History Characters / GodOfWarSeriesAtreus

!WARNING: MANY MAJOR SPOILERS OF ''GOD OF WAR (2018)'' ARE UNMARKED; PROCEED WITH CAUTION
[[center:[[WMG:''Characters/GodOfWar'' [[Characters/GodOfWar characters index]]\\
[-''Protagonists:'' [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesKratos Kratos]] | '''Atreus'''\\
''Greek Era:'' [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesGreekGods Gods]] ([[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesZeus Zeus]]) | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesTitans Titans]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesMythologysHeroes Mythology's Heroes]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarOtherBeings Other Beings]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesNormalHumans Normal Humans]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesComicBookCharacters Characters from Comics]]\\
''Norse Era:'' [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesNorseGods Gods]] ([[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOdin Odin]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesThor Thor]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesMimir Mimir]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesBaldur Baldur]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesHeimdall Heimdall]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesFreya Freya]]) | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesJotnar Jotnar]] | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOtherCharacters Other Characters]] ([[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesSindriAndBrok Sindri and Brok]]) | [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesNorseMonsters Monsters]]-]]]]]
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! Atreus / Loki

!!!'''Voiced:''' Sunny Suljic (English)[[labelnote:additional [=VAs=]]]Susana Moreno (LA Spanish, child), Carlos Siller (LA Spanish, teenager), Creator/YumikoKobayashi (Japanese, child), Creator/TomoMuranaka (Japanese, teenager), Lipe Volpato (Brazilian Portuguese), Ivan Nepomnyaschy (Russian)[[/labelnote]]\\
'''Appears In:''' ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 God of War (2018)]] | [[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok God of War: Ragnarök]]''

[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atreus_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:270:''"Maybe I've learned I run better on chaos."'']]
[[caption-width-right:270:[[labelnote:Click here to see his appearance in ''God of War: Ragnarök'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atreus_9.png\\
''"I should be out there, finding out who I am!"'']]
[[/labelnote]]

->''"You know I love him. I just wish he was better. I know he can be. So if he tries...I'll try. But if he doesn't...please come back. I know you're out there somewhere."''

The {{Deuteragonist}} of the Norse Era and the support half of the CombatAndSupport duo that consists of himself and his father Kratos. His main weapons include an enchanted bow and arrow with elemental based arrows that can stun opponents and whittle down their health.

Ever since his younger days, Atreus's relationship with his father has been...strained to say the least due to his poor health and desperate need to prove himself to his distant father, with his mother Faye often acting as the buffer between the two. He would soon get his wish to prove himself when he and his father have to fulfil his mother's dying wish to spread her ashes across the highest peak in all the realms. Throughout the journey, Atreus would face many hardships and lessons that would help him become a man, and help mend the fractured relationship between father and son.

Due to his divine heritage, Atreus inherits many powers and abilities from his father and also gains some new ones as Loki. These include enhanced agility, enhanced stamina, [[SpeaksFluentAnimal communication with animals]] [[ISeeDeadPeople and spirits]], ability to speak [[{{Omniglot}} forgotten/dead languages]], [[SuperSenses supernatural senses]], and limited {{Precognition}}.

