God of War, exploring the roots of Kratos' design

While I was working on the God of War blogs I was going back through a lot of concept art of the series. It reminded me of some early behind the scenes footage. I'd like to explore the origins of Kratos, and how the games could have gone in a completely different direction. I'd like you to use your imagination, and ask yourself what if Kratos had looked like he did in his early art. For starters let's talk about his final design. David Jaffe is credited as the father of Kratos, but he defers the look, and especially animation to Cory Barlog. David wanted the hero of his story to be a rage filled monster. He didn't necessarily have to have the physique of a swollen bodybuilder as most games, or comic book characters did at the time. Instead he wanted someone that was strong, but aggressive. The template he pointed to was the Neo Nazi character Derek Vinyard from the film American History X. Derek was played by actor Ed Norton.

The film is an ugly, but realistic portrayal of Neo Nazis in the USA. The ways in which they are recruited, and groomed by their betters to spread their agenda. Derek is by all means an unforgivable character, especially after killing two Black men, and being sent to prison. What happens next is an unraveling of the character, the roots of his hate, and rage. Ultimately he has to find a way to keep his hate from spreading to his younger brother. It's a great film, but not for everybody. But I digress. The character of Kratos is meant to have a similar tragic origin as Derek, and share the same emotive qualities. With that in mind I think Mr. Barlog nailed what Jaffe was asking for. It was a far cry from the earliest prototypes for the character.

The studio knew they wanted to tell a swords, and sandals adventure. So they tasked the art team to create a legendary warrior. This fighter didn't necessarily have to be based on an actual historical figure. Their armor, and weapons didn't have to be rooted in reality. Leaning on fantasy was acceptable. Dozens, if not hundreds of drafts were submitted. In the earliest forms the character was completely armored. You couldn't really make out a face, skin color, or any other distinguishing figures. It could be the type of character that any game player could place themselves in. It was rarely done in gaming, but it had worked previously with characters like Master Chief from Halo, and Issac from Dead Space. The armored warrior was okay, but audiences needed a reason to root for them. Some of the early drafts also gave this warrior a baby to care for, or transport.

The studio considered this draft of Kratos the Lone Wolf and Cub. The idea was copied many times from the works of a manga series of the same name from 1970. The story of Ogami Itto the former executioner, and his son Daigoro is set feudal Japan during the 1700's. Written by Kazuo Koike, and illustrated by Goseki Kojima the series has been published in multiple languages, and been adapted to anime, and film. It is easily one of the greatest stories of all time, and the fact that the majority of the adventures were told without dialogue helped make it an international hit. Many of the people working on the God of War franchise would have probably been familiar with the manga, if they didn't grow up reading it. I can imagine that the early faceless warrior would have instantly have a ton of pathos if he had to raise his kid in a harsh environment. Yet that was one proposed idea to get audiences to root for the hero. The other idea that was floating around in the early days was to give our hero a puppy.

Imagine how the game would have played if our adventurer was raising a dog, or wolf cub. It's not hard to guess that the combat system, enemies, and stage designs would have to be built around what this little sidekick was capable of. There had actually been a precedent for this type of adventure. You would have to go all the way back to 1989 to see where it started. Sega had a side scrolling action game called Shinobi that they released in arcades in 1987. In it the ninja Joe Musashi has to infiltrate a crime organization armed with his sword, and throwing stars. The sequel Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi has Joe fighting alongside an attack dog named Shadow. He can send the dog to distract enemies while he then strikes them down. It made for an interesting idea, and a memorable game. I'm not sure if that mechanic would work in 3D, but it was interesting that Sony Santa Monica had considered it.

Jaffe would challenge his art team to try different things to help visualize the main character, and type of game he wanted to create. Instead of just going for realistic, or fantasy warriors he would say draw what the physical embodiment of rage would look like. What about war, or anger, or hate? What does that look like if those intangibles were a person? Lots of ideas were submitted. Characters made of fire, and spikes. Assassins covered in blades. All sorts of drawings flowed in. Little by little they discovered that they could humanize what they were going after if audiences could see the face of the protagonist. At first it was just an open face helmet that they wore. Perhaps some war paint, or a tattoo to give them personality. But if this character was going to have face markings then it made more sense to get rid of the helmet completely. Little by little the ideas for Kratos were starting to come together.

