History YMMV / GodOfWar

* {{Fanon}}: Although WordOfGod says otherwise, many players choose to believe that underneath all the enchantments and visual changes, the Blades of Athena and Blades of Exile are still the same old Blades of Chaos. With the revelation in the Norse Saga that Kratos can never be rid of the Blades of Chaos no matter what happens, Athena giving him the newer sets of blades can be interpreted as the curse returning the same blades to him, just with a fresh coat of paint and enchantments.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: In mythology, Aphrodite did have two handmaidens in the form of the daughters of Oceanus Peitho and Paregoros, though it's unlikely that the developers were aware of this fact.

* ValuesDissonance: Even before going off the deep end in the sequels, Kratos is very morally reprehensible if not just highly guilty by our standards. But to Ancient Greeks, he would've been hailed as a mighty warrior, to Spartans a legendary hero. The first game in the series could very well have been an actual Greek mythical tale, and nobody of that time would have batted an eye. In ancient Greek mythology, "hero" means only that you accomplish mighty deeds. Being [[TheParagon a paragon of virtue]] is optional.

** [[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 2018 game]] & ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok Ragnarok]]'': [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesFreya Freya]] is the beloved Queen of the [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesNorseGods Vanir]], a powerful and cunning sorceress, and skilled warrior who wed and later left the cruel Aesir [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOdin Odin]] for his abusive ways. Cursed by Odin to never leave Midgard or harm another living soul, Freya nevertheless loved their son Baldur [[spoiler:and "[[BlessedWithSuck gifted]]" him invulnerability while robbing him of his ability to feel pleasure and pain in the process. Outcast from both the Vanir and Aesir, Freya lived in exile as a healer until she by chance met Kratos and [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesAtreus Atreus]] on their quest to spread Faye's ashes. The motherly Freya aided them many times in their journey while also [[CrazyPrepared secretly stealing their mistletoe]] that could hurt [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesBaldur Baldur]] and cursing [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesMimir Mimir]] during his resurrection to never reveal her son's weaknesses. During their battle with Baldur, Freya cleverly [[LoopholeAbuse works around her curse]] by indirectly harming and hindering Kratos and swearing vengeance upon him when he kills Baldur to save her. She later retrieves her Valkyrie wings and tries to murder Kratos multiple times and puts both him and the innocent Atreus in harm's way by manipulating human survivors of Fimbulwinter into attacking them. Ultimately, Freya uses Kratos to break her last curse, helps him meet the Norns and forgives him in the process, and works with him to finally cast down Odin and destroy Asgard]].

** [[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 2018 game]] & ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok Ragnarok]]'': [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesFreya Freya]] is the beloved Queen of the [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesNorseGods Vanir]], a powerful and cunning sorceress, and skilled warrior who wed and later left the cruel Aesir [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOdin Odin]] for his abusive ways. Cursed by Odin to never leave Midgard or harm another living soul, Freya nevertheless loved their son Baldur and "[[BlessedWithSuck gifted]]" him invulnerability while robbing him of his ability to feel pleasure and pain in the process. Outcast from both the Vanir and Aesir, Freya lived in exile as a healer until she by chance met Kratos and [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesAtreus Atreus]] on their quest to spread Faye's ashes. The motherly Freya aided them many times in their journey while also [[CrazyPrepared secretly stealing their mistletoe]] that could hurt [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesBaldur Baldur]] and cursing [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesMimir Mimir]] during his resurrection to never reveal her son's weaknesses. During their battle with Baldur, Freya cleverly [[LoopholeAbuse works around her curse]] by indirectly harming and hindering Kratos and swearing vengeance upon him when he kills Baldur to save her. She later retrieves her Valkyrie wings and tries to murder Kratos multiple times and puts both him and the innocent Atreus in harm's way by manipulating human survivors of Fimbulwinter into attacking them. Ultimately, Freya uses Kratos to break her last curse, helps him meet the Norns and forgives him in the process, and works with him to finally cast down Odin and destroy Asgard.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: The Norse God of War titles have an OlderAndWiser Kratos who, while somewhat cold and distant, is ''much'' more complex and engaging, and actually shows consistent concern for other beings, especially his young son. This has been received positively by a lot of people who thought he'd long since become a [[{{Wangst}} melodramatic]], [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic self-pitying]] [[DesignatedHero twat]] in the third game.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kratos himself is this, especially later on in the original series. Some consider him a compelling TragicHero undergoing a ProtagonistJourneyToVillain, seeing him as a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstructionist take]] on the mythological hero by showing how arrogant and selfish they would be by modern standards. Others consider him too unsympathetic and even a bit too idiotic to root for, seeing him as a toxic case of TestosteronePoisoning. This mostly changed with the soft reboot of the franchise, in which an OlderAndWiser Kratos greatly regrets his past deeds and is more empathetic towards others, trying to control his rage to only attack in defense rather than revenge.

