History ThatOneBoss / DanceDanceRevolution

* Xepher Challenge. For the first time in the series, it is the only new 10 in the game to be available from the start and the only 10 for both singles and doubles to have a consistent BPM (not Max300's 2x BPM nor Genom Screams only being a 10 on double only). While it may seemingly not be as hard as the other 10s, the end part of the song does provide a challenge, given the amount of arrow-density with separated 1/16th notes.

** Max300 Double. The second half of this song will rip your torso if you are not used to crossovers and going back and forth from the pad. Later installments re-adjusted this chart from 17 to 18.

* "AFRONOVA" is remembered for both using quick 8th note crossover streams at 200 BPM, and a [[GimmickLevel unique crossover pattern]] that required players to hit side arrows with the opposite foot, known today as the "Afronova Walk" after this song's MANIAC chart. Its Double Maniac Chart has a lot of twisting.
* "DEAD END" may not have any particularly tricky or disorienting movements and rhythms, but continues to push players through its many 190 BPM 8th note streams, nine of which are 15 arrows long! [[MarathonLevel Clocking in longer than most other DDR songs of the time]], DEAD END is a true test of stamina, the likes of which was never seen in ''2nd MIX''. It would later receive a new Groove Radar Special chart in ''[=SuperNOVA 2=]'', which is still considered to be one of the most difficult charts to this day.
* The other 9-footer that was the bane of many players is "DYNAMITE RAVE". With the combination of SSR mode, the chart can be very complex to read due to the 16th note usage. Like "Uh La La La" in ''Dancing Stage'', it contains a design mistake that leads to FakeDifficulty: at one point, you have to do a jump(left+right)-down-left 16th note session which is extremely hard to do and the reason of combo-breaks; it was intended to be a Left-Down-Left motion in 16ths instead, but this came to pass even to this day and is also replicated on the OMES DDR Extreme (see below).

* "GRADIUSIC CYBER ~AMD G5 MIX~" isn't as stream-driven as the above-mentioned 9-footers, but it makes up for it with its complexity. The rhythm is hard to pin down with many off-beats in it, the patterns force enough double stepping to throw you off, and the 16th stream bombardment in the middle is simply brutal. All of these factors pushed this song beyond its time when it made its debut.

** To elaborate on Dead End (Groove Radar Special), or ''[[FanNickname DEGRS]]'', much of its difficulty stems from the fact that it's ''FakeDifficulty'' as opposed to genuine difficulty. Many of the steps are very uncomfortable to play and/or leave the player in awkward positions. A few examples of these types of steps within the chart are [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs crossovers, spins, holds, crossovers into spins that lead into holds]], 16th jackhammers into jumps, altered notations to throw the player off further, and a particularly infamous section with ''16th jackhammer jumps''. [[UpToEleven Yes, you read that right]]. More often than not, the best solution is to cheese and power your way through these awkward sections, which isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. For the longest time, the chart was widely considered impossible to [[FlawlessVictory Perfect Full Combo]] because of the Fake Difficulty...until almost ten years later, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpIfg2JgY64 when rhythm game veteran Chris "iamchris4life" Chike accomplished this very feat]].

* Special mention goes to the '''Boss Rush (Ver. [=SuperNOVA2=])''' Challenge course, one of the most difficult challenge courses in the history of the franchise, and all 10s like the original Legend Road course. Using the newer DDR ratings, it is 18-18-15-16-18 for singles and 18-17-16-17-18 on doubles. It brings out potentially its hardest song, ''[=PARANOiA=] ~Hades~'', first, and many players fail on the first level. Complete that and you get just 1 life (out of 4) of healing for ''NGO'' which doesn't give you any replenishing. Thankfully, ''Trip Machine Phoenix'' and ''Pluto'' aren't as hard, especially Trip Machine which is straightforward (for this course, anyway) and gives you 1 more life, but not knowing Pluto's stops can still kill you. If you think your lives will be replenished for ''Pluto Relinquish'', think again because you get [[ThisIsGonnaSuck NO Lifebar]]. You may have had four minutes of "rest" (counting most of Relinquish, which isn't that bad), but its ending stream is still one of the hardest in DDR history almost 15 years later, and at this point you'll have to full combo it or close. And that's on top of Challenge Mode's [[MarathonLevel no breaks]] and '''4 combo breaks = fail''' nature, with only 2 LIVES TOTAL for recharge.
** Most people say Boss Rush SN2 is the hardest course in DDR history. No one could beat this course when SuperNOVA2 came out, and by the time people were good enough it was inconvenient to find an SN2 machine to practice on. As a result it took '''''11 whole years''''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDj0EmIfKBM for anybody to clear it on video]] while later courses have been passed much quicker. The reason why later courses have been passed much quicker are due to the few factors:

