'' "He's not the Final Boss. The game has 3 discs, and you're on Disc 1." ''

A driving force early in a story. The heroes seemed to have defeated him, but then the audience realizes that the show is only in midseason.

The real villain, TheManBehindTheMan, will show up later. This may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon.

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of NotSoFastBucko thrown in. It takes its name from from the video game trope of a FinalBoss, not a management figurehead-- as much fun as it'd be to find your boss's boss is bringing about the Apocalypse. See also DiscOneFinalDungeon.

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!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* In the first season of ''SailorMoon'', Queen Beryl appears to be the BigBad, but turns out to be reporting to Metaria; similar plots are followed in the second, third, fourth and fifth season. [[spoiler:In the end of the fifth season, it turns out that all of ''these'' characters, in turn, are all small parts of the same villain]]
* In what is probably a mild subversion, the jaw-droppingly powerful vampire/sorceress Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=] in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' likens herself to both intermediate and final bosses from a video game, and refuses to say exactly ''which'' she is.
*In the first season of ''TenshiNiNarumon,'' Dispell seems to be the BigBad. It turns out, however, that he is literally a puppet of his "sidekick," Silky.
* ''MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' uses this in both its seasons; in fact, in the second season, it was effectively used three times, [[spoiler:where the viewer thinks that Michel is the villain, then it's Fuku, then it's the fire spirit known as "him", then it's Fuku again.]]
* Reached ridiculous heights in ''DigimonAdventure02''. The Digimon Emperor was the FakeBoss under Arukennimon...who turned out to be reporting to Oikawa...who then got [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By]] [[strike:[[HijackedByGanon MaloMyotismon]]]] [[HijackedByGanon BelialVamdemon]]. Oh, and then there was this guy called Daemon thrown in there somewhere, although he never received any plot resolution.
* In ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'', it seems that the curse of Oyashiro-sama is to blame for the main characters going crazy and the bloodshed that follows... Surprise! [[spoiler:She's one of the good guys! It's actually a disease that causes the insanity]].
* ''{{Naruto}}'' does this on multiple occasions, where [[spoiler:Orochimaru turns out to look like a BigBad]] at which point he is followed up by [[spoiler:Itachi Uchiha]] who in turn is followed up by [[spoiler:Akatsuki]]. [[spoiler:In the recent manga, Pain in turn has also appeared to be a FakeBoss, as Madara Uchiha is revealed to be the true leader of Akatsuki.]]
* In CodeGeass Suzaku of the Counterattack, this happens [[spoiler:twice]]. The viewer expects Lelouch to be the villain, but [[spoiler:Emperor Charles Zi Britannia is soon introduced as a potential BigBad but then gets killed by Schniezel, who tries to become immortal and take over the world]].
* In YuYuHakusho, Zeru acts as the leader for Team Rokuyokai during the [[TournamentArc Dark Tournament]]. When Hiei kills him, Team Urameshi thinks they have the round in the bag, until the real leader shows up, killing two of the team's fodder in the process: [[DrunkenMaster Chu]], who appears to be a joke of a fighter, but is in reality every bit as powerful, if not moreso, than Zeru.
* The BigBad of {{Slayers}}' first season seems to be [[spoiler:Rezo/Shabranigo]], but its actually [[spoiler:Rezo's clone]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''StarWars: The Phantom Menace'' ends with Yoda and Mace Windu wondering whether the Sith that Obi-Wan slew was the BigBad or just a FakeBoss. (The audience, having already seen the original trilogy, [[ForegoneConclusion knows the answer]].)
* The BigBad in ''LastActionHero'' appears to be the mob boss, with Benedict as [[TheDragon his dragon]]. As the far more competent Benedict starts to figure out what's going on, he becomes the real threat while the mob boss [[spoiler: is shot by Benedict.]]
* Especially tricky because the movie is almost over when he's finally taken down: [[spoiler:Veck]] is not the BigBad of ''[=~Paul Blart: Mall Cop~=]''. [[spoiler:Commander Kent, the SWAT guy that took over the hostage negotiations and was chasing after Veck with Paul, was actually working with Veck all along.]] The new villain then gets taken down almost instantly.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''{{Mistborn}}'' combines this one with WellIntentionedExtremist and, of all things, BigGood. [[spoiler: The EvilOverlord the protagonists spend the first book overthrowing was a tyrant, sure, but he was also the only thing standing between humanity and the ''real'' BigBad. His death at the end of the first book leaves things wide open for TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

*''[[TwentyFour 24]]'' begins each season with henchmen taking orders from a boss, who reports to yet another boss, and so on until we meet a boss of sufficient charisma to drive the rest of the season.
