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Kratos (God of War)

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Kratos
'God of War' character
A video game screenshot of a Greek man standing resolutely. He is wearing a red loin cloth with Greek styling and a Greek styled belt. He has forearm guards wrapped in chains due to the chain blades, shin guards, gloves, and not pictured, sandals. On his back are his trademark chain blades called the Blades of Athena and on his right arm, he wears the Golden Fleece. He has a scar over his left eye and on his abdomen and has a goatee and is bald. His skin has no pigmentation and he has a large red tattoo that begins right below his left eye, goes over his head, down his neck and back, wraps under his left arm and comes back up his chest, then over his left shoulder and curls around and ends at the top of his left bicep. He is standing on the stairs in an Olympian palace.Kratos, as he appears in God of War III.
First gameGod of War (2005)

Kratos is a video game character and primary protagonist of the God of War series. The character first appeared in God of War, released in Template:Vgy. In this game, Kratos is on a quest for revenge, a theme continued throughout the God of War series. The series has become a flagship title for the PlayStation brand, appearing on three consoles, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. God of War: Betrayal was the first and only game in the series released for a non-Sony platform, as well as the first and only mobile game in the series.

The character went through many stages of development, with his final design being chosen due to his "Greek" and "brutal" characteristics. Kratos uses a distinctive main weapon in all of the God of War games. The "chain blades", a pair of swords attached by chains to Kratos' arms, were chosen to show an "animalistic" nature while allowing a fluid combat animation. The character has received a mostly positive critical reception, being described by reviewers as a "sympathetic antihero", while his gameplay was perceived as "a nightmare to his enemies, but a dream to control". His role in the first game's plot received a similar reaction, particularly his "tragic fall and brutal ascension to the peaks of Mount Olympus". National Entertainment Collectibles Association has produced a series of action figures featuring Kratos' appearance in God of War II.

Concept and creation

Early concept art, depicting unused variations of Kratos.

The main idea when creating Kratos was to design someone that looked "brutal", while separating its appearance from what is considered the traditional Greek hero. The character's look was supposed to feel violent and impulsive. One of the early concepts was to have a fully masked character, but the idea was abandoned when such designs seemed "soulless", lacking a defined personality. This model was reused in God of War III as a bonus costume called the Phantom of Chaos. During the creative process, game director David Jaffe focused on the "brutal" factor; this led to the team focusing on the character's primal aspect. At a point all traditional armor was removed from the character, in order to conserve his "individualism". Numerous designs were drawn, ranging from one resembling a member of an African tribe to several using traditional Greek armors. Various changes were done to these drawings in order to make the character seem as "Greek" as possible. Some of the models included unconventional elements, including an infant being carried on Kratos' back. Others were deemed to include excessive detail, these included hair and other "flowing things" which were discarded after they were considered a bigger effort when creating the virtual models. One of these models were reused in God of War III as a bonus costume called the Forgotten Warrior which was referred to as the "warrior with dread locks" in early development of the character. The double-chained blades were selected as Kratos' signature weapons because the team considered that they emphasized the character's animalistic nature while at the same time making his combat more fluid. Two other ideas of the character were reused in God of War III as bonus costumes as well. These are the Morpheus Armor, which features blue tattoos that the character was originally going to have, and Dominus, which features the character in his original Spartan armor.

Attributes

Personality

File:God of War - God of War I.jpg
A cutscene from God of War as Kratos appeared in that game. He also appeared this way in God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Throughout the series, Kratos acts as an anti-hero, often making immoral decisions to further his goal; sacrificing unprotected humans for example. Prior to the start of the series, he served as the captain of Sparta's army and was only interested in increasing his power by conquering his opponents. His personality changes when he becomes a servant to Ares, after which he faithfully followed the god's orders. After he stopped serving Ares, Kratos continues to serve the gods in order to receive forgiveness, but shows a defiant stance against them. Once contacted by the gods of Olympus, Kratos shows disregard for their plight, only following their orders for personal benefit. In the first game, Kratos' main motive is revenge. He is ordered to assassinate Ares and agrees to do so to achieve absolution from his past crimes.

