The final boss's name and title is Ouroboros, God of Destruction. The serpent that devours itself but regenerates itself. During the boss fight, Ouroboros uses Total Regeneration every turn, completely healing itself from any damage you do. The theme of cycles repeating is extremely prevalent in the game (going on for millions of years), and that is reflected in the final battle. But, eventually, you break that cycle of regeneration. You overcome this as the Warriors of Light, banding together with your alternate selves in other universes. As you stop Ouroboros from regenerating itself, you also stop it from destroying alternate realities like it has been for millions of years. This is when the character's leitmotifs kick in, which also plays when you use Super Moves. Showing that the characters' power is overcoming the cycle of destruction.

They did a live performance of this song a few years ago, and the person who came out on stage to do the accordion for the Love's Vagrant part was the composer, REVO, himself, dressed a rockstar complete with sunglasses and long black hair. This man's soundtracks are always amazing lol. Also, fun fact, REVO also wrote (and sang iirc) a few of the openings for Attack on Titan - specifically, the first 3, and Season 3's opening - and you can definitely hear the similarities in style between all 4 openings and Serpent Eating the Ground.

This game is worth having a stream listening over. The entire OST is a symphonic masterpiece.

Oh wow, this song. Okay, so for those who only know this song from hearing it from the OST or the Live Concert: Serpent Eating the Ground is a song with three movements. Unlike Dancing Mad, which switches to the next movement as you progress on the phases, as you enter new phases against Ouroboros the next movement gets added to the loop (meaning that on Phase 2 the second and first movement take turns looping, and for Phase 3 all three movements are taking turns). This choice is important for the feeling of the fight, because on Phase 1 Ouroboros recovers from all damage on their turn (you still move to Phase 2 after enough damage is dealt though, this is just for dramatic effect), so the relentlessness of Movement 1 makes the battle more despairing. The second movement (7:25) riffs on the game's world map theme (The Horizon: Endless Light and Shadow, definitely worth a listen). Using electric guitars makes it more battleworthy, of course, but notice how near the end of the movement it goes back to the "holy reverence/descending sadness" from the start of the song... because we're looping right back to Movement 1, of course. Why? Oh, Ouroboros eats a parallel world once you deal enough damage to them, healing completely. So even as you're more capable of fighting back, the despair from the first Movement hasn't completely gone away. Just as it starts looking hopeless again (after the boss eats a second parallel world) and the group despairs that they're just dooming more worlds by fighting back? That's when the Warriors of Light from *every other world* appear to also do battle. And that's what leads us to the third movement (9:59), as the setting despair gets replaced with everyone's themes - capped off, naturally, by the second half of the title theme (Onward Into the Light: An Overture). It still has to loop back into the first movement, but we're in the home stretch now - Ouroboros can't eat worlds while fighting on *every front, ever*, after all, so the holy reverence now feels more mocking at the boss.

In the boss fight, the boss regenerates by eating other worlds. It would use worlds from your friends list 😂

11 years after playing this game, I still listen to its soundtrack on a regular basis. It's so good 😭thank you for covering this!

There is actually a fifth leitmotif here, which is the Asterisk's theme or the fight music for the Class Bosses, and from which you get the different Jobs for your party. Aside from the four character themes, the Asterisk theme is also one of the main songs of the game (which has a banger of a lyrical version, by the way). The Asterisk's theme in the Serpent Eating the Ground is the conclusion of the character themes, and to me feels like it's not just the party fighting the boss, but they were also doing it with all the people they fought and met with along the way, represented by the class skills they now use. The presentation in-game itself is actually greater in scope than all of this, showing that this conflict is of a bigger scale than it actually is.

