Kratos from God of War is one of those rare characters whom nobody would wish to square up against, even for fun. Sure, the man may have mellowed out in his later years, but he’s still arguably at his strongest at the moment.
But within gaming’s extremely massive pantheon, there are still a few who might give the ex-Ghost of Sparta a run for his money. For instance, the series’ community recently got down to figuring out who’s fit for the job, and for the prominent picks they’ve chosen, all we can say is: boy, do we absolutely agree with all of you.
5. Dante (Devil May Cry)
The son of Sparda, half-demon, and part-time demon hunter, Dante is all about style and skill. His devil-trigger, insane agility, and mastery of just about every weapon under the sun make him a serious contender. Plus, Dante’s witty comebacks would probably annoy Kratos to no end, so that’s a bonus. Sigh—given how his series is treated, he at least gets to shit-talk Kratos.
Where Dante has the edge is in his ability to pull off lightning-fast combos, shift between weapons mid-fight, and unleash demonic powers that might even catch Kratos off guard. Speaking of guarding, Royal Guard probably makes him the most broken character on this list, and we can’t even think of a way the Ghost could ever overcome that.
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Imagine Kratos, focused and brutal, trying to land a hit on a guy who’s flipping through the air with twin pistols and a massive sword, all while most likely dancing his way through the fight. It’s a clash of brute strength against unfiltered finesse, one that might just wear out the new God of Hope.
4. Death (Darksiders II)
Death might seem a little less jacked than our main guy, but let’s not forget that he’s the final Horseman of the Apocalypse, which essentially translates to him being the mightiest of them all.
He’s got centuries of experience taking on the worst the afterlife has to offer, and he’s a master of necromancy, meaning he could summon hordes upon hordes of undead to wear the God of War down.
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Death’s most significant advantage? At his peak strength (Chaos Form included), the guy controls death itself (obviously), and given that Kratos is still a half-mortal who can die at the end of the day, it’s easy to see how things might not play out in his favor. One thing’s for sure: this battle would be dark and intense and probably leave a massive supernatural fallout in its wake.
3. The Slayer (Doomguy)
The Slayer isn’t just some demon-killing machine; he’s a literal god who’s also arguably the tankiest of all the picks in this list. For our money, his raw, undiluted rage and single-minded drive to wipe out anything demonic put him right up there with the God of War.
If you think Kratos has some terrifying finishing moves, imagine him up against a man who’s known for ripping and tearing all his enemies…until it’s done. Let’s also not forget Doomguy’s got guns—lots of guns. These aren’t your standard-issue firearms, either; we’re talking plasma rifles, rocket launchers, the BFG 9000, and, of course, a new chainsaw shield from The Dark Ages—enough firepower to make even the strongest of gods break into a cold sweat.
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Sure, Kratos has his Blades of Chaos, the Leviathan Axe, and the Draupnir Spear, but long-range weapons aren’t exactly his specialty. What it would come down to is whether or not Kratos would be able to close the distance and avoid eating fists before Doomguy turned him into a godly pincushion. The minions of hell would want to stay away from this one.
2. Kirby
Okay, before you roll your eyes, just hear us out. We know Kirby seems like the oddball here, but this adorable pink goofball is actually unbelievably strong.
When you think about it, Kirby has taken on cosmic entities, eldritch horrors, and creatures way bigger than himself—always coming out on top and with ease, too.
Then there’s his very unique ability: if he manages to inhale Kratos, he could copy some of his powers. Imagine a Kirby with a beard and red lines all over his body wielding the Blades of Chaos. Hilarious? Yes. Terrifying? Absolutely.
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What gives Kirby the edge to stomp out the ex-God of War is his sheer unpredictability. Sure, Kratos could land a few mighty blows with his Spartan Rage, but considering how resilient Kirby is, along with his ability to turn just about anything into a weapon, we just don’t see our main man surviving this encounter.
1. Asura
Putting aside the possibility that the two would rather want to share drinks and mourn the loss of their loved ones at the hands of Gods—both characters are, after all, more than just a walking ball of rage—if there’s anyone who can straight up delete Kratos in terms of rage and powers, it’s Asura.
Asura, after all, has taken on cosmic deities, demigods, and even hellish monstrosities big enough to swallow our planet whole. He’s basically a god with rage issues, and he channels his fury in ways that could rival, if not surpass Kratos’s most terrifying moments.
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To put it another way, if Hermes was to annoy Asura the way he annoyed Kratos, he wouldn’t have stayed alive for even a second, becoming a full-fledged quick-time event rather than a boss battle.
With powers that include transforming into a multi-armed deity and launching energy attacks, Asura could actually make Kratos work the hardest for his victory. Unlike the fight with Kirby, this fight will undoubtedly leave all the realms of our world trembling in fear of collateral erasure.
But that’s it for the list. When you look at the list as a whole, each character brings a unique strength to the table that can topple the God of War’s strength.
While it’s downright impossible to choose just one victor (we might just bet on Kirby, though), it’s still fun to imagine what a battle with the mythical Ghost of Sparta would look like for each of them.
With all that said, what are your thoughts on this list? Who do you think would come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!