Outward appearance

Throughout the series, Kratos' skin is seen completely lacking pigmentation, only showing his original skin color in flashbacks. The reason for this is made evident when the player is shown a scene, where a village oracle placed a curse on Kratos, which fastened the ashes of his murdered daughter and wife to his skin, which is also how he got the nickname, the "Ghost of Sparta". The character does not use a significant amount of clothes, usually seen only wearing a loincloth, sandals, shin guards, and forearm guards. Some exceptions include the early stages of God of War II where he is seen wearing armor reminiscent to the armor used by Ares in the first game and cutscenes detailing his past, where he wears Spartan armor as a Captain in the Spartan army. He has a very large, red tattoo that begins below his left eye and spirals over the top of his head, down his neck and back, up his torso, and ending on his left shoulder. His weapon of choice are the double-chained blades, which are attached to his wrists in all of the series' installments. In God of War and God of War: Chains of Olympus, they were called the Blades of Chaos and were fastened to his wrists by Ares, when Kratos gave his life in servitude to Ares for help. These were replaced by the Blades of Athena, which Athena gave to him following God of War's final fight and have been kept in the following chronological installments. Athena's spirit replaces these blades in God of War III with the Blades of Exile after Kratos falls from Mt. Olympus to the River Styx where the Blades of Athena were damaged. The character's face exhibits a scar crossing over his right eye and a goatee. He also has a large scar on his abdomen, which was inflicted when Zeus impaled him with the Blade of Olympus in God of War II. Also acquired in God of War II by defeating a Cerberus, is the Golden Fleece, which he bears on his right arm. It has the power to deflect enemy attacks and counter the attacks immediately. The Golden Fleece is kept in God of War III. Kratos also gains the Boots of Hermes in God of War III and are worn around his shins giving him the power of speed.

Fictional biography

Throughout the series, Kratos is portrayed as an anti-hero, often performing questionable actions.

Prior to becoming the "Ghost of Sparta", Kratos was the youngest Captain of Sparta's army, but is revealed to even then have had a thirst for power. Once saved by Olympian god Ares and given the Blades of Chaos, Kratos blindly follows the God of War, killing hundreds in his name. After Ares tricks Kratos into murdering his wife and daughter, the Spartan is shocked out of his bloodlust and renounces service to Ares, being truly remorseful for the murder he has committed.

Although Kratos then vows to serve the other gods in order to receive forgiveness and relief from the nightmares of his past deeds, he is openly defiant. Kratos is reluctant to aid the gods when Helios is kidnapped, and openly abandons them when the goddess Persephone offers him a chance to be reunited with his daughter Calliope. Kratos, however, is eventually forced to reverse his decision when Persephone uses the Titan Atlas in a bid to destroy the world and in turn Calliope. Knowing that while intervention will save Calliope it will keep them apart forever, a bitter Kratos kills Persephone, imprisons Atlas and frees Helios (Chains of Olympus').

When Kratos grows tired of his service and confronts patron Athena, the goddess advises that if Kratos will kill the rampaging Ares, the gods will forgive his sins. Kratos once again agrees out of selfish motives, and after finding and using Pandora's Box, is ultimately successful. Despite this, Kratos is not relieved of the nightmares that haunt him: only forgiven. A dissatisfied and despairing Kratos attempts to commit suicide, but is saved by Athena, who guides Kratos to Olympus where he becomes the new God of War (God of War).

Early concept art with unused variations of Kratos.

Shunned by the other gods and bored with life on Mt. Olympus, Kratos spends his time watching the Spartan army overrun Greece. After being falsely accused of committing murder and eventually killing Ceryx, the son of Hermes (Betrayal), Kratos joins the Spartan army in city of Rhodes, intent only on destruction. Zeus, however, weakens Kratos, and then tricks him into abandoning his godly powers into the Blade of Olympus (which Zeus uses to kill Kratos). Although Kratos overcomes all obstacles, he is stunned at Zeus' betrayal and swears revenge as he dies.

As Kratos falls into Hades, he is rescued by the Titan Gaia. Banished to Tartarus with the other surviving Titans after the First Great War, Gaia and her brethren seek the death of Zeus. Kratos, fuelled by anger at the betrayal, agrees to aid the Titans and is instructed to find the Sisters of Fate, with their power being capable of returning him to the moment of Zeus' treachery.