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[[folder:A-F]]
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: After [[spoiler:Kratos reveals his godly heritage]], Atreus drops his previous CheerfulChild attitude and becomes extremely arrogant, rude, and hot-headed, [[LikeFatherLikeSon acting a lot like Kratos did in his younger days]]. Kratos isn't happy with this at all, especially after [[spoiler:the boy kills a badly injured Modi despite being ordered not to]]. It's justified since every time Kratos tells Atreus not to do something and Atreus asks why, Kratos refuses to offer any clear answers; the most he'll say is "{{because I said so}}". The result is that Atreus has no clue how to interpret his father's teachings, having nothing to go on but his self-confidence and his father's brutal example. There's also the fact that, even after supposedly "learning" this, Kratos' continued evasiveness on the matter of his past makes Atreus more indignant and spiteful.
--> '''Atreus:''' I can't learn if you won't teach me.\\
'''Kratos:''' You do not heed my lessons.\\
'''Atreus:''' I've done everything you've asked, and all I wanted was the truth.
** Downplayed in ''Ragnarök''. Atreus is still a good-natured kid, [[spoiler:but his assumptions about the prophecies concerning Loki have him believe that he's destined to become a hero of sorts and stop Odin. As such, he starts getting cocky and insubordinate around his father. And when he learns that his father is destined to be killed and that Atreus is supposed to serve Odin, he sets out to change his fate, becoming more reckless along the way. It takes freeing Garm to finally humble him.]]
* AdaptationalHeroism: [[spoiler:Atreus has virtually none of the negative traits associated with Loki aside from some occasional hubris. Whereas Loki had Baldur killed with a mistletoe spear as a cruel joke, here Baldur unwittingly impales ''himself'' on the mistletoe arrowhead keeping his quiver string together when he punches Atreus as he tries to defend his father. And while Loki still plays a major role in the destruction of Asgard and overthrowing Odin, it's made abundantly clear that he only goes to war to protect himself from a vengeful Odin and takes no pleasure whatsoever in all the destruction that ensues.]]
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: [[spoiler:In the original myths, Loki was Odin's [[SwornBrothers Blood Brother]] and drinking buddy prior to their falling out. Due to Atreus's AgeLift, however, in this version of the story they have more of a mentor-and-apprentice relationship in the brief time that they work together.]]
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: [[spoiler: Downplayed. The original Loki was full Frost Giant, taking after both of his parents, but in Norse mythology godhood was as much a matter of position as it was species, if not more so, so he was both a giant ''and'' a god. Here, it doesn't work that way and he's half and half, with his father being a former mortal turned god instead of a Frost Giant. And since giant and god mixes in the universe make gods, he might be just "god"]].
* AllLovingHero: Atreus is a very kind and loving boy, and finds good in almost everyone he interacts with. [[spoiler: He doesn't even hate ''[[HatedByAll Odin]]'' by the end of ''Ragnarök'', giving Odin every chance to surrender peacefully.]] Kratos learns to consider this his most valuable trait and even goes against his own earlier teachings that Atreus should close his heart to the suffering of others by telling him to open his heart and feel their pain so that he will never lose sight of true justice and never act in vengeance.
* AllTakeAndNoGive: [[spoiler:When Sindri undergoes an AnguishedOutburst after Brok is killed by Odin, he calls this trope out on Atreus, bitterly and somberly claiming that Atreus kept asking more and more of what Brok and Sindri had in his quest to avert Ragnarök, which culminated in the former's death and the latter being left with nothing. Although Atreus feels guilty about his recklessness resulting in Brok's death, the damage is already done, with Sindri outright dismissing their friendship right then and there]].
* AnimalLover: He shows a remarkable affinity for animals and has befriended or cared for several magical creatures. He's befriended the World Serpent, a giant turtle, Brok's transportation beast, his sled wolves Svanna and Speki, all of Angrboda's animal companions, [[spoiler:the wolves that chase the sun and moon]], and [[spoiler:Fenrir, the BeastOfTheApocalypse himself]].
* AnimalMotifs:
** Atreus has some connection with wolves - in his journal he mentions having an admiration for them. In major story scenes with Atreus, wolves are present as totems and the first rune Atreus learns is the ability to summon a wolf spirit. Finally, his tunic was made from wolf pelts. [[spoiler:When he finds out that he's a demigod he asks if he can shapeshift into a wolf [[labelnote:note]] which is {{Foreshadowing}} since Loki (Atreus' Jötunn name) is the father of Fenrir, a monstrous wolf destined to kill Odin during Ragnarök[[/labelnote]]. When Atreus starts getting corrupted by his narcissism, rabid and diseased wolves appear as enemies on the trip to the Jötunheimr gateway.]]
** One of the vision murals left by Faye depicts Atreus being accompanied by three wolves. [[spoiler:No doubt these wolves are Fenrir, Sköll, and Hatti. Just like Jörmungandr, Fenrir is said to be Jörmungandr's brother and the son of Loki in Norse mythology.]]
** In the steel book version of the game, the translated version of the runes on the cover regards Atreus as a wolf. The Norse translation is "This is the story of a bear and a wolf, who wandered the realms of nine to fulfill a promise of one before; they walk the twilight path, destined to discover the truth that is to come".
** It's enforced even further in ''Ragnarök'' when [[spoiler:he gains the ability to shapeshift into animals. The wolf is the first transformation he learns to control, while the bear, representing his father, is what he transforms into when overwhelmed by his emotions. It takes until the end of the game for him to control the bear transformation.]]
* AnnoyingArrows: At the start of the game, his arrows deal very little damage and are primarily used to distract enemies. However, it eventually becomes {{Subverted}} as Atreus' bow gets upgraded and he obtains light/shock arrows, allowing him to deal more damage and affect enemies with status effects.
* ApocalypseMaiden: According to the Jotun prophecy, he is destined to trigger Ragnarök. [[spoiler:In the end, however, he only does so ''indirectly''; Atreus freeing "Tyr" (Odin in disguise) and fleeing to Sindri's house with the mask results in Odin being in the position to kill Brok, which in turn convinces the previously reluctant Atreus and Kratos to initiate Ragnarök.]]
* ArmorPiercingResponse: [[spoiler:He gives one to Thor, when they're searching for the last mask fragment in Niflheim, after Thor says Atreus has no idea what his life is like.]]
-->[[spoiler:Right. Half giant son of a god with impossibly high expectations. No idea what that's like.]]
* AssistCharacter: He provides ranged support for Kratos, and can either grapple or launch enemies into the air for more attack opportunities. Atreus can't be killed, either; just temporarily knocked out.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: His gift with languages counts as this. He figures out multiple meanings for Tyr's rune (which Tyr invented himself using languages from multiple nations/worlds/realms) before Mimir can even ''finish explaining what it is''.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: He gets annoyed by Kratos' utter lack of parenting skills, but when the chips are down, he does love his father and acts to save him if he's in danger, much like Kratos does for him. [[spoiler:He gets in the way of one of Baldur's attacks against Kratos (which results in Baldur hitting the mistletoe arrowhead, and in ''Ragnarok'' he's utterly horrified that the Jotnar prophecies involve Kratos dying and he ''immediately'' loses his enthusiasm about fulfilling them.]]
* BadassAdorable: He's a cute child and is being raised as a warrior by the former God of War. How badass is he? When Kratos plunges into the light of Alfheim, he's woken up by Atreus and sees several piles of corpses belonging to would-be attackers that tried to occupy the platform.
* BadassBookworm: His mother taught him how to hunt and read Midgardian writings. His father taught him how to kill and defend himself. He's still a capable warrior after hitting puberty and still able to kick ass on his own.
* BadLiar: Atreus consistently shows in ''Ragnarök'' that he's pretty bad at lying. When Kratos calls out Atreus for disappearing on him, Atreus says that he wanted to visit Fenrir, which is a bald-faced lie that Kratos calls out immediately, since Atreus was gone for two days, and nobody needs two days to visit a dog. It ties into Atreus being incredibly impulsive, since he never thinks of a lie to tell in case he gets caught acting against his father's orders, and the lies he does come up with on the spot are obviously false.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: At the beginning of ''Ragnarök'', Atreus is eager to fulfill what he saw of the Giants' prophecy and discover who he was meant to be, so he repeatedly insists on letting the titular war happen, more so after Odin and Thor pay a visit at his and Kratos' home. [[spoiler:Then he learns in Ironwood what the prophecy fully entails, namely his father dying and him joining Odin, so he tries to find a way to avert this. As the game progresses, Atreus [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness impulsively makes numerous mistakes]] which culminate in Odin killing Brok and Sindri cutting ties with him and Kratos, armies converging on Asgard during Ragnarök, and Atreus having a front-row seat to watching countless lives be lost on both sides.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Sindri]]:''' More or less what you wanted?\\
'''Atreus:''' I-I didn't want ''this''.
* BerserkButton: By the time of ''Ragnarök'', he evidently doesn't take well to being called "Boy". There's a moment where he initially tries speaking gently to a drunken [[spoiler:Thor]] to get him moving... only for [[spoiler:Thor]] to snarl "Quiet, boy." It's only then that Atreus starts getting shouty.
* TheBerserker: When he's caught up in the heat of combat, he can start screaming and attacking without any semblance of control. Like father, like son. [[spoiler: It nearly kills him when he activates his own Spartan Rage mode while fighting Modi.]]
** In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler: he unlocks his shapeshifting powers in a moment of grief and transforms into a feral bear, "berserkr" appropriately meaning "bear-shirt" in his native Norse language. In this form, he's a mindlessly aggressive monster that attacks anything in his path, even Kratos and Sindri. He doesn't learn to control his bear form until the end of the game.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Generally every bit a NiceGuy, but deep down he has his father's temper, and you do ''not'' want to provoke him. [[spoiler:His cold-blooded murder of Modi proves that.]]
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: [[JustifiedTrope Atreus is still just a boy]], so while he is [[WiseBeyondTheirYears more mature than you'd expect]], he can get stumped when faced with complex moral concepts. After learning of his godhood, he slips into a bit of BlackAndWhiteInsanity in condemning the Aesir as absolutely evil in an obvious attempt to justify [[DrunkWithPower his own ignominious behavior]], and a bit later [[spoiler:is confused as to why [[MamaBear Freya]] mourns the death of Baldur and vows vengeance on Kratos, even though Kratos' actions were done to save her life -- describing her as acting "all evil" until Kratos and Mimir gently correct that she's angry and grief-stricken, not evil]].
** This trait continues into ''Ragnarök'', most notably [[spoiler:when he has difficulty deciding if the light elves and dark elves are good and evil respectively or vice versa. Thankfully, he grows out of it by the end of the game.]]
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:After finding out he's a god, Atreus becomes increasingly arrogant and openly resentful of Kratos, [[PoorCommunicationKills partly due to Kratos disapproving of this behavior, despite Atreus thinking this is what he wants him to be like.]] Too bad for Atreus, he quickly finds out even with his sickness gone, he is still nowhere near tough enough to be close to his father when he gets utterly beaten by Baldur. During the process, he is left stranded in Helheim along with Kratos, is forced to witness a hallucination of him killing Modi, finally starting to regret his dickery... And what ultimately leaves him disillusioned with his godhood is him seeing Kratos murder his OWN FATHER and Kratos's clear horror and remorse over it. The fact that he was becoming dangerously close to being a monstrous god all but removes his pride, causing him to return back to being his old self.]]
* BriefAccentImitation: Atreus isn't above mocking his father, and when he does, he lowers the pitch of his own voice to mimic Kratos' low voice. He also refers to himself as "Boy" when he quotes his father. He tries to do the same with Mimir in ''Ragnarok'' only to give up on it pretty much immediately, because he can't do his accent.
* BrutalHonesty: Prefers to hear the raw truth, and has no patience for hedged responses or deflections, something his father is understandably uncomfortable with. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, he adapts this stance towards others after a budding AGodAmI mentality starts to grow from learning his heritage, hurting Sindri without a shred of regard for the dwarf's feelings, essentially breaking him in the process. Even Kratos calls him out on this afterwards.]]
* ButNowIMustGo: At the end of ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:Atreus leaves Kratos in order to pursue his own path and seek out the Giants]].
* CallingYourAttacks: Has an habit of shouting "Nista" whenever he fires his arrows. This expands as he gets different powers for his bow.
* CanonCharacterAllAlong: It's revealed at the end of the 2018 game that he's none other than Loki, the Trickster God. ''Ragnarök'' not only [[LateArrivalSpoiler doesn't even bother hiding this fact]], but makes it a key plot point by having Atreus introduce himself as "Loki" instead of "Atreus" to several Norse gods because it's the name his Giant mother picked for him, and thus makes him associated with the Jötnar.
* CassandraTruth: Tries to tell Thrud that Odin is evil, but it fails as she points out [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome she has no reason to trust the random stranger over her grandfather]].
* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject: As of ''Ragnarök'', Kratos is opening himself to people, and once tried to talk about [[VideoGame/GodOfWarIII Hephaestus and Pandora]], but Atreus feels he doesn't have to talk about it if he doesn't want to.
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes through several in the course of his journey with his father. One significant ones is in Hel where he sees [[spoiler:his own murder of Modi and Kratos killing Zeus]]. This allows him to understand why his father doesn't want him to be like him.
** In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:he becomes obsessed with his identity as Loki and prophecy in general. At first, he thinks he's the champion of Ragnarök meant to help fight against Odin. But after he discovers that he's destined to ''serve'' Odin and that his father dies, he slowly begins to doubt fate. By the end, he lets go of the notion of destiny and decides to carve his own path.]]
* CheerfulChild: Atreus is a rather exuberant boy, especially compared to his dour father. He runs off in excitement while exploring a hoard of treasure, cheerfully asks the Witch if she can revive a decapitated head, and happily calls the experience of falling from Yggdrasil "incredible" as Mimir balked out of fear and nausea.
* ChildrenForcedToKill: Early on, he's forced to kill a human in self-defense when cannibals try to carve up Kratos and Atreus for meat. Atreus doesn't take the experience particularly well, but Kratos at least gets him through it.