** And then sometimes, that boss will report to someone from the NEXT season, and it goes on and on and on...
* Emperor Grumm is played as the main villain of ''PowerRangersSPD'' for the first half of the series, then starts making veiled references to a "Magnificence" which he worships. Only in the final episode is this revealed to be "Omni", a giant malevolent brain which Grumm has been secretly serving as lieutenant.
** "Veiled" is being nice. "Confusing" is more accurate, considering half the time Grumm implies that the Magnificence is a DoomsdayDevice he's building, not a person. You get the impression that the writers [[TheyJustDidntCare couldn't figure out what he was talking about either.]]
* Avoided in ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' -- just six episodes into the fourth season, the [[BigBad Shadows]] are persuaded to leave the galaxy and never come back. "Aha," the audience thinks, "we've only just started the season, so we must see them again at some point." No, we don't. They really are gone. Much of the rest of the series deals with cleaning up what they left behind.
* In the first episode of the 5th season of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer,'' Dracula is introduced in such a way to make it appear that he'll be a major force in the season, especially with his ability to reform after being killed... then leaves Sunnydale forever at the end of the episode.
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer,'' 6th season. Warren and his two cohorts appear to be the BigBad for the season.. right up until Warren makes a big mistake by shooting through a second-floor window while trying to kill Buffy. This proves to be a monumental error. TwoWords: "Bored now."
* The Beast from ''{{Angel}}'' appeared to be the major force of destruction that all the prophecies warned about, and it took the characters quite a while to figure out that it was working for a supernatural being more powerful than itself -- and longer still to figure out the identity of this more powerful BigBad.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga, you defeat the BigBad, Cackletta, halfway through the game. However, [[spoiler: Fawful captures her essence, which she then uses to possess Bowser. At the end of the game, you fight Bowletta, but even then you're not done as you then get sucked inside her to fight the real Cackletta INSIDE Bowser's body. And after THAT, you still have to escape the castle before it blows up. If you fail, you have to go through the final boss fight again. Good luck.]]
* ''The KingOfFighters 2001'' reveals that the Zero fought in the previous game was actually a stand-in for the real Zero that is fought in ''2001''.
** And once you beat Zero in 2001, ''his boss'' Igniz appears... who then kills ''his own boss'' to remind you that Igniz is indeed the SNKBoss.
* Used in several ''FinalFantasy'' games.
** ''FinalFantasyIII''. You play through an entire world, discover it's a floating island, find a land frozen in time, battle your way through everything Xande, the guy responsible for all the misfortune in the world, could throw at you. You fight through 2 dungeons before you can reach him, without save points along the way, [[spoiler: up comes [[HopelessBossFight the Cloud of Darkness]], the embodiment of all the dark power in the world, who forces you to go through yet ''another'' dungeon, filled with a couple of more bosses that are tough as nails before you can face her down.]]
** ''FinalFantasyIV'': [[spoiler:Kain is mind controlled by Golbez, who turns out himself to be mind controlled by Zemus.]]
** Emperor Gestahl in ''FinalFantasyVI.'' [[spoiler:Around the halfway point, he's assassinated by his [[TheDragon second in command]], Kefka, who then proceeds to [[CrapsackWorld lay waste to the world]]. Really, if you hire somebody with that kind of name and [[MonsterClown fashion sense]], you're just asking for it...]]
** President Shinra in ''FinalFantasyVII'', who [[spoiler:turns up dead early in Disc 1--slain by Sephiroth.]]
*** Another example from ''{{Final Fantasy VII}}'' is when Sephiroth is set up as a FakeBoss because ItsPersonal, he has been hunted into the [[{{Mordor}} extremely bleak]] [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Impact Crater]] where Jenova [[WhereItAllBegan first came to the planet]] and everything is set up for an epic BossBattle, ending in the foul villain's [[MoralEventHorizon much deserved]] death, and presumably TheReveal of the ManBehindTheMan, because you're [[NotSoFastBucko you're still only at the end of Disc 2 out of 3]]. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Nope]]. Sephiroth effortlessly wins via a MindRape HannibalLecture and Cloud, now a [[HeroicBSOD broken shell of who he used to be]], simply hands over the WeaponOfMassDestruction before falling into TheLifestream and the rest of the party end up as the prisoners of Shinra]]. The story goes on after a two-week TimeSkip, which somehow manages to make everything even worse.
