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1%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3%%Spoiler tagging trope names is forbidden. Spoilered trope names have been unspoilered on this page. Please either show the trope name or don't list the trope at all.
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5%%% This is not a forum. Do not reply to posts.
6
7Keep in mind that everyone is subject to AlternativeCharacterInterpretation in this game. Oh, and there may be spoilers.
8
9[[foldercontrol]]
10
11!Main Characters
12[[folder:Wander]]
13!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KenjiNojima
14[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wander01_9319.jpg]]
15[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wander_remake.jpg]]
16 [[caption-width-right:350:Wander in the Remake]]
17
18->''"She was sacrificed for she had a cursed fate. Please... I need you to bring back her soul..."''
19
20\
21A young man who has come to the Forbidden Land to revive Mono. WordOfGod has it he's the progenitor of the horned boys in ''VideoGame/{{ICO}},'' more or less the only solid thing besides an EasterEgg connecting the two games.
22----
23* ActionSurvivor: Wander isn't the most athletic or badass protagonist, yet he keeps killing Colossi anyway. Then again, [[spoiler:at least part of his increase in skill and power was his transformation into Dormin's new container...]]
24* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Bury the girl you once loved, or take down sixteen Colossi -- which you've only just learned about -- to get her back?
25* AntiHero: He'd be a lot less morally ambiguous if he didn't live in such a CrapsackWorld.
26* AntiVillain: A type III example. He intends to bring his loved one back to life, but in doing so kills many living beings that appear to feel pain.
27* AndYourRewardIsInfancy: [[spoiler:He gets turned into a baby at the end, but whether or not it's to redeem him is left up to interpretation.]]
28* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:That, or reincarnated. Either way, the baby at the end is him.]]
29* BadassNormal: Wander stumbles often, has poor balance, and is so comedically sloppy with his newly-acquired magic sword, yet still manages to murder his way through a veritable menagerie of mythic monsters. On the other hand, he can shoot arrows accurately while riding at full gallop, which takes ''years'' of training in real life. He's also able to take a multi-story fall and essentially ''walk it off.''
30** In regards to the first sentence, he can count as BadassAdorable.
31* BlackBlood: Appears to throw up a stream whenever a Colossus' essence enters him. [[spoiler:Later sprays copiously from his chest when he's stabbed by Emon's men.]]
32* BlackEyesOfCrazy: [[spoiler:Once he's fully possessed by Dormin, who may or may not be evil.]]
33* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler:At the end of the game, Dormin possesses Wander's body completely and turns him into what is presumably Dormin's true form, which the player has full control over. The only problem is they're so big compared to the hall they're in that they can't stand up to their full height and have to crawl (slowly due to Wander's injured leg) and can't turn around properly]].
34* BloodIsTheNewBlack: The result of numerous Colossi gushing blood over him like a fire hydrant. The black stains eventually start to show on Wander's clothes.
35* BottomlessBladder: Wander never has to eat, drink, or do anything else throughout his long and arduous quest. His life throughout the game consists of finding and killing Colossi. On the other hand, though optional, he can eat lizards and fruit for stat boosts, and sleeps when the player isn't playing: loading a save from a shrine involves waking him up with a button press.
36* BottomlessMagazines: He never runs out of arrows. And he can pull them out of absolutely nowhere. If you're bored enough, try climbing a tree and firing arrow after arrow into it—eventually the arrows will teleport back to Wander's hands! And if that gets old, you can also riddle the Colossi with the ''Harpoon of Thunder.''
37* BrassBalls: Wander has some serious nerves of steel when it comes to the Colossi. His reaction upon first encountering Values is more that of surprise than fear, and other Colossi that [[HeWasRightThereAllAlong get the jump on him]] mostly get a surprise reaction out of him than one of fear.
38* BowAndSwordInAccord: Both weapons need to be used to even stand a chance of taking down the Colossi.
39* ClassicalAntiHero: His actions are morally ambiguous at best and his animations characterize him as being rather clumsy and out of his depth against the Colossi. That said, his motivations are altruistic (if debatably short-sighted) and his sheer persistence despite the might of the Colossi and gradual deterioration of his body is hard not to admire.
40* ClothingDamage: As the game goes on and more of the Colossi are defeated, his clothes start to take on a much more ragged and dirty appearance.
41* CuteClumsyGirl: [[GenderFlip Gender-flipped]], with Wander tending to trip over himself, the environment, and even the occasional tortoise. It's one of his more humanizing traits and serves to show him as something other than a hunter of Colossi.
42* {{Determinator}}: Is he ever; since he's not the best fighter, determination is his biggest advantage when fighting the colossi. In a way he's also a soft [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of this trope, as his single minded devotion to bringing Mono back to life is subtly implied to be both destructive to himself, and many others involved in this quest.
43* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Somewhat understated, but still there. He's put down in a quick, one-sided fight, but even then he ''does not give up'' and keeps struggling forward until his body gives out on him.]]
44* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: As the game progresses [[spoiler:and he is possessed by more and more of Dormin's essence]], he becomes paler and creepier. For reference, this is collection of screenshots that illustrates Wander's [[http://thegaminghipster.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sotc_wander_progress.jpg change in appearance.]]
45* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Wander gets stronger with each Colossus he kills, plus heals automatically from his wounds. This strength is due to the fact that after every kill, [[spoiler:''something'' from the Colossus he killed (largely speculated to be Dormin's essence) flows out of it and into him upon their death.]]
46* EvilMakesYouUgly: If you pay careful attention, you can actually see Wander start changing from having a clean, flushed appearance to an emaciated, filthy, and [[TaintedVeins vein-covered]] mess. The process begins as early as Gaius, but gradually. It only becomes apparent near the end that something has gone wrong...
47* GirlyRun: Wander doesn't do a "dainty" girly run — he's more of the "wild arm-swinging" variety of girly run. Of course, this could be perceived as clumsiness rather than effeminacy. Also, in his defense, he is holding stuff.
48* GlowingEyesOfDoom: [[spoiler:Wander's irises and pupils start glowing once he's possessed.]]
49* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Slowly gets possessed by Dormin over the course of the game with each Colossus he kills.]]
50* HeroesPreferSwords: {{Subverted}}. While he does use one, it's only because it's the only thing that can kill the Colossi. When compared to how skillful he is with his bow and riding his horse, Wander just tends to flail his sword wildly while throwing himself off balance in the process when he isn't stabbing the Colossi to death.
51* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In the figurative sense that is in line with what this trope is about, Wander's determination to slay each Colossus one by one becomes more and more unhealthy for him the longer the game goes on. [[spoiler:Then a literal version of the trope is played with during the ending, when, as part of his reward for slaying them all, he becomes a Colossus-like entity when Dormin possesses him.]]
52* HollerButton: There's a button used to make him call Agro's name. The voice clip varies depending on how far Agro is — up to a whistle instead if Agro's far enough — and he sounds kind of panicked during battle. The whistle has a second function, if Agro's not around for a fight: it can enrage the colossi into making an attack, the sonic equivalent of pointlessly bouncing arrows off of them.
53* HornedHumanoid: Starts growing a stubby pair at the end, [[spoiler:which he keeps in baby form.]]
54* HorseArcher: Wander is almost ''ungodly'' when it comes to a bow and arrow, easily being able to aim and fire one while riding Agro not just sitting down, but while ''standing up on her while going full speed''.
55* HorsebackHeroism: Riding his steed is sometimes necessary to subdue Colossi.
56* HowDoIShotWeb: It's pretty clear from the get-go that Wander knows nothing about how to wield his sword and only has it because he needs its powers for his quest.
57* HyperactiveMetabolism: Eating fruit extends his health bar, and kneeling helps said health bar restore more quickly.
58* HyperspaceArsenal: While Wander's sword has a visible sheath, he seemingly pulls his bow out of his pocket. The same goes for awarded items from Time Attack. If you look, when the sword is "sheathed," there is no handle poking out of the scabbard. The sword neither goes into nor comes out of the sheath. The Ancient Sword was finally given a visible handle when sheathed in the [=PS4=] remake, but he still pulls his bow and Time Attack rewards out of thin air.
59* IndyPloy: Wander isn't given much info on how to defeat a Colossus outside of the occasional vague hint Dormin may chime in with during the battle. More often than not he, and by extension, the player, must figure it out as he goes based on the environment and visual cues from the Colossus itself.
60* IronicDeath: [[spoiler:His human body is killed by being impaled through the chest, with the sword penetrating through the Colossus-esque sigil on his tabard. To drive the point home, black blood starts geysering up from his chest after the blade is pulled out]]. It verges on being LaserGuidedKarma.
61* KarmicTransformation: [[spoiler:For killing the Colossi, he is turned into Dormin's new body.]]
62* KickTheDog: His slaying of Phalanx, which refused to fight him and he killed while it was desperately trying to escape him. It borders on YouBastard for the player even.
63* TheKlutz: Outside of a bow and arrow, Wander isn't that coordinated. He easily trips and falls over himself with the slightest movement of a Colossus, and his sword strikes are him just flailing it around outside of his stabs, which he sometimes ends up plunging too deep into the Colossi and has to take several seconds to wiggle back out, with the animation showing him almost falling off in the process.
64* LackOfEmpathy: An odd example, as he has ''no'' qualms about killing the Colossi one by one [[KickTheDog (even one that means him absolutely no harm and merely spends their entire battle running away from him)]] as long as Mono is ultimately revived. He cares for her, but [[LoveMakesYouCrazy his devotion seems to blind him to the fact that the Colossi seem to be feeling creatures.]] Either that or [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman he just doesn't care.]]
65* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Whether you see his actions as noble or evil, he's willing to do some pretty out-there stuff to bring Mono back.
66* LoveMakesYouDumb: Dormin tells Wander straight up that reviving Mono ''is'' possible, but that it may not be worth the price. Wander doesn't care and ignores Their warning.
67* MadeOfIron: He's got this going for him, at least. He can walk off electrocution, poison, explosions, shrapnel, and 3-4 story falls (at higher amounts of health, 100 foot falls aren't a problem either). It's somewhat less evident in Hard Mode.
68* MarkOfTheBeast: The more Colossi he kills, the more dark marks start appearing on his body; not good for the health.
69* MasterArcher: As said many times, Wander's skill with a bow and arrow is quite unnatural. He's able to make perfect shots while standing up on top of Agro galloping at full speed. Not ''riding'', ''standing''.
70* MusclesAreMeaningless: Wander is a skinny kid of average height. Watching him flail around on top of a 20-story giant suggests that he's fueled by distilled [[{{Determinator}} determination]], and not so much experience or battle prowess.
71* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If you ask Emon, [[spoiler:he's releasing an evil creature with his actions.]]
72* {{Necromantic}}: If one thinks of Mono as his LoveInterest, then he fits, considering that she is dead and he is trying to revive her.
