Iron Bull

The Iron Bull, or Hissrad as he is known among his own people, is the one-eyed Qunari leader of the Bull's Chargers and a member of the Ben-Hassrath. He is a potential companion and a romance option for either a male or female Inquisitor.
== Background ==
The Iron Bull was raised in the schools of Par Vollen by the tamassrans, though he was called Ashkaari, "one who thinks", at the time. He was big and strong for his age and liked to act as a secondary caregiver for his fellow children, reporting to the tamassrans when someone wasn't feeling well or was about to cause trouble. But Ashkaari sometimes got into trouble himself. On one occasion, after he'd eaten all the meat on his plate but left the vegetables untouched, his "Tama" told him that he wouldn't be allowed to go and play until he ate two more things off his plate. Without hesitation, he took two pieces of meat he had hidden in his pocket, placed them upon the plate, ate the two pieces while looking at Tama and ran off to play. This convinced her that Ashkaari would make a poor Qunari soldier, as they needed to be obedient to the spirit of an order as well as the letter. She recommended him for the Ben-Hassrath.
As he began his training, Ashkaari gained a new informal name to set him apart from his peers: Hissrad, "one who creates illusion" or "liar". His early work in Par Vollen involved uncovering smuggling operations, discontented groups considering fleeing the Qun and a Tevinter spy ring, which saw him recognized as a valuable asset. He was recommended for service on the Qunari-held island of Seheron. According to him, the island was "a sack of cats". Incursions from Tevinter, marauding Tal-Vashoth, and native rebels fighting on multiple fronts made life chaotic. The Ben-Hassrath considered two years of active service the maximum time most agents could perform in Seheron before prolonged stress rendered them unable to carry out their duties effectively but Hissrad lasted almost a decade before burning out, rising through the ranks as his superiors broke down or died.
On the eve of his last major battle in Seheron, Bull's unit suffered heavy losses when a friendly Seheron merchant was pressured into poisoning his men. When the same poison was used to kill a school full of children, Hissrad vowed to avenge them. He mounted an assault on a Tal-Vashoth stronghold in the jungle. He lost several more of his men in the fighting, including his longtime friend Vasaad, which sent him in a berserk state. When his surviving soldiers later came back for him with reinforcements, they found him unmoving, covered in wounds and surrounded by the butchered corpses of the Tal-Vashoth warriors. He declared himself unfit for duty and too dangerous to be around civilians, submitting himself to the Ben-Hassrath re-educators.
The Ben-Hassrath reassigned him to Orlais to work undercover, ostensibly as a Tal-Vashoth. He worked for the mercenary company Fisher's Bleeders for several years but Fisher was a mediocre commander and he eventually left, taking several of Fisher's men with him, to form his own mercenary company: the Bull's Chargers. Fisher, angered by this, entered into a brief fight with Bull, but the two ended up talking things over drinks and parted ways peacefully. Bull uses the Chargers to gather information on Orlesian nobles, feeding the intelligence to the Ben-Hassrath. Though he still reports to his old masters, time in Orlais led to something of an identity crisis for him.
He remains in command of the Bull's Chargers, though spends much of his time drinking, lazing about and overindulging - all clear violations of the Qun. Despite his unusually friendly demeanor and lax attitude to his philosophy, The Iron Bull still has a loyalty to the Qun which dies hard. He doesn't proselytize, but neither does he apologize for his way of life.
== Involvement ==
=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
==== Trespasser ====
== Quests ==
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== Approval ==
Iron Bull's approval can most easily be gained by taking him along on battles. Fighting groups of Venatori enemies will grant slight approval, so keeping him in your party in areas heavy with Venatori will earn you a fair amount of approval quickly. After killing a High dragon, a cutscene will occur after you return to Skyhold where the Inquisitor can have a few drinks with Iron Bull in celebration—approval can be gained there by agreeing with him about dragons and drinking when he prompts you to. Furthermore, killing High Dragons with him in the active party gains great approval.
Iron Bull generally approves of the Inquisition's actions, approval gains from specific events and quests are usually low to moderate; however, there are several instances that will yield :
== Romance ==
Iron Bull is a potential love interest for both male and female Inquisitors.
=== Trespasser ===
== Statistics ==
=== Initial talents ===
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Ability trees 	Initially selected abilities
 	
 	
 	