Would this character have hair? Would they be covered in scars? Were they covered in paint, or tattoos? If so were these markings tribal in nature? The team went back to the drawing board. They started stripping away the armor, and in doing so they learned it was easier to read the physicality of the character. To make him appear more animated. They saw how much they could take away from him, while still making him look like a warrior. In the end the costume was essentially from the waist down. It was the pteruges, the pleated skirts worn by Greek, and Roman soldiers, shin guards, and sandals. The rest was tattoos, and an attitude. Figuring out the weapons he would be using was a challenge in itself. Swords, throwing spikes, axes, everything was considered. As the game engine was coming together one of the senior artists, Charlie Wen, was sketching on a napkin at lunch. The form, weapons, and poses were an amalgamation of the best ideas from the studio. He brought his idea back to the studio where Jaffe pretty much confirmed that was exactly what they were looking for.

The question then came what to color the character. Jaffe noticed that some other sketches had a ghostly white character. The artists planned on going back, and painting the skin after they had colored in the armor, and weapons. Jaffe said to keep the character pale, and they would create a story as to why he was colored like that. This is how the ashes of his slaughtered family worked into the canon of the game. The team had to figure out what the markings would look like. Were they earth-tones, like mud or camouflage? In the earliest drafts the iconic tattoos were blue, and purple. Purple was a rare color to create in ancient times. It would really only be seen on royalty, or the very rich. The warrior was anything but an elite. Blue was a strong choice, but red popped even more on the screen. So Kratos came together little bits at a time, and after lots of fine tuning with many fantastic artists. It was more than just giving swords to a Neo Nazi movie character.

There were a few drafts that I especially enjoyed. These were the ones where Kratos had a distinct African origin. The character was not only Black, but his armor, and weapons were unlike anything that we had seen in traditional media. I like to go back, and think about how the franchise would have turned out if the settings were Africa. Not Egypt necessarily, although their pantheon would be a good place to end up. Do you think this character had potential? Do you think it would be fun to revisit the classic GoW gameplay, but with a different leading character? Perhaps set in the same universe, but another part of the world?

I hope you enjoyed this dive into the origins of Kratos. Is there a favorite draft of the character that you enjoyed best? Maybe it was a skin you could unlock in one of the game. Would you have enjoyed the game more or less if Kratos were dragging a baby, or puppy along with him? Let me know in the comments section please. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

A look at Marisa, the Street Fighter 6 gladiator...

Today we’re going to look at Marisa, the new heavy hitter featured in Street Fighter 6. Marisa was leaked along with the rest of the lineup when only Ryu, Luke, Jaimie, and Chun-Li had been confirmed. So what do we know about her, and her fighting style? Nothing yet. At least nothing officially. But what can we infer from her design? Let’s start with the most obvious thing, her size. Marisa is huge. She’s easily the biggest female in a SF game, and possibly the tallest female character in the SF universe. I have to double-check, but I’m pretty sure of it. The easiest explanation for why a fighter like her appears goes to SF6 Designer: Yusuke Hashimoto. He Produced Bayonetta, and Directed Bayonetta 2. The leggy witch is actually eight feet tall, not as tall as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil, but it is fair to say that Capcom has a thing for tall ladies. Not that I’m complaining, let alone the community.

Women of different sizes, and body types had been missing in pop culture. Little by little big women, strong women, and fat women started showing up. More important, they began being accepted. The gigantic Zarya as a tank character in the 2016 game Overwatch was a milestone. More recently Luisa Madrigal in the 2021 film Encanto gave Disney a wake up call. Studio executives were sure that her sister Isabela, who looked like a traditional Disney princess, would be the most popular character in the film. So they made sure there were dolls, and other merchandise of her available when the movie came out. Instead the big, and strong Luisa was the show-stealer. Both girls, and boys clamored for products featuring her. The company scrambled to put together soft goods, and get toys on the shelf due to the demand. Women have typically been presented as very curvy, and feminine in the SF series. Based on just her build Marisa is a welcome addition to the SF6 cast. To weigh all opinions let’s bring up a point. Pro E-sports player Ricki Sophie Ortiz wondered if Marisa was possibly a trans character. It would be cool if she were, but we will find out in time. Whether Marisa is, or isn’t, the question demonstrated how far society had progressed since the series had started over 35 years ago.

