Kratos. His is a name that strikes a certain image into the minds of gamers; particularly one of intense strength, power, and violence. And yes, when we say violence we do mean the God-killing kind. The protagonist of the God Of War series has one of the most impressive track records of destruction across all of gaming history; after all, it's not every day that we see a character tear through the Greek pantheon.
If Kratos doesn't have a match in any of his video game protagonist peers, it seems only natural that we turn to anime to try and find a match for him. In honor of Kratos and his insane levels of power, here are five anime characters who could beat Kratos and five he would destroy.
10 Beat Kratos: Kenshiro - Fist of the North Star
First on our list of anime character matchups for Kratos is Kenshiro, the protagonist of Fist of the North Star. For those unfamiliar, Kenshiro is a master of the martial art Hokuto Shinken, a combat style that focuses on striking pressure points to destroy enemies from within.
Kenshiro is an unparalleled combatant, able to leave the battlefield littered with bodies with various parts missing via spontaneous explosion. In a sense, he's very similar to Kratos with the capacity he has for leaving destruction in his wake. If it comes down to hand to hand combat against Kenshiro, Kratos may already be dead.
9 Destroyed By Kratos: Major Armstrong - Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
As painful as it is to hand an "L" to one of the best characters in this anime, the Strongarm Alchemist from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood realistically stands no chance against Kratos. While his abilities are certainly superhuman, Armstrong can't really hold a candle against the power that Kratos has demonstrated across his franchise.
Before the release of 2018's God of War, one might have argued that it was Armstrong's kindness and caring that tempers his strength and makes him less of a match, but seeing Kratos learn to love and care for his son and still be able to rip apart figures from Norse myth just like the good old days is bad news for Armstrong. Sorry Major, but the only thing you're beating Kratos in is a flex off.
8 Beat Kratos: Ultimate Madoka - Puella Magi Madoka Magica
We'll start this one off by pointing out the obvious. Yes, at the end of this fantastic anime series Madoka becomes, in effect, a goddess, and yes, Kratos' thing for a long time has been...well...killing such beings. But unlike the Greek gods and goddesses that fell at the hands of Kratos, Madoka holds a unique advantage. After her ascension, Madoka becomes more than just a goddess. She becomes a force; one that the laws of the universe are rewritten to account for her existence.
If that's not a testament to the power she gains as a result of her world breaking wish, then we really don't know what is. While we haven't seen Ultimate Madoka in combat, it stands to reason that she'd be the one diety that could really give Kratos a run for his money.
7 Destroyed By Kratos: Armored Titan - Attack on Titan
For those not familiar with this series, Titans are creatures that prey on the last remaining humans. While even the most generic of them are terrifying, there is a handful of specialty titans with more unique abilities than others. The Titan best equipped to take on Kratos is the Armored Titan which, as the name implies, is equipped with a natural armor giving it great defensive capabilities.
Is it enough to stand against Kratos, though? Definitely not. Special titans like the Armored Titan have a distinct weakness. They are "Piloted" by humans and have a weak spot in the nape of their neck where the human body can be located. While the Armored Titan can try to harden its skin to protect itself, we've seen Kratos rip off too many heads to think the armored Titan would be any kind of exception.
6 Beat Kratos: Akainu - One Piece
Fans of One Piece knew Akainu was strong even before he killed Ace, one of the series most beloved characters. His imposing frame, his mastery of abilities like Haki, and his fervent belief in Absolute Justice make Akainu dangerous enough but couple in his promotion to Fleet Admiral, the highest-ranking position within the Marines in the world of One Piece.
His mastery over the element of magma thanks to his Mag-Mag Devil Fruit makes him a shoo-in for winning against Kratos. While we've seen Kratos square off against elementals before, Logia type Devil Fruit users are essentially impervious to physical attacks. Even with some divine power thrown in for good measure, though, Kratos is sure to not align with Akainu's sense of justice and that on its own is a death sentence.
5 Destroyed By Kratos: All Might - My Hero Academia
This is another one that's painful to put into the losers' bracket, but the fact of the matter is that All Might, while an incredible hero, is probably outclassed by the God of War. Granted All Might's strength is...well, his strength, and fights against baddies like Nomu (who, for the record, was engineered to beat All Might) have certainly cemented that fact.
Unfortunately, a battle of brawns leans vastly in favor of Kratos who, even at the beginning of his most recent game, goes mano y mano against Baldur who is incapable of feeling pain and still manages to come out on top. This, of course, is only one of Kratos' many feats, but it still stands to reason that when it comes down to it hero loses to god.
4 Beat Kratos: Kenpachi Zaraki - Bleach
Captain of the 11th Division and literal one-man spirit army, Zaraki is a soul reaper who lives for the thrill of battle. While in this case referring to a particular character, the title of "Kenpachi" is also a badge reserved for the strongest soul reaper. Zaraki is a powerful warrior, but one thing stands out. He constantly restricts himself in order to make combat more exciting - and increases his strength only when he needs to.
Removing an eyepatch, for example, or using two hands on his sword are the simple ways for Zaraki's strength to grow exponentially. In Bleach, we've seen Zaraki scale his power to impressive heights, and while Kratos may get the upper hand over Zaraki early on in the fight, Zaraki will always rise to meet a challenge. Of all the characters that have the best chance at just brute-forcing it against Kratos, Zaraki has that locked down.
3 Destroyed By Kratos: Saber - Fate/Zero
Saber, the personification of Arthur/Artoria Pendragon who participates as a fighter in the Holy Grail War, as a heroic spirit Saber is well equipped for next level combat against figures of myth and legend. Unfortunately for Saber, Kratos makes his name doing the exact same thing.
While one may assume that this makes Kratos on about an even playing field with Saber, the figure of Arthurian legend is unfortunately bound to the will of a master; someone that she fights for in the Holy Grail War. This little detail loses Saber her edge and instead puts her at a disadvantage to the God of War who answers to no one's will but his own.
2 Beat Kratos: Goku - Dragon Ball Series
No one is surprised to see that Goku, of course, earns a winner's spot on this list. While lacking in aspects like being a good father, Goku lives to train, to win, and to push his body even further beyond. It's unfortunately not even a question here; Kratos can try his best but his best may only serve as fuel to Goku's fire.
With his abilities rising to incredible heights in Dragon Ball Z and higher still in Dragon Ball Super, Goku has shown time and time again why he's the king of Anime fighters, and his is a crown that not even Kratos can take.
1 Destroyed By Kratos: Guts - Berserk
Guts, the Black Swordsman and protagonist of the Berserk series a powerful demon slayer that operates in a world that is bleak, corrupt, and unforgiving. He's an amazing fighter and an amazing character, but head to head against Kratos Guts will take probably the closest loss on this list.
There are several similarities in the storylines of the two, but the factors that motivated Kratos result in an individual that is fit to slay not just demons, but gods and everything else as well. While Guts faces off against the forces of corruption, Kratos goes after it at its source. That takes some serious strength that Guts just may not be able to beat.