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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golden_axe.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:Our three heroes: Gilius, Ax and Tyris]]
3''Golden Axe'', originally released for the arcades in 1989, is a side-scrolling BeatEmUp by Creator/{{Sega}} set in a SwordAndSorcery fantasy world. Notable for being one of the earliest arcade ports for the Platform/SegaGenesis.
4
5The game follows the efforts of three warriors on a mission to gain revenge by killing the tyrant known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Death Adder]], who not only conquered the land of Yuria and captured both the king and the princess of the realm, but [[YouKilledMyFather killed a family member of each of the protagonists]] and their friend, Alex. The playable characters include:
6
7* Ax Battler: A barbarian who wields a broadsword (not an axe, as one might expect) and is able to use explosion-based magic. His mom died at the hands of Death Adder.
8* Gilius Thunderhead: A dwarf who wields an axe and uses lightning-based magic. His twin brother died at the hands of Death Adder.
9* Tyris Flare: An amazon who wields a longsword. She uses fire magic. Both her parents, the RulingCouple of the nearby Firewood Kingdom, died at the hands of Death Adder.
10
11The game had several unique features such as a magic gauge which would increase the power of your magic attack and change its animation depending on how many magic potions you had, and the ability to ride fire-breathing dragons and other animals.
12
13''Golden Axe'' was ported to various platforms and inspired a series of sequels and spin-offs on various Sega platforms. The full list of games in the series are as followed.
14* ''Golden Axe'' -- 1989 (Arcade, Platform/SegaMasterSystem, [[Platform/SegaGenesis Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Platform/{{Amiga}} Commodore Amiga]], [[Platform/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]], Platform/WonderSwan, Platform/XboxLiveArcade)
15* ''Golden Axe Warrior'' -- 1991 (Master System) . A ''Zelda''-style action RPG with a few innovations not present in its inspiration.
16* ''Ax Battler: A Golden Axe Legend'' -- 1991 (Platform/GameGear). Another action RPG, but this one uses a side-view battle format similar to ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink''.
17* ''Golden Axe II'' -- 1991 (Mega Drive/Genesis, Xbox LIVE Arcade) -- Plays similarly with the first game. The original trio Ax, Tyris and Gilius return to free the land from the clutches of a new evil under Dark Guld that has taken the Golden Axe.
18* ''Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder'' - 1992 (Arcade) -- Boasts a 4-player feature. As Death Adder returns, only Gilius returned (being really old) and riding the giant Goah, he recruits the barbarian Stern Blade, centaur Dora, and halfling Trix to stop Death Adder.
19* ''Golden Axe III'' -- 1993 (Mega Drive; released in the U.S. and Europe on download services and compilations only; re-released worldwide via Xbox LIVE Arcade) -- Taking place years after the events of ''II'', a warlord named Damned Hellstrike took Golden Axe and brainwashed four warriors trying to stop him: the mercenary Kain Grinder, traveling entertainer Sara Burn, giant Proud Cragger, and panther man Chronos 'Evil' Lait. Gilius saved one or two of them, and it's up to the saved warriors to save the rest, defeat Hellstrike, and reclaim Golden Axe.
20* ''Golden Axe: The Duel'' -- 1994 (Arcade, Platform/SegaSaturn). A fighting game that is ''heavily'' inspired by ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown''.
21* ''Golden Axe: Beast Rider'' -- 2008 (Platform/PlayStation3, Platform/XBox360) -- A semi-reboot which featured Tyris Flare as the main protagonist as she confronts and ultimately defeats Death Adder.
22
23A new game in the series was announced at The Game Awards 2023, as part of a "Power Surge" trailer, along with several other Sega titles. This one is also in 3D, but unlike ''Beast Rider'', seems to borrow a lot from the first game, such as all three original heroes [[PromotedToPlayable returning to playable status.]]
24
25Has nothing to do with [[Literature/AesopsFables the story of the Honest Woodsman]] sometimes known as the story of the golden axe.
26
27----
28!!This series provides examples of:
29* ActionGirl: Tyris Flare had the distinction of the very first playable female character in the BeatEmUp genre.
30* AdaptationExpansion: The [=PS2=] remake of the first ''Golden Axe'' is not a 1-to-1 direct remake. Instead, it has 9 stages, plus the final boss, and borrows some enemies from ''II'', such as the magicians and the minotaurs.
31* AllThereInTheManual: The names of the characters (including the heroes) in ''Golden Axe III'' are ''only'' found in the manual, and the manual is only in Japanese. This also applies to the enemy characters in ''II''. The manual for ''III'' also provide some background information for the new setting, and the inputs for the more fancy moves (such as Kain's ground flame and Cragger's mini-tornados).
