Nexus Heroes / Kratos

Kratos is a playable character in Nexus Heroes, hailing from the God of War series. His design is based on the fourth chapter of the series, the first one in the "Norse Saga" of God of War.
==Who is Kratos?==
===THE FALLEN GOD===
Seeking vengeance against the gods of Olympus who had abandoned and betrayed him, the spartan army general and former god of war Kratos waged war against his own kin, ultimately killing his father, Zeus, and thus ending the reign of the Olympians. Now, years after, Kratos lives in a distant land with his son Atreus, and will be faced to confront his troubled past once again to survive in the new, hostile world he found himself in.
==Gameplay==
===Overview===
Kratos is an easy to use character with strong and effective attacks, especially rewarding when performing combos. His Leviathan Axe attacks (mostly used on neutral moves) have a good range, and excel at juggling opponents during combos because of the low knockback they deal, while his Blades of Chaos attacks (usually tied to aerials) are great for fast and powerful aerial combos, also given their great range.
His Specials also tie into the 'all-rounder' archetype, having access to a long ranged projectile-like Neutral Special in which he tosses his Axe, a quick approach option in his Side Special and an area of effect attack in his Down Special, which allows Kratos to attack multiple foes at once. His Up Special has him rise into the air at a slightly diagonal angle while spinning ; while not the best recovery move, it serves its purpose and also makes for a good offensive tool, which ties into the combo-oriented playstyle of Kratos.
===Movelist===
  	Name  	Description
Neutral Attack,, 	Pride of the Frost/ Fury of Ice/ Cold Slam 	Slashes two times with the Leviathan Axe, then slams it into the ground for a powerful finishing blow.
Dash AttackDash, 	Frost Rush 	Strikes opponents with a downward slash of the Axe while running.
Side Tilt 	Whirlwind Sweep 	Performs a sweeping attack with the Leviathan Axe by sending it spinning in a circle in front of himself.
Up Tilt 	Olympic Ascension 	Swings the Blades of Chaos upward, launching enemies, allowing Kratos to continue a combo in the air.
Down Tilt 	Guardian Sweep 	Kneels while performing a sweep attack with his Shield, tripping enemies who are hit by it. This move can deflect incoming projectiles.
Forward Strong+ 	Fire of Ares 	Stabs the Blades of Chaos into the ground, creating a fiery explosion in front of himself which deals FIRE* damage.
Up Strong+ 	Frost Launch 	Swings the Leviathan Axe upward.
Down Strong+ 	Executioner's Cleave 	Slams the Axe downward in front of himself, using both hands.
Neutral AerialAirborne	Athena's Fury 	Flings the Blades of Chaos around himself in a circular motion.
Forward AerialAirborne
 , ,	Olympic Fury/ Olympic Flame/ Olympic Vengeance	Swings the Blades of Chaos three times (twice horizontally and once vertically). The last swing can be canceled with other attacks, with good timing.
Back AerialAirborne 	Olympic Crash 	Turns around and performs a rapid flinging attack with both Blades extending forward, which deals good knockback and damage.
Up AerialAirborne 	Wrath of Artemis 	Performs a criss-cross attack with the Blades of Chaos above himself.
Down AerialAirborne 	Blizzard 	Swings the Axe downward, hitting in a wide arch below himself.
Grab 	Grab 	Holds the opponent by their neck with one hand.
Pummel, 	Olympic Punishment 	Punches the opponent in the face.
Forward Throw, 	Battering Ram 	Uses the opponent as a battering ram, moving forward for a bit before tossing the opponent. As he runs with the ram, Kratos can hit other opponents in his way.
Back Throw, 	Chain of Torment 	Impales the opponent with one Blade, then turns and tosses them backward from a wide swing.
Up Throw, 	Olympic Slam 	Tosses the opponent into the air, then catches it with the chain of one Blade and slams them back to the ground, making them bounce upward into the air again.
Down Throw, 	Guillotine 	Slams the Leviathan Axe into the opponent, making them bounce off the ground.
Floor AttackGrounded >	Cold Reckoning 	Gets into a kneeling position, then slashes back and forth with the Leviathan Axe before getting up.
Edge AttackLedge > 	Rise of the Frost 	Climbs up and performs an horizontal slash with the Axe.
NEUTRAL SPECIAL 	Freezing Throw 	Tosses the Leviathan Axe forward, which then spins into place for a bit, and comes then back to Kratos. Holding the button down when throwing the Axe will have it spin in place longer, while tapping the button again while it's already out will have it return to Kratos' hand immediately, also damaging anyone the Axe hits on the way back. While it's out, Kratos cannot use attacks involving the Axe.
SIDE SPECIAL 	Spear of Chaos 	Latches onto an enemy with the Blades of Chaos, then pulls himself towards them and hits them with his Shield. It can also latch onto ledges, aiding Kratos in his recovery.
UP SPECIAL 	Cyclone of Chaos 	Spins on himself while swinging the Blades of Chaos outward, covering a wide area all around himself. When used in the air, it will propel Kratos upward at a slightly diagonal angle.
DOWN SPECIAL 	Ivaldi's Anvil 	Jumps up, then slams back into the ground with the Leviathan Axe, creating a burst of ice around himself which FREEZES* enemies close to it.
FINISHER 	Rage of Sparta 	Kratos unleashes the Rage of Sparta, and gains a massive boost to his strength and speed, as well as getting a new set of attacks and becoming completely invulnerable and impervious to all sorts of damage. His new moveset consists of :
Fury Beatdown : Performed by pressing and then mashing the Neutral Attack button when on the ground, Kratos delivers a devastating barrage of punches which deals enormous damage.
