History AwesomeBosses / TouhouProject

* Mamizou Futatsuiwa has [[VoluntaryShapeshifting the power to make things change shape]], and the gameplay WILL let you know this. Her bullets will happily transform into humans that fire straight at you, barking dogs that chase after you, birds that try to ram you, and frogs that [[MadeOfExplodium blow up]]. That not enough for you? She proceeds to transform into Reimu and hunt you down! Still not enough? She [[DoppelgangerAttack splits into TEN]]. Couple this with her theme [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-mrUZIMTbU “Futatsuiwa from Sado”]], and you have the recipe for one of the most fun {{Bonus Boss}}es in the series.

* ''Imperishable Night'' stage 4. The boss depends on who you're playing, but either way, it's a confrontation with [[FightingYourFriend one of the two main playable characters of the series]], who are both [[ThatOneBoss blisteringly tough battles]] (allowing that they're neither the final boss nor intended to be the hardest). It's also a [[NostalgiaLevel throwback]] to Touhou's PC-98 roots and the similar scenario in ''Lotus Land Story'', complete with beautiful updated remixes of old battle themes for both heroines. But most of all, the encounter is laid out with such pizazz and dramatic flair that it's impossible not to get revved up. It must be mentioned that the stage leading up to the fight features a gorgeous and ''very'' intense BGM that happens to be a remix of the series' traditional main menu theme, which builds to a peak just as the boss character appears — right in front of your first view of the warped full moon that the game's plot revolves around. Later, both bosses run off in the middle of the fight, prompting a high-speed chase through the bamboo forest with the boss theme still playing, a moment still unique in the series. Oh, and the girls get some great dialogue, too. One of the best has to be in Marisa's scenario. At first hesitant to fight Reimu, Marisa gets mocked by Alice and slowly starts beating down on the miko. At the end, she finally picks up the courage and flair we know her so well for, and we get:
--> '''Marisa:''' "Okay, okay, I give up. You're right. The endless night, stealing the full moon, hiding the human village, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking putting funny hats on stone statues...]] It's all Alice's fault. ''Now, bitch, get out of the way!''"

* Sanae's story may rank among the best in this game ''purely'' for the final boss fight. The majority of the fight takes place in the middle of a nuclear reactor (not nearly as badass as when ''Cirno'' did it, but hey), but the third-to-last spellcard accompanies a routine pressure release in the core. Cue two spellcards fought, not on the ground, but on the ''riding edge of a shockwave''. This only gets better for the last spellcard, which not only has SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, but is fought in free-fall! That timer? ''It's how long you have until you hit the ground.''

* The final chapter of the story mode stars Hata no Kokoro, who is, at Mamizou's suggestion, picking fights with everyone so that her own emotions may stabilize her. It works like a charm with no complications... except, it makes her realize that she'll never be able to completely stabilize unless she parts from the religious leaders who have been exploting people's emotions in order to amass popularity. So Kokoro does the only sensible thing and goes off and challenges Reimu to a fight... but before the fight can even begin, Byakuren flies into view and decides that she needs to stop Kokoro's rampage and stabilize her through more peaceful means. And then Miko, who has overhead everything, flies in and decides that, as Kokoro's creator, she needs to take responsibility for Kokoro's rampage and turn her back into a group of ordinary masks again. And you know what that means? That's right, it means this game isn't over until you defeat Reimu, Byakuren, and Miko ''all at the same time.'' It's simoultaneously amazing and awesome.

** Ran Yakumo is now [[DegradedBoss degraded]] to the stage 5 boss, but she is now a fully redesigned unique boss fight as opposed to an easier version of Yukari. All her spells have a beautiful buddhist mandala motif to it, and they are just as fun to avoid. The final spell, Ten Bu Hou Rin, in particular is very unique while being a Shout-Out to Anime/SaintSeiya.
** Words cannot descrbibe how damn gorgeous Yuyuko's fight is. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6L_k1TdwF4 Watch it for yourself.]] This fight really felt like a festival.
** Yukari's fight had a brand new Cthulhu-like theme to it, and the fight is the definition of awesome as she summon up some EldritchAbomination to fight you. Her second-to-last spell has her, Ran, and Chen chasing you all at once!

* The fight against Reimu at the end of the fangame ''VideoGame/ConcealedTheConclusion''. With reality collapsing around her, Marisa challenges her opponent to one last danmaku battle. This wouldn't be so awesome if Marisa didn't have an awesome line before hand ("Of course I want to win... or... I want to win when you are giving 100%! To bet on Gensokyo's eternal fate, I propose a final danmaku duel!") that peaked ''exactly'' as the background music, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic G Free Final Dream]], reaches the start of its 'battle' phase (and, of course, when the boss invariably revives, it plays a ''[[UpToEleven more awesome]]'' version of that song, called G Free Ultimate Dream).

The ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games are [[BossGame well-known for their boss fights]]. With [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters over 100 cute girls]] to go up against, many will leave an impression one way or another. Some are known for their {{Fanon}} personalities or MemeticMutation, while others are known for [[ThatOneBoss/TouhouProject being ridiculously tough to beat]].

