What's the best final boss fight in the Wario Land series?

[CM30]

Honestly, I'm going to say it'd be a toss up between either the Golden Diva or the Shake King. The former is an interesting foe with a ton of different attacks, whereas the latter is a surprising dangerous opponent with multiple phases and some powers which are incredibly surprising given his character design.

That said, here are my views on all the final bosses from the Wario Land series:

Wario Land 1: Eh, it's a fight I guess. Never liked how you fought the genie instead of Captain Syrup though (especially given her boss appearances in the sequel), and the whole atmosphere of the battle just kind of felt lacking overall. Needed to be a bit more 'epic' if you ask me.

VB Wario Land: Never played it. Looks interesting in design and concept though.

Wario Land II: Wait, which of these battles is the final one again? You fight Syrup three times, a giant fish once, a bubble creature once, a ghost once and end up rebattling the Giant Spearman in the ultimate finale. Still, I liked most of them more than Wario Land 1's final boss, even if none of them really felt very 'final'.

Wario Land 3: Loved this battle, since Rudy was a great opponent and his being able to kill you gimmick actually made things a tad tense too.

Wario Land 4: See start of post. A great final battle for a great game.

Wario World: Do you really need me to tell you this thing sucks as a villain or final boss? It's bad enough we got royally screwed compared to Japan here, since they got a whole second phase to the boss fight, but even with that phase it's not particularly interesting and doesn't exactly scream 'amazing villain'.

Wario Master of Disguise: As an idea, Terrormisu had potential. As an actual opponent? Not really done that well, especially given how 99% of the battle was basically mini games set in random challenge rooms where you only had one attack to dodge each time, or how her design looks utterly atrocious in general. Still, the music was nice.

Wario Land Shake It: See intro to post. Actually really liked this fight.

But yeah, which do you think is best and why?

 

[warelander]

The Shake King, no doubt, I really like how he is essentially an evil Wario in terms of much of his moveset and his second phase is tricky and challenging, but never dickish.

Golden Diva is another obvious one, but I also want to give props to Rudy, especially how effective of a shock moment it is, when you first find out that he can actually kill you, since by that point you just get so used to not being able to die, only for Rudy to give you a sudden wake up call.

 

[Magma]

Instead of giving my boring opinion, I'm gonna ask why you're allowing for multiple votes if you're asking what we think is the "best"

 

[CM30]

Instead of giving my boring opinion, I'm gonna ask why you're allowing for multiple votes if you're asking what we think is the "best"

Well, cause I thought some people might have multiple favourites and find it really hard to choose between them.

 

[Magma]

Well, cause I thought some people might have multiple favourites and find it really hard to choose between them.

So is the question what is the best or what is your favorite??? Personally I see those as two different questions. I liked the idea of the Black Jewel but the final fight nothing special, Japanese or no. I liked fighting Captain Syrup in Wario Land II numerous times but didn't find the ordeal in itself to be anything too special.

 

[Dangerless]

In terms of just the fight part of a final boss? Shake It wins easily.

The worst? Black Jewel.

 

[TomorrowsBloodPressure]

The Diva and the Shake King are easily the top two, but when it comes down to it, you gotta give it to the Shake King. There's a lot more variety, and it just feels better overall. Wario Land 2 and 3, while great games, have bosses that revolve more around not getting hit at all (since you can't die, so you can only get sent out of bounds, forcing you to retread back to the boss room), and as such can be a bit nerve wracking and more annoying than fun. Although that doesn't really apply as much to final bosses like Rudy the Clown.

All of this is my own opinion of course.

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

I'd say Golden Diva, it's just a very intense (and kinda hard) battle, especially if you haven't bought any items.