Raging Smash : Performed by pressing the Neutral Attack or Neutral Special Attack when in the air, Kratos lands back on the ground with a double fist slam, which produces a large, damaging shockwave.
Seething Earth : Performed by pressing the Neutral Special Button when on the ground, Kratos will extract a massive boulder from the ground and toss it at the nearest target, automatically homing in on them.
In this mode, Kratos cannot die, and if he falls out of the screen he'll respawn immediately back on the stage. However, he cannot use any other attack except the three aforementioned moves, also being unable to block, roll or grab.
===Intro Animation ===
Slams into the ground from above, then calls his Axe into his hand and gets ready to fight.
===Taunt===
Throws the Leviathan Axe, making it spin around himself in a circle while crossing his arms over his chest. He then catches the Axe back in his hand.
=== Idle Poses === 
*Looks around himself, gripping the Axe
*Twirls the Axe into his hand.
=== Quotes ===
==== Selection Lines ====
* " You do not want this fight. "
* " I am prepared. "
* " Leave, while you still can. "
==== Successful KO ====
* " You would not listen. "
* " That should teach you. "
* " Stay down. "
* " Fool .. "
* " You lack focus. "
* " Out of my way. "
* " I told you to leave. "
* " You would not listen. "
* " There is no reasoning with the likes of you. "
* " Walk away, while I still let you. "
==== Respawning ====
* " Death will have me when it earns me. "
* " The gates of Hel cannot hold me. "
* " Impossible .. "
* " Such strength .. "
* " No holding back now. "
* " What happened .. ? "
===Victory Poses=== 
*UP : Holds the Axe with both hands as it starts glowing of a bright light, then raises it over his head triumphantly.
* SIDE : Walks into view, looking at the camera, then extends one hand and swiftly catches his Axe as it flies into view. As he does this, he says "You should have listened".
*DOWN : Twirls the Axe into his hand, then turns away from the camera and sheathes it on his back. As he does this, he says "Get lost".
==Arcade Mode==
In the first match, Kratos faces three CPUs at once : Undyne, Shovel Knight and Delta, on Mêlée Island. This references the classic God of War games, in which Kratos was immediately pit against a small army of opponents upon starting the game. All the opponents in this match are armored fighters, which more or less references the generic enemies in God of War, usually seen wearing armor. The stage, set in a sea location with ships and a pier, references the very first level of the first God of War game, set on a ship in the Aegean Sea. In his second match, Kratos faces Nightmare one-on-one. Being a bigger enemy in a suit of armor, this battle emulates a boss encounter, which are often very climactic moments in the God of War series. The setting, Lake of Nine, and the music choice being the theme of the first battle against Baldur in God of War (2018) reinforces the reference.
After a Bonus Stage, Kratos faces Aloy, Sakai and Ratchet & Clank in a Free For All battle. In this match, Kratos faces fellow Playstation heroes who all had a game released on PS4. After that, another one-on-one awaits him, this time against Spyro. This particular battle references a more specific boss fight from the God of War series, the one against Hræzlyr, from God of War (2018). The stage being the snowy mountains of Magic Crafters reinforces the reference. 
Before he gets to Kerrigan, Kratos has two more matches to go. The first one is a one-versus-two where he battles Zagreus and Dante. Both of them have ties to Kratos, as Hades is also set in the world of Greek Mythology, much like older God of War games, and the series has always been compared to Devil May Cry, as both are Hack 'n Slash games with emphasis on combos and frentic action. The setting, Hydra Chamber, references both the Hydra from the first God of War, and also the fact that in almost every classic God of War game Kratos, at some point, goes to the Underworld. The penultimate match is his Rival battle, against Master Chief. The match is named "War of the Spartans", and references how both Kratos and Master Chief are Spartans and are tied to war. Kratos and Master Chief, additionally, are mascots for Playstation and Xbox respectively, making the comparison between them even more pronounced.
Round  	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	
1 	Undyne
 Shovel Knight
 Delta	Mêlée Island 	Ghost Ship Shuffle 	
2 	Nightmare 	Lake of Nine 	The Stranger 	
Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1
3 	Aloy
 Sakai
 Ratchet & Clank	Metropolis 	Marauder Tournament 	
4 	Spyro 	Magic Crafters 	Gnasty Gnorc 	
Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2
5 	Zagreus
 Dante	Hydra Chamber 	God Of The Dead 	
6 	Master Chief
(Rival Battle)	Installation 04 	Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix	
7 	Kerrigan 	Kerrigan's Leviathan	Conscience 	
==Alternates==
===Alternate Colors===
 
*RED : Default appearance, based on his design from God of War (2018).
*BLUE : Based on a scrapped design for Kratos from the original God of War.
*BLACK : Based on Fear Kratos, from God of War III.
*YELLOW : Based on the Dark Odyssey costume from God of War II.
===Alternate Costumes===
File:NH KRATOS RENDER.png|"Default" Costume
File:PN KRATOS ALT.png|"Valkyrie Set" Costume
*Default : Based on his appearance in God of War (2018).
*Valkyrie Set : Based on the Valkyrie Armor Set from God of War (2018).
==Trivia==
*AlwaysDREGOL considers Kratos to be the "unofficial mascot" of the game.
*The way the Cyclone of Chaos is used for his recovery was inspired by the way the move appears in Shovel Knight. It is also reminiscent of another Runic Attack from God of War (2018), Icarus Storm.
Category:Project Nexus
Category:Project Nexus / Movesets
Category:Movesets