Metropolis level in ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage''. Also the Sleepyhead Rhynoc and twin dragons in ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon''.
44* In ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'' and ''Time Crisis II'', Wild Dog is TheDragon to the games' respective {{Big Bad}}s, but starting in ''3'', he works separately from the FinalBoss to get revenge on the VSSE. in ''Project Titan'', he is the Lone Wolf Final Boss operating bunches of robot projects, challenging Richard from VSSE.
45* In the first ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', Alastor was affiliated with JADOW, but didn't really care for their plans (even after explaining them in meticulous detail by reading the game's script aloud); he (as a NobleDemon Blood Knight) was only concerned with fighting strong opponents like the eponymous hero. In both ''Viewtiful Joe 2'' and ''Double Trouble'', he reappears, unaffiliated with either game's villainous organizations (GEDOW and MADOW) and is again only there to seek a rematch with Joe.
46* DK West in ''VideoGame/NoStraightRoads''. While he has some history with the titular organization, he doesn't own a district in Vinyl City, he's not in their chart topper list, and his genre of predilection isn't even EDM, but rap. The main reason he's involved with the plot at all is to settle his rivalry with his brother Zuke.
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Adventure Games]]
50* Brady Culture in the first episode of ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'' is the only antagonist not working for [[spoiler:Hugh Bliss]].
51* In ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney'', the culprit of the first trial, [[spoiler:Olivia Aldente]], is the only culprit who is not a witch and who has no ties to Labyrinthia. Instead, [[spoiler:she's a jewel smuggler]] who attacked Espella and ended up being clubbed on the head by a third party.
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Fighting Games]]
55* Shadow Kirby in ''VideoGame/KirbyFighters2'' is the only boss in the game to fight solo, as opposed to the usual DualBoss mechanic every other boss sticks to.
56* [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Rayquaza]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' isn't allied with the other villains and is just attacking Fox because he entered its territory. Subverted later on when Tabuu creates a clone of it to guard the Great Maze.
57* In ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresDefendersOfTheUniverse'', Fifi and Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong are this, as they aren't aligned with Evil Max, instead fighting the main four for Shirley to try to stop them from reaching the Bullions' spaceship and prevent her prediction of Earth being doomed from them helping them coming true.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:MMORPG]]
61* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Each ExpansionPack usually features several raid dungeons the {{final boss}}es of which are connected to the expansion's own main threat/final boss. There are some exceptions:
62** In the "Vanilla"/''Classic'' original game, Hakkar the Soulflayer is the only final raid boss not related to either the Iron Dwarves/Ragnaros, the Black Dragonflight, the Qiraji/C'Thun or the Scourge. All of these have multiple dungeons or raids (or both) and long questlines, while Hakkar only has Zul'Gurub.
63** In ''The Burning Crusade'', Gruul the Dragonkiller and Zul'jin aren't connected to either the Burning Legion or the Illidari faction.
64** In ''Wrath of the Lich King'', Yogg-Saron is not connected to the Scourge, the forces of the Lich King.
65** In ''Mists of Pandaria'', King Lei Shen aka the "Thunder King" has been a threat to the non-Mogu inhabitants of Pandaria for millennia, but he is not related to/doesn't owe his powers to/isn't corrupted by the malevolent spirits known as the Sha, which spawned from the essence of the slain Old God Y'Shaarj.
66** In ''Legion'', Helya, the ruler goddess of Helheim (the underworld for the fallen Vrykul), has her own agenda amidst the invasion of the Burning Legion.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Party Games]]
70* ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS'': The first three bosses (Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro. and Dry Bones) have to be defeated because they're causing problems unrelated to Bowser's wrongdoings, and just happen to disturb other characters in different ways. Kamek is the only boss prior to Bowser who is aligned to the latter's evil machinations (even then, the main characters' motivation to defeat him is because he was also causing trouble to two friendly Koopas who had no relation to the story's central conflict otherwise).
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Platform Games]]
74* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996'': Papu Papu, the first boss in the game and the only one located in the first island. Every other boss in the game is either a scientist working with [[BigBad Neo Cortex]], or an animal Cortex mutated. Papu Papu, on the other hand, is just the leader of a WackyWaysideTribe that Crash stumbles through.
75* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'': The only boss that is related in some way to the [[BigBad Panther King]] is the Experiment, found and fought in the WarArc chapter; and it's because it and the Tediz were created by Ze Professor so they could ''[[TheStarscream defeat the Panther King]]'' (Conker still has to defeat them because they are threatening the otherwise peaceful kingdom).
76* ''VideoGame/DonaldDuckGoinQuackers'': Depending on the version of the game, the first boss or most of the bosses aren't affiliated with the final boss and BigBad Merlock (the one exception being the Game Boy Advance version, where Merlock is the only boss faced in the game):
77** The first boss (Bernadette the Bird in the console versions, Humphrey the Bear in the Game Boy Color version), due to being a non-anthropomorphic animal, is clearly not attacking Donald because of Merlock's orders and simply serves as an obstacle to prevent Donald from rescuing Daisy immediately.
78** While the Beagle Boy faced in Duckburg and Magica De Spell appear to be attacking Donald for their own reasons in most versions, this isn't the case in the remake made for [=PlayStation=] 2 and [=GameCube=], where the Beagle Boy trio and Magica actually mention being ordered to attack Donald by Merlock in the cutscenes prior to their boss fights.
79* ''VideoGame/GarfieldsNightmare'': Despite the heavy presence of enemies and bosses, none of them are part of any overarching antagonistic group, and Garfield simply wants to wake up from his nightmare. When he defeats the last boss (who is simply standing on Garfield's way), he gets the fourth and final alarm clock, the awakening happens and the game ends.
80* [[LegacyBossBattle Konk]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'', which is lampshaded by the game, saying he doesn't have anything to do with Mashtooth or those others.
81* King Boom Boo from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. A ghost haunting the Death Chamber that attacks Knuckles after he finds the key to Eggman's base. Aside from living in the pyramid that Eggman turned into his base, it isn't associated with Eggman in any way, as the latter has his own Egg Golem as a guard, so it wasn't deployed by him. King Boom Boo is simply the [[KingMook leader]] of the smaller ghosts that keep appearing in Knuckles' levels.
82* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
83** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'': The water's pollution in Noki Bay isn't caused by Shadow Mario or one of his minions, but by a large aquatic creature (Eely Mouth) with a poor dental health. The only pollution related to Shadow Mario that happens in the level is that by a Monty Mole in Episode 1, but it's much easier to deal with and the offender is gotten rid of in that same episode.
84** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Several bosses, such as Major Burrows and Bugaboom, have to be defeated because they're threatening innocent characters for personal reasons, not because [[GalacticConqueror Bowser]] told them to do so.
85** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'': Knucklotec is the only boss to have no association with Bowser, with the others contributing to his efforts in some way. In fact, Knucklotec is a victim, being the guardian of the Binding Band who only fights Mario due to a misunderstanding. There's also Cookatiel, who is a random stupid bird who probably doesn't even know that she's a menace to the stew she's taken over.
86** ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'': The Bubble King and Ghost bosses, which initially start by capturing the Big Bad (temporarily). Kind of their own antagonists, considering that beating them gets an alternate ending.
87** ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise'': Ka-Bloom has no affiliation whatsoever with Cannoli, Carpaccio or [[spoiler:the GreaterScopeVillain Terrormisu]], nor is he knowingly guarding the fragment of the Wishstone found in the Ancient Waterworks. He just happens to have grown there and is very territorial, so Wario has to defeat him in order to retrieve the PlotCoupon.
88%%* Bull from ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger''.
89[[/folder]]
90
91[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
92* ''VideoGame/CriminalCase'':
93** In ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseGrimsborough'', [[spoiler:Tony Marconi]], [[spoiler:Margaret Littlewood]], and [[spoiler:Tess Goodwin]] are the only {{Arc Villain}}s to not be part of [[spoiler:the [[AncientConspiracy Crimson Order]]]].
94** With the sole exception of [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Karen Knight]]]], every single ArcVillain in ''VideoGame/CriminalCasePacificBay'' is shown to be working independently of [[spoiler:[[BigBad Albert Tesla]]]], thanks to the self-contained stories of each StoryArc in the game.
95** ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseWorldEdition'' has [[spoiler:Ronin Ozawa]] and [[spoiler:[=Brice LeBeau=]]]. The former is the only ArcVillain in the game to not be part of [[spoiler:[[NebulousEvilOrganization SOMBRA]]]] (though he's shown to be working with them in a mutual benefit partnership), and the latter is the only final killer of a region to not be affiliated with them either.
96** PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseMysteriesOfThePast'', as the FinalBoss of the season, [[spoiler:Justin Lawson]], is the only main antagonist in the game to not be linked with any of the central plots of the season, instead becoming a major threat once TheBigBadShuffle that is the [[TheBadGuysAreCops corrupt police force]], [[GangBangers the Irish and Italian gangs]], and the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Rochester family]] are finally dealt with.
97** In ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy'', [[spoiler:[[StarterVillain Rosamund Wilcox]]]] is the only ArcVillain whose motivations weren't directly or indirectly influenced by either [[spoiler:[[EvilInc DreamLife]]]] or [[spoiler:[[TheConspiracy Ad Astra]]]], the two primary antagonistic factions in the game.
98** With the sole exception of [[spoiler:[[BigBad Nefertiti]]]] and [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Ammon Bast]]]], the final killers in each time period of ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseTravelInTime'' were all working independently of [[spoiler:the Ptolemian family]], the main antagonists of the game.
99** ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseSupernaturalInvestigations'' has [[spoiler:[[StarterVillain Eric Zwart]]]], who is the only ArcVillain in the story not linked in any way with [[spoiler:the [[BigBad Demon Queen]] or her servants]].
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Racing Games]]
103* ''VideoGame/TheCrew'' has Cameron Rockport. Whereas the other named opponents are members of the 510 crew[[note]]though most of them don't become opponents until the Face Off event in the West Coast region in the games' final story act[[/note]], 'Cam' is a lone individual who serves as the boss of the South region, as his efforts are the sole reason there isn't a significant 510 presence in the region.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
107* Most of the enemies in the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' games, especially the second one, have nothing to do with the main enemy, being interested in you because of who you are or just having their own plans you wander into.
108* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
109** ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Final Fantasy I]]'' has the pirates who are terrorizing Pravoka and Astos the Dark Elf, neither of whom are connected to Garland or the Four Fiends.
110** Many of the bosses in the second half of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' --Humbaba, Death Gaze, the Eight Legendary Dragons, and Ultima Buster-- don't work for Kefka, but were [[SealedEvilInACan released from their slumber]] when he started mucking about with plate tectonics; and likewise, Dullahan, Wrexsoul and Hidon are adversaries during either the recruiment or sidequests of some party members. In the first half of the game, Vargas has nothing to do with the Empire-- he's just a martial artist with an unrelated grudge against Sabin-- and neither do Dadaluma, a thug who apparently just loves to fight (and is possibly mentally disturbed); nor Ultima Weapon, as it is a monster bred as a weapon of destruction and seeks to prove its superiority over the "feeble creatures of flesh".
111* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': Battles against random bandits not affiliated with the story's main villains are ubiquitous, usually early in the game.
112** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade The Blazing Blade]]'' subverts this by having a ''series'' of bandits stretched out over multiple chapters during Lyn's story, thus averting the "lone" aspect of it.
113** [[FatBastard Oliver]] in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'', a corrupt senator with connections to slave traders, serves as the ArcVillain while the group is in Begnion, but he isn't connected to Daein or [[BigBad Ashnard]] at all. He's actually fought because the leader of Begnion has promised an alliance against Daein on the condition that Ike's group help take him out.
114** Validar in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' subverts this. He's fought while Mad King Gangrel is the current ArcVillain and seems to have no connections to him. However, Validar is actually TheHeavy of the game and Gangrel is just a DiscOneFinalBoss, and while this is obvious to the player from the start, the characters in-game don't know this yet, so he serves this role early on before becoming much more important later.
115** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has various antagonistic factions depending on the route- there's the kingdom of Nohr (or at least Garon and his minions) in all routes, the [[HeroAntagonist kingdom of Hoshido]] and [[spoiler:Anankos and his servants]]. Kotaro, daimyo of Mokushu, is not officially affiliated with any of them, since he's playing both sides for his own personal advancement and is fought and killed in all three routes.
116** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
117*** Miklan is the only Part 1 antagonist who is neither affiliated with the Flame Emperor in some way nor is a rival among your classmates, being a bandit leader who stole the Lance of Ruin for his own ends.
118*** Pallardó is a bandit leader fought at the beginning of Part 2 in most of the routes, but has no ties with any of the major factions battling each other.
119*** On the Verdant Wind route, by the time you fight Dimitri, the Kingdom has degenerated into a complete non-factor in the big war and you only fight him because he's completely lost his mind by that point and is perfectly willing to trample you in his quest for revenge.
120*** In the ''Cindered Shadows''' DLC campaign, the Death Knight appears and fights you in one chapter, but he has nothing to do with that particular story arc and just wants to sate his bloodlust.
121** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', Chapter 6 involves the player fighting some bandits in the Firene-Brodia border, and Chapter 13 involves a battle with bandits in Solm. Neither group is tied to the main antagonists -- the Fell Dragon Sombron, the Elusian army (which worships him) or the Corrupted (his mindless minions).
122* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'':
123** {{Implied|Trope}} with Shan Yu. He has his own army of Heartless, but is never seen making contact with Pete or Maleficent to make any sort of deal. He's trying to conquer [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} The Land of Dragons]] on his own, and only battles Sora because he's in the way.
124** Hades is shown working with Pete during the first visit to [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Olympus Coliseum]] on a joint venture to take care of both Sora and Hercules, but on the second visit appears to have ended the alliance to focus on Herc.
125** On the first visit to [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Halloween Town]], Lock, Shock, and Barrel are working for Maleficent and fight you to buy time for Oogie to get better from his [[BackFromTheDead recent resurrection]]. When they're encountered on the second visit, they're not working for anybody and start causing trouble in Christmas Town [[ItAmusedMe just because it's fun]].
126** On the second visit to Halloween Town, somebody is stealing presents from Santa Claus for unknown reasons. It's later discovered that the theft was caused by the Experiment, a creation of Dr. Finklestein's that went rogue. [[BetaTestBaddie It stole the presents in a vain attempt to gain a heart]], which Dr. Finklestein did not give to it during the creation process.
127** The [[Film/{{Tron}} Master Control Program]] is unaffiliated with the other villains, and tries to take over Hollow Bastion on its own.
128* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', every chapter ends with a boss fight, so there are a few occasions where this trope comes into play:
129** Russell, the gambling addict scholar who acts as the boss of Cyrus's 1st chapter. While he stole the tome ''The Church of the Sacred Flame: A Historie'' to fund his gambling addiction, and his theft reveals that the tome ''From the Far Reaches of Hell'' is also missing, he has nothing to do with the theft of the latter.
130** Ghisarma, the monster that acts as the boss of H'aanit's 1st chapter. While the existence of the beast is alluded to prior to the battle against it, it serves no actual role in H'aanit's story and only really exists to give her something to do before her plot actually gets underway, though it does provide further insight into H'aanit's personality, particularly her belief in the cycle of life and anger towards those who hunt for pleasure rather than for survival.
131** The White [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragon]], the guardian of the herb-of-grace grove that acts as the boss of H'aanit's 3rd chapter. While it does have some indirect relevance to the story in that herb-of-grace protects people from being [[TakenForGranite turned to stone]]--one of [[EldritchAbomination Redeye]]'s most dangerous powers--the boss comes completely out of nowhere, with the only {{foreshadowing}} being from a random NPC in the nearby town. Susanna later reveals that she knew the Dragon was there all along, and deliberately withheld the information from H'aanit with the rationalization that if she couldn't slay it, then she wouldn't stand a chance against Redeye.
132** Esmeralda, the thief who acts as the boss of Tressa's 4th chapter. Unlike most of the rest of the main characters, who are given an antagonist with a personal connection to them to act as their FinalBoss, Esmeralda is just a random thief who stole Tressa's journal, though it is implied that the reason she went after the journal is because she wants information regarding the whereabouts of [[spoiler:Graham Crossford or his son, Kit]]. On top of that, the actual fight against her comes right out of nowhere, as by that point, Tressa's already gotten the journal back and Esmeralda has admitted the thing is useless to her, with Esmeralda seemingly only attacking Tressa because she's an asshole.