You are correct, actually! A very cool thing about the song, is that it's actually segmented by the "phases" of the boss! The shifting, serene tone you mentioned doesn't play until certain tragedy strikes, and then our theme song and the char themes won't play till we make that turn around! The song is more than just music, it's cinematic, a story! REVO Heika actually believes that, "composers of old would have used the sounds of nature in their songs, had they our technology" ...... you know? He believes music should always tell a story; every theme was made with the character in mind, and every final boss theme is always together. In fact, I might recommend something from Revo's original album, MOIRA. It's a story based on greek-themes, but has an original mythology. And, (not spoiling too much) the characters in it, one of the last songs is an epic, final battle, and you can hear the leitmotifs of the characters all over that song; having gone through the entire album, it feels rewarding. The motifs of the goddess Moira, the death god Thanatos, the slave-market Ilion, the hero Elefseus, the prince Leontius-- All of it becomes a hogposh, and basically, when you hear the song for the final clash in MOIRA... you know, for a fact, yes, this was definitely made by "the bravely default guy". xD If you ever do look into it, I would recommend looking up the live action ones, for that cinematic experience! (:

Having only heard Serpent Eating the Ground before, it was surreal hearing all the 4 main motifs, because I recognized them INSTANTLY

Just FYI, “serpent eating the ground” is a slight mistranslation of the original title which is “serpent that eats the horizon” which is a reference to Ouroboros or Jormangund the world serpent from Norse mythology. Both are a reference to the idea of a cyclical existence without beginning or end. And without giving any spoilers, that is a very thematically appropriate reference for what occurs in this game.

BRAVELY DEFAULT MENTIONED LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! thank you for Bravely Default mention. Revo does amazing work for his role in Sound Horizon and also as himself writing.

Near the beginning of the game, in the intro cinematic, a town gets destroyed. They actually dip into the town's theme when they show the town just before it happens -- this is the only time in the game that this theme is ever played, because, well, the town's gone. I thought that was pretty neat.

Ah yes Bravely Default the game that mixes 3 of the most popular bosses in final fantasy into one really awesome boss for 5 stages of final battle. I wish they ported the first two Bravely Default games to the switch.

All of the Bravely games have amazing music. If the boss has an asterisk, the song is going to be a jam

Its a really treat to watch the live version of this one and watch REVO (the composer) shredd on the accordion.

I'm so happy that you made a video on this song!!!! I've been hoping that you would listen to it since it's such a beautifully powerful song with many inferences in the music. Some things I wanted to confirm for you and help you understand some others! You were absolutely right about the main theme when you had mentioned it, it's also the start of the victory theme when you win a battle! It's hugely important after the characters themes because it's telling you "You have the power to defeat this boss, the end is in sight just give it all you have!". The four themes you listened to at the beginning are your main characters' special attack themes for when they're buffed for as long as the song lasts, which is only a minute iirc. Regardless they're all beautiful, empowering, and equally fitting for each character's personality and backstories. I'm happy Ringabel's theme warmed you heart like it does mine X3 Holy reverence and descending sadness are both very good ways to describe the boss. They are a celestial being in this universe and a very BAD one that you had not heard of, so fighting something of this size, magnitude, and importance from what you fought before is a huge step. They are intent of destroying EVERYTHING and they're so close to it and you're the only ones in their way. The first shift is also super importance for "quiet confidence" as you mentioned. A very important someone shows up to lend you their aid (no spoilers on who or how) to hold back the celestial being's power. It's funny how you mention spiraling chaos. There are things that happen in that fight that do spiral out of control and it's very insane and worrying when you first see it happen (once again I won't spoil what happens). I've listened to this song for nearly 10 years now, that feeling of power and courage that I get from this song hasn't gone away one bit. All of the songs in this game are absolutely beautiful and would highly recommend a listen to the OST as well as play the game if you like JRPGs, especially old school Final Fantasy ones! Huge shoutout to Revo, the band that composed and performed all of the Bravely Default and Bravely Default 2 OSTs. Their music made this game shine brilliantly ♥

Fun facts! Like FF6's Dancing Mad, this composition actually has several internal loops: 1 - Initially, the game loops only the first movement by itself. Which is also why you hear this movement played twice before the track proceeds onwards, to establish one full seamless loop. 2 - Once you reach 2nd phase, the game now loops the first _two_ movements (e.g. including the World Map and Main Theme leitmotifs). 3 - Once you reach final phase, the game now loops _all three_ movements (including the Four Heroes leitmotifs). Other people have done a better job explaining what makes this unique looping structure tie in to the battle's narrative. Bravely Default is a great take on the classic JRPG formula for certain, but it is also a very LONG game and its latter half is also _explicitly_ repetitive (which the energy/stakes of the final boss at the end of it doesn't _entirely_ compensate for). I played the game on its "Hard" difficulty (enemies buffed by +25% stats) and by the endgame not only was my team Lv.95+, my team *NEEDED* to be that high level for the final boss. (Normally you can expect the final boss to occur around Lv.60-70, leaving extra room for players who need it to level grind).

