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I'm surprised that when you talked about Lady Eboshi, you never mentioned how she had to wind up *losing* her right arm before she realized she was in the wrong; a god slayer who's the *aggressor* in the scenario & clearly in the *wrong* might end up having to suffer a god inflicted loss before they realize they were in the wrong to try to kill a god that'd never done them any wrong. I think that was honestly worthy of a mention.
While Kratos might not have had a pet rabbit foot on a keychain, his pale white skin wasn't actually his skin tone but the ashes of his dead family. So in a way he did carry a memento with him on his god slaying journey similar to the Doom Slayer
@@NikGushuesort of? If I remember correctly his brother was born with those marks, while his are “painted” or made. All because he wanted to keep his brother alive(or because someone else wanted to) after hearing the prophecy of a marked man overthrowing the gods(or something to that effect). So, yes it was for his brother, but it didn’t start out as a reminder or memento.
A fun DOOM fact. In DOOM Eternal you can find Daisy hidden in every level. The developers have confirmed these are not just Easter eggs, but visions that The Doomslayer has of his beloved Daisy, eternally reminding him of what the demons took from him, and why he hates them.
There is a flower within my heart Daisy, Daisy Planted one day by a glancing dart Planted by Daisy Bell Whether she loves me or loves me not Sometimes it's hard to tell Yet I am longing to share the lot A beautiful Daisy Bell Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two We will go tandem as man and wife Daisy, Daisy Peddling away down the road of life I and my Daisy Bell When the road's dark, we can both despise Policemen and lamps as well There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes Of beautiful Daisy Bell Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two I will stand by you in weal or woe, Daisy, Daisy You'll be the bell witch I'll ring, you'll know Sweet little Daisy Bell You'll take the lead in each trip we take Then if I don't do well I will permit you to use the brake My beautiful little Daisy Bell Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two
@@treehousegames7903 bruh wtf are you rambling about? I think you're confusing Daisy with Isabelle from Animal Crossing. Daisy is the Doomslayer's pet rabbit that gets killed and beheaded in the very first game, Isabelle and Doomslayer is a meme cause they both released on the same day
I actually like that trope. Especially because it, from my perspective, represents the normal man standing against authority. Defeating kings, giant monsters, and gods is perhaps one of the most enjoyable feats in a story.
I beg to disagree, for me any “normal man” could not and cant do such a feat by them self, and would need a lot more then just help from others, but require others to do the task at all
I share your perspective, but for the purpose of storytelling, the context is really important. Is this mundane human fighting the authority figure because they did something that warrants revenge or protection. Or (what i like) because the human has an ideology that is 'people in states of power become supremacists' especially super people. Zemo from the marvel universe is a good example.
Whenever I hear "God Slayer", my first thought is always Kirby. He has killed more Gods than I can remember and still doesn't show any hint of stopping. He is a friend to us, and a demon to others.
@@fullmaster6005 he's an adorable pink puffball from a children's video game franchise of the same name. He also kills a god in most games. Sometimes even killing someone who just barely ascended to godhood.
The dnd world I’m working on has a godslayer npc who is born every few thousand years to kill all the gods who are also reborn. It’s to ensure the gifs don’t become too powerful. It’s literally just their job. Some of them accept this but a couple resist every cycle.
I’d love to see a video on darker sides of chosen ones. Just because you’re a chosen one doesn’t mean that you’re chosen to save the world; something could go wrong or you could be chosen to do evil. I don’t have any other examples of this other than hollow knight, but I think that Hollow Knight nails this. I’m curious to see other examples, and, of course, the character study
This reminds me an Anakin from starwars, they where the chosen one but not for the role the jedi thought of, but in fact a force against the jedi and the sith, the role was to bring down boths sides not just perpetuate one and destroy the other
Then may I suggest you look up "Archaon the Everchosen" from Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar. He is literally a prophesied "Chosen One" type but for the Dark Gods of the setting. So he was prophesied to kill and destroy a lot of people and nations. The entire world even. His is a great story imo.
Having watched these videos, I think a good idea to explore next is: The consequences of killing a god. After all, these are fundamental forces of the universe. To kill one would be to be to destabilize the the key stones and foundations of nature, the cosmos, even reality itself.
FFX-2 has the aftermath of the death/killing of their society's corrupt diety form a key part of the setting and story. A civil war almost erupts between people who are reformists trying to retain some of their traditions vs revolutionaries who want to abolish everything related to the old faith and start over. Then you sing some pop music and fight a giant gun (it's a weird game😂)
I wonder how they'd tell the story of Tuska Daemon-Killa. "And then the Ork, in desperation, reached for the Daemon Prince's balls with his Power Klaw, and squeezed." Yes, that is actually canon lore. And that Ork got the good ending too. A very "wholesome" tale, that one.
I like how a lot of the characters with the Godslayer attribute are people with passion and get some kinda almost divine power to do it. And then we have Kirby who seemingly just kills gods because he can
My head canon for Kirby is that his Species(?) is the natural predator of dark lords and evil deities. Like, they're just another link in the cosmic ecosystem which had Kirby and cosmic entropy at the top
The achievement earned at the end of DOOM Eternal’s Ancient Gods storyline is befitting his arc as well: “Rest Your Weary Fists”. He lost his family, his pet, his former life, and the second life he found on Argent D’nur, all because he was treated like a pawn for corrupt priests and false gods that secretly had a deal with Hell. After all of his rage, anguish, and sorrow, amidst a personal war against Hell itself, he can finally rest… …until he is needed again.
