When the first God Of War came out in 2005, Kratos was a pretty despicable person. Dubbed the Ghost of Sparta for his bloodlust, the guy just bounced around Greece wreaking havoc with his fists. Killing was literally his thing. He was the embodiment of "unleashing nasty fantasies," and his personality pretty much reflected this.
So it was surprising to see a more refined version of Kratos in Sony Santa Monica's 2018 remake. He was now a father, and a far more levelheaded thinker. He traversed the Norse realms with the sole aim of burying his wife, and he struggled to teach his son the right way to be. It was a dramatic shift in lifestyle, and a big step in the right direction for the big guy. So how did Kratos resuscitate his morality and become a better person over the years?
10 Olympian To Aesir
The most obvious change Kratos made between 2005 and 2018 was location, moving from the sunny isles of the Mediterranean to the frigid fjords of the North. This of course meant he also changed the general mythology in which he existed, swapping minotaurs for trolls, swords for axes, sea Gods for planet-sized sea serpents, and lightning bolts for lightning hammers.
But this change wasn't just a lifestyle choice; it also represented the person Kratos was trying to become. The Greek Gods were manipulative, scheming tyrants who proved to Kratos that the only safe way to be was a powerhouse who trusted no one. Then in the north, Kratos squared off against Norsemen who very closely resembled the person he used to be: they were aggressive and solved everything with their fists.
9 Fatherhood
Kratos has maimed or murdered more than his share of fellow living beings, but the most recent installment in his story of personal betterment presented him with an enemy he couldn't punch through: fatherhood. And while fatherhood would obviously change any man, it really changed Kratos.
He couldn't behave the way he used to, or kill whoever he wanted to, as it would set a bad example. He couldn't even share mature company with ladies of the land like he did in the previous games, because where would Atreus go during that time? Fatherhood knocked Kratos down a few pegs. He may still have been a God, but now he had to behave like an adult.
8 Godhood
It's easy to forget that Kratos did not start out as a God. In the 2005 original, Kratos was in fact just a man, with a lot of anger and a few cool weapons. He was strong and deadly, sure, but he did not yet have the actual title of God Of War. But then he killed Ares, at which point everything changed.
Then Kratos became a full blown God, complete with the throne, ego, and all the raw power. And then after killing all the Greeks, he up and moved North to become...a wandering God? Regardless of where he decides to set up shop, Kratos' biggest change since 2005 has got to be the fact that he suddenly became divine.
7 Widower Kratos
Another change Kratos has gone through since 2005 is in his martial life. Mainly, his wife, and the mother of his son, died at the beginning of the 2018 title. In fact her burial, and Kratos' apparent love for her, is a driving force behind the games' entire story.
It's true that his wife and child had already died back in Greece, and that this wasn't the first time Kratos lost his family. In fact, the killing of his family was most of the reason he killed the Greek Gods in the first place. But that was part of his war with the gods. When Atreus' mother Faye dies, Kratos is experiencing natural loss like the rest of humanity, and it seems to give him a sense of humility.
6 It's All In The Beard
After spending so much time with his little goatee, the most shocking change Kratos underwent was arguably his sudden shift in fashion sense. After all that time as the baby faced berserker, Kratos moved north for a fresh start, and to start working on a hearty, hipster, silver-fox beard.
The beardless Kratos looked like a mean, virile, demon of death with an axe to grind and a love of hearing children scream. The new Kratos looks like he belongs in a Brooklyn brewery, talking about hops and his kid's third grade project. Bearded Kratos replaced his psychopath vibes with a sense of wisdom, practicality, and fairness, and that was a truly massive change.
5 Axe Man
When he moved to the land of frost giants, Kratos made another big decision, and one that definitely helped him fit in with the norsemen. He hid his old chaos blades under the bed, took up his dead wife's weapon, put some fur on his chest, and cos-played as a viking with a brand new Leviathan axe!
What Kratos lost in range and crowd control with the chaos blades, he made up for in defensive/parry ability and power with the axe. It had tons of new abilities and combos to be discovered, he could throw it and telekinetically call it back to his hand, and it left ice damage in every enemy it touched. All in all, it was a more refined weapon for a more refined man.
4 Isolation
It's very clear that Kratos moved north to escape the horrors of his past, so it makes sense that when he picked his house he prioritized privacy. In fact, he picked a lot so remote, it took 6 hours of the game before he saw another person. And when the game begins, players got a strong sense that Kratos and Atreus did not leave their corner of the wintry wild ever before.
And while it may be in the middle of nowhere, Kratos' cabin actually would make a great Air BnB. There's a fire, rustic architecture, and even a hidden compartment for concealing old and powerful weapons!
3 Revenge To Regret
When Kratos was rampaging against the Greek Gods, revenge was his driving motivation. Revenge for being divinely tricked into killing his family. Revenge for all the lies and manipulation. Revenge for turning him into a grizzly looking killing machine with only one personality trait: rage.
But when Kratos moved north, his emotional reality shifted. He was no longer powered by revenge, but instead haunted by regret for all the raw carnage he caused. Players saw this play out in his lessons to Atreus, and in his regretful flashbacks that made him relive killing Zeus. Kratos regretted the person he used to be and the things that person did, which is a definite sign of growth. Which brings up the next change:
2 Humanity Returns
Another big lifestyle change Kratos made was his views on humanity. The above picture is actually the only time after his move that he killed humans, and it was only after they tried to kill him. This is obviously a big change from being the Ghost Of Sparta, who single-handedly killed half of the Greek population.
On top of simply trying to avoid conflict, Kratos also seems to have made a point to keep his scuffles out of the human realm. After all, humanity is not the reason for any of Kratos' problems, and it's not really a fair fight at all. So it's nice to see the red-striped God spare his measly subjects and focus on those giant trolls instead.
1 Asking For Help
Kratos' last major shift was in a department that was never his strong suit: trust. The Greeks had lied, schemed, and manipulated him too many times for him to trust anyone but himself. And his previous adventures illustrated this; he romped around by himself killing everyone win sight.
But in the 2018 title, Kratos had gone through a change of heart. Atreus was now incredibly helpful in battle, and Kratos grew comfortable leaning on him for aid. Rhea provided them with directions, healing, and friendship (for a while). Mimir gave him all his wisdom and backstory.