->''"FOOLS! You face the mightiest swordsman in all Ivalice! You face ME! GILGAMESH! Long have I sought the blade of legend, scoured have I the furthest marches, east and west! And now my search brings me HERE! To YOU! Your weapons are forfeit to me!!!"''
-->-- '''Gilgamesh''', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''

%% Only one page quote is allowed. Moved the other quote to the Quotes page.

Appearing in VideoGames more frequently than in other media, this character combines traits of the HarmlessVillain, AffablyEvil, LargeHam and FakeUltimateHero into what is essentially a villainous version of the BoisterousBruiser; a blustering, over-the-top buffoon who confronts the heroic party, often [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere completely out of nowhere]], [[IncomingHam pompously and dramatically introduces himself]], and challenges the heroes to battle.

The Braggart is usually either competent but not particularly deadly, or a complete joke, but either way his comically over-the-top blow and bluster is {{played for laughs}}. He'll insist on making a [[BigEntrance dramatic entrance]] (sometimes backfiring spectacularly), pause to deliver long, bungling villainous speeches punctuated by megalomaniacal laughter that come off as more snickerworthy or just plain confusing than ominous, and when defeated will either [[WeWillMeetAgain promise an epic rematch and run like a chicken]], or be foisted embarrassingly out of the scene by some humorous DeusExMachina. Rest assured, this will be a RecurringBoss, of the [[CowardlyBoss most]] [[GoldfishPoopGang annoying]] kind. Even in the instance that you only fight him once, he'll probably have led you on some kind of bizarre SideQuest to reach that point.

Just how annoying this is depends on the way this character is used. He's similar to the GoldfishPoopGang except that rather than diminishing in importance in subsequent encounters, he's likely to continuously power himself up trying to match you. He's also usually a solitary character; if he's part of a Gang or a QuirkyMinibossSquad, he's the one who's champing at the bit to engage the heroes and takes any slur against the team as "fighting words". However, he's more likely to appear as an AffablyEvil [[TheDragon Dragon]] to the more obvious BigBad, or as a colourful PsychoForHire who is set up as a dangerous opponent but winds being more bark than bite. This character type is ''never'' the BigBad himself.

He's usually big, with an oversized weapon and bright, flashy clothes or excessively ornate armour. He'll usually announce himself as "TheMagnificent _______" or "the Legendary _______". He'll almost always claim to be the greatest warrior, wizard, or whatever alive, and to be attacking the heroes simply out of the search for a challenge. He'll try to downplay any defeat he suffers, claiming he wasn't at his best or he let the heroes win, and when he does come back he'll usually be toting some kind of gimmicky new weapon or spell that is ''sure'' to beat them this time. He may have an irritating tendency to hijack himself into unexpected places (such as the end of a dungeon, a secret treasure room, or as the final opponent of a TournamentArc), sometimes with upgraded power to compensate for how badly you thrashed him last time.

However, even if this character really ''is'' a challenging opponent, he'll never live up to his own hype, largely because he's ''so'' boastful that ''nobody'' possibly could. He's similar to the FakeUltimateHero, except that this character isn't seen as heroic, and instead of everyone believing him to be great and awesome, it's the Braggart himself trumpeting his glories. In fact, nobody in the story might believe him at all. Being an entertainingly LargeHam and most often a HarmlessVillain, this character is likely to escape death (at least [[YouHaveFailedMe by the heroes' hands]]) and is a frequent candidate for HeelFaceTurn. He'll probably claim at least once that the heroes have [[WorthyOpponent earned his respect]], or even start addressing them [[FriendlyEnemy as friends]], but if the heroes react at all to this character it's probably with annoyance or simply bewilderment. In this respect, the Braggart Boss crosses over with the UnknownRival.

