History Main / PreFinalBoss

* In mission 19 of ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkieUnknown'', the Oseans and the Conservative Eruseans launch an assault on the Lighthouse, where the remaining Erusean Radicals have holed up. After taking the remaining Radical pilots and their drone escorts, the Arsenal Bird Liberty arrives, and after its destroyed by Trigger, the Radical Eruseans surrender to the Oseans and the Conservative Eruseans. However, immediately after the Liberty is destroyed, two [=UCAVs=] named Hugin and Munin arrive, and wipe out a large number of allied forces around the Lighthouse, and with the satellite network destroyed, the two drones can’t receive new orders to stand down. The survivors then rally behind Trigger to stop Hugin and Munin from using the Lighthouse to transmit their data to automated drone factories across Usea that would start a RobotWar against humanity.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', the Throne of Want is guarded by a DualBoss, Throne Watcher and Throne Defender, two enemies with not much lore behind them. Unusually, they are technically a separate fight from the real final boss, [[spoiler:Nashandra, who only appears after you acquired the Giant's Kinship after defeating the Giant Lord]], so it's possible to avert this trope if you choose to fight them early.

** ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'': Kyohei Jingu, the CorruptPolitician who wants the ten billion yen that's the central conflict of the game, is fought right before Kiryu's sworn brother turned ArchEnemy, Akira Nishikiyama.

** First seen in "The Orochi Saga": in ''KOF '95'' appears Saisyu Kusanagi (Kyo's father) [[MindControl controlled by Rugal]], ''KOF '96'' has Chizuru Kagura who became TheReveal of being KOF sponsor to get information about Orochi before fighting one of his heralds, Goenitz; and in ''KOF '97'' when The New Faces Team revealed their true colors ([[RedIsViolent literally]]) as the other heralds of Orochi and who were the ones who reincarnated him in present times (via SelfSacrificeScheme).
** Later in "The NESTS Saga", it's only seen in ''KOF 2001'' where before getting to NESTS' leader Igniz, you've to defeat Original Zero first, with [[AssistCharacter the help]] of Krizalid (who survived somehow after ''KOF '99''), Ron (renegade master of Lin and NESTS' ally) and Glugan (Igniz's CoolPet, a black lion).
** Also seen in 3D games, first in ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2'' where [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth Luise Meyrink]] tries to persuade the player to abandon before getting with [[HumanAlien Jivatma]]; and recently seen in ''KOF XIV'', where Antonov was the actual KOF sponsor, only to appear [[HumanoidAbomination Verse]] as the TrueFinalBoss after Antonov's defeat.

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': Usually seen when TheDragon fights the player before the FinalBoss emerges. Seen in [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI the first game]] where Adon, Sagat's disciple, is the fighter to defeat before getting to his master and actual champion of the tournament; in the [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII the second game]] where the player has to defeat not one but three Dragons (Balrog, Vega and Sagat) before getting to M. Bison; and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' where you've to defeat Balrog and/or [[DualBoss Juni and Juli]] before getting to M. Bison again.

* ''Literature/FightingFantasy''. In several books you will be confronting the lead villains, two or more of them, one after another. In any case where you're lacking necessary items to bring down their SKILL or STAMINA stats, you're in for a tough fight!
** ''Literature/IslandOfTheLizardKing'': The final battle have you entering the Lizard King's fortress and making your way to it's top for you to confront the King. The King merely sics his CoolPet, his Black Lion (a powerful, unavoidable enemy with SKILL of 11) on you, and if you manage to defeat the lion, you will then face the Lizard King whose SKILL is 12 (if you have a [[FlamingSword Fire Sword]] and / or a pet monkey however, you can bring down the Lizard King's SKILL to a lower, much more reasonable level).

* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 2'': This happens on the Battle of Wuzhang Plains for both sides. If the player is doing Shu?s version, Sima Yi takes up the role, blocking them from entering Cao Cao?s fort until his death. If the player is on Wei?s side, Zhuge Liang will need to be killed before they can go into Liu Bei?s fort.

* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' has Luigi face the Tough Possessor to retrieve the final shard of the eponymous Dark Moon, and then King Boo who aims to turn him into a painting like he did with Mario before.

*** Antasma from ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', due to Bowser pulling a HijackedbyGanon on him.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': After the climatic battle with N, the player immediately faces Ghetsis, the true final boss of the main story.

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey III'' features, in the route where you side with the Abissal King, a battle against Kujura in the final stratum that directly precedes the final boss (Deep Princess). The trope is averted in the route where you side with the Senatus, as the two final bosses (Automaton King and Olympia) are fought together in DualBoss form.

Hooray! TheHero has reached the BigBad's dungeon, and it's time for the final battle. He opens the door to begin the final confrontation... and sees the Big Bad and TheDragon standing there, waiting for him. The Big Bad sics his second-in-command on the heroes, and after a long fight, the heroes come out on top... then the Big Bad himself becomes enraged, and the true final battle begins.

This is the Pre-Final Boss in a nutshell. It doesn't even have to be the dragon, followed by the Big Bad; any boss that is fought immediately before the final confrontation qualifies. In fact, it's not uncommon for the "Pre-Final Boss" [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere to have seemingly no relation to the plot]].

