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BONUS RANKING: FINAL BOSS THEMES

This list is a lot more solid than the previous, although it doesn't include every theme used as a final boss theme since some of them aren't unique to the final boss. Of course, exceptions had to be annoying, because one of these isn't a final boss, but I couldn't say Wily fights because one of them isn't Wily, but I assume the boundaries of this list will make sense.

Once again, I really hope I'm not forgetting anything. I feel like I'm almost assured of having forgotten a boss theme between these three lists.

13. Mega Man 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JkNqVNXX24

Haha, this SUCKS. I hate it.

12. Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (Capsule)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJZhYovm9OM

I included this one literally only for completion purposes, since it is an original theme that does play when you're fighting the Wily Capsule in Power Fighters 2, which is less of a boss fight and more of a minigame where you try to prevent Wily from escaping to get the good ending. Even though it is barely anything, it still did not get last place on this list.

11. Mega Man 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zTkuU3HH_k

And now we're IMMEDIATELY into good tracks! I like this one, it's just really short and kind of the least of all of them. Another appearance from that extremely loud and distant MM4 percussion. It does get points for being the first Mega Man game to have a final boss theme I guess. It works for what it is.

10. Mega Man 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYTOFe6ADHQ

I get the sense that this theme is popular so people will probably hate that I have it this low. I just think this one is kind of short and the other themes on this list are better. Sorry! It's like, pretty good, but I just find it kind of repetitive.

9. Mega Man 11 (Machine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGBo5czrpqI

I struggle remembering this one a little bit but I like it when I hear it. That's right, a MM11 song that I don't hate! I think it manages to avoid the worst impulses that this soundtrack has with switching tones too much halfway through and becoming an anime intro.

8. Mega Man 9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_BfoHsJxyU

I remember being surprised by this final boss fight because I expected there to be more after the capsule room. It's pretty good! Usual quibbles with MM9's nasally leads apply, but otherwise it's fun and it's the right length to not get too repetitive. I like the 'telephone' sound effect.

7. Mega Man 10 (Machine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7KjfeuA7xk

Pretty much falls in the same boat as MM9 for me, except with better instruments. It's good and exciting, but since it's only the first part of the final boss I have a tendency to forget about it a little bit, even though it would play the part of actual-final boss theme just fine.

6. Mega Man IV (GB)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7FhLGazBc0

This one's very different, and I like different, especially in a list where the songs are good but a little on the samey side - they mostly kind of follow the same script. This one's funky and weird and actually reminds me a little bit more of western game music of this era, like it sounds like the fillery part of a Tim Follin track. Yes I do know this one plays for a miniboss earlier in the game by the way, I decided to ignore that and arbitrarily place this in the 'final boss' category because that's how I associate it.

5. Mega Man 10 (Capsule)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ediTlxTtk

Once again, I would call this final boss theme a fitting swan song for the Mega Man franchise if MM11 didn't exist. All of these songs have a pretty similar script, like I said, but I think this one captures the drama of a final boss theme particularly well by comparison. Even if said final boss is disappointingly easy, which is a shame because it's a really cool setup.

4. Mega Man 11 (Capsule)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUfP_pl48mA

Whoa, it's a Mega Man 11 theme I LIKE? Yeah I'm surprised too. I didn't even remember this one very well but upon relistening I'm really digging it. Once again, this one avoids the bad impulse MM11 has to have a massive tonal shift towards happy-generic-techno midway through and it sticks to the established tone; it's appropriately sinister and just a little silly and uses MM11's established library of sounds a lot better than usual. That crunchy synth at :51 is a really nice and unexpected treat.

3. Mega Man 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L0DVsWC2u4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nii-VDrPIJU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQg00KADSOc

Mega Man 7's redemption tour on my list continues. To ME, anyway, this is the iconic final boss theme in the series, and clearly they agreed with me because they reused it twice for the two arcade games, although the original SNES one is superior by far (mainly thanks to the percussion). I've always felt that this is the hardest boss fight in the entire series and I think the aggressively frantic theme that accompanies it suits it perfectly.

2. Mega Man V (GB)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeaxTwhY1W0

MMV is a wildcard - every song is some crazy ass shit that may or may not be good. This one's good! So many final boss themes in this series, and Wily couldn't even secure one of the best ones for himself. Sunstar got an insane banger of a theme for the final fight of MMV. It's short but it leaves a mark - I can tell the composer wanted to write just like, "the fucking most awesome shit ever" and they succeeded so good job, MMV composer whose name I don't remember but probably should by now.

1. Mega Man 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BImMZekqGNc

Mega Man 5 wins the battle of the fives. In the fashion of Mega Man 5's typical excess, this theme isn't content to just have one 15 second loop - it always has just a little bit more that it wants to do, and that little surprise coda section almost a minute in really breaks up this theme into something pleasingly non-repetitive, which it would have otherwise threatened to become. For me, this is the definitive final boss theme in the series.

1. Mega Man 5
2. Mega Man V
3. Mega Man 7
4. Mega Man 11 (Capsule)
5. Mega Man 10 (Capsule)
6. Mega Man IV
7. Mega Man 10 (Machine)
8. Mega Man 9
9. Mega Man 11 (Machine)
10. Mega Man 6
11. Mega Man 4
12. Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (Capsule)
13. Mega Man 8

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