If there's one thing that the God of War series has proven, it's that a great hero needs enemies just as impressive to make his exploits worth playing through. With Kratos' latest adventure, God of War: Ascension, he'll be adding to the ranks of bested mythical creatures the likes of The Furies, and even the fearsome monstrosity known as The Manticore.

Of course, while the Ghost of Sparta may be slashing his way through Greek mythology, there are still a few legendary creatures he has yet to oppose. Rather than simply looking at the fiercest, or most well-known mythical creatures, we're focused on a few we'd like Kratos to fight for different reasons.

We don't know if Ascension, or even God of War 4 will help our dreams come true, but here's our list of 5 Mythical Creatures Kratos Should Fight Next.

Ichthyocentaurs

God of War Ichthyocentaurs

We've all heard of Centaurs at this point: creatures bearing the body of a horse with a human torso and head. The history of fantasy films have shown that they're capable in combat, and in a pinch, a great form of transportation. So why not add another creature into the mix? We give you the Ichthyocentaurs, with the body of a man, front legs of a horse, the rear end of a snake usually depicted with a lobster-claw crown (because why not, at that point?).

The most famous pair of the sea creatures depicted in artwork would likely be the twins Bythos and Aphros. Though they may be known for a more peaceful demeanor than the always combat-ready Centaurs, it isn't hard to see why we think they'd make a worthwhile God of War villain duo. Kratos had made a habit of dispatching creatures of both land and sea, so how about a couple that combine both?

Ophiotaurus

God of War Ophiotaurus

Not every creature doing battle with Kratos needs to do so with a sword and shield, or even arms, for that matter. And anyone familiar with what the developers at Santa Monica have done with other mythical animals should be able to understand our desire to see the Ophiotaurus in action. We don't know how much success the God of War art team would have in making a half-bull, half-snake seem wild and deadly, but we'd invite them to try it regardless.

The Ophiotaurus could even work in the existing plot structure, as the animal was said to grant the person who burnt its entrails the power needed to overthrow the gods. It seems a few years can't go by without Kratos needing to remove yet another god from Olympus, so we have to think those powers would come in handy. He may not need them, per se, but better safe than sorry.

Orthrus

God of War Orthrus

As the three-headed hound of Hades, Cerberus - and the many lower forms of the beast - have become a mainstay in the series thus far, with countless variations being set upon Kratos both in temples and the wild. Yet lesser known to fans of the game, and of Greek mythology, is Cerberus' two-headed brother, Orthrus. The multi-headed Cerberi will once again be appearing in Ascension's multiplayer mode at least, so why not take this opportunity to give his brother due credit?

When a family of beasts contains the likes of Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimera, the Sphinx, and even the Nemean Lion, it's hard to get any traction. Especially when the basic pitch is "he's like Cerberus...but minus one head." Still, Orthrus would prove just as deadly as his kin, and we can't help but think if he made a worthy adversary for Hercules, he's worthy of Kratos as well. Anyone with a successful sibling should feel for the little guy.

Telchines

God of War Telchines

Being a skilled metalworker often earned one an elevated reputation in ancient Greek mythology, but the Telchines are remembered for much more. As natives of Rhodes, the Telchines forged (depending on who you ask) Poseidon's Trident - although in God of War, like the history books, they are credited as Cyclopes - and the scythe of Cronus, also raising the sea god and Zeus himself from childhood.

Did we mention they possess flippers instead of hands, the head of a dog, and were referred to as 'fish-children'? Exactly. Forging weaponry as sophisticated as those seen wielded by Kratos and his enemies is a tall order for any smith, but being able to make them with flippers for hands? Now that's skill. If we're being completely honest, we really just hope to see them make it into the series since so little evidence of them in artwork exists. Apparently, the Greeks didn't appreciate dog-headed, flipper-handed craftsmen like we do.

Hippalectryon

God of War Hippalectryon

At last, we arrive at the Hippalectryon. With a name meaning "horse-rooster" everything you need to know about this mythological creature can be found in its name. Bestowed with the head of a horse and body of a rooster, the Hippalectryon proves that ridiculous magical animals aren't hard to find; just hard to make famous.

We're baffled as to why, since anything capable of surviving such inevitable ridicule would possess one heck of a chip on its shoulder. The creature was actually used to prevent bad luck, assuming evil spirits would find it too hilarious to do harm. Even if the Hippalectryon wasn't up to snuff combat-wise (although we'd love to see how Santa Monica would improve its killing power) it might disarm Kratos in a different way.

It's hard to think of Kratos reduced to tears of laughter, but if it's possible, the Hippalectryon would be the one to do it.

Conclusion

God of War Ascension Manticore Trailer

We'll keep our fingers crossed that these might make an appearance, but feel free to add the most memorable fictional creatures that you would want to see the God of War team take on next.

We'd warn that some are more likely than others, but with creatures like the Elephantaur already confirmed to appear, anything is possible.

God of War: Ascension releases March 12, 2013 exclusively for the PS3.

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