73* NoStatAtrophy: The upper limit of Wander's increasing health meter and strength meter will never decrease. [[spoiler:Unless you eat the poisonous fruit in the Secret Garden.]]
74* OneWingedAngel: A rare ''protagonist'' version. [[spoiler:Wander, when possessed by Dormin, transforms into Dormin's physical form itself.]]
75* LeParkour: Wander is clumsy when climbing horizontally, but the only thing that could beat him climbing vertically is a gecko.
76* PintsizedPowerhouse: His strength/stamina meter grows with each defeated colossus, and this growth carries over to following play-throughs. By the sixteenth play-through, the strength meter grows to cover the screen.
77* PossessionImpliesMastery: Averted! Wander is quite possibly the only sword-wielding video game character in existence who ''isn't very good with a sword.'' He swings randomly, and is thrown off balance by the simplest attempts at offence. Most of the actual damage he does with it is inflicted with deliberate, clumsy stabs. Meanwhile, he's almost supernaturally steady with the bow, showing he has had a lot of practice with it.
78* ThePowerOfLove: Wander's motivation for hunting down and slaying the colossi is reviving Mono.
79* ScrewDestiny: Whether Mono's fate was {{curse}}d or not, Wander is going to do whatever he can to reverse her death.
80* SpellMyNameWithAThe: Because of ambiguous characters in it, his name is variously translated as "The Wanderer," "Wander," and in what is almost certainly a mistranslation, [[GenderBlenderName Wanda]][[note]]"Wander" and the transliteration of "Wanda" have the same characters in Japanese[[/note]]. It's probably meant to be "Wander" -- the official Sony Entertainment Japan page of the [=PS3=]-based re-release spells his name this way in Romaji.
81* SuddenlyShouting: Whenever Agro is in a boss arena, Wander's call for her will sound noticeably louder and more panicked.
82* TaintedVeins: The more Colossi he kills [[spoiler:and the more of Dormin's essence he absorbs]], the more his veins take on a sickly black hue.
83* TragicMonster: [[spoiler:When he's possessed, at least from Lord Emon's point of view, since it was his devotion to Mono that made him that way.]]
84* TransformationOfThePossessed: [[spoiler:When Dormin possesses him after regaining Their full power, They turn Wander into a Colossus. This might also apply to his veins turning black with the more Colossi he kills, as they're turned black through Dormin's essence.]]
85* UnwittingPawn: Lord Emon tells him that he's been used [[spoiler:just before having him shot and stabbed.]]
86* WellIntentionedExtremist: From Dormin's (and maybe even his own) point of view, he is doing something horrific in order to revive someone important to him.
87* WhatTheHellHero: Lord Emon's reaction when he finds that all sixteen idols have been destroyed. Emon also implies that Wander ''stole'' that sword, which explains why he's so clumsy with it.
88* TheWorseningCurseMark: As the game progresses, he gets more and more haggard in general, but it's [[spoiler:his veins starting to show up black]] that really points to something being ''badly'' wrong.
89* VillainProtagonist: Again, from Emon's point of view, Wander is the villain of this story and Emon is TheHero.
90* VomitIndiscretionShot: Every time he kills a colossus and its essence enters him, he throws up a spray of BadBlackBarf.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder:Agro]]
94[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agro_8053.jpg]]
95[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agro_remake.jpg]]
96 [[caption-width-right:350:Agro in the Remake]]
97
98Wander's loyal steed.
99----
100* AttractMode: When it's left on the starting menu long enough, the game will play random footage of Agro, well... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZfGLXw1dVk being a horse.]]
101* AutomatonHorse: Agro's a [[DownplayedTrope slightly less extreme example of this]]. While she can run as long as you want her to, she does spook, limp (for a short while) if she takes damage, and if left alone will go off to find grass to eat or water to drink.
102* CoolHorse: One of gaming's most beloved steeds. Her AI is very well programmed -- on narrow ledges, Agro will find her own path with no input from Wander/the player, for example. She also has a lot of endearing idle behaviours, and it's clear she's extremely loyal to Wander.
103* {{Determinator}}: Gets blown up, knocked over by creatures the size of buildings, and [[spoiler:''falls down a massive ravine.'' This gives her a ''limp''.]]
104* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Near the end, when she falls into the ravine. She's later shown limping back into the Shrine of Worship.]]
105* FriendlyFireproof: Played straight with the sword, but averted with the arrows. Get the sword out and no matter how many times Wander strikes Agro, it doesn't hurt the horse, but get out your bow and arrows and aim them at Agro, and Agro will whinny and gallop away.
106* GameplayAllyImmortality: The worst that this faithful steed ever suffers is a temporary limp that she instantly recovers from [[ThatCameOutWrong the moment Wander mounts her]].
107* LoyalAnimalCompanion: Wander's loyal horse. [[spoiler:She forces Wander off her back in the final area to save him from falling off a crumbling bridge.]]
108* MadeOfIron: She's flagged immortal for gameplay purposes, and takes hits that would make a normal horse explode. [[spoiler:Hell, Agro ''falls off a cliff and survives''. She apparently injures one of her back legs, but still, ''she survived.'']]
109* OldSaveBonus: If you have save data for ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'' on your memory card, Agro will have a white patch of fur resembling ICO's "I" on her forehead instead of the normal blaze.
110* SamusIsAGirl: A lot of players thought Agro was male. The creators actually consider her a mare.
111* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is "Agro", which looks similar to "Aggro" and which Wander sometimes seems to pronounce "Argro". [[SarcasmMode Have fun.]]
112* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Agro ultimately survives the fall down the ravine, but is shown limping in the ending. Broken limbs in horses are notoriously almost impossible to heal even with modern technology due to combination of their bones being brittle, horses not saying put and them needing to stand firm on their legs for their blood to circulate properly. The game ends before the consequences of such an injury make themselves known. Some fans interpret the injury as a still-serious but more survivable sprain, to more realistically imagine Agro survived past the ending.]]
113* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:It isn't clear how she survived her fall into the ravine right before the sixteenth Colossus.]]
114* VideoGameCaringPotential: Press the O button while standing next to Agro and Wander will pat his steed affectionately. It doesn't even have a significant gameplay purpose[[note]]it only refills Wander's grip gauge more quickly[[/note]], it's mostly just there to feel nice.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Mono]]
118!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HitomiNabatame (yes, she has a voice, although you only hear it distantly)
119[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m0n0_4649.jpg]]
120[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mono_remake.jpg]]
121 [[caption-width-right:350:Mono in the Remake]]
122
123A beautiful maiden who Wander knew personally. The object of his quest is to bring her back to life after [[HumanSacrifice she was sacrificed]].
124----
125* AmbiguousSituation: Is she his love interest? Sister? Cousin? Friend? [[ChildhoodFriendRomance All]] [[BrotherSisterIncest at the]] [[KissingCousins same time?]] It's hard to tell, and the developers don't give much indication besides the confirmation that Wander does [[TheFourLoves love Mono in some way.]]
126* BackFromTheDead: The entire point of the game is to bring her back. [[spoiler:It works!]]
127* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Despite being a corpse exposed to the open air for the entire game, Mono retains her pristine beauty. Wander, however, becomes progressively more dirty, dishevelled, and corpse-like himself with every colossus he slays.
128* ColorMotif: She's dressed in white and seems vaguely associated with the colour in general, with the white doves that flock around her.
129* {{Curse}}: Either figuratively or literally, Mono has a "cursed fate." That was why she was sacrificed. Wander tells Dormin this at the beginning. Emon is determined to prevent this curse, whatever it is, from coming true, and therefore wants to stop Wander from [[GottaKillThemAll slaying the colossi and completing the spell]] needed to bring her BackFromTheDead. After this, [[WildMassGuessing the rest is up to the player to work out]].
130* DisturbedDoves: One new dove appears at Mono's shrine after each colossus you defeat.
131* FriendToAllLivingThings: This is implied. She's even got the squirrel standing by her foot looking up adoringly at her.
132* HumanSacrifice: She was sacrified in the backstory. At least, according to Wander, who may or may not be a reliable source; we never find out the details.
133* MeaningfulName: Her name is possibly derived from the Japanese cultural concept of MonoNoAware, [[TooLongDidntDub which is difficult to succinctly explain in English]] but basically boils down to finding beauty in transient, impermanent, or bygone things, which makes it appropriate for a beautiful, but dead girl.
134* TheLostLenore: Wander thinks of her almost all the time and sets off the events of the game out of love for her. Also she's young, beautiful, tragic etc.
135* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[AmbiguousSituation Possibly]], though a bit more likely than most other ambiguous things in this game. Her being sacrificed because she had a 'cursed fate' is what kicks off the events of the game, motivates Wander to kill the 16 Colossi, and ultimately [[spoiler:releases [[AmbiguouslyEvil Dormin]] back into the world.]]
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Dormin]]
139!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KazuhiroNakata [[VoiceOfTheLegion and]] Creator/KyokoHikami
140[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dorminhole2.jpg]]
141[[caption-width-right:350:'''"Thy next foe is..."''']]
142[[quoteright:350:[[labelnote: Click here to see their true form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dormin.jpg]][[/labelnote]]
143[[quoteright:350:[[labelnote: Click here to see their true form in the Remake]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dormins_true_form.jpg]][[/labelnote]]
144
145Some kind of sealed-off entity or entities — They talk in two voices and refer to Themselves with plural pronouns. Credited with being able to control creatures made of light and to bring back the spirits of dead mortals. Wander makes a bargain with Them to bring Mono back to life that involves breaking Dormin's seal by killing the colossi.
146----
147* AmbiguouslyEvil: Highly. Are They a BigBadFriend, playing Wander off in his ignorance to open the seal and free Them from Their prison, with [[spoiler:Mono's resurrection being only an incidental side effect of Their machinations]]? Or are They the closest thing to a BigGood, wearing Their motives on Their sleeve and [[spoiler:sticking to Their part of the bargain]]? It's ''very'' ambiguous.
148* AmbiguousGender: Uses plural pronouns when referring to Themself, and speaks with two voices. On the other hand, Emon uses masculine pronouns.
149* AmbiguousSituation: The nature of why Dormin was sealed away in the first place. Was he ([[AmbiguousGender or They]]) truly an evil god that needed to be stopped, or was he wrongfully betrayed by the mortals he was worshiped by? Again, like much of the game, this is open to interpretation.
150* BigBad: Potentially, if you believe them to be evil. [[spoiler:Even though their conscious form is dealt with at the end of the game, their power and influence can still be felt throughout the VideoGame/TeamICOSeries.]]
151* CaptainObvious: "Thou shalt not be able to reach its weak point from where thou are…" "Climb to a higher place…" "Find its hidden weak point…"
152* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:Dormin is eventually able to assume Their true form... but is forced to do so in the middle of Their cramped cathedral, impairing Their mobility.]]
