Summary
The idea of fighting a dragon in any video game is a joy to behold, regardless of the genre or series. However, regardless of how awe-inspiring these encounters may seem at first glance, there’s no denying that the luster of these encounters fades away if this fire-breathing beast ends up being a relatively straightforward enemy to defeat. This makes it important for games to include dragon encounters that genuinely feel like a challenge and can force players to utilize their strongest techniques to attain victory.
This is why Shinryu fromFinal Fantasyis one of the mosticonic dragon enemies in video game history. It almost always appears as a superboss that will force players to either strategize accordingly or be defeated. This boss has appeared multiple times throughout the series and poses a significant challenge in every scenario, making it an achievement for those who manage to beat it.
5Nova Dragon
Known As Shinryu In The Japanese Release
Despite being known as Nova Dragon in the English release, the Japanese name of this boss is Shinryu. This makes it one of the few instances where this dragon is a mandatory boss fight instead ofan optionalFinal Fantasysuperboss. Given how challenging Memoria is, it’s easy to see why the simple act of entering the final dungeon thrusts players into an encounter against this powerful dragon that pulls no punches.
Still, given that this is a boss fight that players must beat to proceed, it’s easy to see why this version of Shinryu is weak compared to the others. While it has hard-hitting elemental attacks, players can defend against it with appropriate equipment and exploit its vulnerabilities when it comes to status effects. It’s a resounding way to welcome players to Memoria and show them that they’re in for a grueling time as they go throughthe final dungeon inFinal Fantasy 9.
The Dawn of Souls release for the firstFinal Fantasyadds a bunch of new content that tests players who think the game is too easy for their liking. It introduces four bonus dungeons that up the difficulty considerably, with the Lifespring Grotto being one such dungeon that is full to the brim with the game’s hardest encounters. In fact, barring Chronodia, the two enemies that players can face off against at the end of this grueling dungeon arethe hardest bosses in the gameby far.
Along with Omega, Shinryu is a possible final boss fight at the end of the Lifespring Grotto, and it’s easy to see why this boss fight is such a nightmare to deal with for players who aren’t prepared. The relentless assault at the start of the battle is what players need to weather. If they manage to survive this flurry, then players must make it a point to unleash as many high-damage attacks as possible to lower the enemy’s health pool and make this powerful dragon bite the dust.
TheMonster Arena is quite unique, taskingFinal Fantasy 10fans with weathering a slow yet steady grind to unlock some of the most challenging boss fights in the game. Players who are strong enough and have unlocked most of the nodes on the Sphere Grid can take on one of the strongest Original Creations in the entire game, Shinryu. Not only is this fight as challenging as they come, but the fact that the battle takes place underwater means that only a party of Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku can be brought to tackle this foe.
Players must ensure that these characters have progressed a great deal on the Sphere Grid and unlocked the full potential of their Celestial Weapons to stand a chance against Shinryu, who is no slouch. His Eraser attack can permanently remove a party member from the battlefield, and Shining hits for ridiculous damage. On top of this, he counters every attack for a truckload of damage, making it easy to see why most players tear their hair out after failing to this boss fight numerous times.
Players who want to obtain the power of Ragnarok must take on Shinryu in a battle that is ridiculously hard. He covers a wide range of elemental attacks that hit for crazy damage, with Tidal Wave being especially hard to deal with. Players must make it a point to equip stuff that absorbs most elements, especially water. Failing to do so will lead to Shinryu annihilating the party with Tidal Wave in a flash.
Even with all these safeguards in place, the battle against Shinryu is far from easy.Players who don’t expect this fight at allwill be left dumbfounded as the first attack potentially wipes them out. Even if players know of Shinryu’s existence and prepare beforehand, it takes a ton of healing and planning to ensure that the hardest enemy inFinal Fantasy 5can eat the dirt.
Final Fantasy Type-0is one ofthe best spin-offs in the seriesthat more people need to check out. The game’s combat is simple yet frenetic, and players will love messing around with Breaksights and Killsights to deal a ton of damage. However, all of this goes for a toss when players encounter Shinryu Celestia. This is an unwinnable boss fight that will tear up a party in no time, prompting the entry of Bahamut ZERO, who must fire off a Teraflare to take out this imposing foe.
However, players who want to take out this boss legitimately can realistically onlytackle this foe in New Game+, and even then, it’s far from easy. This souped-up version of Shinryu can take out high-level party members in a few hits, forcing them to dodge any attack coming their way and only go for an attack window when a Breaksight is available. It takes a lot of effort and a high-level party with appropriate equipment to take out what is arguably thestrongest version of Shinryu in aFinal Fantasygame.