This is a song that gets even better once you listen to the rest of the soundtrack and realize just how much of it is referenced in this track. It's brilliant, a perfect capstone to the game. Definitely one of my favorite tracks from any game.

That closure, it feels just like the fall of the evil serpent. "How could you defeat me? I lived for millions of years! You are insignificant in confront to me!"

Talking about Bravely Default is tricky. Due to a few certain game design decisions, a lot of people didn't finish it. But those who did could write whole essays on this song and its place in the game itself and the story. Yes, it is the final boss theme, but when it plays it's not just a fight going on, but intermixed with character reactions and cutscenes as various storybeats come to fruition and conclusion. Let's just say whenever I hear this song and it gets to the point where the character themes kick in, I get goosebumps every time and it is 100% earned.

There is a live version for this that nicely shows many of the things that you mentioned. And it's amazing by the way, who thought that appearing with a accordion on the stage could look so cool.

Very cool to see you covering Bravely Default on the channel! I'd be willing to watch more of Bravely Default coverage, the songs are great and that's thanks to Revo!

Oh! And "that person's name is" from this same soundtrack despite being the primary boss theme for the entire game, has one of the hardest finales I've heard in my entire life

That bit you suggested as being Bravely Default’s main theme at around 9 minutes, is, I believe derived from “and that person’s name is”, a recurring boss theme through the game for the ‘Asterisk Bearers’, people who you once fought but are now lending their support. This theme is a coming together of the whole world in the game and I love it.

I like how it went from you fighting the boss to boss fighting you and even declaring the player's victory over the boss at the end.

Something that is not discussed enough in this game is also the evolution of three previous songs "wicked thing", "wicked battle" and "wicked flight"

YES! My favorite game series of all time, and the absolutely incredible final boss theme of its first game. Been waiting for this one for a while, super happy to see it! Now if you REALLY want a leitmotif gauntlet, try Bravely Default 2's final boss theme, Those Who Gather Stars in the Darkness. It has 11 - yes, ELEVEN - leitmotifs :)

I'm glad you like this song! It's one of the best final boss themes out there. I'd also recommend "Battle of Providence", the final boss theme of Bravely Second, this game's sequel. It also sports the main characters' leit motifs. Also, "That Person's Name Is..." is the theme of the major boss battles in this game, which is one of the greatest boss themes written. Highly recommended.

The composer of this game also made opening of Attack on titan

FINALLY THIS SONG! I don't even play the game but since I've been listening to the composer's Band (Sound Horizon) beforehand, the game's music immediately caught my attention. So happy you finally react to this! If I may, Sound Horizon and Linked Horizon works are remarkable, especially since Sound Horizon creates storytelling albums (like those of Musicals). If you have time, maybe you can check them out (and get a translated lyrics because it's mostly dialogue and singing).

I love this boss theme so much! I think the live version is one of my favorite performances ever since we actually see that accordion get played by Revo himself. I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to this song with how good it is and I'm so happy you've covered it.

Oh man, i completely forgotten how good the character themes are, especially for Edea and Ringabel. If you're looking for anything else, check put "Its name is Ba'al." They're the themes to some, truly twisted looking monstrosities, from a mutated goldfish with a massive maw, to a skeletal dove with a wedding veil.

You should hear "The Evil Wings", which is the penultimate boss theme, deriving from the leitmotif "The Evil One", also present in "The Evil War" (you encounter the same boss in different forms throughout the game, "The Evil One" plays in their first battle, as well as cutscenes involving them, "The Evil War" plays in the second battle, and "The Evil Wings" plays during their final encounter and is the best of the three).

I barely even played the game but I never stopped listening to the OST. Frequently use it as a soundtrack for our D&D campaigns too.

