#2. KRATOS (GOD OF WAR)
Honestly, if we were making this list pre-2018, Kratos wouldn’t be anywhere in here. For the longest time, he was a one-dimensional angry dude who ripped everything in his path to shreds and cared only about his vengeance, which is a primary motivation that can quickly wear thin (especially if it’s highlighted over the course of six games). God of War (2018), however, turned him into an actual character, and did it with great aplomb. It gave him layers and complexity, it forced him to face his horrifying past, his countless mistakes, and it forced him to actually try and fight his many demons. It was the perfect way to humanize what had been, until not too long ago, the most inhuman character you could possibly think of. The fact that Sony Santa Monica managed such a drastic turnaround in the space of a single game without compromising the nature and essence of Kratos’ character is a spectacular feat that cannot be praised enough.
