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Boss Remix

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An existing theme (often calm, ambient music or otherwise unsuited for fighting) is rearranged for a Boss Battle or The Very Definitely Final Dungeon. Generally faster paced and instrumental. If the original was happy-sounding, the remix will often be in minor key, too.

Depending on the circumstances under which the battle takes place, a Boss Remix can either be incredibly tragic, or a highly effective way of demonstrating a character’s growth. A Boss Remix can also be Bookends for a variety of thematic reasons.

Sub-Trope of Battle Theme Music. May be a source of Awesome Music. Common in a Theme-and-Variations Soundtrack. Not to be confused with a remix that is totally boss, a boss that has had its abilities remixed, or a boss that will remix your face.

Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Action Adventure 
  • Grabbed by the Ghoulies' boss theme is a remix of the game's main theme.
  • The Legend of Zelda:
    • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Each phase of the final battle uses a different remix of Majora's Theme.
    • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Inverted with the "stormy night" theme (heard when the entirety of the Great Sea is cursed with an endless night and downpour), being a combination of the overworld theme and Ganondorf's theme (so a boss theme is implemented within a stage theme). It's eventually played straight when the music of the final battle against the aforementioned Ganondorf incorporates his leitmotif into the battle version.
    • The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap: The game has the respective boss themes for Vaati's first (referencing his own Leitmotif) and final (referencing the game's main theme) forms.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess:
      • The Theme Music Powerup during boss battles is a remix of the Hyrule Field theme. Relatedly, two of the boss themes (namely those of Fyrus and Blizzeta respectively) remix one of the variations of Hyrule Field's theme as well.
      • The Shadow Insect Queen's theme is a remix of the Twilight mook battle theme.
      • Stallord, a dinosaur/dragon skeleton, fittingly uses remixes of "Dinosaur Boss Battle" from Ocarina of Time.
      • As Zant serves as a Final-Exam Boss, he gets several themes, which are each a mix of the original music of whichever boss or mini-boss he's currently mimicking and his own Leitmotif, before finally descending into a frantic, sped-up version of his original theme.
      • The fight against Puppet Zelda is a remix of Ganondorf's theme and Zelda's Lullaby. The final boss theme incorporates snippets of Ganondorf's theme.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: The maritime battle against the Bellum-possessed Ghost Ship is accompanied by a sinister remix of the overworld music. There's also a remix of Linebeck's theme for the final battle, with snippets of Bellum's Theme mixed in to emphasise the former's possession by the latter.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks:
      • Byrne's battle theme is a remix of his Leitmotif.
      • Cole's theme is remixed for the first phase of Malladus' beast form, followed by an epic remix of the song used to weaken him in the second phase, which itself is a remix of the game's main theme.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword:
      • The first battle theme of Levias is a remix of Skyloft's theme, while the second (when you're fighting Bilocyte) is a remix of The Sky's theme.
      • Ghirahim's battle theme is a remixed rendition of his Leitmotif.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: Yuga is fought to a remix of his leitmotif.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild:
      • The Divine Beast Vah Ruta fight uses a dramatic variant of Prince Sidon's theme because he is helping you fight it. The Divine Beast Vah Medoh fight uses a mix between the Flight Range minigame theme and the opening portion of the Rito Village theme. And the Divine Beast Vah Naboris fight uses a bit of Urbosa's theme because her descendant Riju is helping you fight it.
      • Monk Maz Koshia's music is a remix of the shrine battle theme.
      • The Final Boss, Dark Beast Ganon, uses a remix of both the "normal" battle theme and the main theme.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: The boss music of Colgera transitions into a vocalized reprise of the Rito Village theme (which in turn is based on the Dragon Roost Island theme from The Wind Waker) when Link aims to hit the third weak point of the boss, and once again (with a more dramatic pitch) when he aims to hit the sixth and final one.
  • The boss fights against Brainwashed and Crazy Richter Belmont in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Richter's ghost in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin are both set to remixes of Richter's theme from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Also used in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, where the stage music "Heart of Fire" from the old NES game was turned into an awesome boss theme.
  • In Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, the battle theme for Courtney Gears is a remix of her music video, "Death to Squishies".
  • La-Mulana is all over this trope. Each boss theme contains elements of the music for the area in which they are located. Also, the final battle is a remix of the Surface theme with parts of the Gate of Guidance thrown in.
  • NieR has the Song of the Ancients, a relatively mellow song which appears several times throughout the game. It reappears during some boss fights with a darker, more combat-suited tone, most notably during the fight with the Betrayers, Devola and Popola, who incidentally are the ones who introduced you to the song early in the game.
  • The boss music of Drakengard 3 are generally techno remixes of the regular stage themes. The music for the True Final Boss is a mix of all the scores in the game.
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising has Boss Theme 2, which plays during the battle with Medusa and Palutena later on. It has part of the underworld theme from the original game, as well as Ominous Latin Chanting. Also, Hades' Leitmotif is remixed into both the music for several levels and his battle music.
  • Metroid Prime Trilogy:
    • The Final Boss themes in the first two games are distorted, vastly more intense version of the games' respective title screen themes.
    • In Metroid Prime, the boss music when fighting the Parasite Queen is a faster version of the moody, suspenseful BGM heard in the Space Pirate Frigate. Later, the Omega Pirate's theme is a slower remix of the Chozo Ghost/Elite Pirate battle theme.
    • In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Amorbis's theme is a remix of the Parasite Queen theme, and Quadraxis's theme is the Ing battle theme remixed.
    • In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Gandrayda uses an extended version of her leitmotif when you fight her in Pirate Homeworld.
  • The first phase of the fight against Greg Nightmare in Killer7 is a somber remix of the Elementary School stage (the setting of the second half of the sixth chapter, Smile).
  • The battle against Alexander Volks in Geist is a boss remix of the game's main theme. Notably, it's first heard near the end of chapter 4 (Medical), when Raimi is escorting Bryson while confronting numerous enemy soldiers. It's heard one last time in the credits, after the game ends.
  • Creepy Castle:
    • The boss theme of Madam, "Persona Non Grata", is a remix of "Moonlight Sonata" which play where you finds her.
    • The themes of the shadow bosses in The Final Fist are remixes of previous boss themes.
    • The Destroyer is a medley of various themes from the game including "Welcome to Creepy Castle", "All That Remains Is To Fly", "Due Exaltation", "The Darkest Inflection" and "Wanting All The Things You'll Never Have".
    • Inverted with the theme "Preludium for the Lost" which is based on the boss theme "Concerto for the Lost".
  • Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon: The True Final Boss battle theme for possessed Zangetsu is a remix of his character theme.
  • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night does this again with "Exorschism", which plays during the second boss battle against Zangetsu, and is again a remix of his character theme.
  • Ōkami: Waka's battle theme is an amalgamation between his leitmotif and the battle music heard with most minibosses as well as two main bosses (Crimson Helm and Blight). Interestingly, in appearance order, Waka is fought before anybody else in the game.