Another variant is for the penultimate boss of the game to be followed up by a [[BossOnlyLevel final level that contains nothing, except for the last boss.]]

(Note: the first form of a OneWingedAngel final boss does ''not'' count; in order for it to be this trope, it must be an entirely different boss.)

Contrast PostFinalBoss.

* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' has Luigi face the Tough Possessor to retrieve the final shard of the eponympus Dark Moon, and then King Boo who aims to turn him into a painting like he did with Mario before.

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}: Hassle in the Castle'': You have to fight Thelonius before taking on Lord Farquaad, but the former has ''much'' more health than the latter, making Farquaad feel like a joke boss fight afterwards.

* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'': Once Princess Shroob is defeated, Mario and Luigi, along with their baby counterparts, battle Elder Princess Shroob after she's freed from the Cobalt Star.

* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' has a fight with [[TheDragon Grodus]] before the final boss. With a surprise [[DynamicEntry drop in]] by Bowser between the two story related fights.

** The first three games have a sub-boss to fight just before your final opponent. ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' has Goro before Shang Tsung, ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' has Kintaro before Shao Kahn, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' has Motaro before Shao Kahn.

* ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' gamebooks ''loves'' this trope, where in several books you will be confronting the lead villains, two or more of them, one after another. In any case where you're lacking necessary items to bring down their SKILL or STAMINA stats, you're in for a tough fight!

** ''Literature/VaultOfTheVampire'' have you confronting the Vampire Lord, Count Reiner Heydrich, the most powerful vampire of Mauristania, resurrected from the dead by his sister, the sorceress Katarina Heydrich. After defeating Reiner, you then battle Katarina and wins the book by defeating both of them.
*** The sequel, ''Literature/RevengeOfTheVampire'' brings back both Reiner and Katarina, but this time the positions are flipped - the final battle have you fighting Katarina first, and then Reiner.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' has a downplayed example at the end. After collecting the orb to open the hawk head that leads to the final boss... it starts flashing and becomes hostile, flying around the room in an attempt to ram you. It's relatively easy to take care of, but it is also [[NightmareFuel extremely scary]] and can catch players off guard.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'' ''sorta'' does this. In castle 8-4 (and the true final level, D-4), you will encounter "Bowser's Brother" (A blue palette-swap of Bowser, sometimes called "Bruce") shortly before reaching the real Bowser.

** For much of the game, most monsters speak about King Asgore as the one in charge of holding several human souls which would be used to break the barrier containing monsterkind. When you eventually defeat him in a Neutral Run however, [[spoiler:he is killed off by Flowey, who then takes the human souls to gain control over the timeline.]]
*** However, only the first Neutral Run will have [[spoiler:Flowey]] as the FinalBoss: He won't attack on any other Neutral Run due to [[spoiler:remembering the effects of the previous route]]. In those routes, Mettaton becomes the Pre-Final Boss Fight while Asgore becomes the FinalBoss.

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': Usually seen when TheDragon fights the player before the FinalBoss emerges. Seen in [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI the first game]] where Adon, Sagat's disciple, is the fighter to defeat before getting to his master and actual champion of the tournament; in the [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII the second game]] where the player has to dfeat not one but three Dragons (Balrog, Vega and Sagat) before getting to M. Bison; and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' where you've to defeat Balrog and/or [[DualBoss Juni and Juli]] before getting to M. Bison again.

Contrast PostFinalBoss

** King Dedede himself appears as the DiscOneFinalBoss of ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'', ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'' and ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3''. In the first game, he turns out to be the DiscOneFinalBoss who actually tried to prevent the ''real'' BigBad, the Nightmare, from corrupting the Fountain of Dreams, while in the latter two games he's the victim of the DemonicPossession via Dark Matter (however, if the player did not [[GottaCatchThemAll collect all pieces]] of the game's respective [[EleventhHourSuperpower final weapons]], he will end up being the game's FinalBoss, with the bad ending playing).

This is the Pre-Final Boss in a nutshell. It doesn't even have to be the dragon, followed by the big bad; any boss that is fought immediately before the final confrontation qualifies. In fact, it's not uncommon for the "Pre-Final Boss" [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere to have seemingly no relation to the plot]].

** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon'' has the final boss, Duo (an OmnicidalManiac directing an asteroid to destroy Earth) pulling [=MegaMan's=] [[EnemyWithout dark side out of him,]] forcing to overcome his inner darkness before facing Duo. As a result of this, Dark Chips are unusable in the following battle against Duo.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': The first three games have a sub-boss to fight just before your final opponent. ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' has Goro before Shang Tsung, ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' has Kintaro before Shao Kahn, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' has Motaro before Shao Kahn.
* VideoGame/MortalKombat2011 has Goro ''or'' Kintaro before Shao Kahn.

