Kratos Aurion

Kratos Aurion (クラトス・アウリオン) is a major key protagonist from Tales of Symphonia. He is the fourth person to join the party, aiding Lloyd, Colette, and Genis in a battle at Martel Temple. Later, he takes on the job of guarding the Chosen of Mana on her journey to regenerate the world.

Character
Kratos is displayed as a cold and heartless mercenary early in the game, though is also an expert in swordsmanship, a fact that makes Lloyd angry. The only thing he has in mind at the beginning of the game is to protect Colette, as that is what he is assigned to do. However, as the journey progresses, Kratos begins to open up a little, giving hints about a past where he made a terrible mistake.

Throughout the early stages of the game, Kratos displays outstanding knowledge of the ancient world, raising Raine's suspicions. Despite his secret agenda, Kratos takes a keen interest in Lloyd's development as a warrior, although he takes a fairly callous approach to this. Through a side-quest, Kratos will train him in swordsmanship and give him advice that helps the young boy to grow.

Despite his long life and many years of experience, Kratos is, up until the end of the game, a fatalist. For much of the game he believes that Mithos' is the only way. This changes if you trigger the scene with Kratos at Flanoir. It is Lloyd's actions that make him realize how much control of his destiny he really has.

Ancient Hero
Kratos's story actually begins approximately 4000 years before the events of Tales of Symphonia take place. Kratos, the only human companion of the hero Mithos Yggdrasill, traveled the world and helped to put an end to the Kharlan War, a war spanning one thousand years.

During these adventures, Mithos formed pacts with each of the Summon Spirits in the world. After the pact with the King of Summon Spirits, Origin, was formed, a seal based on Kratos himself was created to prevent anyone else from gaining Origin's power. This seal further prevented anyone from contacting Origin unless all of the mana was released from Kratos' body. Essentially, the seal could only be broken once Kratos' mana was released, ending his life. Mithos then had Origin create the Eternal Sword, which he used to split the world in two, thereby creating Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

Shortly after Mithos, Kratos, Yuan and Martel ended the war, they were betrayed by a human who had aided them during their journey. This enigmatic human killed Martel. Mithos, driven mad with grief, misinterpreted her dying wish of a world free of discrimination believing it to be a wish for everyone to be the same. Mithos then established the order of Cruxis, with he, Kratos, and Yuan as its first angels. Since Kratos was human, and had no elven blood in his veins (unlike Mithos and Yuan, who were half-elves), he was forced to ingest a magical rock called Aionis, which allowed him to cast magic and use magical weapons, in order to become an angel. The companions became three of the Four Seraphim, with Martel being the fourth, ascended to Derris-Kharlan and founded the Church of Martel. They also founded the Desian organization, designed to aid Mithos in his plans.

Tortured paramour
After learning about Mithos' plans for the Age of Lifeless Beings, Kratos descended upon Sylvarant. There he met a human woman named Anna, a research subject in the Angelus Project, which attempted to culture a Cruxis Crystal within a human host. The two fell in love.

Kratos soon realized that there had to be a better way to reunite the two worlds, and so he began to search for a way for a human to wield the Eternal Sword, the omnipotent weapon that Mithos had used to split the worlds. However, the pair was forever pursued by Cruxis, and soon they had a child, Lloyd. Eventually, the Desian Grand Cardinal Kvar caught them, at which point Anna's Exsphere was removed. This caused her to become a mindless monster. She attacked the infant Lloyd, who was only saved when their pet Noishe interfered. These events caused Anna to temporarily regain her old self; she begged Kratos to kill her. He could not bring himself to do it, however, and Anna soon lost control again. She once again turned on Lloyd, and with Noishe too injured to help, Kratos killed her in desperation to save his son. Kvar then attacked, causing Lloyd, Noishe, and Anna to tumble down a cliff near the Iselia Human Ranch.

Kratos managed to defeat Kvar and his men, and then descended the cliff, only to find ravaged Desian corpses. Believing his family to be dead, Kratos lost all meaning in his life. He soon returned to Cruxis, where he aided Mithos, believing that the half-elf would reunite the two worlds after Martel was revived.