    Action Game 
  • In the original Devil May Cry, the final battle with Nelo Angelo incorporates sections of Sparda's theme, first heard in the game's introduction cutscene.
  • In Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Munenori Yagyu has his own battle theme. During the final battle against Jubei it becomes a remix of Jubei's and his own theme.
  • The final boss of No More Heroes, Henry, uses the theme "We Are Finally Cowboys", a remix of the main theme. In the sequel, Desperate Struggle, when you do get to play as Henry in his boss fight against Mimmy, the Golden Brown remix of "We Are Finally Cowboys" plays during the fight.
  • In Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, Electro Triple Star, White Sheepman, and Silver Face's boss themes each incorporate the series' main theme.
  • In the third installment of the God of War series, the final boss battle with Zeus has this song that contains sections from Zeus Wrath Divine from the first God of War and The Isle Of Creation from God of War II. Both remixed themes appeared in final boss battles of their respective games.

    Beat 'em Up 

    Fighting Game 
  • Super Smash Bros.:
    • Super Smash Bros. Melee: The Final Destination stage has a boss remix of the first Smash's credits theme. A special arrangement for Giga Bowser also exists.
    • Super Smash Bros. Brawl:
      • The "regular" boss fights during the Subspace Emissary mode feature a remix of the game's main theme. That song comes up a lot throughout the game.
      • The music on the Final Destination stage (where, as the name implies, the final battle takes place in Classic mode) is a Boss Remix of the title theme.
      • The Boss Rush battle theme is a remix of Melee's menu theme. It's not as intense as the Melee Battlefield's own boss remix of the theme, though.
      • One of the alternate songs on the Final Destination stage is a boss remix of Melee's opening theme.
      • Cruel Brawl has its own boss remix of Brawl's main theme, only played in that mode. This theme returns in 3DS/Wii U as the Cruel Smashnote  theme.
    • Super Smash Bros For Nintendo 3 DS And U:
      • The game inverts this by having the main "main menu theme" be a remix of the song "Battlefield", commonly considered to be the theme song to 3DS/Wii U.
      • While there are remixes of the main theme for Final Destination, Master Hand and Crazy Hand get a different remix of the main theme for their own for the first time. True Final Boss Master Core also has a more intense remix of its own, and so do both phases of Master Fortress.
    • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'': The main theme, Lifelight, gets remixed three times in the World of Light mode. When fighting Galeem, there is a remix of the third verse of the song. In the later fight with Dharkon, there is a remix of the second verse. Finally, when the player reaches the True Final Boss, which is a Mêlée à Trois between them and both of the previously mentioned bosses, the music starts as a mix of both their themes, before partway through, a triumphant remix of the first verse cuts in, symbolising the player’s fighters as they approach their ultimate victory.

    First-Person Shooter 
  • Perfect Dark:
    • The final battle's music features the game's main theme.
    • In Perfect Dark Zero, the music for the second and last fight against Maihem is a combination of the game's main theme and Maihem's theme. The music for the final showdown begins with a remix of the original Perfect Dark theme.

    Light Gun Game 
  • In the Time Crisis series, Wild Dog's battle theme is an intense remix of the series' main theme. The second game rearranges "Deadly Fight" (Diaz's theme) for the final battle with the Doomsday Device.
  • In House of the Dead 2, the Magician's theme is remixed with an Ominous Pipe Organ intro. The Magician's theme itself is a remix of the series theme.