Kratos becomes both determined and is utterly ruthless - in the pursuit of his goal he wounds a Titan, kills several Greek heroes without hesitation and deliberately sacrifices two scholars. All three of the Sisters of Fate are killed when they oppose Kratos, and in a final confrontation with Zeus is prepared to execute the King of the Gods. Zeus is only saved when Athena intervenes and sacrifices herself for him, with Kratos only then showing some remorse. Learning from a dying Athena that Zeus is in fact his father, and that Zeus wishes to avoid a repetition of what he himself did to his own father Cronos, Kratos rejects any notion of a relationship and vows to kill both Zeus and destroy Olympus. Encouraged by Gaia, Kratos retrieves the Titans from the moment in time when they were amidst defeat in the Great War and with their aid storms Mt. Olympus (God of War II).

Although Kratos kills Poseidon, he is abandoned by Gaia when an initial encounter with Zeus goes poorly. Stranded in the underworld and now betrayed by both the Olympians and Titans, Kratos learns from the spirit of Athena that he will need to find the Flame of Olympus: the key to Zeus' defeat. Given purpose once again with new blades, the Blades of Exile, Kratos murders both Titans and gods alike, ignoring the warnings of his victims as he seeks the Flame. Realizing the key to pacifying the Flame and reaching what is discovered to be Pandora's Box is in fact Pandora herself, Kratos comes to care for the girl, who reminds him of his lost daughter Calliope.

Kratos shows humanity when he attempts to stop Pandora from sacrificing herself to quenching the Flame, but reluctantly allows the act when Pandora states there is no other option. Finding the Box empty, and driven berserk by Zeus' mockery, Kratos attacks his father. Although Gaia intervenes and attempts to kill both Kratos and Zeus, she is destroyed by Kratos, who then apparently defeats Zeus.

Zeus, however, returns and attacks Kratos in spirit form. Kratos, now retreated into his psyche, comes to forgive himself for his past sins with the help of his wife Lysandra. Pandora later appears and tells Kratos that hope will ultimately save him. A now whole Kratos is revived and easily destroys Zeus. Athena confronts Kratos and demands that Kratos return what she placed in Pandora's Box: hope. In a selfless act, Kratos refuses and disperses the power across the world for mankind's use (by impaling himself with the Blade of Olympus), stating that his need for vengeance is at an end.

Kratos' ultimate fate, however, is unknown (God of War III).

Cultural impact

Critical reception

File:Godofwharf.jpg
"God of Wharf"

Upon God of War's release, Kratos received a mostly positive reception. GameSpot felt the storytelling's method did not allow the player to understand the character in the early stages of the game, but would allow full understanding of him when the game was concluded. The character was reviewed as a "sympathetic antihero" and a "badass", and he has been described as "endearing" due to his unforgiving demeanor. IGN similarly noted he was "ruthless", "merciless" and "savage", noting the character's main motive is vengeance and "he doesn't care for the plight of the Olympians. Kratos doesn't want to save anyone, let alone himself. All he desires is murder. Kratos wants to destroy the god of war for the joy that would come from ripping his heart out." However, the publication felt that in time the player would begin to "love and loathe Kratos and hate Ares." GameDaily included him in a top 25 list of video game anti-heroes, stating that they love him for how he "tears enemies limb from limb and looks awesome doing it", but adds that he has serious issues. In a later article, they listed the "antihero with a shadowy past" as one of their top 25 video game archetypes, using Kratos as an example of this. The character's story was also well received, to the point that GamePro directly stated it was "Kratos' tragic fall and brutal ascension to the peaks of Mount Olympus that made the original God of War so memorable." Kratos ranked fourth on IGN's top 10 list of video game characters who should die. IGN editor Colin Moriarty stated that while difficult, it would be nice to see him go out on top in God of War III. GamesRadar listed Kratos as one of the 25 best new characters of the decade, stating that while he appears at first to be a generic character, the players eventually learn that he is both an "unstoppable force of nature" and a "broken, tragic man".

When reviewing God of War II, GameSpy noted that Kratos' role as a god was "far more ruthless than Ares ever was" eventually being "stripped of his godhood for being a little too hands-on with the people of planet Earth." His gameplay was described as "a nightmare to his enemies, but a dream to control", aspects outside of combat, such as the addition of a gliding ability provided by the use of the Wings of Icarus were positively reviewed. Kratos appears as a playable character in the PlayStation 3 title Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. Prince of Persia's producer, Ben Mattes, explained in an interview that he considers God of War's Kratos "a supercool character, but it's black and white; his personality is pure rage, his dialogue is pure rage, his character design is pure rage--it's kind of easy." The character has been referenced in two other video games, the first of these was in Heavenly Sword, where his Olympian armor and chain blades are displayed as part of King Bohan's arsenal, Kratos himself appeared in a parody of God of War titled "God of Wharf" in The Simpsons Game, where he appears in a billboard advertising a chowder restaurant.