This soundtrack is the reason I want to get into composition cause man is this soundtrack amazing

This boss will forever be my favorite boss experience ever, as long as you don’t cheese it with time mage/dragoon combos… everything from the music, to the way it utilized the 3DS camera to insert the player into their roll in the games story.

This game is probably my favorite video game soundtrack ever. Revo's use of Leitmotif and theming is incredible. I definitely recommend checking out the Luxendarc Kikou concert for this as well. Many of the game's songs have lyrical versions that Revo also created that only exist in the concert and not in the game itself and it's a treat. Especially with Revo himself singing the lyrics to Love's Vagrant.

Bravely Default II (Which is actually the third mainline game, diffrent contentunity.) Also has an amazing final boss theme.

Let's fucking gooooooo! I've been dying for some of the music oriented KZfaqrs to look into the more modern and out there square enix titles that I love(the bravely series, octopath series, triangle strategy) and you quickly grew a spot in my heart, so I'm sending this before I even watch, I'm so hyped for it

Really stoked to see Serpent Eating the Ground on the channel! If you ever do another Bravely Default video it almost has to be the final boss theme from Bravely Default 2, Eyes that Gaze into the Nexus ~ The Ones who Gather Stars in the Night. The solo vocal performance there is NUTS

This is such a great, great musical piece. I am totally in love with how prog it is and how the character themes are introduced in the song, it makes it more personal to how the player has been experiencing all the history and those characters throughout the game. I totally agree with you it is one of the top final boss themes in videogame history, it is so damn good at so many levels.

God, You Are My Hope coming in like that makes me cry EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Such a good theme!

Revo is an absolute Genius and linked Horizon is legendary XD It’s wonderful to finally see you listen to this and I hope for a full OST listen because this song gets EVEN better with it XD

A small interesting bit is that if I remember correctly it not only uses the 4 character/special themes it also contains the battle victory theme (it plays directly after the 4 characters themes) signifies that the characters are winning, YOU are winning. There is also the main field theme which plays (I think after the first piano part) kind of symbolizing your journey. Another fun fact is that the whole soundtrack for bravely default and (by extension) bravely default II is made by REVO who also made the 1st and 3rd Attack on Titan Openings and the guy uses leitmotifs A LOT.

This song absolutely nails the motifs! The electric guitar will start to play the main theme after the piano solo, and right before and after the character themes the boss fight theme will kick in. So much fun to listen to, and I'm glad you like it!

"Where the fairy flies" ^^

Anges is actually pronounced On Yes and Eyes That Gaze Into the Nexus from Bravely Default 2 is easily as good as this one, surprisingly. Same stuff, incorporates all of the player themes and boss themes. Highly recommend another video like this for that one. You’d love it

I think this honestly one of the best: Final boss themes Video game music compositions Pieces of music in general EVER MADE. And the fact there is a LIVE version of this that is just as good is INSANE.

I love themes that "evolve" as the fight goes on. Like, at the beginning, the song is foreboding and intimidating, as you have no chance of beating this foe. But as the battle progresses and you start gaining the upper hand, it changes to something hopeful and epic. Even better, it incorporates the characters' themes into the song, showing that now, they're the ones in control. The only other song I know that "evolves" as the player slowly starts to gain the upper hand on the final boss would be Jaldabaoth~Our Beginning from Persona 5.

I love when our main theme shifts out the bosses theme's. That moment of hope and power

Oh man, its been so long ago since I've played Bravely Default, I forgot how epic their music is. Thanks for reminding me on this classic masterpiece.

So in game, when a character does their "limit break" attack, in addition to the effects of the attack, the character's leitmotif plays for a duration. During that duration, you get buffs until the song ends. However, you can (as the song ends) have another character do their own limit break to have their leitmotif play and not only have its own buffs, you can also continue the buffs from the previous character's limit break. Yes, you can chain leitmotifs in game just like in the song. (The only problem is the boss battle themes are awesome and it's tempting not to do your own limit breaks so you can keep hearing it)

If you haven't yet, i implore you with all my heart to listen to live version of this song!!! It's amazing and it has the full heart of REVO as he truly shines the best on open stage!!! A lot of the live editions of all the songs I feel like is what REVO wanted to initially to present but was limited for whatever reasons for the final game production. Coming from a Sound Horizon/REVO fan since 2007!!! :]

I loved playing Bravely Default when I was younger! The sheer chaos, epic-ness, beauty and harmony of this final boss theme sums up my whole experience playing this game so well. So glad you reviewed this theme and gave such high praise for it!

