History Main / MirrorBoss

* Near the end of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'''s Octo Expansion story, Agent 8 has to fight Agent 3, [[spoiler:made BrainwashedAndCrazy and undergoing partial Sanitization]]. Both are armed with Splattershot variants (the Octoshot for Agent 8, the Heroshot for Agent 3) and bombs and have GlassCannon builds and similar rates of HealingFactor. Since Agent 3 was the PlayerCharacter of [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} the first game]], it also overlaps with DuelingPlayerCharacters, though of different games in the series.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', certain varieties of Fox Noise can pull this trick on you. When they have enough tails, they can transform into masked copies of Neku and attack with versions of your own Psychs. One of them is an optional boss, the other is a non-boss enemy.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', the first of three boss fights late in Chapter 1 is a battle between the player-controlled Kevesi party members and the soon-to-be Agnian party members. Their lineup mirrors yours, consisting of a tank, a damager, and a medic.

* ''VideoGame/Persona2'':
** In both games, the Boss fights against the Shadow Selves, which are evil versions of your party with more vicious {{Signature Move}}s. Shadow Maya is even fought twice. However, [[spoiler:Shadow Yukino]] in ''Innocent Sin'' is optional, as it depends on the player making the wrong choices.
** ''Innocent Sin'':
*** The members of the Masked Circle have "Reverse" Personas, and most of them are copies of your party's Personas. Sugimoto (another optional boss) has the Reverse of Eikichi's, Ginji has the Reverse of Lisa's, and Tatsuya Sudou has the Reverse of Tatsuya's.
*** Late in the game, you fight against the Bolontiku; a party of five aliens (ItMakesSenseInContext) who wield corrupt versions of the party's {{Signature Move}}s, and have identical elemental affinities.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', there's a retroactive example in the [[ThatOneBoss infamous]] fight against the [[spoiler:Metal Trio, who are golden statues of Eikichi, Lisa and Jun from the previous game.]]
* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', BonusBoss Elizabeth (or Theodore if you play as the female protagonist in ''Persona 3 Portable'') is a Persona user, and uses the same Personas and attacks that the player can use. Including Megidolaon, the strongest non-unique attack in the game.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has the same situation, with BonusBoss Margaret. During the story, there's also the fight with [[spoiler:Adachi, who fights in a very similar way to the protagonist, including having a dark version of the protagonist's default Persona known as Magatsu Izanagi. Though you fight him with your whole party in the game, the anime adaptation plays up the MirrorBoss aspect even more by having Yu (the main character) fight him alone, even using his own Izanagi during the fight.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' continues the trend of having the Velvet Room assistants (in this case, Caroline and Justine) be a BonusBoss who can use Personas. This time, there's two of them, meaning they can also use player tactics such as healing and even ''reviving'' each other, and they also have their own version of the All-Out Attack (which is an instant win for them, regardless of your party's health) complete with unique "victory" screen. Story-wise, there's [[spoiler:Black Mask Akechi, who uses the same fighting style as the player characters, complete with using both a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. He even has the ability to use multiple Personas, just like Joker.]]

* Ness's Nightmare from ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' possesses all the skills that Ness has. To make it even more apparent, this is also a DuelBoss.

** In the Meta Knightmare minigame in ''Nightmare in Dreamland'', one of the bosses Meta Knight must face is ''[[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere another Meta Knight]]''. He fights almost exactly like the playable Meta Knight does, in addition to being able to block the player's attacks.

** ''VideoGame/Pikmin1'': The Puffstool is a walking fungus who towers over the player, but is completely harmless on its own. When disturbed, it releases a gas which turns Pikmin to its side, much like how you whistle Pikmin to your own side. These BrainwashedAndCrazy "Mushroom Pikmin" will proceed to mindlessly follow the Puffstool, and they'll latch onto and attack you if you're in the way. They will also fight against regular Pikmin if you order them to attack, which can lead to disastrous casualties from both sides.

* Ninetails from ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. A canine with godlike magical power, who wields a giant sword hovering over his back, and can even [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame interrupt Ammy's Celestial Brush with his own]]. The second stage of the fight with Oki has him transform into a wolf and wear his sword in the same way Amaterasu wears glaives.
** The [[BuffySpeak mirroriness]] gets cranked UpToEleven in the sequel, ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}''. The final boss is [[EvilKnockoff an evil version of Chibiterasu]], and literally comes out of a mirror. He has his own brush, like Ninetails, but the brush vs brush mechanics have been fine-tuned to the point where there is no difference in your abilities bar no matter how many secret brush techniques you picked up. Drawing a technique? He can cancel out with a line. He's drawing a technique? Cancel it with your own line! He even has an evil version of Sunrise that covers the arena in pitch-black darkness.