** The Sorceress Edea in ''{{Final Fantasy VIII}},'' who's the boss of Disc 1, but then turns out to be just a puppet for something far worse. She later joins the heroes as an ally, [[OverratedAndUnderleveled sans most of her superpowers]].
** ...and again in ''{{Final Fantasy IX}},'' with Queen Brahne who is -- as usual -- killed by Kuja, who'd previously seemed to be TheDragon. Of course, he's a white-haired prettyboy, so she really should've seen it coming...
*** Happens ''up to three times'' in ''FFIX'', in fact, since Kuja himself is then set up to be a FakeBoss when he's revealed to be working for {{Chessmaster}} [[TheManBehindTheMan Garland]]... and then subverted [[spoiler: when Kuja goes OmnicidalManiac, kills Garland, and proves to be the BigBad after all.]] And AGAIN, [[spoiler:at the very end, where the actual final boss fight is fought against [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere the physical manifestation of the inevitable cycle of birth and death... or something]].]]
** However, this trope was actually subverted by the original ''FinalFantasy'' game, in which the ''first boss'', the original Garland, turns out to be the vessel of the BigBad, Chaos.
** In ''FinalFantasy Tactics A2'', around halfway through the game, you fight a giant purple hand sticking out through a portal, which by all accounts could have been a final boss. However, the game doesn't end there, and at the real end of the game, you go to where the other end of the portal and fight the entire monster--the hand, a gaping maw, and a couple of energy cores of some sort.
** Square loves this a lot. In FinalFantasyXI [[spoiler: the BigBad of the orignal game, the Shadow Lord, was defeated 20 years before the game started. But he was resurected by the big bads of the first expansion (and thusly causing the game to happen) in order to set in motion the events for the first expansion.]]
* ''DragonQuestIII'' was perhaps the first to do this, and one of the only to do it convincingly. After the entire world so far is explored, the BigBad apparent destroyed, and the apparent ending has started... the ''real'' Big Bad shows up from his home in the Hollow Earth and seeks vengeance for his defeated [[TheDragon Dragon]], requiring the hero to go into the Hollow Earth after him.
* ''DragonQuestVIII'' featured a villain Dhoulmagus who stole a magical sceptre and went around killing people. After chasing him all over the world and going through a rather difficult boss battle, it turns out the sceptre made him do it, and the game is less than half over--now you have to go after the real Big Bad, a SealedEvilInACan named Rhapthorne.
* ''LegendOfDragoon'' does this multiple times. It starts with (arguably) Fruegel, then Emporer Doel, then Lloyd, then Emporer Diaz, then Zieg, and then finally, Melbu Frahma.
* In ''BatenKaitos Origins'', you spend about 78% of the game fighting the sinister Lord Baelheit (and another 20% being MentalTimeTravel in which you fight against Wiseman, an apparently unrelated villain millenia in the past). Then, in the last hour of the game, you [[spoiler: defeat Baelheit, he gives a MotiveRant explaining that he's the true [[ChosenOne Spiriter]], and has been a WellIntentionedExtremist trying to stop the real villain... your boss, Quaestor Verus, who suddenly turns out to have been an OmnicidalManiac playing a XanatosGambit all along. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice job killing him, Hero.]]]]
** Oh, and at the very end of the game if you've satisified the requirements, [[spoiler:Wiseman shows up, despite having been dead for several millenia at this point, and possesses the just-defeated Verus, rendering ''him'' a FakeBoss.]]
** Oh you do the same in ''BatenKaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean''. You fight your halfbrother, Giaccomo, his two generals, against the [[EvilEmpire Empire]], you get all the [[PlotCoupons Magnus cards that contain the body]] of [[EldritchAbomination dead god Malpercio]], you get smacked down in what is like Disc One's final dungeon, the Emperor empowers himself with the dead god's powers... [[spoiler: Goes insane, gets shot down by his own troops, and voila, what seemed to be the main protagonist undergoes a HeelFaceTurn, imprisons all of the other PC's, and resurrect Malpercio. Woohoo!]]
* Subverted in ''{{Overlord}}'' where you discover at the end of the game [[spoiler: the PlayerCharacter is really TheDragon for the titular EvilOverlord (and that you're a FallenHero suffering from LaserGuidedAmnesia to boot), and you must defeat him to usurp/reclaim your throne.]]
