Kratos

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Lore & Background

Throughout the Greek era of the series, Kratos is portrayed as a Spartan warrior who becomes known as the 'Ghost of Sparta' after Ares, his former mentor, tricks him into murdering his family. Kratos later avenges their deaths, kills Ares, and becomes the new God of War. Kratos is eventually revealed to be one of the sons of Zeus, who later betrays him in an effort to prevent a prophecy of Kratos killing him. Kratos embarks on several adventures in attempts to avert disaster or to change his fate, and is generally portrayed as a tragic figure. Vengeance is a central theme of the Greek era; installments focus on Kratos's origins, and his relationships with his family and the Olympian gods. In the Norse era, Kratos finds himself controlling his rage and learning how to be a father and mentor to his son, Atreus, whom he helps to come to terms with his divinity. During their journey, Kratos and Atreus combat monsters and gods of the Norse realm, which leads to the catastrophic battle of Ragnarök. Redemption is a main theme of the Norse era and Kratos comes to terms with his godhood, eventually becoming the Norse God of War and championing the ideals of hope.

In Their Own Story

The character was originally voiced by Terrence C. Carson during the Greek era from 2005 to 2013, and by Christopher Judge for the Norse era that began in 2018. Carson returned in 2026 for the side-game Sons of Sparta, a prequel that takes place during the Greek era, and he will also be re-recording his lines for the remake of the original Greek trilogy that is currently in development. Antony Del Rio voiced a young Kratos in Ghost of Sparta (2010) and reprised the role in Sons of Sparta. Dave Bautista is set to play the live-action version of the character in the upcoming television adaptation of the Norse era.

Reader's Guide

When designing Kratos, God of War (2005) creator and game director David Jaffe attempted to create a brutal-looking character that did not resemble a typical traditional Greek hero. Jaffe wanted the character to be individualistic so Kratos would not wear traditional armor. Use of a fully masked character was initially approved but the concept was abandoned because the design seemed 'soulless' and lacked a 'defined personality'. Some models included unconventional elements, such as Kratos carrying an infant on his back, while others had excessive detail, such as long hair and other 'flowing things'. Charlie Wen, the director of visual development on God of War (2005) and God of War II, was responsible for designing Kratos. Wen said his direction for the design was influenced by similarly themed films and by pop culture. Wen made concept drawings of Kratos on napkins at a restaurant, having forgotten his sketchbook; he introduced the idea of the character's double-chained blades and eventually produced Kratos's iconic design. Double-chained blades were chosen as Kratos's signature weapon because they emphasized the character's animalistic nature while allowing combat to remain fluid. Wen visualized the double-chained blades simultaneously activating as Kratos threw them with a balance of ferocity and accuracy. 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.'

Did You Know?

• The character was named at a late stage in development; the creators were unaware of the mythical god Kratos from Prometheus Bound and coincidentally chose the name from the Greek word meaning 'strength'.
• Kratos's ashen complexion, his most-noticeable feature, is a story development that earns him the title 'Ghost of Sparta'.
• According to animation-and-rigging history, Greek Kratos is 2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in) tall, while Norse Kratos is 1.94 metres (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighs about 250 pounds (110 kg).
• Christopher Judge, best known for playing Teal'c in Stargate SG-1, replaced Terrence C. Carson as the voice of Kratos for the 2018 game because the studio needed a taller actor to perform motion capture alongside 10-year-old Sunny Suljic.
• Dave Bautista is set to play the live-action version of Kratos in the upcoming television adaptation of the Norse era.

Origins and Mythological Roots

Kratos (Ancient Greek: Κράτος, lit. 'strength') is a character and the protagonist of Santa Monica Studio's video game series God of War, which is based on Greek mythology and Norse mythology. He first appeared in the 2005 video game God of War. Throughout the Greek era of the series, Kratos is portrayed as a Spartan warrior who becomes known as the 'Ghost of Sparta' after Ares, his former mentor, tricks him into murdering his family. Kratos later avenges their deaths, kills Ares, and becomes the new God of War. Kratos is eventually revealed to be one of the sons of Zeus, who later betrays him in an effort to prevent a prophecy of Kratos killing him. The character was named at a late stage in the development of the original game after the character had already been fleshed out. The creators were unaware of the mythical god named Kratos who appears in Prometheus Bound; they coincidentally chose Kratos from the Greek word meaning strength, of which the mythical figure is the personification. Stig Asmussen, who worked on the first two games and was the game director of God of War III, called the naming coincidence a 'happy mistake', noting the games' character and the one in Prometheus Bound were both 'pawns'. Classical scholar Sylwia Chmielewski states the video game character Kratos draws extensively on other figures from Greek mythology, including the heroes Perseus, Theseus, and Achilles, but his strongest influence is the hero Heracles (Roman Hercules), who appears in God of War III with the Romanized name and is revealed to be Kratos's half-brother.