*** DDR A20 to present: No Challenge Mode (so courses only use the normal lifebar instead of the battery), with A's scoring system (i.e. easy to mash) and 60-second rest time. The Dan courses have an "expanded" golden lifebar that makes gaining and losing life harder, so you can rack up a full bar, then survive streams you couldn't normally beat. Kaiden might come close, with four 19-footers, but Boss Rush SN2 is still seen as harder because of those conditions.

Remove the G in NGO and it sounds more accurate. Expert's a souped-up PARANOiA Survivor, and while large parts are just quarter notes, the gallopy sections are hard enough for a 10 and the ending stream is almost as bad as PSMO's. Challenge may feature the lowest stepcount of any 18 in the franchise, but it accommodates by being absolutely loaded with stepjumps, including many cases with ''8th notes between jumps at 274 BPM''. Definitely not a chart to be underestimated.
** TRIP MACHINE PhoeniX. \\

People would have the right to feel ParanoiaFuel here even without the spoopy background video. The Difficult [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8I-h6dOA0&feature=related single]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhIAe8antbo double]] are two of the hardest Difficult charts of all time, and some say Single should be a 16 (there are no 16's on Difficult even in the twenties). Both are jumpfests, like slower Fascination Eternal Love Mixes, though Single gets much easier in the second half. Expert cuts down on jumps but adds more stream, with tricky crossovers at the end (cross over on the second arrow, not the fourth). Challenge is hard even for an 18. Almost every step in the first half is part of a crossover or a jump, including crossovers into jumps at 300 BPM. The slowdown includes reading streams just as fast but compressed into 1/4 the spacing, and streams of twelfth jacks as fast as MAX 300's last few notes. The ending is more of the first half.
** To their credit, Sakura Expert, which was rated a 10 and got downgraded to a 9, actually deserved it (although Challenge Double was accidentally booted to a 10).

* During the second and final stages, [[WarmupBoss Trip Machine Survivor]] and [=PARANOiA=] Survivor become available to play. [=PARANOiA=] Survivor in particular is another 10 that clocks in at 270 BPM, includes slowdowns, and even starts using crossover patterns near the end. However, if the arcade operator enters the unlock codes, these stages will be unlocked from the start, along with [=PARANOiA=] Survivor MAX. It's slightly faster than [=PARANOiA=] Survivor at 290 BPM, and [[HardModeFiller all charts up to heavy use the same patterns as Survivor, except mirrored.]] However, it also has a [[NintendoHard Challenge chart]] that's even more difficult than its heavy chart! In fact, it was pretty much universally considered the hardest chart of the game, and since the series went on hiatus, it kept that title for almost four years. When you say PSMO (PARANOiA Survivor MAX Oni), it doesn't matter if no one's called Challenge "Oni" in years. They remember.

* During the second and final stages, [[WarmupBoss Trip Machine Survivor]] and [=PARANOiA=] Survivor become available to play. [=PARANOiA=] Survivor in particular is another 10 that clocks in at 270 BPM, includes slowdowns, and even starts using crossover patterns near the end. However, if the arcade operator enters the unlock codes, these stages will be unlocked from the start, along with [=PARANOiA=] Survivor MAX. It's slightly faster than [=PARANOiA=] Survivor at 290 BPM, and [[HardModeFiller all charts up to heavy use the same patterns as Survivor, except mirrored.]] However, it also has a [[NintendoHard Challenge chart]] that's even more difficult than its heavy chart! In fact, it was pretty much universally considered the hardest chart of the game.