* Happens roughly a million bajillion times in ''TalesOfSymphonia'', which was ''made'' of NotSoFastBucko. Particularly with Remiel.
** ''[[TalesOfVesperia Vesperia]]'' has it too, with the second part concluding with an epic battle against TheManBehindTheMan, [[spoiler:Alexei]]. In fact, this boss is easily the most evil character in the entire game; in comparison, the final boss is just misguided.
* The [[OneWingedAngel giant living brain]] Agathos in ''AdventuresOfRadGravity''. After you beat him, he returns to human form, and reveals that [[spoiler:the BigBad is none other than your robotic partner Kakos, who has been manipulating you in a XanatosGambit.]]
* Oddly enough, shows up in ''BomberMan 64''. Altair is hyped up for the entire game to be the BigBad, except if you've gotten all of the Gold Cards. If you do that, instead of fleeing after you've beaten him, [[spoiler: Sirius, the guy who has been helping you out, showing up on almost every level and giving you hints, and dropping you the Remote Bomb powerup before every boss, flies in and kills him, then points out that [[MacguffinDeliveryService the guys you've been fighting stole the superweapon from him]], [[XanatosSucker and you've been unwittingly helping him recover it]].]] After that, all of the hint-givers in the previous levels tell you that you should die because it would be easier. [[spoiler: They aren't lying. The hidden final world is WAY harder than anything and everything that came before it.]]
* In ''MightAndMagic IV'', the BigBad is Lord Xeen, who is only able to be harmed with a special weapon and can eradicate you at a touch. Once you kill him, another BigBad shows up and proclaims you have defeated his general. Cue sequel.
* Anyone who's not Wily in the ''{{Megaman}}'' series, [[spoiler:except Sungod from ''Rockman World 5''.]]
** Anyone who's not Sigma in the ''MegamanX'' series, [[spoiler:except Lumine.]]
** Fortunately the ''MegaManZero'' and ''ZX'' series kept it fresh with each game.
* ''{{Castlevania}}'', particularly the {{Metroidvania}}-era games, is a big fan of this one, with the twist that frequently, the Fake Boss ''can'' [[MultipleEndings be the final boss]], depending on what you've managed to do throughout the game. This being a videogame series about the eternal war with a certain vampire, however, the FakeBoss tends to be [[HijackedByGanon hijacked by Dracula]] when you [[PerfectRunFinalBoss do things right]].
** ''Symphony of the Night'': Alucard's final foe appears to be [[spoiler:Richter Belmont]], and if he's defeated normally, Alucard gives a solemn monologue and a DownerEnding. If he puts on a certain piece of equipment, though, he can see that his foe [[spoiler:is actually being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind-controlled]] by a weird ball of light; if Alucard focuses his attacks on this, it's revealed to be the evil priest Shaft and the entire second half of the game, the Inverted Castle, is unlocked.]]
** ''Aria of Sorrow'': Graham Jones inherits the powers of Dracula, and has an epic battle with Soma. If Soma defeats him normally, the game ends with Soma and his friends escaping the castle, but with him getting a strange feeling. If Soma [[GuideDangIt equips three certain souls, however,]] and defeats Graham, [[spoiler:''he'' absorbs Dracula's powers and finds out ''he's'' actually [[TomatoInTheMirror the reincarnation of Dracula]], after which he must travel to TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and do battle with [[EnemyWithin the essence of chaos within him]] to set himself free.]]
** ''Dawn of Sorrow'': The game ends rather [[AnticlimaxBoss anticlimactically]] if Soma just defeats Dario straight-on, with the other cult members escaping the castle and Soma getting another weird feeling as he leaves. If he gets [[GuideDangIt another certain soul, however,]] he can [[spoiler:enter the mirror in Dario's room and cut Dario off from the fire demon that's fueling his powers.]] After a long series of events that result from this, he eventually goes to TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and does battle with [[spoiler:the manifestation of the mutated and out-of-control powers of Dracula. Or something.]]
** ''Portrait of Ruin'': If Jonathan and Charlotte beat the vampire sisters head-on, Brauner stops them and flees the castle with them, leaving [[spoiler:Eric]]'s wish unfulfilled and sending the duo on what would likely be a country-wide hunt for the vampire and his hostages. [[spoiler:If Charlotte manages to cast Sanctuary on them, they're cured of their vampiricy and, grateful for the forced HeelFaceTurn, grant access to the second half of the game and the eventual battle with Brauner himself... only for Brauner to be [[HijackedByGanon hijacked by Dracula]] at the very end. And Death. ''[[DualBoss At the same time.]]'']]
