9 Epic Boss Fight Themes From Honkai: Star Rail

When it comes to storytelling, I really love what music can do for it. I’m the person who will go see a movie based just on who composed the score. The same is very much true for video games. One of the things that makes me a fan of the HoYoVerse lineup is its dedication to crafting music for its games. This is why they have an entire group, HoYoMix, dedicated to scoring their games, working with people around the world.

Below, I’ve compiled nine of my favorite boss fight themes from their F2P action RPG Honkai: Star Rail. These pieces range from pure classical to pop to jazz to anything in between.

Dawn Of Disaster – Doomsday Beast

The very first big boss fight in Honkai Star Rail definitely makes an impression. Of course, part of that might be the fact that the Trailblazer loses control and has to be temporarily put out of commission by a gentle bonk on the head from soon-to-be-ally Welt Yang. It’s one of those pure anime moments where the geriatric character comes in in a pinch. The electronic style of the music plays off the fact that the battle is taking place on the landing area of a space station, and you’re battling a gigantic creature with high-intensity laser beams.

Wildfire – Cocolia

This is one of the first boss songs with lyrics and is for the last phase of the battle against Cocolia, the leader of Belobog, who, like many leaders in stories, chose the wrong path to try to protect her people. You’re forced to help her daughter defeat her and free their world from the influence of a Stellaron. The fight takes place across three phases with the last phase taking place to a rock ballad.

A Gentleman’s Fantasy – Argenti

Some guy just kind of appears on the Astral Express and, because he thinks it would be a beautiful thing, you have to fight him. This ends up being a pretty challenging fight overall. Yet, the whole time the music is very classical, chill, and actually something you might see someone performing a dance to in a ball room. Yet, the entire time, you’re just angry with this pretty-boy knight. Gotta love the dichotomy.

Nevermore – SAM

This is the first big boss fight on Penacony, the world of dreams. (I’m going to admit that several of my favorite pieces are from Penacony.) Like a lot of things on this planet, SAM isn’t quite what it seems. It is a difficult boss to deal with, and the music reflects that while also just being something you can vibe to outside the fight.

Hell is Preferable to Nihility - Aventurine

Aventurine is one of my favorite frienemies in Star Rail. One of the Ten Stonehearts, he’s a senior manager at the IPC. His primary ability is having luck on his side – which has worked both for and against him throughout his life. However, when you meet him, he’s more or less on top of things. Because of this ability, he turns everything in life into a gamble. So, a fight with him is a bit like a fight with a slot machine, and his fight theme is a super jazzy piece that makes you feel a bit like you’re in a Vegas heist movie.

Symphony No 8 ‘A Thousand Suns’, plus others – Septimus

The Septimus fight is another three-phase fight. As the boss is musical-themed… you are, in fact, fighting a conductor with a small orchestra… music is also key to the battle. This is why the first two pieces, "Symphony No 8 ‘A Thousand Suns’" and "Infirma Nostri Coporis," are very orchestral with choirs. The last piece, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers," is a huge shift, being a pop song. Because I just love how these three tie together, I’ve included them all. My advice is to listen to them together.

King Father Of All- Nikador

Imagine you’re fighting a god dedicated to Strife, with the goal of taking his power. They’re not going to make it easy for you. "King Father of All" conveys that perfectly. Everything just hits hard. The choir, percussion, everything. It just says that you’re fighting a terrifying god.

This is by far just a sampling. Even if you aren't a fan of HoYo's games, if you like solid music you may want to fire up a playlist when you need a solid tune to get you through the day.