Top 10 Times Kratos Went Beast Mode

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Kratos Went Beast Mode.

For this list, we’ll be looking at those times when the Ghost of Sparta went full "God of War." We’re issuing a spoiler alert, although we think it goes without saying that there will be blood.

What do you think is the most brutal “God of War” moment? Let us know in the comments!

What better way to introduce the Ghost of Sparta than by having Kratos skewer a massive mythological beast? The Hydra serves as the first showcase of "God of War's" penchant for cinematic action and larger-than-life bosses; more importantly, it also demonstrates that Kratos can get creative and brutal with his takedowns. The Hydra's massive size proves to be of little concern as Kratos violently cuts away at the beast, pinning the sea serpent's many heads to a broken-down ship. Kratos isn't even the God of War yet, but the Hydra still goes down while screeching in agony.

As a prequel, "Ascension" swaps out Kratos' endless fiery rage for melancholy self-hatred, but the Spartan proves to still be more than capable of opening a can of gory whoop-ass. An enemy type that shows up sporadically throughout the game, the Juggernaut is basically a bipedal elephant, a species known for having rather big brains. In a violent death sequence, Kratos endlessly stabs away at the monster's head before exposing its thinker for the whole world to see. Kratos reduces this tank to a mess and makes it seem easy in the process.

By the time "God of War III" rolls around, Kratos is in a constant state of unbridled fury, and the Spartan takes it out on everyone. Injured and unable to even stand, Helios is reduced to bargaining and scheming in the presence of his executioner. Unfortunately for the god, Kratos is all out of mercy or pity. The Spartan literally tears Helios apart, an act that is vicious even by "God of War III's" standards. This is Kratos at his most ferocious, a being that has been stripped down to nothing but vengeance, hatred, and the blood of his enemies.

Armed with tentacles and a mouth wide enough to swallow a car, the Kraken has Kratos on the ropes until the Spartan gets a power boost from Gaia in the form of the "Rage of the Titans." Kratos then proceeds to dismantle the massive creature, leaving it short a few limbs and in a state of desperation. With the "Rage of the Titans" enabled, Kratos enters a superpowered mode that spells doom for anyone in his path, and the Kraken is no exception. When Kratos is in the mood, even a walkway can be turned into a weapon.

A bigger enemy just means a bigger target. On his quest to take down Zeus, Kratos heads to Tartarus to retrieve the Omphalos Stone from Cronos, which happens to be in the Titan's stomach. Despite being chained up, Cronos is still the size of a mountain, so Kratos has to take a more strategic approach to this battle. From both inside and out, Kratos surgically dissects the Titan, leaving Cronos blubbering insults as he is brought to the brink of destruction by an ant. Size means little when Kratos is seeing red, and the Spartan's world is coated in blood throughout "God of War III."

2018's "God of War" presents an older and more in-control Kratos who takes out enemies with vicious efficiency. The Hræzlyr boss fight is perhaps the most traditional "God of War" encounter in the game, as Kratos chips away at a mammoth beast before ending the battle with some good old-fashioned environmental damage. Here, Kratos' tactical mind comes into play, as he reads the situation and forms a plan using the tools at his disposal. The battle's final spot is basically "God of War's" equivalent of Kratos walking away from an explosion.

Everything in the original trilogy leads up to this moment: father versus son, Zeus versus Kratos. Kratos unleashes all his anger in a fight that goes through multiple stages, and the Spartan pays the King of Olympus back for every suffering he was made to endure. Kratos is in beast mode for most of this battle, but the bloody and sobering climax takes things up a notch as Zeus is reduced to a helpless punching bag. Throughout all of this, Kratos manages to finish off Gaia because the Spartan's rage even reduces Titans to collateral damage.

The 2018 game opens up in typical fashion with a multi-stage boss fight, but the big difference here is that Kratos' actions are driven by a desire to protect rather than destroy. The Stranger arrives and goads Kratos into a punch fest, but the Spartan does not begin to go all out until Baldur directly threatens Atreus. Baldur's power and curse make it so Kratos has no choice but to become the person he was trying to leave behind, and this fight ends on a pretty harrowing if not especially gory note.

That time "God of War" took a page from the kaiju playbook. The first game does a stellar job setting up Ares as a power-hungry god who uses mortals as playthings, so it’s incredibly satisfying when a mere Spartan proves to be the God of War's downfall. Empowered by Pandora's Box and armed with the Blade of the Gods, Kratos transcends his limitations and brings Ares to his knees. While the Ghost of Sparta would get stronger as the series progressed, this battle represents Kratos at his larger-than-life best, serving as a sign of things to come.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Because Why Use an Axe When Your Bare Hands Can Also Get the Job Done?

Because Threatening Atreus Is a Bad Idea

Because You Don’t Have to Be a Primordial to See How This Battle Would End

As the final march to Olympus's downfall begins, Poseidon is the first Greek God to clash with Kratos. The God of the Sea proves to be a more than worthy fighter, but Poseidon eventually succumbs to Kratos's overwhelming wrath. After an epic fight, Kratos sends Poseidon into a mountain and then proceeds to beat him to death. Kratos is an anti-hero throughout the original trilogy, but the Spartan comes across as a terrifying monster during this sequence. The fact Poseidon's final moments are framed from the god's point of view only enhances Kratos's viciousness.