** ''Order of Ecclesia'': If Shanoa defeats Albus without having saved all the villagers, she goes home with all the Dominus glyphs for the ritual [[spoiler:...which ends in her life being sacrificed and her mentor gloating over his plan coming to fruition]]. If she ''does'' manage to save all the villagers, [[spoiler:Albus gets a chance to warn her about what's coming up, leading to her calling out her mentor for the TreacherousAdvisor he is, resulting in an epic boss battle with him. Which ends when he gives up his life to summon Dracula's castle. Nice try, Shanoa.]]
* In ''PrinceOfPersia: Warrior Within'' [[spoiler:Kaileena turns out to be the Empress the prince has been seeking]] and the ensueing boss battle takes place. The fake aspect is that this battle occurs halfway through the game and the Prince's troubles don't dissapear afterwards. [[spoiler:Kaileena becomes the final boss in the [[MultipleEndings bad ending]] if you haven't gotten the [[InfinityPlusOneSword water sword.]]]]
* ''SkiesOfArcadia'' features [[spoiler:Empress Teodora]]; the real BigBad manipulates the Fake Boss just as much as he does everyone else.
* ''LegendOfLegaia'' pulls one of these as well. Prince Cort has been defeated and the Mist, all but eradicated. Then Songi shows up and has Juggernaut eat your town. .
* [[HomestarRunner Strong Bad's]] 5th game: ''8-Bit is Enough'', has a fake final boss against the supposedly invulnerable Trogdor; who gets defeated with a single slash, emitting final words of "I could not handle your style!". Even Strong Bad himself [[LampshadeHanging concedes that it was easier than expected]]. Cue walls coming down and Ultimate Trogdor appearing.
* ''BanjoKazooie'' led to you believe that the final showdown with the BigBad, Gruntilda, is a quirky board game/quiz show where you test your memory about the game and run through a few minigames. After you beat it, she skedaddles, Banjo and Kazooie rescue [[DistressedDamsel Tooty]], and the whole gang goes back home for some well-earned rest and relaxation. The credits roll... and as soon as they're done, Tooty pops up and tells Banjo to get back out there and finish off Grunty. What ensues is probably the most epic final boss battle in the history of the N64.
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the sequel when Grunty does the same thing, but Kazooie expects it. The next game has a challenge that feels very much like the ending: you have to incorporate pretty much every different aspect of the vehicles you've built before into one multitasker, complete with mid-challenge quiz (as features in Banjo-Tooie). Once you beat it Grunty requests a final battle, although it can easily be won [[MoreDakka using]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre overwhelming]] [[BeamSpam firepower.]]
* Happens a lot in the ''LegendOfZelda'' games:
** [[spoiler: Aghanim]] to [[spoiler: Ganondorf]] in ''A Link to the Past''.
** [[spoiler: The Majora's-Mask-wearing Skull Kid]], to [[spoiler: the Mask Itself]] in ''Majora's Mask''.
** [[spoiler: General Onox]] in ''Oracle of Seasons'', and [[spoiler: Veran]] in ''Oracle of Ages'', are fake bosses to [[spoiler: Twinrova]], who are also fake bosses to [[spoiler: Ganondorf]].
** [[spoiler: Zant]] in ''Twilight Princess'', to [[spoiler: Ganondorf. Again. [[HijackedByGanon He's very good at this]].]]
* Okami features ''two'' very convincing instances of this with Orochi and Ninetails. Both of them are heavily foreshadowed and reside in their very own big honking evil lairs, each of which constitutes a PointOfNoReturn and has its own [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ridiculously dramatic]] lead up sequence. Of course, the fact that Ammy hasn't learned all of the skills necessary to restore her godhood should be a dead giveaway to the status of these (admittedly imposing) nasties. It could be said that they are the "final bosses" of their sections of the game, however.
* In ''{{BioShock}}'', Jack battles his way to the apartment of [[spoiler: Andrew Ryan]] in order to kill him, only for [[spoiler: Ryan to point out Jack's TomatoInTheMirror status. After which Ryan commits Jack-assisted suicide in a cutscene.]] Only then does poor Jack realize that [[spoiler: he's been listening to the real BigBad all along.]]