* TheChosenOne: Deconstructed. He believes that the prophecies of Loki to paint him as this, if not, to somehow help Tyr stop Odin. [[spoiler:Turns out he's kind of right. He is ''a'' chosen one, but the Giants did not prophesy him to stop Odin; in fact, they foretold that he would become Odin's servant. Instead, he's supposed to protect the marbles containing the Giants' souls and is called the "Champion of the Jotnar" because of it.]]
* CombatAndSupport: Mostly aids Kratos with arrows and digging up stuff when the latter is doing the close-up fighting.
* CombatMedic: With certain gear, he can toss healthstones over to Kratos if he's at low health as well as using Resurrection Stones to revive his father should he fall in battle.
* ComesGreatResponsibility: Atreus' inherent godhood, combined with his HairTriggerTemper, naturally would make one wary of what the boy could ''do'' if he one day went off the deep end. Kratos has [[WhatHaveIBecome firsthand experience]] of the consequences of giving in to baser urges in a mad rage, so he tries to fill in the role that Faye had once had by instilling a sense of discipline unto the boy.
* CrazyEnoughToWork: One of the few things he does is make plans that would be deemed too crazy, but it goes give results. Mimir is quick to point out he is definitely his father's son.
* CreepyChild: He'd normally avert this, but after learning about his divine heritage, he begins showing signs of arrogance and believing that as gods they can do whatever they want, which is shown when he kills [[spoiler:Modi]] in cold-blood, which is a far cry from the little boy who nearly wept from killing a cannibal in self-defense. Kratos and Mimir manage to rein in these impulses eventually.
* CunningLinguist: Atreus has a real knack for language. He can read ancient runes, roughly translate Elvish, and after only a few exposures, can speak Jormungandr's language well enough to ask him to [[spoiler:ram the Frost Giant]]. It's implied his quick grasp in language is at least partly magical in nature. Mimir seems to think his godly heritage is at least part of why he's such a quick study in languages, plus there's the fact his eyes glow yellow when he first speaks Jormungandr's tongue.
* CurbStompBattle: This kid delivers one to a ''horde'' of Dark Elves armed with his bow and his father's Leviathan Axe. Suffice to say, they didn't last long.
* DeadGuyJunior: Atreus is the name chosen by Kratos for his son, at the end of the journey to scatter Faye's ashes he tells the boy its origin; [[spoiler:Atreus was a Spartan soldier who fought along Kratos, he was a different type of Spartan who still believed in having kindness even as a killing machine, the Spartan Atreus sacrificed himself for Kratos and the other Spartans in battle. Kratos personally ensured he honored the fallen soldier with a proper burial and now centuries later Kratos names his son after the fallen soldier]].
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Atreus shares the spotlight with his father Kratos.
* DivineParentage: His father was the Greek God of War. [[spoiler:His mother is the giantess Laufey. He is being raised to believe he is a mortal; this contradiction to his nature causes his mind to harm his body.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Has shades of this, one example that stands out is [[spoiler: when he tried attacking Modi who pinned down Kratos with lightning, by firing ''lightning'' arrows. Then he tried touching his electrocuted father, which predictably made himself electrocuted as well. Modi lampshaded this a second later.]]
-->'''Modi:''' Wow, are you dumb. Is that your father's doing or did you get it from your mom?
** Admits this in ''Ragnarok'' in his journal entry concerning his meeting with Freya, who he hopes to convince to join them to fight Odin; not only is Freya still irrationally pissed off at him and Kratos for killing Baldur, she ''couldn't'' help even if she wanted to because she's still bound to Midgard and Odin isn't. He ends up leaving with none of what he wanted, and worrying that Freya will use what he said to attack Kratos again.
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint:
** Atreus' getting DrunkWithPower after learning of his DivineParentage is because Kratos ''still'' refuses to divulge very important pieces of information about his past as a WarGod. As such, when Kratos tells Atreus, "You must be better than me," the boy can't help but interpret it as "You must be ''[[EvilerThanThou more ruthless]]'' than me."
** Many of Atreus's more boneheaded moves in ''Ragnarok'' are because he's desperate for some way to change his father's fate... because no one told him that he's got the very ''nature'' of fate completely wrong, and the only way to change it is to change ''oneself'' for the better. Every rash decision he makes to prevent Ragnarok only makes it more likely to happen, because the prophecy was based on the idea that he'd go haring off on his own and fall into Odin's trap.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: At the very end of the game, Atreus dreams of [[spoiler:Thor coming at Kratos' doorstep menacingly, about to use Mjolnir.]] His dream is even stated to be happening several years ahead of the time.
* DrunkWithPower: When he discovers his DivineParentage, it quickly goes to his head, leading to him casually [[spoiler:killing a defenseless Modi on the grounds that he's a god, so he can do whatever he wants.]]
* ExactWords: After Kratos reveals to Atreus his DivineParentage, he pleads to the boy, "You must be better than me." What Kratos means by this is he wants Atreus to preserve his kind heart and endless optimism, and not TurnOutLikeHisFather. However, Kratos is still deliberately telling half-truths and refusing to entrust Atreus with the more unsavory aspects of his past. As such, Atreus takes this statement to mean that he must become [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint more ferocious, arrogant, violent, and reckless]]--[[SelfFulfillingProphecy becoming like his father in the process]].
* FatalFlaw: '''Impulsiveness.''' While Atreus is curious about the world, that curiosity can get him into trouble due to a flaw of not being willing or able to control his temper when he needs to. When Atreus has made up his mind about doing something, he wants to do it right away, not bothering to think through the logical consequences of his decisions, especially what will happen if they don't work out the way he thinks they will.
** In the 2018 game, Atreus gets BlindedByRage during the fight with Magni and Modi after they continuously insult Faye. Even with Kratos telling him to calm down, Atreus just attacks impulsively, consistently making things harder. [[spoiler:This gets him into trouble when he uses Spartan Rage, as it knocks him out. While Kratos wasn't helping things by hiding his godhood from him, Atreus not knowing when to focus his emotions or channel his anger complicates things.]]
** In ''Ragnarök'', Atreus is a teenager, and once again shows that he doesn't really think things through before he does them. For one, Atreus consistently lies to his father or hides the truth about trying to find out who "Loki" is, frequently sneaking away with Sindri in an attempt to do so. [[spoiler:He even goes to Asgard to talk to Odin directly. This is despite his father, and all of his allies -- Tyr, Mimir, and Freya included -- echoing the sentiment that doing anything Odin wants is a very bad idea. But because Atreus can't handle the pressure of everyone scrutinizing him all at once, he impulsively lashes out and runs away from them, leaving him wide open for Odin's manipulations.]]
* FieryRedhead: He has his mother's hair, but his father's temper. But it's pretty downplayed, as he only displays the "Fiery" bit when something upsets him enough; otherwise, he's rather pleasant. In ''Ragnarök'', there are scenes where he's genuinely angry, but his temper isn't nearly as explosive as it was in the previous game. He even does exercises taught to him by his father to better reign in the more destructive tendencies that come with it.
* {{Foil}}: To his father in many ways.
** Atreus starts as a brooding kid but is also a CheerfulChild who had at least born into a good childhood with his parents (at the very least, his mother, and eventually his own father) whereas Kratos was taken to the agōgē as a child for the specific intention of being a ChildSoldier, and had a very rough childhood, which included his brother taken by Athena and Ares. He's a lot friendlier and willing to make friends while Kratos barely interacts with anyone else other than business.
** [[spoiler:How he handles Odin greatly differs to how Kratos handles Zeus. Kratos spent [[VideoGame/GodOfWarII two]] [[VideoGame/GodOfWarIII games]] trying to outright murder Zeus out of blind vengeance against him, and when he does get his hands on him, the evils of Pandora's Box loses its hold on him, and Zeus deeply regrets over his actions over the course of II and III before Kratos kills him. Odin adamantly refuses to believe everything in the course of the Norse duology [[NeverMyFault was his fault]], [[OffingTheOffspring which included killing Thor]], claiming he had no choice in which Atreus calls out on his bullshit. But Atreus tells him he can be better, but Odin refuses his kindness, and Atreus eventually "kills" Odin by removing his soul from his body]]. Unlike Kratos from the original trilogy, Atreus' action is treated very sympathetically.
** Even to Odin himself. Both of them tend to be tricksters, relying on speed, agility and outwitting their enemies. Both of them have a strong sense of curiosity and drive to achieve answers (Atreus wants to learn more about his identity as Loki, Odin wants to learn how to prevent Ragnarok and gain more knowledge). Both of them are willing to deceive and lie to their allies when they feel it's necessary. Both of them utilize magic along with their weapons in combat (Atreus mixes magic with his bow and arrows while Odin utilizes magic with his spear/ staff). Both have an AnimalMotif that's very reminiscent of their personalities (wolves for Atreus, ravens for Odin). However, the similarities stop there.
** While they're both willing to lie to their allies, Atreus does it with the intentions of honoring promises or keeping people safe while Odin does so for his own selfishness. Atreus genuinely values his father and allies, [[spoiler: shown most prominently when Brok is murdered,]] while Odin simply sees his family and allies as tools for his own benefit. Atreus seeks knowledge to help others and learn more about himself while Odin seeks knowledge to establish his control over the Nine Realms. Atreus is willing to own up to his mistakes and poor choices while working to correct them, Odin constantly blames others for his misfortunes and choices and never takes responsibility for any of his atrocities. Atreus is an AllLovingHero who wants to help others, encouraging them to be better while Odin is a ControlFreak who only wants to himself and desire to keep people as his puppets. Atreus reaches out to Thor and tries to help him become better for the sake of his family while Odin mistreats Thor, keeps him under his thumb and tells him that he's worthless without him. In the end, Atreus is willing to let go of his desire for answers while Odin refuses to let go of his obsession, leading to his death.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Almost everything about Atreus' character, literally from his very first appearance, foreshadows TheReveal that [[spoiler:he is destined to become Loki]].
** The leaves that he sprinkles over Faye's burial shroud are [[spoiler:of mistletoe]].
** As Kratos and Atreus traverse the Lake of Nine, Atreus will often press Kratos and Mimir for stories to help pass the time, and he'll even criticize Kratos' poor storytelling. [[spoiler:Guess who's the Norse god of storytelling]].
** After Kratos reveals to him his godhood, Atreus asks aloud if being a god means that he can turn into an animal, [[spoiler:one of Loki's most infamous abilities]]. He also has an affinity for wild animals (like wolves) and mythological creatures (like the World Serpent and the Giants), [[spoiler:which reflects Loki's own role as the father of several mythological creatures (mother in the case of Sleipnir) taking the form of wild animals]].
** Though Atreus is ultimately kind at heart, when sufficiently agitated or allowed to let too much power get to his head, he'll do a complete 180 and become as arrogant, reckless, volatile, and foolhardy as his father once was; he also has a propensity for [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech lashing out when pressed enough]], reflecting [[spoiler:Loki's hubris]].
** [[spoiler:Loki's silver tongue]] is reflected in how Atreus can telepathically communicate with other creatures and learn their whole languages even with just sentence fragments.
** And finally, his close relationship with his mother over his father (at least initially) [[spoiler:is seen in Norse mythology as how Loki's surname takes after his mother's own name (''Laufey''jarson) rather than his father's.]]
** The first thing Atreus asks Kratos when he learns he's the son of a god is if he can transform into animals. Lo and behold, come ''Ragnarök'' the first boss fight is against [[spoiler: Atreus having changed into a bear, and the wolf transformation becomes his Spartan Rage equivalent when playable.]]
* FreakOut: [[spoiler:When Atreus sees a prophecy painted by Angrboða what appears to be Kratos dying in his arms and being Odin's servant, he understandably freaks out and [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting it causes him to transform into a wolf]]. Angrboða manages to calm him down, but it was such a concern for him that he wants to avert his father's fate]].
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Has an affinity for animal life in general, which seems partly because he is TheEmpath and thus can sense their emotions and discern their thoughts. This backfires on him when he releases [[AnimalisticAbomination Garm]]. Sensing the wolf's desire to be free, Atreus assumes that he's just an innocent, imprisoned beast and undoes his chains to get the mask fragment, even when Thrúd points out that there may be a reason why Garm is locked up.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:G-L]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Once Atreus discovers his DivineParentage, he begins to develop a massive hubris that at certain points in the game, he only obeys outside of battle. When you are fighting hordes of enemies, he attacks every enemy on sight without the player's input, and will disobey you when you need him to kill dangerous enemies. This lasts up until they both ended up in Hel, where he only attacks unless Kratos/the player tells him to.
** In ''Ragnarok'', while Atreus normally jumps right into the fray and actively attacks in most fights, he notably stays to the side when Vanadis attacks Kratos, and only fires arrows when commanded -- as she's a Valkyrie, and the pair helped and freed the Valkyries in the previous game, Atreus doesn't want to fight her and keeps trying to get her to back down.
* GlowingEyes:
** At the climax battle, he briefly gets glowing pupils when [[spoiler:asking Jörmungandr to help him and Kratos.]]
** In ''Ragnarok'', his pupils glow every time he taps into his powers, that is either [[spoiler:speaking the Ancient Tongue to Jormungandr, or if he's about to transform into an animal.]]
* GodIsGood: Kratos' main objective, beyond spreading Faye's ashes, is to ensure that Atreus doesn't learn of his godhood in the hopes of preserving the boy's good nature. As the son of the Greek God of War, Atreus is especially prone to flipping out when angered or annoyed enough; the vast majority of the time, however, he's a genial boy who enjoys helping people and doing the right thing, even if it impedes his progress. It's only ''after'' he finds out he's a god that he ends up becoming just as arrogant and unpleasant as his father once had been, but after this arrogance gets them both [[spoiler:trapped in Hel (even if it's just for a time) and getting chewed out by Kratos for it]], Atreus revives his good nature and fully comes to terms with the [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibilities]] of being a god.
* GoodFeelsGood: Word for word after one particular sidequest. Unlike his father, Atreus enjoys helping people, even if it doesn't reward him.