153* TheComputerIsALyingBastard: Some of Dormin's hints are entirely useless and too ambiguous to count for anything.
154* ContinueYourMissionDammit: As an understated example; if Wander is taking his time killing a colossus, Dormin will chime in with a cryptic clue regarding the boss's weakness. If he takes longer, Dormin will chime in with a much, ''much'' less cryptic clue.
155* DarkIsEvil: There was ''some'' reason Dormin was sealed, and being an evil entity is one explanation. They are also pretty cagey about exactly what price Wander will have to pay to revive Mono, [[spoiler:and They possess Wander at the end.]]
156* DarkIsNotEvil: Not only do They warn Wander about the consequences of their deal, but They care enough to keep Their end of the bargain, and (whether or not this was intentional) save Wander's life when both could have been destroyed, possibly even qualifying as a HeroicSacrifice.
157* DealWithTheDevil: Played with. Dormin tries to ''dissuade'' Wander, but in any case they end up making an agreement. There's no clear indication that the consequences of Wander's actions are either side effects of the spell or Dormin's manipulations, but this trope certainly applies in that the fate Wander faces is not pleasant. It's not even clear that Dormin is a devil or demonic entity, either, aside from the physical appearance of Their manifestation at the end. Certainly, there was a part of the deal Dormin did not elaborate on, merely mentioning a "price" Wander would have to pay, and you don't find out what that price is until you defeat the last colossus... and even then it's not entirely clear that the price — [[spoiler:Dormin possessing Wander's body]] — would have been permanent.
158* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Dormin is eventually reassembled into Their colossus form — but accidentally finds Themself stuck in Their own cramped cathedral, unable to escape and too slow to pursue Lord Emon. Wander probably wasn't supposed to turn into that colossus form ''immediately'' (he only does it when one of the new arrivals stabs him), so it could be that they simply arrived at the worst possible time from Dormin's perspective.]] On the other hand, Dormin's motivations and the ultimate ending are so unclear that it could be that it was AllAccordingToPlan.
159* EverybodyHatesHades: They have some control over dead souls, and if seen in a positive or neutral light They seem to fall into this.
160* EvilVirtues: Should They be seen as evil, They show a level of '''[[IGaveMyWord Honesty]]''' with Their actions, ranging from cryptically warning Wander about the ritual to [[spoiler: indeed reviving Mono]].
161* ExpositionFairy: If you keep losing to a colossus, Dormin will chime in with a tip. They also give clues on how to reach the next boss arena.
162* GratuitousIambicPentameter: Tends to speak in trochaic tetrameter during Their "Thy next foe is..." speeches.
163* HintSystem: Dormin appears before each colossus fight to give hints about "thy next foe." Dawdle for too long during a colossus battle and Dormin's voices will give you cryptic hints telling you how to defeat it.
164* HornedHumanoid: Has a massive pair of bovine horns. [[spoiler:Similar horns on mortals seem to be a mark of Their influence, going by Wander and, much later, ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'' and his fellow horned boys.]]
165* IAmLegion: [[VoiceOfTheLegion Speaks with a male and female voice]]. [[spoiler:For reasons unknown, the female half of Their voice fades away by the end of the game.]]
166* IGaveMyWord: [[spoiler:They possess Wander at the end of the game, but, despite being sucked into some kind of vortex along with Wander, they keep up Their end of the bargain — Mono is indeed revived.]]
167* LightIsNotGood: If you interpret them as evil, then they count as this for most of the game, since they take the form of a ray of light coming from the ceiling of the Shrine of Worship.
168* NobleDemon: If you interpret Dormin as evil, They still warn Wander (vaguely) that there will be a heavy price for raising the dead even if he succeeds, and try to dissuade him from attempting it. [[spoiler:Also, They keep Their promise to resurrect Mono.]]
169* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Either a very powerful, ancient demon, able to manipulate and possess people and raise the dead, or a PhysicalGod.
170* PhysicalGod: Has enough sheer power for one, in any case, and when referring to the entity, pronouns are capitalized. They may instead be a Physical Demon.
171* RoyalWe: Dormin speaks in this way. It may be because of authority or it may be that double voice thing.
172* SdrawkcabName: [[spoiler:Dormin = Nimrod, referring to the Old Testament king [[CaptainErsatz known for being a mighty hunter, building an imposing tower, introducing idol worship,wearing a horned crown and being chopped into pieces.]]]] It's also a slang term for an idiot, which is fun for players frustrated with Their [[SarcasmMode "helpful"]] hints.
173* SealedEvilInACan: Maybe. Again, there must have been ''some'' reason They were sealed off, and They ''do'' look quite demonic [[spoiler:after possessing Wander]]. Then again, They ''do'' save Wander, albeit in a de-aged form and possibly not intentionally, and Their dialogue suggests They were going to give Wander's body back. Because of this, They can also interpreted as a [[TrueNeutral Sealed Neutral In A Can]] or even a SealedGoodInACan.
174* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Dormin's subtitles use archaic pronouns and possessives. Butchered, improper archaic, which makes it somewhat [[{{Narm}} funny]].
175[[/folder]]
176
177[[folder:Lord Emon]]
178!!!'''Voiced by:''' Naoki Bandō
179[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emon_01_3.jpg]]
180[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lord_emon_remake.jpg]]
181 [[caption-width-right:350:Emon in the Remake]]
182->''"Poor ungodly soul..."''
183
184\
185Appears to be some kind of holy man and/or knight. His mask shows up in Wander's memories to describe the Forbidden Lands where Dormin dwells. Turns out he's tailing Wander.
186----
187* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: ....Maybe? Despite (or [[AmbiguousSituation possibly because of]]) Emon's efforts, Mono is brought back to life, basically undoing Emon's implied sacrifice of her and possibly jeopardizing whatever the intention behind it was. And there's the fact that Wander is turned into an infant with horns, which suggests that at least part of Dormin may still live.]]
188* AntiVillain: [[AmbiguousSituation Maybe?]] It's not entirely clear if he's just a religious zealot who sacrificed an innocent girl because he believed her to have a cursed fate and falsely believes Dormin to be a demon, or if he was ''right'' about Mono being cursed and that Dormin is truly evil. Even at the end, [[spoiler: he does ''murder'' you, the player, but at the same time, you ''did'' slaughter sixteen colossi and transform into a giant monster and try to kill him and his men.]]
189* BigBad: [[spoiler: At least if you believe Dormin is neutral or good. He's certainly the ''primary antagonist'' in the sense of "character working against the viewpoint character," and either way it's implied he was the one who had Mono sacrificed, starting the events of the story in motion.]]
190* BigDamnHero: [[spoiler:Maybe. He shows up at the end of the game with a retinue of armoured warriors who at least attempt to kill Wander, and Emon himself casts a magic spell to open a vortex to either re-seal or destroy Dormin. Whether or not he fits this trope depends on whether or not Dormin is an evil being.]]
191* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:If They survived, Dormin's definitely going to be feeling ''that'' in the morning.]]
192* TheFaceless: He wears a mask until the final cutscenes. When he removes it, it's not particularly dramatic. Just a rather homely middle-aged man in there.
193* HeroAntagonist: From his own perspective, Lord Emon is the BigGood coming in to clean up the VillainProtagonist's mess.
194* HopelessBossFight: [[spoiler:Emon is the final boss, and the player cannot defeat him or his men. Even if Dormin directly crushes him underneath Their fist, Emon will simply get back up and dust himself off, and he is too fast for Dormin to catch up with him before he gets away]].
195* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He's implied to be the one who had Mono sacrificed, and while his expression upon seeing her corpse suggests he might have some guilt for killing her, but saw it as a necessity regardless. [[spoiler: The same applies to killing Wander-Giant after he's possessed by Dormin.]]
196* KarmaHoudini: For those who see him as a KnightTemplar responsible for killing Mono. [[spoiler:Not only does he escape unharmed at the end, but he causes Wander considerable agony before having him killed.]]
197* GoodShepherd: He's a holy man of some kind and his objective is exorcising something that he considers an evil spirit.
198* KnightTemplar: From Dormin and Wander's point of view, he's a religious zealot. He also might have been the one to sacrifice Mono.
199* MrExposition: He's the unseen narrator at the game's start; It seems Wander was pumping him for information about how to enter the Forbidden Lands. Once he sees a possessed Wander again in the shrine ("[[YouExclamation You!]]"), Emon realizes he was duped.
200* SinisterMinister: Ritual HumanSacrifice is implied to be of his hand or orders in the backstory.
201* SympathyForTheDevil: By his own interpretation of devil, at least. [[spoiler:He seems to feel genuine sympathy for Wander after looking back towards the cathedral one last time, and expresses a sincere hope that if he even survived, he can live long enough to atone]].
202* WolfpackBoss: [[spoiler:He's fought alongside a few warriors he brought with him, none of whom can be killed by the player]].
203* YouExclamation: When he crosses paths with Wander again. It's suggested that Wander was the "listener" during Emon's prologue at the start.
204[[/folder]]
205
206!The Colossi
207The sixteen stone giants that must be slain for Wander to complete his quest.
208
209\
210Although unnamed in the game itself, a [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/578374769464967191/745118678642720878/Names_of_the_Colossi_revealed.pdf list of nicknames]] and scientific names have circled for years, falsely claiming to be WordOfGod. While these names are in no way official, they are used ubiquitously enough in the community to be listed along with their proper development names, which were discussed in a December 2nd, 2005 Famitsu interview with director and lead designer Fumito Ueda [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/t__/images/b/b2/FamitsuNicknameInterview.png/revision/latest?cb=20210418133916&path-prefix=teamico here]] ([[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/t__/images/9/96/FamitsuNicknameInterviewTranslation.png/revision/latest?cb=20210418182603&path-prefix=teamico translation]]).
211
212----
213[[folder:Tropes common to all colossi]]
214* AchillesHeel: The only way to kill the colossi is this trope. The number of weak spots vary from colossus to colossus, and increase in number with the difficulty.
215* AdvancingBossOfDoom: One of the thrills of facing any colossus is watching them come closer to you, looming over Wander as they slowly approach him. Their approach is [[MightyGlacier always slow]], but you know when they get there that you haven't much of a chance. Valus, who is only the first boss, is pretty alarming when he spots you, never mind when he starts wielding his club.
216* AlasPoorVillain: Their deaths are framed as tragic, with the player being treated to their lifeless bodies collapsing onto the ground in slow motion while sorrowful music plays.
217* AmbiguousRobots: The colossi are either gigantic robots of stone, huge hairy monsters, or something in between. The mechanical faces of the colossi are clearly artificial, but parts of their bodies are not only organic, but also rocky and earth-like. They may be some form of {{Golem}}, but that remains ambiguous. This contributes to the mysterious and haunting nature of the work.
