Project Report

Kratos (God of War Character)

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, (Karachi Campus)

B.S.COMPUTER SCIENCE, 8th Semester

Section A
Multimedia

Course Instructor: Fasiha Ikram

Submitted by:
Awais Memon
Reg # 35728
Syed M. Zain Haider
Reg # 35706
 Introduction

After years of torturous nightmares, Kratos wants to cease the endless

bloodshed at his own powerful hands. With but one more request from the
gods, it is nearly time for Kratos to finally be happy. His only task is to kill the
mighty God of War.
On a journey that spans the Agean Sea, Athens and beyond, you must hunt down
and kill Ares, the God of War. Undead beasties, giant cyclopses, and menacing
minotaurs all stand in your path to glory in hopes of crushing you before
succeeding in your quest. If the mighty Hydra or any other beast of Ares proves
too daunting for you to conquer, you're in the right place; our complete God of
War stratey guide will take you from start to finish on this massive quest, with all
the gory details necessary to conquering the untouchable Ares.
Kratos is the main protagonist and anti-hero of the God of War series. Born a
Spartan, Kratos held the military rank of General, before exacting his revenge on
the Olympians who betrayed him.
Born in the Greek city-state of Sparta, Kratos is the demigod son of Zeus and a
mortal woman named Callisto, although he would remain unaware of who his
father was for most of his life. Outraged at Zeus for fathering yet another bastard
child, Hera ordered Kratos' execution on the day he was born, but the King of the
Gods took pity on the child and refused, leaving him in Sparta to be raised by
Callisto.
Like all other Spartan youth, Kratos was monitored and trained for combat by the
Spartan authorities; those that were deemed fit were to stay and be trained as
Spartan warriors, while those who were deemed unfit would be sent to the
mountains, sealing their fate. Already feisty and aggressive at his young age,
Kratos trained together with his younger brother, Deimos, as they dreamed of
joining the Spartan army when they grew up. Somewhere around this time, Zeus
began to hear prophecies foretelling his demise at the hands of one of his sons, a
"marked warrior". Hoping to circumvent the cycle of patricide before it was too
late, Zeus sent Ares and Athena to the mortal realm to hunt down and dispose of
the boy who would one day rise up against him. Ares, noticing the strange
birthmarks on Deimos, decided to invade Sparta with an army of centaurs and
take him to Thanatos, the God of Death. An enraged Kratos attacked the god to
save his brother, but Ares punched him into a pile of wood, leaving him with a
permanent scar over his right eye.
Insulted by the mortal's defiance, Ares raised his sword to kill him, but was
stopped by Athena, who reminded him that they had what they were looking for.
Athena apologized to Kratos before disappearing into the flames. The loss of his
brother left an indelible mark on Kratos, as he vowed to never falter again. In
honor of his brother, Kratos had himself tattooed in the exact image of Deimos'
birthmark.
As Kratos came of age, he became a respected member of the Spartan army,
eventually marrying Lysandra and siring a daughter, Calliope.
Shortly after her birth, Calliope contracted a plague, causing the Spartan
authorities to deem her weak. As a result, Spartan law required that she be
thrown into a chasm and left to die. Determined to save his daughter, Kratos set
out on a journey for the Ambrosia after hearing from an elder of its exceptional
healing capabilities, not knowing that Ares, the God of War, had chosen him to
be his champion in the wager of the Gods, a contest with the ultimate goal being
the capture of the Ambrosia; the victor would have statues erected in their
honor all throughout Greece. A battalion of Spartans accompanied Kratos on his
quest, including Captain Nikos. Along the way, he encountered a healer who gave
him the Flames of Apollo.
Kratos eventually encountered Poseidon's champion, Herodius, and killed him as
the Spartans conquered his army and stole their ship. Enraged at Kratos for
costing him the wager, Poseidon unleashed a handful of hazards at sea in the
hopes of killing him, but failed. Later on, Kratos encountered Artemis' champion,
Pothia, and killed her as well, with her army also falling victim to the Spartans,
although Artemis did not retaliate. In fear that Kratos would defeat his
champion, Alrik the Barbarian King, Hades sent a torrent of fire through the sky.
Although he failed to kill Kratos, he succeeded in killing many of Kratos' men,
including Captain Nikos. As he found the Ambrosia, Kratos encountered Helios'
Champion and killed him as well.
Alrik and his Barbarian army battled the Spartans for the Ambrosia, as Alrik's
Father was very ill and in need of the elixir. After a grueling battle between the
two leaders, Kratos successfully captured the Ambrosia at the cost of his own
men, and summoned an army of Rocs to continuously torture Alrik. Kratos then
returned to Sparta, healed Calliope, and obtained the rank of 'Captain' from the
King of Sparta.
Kratos embarks on a series of adventures in attempts to avert disaster or to
change his fate. He is usually portrayed as being oblivious to all else, often
engaging in morally ambiguous activities and performing acts of extreme
violence. He is a Spartan warrior who becomes the "Ghost of Sparta" after
accidentally killing his family on behalf of Ares' trickery. He becomes the God of
War after killing Ares, and is eventually revealed to be a demigod and the son of
Zeus, who betrays Kratos. Each adventure forms part of a saga with vengeance as
a central theme, providing additional information about Kratos' origins and his
relationships with his family and the gods.

