History Main / DiscOneFinalBoss

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Lilith was the primary antagonist for the first season before getting succeeded by Emperor Belos, who seeks to destroy all wild magic forever through his Day of Unity scheme, becoming the series' true BigBad. [[spoiler:Until [[RealityWarper the Collector]] is freed at the end of season two and [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains easily gets rid of him]].]]

** Reaches ridiculous heights in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''. The Digimon Emperor is the Disc One Final Boss under Arukenimon... who turns out to be reporting to Oikawa... who then gets [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By MaloMyotismon]]. Oh, and then there was the Dark Ocean master and this guy called Daemon thrown in there somewhere, although they never received any plot resolution.
** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' initially has Yamaki, who gets outsmarted by the Devas, whose leader is ultimately a WellIntentionedExtremist fighting against the '''real''' enemy, the D-Reaper.

** ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' has [[AntiVillain Merukimon]], who gets overshadowed by his psychotic lieutenant Gotsumon and another Mega level Digimon, Saber Leomon, both of whom are replaced by Kurata, who later makes a BigBadEnsemble with [[spoiler:one of the Demon Lord Digimon, Belphemon]]. Once they were killed, [[GodIsEvil Yggdrasil]] appears...

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', the Colossal, Armored, and Female Titans all turn out to be this. [[spoiler: Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie are merely ChildSoldiers sent by the nation of Marley]]. Their superior, the Beast Titan, proves to be '''far''' more dangerous and a major player as a result of [[spoiler: his royal blood ''and'' being Eren's half-brother]]. Defeating them in a climatic battle simply leads to the Survey Corps learning the true nature of the threat their people face: [[spoiler: the ''entire world'' wants the Eldians dead, with Marley simply being the most immediate threat]]. In the final chapters, [[spoiler:''Eren'' becomes the FinalBoss after unleashing the Rumbling and reducing Marley to rubbles, as [[EnemyMine the Survey Corps and the Warriors]] assemble to stop his genocidal plans.]]

** This happens twice in the Android Saga. At first, the main threat is [[MadScientis Dr. Gero]], a roboticist formerly affiliated with the Red Ribbon Army who wants revenge on Goku. He ends up being killed by two of his own creations, Androids 17 and 18, who supplant him as the main villains... up until the arrival of the ''real'' main villain, a genetically engineered monster named Cell.

* In ''Film/TheWolverine'', [[spoiler:Shingen]] is responsible for the yakuza thugs and Logan fights him to end this plot thread and [[spoiler:become "the wolverine" again]], but there's a bigger villain in play.

* ''ComicBook/{{Stillwater}}'': [[spoiler:The Judge]] is introduced as the tryannical ruler of the titular town and as the principal threat of the story, which he remains until [[spoiler:[[CreepyChild Galen]] [[FromNobodyToNightmare shows his true colors]], organizes a coup of the town and has The Judge executed outside of Stillwater's protective boundary.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'': It seems like Seti I will be the pharaoh Moses must step up against to free the Hebrews, but he dies offscreen halfway through the film and his son Rameses inherits the throne.

* ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' seems to start out as a typical teen drama with AlphaBitch Heather Chandler as the main antagonist, not least because the movie's sort of named after her. Then [[KnightOfCerebus JD]] shows up and starts killing people.
* ''Film/{{Hercules 2014}}'': Hercules is initially contracted to put down a rebellion started by Rhesus. Rhesus is captured an hour in, after which it's revealed that [[spoiler:he's GoodAllAlong and Cotys is the true threat.]]

* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}: King George III is the GreaterScopeVillain for most of the first act. Once America wins its independence, however, he's demoted to GreekChorus status while Hamilton and his friends deal with a series of far more personal antagonists, such as his political opponents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, his blackmailer James Reynolds, and his eventual killer Aaron Burr.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has a lot of these, most notably the Androids from the Cell Saga, and Fat Buu from the Majin Buu Saga.

* ''Film/TheBattleshipPotemkin'': At first the film focuses on the mutiny against the Potemkin's officers, lead by Captain Golikov. After they're all thrown overboard to drown a third of the way in, the Odessa police become the bigger threat.

* While she's the subject of Perseus's quest and the reason he goes on his adventure in ''Podcast/LiveFromMountOlympus'', Medusa is killed halfway through the story. The final monster Perseus battles is Cetus.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Gideon Gleeful was the primary antagonist for the first season, but was succeeded by Bill Cipher, a demon who watches over the town who becomes the true antagonist for the whole show.

