Bloodborne is a video game that is extremely unforgiving to those who won't respect its gameplay mechanics and style. To overcome Bloodborne, the player must be patient when playing—knowing when and when not to attack and when and when not to dodge. One boss in this game that perfectly encapsulates this principle is the Orphan of Kos.
The Orphan of Kos is arguably the hardest boss in Bloodborne, if not the hardest boss in the entire Soulsborne series. Aside from the boss' difficulty level, FromSoftware Games also made sure to make this character as interesting and complex as everything else in this game.
8 Connections With Gehrman
There are a couple of details about the Orphan of Kos and Gehrman that hint at a connection between the two. It is known that Gehrman was among the Byrgenwerth hunters who attacked and massacred the people of the Fishing Hamlet. It also seems like they may have killed the real Orphan of Kos in the waking world.
The Orphan's sobs when first approached is the exact same sound as Gehrman's sobs, only pitched lower. When the Orphan is defeated, the Doll will comment that Gehrman has suddenly stopped being restless in his sleep.
7 It Fights Using Its Placenta
If the design of the Orphan of Kos itself wasn't terrifying enough, one other aspect about this character that makes it more horrible is its weapon of choice. The Orphan wields its own placenta, flailing it around like an axe.
The placenta's handle also seems to wrap itself around the Orphan's arm. When the Orphan transforms during his second phase, the weapon also becomes a tad bigger. The projectiles the Orphan throws to the player also comes from the placenta.
6 The Real Orphan Of Kos
The Orphan of Kos boss fight is one hell of a challenge. In the vast majority of cases, the players will have to fight this boss multiple times before finally being able to put it down, thus finishing the Old Hunters DLC. With all of that effort, it can be frustrating to think about the fact that the creature the players fight is not even the real Orphan of Kos.
In actuality, the Orphan of Kos is a true Great One, and all Great Ones exist within multiple planes of existence. The "Orphan of Kos" the players defeat in the game is simply its physical manifestation. The real Orphan of Kos in the game is the black phantom they set free after the fight.
5 It Can Be Beaten In Its First Form
The Orphan of Kos has punished many hunters since it was introduced. Millions of players from around the world have been defeated repeatedly by this tough opponent, especially during its second phase. Naturally, a lot of players have found a way to defeat this boss before it even gets the chance to reach the second phase.
If the player is able to parry and perform a visceral attack on the Orphan, there's a chance that it will follow up with an attack that's easy to parry. Once done continuously, it will put the Orphan on a loop of being visceral attacked until its HP drops to zero. Interestingly, if the boss is defeated this way, its body will not fall or disappear after. This is because the game has no death animation for the Orphan of Kos in its first phase.
4 The Reasoning Behind The Orphan's Physical Form
The citizens of the Fishing Hamlet, those who are left anyway, refer to the Orphan of Kos as the "poor wizened child." The word "wizened" refers to the Orphan's wrinkled physical attribute, but it can also be directed at its frail-looking build. The Orphan looks and seems extremely weak, yet it hits like a truck and fights like a hunter.
It should be noted that the creature the players fight is a physical manifestation and it occurs in a dream world. Perhaps the waking world version of the Orphan was indeed weak but was made strong and capable of fighting like a hunter in the Nightmare as a way of further cursing the hunters. The curse is intended for them, after all.
3 The Orphan And Kos Are The Only Great Ones With Humanoid Faces
Both the Orphan and Kos herself are true Great Ones, like Mergo, Mergo's Wet Nurse, and the Moon Presence. All Great Ones have very distinct and terrifying characteristics, but none of them have humanoid faces. None except the Orphan and its mother.
The Orphan is perhaps the most humanoid Great One in the game. It stands and fights like a hunter and its head and body have human characteristics. This fact is obvious, but a lot of people may not notice that the washed-up corpse of Kos also has a humanoid face.
2 The Orphan's Lightning Attack Is From Its Mother
The Orphan of Kos has no shortage of attack patterns. It can be very unpredictable and its agile nature only makes fighting it even more tedious. During the boss' second phase, it has an attack where it'll summon waves of electricity that will deal a decent amount of damage.
Before this attack is initiated, the Orphan will scream immensely, almost as if asking for help. If looked at closely, this attack comes exactly from where the body of Kos is.
1 Every Great One Loses Its Child, But Not Kos
According to the description of the Third Umbilical Cord, every Great One loses their child and yearns for a surrogate. This is a universal fact in the world of Bloodborne, but the actual reason behind it is unknown. Interestingly enough, in Hunter's Nightmare, the reverse of this happens for Kos and the Orphan.
Instead of the Great One losing its child, the child instead loses its mother. Granted, the situation is different in the waking world for Kos, but this event in Hunter's Nightmare is the exact opposite of the Great Ones' universal law regarding reproduction.