Concept and Design

God of War creator and game director David Jaffe attempted to create a
character that looked brutal, but did not resemble a typical traditional Greek
hero. The character would not wear traditional armor as Jaffe wanted him to be
individualistic. Although the idea of using a fully masked character was
approved, the concept was abandoned as the design seemed soulless and lacked
a defined personality. Some models included unconventional elements, such as
portraying him carrying an infant on his back, while others had excessive detail,
such as hair and other "flowing things".
Charlie Wen, director of visual development on God of War and God of War II, is
responsible for designing Kratos. Wen said that his direction for designing Kratos
was as much influenced by similarly themed films as it was by pop culture, which
led him to sketch a series of images of Kratos on napkins at a restaurant,
introducing the idea of the double-chained blades and eventually Kratos' iconic
design.[8] Double-chained blades were chosen as Kratos' signature weapon
because they emphasized the character's animal nature while also allowing
combat to remain fluid.[9] Jaffe said of the final version of the character, " Kratos
may not totally feel at home in Ancient Greece from a costume standpoint, I
think he achieves the greater purpose which is to give players a character who
they can play who really does just let them go nuts and unleash the nasty
fantasies that they have in their head.".
 Cultural Impact

Two series of action figures based on God of War II have been produced by the
National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA). The first set included
two versions of Kratos; one wielding the Blades of Athena, and the second
wearing the Golden Fleece and holding a Gorgon's head. The second set
included a twelve-inch figure that plays six game quotes. A second two-figure set
was also released, with Kratos wearing the God of War armor. In October 2009,
United Cutlery created a scaled replica of Kratos' Blades of Chaos, which
included a custom display stand with the God of War logo. Kratos was also
featured in a line of action figures released by DC Unlimited and based on God of
War III, which included the characters Zeus, Hades, and Hercules. Between
February 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010, 7-Eleven sold a limited-edition Slurpee
drink called "Kratos Fury", in addition to four exclusive God of War III cups, which
featured codes that could be used to access God of War III and Slurpee-themed
downloadable content on the Slurpee website.

Kratos In Modern Mythology

Though Kratos in Greek mythology was the god of strength, his name is probably
most familiar in modern times as the main character in the popular video game
series "God of War". Apparently the title "God of War" refers not to the character
Kratos but to the Greek god of war Ares, who plays a role in the plot. Though the
character of Kratos in the series is supposedly not derived from the god of
strength Kratos of Greek mythology, there are many indications within the game
and its creation to suggest that the connection is stronger than one might be led
to believe.

For example, the story takes place in ancient Greece and has many of the famous
Greek gods and goddesses involved. The character Kratos is a mortal who has a
tenuous relationship with the gods, to put it best. But several of the
characteristics of the character Kratos come from Greek myth. The designers
themselves claimed that they wanted him to look as "Greek and brutal" as
possible, which fits well with the imagery of Kratos of Greek mythology.

