This is when a Video Game boss isn't teamed up or associated with the Big Bad. He's a lone wolf and isn't the main antagonist's Mook. He is an antagonist all on his own.
This is relatively common in
RPGs, where the player party often winds up just running into bosses that just happen to be at the end of caves, attacking a town, guarding
MacGuffins, etc.
Sometimes overlaps with
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere, but while the
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere comes from out of nowhere, the
Lone Wolf Boss is often established into the plot, and sometimes even plays a crucial role in some way, but either has nothing to with the aims of the
Big Bad, or is outright opposed to them.
Examples include:
- King Boom Boo from Sonic Adventure 2
- The Great Mighty Poo from Conkers Bad Fur Day isn't aligned with the Panther King.
- Quite a few bosses from Super Mario Galaxy.
- All of the bosses in Sly Cooper 3 aside from Dr. M's mutant creatures.
- Bull from Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.
- The Ox in the Metropolis level in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage.
- Rayquaza from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- In Mega Man X 6, 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 on this game would be something like Experience points) to make himself stronger.
- Dante plays this role in Devil May Cry 4 (and he is That One Boss to boot). Nero thinks he is the Big Bad 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 Not Quite Dead Pope in question is the real Big Bad, so Dante sort of becomes an Aloof Ally.
- In the first Viewtiful Joe, 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 Noble Demon 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.
- Jr. Troopa in Paper Mario.
- The Bubble King and Ghost bosses from Wario Land 2, which initially start by capturing the Big Bad (temporarily). Kind of their own antagonists, considering that beating them gets an alternate ending.
- Many examples also exist in the Mario & Luigi series, like Popple from Superstar Saga, possibly Trunkle from the same game, Bowser in all three games, Durmite/whatever in Bowser's Inside Story, the Tower of Yikk (second giant Bowser boss) in the same game, Mom Piranha and the Piranha Bean in Superstar Saga, Mrs. Thwomp in Partners in Time, and Broque Monsieur in Bowser's Inside Story have no connection to the Big Bad whatsoever, and most have no connection to the storyline at all.
- Angela the Thief isn't connected to Captain Qwark in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando.
- Technically she is, but very arbitrarily. She's a former employee of the man Qwark is impersonating, Mr. Fizwidget, and is trying to stop the release of the Protopet, something Qwark is trying to cause. Most of the arena bosses are better fits, as is the mutant swampbeast.
- Fire Emblem: Battles against random bandits not affiliated with the story's main villains are ubiquitous.
- Most of the enemies in the Baldur's Gate games 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.
- Your rivals in Pokemon. 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. Sometimes they serve as the True Final Boss after the main villains are dealt with but not always.
- Belome and Punchinello in Super Mario RPG. 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.
- Cyborg Ninja in Metal Gear Solid is the only boss in the game that isn't a part of Fox Hound. He's a tertiary factor, antagonistic to both sides.
- Papu Papu, the first boss of the first Crash Bandicoot 1996. Every other boss in the series is either a scientist working with the Neo Cortex, or an animal Cortex mutated. Papu Papu, on the other hand, is just the leader of a Wacky Wayside Tribe that Crash stumbles through.
- Mystery G in Neo Contra. 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. He also pulls a Heroic Sacrifice halfway through the game, depending on how good your performance was throughout the game.
Non-Video Game Examples Include:
- Harry Potter: Aragog isn't a minion of Voldemort.
- Eureka: Most villains aren't affiliated with Beverly Barlowe.
