We've all encountered them. The game is in a very serious moment with the heroes all concerned about what's going on or what to do, then all of a sudden they are ambushed by a joke of a boss that seeks revenge on them for all of the previous times the heroes had already defeated him/her. These guys just never seem to die and they have a bad habit of showing up at the most random times. This usually results in a very amusing scene, followed by yet another battle against the annoying (but funny) rival. Here are some notable examples:
Recognize any of those guys? They all have things in common. They are strange rivals for your characters who show up several times demanding rematches. The fact that they just won't die, always have something funny to say, for whatever reason think that they stand a chance against your characters in each encounter, and often show up at an extremely random moment. These things make them comedic relief bosses.
So here are the dicsussion questions....
1. Who is your favorite comedic relief boss and why? What game are they from?
2. Are there any games that do not have one that you think should? Why or why not?
3. Do you have any fun memories or epic victories against these characters?
4. Would you like the idea of a joke boss ever becoming the main villain in the end through a storyline spoiler? Why or why not?
I'll go first. My favorite, which should come as no surprise, would have to be Ultros from Final Fantasy 6. His extremely random comeback during the Opera House events redefines the word random, and the scenes that follow are hilarious. In my opinion he set the standard for comedic relief villains because they weren't very common until after him and few have been better at their job. I can't think of very many games that do not have one that I think should, they fit well in RPG's but not always in other genres.
A fun memory of fighting these bosses would be when I defeated Ozzie in Chrono Trigger for the first time. What happens next is one of the funniest moments in the history of video games. It's so random and stupid that it's funny.
I think it could work for a joke boss to end up the main villain in the end but it would have to be done right. If they develop his character enough and the revelation of his plans is written in a way that makes sense, then it could work. Look at Garland in Final Fantasy 1, for example. He was a joke of a first boss that nobody took seriously but ended up being the villain in the end. This is only cool when it's done rarely and done right though, in my opinion. Comedic relief characters make better joke bosses than villains.
So now it's your turn, let's see what the rest of you have to say about joke bosses. Discuss!




Recognize any of those guys? They all have things in common. They are strange rivals for your characters who show up several times demanding rematches. The fact that they just won't die, always have something funny to say, for whatever reason think that they stand a chance against your characters in each encounter, and often show up at an extremely random moment. These things make them comedic relief bosses.
So here are the dicsussion questions....
1. Who is your favorite comedic relief boss and why? What game are they from?
2. Are there any games that do not have one that you think should? Why or why not?
3. Do you have any fun memories or epic victories against these characters?
4. Would you like the idea of a joke boss ever becoming the main villain in the end through a storyline spoiler? Why or why not?
I'll go first. My favorite, which should come as no surprise, would have to be Ultros from Final Fantasy 6. His extremely random comeback during the Opera House events redefines the word random, and the scenes that follow are hilarious. In my opinion he set the standard for comedic relief villains because they weren't very common until after him and few have been better at their job. I can't think of very many games that do not have one that I think should, they fit well in RPG's but not always in other genres.
A fun memory of fighting these bosses would be when I defeated Ozzie in Chrono Trigger for the first time. What happens next is one of the funniest moments in the history of video games. It's so random and stupid that it's funny.
He taunts you after the battle saying you'll never defeat him, then a cat runs into the room and flips a switch that opens a trap door, making Ozzie fall to his death. Random much?
I think it could work for a joke boss to end up the main villain in the end but it would have to be done right. If they develop his character enough and the revelation of his plans is written in a way that makes sense, then it could work. Look at Garland in Final Fantasy 1, for example. He was a joke of a first boss that nobody took seriously but ended up being the villain in the end. This is only cool when it's done rarely and done right though, in my opinion. Comedic relief characters make better joke bosses than villains.
So now it's your turn, let's see what the rest of you have to say about joke bosses. Discuss!