More telling, perhaps, is the fact that chains are an important theme with the
character, both in weaponry and in physical use. This could be seen as tying back
to Kratos of Greek mythology's role in the story of Prometheus, at least according
to the ancient poem 'Prometheus Bound' by Aeschylus. In 'Prometheus Bound',
Kratos, on behalf of Zeus, tells the blacksmith god Hephaestus to chain
Prometheus to the rocks of a mountain to serve his punishment for giving fire to
the mortal world of humans.

Weapons & Powers

As a demigod, Kratos possesses incredible superhuman strength and endurance
beyond that of any mortal or beast, the exact limits of which are yet to be
determined. His strength seems to fluctuate depending on the situation. He can
subdue many large and powerful beasts and is capable of overpowering the
Hydra, throwing the Colossus of Rhodes after it attempted to crush him beneath
its foot, and preventing both Cronos and Atlas from crushing him. Feats of
durability include falling from great heights and walking away unharmed, getting
crushed, stabbed, beaten, blasted, and burned by various enemies and traps.
Kratos also has useful skills that include climbing mountains and building, jumping
great heights, and swinging on ropes to cross long gaps.
In his battle against Hercules, who is considered to be unrivaled in terms of sheer
strength, Kratos proved capable of stopping his charges, forcing him backwards
and enduring his powerful bear hugs without any ill effects, even breaking free
from them and defeating him. Kratos also possessed the power to kill immortal
gods. When Kratos loses in battle or war and is killed, he simply escapes the
Underworld to Earth. Kratos can change his fate by manipulating or traveling in
time.

Kratos has shown being able to rip off Helios' head, and rip creatures such as
Undead Legionnaires, infected humans, monsters, and magical beings in half,
using only his bare hands. It is presumed Kratos was born with his god-like
strength and abilities due to being Zeus' demigod son. He might also be partially
immortal and may have gotten stronger when he absorbed powers from the Gods.
Kratos' form when he became God of War after killing Ares, Kratos stood roughly
500 or more feet tall, and possessed all powers of a God of War. It is possible he
had acquired a permanent level of power and ability beyond even that of demigod
from his constant trials and contact with different powers and magic.

In addition to his vast physical strength, Kratos also possesses superhuman agility,
stamina, durability, endurance, reflexes and speed. He is capable of sensing
danger and possesses great skills and accuracy with all forms of weapon and
powerful magic. Kratos can also keep up with opponents who possess vast speed,
such as Zeus who has the speed of lighting, Charon, Hermes, and Pollux and
Castor who possessed Chronokinesis. He is also able to regenerate from most
wounds at a fast rate, though he didn't regenerate from the scar on his stomach
caused by the Blade of Olympus and the scar over his right eye caused by Ares for
reasons unknown (maybe he can't fully regenerate himself from scars caused by
gods' power). Due to these abilities, Kratos is able to defeat monsters, magical
beings, Titans and even the Gods themselves. Kratos also possesses powerful
resistance to most forms of attack and magic (ex: time manipulation, illusion, and
soul manipulation) that would easily kill most humans or magical beings.
Before serving Ares, Kratos' main weapon was his sword. Under Ares' rule, Kratos'
main weapons became the Blades of Chaos, a gift from Ares as a sign of his
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 and other gods, the former God of
War himself. Initially, Kratos also had a massive Spartan army under his command,
used both before and during his servitude under Ares.

Kratos, before and after becoming a God, gained many powers and weapons from
the Gods. When he relinquished his old powers to the Blade of Olympus, he was
given new powers by the Titans. Some of these powers resemble the abilities
given to him by the Gods. The Blade of Olympus is one of Kratos' greatest
weapons, as he has infused all of his godly power into it.

Kratos As a God of War

Kratos entered Tartarus once again in search of the Ambrosia in order to destroy
it, for Disciples of Ares desired to use it to resurrect their now dead God.
Throughout his journey, Kratos received flashbacks of his first quest for the
Ambrosia. Making his way through Tartarus, Kratos encountered and defeated a
giant arachnid monster. After pulling his blades out from the beast, Athena spoke
to him in an attempt to warn him about the new dangers on the path he took
once before. Kratos shrugged off her warnings, confident that nothing would stop
him.