* Maleficent is not, in fact, the last boss in ''KingdomHearts'', despite what everything up until that point had led this troper to believe.
** To tell the truth, the whole Ansem part had been added at the last moment, because the staff was thinking the scenario was too simple and would offend the FF fans. It didn't stop them.
** A more minor example earlier in the game is the second Guard Armor battle in Traverse Town. Pulling a FakeBoss on, um, itself, it flips over after getting beat up a bit, becoming the Opposite Armor.
** In ''358/2 Days'', [[spoiler:Xion]] is not the last boss, despite having all [[OneWingedAngel the]] [[SequentialBoss trappings]] of one. No, there's still an epilogue chapter, with the true (and less challenging) final boss fight with [[spoiler:Riku]], as you re-enact the Deep Dive trailer.
* ''{{Metroid}}'' has the Mother Brain, a {{Load Bearing Boss}} with its own final dungeon. After the escape from the exploding dungeon you are treated with victory music and a victory cutscene! ...As long as the game in question wasn't the ''Zero Mission'' version, in which it quickly turns sour as your escape ship falls under attack and you lose all your equipment and have to work through part of the {{Very Definitely Final Dungeon}} without it.
* Due to the branching storypaths, most villains in the {{Nasuverse}} will fall under this. [[{{Tsukihime}} SHIKI/Roa]] is quietly killed off and replaced by Akiha in Kohaku's route, which is the last one. FateZero quietly shoves Tokiomi Tohsaka, Rin's father and they guy everyone expected to be a very serious contender, to the side and Kotomine takes his Servant. FateStayNight has Lancer shove Kotomine out of the way to make way for Gilgamesh as the Big Bad, and in Heaven's Feel Zouken makes it to the end, at which point Sakura effortlessly destroys him and True Assassin. She also ate Gilgamesh about halfway through. Nom nom nom. The two big fights are against Sakura herself, the love interest, and Kotomine, who really ought to be dead. Obviously, he isn't because that wouldn't be [[DeathIsDramatic interesting enough.]]
* Throughout ''GuildWars Nightfall'', you're trying to stop Varesh Ossa from completing her final ritual to release her god, Abaddon. The game even does a good job of disguising the mission where you confront Varesh as the final mission before pulling a NotSoFastBucko in the ending cutscene: Varesh's rituals weakened Abaddon's prison enough that he can punch through unless you take the fight to him.
* ChronoCross is ''clearly'' building you to take on Lynx/[[spoiler:Dark Serge]] and Fate itself, whatever that may be. [[spoiler:Turns out it's the computer that's keeping everyone from being killed by the dragons. And it wasn't evil so much as trying to resolve its programming. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Er...]] Well anyway, then you take on the dragons who are planning to destroy the Earth, only they/it aren't/isn't the final boss ''either'' because the Time Devourer ate it long ago.]] The final boss is something of a {{giant space flea from nowhere}} because while Lavos is mentioned a couple times, it never does anything throughout the entire game.
* In NoMoreHeroes, the player initially expects that the first-ranked assassin will be the last boss... [[spoiler:until Jeane kills him and starts fighting you]].
* This happens a couple of times in the ''WildArms'' series, but the most infamous example is probably in the [[WildArms3 third]] game, when the party finishes Part 3 by fighting against the Blue Menace, [[spoiler:Siegfried]], that had been foreshadowed the entire game. When the epic battle with him is concluded, the game goes into Part 4, which is only a few hours long and introduces, and puts an end to, [[spoiler:Beatrice, a little girl who [[BrickJoke had been randomly appearing throughout the game all along]], and was manipulating everyone, including Siegfried, to her own ends. Even then, she's not the final boss: her pet planet-organism...[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot thing]] is.]]
* The Monster Scout Championship Finals in ''DragonQuestMonstersJoker''. Interestingly, the game ''doesn't'' play it as a twist. Your suppossed goal is to win the championship, but from the very start it's apparent that behind-the-scenes intrigue and the Incarnus' mission are guiding the plot.
*Disgaea 3 makes a big deal of how the final boss is going to be [[spoiler: Mao's dad]], but it turns out [[spoiler:the real final boss is Super Hero Aurum.]]. However, you can actually beat the "fake boss" on a second playthrough and get a secret ending.
*In ''{{Prototype}}'', the game is ''not'' over when you kill [[spoiler:Elizabeth Greene]]. To be sure, the infection slackens of ''considerably'' when you do, but there's still Blackwatch to deal with.

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