    Mecha Game 

    Platform Game 
  • Banjo-Kazooie:
    • The first and second games have one of these for each individual world's theme (except in the levels of the first that have no boss), with the exception of the last two in Banjo-Tooie. The penultimate level, Cloud Cuckooland, features a boss remix of the Mumbo's Skull music.
    • In the first game, the Final Battle soundtrack is a combination between Gruntilda's theme, Mad Monster Mansion and Rusty Bucket Bay, in that order. In Banjo-Tooie, the final battle is a new melody, but features Gruntilda's theme. In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, the challenge music is also a remix of Gruntilda's theme, and the final boss music is an epic combination of Grunty's theme remix and the Banjo-Kazooie main theme.
  • Donkey Kong Country:
    • Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The standard boss theme is a remix of both the map screen theme and the rigging-level theme.
    • Donkey Kong 64 uses a fast-paced (synth) orchestral arrangement of the level's theme (many qualify as ambient in their standard rendition) for the boss of each stage. Since K. Rool is fought in a completely new area, his battle theme instead remixes his leitmotif and adds parts of the Hub Level theme into the mix. "Boss remix" has been used as a descriptor for fan made arrangements done in such a style.
  • In Wild 9, the last level has the same music as the first, only in a lower key and extended.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog:
    • The final boss fights for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Unleashed both use orchestral arrangements of their respective games' main themes.
    • In the former, the leitmotifs for the four villains are constantly rearranged for their cutscene and boss battle appearances. This is retained for Eggman in the latter.
    • In the latter, part of the game's theme surfaces in the "Daytime Boss" theme.
    • Shadow the Hedgehog remixes the Black Arms' event theme for Black Doom's boss battle.
    • The Final Boss themes for the first and second Genesis games were remixes of their respective main boss themes.
    • Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, etc... all use the main theme song in their final battles. This applies to most of the 3D games.
    • Sonic Colors does the orchestral remix of main theme for the second part of the final boss. In the DS version, this music accompanies the Bonus Boss.
    • Averted in Sonic Generations, but justified due to that game's lack of a theme song.
    • Sonic & Knuckles remixed Sonic 3's Act 2 Boss theme for its Act 1 bosses.
    • The fan-made Sonic Robo Blast 2 inverts this: the theme for the fourth zone is a remix of the boss theme.
  • Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy use a remixed version of the current level theme whenever you fight the recurring Miniboss.
  • Kirby
    • The Computer Virus in Kirby Super Star has an 8-bit version of the main boss theme.
    • In Kirby Super Star Ultra, Dyna Blade, Wham Bam Rock, and the remake-exclusive Wham Bam Jewel have a boss remix of the Castle Lololo theme from the first Kirby game, Kirby's Dreamland, instead of the usual boss theme. In the same game, Masked Dedede also has a different arrangement of regular Dedede's theme.
    • Inverted within Ultra as well — Dedede's boss theme is remixed into a Solemn Ending Theme for the credits sequence after Masked Dedede.
    • Kirby: Triple Deluxe:
      • "Revenge of the Enemy" is a remix of the main theme, "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight" is a remix of the boss theme, then "The World to Win" is a remix of the Hypernova theme, then the variation of "The World to Win" for the True Final Boss Sectonia Soul's second phase is a remix of that.
      • Though it's a lot harder to notice, "Chasing Down the Miniboss" is a heavy remix of the True Final Boss music.
      • Dedede's Royal Payback is a remix of the original Masked Dedede theme, which was itself a remix of Dedede's theme. Dark Meta Knight's theme is similarly featured.
    • In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, The Final Boss Theme is something of a remix medley- It starts with a somber remix of Nightmare's battle theme from Kirby's Adventure, then, after a segment of a remix of the game's main theme, progresses into a very sad and dramatic remix of Magolor's own theme, does a bit more Nightmare, and then, in a slightly amusing example, becomes the infinitely cheerful theme song of the series, Green Greens. Though it's heavily remixed to become more sad than cheerful, it's still jarring.
    • A slightly odd example in Kirby's Epic Yarn, where the Final Boss's theme is a remix of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards's boss theme. And then the Final Boss's second theme is a frantic sped-up remix of that.
    • Kirby: Planet Robobot has an entire Theme-and-Variations Soundtrack built around the Villain Song "The Noble Haltmann", but the regular boss theme, "VS. The Wicked Company," is a straight up Boss Remix. The theme for the third phase of the final boss ends up being a remix of the game’s main title theme.
    • It's hard to tell at first, but the Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash battle tunes "Save the Kingdom! Ordeal Quest" and "Save the World! Ordeal Quest" are actually arrangements of the Castle Village theme. It's made more obvious when the village music changes once enough Gem Apples are purchased with real money.
    • Every single phase in the fight against Void Termina in Kirby Star Allies is a remix of the Song of Supplication, with the fourth phase adding in a remix of Green Greens and the final phase being a remix of the Friend Star theme. The True Final Boss ends up being a somber remix of both Green Greens and the Song of Supplication.
  • Wario: Master of Disguise has Count Cannoli's slow refined theme become fast and loud when he breaks out his giant robot. Also, Carpaccio's theme is remixed for his own fights.
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil has what can best be described as a reverse boss remix — the boss theme for Cursed Leorina is remixed into a calmer, somewhat emotional theme in the cutscene following the fight.
  • Viewtiful Joe's final boss, Captain Blue, uses a remixed version of Captain Blue's theme, which was heard in the sub-boss fights with him early in the game. Another example is Another Joe, who uses a remix of "Joe the Hero", Joe's own theme (as heard in the first level).
  • Mega Man ZX: The final area theme is a remix of the "Sadness" theme featured in cutscenes very early in the game.
  • Mega Man:
    • The Wily Stage boss theme in Mega Man 3 is a faster remix of the "Wily Stages 5 & 6" theme.
    • Bass's Boss theme in Mega Man 8 and his shop theme in 10 are remixes of his 7 theme.
  • The boss themes in Ghosts 'n Goblins were frantic remixes of the main level themes. Super Ghouls and Ghosts follows suit, although the boss remixes for levels 3 and 5 were switched for some reason.
  • Super Mario Bros.:
    • The boss music in Super Mario World is a notable aversion: Nearly all music in the game invokes Theme-and-Variations Soundtrack (Ground, Athletic, Castle, etc.), yet the boss theme is one of the very few tracks that is not based on the ground music.
    • The miniboss themes from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island are remixes of their introductory theme musics, given that all but one are ordinary enemies turned huge by Kamek's magic (the one that doesn't has Kamek shrink Yoshi and Baby Mario instead, who both then get eaten by said boss).
    • Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2:
      • In general, both games play this trope straight with Bowser Jr., whose pre-battle themes actually get remixed into those of "Airship Armada" from Galaxy, and "Boomsday Machine" from Galaxy 2, respectively.
      • Inverted with Bowser at the end of the first game, where the final confrontation against him is actually set to techno music, but after he is defeated, the first part of his battle theme plays again, but this time 14 more notes are added before the choir (his final boss theme starts with the choir), and then the Sun in which Mario and Bowser fought inside for the final battle collapses and implodes, destroying the entire universe in the process. The final boss theme as a whole (including the 14 notes before the choir at the start) can be heard in the game's official soundtrack, though.
      • There's also Squizzard's battle theme from Galaxy 2, which features a remix of the Fire Flower theme.
    • The first Bowser theme from New Super Mario Bros. Wii is actually the main theme played on an Ominous Pipe Organ.
  • In the Psycho Waluigi fan-game, the final boss theme against Psycho Iris is a remix of the Waluigi Pinball theme mixed with Psycho Iris's theme. It sounds creepy and quite frantic, perfect for the character that you're fighting against.
  • In Chuck Rock, the level theme switches to a faster beat when the Boss Battle comes up.
  • The final boss theme of The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures is a more intense version of the normal boss theme, which itself is a remix of the AVGN's theme.
  • Almost every boss theme in Shovel Knight is a remix of the level theme. The Rival, Black Knight's theme, is a remix of intro level theme "Strike The Earth", each Order of No Quarter knight's boss theme is a remix of their own level, and the battle against The Enchantress' final form remixes both the main theme and "Requiem of Shield Knight". Shield Knight gets her own when she fights Donovan, "Go No Further".
  • A Hat in Time does the Donkey Kong 64 and the Banjo Games way of having its boss themes be fast-paced remixes of the theme of the world the boss resides in. The last world, Time's End has a Dark Reprise of the main theme playing in Mustache Girl's Castle.
  • Azure Striker Gunvolt does this in both games. in the first game, Asimov's boss theme is a remix of the intro stage theme, as well as when you fight Gunvolt as Copen in Tenjian's Stage and in the first phase of the true final boss fight in Gunvolt 2. Zonda's first fight in the second game has a remix of Sinner's Row from the first game.
  • Hollow Knight:
    • The battle themes for the False Knight, Broken Vessel, Grey Prince Zote, and Hollow Knight ("Sealed Vessel), are all arrangements of the game's main theme, AKA the Knight's leitmotif. In turn, the Pure Vessel's theme from Godmaster is a choral arrangement of "Sealed Vessel".
    • Hornet's and Dung Defender's battle themes are based on the Pale King's leitmotif.
    • The Collector uses a distorted version of the main boss theme, "Decisive Battle", itself based on the Dirtmouth/Greenpath motif.
    • Nosk's theme is a remix of the Deepnest ambient track, of all things.
    • Soul Master's theme is a remix of the Soul Sanctum theme, which itself is an Ominous Pipe Organ remix of the City of Tears theme.
    • Grimm's theme gets a symphonic metal remix for his Nightmare King form.
    • The Radiance's theme is appropriately a remix of the Dream Realm theme.
  • In Bionic Commando Rearmed, the main boss theme is a composite of the boss introduction and battle themes from the NES version, the Leader (Master D.)'s battle theme is a heavily remixed version of the original game's Albatross theme, and the music for the final encounter with Groeder is a remix of the already rearranged Area 8 BGM.
  • In Celeste, the aptly named "Confronting Myself" is this for Badeline's theme.
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, uses rearrangements of its predecessor's Theme Music Power-Up "Restoring The Light, Facing The Dark" at the climaxes of several boss fights, notably the Giant Spider Mora and the Big Bad Final Boss Shriek. In general, the boss themes are remixes of either their respective dungeon theme, or as in the case of Possessed Kwolok and Shriek, the character's leitmotif.