REVO did such a good job integrating the music of Bravely Default I was disappointed he didn't do the music of Bravely Second. Was glad to see him back for Bravely Default II (and my favorite theme from that being "A Trial of the Brave") My favorite part of Serpant Eating the ground is that transition from the start of Ringabel's theme into "That person's name is?" because by this point Ring has realized WHO he is. Both his personas combined for his part of the song. I love it.

They also have a Live concert for the Bravely Default OST, they have a fun surprise for in store for you when the battle medley is, so you should probably check out the full ost before going there!

This game ost is just an incredible journey I never get tired of. There's a bunch of masterpieces but I also really love Wicked battle, wicked flight and baal theme👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

I'm so happy that you covered this game, thanks Marco! 🙏 (Edit) Bravely default 2 final boss theme did the same blending of the main chars. themes as well, along side with other memorable chars themes.

"Beating the impossible" - this is what I think about when it comes to jRPG (and most of asian games). I'm absolutely in love with the idea of facing something that seems like a wall, a vertical difficulty spike that forces you to think about your actions and sometimes completely change the strategy. And great music makes that kind of fights quadrillion times better. In last year I've finished "Library of Ruina" and earned an addiction its OST 🌝 I highly recommend to check some songs and battle themes from this game. Here's a list of my favorites: Battle themes: - Roland - Tiphereth (Floor of natural sciences) - Binah (Floor of philosophy) Songs (by Mili): - String Theocracy - Children of City - Gone Angels P.S. Bonus song from Mili's album for Library of Ruina, but not included in OST, BUT hits harder than any other: - Salt, Pepper, Birds and the Thought Police

Bravely has some phenomenal music. Would love to hear your take on the Asterisk theme "And That Person's Name Is"

With how much they put you through to get the 'proper' ending and true boss battle, the theme being this epic powerhouse is the ultimate payout. (Oh, and the story too, I guess.)

i hope you get to listen to the live concert version too! im so happy you're looking at BDFF/LH music!

Amazing analysis, what you descrived at the end perfectly capsulates the feeling I had when I thought that boss. Great work

Now that makes me really want a similar video but with Bravely Default 2's special themes, especially Seth's special theme. Great work as always!

Bravely default is such a good game, and the music equally so! The 'winding staircase' vibes is definitely reference to the repetitive nature of the game, a cycle being perpetuated and ofc its the protagonists duty to stop the cycle (without getting into spoilers). Its been a long time since i played but as an ff fan its still a huge favorite since its classic final fantasy in all but name. I think the music is a good example of that!

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH I WAS SO SHOCKED WHEN I SAW YOU UPLOAD THIS

Fun fact: There’s even more motifs in this boss theme than that of the main characters. This theme is a rehash of EVERY motif in the game including but not limited to: The title theme The overworld theme The basic battle/encounter theme Other boss themes It’s a true masterclass of the power of theming and recalling old melodies from prior in our journey. As you so aptly put, this is less of a boss theme, and more of a theme for the entire journey and the game as a whole. This song gets me hyped like no other piece of music can. This is it. Everything the tens of hundreds of hours of gameplay have been leading to is culminating in this one single moment

Love this song so much, and it's incredible how the composer effortlessly ties each individual theme back into the heroic section of the final boss battle. It's the most uplifting boss theme I can think of.

So cool to finally see you react to this song!! Btw there is a live version done by the band that created this song and its even crazier given how hard it would be to pull off this song! Keep up the awesome reactions Marco! 😊❤

A lot of Bravely Default songs go around with fan translated titles. Most of them are pretty good, but a few of them aren't quite right. This song would be better called _Serpent Devouring the Horizon_ - the game's world of Luxendarc is called the _"Horizon of Light and Shadow"_ in the world map theme. Also, the game's OST was provided by Revo's band "Sound Horizon", going by the special name "Linked Horizon" that they use as an alternate imprint when they make music for an existing story (such as the first Attack on Titan OP!) instead of their own rock opera projects... This imprint was first used for Bravely Default itself, and the fact that it's specifically _Linked_ Horizon is a small meta joke about BD's plot!

