spoilers The Secret Boss [Spoilers]

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Side: Riku

Before the player attempts to battle Julius, it is highly recommended that he or she make an effort to obtain the Unbound Keyblade by clearing all of Riku's Secret Portals. A level three Attack Gain and Magic Gain drop bonus and a full Drop Gauge are recommended, but not necessary. Fill the first four slots of Riku's Command Deck with variations of the Balloon spell; this will be his main source of offense. In the next slot, place Dark Firaga, which is highly valuable for its strong homing capabilities and serves as a strong alternative to the Balloon spells. Fill the last three slots of the Command Deck with Elixirs; these are more efficient when it comes to restoring Riku's HP than Curaga spells. The player stands the best chance of obtaining victory when Riku is above level 50, and he or she should replace his standard Dodge Roll with Dark Roll to improve his dodging ability and standard blocking ability with Dark Barrier for improved defense if he or she hasn't done so already.

Immediately chain multiple Dark Rolls together to avoid the physical attacks Julius uses to open the battle. Cast Balloon-type spells or Dark Firaga if it is safe to do so between the towering monster's combos, and with any luck, he will head straight into the path of Riku's attacks as he attempts to hit him. Julius's standard left-to-right slap attacks and single punches are nothing to worry about and can easily be avoided with Dark Roll or defended against with a well-timed Dark Barrier (after which the player should follow up with Counter Aura if close enough to Julius), but when the boss claps his fists together, chain multiple Dark Rolls together to avoid the devastating series of punches that follows. If the player wishes to take a risk and potentially deal more damage to Julius, defending with Dark Barrier and following up with Counter Aura is always an alternative to dodging this attack.

If Julius should leap into the air and attempt to body-slam Riku, chain a few Dark Rolls together to avoid this, as it cannot be defended against with Dark Barrier. The player should use the few seconds Julius takes to get back onto his feet to his or her advantage by launching another barrage of Balloon-type spells or Dark Firaga. If Julius begins to run around the battlefield, skidding to a stop every few seconds as he changes direction, chain multiple Dark Rolls together and get as far away from him as possible, as even his skidding deals damage. If Julius leaps onto the tall building at the end of the Fountain Plaza, disengage the Lock-On feature so that the camera focuses on Riku and the area in front of him rather than Julius and the area behind Riku, and chain multiple Dark Rolls together away from the building to avoid the deadly shockwaves triggered by Julius's landing. Lastly, should Julius grab Riku and breathe on him, he will dish out several status ailments such as Poison and Confuse that cannot be vanquished without a Panacea. Because these only last for a few seconds, however, it is recommended the player simply restore Riku back to full health and let Poison do its dirty work, healing again once the status ailment has dissipated.

After about six of Julius's HP bars have been depleted, the battlefield grows dark and Julius surrounds his fists with electricity. Carefully time Dark Rolls to avoid the lightning bolts that come crashing down on Riku, or chain several Dark Barriers together to defend against them. Because Julius's attacks are much more powerful in his charged-up state and come more frequently with greater range (and also have a chance of slowing down command reload times), the player should disregard offense for the time being and merely chain Dark Rolls together to avoid the boss (be extremely careful not to accidentally trigger Flowmotion, as this leaves Riku vulnerable). Julius leaps off of the building more often in this state, so always remember to disengage Lock-On and get as far away from him as possible when this happens. When Julius's fists cease to glow, resume the previous strategy of dodging his attacks and following up with Balloon-type spells or Dark Firaga. Julius will enter this more powerful state at random intervals from this point onward as his HP continues to dwindle.

In the end, this battle is all about maintaining a safe distance between Riku and Julius, as well as maintaining the rhythm of casting Ballon-type spells or Dark Firaga whenever the boss's attacks miss. It is highly recommended that the player fight Julius with the Nintendo 3DS's 3D at full blast so that he or she can better judge the distance between Riku and Julius at all times. When the player finally manages to defeat Julius, he or she receives the Ultima Weapon Keyblade.