Kratos

"You... will not see the end of this day!"

- Kratos' Mortal Kombat (2011) Battle Cry

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 the game God of War, which was released in March 2005, and whose success led to the development of five additional games featuring him as the protagonist. He appears as a guest character in the Playstation 3 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.

About Kratos
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.

thumb|240px|right|[[Mortal Kombat (2011 video game)|Mortal Kombat (2011) trailer featuring Kratos]]

Kratos has received positive critical reception, being described by reviewers as a "sympathetic antihero." 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. Also in Game Informer's "50 characters that defined a decade" issue, Kratos was featured as number 7 on that list, 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.

Personality
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Kratos is a very destructive, amoral, self-centered anti-hero with guilt that is often moved to extreme rage. His goal is to achieve vengeance on Ares for making him kill his wife and child. This vengeance later extends to Zeus for trying to kill him in Rhodes. Kratos then decides to get revenge on all the gods of Olympus. Unable to cope with the memory of his own misdeeds, Kratos has considered suicide on two separate occasions.

On some occasions, Kratos even tended to put the blame of his actions onto others (Ares, The Gods, ...), until the very end, during which he finally realized the consequences of his actions, thus stabbing himself with the Blade of Olympus.

Fighting Style
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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
In the Kratos fighting video, he is shown to have two styles. He can use his fists, and he can use the Blades of Exile. 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.


 * Bow of Apollo: Kratos shoots two to four flaming arrows at his opponent. (MK 2011)


 * Rhodes Soldier Finisher: Kratos stabs his enemy with the Blades of Exile thrice, then throws him/her down (much like how he finishes off the Rhodes Soldiers in God of War 2). (MK 2011)


 * Athena's Revenge: After parrying an attack, Kratos slams his Blades of Exile on the ground, creating a shockwave that sends his opponent into the air. (MK 2011)


 * Head of Helios: Kratos pulls out Helios' Head, which emits a small shockwave of light that blinds the opponent. (MK 2011)


 * Divine Stab: A quicktime event style move where Kratos slashes the opponent, punches them when they're on their knees, then finally stabs them with the Blade of Olympus as he/she lies on the ground. (MK 2011)


 * Hermes Rush: Using the Boots of Hermes, Kratos dashes through his opponent, damaging him/her and leaving a trail of fire. (MK 2011)

In his Fatality he is seen to throw the enemy in the air and also stab them with both Blades of Exile (although the Fatality was shown incomplete). He is seen to be holding the Blade of Olympus at the end of the fatality.
 * 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 his/her skull. (MK 2011)