History Main / SNKBoss

[[TropeNamer Takes its name]] from the company [[Creator/{{SNK}} SNK Playmore]], which seems to ''love'' making bosses like this and having each successive one [[SerialEscalation top the last]]. This is also a case of FollowTheLeader, especially with [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Arc]] [[VideoGame/BlazBlue System]] [[VideoGame/Persona4Arena Works]].

Note, SNK Boss is ''not'' a catch-all term for an overly hard, cheap, or even mechanically unusual boss. It's the way the boss breaks the *competitive* balance of a largely *competitive* game that makes it an SNK Boss. By definition, bosses of largely single-player experiences -- [=RPGs=], Platformers, Stylish Action, etc. -- are not SNK Bosses due to those games being non-balanced by their very nature.

In cases where SNK Bosses are [[BribingYourWayToVictory unlockable via real money]], the players are willing to spend extravagant amounts of money to get them. Such practices led to the new variation of this trope, $NK Boss.[[note]]"$NK" is a FanNickname for SNK whose mobile entries have ''very'' blatant uses of making people forking up cash for powerful units, even including the nasty boss ones.[[/note]]

* SNKBoss/SNKPlaymore

Subtrope of FakeDifficulty and TheComputerIsACheatingBastard. See also PerfectPlayAI, whose difficulty arises less from outright cheating, and more from a flawless battle strategy, and {{Superboss}}, an incredibly difficult, hidden optional boss that may or may not be an SNK Boss. Do not confuse with ThatOneBoss, which describes a difficult boss as declared by a majority and technically fights on a much fairer level when compared to this trope. See also EasyLevelsHardBosses. Don't be surprised if they can only be toppled via NotTheIntendedUse, chiefly {{AI Breaker}}s.

* [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules Complete Disregard for System Limitations]]: While you may have to switch between high and low blocking, the SNK Boss needs to only block one way. Where you have to crouch or be in a specific position to perform certain moves, the boss does not. When certain attacks require charge motions, the boss can throw them out rapid-fire. Where you have a regular super meter, the boss either fills its super meter much faster than yours, has a regenerating super meter, or in extreme cases has no visible one, meaning it can use as many supers as it wants whenever it wants.
* Blatantly Overpowered Offense: A trademark of the SNK Boss. Where you have fireballs, the boss has full-screen lasers that come out faster than you can blink, deal damage equivalent to 1/4 of a health bar (and also deal about a third of that in chip damage if you block it), and snuff out all other projectiles. If you have an invincible uppercut, the boss likely has one where he surrounds himself with lightning for more hits and damage, and can cancel out fireballs. They also likely have lots of unblockables, in addition to doing lots of chip damage, having confusing or difficult-to-block attacks, frame advantages no matter what you block, and deal tons of guard damage (and possibly have at least one instant guardbreak). If you get past the first round, the second round is vastly worse - they may enter permanent rage mode, automatically start with full super and/or EX meters, gain brutal new attacks, or otherwise go from rough, but doable to absolutely ridiculous. These types of bosses sometimes, but not always, have a [[ThatOneAttack maximum level super]] where they show off their superiority by utterly annihilating you regardless of your current health, usually combined with FingerpokeOfDoom for maximum insult.
* Blatantly Overpowered Defense: They may be the gameplay equivalent of TheJuggernaut, being able to [[NoSell continue their attack startup against your own hits]] or possess features like a larger health bar, reduced block-stun, inability to get dizzied (or a shorter dizzy period), inability to be guardbroken (or have a guardbreak meter that fills up so slowly that they may as well be), immunity to chip damage, extremely fast grey health regeneration, or they can interrupt your combos with their attacks (oftentimes via super armor), escape from a juggle via some sort of recovery/teleport, or even be completely immune to some of your attacks (such as grabs).

[[TropeNamer Takes its name]] from the company Creator/{{SNK}}, which seems to ''love'' making bosses like this and having each successive one [[SerialEscalation top the last]]. This is also a case of FollowTheLeader, especially with [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Arc]] [[VideoGame/BlazBlue System]] [[VideoGame/Persona4Arena Works]].