218** In the remastered [=PS4=] version, their designs are modified to look more organic with realistic fur and mushrooms instead of grass and rocks.
219* AmbiguousSituation: If they really are the gods of the Forbidden Land's people, their exact nature is a mystery. Are they [[PhysicalGod manifestations of the pantheon]], [[DeityOfHumanOrigin artificial idol gods created by the people]], or simply [[CopycatMockery mockeries created by Dormin]]?
220* AnimalisticAbomination: Most colossi are quite animal-like in appeareance and behavior.
221* AnimalMotifs: Several colossi are based on animals, usually multiple animals. Exactly which ones is debatable.
222* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Dormin actually flat-out tells you exactly what the Colossi are right at the beginning. Technically, it isn't "slay these giant beasts to free Dormin," it's "Destroy ''these specific magic statues'' to free Dormin;" it's that those statues are magic and cannot be destroyed by conventional means. Fortunately, there are beasts roaming the land which are "incarnations" of those statues: the Colossi.
223* AttackItsWeakPoint: All the colossi have symbols on their bodies that signify where to strike. Getting to those areas is where the challenge is.
224** Time Attack mode offers even more sigils to stab, usually in remote spots, complicating matters a lot.
225** Sometimes, they have additional weak points which can be exploited as a means to an end. Their end, incidentally. Stabbing these won't deal damage, but they might hobble it for a few moments. Examples of this include Valus' calf, which causes him to kneel, allowing you to jump to his rear end and continue to climb, and Argus' right elbow, making him drop his sword; [[spoiler:his right palm has one of his proper weak points.]]
226* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Zigzagged with each one. Over time, their massive corpses come to look more like ancient ruins being overgrown by nature. Some are not very easy on the eyes in the first place, but others like Phalanx are beautiful and graceful.
227* BlackBlood: They spew this like you struck oil when they're wounded. It eventually runs down, but the closer your stab is to the weak point, or the harder you stab, the more blood comes gushing out and the longer it takes to run down.
228* BossArenaIdiocy: A few of the colossi on their own would be nightmares to fight were it not for some element in the background that Wander could exploit.
229* ColossusClimb: TropeMaker and TropeNamer.
230* ContractualBossImmunity: Wander gets [[spoiler:exploding arrows and the spear of thunder]] in the NewGamePlus and they can't be used to actually ''kill'' the colossi. See also AnnoyingArrows in general. It's a JustifiedTrope, since the sword, the only weapon capable of killing the brutes, holds some mystical power and is heavily associated with the colossi. Dormin admits that the sword is the only thing Wander has that can make the colossus quest possible.
231* DamageSpongeBoss: Once you're up on them, most bosses become this, considering their large health gauges.
232* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Especially against the bigger, fiercer ones, like Barba, Basaran, and Malus.
233* EyesAreUnbreakable: This is why {{Go For The Eye}}s is a useless strategy in all but one special case.
234%%* EyeLightsOut
235* FantasyPantheon: Whatever civilization might have lived in the Forbidden Lands, they seemed to have worshipped them, as evident by their idols placed in the Shrine of Worship.
236* GameOverMan: Die to any of the colossi, and the GameOver screen will show a close up of them ominously staring towards the camera.
237* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Nearly all the colossi follow this trope in some form. For instance, Phaedra looks like a heaped ruin, but as you appoach, it wakes up and stands up to face you. Other colossi burst out from hiding places to meet you, or simply enter the scene completely oblivious to your presence and only start attacking once you get their attention. See also ThatsNoMoon.
238* HighPressureBlood: BlackBlood. Gushes all over the place when Wander hits a colossus's weak spot. May be justified by the fact that [[OthernessTropes their biology is totally unlike that of true living creatures]]. The black smoke that leaks out of the same wounds is also a bit of a clue.
239* ImplacableMan: Excepting Avion, Hydrus, Phalanx, and Malus, every colossus will do its best to keep up with you once you're spotted. If you run to the other end of the arena, it will slowly and laboriously turn around and amble towards you with only one aim in mind. Even if you run somewhere out of reach, it will rarely venture far away and may even make obvious frustrated gestures (Phaedra, for example, rears up and stamps heavily if it cannot reach you).
240* MalevolentMaskedMen: Most of the colossi have something resembling a faux-Aztec mask for a face.
241* MarathonBoss: On your first playthrough, at least, though even after you've figured out the strategy for beating each one, ''executing'' that strategy is not a quick affair. On a second playthrough, some of them still take quite a while.
242* MightyGlacier: The larger colossi move so slowly that you can run rings around them, and if you run to the other side of the arena, you can take your time planning out your next move long before they even catch up with you. However, should they land an attack, some of them can wipe out half or even three-quarters of your health while simultaneously knocking your player unconscious for several precious seconds.
243* MightyRoar: None of the colossi are silent, at least when you're shooting them full of arrows or stabbing their vitals, but some grunt and bellow as they try to shake you off, and a few are noisy from start to finish. Of course, being big creatures, the noises they make are also loud and impressive.
244* MixAndMatchCritters: All of them have some animalistic trait, and more often than not it's from multiple sources at once. Valus, Barba and Argus are [[HalfHumanHybrid minotaurs]], Quadratus is some sort of mix between mammoth and bull, Gaius has a monkey face, Phaedra seemingly takes inspiration from both horses and seahorses, Avion is as much of a bird as he is a pterodactyl, Hydrus is an eel/catfish, Basaran has a body of a turtle mixed with crab limbs, Dirge has the body of a serpent with a crocodile face, Celosia and Cenobia are a panther and lion mixed with bulls, Pelagia is some strange combination of water buffalo, hammerhead shark and gorilla, and Phalanx is a bizzare beetle-worm with fish fins. The only colossus which seems to break the rule is Malus, who is instead a human fused with a tower.
245* NoBiologicalSex: Despite the fact that each one is often referred to as "he," the colossi have no actual sex, and considering their mysterious nature, the concept of sex doesn't apply anyway.
246* NonMaliciousMonster: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig Zagged]]. The majority of the Colossi are hostile to Wander and will pursue and attack him on sight regardless if Wander attacks them first, with a few even attempting to attack him as soon as the battle begins. Two of the Colossi, however, remain neutral as the battle begins. Avion will only attack Wander once Wander attacks them first, and Phalanx spends the entire battle trying to escape from Wander's assault. There's enough [[AmbiguousSituation ambiguity]] that one can make the case that most of the Colossi are simply trying to defend their territory, or potentially reacting to [[WeaponOfXSlaying the ancient sword]].
247* NoMouth: Zigzagged. Dirge has a functioning mouth, Avion a seemingly vestigial lower jaw, and Kuromori one hole for a breath weapon, but all the others have a carved line ''at the most.''
248* OurGiantsAreBigger: '''Much''' bigger. Seriously, these monsters are some of the largest enemies in a video game, ever. [[http://dl.gamesradar.com/assets/game_size_chart.jpg Accoring to GamesRadar]], the first colossus is slightly bigger than [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Metal Gear REX]] and [[FatAndProud Gabe Newell]], but smaller than the [[Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}} Stay Puft Marshmallow Man]] and [[VideoGame/{{Resistance}} The Leviathan]]. The first colossus is far from the largest in the game; that would be Phalanx, which is estimated at 557 feet long with a 200-foot wingspan. It's played with when considering Celosia and Cenobia, which are puny compared with the other colossi, but still pretty big next to Wander.
249** [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2V4IJLW1U14/TmMYpPnQOyI/AAAAAAAAAc0/cMzvd7WoDjg/s1600/Colossi+size+chart_800x600.jpg Here's a scale comparing the colossi's relative sizes and Wander's]].
250* PerpetualExpression: Their faces are carved from stone, and as a result they cannot change their expressions, though their eyes do light up whenever they have Wander in their sights, and [[RedEyesTakeWarning turn red]] whenever he attacks them.
251* PuzzleBoss: Every colossus is this trope in some form or another, requiring a bit of deduction and observation before you can even get on them, but a few stand out — see below.
252* {{Railroading}}: You can stumble upon one of the Colossus arenas well before Dormin would direct you towards them. However, the Colossus won't show up there until Dormin specifically sends you there. For some Colossi it can make sense, such as the fact that Avion can fly out of it's arena. For others, there's no real justified reason they wouldn't be there beforehand due to the fact that there's zero way for them to leave their arena. This is because the RAM restraints of the [=PS2=] meant that only one Colossus could be loaded into the world at a time.
253* RedEyesTakeWarning: This is how you know you've got a colossus's attention. Which tends to follow shortly by you being under their foot.
254* SingleSpecimenSpecies: Each of the colossi is completely different from the others.
255* SkippableBoss: Averted. Each time you start a game, if you want to see any colossus after the first one, you'll have to kill them in order. Even if you only want to unlock the Time Attack mode, which lets you face any colossus in any order and gives you the option of quitting rather than seeing the battle through to the end, sooner or later you'll have the complete a game first, and that involves killing them.
256* SquareCubeLaw: Sadly, for all that they are slow-moving and conservative in their movements, it's unlikely that creatures the size and shape of most the colossi could exist, never mind walk. The upright, sometimes thin and pointed, limbs of some, for instance, would be dangerously inefficient at balancing their immense weight. This is particularly severe in Phaedra's case, where nearly all its multi-tonne weight is focused on four ridiculously thin points at the ends of its legs. A creature that size shouldn't be able to get up on such spindly feet, and using them as a stamping weapon would probably risk throwing it off balance. It's explained by AWizardDidIt reasons, since their world has obvious supernatural elements incorporated into it.
257** Averted with Celosia and Cerobia who are more realistically sized, both being about as big as an African elephant.
258* SoulJar: The colossus idols, and by extension the colossi themselves, contain the sixteen pieces of Dormin's soul. [[spoiler:As each colossus is destroyed, a piece of Dormin transfers from the colossus to Wander. When all the colossi are destroyed, the sixteen fragments are reunited and Dormin inhabits Wander's body. When Wander is killed by Emon's men, Dormin then borrows his body and appears in a large colossus-like form.]]
259* SwirlyEnergyThingy: Each one radiates a beam of light into the sky once they're defeated. By the time Wander engages Malus, all fifteen of the cloud swirls have taken on an infernal hue.
260* TacticalSuicideBoss: Some of the colossi would be unbeatable if they didn't expose vulnerable or climbable parts of their anatomy to Wander during the battle. However, this still requires Wander to work out where this weak spot is, and how to exploit it.
261* TakenForGranite: Every slain colossus is covered by something dark after its death. If Wander returns to the arena where it fell, he will find a stone corpse partly molded into the rock beneath it. There will even be some greenery growing on its body, giving them a {{Golem}}-like quality. [[spoiler:Press O to pray on the ruins, and you can enter Reminiscence Mode]].
