The Penitent One

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|-|The Penitent One=
|-|In-game sprite=
|-|Mea Culpa=
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==Summary==
The Penitent One is the playable character of metroidvania title Blasphemous. At the beginning of the game, he wakes up among a sea of the corpses as the sole survivor of the massacre of his congregation, the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow, who are all guilty of a common sin. The members of this order are devoted warriors who have taken upon themselves a vow of silence to reflect the silence of god.
Throughout the game he hacks and slashes his way through a land occupied solely by beasts filled with faith and rage, acting out the will of the Miracle. His ultimate goal is to reach the Cradle of Affliction, where the Miracle must decide if he is worthy of salvation.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: , higher via charged attacks
Name: The Penitent One
Origin: Blasphemous
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Classification: Human (presumably), member of the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow
Powers and Abilities: 
<tabber>With the Mea Culpa=Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weapon Mastery (via his sword, the Mea Culpa), Non-Physical Interaction (Can harm Wraiths and Cimbalillos, both of which are ghostly figures that can pass through walls), Blood Manipulation (via Fervorous Blood and its upgraded variants), Energy Manipulation (via numerous skills), Explosion Manipulation (via Bleeding Miracle and Weight of Justice), Holy Manipulation (via numerous skills), Air Manipulation (via Sacred Onslaught, which splits the air in such a way that it creates a wave that damages opponents both above and below the blade during the attack), Resistance to Pain Manipulation (Is so dedicated to his vow of silence that he doesn't scream in pain, even when cutting himself in order to use his blood-based skills, or being torn apart limb from limb by Exposito) and Blood Manipulation (Unaffected by blood loss, most notably via Romance to the Crimson Mist, which vaporizes his blood to create deadly gases)
|-|With Prayers=Holy Manipulation, Light Manipulation (via Debla of the Lights), Fire Manipulation (via Verdiales of the Forsaken Hamlet), Absorption (via Saeta Dolorosa, which drains health from the opponent), Electricity Manipulation (via Taranto to my Sister and Lorquiana), Summoning (via Campanillero to the Sons of the Aurora, Lorquiana) Invulnerability (via Tiento to Your Thorned Hairs), Statistics Amplification (via Soleá of Excommunication and Seguiriya to your Eyes like Stars), Blood Manipulation (via Romance to the Crimson Mist), Attack Reflection (via Zarabanda of the Safe Haven), Sound Manipulation + Durability Negation (via Cante Jondo of the Three Sisters), 
|-|With Mea Culpa Hearts=Statistics Amplification, Life Force Absorption (via the Molten Heart of Boiling Blood, which drains life force from opponents who are killed by the Mea Culpa), Vibration Manipulation (via the Heart of the Single Tone, which makes the sword vibrate in order to block immaterial projectiles)
|-|With Rosary Beads=Statistics Amplification, Resistance to Fire, Electricity, Poison, and Magic-based attacks
|-|With Relics=Immunity to Poisonous Gases (via Silvered Lung of Dolphos), Extrasensory Perception (Can see previously invisible platforms by visualizing them as bloody objects [via Blood Perpetuated in Sand]), Plant Manipulation (Can turn roots into platforms to stand on via Three Gnarled Tongues), Telepathy (Can hear the last thoughts of people who died [via Shroud of Dreamt Sins]), Can jump off of high cliffs without dying (via Linen of Golden Thread), Can walk effortlessly through marshes and swamps without getting slowed down (via Nail Uprooted From Dirt), Will be automatically alerted by the chime of a bell when a secret area is nearby (via Incorrupt Hand of the Fraternal Master)
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Attack Potency: Small Building level (Can destroy a large statue in two swings), higher via charged attacks (With a fully charged swing he can destroy the statue in one hit); can bypass conventional durability with multiple prayers (Cante Jando of the Three Sisters creates a powerful roar that is stated to destroy internal organs and shatter bones, Romance to the Crimson Mist creates poisonous gases out of the Penitent One's blood that damage opponents)
Speed: Unknown
Lifting Strength: At least Peak Human (Can crush human-sized opponents underfoot)
Striking Strength: Small Building level (Can trade blows and parry attacks from opponents who can damage him)
Durability: Small Building level 
Stamina: Superhuman, can run large distances while climbing towers and battling hordes of enemies without resting
Range: Melee extended with Mea Culpa, several meters with his prayers and abilities
Standard Equipment:
*Mea Culpa: The Penitent One's sword. Thorns grow around its blade to represent the First Miracle, where the young man, now known as the Twisted One, had so much guilt that he prayed for punishment and sacrificed himself.
Intelligence: Although he is never shown talking and has never displayed a distinct personality, he is skilled with a sword and has knowledge on how to parry attacks and strike when the oppponent leaves openings. Many of the game's bosses require the player to play smart, learn their attack patterns, and strike, parry, or dodge accordingly
Weaknesses:
*He has taken a vow to never talk, even when he is being killed
*The Mea Culpa Hearts, while they do provide additional stat boosts and abilities, also come with certain debuffs and additional weaknesses as well
*He cannot cast prayers or use his blood-based skills if he is out of Fervour (essentially Mana Points)
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
*Parrying: A technique where Penitent One assumes a defensive fighting stance, allowing him to deflect an enemy attack.
**Retribution: A powerful sword slash that can be followed up into after a parry. If the attack is too strong, Penitent One will be pushed back a great distance, where reliably landing a Retribution on the opponent is impossible.
*Mea Culpa Skills: Skills and techniques that can be performed with the Mea Culpa. When visiting Mea Culpa shrines, the Penitent One can upgrade these different skills while following strict skill trees.
