God of War: Every Time Kratos Has Canonically Died (2024)

A major driving force of God of War Ragnarök's plot is Kratos' prophesied death. However, for longtime fans of the video game franchise, it may have been particularly confusing just how seriously they were meant to take that prophecy. There have been multiple instances in God of War where Kratos seemingly died before being resurrected. Kratos' knack for not dying for good makes him one of the strongest fictional characters ever. So this leaves one big question: exactly how many times has Kratos died during the God of War series?

Kratos has had countless close calls with death, such as the time he stabbed himself with the Blade of Olympus at the end of God of War III, or the time Persephone almost tricked Kratos into surrendering himself to the Fields of Elysium in Chains of Olympus. However, there have been numerous times Kratos has formally died or, in true God of War fashion, has gone through a similar process as death.

Updated on June 17, 2024, by Michael Colwander: How many times has Kratos died? That's still a subject of debate within the God of War community, so there's no definitive answer. To prepare for God of War: Ragnaök's upcoming PC release, more Kratos deaths have been added along with updates to reflect current stylistic standards.

Kratos' First Chronological Death Was In His Fight With Charon

Kratos' first canonical death came during his fight with Charon, the Underworld ferryman, in the PlayStation Portable prequel God of War: Chains of Olympus. In Chains of Olympus, Kratos attempts to seek passage across the River Styx. Much like Kratos, Charon is a miserable slave to the gods, so there's a natural connection between the two. That should be enough, right? Nope. Charon refuses, stating, "Be gone. It is not yet your time, mortal."

This quickly leads to a boss fight that Kratos is scripted to lose. After a set period of time, Charon will teleport to the higher level of his ferry and unleash a massive energy wave that annihilates the rest of Kratos' in-game health. No game over, a cutscene occurs instead. Charon drags Kratos to the edge of his ferry and tosses him into the River Styx, saying, "You chose your path...Ghost of Sparta." This leads to Kratos having to fight his way out of Tartarus. Kratos eventually does escape thanks to the Gauntlet of Zeus and gets his revenge on Charon.

Kratos' Quest For Revenge Led To His Death

The first time fans see Kratos die was in the very first God of War game. In that game, Kratos was searching for the famous Pandora's Box to use against Ares. He wanted to avenge his wife and daughter, whose deaths became forever marked by his ash-covered body. Once Kratos had managed to find the Box, Ares stopped him in his tracks. He threw a large spike that impaled Kratos and stole the Box.

Kratos died and fell to the Underworld, but his anger and resolve were stronger than death itself, and he physically climbed his way back up to the world of the living. However, he did have a bit of help, as a mysterious character known only as The Gravekeeper — later confirmed to be Zeus in disguise — had dug a hole down into the Underworld that Kratos was able to climb out of. With Ares believing Kratos to be dead, Kratos was able to use the element of surprise to retrieve the power of Pandora's Box and kill him, allowing Kratos to claim the throne of the God of War for himself at the end of the first game.

Kratos Fought To Undo His Own Death In God of War II

Kratos died again in God of War II, though this time it was directly at the hands of Zeus. Kratos had been bloodthirsty and arrogant in his time as the new God of War, and Zeus tricked him into giving up his godly powers in a fight against the animated Colossus of Rhodes. Kratos won that fight, but as the Colossus fell, it crushed Kratos underneath, leaving him severely injured and weakened so that Zeus could ambush him. Zeus then killed Kratos with the Blade of Olympus.

When Kratos died, he appeared in the Underworld next to the Titan Gaia, who used her magic to revive Kratos and send him back out of the Underworld. Gaia then guided Kratos throughout the game so that he could reach the Sisters of Fate and travel back through time to undo his death at Zeus' hands. He eventually succeeded, though Athena stepped in before Kratos could fully defeat Zeus, opening the door for the plot of God of War III.

Kratos Falls Off Of Gaia And Into The Underworld In God Of War III

God of War III doesn't wait long to kill Kratos yet again, capping off one of the best starts to a video game ever. Shortly after viciously killing Poseidon, Kratos falls off of Gaia — whose back he was riding to reach Zeus on Olympus. Kratos falls back into the River Styx much like Chains of Olympus, which means he has to fight his way out of the Underworld once again.

Luckily for Kratos, this was just a convenient happenstance as it allowed him the opportunity to face off with (and kill) Hades. Kratos manages to escape once again and ultimately achieves his ultimate goal of revenge. Some fans do speculate whether deaths like this and the Charon fight should count; theoretically, Kratos' heart never really stops in the process. He, at worst, just falls unconscious. In the end, his experience is virtually no different from having his heart stopped. He may as well be considered dead in these situations.

Kratos Briefly Dies During Ragnarök's Opening Minutes

A major vehicle of God of War Ragnarök's plot is a prophecy showing that Kratos was destined to die in his son's arms. Thankfully, this fate was averted in the game, and Kratos is still very much alive by the ending credits. However, Kratos actually did very briefly die during the game's opening, though he came back to life almost instantly.

In the opening sequence of God of War Ragnarök, Kratos is visited by Thor and Odin, hoping to sway Kratos from causing Ragnarök. Kratos rejects the two gods, leading to a fight with Thor. During that fight, an unwinnable Quick Time Event occurs, which leads to Kratos' brief demise to the Norse God of Thunder. A fake-out Game Over screen appears, and Thor can be heard saying "I say when we're done." He then uses his Lightning powers to restart Kratos' heart. It's a chilling moment that shows not only just how dangerous and calculating of an enemy Thor can be, but also that Kratos may have lost a step when it comes to his own abilities. It begins the long road through the game's take on Norse Mythology, ending in a satisfying rematch between the pair later on.

Kratos Dies Over And Over Again In Valhalla

God of War: Ragnarök's Valhalla DLC is the latest story content in God of War. The best part is, it's free. Set after the events of the main game, Kratos travels to Valhalla where Norse warriors are taken after falling in battle. Kratos is allowed to enter Valhalla because he previously died. How Valhalla works in God of War: Ragnarök is that it's a gauntlet that utilizes the memories of those who travel through it. In Kratos' case, this serves as a fun way to bring back Greece.

Functionally, it's a roguelike mode. For Kratos to receive the full answers he's seeking, he must keep reaching the end of Valhalla. Dying returns him to the beginning. While it can be argued that deaths in a roguelike shouldn't count, there are a few story points where Kratos' progress is forced to stop, which leads to his death. This cycle is established, narratively. This means Kratos' official death count can't be officially determined unless one were to figure out the minimum amount of cycles required to exhaust all dialog.

God of War

God of War is an action-adventure gamefranchisecreated by David Jaffe at Sony's Santa Monica Studio.

Created by

David Jaffe

First TV Show

God of War

Character(s)

Kratos

Video Game(s)

God of War , God of War Ragnarok , God of War 2 , God of War: Chains of Olympus , God of War: Betrayal , God of War: Ghost of Sparta , God of War: Ascension