262* ThatsNoMoon: One or two colossi look like ruins until you get up close. [[spoiler:The last colossus looks like it is perched on top of a mighty tower. As you get closer, it becomes apparent that the tower is part of the colossus.]]
263* TimeLimitBoss: Averted for all the bosses the first time you play the game. There is a Time Attack Mode, which lets you fight each boss in any order you want, but when the battle begins, so does a timer. Beat the record time by killing the colossus as fast as possible and get goodies.
264* TurnsRed: Either inverted or not played one way or the other: some bosses remain the same, while others become weaker and easier to beat as the battle proceeds or after you injure them (Gaius and Phaedra, notably). For instance, when you've stabbed one of their vitals but fallen off before you can complete the job, they will find it difficult to move said injured part and may sometimes lean over, making it easier to reach their other vital parts.
265* UniquenessValue: What makes killing them such a PlayerPunch, since once they're down, no one else will get to see them in their glory again.
266* WakeUpCallBoss: Depending on a given player's specialties, any of colossi two through five will likely end up being one.
267* WasOnceAMan: If their ghost selves are any indication. Though their spirits (the ones Wander absorbs) are humanoid, only five of the colossi have maintained a bipedal form.
268* WaterfrontBossBattle: There are two water-based colossi battles, one against an electric eel and the other against a colossus who walks around a lake. The first one is notable in that [[ColossusClimb the boss itself is the only platform in the arena]], and it tends to drag you underwater, too.
269* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: If you subscribe to the idea that the colossi are not living things, or else don't technically die [[spoiler:since they seem to be fragments of Dormin's soul, each fragment of which is released when all the weak points of any one colossus are neutralised]]. In any case, this seems to be Wander's attitude towards them.
270* WhatMeasureIsANonUnique: Every colossus is different. Some fierce (Cenobia, Celosia, Dirge), some majestic and powerful (Phaedra, Gaius), some terrifying (Pelagia, Quadratus). You have to kill them all.
271* YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain: If Wander gets injured and knocked down, the offending colossus will make no further offensive effort unless either Wander finally gets back up or the player leaves him lying down for too long. [[CombatPragmatist Except in Hard Mode.]] As detailed in their sections, Cenobia and Celosia end up [[CycleOfHurting being nasty aversions]].
272[[/folder]]
273
274!!Individual Colossi
275Beware possibly-unmarked spoilers for their strategies!
276
277[[folder:I -- Minotaur A / "Valus"]]
278!!!'''''Minotaurus Colossus''''' (The Minotaur Colossus)
279[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ValusTemplate_2486.jpg]]
280
281->''"Raise thy sword to the light... and head to the place where the sword's light gathers... There, thou shalt find the colossi thou are to defeat."''
282
283\
284Colossus number one. Resembles a minotaur.
285----
286* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler:Ankle, actually. Stabbing the back of his left leg enough will make him briefly fall on all fours and give Wander an easier time climbing up to, at the very least, his back.]]
287* BattleThemeMusic: "Grotesque Figures" when Wander gets its attention, changing to "The Opened Way" when its ankle is struck and he falls down.
288* BearsAreBadNews: Due to the horns having broken off at some point, some people see a bear rather than a minotaur.
289* BeastOfBattle: Implied — it appears to have a Howdah on its back, and there's no missing that huge club it wields.
290* BossRoom: A canyon within a mountain directly south from the Shrine of Worship, at the end of which are the remains of a temple.
291* CarryABigStick: The moment Valus sees you in front of it, the club in its hand will be lifted up and smashed into the ground. Expect this to happen a lot in later colossus battles against humanoids.
292* HornedHumanoid: Has two stone horns on the top of its head, though they seem to have broken off at some point in the past (or else they always look like that). Fortunately, it never uses them in battle.
293* MeaningfulName: "Valus" is believed to come from the Latin verb "valere", which can be translated as "to be strong".
294* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: It's one of the Colossi classified as a "minotaur" and it certainly looks the part, with broken horns and a brutish, top-heavy body with hooves instead of feet. Of course, it's also a magical giant made of stone, and some fans say its face looks more like a bear's than a bull's.
295* WarmUpBoss: Valus is the first colossus, meant to introduce the mechanics that will be used for the rest of the game, so there's not much strategy involved in beating it; it's simply just grab on and start climbing and stabbing.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:II -- The Mammoth / "Quadratus"]]
299!!!'''''Taurus Magnus''''' (The Great Bull)
300[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/quadratus.png]]
301
302->''"Thy next foe is... In the seaside cave... It moves slowly... Raise thy courage to defeat it."''
303
304\
305Colossus number two. Resembles a gigantic bull.
306----
307* BattleThemeMusic: "A Violent Encounter" when first seen, later "Revived Power" when Wander begins climbing it.
308* BossRoom: A wider canyon a short distance to the north of the Shrine of Worship, under the great bridge.
309* BrutishBulls: Quadratus is modelled after a bull and has an aggressive disposition, attempting to crush Wander as soon as it sees him.
310* MeaningfulName: "Quadratus" means "square" in Latin, likely in reference to its face, which has a lot of straight angled lines. It might also be due to the root "Quad-", meaning "four", a nod to this being the first quadruped colossus of the game.
311* MightyGlacier: Even for a colossus, Quadratus is ''slow.'' Once it does catch up to you, it takes a ridiculously long time to initiate its attack, and its aim is abominable. You can just stroll away from it if you get bored. It's still a colossus, though: don't get hit if you value your life.
312* TacticalSuicideBoss: [[spoiler:When you stand in front of him, he raises his paws to crush you, leaving his weak points vulnerable.]]
313* WakeUpCallBoss: Very easy in subsequent playthroughs. But on the first, it's the one that will teach you the power of grip strength and that you have more weapons than just your sword.
314[[/folder]]
315
316[[folder:III -- The Knight / "Gaius"]]
317!!!'''''Terrestris Veritas''''' (The Earthly Truth)
318[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaius.jpg]]
319
320->''"A giant canopy soars to the heavens... The anger of the sleeping giant shatters the earth..."''
321
322\
323Colossus number three. Takes the appearance of a knight or soldier with a huge "blade".
324----
325* BattleThemeMusic: "In Awe of the Power" when it first awakens and spots Wander, then "The Opened Way" when Wander breaks its armor.
326%%* BlackKnight
327* BladeRun: Although the blade is certainly large enough to make it plausible. If it ''is'' a blade — some people see more of a club.
328* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The only colossus with a melee weapon attached to (or rather, replacing) its right hand.
329* BossRoom: A wide canopy suspended over the middle of a lake.
330* DidntNeedThoseAnyway: The first thing the player needs to do is trick Gaius into [[spoiler:breaking its own armour, leaving a gap for Wander to climb up later]].
331* HumanoidAbomination: Gaius has a rather humanoid-looking appearance, but he still has some decidedly non-human features, such as plenty of fur on most of his body and him uttering roaring sounds.
332* LeanAndMean: The most lithe of the humanoid colossi, and just as aggressive.
333* MeaningfulName: "Gaius" is an old Latin praenomen (or personal name) very commonly given during the time of Ancient Rome, a masculine form of "Gaia", which itself alludes to the Greek Primordial and goddess of the Earth.
334* OneHandedZweihander: Has a mean sword for an arm, rending the earth like a hot knife through butter.
335* WakeUpCallBoss: What with its dangerously accurate and immense weapon attack. It's also the first colossus that requires the player to exploit the environment, rather than the simple climb'n'stab of the previous two.
336[[/folder]]
337
338[[folder:IV -- The Kirin / "Phaedra"]]
339!!!'''''Equus Bellator Apex''''' (The Elite War Horse)
340[[quoteright:294:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phaedra_9857.jpg]]
341
342->''"In the land of the vast green fields... Rows of guiding graves... It is giant indeed, but fearful, it is not."''
343
344\
345Colossus number four. Resembles a horse — complete with dangling "reins." Albeit with crablike legs.
346----
347* BattleThemeMusic: "Creeping Shadow" when it first awakens, then "The Opened Way" when Wander climbs on top of it.
348* BodyHorror: Has a set of exposed, skeletal ribs protruding from its underbelly.
349* BossRoom: A closed-off field with hills and a small underground structure. Phaedra itself lies dormant at a wide platform near the other end of the area until the player approaches.
350* CollapsingCeilingBoss: A (thankfully minor) variation. When it stomps on your shelter, the ceiling releases huge amounts of dirt and dust which fall on Wander's head. It's a wonder the place doesn't collapse, since Phaedra's main line of defense is surprisingly vicious for such a slow, ponderous creature.
351* HellIsThatNoise: Up to this point, the other colossi simply grunt or roar when you stab their vitals. Phaedra ''screams''. This scream is a noise that elks make, and it makes the colossus quite a bit different from the others in the vocal department.
352* HellishHorse: Slow-moving, skeletal-looking, and alien even by colossus standards, Phaedra is perhaps the eeriest boss you'll encounter in this game.
353* MeaningfulName: "Phaedra" in itself comes from the Greek "phaidros" and means "bright". The name also comes from a character of Greek mythology, the hero Theseus' wife who led to her own stepson Hyppolitus' death after a bull summoned by Poseidon scared his chariot horses during a ride, causing him to be dragged to his death.
354* MixAndMatchCritters: A giant horse with crab-legs.
355* WakeUpCallBoss: Quite fiddly for newcomers, and also introduces the first puzzle that doesn't involve bouncing arrows off a colossus.
356[[/folder]]
357
358[[folder:V -- The Bird / "Avion"]]
359!!!'''''Avis Praeda'''''[[note]]correct form is ''Avis praedae''[[/note]] (The Bird of Prey)
360[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avion_7348.jpg]]
361
362->''"It casts a colossal shadow across a misty lake... as it soars through the sky... to reach it is no easy task."''
363
364\
365Colossus number five. Resembles a bird of prey with a very long tail.
366----
367* AcrophobicBird: Inverted; the colossus spends all its time high up and won't come down unless you trick it into doing so. Working out how to do so is part of the strategy.
368* AnnoyingArrows: Annoying enough to [[spoiler:provoke it to attack you.]]
369* BattleThemeMusic: "Silence" when first seen and all the way until it attacks, shifting to "A Despair-Filled Farewell" when Wander climbs it.
370* BellyScrapingFlight: In the updated version of the game, Avion's talons kick up a wave and clouds of spray when the Colossus finally ''does'' fly low to menace its opponent.
371* BossRoom: A huge lake within a massive canyon, dotted with platforms and ancient ruins.
372* DevelopersForesight: Not exactly an easy feat (and it's very likely the player will simply die on impact), but if Wander just so happens to land on top of one of the ruins scattered across the lake, Avion will turn around and flap its wings to blow him off and back towards the water below.