* HairTriggerTemper: Atreus is forthcoming, jovial, and overall a much better and more approachable person than his grim, no-nonsense father. But when sufficiently agitated, Atreus is just as capable of being blinded by his rage as his father is.
** As of ''Ragnarök'', he's much more level-headed. He does have a couple of outbursts here and there, they're not nearly as explosive as when he was younger.
* HealingFactor: Evidently he's inherited some of his father's healing powers as [[spoiler:Baldur at one points stabs Atreus through his shoulder with a knife. A short while later, Atreus is completely fine.]] It's made more explicit by ''Ragnarök'', where after a fight that leaves Atreus wounded, he does the same focus and heal method that Kratos uses.
* HearingVoices: He can hear otherwordly voices that Kratos can't, which he notes to be of many sources like the voice of the dead, the voices of animals, and some really evil ones too. However, he's not affected by them.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: His talent for languages seems mostly useful for journal entries, puzzle-solving, and unlocking trophies, but comes in handy in a big way at the climax when Atreus [[spoiler: summons freakin' Jörmungandr]].
* HeelRealization: Seeing his own vision of murdering Modi and [[spoiler:Kratos killing Zeus]] in Helhiem lets him truly realize the depths and consequences that Kratos didn't want him to know.
* HeinzHybrid: [[spoiler:His father is an Olympian demigod, by birth, who became god later in life, while his mother was a full-blooded Giantess. Due to weird genetics, he is likely just of the "god" species]].
* TheHerosJourney: Atreus' path throughout the game tracks this almost beat-for-beat.
** He has a miraculous birth in that his father is a god. [[spoiler: His mother is... also special]].
** The story starts with him exploring the forests around his home, testing the skills he will need to make the journey to spread his mother's ashes. He has a desire for adventure and a thirst for knowledge, but due to his lack of discipline and experience, his father fears he's not prepared for the outside world.
** [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive The arrival of The Stranger brings destruction and danger to his home]], meaning he and his father can no longer stay there, and they must begin their journey, despite neither of them being ready.
** Father and son travel away from their home, crossing several thresholds. The first physical threshold is even a large gash in the land outside their own home. The cannibals are [[spoiler: where Atreus makes his first human kill]], starting his emotional maturity, and Kratos tempts him with a return home when he develops a HeroicBSOD. The Witch of the Woods' abode is where the duo are given access to the wider world, and are truly separated from the familiarity of their home.
** The duo receive supernatural aid from the dwarven smiths with weapons and armor, the Witch of the Woods with magic, Mimir with knowledge, and Jörmungandr with travel, all which bring them closer to their goals.
** Through numerous challenges, Atreus grows physically as a fighter, and emotionally as he hardens himself in combat, but never losing his child-like innocence and inherent goodness.
** At the height of one of their challenges, [[spoiler: Atreus falls gravely ill. He is saved from death, but his rebirth is truly cemented when he finally learns the truth from his father, that he is a god himself. This revelation, however, transforms him into an arrogant, entitled, petty little brat.]]
** [[spoiler: His arrogance costs him dearly, right when they are about to complete their quest, and it takes a second 'death', a literal trip to hell, to the belly of the beast, for him to learn the consequences of his arrogance, and he has to transform back into the boy he was by making amends to the people he has hurt. Their escape out of hell is even a Night Sea Voyage.]]
** [[spoiler: In the final confrontation with their main antagonist, Atreus' experience as a warrior now makes him a valuable asset to his father (as opposed to being hidden away the first time Baldur found them). And rather than fighting for survival or to proceed in their quest, this battle is to save a dear friend of theirs.]]
** [[spoiler: Father and son win their final fight, but are faced with a FriendOrIdolDecision. Atreus chooses to save his friend, and his father obliges, but in the process gains the hatred of said friend.]]
** [[spoiler: Throughout his travels, despite witnessing the carnage prevalent amongst gods, Atreus learns instead of the joys of friendship and the power of unity, as those are the tools that enabled him and his father to succeed in their seemingly-impossible task. But the greatest lesson he learns is from his father, that they must be better than the petty gods they have met, to break the cycle of vengeance, and to never give up hope.]]
** [[spoiler: Father and son complete their task, discover the boy's true heritage, and return home on a Magic Flight, ready for the next adventure to come knocking on their door]].
* HeroicBSOD:
** Suffers one very early in the game when he is forced to kill a human cannibal in self-defense. He had no problems killing animals for food and monsters like draugr and trolls are a whole different story, but killing a human for the first time in his life leaves him extremely shaken.
** Also suffers one in ''Ragnarök'' when he saw the prophecy that [[spoiler: Kratos will die and he as Loki will eventually side with Odin to preserve the realms. He doesn't take this kindly, shapeshifting into a wolf and starts clawing and biting on the mural in anger, until Angrboda calms him down.]]
** He goes through yet another one in ''Ragnarök'' during the game's DarkestHour. [[spoiler:Right after Odin kills Brok in the process of revealing his deception, Atrus is shaken so badly that he tries to distract himself by hunting deer back in Midgard, and mentions seeing the scene of Brok's murder over and over again]].
* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: Briefly goes into a Spartan Rage at one point, and his body can't take it. He immediately succumbs to his illness and nearly dies.]]
-->'''Mimir, to Kratos:''' [[spoiler:Look, I get it. [[BoomerangBigot You hate the gods. All gods. It's no accident that includes]] [[HisOwnWorstEnemy yourself.]] And it includes your boy, don't you see that? He feels that! He can't help what he is. He can't begin to help it, because you haven't even told him. It's all connected, man!]]
* HeyYou: In ''God of War [=PS4=]'', Kratos almost exclusively refers to Atreus as "boy", only calling him by name on very few choice occasions. The Japanese dub sidesteps this by having Kratos address him by name. While he stops doing this in ''Ragnarök'', the one time he ''does'' call Atreus "boy" in the game, it's PlayedForDrama.
* HowDoIShotWeb: Since he's a quarter Greek God, a quarter mortal, [[spoiler:and half Jotunn]], nobody can predict what Atreus' abilities will be until he accidentally uses them, and it's even harder getting a grip on them.
* IMissMom: Atreus never directly voices it out, but it's clear that the death of his mother pains him throughout his and Kratos' journey. It can manifest in anger over her name being insulted, but every once in a while Atreus will voice out plainly to his father, "I wish Mom were here." He and Kratos repeatedly discuss Faye's passing throughout the story, and from their conversations it's clear that while Atreus doesn't visibly mourn, he deeply misses her regardless. [[spoiler:In Alfheim, it turns out that he misses her to the point where he even states that Kratos should have died in her place, though he immediately retracts that statement]].
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Throughout the game, Atreus becomes an absurdly skilled archer for his age, able to cleanly shoot through rope, quickly readjust himself in mid-air after being flung by Kratos to nail someone in the side or from behind, and [[spoiler:repeatedly hitting Baldur in the torso with arrows even as he struggled in Kratos' grip while they were all in free fall]]. Impressive considering that, at the beginning of the game, he couldn't even shoot a deer a few meters away from him.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: His disease often manifests this way.
* ImprobableInfantSurvival: The kid is freaking ''[[MadeOfIron indestructible]]''. If Atreus gets attacked by enemies, he gets briefly incapacitated before getting back up and starts shooting again. This includes surviving against enemies that can one-hit kill the player, and even he ''shrugs that off'' as well. [[spoiler:He can even survive a direct hit to the sternum from the Norse God of Light]].
* InkSuitActor: Atreus bears a great resemblance to his mo-cap/voice actor, Sunny Suljic.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: While he certainly has [[WiseBeyondTheirYears a good head on his shoulders]] and is always willing to help others, Atreus is still a growing boy and rather sheltered. He therefore has a nasty habit of saying or thinking things that hit others' sore spots, such as talking about topics concerning fighting and the gods that Kratos is audibly uncomfortable about. Even a few years later in ''Ragnarök'', Atreus hasn't improved much in this area, [[spoiler:like when he tries to convince a still grieving and ''[[MamaBear very]]'' angry Freya to fight alongside them again, or later arguing that he could go to Asgard in a room full of people who've all suffered because of Odin.]]
-->'''Atreus:''' I gotta stop something bad from happening-\\
'''Mimir:''' [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness SOMETHING BAD DID HAPPEN]]!! Look at [[LosingYourHead me]]! At [[DomesticAbuser Freya]]! At [[BreakTheBadass Tyr]]! [[BigBad Odin]] did ''this'' to us!
* InvoluntaryShapeshifting: In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:his grief and anger from losing Fenrir (and a [[DieOrFly mother bear charging him]]) leads to him transforming into an enormous bear and losing his mind to it. It happens again a few other times when he's especially angry or stressed. His first transformation as a wolf also counts, as he starts to have a breakdown from seeing the prophecy of Kratos' death, but he gets control over it much faster than he does the bear.]]
* ItGetsEasier: A lesson that Atreus needs to learn in order to become a warrior. He becomes very distraught after having to kill a human being, even if it was in self-defense, but Kratos is trying to teach him to not feel for his opponents because they will not return the favor. [[spoiler:It works a [[GoneHorriblyRight little too well]] when Atreus executes a defenseless Modi, saying that "we're gods, and we can do whatever we want."]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Blames himself for [[spoiler:allowing "Tyr" (Odin in disguise) into Sindri's home, resulting in Brok's murder]]. Kratos shuts most of the overt self-loathing down by pointing out that not only did [[spoiler:Odin]] trick him by playing on his compassion, but everyone ''else'' had failed to see through the falsehood, including Mimir and Freya, who both had personal experience [[spoiler:with Odin and Tyr]].
* JerkassBall: He has two moments where he becomes more mouthy and insubordinate, only for Kratos to snap him out of it.
** After being left alone by Kratos for what can only be described as a long time, Atreus is understandably pissed off for feeling abandoned and accuses his father of not caring about him or his mother. When Kratos reveals that he ''is'' in fact grieving Faye's death, Atreus apologizes.
** After learning of his DivineParentage, he starts thinking a lot more highly of himself and lesser of other people, basically assuming he can do whatever he wants because he's a god. He thankfully gets better after Kratos gives him a stern talking to during their trip to Helheim.
* JerkassHasAPoint: While this outburst was uncalled for, and was a result of being drunk on the revelation of having divine heritage, Atreus wasn't wrong on telling Sindri to make up with Brok because he just wouldn't shut up about their disagreement or kept feeding his own ego by saying how great his methods are. Notably, Sindri makes up with Brok not long after Atreus yells at him. Brok also shows no anger towards Atreus and says he "told him what he needed to hear."
* JerkassRealization:
** In Alfheim, he accuses Kratos of not actually caring that his mother is dead, and suffers one of this when Kratos [[DidYouThinkICantFeel makes it clear he does care]] and is mourning for Faye [[{{Mangst}} in his own way]].
--->'''Atreus:''' I'm sorry. I didn't realize...\\
'''Kratos:''' No. Why would you? You do not know my ways.
** He realizes what the consequences of his AGodAmI have done after [[spoiler:his arrogance gets both himself and Kratos trapped in Hel. Kratos even gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to really rub it in]]. In the journal entry immediately following this, Atreus starts with "I screwed everything up."
** Of the InnocentlyInsensitive variety in ''Ragnarök'', but [[spoiler:Sindri royally laying into Atreus over how Atreus constantly took advantage of his and Brok's hospitality while never giving anything in return renders Atreus silent for a moment, especially since his inability to even give the brothers his trust is what led to Brok's death.]]
* KickTheMoralityPet: Up until the second bout with Baldur, Atreus had been SlowlySlippingIntoEvil, but it's only truly apparent how out-of-control he is when he shoots his father with a lightning arrow in a fit of anger after Kratos shoves him to the ground.
* KidHeroAllGrownUp: He's noticeably taller in ''Ragnarök'', and much more capable on his own, pulling of feats such as successfully hunting deer. [[DownplayedTrope Though he's more a teenager on the very cusp of manhood than a full grown adult]], and accordingly is still somewhat out of his depth at times despite being more capable of handling himself.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At times during ''Ragnarok'', there will be branching paths in the semi-open world, at which point the player is free to venture off in different directions at their own discretion. Atreus will sometimes tell Kratos "We can do X, or we can do Y. It's up to you," and he's essentially speaking to the player more than he's talking to Kratos.
* LeeroyJenkins: Temporarily, during his AquiredSituationalNarcissism period in the Platform/PlayStation4 game. When Kratos tells him not to fight Baldur, he shoots Kratos with a shock arrow so he can attack Baldur with his knife, ''despite'' knowing that Baldur is a grown adult and good enough to give his father a hard fight. Baldur proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle demonstrate]] exactly how right Kratos was when he says Atreus wasn't ready. On the plus side, the experience does humble Atreus a good bit.
* LightEmUp: After his bow is infused with the light of Alfheim, he gains the ability to fire light arrows that can activate Alfheim crystals and quickly stun enemies.
* LikeASonToMe: [[spoiler:He and Freya have this dynamic presumably because of her strained relationship with her son Baldur. As of ''Ragnarok'', this has changed, as Freya repeatedly tries to kill him and Kratos, but by then end, she forgives them and repairs her relationship with them.]]
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Though Atreus is significantly more virtuous and generally a lot more sociable than his gruff, pragmatic-to-a-fault father, the boy can [[HairTriggerTemper very easily lose his temper]] and fly into a blind rage. Kratos is fully aware of how this could cause problems for the boy in the future, and constantly tries to reign his son's more violent tendencies in by exercising his discipline and focus.
-->'''Atreus''': YOU'RE NEXT! I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!
** In a darker way, its revealed that [[spoiler:Atreus is destined to bring about Ragnarök in the same way Kratos was the destined "Marked Warrior" that caused Olympus' downfall]]. [[spoiler:Thankfully, unlike his father, Atreus is able to fulfill the prophecy in ''Ragnarök'' in a way that doesn't involve the total collapse of civilization.]]
** In ''Ragnarök'', Atreus ends up inheriting his father's trust issues and inability to communicate. This ends up causing [[PoorCommunicationKills serious problems]], [[spoiler:as his private investigation into his identity of Loki allows him to play directly into Odin's hands with no one being the wiser, until Atreus' irresponsible actions allow Odin (in the guise of Tyr) to kill Brok.]]
** One that's PlayedForLaughs. Even he knows how to make plans that's CrazyEnoughToWork. Which is lampshaded by Mimir:
--->'''Mimir''': That was your plan?[[note]]They trying to escape Helheim. Atreus insisted on jumping off a flying ship about to crash.[[/note]] You're ''both'' cracked!
