Kratos is the main character in Sony Computer Entertainment's God of War series, which is loosely based on Greek mythology. Kratos first appeared in God of War, which was released in March of 2005, and whose success led to the development of seven (including mobile version) additional games featuring him as the protagonist. He appears as a guest character in the PlayStation 3 and Playstation Vita version of Mortal Kombat (2011) because Ed Boon and the Mortal Kombat team felt Kratos would "fit perfectly". However, he isn't part of the story mode.
Eventually revealed to be a demigod, Kratos embarks on a series of often forced adventures in attempts to avert disaster or change his fate. Kratos is usually portrayed as being oblivious to all else in the execution of these adventures, often engaging in morally ambiguous activities and performing acts of extreme violence. Each adventure forms part of a saga with vengeance as a central theme, and provides additional information on Kratos' origins and relationship with his family and the gods. Kratos has received positive critical reception, being described by reviewers as a "sympathetic antihero."[1] The character is also associated with products including artwork, clothing, comic books, fast food, the Internet, a novel, sweepstakes, toys, and cell phone skins, with Game Guru claiming that "Practically anyone, even if they hadn't played any of the God of War games, would know about Kratos." Kratos was featured in GameInformer's "50 characters that defined a decade" issue, giving props for the games and the deep, well done storyline.
Kratos was officially confirmed to appear in the new Mortal Kombat video game at Spike TV's annual Video Game Awards with a new trailer. On March 23, Gamespot posted a new video showcasing Kratos' gameplay and stage.
Biography
Mortal Kombat (2011): "Ancient Greece knew no more bloodthirsty warrior than Kratos, who for a time was the God of War. Mortal once more, Kratos withdrew from the ages-old clash between men and gods. But his solitude was broken when he was ripped through space and time. As the madness subsided, Kratos found himself in present-day Outworld, kneeling before Shao Kahn. To ensure his victory in Mortal Kombat, the emperor had invoked an ancient ritual, sacrificing the souls of his vanguard to summon and enslave the most powerful warrior of all time. But the spell alone could not contain Kratos, who soon regained his free will. Enraged by Shao Kahn's arrogance, Kratos vowed to rip the warlord's spine from his body. The God of War had returned to battle."
Personality
Mortal Kombat Meets God of War Official Interview
Kratos is a very destructive, amoral, self-centered anti-hero with a level of guilt so strong that he is constantly haunted by visions of his past misdeeds. Because of this, he is often moved to extreme rage. Kratos has never shown any sense of care and love for anyone except his wife Lysandra and his daughter Calliope, whom he murdered in a fit of blind rage orchestrated by Ares. Kratos also treated Pandora as if she were his own daughter; he protected her against the vile-beasts of Olympus and he saved her numerous times from deadly traps when they were in the labyrinth. Many of his goals revolve around vengeance, hatred, and death. Unable to cope with the constant visions of his own misdeeds, Kratos attempted suicide on more than one occasion, but was saved by Athena. However, in God of War III, Kratos finally forgives himself for murdering his family and accidentally killing Athena, ending the guilt that haunted him for so long. When Athena demanded the power of Hope, so that she could rule over humanity, he performed the selfless act of stabbing himself with the Blade of Olympus; releasing the power of Hope for humanity to embrace, and ensuring they would never serve the gods again.
Combat characteristics
Kratos Gameplay
Kratos' main weapons were once the Blades of Chaos, a gift from Ares as a sign of Kratos' servitude. They are essentially two Falchion-like blades on long chains, permanently fused and seared to the wielder's forearms. Once Kratos killed Ares, Athena replaced them with a nearly identical pair of blades called the Blades of Athena, and then replaces them again in God of War III with the very similar Blades of Exile. Kratos displays proficiency with all of his weapons. It's implied that he learned many of his fighting skills from Ares, the former God of War himself.
Also, in the games, he's seen using different weapons, ranging from the Blade of Olympus to the Nemean Cestus. He uses the Head of Helios to stun his opponent with a blinding flash.
Signature moves
Kratos' fighting style often uses the Blades of Exile in his combos. He also has other weapons from the third game as well, such as the Nemean Cestus, the Bow of Apollo, the Head of Helios and Blade of Olympus.
Apollo's Bow: Kratos pulls out the Bow of Apollo and shoots two arrows. (MK 2011)
The enhanced version is called Apollo's Inferno. Kratos fires three flaming arrows in an arc.
Golden Fleece: After parrying a projectile, he will launch an energy blast back at his opponent. After parrying a melee attack, he'll slam into the opponent. (MK 2011)
The enhanced version is called Argos Ram. Kratos slams his blades on the ground, causing a shockwave.