    Puzzle Game 

    Real Time Strategy 
  • Pikmin 3 Deluxe features new boss music for the unnamed golden Arachnorb enemy encountered in the "Olimar's Comeback" sidestory, part of which is a frantic remix of the title screen theme from Pikmin (2001).

    Roguelike 
  • The Binding of Isaac has several boss remixes in the Wrath of the Lamb DLC, along with alternate themes for every alternate version of each "layer" level. These include:
    • Unholy Assault, a remix of Burning Ambush for mini-bosses;
    • Crusade, a remix of Divine Combat used for main bosses;
    • Lament of the Angel, a holy rearrangement of A Mourner Unto Sheol, counterbalancing the hellish Sheol itself with the Cathedral.
    • And finally, My Innermost Apocalypse, the FINAL boss theme which uses an arrangement of Isaac's own theme, the main theme of the game. It's also used for the TRUE final boss.
    • The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth features "Chorus Mortus", Ultra Greed's boss battle theme, which is a remix of the title screen/menu theme.
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers: "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!" is a dramatic medley of "Time Gear", "Temporal Tower" (a remix of the previous song to begin with), and the main theme of the series.

    Role-Playing Game 
  • Both Baten Kaitos games remix the song "The True Mirror" (the first game's normal battle theme) for several boss fights. Most of the plot-important bosses in the first game get an electric guitar version, and Baelheit in Origins gets an orchestral version, which subtly alludes to the fact that he's actually a spiriter.
  • Final Fantasy only had the one battle theme which was used from your first fight with imps all the way to the Big Bad. However, for the Updated Re-release of the game on both the Game Boy Advance and the PlayStation, boss fights had a rearranged version of the basic battle theme (which was already remixed from the 8-bit original).
  • Final Fantasy II uses remixes of the Castle Pandaemonium theme for both its normal battle theme and its boss battle theme.
  • In Final Fantasy IV, the theme for the Tower of Zot is Golbez's theme rearranged as a dramatic march.
  • The Mysterious Girl's battle theme in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is an intense remix of her Leitmotif.
  • In Final Fantasy V, Exdeath's battle theme (before he goes One-Winged Angel) is a remix of his character theme. And when he does go One-Winged Angel, the opening riff takes its cues from his Leitmotif, before morphing into something much more frantic and fast-paced.
  • Dancing Mad from Final Fantasy VI. All sorts of recurrent themes and motifs from other songs along the game get thrown into it, most prominently "Omen", "Catastrophe", as well as Kefka's Leitmotif and "Fight to the Death" (the music used for the fights against Ultima Weapon and the Warring Triad.)
  • In Final Fantasy VII, the final battle with JENOVA: SYNTHESIS has a tense remix of the standard Random Encounter theme. Also, both "Birth of a God" and "One-Winged Angel" (which play during the first and second parts of the Final Boss fight, respectively) incorporate Sephiroth's original character Leitmotif, "Those Chosen by the Planet".
  • Final Fantasy IX has "Sword of Doubt" a battle arrangement of Beatrix's theme, and "Protecting my Devotion" that plays when she and Steiner defend Alexandria from an enemy attack at the beginning of Disc 3. Kuja's theme is remixed as "Dark Messenger" when he's fought at the end of the game.
  • In Final Fantasy XII, any fight against a major character from the Archadian Empire would almost always have a remix of the Empire's Theme playing during the battle.
  • Final Fantasy XIII uses some of the lyrics and motifs from the mournful and ominous "Ragnarok," for "Fighting Fate," Barthandelus' battle theme. "Born Anew," the penultimate boss theme, remixes "Primarch Dysley," and the final boss' "Nascent Requiem" references "Vanille's Theme."
  • Final Fantasy XIV:
    • "Good King Moggle Mog XII" is a remix of the series' Moogle theme.
    • "Dragonsong" is remixed into "Ominous Prognisticks" and "Revenge Twofold", the normal boss themes. "Heroes" and "Freefall", the boss fights against The Knights of the Round and Nidhogg respectively incorporates both "Dragonsong" and "Solid", Ishgard's theme.
    • Stormblood's main theme is remixed into "Triumph", the normal boss theme, and "The Worm's Tail", the final boss theme.
    • Omega's battle theme in Stormblood is "eScape", a remix of "Order Yet Undeciphered", the theme of Azys Lla from Heavensward.
    • Tsukuyomi's theme, "Wayward Daughter" is a remix of Yanxia's field themes.
    • Shadowbringers's main theme is remixed into "Insatiable", "Insanity", and "Invincible"; the normal boss theme, Vauthry's boss theme, and the final boss theme respectively.
    • The Warrior of Light's theme, "To the Edge" is a remix of "'Neath Dark Waters", the theme that plays while in the reconstructed Amaurot in the Tempest. The theme of Pandaemonium Anabaseios: The Eleventh Circle in Endwalker is also remixed from this.
    • Endwalker's main theme is remixed into "On Blade's Edge" and "Finality", the midboss and dungeon boss themes. The final boss themes of the previous expansions: Ultima, Heroes, The Worm's Tail, and Invincible are all remixed into "The Final Day" for the final battle against the Endsinger.
  • In Final Fantasy XV, the first section of Magna Insomnia, the final battle music, is an epic, high energy version of the game's main theme with Big Bad Ardyn's theme mixed in as an undercurrent.
  • "Fusion, descent" from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a boss remix of the main theme.
  • Justice Chronicles'" has this as a form of Cross Company Reference. The battle theme for the game's final Superboss Uranus uses a slower, more heroic version of End Chronicle, the final boss theme of Fantasy Chronicle''.
  • The Kingdom Hearts series is extremely fond of this trope:
    • In the original game, both the final world's battle theme "Fragments of Sorrow" and the final boss theme "Guardando nel buio" are remixes of "Destati", a Recurring Riff whose "Dive into the Heart" version is heard at the very beginning of the game.
    • Kingdom Hearts II:
      • The three main Organization XIII battle themes, "The 13th Struggle", "The 13th Dilemma", and "The 13th Reflection", all feature some element of the song "Another Side", which was used in the secret ending to the first game and is the origin of Organization XIII's theme. This also applies to Marluxia's first and third battle themes in Chain of Memories, "Graceful Assassin" and "Lord of the Castle".
      • "The Other Promise" is a remix of Roxas's theme used for the fight against him in the Updated Re-release, though it's just as melancholic as the original version.
    • Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days:
      • The theme that plays during the last stage of the fight against Xion, "Vector to the Heavens", is a remixed combination of her theme, Kairi's theme, and the series' Recurring Riff "Dearly Beloved".
      • The Post-Final Boss Riku has an outright remix of "Another Side", fittingly titled "Another Side -Battle Version-".
    • Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep:
      • Vanitas's battle theme "Enter the Darkness" is a remix of Ventus's theme, which is in turn an arrangement of both Roxas and Sora's themes, and also quotes parts of those directly.
      • "Dismiss", the theme of the True Final Boss, is a remix of "Fragments of Sorrow", this time incorporating aspects of Terra's theme, Aqua's theme, and "Destati" into it.
      • Inverted with Terra's theme, which is a slower version of "Rage Awakened", which plays during the Optional Boss fight of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Then comes full circle when it's reused as the final boss theme of his story once Xehanort commits Grand Theft Me and Terra's armor reforms to fight him.
      • "Master, Tell Me the Truth", the music for the Armor of Eraqus fight in Final Mix, is a remix of The Land of Departure battle theme with cues from Terra, Aqua, and Ven's themes included.
      • "Forze dell'Oscurità" is a combination of the battle themes for Ansem and Xemnas, and is appropriately used for the battle against No Heart, the Keyblade Armor of their original joined incarnation.
    • Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]:
      • Like in the original, Ansem's battle themes "L'Eminenza Oscura I" and "L'Eminenza Oscura II" quote heavily from "Destati". The former in particular sounds like a cross between the aforementioned "Guardando nel buio" and "Dismiss".
      • Riku's battle with the Armored Ventus Nightmare within Sora's heart has "The Eye of Darkness", a faster-paced remix of "Dive into the Heart -Destati-" with heavy brass and percussion.
    • Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-: Aqua's theme is remixed into a dark horror-esque piece for her fight against her evil doppelganger.
    • Kingdom Hearts III: Continuing from the above, an extremely sad and harrowing (complete with One-Woman Wail) orchestral remix of Aqua's theme is used for the boss fight against Anti-Aqua.
  • Persona 3 has a boss remix of the main theme as you fight the final boss. And a battle rendition of Aria of the Soul, aka The Velvet Room, for the penultimate boss fight.
    • In The Answer portion of Persona 3 FES, the final battle theme "Darkness" is a boss remix of the ending theme, "Brand New Days."
    • And Persona 4's final boss theme, "The Genesis", starts off as a dramatic, brooding piece, but it builds up towards a climax with an orchestral fanfare of "I'll Face Myself", one of the game's major Leitmotifs (which also happens to have a Boss Remix), finally building up to a triumphant finish with an instrumental version of "Reach Out To The Truth", the game's main battle theme.
    • Persona 3 Portable has "Danger Zone," the female protagonist's boss theme, which is a remix of the game's new opening theme, "Soul Phrase." The normal battle theme, "Wiping All Out", is something of a battle remix of "Soul Phrase" as well. In fact, a good deal of the female protagonist's new BGM consists of arrangements of "Soul Phrase" — similar to how several pieces of the male protagonist's BGM consist of "Burn My Dread" arrangements.
    • "Life Will Change" - the music that plays in Persona 5 when you're trying to steal a villain's heart - is a remix of the opening theme, "Wake Up Get Up Get Out There". It's faster-paced, and the lyrics are more triumphant, serving as a Badass Boast being made by the Phantom Thieves to the people they're fighting. It overrides the dungeon theme, the safe room theme, and even normal battle themes, so in certain Palaces you're going to be hearing a lot of it. It gets its own remix in Royal in the form of "I Believe".
  • In Parasite Eve, Eve's boss battle theme, "Influence of Deep", is a remix of her opera singing from the start of the game, with techno music, some instruments, and an Ominous Pipe Organ tossed in for good measure.
  • SaGa Frontier had this in effect for most of the final boss themes, with this being most noticeable for the final boss theme in Red's Story.
