10 Best Boss Battles In Final Fantasy History - Ranked
2. Ultimecia – Final Fantasy VIII
While we had been technically fighting Ultimecia throughout the
events of FFVIII, we rarely see her before the final showdown.
Combined with the game's rather convoluted plot, Square gets
dangerously close to removing our emotional connection with the final
battle.
Fortunately, with her time compression plan in full swing, there is a real feel of urgency about the fight and quickly proves to be one of the tougher final bosses of Square's Final Fantasy golden era.
Ultimecia isn't messing around. Firstly, continuing Square's tradition of changing the rules for the final battle of a Final Fantasy game, Ultimecia picks her opponents at random, meaning you have to have everyone ready to fight.
After battling her guardian force, Griever, she lets loose with her magic, casting Flare, Ultima, Meteor, Holy, and even Apocalypse (Ultima on steroids). Now, damage we're used to. Damage we can take.
However, she also enjoys drawing magic from party members, which, in FFVIII, is how the character's stats are improved, thereby permanently weakening you.
The battle progresses through her various stages, each one presenting its own challenges, but finally we start to fight through her dying monologue, setting up for one of the most confusing and fan-theory-invoking endings to date.