 

[The 3rd Wario Brother]

I think golden Diva is the best since it requires you to use the transformations you used throughout the game, It even complements the previous level well acting as a final test of the stuff you learned. To me this is exactly what final bosses should do. When i think of how to make a proper final boss i think of Golden Diva since she fits the criteria so well. Shake king is definitely up there too. Its like a Wario vs Wario fight for the first two phases which is cool but phase 3 with its energy balls is neither more difficult or really fitting. Kinda throws the whole thing off for me.
Rudy is just a decent final boss but the plot twist and game over screen lost its impact over time. The fight itself is pretty good. WLII final boss (es) wasn't that great, lackluster send off to an otherwise great game. I'll give it a pass since multiple game paths was ambitious for GameBoy. Demon Head is a good boss and makes use of the background foreground feature but despite the challenge he gave me he too felt like he wasn't really a final boss to me. Hit him in the nose a few times and he's down, that's it? Boring. The genie sucks, throw the lamp (roll the dice) until a cloud comes out then jump on his head. It doesn't test you, its not difficult, its just an exercise for my patience.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

No doubt about it. I would have to choose the Demon Head in its complete form on the secret Hard Mode (from VB Wario Land). That fight is harder and more intense than any other final boss in the Wario series. I also find it the most freakish final adversary, lurking and watching deep within that pitch black void... Brrrrr!!

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

Wow... the Demon Head looks scary af in its true final form. I didn't even know that was possible.

 

[CM30]

Looks like a demon version of Mr Burns from The Simpsons if you ask me...

 

[Crow]

Definitely the Golden Diva. It's a perfect mix of attacks that feel really fun to throw back at her. The music makes it feel really intense too.

 

[Metal]

Mix up between Captain Syrup (WL2) and the Black Jewel, after all she is p much the main antagonist for the first two games and the second one you actually get to fight her. Black Jewel I put on mostly because it's such a dumb and easy boss fight and those tend to be hilarious for me plus it looks like an eldritch abomination.

 

[I.M.Gibbon]

I'm going to say Captain Syrup. A lot of the bosses in the series are big head & hands bosses, and she's one of the only recurring characters throughout the series, and her fights are actually interesting to boot!

 

[Yikes Spike]

Shake King. Literally, what would happen if a rusty Wario faces his past self from Wario Land 4.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

Shake King. Literally, what would happen if a rusty Wario faces his past self from Wario Land 4.

Well, somewhat... Except that Wario never flew through the sky magically, firing energy beams like a Dragon Ball character.

 

[CM30]

Eh, I thought that was a hint that he wasn't as ordinary as he first appeared. I mean, look at the backgrounds in the fight. Or the technology he uses throughout the game to stop Wario, like the alarm sirens and underwater defence wall bosses. The Shake King may look like a normal pirate (or viking), but it's implied he's a robot of some kind, and probably has significantly more power behind him than his concept would initially suggest.

 

[Scyhh]

shake king. i like boss fights that put a version of your character against you.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

Demon Head is still my pick of the litter. No other final boss gave me more anxiety or difficulty in the Wario platformer series (especially his second encounter in the secret Hard Mode).

I find him to be the most intriguing final boss of the series. The game's backstory never mentions this abomination, let alone gives any explanation of its origins. As you climb the labyrinth of floors throughout the game you see various shrines and markings depicting this creepy thing, until at last, you reach the final fourteenth floor, and it suddenly appears from the impenetrable darkness. The most demented, nightmarish boss of Wario's series (unless you have a fear of clowns, making Rudy your man).

As for the others; Terrormisu in Master of Disguise had a very unique, creative boss fight, but was far too easy. The Golden Diva was also a bit of a let down and pushover, as she spends most of the fight throwing items to hurt her with, and her final hideous unmasked form is far too brief and lenient.

Of all the final bosses, though, I reckon the Evil Black Jewel held the most potential for a Wario antagonist. Wario World had the perfect premise for a final Wario game, since his greatest love has become his greatest enemy, and worst nightmare.
Sadly, due to the busy circumstances with Treasure Corp. during 2002-2003, the Black Jewel was never fully realised (not even in the extra phase of the Japanese version of Wario World). They could have done so much more with it, considering its theme and backstory of wiping out civilisation.