Personality

Kratos is a rather static character, as his personality does not really change throughout the game. It may appear that he gets more softhearted, but I believe that he had that inside of him the whole time.

At first glance, Kratos appears to be cool, mysterious, apathetic and extremely powerful. Add his judgment costume and you get that plus a higher being look. Kratos pretty much acts like this to everyone for most of the game. He is a mercenary after all. In battle, he makes comments such as "please..." when he sees the enemy or "humph" when someone heals him. It is obvious that he thinks he does not need anyone else, as well as recognizes his own skill in fighting. Kratos has a poker face that cannot be cracked by anything besides for his family. He almost always keeps his composure, never letting people know how he truly feels by his facial and body expressions. He rarely seems fazed by anything, but I also think that is partially because he is always on his guard and ready to act quickly if needed. Kratos is also able to gain the party’s trust (even though Raine does not fully trust his motives) and make sure Colette reaches the Tower of Salvation before he betrays the party. Not everyone would be able to know they will be betraying a group of people (son included) and be able to act normal.

Kratos is a very intelligent man, and it shows on numerous occasions. Though Raine and Genis are better known for being the book smart characters, Kratos has a great deal of knowledge. But, I guess that is to be expected from someone who has been alive for thousands of years. Kratos not only has the “book smarts” but also is logical and quick to think on his feet, allowing him to reach a higher level of intelligence. He understands the way things work, and accepts learning things from people by the end of the game, giving him yet a new understanding. In his case, understanding and intelligence are forms of his strength because he realizes that knowledge is power.

Kratos is also somewhat secretive alongside keeping his feelings to himself. Yeah, he is supposed to betray the party, so he cannot tell them what his true motives are, but he just seems like a quiet guy. Even with people he trusts, I think that Kratos would only tell certain things to Anna, as opposed to his old friends Yuan, Mithos and Martel. But even so, I also think he would keep other things to himself and not tell anyone unless he had to. However, I do think that he would only do that to prevent the people he cares about from his own burdens. Though what happened to his family is extremely painful for him, he still seems to have a hard time telling Lloyd what happened. He obviously decides to because Lloyd not only has the right to know, but Kratos wants Lloyd to know as well, but he seems to hesitate a little because he is not only afraid of what Lloyd may think, but it will also add a burden to his son.

Which leads me to my main point. Kratos may appear cold and drawn back on the outside, but deep down he really does have the emotions he appears to lack on his face. Quite a few times that Kratos is with Lloyd; we see Kratos’ facial expression or tone change. In one Z-skit, Kratos and Lloyd talk about Lloyd’s father killing his mother. Lloyd, of course, does not know Kratos is his father at this point, but Kratos looks very upset and worried. He seems ready, but almost afraid at the same time, that Lloyd would say something along the lines of “I hate my father”. Lloyd does not say anything close to that, which seems to make Kratos feel a little better. He obviously cares about his son’s opinion of him, most likely because he won’t be able to look out for him well if Lloyd rejects him as a person, nonetheless a father. Later on, Yuan threatens to hurt Lloyd if Kratos gets any closer to him, to which he seems rather unfazed (honestly, I believe that his heart was probably racing even at this point). It is not until Yuan attacks Lloyd that Kratos immediately jumps in front of the attack to protect his son. He already knew that his life was not worth living without his family, and he did not want to lose Lloyd again. Other than Lloyd, the only other time Kratos generally shows emotion is when the making of Exspheres is mentioned or when the dead is insulted, both situations connecting to Anna. Kratos' only weakness is his family, and he will do anything to guide, protect or help them.

Though the party may not realize it, Kratos is pretty much the fatherly figure of their party. Not only does he radiate power and protection, he is also stern and kind depending on when he needs to be. He comes off as being hard on Lloyd, but in reality, he is just teaching his son like any father would do. Lloyd just does not realize it because he does not know Kratos is his true father. Kratos is also very mature, and takes care of the group, though mainly looks out for Lloyd.

Why is it that Kratos holds his emotions inside? I believe it is partially because he has to act that way as a mercenary and soldier for Mithos, but I think it is mainly because he thinks he has to keep his feelings to himself. He has to bear the guilt and torture of being the one who killed the woman that meant everything to him, robbing her and his son of enjoying a family life. I do not care how emotionless he may seem on the outside, I know this pains him greatly, and he may be afraid to let other emotions show through in fear that these will too. Of course he is not trying to forget what he has done, because he believes he should take full responsibility and bear this guilt for the rest of his life, but he could be afraid of breaking down more often. It would not be fit for a mercenary like himself to have an emotional break down, so he just bottles up all of his emotions rather than trying to keep his pain inside.

Lastly, Kratos' personality and even sole being can be compared to Polaris. Polaris is also known as the North Star, which sailors would use for guidance in order to get home. It was a kind of reassurance because it was always there, even if you could not see it all the time (clouds, or daytime). Kratos is like Polaris. Even though the party could not always tell, Kratos was always there helping them along and guiding them (especially Lloyd). Polaris is a star, which is high above and even considered as something mysterious due to lack of knowledge about it and magnificent due to it's being. Kratos, being a Seraph, is "above" the human race, and is definitely mysterious since he is very hard to read. Polaris is a guiding celestial object, like the aura that Kratos gives off himself.

b a c k   .   c l e a r   .   f o r w a r d    Polaris and its contents are © Samantha, however Kratos and Tales of Symphonia are © NAMCO. Stealing is absolutely not permitted, and your site will be shut down if caught. Polaris is a part of TETHEALLA.NET.