32* AlmostDeadGuy: The first game begins with a moribund Alex meeting the player, relating that Death Adder has taken the King and the Princess, and requesting revenge before promptly dying.
33* AmazonianBeauty: Tyris Flare, the Zuburokas and of course Sara Burn. If you squint, Dora the Centaur in ''The Revenge of Death Adder'' (more so when she gets on a beast and morphs into a human).
34* AncestralWeapon: In ''III'', Sara's sword was passed down to her from her father.
35* AngstySurvivingTwin: Gilius.
36* AnimatedArmor: A type of enemy in ''II'', replacing Knights in the first game. The Corvette knights in ''III'' could be this, as the player never gets to see if there's an actual person inside that suit of armour. Though the manual description of Corvette as leading the human forces of Death Adder would seem to indicate they're not this.
37* AntagonistTitle: The titular Golden Axe is used by [[BigBad Death Adder]] as his weapon.
38* AntiMagic: Death Adder's first phase in ''Revenge of Death Adder''. Trying to use magic when the shield isn't spewing fire results in the shield ''inhaling and crushing all the potions used''.
39* ArcadePerfectPort: While the Genesis and MS-DOS versions were built with new features and slightly altered graphics, the Amiga version of the game was in fact an extremely close port of the arcade original. The only thing which really let it down was that the Amiga only supported one button joysticks, so the jumping mechanics had to be tweaked.
40* ArmorIsUseless: Almost every hero character is either bare-chested or otherwise exposing large parts of the body. They can still take multiple slashes/bashes from weapons.
41* ArtificialStupidity: Just about everyone not controlled by the player get stuck on various obstacles, not to mention falling in BottomlessPits while trying to reach you or escaping.
42* ArtShift: All the Mega Drive games in Japan feature a precautions guide at the end of their manuals on how to properly maintain their Mega Drive cartridges. However, the precautions guide in the ''Golden Axe II'' manual was drawn in a realistic Americanized style instead of the usual cartoony one.
43* AwesomeButImpractical: The 2-player attack combos in ''III'' (''not'' the magic combo). Also, Sara's DivingKick which requires a wall. Also from ''III'', the grapple attacks. Every character has another move in his/ her move list that does more damage or has greater range. Perhaps the only reason for a grapple is to set up a throw.
44** Depending on your skill, the Bizarrians unfortunately fall into this trope. As soon as you mount one, ''every'' enemy immediately begins gunning for you worse than normal, and you're now a significantly larger target to hit. Sometimes, you may lose more life trying to keep the creature than if you simply knock the enemies off of it repeatedly each time they try to mount it.
45* BadassInDistress:
46** At the start of ''III'', ''all'' four heroes had become BrainwashedAndCrazy, and Gilius could only release one or two of them to undertake the quest to recover the Axe.
47** In the middle of ''Revenge of Death Adder'', a cage drops on the player characters and then the next scene is an obligatory mini game where the character is tied up and suspended with hands up and have to wiggle around so the rope snaps, then they free themselves to kick more asses next stage.
48* BaldOfEvil: The Bad Brothers in the first game.
49* BarbarianHero: All three of the heroes.
50* BigBad:
51** Death Adder in the first game, Dark Guld in ''II'', and Prince of Darkness in ''III''.
52** Death Bringer in Genesis version of the first game. Death Adder is DemotedToDragon / DragonInChief in this version.
53* BigGood: Gilius in ''III''. He gives the quest to the heroes to retrieve the Golden Axe, and saves one or two of them from DemonicPossession to kickstart the whole thing.
54* BittersweetEnding:
55** In ''III''. Hellstrike may have perished and the Golden Axe retrieved for safekeeping. But, the King is dead and the heroes who were not rescued from their DemonicPossession were never seen again. The last part can be mitigated by taking certain paths and making sure all heroes are knocked back into their senses.
56** ''Revenge of Death Adder'' as well: Death Adder is put down for good and the land is safe again... [[spoiler:at the cost of Gillius being KilledOffForReal due to his HeroicSacrifice, where he can finally join the spirits of Ax and Tyris after outliving them due to being a dwarf, but obviously leaving behind all the other warriors he guided, from this game and even ''III''.]]
57* BlockingStopsAllDamage: In ''III''. Unless the blocking character gets knocked into a pit.
58* BossInMookClothes: Death Bringer has 128 hit points. The two skeletons escorting him have ''256'' HP.