Head Of Helios: Kratos pulls out the Head of Helios, which emits a small shockwave of light that blinds the opponent, leaving them vulnerable for a second attack. (MK 2011)
The enhanced version is called Helios Flare and has a longer range.
Zeus' Rage: A quicktime event style move where Kratos slashes the opponent and then punches them when they're on their knees. (MK 2011)
The enhanced version is called Revenge Of Olympus and adds a stab with the Blade of Olympus.
Hermes Dash: Using the Boots of Hermes, Kratos dashes through his opponent, damaging him/her and leaving a trail of fire. It can be charged. (MK 2011)
The enhanced version is called Hermes Rush and is slightly more damaging.
MK9 Kratos X-ray
Kratos´ X-Ray
X-Ray Move - Nemean Cestus: Kratos anchors himself to his opponent with his Blades of Exile, then slides toward them. He then stabs his opponent with both Blades as he reaches him/her, slicing the ribcage. Then, he punches the opponent in the face with the Nemean Cestus, shattering their skull. (MK 2011)
Other moves
Throw: Kratos picks up the opponent with one hand and stabs them repeatedly with one of his blades with the other. After the final stab, he throws them forward or behind him. This animation comes from the way Kratos executes Humans and lost souls in God of War III, grabbing them and savagely stabbing them in the chest before tossing them aside.
Blade of Olympus: Kratos stabs the opponent with both Blades of Exile, wrenching out pieces of flesh as they are removed. As the opponent tries to stop the bleeding, Kratos draws the Blade of Olympus and drives it through their chest, finally slicing vertically through their torso. After a while, the sliced body stops moving and falls. Kratos then drives the blade into the ground, growling. (MK 2011)
Medusa's Gaze: Kratos pulls out Medusa's Head and turns the opponent to stone. Then he wields the Nemean Cestus and lunges through the opponent, shattering them into tiny pieces. (MK 2011)
MK9 Kratos Babality
Other finishers
Babality: Kratos starts pulling on a Medusa plush doll's head until it is ripped off and holds it triumphantly. (MK 2011)
Ending
Mortal Kombat (2011) Kratos Ending
Mortal Kombat (2011):"Shao Kahn was dead. The God of War had prevailed. The spell that had summoned him began to reverse itself. As he slowly faded from this place and time, Kratos was approached by Raiden and Fujin. Though he did not count them among his enemies, Kratos had never been beloved by these gods. He prepared for kombat. To his surprise, they bowed to him, a show of respect he had not seen from an immortal in many an age. Raiden explained that though his motives were not pure, Kratos had saved Earthrealm. He was owed a debt of gratitude. As he returned to his own world, Kratos nodded silently. Their change of heart would perhaps prove useful one day. A debt of gratitude is often dearly paid."
Trivia
If both players choose the default costume, Player 2 will have Kratos' red marks turn blue.
Also, if both players choose his alternate costume, P2 will have Kratos' red marks in yellow.
Kratos Medusa's Gaze Fatality is very similar to the Medusa's Head Fatality, used by Pagan, a female witch that is from the fighting game called "War Gods", which was developed by Midway, the former company that made Mortal Kombat games.
Kratos is depicted as having the shortest range he has ever had with his Blades in any game he has ever appeared in. This was done to make it more fair to fight him, as if his blades had the same range as they had in his native games (approx. 3/4ths of the screen in Mortal Kombat (2011) thanks to the chains), then no opponent could get close enough to do any kind of significant damage. Yet ironically, Kratos still has the longest range with a Melee weapon in Mortal Kombat.
In his ending, his Golden Fleece is missing.
His alternate costume is known as "Fear Kratos" from God of War 3.
His eye can be seen on the cover of the PS3 and PS Vita version of Mortal Kombat (2011) (American Cover).
In the end of the Arcade Ladder, when Kratos is beating Shao Kahn, his blades turn into the Blades of Athena. After Shao Kahn is dead, they change back into the Blades of Exile.
In Test Your Luck, if Armless Kombat is selected when playing as Kratos, he will only be able to perform four attacks that actually damage the opponent: Front Kick, Back Kick, Spartan Knee and the jump kick.
Whenever it is time to finish Kratos, he will drop his Blades of Exile.
Also, when Kratos is going to finish the opponent, he will unsheathe his Blades of Exile, even if the finisher does not use them at all.
If Kratos deals the match winning blow with the first hit of Zeus' Rage (before the button prompt appears), the enemy will fall to the ground and Kratos is unable to perform a finisher.
If Kratos is frozen after he drops the Blades of Exile, they will freeze along with him on the ground, no matter how far away they are from him.
Mortal Kombat (2011) is actually the second fighting game in which Kratos appeared in as a guest fighter. The first being Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP.