** In Season 1's "The Floating Palace", Cedric starts out as the BigBad when he takes on the form of a sea monster and kidnaps Sofia's mermaid friend Oona for her comb; this leads to Sofia fighting him for the first time, albeit she never recognizes him. After saving Oona, Cedric leaves and Queen Emmaline becomes the true BigBad as she prepares to sink the Floating Palace which threatens Sofia's family.

[[quoteright:320:[[Webcomic/ShowerThoughtsComics https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/not_really_the_final_boss_comic.png]]]]

* Sabor in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}''. Since Sabor killed Tarzan's parents and Kala & Kerchak's son, the movie seems to be building her up to be the main antagonist. However, Tarzan kills her before the halfway point, and Clayton ends up filling in the role of the BigBad. She was a very significant threat it is just the fact that more important things happened to Tarzan's life a short time afterwards.

* In ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'', following [[DirtyCoward The Sheriff]]'s death, [[DarkMessiah Jebus]] looks to be the primary opponent only for [[MonsterClown Tricky]] to kill him off and begin pursuing Hank on his own. Tricky eventually gets brought down, at which point the [[BigBad The Auditor]] comes onto the scene and reveals his hand in the madness.

There are many ways this can be pulled off. Perhaps they’re merely a subordinate, and the real villain, TheManBehindTheMan, will show up later. Or maybe TheStarscream[=/=]DragonAscendant will seize control and become the new threat. Or a GreaterScopeVillain may become directly involved in the plot (such as a SealedEvilInACan that [[EvilIsNotAToy turns on]] the Disc One Final Boss for freeing it). Or the defeated villain will take a break to get your guard down, then come back and go all OneWingedAngel on you pitiful, mortal fools. Or, perhaps, they were a [[BigBadWannabe lesser villain]] or even a ''[[GoodAllAlong good guy]]'' fighting against a [[EvilerThanThou greater evil]]; in which case it may even turn out that a TreacherousAdvisor manipulated the heroes into believing that someone else was the villain.

* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': In the final season opener "Day of the Sorcerers", Cedric was initally this after his true nature was revealed to Sofia, but was eventually taken over by Grimtrix the Good; said sorcerer served as the first major villain Sofia had to face prior to meeting [[ArcVillain Prisma]] in "The Mystic Isles".

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' has an interesting variant; Namie Yagiri, a CorruptCorporateExecutive who is plotting some sort of evil scheme involving the protagonist [[HeadlessHorseman Celty Sturluson]] and Namie's brother Seiji (who's in love with Celty's detached head and [[BrotherSisterIncest whom Namie herself is in love with]]), is originally hoisted as [[BigBad the mastermind]] of the series and this continues all the way up to episode 11...which ends with her being defeated effortlessly by a ''14 year old boy with a cellphone'' (it's [[ItMakesSenseInContext more awesome in context]]). The reason this example is so interesting is because the series' ''real'' BigBad was already present since episode 1, we just didn't realize it because he seemed more into messing with people for laughs than actually scheming or plotting large scale acts of evil. It was Izaya Orihara, whom Namie ends up being forced to serve for the rest of the series.

* The BigBad of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''[='=] first season seems to be [[spoiler:Rezo/Shabranigo]], but it's actually [[spoiler:Rezo's clone]].

* The ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' novels don't usually use Story Arcs, but this trope has happened at least twice:

** Played with in ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', where [[ImplacableMan Souren Araya]] really ''was'' the BigBad, and was killed off in Movie 5. The two remaining movies explore loose plot threads and places [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]] as Araya's final pawn and the last threat to Shiki.

* ''Manga/ShimejiSimulation'': Both [[spoiler:The Gardener and Big Sis]] are initially set up as part of the BigBadDuumvirate, due to their [[EvilVersusEvil differing but hostile goals]] for West Yomogi: The Gardener who wants absolute order of her world at the cost of plucking death, while Big Sis wants to destroy the town's illusion through her inventions as means of freedom, at the expense of driving their world into a state of WorldOfChaos. But they are demoted to this trope when the true BigBad, [[spoiler:the EvilDoppelganger of Big Sis]], shows up in Chapter 38, who wants to drive the world into chaotic insanity through feedback loop by using the Mosasa Dogs to broadcast the code to allow humanity into changing themselves. [[KillAllHumans And destroy West Yomogi and kill its people as a part of her goal.]]