* FanNickname: The first seven games of the series are often collectively called the "Greek era" or "Greek Saga", whereas ''God of War (2018)'' and ''God of War Ragnarök'' are called the "Norse era" or "Norse Saga", in order to differentiate the two parts of the franchise due to the changes in mythology, gameplay and tone.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kratos himself is this, especially later on in the original series. Some consider him a compelling TragicHero undergoing a ProtagonistJourneyToVillain, seeing him as a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstructionist take]] on the mythological hero by showing how arrogant and selfish they would be by modern standards. Others consider him too unsympathetic and even a bit too idiotic to root for, seeing him as a toxic case of TestosteronePoisoning. This mostly changed with the soft reboot of the franchise, in which an OlderAndWiser Kratos greatly regrets his past deeds, being more empathetic towards others and trying to control his rage to only attack in defense rather than revenge.

* RatedMForMoney: Everything bleeds. A lot. Also, the nudity is mostly irrelevant and mostly seemed as a ploy to boost the rating. However, give Greek mythology a read sometime and you might be surprised at how accurate (or even tamer) God of War can be. This changed in the Norse era, in which while the games are also rated M and have more strong language than the previous works, there is no nudity and the violence at non-monstruous characters is much less gratuitous.

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%%Do NOT add Complete Monster entries without going to the cleanup thread first. Kratos and Ares are not considered as [=CMs=], don't add them.
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For the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 reboot's YMMV page, [[YMMV/GodOfWarPS4 go here]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kratos himself is this, especially later on in the original series. Some consider him a compelling TragicHero undergoing a ProtagonistJourneyToVillain, seeing him as a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstructionist take]] on the mythological hero by showing how arrogant and selfish they would be by modern standards. Others consider him too unsympathetic and even a bit too idiotic to root for, seeing him as a toxic case of TestosteronePoisoning.

* RatedMForMoney: Everything bleeds. A lot. Also, the nudity is mostly irrelevant and mostly seemed as a ploy to boost the rating. However, give Greek mythology a read sometime and you might be surprised at how accurate (or even tamer) God of War can be.
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: The new God of War title appears to have an OlderAndWiser Kratos who, while somewhat cold and distant, seems to be ''much'' more complex and engaging, and actually shows consistent concern for a another human being (that being his young son). This has been received positively by a lot of people who thought he'd long since become a [[{{Wangst}} melodramatic]], [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic self-pitying]] [[DesignatedHero twat]] in the third game.

* MemeticMutation: [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Circle Button appears over X's head"]].[[labelnote:explanation]] The circle button has become infamous in the game for the quick-time events it triggers, pretty much all of them involving Kratos dealing some poor bastard or less-guilty person a gratuitous, agonizing demise. The basic rule is 'if the circle button appears over something's head, Kratos is almost always about to kill that something and do it with style'.[[/labelnote]]

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Kratos' villainous behavior can sometimes really make it hard to really care if he wins or loses. It sometimes becomes hard to say why you should ''care'' whether Kratos kills that god/saves himself/kills that other god and all the rest too. It's not as though Kratos being in charge would be an improvement given how he acts. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the game does manage to make them all lose, leaving the victimized humans as the ones left. Shame Kratos messed up the sun, sea, seasons, and sky before he died. And even then, [[SequelHook OR DID HE?]] The only consolation is that he decided to release Hope into the world, hope to give humanity a reason to continue on. The ending ''slightly'' implies that the world can start getting back on its feet.]]
** The prequels and interquels, most especially Ascension and Ghost of Sparta, attempt to rectify this by humanizing Kratos more. YMMV on how well that works since in the latter his actions are still worse than the game's supposed BigBad.
** Come the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 PS4 game]], and it seems the devs were taking notes in regards to Kratos being hard to root for. Here, he still isn't exactly ''nice'', but he's clearly trying to rein in his infamous rage and be a good father to his son Atreus. And when it comes to other characters, he's very, very aloof, but he doesn't go out of his way to be a dick, either - save for some in-script lines that go against the continuous plot of his going as far as to give an attacking deity (whom he would not trust) multiple chances to leave him alone. Even his finishing moves are (mostly) less brutal and vicious.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kratos himself is this, especially later on in the original series. Some consider him a compelling TragicHero undergoing a ProtagonistJourneyToVillain, seeing him as a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstructionist take]] on the mythological hero by showing how arrogant and selfish they would be by modern standards. Others consider him too unsympathetic and even a bit [[WhatAnIdiot too idiotic]] to root for, seeing him as a toxic case of TestosteronePoisoning.

** Kratos is '''NOT''' a nice person, that's undeniable. But people seem to be split as to whether he's a tragic SociopathicHero or an outright monster. There's a good amount of support for each (with another argument to be made that he drifts between the two from game to game).

* DesignatedHero: While Kratos' RageAgainstTheHeavens is perfectly reasonable considering what the Gods are like, half the time he's perfectly willing to kill scores of innocent civilians if they're in his way or even if they're just ''there'' breathing his air (just ask the Princess Poseidon enslaved in the third game). Not to mention that when he kills the gods, it literally kills the world around him, likely causing mass devastation and miserably short lives for everyone else. Of course this might have been intentional, considering [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype the Ancient Greek idea of a "Hero" was more about machismo and physical might instead of any real moral fiber]].
* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The original series runs into this as it progresses, as while Kratos is clearly portrayed as a selfish, violent sociopath with no regard for anyone else's lives, a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction]] of the Spartan hero, the entire point of the original series is to kill the gods and monsters in violently awesome ways.

* MemeticMutation: [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Circle Button appears over X's head"]].[[labelnote:explanation]] The circle button has become infamous in the game for the quick-time events it triggers, pretty much all of them involving Kratos dealing some poor bastard a gratuitous, agonizing demise. The basic rule is 'if the circle button appears over something's head, Kratos is about to kill that something and do it with style'.[[/labelnote]]
* MoralEventHorizon: The game makes it clear that you're put in control of a character who starts as a SociopathicHero only to evolve right into class-A douchebag. For almost all players, Kratos will eventually cross the MEH; the only question is ''when''. For many players when Kratos decides to destroy Olympus regardless of the consequences on the world is the point where he goes from NominalHero to VillainProtagonist.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: The new God of War title appears to have an OlderAndWiser Kratos who, while somewhat cold and distant, seems to be ''much'' more complex and engaging, and actually shows concern for a another human being (that being his young son). This has been received positively by a lot of people who thought he'd long since become a [[{{Wangst}} melodramatic]], [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic self-pitying]] [[DesignatedHero twat]] in the third game.
* RootingForTheEmpire: You could be forgiven for hoping the gods killed Kratos off before he completely destroyed the balance of nature. Quite frankly nearly all Kratos’s enemies, post Ares, have pretty legitimate grievances with him and few of his targets end up being bigger bastards than Kratos himself. Zeus’ fears of insurrection turn out pretty spot on, Hera is doing her best to pick up the slack of the other gods Kratos killed and Hades is justifiably pissed off Kratos has repaid his kindness from the first game by killing off his family members left and right.