Compare: FakeUltimateHero, UnknownRival, AffablyEvil, BoisterousBruiser, MilesGloriosus. This character could also be considered the video game equivalent of SmallNameBigEgo.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': The Team Rocket trio always like to make a big dramatic entry with elaborate traps, expensive mechas, and a grandiose motto of their villainy. But every single time, they are thwarted by Ash Ketchum and his friends, and [[TwinkleInTheSky are blasted off into the sky]]. Even when they TookALevelInBadass in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite'', they're still defeated by Ash and disguise their blast-offs with jetpacks. By the later series, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Ash doesn't even consider them to be anything but a nuisance on his journey]], in stark contrast to the trio's belief that Ash is their ArchEnemy.
* Viral of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' never seems to notice his VillainDecay, and fully acts the part of a badass WorthyOpponent AcePilot even when the heroes can defeat him in literally seconds.
* ''Anime/FinalFantasyUnlimited'': Pist is a showboating, hammy villain who acts very dramatic, even by the standards of his peers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Repeatedly subverted in ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': Every time the Wolf shows up in the first few chapters, he makes a BigEntrance in his flying longship, announces his intent to kill his target, copiously insults them before and during their battle... and then easily curbstomps their asses without breaking a sweat. It helps that he's the High Executioner of Chaos approximately the size of a bear, while his opponents (even Gregor Clegane) are just humans (and one of them was anything but a fighter by trade).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'': I am Puss... in Boots! Fear me if you dare! Slightly confident, but Shrek gets him before too long. On the other hand, when he's helping Shrek he can take on mooks by the half-dozen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* TheDragon vampire from the original ''Film/{{Blade}}'' film.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Visser Three, despite being the series BigBad, has a tendency to be this way in some of the ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'' books, especially when he lands suddenly in a Bug fighter or something like that. While his morphs (and even his Andalite host body) are unquestionably dangerous, he's simply too stupid and narcissistic to try anytihng apart from AttackAttackAttack.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'': Every general in the Generals Challenge mode is this, and often delves into LargeHam territory. Leang, in particular, strongly thinks that her [[WeaponOfMassDestruction multiple super weapons]] give her a complete gloat-free territory to tread upon, until [[UnderestimatingBadassery she sorely underestimates the opposing general against her]] and only when she loses a great deal of her non-defensive buildings does she go from [[ItsAllAboutMe self-gloating]] to [[ThisCannotBe actively denying her severe mounting losses]] against the opponent she constantly berated and it's only after fulfilling the requirements of defeating her that she [[GracefulLoser finally admits that the opposing general is better than her.]]
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Gilgamesh from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' makes appearances in subsequent games because of it. His big first entrance in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is pretty much this entire trope in a bag, wrapped-up bow of ham.
*** He finally gets his due in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', being the 4th hardest fight in the game.
*** And in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', he's the second-hardest [=DLC=] OptionalBoss.
*** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' he shows up in the comedic Hildibrand Manderville sidequest.
* Siegfried from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', to the extent that one [[EpilepticTrees fan theory]] was that Siegfried WAS Gilgamesh in disguise, though this was {{Jossed}} when Gilgamesh was retconned into the GBA version of the game as a secret boss.
** Ultros, a goofy purple octopus who shows up several times in the game, apropos of nothing, for a boss fight and spouts seafood puns at you. Much like Gilgamesh, he too became a recurring cameo fight.
** Kefka exemplifies the colorful PsychoForHire type in the beginning of the game. It turns out though that he is [[OmnicidalManiac much]] [[BigBad worse]].
* To an extent, Seymour from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. Sure, the first time around he was (to some people) ThatOneBoss. The second time, the player is probably screaming ShutUpHannibal. The third time was (one of) his MoralEventHorizon moments. The fourth time, if you weren't shouting "WHY WON'T YOU STAY DEAD?!" you either have infinite patience or you are massively stoned.
** Jecht is made into one of these in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. His taunt in a MirrorMatch says it all:
--->"I get to fight the best fighter in the world!"
*** And if that isn't enough for you, his moves are called Jecht Rush, Jecht Stream, Jecht Block, Jecht Blade, Ultimate Jecht Shot and Triumphant Grasp. The last one is named Jecht Finger in Japan.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'': Leblanc.
* Vyers the Dark Adonis [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Mid-Boss]]. The ending shows the very real possibility that he's a NotSoHarmlessVillain [[spoiler:as he's ex-Overlord Krichevskoy in disguise]], but in-game, he never lives up to his amazing, amusing bluster. Then there's all the other [[LargeHam enormous hams]] you fight, like '''Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth!''', but they don't usually come back for more.