Marco, I am so happy you decided to review this song. It is one of Revo's more ambitious compositions. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend you watch the Luxendarc Kiko live stage musical where Revo plays with his band and an orchestra, collectively called Linked Horizon. It's beautiful and fantastic.

OH MY GOD YES !! Bravely Default has some of the BEST music out of all JRPGs !!

Yes. The answer is yes. Especially the way it incorporates all of the main characters' themes.

It's my 2nd favorite from Bravely Default. If you can, please check out "Wicked Battle." (There's also Wicked Flight, but I like Wicked Battle much better) It's possibly one of my all-time-favorite boss themes from any geme. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. It's sooo good.

Its amazing what he can analyze just from hearing the music

dangit, that game is so cool, and the boss theme is so epic, I cried back when I first played through it and I'm crying again. darn it, Marco!

Bravely Default is my all time favorite game, I hope you'll analyze more songs from it's OST

God I love this game's music, thank you for doing a vid on it Marco ❤️

I LOVE THIS TRACK SO MUCH. It's pride of place in my Bravely Default playlist along with Ringabel's theme. This game's music is the best.

It's funny you should mention the boss being a serpent. While the boss itself is not designed as a serpent, it's name is Ouroboros which is the name of a mythical serpent depicted as swallowing it's own tail, a symbol of infinity. And if you know the game's central plot, yeah the name makes A LOT of sense

Say what you will about the game itself, but Revo's scores for BD and BDII are absolutely incredible. I actually listen to it now more than the Final Fantasy tracks that I used to obsess over. 🥰

Octopath Traveler's battle theme (I think it's Battle Theme 1) is one of the most epic fight theme tracks ever. It's on the level of boss battle, and yet it's the song for regular random encounters. Epic!

While I’ve never played Bravely Default, I can certainly say I am a fan of the few songs I’ve heard from its soundtrack. If you are looking for more fantastic RPG music I would personally recommend you try Ys and the Trails series. Falcom has a really good track record of producing-in my opinion anyways-some of the best music you will find in games.

No matter how many times I listen to this, during the back half I simply cannot speak.

We all glad you did this one and hope it will be a great welcome for you to new musical treasures of bravely default

If this takes a lot of homework, imagine analysing all the themes in BD2's final boss.

OOHH! Finally! :) You review this! Im glad you enjoy this!

I played this game religiously and I listed to this soundtrack over and over while studying in college and still to this day I well up when I hear the 4 heroes themes in this song.

I absolutely adore the character themes, and a lot of the music from the game, it just hits so right. It's a shame I never finished the game, they kinda bungled it right before the end.

The music is so expressive. It paints the background, the mood, the characters, scale, motion, all of it.

Still haven't played the game itself and yet this theme has brought me to literal tears the couple times I've listened to it. It does such an amazing job with carrying the emotions that should come with a final fight in a jrpg style story.

IM LATE THANK YOU MARCO FOR FINALLY GIVING THIS ONE A LISTEN MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED THANK YOU MAN

oml you actually did it marco you made a bravely default video i pray you listen to battle of providence from bravely default 2 some day that ones fantastic! keep up the good work!

I can't believe I missed out on this video when it was released! I was hoping you'd react to this song and each character's themes!!! I'm so happy!! Out of the character's themes, Tiz's theme is my favorite! Even the live action version of Serpent Eating the Ground is incredible!!

Bravely Default is a masterpiece and I'm glad you reacted to this track because it became into one of my favs of the game!❤

This song is actually called 'Serpent Eating the Horizon'

OH YAA!!!!!!!!!! This game... it was amazing, to bad the next ones were censored to oblivion... This game was one of the TOP 5 Surprise Betrayals/Hero Manipulation ever.... I was speechless about who turned out to be the main enemy

The 3ds game with the most banger music. The basic town themes sound like they could be the main themes of its own game

the call at 07:22 and response at 08:03 is so insanely good

Oh man I think i recommended this to you a LONG time ago. Glad you got to it even if I had nothing to do with me!