59* BoringButPractical: Sara in ''III'' has a mid-air double kick. Deals just about as much as a normal jumping slash, but is fast and doesn't require complicated button input. If the enemy is particularly block-happy, she can reliably break through their defenses with that.
60* BottomlessPits: Lots of them, and the [[SpeedRun fastest]] way to defeat enemies is to knock them in there. In most games, you lose one life straight if you fell into them yourself.
61* BraidsOfAction: Sara in ''III'' has one. It is long enough to reach her waist.
62* CaptainErsatz:
63** Ax Battler and Tyris Flare couldn't be more obviously based on Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian and Comicbook/RedSonja without being outright copyright infringement. Kain and Sara from ''III'' also count, being {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s for Ax Battler and Tyris Flare.
64** Chronos (the panther-man in ''Golden Axe III'') is basically [[Literature/GuinSaga Guin]].
65* CarryABigStick: The club-wielding Longmoans and the mace-wielding Heningers from the first game, and the club-wielding Zakkars and mace-wielding Minotauros from the second game. Also, Dora's weapon is a pugil stick. The hammer is also the weapon of choice for the Bad Brothers. Same for the Mustang giants in ''III''.
66* ChainmailBikini: Tyris Flare. Sara in ''III'' too. An exaggerated trope in the sense that the women are wearing ''clothes'' into an armed brawl.
67* CombinationAttack:
68** In ''Revenge of Death Adder'', the players may team up on a stunned enemy (bosses included) for a high-powered, multi-player pile-driver. If 3 characters grab the enemy, they do a [[SpinningPiledriver spinning pile-driver]]. If there are 4 players, then they hit the unfortunate enemy with a ''spinning pile-driver so powerful that the enemy continues to spin into the ground after they've released him/her/it''. Depending on game settings, this powerful attack might take off an entire life bar and can be fatal to a mid-boss.
69** In ''III'', on a 2-player playthrough, the players can trigger a combined magic attack:
70*** Kain summons a dragon made of water;
71*** Chronos's invokes TheGrimReaper on the screen;
72*** Proud Cragger's dual magic attack summons a giant {{Golem}} that flies upwards on the screen and stomps on the enemies;
73*** Sarah Burn's invokes a [[ThePowerOfTheSun large sun]] that descends on the enemies.
74* ComicBookAdaptation: In ''Comicbook/SonicTheComic''.
75* CompilationRerelease: The ''Sega Vintage Collection -- Golden Axe'' on Xbox LIVE Arcade, compiling the original arcade game and its two sequels.
76* CompositeCharacter: Tarik, the main character in the Master System version, who is a renamed Ax Battler, but with the ability to use the magic powers from all three of the arcade version's characters.
77* CoolSword: In ''III'', Sara's sword is called "[[TheFourGods Azure Dragon]] Sword". Could explain the HitboxDissonance.
78* DamnYouMuscleMemory: In ''III'', while using Sara, it is not uncommon to throw her sword (Forward, Back, Forward, Attack + Jump) when you meant to do her roundhouse kick (Forward, Attack + Jump). Especially after you have just changed the direction she's facing. Of course, if you're instead using Chronos, you'd be happy instead because this unleashes his GameBreaker charge. Just hope that you don't dash right into a {{Bottomless Pit|s}} that removes a chunk of your HP. Thankfully, there's only a few of them.
79* DeathIsGray: In the arcade version, when opponents are killed they turn gray.
80* DemBones: From Human skeletons to ridable dragon skeletons.
81* DemonicPossession: The heroes that are not selected by the player in ''III'' are possessed and fought as bosses on some routes. Curiously, their costumes are also of a different colour while they are possessed. Eve (the griffon) is this and TragicMonster.
82* DemotedToExtra: Gilius goes from playable to NPC mentor who appears only in the 1st stage and ending of ''Golden Axe III''. The manual justifies this by mentioning that he's grown ''really'' old.
83* DisneyVillainDeath: Death Adder gets an awesomely over-the-top one in ''Revenge of Death Adder''; he gets an axe planted in his head by [[HeroicSacrifice Gilius]] while preparing an extra-powerful spell, falls screaming off the dragon, and then gets ''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard blown up by his own spell]]''.
84* DoubleJump: In ''III'', both Chronos and Sara can do this.
85* DragonInChief: Death Adder in the Genesis version of the first game. The golden Headless Knight in ''II'', complete with OrcusOnHisThrone moment as seen in the opening and penultimate battle.
86* DualBoss: At the end of Stage 1 in ''Golden Axe'', the player has to defeat a pair of hammer-wielding bosses named The Bad Brothers.
87* DubNameChange: The Chicken Leg is the Chicken Stinger outside Japan.