 	
(specialization)	
=== Initial equipment ===
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Weapons	
Armor 	
=== Restricted accessories ===
: (2)
== Quotes ==
* "You don't need blood magic or demons to change someone's mind. We're a lot more fragile than we'd like to believe."
* "How many personal freedoms do you figure that baker in Val Royeaux has? Life isn't about freedom."
* (Regarding living by the Qun) "It's like being a block of stone with a sculptor working on you. One day, the last of the crap gets knocked off, and you can see your real shape, what you're supposed to be."
* "Whenever you need an ass kicked, The Iron Bull is with you."
* "I know every soldier under my command. You don't have that option... but a few faces might help."
* "People don't always tell the truth when you're polite. You've gotta poke them a bit."
* "Dragons are the embodiment of raw power. But it's all uncontrolled, savage... So they need to be destroyed. Taming the wild. Order out of chaos. Have another drink."
* "My people don't pick leaders from the strongest, or the smartest, or even the most talented. We pick the ones willing to make the hard decisions... and live with the consequences."
* "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're careful and all, but I like my nipples uncauterized, thanks."
* "It's a good thing we brought all these nobles with us. Perhaps the Templars are attracted to shiny objects."
* "You're Tevinter right? Try blood magic."
=== Dialogue ===
* Cole: "I like your horns The Iron Bull. But they're dragon horns, not bull horns. You could have named yourself The Iron Dragon."
* Bull: "Oh... Shit. That would have been better."
== Codex entries ==
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== Trivia ==
* Iron Bull was written by Trick Weekes and designed by Casper Konefal.
* In official promotional material, Iron Bull is described as "The Muscle".
* When comparing Iron Bull to food, Patrick Weekes describes him as "either rump roast for size or chili dog for delicious bad decisions."
* It was revealed that the Iron Bull was meant to be a race-specific romance due to technical limitations related to him being extremely large and tall. He also originally had dialog that explained why he couldn't romance the Inquisitor. However, the animation team and cinematic designer John Epler were able to fix the issue.
* He is the first Qunari companion who is a romance option for a protagonist in the Dragon Age series.
* According to the character's voice actor, Freddie Prinze Jr., Iron Bull does have a fear of demons, due to their ability to possess people, including Qunari.
* Prinze described Bull's voice as a cross between Disney villain Pete and Winston Churchill.
* Iron Bull is described as humorous, dismissive, and a naturally charismatic leader, but he’s struggling with being a fish out of water.
* Bull's greatest fear is madness.
* During the scene when the player and Bull have sex before giving him the Dragon's tooth as a gift, Bull can be seen with two patterns on his shoulders. It is not currently known if these are tattoos or some kind of Qunari body paint. How he got them also remains a mystery.
* Iron Bull lost his eye saving Krem from a flail blow meant for him when the two first met. He also has a brace on his left ankle and is missing several finger joints on his left hand.
* Iron Bull's name under the Qun, Hissrad, literally means "liar" or "weaver of illusions".
* Iron Bull chose the name "The Iron Bull", with an article because he favored how it made him sound like a mindless weapon.Explained by Bull in Haven when asking about his name.
* Iron Bull is eight feet tall and is the only Qunari that has had their height confirmed.
* Patrick Weekes confirms Iron Bull's age to be mid-to-late 30s, his game files in Inquisition notes the same age range.
* Originally, the Iron Bull was to be one-handed, and use a prosthetic for his left hand. At one point the prosthetic hand was meant to be a cannon, but the implementation turned out to be too difficult.
* Iron Bull loves sweets,Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas, p. 159 particularly hot coco to which he adds Orlesian guimauves (marshmallows).Mentioned by The Iron Bull in a conversation with Varric 
* He is pansexual.
* If the Inquisitor doesn't romance Iron Bull or Dorian, the two will have party banter indicating a sexual relationship. If your friendship is high enough with either of them, you can ask them about their relationship before defeating Corypheus. If they are together, Dorian will say at the celebration party that his delayed return to Tevinter might be because of Bull. The romance can still be initiated and recognized in Trespasser so long as the 'about last night' banter between them is triggered.
== Gallery ==
Promotional_Iron_Bull.jpg|Artwork of Iron Bull in Heroes of Dragon Age
Ib.png|Promotional artwork of The Iron Bull
Iron Bull Promo.jpg|Promotional CG
Ironbull_profile.jpg|Iron Bull's profile on the official Dragon Age: Inquisition website
ironbull-romance.png|Close-up
IronBullPortrait.jpg|Full view of Iron Bull's horns in-game
Iron bull.png|Iron Bull in the Fires Above trailer
Iron_bull_in_hushed_whispers.png|Iron Bull during In Hushed Whispers
Promotional Hissrad.jpg|Artwork of Hissrad in Heroes of Dragon Age
Keep Iron Bull Romance.png|Iron Bull's romance tile in Dragon Age Keep
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:Heroes of Dragon Age characters
Category:Dragon Age: Inquisition characters
Category:Trespasser characters
Category:Qunari
Category:Ben-Hassrath
Category:Warriors
Category:Reavers
Category:Bull's Chargers
Category:Inquisition members
Category:Companions
Category:Dragon Age: Inquisition companions
Category:Love interests
Category:Tal-Vashoth
de:Der Eiserne Bulle
pl:Żelazny Byk
ru:Железный Бык
it:Toro di Ferro