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