Whenever a Fatality or X-Ray Move is performed on Kratos, his mouth will not open fully, instead showing him scowling with clenched teeth. His mouth stays that way even whilst screaming. But when he wins, it moves just fine. He also has different reactions to some Fatalities, which, according to Ed Boon, this was done at the request of Sony Computer Entertainment as it went against his character and nature, as he is known from his games as a fearless warrior. Some examples are:
If Johnny Cage performs his And The Winner Is... Fatality on Kratos, he will not get a trophy planted in his head.
If Mileena's Be Mine Fatality is performed on Kratos, she will not eat Kratos's face, instead she will immediately drop it on the ground.
If Ermac's Pest Control Fatality is performed on Kratos, Kratos will yell at Ermac instead of running around in fear. This could be because he has fought Cronos, who, in body relations, is much larger.
When Smoke performs his Smoked Out Fatality on Kratos, his Blades of Exile fade away with him.
When Shang Tsung performs his Identity Theft Fatality on Kratos, the green glowing lights are placed higher than his eyes. This is probably due to the fact that Kratos' head is a lot smaller than the MK characters'.
This also happens during Quan Chi's X-Ray Move and Sindel's Mouthful Fatality.
When Cyber Sub-Zero performs his Brain Freeze Fatality on Kratos, he does not go into Rigor Mortis, but simply falls down.
When Stryker does his Have A Blast Fatality on Kratos, Kratos will be in fury instead of being in panic. This could be because Kratos, being a spartan, is supposed to not show fear, no matter what. However, in the Playstation Vita exclusive, he panics instead of getting furious.
However, in Stryker's Time Served Fatality, Kratos will still panic while being tased.
Despite that, he will still be spooked when Shang Tsung does his Bang Bang! fatality on Kratos.
When Kung Lao does his Razor's Edge Fatality on Kratos, he will not panic nor wave his arms during the process of being cut in half.
When Reptile performs his Acid Yak Fatality on Kratos, he manages to get some of his acid spit into Kratos, even though Kratos didn't open his mouth.
If Noob Saibot's As One Fatality is performed on Kratos, Kratos will not react much when his lower torso gets separated.
When Skarlet's Make It Rain Fatality is performed on Kratos, he will attempt to break free from the blood pillars instead of panicking.
When a Babality is performed on Kratos, his mouth will not move.
When Kenshi performs his Split Ends Fatality on Kratos, Kratos will not flinch when Kenshi throws his sword.
When Rain performs his Bubble Burst Fatality on Kratos, he will not expand, instead he just stands in a "T" stance and will explode.
When Freddy Krueger performs his Tell Em' Freddy Sent Ya Fatality on Kratos, he will look around in a combat-ready stance instead of frightened, as he is already used to surprise attacks.
When Freddy Krueger performs his Welcome to my Nightmare Fatality, Kratos will not try to get out. Instead, he'll attempt to grab Freddy before Freddy slams the door.
When Scorpion performs his Toasty! Fatality on Kratos, he will be in panic while he is burning alive. This is one of the few fatalities where Kratos does not have a different reaction.
His and Scorpion's backstories are very alike. They both had a wife and child who were killed, and they both seek revenge. He also is similar to Scorpion as a whole, they both seek vengeance, both have returned from hell/underworld. Both gained new abilities once they escaped.
Kratos is the first guest character in the Mortal Kombat series alone, the second being Freddy Krueger.
He is the first character to do a sweep move not with a low kick, but with his Blades of Exile, the second being Freddy Krueger, who sweeps with his clawed gloves.
Kratos is the only character who has his versus screen portraits in left and right side.
Kratos's Babality references how the gorgons are killed in the God of War games.
Kratos' Golden Fleece is the only move that can counter both projectile and melee attacks without being enhanced.
His battle cry was first used in God of War 3 when he was facing Zeus at the beginning of the game.
Both Kratos and Freddy Krueger were brought to the Mortal Kombat universe because of Shao Kahn. Kratos has been summoned from his dimension by Shao Kahn through a spell, while Freddy wanted to kill Shao Kahn because he was taking souls from Earthrealm; souls that Freddy considered his own.
Kratos is the only character who can actually counter attack Shao Kahn's Hammer Toss, making his Golden Fleece counter one of the strongest counters in the game.
In Kratos' cinematic trailer, his skirts are not tattered.
In Kratos' second Fatality, Medusa's Gaze, Medusa's head has a very different appearance than her original in God Of War, now she resembles a gorgon serpent, rather than a gorgon assassin.
Both weapons in Medusa's Gaze aren't in Kratos' array of attacks (excluding the X-Ray which the Nemean Cestus appears in).