Mysterious mercenary
When the Cruxis Crystal kept in Iselia's Martel Temple shines, Mithos sends Kratos to watch over Colette and make sure she does not stray from the Journey of Regeneration. He appears to Lloyd, Genis and Colette as they battle a fierce warrior of a group the locals believe to be the Desians but are actually the Renegades: Vidarr. After defeating him, Kratos introduces himself as a mercenary, at which point Phaidra, Colette's grandmother, hires him to protect the Chosen. When the party travels to Dirk's house so Colette can speak to Lloyd, Kratos sees Anna's grave. It is at this point that he realizes that Lloyd is his son.

Once the party reaches the Tower of Salvation, Kratos goes on ahead of Lloyd and the others with Colette, delivering her to Cruxis. Lloyd and the others arrive just as Colette prepares to become a true angel, sacrificing her memory and her heart. Remiel reveals this to the party, and attacks them. The group manages to defeat him, and when Kratos reveals himself, Remiel begs for Kratos to save him. Kratos points out the irony that Remiel begs for help from a former human and allows him to die. Kratos then reveals himself as an angel of Cruxis. When Lloyd and the others learn this, they engage in a near-impossible battle with Kratos. Afterwards, Yggdrasill himself comes to the tower and is about to kill the entire party before they are taken away by the Renegades.

Questionable outsider
Kratos is encountered once again in Tethe'alla, atop the Fooji Mountains when the party goes there to retrieve the Rheairds. During these events the party becomes aware that there is some relation between Yuan, who they know only as the leader of the Renegades, and Kratos. Kratos is encountered by the party in Sybak as well. There he is even more mysterious, indicating that in order for Colette to live she must remove the Key Crest that cured her Angel Toxicosis - a request with which Colette does not comply.

Throughout later events in the game, it becomes increasingly difficult for Lloyd and the others to understand his allegiance. Before the party severs the final mana link atop the Tower of Mana, Kratos appears and warns the party not to do so. However, after the Great Tree goes out of control and begins to tear the world apart, Kratos rejoins the party and aids them (against Mithos' orders) in destroying the tree. Kratos appears before the group again as they attempt to enter Derris-Kharlan's city of angels, Welgaia, through the Tower of Salvation in order to gain a mana fragment to cure Colette's Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium. It is here Kratos admits to them that he is one of Mithos' companions from 4000 years ago, confirming what the elven storyteller had told them. Kratos engages the party in battle, at the end of which angels are summoned and ordered by Kratos to capture the party. The party also questions his motives, realizing that Kratos could have just led them all around Tethe'alla in order to get them to gather the supplies needed to save Colette.

The next time Kratos encounters the party is when Yuan offers to let him meet Lloyd. At Altessa's House, Lloyd learns that Kratos is his father and immediately goes into denial. Yuan then threatens to kill Lloyd unless Kratos releases Origin's seal. Kratos seems impassive, but when Lloyd's attempt to attack Yuan fails, Kratos dashes in front of him to block what could have been a fatal blast from Yuan. Kratos falls unconscious, and Lloyd tries to get a grip on the situation. This is interrupted by a party member (with the highest affection). Mithos makes an appearance directly afterward, revealing himself to be the leader of Cruxis.

In Flanoir, Zelos is seen talking to himself about Aionis- presumably after talking with Kratos. Kratos may appear once again, right after the Flanoir Doctor is escorted to Altessa's home. This is most likely if Lloyd refuses to go outside with anyone else. He will reveal to Lloyd all the events that transpired in Anna's death (the well-known Flanoir scene). Zelos later is seen speaking with Kratos after the doctor arrives at Altessa's house, and makes his decision to either betray the party while helping Kratos get Aionis, or to betray the party in order to die.

Kratos next appears after the initial defeat of Yggdrasill in the Great Seed Chamber. He tells Lloyd that the only true way to reunite the two worlds is for him to wield the Eternal Sword. Kratos then proceeds to Heimdall's Torent Forest and waits for Lloyd at Origin's seal. After dueling Lloyd, Kratos is badly injured, but not killed, instead gaining Lloyd's forgiveness. Kratos then releases the remaining mana in his body and opens the seal to Origin, but Yuan appears and supplies Kratos with some of his own mana, saving him.

Salvation and beyond
Kratos gives Lloyd his Flamberge to use in conjunction with the Vorpal Sword given to him by Dirk. Combined, these make the Material Blade. Depending on the decision in Flanoir, Kratos may or may not join you in the final fight against Mithos. If he does not, he will cite lingering weakness from the fight with Lloyd in Torent Forest.