* Trip Machine Evolution is no slouch. Just because in 2nd Mix Mode you see "9-Footer" as a gimmick doesn't mean it's actually a "9". Case in point, 2nd Mix did not have a 9-foot rating; the difficulty listing it as "Evolutionary" is incorrect as "Catastrophic" was the technical name for a 9-footer at the time. Also, its Expert Double chart may say 16, but it was re-adjusted to a 17 for a good reason. Both Challenge Charts are not just tricky but brutal as well.

* ''DDR [=SuperNOVA2=]'' brings two of the currently three ''Pluto'' boss songs. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtWqfWxQMmY Pluto]] does not use as many stops as Chaos, but it does not have a consistent BPM. It also does not make it easy for the player to tell when the song stops during the fast part.

** Most people say Boss Rush SN2 is the hardest course in DDR history. No one could beat this course when SuperNOVA2 came out, and by the time people were good enough it was inconvenient to find an SN2 machine to practice on. As a result it took 11 whole years [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDj0EmIfKBM for anybody to clear it on video]] while later courses have been passed much quicker. The reason why later courses have been passed much quicker are due to the few factors:

With the steady increase in difficulty in every installment in DDR, there seems to be one way or another for boss songs, or just straight up "hard songs," to get more and more challenging for even the most experienced of players. As this is a game with a focus on intense body movement over the course of two minutes at a time, it's quite possible that a song becomes That One Boss for the player not because of the technical challenge, but because their body cannot physically keep up. Better hit the gym if you want to take on the game's hardest challenges!

** One of said jump streams also containing a jump with ''three'' arrows in it. Note that all ''DDR'' 4-Panel Machines has ''never'' had jumps with more than two arrows in them. ''DDR Solo'' doesn't count because it was a 6-Panel machine, where the diagonal panels do not have brackets between any of the arrows. Even so, Paranoia Evolution was one of the songs to use a 4-arrow jump combination of left/up-left (left foot) and right/up-right (right foot).

* "CAPTAIN JACK (GRANDALE REMIX)" stood out because it's the only licensed chart to be on equal [[JustForPun footing]] as Konami Originals in terms of difficulty, which came off as a [[SurpriseDifficulty shocker]] in the earlier days of the franchise. While most licensed songs could only hope to reach such levels of difficulty, CAPTAIN JACK is one of the few songs that pushes players with quick 16th triplets, 8th note jumps, and gallops.

** If this song was played in a Challenge/Oni course (see below), the song's rhythm for most of the song up until the end can be ear-brutal because the song itself was written in 3/4th interval (using 1/12ths and 1/6th notes) but the chart itself uses 1/8th and 1/16th notes. If you do not have the eyes to read the song properly and rely so much by ear, you could end up losing Lifebar here due to Goods and Bads. The stepcharts did not get fixed until DDR X.

225 was already very fast for a 9 (they mostly capped out at 200), but add long, complex crossover streams and tons of jumps and this is around MAX 300 level, harder for some. Turn mods make it easier, but it's still nowhere near a 9.

* ''Pluto Relinquish'' was critically acclaimed as one of the hardest songs to date, unchallenged for that title until DDR X2. Remember the notorious ''death runs''[[note]] Seemingly random streams with no clear pattern that are often loaded with crossovers.[[/note]] of classic songs like ''Exotic Ethnic's'' heavy chart? Now imagine those, but at '''400 BPM''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMzMzYEuGUU Observe.]] When talking about breaking the scale, this song is the only song to have Single Difficult be rated a 10 in the old scale, in which no song has ever accomplished in-game.