* Azel from ''VideoGame/GodHand'', who possesses the other God Hand and uses the same attacks and [[LimitBreak Roulette moves]] that Gene does. Also, [[spoiler:the 51st battle in the fighting ring is Double God Hand Gene.]]* Azel from ''VideoGame/GodHand'', who possesses the other God Hand and uses the same attacks and [[LimitBreak Roulette moves]] that Gene does. Also, [[spoiler:the 51st battle in the fighting ring is Double God Hand Gene.]]

[[folder:Beat'Em Ups]]

** Mona and Lisa ([[DubNameChange Yasha and Onihime in the original]]), the Blaze palette-swapped enemies on the boat level in the first ''Streets of Rage'' game. When brought back in the third game, [[DivergentCharacterEvolution they were given updated designs and attacks]].
** [[TheDragon Shiva]] from ''Streets of Rage 2'' and ''3'', as he possesses similar directional attacks, including a 360 degree defensive maneuver akin to the player's special move button, and a dashing attack. [[spoiler:He returns in the fourth game as the boss of Stage 6 ([[HeelFaceTurn though no longer associated with]] TheSyndicate) and takes this trope even further by using Offensive Specials and Star Moves of his own -- [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules without the former's health cost or the latter's need for star pickups, of course]].]]

[[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} Swallowing enemies whole]]. [[VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures Flying around with a jetpack]]. [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Or just jumping high]]. Video game heroes can have a wide variety of powers; they're fun to play around with, and they'll let you conquer just about any boss battle. You just need to dodge around its attacks and AttackItsWeakPoint for massive damage.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' games have a trend of including a QuirkyMinibossSquad of evil bombers as bosses. This trend started with ''Super Bomberman 2'' and its Five Dastardly Bombers, who had both unique bombs and HumongousMecha — including, notably, Brain Bomber's giant Bomberman mecha which could also lay bombs.

* ''Creator/PlatinumGames''-developed games have a habit of pitting players against {{Mirror Boss}}es:

*** ''Videogame/{{Bayonetta 2}}'' has the Masked Lumen, AKA [[spoiler:Balder]], who fights using Lumen Sage variations of Bayonetta's moves.

** The [[VideoGame/ScottPilgrim game]] plays this trope straight by including Nega-Scott as a boss, though you don't have to play as Scott to face him. He ultimately subverts it by having attacks that the real Scott can never pull off.
* The Blaze palette swapped enemies on the boat level in the first ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' game. The robotic version of Axel in ''Streets of Rage 3''. Shiva from ''Streets of Rage 2'' and ''3'', as he possesses similar directional attacks, including a 360 degree defensive maneuver akin to the player's special move button, and a dashing attack.
* Another Joe from ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'' is portrayed as one of these, though he actually relies on the DoppelgangerAttack while warping around. A straighter example is the final boss, [[spoiler:Captain Blue]], who has VFX powers like Joe and can speed himself up with them, as well as having a similar moveset to Joe overall. Even moreso when you reach this boss as the final unlockable character, [[spoiler:Captain Blue]], at which point it's ''exactly'' identical... minus the random lightning bolts, of course.
* The final boss of ''Videogame/Yakuza0'' [[spoiler:Keiji Shibusawa]] is a three stage boss that mimics the battle styles Kiryu has collected throughout the game, starting with a copy of [[SpeedBlitz Rush]], then a copy of [[TheBerserker Beast]], ending with [[UnskilledButStrong Brawler]], or, if you have it unlocked, the [[PurposelyOverpowered "Legend"]] [[spoiler:Dragon of Dojima style based on his latter appearances.]]

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''
** Nelo Angelo from the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]], a dark knight with the same swordfighting style as Dante, except that he hurls fireballs instead of using guns. He is also treated as a WorthyOpponent by Dante, [[spoiler:and turns out to be his twin brother Vergil]].

** Doppelganger from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' takes on Dante’s form, initially adopting his Devil Trigger state and mimicking his attacks with the Rebellion and Beowulf Devil Arms as well as his Trickster style, but resembling his normal state when exposed to the light.

* In ''Videogame/GuildWars'' ''Prophecies'', the final test for Ascension is defeating an enemy with the exact skills your character has equipped. Defeating it generally involved exploiting its AI (such as a necromancer player getting it to [[CastFromHitPoints sacrifice all of its health]]).