* LikeFatherUnlikeSon:
** Kratos is abrasive, single-mindedly focused on his mission to spread Faye's ashes, blunt to the point of insensitivity, and generally unsociable even in situations where it'd benefit him greatly to simply talk and ask others for help. Atreus, on the other hand, is gregarious and forthcoming, always willing to help others in need, greatly concerned for the well-being of innocent life, and fully embraces the adventures presented by the world around him. This is even portrayed through gameplay, in that while Kratos gets up-close and personal with his weapons, Atreus keeps himself at a distance and fires using arrows.
** In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:the player finally gets to play as Atreus. The first time he encounters a chest which Kratos would famously just punch through the lid to open, Atreus tries exactly that and does an excellent job of hurting his fist while the lid remains intact. He ends up hitting the lid with his bow to break it.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M-R]]
* MadeOfIron: He already survives some impressive damage during the course of his first game, but by ''Ragnarök'' he seems to be made of solid brass, taking multiple hard falls and blows,[[spoiler: most notably during his "fight" with Heimdall, who beats the poor kid to hell without doing much more than covering him in mud.]]
* MageMarksman: He gains access to various magical arrows and powers as the game progresses.
* MagikarpPower: At the start of the game, Atreus is pretty pathetic. His arrows do a rather pitiful amount of damage and take a while to recharge. However, by the end of the game with all his abilities unlocked, his bow and quiver fully upgraded, and wearing the legendary archery set, Atreus becomes invaluable. His light and lighting arrows are excellent at handling and stunning crowds of enemies while Kratos focuses on dispatching individual foes, while his summoning powers give you various AOE spells or even healing.
* MeaningfulName: Atreus means 'fearless' in Greek. Kratos reveals in the ending that "Atreus" was also the name of a warrior of Sparta who was [[HopeBringer constantly inspiring his fellow Spartans]].
* MommasBoy: He was closer with his mother than with Kratos, since they used to hunt together and her memory is still very precious to him. In the game, he slowly rekindles his relationship with his father. Insulting her is one of his most frequently pushed {{Relative Button}}s.
* MoralityPet: To an extent. The focus of ''God of War'' is for Kratos to rediscover himself after the pain of his past life. Being a good father to his son plays a major part of that. Much of the sidequests in the game is instigated by Atreus' desire to help others and Kratos begrudgingly appeasing him (as well as the promise of some sort of payment).
* MusclesAreMeaningless: {{Discussed}} in ''Ragnarök''. Atreus clearly has super strength, just not to the degree his father does - him and Angrboða working together can lift giant stone pillars, for example. Which makes Atreus wonder when he'll bulk up like his father. Mimir and Kratos explain that as a god his physical strength isn't tied to his muscle mass. That Kratos works out to look the way he does.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** He suffers a series of these after the second encounter with the Stranger. [[spoiler: The bridge to Jotunheim is destroyed, he shot his own father with one of his arrows, and now they're stuck in Helheim, the land of the dead. His journal entry right afterwards starts with "I screwed everything up." He also has this when he sees his execution of Modi from an outside perspective and shocked by his own actions.]]
** In ''Ragnarok'', he suffers this twice when he [[spoiler:accidentally released the giant wolf Garm while in Helheim, who in his pained rampage started tearing holes between the Nine Realms. Later on, Odin-disguised-as-Tyr kills Brok right in front of him due to Brok having SpottingTheThread that "Tyr" had some method of getting into Asgard as well calling Atreus "Loki" instead, causing Sindri to be ''furious'' at Atreus. Kratos had to take Atreus back to their home in Midgard so as to recollect himself.]]
* NiceGuy: One of the more friendly characters in the game [[BewareTheNiceOnes unless provoked.]] He apparently takes it after his mother, but Kratos reveals [[spoiler:his namesake was a Spartan warrior that also happened to be very kind and friendly]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** His arrogance causes him to bite off more than he can chew fighting Baldur, resulting him, Kratos, and Baldur being cast into a seemingly inesecapable part of Helheim. Fortunately, this is enough to [[BreakTheHaughty to shatter]] his AcquiredSituationalNarcissism and help him come to his senses.
** His insistence to search for Tyr in ''Ragnarök'' might not had seemed like this. [[spoiler:Except Odin had been disguising himself as Tyr, which meant that Atreus unwittingly let Odin read the true prophey Groa had hidden from him, as well listen the group's plan to assault Asgard by initiating Ragnarök, leading to Brok's death by Odin's hands.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: His AcquiredSituationalNarcissism did have one long-term benefit. His telling off Sindri about his rivalry with Brok actually gave Sindri the push he needed to reconcile with his brother, healing the rift that had formed between them.
* NoBadassToHisValet: While it takes him a fair bit to get used to his father's attitude, he ends up one of the few people in the series who's not only willing to stand up to Kratos, but call him out on his bullshit. He also pokes fun at Kratos at times.
* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: ''Like you wouldn't believe''. His attempts at getting Kratos to open up about his past only serve to open old wounds, driving the rift between them even further. And we're not even getting into when after Kratos reveals to Atreus his godhood.
-->'''Atreus:''' It's just... you hate the gods so much. But Tyr proves gods can be good. And ''you're'' good. You only killed those deserving, right?\\
'''Kratos:''' (''{{Beat}}'') [[BlatantLies Yes]]...
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: When Kratos becomes trapped inside a pillar in Alfheim, Atreus stood guard [[YearOutsideHourInside for an indeterminate long time, even though only a few moments passed for Kratos]]. In the meantime, he fended off several waves of dark elf soldiers, to the point when Kratos wakes up, he sees the platform littered with their bodies.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler: Atreus becoming arrogant with power is depicted as such, with even Kratos becoming very pissed at his drastic change in behavior.]]
* ParadoxPerson: [[spoiler:Atreus' Jötunn name is revealed to be Loki which means that he's the Loki who kick-starts Ragnarök for killing Baldur. The presence of Wolves in the game is perplexing to say the least, as Loki is the creator of wolves as he is the father of Fenrir who in turn becomes father of wolves. For now it's confusing as to how wolves are present in game despite not being birthed by Fenrir. Since Jörmungandr is also in-game due to the possibility of time travel, it's likely that time travel may be a major factor at one point.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: Inverted, he deeply loves his mother, to the point where most of his virtuous traits are being taken after her, and he has a strained relationship with his father. Bonding with Kratos is a major focus of Atreus' development as a person.
* ParentalNeglect: While Kratos is never directly abusive, he is notably gruff and withdrawn, largely unable to encourage or bond with Atreus, in part because of his own trauma and complicated family history of consecutive {{patricide}}. A large part of ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'''s story is dedicated to Kratos and Atreus learning to understand eachother.
* PersonalityPowers: Atreus is much less standoffish and more willing to make friends then his father, and accordingly his godhood manifests as abilites like an [[{{Omniglot}} enhanced faculty for foreign languages]] and [[SummonMagic the ability to summon spirits to fight alongside him]]. [[spoiler: He also gradually reveals the same potential for [[UnstoppableRage inhuman ferocity]] that Kratos does , and shows several hints across the story that he might have inherited his [[OneManArmy preternatural skills as a warrior]] ]].
* PhysicalGod: Not only is he Kratos' son, [[spoiler:he's Loki, the Trickster God of Norse Mythology]].
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He is incredibly strong for a child his size, while being competent enough in a fight that he is an integral part of combat strategies in game.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Another flaw he got from dad. A lot of the problems in ''Ragnarok'' could've been avoided if Atreus had just ''told'' Kratos things instead of disappearing for suspicious amounts of time and then deflecting when asked where he was- though to be fair, Angrboda ''did'' ask him not to tell anyone about Ironwood.
* PosthumousSibling: He was born years after the death of his half-sister Calliope.
* PluckyComicRelief: Downplayed; Atreus' role as {{Deuteragonist}} is played as seriously as possible, but he does provide some small moments of levity throughout the journey. These moments are not played merely for comedy's sake, but also to provide Kratos more of an opportunity to mellow out and essentially develop his own fatherly instincts. This is best seen when Kratos finally decides to reveal to Atreus his DivineParentage, only to be surprised when the first thing Atreus asks after this revelation is [[SkewedPriorities if he can transform into an animal]]. [[spoiler:Humorously, given Loki's TricksterGod nature, this makes a lot more sense given TheReveal.]]
* PowerIncontinence:
** Being unaware of his divine parentage causes his own body to fight against it, manifesting in an illness that has persisted through most of his life. It eventually comes to a head when [[spoiler: he briefly goes into a Spartan Rage, and the resulting strain almost kills him.]]
** [[spoiler:Happens again in ''Ragnarök'', where his HeroicBSOD after burying his pet Fenrir activates his VoluntaryShapeshifter abilities, causing him to turn into a bear to fight off an actual bear - and causes him to lose his mind to instinct for a bit, unknowingly attacking his father in an early MiniBoss.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: During the fight with Magni and Móði, Atreus initially watches his tone and tries to keep calm but by the final phase he says this:
-->'''Móði''': What-- did mommy not feed you enough? Too ugly to let you suck on her--\\
'''Atreus''': SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD!!!
* {{Pride}}: Atreus learns that he's a god and develops a really bad streak of hubris, thinking that as a god, his goals are more important than any other, that he's almighty, and that he can freely kill anyone he crosses path with. Kratos and Mimir try to rein that in before his pride gets to his head, but they don't work fast enough to stop him from [[spoiler:stabbing Modi in the neck.]]
* ProfaneLastWords: Discussed in ''Ragnarok'', when Atreus swears out of surprise when he and Kratos get jumped by a troll. While chiding Atreus for cursing, Kratos asks him if he ''really'' wants "shitshitshitshitshit!" to be his last words.
* PromotedToPlayable: While he's only ever an AssistCharacter to Kratos in ''God of War 2018'', several segments in ''Ragnarök'' have him as a fully playable character with his own unique moveset and upgrades.
* RaceLift: [[spoiler:The original incarnation of Loki was clearly never half-Greek.]]
* ARealManIsAKiller: Played with. Atreus is at heart innocent and good-natured, and while he is willing to use lethal force in self-defence, killing, in general, is something that takes time for him to get used to; Atreus visibly hesitates when killing the deer he and Kratos hunt in the woods right at the beginning of the game, and is clearly very shaken up after killing a Reaver who attacked him. Atreus believes his inability to close his heart to the gravity of death is key to why [[WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent Kratos is as distant as he's been throughout the boy's life]], when it couldn't be farther from the truth. So when Kratos eventually pressures him to be a better god than he ever was, [[GoneHorriblyRight Atreus assumes the very worst]] and starts being more actively vicious in combat, casting aside his better nature for the sake of boosting his own ego. It only gets worse with Kratos' continued evasiveness on the topic of his past, even when Atreus states right to his face that he wants to know the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be.
** Another aspect to this trope is that Kratos actively tried to shield Atreus from killing people, as at one point, in a false show of bravado, Atreus declared he would kill anyone who threatened them on the road. This was clearly what he thought his father wanted to hear, only for Kratos to harshly tell him to stay out of it. Atreus probably took it to mean that Kratos thought he was weak and incapable, whereas really Kratos just want to protect his son from the harsh realities of the world, and keep his son from becoming the killer he was. This is made worse by the fact that when Atreus is forced to kill a man, Kratos is too wounded and stunted emotionally to be truly able to offer his son the emotional support he needs. WordOfGod confirms that the advice Kratos gave his son, in the wake of his first kill, "Close your heart to it", was terrible advice. Kratos only gave that as an answer because he didn't know what else to say. [[spoiler:Come ''Ragnarök'', Kratos realizes that he made a mistake and urges Atreus to "open his heart" to suffering so that he understands the true weight of his decisions; something that Odin refuses to do]].
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Loki was not the grandson of Zeus in the original stories, seeing how they came from two separate mythologies.]]
* RelativeButton:
** Mentioning his mother in a negative way will extremely piss him off.
** Also hurting Kratos will have you end up with an arrow through your head.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: When he and Kratos finally make it to Jotunheim, Atreus discovers that the name Faye originally intended for him was Loki.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-Y]]
* {{Shapeshifting}}: [[spoiler:In ''Ragnarök'', he gains the ability to turn into a bear and a very large wolf, the later of which acts as his version of Kratos' rage mechanic]].
* SemiDivine: As Kratos' son, he's a lesser demigod[[labelnote:*]]Kratos is 50% god due to Zeus being his father, making Atreus 25% god by half[[/labelnote]]. [[spoiler: With the reveal of Faye's identity, Atreus is now revealed to be 50% jötnar, 25% god and 25% mortal.]]
* SensoryOverload: Atreus's episode of AcquiredSituationalNarcissism has been linked to his newfound awareness of his DivineParentage. After spending his entire life struggling with his sickness and the belief that Kratos resents him for his weak constitution and kind nature, learning about his divine heritage makes him feel much stronger and finally makes his father proud. However, this also gives him an emotional high that makes him overconfident and reckless, ultimately leading to a disastrous meeting with Baldur. It takes getting trapped in Hel as a result for Kratos to snap him out of his high and bring him back to reality.
* ShockAndAwe: He gains the power to infuse his arrows with lightning from Sindri as reward for saving him from a dragon.
