Kratos has been a PlayStation staple since the end of the PS2's lifespan, meaning this character is a part of four console lifetimes now. And with the uproar of joy that God of War 2018 brought for fans, there has never been a better time to delve into Kratos' best moments in his long gaming career.
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He's killed gods, befriended others, and proven his mettle against a wide variety of enemies. But unfortunately, he's also made a long list of enemies and committed acts he can never redeem himself from; a shining example of the imperfect protagonist.
9 Starting A Family Again - God Of War (2018)
Kratos learns how to become a decent father figure throughout the last entry in the series. He gains knowledge of the personalities he meets, which teaches him how to best see over Atreus. Now, Kratos isn't a perfect father by any means, but it's this aspect that makes him so fascinating to watch.
Kratos never believed he would have the opportunity to have a family again from past sins committed. But he was wrong, and now (although he continues to make mistakes), he tries to make it up through his son Atreus.
8 Defeating The Colossus Of Rhodes - God Of War 2
Kratos is at a heavy disadvantage during the Colossus Of Rhodes fight as Zeus drains his powers placing them into a statue. Because of his weakened power, Kratos must find an alternate way to pure hack-and-slash fun to take the foe down, eventually burrowing his way into the statue to kill it from the inside.
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Kratos is an intelligent individual, though this boss is one of the best looks we've seen at this side of his character, focusing more on skill than pure strength.
7 Letting Calliope Go - God Of War: Chains Of Olympus
Kratos finally has the opportunity to see his daughter again if he gives up his weapons and enters Elysium. One thing Persephone leaves out of the description, however, is that it will also call for the destruction of Olympus and, with it, Elysium.
Kratos knows what he must do; he can't let his daughter be lost again because of him and so pushes away Calliope, who is clinging onto his legs, begging him to stay. He doesn't stop; instead, he chooses to leave her forever.
6 Fighting Cronos - God Of War 3
Fighting Cronos is basically just clambering up the side of him, moving from body part to body part until you're eventually swallowed by the titan. Once inside, Kratos gets to really damage him instead of the measly scrapes he was inflicting before, ending the fight by bursting out of Cronos' stomach, spilling out his intestines, and then stabbing him through the head. Lovely.
It's a tense fight for sure, but one where Kratos has to do more leg work than anything.
5 Killing Ares - God Of War
The final boss of the original God Of War, Ares, is the man Kratos has been hunting down this entire time after a broken promise the God made to our protagonist. Like many of the divinities in the series, Ares underestimates anyone they don't deem worthy, which is a pretty lousy choice as Kratos then proceeds to obliterate him in the coming battle.
The fight doesn't pertain to just one room, taking place over multiple areas with some cutscenes in-between as Ares tries and fails to manipulate Kratos. By the end, Kratos lands the killing blow striking his blade through the chest of Ares.
4 Learning To Trust And Work With Freya - God Of War (2018)
Kratos enters full dad mode upon first meeting Freya looking out for the safety of Atreus above all else. By the end of God Of War 2018, he even comes to trust and work with Freya. After all the Gods Kratos has met and how few have aided him, it's understandable why he makes it so hard to let people in. However, opposite to the times when our protagonist has been betrayed in the past, Kratos is the one crossing someone.
After killing Baldur, Freya's son, Freya promises to break her curse and kill Kratos no matter how long it takes her. We'll have to see how this all pans out for everyone in God Of War Ragnarok, but the friendship was nice while it lasted.
3 Defeating The Valkyries And Facing Sigrun - God Of War (2018)
The first time you find a Valkyrie and attempt to beat it, you'll more than likely be severely underpowered. While you can't ever truly be strong enough to make the fight a breeze, you can prepare and practice with all the tools at your disposal. Freeing the Valkyries is one of the favors available in the game, and after releasing all, you must defeat the Queen of the Valkyries, Sigrun.
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Sigrun is fast, piling powerful blows upon Kratos — she's a worthy foe for sure. Our protagonist sure has come a long way since the days of killing Ares and Poseidon.
2 Killing Baldur - God Of War (2018)
From dubbed as 'The Stranger' at the start of God Of War to Kratos coming to know him as Baldur, the final fight against this character is an intense one. However, the main element that makes it so challenging is how Freya, Baldur's mother, is aiding her son herself in the only way she can, as she can't physically hurt anyone with her spells.
Instead, Freya must control other beings and plant life to try and stop Baldur, Kratos, and Atreus from fighting. And while the fight between Baldur would be challenging in itself, all the added parts make it one of the best achievements Kratos has behind him.
1 Vengeance On Zeus - God Of War 3
After all comes to a close in the final few moments of God of War 3, Kratos finally gets to defeat his father Zeus and claim his vengeance. While not being the most difficult battle when compared to the other Gods, it's still a vehement boss fight, one which sees Kratos fight with everything he's learned through the game's events. Nevertheless, the courage and power to take Zeus down as well as to take the fight to his ground make it one of the best moments in the whole series.
Like many of the other boss fights, this one isn’t limited to one room, instead existing over multiple areas featuring different forms of Zeus for Kratos to fight his way through.
NEXT: God Of War: Every God From Weakest To Most Powerful, Officially Ranked