After the defeat of Mithos at the hand of Lloyd and the others, Kratos is one of the last angels remaining in the world. He agrees with Lloyd's idea that Exspheres should no longer be able to be used by people, due to the senseless waste of human life involved. For this reason, he decides to remain on Derris-Kharlan and scatter Cruxis's supply of Exspheres into space. He uses the remains of the Tower of Salvation to return to Derris-Kharlan, which now drifts into the depths of outer space.

Kratos in alternative scenes in-between
Depending on the actions of the player, it is possible to have Kratos rejoin the party later in the game. In order for this scene to occur, the player must choose against going outside with one the first three characters in the Flanoir scene (if Lloyd has the best relationship with Kratos, he will appear first). Afterwards, Lloyd hears a voice call his name. If the player proceeds outside, a cinema scene will play involving him and Kratos. Kratos gives Lloyd a locket and then leaves.

If this scene has been viewed, then the subsequent events will be extremely different. In the Tower of Salvation, the party will not fight the Gatekeeper, but Zelos instead. They will be forced to kill him.

When Lloyd descends to the bottom of the tower, Kratos' locket will save him from the arrow fired at his chest and the knife in the wall will be different. Most notably, Kratos will save the characters in the party from the various traps. When you confront Yggdrasill, Kratos will tell him that he no longer believes in his vision.

Kratos will not join the party and become a playable character again until after Lloyd fights him in Torent Forest. Once he does, Kratos will rejoin the party with the title "Judgment", which enables his Cruxis costume. In the PlayStation 2 version, wearing his "Judgment" costume allows him to use his ultimate technique, "Shining Bind". Kratos also learns the technique "Judgment" upon his rejoining. If Kratos does not rejoin the party, he will remain at Dirk's House, staying there to rest and allow his injuries from the battle with Lloyd to recover.

Relationships to other characters
Lloyd Irving - Because of his superior sword skills and his condescending nature, Kratos often has to bear with Lloyd’s jealousy and attempts to beat him. Even though Kratos is annoyed by Lloyd when they first met, he seems to soften up with time. Throughout the game, Kratos is seen arguing with Lloyd, although Lloyd is the only one who is yelling. Although Kratos believes Lloyd hates him, their relationship becomes better during the Journey of Regeneration. Eventually, Lloyd will ask for guidance from Kratos, initiating swordsmanship training. This all changes when Kratos betrays the party, resulting in Lloyd really hating him. However, they reclaim an awkward relationship after Lloyd finds out about, and begins to accept, that he is Kratos’ son.

Colette Brunel - Kratos’ opinion of Colette is not clearly shown in the game. It seems like he only thinks of her as the Chosen, and protects her just because of her title and role in Cruxis. However, while Colette loses her need to sleep, Kratos becomes more sympathetic for her as he pretends he does not know she is gradually giving up her humanity.

Genis Sage - Kratos’ and Genis' relationship is not clearly shown in the game. They seem to be on good terms, as Kratos respects Genis for his intelligence. Eventually, Kratos, along with Colette, helps Genis to learn more about the angelic language.

Raine Sage - Kratos' and Raine’s relationship is rather neutral, as Raine is always suspicious of Kratos. As a result, the few times they talk to each other in private includes Raine giving him a questioning tone. However, Kratos is shown to understand Raine very well, as he is the only one who realizes that Raine’s Ruin-Mode may have something to do with her past.

Sheena Fujibayashi - Kratos' and Sheena’s relationship is not clearly shown. But like Raine, Kratos does not trust Sheena at all. However, he quickly understands that she is from Tethe’alla and, possibly in order to know more about her mission, slightly backs the others up when they beg Raine to heal her when she is badly hurt in Luin.

Presea Combatir - The relationship between Kratos and Presea is never shown. Presea is a part of the experiment of which Anna was also a part of, the Angelus Project.

Zelos Wilder - Although their exact relationship is not clearly shown in the game, Kratos and Zelos team up to go against Mithos and Cruxis in secret. However, Zelos does not like Kratos, a fact Kratos understands and accepts.

Regal Bryant - Kratos' and Regal’s relationship is never shown in the game, something that may imply that they get along.

Mithos Yggdrasill - Kratos' and Mithos’ relationship is not perfectly shown in the game. However, it is revealed that Kratos used to train Mithos, and that he feels responsible for what the leader of Cruxis has done.

Yuan - Kratos' and Yuan’s relationship is complicated. While they seem to act extremely hostile toward each other when they meet, they also show an understanding toward the other a few times. The fact that Kratos leaves with Derris-Kharlan at the end without Yuan may have something to do with their relationship.