133** The Ogre Eagle, the [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffin]] that acts as the FinalBoss of Alfyn's story. While the player ''is'' told about the monster prior to actually encountering it, this is only slightly before the player is given the task of going after it. Similar to Esmerelda for Tressa, the Ogre Eagle doesn't act as a personal antagonist to Alfyn in spite of being the FinalBoss of his story, with it only really being fought because Alfyn needs something from it at the moment. Chapter 3's [[spoiler:[[TheSociopath Miguel]]]] acts as a more personal antagonist [[spoiler:by betraying Alfyn's trust [[UngratefulBastard after he treats his wounds]], causing a crisis of faith]].
134* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
135** Your rivals in the mainline games. They're not allied at all with the villainous team that are the main big bads of the game, but they challenge you anyway to test their strength.
136** in ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'', Miror B is not a part of the villain team Cipher like in Coloseum. His main purpose is to serve as an AntiFrustrationFeature, since he carries any Shadow pokemon that you miss.
137* Appear once per game in the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' series:
138** Alias/Elias from ''Koudelka'' was simply a commom thief that barged in the Nemeton Monastery searching for treasures only to be driven insane after narrowly escaping death at the hand of Ogden and Betsy. He attacked the protagonist out of sheer paranoia.
139** Mayor Kevin from the first game is responsible for the grotesque monsters that appear at night in Bistritz that Alice and Zhuzhen were hired to investigate. He claims they're merely a biproduct of his research in turning lead into gold.
140** Mayor Leonard from ''Covenant'' simply wanted to get his hands into the fabled treasure located under Granny Lott's house. He hired the protagonists to get ride of the sole obstacle in his way: a masked vigilante known as Grand Papillon.
141** Roy [=MacManus=] is an Irish ganster who now controls Chicago after Al Capone ended in Alcatraz. His unrequited crush on Capone's sister Edna drives much of the Chicago arc.
142* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
143** Belome and Punchinello in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. The game actually has quite a few villains who aren't connected with the main bad guys, but these two are given the least context. There's also Booster, who indirectly causes the game's most extreme example of GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere. Valentina, like Booster, is also [[ArcVillain the main villain of a story arc]] but is in no way affiliated with the BigBad.
144** Despite being a Koopa, Jr. Troopa in ''VideoGame/{{Paper Mario|64}}'' actually isn't aligned with Bowser. In fact, near the end of the game he even attacks four of Bowser's minions just to get a final match with Mario.
145** Most [[ArcVillain Chapter bosses]] in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' aren't affiliated with the X-Nauts, the main antagonistic force in the game. Hooktail, however, does turn out to have been affiliated with the game's GreaterScopeVillain. Most of them, such as Grubba or Cortez, are simply bad guys who found one of the Crystal Stars and are using or hoarding it for entirely selfish reasons. Doopliss is an interesting case since he ''starts out'' as a Lone Wolf Boss but then allies himself with the [[TerribleTrio Shadow Sirens]] after his chapter. Smorg is another odd example in that it was originally intended to have been a creature summoned by Beldam of the Shadow Sirens, but this exposition dialogue was cut in the final version, leaving its origins ambiguous.
146** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has Francis, the third boss. He is not allied with Count Bleck; he's just some StrawFan who kidnapped your ExpositionFairy. Though he can appear in [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Castle Bleck]] if you’re stupid enough to tell [[PaperThinDisguise an obviously disguised Mimi]] you’d rather not meet him. He still only ends up there because he was abducted.
147** Many examples also exist in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series, like Popple, Trunkle, Hermie, The Chuckolator, Jojora and her Friend, Mother Piranha, Bean Piranha, Tolstar in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga''; Durmite, Broque Monsieur and the Tower of Yikk (Who is the second giant Bowser boss though the Tower of Yikk does use Fawful’s minions in some of its attacks) in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''; Mrs. Thwomp in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''; and Bowser in the first three games, have no connection to the Big Bad whatsoever, and most have no connection to the storyline at all.
148** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', you've got Grobot (which just malfunctioned), Mammoshka (who was just in the way), Mount Pajamaja (who you annoyed in the dream world), Big Massif (who you fight in the dream world to wake up his real world counterpart), Wiggler (who you fight because Popple made you think he was a security guard), Popple (who was just robbing a building at the time), the Zeekeeper, Pi'illodium and quite a few others.
149* From the second ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'', Sauron. He makes it very clear he sent Apocalypse's goons packing when they came recruiting, but when the player mentions they work with Ka-Zar, he attacks out of spite.
150* In the first ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'', the Mandarin, Mephisto, and Galactus are not affiliated with Dr. Doom or the Masters of Evil. Mandarin had previously left the group after a failed attempt at taking it over for himself, and the two immortal beings were used by Doom in his quest for power. Nonetheless, you still have to fight them.
151* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Kamoshida is the only main target who is not connected with the conspiracy in any way. [[spoiler:Even Madarame and Kaneshiro, who were seemingly independent, had been threatened into funding the conspiracy, while Sae was used as an UnwittingPawn]].
152* The boss Kandar (also known as Robbin' Hood in some localizations) appears in several ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' games, and he's usually a thief who has no connection whatsoever to the BigBad, except in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' where [[spoiler:the main villain hired him to attack the protagonist]].
153* The world of Alrest in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' has one outright villain for each of its stories who aren't affiliated with what would become known as the Organization of Torna [[spoiler:or the Indoline Praetorium]].
154** Bana is the outlier in the present day, being a war profiteer and corrupt chairman of the Argentum Guild. He does make monetary deals with the Tornan group but his actions and motivations are his own.
155** Gort is the abusive stepfather of Lora who seeks revenge after he accused her of stealing his prized stolen possession that would end up becoming Lora's strongest blade, and after said blade cut his arm off after Gort tried to rectify this with violence. [[spoiler:He would become a failed Blade Eater prototype created in the Indoline Praetorium but he still has his personal reasons for attacking Lora at the end of ''The Golden Country'']].
156[[/folder]]
157
158[[folder:Shoot 'Em Ups]]
159* The first few bosses of most ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games rarely have much to do with the plot.
160[[/folder]]
161
162[[folder:Stealth-Based Game]]
163* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': The main antagonists of the game whom Solid Snake goes up against are the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad six members of FOXHOUND]], those being [[EvilTwin Liquid Snake]], [[TheGunslinger Revolver Ocelot]], [[PsychicPowers Psycho Mantis]], [[ColdSniper Sniper Wolf]], [[MagicalNativeAmerican Vulcan Raven]], and [[MasterOfDisguise Decoy Octopus]]. The only boss fight that has nothing to do with them whatsoever is against [[CyberNinja Grey Fox]], Snake's old brother-in-arms who was assumed dead after the [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake events of Zanzibarland]], and who merely wishes to challenge Snake one-on-one [[spoiler:while also secretly aiding him as Deepthroat.]]
164* In ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'', the only bosses who are aligned with [[spoiler:[[BigBad Sekto]]]] are D. Caste Raider and the Gloktigi. All the other bosses are their own independent villains.
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Strategy Games]]
168* In ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'', the Fanatic is the only enemy who isn't used by Caulder, attempting to sucker in desperate people infected with the Creeper virus.
169* ''Franchise/StarCraft'' has the United Earth Directorate, which appear as one of the two {{Big Bad}}s in ''Brood War''. They are the only major villainous faction in the franchise to not be related in any way or form to [[spoiler:[[GreaterScopeVillain Amon]]]], their only motivation to arrive in the Koprulu Sector being to regain authority over the Terran colonies and subdue the Protoss and Zerg. This actually works against them, as the uncertainty of their objectives makes the Terran Dominion, Raynor's Raiders, and the Protoss [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow think Kerrigan is a less malicious threat]] than the UED, and they decide to team up with her.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Visual Novels]]
173* In ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'', the culprit of Case 3, [[spoiler:Lance Amano]], is the only killer who is not connected to the smuggling ring that is the main threat of the game. [[spoiler:His father, however, is part of the conspiracy, and his attempt to prevent his son from being arrested ends up getting him arrested, too]].