88* DuelBoss: In a single-player playthorough of ''III'', if you choose to fight the possessed heroes, it'll be one-on-one. The final fights against Eve and Hellstrike are also one-on-one.
89* DynamicEntry: Should you get to face off with a possessed Sara in ''III'', she enters the stage by sailing through the air using the dash attack. Yes, the attack can hit you and you ''will'' take damage.
90* EasyModeMockery:
91** The Genesis version features a Beginner mode that lasts only three stages, ending with a battle against Death Adder Jr., a weaker version of the regular Death Adder. Magic spells only uses two potions instead of the entire bar. Downplayed in that after beating the weaker version of Death Adder, the game encourages you to take on Arcade Mode, or return to Beginner mode for more practice.
92** ''II'' and ''III'' are similarly truncated if the difficulty is set to Easy in the options menu.
93* ElementalPowers: The way magic spells are applied:
94** Ax had Volcano magic in the first game, Wind magic in ''II''.
95** Gillus had Lightning magic in the first game and Rock magic in ''II''.
96** Tyris has always used [[KillItWithFire Fire magic]] in the games she appeared in. In ''III'', Sarah took up her fire magic.
97** Kain had Water/Ice magic in ''III''.
98** Chronos has Lightning/Mist magic in ''III''.
99** Cragger had Rock magic in ''III''.
100** Dark Adder had Darkness magic in the FanRemake.
101* EvilLaugh: Death Adder and the Bad Brothers in ''Revenge of Death Adder''. They all have [[StockAudioClip the same laugh]].
102* EvilOverlord: This seems to be a hallmark of the Big Bads of the main games: a towering, physically imposing warrior carrying a large heavy weapon (an axe), sat on a throne and commanding their evil armies from their castle.
103* EvilSorcerer: Zoma in ''Golden Axe: The Duel''. Also, in ''II'', some robe-clad sorcerers wielding skull scepters replace the thieving dwarves of the first game in giving the player the artifact that refills the player's mana (blue jars in ''I''; blue books in ''II'').
104* FakeUltimateMook: The Corvette knights in the third Mega Drive game have full armor in a game where just about everyone else wears a loincloth and possibly a bikini top, are twice the size of the player, and the first one is treated like a boss. They are rather easy to defeat once you notice their huge crippling weaknesses, namely their lack of any ability to hit an airborne character, being easily grappled as soon as they (slowly) stand up. However, they are still strong enough if they appear in a group of two or three. The FinalBoss session is the example. If they flank you while you are busy with the boss, it's not a surprise if they can give you some trouble. And in general, their combo attack is actually quite painful.
105* FallenPrincess: According to the arcade game's Japanese flyer, Tyris Flare is descended from the royal Firewood family. This is further elaborated on some of the console installments, namely ''Golden Axe Warrior'' and the PC Engine port, which shows the history of Firewood before it was burned to the ground by Death Adder's army and Tyris' parents were killed.
106* FluffyTheTerrible: In ''III'', the griffon's name is Eve.
107* FriendlyFireproof: in the first game, spells affect enemies ''only''. Averted with normal attacks, which makes the game that much more difficult as one player can accidentally kill another.
108* GaidenGame: ''Ax Battler: A Golden Axe Legend''.
109* GainaxEnding: The Arcade version of the first game [[spoiler:reveals that [[MindScrew you were actually playing one of the several kids playing the game at an arcade]], and by winning, you have caused the machine to break [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou and let all the characters and villains from the game into those kids' world]]]].
110* GenreShift: The third arcade game was a competitive fighting game, while ''Golden Axe Warrior'' and ''Ax Battler'' were action [=RPG=]s. ''III'' also had a fighting game mode. Besides the 4 hero characters, Eve can also be used. No magic, though.
111* GreenAndMean: In ''III'', most of the heroes have greenish skin upon their DemonicPossession. Chronos is an exception as his default fur colour is blue.
112* GroinAttack:
113** [[http://images.plurk.com/m74K-5l7WXjt2LOYx9ny6i4aqGm.jpg Sara's grapple.]] Not to mention she can do this up to THREE TIMES in one grapple attack! Also, notice how the largest bits of metal in her outfit are located ''on her knees''.
114** Also Chicken-leg's attack from the first game is seemingly this. Especially if it's done on [[UnderwearOfPower Ax Battler]] and [[ChainmailBikini Tyris Flare]], the attack looks like whipping their lower body, [[http://images.plurk.com/m74K-1msCvflXkPet4uSDojIgA5.jpg close to their sensitive area]]. It's perhaps slightly easier to be seen in the [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] remake. And that attack even knocks down your character despite the damage being quite weaker than any {{Mook|s}}'s normal combo attack (the attack took about 7 hits to lose one of your life bars.)
