Big Bad Boss's Exploding

[Gingerzilla]

Hi All,
I'm a painter and I have decided to make a series around Shmups. (all artist have to deal with addiction eventually )
Anyway my idea is to make the art of giant explosions.
So I'm wondering if people might post their favourite big boss (or any) explosions from different games.
I will then take the best and turn them up into art

[MathU]

Raiden II has all the best boss stuff and some good big enemy explosions as well. The Metal Slug series also has some of the best grunt explosions, though the boss conclusions maybe feel a bit lacking at times.

[moonblood]

Viper Phase 1
Psyvariar II
Under Defeat

[Ikazu-san]

Hero Core has unique explosion pattern for each boss. Maybe even secret ones, but i'm not sure about that.

[Kollision]

Gradius V

[1up]

I like the boss explosions in Crimzon Clover where the core becomes instable and sends bright beams of light through the hull before it eventually explodes. Some of the bosses in the Darius games does this too.

[Skykid]

Aw, Ketsui. Carpet explosions.

[ratikal]

All the bosses in Judgement Silversword die in cool ways. Those sound effects are amazing.

[Nick420]

Gradius V

Yep, kollision has it. Gradius V look and sound the best to me as well.

@1up, yeah those explosions are sweet. Shikigami no shiro 3 has explosions like that as well, the beams of light are cool although I'm always left feeling a little unimpressed by the explosion itself in that game.

[BulletMagnet]

If you want to go abstract you could try Metal Black's bosses, though I also have a soft spot for Muchi Muchi Pork's cartoon-bubble stuff.

[Seraphis Cain]

Psyvariar 2's boss explosions are amazing. Crimzon Clover's are great too.

[ACSeraph]

Metal Black

This gets my vote, my absolute favorite boss death animations in the genre. Darius Gaiden's look awesome too, but Metal Black is king.

[ZacharyB]

I recommend Gun Frontier bosses' firestorm explosion.

Also, the way the bosses in Radiant Silvergun explode, with the explosion petering out into nothing.

[Gingerzilla]

That's a good list so far.
Please feel free to post images of them

[Kiken]

Ikaruga's first 3 bosses have very dramatic explosions... especially Bupposou as the wings explode one at a time as it descends into the background before the fuselage fully detonates.

[Blackbird]

Boss explosions in Darius Gaiden are pretty epic. The boss essentially implodes into an epileptic black hole.

[Magma Dragoon]

1944

[Oniros]

While not an explosion, I've always liked how one of the bosses (stage 5?) from Galuda II falls to his/her death. Very dramatic.

[Obiwanshinobi]

The mecha-mollusc boss of Hyper Duel first stage (at least the Saturn version).

[Skykid]

Homura deserves an honorable mention for bursts of green. That first boss has his limbs blow off before his torso goes supernova.

[copy-paster]

Metal Black's bosses

Resurrected
Yeah this also my favorite too, looks fucking badass.

[Squire Grooktook]

I'm very much a fan of the more psychedelic, magical types of explosions. On that note:

Darius Gaiden
Metal Black
Gun Frontier
Vacant Ark and Iwanaga (made by the same guy and use the same explosion effect I think)

Other, more traditional explosions:

Rayforce
Ether Vapor Remasters
Crimzon Clover
Contra Hard Corps
Flame Zapper Kotsujin (love that cross beam of light)

[Stevens]

Ikaruga
Under Defeat
Strania
Gradius V

No one does big explosions like G Rev/Treasure.

[Eaglet]

Metal Black is king, as people here have mentioned.

For regular ol' bombastic explosions i'd have to say Donpachi or one of the earlier Raiden games.

[Skykid]

Dariusburst's explosions are pretty immense.

[OmegaFlareX]

Aero Fighters 2
Rayforce
Dogyuun
all the Seibu SPI games

[Obiwanshinobi]

The first Sin & Punishment did explosions (visually) better than S&P2 (where the sound effects are okay; shame about the graphics).

[neorocker]

G-Darius, Darius Gaiden, Metal Black. lovely, lovely stuff.