174* Most killers in ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'' tend to be members of ''Void''. All except the culprits of Case 3: [[spoiler:the [[CreepyTwins Otonokoji twins]] [[ManchurianAgent Hibiki]] and [[TheSociopath Kanade]]]].
175[[/folder]]
176
177[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
178* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The anniversary lore post and Bestiary confirm that various Pre-Hardmode bosses are parts of Cthulhu, who is also the same being as the Moon Lord, the FinalBoss. Most of the main bosses are parts of him, mechanical recreations of those parts, or a cultist directly serving under him. However, the Wall of Flesh and Plantera are unrelated Guardian entities over Hell and the Jungle respectively and the Golem is just a defense mechanism in a temple, none of which are directly allied with Cthulhu. All of the optional bosses are either random large monsters (King Slime, Queen Bee, Queen Slime, Duke Fishron, the event bosses) or a fae that's just pissed off at you for killing a type of butterfly (Empress of Light), none of which having any ties to Cthulhu either.
179[[/folder]]
180
181!!Non-Video Game Examples Include:
182
183[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
184* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
185** In ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'', [[SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome ally-turned-villain]] Straizo is the only antagonist who isn't affiliated with the Nazis or the Pillar Men. He'd attacked Speedwagon and his companions to use their blood to activate the stone mask and become a vampire, but he didn't want to awaken Santviento, the Pillar Man inside the cave where he found the mask.
186** In ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'', the members of Team Bucciarati fight against members of the Hitman Team, who want to kidnap Trish (the girl Bucciarati's team is protecting) to help uncover the Boss of Passione's identity, and later [[spoiler:the Boss and his own personal assassins after they go rogue and plot to take him down]]. Sale and Zucchero are the only foes unaffiliated with either group, and are simply greedy mafiosi who want to steal Polpo's hidden treasure.
187** Gwess from ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'' is the only villain to not be affiliated with [[BigBad Enrico Pucci]] in any way. She even tried befriending Jolyne after she's defeated, although Jolyne wants none of it.
188** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'': Zaihei is the only enemy that doesn't have a connection with the Rock Humans and only had a coincidental run-in with Joshu.
189** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureTheJoJoLands The JoJoLands]]'': Rohan holds no affiliation with the group that's seeking to obtain the [[GreenRocks lava rock]] as he was acting in self-defense towards the heroes after he caught them entering his villa.
190* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', most villains the heroes face are connected to the League of Villains in some way, from the members of the organization itself to others that have some connection to them. Gentle and La Brava are exceptions, since they have no connection to the League of Villains.
191* In the Alabasta saga of ''Manga/OnePiece'', which consists of the Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, Drum Island and Alabasta arcs, the {{Arc Villain}}s of most of the arcs are from Baroque Works, a criminal organization plotting to overthrow the kingdom of Alabasta. Drum Island is the exception, since Wapol, the former king of the island, is entirely unaffiliated with Baroque Works. The Straw Hats only stop at his island to find a doctor for Nami.
192* ''Anime/TweenyWitchesTheAdventures'': Jestor, the posthumous antagonist of "The Secret of Dragon House", is the only warlock not shown to be involved in the conspiracy of the warlock dictatorship.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Comic Books]]
196* In Season 1 of ''Super Agent John Le Bon'', Gabriel Lobe is the only [[MonsterOfTheWeek villain-of-the-volume]] or otherwise noteworthy character to have nothing to do with Big Beaver's [[XanatosGambit long-term master plan]]. Big Beaver lampshades this himself during the [[WhamEpisode reveal]].
197* Many ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' villains often have no affiliation with factions like the Foot Clan or even each other, but the most iconic among them is the Rat King, a homeless man who manages to be one of the most personal archenemies for the Turtles and their sensei Splinter.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Film - Animation]]
201* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterFamily'': Dracula is the BigBad of the movie whose actions caused the plot, and most of the other monsters, like the witch Baba Yaga, work for him. Partway through the movie however the mummy Imhotep is introduced, who has no ties to Dracula and follows his own agenda instead. He teaches Fay how to use her mummy powers, but she rejects him when he reveals he wants to TakeOverTheWorld with her as his queen. He is eventually defeated in a fight by Frank, after which he is not seen again and the Wishbone family can focus on defeating Dracula again.