115** In ''II'', the Lizardmen's tail whip may also count, considering their tail's location is in the same height as the groin of Ax Battler and Tyris Flare. And two hits from this attack are actually strong enough to make you [[OneHitPolykill lose one life bar]]!
116** Skeletons/Dead Frames in ''III'' are quite short compared to the heroes. So their low attack may also count (and considering their low attack is also one-hit knock down despite the damage is slightly weaker than their combo attack).
117* HammerHilt:
118** In the original arcade version, all three main characters slash opponents across the front twice and then, if close enough, hit them over the head twice with the hilt of their sword or axe, ending the combo with a kick.
119** In the arcade game ''Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder'', Stern Blade can hit an opponent over the head with the hilt of his sword four times in a row.
120* TheHeart: From their short speech after being released from their DemonicPossession, Sara from ''III'' is this among the four hero characters. She thanks the player, and warns them to be careful as the enemies in the area are very powerful.
121* HeroesPreferSwords: The weapon of choice for Ax Battler and later heroes. Tyris and Sara both uses swords as well (Sara's scimitar averts the SinisterScimitar trope).
122* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Revenge of Death Adder'', Gilius leaps off of Goah and plants his axe in Death Adder's head to stop him from killing the other heroes with an extra-powerful spell. This results in the both of them falling off to get blown to bits by the spell when it finally activates in mid-air]].
123* HitboxDissonance: Sara's scimitar can hit about 1.5 times as far as the sprite suggests.
124* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In ''III'', all four hero characters picked up arms against Hellstrike (the BigBad) because of what he or his demon army did.
125** In the original ''Golden Axe'', [[spoiler:when Death Adder (arcade) or Death Bringer (Genesis/Mega Drive) is defeated, his axe flies up and lands on his chest, piercing his heart (and it's pretty bloody in the arcade version).]]
126* HollywoodNatives: Common mooks in ''The Revenge of Death Adder''.
127* HorseOfADifferentColor: There's several different [[PowerupMount Bizzarians]] the player can mount throughout the series.
128** In the original game, the player can ride Chickenlegs (bird-lizard creatures) and Dragons (who come in blue and red variants). The fireball-spitting red dragons are pretty much a GameBreaker.
129** ''Revenge of Death Adder'' added giant scorpions and mantises as well. The scorpions and mantises each come in two colors, one color fighting exclusively with its claws, the other using a special attack (breathing fire for the mantis, an electric sting for the scorpion).
130* HyperactiveMetabolism: Food restores life.
131* InconsistentSpelling: For the names of characters in ''III'', since the manual is in Japanese and there is no official English translation to go with it.
132* JackOfAllStats: Ax Battler is considered the "average" character in the original. He has decent magic and attack stats, but Tyris has more powerful magic and Gilius has better physical strength.
133* KickChick: Downplayed in ''III''. While Sara doesn't exclusively use kicks, her single most damaging move is a roundhouse kick, her dash attack is a kick, she can kick while in mid-air, her grapple attack is a groin kick and her "low blow" attack is a sliding trip with her leg.
134* LargeAndInCharge: Death Adder/Death Bringer. Seriously, that guy looks 8 feet tall!
135* LavaMagicIsFire:
136** In ''Golden Axe 1'', Tyris-Flare's magic of choice is fire. Her level 5 attack is a small eruption in the middle of the screen.
137** In ''Golden Axe 2'', Tyris-Flare reuses her fire attacks. This time, her level 4 magic attack is an inverted lava waterfall that appears in the middle of the screen.
138** In the [=PS2=] remake for ''Golden Axe'', Tyris' level 2 magic has her summon small craters around her that spew lava and defeat the enemies.
139* LegacyCharacter: The three leads of ''The Duel'', Kain Blade, Milan Flare, and Gillius Rockhead. Curiously, while Milan and Gilius are descendants from Tyris and Gilius from the original game, Kain actually descends not from Ax Battler, but from ''Revenge of Death Adder'''s Stern Blade.
140* TheLegendOfX: The title ''Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe''.
141* LeotardOfPower: While Tyris wears a two-part bikini, some of the amazon EliteMooks wear a single piece leotard in the first game. The amazons in the third game also wear them.
142* LethalJokeCharacter: Trix the halfling farmer in ''Revenge of Death Adder''. Worst damage and range, but is the only one who can heal, meaning he lasts the longest in fights. As Trix always produces more than enough food for every player to heal once, it means he can be vital to a team's survival. Also, despite his poor damage and range, he attacks so fast that he can easily keep multiple groups of enemies stun-locked. There's a reason Trix is the preferred character for 1-credit runs.