* Yukari Yakumo from ''Perfect Cherry Blossom''. Keep in mind that she is the ''only'' Phantasm boss in an official game. This roughly means that, for story purposes, she's arguably the most powerful boss in the ''series''. She also happens to have what is probably the series' most famous Spell Card, Boundary of Life and Death, and for good reason. [[spoiler:It ''beamspams every single shot type in the entire game.'']] Combine this with her SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, "Necrofantasia", and you have the makings of one of the most amazing battles of the whole series. The "Boundary Of Life And Death" is so undeniably ''awesome'' that it's the page image for BulletHell. Not only that, but also the fact that she is the only boss in the entire series that just gives up. This is because she is only one of two bosses in the series to end with a timeout spell card, and while the other one is a stage 4 boss, she is the Phantasm boss. She could have kept going, but decided to stop. No other boss decided to just stop, not even the supposedly most powerful Youkai, Yuuka. She is probly more powerful than any other youkai, but just don't show it.

* The Extra Stage boss. For the whole game, all you've been fighting is fairies (which makes sense considering the title of the game). Having won the war against the Three Fairies of Light, Cirno feels confident and decides to take on a stronger opponent. However, the music in the stage feels much more sinister than all the other themes. Then you get to the boss and find out you're fighting ''[[spoiler:Marisa Kirisame]]'' of all people. She claims she's going easy, replacing her actual lasers with ''motivation-draining lasers'', but it's still very tough since motivation is your life in this game, and it's still freaking [[spoiler:Marisa]]. It's truly an awesome moment for both the player and Cirno when you manage to beat her.

* The fight against [[spoiler:Reimu]] at the end of the fangame ''VideoGame/ConcealedTheConclusion''. With reality collapsing around her, Marisa challenges her opponent to one last danmaku battle. This wouldn't be so awesome if Marisa didn't have an awesome line before hand ("Of course I want to win... or... I want to win when you are giving 100%! To bet on Gensokyo's eternal fate, I propose a final danmaku duel!") that peaked ''exactly'' as the background music, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic G Free Final Dream]], reaches the start of its 'battle' phase (and, of course, when the boss invariably revives, it plays a ''[[UpToEleven more awesome]]'' version of that song, called G Free Ultimate Dream).
** Perhaps the coolest part of that final boss herself is that each one of her spellcards is a homage to a previous final boss in the series. For her last dangerous spellcard, those previous final bosses (Remilia, Yuyuko, Kaguya, and Eiki) will show up to attack you as well. And the previously mentioned themes? They mix in two appropriate boss themes: [[spoiler:Maiden's Capriccio and "Eternal Shrine Maiden". That's right, the end of Gensokyo heralded by a song riffing on the very first theme of the series.]]
** The Phantasm boss, [[spoiler:Reimu again]], is even more awesome. Her theme to begin with is a remix of [[spoiler:Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly, Reimu's extra boss theme in the first Seihou game]], with parts of the first stage themes of the PC-98 games. And then there is her last word: [[spoiler:Spellcard versions of her attacks as a playable character]].
** The Extra/Phantasm bosses also share the greatest spellcard in the franchise, official or not: [[SimonSaysMiniGame Simon Says]] in danmaku form. Clever when [[spoiler:Suika]] does it as the Extra boss, but when [[spoiler:Reimu]] does it again in Phantasm, it gets ''vicious''.

** The TrueFinalBoss, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53gEZyIqybA the Mystic Records]], aka [[spoiler:PC-98 EX-Alice]]. Five spells, of the Philosopher's Stone variety, using [[spoiler:the Grimoire of Alice]], and a ''survival card'', even. Also a bit of SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic in the music playing, a mix of [[spoiler:"The Grimoire of Alice"]].

* ''Marine Benefit'', unusually for a fangame, consists entirely of original characters with the exception of the player's shot types — but that doesn't mean there can't be bosses as awesome as canon ''Touhou'' characters, if not even more so, as the extra boss Otohime Kanpukugu demonstrates. From her machinery-inspired nonspells, to her incredibly imaginative and ridiculously fun spellcards (one of which, to give some idea, is ''the board game Othello in danmaku form''), to her [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic amazing theme]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vC4Bg1slyo The Butterfly of Isaac the Traveler]], everything about her just screams awesome. On top of that, her spellcards are actually different depending on which character you're using, effectively meaning the game has three extra bosses! The best part, though, is that [[spoiler:this is because the game DOES, as the boss demonstrates just as you think you've finished her off, by calling for backup. And when she does this, [[BigDamnHeroes the characters you didn't pick come to back YOU up, for one final spellcard.]]]] See all of the awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKHb30rlUbU#t=4m28s here]].
* Now here's a weird example: a boss battle from a ''fake'' fangame released as an April Fool's joke. It's Marisa vs Yuuka in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GVrMDW4dbw Re:Lotus Land Story]]'', and after using an array of new spellcards, Yuuka resorts to repeatedly blasting away with the original Master Spark in all of its remastered glory. Yuuka's health actually ''regenerates'' during this phase, making it a HopelessBossFight... [[spoiler:until Marisa ''[[PowerCopying steals her signature spell]] [[RefugeInAudacity mid-battle]]'' and beats Yuuka in a BeamOWar]].