* Special mention goes to the '''Boss Rush (Ver. [=SuperNOVA2=])''' Challenge course, one of the most difficult challenge courses in the history of the franchise, and all 10s like the original Legend Road course. Using the newer DDR ratings, it is 18-18-15-16-18 for singles and 18-17-16-17-18 on doubles. Imagine having to do ''[=PARANOiA=] ~Hades~'' first. Complete that and you get a 1 Lifebar reward for ''NGO'' which doesn't give you any replenishing. Then, ''Trip Machine Phoenix''. Complete that and you get 1 Lifebar reward for Pluto. If you think your lives will be replenished for ''Pluto Relinquish'', think again because you get [[ThisIsGonnaSuck NO Lifebar]]. And that's on top of challenge mode's [[MarathonLevel no breaks]] and '''4 misses fail''' nature, with only 2 LIFEBARs TOTAL for recharge.
** To this date, this is considered to be the hardest nonstop course in history because it took almost '''''10 years''''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDj0EmIfKBM for anybody to clear it on video]] while later courses have been passed much quicker. The reason why later courses have been passed much quicker are due to the few factors:
*** DDR X: Decreased chart difficulty.
*** DDR X2 and X3: No longer using the bosses' Challenge Charts.
*** DDR A20 to present: Nonstop Mode not requiring the Lifebar (i.e. easy to mash) and 60-second rest time.
** Doubles is even worse. As of 2020, all we have is a pair of videos by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqUS8jUwI64?t=620 FEFEMZ]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fRW2F8JlBo TAKASKE]], neither of which get past the second stage. In fact, the world record for Pluto Relinquish CDP alone has more than 4 misses ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDYGCH0U2e4 7 misses to be exact]]), meaning that clearing the course would require a performance better than world record on a machine that's now over a decade out of date, while at the same time having enough stamina and strength (and lives) left from the previous 4 songs.

* Horatio Challenge, both difficulties. Not because the chart is overall hard but due to a [[FakeDifficulty bug that forces you to either hit the arrows and get shocked or purposefully miss an arrow but avoid a shock arrow]]. This is due to the distance between arrows and shock arrows. Since this is a new concept for DDR X, developers didn't expect that having a 1/16th distance between arrow and shock would trigger the shock. The chart got fixed in DDRX2 as 1/8th note distance.

*** The Single chart is notorious for having jackhammers combined with tons of awkward patterns. It doesn't help that it has the most notes of the X-Special charts. Good luck.

** The Legend of Max. Lots of more awkward patterns like the above 2 at such high speed.

* Many of the higher-end boss songs in ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' and ''[=SuperNOVA2=]'' [[BrokeTheRatingScale pushed the limits of exactly what a level 10 chart was]], although they removed the "flashing 10s" idea from Extreme; Sakura, which was rated a 10, got downgraded to a 9 (although Challenge Double was accidentally booted to a 10). Certain charts on lower difficulties were misrated lower than they actually were to make room for the higher difficulty, though this [[BossInMookClothing criminally cloaked songs that are ridiculously hard into much lower scales]], '''[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks PISSING OFF PLAYERS]]''' who could pass songs on the designated level, only to get nuked by the charts and struggle or fail. Here are the big 5 difficulty offenders, using the '''expectations''' players have when playing the chart, what this game '''instead''' rated as, and what DDR X '''currently''' fixed with the new ratings (old ratings formula is approximately 1.4x-1.5x):

'''Instead:''' 3/7/8/9 and 7/8/9. \\

For a Re-Venge song, Konami did not think this through when they ignored BPM, with 225 being its fastest, ignoring gimmicked BPMs like Sakura (technically 1540-160). A 225 BPM filled with crossovers and double-stepping is no joke and it would hurt the torso of even the veterans.

'''Instead:''' 2/5/7/9 and 6/8/9. \\

Yes, the ratings are... '''Unreal'''. Utilizing 8th note step-jump streams at 180 BPM is not as easy as it seems that not even older charts can match those songs. The closest to match the difficulties is Trip Machine Climax, but even it doesn't go as far as this.

'''Expect:''' 4/7/9/10/10 and 7/8/10/10. \\
'''Instead:''' 3/6/7/9/10 and 5/7/9/10. \\

Remove the G in NGO and it sounds more accurate. For songs like [=PARANOiA=] Survivor being nearly identical to its BPM, (274 BPM), it obviously did not take the high BPM into account, let alone loaded with 8th note crossovers, step-jumps, and double-stepping. For challenge, it may feature the lowest stepcount of any 18 in the franchise, but it accommodates by being absolutely loaded with jumps, including many cases with ''8th notes between jumps at 274 BPM''. Definitely not a chart to be underestimated.

While it goes back to the original and slower 160 BPM it was known for, the charts are a lot harder than any Trip Machines in the series to that point due to its complex tricky patterns and very complex use of difficult 1/16th notes. Even doubles is a lot worse where you have to blitz through going back and forth to the pads not shown on the original difficulties. Many may see that the difficulties for the song is easier than previous Trip Machines at that point. But once you play the charts, it is the other way around that not even Trip Machine Survivor comes close to the difficulties.

People have the right to have ParanoiaFuel when playing these charts and will throw off people easily. The Difficult [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8I-h6dOA0&feature=related single]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhIAe8antbo double]] is so hard that it even beats or rivals all of the other [=PARANOiA=] Expert [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr8Wuj695V8 single]] is just as hard as [=PARANOiA=] Survivor Max Challenge, which was a "flashing 10" in DDR Extreme. The Expert [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FARSBkPVSQ double]] outbeats every other [=PARANOiA=] chart. Challenge [[UptoEleven takes it to a whole new level.]] Constant 8th runs that end with jumps, jackhammer triplets at the slowdown section followed by Iron Maiden-esque gallops, and then ending in a long 8th run that will make you beg for mercy.

** MaxX Unlimited Double. Like above, expect to move back and forth a lot, with more awkward patterns. Later installments re-adjusted this chart from 17 to 18.

* "AFRONOVA" is remembered for both using quick 8th note crossover streams at 200 BPM, and a [[GimmickLevel unique crossover pattern]] that required players to hit side arrows with the opposite foot, known today as the "Afronova Walk" after this song's MANIAC chart.

* Ninzaburo (renamed as Furuhata's Theme). Despite being the 2nd song in Nonstop mode, it is harder than it looks and the hardest Dancemania chart pre-4th Plus.

* "Drop Out" returns from the Nonstop I. While it did tone down the first gun run by making them 8th-note triplets and remain the "8" difficulty, the chart is still hard. Konami did not update the "8 Difficulty" until DDRMAX2 that made it a "9"
* Ninzaburo (renamed as Fuhurata's Theme). This is harder than it looks.

** In the earlier days, for singles, songs that have no 16th notes at all could disqualify itself from being a 9-footer. Konami tried justifying it due to it being 1x speed and readable, but not take foot execution in account. This did not get remedied until DDRMAX2.
** Doubles was a very special case. Various patterns that involve going back and forth through the pad were not taken in consideration when rating charts. This did not get remedied until DDR X's new rating system.
** Charts that try to deflate difficulty so that it looks less of a FinalBoss song than the actual TrueFinalBoss song. Unfortunately, this attempt comes at the expense of ignoring the ratings of previous songs.

* "Drop Out" returns from the Nonstop I. While it did tone down the first gun run by making them 8th-note triplets and remain the "8" difficulty, the chart is still hard. Konami did not update the "8 Difficulty" until DDRMAX2.
** "Drop Out" Expert was rated an 8 because the game it was in first (DDR Solo) didn't go up to 9, but attempting the song itself isn't easy. It was re-rated a 9 a few games after it came to standard DDR machines.

** '''X2 - Present:''' [[HarderThanHard level 19]].

* Any song that has a ''mislabeled'' difficulty rating can make things worse. The below list has quite a bit of that.

** '''MAX2 - Supernova 2:''' 10-footer and flashing 10s.

* Extra Stages, Encore Extra Stages, Nonstop, and Challenge/Oni also count toward this.
* Any song that has a ''mislabeled'' difficulty rating can make things worse.

* In general, any chart rated level 15 (10 and ''flashing'' 10 in DDR versions before X2) to level 18 are the most challenging songs to play, requiring not only dexterity but also intense amounts of stamina. A good number of boss songs (Extra Stage and One More Extra Stage) are usually in this range. And then there's the songs rated [[HarderThanHard level 19]]...