[[folder:Shoot ‘Em Ups]]

* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has the boss of World 4, Mr. L. He jumps and moves around like the player, and he can even use items to heal himself.

** The final boss of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' is a mirror of [[spoiler:Tidus]]. While you can't actually fight him with [[spoiler:Tidus]], you can have your characters be in the Warrior dressphere, causing them to copy (to varying extents) the fighting style, poses and abilities of [[spoiler:Tidus]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{TAGAP}}'', RecurringBoss Pedro has several on-foot encounters where he uses the same weapons as you. What makes him qualify for this trope is the final battle, where he not only has access to most of your weapons (and he'll make a point to always use the same as your current one, or the closest equivalent), but also to [[OneUp One-Ups]].

* Kojiro in ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'', a child swords[[strike:man]]boy summoned by Princess Fillet using the same [[SummonEverymanHero Hero Summon]] spell that called Musashi... but instead of rescuing her, he decides to kidnap her to goad Musashi into a duel. Also, the final boss, [[spoiler:Dark Lumina fused with Kojiro]], uses elemental attacks from the same five elements as Musashi's scrolls as well as a sword combo.

** To a lesser extent, [[spoiler:Lord Gwyn, the final boss.]] He operates very differently than the player character, but he is a swordsman of roughly the same size as the PC, whereas most of the game's bosses are [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant monstrosities.]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' has Looking Glass Knight, a ''literal'' Mirror Boss, while he doesn't copy your move, [[spoiler:the [[PlayerVersusPlayer player]] summoned by him however is a ''technical'' Mirror Boss]].
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', [[spoiler:the Soul of Cinder is a composite of Gwyn and every Lord of Cinder who followed him, including the protagonists of the first two games. So it's only natural that he fights just like a player character in his first phase, using spells, miracles, pyromancies, abilities, and even tactics that veteran players will instantly recognize. In fact, the Soul of Cinder does very little that the player cannot do themselves, if they have the proper equipment and spells attuned, although some of the Soul's variants of the techniques are more powerful versions of what the player has access to.In his second phase, he trades this out for a more powerful version of Gwyn's moveset.]]

* ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' has a unique example. The Old Monk is not only a Mirror Boss, [[spoiler:he is ''controlled by another player'', making it a [=PvP=] match in a boss' clothing.]]

* The Traitor's Keep DLC in ''VideoGame/FableIII'' [[spoiler:ends with a fight against a doppelganger of your Hero. The copy utilizes all your abilities while [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech talking you down and telling you why you need to die.]]]][[note]]Though if you've succeeded in playing as a good Hero up to that point, said speech (which essentially remains unchanged) starts to sound more like the copy's grasping at straws trying to find legitimate reasons to kill you.[[/note]]
* In the Flash game ''VideoGame/GinormoSword'', the Temple of the Moon contains a BonusBoss called {{Doppelganger}} who looks identical to you and has a sword [[{{BFS}} exactly as big as yours]]. And, as the game's name implies, that's pretty freaking big. [[spoiler:Unless, of course, you have your sword reforged to its minimum size before fighting him...]]

* Dark Hype, in ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'', is Hype's evil mirror image fought in the Lost City to obtain the Jewel of Virtue. He can use all the techniques Hype can get in game, even the magics Hype cannot possibly have obtained at that point of the game without cheats. He is considered by many to be one of the hardest bosses in the game.

Depending on how close the boss' abilities are to the hero's, there may have to be some form of [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard "cheating"]] to insure that the boss is still a challenge. Giving them [[ContractualBossImmunity special immunities]] to things that would normally destroy the player, some SecretAIMoves to separate them from the hero, or just any general application of MyRulesAreNotYourRules to prevent the player from exploiting certain weaknesses. In a rare occasion, a Mirror Boss can turn out to be controlled by another player, as a [=PvP=] match in a boss' clothing.

* In ''VideoGame/InFamous'', final boss Kessler is one of these. Almost all of his powers look like stronger versions of yours. And there's a very good reason for this: [[spoiler:He's a SadistTeacher version of Cole from a BadFuture who is here to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong]].
* The Handsome Men from ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' are a team of rival assassins who battle the Smith Syndicate in a DuelBoss sequence. Not only do they have one member for each of your 8 characters, but they all copy the weapons those characters use... and every single motion and shot you make, turning every battle into a war of attrition which you are destined to either [[ForegoneVictory win]] or [[HopelessBossFight lose]]. [[spoiler:If you pay attention to this being a Mirror Boss along with the cutscene afterwards, this is ultimately Foreshadowing to Harman's status as a Decoy Protagonist to Garcian, as Handsome Red is to Handsome Pink.]]