Design Evolution and Visual Identity

When designing Kratos, God of War (2005) creator and game director David Jaffe attempted to create a brutal-looking character that did not resemble a typical traditional Greek hero. Jaffe wanted the character to be individualistic so Kratos would not wear traditional armor. Use of a fully masked character was initially approved but the concept was abandoned because the design seemed 'soulless' and lacked a 'defined personality'. Some models included unconventional elements, such as Kratos carrying an infant on his back, while others had excessive detail, such as long hair and other 'flowing things'. Charlie Wen, the director of visual development on God of War (2005) and God of War II, was responsible for designing Kratos. Wen made concept drawings of Kratos on napkins at a restaurant, having forgotten his sketchbook; he introduced the idea of the character's double-chained blades and eventually produced Kratos's iconic design. Wen gave Kratos his most-noticeable feature, his ashen complexion, a story development that earns Kratos the title Ghost of Sparta. The character's other distinctive features include a scar across his right eye and a large, red tattoo that threads from his left eye, circles the left side of his torso, and ends at his left shoulder. The tattoo was originally blue but was changed to red late in production. In the series lore, the scar is eventually to be the result of a childhood encounter with the Olympian god Ares, while the tattoo is a tribute to his dead brother Deimos, who had similar birth markings. According to an early God of War script, the character is 7 feet 0 inches (2.13 m) tall, but this was changed when Santa Monica Studios and Gnomon School investigated the animation-and-rigging history of the games, showing the Greek Kratos to be 2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in) tall, and Norse Kratos to be 1.94 metres (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighing about 250 pounds (110 kg). The designers of 2018's God of War gave Kratos a Nordic look that includes a full beard and changed his main weapon to a magical battle ax to make the combat more grounded.

Narrative Arcs and Thematic Shifts

Throughout the Greek era of the series, Kratos is portrayed as a Spartan warrior who becomes known as the 'Ghost of Sparta' after Ares, his former mentor, tricks him into murdering his family. Kratos later avenges their deaths, kills Ares, and becomes the new God of War. Kratos is eventually revealed to be one of the sons of Zeus, who later betrays him in an effort to prevent a prophecy of Kratos killing him. Kratos embarks on several adventures in attempts to avert disaster or to change his fate, and is generally portrayed as a tragic figure. Vengeance is a central theme of the Greek era; installments focus on Kratos's origins, and his relationships with his family and the Olympian gods. In the Norse era, Kratos finds himself controlling his rage and learning how to be a father and mentor to his son, Atreus, whom he helps to come to terms with his divinity. During their journey, Kratos and Atreus combat monsters and gods of the Norse realm, which leads to the catastrophic battle of Ragnarök. Redemption is a main theme of the Norse era and Kratos comes to terms with his godhood, eventually becoming the Norse God of War and championing the ideals of hope. Game director Cory Barlog said for 2018's God of War, Kratos had to change his cycle of violence and learn how to control his rage. He said Kratos had made many poor decisions, which led to the destruction of Olympus, and Barlog wanted to know what would happen if Kratos made a good decision. The birth of Barlog's son influenced the idea of Kratos's character change. Barlog said: 'This game is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again'. Referencing the Marvel Comics character Hulk, Barlog said about Kratos: 'We've already told the story of The Hulk. We want to tell the story of [Bruce] Banner now.'

Cultural Impact and Performance Legacy

The God of War franchise is a flagship title for the PlayStation brand and Kratos is one of its most popular characters. The character has been well received by critics, becoming a video game icon, and has had several cameos in games outside the God of War series. Judge's performance as Kratos in the two Norse-based games was highly praised, and received numerous awards and nominations. The character was originally voiced by Terrence C. Carson during the Greek era from 2005 to 2013, and by Christopher Judge for the Norse era that began in 2018. Carson returned in 2026 for the side-game Sons of Sparta, a prequel that takes place during the Greek era, and he will also be re-recording his lines for the remake of the original Greek trilogy that is currently in development. Antony Del Rio voiced a young Kratos in Ghost of Sparta (2010) and reprised the role in Sons of Sparta. Dave Bautista is set to play the live-action version of the character in the upcoming television adaptation of the Norse era. Christopher Judge, who is best known for his portrayal of Teal'c in Stargate SG-1, replaced Terrence C. Carson as the voice of Kratos in the 2018 game. Barlog said the actor change was made because of the type of camera work they wanted to do. They needed someone who was closer to Kratos's size to perform motion capture along with 10-year-old Sunny Suljic, who played Kratos's son, Atreus. Judge was chosen because he is six feet three inches (1.91 m) tall and had the body of a professional football player.