202[[/folder]]
203
204[[folder:Film - Live action]]
205* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Jabba the Hutt is a crime lord unaffiliated with TheEmpire. However, he's the main antagonist in Han Solo's personal story arc who plays a prominent role in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.
206[[/folder]]
207
208[[folder:Literature]]
209* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
210** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'':
211*** Aragog the spider isn't a minion of Voldemort.
212*** [[spoiler:Lockhart]] is just working to improve his own position, and has nothing to do with the heir of Slytherin.
213** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Dolores Umbridge isn't one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, she's just a very sadistic ObstructiveBureaucrat. [[spoiler:She does [[TheQuisling ally herself with them]] in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', but less because she cares about pure-blood supremacy and more because they give her a convenient supply of victims to torment.]]
214* ''Literature/JamesBond'': It is lampshaded in the opening sequence of ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'', where the Russian intelligence chiefs discuss Bond's career, that while the villains of the first three books were all working for or with the Russians, the Spang brothers from previous book ''Literature/DiamondsAreForever'' were nothing to do with them.
215* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and its adaptions, Sauron is the overarching BigBad. However, the final antagonist to be directly confronted is Gollum, who seeks the One Ring to soothe his own obsession.
216[[/folder]]
217
218[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
219* ''Series/{{Eureka}}'': Most villains aren't affiliated with Beverly Barlowe.
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Web Animation]]
223* ''WebAnimation/GamingAllStars'': The vast majority of villains in ''The Ultimate Crossover'' and ''Remastered'' aren’t connected to or even ''aware'' of [[spoiler:[[GreaterScopeVillain Polygon]] [[VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale Man]] or [[Franchise/StarFox Andross]]]]. The same could be said for ''2'', in which pretty much none of the antagonists have any affiliation with or knowledge of [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Giygas]]]].
224[[/folder]]
225
226[[folder:Western Animation]]
227* Gulpo (King of the Blobs), a [[VillainOfTheWeek oneshot villain]] from the ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatJoeOriolo'' cartoon [[Recap/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat1x27FelixBabySits "Felix Babysits"]]. He's not affiliated with [[BigBadWannabe Professor]] or [[BigBad Master Cylinder]], he's just a [[MegaMicrobes ravenous amoeba]] that becomes a threat to Felix and Poindexter when the latter shrinks Felix and unwittingly enlarges Gulpo with a formula. [[TheBusCameBack He comes back as a boss fight]] in the [[VideoGame/FelixTheCat 1992 video game]], but due to the games [[ExcusePlot wafer-thin plot]], it's not clear if he's affiliated with Professor now or if he's just giving Felix trouble again for the heck of it.
228* ''WesternAnimation/{{Young Justice|2010}}'': Harm is the only villain that is not revealed to have been (and is permanently defeated before he is even known about by, let alone becomes) part of The Light throughout the show's two seasons.
229* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Only a few of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]] are related to the mystery surrounding the Author of the Journals, even counting the ones that the Author interacted with in the past. (Some episodes have the Pines discover an entirely "new" anomaly, such as the two living video games or the Summerween Trickster.) None of the villains that get their own episode are allied with [[BigBad Bill Cipher]] except for other major antagonist Gideon (even that doesn't stick), and when Bill's true minions finally do show up, it's only at the end of the series.
230* On ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'', Dr. Crumhorn (a wolfish character) is definitely no ally or affiliate to Baron Greenback and he lets us (and Penfold, whom he has kidnapped) know it, calling Greenback "a fat and feckless fool." Likewise, the Scottish-speaking alien Quark (original series) is an unaffiliated antagonist.
231* There were a few villains on ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' that were standalones, such as Abracadaver, Roach Coach and (on the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 reboot]]) Man-Boy, the Gnat and the Fashionistas (a little bit of a zig-zag with the Fashionistas--Mojo Jojo was about to marry Barbarus until they had a conflict of interests).
232[[/folder]]

Top