** During one of his major KickTheDog moments (when he talks down Sindri), a lightning storm briefly manifests itself around, disturbingly implying he's inherited a degree of his grandfather's power.
* SmugSuper: After Kratos tells Atreus that both of them are gods, the boy starts acting far more arrogant, insulting the dwarves and mocking any enemies they come across. Even Kratos tells him to knock it off. However, those moments of arrogance also saw Atreus being perfectly capable of killing the lesser enemies without his father's aid. it's when he faced other gods that shows how far in over his head he was.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: During his period of AcquiredSituationalNarcissism after having learned of his godhood and [[spoiler:killing a severely injured Modi]], Atreus gets it into his head that he's now capable of taking on [[spoiler:Baldur]]. It doesn't go well for the boy, aside from firmly knocking his senses back into him.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: ''Ragnarök'' reveals [[spoiler:that he looks like a male version of his mother.]]
* SummonMagic: He can unlock Runic Summons that lets him call upon magical animals to aid him in battle, such as wolves, deer or even Ratatoskr (who digs up health and rage pick-ups).
* SummonBiggerFish: [[spoiler: During the climactic FinalBoss battle against Baldur, Freya raises the corpse of Thamur to keep Kratos and Atreus from hurting her son. After the two of them are pinned down by Thamur's ice breath, Atreus decides to fight a Giant with a bigger Giant and calls out for help in the ancient language spoken by Jörmungandr. Sure enough, [[TheCavalry the World Serpent answers his call]] and smashes into the undead Giant]].
* SuperStrength: He's not as insanely strong as his father (he's unable to punch through chests and needs help to lift pillars that Kratos can lift on his own), but he's ''definitely'' way stronger than your average human. He can harm both Baldur and Odin, who are both extremely difficult to kill; leap across massive chasms, and fire an arrow that pierces the ''sun''.
* SuperToughness: While not as tough as his father, he can survive a punch from god and show no lasting damage from it aside being stunned for about a minute.
* SuperiorSuccessor: Kratos fully intends for his son to be a better god than he ever was, especially in character and responsibility. [[spoiler: By the end of the game, Atreus shows potential to be even more powerful than his father, with a diverse range of abilities, such as magic arrows, summoning spectral spirits, and communication with kaiju-sized snakes]].
* SupportPartyMember: Kratos does most of the heavy-lifting, but Atreus is happy to assist by riddling his enemies with arrows, acting as a distraction, using magic to attack, and reviving Kratos with runestones when he falls in battle. He'll also grapple foes for combo attacks and yells warnings while covering Kratos' back.
* SympathyForTheDevil:
** Upon discovering that Magni and Modi ended up the way they are because they were products of Thor's abusive parenting, Atreus expresses sympathy for them. Kratos is quick to rebuke this, pointing out that the two are adults and have no excuse for their actions.
** Despite the laundry list of atrocities Odin has committed, Atreus comes to pity him enough to [[spoiler:plead for him to [[LastSecondChance stop of his own accord and change his ways]], and he sounds genuinely upset when Odin rebuffs him. He's then uncertain of what to do with Odin's soul upon trapping it in a marble before Sindri takes matters into his own hands.]]
* TeachHimAnger: Kratos wants Atreus to learn how to defend himself:
** [[spoiler:When he's forced to tell Atreus about his godhood, he becomes hubristic and callous to a point where he gets them both stranded in Helheim after a fight with Baldur. After the fight, Kratos gets angry at him for what happened and bars him from helping him escape Helheim. From then on, Atreus learns to trust his father and learns to only kill out of necessity, not because he can.]]
** [[spoiler:This is also shown with his interactions with the dwarves; he tries to help them by persuading the two to just make up with each other, only for the brothers to stubbornly turn him down. Out of hubris; Atreus berates Sindri for being so arrogant about his work and only looking down on Brok's work out of pride, he then tells him to make up with his brother or shut up about it. Tellingly, Sindri takes these words to heart and patches things up with Brok, who reassuringly tells Atreus that he "Told him what he needed to hear."]]
* {{Telepathy}}: He has the ability to hear the thoughts of humans and animals. After Kratos fights a pack of wolves, Atreus nervously tells him that they were only hungry.
** Some sidequests reveal that Atreus can communicate with a lot more things than that, including spirits trapped inside objects and a giant sword.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Atreus eventually learns his divine parentage. [[spoiler:He also comes across a mural revealing that his mother was a Giantess, which would make him part-Giant. He takes the revelation quite well, being more curious than horrified about it]].
* TooCleverByHalf: Goes to Asgard thinking he can trick Odin, not knowing that Odin was ''already'' tricking ''him''.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** Before [[spoiler:powering up the Bifrost in Alfheim,]] Kratos asks Atreus to hold the axe while he [[spoiler:steps into the light.]] Kratos is then dragged out by a ''supremely pissed'' Atreus [[spoiler: [[TimeSkip somewhat later than he thought]], to find a few dozen Dark Elf corpses, with the axe buried in one of them.]]
** By ''Ragnarök'' Atreus is a capable warrior in his own, and several segments of the game have him be controlled on his own.
* TouchOfDeath: One of the spells he's learned by the beginning of ''Ragnarok'' enables him to separate the soul from a living creature's body. He uses it to MercyKill Fenrir and [[spoiler:imprison Odin's soul in a marble]]. However, it requires him to chant a long incantation while maintaining physical contact with the victim, which renders it ineffective in combat.
* TranslatorBuddy: He translates all sorts of languages, seemingly one of [[spoiler: godly]] powers. He also serves as Norse reader to Kratos, since his father can't read in this language.
* TricksterGod: ''Heavily downplayed'', though he does showcase extremely positive examples of this trope occasionally. Yes, he's a bringer of change and chaos whenever he goes (usually dragging Kratos behind him), constantly trying to break the status quo. However, all of this is done out of the [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pure goodness]] and [[BlackAndWhite upright morality]] he has. Much like his mythological counterpart, he's also fond of [[BreakingThemByTalking negotiating with his opponents]]... though given this is ''God of War'', he usually fails. Not for a lack of trying, though.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Atreus becomes increasingly aggressive and cold-blooded after learning of his divine parentage, simply remarking that his new knife is better than the one his mother gave him after [[spoiler:plunging it into Modi's neck]]. Kratos is far from happy about this, and quickly reprimands Atreus for his actions.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Averted. Kratos's main goal is to be certain this does not happen, and he becomes very unnerved at Atreus acting increasingly more like him. It seems, however, one is adopting the attributes of the other, Kratos becoming more humane and caring and Atreus more serious and disciplined.
* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: He is revealed to have two names, his Greek name given by his father and his Norse name given by his mother: [[spoiler:Loki]].
* UnevenHybrid: By ancestry he's quarter-god, quarter mortal. [[spoiler: And half-giant.]]
* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation:
** [[spoiler: In the legends, Loki is also the mother of Odin's horse, Sleipnir, through... [[ChildByRape unthinkable implications.]] Here, the legend has already taken place as Hrimthur was able to finish the wall with the help of his stallion, Svaðilfari. In Hrungnir's shrine, there is an image of an 8 legged horse in the centre panel, indicating that Sleipnir has already been conceived during Hrungnir's story. The best idea that comes to mind is that Odin likely used Svaðilfari as a sire to conceive Sleipnir with another horse or used Svaðilfari as breeding stock for the Asgardians.]]
** The wolves Sköll and Hati are mentioned, along with their father Hróðvitnir (another name for Fenris). [[spoiler: In the original myths Fenris is Loki's son, and Sköll and Hati are his grandsons. Barring similar time-displacement as Jormungandr, they are unlikely to be related.]]
** Also with Odin in an adoptive brother level, as the myth states that he and Odin are brothers by blood oath, while in the game they don't have this sort of relationship.
* UnstoppableRage: He has inherited this trait from his dad. It gets increasingly worse until towards the end of the game, when he finally comes to terms and begins to control it.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The first scene of the game has Kratos picking up a fallen tree like he was slinging a small sack of potatoes, and Atreus doesn't see anything weird about this. Later when his father moves a skyscraper-sized contraption that spans half an entire lake ''with his bare hands'', all Atreus cares to remark is that his father is 'really strong'. Since he grew up isolated with only Kratos (a god), and [[spoiler:Faye, a warrior Jotunn]], it's likely he has ''no idea'' how strong normal people are and thinks all adults can casually haul trees around.
* UnwittingPawn: Like father, like son. [[spoiler:He spends most of ''Ragnarok'' being one to Odin, as most of the things he does play straight into Odin's hands until the final battle. Growing apart from his father? Odin planted the seeds of doubt, and takes the chance to swoop in as a replacement father figure so he could use Atreus to complete the mask. Freeing Tyr? Tyr was Odin in disguise, and so on.]]
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:after some bouts of InvoluntaryShapeshifting, he gains the ability to transform into a wolf for his own version of Spartan Rage.]]
* WackyParentSeriousChild: Dramatic inversion; Atreus is a CheerfulChild who enjoys doing the right thing even when there isn't a benefit to their journey, while Kratos is wrought with regret and self-loathing to the point of being blunt and no-nonsense, and only helps people if it means getting rewarded with something that can help them. Another likely factor is that Kratos, being Spartan, was raised to be laconic and blunt (a trait that Spartans took a great deal of pride in) while Atreus, raised in a Nordic environment, has more boisterous traits that are often associated with the ancient Norse peoples.
* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler: The revelation that he's a half-giant named Loki is a huge one that's revealed at the end of the game. Even bigger is that he will play a large part in Ragnarök.]]
* TheWatson: Asks a lot of questions about the world around him, and serves the dual purpose of naturally developing his character and providing the player with much-needed exposition.
* WeakButSkilled: He's certainly this when you play as him in ''Ragnarok'', even after his CharacterDevelopment and between-games power up. Compared to Kratos [[spoiler: or his eventual role replacement, Freya]] his attacks lack the instant power and area-of-effect bursts Kratos can spam with seeming impunity. He's not as durable either as a PlayerCharacter, requiring a completely different playstyle precisely because you're usually paired with a partner you're unused to (Sindri, [[spoiler: Angrboða and Thrúd.]] However, even when not comparing him to the adults, he's this compared to his peers. [[spoiler: Angrboða has much more [[ArtAttacker potent and varied magical skills]] (most of Atreus's magic arrow types are enchanted by others, not his own spells), not to mention her talents as a seiðr and general hidden knowledge of the giants. Thrúd completely outclasses him in [[MightyGlacier physical strength]] and close-quarters combat, not to mention possessing powerful lightning enchantments. To be fair to him, though, he's only been seriously unearthing and training his powers for roughly three years, while the girls spent their entire lifetime using and practicing their skills as part of their day-to-day lives. Luckily for him, his real battle experience (and whatever training Kratos eventually put him through), guile, and precision long-range attacks more than make up for the difference. Ironically, when he's using ''his'' innate abilities, he becomes UnskilledButStrong, transforming into either an invincible large wolf or bear with devastating, but feral attacks. He also completely loses the ability to utilize magic in these forms.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: A lot of his interactions with Kratos shows that Atreus is constantly trying to prove his worth to him, showing to become upset whenever he feels he angered or displeased his father. Suggested to be on the way for a {{Deconstruction}} since this attitude slowly leads to Atreus becoming bitter and angry towards Kratos for keeping secrets and failing to give out proper affection or approval.
* WhatTheHellHero: He frequently calls out Kratos for his poor decisions.
** However, he also gets called out by Kratos as well. [[spoiler:When Atreus finds out that he has divine heritage and develops an ego in turn, Kratos shouts at him for not only killing Modi, but for insulting Sindri as well. When Atreus starts becoming callous about Faye and tries to convince Kratos into giving him her ashes, Kratos correctly assumes that Atreus would discard the ashes so that they can't fulfill her last request. Even [[NiceGuy Mimir]] agrees with Kratos for blaming Atreus for landing in the worst side of Hel after his narcissism lead to a disastrous fight with Baldur.]]
-->'''Kratos:''' You will ''listen'' to me and '''''not speak a word.''''' I am your father, and you, boy, are ''not yourself.'' You are too quick to temper. You are rash, insubordinate, and '''''OUT OF CONTROL.''''' This will not stand. You will honor your mother and abandon this path you have chosen. ''It is not too late.'' This discussion is far from over. We are here because of ''you'', boy. '''''Never forget that.'''''
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Atreus ''[[SubvertedTrope thinks]]'' Kratos resents him for his weak constitution as well as his tender and kind nature, and believes that Kratos' unwillingness to tell him the truth concerning his past is a sign of his father's resentment. In reality, Kratos cares for Atreus more than anything, but doesn't quite know how to properly express that thanks to everything he's been through.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: He's usually ready to fight just about anything he and Kratos encounter, but he's really not keen on fighting the first Soul Eater they come across, since the prospect of losing his soul understandably puts him off. Kratos insists on fighting it anyway to help Atreus get over his fear.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Atreus is intelligent and compassionate, able to intuitively grasp complex intellectual and moral concepts, while (almost) never losing his innate kindhearted nature.
* {{Wrath}}: Atreus has this issue as well as his father. They both have a HairTriggerTemper but as Kratos learns to control it his son has a more difficult time with it. Atreus shows signs of some TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior as he attacks in battle with arrogance and rage. He likely [[SuppressedRage holds in this said anger]] to act normal but he less uses it as a weapon but to let loose in things he doesn't like.
* YouAreNotReady: His father says this to him when he goes into a uncontrolled berserker rage after the first troll fight, and that he cannot go to the top of the mountain to spread his mother's ashes. The Stranger showing up at their doorstep a few moments later gives Kratos no choice but to force the journey on the boy.
* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: While Kratos is in the Light of Alfheim, he hears Atreus declaring that Kratos should have died instead of Faye. However, he quickly takes it back.
* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Atreus is Loki, the fated bringer of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt in Norse Mythology.
[[/folder]]
----