** Taken very literally during his reappearance in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' as a miniboss, where he would perfectly mimic every movement and attack the player made, like a mirror image... except if the player performed a stab, in which case Dark Link would jump on top of Link's sword and get a free hit.

* ''VideoGame/AlienHominid'' has the final boss, a beefed-up, macho version of the titular character. He uses larger-scaled versions of all of Alien Hominid's attacks. Oh, and he can [[MadeOfIron take more than fifty times the damage]] that [[OneHitPointWonder Alien Hominid]] can take...

* The ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' games have a trend of including a QuirkyMinibossSquad of evil bombers as bosses. This trend started with ''Super Bomberman 2'' and its Five Bad Bombers, who had both unique bombs and HumongousMecha -- including, notably, Brain Bomber's giant Bomberman mecha which could also lay bombs.

* On and above the hard mode of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Black'', certain battles are replaced with a 'Fiend Ryu'. This being VideoGame/NinjaGaiden, Fiend Ryu is you, only [[TheComputerisaCheatingBastard a lot better than you.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Oni}}'', after Konoko learns her true identity, she has a trippy dream sequence that culminates in her fighting a hostile dream version of herself. The dream Konoko is faster than most enemies and has the same move set as the player, but doesn't use the most powerful specials, so she's not as tough to beat as she could be.

** Kojack, the Access Hangar boss in ''VideoGame/MadWorld'', looks a lot like Jack and fights identically to him on a motorcycle. The commentators, of course, have a field day with this -- "Jack must feel like he's kicking his own ass!" [[BreatherBoss He's hardly a threat, though.]]
*** Less notable but still present is [[spoiler:the final boss: The Black Baron]], who's on much more equal terms with Jack than most of the other bosses, edging on FearfulSymmetry in their power struggle. [[spoiler:They'd be even more similar if Jack's moveset was more like how it is in ''VideoGame/AnarchyReigns'', such as the spinning kick dive and [[LimitBreak Rampage Mode]]]].
** ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' has A2, fellow [=YoRHa=] android like protagonist 2B who thus fights with similar techniques. If you decide to play [[spoiler:as 9S in some paths, he ends up running into multiple 2B clones, basically Mirror WolfpackBoss]]. Taken further in [[spoiler:Ending C and D, where 9S and A2 have one last fight before the ending; Fighting A2 will be mostly similar to her earlier fight, while fighting 9S will have you try to counter his hacking, just as how you've been using his hacking while playing as him.]]
* The FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/SunsetRiders'', Sir Richard Rose, will fight exactly like the revolver-toting player characters do once his barrier is destroyed: erratically running, jumping and sliding throughout the arena while firing off shots. [[spoiler:Even his body armor trick could be interpreted as having an extra life]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{TAGAP}}'', recurring boss Pedro has a few boss fights where he fights you on foot, using one of the same weapons as you. What makes him qualify for this trope is the final battle, where he not only has access to most of your weapons (and he'll make a point to always use the same as your current one, or the closest equivalent), but also to [[OneUp One-Ups]].

* ''VideoGame/AbsentedAgeSquarebound'': [[spoiler:Karen Alias]] has many of Karen's basic skills, such as No Foot Rise, Power Move, Foxtrot, Backflip, and Blaze Blast. Unfortunately for the player, she also have skills exclusive to the Gangers, such as the ability to disable random skills.

** The SuperBoss fight in the Armax Arsenal Arena is a fight against waves of Shepard duplicates, using the six classes available to the player.

** The Puffstool in the first game is a walking fungus who towers over the player, but is completely harmless on its own. When disturbed, it releases a gas which turns Pikmin to its side, much like how you whistle Pikmin to your own side. These BrainwashedAndCrazy "Mushroom Pikmin" will proceed to mindlessly follow the Puffstool, and they'll latch onto and attack you if you're in the way. They will also fight against regular Pikmin if you order them to attack, which can lead to disastrous casualties from both sides.

* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series has a recurring enemy, Doppelganger, who is a duplicate of whoever the hero of the game is. It first appeared in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'', where it would switch forms whenever you switched characters. The easiest way to beat him was to switch characters when right next to'em, hit'em once and repeat until he's dead: he'd be too busy changing forms to actually attack you. The ''Symphony'' version is interesting in it that it's the only boss that's susceptible to [[StandardStatusEffects status effects]] and can thus be made harmless via using several normally useless swords that curse the enemy they hit.