History OneWingedAngel / SquareEnix

* In ''VideoGame/BahamutLagoon'', Alexander does this. He's already a massive dragon by default, but after killing him, a dozen of the creatures that are used for vessels of reincarnation for dragons rush into the room. He ends up coming back as a multi-headed monstrosity that takes up half of the map.

** Odio, the Lord of Dark [[spoiler:aka FallenHero Oersted, who was originally human before he rejected his humanity and claimed the power of the Lord of Dark]] appears to the heroes as an ominous cloaked figure in the final chapter. When the final battle begins, he opens up the cloak and ''becomes'' the entire battlefield. A battlefield that seems to be made up of corpses. Your opponents in the first phase of the battle are grotesque creatures that vaguely resemble the parts of a human face. After destroying all but one part of the "face" (which can't be destroyed in the first phase), it "blossoms", revealing a winged vaguely humanoid ''thing'' sitting on a flower called "Purity of Odio". The 2022 remake adds another form after the BossRush with its incarnations from the previous chapters, as Odio draws upon all of the hatred of the world to manifest as a massive demonic form, trapping Oersted's body within it in the process. This new form is known as "Sin of Odio".

** ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa3'': [[spoiler:Destroyer changes to a more crazed, shinier form with more wings that can also change into four other forms representing the four Devil Lords, but only if the form chosen was that of a Devil Lord not defeated.]] The protagonists can transform too.

Sephiroth!]][[note]]His first form as the final boss is not actually pictured, human Sephiroth is never properly fought [[/note]]]]

Sephiroth!]]]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' provides the first example in the series and one of the first examples in gaming. In spite of persistent rumors about a "pet dragon", the Dragonlord in the Japanese version did indeed transform into his more powerful true form: from a warlock to a huge purple dragon. Even the US translation of ''Dragon Warrior'' flat out states that he "revealed his true self" when you defeat his first form. At the time of this game's release, this was quite surprising. However, as seen throughout this page, this trope has become standard practice and numerous examples have occured since. In turn, looking back at the Dragonlord's transformation [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny comes across as yet another example out of many.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' (co-developed by Squaresoft), FinalBoss Smithy gains several forms after fighting with it once. The first looks like an evil bearded robot with a hammer. The second is [[spoiler:the same robot, except with a giant skull for a head which can be switched to four alternate forms]].
** Also, the Czar Dragon turns into Zombone.

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' provides the first example in the series and one of the first examples in gaming. In spite of persistent rumors about a "pet dragon", the Dragonlord in the Japanese version did indeed transform into his more powerful true form. Even the US translation of ''Dragon Warrior'' flat out states that he "revealed his true self" when you defeat his first form.

*** The third game in the trilogy, ''VideoGame/Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII'' features its own One Winged Angels — [[spoiler:much like Raines, Snow Villiers transforms into a hybrid Cie'th during his boss fight, gaining a claw-like growth on his arm similar to the one Raines had and black markings covering parts of his skin. The game's final boss, Bhunivelze, also goes through multiple different forms.]]

*** The third game in the trilogy, ''VideoGame/{{Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII}}'' features its own One Winged Angels — [[spoiler:much like Raines, Snow Villiers transforms into a hybrid Cie'th during his boss fight, gaining a claw-like growth on his arm similar to the one Raines had and black markings covering parts of his skin. The game's final boss, Bhunivelze, also goes through multiple different forms.]]

*** Slightly adverted when Hraesvelgr states that she's only summoning a phantom of what she believes to be Shiva

*** [[spoiler:Elidibus as the Emissary knows he's not nearly strong enough to confront the Warrior of Light with his own power, so instead he borrows the corpses of others, namely Zenos and later Ardbert. In the final battle however, he merges with shades of heroes he's summoned from history and other worlds, transforming into a giant version of the original Warrior of Light with chalk-white skin and an off-colored mostly black organic version of his armor]]
*** [[spoiler:In the Puppets' Bunker, 2P's unconscious form gives birth to a legion of white blank female bodies that form that stick to each other to form a sphere made out of them and when that form is depleted, they reconfigure into a giant humanoid resembling her original form with half-fused bodies forming her skirt and heels. Even her sword is made out of them]]
*** [[spoiler: Ryne herself gets one when she decides to be the vessel for Shiva just as Ysayle did. Unfortunately because of her inexperience and underdeveloped power, she succumbs to the will of the Primal. Her first form gives her longer white hair, pale skin and a blue robe. She can switch to a decidedly more skimpier light-based form patterned after Hydaelyn when using her light powers]]
*** [[spoiler:On Savage, she gets a third form in which Hraesvelgr becomes her clothing and his head for a weapon]]