**Combo Tree: This skill tree refers to combos that the Penitent One can perform in combat. Unlocking different skills in this tree unlocks more combo finishers.
***Last Words: Grants the Penitent One the ability to perform a fourth slash as a combo finisher.
***Ascending Edge: Grants the Penitent One the ability to perform a powerful rising slash for a combo finisher.
***Azure Cyclone: Grants the Penitent One the ability to perform a spin attack with the Mea Culpa as a combo finisher, followed by a downward thrust into the ground to create a small burst of energy.
**Charged Tree: This skill tree refers to the ability to charge up a powerful slash attack that disperses energy for increased range. As more upgrades are unlocked, the attack becomes powerful.
***Sinful Wrath: Concentrates the Mea Culpa's power into the blade, allowing the wielder to release its full potential in a single strike.
***Holy Wrath: An improved version of Sinful Wrath where the power is concentrated into the thorns instead, speeding up the process of charging the attack.
***Wrath of the Twisted One: A fully upgraded version of the Sinful Wrath that disperses energy forward to damage all foes in the wielder's path.
**Ranged Tree: This skill tree refers to a sacred technique that allows the wielder to bless his own blood and throw it like a weapon. It appears to require the wielder to wound himself in order to get blood out.
***Fervorous Blood: A sacred technique where the wielder cuts himself open and blesses his blood to throw it like a cutter.
***Sacred Blood: An upgraded variant of Fervorous Blood that makes the blood cutter, at the end of its range, return in the trajectory it was thrown like a boomerang.
***Bleeding Miracle: A fully upgraded Fervorous Blood. The blood cutter now creates a sacred explosion of energy at the end of its range to do additional damage before returning.
**Vertical Tree: This skill tree refers to a technique where the wielder of the Mea Culpa takes advantage of gravity and attacks with a downward thrust.
***Weight of Sin: The wielder takes advantage of gravity and thrusts their sword downward mid-air to land on an opponent in order to inflict damage.
***Weight of Justice: An upgraded variant of Weight of Sin. Power is concentrated on the Mea Culpa during the fall, creating a small explosion of energy to push opponents away and inflict additional damage.
***Consecration: A fully upgraded Weight of Sin. So much energy is condensed into the Mea Culpa that it creates a pillar of heavenly light in the wielder's location to damage foes above and near the Penitent One.
**Lunge Tree: This skill tree refers to a technique where the wielder slides to avoid an attack and then lunges forward with the blade.
***Sacred Thrust: Penitent One slides to dodge an enemy attack, and thrusts the Mea Culpa forward after.
***Sacred Lunge: The first upgrade for Sacred Thrust. Increase range and damage.
***Sacred Onslaught: The final upgrade for Sacred Thrust. It splits the air in such a way that it creates a wave that damages opponents both above and below the blade during the attack.
*Prayers: Certain prayers that the Penitent One can recite to create different attacks and effects.
**Campanillero to the Sons of the Aurora: Summons three flying cherubs to attack opponents. These cherubs will each shoot one straight beam of electricity and then disappear.
**Cante Jondo of the Three Sisters: Creates a cyclonic roar that destroys organs and breaks bones to inflict damage on all nearby foes.
**Debla of the Lights: Summons a several meter wide pillar of light from the heavens to the Penitent One's location, damaging all nearby enemies and pushing them all away with merciless strength.
**Lorquiana: Casts three consecutive rays of lightning from the Mea Culpa from the very essence of The Miracle itself.
**Romance to the Crimson Mist: Vaporizes the holy blood of the Penitent one and makes it leak out of his pores, creating toxic gases that can damage nearby foes.
**Saeta Dolorosa: When this prayer is active, the Penitent One recovers a little health for every blow he lands on the opponent.
**Seguiriya to your Eyes like Stars: Overwhelms the Penitent One with the fury of the righteous, temporarily boosting his combat speed.
**Soleá of Excommunication: Temporarily boosts the power of the Penitent One's attacks.
**Taranto to my Sister: Calls forth six pillars of lightning from the clouds.
**Tiento to Your Thorned Hairs: Temporarily grants the Penitent One complete invulnerability.
**Verdiales of the Forsaken Hamlet: Creates two rings of blue fire that quickly scale along surfaces, damaging anybody who comes in contact with them.
**Zarabanda of the Safe Haven: Creates two barriers that orbit around the Penitent One, damaging opponents and destroying projectiles.
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Batman (Batman: Arkham) Batman's Profile (Anything above 9-A is restricted, starting distance is 10 meters, and speed was equalized)
Inconclusive:
Arthur (Ghosts 'n Goblins) Arthur's Profile (Arthur had his Ghouls 'n Ghosts equipment, speed was equalized and starting distance was 10 meters)
Category:Blood Users
Category:Statistics Amplification Users
Category:Sword Users
Category:Knights
Category:Non-Physical Interaction Users
Category:Energy Users
Category:Holy Users
Category:Explosion Users
Category:Air Users
Category:Light Users
Category:Summoners
Category:Fire Users
Category:Electricity Users
Category:Absorption Users
Category:Vibration Users
Category:Attack Reflection Users
Category:Extrasensory Perception Users
Category:Plant Users
Category:Silent Characters
Category:Protagonists
Category:Primary Protagonists
Category:Invulnerability Users
Category:Game Characters
Category:Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Humans
Category:Sound Users
Category:Durability Negation Users
Category:Blasphemous
Category:Telepaths
Category:Video Game Characters