History Main / BaitAndSwitchBoss

* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'', it looks like the majority of the game is leading up to a dramatic final confrontation with Tiedemann before you [[spoiler:destroy the Marker]]. Then you get there [[spoiler:and Tiedemann is already horribly mauled and barely able to stand, then proceeds to ''shoot you through the chest twice'' with Javelins. A quick-time-event lets you pull them out, steal the Javelin gun, and shank him in return.]] Game over, right? [[spoiler:Nope. You hallucinate about Nicole one more time, only now she wants to absorb you into the Marker body and mind and you have to [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind hallucinate-fight her in your psyche]], after which you sit down to accept your imminent demise as the station explodes.]] And ''then'' the credits roll. [[spoiler:And '''[[TheStinger then]]''' Ellie comes [[BigDamnHeroes crashing through the ceiling in a ship]] to rescue you.]]
** ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' had this as well; after [[spoiler:Kendra Daniels turns out to be working against Isaac, and ruins his only hope for escape, the player is supposed to grip the controller with rage. When you finally see her next on the destroyed colony, she's just on her way to leave...and is [[KarmicDeath smashed to bits by the Hive Mind]]]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog:''

** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble Sonic Triple Trouble]]'', after you defeat Metal Sonic in act three of [[EternalEngine Atomic Destroyer Zone]], a sleeping Fang the Sniper awakens and it seems like you're going to fight him one last time, but then he panics and runs away from the true final boss, Dr. Robotnik.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Another version of Bait and Switch occurs in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Aria of Sorrow]].'' You've pounded Death and Legion, two of the more intimidating bosses so far, and are expecting a good challenge in the Battle Arena stage. You enter the boss room, and the bats hanging on the roof form into...the Giant Bat? A common boss, but universally a low-level boss in ''Castlevania''. What's he doing this late a level? ...Until a massive hand comes out of the background and crushes the bat in its grip. Meet Balore, the real boss.

* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'''s ''Godmaster'' campaign seemingly sets up a fight between you and Tiso midway through one of the [[BossRush Pantheons]]. They go so far as to give him an intro with a BattleCry and a [[BossSubtitles boss subtitle]], only for the poor sap to [[DroppedABridgeOnHim have a bridge dropped on him]] in the form of the ''actual'' boss of the room, a Brooding Mawlek.

* Used creatively in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4''. The boss of mission five appears to be two luminescent HornyDevils with ice powers, fought in a snowing courtyard, but as you fight them, they seem unusually pathetic, rarely ever attacking and doing little when they do. Damage them enough, though, and [[spoiler:a massive toad demon with ice powers will suddenly lunge out of the blizzard, trying to swallow you whole. He's the actual boss — the devils were just his lures]].

** In an Avatar of Jarlsberg run, [[spoiler:you find the Avatar of Boris has already defeated the Sorceress, and Jarlsberg seizes the opportunity to get revenge on Boris for being the JerkJock to Jarlsberg's {{Nerd}}]].

* ''VideoGame/SuperCyborg'' have a battle against an AllWebbedUp monster called the Captured Bedlaah, whp's stuck in the middle of a massive spider-web. Moments after you kill it, you then fight the Akhamafold Octopod, a GiantSpider far larger and stronger than the Bedlaah, who's royally pissed you exploded ''his lunch''.

* In Season 4 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Spike is watching Buffy from a balcony, giving a speech about how he's back and this time he's going to kill the Slayer, but is interrupted by being tazered and surrounded by the season's real villains, The Initiative.
** Then it happens again seven episodes later with Initiative professor Maggie Walsh and Adam.
** And of course, there was Season 2. Spike and Drusilla were continuously built up as the main antagonists for that year, making it all but guaranteed the season would climax with a big showdown with them. [[spoiler:Then Angel winds up losing his soul...]]

