Heracles

* Anime
* Manga

**Heracles** is the Gods' representative in the fourth round of Ragnarok, going against Jack the Ripper.

Heracles is a prominent deity in the Greek Pantheon, being the **God of Fortitude** (不屈の闘神, *Fukutsu no Tōjin*). He is also one of the few divine beings, along with Buddha and the Valkyries, who are not in favor of ending Humanity. Heimdall describes him as the "**Envoy of Justice**" (正義の使者, *Seigi no Shisha*) for both the Gods and Humans.

Heracles was formerly a Human by the name of "**Alcides**" (アルケイデス, *Arukeidesu*), hailing from Ancient Greece and ascended to Godhood by drinking the Ambrosia.

## Appearance

Heracles takes the form of a tall muscular man with long spiky orange hair. He wears a right shoulder guard and archery chest protector. His left arm has an ornate golden armband that covers his biceps. He also wears a lion fur kilt, a championship belt and simple leather sandals. He has a red tattoo of unknown design that goes across his torso from his right shoulder to the lower left side of his abdomen. His eyes are blue.

AlcidesGrown up AlcidesAlcides after drinking the Ambrosia
## Personality

Heracles is a very just individual, considered the most righteous being among the Gods, accentuated through his actions, ideology, judgement and his opposition to ending Humanity. Heracles is a person of honor and dignity as well, saying that despite not supporting the destruction of Humanity, he would still do his best in his round in Ragnarok as he was chosen to fight by the Gods. He also admires those he views strong in his eyes, even if it's someone he detests like Jack the Ripper.

A true warrior, Heracles embraces combat in all its forms, and relishes in the heart of battle.

Heracles also feels universal and indomitable love and altruism towards all Humans as he said, no matter how sinful Humans are, he will save them no matter what, which he tried to do for even his opponent, Jack the Ripper. He never abandoned his principles of honor and love no matter what hardships he faced. During the last moments of his life, instead of ending his match with a mutual kill, he hugged Jack with his remaining strength.

## Abilities

**Overall Abilities**: Before drinking the Ambrosia, Heracles as Alcides was born with a very weak constitution as shown when he was easily defeated by the bullies of his hometown and easily repelled by wild animals during hunting sessions. Later due to continued training and an iron-clad will, Heracles was eventually able to become the strongest human in ancient Thebes and after drinking the Ambrosia, he was granted enough power to single-handedly defeat the entire gods' army and hold the upper hand against Greek God of War until Zeus intervened. During the battle against Jack the Ripper in the fourth round of Ragnarok, Heracles was able to hold the advantage against the serial killer for most of the fight even when afflicted by the side effects of his **Herculean Exodus** techniques and Jack having a homefield advantage against him.

### Physical Abilities

**Godly Strength**: After drinking Ambrosia and surviving, Heracles gained a caliber of strength on Zeus' level, defeating Ares' army, the Vanguard of the Gods and fought toe to toe with Ares, which even made the God of War admit that he would've died if Zeus hadn't intervened. In his fight against Jack the Ripper, he cracked the entire ground by simply leaping, smashing Jack's giant scissor effortlessly, and creating a gigantic crater in the ground by punching it.

**Godly Speed & Reflexes**: Heracles is far faster than any ordinary human. He is capable of blocking many of Jack's knifes which were being thrown at him at very high speeds along with defending against attacks coming at from behind while focusing on Jack in the front. Even when Jack tried to hit Heracles by aiming at his blind spot, the God still managed to dodge and swifty counter the attack.

**Godly Durability**: As the God of Fortitude, Heracles possesses almost boundless durability. Even during his time as a mere mortal, Heracles was already far more durable than most humans, being able to take a hit from an enormous boar and even survive a kick to the face from Ares, while receiving minimal injuries in the process. After becoming a demigod, Heracles could survive taking multiple hits from Ares, being stabbed by multiple knifes, showed no visible reaction at the loss of his left arm and even have his body crushed by a building infused with divinity.

**Godly Endurance & Stamina**: As the God of Fortitude, Heracles possesses the most endurance of any God, to a nigh-limitless level. Despite being born with a body weaker than any other, Heracles managed to achieve a physique far superior to most humans through sheer training and willpower alone. Before attaining godhood, Heracles was already strong enough to be considered among the strongest in Thebes, capable of taking a kick from Ares without passing out. During his fight with Jack, despite losing huge amounts of blood, Heracles still managed to keep up with the serial killer without showing any signs of fatigue or anemia.

* **Immense Pain Tolerance**: Heracles has displayed incredible pain endurance. After becoming a demigod, he was able to continue fighting Ares and his army despite sustaining significant wounds and injuries. In the battle with Jack, even after being stabbed by countless knives, having his left arm cut off, and having a divine building crash down on him, he still continued to fight, without showing any signs of pain. Furthermore, when activating **Herculean Exodus**, a millimeter of the tattoo growth that results from it will cause even a natural God to feel immense and sharp pain, which in Heracles' case, grew immensely. Despite that, Heracles didn't even flinch, remaining calm and composed during the ordeal. Even before becoming a demigod, Heracles already had an immense pain tolerance, being capable of drinking ambrosia without passing out, despite the substance burning his flesh during the transformation process from mortal to demigod.

