The Beheaded

“*Aren't you the headless fellow that's been getting around?*„~ **Tutorial Knight**

**The Beheaded**, also known as **The Prisoner** or the **Fallen One**, is the protagonist of *Dead Cells*. It is a gelatinous creature with a single glowing eye that can control human corpses. The Beheaded prefers to possess headless bodies that it is used to possessing instead of moving around without one.

## Lore

The Beheaded is unaware of how it came to be, but evidently It was created in the undying shores as It refers to an empty vat “uncomfortably familiar”, and a skull on a desk “oddly familiar”. Additionally, the Beheaded is known by the Prisoners and a few others. The Crypt Demon calls the Beheaded an anomaly, and mentions that "she" was looking for it.It's currently unknown who the 'she' is (although it is revealed in the queen and the sea dlc). The Beheaded hunts down the King, hoping that killing him will bring some kind of change.

### Personality

Despite being unable to speak, the Beheaded has quite the personality. The Beheaded likes to make sarcastic remarks and jokes about the situations it finds itself in. It also has quite the mean streak, tending to kick bodies around (such as that of the Tutorial Knight), as well as pestering people. However, this does not mean it is completely empty of remorse and empathy. The Beheaded seems upset by the sight of the cruel orders from the King, grims at the sight of a guard killed by the effects of the Malaise, is seen telling a dead prisoner to "rest in peace", and lacking any kind of humor when finding a hanged woman. Its emotions are symbolized by the color of its textbox.

The following information **contains spoilers** regarding the true ending of the game. Discretion is advised.

After killing the King, the Beheaded will freak out after leaving the prison safe area.

* *"I don't understand a thing... "*
* *"But the King is quite dead..."*
* *"Why didn't anything change!?"*
* ***"WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?"***
* *"...What does it mean?"*

Once defeated, the Giant reveals that the Beheaded is actually the King himself. Although the Giant never elaborated further, it is implied that the Beheaded is unaware of its nasty doings when it was the King. Its displays of contempt for the King and his orders imply that its perspective has substantially changed since its separation from the King's body.

## Notes

* The Beheaded can possess dead bodies, until said body becomes so damaged to the extent it becomes unusable.
	+ Possessing a body is not instant. The Beheaded seemingly needs to "boot up" its body in order to use it efficiently.
	+ With the use of the Homunculus Rune, the Beheaded can launch its "head" from the body while not losing control of the original.
* Even without a body, the Beheaded retains the ability to move around, though it does not prefer doing so.
* The Beheaded seems to be immortal. No matter where it is killed, even in the Forgotten Sepulcher’s darkness, it always seems to survive and come back.

## Trivia

* The Beheaded can somehow consume food and potions even though it does not have anywhere to consume them.
* According to *The Heart of Dead Cells*, the green mass of the Beheaded is a homunculus.
	+ This is implied in-game by the Homunculus Rune and the Failed Homunculus.
* The Beheaded seems to have no issue possessing both male and female bodies, given some of the outfits.
* The Beheaded seems immune to the Malaise, but the bodies it possesses are not.
* The Beheaded made an appearance in indie platform fighter *Brawlout*. In that game, his name was listed as Dead Cell.
* The Beheaded makes an appearance in a crossover with *Soul Knight*, appearing as a "legendary hero" unlocked by harvesting cells.
* The Beheaded makes an appearance in the EXCEED Fighting System card game as a playable fighter. His unique ability allows him to upgrade his three Stats, which enhance his special attacks for the rest of the fight.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sepulcher - Crypt Demon to the Beheaded *Imgur*, 2018-09-29
2. ↑ Promenade - Hanged prisoners king order GIF *Gfycat*, 2018-08-21
3. ↑ Castle - Guard letter corpse malaise GIF *Gfycat*, 2018-08-28
4. ↑ Sewers - giant cocoon and hole GIF *Gfycat*, 2018-08-28
5. ↑ Stilt Village - Hanged woman *Imgur*, 2018-09-30