* HeroicBSOD: Suffers one very early in the game when he is forced to kill a human cannibal in self-defense. He had no problems killing animals for food and monsters like draugr and trolls are a whole different story, but killing a human for the first time in his life leaves him extremely shaken.
** Also suffers one when he saw the prophecy that [[spoiler: Kratos will die and he as Loki will eventually side with Odin to preserve the realms. He doesn't take this kindly, shapeshifting into a wolf and starts clawing and biting on the mural in anger, until Angrboda calms him down.]]

* ItsAllMyFault: Blames himself for [[spoiler:allowing "Tyr" (Odin in disguise) into Sindri's home, resulting in Brok's murder]]. Kratos shuts most of the overt self-loathing down by pointing out that a) [[spoiler:Odin]] tricked him by playing on his compassion, and b)everyone ''else'' had failed to see through the falsehood, including Mimir and Freya, who both had personal experience [[spoiler:with Odin and Tyr]].

** Despite the laundry list of atrocities Odin has committed, Atreus comes to pity him enough to [[spoiler:plead for him to [[LastSecondChance stop of his own accord and change his ways]], and he's uncertain of what to do with Odin's soul upon trapping it in a marble before Sindri takes matters into his own hands.]]

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: He gets annoyed by Kratos' utter lack of parenting skills, but when the chips are down, he does love his father and acts to save him if he's in danger, much like Kratos does for him.[[spoiler: He gets in the way of one of Baldur's attacks against Kratos (which results in Baldur hitting the mistletoe arrowhead, and in ''Ragnarok'' he's utterly horrified that the Jotnar prophecies involve Kratos dying and he ''immediately'' loses his enthusiasm about fulfilling them.]]

* UnwittingPawn: Like father, like son.[[spoiler: He spends most of ''Ragnarok'' being one to Odin, as most of the things he does play straight into Odin's hands until the final battle. Growing apart from his father? Odin planted the seeds of doubt, and takes the chance to swoop in as a replacement father figure so he could use Atreus to complete the mask. Freeing Tyr? Tyr was Odin in disguise, and so on.]]

* ApocalypseMaiden: According to the Jotun prophecy, he is destined to trigger Ragnarök.[[spoiler: In the end, however, he only does so ''indirectly''; Atreus freeing "Tyr" (Odin in disguise) and fleeing to Sindri's house with the mask results in Odin being in the position to kill Brok, which in turn convinces the previously reluctant Atreus and Kratos to initiate Ragnarök.]]

The {{Deuteragonist}} of the Norse Era and the support half of the CombatAndSupport duo that consists of himself and his father Kratos. His main weapons include an enchanted [[ArcherArchetype bow and arrow]] with elemental based arrows that can stun opponents and whittle down their health.

* ArcherArchetype: Although he can sometimes be as emotional as expected of a kid, Kratos has taught him to remain calm and focused in combat, and he's remarkably skilled with the bow under pressure. He was able to shoot the Stranger multiple times in a matter of seconds in the middle of a freefall.

* CanonCharacterAllAlong: It's revealed at the end of the 2018 game that he is none other than Loki.

* FatalFlaw: '''Impulsiveness.''' While Atreus is curious about the world, that curiosity can get him into trouble due to a flaw of not being willing or able to control his temper when he needs to.

** In ''Ragnarök'', Atreus is a teenager, and once again shows that he doesn't really think things through before he does them. For one, Atreus consistently lies to his father or hides the truth about trying to find out who "Loki" is, frequently sneaking away with Sindri in an attempt to do so. [[spoiler:He even goes to Asgard to talk to Odin directly. This is despite his father, and all of his allies -- Tyr, Mimir, and Freya included -- echoing the sentiment that doing any of what Odin wants is a very bad idea. But because Atreus can't handle the pressure of everyone scrutinizing him all at once, he impulsively lashes out and runs away from them, leaving him wide open for Odin's manipulations.]]

* FreakOut: [[spoiler:When Atreus sees a prophecy painted by Angrboða what appears to be Kratos dying in his arms and being Odin's servant, he understandably freaks out and [[InvoluntaryTransformation it causes him to transform into a wolf]]. Angrboða manages to calm him down, but it was such a concern for him that he wants to avert his father's fate]].

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: [[spoiler:In the original myths, Loki was Odin's [[BloodBrothers Blood Brother]] and drinking buddy prior to their falling out. Due to Atreus's AgeLift, however, in this version of the story they have more of a mentor-and-apprentice relationship in the brief time that they work together.]]

* LeeroyJenkins: Temporarily, during his AquiredSituationalNarcissism period in the PS4 game. When Kratos tells him not to fight Baldur, he shoots Kratos with a shock arrow so he can attack Baldur with his knife, ''despite'' knowing that Baldur is a grown adult and good enough to give his father a hard fight. Baldur proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle demonstrate]] exactly how right Kratos was when he says Atreus wasn't ready. On the plus side, the experience does humble Atreus a good bit.

!!!'''Voiced:''' Sunny Suljic (English)[[labelnote:additional [=VAs=]]]Susana Moreno (LA Spanish, child), Carlos Siller (LA Spanish, teenager), Creator/YumikoKobayashi (Japanese, child), Creator/TomoMuranaka (Japanese, teenager), Lipe Volpato (Brazilian Portuguese), Ivan Nepomnyaschy (Russian)[[/labelnote]]

* ApocalypseMaiden: [[spoiler:According to the Jotun prophecy, he is destined to trigger Ragnarök]].

* ParentalIssues: The main reason he doesn't get along with Kratos. However, Kratos isn't being a neglectful parent on purpose. His personal issues are so bad that he can’t bring himself to open up to him. Once Atreus does bond with his father, their relationship becomes much more stable.

* SuperStrength: He's not as insanely strong as his father (he's unable to punch through chests and needs help to lift pillars that Kratos can lift on his own), but he's ''definitely'' way stronger than your average human.

** In ''Ragnarök'', [[spoiler:the player finally gets to play as Atreus. The first time he encounters a chest which Kratos would famously just punch through the lid to open, Atreus tries exactly that and does an excellent job of hurting his fist while the lid remains intact.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Multiple:
** No matter how many times Atreus proves himself to be a capable warrior, he's still a child mourning the loss of his mother and has Kratos's temper but none of his discipline and control, and he may be a child with hunting experience and training, but he's ''nowhere'' near as powerful nor as experienced as Kratos. His emotional vulnerability is displayed by how he is very clearly reluctant and remorseful to kill a man at first, and when in Alfheim, he gets left behind for a day when Kratos enters the light, he drags Kratos out when he doesn't come back and is clearly infuriated and terrified by what happened and is pissed off about Kratos abandoning him. Gameplay-wise, Atreus has to rely on his archery skills rather than using much knive-fighting or staff-fighting with the bow because he is much weaker and less skilled in direct combat than Kratos. Allowing enemies to stun him by grappling him. While he can handle regular monsters pretty well and be a good support for Kratos, when the Gods came in... Atreus is effectively TheLoad to Kratos, not only because his emotions make him easy target for their cruel taunts, but also because he is just ''not'' nearly powerful or experienced enough to take on millennia-old combat-hardened gods. Kratos is effectively the one that handles them, while Atreus spends most of his time against Magni and Modi being easily infuriated and reckless and easily subdued, forcing Kratos to come to his aid. And when he tries to take on Baldur, he is utterly unable to get a single hit on him and while he does his best and manages to work with Kratos effectively to finally kill him, Kratos kills Baldur twice before ending the fight by snapping his neck and tossing him off the cliff when he isn't with Atreus but struggles much more to beat him because he has to keep his son save.
** [[spoiler: When Atreus discovers his godhood, he doesn't become a messiah-like figure or use this knowledge benevolently. He becomes hubristic and callous towards Sindri and Faye, justifying his behavior by saying that he can do whatever he wants since he's the most powerful being in Midgard. This escalates to Atreus killing Modi despite Kratos telling him not to, he claims he killed Modi because of the cruel things Modi said about Faye, but it's more likely that he killed Modi just because he could and not to avenge his mother. It takes him being subjected to an utter beating by Baldur and being sent to Hel to finally make him realize his folly.]]

** While they're both willing to lie to their allies, Atreus does it with the intentions of honoring promises or keeping people safe while Odin does so for his own selfishness. Atreus genuinely values his father and allies, [[spoiler: shown most prominently when Brok is murdered,]] while Odin simply sees his family and allies as tools for his own benefit. Atreus seeks knowledge to help others and learn more about himself while Odin seeks knowledge to establish his control over the Nine Realms. Atreus is willing to own up to his mistakes and poor choices while working to correct them, Odin constantly blames others for his misfortunes and choices and never takes responsibility for any of his atrocities. Atreus is an AllLovingHero is wants to help others, encouraging them to be better while Odin is a ControlFreak who only wants to himself and wants people to remain his puppets. Atreus reaches out to Thor and tries to help him become better for the sake of his family while Odin mistreats Thor, keeps him under his thumb and tells him that he's worthless without him. In the end, Atreus is willing to let go of his desire for answers while Odin refuses to let go of his obsession, leading to his death.

* BerserkButton: By the time of ''Ragnarök'', he evidently doesn't take well to being called "Boy". There's a moment where he initially tries speaking gently to a drunken Thor to get him moving... only for Thor to snarl "Quiet, boy." It's only then that Atreus starts getting shouty.

** Another aspect to this trope is that Kratos actively tried to shield Atreus from killing people, as at one point, in a false show of bravado, Atreus declared he would kill anyone who threatened them on the road. This was clearly what he thought his father wanted to hear, only for Kratos to harshly tell him to stay out of it. Atreus probably took it to mean that Kratos thought he was weak and incapable, whereas really Kratos just want to protect his son from the harsh realities of the world, and keep his son from becoming the killer he was. This is made worse by the fact that when Atreus is forced to kill a man, Kratos is too wounded and stunted emotionally to be truly able to offer his son the emotional support he needs. WordOfGod confirms that the advice Kratos gave his son, in the wake of his first kill, “Close your heart to it”, was terrible advice. Kratos only gave that as an answer because he didn't know what else to say.

** Atreus starts as a brooding kid but is also a CheerfulChild who had at least born into a good childhood with his parents (at the very least, his mother, and eventually his own father) whereas Kratos was taken to the agōgē as a child for the specific intention of being a ChildSoldier, and had a very rough childhood, which included his broyher taken by Athena and Ares. He's a lot friendlier and willing to make friends while Kratos barely interacts with anyone else other than business.

* CurbstompBattle: This kid delivers one to a ''horde'' of Dark Elves armed with his bow and his father's Leviathan Axe. Suffice to say, they didn't last long.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: His [[spoiler:cold-blooded execution of Modi is shocking, especially since he was beaten bloody and defenseless, but since Modi was a DirtyCoward who attacked Kratos when his back was turned, and [[YourMom repeatedly insulted Atreus' late]] [[SpeakIllOfTheDead mother to his face]], it's hard to feel sympathy for him.]]

[[caption-width-right:270:[[labelnote:Click here to see his appearance in ''God of War: Ragnarök'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atreusragnarok.jpg\\