*** [[spoiler: Albeleo in the Lacus Litore raid becomes the demon Adrammelech from Final Fantasy XII]]
*** [[spoiler: All of the bosses fought in Delebrum Reginae are your former Blade comrades already enthralled by Misija's Save the Queen and horribly mutated further into unrecognizable forms, the only thing remaining of their original forms being their Resistance Weapons. Even worse is that the two Trinity bosses are actually trios of soldiers merged into a single being, rendering their condition irreversible]]

* This is brought to an extreme in ''VideoGame/SaGaFrontier'', which offers 7 characters and '''7 final bosses'''. Unfortunately, Emelia's BigBad is ultimately a rather unimpressive human, so they [[AssPull give us a boss from nowhere]] who is giant and can transform.

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' provides the first example in the series and one of the first examples in gaming. In spite of persistent rumors about a "pet dragon", the Dracolord of the Japanese version did indeed transform into his more powerful true form. Even the US translation of ''Dragon Warrior'' flat out states that he "revealed his true self" when you defeat his first form.

-->'''King Godwyn:''' ...Hmph. I see I shall have to beat your lesson into you with a good deal more force. Very well. But I'm warning you: you won't like it...!

*** Gaius during the Praetorium raid shows off his armor taking on a more powerful golden sheen when confronting the Warrior of Light, implying that he had been holding back during 1.0)