  • Skies of Arcadia has an arrangement of the main theme when you are winning the final battle.
  • Super Mario RPG:
    • Several times during the events of game, a town is taken over by a member of the "Smithy Gang", and the music changes to the track "Here's Some Weapons" to indicate trouble. When you face the boss, the fight is accompanied by "Fight Against an Armed Boss", a remix of the 'trouble' music.
    • The music for the battle against Smithy's first form, "Fight Against Smithy", is also a remix of "Here's Some Weapons", albeit with all sorts of mechanical sounds added in, along with an Ominous Pipe Organ.
    • Inverted by the full theme to Bowser's Keep, which incorporates a more slow-paced, ominous remix of his battle music from the beginning of the game (itself a rendition of the final boss theme of Super Mario Bros. 3).
  • Typically occurs in the Paper Mario series, as before each boss encounter, a theme that is specific to the boss plays, which is then remixed for the battle. This is most obvious with bosses whose themes play multiple times before the actual fight, such as Bowser, Grodus, and Count Bleck.
    • Super Paper Mario also uses remixes the theme for Merlee's Mansion for your fight with Mimi, and the themes of Dimentio, the Chaos Heart, and Mr. L for the Final Boss, Super Dimentio.
  • Mario & Luigi:
  • The World Ends with You:
    • The last battle uses a remix of the game's main theme, "Twister", that is unique to that fight — unlike all the other boss fights in the game, which use music from the game's regular selection.
    • The English version of Someday plays only on the boss battle with Minamimoto; every other time you hear it, it's the Japanese version.
  • Treasure of the Rudra has a different Boss Remix depending on which character's story the player is currently on, with the remix being of the character's overworld theme.
  • The Tales Series has a fondness for this.
    • "Meaning of Birth" in Tales of the Abyss and Fury Sparks in Tales of Vesperia qualify. "Irony of Fate" in Tales of Destiny is an inversion in that it's a boss battle theme remixed as a sad song when Leon dies in the Remake.
    • Tales of the Abyss does this more than once. The final two battle themes both contain arrangements of the menu music, and Finish the Promise includes (quite fittingly) a rather epic quotation of the Grand Fonic Hymn.
    • The final battle against Asch features the song Meaning of Birth, an orchestral remix of the opening song Karma.
    • Tales of Symphonia has 3 battles with remixes of character themes. The End of a Thought, which plays during Lloyd's one-on-one duel with Kratos, It Can Waver And Fight, played during most fights with the Big Bad (as a remix of his theme), and Final Destination, the final boss theme, which is another remix of the Big Bad's theme.
  • The final dungeon in the Massive Multiplayer Crossover action RPG Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus uses a fast-paced, dramatic and more heroic remix of the game's opening theme, "Odyssey".
  • The final map theme for both the normal and demon path for Soul Nomad & the World Eaters is a faster version of the title music with Ominous Latin Chanting. Feinne's theme is also a variant of the title theme.
  • The final boss theme in Paladin's Quest (aka Lennus 1) has a remixed version of the main villain's theme along with the game's main battle theme.
  • Mega Man Battle Network is no stranger to this trope, but with a twist. The Very Definitely Final Dungeon will usually have a network theme that remixes the game's main theme (as is the case in BN 2, 3, 5, and 6).
    • Battle Network 2:
      • The final boss theme is a remix of the normal boss theme. (The final boss themes of most games in that series are remixes of the normal boss theme).
      • The main theme is remixed in the game's bonus area.
      • The tournament battle theme in the ''Battle Network 4" games contains the games' main theme as well.
    • The boss battle theme of Mega Man Battle Network 5 is a remix of the normal random encounter theme.
    • The N1 Grand Prix battle theme from Mega Man Battle Network 3 contains part of the theme that plays during scenes in the tournament, though that theme also includes the game's "sadness" theme, main theme, and possibly. However, it is possible that the N1 Grand Prix theme is the actual remix, since it contains only a portion of the N1 boss theme, Great Battlers.
  • Pokémon:
    • There's the Frontier Brains of Emerald and Platinum by heavily remixing the Battle Frontier themes of their respective games.
    • Also the Galactic commanders have a remixed version of the grunts' battle song. And Dialga/Palkia's song is the remixed song of the Spear Pillar.
    • When fighting a Legendary Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen, the Wild Battle theme goes up a pitch. This carries into Emerald as well, which also includes a separate remix for Mew.
    • The Champion battle music from Pokémon Gold and Silver (and Heart Gold and Soul Silver) is a remix of Victory Road from the first games, and the prelude to the main theme.
    • Also from Pokémon Gold and Silver: The rival's battle theme is a remix of his encounter theme.
    • The Gym Leader Theme in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum was remixed for the Elite Four.
    • The original Champion Battle theme from Gen 1 got remixed for the finals of the (real-life) Gen 5 Video Game Championships. Practically a Recurring Riff. It gets even better when you realize that the Kanto champion theme is a remix of the rival's encounter theme.
    • Also in Pokémon Black and White, N's battle theme gets louder, faster, and generally more epic in the final battle with him.
    • Black 2 & White 2 have boss remixes of Hugh's and Colress' themes, in addition to another remix of N's.
    • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky features a mix between the game's main theme and the Leitmotif associated with time itself for the final battle against Primal Dialga.
    • In Pokémon X and Y, Lysandre's battle theme is an ominous-sounding remix of Team Flare's battle theme, which, in turn, is a remix of their theme song in general.
    • The battle with Wally at Victory Road in the remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, is accompanied by a rock and roll version of his leitmotif.
    • Inverted with Maxie and Archie's new theme within the remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire which is a more military-like remix of their main battle theme.
    • The Battle Chatelaines of the Hoenn equivalent to the Battle Maison (retroactively added to the remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire) uses an updated version of Emerald's Frontier Brain theme in spite of the Hoenn Battle Frontier being retconned into still being in development by the time the game begins. The reference to the fact that the song itself is a Boss Remix won't be lost on those who had never played Emerald, however, as the Battle Resort, a "spiritual predecessor" to the Hoenn Battle Frontier and the place where the Hoenn Battle Maison was situated at the time of the games, uses a tropical remix of the Hoenn Battle Frontier theme.
    • Lusamine's battle theme from Pokémon Sun and Moon is a remix of her normal theme. Her second "Motherbeast" battle theme starts with her normal Leitmotif, but is mostly original material.
    • Pokémon Sword and Shield uses a remix of the series's classic Hall of Fame theme for the fight against the Champion. This ends up giving the battle a much more cheerful feeling than most Champion battles, which makes sense given Galar's championship is fought in a stadium filled to the brim with people cheering. Just before Champion Leon, the rematches against Bede, Nessa, Raihan, and Bea/Allister have a much more intense techno remix of the Gym Leader battle theme.
    • Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has the battle theme of the True Final Boss, an AI of Professor Sada/Professor Turo. It combines the theme of Area Zero with a more intense guitar remix of the Tera Raid Battle music for an intense, climactic track that will stick in your head long after the credits roll.
  • In EarthBound (1994), the "Sanctuary Guardian" theme is a slowed down remix version of "Battle Against a Dangerous Opponent" from EarthBound Beginnings.
  • In Mother 3, a small part of Dry Guys is from one of the overworld themes. Also, the Mother 3 Love Theme is remixed into an incredibly sad, industrial version in the Post Final Boss fight against your long lost brother Claus... It gradually becomes the soft tune you recognize. The most remixed song, however, is His Highness' Theme, which is used throughout the game for the major mooks and Final Boss Porky Minch. In fact, Mother 3 reuses leitmotifs and riffs all throughout the game. Most of the battle themes have a secondary version (which are designed to catch out players who know how to take advantage of the game's 'Rhythm Battle' system), which is essentially the same theme but with a change of some kind in the rhythm at certain points in the tracks (whether through a deliberate glitch in the music to trip the player up, being a faster/slower version of its other version, or even altering the time signature between versions), so boss battles with familiar battle themes can generally be assumed to use the more difficult version. For instance, compare, with the aid of the heartbeat provided when you put an enemy to sleep, how easy it is to tap along between Mr Passion's first battle themenote  against the theme for the optional rematch against him.note 
  • In Golden Sun the final battle with Saturos and Menardi is accompanied by a remix of their theme. The same goes for the second game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, where Agatio and Karst's theme becomes their battle music.
  • MARDEK: While regular bosses use the standard piano boss battle theme, major antagonists have specific Boss battle themes when fighting them; fighting Muriance the bandit chief changes his main theme into Muriance Battle, the World's Saviours get their theme changed into Saviours Battle, etc. Seems to be a favorite tactic of Pseudolonewolf to reuse certain things from each song... which makes it epic.
  • The "Theme of Chaos" and "Theme of Law" from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey are given bombastic remix treatments for the endgame battles on the Neutral route with Awaken Jimenez and Judge Zelenin, respectively, while the climax of The Eternal Throne (which, by the way, is the title screen theme) is used as the climax for the theme for Final Bosses Pillar Zelenin and Mother/Empty Mem Aleph, as well as Pillar Zelenin's Chaos counterpart Soil Jimenez. And before Strange Journey, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne has remixes of LAW and CHAOS (which, themselves, are also remixes of the Law and Chaos themes from Shin Megami Tensei I) as the boss themes for Metatron and Beelzebub, respectively. Shin Megami Tensei IV remixes the Law theme for Shin Megami Tensei II for the Archangel boss theme. Nocturne's own random encounter theme is remixed in Shin Megami Tensei V for the battle against the Demi-fiend.

