no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

Logo
live-news-icon

Live News

Tokyo Game Show 2025: All The Exhibitors In Japan's Biggest Video Game Exhibitions: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Anime Expo 2025: All The New Anime Announcements: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Battlebrew Productions Announces New Roguelite Dating Sim Hybrid For PC: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here
post-16 post-13

Father’s Day: Why God Of War’s Kratos Is A Good/Bad Dad

Article originally published on 14th June, 2019.

Father’s Day is almost here once again, to celebrate all dads around the world for their sacrifice and love. In fact, father figures are often important characters in pop culture from movies to TV series, but they have been less prevalent in gaming. Until this generation, that is.

Games like 2012’s Telltale’s The Walking Dead, 2013’s The Last Of Us, and more have captivated us with their stories of struggling father figures who will do everything in their power to protect those under their care, often at the expense of their own lives.

The relationship between characters like Lee and Clementine (Telltale’s The Walking Dead) as well as Joel and Ellie (The Last Of Us) makes for compelling emotional stakes, the likes of which can bring even the most cynical person to tears.

The Walking Dead Lee Clementine

Almost every character could grow up to be a father figure, but if there’s one character that no one ever expected to be a decent father figure, it’s the walking personification of rage himself, Kratos from the God Of War franchise.

If anyone were to tell me even two years ago that a God of War game would make me cry, I would’ve dismissed that notion as completely nonsensical. Now, my life wouldn’t have been the same if I hadn’t played Sony Santa Monica’s brilliant masterpiece of a game, 2018’s God Of War.

spoilerwarning01

Dad Knows Best

Kratos Atreus 1

Let’s be clear, Kratos was a crappy dad at the beginning of 2018’s God Of War, dismissive and neglectful of his son, Atreus’ feelings of grief over his mother’s death. Throughout the course of the game, it turns out that he has never truly been a father to Atreus, as he left the task of raising his son mostly to his wife while trying to get over his own dark and violent past.

I remember this one powerful and tender moment in the game when Kratos can be seen extending his hand to touch Atreus’ shoulder in what was clearly an effort to comfort his son while the latter was too preoccupied staring in awe at a wonderful view from a high vantage point off a cliff.

Screenshot (27)

However, Kratos pulled his hand away at the last minute before it even touched Atreus’ shoulder, indicating a man who wants to help his son but is incapable of doing so through what should be a normal interaction conveying emotion between father and son.

At one point in the game, Atreus becomes so frustrated with Kratos’ emotional neglect that he wishes that his father was dead instead of his mother, which is a sentiment I’m sure many out there have felt at least once in their lives.

To make matters worse, Atreus falls ill halfway through the game, which is the direct result of Kratos hiding his son’s own godly nature from himself. This is where we start seeing a change in Kratos’s journey as a father, as he unearths his old weapon, the Blades of Chaos, to help him find the cure to his son’s ailment despite still being tormented by his painful past.

Later, Kratos reveals his past to Atreus when they find themselves stuck in Helheim. Kratos’ willingness to face his past in order to save his son’s life and tell his son the truth are signs that he is finally opening up and being more of a father than he ever was before.

Parental Advisory

Kratos Atreus 2

From this point on in the game, there are more tender moments between Kratos and Atreus, which culminates in the scene where he tells his son to be better than him, echoing the often unspoken wish of every good father throughout the ages.

You can check out that heartwarming scene in this special Father and Son God Of War trailer released by PlayStation to commemorate Father’s Day in 2018.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV07cZLWIjc&w=560&h=315]

Is Kratos a good or bad father? No father is perfect, and every single dad in the world is essentially figuring it out as they go. All they can do is always to try and be better for their children. That’s why, while he definitely didn’t start out as one, Kratos ultimately turned out to be a good father by the end of the game.

Here’s to all good fathers in the world, happy Father’s Day!


 

Related News

post-07
We Talk To Tira Herself, Chelsea Islan, About Being The Next Indonesian Bumilangit Superhero

From the world of Indonesia’s superheroes Bumilangit Universe, Tira tells the story of Suci, an inspirational stuntwoman stricken with a death curse...

post-07
Here's A Despicable Way To Wipe Out An Entire Apex Legends Lobby

An Apex Legends player has discovered a cheat and exploit allowing them to crash the server to get easy kills and wipe out entire lobbies of other ...

post-07
Aliens & Agents: Getting To Know The Players Of Captain Marvel

The first of three Marvel Cinematic Universe films in 2019 is set to grace our cinemas very soon. Captain Marvel not only has to be a prelude to next ...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tournament Tool Kit

Latest Video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

post-17
Honkai Star Rail 3.4 Brings In A Godlike DPS Character: Phainon
post-17
Asia Gaming Beat: 5 July 2025
post-17
The Best Steam Summer Sale 2025 Deals For Your PC Gaming
post-17
Check Out The First-Ever China Tang Dynasty-Themed Interactive FMV Drama
post-17
Malaysia Played A Part In Creating Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
post-17
Asia Gaming Beat: 21 June 2025
post-17
Warhammer 40K Gets Double Barrel Blast Of Boltgun News
post-17
Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker Walkthrough & Boss Fights Guide
post-17
Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Expansion New Cards Revealed
post-17
After 19 Years, The First Gears Of War Will Be Out On PlayStation Platforms
post-17
Check Out These Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Controllers & Gadgets From Snakebyte
post-17
Ghost of Tsushima Retrospective: A Meditation on Moral Compromise in Wartime
post-17
Schedule 1 – Mixing Guide
post-17
Here Is Diablo 4’s 2025 Roadmap & Endgame Updates; No Expansion Until 2026
post-17
Nintendo Switch 2: All The Games Coming Out At Launch
post-17
New Ghost Of Yotei Information Unveiled; Still Slated For 2025
post-17
Path Of Exile 2 Dawn Of The Hunt: All New Loot & Support Skills Revealed So Far
post-17
Is Gaming Really A Tool For Terrorist Radicalisation? We Ask An Expert
post-17
Tokyo Game Show 2025: All The Exhibitors In Japan’s Biggest Video Game Exhibitions
post-17
Anime Expo 2025: All The New Anime Announcements
post-17
Battlebrew Productions Announces New Roguelite Dating Sim Hybrid For PC
post-17
Guilty Gear Strive’s Cyberpunk Edgerunners Guest Character Trailer To Debut Next Month
post-17
Zenless Zone Zero 2.1 Update Lands Ashore This Month With A Beach Party
post-17
The Destiny Mobile Game Spin-Off Is Slated For Late August
post-17
The Upin & Ipin Open World Kampung Game Will Be Out This Month
post-17
The Perfect Dark Reboot Is Cancelled