Tales of Fandom Vol 2
In the second volume of Tales of Fandom, Kratos is criticized by Zelos for his role as a father to Lloyd, although Lloyd backs Kratos up, even if he still cannot call him “Dad”. Additionally, more of Kratos’ alternative past is mentioned.

Past
Four thousand years ago, he used to be a Tethe’allan aristocrat, the son of the army’s leader. As such, he inherited the position, and was also the protector of Tethe’alla’s royal family.

By going into the Gaoracchia Forest with Mithos, it is revealed that he used to have a relationship with the princess, Soleille, but that ended when he opposed the family in order to help Mithos and Martel.

By going into the Gaoracchia Forest with Yuan, it is revealed that they used to battle a lot in the battlefield, as they were soldiers from different countries. Yuan also says that Kratos was apathetic before everyone he met, and however many times they battled, Kratos never hated Yuan. Even if he is said to be apathetic, however, Kratos shows also a gentle side, teasing Yuan about his love for Martel.

By going into the Gaoracchia Forest with Martel, Kratos will shock the other males, but he himself does not care about it. Martel will then say that Kratos is really gentle and kind, understanding when people need a hand or someone to listen to. However, she also thinks that he needs someone to lean into once in a while. In the end, she asks Kratos to take care of Mithos, in which Kratos says that even though he as a human will not live as long as Mithos, he will do his best to make Mithos surpass him, which makes Martel say that Mithos does not look at him as his master, but as a great friend. Kratos is also noticing that Martel is acting strange, but does not question it.

Present
The present is played in a night at Altessa’s House. He, Mithos and Zelos will go out in the forest and talk, until they notice someone spying on them. When they find Kate, a researcher from Sybak, they take her to Derris-Kharlan. Feeling pity for her, Kratos goes after them and helps Kate escape, telling her about his past.

When outside the Tower of Salvation, however, he is attacked by Yuan and the Renegades. Kate is taken hostage, and Kratos has to do what Yuan wants. Yuan takes him to Altessa’s House in order to use Lloyd to make Kratos release Origin’s Seal.

When Mithos interferes and takes Kratos back to Derris-Kharlan, he is locked up in a room. However, Kate, feeling bad for leaving Kratos alone, comes back to help Kratos. Upon getting the help, Kratos talks through a machine to Zelos, who is in Flanoir. He tells the Tethe’alla Chosen to get the Aionis, but they are interfered by Lloyd and the others, who ask what Zelos is doing.

In the end, he tells Kate and Yuan that he will go and release Origin’s Seal, saying that “they have lived way too long”.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Although Kratos is not a playable character in the sequel, he serves as the game's narrator. He also appears in a scene outside the story, talking to Yuan through a hologram. It is revealed that he, along with Yuan, has met Tenebrae and Ratatosk in the past. In the second playthrough, Kratos will apologize to Emil for their betrayal at that time. He is also the one who reveals Yuan’s last name, Ka-Fai.

Tales of Destiny
In the PlayStation 2 remake of Tales of Destiny, Kratos appears in Armeida Village to offer the party a quiz, replacing the original game's appearance of Cress Albane and Arche Klein from Tales of Phantasia.

Tales of Vesperia
In Tales of Vesperia, Kratos appears as the final enemy within the Labyrinth of Memories dungeon. He is known as the Traitor To Heaven, hinting to his role in Tales of Symphonia as a traitor of Cruxis. Defeating him in the Labyrinth of Memories rewards the party with the final "Letter of Challenge" needed to participate in the 200-Man Melee, in which he is the last cameo challenger.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
Kratos appears in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology as a playable character, classed as a Magic Knight with the "Mercenary" title. He is the leader of the Ailily chapter of Ad Libitum, a guild in the game the player becomes a member in. He is viewed as strict and serious, but cares and worries about everyone in the guild.

Kratos has not revealed his relationship with Lloyd, although Lloyd uses the Material Blades. In the game, it seems that only Kratos knows that they are father and son when during a skit, Kratos argues with Lloyd about his fighting style and Raine interupts, saying that Kratos treats Lloyd as if he were his father, causing them to go silent. He is also the one who starts the Radiant Quests’ side-quest.

If the player gives the right circumstances, it is possible to fight Kratos in a Trial Quest, and through victory the player can get the invitation to become a Magic Knight. He can also fight against the player along with Lloyd.