### Mental Abilities

**Indomitable Will**: Heracles possessed a righteous soul and strong will even before he became a God. Even as a child, Heracles never gave into despair no matter how tough the situation was. He always fought at the vanguard and never backed down even if his opponent was a God. He trained constantly since when he was a Human, using hardships as a way to improve himself, in order to gain strength to protect the weak.

**Enhanced Charisma**: Heracles has displayed immense charisma, through his noble ambitions and determination he managed to become a very popular individual among the Gods. Ares and many other people look up to him, including Jack the Ripper, who had his heart moved by Heracles actions despite him being one of the evilest humans in existence.

### Fighting Abilities

**Master Clubman**: Heracles wields his divine club with godly skill and proficiency, as shown in his battle against Jack the Ripper, deflecting Jack's barrage of knives effortlessly, smashing Jack's giant scissor into pieces and defeating the Vanguard of the Gods and Ares's army using an improvised club. He also managed to plow through the city of London with club skills in pursuit of Jack during their fight.

**Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant**: Heracles is very skilled at unarmed combat, being capable of nearly defeating Jack the Ripper through the use of his brawling skills and his Twelfth Labor despite the loss of one arm which Brunhilde stated was what was keeping the brawl to a stalemate instead of a one-sided clash. According to Heimdall, Heracles managed to defeat both the Nemean Lion and Cerberus with nothing but his fists.

### Supernatural Abilities

**Semi-Immortality**: Due to drinking the Ambrosia, Heracles possesses an eternal body and is incapable of dying due to old age. He shows no signs of old age, despite being over 4000 years old.

**Divine Physiology**: As a demigod, Heracles possesses physical abilities far greater than any ordinary Human. His body cannot be harmed by mortal weapons; however, he can still be harmed by unarmed attacks from individuals with superhuman strength and Divine Weapons.

### Miscellaneous Abilities

**Horseman**: During his entrance into the arena during the fourth round of Ragnaok, Heracles rode on a chariot pulled by two horses effortlessly despite the vehicle possessing no safety features.

## Quotes

* (To Loki) "*I'm always... always on the side of justice.*"
* (To Jack the Ripper) "*If that is what you've decided... then I'll answer your resolve with all my might!*"
* (To Jack the Ripper) "*If this is the extent of your evil intent... I'll crush it all.*"
* (To Ares) "*Humans are weak beings. That is why, while they strive for good, at times, they must turn towards evil. And after wavering throughout their lives, Humans continue to grow. The spirit of justice lies within all of Humanity, deep within their inherent weakness. And despite their prayers and subservience, you Gods still opt to crush them under your feet, and you claim to be just!? In that case... in that case, I will wager my life to oppose the Gods!*"
* (To Jack the Ripper) "*Foul evildoer, begone from my sight.*"
* (To Jack the Ripper) "*I only fear one thing! And that is the day I part with justice!*"
* (To Jack the Ripper) "*Humanity and Deity...as one holding both titles... I can say this... Humanity is foolish, jealous, hateful, discriminatory[...] and yet... in spite of all that, I truly love Humanity.*"
* (Final words before being banished to Niflhel) "*That was a good fight... I'm sorry... for yelling before... Brunhilde... Are you watching?... I leave the rest to you... Though they may be foolish, I still hold them dear... Please save them.*"

## Trivia

* The design of Cerberus' transformation was most likely inspired by the manga Bio-Booster Armor Guyver.
* The concept behind Heracles' tattoo is likely a reference to the poisoned clothes which killed the original mythological Heracles. In the myths, the demigod Heracles could not bear the pain and screamed constantly, but this Heracles seems to have improved his pain tolerance since his earthly death.
* In the original Greek mythology, Heracles took a belt from the Amazon queen Hippolyta as his ninth labor. In some versions, he obtained it by winning in a wrestling contest against her. This Heracles's championship belt might be a reference to this version of the myth.
* While Ambrosia is the blood of Zeus in "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*", in the Greek Mythology, the Ambrosia is the food of the Greek Gods and along with the Nectar the drink of the Greek Gods, often depicted as conferring longevity and immortality upon whoever consumed it.

## References

1. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 20 (Page 27).
2. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 29 (Page 27).
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 17-20).
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 22-24).
5. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 21 (Page 29).
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 21 (Page 31-33).
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 28 (Page 21).
8. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 7).
9. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 21 (Page 37).
10. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 22 (Page 12).
11. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 25 (Page 61).
12. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 24 (Page 20).
13. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 22 (Page 19-24).
14. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 22 (Page 27).
15. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 3).
16. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 22 (Page 11).
17. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 20.
18. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 24 (Page 19-21).
19. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 24 (Page 12).
20. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 24 (Page 15).
21. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 24 (Page 46-47).
22. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 25 (Page 55-56).
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 28 (Page 8-9).
24. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 28 (Page 12).
25. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 28 (Page 16).
26. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 20 (Page 28-29).
27. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 21 (Page 15-16).
28. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 22 (Page 6-7).
29. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 9-10).
30. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 23 (Page 37).
31. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 25 (Page 49).
32. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 27 (Page 23-25).
33. ↑ *Shuumatsu no Valkyrie* Manga: Chapter 29 (Page 47-48).