  • Phantasy Star
    • Phantasy Star II's boss theme ("Hard Place") is a techno remix of the title theme ("Phantasy").
    • In Phantasy Star Online 2, the second half of the boss themes against Dark Falz bosses is an arrangement of the game's original main theme.
  • Chrono Trigger: "World Revolution" plays during the second phase of the Lavos fight and is a remix of the oddly calm Lavos theme and Crono's own heroic theme.
  • Eternal Sonata has, of all things, a remix of Frederic Chopin's Revolutionary Etude for the final battle against him.
  • The final boss themes of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, "Final Assault" and "The Human Reaper," are both remixes of "Sovereign's Theme" from the first game.
  • In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the dragon battle themes is an intense version of the "Dovahkiin" theme heard in the title screen (which is in turn a variation on the main theme of the series.)
  • In Fallout 4 if you encounter a particularly strong opponent, either "Dominant Species" or "Enough is Enough" which are remixes of the main menu theme will play instead of the usual battle theme. The former has a hopeful and uplifting feel while the latter sounds menacing.
  • Breath of Death VII remixes the already overly dramatic and elaborate battle theme into even harder rock.
  • The original NES version of Dragon Quest IV lacked a distinct theme for most bosses. The subsequent remakes implemented a remix of the regular battle theme.
  • Undertale: With the exception of the No Mercy boss themes, two of which are based on an original theme and the other being the creator's Signature Song, all boss themes starting with the second one are this:
    • "Bonetrousle", Papyrus's boss theme, is a remix of "Nyeh Heh Heh!"
    • "Spear of Justice", Undyne's boss theme, is a remix of "NGAHHH!", and an up-tempo version of "Waterfall".
    • Averted with "Metal Crusher", Mettaton's boss theme. Mettaton EX's boss theme, "Death by Glamour", however, combines "Metal Crusher", "It's Showtime!", and "CORE".
    • "ASGORE", Asgore's boss theme, remixes "Bergentrückung", "Determination", and Toriel's boss theme "Heartache".
    • "Your Best Nightmare", Flowey's boss theme, remixes both of Flowey's Leitmotifs: "Your Best Friend" and "You Idiot". "Finale" is a near constant remix of "Your Best Friend" and if you listen closely you can hear "Memory"/"His Theme" in the bridge.
    • "Hopes and Dreams" and "SAVE the World" are primarily remixes of "Once Upon A Time", "Memory"/"His Theme", and "Your Best Friend".
    • "Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans" is a remix of "sans." with a little "Bonetrousle" in it. However, it is not what plays when you fight Sans. Despite being in the official soundtrack, the track is not even present in the game's actual files.
    • Inverted with "Ghost Fight", first heard when you encounter Napstablook as a Mini-Boss (and which is rearranged for two later encounters). The music that normally plays in Napstablook's house ("Pathetic House") is a slowed-down and sparsely arranged Retraux variation.
  • Deltarune:
    • "Vs. Lancer" is a remix of "Lancer", and "Vs. Susie" includes the motifs from "Susie" and "Imminent Death".
    • "Chaos King" is a remix of "Card Castle", which uses motifs from "Basement" and "Lancer". Towards the end, it also has "The Legend" included in it.
    • Deltarune continues this further in chapter 2. "Cyber Battle" is a remix of other tracks associated with Sweet Cap'n Cakes ("Almost to the Guys!", etc.), "It's Prounounced 'Rules'" is a remix of chapter 1's "Rouxls Kaard", "Smart Race" is a remix of "Berdly", "Attack of the Killer Queen" combines "Queen" with "Berdly"/"Smart Race", and "Knock You Down!!" is primarily based on "Queen" and "Powers Combined".
    • "BIG SHOT", the second Optional Boss's battle theme, is a remix of "NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A" (with several other noteworthy Undertale and Deltarune tracks mixed in). In turn, "NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A" is itself a Boss Remix of "Spamton". A Boss Remix of a Boss Remix.
  • In Xenoblade Chronicles X, the first half of aBOreSSs is a remix of D91M while the second half is a remix of the second part of UN↑口and巨DIE
  • In Child of Light, the first mook battle theme, "Dark Creatures", and the Serpent Boss theme, are rearrangements of "Pilgrims on a Long Journey"; the main boss theme, "Metal Gleamed in the Twilight", is derived from "Little Girl, Gen"; the second mook theme, "Jupiter's Lightning", is a remix of "Magna's Heart"; "Sword of Mars" (Battle Theme 3) is a remix of the last third of "Leave Your Castle", and the Final Boss theme is based on Aurora's theme.
  • Ys series:
  • The Baldur's Gate main theme, which could be described as dark and foreboding, gets a more stormy and intense reprise in "From out of the Storm", the Final Boss music.
  • Fate/Grand Order:
    • All boss themes for the Big Bad and his direct minions of the first overarching plot have remixes of the main theme ("Grand Order") or opening song ("Shikisai") for their battles ("Anchor of Humanity", "The Time of Crowning Hath Come", "The Time of Parting Hath Come", "Fate/Grand Order") to signify their high importance.
    • BB's boss theme is a remix of "BB Channel" from her home game, Fate/Extra CCC. It was not her boss theme in its original context, that boss theme being "bottom black, moon gazer", as it was background music for her transmissions sent to the player.
    • Arc Villain Zeus' Leitmotif is prevalent as background music for his cutscene appearances ("Divine Revelation") and standard battle music for the Olympus storyline ("The Day To Bring Down Gods"), so it appears one final time as his battle theme ("Thunder That Rends the Stars").
    • Recurring villain Koyanskaya has "Nine Drive -Koyanskaya's Lostbelt Records-" for her first boss theme, which represents the two primary threads in her subplot: the suspicion that she's related to the Tamamo Nine by incorporating the original Tamamo's theme as its bassline and using the first four Lostbelt themes as a Variable Mix that represents a tail created from each of the four Lostbelt's monsters for her four boss phases.
    • Recurring villain Ashiya Douman has "Bloody Wind and Violent Thunder", a remix of "Bloody Wind". This was normal battle music for the Shimousa storyline in which this character was introduced and serves as Book Ends to show the player that Douman's story has come to a close with this fight.
    • Faerie Knight Gawain is a faerie who wishes to live up to the title and name granted to her and embody chivalric ideals, so her first boss theme "Black Prominence" is a remix of "Sword of Promised Victory", the theme of Saber/Artoria Pendragon from Fate/stay night. Her second boss theme, "Demonic Dog", is heavily rearranged to the point of near distortion to symbolize her tragic failure to maintain said ideals as she gives in to her inner nature as a Faerie Calamity and starts rampaging across Faerie Britain.
    • Camazotz the Beast of Oblivion has a joyful remix of Nahui Mictlan's map theme to represent how he is the original crowned king of the world of Mictlan and must finally find rest after his long time in isolation.