Tales of VS.
Kratos makes an appearance in Tales of VS. as a highly skilled mercenary, hired by the Holy Kingdom Heidr as their representative for the Yggdrasill Battle. He is a master of the sword and acts calmly in all situations, which make many find him mysterious. During the game he ventures with Cress Albane from Tales of Phantasia. It seems that their objective is to stop Dhaos and Barbatos Goetia. During the story he and Cress meets up with Lloyd and Colette two times. In the beginning he allows Cress to have pratice match with Lloyd and Colette. After he meets up with the two after they defeated the dopplegangers of him and Cress. Kratos talks to Lloyd, but acting the way he did caused Lloyd to get hot headed and challenge him to a match, depending on the story mode is chosen either he or Lloyd will win. After this Kratos and Cress will leave and continue on their quest to stop Dhaos. His ultimate weapon in this game the Flamberge, and after maxing out his GP points, he gets Last Fencer.

Soulcalibur Legends
Although he is neither a playable character, nor present in the game at all, Kratos is referred to in Soulcalibur Legends. In one mission, playing as Lloyd and Ivy, both speak of their fathers. Lloyd mentions to Ivy how he has two fathers, and that he considers himself very lucky to have them. He tells a little bit about both Dirk and Kratos, and though he never mentions their names, it is obvious who he is speaking about to anyone who has played Tales of Symphonia.

In battle
Kratos' fighting style is similar to that of Zelos, though it seems like Zelos has a little shorter range than Kratos. Kratos has some useful offensive and healing spells, together with the Angel Skill Judgment, although he prefers to fight on the front lines. Although he uses the same weapons and armor as Zelos, his sword-play varies subtly from that of him: Kratos' sword-play is stronger, reflecting his strength rather than his finesse. The varied sword-play style also affects some of his techniques. For example, when Kratos uses the technique Victory Light Spear, he tends to lift himself up too fast, often missing the final mid-air spiral cut. Zelos, on the other hand, has no trouble flawlessly delivering all four hits from the same technique. Also, in the PlayStation 2 version, his Mystic Arte is Shining Bind.

Kratos uses swords and daggers, like Zelos. His strongest weapon is the sword Last Fencer which can be won by defeating Seles in the Coliseum. The strongest dagger is Crystal Dagger, although it is not as strong as Last Fencer. His gag weapons are the dagger Toy Dagger and the sword Baseball Bat, and they can be bought in the completely rebuilt Luin. His Devil's Arms are the dagger Fafnir, which is obtained in the Gaoracchia Forest, and the sword Soul Eater, which is obtained after beating a giant Sand Worm in the Triet desert.

In Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, Kratos’ fighting-style changes slightly. He is now able to have a useful set of six normal slashes with his sword, combining with Base, Master and Arcane Arte, something that was not possible in his original game without the right EX-Skills. Also, having one of the strongest Strength stats in the game, he is often used in battles.

Trivia

 * "Kratos" comes from the Greek word Cratos, meaning “strength”. Cratos was also the name of a Greek demi-god, a companion of Zeus and the son of the Titan Pallas and the goddess Styx, who was the representative of the river of the same name. He, along with his siblings Nike, Bia, and Zelos, are winged beings that serve the throne of Zeus. This could also be linked to his role in Tales of Symphonia, Mithos playing the role of Zeus. Kratos beleived that Mithos's way was the only possible way and that anyone who challenged him was not in the right mind. Kratos, the demi-god, was shown to never disobey Zeus or question if his way was right or not. This could also resemble his relationship with Zelos, as his brother, because both the characters fight using the same weapon and it is a very common argument on who is better, Kratos or Zelos.
 * ”Aurion” comes from the Greek word "morning". Together with “Kratos”, his full name may mean “strong morning” or “morning of strength”.
 * According to the second Namco poll, Kratos was the most popular character in the Tales series.
 * Along with Colette, Kratos is one of the only characters who still have the same English voice actor in the sequel as the original.
 * In Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, Kratos is also the only Tales of Symphonia-cast who still has the same voice actor.
 * He is also the only character in the original Tales of Symphonia not to be playable in the sequel.
 * Kratos does not like tomatoes, as shown by the effects of cooking. When he cooks, he does not use tomatoes as additional ingredients, and the dishes with the lowest stars for him are mainly the ones that require tomatoes. Incidentally, Lloyd also does not like tomatoes and has similar results when cooking.