** Aside from him, there's also Hojo: Beat him in human form, and the Jenova cells he implanted in his own body will turn him into Helletic Hojo, [[BodyHorror a hideous, writhing, grotesque mass of flesh]]. Beat him in that form, and he crosses the BishonenLine to become the much more humanoid but [[HumanoidAbomination still eerily non-human]] Lifeform-Hojo N.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is rife with these. Ironically though, these were largely absent in ''Legacy'' and for the most part, ''A Realm Reborn'' but become increasingly common as the story progresses in its expansions.
** Gaius during the Praetorium raid shows off his armor taking on a more powerful golden sheen when confronting the Warrior of Light, implying that he had been holding back during 1.0)
** Returning from Legacy, Nael van Darnus appears during the Second Coil of Bahamut raid, her enthrallment from Bahamut in its most advanced stage as she shatters her armor and transforms into a dragon-like humanoid with large wings to fight the party.
** During the early Coerthas part of ARR, an impersonator in the guise of an Ishgardian inquisitor uses magic to turn into a dragon, only for Drillenmont to point out that he's simply using a glamour for intimidation. The Harriers on the other hand, have access to real enchanted dragon blood that lets them transform into draconic beasts.
** Ysayle during during the post 2.0 story demonstrates that she can uniquely summon Shiva by using her own body as a medium, effectively transforming into her.
*** Slightly adverted when Hraesvelgr states that she's only summoning a phantom of what she believes to be Shiva
** Speaking of Hraesvelgr, he reveals thathe supposed heretical blood magic that the heretics use to transform into dragons is tied directly to their own lineage as every living Ishgardian, high and lowborn, are all descended from King Thordan I and his knights twelve, who all devoured Ratatoskr's flesh and eyes to gain power and longevity. Only a mere sip can trigger the transformation, meaning the entire population is one drip away from turning into the creatures they fear the most.
** Happens to Estenien at the end of the initial Heavensward story where he's possessed by Nidhogg's blood magic from still wearing his blood soaked armor and holding both of his eyes, allowing Nidhogg to revive himself through his body and take on his original complete form. He can also shift between this form and Estenien's though the armor is now corrupted with his eyes fused to his mail. In his final battle, he displays not only an inbetween humanoid dragon form wielding a spear, but also a version of his real form with his wings and spikes glowing hot red, which he previously used to overpower his own brother.
** Of course, the current King Thordan and his knights, the Heavens' Ward are no exception to this as each of them can take on a primal-like form, together becoming the Knights of the Round from Final Fantasy VII with Thordan himself becoming his original predecessor (now calling himself a god king) after absorbing both Haldrath's corpse and Nidhogg's lost eye which kept the body preserved.
** Lahabrea and Igeyorhm can [[FusionDance fuse]] to form a lich-like creature called an Ascian Prime, forced to do so when pushed into a corner by the Warrior of Light's overwhelming power.
** [[spoiler:Zenos himself merges with Shinryu itself by using his Resonant power, effectively becoming the Primal itself.]]
** [[spoiler:Yotsuyu pulls a Ysayle and summons Tsukuyomi into her body, though unlike Shiva, Tsukuyomi more resembles a transformed Yotsuyu with her skin being half jet black and pure white, grows in size and has a pair of bunny ears along with a crescent moon formed behind her. Slightly turns into ClippedWingedAngel territory as the transformation seems to be temporary regardless of the Warrior's intervention and is bleeding out her own life force, feeding on her misery and sorrow to sustain it.]]
** Each of the Four Great Lords has a large animal form and a more humanoid form for when they go all out, though Genbu's animal form is much smaller.
*** [[spoiler:Soroban after having Genbu's soul take refuge in his body is able to shift between his and Genbu's forms at will, though it's only temporary until Genbu finishes his training.]]
** [[spoiler:Vauthry]] in ''Shadowbringers'' turns into a angel...Well, at least as angelic as a [[LightIsNotGood Sin Eater]] can be. [[spoiler:His fat, ugly body turns into a beautiful, golden haired archangel-like Light Warden with wings made out of swords, stylized heavily after the biblical Archangel Michael.]]
** [[spoiler:Emet-Selch]] does this twice. [[spoiler:First, he reveals his true name and shows his real, Ascian form, looking like a gigantic sorcerer with a huge mantle. In the second half of the fight, he summons all the souls of the dead Ancients and fuses it to himself, becoming a huge, torso-less ''thing'', with 'wings' formed entirely out of Ascian masks.]]
** [[spoiler:Elidibus as the Emissary knows he's not nearly strong enough to confront the Warrior of Light with his own power, so instead he borrows the corpses of others, namely Zenos and later Ardbert. In the final battle however, he merges with shades of heroes he's summoned from history and other worlds, transforming into a giant version of the original Warrior of Light with chalk-white skin and an off-colored mostly black organic version of his armor]]
** [[spoiler:In the Puppets' Bunker, 2P's unconscious form gives birth to a legion of white blank female bodies that form that stick to each other to form a sphere made out of them and when that form is depleted, they reconfigure into a giant humanoid resembling her original form with half-fused bodies forming her skirt and heels. Even her sword is made out of them]]
** [[spoiler: Ryne herself gets one when she decides to be the vessel for Shiva just as Ysayle did. Unfortunately because of her inexperience and underdeveloped power, she succumbs to the will of the Primal. Her first form gives her longer white hair, pale skin and a blue robe. She can switch to a decidedly more skimpier light-based form patterned after Hydaelyn when using her light powers]]
*** [[spoiler:On Savage, she gets a third form in which Hraesvelgr becomes her clothing and his head for a weapon]]
** [[spoiler:As revealed in the final part of the Eden raid, it's revealed that the very first Sin Eater was actually a horribly mutated Mitron when Ardbert's Blade of Light struck him, causing his body to overflow with light and transform into Eden.]]
*** [[spoiler: After merging with Gaia (now revealed to be the reincarnated Loghrif), they become an Ascian Prime, but rather than fight the Warrior of Darkness in that form, they used the aether accumalated from the Primal fights to transform into a more interpretation of the mythological Eden.]]
*** [[spoiler: And just like the previous tier, the final battle's Savage mode has Gaia forcibly turned into the Oracle of Darkness, wielding a stylized black robe and a hammer as her weapon of choice.]]
** [[spoiler: Albeleo in the Lacus Litore raid becomes the demon Adrammelech from Final Fantasy XII]]
** [[spoiler: All of the bosses fought in Delebrum Reginae are your former Blade comrades already enthralled by Misija's Save the Queen and horribly mutated further into unrecognizable forms, the only thing remaining of their original forms being their Resistance Weapons. Even worse is that the two Trinity bosses are actually trios of soldiers merged into a single being, rendering their condition irreversible]]
*** [[spoiler: Misija herself gets one at the end of the raid when she uses Save the Queen on herself combined with the wellspring of aether at the center of the dungeon, transforming into a version of her ancestor's corrupted form, still retaining her hairstyle. However, she instead chooses to fight you in some some strange throne-like contraption with three Save the Queens holstered in it. The horror might have been complete if it were not for the contraption's humanoid torso wielding a tooting horn...that she uses as her auto-attack to hit you with.]]
** Staying true to the series tradition of "angelic" final bosses, the Endwalker expansion gives us [[spoiler:the Endsinger]]. After spending most of the game as a [[NonActionBigBad Non-Action Big Bad]], when finally cornered, [[spoiler: [[TragicVillain Meteion]]]] fuses with [[spoiler:the other Meteia]] to become [[spoiler:a giant airborne monster heavily remniscient of a Seraph]].

* ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' is quite possibly the '''hugest''' example of this trope. Two of the four main male characters become '''' one winged angels — one of which is black-winged and the other is white-winged. Then when you fight them, they in turn transform into monsters, still retaining the wings.
*** There are even several varieties of mooks and monsters who have been infused with genes from those two and thus have a single wing sprouting from their back. The second half of the game feels like the monsters from the first half decided to reappear after having visited a grand Unpaired Attachable Wings clearance sale. It reaches a point where you expect ''everything'' that isn't a robot to have a bizarre feathery wing graft. Ironically, the only character who you would expect to sprout a wing doesn't in this game — Sephiroth.

** In ''Dirge of Cerberus'', Azul, one member of the {{Super Soldier}} {{Quirky Miniboss Squad}}, is on his own a pretty large [[MightyGlacier bruiser]] who hefts an assault cannon, but on top of that, he can turn into a Behemoth for extra headaches. And unlike traditional Boss Encounters, he can switch between them at will.

*** Version 1: Dread Lord Nelgel uses his scythe to open a portal that summons Dark Hands to transform him into a giant hulking ape-like creature after his first defeat.
*** Version 2: Madesagora transforms into a dragon god like deity with a snake for a tail via the Dark Hands. Evil Anlucia, Anlucia's EvilTwin, also does this when confronted near the end of the first half of Version 2's story.

*** Version 5: Jagonuba, the true villain of the game, as well as [[spoiler: the summoner of the Dark Hands that Nelgel, Madesagora, and Nadraga use to transform into their respective final forms]], starts off as a hulking red demon, ala Mortamor, before absorbing lots of light to transform into a eight armed monster with a lean ghost-like body.

** Gaius during the [[spoiler:Praetorium raid shows off his armor taking on a more powerful golden sheen when confronting the Warrior of Light, implying that he had been holding back during 1.0)]]
** [[spoiler:Returning from Legacy, Nael van Darnus appears during the Second Coil of Bahamut raid, her enthrallment from Bahamut in its most advanced stage as she shatters her armor and transforms into a dragon-like humanoid with large wings to fight the party.]]

*** Slightly adverted when Hraesvelgr states that [[spoiler: she's only summoning a phantom of what she believes to be Shiva]]
** Speaking of Hraesvelgr, he reveals that [[spoiler:the supposed heretical blood magic that the heretics use to transform into dragons is tied directly to their own lineage as every living Ishgardian, high and lowborn, are all descended from King Thordan I and his knights twelve, who all devoured Ratatoskr's flesh and eyes to gain power and longevity. Only a mere sip can trigger the transformation, meaning the entire population is one drip away from turning into the creatures they fear the most.]]
** Happens to [[spoiler:Estenien at the end of the initial Heavensward story where he's possessed by Nidhogg's blood magic from still wearing his blood soaked armor and holding both of his eyes, allowing Nidhogg to revive himself through his body and take on his original complete form. He can also shift between this form and Estenien's though the armor is now corrupted with his eyes fused to his mail. In his final battle, he displays not only an inbetween humanoid dragon form wielding a spear, but also a version of his real form with his wings and spikes glowing hot red, which he previously used to overpower his own brother.]]
** [[spoiler:Of course, the current King Thordan and his knights, the Heavens' Ward are no exception to this as each of them can take on a primal-like form, together becoming the Knights of the Round from Final Fantasy VII with Thordan himself becoming his original predecessor (now calling himself a god king) after absorbing both Haldrath's corpse and Nidhogg's lost eye which kept the body preserved.]]
** [[spoiler:Lahabrea and Igeyorhm can [[FusionDance fuse]] to form a lich-like creature called an Ascian Prime, forced to do so when pushed into a corner by the Warrior of Light's overwhelming power.]]