    Shoot 'em Up 
  • Axelay does this for each stage: The bosses' themes are darker and/or rearranged versions of the level theme, usually in a style that suits the boss. For example, the theme for the Humongous Mecha boss is more electronic than the stage music. The theme for the Final Boss's final form is an extended remix of the Stage Clear fanfare.
  • Ketsui mashese up its ship select theme, "DOOMSDAY", and the normal Final Boss's theme, "SCAFFOLD", into a frantic high-speed remix for the True Final Boss, "NO REMORSE".
  • Much of the music of Ikaruga is just remixes of Ideal. But when you hear the same theme remixed during a boss fight, you know something nightmarishly difficult and impossibly epic is about to happen. In turn, the Stage 2 boss theme, "Recapture", is a darker arrangement of "Trial", that stage's main theme.
  • RayCrisis selects a musical theme based on what level you start with, and all subsequent level and boss musics are variations of that theme.
  • The original Star Fox has a VERY bizarre version with the alternate final area, remixing real life songs. The Slot Machine's theme remixes three real life children's songs.
  • Touhou Project:
  • BLUE REVOLVER remixes the name entry music for the Final Boss.
  • In Thunder Force V, the Vasteel Original boss fight uses a remix of "Lightning Strikes Again", the intro theme from the previous game.