373* FeatheredFiend: A DoubleSubverted example: Despite its menacing appearance, Avion is one of the least aggressive of the colossi... ''until you make it angry.'' It's [[TookALevelInBadass even worse]] in Hard Mode, where, if it divebombs and misses Wander, it will ''immediately'' turn around and attack again. On top of that, its attacks become OneHitKill.
374* GentleGiant: Notably, one of the few Colossi that ''doesn't'' attack Wander on sight. It'll merely just curiously observe him while he's swimming around the arena. No matter what you do to try and get its attention, it'll only start to fight back in self-defense after Wander harms it first.
375* GetBackHereBoss: Considering its flight capability, Avion is the first colossus capable of moving faster than you. Wander can only grab onto it by waiting for it to divebomb, run out of the way of its body, then jump to its wings as it passes by. Meaning if the player isn't fast enough, Wander will miss it, forcing the player to wait and risk themselves to another attack.
376* GiantFlyer: It enters the arena by soaring in and perching on a tower in the middle of the lake. Its tail alone is about fifty feet long.
377* HighAltitudeBattle: Once Wander gets a grip on it, it flies up into the air, forcing him to maintain his grip and run across its body strategically to avoid a long fall into the lake.
378* IShallTauntYou: Just being there isn't enough to get it in reach.
379* MeaningfulName: "Avion" is both a French and Spanish word for "airplane". It also derives from the Latin "avis", meaning "bird".
380* WakeUpCallBoss: The first of several colossi to be fought in a water arena. It also requires some very quick maneuvering to get between its weak points, if you can get onto it in the first place.
381* WindFromBeneathMyWings: On the off chance that Wander falls off of Avion and onto one of the tall structures within the lake, Avion, if provoked by Wander from atop one of those structures, will swoop down on him and attempt to knock him off the structure with a few violent flaps of its wings.
382[[/folder]]
383
384[[folder:VI -- Minotaur B / "Barba"]]
385!!!'''''Belua Maximus''''' (The Great Beast)
386[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/barba_1238.png]]
387
388->''"A giant lurks underneath the temple... It lusts for destruction... But a fool, it is not."''
389
390\
391Colossus number six. Resembles a ''bearded'' minotaur, or a behooved man-giant if you want to quibble over [[InsistentTerminology terminology]].
392----
393* AdvancingBossOfDoom: He advances towards the player until a hiding place is found during the early stages of the fight.
394* BattleThemeMusic: "Grotesque Figures" when Wander runs from it, then "Revived Power" when he climbs it.
395* BeardOfBarbarism: Looks like a disgruntled member of ZZ Top.
396* BossCorridor: This is the first time one is used in the game, (unless you count the walkway leading up to Avion's arena). Quite effective, too — the location is [[NothingIsScarier dark and silent]].
397* BossRoom: A large temple inside a mountain to the right of the Blasted Lands.
398* HornedHumanoid: It resembles more a satyr than a minotaur due to the beard.
399* MeaningfulName: Barba means "Beard" in Latin.
400* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Like Valus, Barba has horns and hooves and looks strongly like a minotaur. Thankfully, unlike Valus, it has no club with which to smash you. Nope. It has its fists for that.
401* PointOfNoReturn: One of the few colossi arenas to do this, but Barba's gate will remain open as long as the battle goes on, denying Wander his exit until the deed is done.
402* RedHerring: Has patches of fur on the backs of his hands and stone ridges on his wrists and waist that, at first glance, look like they were meant for climbing. Try that, though, and Barba will simply swat you off.
403** [[DownplayedTrope Then comes Hard Mode]] [[spoiler:and a major sigil ''does'' appear on the back of its left hand...]]
404* UndergroundMonkey: As far as appearance goes, it's Valus '''[-WITH A BEARD!-]''', but lacking the club. Not that it needs one. To drive this home, his name in development was Minotaur B (to Valus' Minotaur A.)
405[[/folder]]
406
407[[folder:VII -- The Eel / "Hydrus"]]
408!!!'''''Draco Marinus''''' (The Sea Dragon)
409[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hydrus_3826.jpg]]
410
411->''"A ruin hidden in the lake... A ripple of thunder lurks underwater."''
412
413\
414Colossus number seven. Calls to mind a catfish crossed with an electric eel.
415----
416* BattleThemeMusic: "Silence" while it swims across the lake, changing to "In Awe of the Power" when Wander manages to grab on.
417* BossRoom: A lake surrounded by mountains with ruins dotting the surface.
418* TheCatfish: Unfortunately for Hydrus, it won't be released afterwards. [[spoiler:You even have to lure it out into the open by presenting yourself as TheBait — it won't eat you, but it does have [[PsychoElectricEel electric rods]] protruding from its back that break through the surface as it rises.]]
419* GetBackHereBoss: Hydrus is a natural swimmer, Wander isn't; which means another colossus capable of moving faster than you. The fact that holding onto it as it dives puts an incredible strain on your stamina meter doesn't help.
420* ItCanThink: This Colossus is one of the few that will use a method more advanced than "shake my head a bunch" in order to counter Wander's attempts to stay on its back. Getting near Hydrus' head and staying there for too long will make it glance at you, and then just begin to [[CuttingtheKnot dive into the depths]], not coming back up until either Wander lets go or he drowns.
421* JawsFirstPersonPerspective: As part of its HeWasRightThereAllAlong, Hydrus emerges from the bottom of the lake when you enter the water. The camera looks up at Wander from below Hydrus's perspective, though not actually through its eyes.
422* MeaningfulName: "Hydrus" is a Greek term alluding to a male serpent that dwells in water, contrasted to its female form "Hydra".
423* PsychoElectricEel: More closely resembling an elongated catfish than an actual electric eel, Hydrus nonetheless has three glowing rods on its back that release a ring of electrical discharge around it whenever they penetrate the surface. [[spoiler:Stabbing it behind each rod not only disables the electric attack, but also deals damage to Hydrus.]]
424* ShockAndAwe: The first colossus to use electric attacks, though definitely not the last.
425* TacticalSuicideBoss: If it just stayed underwater, Wander wouldn't have any way to damage it.
426[[/folder]]
427
428[[folder:VIII -- Yamori B / "Kuromori"]]
429!!!'''''Parietinae Umbra''''' (The Shadow of the Ruins)
430[[quoteright:303:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuromuri_7041.jpg]]
431
432->''"A tail trapped within a pail deep within the forest... A shadow that crawls on the walls."''
433
434\
435Colossus number eight. Resembles a club-tailed gecko. It can climb walls even more easily than Wander can and spits poison.
436----
437* BattleThemeMusic: "Liberated Guardian" when it spots Wander and begins chasing him, then "A Despair-Filled Farewell" when on its back.
438%%* BossCorridor
439* BossRoom: A coliseum-like structure located underground, beneath a shrine within a cave.
440* BreathWeapon: Kuromori is the first colossus Wander meets which is capable of attacking him from a long distance. Once it spots Wander, Kuromori's mouth glows a violent yellow and its body convulses. It then spits something that can be described as electric poison; it's a yellow, sparking bolt that, when it hits something, explodes in a cloud that Wander reacts to by covering his mouth. Stand in the cloud and Wander's health bar goes down disturbingly quickly.
441* DeadlyGas: The aforementioned poison cloud of breath.
442* MeaningfulName: "Kuromori" is Japanese, the respective kanji literally meaning "black forest". "Mori" can also be taken from Latin, meaning "death".
443* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: Depsite its gecko-like appearance and movements, it borrows from crocodilians as well.
444* StealthBasedMission: The battle begins with Kuromori knowing you're there but being unable to locate you specifically. Part of Wander's strategy involves exploiting stealth to a degree, since you can sneak in and out of different storeys and windows to trick it.
445* TechnicolorToxin: Yellow poison gases.
446* WallCrawl: Despite its presumably immense weight, Kuromori can effortlessly crawl up the sides of the arena in order to reach you, though it doesn't like doing so unless you are clearly out of reach and it knows where you are. If it can see you from the ground, it'll shoot projectiles at you. If it can't, but it spotted you through one of the archery windows, it'll clamber up to poke its head through and fire off a series of shots. [[spoiler:When it does this, Wander can nip around to another vantage point and shoot arrows into its legs, or shoot its soft underbelly through the archery windows. Fire enough arrows in the right places and Kuromori will fall, leaving its underbelly exposed.]]
447[[/folder]]
448
449[[folder:IX -- The Tortoise / "Basaran"]]
450!!!'''''Nimbus Recanto''''' (The Storm's Echo)[[note]]This is fragmented Latin and the translation is a generous approximation, these words would not flow together otherwise[[/note]]
451[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/basaran.png]]
452
453->''"The land where trees nary grow... It sleeps in a dry lake bed... A rude awakening."''
454
455\
456Colossus number nine. Resembles a tortoise.
457----
458* BattleThemeMusic: Like Quadratus, it uses both "A Violent Encounter" and "Revived Power" for its battle for the exact same reasons.
459* BossArenaIdiocy: Basaran would be impossible to climb if not for the fact that [[spoiler:it decided to set up home near powerful geysers that can flip it over]].
460* BossRoom: A wide, desolate field full of active geysers.
461* LuckBasedMission: Sometimes to the point of being ThatOneBoss for some players. Flipping it is a fiddly process dependant on [[spoiler:the timing of the geysers]] and whether or not it works is up to Basaran as much as it's up to you.
462* MeaningfulName: "Basaran" comes from Turkic, a group of languages spoken in Turkish territory. It derives from the word "bashshar", which can roughly mean "[[IronicName friendly]]", "[[ShockAndAwe hospitable]]" or "[[AnimalisticAbomination good-looking]]".
463* MixAndMatchCritters: He's mainly a tortoise, but he has fur and thin, crab-like limbs.
464* RedEyesTakeWarning: Much more than the other colossi. Basaran is ''very'' aggressive, launching electric bolts almost nonstop at Wander when he's in range and moving surprisingly quickly to chase after Wander when he's not. When Wander manages to get atop it Basaran puts the most effort into trying to throw him off, practically throwing its body from side to side when Wander's on its back and swinging its head around in huge arcs and powerful side-to-side shakes when Wander's attacking its vital spot. Trying to take advantage of the short periods of stillness is one of the major challenges when facing Basaran.
465* ShockAndAwe: Basaran is the second colossus Wander confronts that is capable of launching projectiles at him. In this case, it's a quadruple whammy of lightning bolts that shake the screen when they hit the ground (or Wander). Bizarrely, they come from four spikes on Basaran's chin.
466* StuddedShell: The shell on its back is segmented and has unusual projections and spikes on it. It also has few handholds, so staying on when Basaran rights itself is a tricky business unless you know where those handholds are.