*** And before that was the Anointed One, the first big bad of season 2. Until Spike got bored and toasted him.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for the 3DS/Wii U'', you'll initially just face the usual adversary of Master Hand at the end of Classic Mode. As you increase the intensity level, his unhinged counterpart Crazy Hand will eventually start tagging along, and the duo's HP will increase, which has been the norm since ''Melee''. However, once you hit 5.1 intensity or higher, after you reduce their HP a little, they'll abruptly be replaced by [[EldritchAbomination Master Core]], who bursts out of the former in a rather disturbing manner, while the latter inexplicably disintegrates.

*** The Tier 7 boss appears to be Advertising/{{Pepsiman}} himself, but suddenly [[VideoGame/MegaMansChristmasCarol the Ghost of Christmas Future]] destroys him for fighting during his shift, and then fights you for thinking yo're mocking him.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for the 3DS/Wii U'', you'll initially just face the usual adversary of Master Hand at the end of Classic Mode. As you increase the intensity level, his unhinged counterpart Crazy Hand will eventually start tagging along, and the duo's HP will increase, which has been the norm since ''Melee''. However, once you hit 5.0 intensity, after you reduce their HP a little, they'll abruptly be replaced by [[EldritchAbomination Master Core]], who bursts out of the former in a rather disturbing manner, while the latter inexplicably disintegrates.

* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe 2'' ends a later stage with yet another appearance by the RecurringBoss, [[GoldfishPoopGang Big John]], this time in a crappy CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown Creator/BruceLee disguise, Big Lee. His conversation with the heroes lasts for a good half-minute before he is taken down and replaced by the NobleDemon {{expy}} [[TheRival Rival]] Alastor from the first game. Oh, and did we mention that almost the exact thing happens in the next level, this time without even the excuse of being a different character? Almost immediately, the real boss, Frost Tiger, shows up, and [[KilledMidSentence cuts him down without a second thought before Big John is finished yammering]]. Unlike him, Frost Tiger has a hardcore attitude and is ''[[ThatOneBoss incredibly hard]]'' to defeat.

** The penultimate episode of ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' sees Tau Zant assume his [[OneWingedAngel Ultimate Form]], setting up a fight between him and the Hurricanegers. [[spoilers:Just as Tau Zant begins the final stage of his evil plan however, he's betrayed and killed by [[TheStarscream Sandaaru]], who promptly moves to finish off the Hurricanegers and their allies. Tau Zant does get a chance to fight the Hurricanegers in the finale when he's brought back by the Evil Will and becomes the FinalBoss.]]

* ''VideoGame/WildArms1: The Gate Generator sets you up to fight [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Zed]] at the very end. Then [[EvilOverlord Zeikfried]] shows up, orders him to stand down so you have to fight him instead.

* In ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', a group mission features a {{boarding party}} of the players' faction (Galactic Republic or Sith Empire) fighting to reclaim a cruiser from some rogue [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorians]]. As you approach a group of enemies rallying around a huge war droid, a boarding pod punches through the hull, crushing the Mandalorians and bringing in a boarding party fighting for the other faction. Naturally, you have to fight them.
* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage:'' At the end of stage 5 in the second game, the boss music immediately starts and replaces the main stage theme (rather than the usual fade out-fade in), and waiting for you is Big Ben (more than one in higher difficulty settings). An earlier incarnation of him in the first game was a boss character, but in the second game he's just an EliteMook that appears as a miniboss half way through stages every now and then (in fact, he even appears earlier in stage 5 being just that). But the way the boss fight of stage 5 prepares itself, with Big Ben waiting there, you take a breather thinking it's just a BreatherBoss. [[BigNo You're wrong.]] Further up the stage, hiding out of sight, is R.Bear waiting for you. [[ThatOneBoss Get ready to lose a lot of lives.]]
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'', when you get to the boss room in Baby Bowser's castle, it looks as though you are about to confront Kamek, but then Bowser wakes up, complains about the noise, and proceeds to stomp Kamek flat and kick him away. Kamek later shows up all fine just to provide a segue to the second phase of the battle and take Bowser away when he's defeated.
** In ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', what you expect to be a rematch against the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Koopa Bros.]] is interrupted when all four of them get knocked out by RecurringBoss Jr. Troopa, who demands one last fight from you.
** At the end of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', just right before you even get to {{B|igBad}}owser, you see [[OverlordJr Bowser Jr.]] once more, but instead of fighting him, he simply flies away in his spaceship, and as a result you actually end up fighting Bowser directly.
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsX'': In Scenario 24: The Great Hero, it seems [[Anime/ShinMazinger Count Brocken]] is the boss of the scenario. Suddenly, the Ghostfire V9 shows up and kills Brocken with ease. As it turns out, the Ghostfire V9 is possessed by the soul of a Mycenae Empire soldier. This soul wants Koji dead, resulting in a HopelessBossFight for Koji and the others.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for the 3DS/Wii U'', you'll initially just face the usual adversary of Master Hand at the end of Classic Mode. As you increase the intensity level, his unhinged counterpart Crazy Hand will eventually start tagging along, and the duo's HP will increase, which has been the norm since ''Melee''. However, once you hit 5.0 intensity, after you reduce their HP a little, they'll abruptly be replaced by [[EldritchAbomination Master Core]], who bursts out of the former in a rather disturbing manner, while the latter inexplicably disintegrates.

** ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterII Turbo'' normally has you fight M. Bison for the final showdown. But if you've beaten the game without losing a single round, Bison is taken out in one shot by Akuma, [[PerfectRunFinalBoss who becomes your final opponent]]. Also happens in the first ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', as well as in the first ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX''.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Zuma}} Zuma's Revenge]]'' has the final boss, Zhaka Mu. After putting out the four torches, the mysterious cloaked figure reveals themselves to be a chicken-themed boss monster with an ''enormous'' health bar. [[spoiler:He goes down in one hit, and the credits roll, at which point it turns out he was really Zhaka Mu's chef. Cue the ''real'' Zhaka Mu's entrance, and the toughest boss battle in the game. Funnily enough, on repeat play throughs, the chef doesn’t even try to hide the secret and after being hit, just tells you to enjoy the fake credits.]]

* Used creatively in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 4''. The boss of mission five appears to be two luminescent HornyDevils with ice powers, fought in a snowing courtyard, but as you fight them, they seem unusually pathetic, rarely ever attacking and doing little when they do. Damage them enough, though, and [[spoiler:a massive toad demon with ice powers will suddenly lunge out of the blizzard, trying to swallow you whole. He's the actual boss — the devils were just his lures]].

* The Sky King is this in ''Manga/OnePunchMan''. His appearance seems to set up another arc like the preceding ones with the Subterranean King and Sea King. However, he and his associates get torn apart in ''seconds'' by the alien invaders led by Lord Boros, the true villains of the arc.

* Happens in ''Webcomic/TwoEvilScientists'' with [[spoiler:Omachao]] replacing King.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Katamari}}'', towards the end of the tournament arc, Lucha and Opeo advance to the finals in the tournament, where their final opponents are apparently two generic grapplers. Lucha comments that the opponents lack flair and intimidating aura, and that they are not excessively menacing, yet strangely appropriate foes. [[spoiler:That's when a wrestler and a mummy drop down and pull a ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' by laying the smack-down on the grapplers, leading to the wrestler and the mummy being the true final opponents.]]
-->'''Lucha:''' [[spoiler:Ah, there we go.]]

[[folder:Adventure Games]]
* ''Videogame/{{Loom}}'' has several scenes foreshadowing Bishop Mandible as the BigBad and building up to a climactic confrontation with him as he captures you and takes you to his castle, to open up a portal to the realm of the dead. The leader of the undead, Chaos, [[EvilIsNotAToy promptly and messily one-shots him]] and takes his place as the ''actual'' BigBad.
-->''"I am Chaos. '''''Join me.'''''"''
[[/folder]]

Compare TheWorfEffect; AlwaysABiggerFish.