143* LizardFolk: In ''Golden Axe II'', some violet and pink-skinned (scaled?) sword and shield-wearing lizards appear as {{Elite Mook|s}} bosses in Stages 3 and 4.
144* LoadBearingBoss: Played with in ''Revenge of Death Adder''. Making progress in his lair will cause it to crumble little by little. When Death Adder is defeated, the lair collapses completely. However, you still have to beat him one last time as he hitched a ride on your dragon.
145* LoinCloth: Fitting for a Sword and Sorcery/Conan The Barbarian-inspired game, the player characters wear barbarian clothing. Death Adder in the first game also wears one.
146* TheManBehindTheMan: In the original arcade game, the player simply goes to the castle and beat up Death Adder. In the Genesis version (on the normal difficulty), the player must fight a palette-swapped version of Death Adder known as the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Death Bringer]] after fighting the standard version.
147* TheManyDeathsOfYou: In ''Beast Rider'', Tyris can be reduced to various chunks of meat upon reaching CriticalExistenceFailure.
148* MedievalStasis: Averted as Yuria's technology level improves as games go further down the time-line. The first game starts off at the 'Dark Ages to Medieval' level of technology that's standard fare for SwordAndSorcery, Revenge of Death Adder sees the world grow in size of cities and develop some ClockPunk levels of tech. And in Golden Axe: The Duel, at least one region has grown to SteamPunk advancement. But in all cases, the games never stray too far from its SwordAndSorcery roots.
149* MegaNeko: Chronos "Evil" Lait (from ''III'') is the only feline in the game's universe. He's also PantheraAwesome, being a black-furred bipedal feline that evoked the panther imagery.
150* MightyGlacier: Proud Cragger runs slowly, moves slowly and attacks slowly... and HARD.
151* MissionPackSequel: ''Golden Axe II'' uses the same engine as the Genesis port of the first game.
152* {{Mooks}}:
153** Heninger and Longmoan. The Zuburoka amazons and the Skeleton knights are EliteMooks.
154** Zakkar, Greness and the Wizards in ''Golden Axe II''. EliteMooks in this game are lizardmen.
155** ''Golden Axe III'' has the nameless club-wielding and spear-wielding soldiers, along with the Vanity amazons and the Dead Frame creatures as EliteMooks.
156* MsFanservice: Tyris Flare as well as most of the female cast. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfAeU62EEnk Lampshaded in the trailer for the mobile version of ''Golden Axe'']]
157** Possibly justified in Sara's case. See WanderingMinstrel.
158* MultiArmedAndDangerous: The sheep giants in ''III''. They can block attacks, and have impressive range.
159* MusclesAreMeaningful: In ''III'', where every hero character (including Sara) looks ripped and can kick lots of ass. Many enemies are also muscled.
160* MysteriousPast: In ''III'', we know that Kain was a mercenary, Sara a travelling entertainer, and Cragger is a descendant of giants. We know nothing about Chronos' past, apart from the fact that he WasOnceAMan.
161* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Death Adder and Death Bringer
162* NoFourthWall: The original arcade game ends with [[spoiler:the mooks ''leaping out of an arcade cabinet'' and invading the real world, with the heroes in hot pursuit]].
163* NobodyHereButUsStatues: In the Genesis version of the first game, when the player reaches the end of Stage 7, they will come across what appear to be four statues. However, two of said statues are Heninger and Longmoan [[BodyPaint painted to look like statues]], as they approach the player when they get close to them.
164* NonIndicativeName: Ax Battler, who wields a sword. It's because he's a swordsman who battles ''against'' the titular Golden Axe wielded by Death Bringer!
165* OrcusOnHisThrone: The golden Headless Knight in ''II'', as seen in the opening and whom you actually fight in the penultimate battle. Although he's just a DragonInChief, seemingly.
166* OurCentaursAreDifferent: Dora (no, not [[WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer that one]]), as a playable character in ''The Revenge of Death Adder''. Her outfit is notably modest for a female in this franchise, completely covering her human half. Also, her horse legs can magically change into human legs to allow her to ride mounts.
167* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: However, in ''III'', Gilius uses more magic than the typical dwarf, since he is old and his strength is no longer there.
168* OurGiantsAreBigger: Many of the bosses in the first game are giants, including Death Adder himself. Also, playables include Goah the giant in ''Revenge of Death Adder'' and Proud Cragger in ''3''.
169* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Minotauros, a mace-wielding boss enemy in ''II''.