467[[/folder]]
468
469[[folder:X -- The Naga / "Dirge"]]
470!!!'''''Harena Tigris''''' (The Sand Tiger)
471[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colossus_x.png]]
472
473->''"An isolated sand dune... Its tracks are well hidden... Shaking the earth, its gaze is upon thee..."''
474
475\
476Colossus number ten. Resembles a monstrous hairy SandWorm with a crocodilian face.
477----
478* BattleThemeMusic: Dirge has its own unique theme, "A Messenger from Behind". Other colossi's themes usually repeat between each other, but Dirge's initial theme is never heard outside of that battle, and, while being quick and stirring, it also has a distinctly menacing tone to it. When its weak points are exposed, it shifts to "Counterattack".
479* BossRoom: A cave where the ground is nothing but sand, with modest amounts of sunlight shining in from holes in the ceiling.
480* EyeScream: Dirge regularly pokes its head out of the sand while pursuing Agro, and opens its eyes. The resulting blank stare is pretty creepy, but if you shoot it in the eye, Dirge shrieks out in pain and is temporarily blinded.
481* MeaningfulName: A "Dirge" is a song that expresses lament or mourning, commonly used in funeral processions. The term itself comes from the Latin phrase "''Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam''" ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God").
482* MixAndMatchCritters: He's serpent-like with a hairy body, has a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodilian face]], and sounds a bit like a dolphin.
483* MoleMonster: He spends the bulk of the fight underground, emerging only when hit in the eye.
484* SandIsWater: It has to be magical, given its size: Dirge seems to treat sand as its natural home, and moves so quickly while swimming through it that Agro can barely keep ahead of it even while racing at full gallop. Dirge can't go through solid rock, though, which is the only place you can sit and think while still in the fight.
485* SandWorm: A gigantic one that swims through the sand with ease.
486* SlasherSmile: All the other colossi either don't have much in the way of recognisable facial features, have a blank expression, or simply look angry. Dirge is the only one with a functional mouth, and the way it’s positioned when it’s closed makes it look like he’s smiling. It looks especially creepy on his GameOver screen, where his forward-facing expression makes it seem like he’s smiling [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou right at the player]].
487* WakeUpCallBoss: If the player hasn't died to a Colossus yet, Dirge is ''very'' likely to give the player their first death. Compared to the Colossi before them, which mostly lumber about, Dirge is ''fast'' and still hits like a train should he get you and you have a very limited window of opportunity to get back on Argo if he knocks you off before he rams you again.
488* {{Wormsign}}: One way to keep track of Dirge is to watch out for geysers of sand as Dirge moves beneath the surface. This is the usual way of tracking Dirge at a distance. When it gets close, the back fin pokes through the sand, and once it gets closer still its head comes above the surface.
489[[/folder]]
490
491[[folder:XI -- Leo / "Celosia"]]
492!!!'''''Ignis Excubitor''''' (The Flame Sentinel)
493[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/celosia_5244.png]]
494
495->''"An altar overlooks the lake... A guardian set loose... It keeps the flames alive."''
496
497\
498Colossus number eleven. One of the two smallest colossi at about elephant size; resembles a big cat with massive horns/fangs.
499----
500* BattleThemeMusic: Shares the same sequence of "Liberated Guardian" and "A Despair-Filled Farewell" with Kuromori.
501* BossArenaIdiocy: [[spoiler:One of only two places in the entire valley that have fire just had to be the BossRoom of the only colossus afraid of fire…]]
502* BossRoom: An altar hidden within the wall of a canyon with large lit pyres to each side of the room.
503* BullfightBoss: Celosia can fall into this very quickly if you don't dodge its charge attack in good time. If Wander doesn't get up and run for cover, Celosia will just keep charging and charging until either Wander makes for cover [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown or gets beaten to death]].
504* CatAndMouseBoss: You'll spend most of the battle being chased by it, but once its weak point is exposed, it's your turn to chase it [[ChasingYourTail while it is trying to chase you]].
505* CycleOfHurting: The thing that makes it far more dangerous than other Colossi. Unlike the other Colossi, it's ''really'' quick and can attack just as fast. Once this thing has Wander down, it's ''very'' hard to get back up, often verging on [[LuckBasedMission sheer luck]] of making a pixel perfect dodge, or Celosia pushing you into the nearby ditch before it kills you.
506* LightningBruiser: Celosia will come as a shock to anyone who has gotten used to fighting the MightyGlacier colossi so far.
507* MeaningfulName: "Celosia" is the name given to a genus of flowers in the amaranth family. The word itself comes from Ancient Greek, a female name that means "[[IronicName burning]]".
508* PantheraAwesome: Though many fans also likens him to a [[BrutishBulls bull]].
509* PintsizedPowerhouse: Relative to the other colossi, that is — it's still pretty big next to Wander, and very aggressive.
510* RingOutBoss: At the beginning of the battle, Celosia is invincible. In order to defeat it, you have to trick it into [[spoiler:falling off the cliff. The impact smashes its armor, exposing the weak point on its back.]]
511* WakeUpCallBoss: While Dirge is likely to give the player their first death, Celosia will kill the player by the truckload. It's both fast, has a CycleOfHurting attack that you need near pixel-perfect timing to get out of ''and'' its arena is incredibly tiny compared to the ones you'd likely be used to at that point, which makes avoiding Celosia near impossible.
512* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Celosia is [[spoiler: [[IronicFear terrified of fire, despite guarding said flames]].]]
513* YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain: Averted. it will reserve its attack until Wander is getting up, giving the player a ''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard very]]'' limited window of opportunity to dodge roll out of the way, even on Normal. Too soon and it will turn towards you at the last moment; too late and you'll just get hit.
514[[/folder]]
515
516[[folder:XII -- Poseidon / "Pelagia"]]
517!!!'''''Permagnus Pistrix''''' (The Titanic Sea Monster)
518[[quoteright:198:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pelagia_4394.png]]
519
520->''"Paradise floats on the lake... A silent being wields thunder... A moving bridge to cross to higher ground."''
521
522\
523Colossus number twelve. It's a massive quadruped [[OurMonstersAreWeird hammerhead-shark-water buffalo... thing]] with hooves and the ability to shoot lightning through its horns. It fights Wander in a large lake.
524----
525* AxCrazy: The small characterization it has might or might not indicate this.
526* BattleThemeMusic: "Creeping Shadow" as it lumbers around the water, then "In Awe of the Power" when it rears up its body onto the platforms.
527* BodyHorror: Much like Phaedra before him, Pelagia also possesses exposed ribs on his underbelly.
528* BossRoom: A closed-off dam with two-story platforms scattered across the surface of the water.
529* ChasingYourTail: When you're trying to get up on its back and it's simultaneously turning around to follow you.
530* ConfusionFu: What it tries to lure Wander out of his hiding spot. Among other things, it:
531** Tries firing lightning before moving around Wander's hiding-spot to get an easier shot.
532** Pretends to look away, only to charge a beam and look back and fire.
533** Fires beams from a distance that are sometimes fired right towards Wander, other times aimed a little forwards so Wander collides with them.
534** Starts walking off at random.
535* EyelessFace: This is the only colossus that doesn't even bother with [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes]]. Instead, you tell if it's aggressive if its ''horns'' turn from blue to red (it's possible that these are meant to be eye-stalks, but the game gives no indication if this is the case or not).
536* EyeBeam: Its attacks become this if you believe it has eye-stalks as opposed to horns.
537* FacialHorror: Why do those things on his head look like ''teeth''?
538* GiantEnemyCrab: Though it has the body structure of a water buffalo.
539* MeaningfulName: "Pelagia" is the female form of "Pelagius", Greek names that both mean "from the sea".
540* NonStandardCharacterDesign: It lacks eyes, has teeth on its head and has protruding ribs, much like Phaedra.
541* OurMonstersAreWeird: Pelagia is on the weirder side, which says a lot.
542* PuzzleBoss: Especially noticable since the ColossusClimb turns out to be only part of the puzzle.
543* ShockAndAwe: It has "control over thunder," though that should be "lightning" as it generates lightning bolts from between its horns. The resulting blasts can knock Wander pretty far back, but Pelagia avoids [[ThatOneAttack having that one attack]] like Basaran has by being in an arena with plenty of cover. [[spoiler:The attacks can't shock you if you dive below the water.]]
544* TheToothHurts: Not in the conventional sense, but the protrusions on the very top of its head resemble teeth. Once you climb up there, you smack these "teeth" with your sword to get Pelagia to move in the direction you want it to.
545* TurtleIsland: Though not a turtle, Pelagia does have a shell on its back which resembles Basaran's. Unlike Basaran's shell, it has green grass/moss/hair growing on it and fewer spikes. Dormin's intro even says "paradise floats on its back."
546[[/folder]]
547
548[[folder:XIII -- The Snake / "Phalanx"]]
549!!!'''''Aeris Verivolus''''' (The Air Sailor)[[note]]Fragmented, translation approximated[[/note]]
550[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phalanxx_7015.jpg]]
551
552->''"The vast desert lands... A giant trail drifts through the sky... Thou art not alone."''
553
554\
555Colossus number thirteen. Has variously been described as a flying serpent or dragon, and it can also burrow underground.
556----
557* ActualPacifist: Phalanx doesn't try to attack you so much as once during the entire battle. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential You kill it anyways]].
558* BattleThemeMusic: "Silence" as it floats on the sky, "In Awe of the Power" when it's close to the ground, and "Counterattack" when Wander manages to climb on its back.
559* BossRoom: A vast, scalding desert filled with ruins.
560* CowardlyBoss: Phalanx spends half of the battle out of range and the other half trying to flee from Wander. When Wander gets on it, after a while [[spoiler:it dives back into the sand, knocking Wander off its back. This is the only time Phalanx can hurt you, and it's a side-effect of fleeing rather than an actual offence]].
561* EvilIsBigger: Subverted in that Phalanx, the largest Colossus in the game, is the pacifist.
562* ExtraEyes: It has three eyes rather than the usual two. Get close to its face and you'll see them.
563* GentleGiant: The biggest Colossus in the game is also the only one that will not directly harm you. In fact, it spends most of the battle flying away from you while you have to chase it down, which makes it all the more sad when you finally kill it.
564* GetBackHereBoss: Phalanx is constantly on the move and doesn't care where Wander is until he manages to get on it. Given that this colossus is also huge and a surprisingly speedy flyer, it's clear that Wander isn't going to chase it down without Agro's help.
565* GiantFlyer: Easily the longest colossus in the game, Phalanx also flies at a greater altitude than Avion. Like Avion, [[AWizardDidIt it seems to fly with the help of subtle magic to counter physical laws]]. [[spoiler:Even without the air-sacs the player punctures, it remains airborne, and the four "wings" behind its head only seem to give the impression of paddling rather than the function of flight.]]