Merchandise

Kratos has been featured in two series of action figures based on God of War II, and released by National Entertainment Collectibles Association. The first included two figures; one illustrated Kratos' most common appearance while attacking with the chain blades and the other included the Golden Fleece and Medusa's head as accessories. A twelve-inch variation of the second figure which plays six pre-recorded game quotes was included in this release. A second two-figure set featuring Kratos wearing Ares' armor was released later, the main difference between these two versions is that they feature variations on Kratos' facial expression. Fans have created their own custom Kratos action figures. To promote LittleBigPlanet, Sony included a special in-game character model based on Kratos as part of preorder packages at selected retailers. In January 2009, the Kratos character model for LittleBigPlanet was made available on the PlayStation Network Store. The character is also featured as a guest in Namco's weapon-based fighting game for the PlayStation Portable, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. From February 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010, at 7-Eleven stores across the U.S., there will be a Slurpee drink called "Kratos Fury" in one of four special God of War III Slurpee cups in promotion for God of War III. To promote ModNation Racers, Sony included a special in-game character model based on Kratos with his "Kart of Chaos" as part of a preorder package at GameStop.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gabe Graziani (2007-02-12). "Reviews: God of War II". GameSpy. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  2. ^ Patrick Shaw (2007-03-28). "Reviews: God of War II". GamePro. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  3. ^ "Art Gallery: Kratos". God of War: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games. 2005. p. 203. ISBN 0-7615-5133-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. "Art Gallery: Kratos". God of War: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games. 2005. p. 199. ISBN 0-7615-5133-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  5. ^ "Art Gallery: Kratos". God of War: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games. 2005. p. 208. ISBN 0-7615-5133-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  6. ^ "Art Gallery: Kratos". God of War: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games. 2005. p. 200. ISBN 0-7615-5133-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. "Art Gallery: Kratos". God of War: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games. 2005. p. 206. ISBN 0-7615-5133-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  8. Levi Buchanan (2007-03-30). "'God of War II' is one hell of a ride". MSNBC Interactive. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  9. ^ "Kratos Biography". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  10. "Playstation 2 - God of War". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  11. SCE Studios Santa Monica (2005). God of War (PlayStation 2). Sony Computer Entertainment America. Oracle: From this night forward, the mark of your terrible dead with be visible to all! The ashes of your wife and child will remain fastened to your skin, never to be removed! Narrator: And with that curse, all would know him for the beast he had become, his skin white with the ash of his dead family. The ghost of Sparta had been born.
  12. Levi Buchanan (2007-03-30). "'God of War II' is one hell of a ride". MSNBC Interactive. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  13. ^ Alex Navarro (2005-03-21). "Reviews: God of War". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  14. ^ Ivan Sulic (2005-03-18). "Reviews: God of War". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  15. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-antiheroes/?page=25
  16. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-video-game-characters-archetypes/?page=24
  17. "Wednesday 10: Video Game Characters That Should Die". IGN. 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  18. "The 25 best new characters of the decade". GamesRadar. 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  19. "Games: God of War". GameSpy. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  20. Hinojosa-Miranda, Chris (2008-08-20). "Kratos to Swing the Clubs of Chaos in Hot Shots Golf". Sony Computer Entertainment of America. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  21. As quoted in Gary Steinman, "Prince of Persia: Anatomy of a Prince," PlayStation: The Official Magazine 13 (December 2008): 50.
  22. "E3 2007: Eyes-On The Simpsons Game". IGN. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  23. "Kratos Gets Packaged". National Entertainment Collectibles Association. 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  24. "Player Select God of War II Ares Armor Kratos Closed Mouth Action Figure". National Entertainment Collectibles Association. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  25. "Player Select God of War II Ares Armor Kratos Open Mouth Action Figure". National Entertainment Collectibles Association. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  26. "Letters: Fan Art". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (6). Future US: 93. 2008. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  27. "Letters: Art in Action". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (7). Future US: 95. 2008. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  28. Valledor, Mark (2008-08-05). "LittleBigPlanet: Pre-order Goodness". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-10-10.

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