Hades (Final Fantasy IX)

Hades, originally introduced to the player as a Mysterious Voice, is an optional boss in Final Fantasy IX. He is encountered in Memoria in the ocean room by walking right and examining the area behind the large rock and choosing not to leave when asked. There will be no "?" field icon to indicate him, but pressing reveals him. Instead of the the normal boss music, "Hunter's Chance" plays during the fight.

Battle
Hades's Judgment Sword attack saps a party member to a single HP. Hades uses both Freeze and Mustard Bomb. His Curse attack deals random damage and inflicts Confuse, Poison, Mini, Darkness, and Slow on all party members. When Hades powers up his sword he will countdown to casting Doomsday, dealing heavy Shadow-elemental damage to the entire party while healing himself. He uses Curse on every odd numbered count, and Doomsday on every even numbered count.

If the party has defeated Ozma before encountering Hades, Hades will comment on the feat.

Strategy
Equipping immunization abilities (Clear Headed, Body Temp, Antibody, Bright Eyes, etc.) will help and Quina's Angel's Snack can aid in removing the status ailments, although it doesn't heal Confuse.

It is recommended to defeat him before Hades casts Doomsday. To avoid being devastated by Doomsday, the party can equip Shadow-nullifying/absorbing items, such as Egoist's Armlet, Pumice Piece, Ninja Gear and Demon Mail.

Hades is classified as a demon-type enemy, but also as flying-type due him hovering. This means characters equipped with the Devil Killer or Bird Killer abilities will boost damage.

Synthesis Shop
If the party defeats Hades he will provide a Synthesis Shop, enabling the party to synthesize a Pumice from two Pumice Pieces. This add-on can teach Dagger the summon Ark. He can also synthesize other rare items, including Phoenix Pinions, the Robe of Lords, and Protect Rings.

Tin Armor, Steiner's best armor, can be synthesized with an Ore and a Hammer (the reward for completing the Stellazzio sidequest), but if the player synthesizes the Tin Armor they miss out on an extra scene in the game's ending. Hades can also synthesize Beatrix's Save the Queen, but nobody can equip it as a weapon (however, it can be thrown by Amarant).

Trivia

 * Hades was originally planned to be the final boss, but was changed to an optional boss. The concept artwork at right of the final battlefield shows the party fighting Hades instead of Necron.
 * Hades is never seen outside of his battle, even after the player defeats him. His Synthesis shop can be accessed by talking to him in the same spot where the player fought him.
 * On the face of his sword and on his throne there are eyes. Blinking disembodied eyes are also seen in the final battle showing the connection between Hades and final battle. Incidentally, eyes are a feature of many Terran structures, perhaps implying a deeper connection that was lost or severed in the final cut of the game.

Hades (FFIX)