Let’s talk about where Marisa comes from so we can figure out who she is as a character. She represents Italy in the newest tournament. Italy had been represented before in the SF universe in both 2D, and 3D games. Rose debuted in Street Fighter Zero / Alpha in 1995. She did not look anything like a traditional martial arts master. Her appearance mirrored that of Vega / Dictator. She had psychic powers, wore a dress, with heels, and fought with a scarf. It was inferred that she was Romani fortune teller (try not to call her a gypsy because that word is actually a slur). This combination of elements worked in her favor, and she became popular with the fans. Her use of mystical powers brought the supernatural into the canon of SF. Vulcano Rosso was an entirely different type of fighter. His outfit seemed to be zipped together pieces of different colored leathers. Also making him look anything but a traditional martial arts master. He debuted in Street Fighter EX2+ in 1998. The flamboyant secret agent used quick strikes, and fire-based special attacks that he named after Roman landmarks. Marisa broke the trend, and looks like an MMA champion that could destroy someone in the octagon, as well as the street. To figure out her fighting style we should look at the clues that Capcom has given us.

The studio has created some beautiful stages set in Italy. The Roman Colosseum featured in SFZ was based on the location of the legendary fight between Bruce Lee, and Chuck Norris in the film The Way of the Dragon. The canals of Venice, and the ship the Neptune are the backdrop of Rose’s memorable stages. With all of this history, and attention to detail I think that the team at Capcom went deep into the creation of Marisa. When I first saw her I thought of two things; ancient Italian football, and the roots of MMA. Let me explain.

Marisa’s costume, and even her haircut is very distinct. Over her trunks she is wearing a tabara, or armored skirt. This fashion item was worn by soldiers for thousands of years. From ancient Roman times, all the way up to Middle Ages there was a version of the skirt all throughout Europe. You can even see MMA fighters like Melvin Manhoef, and boxers wearing a version of this skirt. The shape of her hair is also distinct. Look at the way it falls flat over her ear, and around her eyes. Most female boxers, and MMA fighters wear thier hair in tight braids. This way it avoids getting in their eyes, or pulled inadvertinly in a grapple. Marisa's hair is shaped more like a Chalcidian Helmet. Then there are the markings on her gloves. They look like a dagger, the same shape that she wears around her neck in a gold chain. This could be seen as a dagger carried by a the Legionary or professional heavy infantryman. Unlike Guile, or Cammy, she doesn't appear to be dressed as a soldier. With the armor, and dagger motifs applied to her I would say she was designed after an ancient Roman gladiator.

Even though she is wearing gloves, the fact that she is not wearing boots suggests that she is not representing professional boxing. Also based on her other visual clues I'm going to say she is not practicing modern MMA. I am going to say that Marisa studies pankration, an ancient form of boxing, and wrestling that was essentially the mixed martial arts of the first Olympics. According to legend pankration was created by Heracles, and Thesius in ancient times. Marisa may be representing the oldest form of western combat in a series dominated by Eastern traditions. As an aside, given her size, and build Marisa was probably familiar with Calico Fiorentino. This was an ancient version of rugby / football that is still played today. I coud imagine her plowing through guys in her youth, and giving her the confidence that she could take on the strongest fighters regardless of gender. This in turn lead to her identifying as the modern gladiator.

As for the colors assigned to her, I think they may be among the best choices in the new SF lineup. When it comes to color choices for a costume I am firm believer that less is more. Having one main color, and one or two accent colors defined the original World Warriors. Black is her main color, accented in gold. There is also red thrown in for contrast. We have seen examples of black, and gold as solid color choices previously. Darun Mister in the EX series, and King Cobra in the planning stages demonstrated that the combination worked surprisingly well. They also demonstrated that gold, the metal, worked as details on jewelry, and costume without distracting from the overall presentation.

The SF series has always had someone representing pro boxing. Ed may fit the bill in SF6, and we saw Luke throw some powerful punches in the trailer. I think Marisa is also set up to be a great puncher, and moreover be thought of as the heavyweight champ in the game. Ed, and Luke appear more like cruiserweights by comparison. I am eager to see a full trailer, and move breakdown for Marisa. Zangief has always been my go-to character, but it would be fun to have a grappler, and puncher as well like Alex, or not Marisa. What about you? What do you think she brings to the lineup? Is there a detail that stood out to you for this character? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!