** These characters live up to their reputations in other Creator/NipponIchi games, wherein they occasionally appear as some form of OptionalBoss; whether they're actually harder or not depends on the game and [[LevelGrinding how much grinding you've done.]]
* Euram Barows from ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' is a juvenile, immature version of this trope (who nevertheless embodies most of its characteristics, including [[spoiler:an optional HeelFaceTurn.)]]
* Dalton from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' is more villainous than the usual, but every bit as hammy and irritating as this trope implies.
* This pops up from time to time in the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' series, although the heroes themselves generally seem just as aware as the audience that the villains sound moronic. They stand around awkwardly, make casual conversation and generally wait for the bad guy to get on with it.
** "Where can I get one of those cushions?"
* In ''VideoGame/XMenLegends II'', ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} serves this role, making no sense, yet conveying that he wishes to kill everything. He then goes on a rampage of firing minimum damage range attacks and teleporting around the map. Given who he is, it's justified. It becomes even better in replay when you unlock Deadpool as a playable character. The unusualness of these two guys occupying the the same space is not wasted on Deadpool the boss and Deadpool the PC and they discuss the many comic book ways this could happen before deciding that it would be easier for one to kill the other and stop the logical fallacies.
** He does it again in ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance2'' where he appears and after verbally and physically assaulting a random terrorist and a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he yells at the player characters (or [[BreakingTheFourthWall possibly the player themselves]]) for "laughing at him with their eyes" because he's at a cherry blossom festival, and then [[BreakingTheFourthWall literally challenges them to a boss battle]].
-->'''Deadpool:''' Time for a little boss battle, ''suckers''!\\
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: [[Boss Subtitles Battle the Boss, Suckers ]]
]]
%%* ''VideoGame/PaperMario'':
%%** ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'': Jr. Koopa
%%** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'': Lord Crump.
* ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'':
** Vigoro, the boisterous, HandsomeLech enemy Admiral. His constant defeats by the party never seem to take the wind of his sails. Winds up subverted in the Game Cube remake where he legitimately becomes a deadly threat as a OptionalBoss.
** Alphonso is an even better example, being an extremely blustery character, convinced of his own superiority, while being so utterly useless that he can't even fight you himself (he uses a GiantMook stand-in).
%%* ''VideoGame/WildArms'': Zed from ''VideoGame/WildArms1'', and Maya and her posse from ''VideoGame/WildArms3''. "Here I am! The Grim Reaper's pen pal! The Ultimate Macho Man!" Or, "Oooh!! Your insensitivity flies in the face of my sensitivity!"
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': Dist the Rose.
* ''VideoGame/Mother3'': The Mole Cricket and the Squeekz.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'': Vire, the sub-boss of the sixth dungeons of both games, acts this way. Admittedly, [[ViewerGenderConfusion she]] is tougher than she was as a (silent and nameless) {{Mook}} in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', but she's still somewhat of a FragileSpeedster.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': King Bulblin, complete with admittance of Link being a WorthyOpponent and HeelFaceTurn.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': While a [[AxCrazy much darker example]] than most Braggart Bosses, Demon Lord Ghirahim is a [[DramaQueen scenery-chewing]], very arrogant villain who challenges Link three separate times throughout the story. Special mention goes to his appearance as the boss of the Skyview Temple -- the game's very first dungeon -- where he shows up totally out of nowhere, starts raving about how "[[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry FURIOUS! OUTRAGED! SICK WITH ANGER!]]" he is, and challenges Link to a duel.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Master Kohga is a silly and egotistical enemy who introduces himself with a dramatic boast about his fighting skills but who is much easier to defeat than the other main story bosses. His appearance in ''[[VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity Age of Calamity]]'' show that [[BunnyEarsLawyer he DOES have a lot of fighting potential despite his silliness, however]], and [[spoiler:despite his [[DisneyVillainDeath apparent death]], he survives all the way up to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom the sequel]], where he proceeds to play this trope even straighter by becoming the recurring ArcVillain of the Depths.]]
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem7'': "I am Glass! The gods fear my name! My swordplay is peerless!" So says the level 3 Mercenary.
* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': "Waka, the gods' gift to man, is here! Bonjour!" While not villainous, per se, he still acts as a recurring antagonist to Amaterasu. [[spoiler:Subverted in that he eventually turns out to be as competent as he brags. It was his prophecy that led to the original defeat of {{Orochi}}, after all. He also carries more emotional baggage than the average Braggart Boss.]]
* ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'': Kahn, in the fourth game. Performs a HeelFaceTurn of sorts, when he allows you to apprentice under him, potentially letting you make much better use of his skills than he ever did.
* ''VideoGame/Onimusha2SamuraisDestiny'': [[NobleDemon Gogandantess]] seemed like he was going to be this. Instead, he showed why he claimed to be "The Greatest Swordsman of all the Demons." The final battle with him is a load of fun and easily one of the coolest parts of the game. Jubei's last words to him are [[spoiler:"Your name is Gogandantess... the greatest swordsman of all the demons"]].
* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'': Hulk Davidson, one of the earlier bosses. As you approach his room, from a couple rooms away you can hear him (badly) singing "[[ThirdPersonPerson Hulk Davidson]] in the house, Hulk Davidson is born to be wiiiiild!"
* ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'': Assassin Asha. While he is fairly good at dodging (if not for his pride that somehow forbids him from dodging shotgun blasts, he would be truly invulnerable), he once [[TeleFrag teleported into a wall, losing his arm]]. And did I mention his pride? He's got more of it than Iosa the Invincible, THE MOST BADASS KOMATO IN THE UNIVERSE!, who quite lives up to her name, despite being defeated by a boot to the head.
* ''VideoGame/IMMeen'': I. M. Meen is a rare final boss example. Just take a look at any of his cutscenes. Notably, he proclaims himself the most powerful magician in the world. Judging by the fact he is defeated, rather easily, by a child armed with good grammar for only advantage and his own MinionWithAnFInEvil for only aid, he is probably lying. Either that, or he is also the ONLY magician in the world. The magical skill he seems to have mastered best is a thousand flashy ways of teleporting. When finally defeated, he overdramatically swears revenge, however while the game had a sequel, it barely even featured Meen himself.
-->''"Aaaaaugh! You may have outsmarted me this time, bookworm, but I'll be back! I.M. Meen NEVER QUITS! You'll see!"'' *spins out of the room*
* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'': Several bosses. For example, the (rather easy) Meteo Crusher: [in an extremely condescending voice]: "I cannot allow you to go any further. Let's see what you've got." [loses outer shield] "You're more cunning than I thought. I've underestimated you. How about this?" [loses electricity weapon] "[[SarcasmMode I'm no match for you. I admit defeat.]]" [Turns ship around to fire main weapons] "Ha ha! You're not as stupid as you look!" [Gets beaten] "I can't believe I lost to this scum!!"
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' delivers a horrifyingly competent and serious version of the Braggart Boss in [[BigBad The Illusive Man's]] [[TheDragon top assassin]], Kai Leng. With Kai Leng, there is no ham. There is, however, a [[FantasticRacism xenophobic]] HeroKiller [[spoiler:who is directly responsible for Shepard's failure to prevent the fall of Thessia]]. He even gets a HopelessBossFight just to drive home the point (which has already been made in spades) that ''he is dangerous''. And in everyone of his appearances, he never, ever stops [[IShallTauntYou taunting]] and [[YouFightLikeACow insulting]] Shepard and company. Of course, said HopelessBossFight is only because he calls in a gunship as back-up and in his previous encounter he proves to be barely better than [[spoiler:a Drell assassin [[WorfHadTheFlu dying of a terminal disease]]]]. In their final encounter, Shepard even shoots back that for all his bragging and taunting, Kai Leng never "loses" because he's always running, which causes him to shoot back with a [[LameComeback nervous "Sh-shut up!"]].
%%* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'': Allen O'Neil. In fact, he is the only character in the entire series to have a voiceover.
%%-->'''Allen''': Go home to your mommy!
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Destroyman. As a regular person, he's not too remarkable, but as soon as he puts on the "superhero" clothes, he prepares a triumphant presentation of himself for the battle. He calls his attacks by name, and overall pretends to be more than he actually is (note that he's only ranked 7th in the UAA).
* Creator/TobyFox loves this trope:
** ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Papyrus, the goofy skeleton with an inflated ego and lovable personality. He is notably the ''only'' monster of the game that can't kill you: if he depletes your HP low enough, he'll call off the fight and put you in a jail... that can be very easily escaped.
** ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' has two of these, with both Lancer and Rouxls Kaard, the former is really just a silly child entertaining himself by pretending to be a bad guy (and following the order of his much more evil father) and the later being TheDragon of said father, but so utterly [[HarmlessVillain incompetent]] that the only challenge he'll ever bring to the table is by sending a previously defeated boss to fight in his stead.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]
* A borderline example as he seemed to be considered a genuine hero by the populace at large (even though some of his stories might be exaggerated), [[strike:Othar Tryggvassen]] OTHAR TRYGGVASSEN, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' otherwise nicely fit the mold, especially the LargeHam part.
* Both [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0092.html Carissa]] and [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0162.html Toby]], from ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure''. Toby, [[LargeHam moreso]] than Carissa.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Senor Senior Junior, when he's actually being a bad guy, is pretty much this.
[[/folder]]
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