Counterparts

The following "mini essays" are on other people in the game that I think Kratos plays as a counterpart to or vice versa. I find their "relationships" as roles in the game rather interesting, and thus they will be written about here. Kratos and these characters do not interact very much, so it will not contain a lot of factual information. There really is no other general point to this other than get my ideas on the subject out on a page.

The first, and probably most obvious character that will be addressed is ZELOS WILDER. He really is Kratos' game counterpart, as he arrives when Kratos leaves and leaves if and when Kratos returns to the party. The two share the same move set, as well as armor and weapons. They are by no means anything alike. Now please, keep in mind that I have no intentions of bashing Zelos' character. He does have good personality traits, but the purpose of this essay is to contrast the two characters, not to mention I mention some of Kratos' faults as well if you keep reading.

Kratos and Zelos both have an aura of mystery around them, but they address it in different ways. Kratos is very reserved; mainly indifferent sounding, serious and can even come off as being highly critical of others. Zelos is pretty much the complete opposite of him, as he is laid back, loud, sometimes annoying and is hardly ever serious about anything. The game time differences between the two characters being around are enormous. The group's attitude seems to be completely different around Kratos than Zelos for this reason.

Another large difference between the two other than personality is their view on life. Kratos is constantly bearing the weight of his tragedy and blaming it on himself, taking full responsibility for his actions and what he has to do next. He does not run from his problems, and tries to make amends for them. Zelos, although he is also bearing the weight of his own tragic past, takes this in a different direction. He is very insecure as well as wanting to run away from his problems and responsibilities of being the Chosen. Zelos just has the personality where he can be more laid back and not uptight and worried about responsibilities and whatnot until he becomes true friends with Lloyd and the party. Zelos and Kratos seem to meet at a focal point, where they think there is no reason to keep living for their individual reasons. Lloyd helps them out of that mentality and then the two characters do their best to help Lloyd defeat Mithos (depending on which ending you choose).

I just found it interesting how both Kratos and Zelos had very tragic pasts, yet they ended up so different. Yes, I know they have very different personalities, and their tragedies happened at different points in their life, but it is still intriguing to think about, including that they are actual counterparts in the game. The point that they started off as polar opposites, but were drawn to a single focal point by the person they care about the most and helped over that block makes them have a strange sort of "bond". The two never really interact, but they are just like the yin and yang principle.

Lastly, I just wanted to add in a possible interesting concept behind their names. The Greek character Cratos (also known as Kratos) that personifies strength and power is brother to another character named Zelos, the personification of dedication and emulation. This can kind of connect to Kratos and Zelos, such that Kratos is more known for his strength, while if you choose the Zelos path in the game, he is dedicated and loyal to Lloyd. Chances are this has nothing to do with the namesake of these characters, but I found it interesting all the same.

Another character I would like to address would be DIRK. Their counterpart relationship is really only through Lloyd, as Kratos is Lloyd's real father and Dirk is the adoptive father Lloyd grew up loving.

Both characters play a large role in Lloyd's life as father figures. Dirk is everything that Kratos did not get a chance to be – the openly loving and caring father that teaches his son lessons and the way of life. Dirk has Lloyd's eternal trust as the father he grew up with calling "dad". Kratos only appears to Lloyd as the other half of a father-son relationship; the side that is strict, not very open and sometimes even highly critical, but still passes down knowledge of his personal background and experiences out of love for his son. Although the relationship between Dirk and Lloyd was not deeply discussed, Dirk does not seem like the type of father who would act that way. The two characters are almost like halves. Once Lloyd knows them both, the gap between those halves begins to get smaller, until the moment when Lloyd receives two swords – one from Dirk, and the other from Kratos. This symbolizes how both fathers are extremely important to Lloyd, and that they both are the ones who come together to complete him. Once Lloyd can refer to Kratos as "dad", both characters have fulfilled the role of a father to Lloyd.

Though this is probably a small stretch, I think that some connections can be made to REGAL BRYANT as well. Though maybe not a counterpart per say, the two seem to have intertwining stories.

Regal has a similar past to Kratos, as the woman he loved was also turned into a monster because of Exspheres. Alicia begged Regal to kill her because she loved him and did not want to hurt him, so he did. The only difference between the two would be that Regal turned himself in and got arrested for murder, and Kratos returned to Mithos. Both saw no real meaning to living any longer and have to bear the pain of not even taking the life of another, but killing the women they loved most. I think that Regal’s story being revealed to the party helps Lloyd understand why Kratos had to kill his mother when he actually hears it. Knowing that someone he trusted as a friend was forced to do a similar thing probably made Lloyd realize that they had no other choice, and really did not want to do it. Though Kratos’ shackles are not visibly displayed like Regal’s are, I believe that Lloyd realizes that Kratos has them regardless. I do not think Lloyd would have had an easy time realizing this without hearing Regal’s story first.

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