566* HighAltitudeBattle: Another of the highlights of the game, though be careful on this one as, unlike Avion, [[spoiler:Phalanx thinks SandIsWater and will dive down if you pester it for too long]].
567* MeaningfulName: A "phalanx" is an ancient Greek military formation composed of heavy units with large shields and spears staying close together. It's likely a nod to how the colossus' body is segmented.
568* SandIsWater: When it's done, it's as exaggerated as Dirge's ability. Phalanx dives through the desert floor as fluidly as it soars through the skies. [[spoiler:And manages to keep its air-sacs intact while regenerating them from arrow puncture.]]
569[[/folder]]
570
571[[folder:XIV -- Cerberus / "Cenobia"]]
572!!!'''''Cladeds Candor''''' (The Luster of Destruction)
573[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cenobia_8311.jpg]]
574
575->''"A guardian set loose... A closed-off city beyond the channel... It lusts for destruction..."''
576
577\
578Colossus number fourteen. The other small colossus, for a certain value of "small."
579----
580* ArtificialStupidity: Its pathfinding AI is pretty atrocious. It has a tendency to get snagged on things that it isn't even touching. On the other hand, it does make pretty brilliant use of its ability to stun lock.
581* AttackAttackAttack: His main tactic.
582* BattleThemeMusic: The same combo of "Liberated Guardian" and "A Despair-Filled Farewell" as Kuromori and Celosia.
583%%* BossCorridor
584* BossRoom: The ruins of an ancient city at the far northwestern side of the Forbidden Lands.
585* BullfightBoss: If you touch the ground, Cenobia will be upon you. If you you lose footing on ''higher'' ground, Cenobia will be ''ready'' to be upon you. If Cenobia is upon you, [[BullfightBoss dodge]]. If you fail to dodge, hope that Cenobia [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom flings you to the nearest gutter, out of reach]].
586* BullyBulldog: Considering those twin upward-jutting "fangs" and the general shape of the thing.
587* CycleOfHurting: Like with its "brother/sister" above, once this thing has you down, do ''not'' expect to be getting back up. Arguably even ''worse'' than the one before it, thanks to there being next to no nooks to hide in with its arena.
588* DidntNeedThoseAnyway: The aim of the battle is the same as that of the battle against Celosia, but you'll have to use other tactics to achieve it.
589* MarathonBoss: You have to bait it through a gauntlet of platforming that Wander has to stay on top of in order to expose its sigil. Once you knock off its armour, you can either jump on immediately and hope it doesn't shake too much, or bait it into tackling the structures again between stabs.
590* MeaningfulName: "Cenobia" comes from the Greek "zenobia", which means "stranger", something it greatly despises seeing approach its territory. It also comes from a Spanish female name that means "from Zeus", likely alluding to its and the colossi's connection to Dormin Themselves.
591* PantheraAwesome: Mostly resembles a lion in appearance and sound, [[RecycledInSPACE much like Celosia resembles a tiger]].
592* PaletteSwap: He has different armor and fur than Celosia, but not much other distinction.
593* PintsizedPowerhouse: [[spoiler: He can knock down some of the larger pillars, which are about as thick, large, and sturdy as Valus's leg]]. He's only the size of an SUV.
594* YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain: Like Celosia, averted; it will reserve its attack until Wander is getting up, giving the player a ''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard very]]'' limited window of opportunity to dodge roll out of the way, even on Normal. Too soon and it will turn towards you at the last moment; too late and you'll just get hit.
595[[/folder]]
596
597[[folder:XV -- Minotaur C / "Argus"]]
598!!!'''''Praesidium Vigilo''''' (The Prison Watcher)[[note]]Also fragmented, translation approximated[[/note]]
599[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/argus_7051.png]]
600
601->''"A giant has fallen into the valley... It acts as a sentry to a destroyed city."''
602
603\
604Colossus number fifteen. A towering humanoid repeatedly stated to stand guard at an ancient arena.
605----
606* AchillesHeel: All of the colossi have a weak spot, sure, but Argus stands out in that it has a weak spot on its hand that holds an extremely small portion of its health, and is probably the last one the player will take out.
607* BattleThemeMusic: Argus is one of the few colossi to have a unique orchestral score, "Gatekeeper of the Castle Ruins," played during the boss battle. It changes to "The Opened Way" after Argus is disarmed.
608* BossCorridor: The battle takes place in a long, open hallway, with just enough room to maneuver around it on the ground. Wander has to climb the corridor walls to get a good angle.
609* BossRoom: A linear arena-like structure with connecting bridges at the top, standing watch over a large valley from which Argus rises out of.
610* CollapsingCeilingBoss: Argus will occasionally try to smash you with its club. When you're up in the ruins, this can cause the ceiling to fall in.
611* MeaningfulName: "Argus" was the name of a being in Greek mythology often described as a giant or human-like creature with a hundred eyes all over its body, serving as a watcher under the gods' command.
612* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Though it is more humanoid than Valus and Barba in appearance, it does still have hooves. Some even feel that its more humanoid appearance makes it look like a gorilla.
613* PerpetualFrowner: Argus's mask has a ghastly visage on it which gives this impression.
614* TurnsRed: It has a certain body part wounded as part of the strategy, but to then exploit this opening, the player has to provoke it into using a powerful attack, which is difficult to dodge, while standing dangerously close.
615* UndergroundMonkey: Watch Argus carefully and you'll notice his A.I. is quite similar to that of another colossus: Valus. To drive this home, his name in development was Minotaur C (to Valus' Minotaur A and Barba's Minotaur B.)
616[[/folder]]
617
618[[folder:XVI -- Evis / "Malus"]]
619!!!'''''Grandis Supernus''''' (The Towering One)
620[[quoteright:198:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malus_3555.jpg]]
621
622->''"Finally, the last colossus... The ritual is nearly over... Thy wish is nearly granted... But someone now stands to get in thy way... Make haste, for time is short."''
623
624\
625Colossus number sixteen, the final opponent in Wander's way. Instead of climbing a tower to get to this one, it ''is'' a tower.
626----
627* BattleInTheRain: The eternal day finally starts to darken as Wander approaches the last boss arena. When he's reached that arena, it starts to rain heavily and fierce winds blow in from the sea.
628* BattleThemeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpDwWQFlOgg "Demise of the Ritual"]]. Subdued, with emphasis on choir and church bells, as well as plenty of string instruments. All to emphasize that, indeed, this is the last obstacle on your path, and perhaps foreshadowing the greatest tragedy yet to come. It is the only theme that plays as you face Malus.
629* BishonenLine: The most human-looking of the Colossi and one of the most challenging.
630* BossRoom: A fortress-like battlefield on top of a high tower looking over the sea, with barricades and tunnels scattered throughout the arena.
631* ColossusClimb: Although this is the point of the entire game, Malus still stands out -- getting to his head is an intricate, arduous process, and the tallest of the other Colossi don't even reach his midsection.
632* DeathCourse: You'll have to do a particularly sadistic one to even get to it. In itself, the route isn't perilous, since the walkways and ridges are clear, but Malus makes it a nightmare of a journey with its one particular attack.
633* DevelopersForesight: Fitting for the most humanlike Colossus, Malus has a lot of animations where he'll actually stop attacking/shaking in order to get a good look at Wander. When on the back of Malus' hand, you're normally supposed to [[spoiler:shoot at a weak point on his shoulder in order to get over to it.]] However, the player has just enough reach to jump to his shoulder from his upper arm. If the player goes this route, Malus actually has a unique animation for if the player pulls it off, reeling back in shock that the player managed to do it.
634* DiedStandingUp: The stone robe chained to him prevents him from falling over in death.
635* EvilSorcerer: His design and use of firebolts resemble wizards atop high towers.
636* FinalExamBoss: The last Colossus you fight in the game, fittingly enough, puts all the skills you've learned throughout the game to the test (except horseriding, sadly).
637* HumanoidAbomination: Malus is the most humanoid of them all. Its movements are calm and collected; it wears a metal tunic and jewelry; and it's the only colossus to have a full head of hair (as opposed to more blue fur), not to mention it utters eerily human-like gutural moans and screams in contrast with the more animalistic noises of the other colossi.
638* LargeAndInCharge: Although Phalanx's long body gives it more ouright mass, Malus stands the tallest of all the colossi. That should tell you something.
639* MagmaMan: There are parts of Malus' body you can't climb on that seem to glow. In addition, in the remakes his bangles are a lot more fiery.
640* MalevolentArchitecture: Malus is similar to a lighthouse. What, with its seaside location, glowing bangles, [[{{Dissimile}} and being able to sink an entire fleet of ships.]]
641* MarathonBoss: Between [[DeathCourse what it takes to reach this guy]], the sheer height of its body, and [[PuzzleBoss how hard it is to get to the top]], it's quite the trial to wrap up the quest.
642* MeaningfulName: Malus means "evil". It certainly looks demonic in appearance: at first glance, it resembles ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'''s Chernabog.
643* MechanicalMonster: Malus is unique among the colossi in that the lower body is mostly stone and metal.
644* MythicalMotifs: Seems to be some combination of [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddha]] and the TowerOfBabel.
645* PuzzleBoss: He's only got one sigil, on the crown of his head, but it takes quite the effort to get there. [[spoiler:Traverse the gauntlet of cover that surrounds him, climb up his robe, and hit three different minor weak points (one of which must be shot with an arrow, ''from his hand'') in order to be able to climb atop his head and deliver one last sword to the brain.]]
646* SadBattleMusic: Unlike the others that preceded it, Malus has a single, sad musical score that does not change while the battle progresses. It's oddly fitting, considering that [[spoiler:you lost your horse just before getting there]], and there's nowhere else to go but to defeat the boss and finish the game.
647* SealedEvilInACan: Possibly, considering you can only reach it by opening a sealed door after killing all the others.
648* ShockAndAwe: Malus's one attack is a blast of what are either lightning bolts or {{fireballs}} from its left hand. Unlike the lightning bolts of Pelagia or Basaran, Wander has no hope of withstanding the attack out in the open and must stay behind cover whenever it is fired.
649* StationaryBoss: Malus never moves from its position at the other end of the arena; a look at its feet shows they are bolted to the platform. This doesn't make it any less dangerous, but it does contrast strongly with the other colossi.
650* StuffBlowingUp: Malus's attack is the most explosive in the game, even rivaling the Flash Arrows.
651* TragicMonster: Despite the battlements that surround Malus, and its warlike attacks, it is the last Colossus. Even after all Wander has done, Malus will pause once he reaches his hand to examine him, his eyes turning from hostile orange to neutral blue until the player reinitiates combat. Ultimately, Malus wishes to be left alone like all the others.
652* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Both in the lead up and as part of the colossus.
653[[/folder]]

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