* While this is an RPG battle rather than a danmaku one, the battle against [[spoiler:Rinnosuke]] in the original ''VideoGame/TouhouLabyrinth''. Your party will be facing against someone who has eight different forms with three times the HP as the last major boss fight (or more), complete status immunity, and a myriad of strong attacks to use with a pattern behind them (as opposed to an AIRoulette script). Every character can contribute to the fight, but no character can single-handedly win it for you, so it really tests your party to the fullest of its limits, yet it never feels impossible or too luck-based. As a bonus, the battle has some of the game's best BGM, regardless of whether you're listening to the special disc version or the older version.
* The final boss of the fangame ''Phantasmagoria Trues'' on [[HarderThanHard Unlimited difficulty]]: [[spoiler:Shinki]]. At the very start of the battle, she opens not with a nonspell, but with a spellcard — something almost never done in ''Touhou'', even in fangames, and the contrast here is absolutely jaw-dropping. Especially considering it's her ''signature attack'', the infamous [[spoiler:Devil's Recitation — the very same one listed in her ''Mystic Square'' entry]]. And even though the attacks do not get any easier from there, even though her fight is obscenely difficult... not one single attack in her arsenal feels unfair. It's the purest test of your raw dodging skill in this game, arguably even in any ''Touhou'' game to date, canon ones included. When you finally beat her, you will have ''earned'' it, and you will feel like an absolute badass, especially with the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8CPJnMcBWk playing in the background]].
* The game ''Adventures of Scarlet Curiosity'' has a lot of spectacular bosses, but to most players, one standout case is the penultimate boss. [[spoiler:It's a freaking Mecha.]]

** The fourth boss, Mochizuki Ichiyou, offers a stunningly difficult battle with nonspells boasting high-speed FuumaShuriken, and she has spells unlike any one would have ever seen. [[spoiler:She attacks with 8 clones (courtesy of the NinjaLog) at once, then uses actual physical walls to restrict your movement, then summons tatami mat barriers,]] and so on. Also, SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp72V37aFgc plays]] the whole time.
** The fifth boss, Akitsu Nezu, is regarded as one of the most memorable from this game. [[spoiler:She attacks you mid-stage disguised as either Reimu, Marisa, or Sanae!]] Later on in the actual battle, she [[spoiler:plays the DittoFighter and has a full-health spell mimicking your own character's strengths]]. She's also another case of SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, and her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z-E8xbUFX0&t=264s theme]] is certainly one of the most impactful. It also synchronizes with the battle perfectly, ensuring you'll have a mind-blowing experience with her. Most notably, [[spoiler:right before her penultimate spell, ''Control God "Dakini Necromantica"'', she almost always summons a majestic aura behind her in line with the music]].
** The final boss, Fuma Mishandra. Her attacks are absolutely beautiful, and make use of likely every colour that can appear in a danmaku game. Also, her attacks revolve around the [[Literature/ArsGoetia Lesser Key of Solomon]] and its 72 demons. The composer for her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE82qZOVXbg&t=641s theme]] is ''wanwan'', who is increasingly well-known for consistently putting out great music for ''Touhou'' fanworks. [[spoiler:Fuma's Last Word is also very beautiful and challenging, with throwbacks to other fangames ''The Last Comer'', ''Mystical Power Plant'', and ''Riverbed Soul Saver''.]]

* One really ought to hand it out to Frontier Aja; they have made what is possibly the most CrazyAwesome crossovers in their ''VideoGame/KoumajouDensetsu'' games (''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' and ''Touhou'' crossovers). Special mention goes to the final boss fights; in both games, as is expected given it's ''Castlevania'' with ''Touhou'' characters, the FinalBoss battles against [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Remilia Scarlet]] are simply awesome, not only for the buildup for each of the encounters (which include {{Shout Out}}s to ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''), but the sheer intensity of the battles, and the incredible SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic that accompanies them. In particular, the second game takes the feeling of the first to [[SequelEscalation a whole new level]]. There is no more fitting theme for the last battle than [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic The Rose-Killing Carmilla.]]

** The Extra/Phantasm bosses also share the greatest spellcard in the franchise, official or not: SimonSays in danmaku form. Clever when [[spoiler:Suika]] does it as the Extra boss, but when [[spoiler:Reimu]] does it again in Phantasm, it gets ''vicious''.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bE4NlzrLE#t=30s Touhou Danmaku All-Star Medley]]. The beginning appears to be a normal stage of Fairy Wars, but then the normal Touhou window layout explodes to the sides and Rumia comes throwing danmaku at you. It features ''all of the Windows-era characters up to this point'', even the ones who don't appear in games. The spellcards are very creative and the widescreen format allows for even more beautiful danmaku to be shown off. Sadly, a playable version will be never released due to copyright issues.

* The game ''Book of Star Mythology'' is chock-full of original characters who are awesome bosses: