10 Boss Battle Themes Worth Adding to Your Gym Playlist ASAP

When you think of a video game's soundtrack, odds are you're going to land on a game's boss battle theme. For as long as gaming soundtracks have existed, composers have known it's important to save your most dramatic and powerful tracks for a game's boss to match the intensity of the battle unfolding on screen.

Even in series like Final Fantasy, which are renowned for their large catalog of banger tracks, it's the boss themes that come out on top and stick with us the longest. And when you're in the gym looking for the right track to motivate you through your sets, a boss battle can be a pretty underrated pick to help boost that adrenaline.

That's not to say that boss battle themes are the most superior track you'll find on a video game OST (anyone who's played Outer Wilds knows this), but there's no denying that if you need a song to help you lock in, a boss battle is a surefire way to help you do that.

Here are 10 boss battle themes well and truly worth adding to your playlist if you're looking for something to help get you through your set at the gym.

10 Final Fantasy VI - Dancing Mad (Kefka's Boss Theme)

One of the Greatest Boss Themes of All-Time

It's no surprise that Final Fantasy VI would land here. I mean, this is the same soundtrack that draws direct influence from the progressive rock group Emmerson, Lake & Palmer in just the previous boss fight.

Composer Nobou Uematsu absolutely cooked with Kefka's final battle theme, though, delivering a track that is equal parts chaotic as the character and deeply dramatic as well.

The track is an epic 17-minute symphonic joy, structured in four movements that mirror the character's descent into godhood, and his all-encompassing nihilism that has come with it. It's a track that revels in the mad clown's destructive glee, while also transitioning into a more somber track. While the first half is sure to keep you motivated during the start of your set, you're going to truly feel triumphant by the end as the track ends on a slower, sadder note.

9 Furi - 8:02 (The Star's Boss Theme)

An Epic to Close Out the Game

I could honestly just put every track from EDM producer Danger's soundtrack for Furi on this list, and it would still be correct. But if I had to pick any boss theme that'd work as a killer workout theme, '8:02' is an obvious choice.

This track scores your epic confrontation with the massive AI mother ship, The Star, with its pulsing synths scoring the bosses arena wide lazer attacks. In the context of the game, this song appears after the Stranger has rebelled against his creator, choosing to protect the planet from being invaded instead. The track is a masterclass in building tension throughout the song, and is sure to get nodding along with its repetitive rhythm.

Throw this track in between some EDM or industrial heavy hitters like HEALTH, and you're sure to stay locked in on your cardio session.

8 Sonic x Shadow Generations - All Hail Shadow (Neo Devil Doom's Boss Theme)

A Remix of a Certified Classic

The original 'All Hail Shadow' is already a certified club banger, but its new rendition by Crush 40 in the Sonic x Shadow Generations DLC turns the track into a full-on symphonic metal treat worthy of a boss battle.

This track appears after Shadow reclaims his identity, right as the Black Doom returns and transforms into the monstrous Neo Devil Doom. What used to be a fairly bombastic and silly track, its remix here captures the grand scale of Devil Doom's boss fight, and the heroism of Shadow's defiance of his biological father.

It also makes for a great easter egg, as the track first debuted in Shadow's standalone PS2 game over 20 years ago. Making its inclusion here a full-circle moment for our favorite edge lord as he faces off against his greatest foe yet.

If you're looking for a heavy, triumphant track to add to your playlist, then you can't go wrong here.

7 Doom Eternal - The Only Thing They Fear Is You (The Marauder's Boss Theme)

No Drywall is Safe After Hearing This Song

Mick Gordon's soundtracks for the most recent Doom games may just be some of the best OST's in recent gaming history. And while both soundtracks are filled with banger after banger, 'The Only Thing They Fear Is You,' taken from Doom Eternal, is one that never fails to get me going.

This track is technically Doom Slayer's theme, but it plays during your hectic fight with the Marauder demon, so I'm counting it.

The track is a blistering song, with Gordon's guitars playing these pounding industrial metal riffs, building tension to these explosive drops; you can't help but feel like you want to throw your whole body at someone in a pit. Which works for the theme of the game, as the song scores the demons' fear of the Slayer, and his rampage against their forces. You honestly couldn't name a more metal setup for a song if you tried.

Nanomachines, Son

No sequence in a game will make a man say "hell yeah" quite like the Senator Armstrong fight in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Not only is the sequence absolutely absurd and littered with pure aura farm moments, but the soundtrack truly matches the spectacle, taking the fight to the next level.

'It Has To Be This Way', written by composer Jamie Christopherson and Logan Mader with Jimmy Gnecco on vocals, is the theme for the game's final boss, Senator Armstrong. Given how explosive and fun a character like Armstrong is, his boss theme was sure to be a tough one to write, but I think it's fair to say they absolutely nailed it.