170* PaletteSwap: The original arcade game featured a set of six enemies (four mooks and two sub-bosses) that are re-used throughout the entire game in different colors. The blue and red dragons, as well as the blue and green thieves, were also palette-swaps of each other. The Genesis version added even more palette swapped variants of the enemies, including different versions of the final boss Death Adder. Averted in the Master System, in which every enemy and beast uses the same palette as the player. This actually made the fireball-spitting dragons impossible to tell apart visually from their short-ranged counterparts.
171* PowerfulPick: The Skeletons use this in ''II'' and ''III''.
172* PowerupMount: Bizzarians, used throughout the series; became the focus of the game in ''Beast Rider''. Hilariously, Gilius rides on Goah's shoulders in ''Revenge of Death Adder'', and Goah is able to ride on a mount, himself.
173* PrivateMilitaryContractors: In ''III'', Kain is a mercenary. However, his business with Hellstrike [[ItsPersonal is personal]], as the demon army destroyed his tribe.
174* PunnyName: One possible transliteration of Sara's surname is "Burn", which is exactly what she'll do to you with her magic.
175* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: In ''III''. The heroes are: a mercenary, a travelling entertainer, a descendant of giants and a panther-man with a MysteriousPast. Deconstructed too, when the four failed in their initial attempt (becoming BrainwashedAndCrazy in the process) and required Gilius to remove the curse from some of them.
176* RedHerring: [[spoiler:In the opening of ''Golden Axe II'', think that the Dark Guld is the large guy sitting on the throne? Wrong! That was just one of the sub-boss. The Dark Guld is fought after]].
177* RedIsHeroic: Both Tyris (in ''II'') and Sara wear red.
178* RoundhouseKick: In ''III'', this is Sara's Forward+Attack+Jump attack. It can be blocked, but it is fast, and the single most damaging move in her movelist.
179* SerratedBladeOfPain: Headless Knights/Animated Armors in ''II'' wield this, with shield.
180* ShieldsAreUseless:
181** In the first game, [[DemBones skeletons]] carry round shields, while the Bitter bosses carry massive tower shields. Bitters can sweep you away if you get close with a ShieldBash, while skeletons crack you on the head with them as part of a combo, but neither can block with them.
182** The second game is much the same, with Skeletons, Lizardmen, and Headless Knights all carrying shields. Once again, they attack with them, but cannot block any of your attacks.
183** Finally averted in ''III'', where Corvette knights and skeletons use their shields to block your attacks.
184** In Golden Axe Warrior, the shield you carry can block projectiles, but is worthless against a melee attack.
185* SlouchOfVillainy: Death Bringer in the Genesis port.
186* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Tyris, Sara and Dora are the only playable characters in their games who are female.
187** Averted in ''The Duel'', where there are two playable female characters, Milan Flare and Jamm.
188* SpellLevels: A hallmark of the franchise is that the characters can collect magic items to fill a magic gauge and cast elemental spells that vary according to their level.
189* SpinAttack: In ''III'', this is the one attack you ''don't'' want the sheep giants to do. On the heroes' side, both Sarah and Kain have this as their Attack+Jump attack (to knock down enemies around them).
190* StatuesqueStunner: Tyris Flare, standing an impressive 5'8"
191* StockScream:
192** The original arcade game uses some screams from various movies for the death cries of the enemy character. From ''Film/FirstBlood'', they specifically used the one where Rambo stabs Mitch in the leg (which became Heninger's death cry), and the ones that Galt lets out as he falls to his death (when a villager is being tortured by a Longmoan at the beginning of the game).
193** ''Revenge of Death Adder'' uses [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990 Raphael's]] skyward Damn shout for two bosses. One of them, Death Adder himself.
194%%* StoneWall: Dora.
195* {{Stripperiffic}}: Tyris wears little more than a bikini, though Ax Battler wears even less. Sara Burn and Milan Flare are similarly quite skimpily dressed.
196* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute:
197** The [[BigBad main villains]] in the Mega Drive sequels (Dark Guld and Damud Hellstrike) are obvious stand-ins for Death Adder.
198** Kain Grinder and Sara Barn from ''Golden Axe III'' are so similar to Ax and Tyris that (thanks to the game's lack of an overseas version until the Platform/{{P|layStation2}}S2 compilation) most people mistake them for their predecessors.
199*** In Sara's case, it's more of NoNameGiven, so the fans just call her "Tyris". Apart from using fire magic and the fanservice, Sara's a very different character. Even their swords and hairstyles are different!