** Come the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 PS4 game]], and it seems the devs were taking notes in regards to Kratos being hard to root for. Here, he still isn't exactly ''nice'', but he's clearly trying to rein in his infamous rage and be a good father to his son Atreus. And when it comes to other characters, he's very, very aloof, but he doesn't go out of his way to be a dick, either. Even his finishing moves are (mostly) less brutal and vicious.
* ValuesDissonance: Even before going off the deep end in the sequels, Kratos is very morally reprehensible by our standards. But to Ancient Greeks, he would've been hailed as a mighty warrior, to Spartans a legendary hero. The first game in the series could very well have been an actual Greek mythical tale, and nobody of that time would have batted an eye. In ancient Greek mythology, "hero" means only that you accomplish mighty deeds. Being [[TheParagon a paragon of virtue]] is optional.

Return to the main page [[VideoGame/GodOfWar here]]

*** Is Zeus really want to stop the destruction that Kratos causes, or is he just terrified that he'll be killed and is putting on a tough face? What was Zeus ''doing'' while Kratos was killing his entire family and destroying the world by proxy? Even if he saw nothing else over the course of the series, Zeus definitely watched Poseidon get murdered and did nothing to stop it. The King of the Gods only comes out to fight when Kratos either shows up on his doorstep or threatens the source of his power - situations where nonaction would lead to his own death.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Kratos' villainous behavior can sometimes really make it hard to really care if he wins or loses. It sometimes becomes hard to say why you should ''care'' whether Kratos kills that god/saves himself/kills that other god and all the rest too. It's not as though Kratos being in charge would be an improvement given how he acts. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the game does manage to make them all lose, leaving the victimized humans as the ones left. Shame Kratos messed up the sun, sea, seasons, and sky before he died. And even then, [[SequelHook OR DID HE?]] The only consolation is that he decided to release Hope into the world, hope to give humanity a reason to continue on. The ending ''slightly'' implies that the world can start getting back on its feet.]]
** The prequels and interquels, most especially Ascension and Ghost of Sparta, attempt to rectify this by humanizing Kratos more. YMMV on how well that works since in the latter his actions are still worse than the game's supposed BigBad.
** Come the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 PS4 game]], and it seems the devs were taking notes in regards to Kratos being hard to root for. Here, he still isn't exactly ''nice'', but he's clearly trying to rein in his infamous rage and be a good father to his son Atreus. And when it comes to other characters, he's very, very aloof, but he doesn't go out of his way to be a dick, either. Even his finishing moves are (mostly) less brutal and vicious.

** Subverted as of ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'', where Kratos is shown reckoning and atoning for his past actions, and expressing regret over his rampage on the Gods of Olympus.

** Come the and it seems the devs were taking notes. Kratos still isn't exactly ''nice'', but he's clearly trying to rein in his infamous rage and be a good father to his son Atreus. And when it comes to other characters, he's very, very aloof, but he doesn't go out of his way to be a dick, either. Even his finishing moves are (mostly) less brutal and vicious.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Kratos' villainous behavior can sometimes really make it hard to really care if he wins or loses. It sometimes becomes hard to say why you should ''care'' whether Kratos kills that god/saves himself/kills that other god and all the rest too. It's not as though Kratos being in charge would be an improvement given how he acts. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the game does manage to make them all lose, leaving the victimized humans as the ones left. Shame Kratos messed up the sun, sea, seasons, and sky before he died. And even then, [[SequelHook OR DID HE?]] The only consolation is that he decided to release Hope into the world, hope to give humanity a reason to continue on. The ending ''slightly'' implies that the world can start getting back on its feet.]] The prequels and interquels, most especially Ascension and Ghost of Sparta, attempt to rectify this by humanizing Kratos more. YMMV on how well that works since in the latter his actions are still worse than the game's supposed BigBad.