    Simulation Game 

    Stealth Game 

    Survival Horror 
  • Haunting Ground has an interesting version of this. Each of the three stalkers have their own Leitmotif when chasing you. During each of their boss fights, their particular motif is remixed with a sort of "template". This template remains the same for the first three bosses, making their themes sound very similar. However, there is a part of the track that distinctively belong to the particular boss (e.g. Daniella's static interferences).
  • Alexia's battle themes in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica were orchestral remixes of "Alexia's Lullaby/Berceuse", with a One-Woman Wail as the melody. William Birkin in Resident Evil 2 and Nemesis in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis also use remixes of their themes for each of their mutations.
  • Resident Evil 6 has the final boss of Leon's campaign's final form's boss theme be a remix of the main menu theme, of all things. Definitely one of the most unique remixes to be based on it.

    Third-Person Shooter 

    Tower Defense 

    Turn-Based Strategy  
  • In the Fire Emblem series:
    • Fighting an enemy you can recruit in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War has a unique battle theme, a variation of (appropriately enough) the recruitment theme.
    • Idunn, Lyon, and the Black Knight all have a boss remix of their Leitmotif.
    • In an example that applies to a group rather than a specific character, The Blazing Blade's major boss theme "Softly with Grace" is a remix of the Black Fang's event theme.
    • Oliver, Sephiran, and Dheginsea all have battle remixes of their normal themes in Radiant Dawn. Caineghis has one as well, but luckily for you he's on your side the whole game.
    • Fire Emblem: Awakening has a remix of the Avatar's theme (i.e. your theme), which also has elements of the main series theme partway for good measure—in Ominous Latin Chanting, no less. Also, the Future Past DLC includes yet another remix of the Avatar's theme (i.e. your theme), which is fitting, as the bosses that use it are characters related to the Avatar: the male and female Morgans (Avatar's child, depending on gender)... and Grima!
    • In Fire Emblem Fates, the three Final Bosses (Blight Dragon Garon, possessed Takumi, and Anankos) all use a remix of the game's main theme "Lost in Thoughts All Alone" for their battles. That third guy gets a second mix to use as the Final Boss of the "Heirs of Fate" DLC arc.
    • Fire Emblem: Three Houses continues the trend in several of its finales:
      • The final stage of the Silver Snow route is set to "A Funeral of Flowers", remixing the song Rhea sang to a fainted Byleth.
      • The final stages of the Azure Moon and Crimson Flower routes are set to "Apex of the World", an instrumental remix of "Seasons of Warfare"/"The Edge of Dawn", the game's vocal theme.
  • Variation: In Heroes of Might and Magic V, siege battles are accompanied by a remix of the city´s theme.
  • Many character themes in Luminous Arc 2 are remixed into boss battle themes when fighting them. The aptly named "Rosetta Rosso" theme is remixed into "Rosefall;" Fatima's "Shadow Frost Witch" is remixed into "The Dark Wings, Hugging to Freeze;" Master Mattias's "The Ruler" is remixed into "The Dictator's Force;" and lastly, Bharva's theme "Black Flames" is remixed into "Raging Flames".
    • Even the first Luminous Arc has at least one boss remix. The final boss theme "Believe in Yourself" contains a partial remix of "Theme of Luminous Arc." "Existence" may have been remixed as well into the boss theme, but it's difficult to tell.
  • In Civilization V, each civilization's leader has a musical theme attributed to them that is derived from a real-life song. Each song has two variations, for peace and for wartime - this trope applies to the latter, where the peace theme is always arranged to sound darker, more oppressive, and generally befitting an angry and hateful leader of a country trying to erase your own civilization from existence.
  • In the Super Robot Wars franchise since Super Robot Wars Alpha 2, the theme songs from these games are used as final boss themes, usually as everyone is getting ready to shove their collective mechanized feet into the final boss's fanny. Special mention goes to Alpha 3's theme, "GONG", which is implied to being sung by the band Fire Bomber, Lynn Minmay and Lacus Clyne in-game.

    Visual Novel 
  • Ace Attorney
    • As the trial approaches its climax, the normally calm "Moderato" theme that plays during cross-examinations will be replaced with a faster and more frantic "Allegro" remix. Ace Attorney Investigations and its sequel add a more intense "Presto" remix that plays for the very last confrontation of each case.
    • In Trials and Tribulations, when presenting the very last piece of evidence, a remix of "Pursuit ~ Cornered" from the first game will play with an added drum track.
    • Inverted in Dual Destinies, where Apollo's Objection theme from Apollo Justice gets a calmer remix as his out-of-court Leitmotif. New character Athena Cykes similarly gets two versions of her Leitmotif for in and out of court.

Non-video game examples:

Film

Webcomic

  • Homestuck:
    • The standard "Harlequin" theme is remixed into "Harleboss" for John's battle against the Crude Ogres. And then Gamzee steals the theme in a Dark Reprise of his own.
    • Almost every major theme (that Toby Fox wrote) is remixed in "Oppa Toby Style". It plays in the animation "[S] Collide", which is The Very Definitely Final Boss Fight of Homestuck.

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