The track is a powerful anthemic metal song, oozing with character and contagious joy, it's nearly impossible to listen to and now smile. If you're a lore head as well, then it's likely you'll also appreciate the various lyrics in the track that help to flesh out Senator Armstrong's character, his motivations, and how his personality changes throughout his fight.

If you want to see how much fun this song is, be sure to check out 8BitDrummer's cover of it on his channel. You'll find yourself air drumming along in no time.

5 Devil May Cry 5 - Bury the Light (Vergil's Boss Theme)

The Quintessential Aura Farm Song

Sometimes, you'll hear a song that sounds like the coolest thing ever. That is, until you hear Devil May Cry 5's 'Bury the Light' by Casey Edwards and realize that this song is the real deal.

The track itself speaks to Vergil's struggles growing up as a human/demon hybrid, and his path to self-reclamation and understanding his humanity is just as important as his demonic side.

With that in mind, it's no surprise this boss battle theme is dripping with edge, but it's done so well you can't help but admire it. But what makes this song a true gem is its powerful chorus, with vocalist Victor Borba putting on an absolute masterclass performance. It's tough not to instantly lock in on whatever you're doing the second that drop hits, making it an impeccable gym track.

4 Personal 5 Royal - Throw Away Your Mask (Maruki's Boss Battle Theme)

Persona Goes Nu-Metal

Persona 5's soundtrack is full of anthemic Jazz tracks that help the game feel light-hearted and playful. However, this track here rises to the occasion, shifting genres to something a bit heavier in tone.

While an instrumental version of this track titled 'Keep Your Faith' will play during your boss fight with Maruki and his persona Azathoth, it's the version with Lyn Inaizumi's vocals that plays in the battle's final phase that hits even harder. The lyrics speak to Maruki's Utopian vision as the vocalist pleads to the party to accept his version of reality, calling on the Phantom Thieves to throw away their masks and embrace the world he's offering.

The instrumental of the track has this nu-metal feel to it, with the drums keeping this pulsing rhythm throughout, which makes it impossible not to nod along to it. The Persona 5 soundtrack is filled with absolute bangers, but this track is an absolute stand-out. If, by some tragedy, you haven't heard this track yet, it's essential you get your ears around it now.

3 Hades - God of the Dead (Hades' Boss Theme)

A Boss Battle Theme Worthy of the God of the Underworld

Who would have thought the titular final boss of a game named after the God of the Underworld would have such a blistering and epic final boss battle theme?

Composer Darren Korb's soundtrack for Hades is an absolute treat, filled with tracks that capture the gloomy dread the realm of the dead would encompass.

This final boss theme is an absolute journey split into three phases to mirror the fight's own multi-phase setup. The first phase will echo the game's main theme, 'No Escape', adding to the battle's intensity as the slow guitar riffs demonstrate the sheer power Hades has. As the fight progresses in the second phase, the track will pick up the pace, with the drums absolutely pounding throughout, sounding like a clock ticking down on your life. Finally, the third phase shifts into a full-on barrage, heightening the desperation between the two characters.

If you're a fan of big prog metal epics in the vein of Periphery's 'Reptile' or 'The Glass Prison' by Dream Theater, this is sure to slot right into your playlist seamlessly.

2 Final Fantasy XIV - Scream (Hegemone & Agdists' Boss Theme)

It's Pandaemonium, Baby!

Final Fantasy XIV has an abundance of stellar boss battle themes, but the one that takes the cake for me is the track 'Scream' composed by Masayoshi Soken and Takafumi Imamura with vocalist AKINO. The track features some gruesome lyrics relating to cannibalism and blood rituals, mocking the player as if they were prey. Given the theme of the Pandaemonium raids and creation's endless hunger, the lyrics are spot on with the world building.

The chorus is the absolute standout here, though, and is an absolute anthemic treat. 'Scream' is very similar to other metalcore tracks by having a frenetic verse build to a soaring chorus that has you feel like you've ascended. In all honesty, it's hard to get mad after wiping multiple times in these fights, because the music is just that good.

1 Ultrakill - The Death of God's Will

Ultrakill? More like Ultra-Good Song

Ultrakill is home to some of the hardest tracks to ever grace a video game, but 'The Death of God's Will' is a boss battle theme for the ages.

This track will play in the intense second phase of Gabriel's rematch in ULTRAKILL's 6-2 level, and truly mirrors the insanity that unfolds during the fight.

Composer Hakita (of Heaven Pierce Her) gives this track everything. With chaotic metal riffs, harpsichord stabs, and soaring violin melodies, this track is filled with rage that is sure to get the blood pumping. With the voice lines "HERE! AND! NOW!" screaming at you during the fight, it's hard to argue that this isn't one of the game's most important hype tracks that makes Gabriel a truly memorable boss fight.