** PlayedForLaughs in ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'''s ''Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt'' DLC. As you make your way onboard the crashed Hyperion ship, Professor Nakayama forces you to fight the Jackenstein monster if you want to get to him. After a challenging fight against the monster, Professor Nakayama tells you to prepare yourself to fight him... only for him to trip, fall down the stairs, and [[TheUnfought die in the process]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Batman}}'' (The original NES game) has you fighting an extremely tedious boss named Firebug at the top of the tower before the final fight against The Joker.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Klonoa}} Klonoa: Door to Phantomile]]'' and the Wii remake have Klonoa fight the BigBad, Ghadius, at the end of the ''[[TheVeryDefinetelyFinalDungeon Moon Kingdom, Cress]]''. Even after being defeated however, Ghadius still manages successfully unleash Nahatomb, forcing Klonoa face off against the perfect Nightmare to save Phantomile.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' the standard classic formula always has a boss fight right after the BossRush that ends with the villain escaping and you having to chase after them for the actual FinalBossFight.

* Franchise/NinjaGaiden: All 3 games in the original NES trilogy end with 3 boss fights.

** The third game has you confronting 2 forms of Clancy after his betrayal. Then, Foster shows up in a giant ship.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''

** In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble'', Act Three of [[EternalEngine Atomic Destroyer Zone]] begins with a battle against [[RobotMe Metal Sonic]]. After Metal is defeated, Sonic or Tails come across a sleeping [[TheDragon Nack the Weasel]], and when he awakens, it seems like he is going to be fought one last time, but then [[BaitAndSwitchBoss Nack panics and runs away from Dr. Eggman]], who serves as the game's final boss.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''

** VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels ''sorta'' does this. In castle 8-4 (and the true final level, D-4), you will encounter "Bowser's Brother" (A blue palette-swap of Bowser, sometimes called "Bruce") shortly before reaching the Real Bowser.

** In ''VideoGame/MegaManX2'': If X didn't collect all of Zero's parts, Sigma brings the resurrected Zero to the final confrontation and X has to defeat Zero first. (If X did collect all the parts, Sigma has a fake Zero that the is quickly destroyed when the real Zero makes his entrance.)

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'': Upon reaching Sigma, the maverick leader has Velguarder fight X before fighting the maverick hunter himself.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' has a downplayed example at the end. After collecting the orb to open the hawk head that leads to the final boss...it starts flashing and becomes hostile, flying around the room in an attempt to ram you. It's relatively easy to take care of, but it is also [[NightmareFuel extremely scary]] and can catch players off guard.

* Parodied and double subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Zuma}}'s Revenge''. After completing level 60, you end up in a small level with 4 torches, and the game tells you to extinguish them. After doing so, you will face a boss that has twice as much health as the other bosses...except [[SubvertedTrope it dies in one hit.]] You then get the to see the ending credits...until the [[YourPrincessIsinAnotherCastle REAL final boss appears.]]

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', regardless of whether you side with the mages or the Templars, you'll be forced to fight and kill First Enchanter Orsino as he crosses the DespairEventHorizon and turns himself into a Harvester. This is then followed by the true final boss fight against Knight-Commander Meredith. Unusually for the trope, however, Orsino is not actually Meredith's dragon - in fact, they're on opposite sides. The initial plan was that you could skip the fight with Orsino if you sided with the mages, but this was changed in order to give the player another fight regardless of their story path.

* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'': Once Princess Shroob is defeated, Mario and Luigi, along their baby counterparts, battle Elder Princess Shroob after she's freed from the Cobalt Star.

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', regardless of whether you side with the mages or the Templars, you'll be forced to fight and kill First Enchanter Orsino as he crosses the DespairEventHorizon and turns himself into a Harvester. This is then followed by the true final boss fight against Knight-Commander Meredith.

Hooray! TheHero has reached the BigBad's dungeon, and it's time for the final battle. He opens the door to begin the final confrontation...and sees the Big Bad and TheDragon standing there, waiting for him. The Big Bad sics his second-in-command on the heroes, and after a long fight, the heroes come out on top...then the Big Bad himself becomes enraged, and the true final battle begins.

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** ''Zelda II:'' At the end of the Great Palace, you must fight a red (Or blue, when its weakness is discovered) bird named ThunderBird before the final battle with [[MirrorBoss Dark Link.]]
** ''A Link To The Past'' concludes with a rematch against Agahnim before the final battle with his real form: Ganon.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'': Before the final boss with the Heart of Ruin, the player ends up facing Asra Nox in a rematch. After her defeat, she leaves not before taunting the player for the last time about how the Ruin will destroy everything except humanity, and then the Heart of Ruin awakens, facing the player in the final battle.

* The ''War of the Chose'' expansion to ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' revolves around three [[RecurringBoss recurring bosses]], the titular Chosen. Each of them has a chain of missions that opens up an opportunity to kill them off for good, but ItOnlyWorksOnce. Any Chosen you haven't dealt with permanently by the time you embark on the final mission will show up one last time right before the actual FinalBattle, decked out in special armor and stronger than ever. If more than one are still alive, they effectively become a QuirkyMinibossSquad that can cause you no end of trouble, especially since they're fought after you've battled your way through a huge number of EliteMooks already. Needless to say that you should make damn sure the Chosen are out of the picture before you initiate the endgame.