A type of [[VideoGameAI AI]] opponent in a FightingGame who [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem breaks the rules]] that enforce CompetitiveBalance to such an absurd degree that they are considered to be vastly superior to every other character in the game. The SNK Boss combines NintendoHard with TheComputerIsACheatingBastard and takes them UpToEleven. Powers may include:

In cases where SNK Bosses are [[BribingYourWayToVictory unlockable via real money]], the players are willing to spend extravagant amounts of money to get them. Such practices led to the new variation of this trope, $NK Boss[[note]]"$NK" is a FanNickname for SNK whose mobile entries have ''very'' blatant uses of making people forking up cash for powerful units, even including the nasty boss ones[[/note]].

Subtrope of FakeDifficulty and TheComputerIsACheatingBastard. See also PerfectPlayAI, whose difficulty arises less from outright cheating, and more from a flawless battle strategy. Do not confuse with ThatOneBoss, which describes a difficult boss as declared by a majority and technically fights on a much fairer level when compared to this trope. See also EasyLevelsHardBosses. Don't be surprised if they can only be toppled via NotTheIntendedUse, chiefly {{AI Breaker}}s.

In cases where SNK Bosses are [[BribingYourWayToVictory unlockable via real money]], the players are willing to spend extravagant amounts of money to get them. Such practices led to the new variation of this trope, $NK Boss[[note]]"$NK" is a FanNickname for SNK whose their mobile entries have ''very'' blatant uses of making people forking up cash for powerful units, even including the nasty boss ones[[/note]].

Note, SNK Boss is ''not'' a catch-all term for an overly hard, cheap, or even mechanically unusual boss. It's the way the boss breaks the *competitive* balance of a largely *competitive* game that makes it an SNK Boss. By definition, bosses of largely single-player experiences -- RPGs, Platformers, Stylish Action, etc. -- are not SNK Bosses due to those games being non-balanced by their very nature.

Note, SNK Boss is ''not'' a catch-all term for an overly hard, cheap, or even mechanically unusual boss. It's the way the boss breaks the *competitive* balance of a largely *competitive* game that makes it an SNK Boss. By definition, bosses of largely single player experiences -- RPG's, Platformers, Stylish Action, etc. -- are not SNK Bosses due to those games being non-balanced by their very nature.

* SNKBoss/OtherGames

* Blatantly Overpowered Offense: A trademark of the SNK Boss. Where you have fireballs, the boss has full-screen lasers that come out faster than you can blink, deal damage equivalent to 1/4 of a health bar (and also deal about a third of that in chip damage if you block it), and snuff out all other projectiles. If you have an invincible uppercut, the boss likely has one where he surrounds himself with lightning for more hits and damage, and can cancel out fireballs. They also likely have lots of unblockables, in addition to doing lots of chip damage, having confusing or difficult-to-block attacks, frame advantages no matter what you block, and deal tons of guard damage (and possibly have at least one instant guardbreak). These types of bosses sometimes, but not always, have a [[ThatOneAttack maximum level super]] where they show off their superiority by utterly annihilating you regardless of your current health, usually combined with FingerpokeOfDoom for maximum insult.
* Blatantly Overpowered Defense: They may be the gameplay equivalent of TheJuggernaut, being able to [[NoSell continue their attack startup against your own hits]] or possess features like a larger health bar, reduced block-stun, inability to get dizzied (or a shorter dizzy period), inability to be guardbroken (or have a guardbreak meter that fills up so slowly that they may as well be), or they can interrupt your combos with their attacks (oftentimes via super armor), escape from a juggle via some sort of recovery/teleport, or even be completely immune to some of your attacks (such as grabs).

* [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules Complete Disregard for System Limitations]]: While you may have to switch between high and low blocking, the SNK Boss needs to only block one way. Where you have to crouch or be in a specific position to perform certain moves, the boss does not. Where you have a regular super meter, the boss either fills its super meter much faster than yours, has a regenerating super meter, or in extreme cases has no visible one, meaning it can use as many supers as it wants whenever it wants.

[[quoteright:290:[[Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vonkaisermp40_2026.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[-Hey, wait a minute! [[FridgeLogic How does he pull the trigger with boxing gloves on...?]]-]]]

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant And no]], this has nothing to do with boss fights in ''[[Manga/AttackOnTitan Shingeki No Kyojin]]'' video game adaptations.