* ''Manga/ShimejiSimulation'': Both [[spoiler:The Gardener and Big Sis]] are initially purported to be the antagonists of the manga, due to their [[EvilVersusEvil differing but hostile goals]] for West Yomogi: The Gardener who wants absolute order of her world at the cost of plucking death, while Big Sis wants to destroy the town's illusion as means of freedom, at the expense of driving their world into a state of WorldOfChaos. Until the ''real'' BigBad, [[spoiler:the EvilDoppelganger of Big Sis]], then shows up in Chapter 38, who wants to drive the world into chaotic insanity through feedback loop by using the Mosasa Dogs to broadcast the code to allow humanity into changing themselves...

* ''Manga/ShimejiSimulation'': Both [[spoiler:The Gardener and Big Sis]] are initially purported to be the antagonists of the manga, due to their differing but hostile goals for West Yomogi: The Gardener who wants absolute order of her world at the cost of plucking death, while Big Sis wants to destroy the town's illusion as means of freedom, at the expense of driving their world into a state of WorldOfChaos. Until the ''real'' BigBad, [[spoiler:the EvilDoppelganger of Big Sis]], then shows up in Chapter 38, who wants to drive the world into chaotic insanity through feedback loop by using the Mosasa Dogs to broadcast the code to allow humanity into changing themselves...

** The second saga has Lucifero, the King of Devil, as the main antagonist for the majority of the plot. Stopping his manifestation into the human world becomes primary focus of the second saga, and while the fight against him certainly has trappings of a FinalBoss, he is taken out before the final StoryArc begins. It is revealed that Lucifero's defeat was planned by [[spoiler:Lucius Zogratis, the eldest of the Zogratis siblings and the other soul inhabiting the body of the Wizard King Julius Novachrono, who becomes the primary antagonist from that point onward]].

* ''Film/Dune2021'' climaxes with Paul being forced to kill Jamis in a DuelToTheDeath. While he's not part of the Harkonnens, Paul meeting Jamis was one of many of his visions and it not only concludes the first half of the story, but also brings Paul one step closer to embracing his new life as Muad'dib.

** [[spoiler:Unlike the original version, where Vault dethrones Olga and becomes the BigBad, Vault in the remastered version is killed by Kyril in Chapter 6. No "ultimate threat" is present as of now, but the remastered version of the story is incomplete.]]

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle thrown in. It takes its name from the video game trope of a FinalBoss,[[note]]and more specifically, it references certain classic UsefulNotes/PlayStation1 & UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 era titles - especially [=JRPGs=] such as VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII - which would come in multiple discs instead of just one due to memory limitations[[/note]] 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, wherein this character is likely to reside. Compare DecoyProtagonist and SacrificialLion. Likely to also be a ClimaxBoss. If the real final boss is a previously defeated villain, this may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon. This can also demonstrate that YouCantThwartStageOne.

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle thrown in. It takes its name from the video game trope of a FinalBoss,[[note]]more specifically, it references certain classic UsefulNotes/PlayStation1 era titles - especially [=JRPGs=] such as VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII - which would come in multiple discs instead of just one due to memory limitations[[/note]] 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, wherein this character is likely to reside. Compare DecoyProtagonist and SacrificialLion. Likely to also be a ClimaxBoss. If the real final boss is a previously defeated villain, this may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon. This can also demonstrate that YouCantThwartStageOne.

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle thrown in. It takes its name from the video game trope of a FinalBoss,[[note]]more specifically, it references classic UsefulNotes/PlayStation1 era titles - especially [=JRPGs=] such as VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII - which would come in multiple discs instead of just one due to memory limitations[[/note]] 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, wherein this character is likely to reside. Compare DecoyProtagonist and SacrificialLion. Likely to also be a ClimaxBoss. If the real final boss is a previously defeated villain, this may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon. This can also demonstrate that YouCantThwartStageOne.

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle thrown in. It takes its name from the video game trope of a FinalBoss,[[note]]more specifically, it references classic Playstation 1 era titles, especially [=JRPGs=] such as VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII, which would come in multiple discs instead of just one due to memory limitations[[/note]] 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, wherein this character is likely to reside. Compare DecoyProtagonist and SacrificialLion. Likely to also be a ClimaxBoss. If the real final boss is a previously defeated villain, this may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon. This can also demonstrate that YouCantThwartStageOne.

A cross between a RedHerring and TheDragon, with a little bit of YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle thrown in. It takes its name from the video game trope of a FinalBoss,[[note]]more specifically, it references classic Playstation 1 era titles, especially JRPGs such as VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII, which would come in multiple discs instead of just one due to memory limitations[[/note]] 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, wherein this character is likely to reside. Compare DecoyProtagonist and SacrificialLion. Likely to also be a ClimaxBoss. If the real final boss is a previously defeated villain, this may lead to the plot being HijackedByGanon. This can also demonstrate that YouCantThwartStageOne.