Bossa Nova Monday: Yunalesca

Reaper of Souls

For 1,000 years, the summoners of Spira have traveled on a pilgrimage to Zanarkand to receive the final aeon, needed to defeat Sin. For 1,000 years---ever since defeating the first coming of Sin and dying in the process---the unsent spirit Yunalesca has waited in the ruined city of Zanarkand with a terrible revelation: There is no final aeon. In order to defeat Sin, not only must the summoner sacrifice his life by performing the final summoning, but he must also sacrifice one of his guardians to become the final aeon. After defeating Sin, the sacrificed guardian will then take its place, becoming the next Sin. Unwilling to make this terrible choice and perpetuate the cycle of destruction, Yuna and her guardians instead undertake to battle Yunalesca and send her to the Farplane for good.

Yunalesca is a classic multi-form boss; each time you defeat her she comes back in a scarier, stronger form (until you defeat her third and final form; then she's really done). Her second form spams curative magic on your party, which would be nice except that she's turned your characters into undead zombies with her Hellbiter attack, so the Cures hurt rather than heal, and the occasional "Full Life" spell can mean instant death. But don't break out the holy water just yet---her Mega Death special casts instant death, killing the entire party . . . unless they happen to be zombies, in which case the attack is harmless (death spells, instant death attacks, and items are traditionally ineffective against the undead).

Weapon:	Absorb (1st form); Curative Magic (2nd & 3rd forms)
Signature Moves:	Mega Death; Mind Blast
Weakness:	Holy Magic
Distinguishing Features:	Her sexy bikini body is hiding a terrible tentacular monster!
Difficulty:	7/10
Death Quote:	"Ah . . . Zaon . . . Forgive me. . . . Spira has been robbed of the light of hope. . . . All that remains is sorrow."
Similar Characters:	Jenova (FFVII), Medusa (Kid Icarus)