200** Zakkar and Greness, the {{mooks}} from ''Golden Axe II'', are often respectively mistaken for Longmoan and Heninger from the original game. Doubly so in Longmoan and Zakkar's case, as they both also wield clubs.
201* TakenForGranite: The bodies of the dead enemies would turn into rock, in the arcade version. In ''Death Adder's Revenge'', using Goah's (actually Gilius's) Earth Magic while there were enemy {{mooks}} on the screen would actually show a short animation of one screaming in terror as he was petrified.
202* ThemeNaming: The enemies in the first game are named after alcoholic beverages.
203** Longmoan and Heninger are [[SpellMyNameWithAnS mangled references]] to "Longmorn" (a brand of whiskey) and "Henninger" (a German brewery).
204** The Zuburoka amazon tribe are named after Żubrówka, a brand of Vodka. Three of the amazons belonging to the tribe (Storchinaya, Strobaya and Lemanaya) are named after other brands of Vodka (Stolichnaya, Stolovaya and Limonnaya respectively), while Guruziya is named after Gruzia (the Russian name for Georgia, the country known for discovering wine).
205** For the bosses, we have the Bad Brothers (a misspelling of "Bud", as in "Budweiser"), Sgt. Malt & Sgt. Hop, General Heartland (named after a Japanese brand of beer) and the Bitter knights. The PC Engine version has its own names for the bosses in the form of "Biyadaru" (beer barrel) for the hammer-swinging giants and "Heineken" for the armored knights.
206** ''Golden Axe III'' has bosses named after cars (Mustang and Corvette).
207* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Forward-back-forward-Attack+Jump for Barns in ''III''. Partially subverted, because enemies who can block can still block her sword... unlike [[GameBreaker Chronos' similar hidden move]].
208* TooDumbToLive: The player can [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this on enemy [=NPCs=] that think it's a good idea to lunge at you while you're at the edge of a bottomless pit. Simply sidestep your foes and laugh as they throw themselves into the abyss to their EpicFail deaths.
209* UglyGuyHotWife: In the ''Duel'', we have Panchos's ending. He becomes known as the Iron King, marries a beautiful blonde girl and has a son with her. In game, Panchos is obese and has long hair (although he trimmed them down once he's king).
210* UnderwearOfPower: Ax Battler in the first game, pictured above. For FanDisservice, Bad Brothers and their PaletteSwap in the first game wear this. In ''II'', Minotauros also wear this.
211* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: Sometimes, if you're not in a good position when being hit by an aggressive {{mook|s}} (usually EliteMooks), you will be hit repeatedly with an infinite combo like the one in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4kpSm4W_WM this video]]. If you're not playing co-op mode and having your friend to help you, the only way to escape is much likely to reset the game since not only that infinite combo has its end but also your character [[WhyWontYouDie cannot die somehow]].
212* UnwillingSuspension: The King and Princess are tied up this way when you rescue them. The poor King is hanging ''upside down''.
213* VideoGameCaringPotential: A running theme in the franchise sees the protagonists liberating their countrymen from the evil hordes, and in ''III'', you can save your companions from their DemonicPossession by picking the right routes through the stages.
214* WanderingMinstrel: In ''III'', Sara once belonged to a troupe of travelling entertainers. Could help explain her DanceBattler moves.
215%%* WasOnceAMan: In ''III'', both Chronos and Eve.
216* WeAreAsMayflies: By the time of both ''Revenge of Death Adder'' and ''Golden Axe III'', Ax and Tyris have already passed away, leaving a very old Gilius to guide the next generation of heroes.
217* WildChild: Jamm in the ''The Duel''.
218* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In ''Golden Axe III'', certain paths will allow you to fight against a BrainwashedAndCrazy player character that you didn't select. If you fight them, they're freed and appear in the ending, greeting you for returning the Golden Axe. If not... nothing's known about them.
219%%* WolverineClaws: Greness, a standard enemy from ''II'', uses these.
220* YouDontLookLikeYou:
221** In the unused cover of ''III'' by Boris Vallejo, Sara's hairstyle is completely different from the one she has in-game. Also, she was blond in that cover. For the cover which was eventually used, her long hair is hard to spot and was left unbraided.
222** For ''Golden Axe'', Ax was a blond on the cover, which he is ''not'' in-game.
223* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In ''III'', just before entering the castle, after the heroes defeated Eve, he returns to his true form: the missing King. After a short speech, he is then killed by lightning.
224* YouKilledMyFather: The heroes each lost a loved one to the big bad. Averted for two heroes in ''III''. Chronos wants to reverse the curse on him, while Cragger is paying back for his imprisonment by the demon army (and as a favour to Gilius, who freed him).

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