* Any song that has a ''mislabeled'' difficulty rating can make things worse. "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" and "End of the Century" from ''3rd Mix'' (both Maniac) were introduced as 8 footers out of 9 at the time. They might seem easy on a controller, but when one actually steps to the notes, these songs will brutally murder one's stamina, even if some time was spent practicing them.
** "End of the Century" Expert was so notorious for its incredibly awkward stepping and step-jump patterns at a fast 170 BPM that it actually got re-rated later to a 9. Using the same foot twice in a row on different panels at high BPM is hard and stamina draining, and no amount of twisting can avoid it for this song. And the game it was in at the time (3rd mix) penalized misses much harder than any other game before or since. Ouch!
** "Drop Out" Expert was rated an 8 because the game it was in first (DDR Solo) didn't go up to 9, but attempting the song itself isn't easy. It was re-rated a 9 a few games after it came to standard DDR machines.
** ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' had this issue with ''Sunkiss Drop.'' This was rated a 7, but did not feel like it.
** ''Crazy Control'' from the later home consoles was rated as both a 6 and a 10 at different points. Its true rating is more in the middle.
** Many of the higher-end boss songs in ''[=SuperNOVA=]'' and ''[=SuperNOVA2=]'' [[BrokeTheRatingScale pushed the limits of exactly what a level 10 chart was]], although they removed the "flashing 10s" idea from Extreme; Sakura, which was rated a 10, got downgraded to a 9 (although Challenge Double was accidentally booted to a 10). Certain charts on lower difficulties were misrated lower than they actually were to make room for the higher difficulty, though this [[BossInMookClothing criminally cloaked songs that are ridiculously hard into much lower scales]], '''[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks PISSING OFF PLAYERS]]''' who could pass songs on the designated level, only to get nuked by the charts and struggle or fail. See below.

* During the Nonstop I course which was rated an 8 (DDR Solo's highest level), "Drop Out" was the fastest song in DDR at the time at 260 BPM (a record it would hold until "MAX 300" came out in DDR MAX), the song was also intensely tiring by the standards of the time, with extremely rapid sequences of high speed jumps. What really made it was the climax; there are 2 sections of nonstop streams that will make your feet hurt with the first stream having a crossover for such ridiculous speed, culminating in one final sequence of stomps to finish off a worn-out player. While easy by comparison with today's boss songs, back in the day if you wanted to beat "Drop Out" you had to ''earn'' it!

* "Drop Out" returns from the Nonstop I. While it did tone down the first gun run by making them 8th-note triplets, the chart is still difficult and Konami did not update this difficulty until DDRMAX.

* As mentioned above in General regarding misranked difficulties, here are the big 5 difficulty offenders, using the '''expectations''' players have when playing the chart, what this game '''instead''' rated as, and what DDR X '''currently''' fixed with the new ratings (old ratings formula is approximately 1.4x-1.5x):

** Things went FromBadToWorse when the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k8742Q9-s&feature=related Oni chart]] was revealed: it was the first 19! [[HarderThanHard Ouch.]]

** One of said jump streams also containing a jump with ''three'' arrows in it. Note that ''DDR'' has almost ''never'' had jumps with more than two arrows in them (the only exception being the ''Solo'' 6-panel charts, except usually these use a combination of the left/up-left or right/up-right arrows, which are vertically adjacent to each other and not too hard to hit with one foot)

** If you thought the singles challenge was hard, its double chart is much harder to the point where players scream "20". In singles, you can literally shortcut the chart (heel and toe) and is more straightforward. The doubles challenge? No mercy.

** If this song was played in a Challenge/Oni course (see below), the song's rhythm for most of the song up until the end can be ear-brutal because the song itself was written in 3/4th interval (using 1/12ths and 1/6th notes) but the notes only account it using 1/8th and 1/16th notes. If you do not have the eyes to read the song properly and rely so much by ear, this is not going to be easy, scoring most of your Goods and Bads (Lifebar Loss) if your timing isn't as sharp. The stepcharts did not get fixed until DDR X.