Final Boss

Art from the "Dragon Quest - 25th Anniversary Encyclopedia of Monsters" book and parodying the Famicom box art of Dragon Quest III

The Final Boss of each Dragon Quest game is the villain of that title's story, usually referred to the Archfiend, Fiendlord or by a personal title such as the Lord of the Underworld or The Netherfiend.

In localization, the term Archfiend typically translates the Japanese term 魔王 maō "demon king" or 大魔王 daimaō "great demon king." In the localization of Dragon Quest VI, the former is instead translated as "Dread Fiend," with the latter translated as "Archfiend." In recent localizations of Dragon Quest III, the latter title is substituted with "Lord of the Underworld," rather than "Master Archfiend" as found in the original NES localization. This may be due to the preeminence implied by the prefix arch-, which is not present in the literal Japanese meaning. The Gameboy Color localization used the term "demon lord" for the former and "demon king" for the latter.

Contrary to popular belief not all villains can be classified as members of the demon family, with the bosses ranging from dragons to wicked Gods and even including extraterrestrials among their ranks. It is for this reason that they are grouped together as the ??? family in the Monsters series, a tradition maintained in their cameos as Legacy Bosses in Dragon Quest IX.

List of Final Bosses

Warning: Spoilers!
Click expand to view content

Dragon Quest

The Final Boss of the very first Dragon Quest game is the Dragonlord. Before the game starts, he stole the Ball of Light to conceal the kingdom of Alefgard in a veil of darkness. That all came to an end when the descendant of Erdrick came to Dragonlord's Castle and defeated him in battle.

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

The Final Boss of II is Malroth. After the death of the evil priest Hargon, this God of Destruction rises to finish off the Heroes and make sure evil conquers all.

The postgame content of Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake introduces a "true ending" in which Malroth fuses with the lingering spirit of Calasmos to become Malwrath, the "true final boss."

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

The Final Boss of III is Zoma. Having traveled to Alefgard after the defeat of the Baramos, the party confronts his master and vanquish with the Sphere of Light, thus setting the stage for the other games in the Erdrick trilogy. First introduced the Disruptive Wave technique.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

The Final Boss of Dragon Quest IV is Psaro the Manslayer. The demonic transformation of the game's main villain, Psaro, he sought to unleash the power of the Secret of Evolution as the Master of Monsters. Distinctive for having a total of seven forms in the battle, the most in the series by far.

Warning: Spoilers!
Click expand to view content

• The True Final Boss in the remakes of Dragon Quest IV is Aamon, an evil High Priest and assistant to Psaro. He is confronted in Chapter 6, where he it turned out he had planned to usurp Psaro all along, expecting him and the Chosen Ones to kill each other while he perfects the Secret of Evolution.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

The Final Boss in V is Grandmaster Nimzo. He is known as the lord of evil and has imprisoned Madason's mother, Madalena in Nadiria, waiting for the Legendary Hero to arrive.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

The Final Boss in VI is Mortamor. After two confrontations with the party in separate forms, the Demon King sheds his body apart and attacks with his (disembodied) head and hands. However, even after becoming more powerful, Mortamor is still no match for the Hero and his party. Everyone soon rejoices the heroes' victory over the evil Devil Lord. An alternative ending happens when Nokturnus instead defeats Mortamor. This only happens when you defeat Nokturnus under twenty turns.

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

The Final Boss in VII is Orgodemir. After being revealed for impersonating The Almighty, the Fiendlord escapes into the Cathedral of Blight awaiting his enemies in the throne room. Upon his ultimate defeat, Orgodemir curses The Almighty and all those who follow him and disintegrates.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

The Final Boss in VIII is Lord Rhapthorne. After his first defeat, Rhapthorne absorbs the entire Black Citadel, and transforms into a stronger being: a large, bloated devil looming over the land. However, his reign of terror wouldn't live long enough as he is defeated by the party, riding on Empyrea's back.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

The Final Boss in IX is Corvus, in his fallen angel state. He is the one who resurrected the Gittish Empire and the dark dragon Barbarus so he could destroy the mortals of the Protectorate, in retribution for the betrayal and suffering he endured.

Dragon Quest X

The Final Boss in X is Nelgel the Netherfiend. When confronted by the Hero, he attempts to defeat him/her using his humanoid form, and later his beastly form. Upon being defeated, he warns of dark powers beyond his control before dying, and although the Hero was successful in escaping, he/she wasn't able to break the seal of darkness over Rendashia.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

The Final Boss in XI is Calasmos. A malevolent being of impressive power hailing from beyond the stars, also known as the Dark One, he is responsible for the sorcerer Morcant betraying Erdwin, allowing for his transformation in Mordegon. While reduced to a corrupted Spirit of Lost Time in the original timeline and unable to acquire his original body, which was sealed in Erdwin's Lantern, he was able to follow the Luminary into the altered timeline, using the second demise of Mordegon to achieve unity once more. Upon his destruction, Calasmos rues his defeat but not before telling the party that light cannot exist without darkness and another will someday take his place.

Gallery

• 

  The chief underlings of Dragon Quest.