A lot of people misunderstand Kratos. He isn't just "uughh I'm angry because I can be!" No he was tricked by Aries to kill his family and he didn't go on a journey for revenge. He served the gods for forgiveness and to forget and it was the gods that gave him the opportunity to kill Aries, it was only at God of war 2 where he becomes vengeful after the gods have constantly been screwing him over and by the time God of war 3 rolls around all his humanity has been beaten out of him and he becomes a villain. Kratos is a lot more complex in the older games then people tend to think.
What I find funny is Tale Foundry trying to avoid spoilers for both pre and post Norse God of War. Post I spet of understand, but the pre norse games are almost retro ganes by now
"Pleased with yourself? Feel all high and mighty, o powerful Godslayer?" Honestly tho, I really like this trope(?). The idea of godslayers was what I wanted to explore for myself way back when I started writing my main story. So much can be done with this its kinda crazy. Its so fun
The Godslayer archetype is manifold but appears to be someone who’s broken down by a cruel world and awakened to the horrible reality that gods rule it. They become full of rage, bitterness, or resentment, even when they go on in the story to find divine power or advanced tech in pursuit of actually ending the reign of gods. The Godslayer is in the name and so usually kills the gods, but also falls sometimes. If they survive, they face the Greek mythology dilemma whereby a newer generation of gods eventually turn into the old gods they previously usurped. The Godslayer has gone through the hero’s journey and must realise there’s a new chapter ahead regardless of choices.
all these characters have these crazy drives or motives to save the world from these God's, then you just have Kirby who regularly does this with minimal effort over maybe some cake or a disrupted nap. Also how the barnacles is ultrakill not mentioned, it is a perfect fit for this topic
Ultrakill's a weird example because he's both like Kirby and not like Kirby. The drive for blood in V1 is unmatched and yet...that's all there is to them. Their motive breaks down to "Get ALL OF BLOOD, with STYLE, and think of consequences NEVER," and I am 100% sure that's going to bite them in the ass when Hakita finishes up on the Betrayal levels.
14:34 I like that you can see the Sword of Artorias in the backround amongst the other weapons of those who fell before. That's part passion for the series discussed in the these videos which makes them so fun to watch. It makes it feel like they love these series just as much as the viewer might. Edit: They say "DOGged determination" WHILE showing the Abyss Watchers (whom are connected through wolf blood). I love this.
I find a good example in Vin from the Mistborn Trilogy. A common street urchin finds herself in a heist plan against the Lord Ruler, the closest thing to a god within Sanderson's world of Scadrial. Her mentor, Kelsier, also holds that passion of rebellion to either overthrow or kill the god which is passed down to her throughout the first book. Those who have read the rest of the trilogy will know how closely she follows this path.
I love how most godslayers have this big, tragic backstory or a lack of choice in the matter, and then Kirby basically stumbles into killing his upteenth god this month because someone took his shortcake or something.
I think something pretty important that you missed in this video is the idea of an ideological godslayer , which I think are present in a lot of JRPG's which you mention at the start, but the idea that a person or group of people spend the entire story fighting against something fighting for an ideal and at the end of that story the opposing ideology manifests as a god and our heroes are forced to have one last epic battle to for the sake of their own ideals.
Absolutely!!! Since currently I'm not as knowledgeable about trends outside Persona (and Bravely Default I guess), I think it's cool how each Persona entry picks just a handful of ideologies (abstract values/philosophical arguments/societal norms etc) to zoom in on. It can be slow but soon the whole game *drenches* the party's journey in that one underlying concept -- until they can't ignore the looming threat any longer & directly confront manifestations of that head-on. Also maybe I'm just a weenie about too much "slaying" (plenty are super badass though lmao), but I also like when the characters go out of their way to not give any _human_ embodiments of their opposing ideology the easy way out of death. It can be for making sure the truth of their crimes come to light, or forcing them to pay for the damage they've caused. In P5 Royal's case there's even what I'd call some catharsis and healing at the end ("killing" every last regret the final antagonist has been suffering with due to their well-meaning but wrongheaded ideology).
I also really like the trope of false-god slayer. Like in Tales of Symphonia, where you start off learning about the Goddess Martel, only to find out she's not only mortal, but has been dead for a very long time. And that the hero of legend, Mithos, is her brother, and has gained such immense power theough human experimentation. Though ultimately, your power comes from the same experiments, except you're using it for good, so that makes it less yucky.
Kratos not only carried the guilt and pain of his family he also has the ashes of his family fused into his skin. In the original series he went out his way to save his brother, then had to sacrifice being with his daughter in order to save the world, then in the third one he tried his best to save Pandora do to her resemblance to his daughter. Kratos has ALWAYS BEEN A DEEP CHARACTER FROM THE START AND ISNT JUST SOME CRAZY DUDE WHO DOESNT CARE. The very first scene of the first game has kratos depressed to the point where he is committing suicide do to his emotional pain and suffering
One of my favorite examples of the god killer is from Xenoblade chronicles, specifically Shulk from the first game He goes from avenging a fallen lover to inevitably killing the very god he worshipped. And at the end of the game, he is given a choice to either become the god he had slain in order to ensure a future for his world, or let the world become godless and simply see how it goes. You’d think by the time he gets there, having unlocked a power akin to the gods themselves, he’d be ready to join them, but rather, he gives up his own god-like powers and lets the world move forward into new, unexplored territory. I kinda forgot what I was getting at at this point, but I just think his story is great
This is also an exemplary case for a human rising above mortality to match the gods, yet completely laying down their power and not ending up like them at all.
Hey, speaking of writing, I just wanted to let you know something. While I was espresso depresso from getting rejected from my dream job in the final round and second guessing my chances at grad school, I had your videos and world building playlist on repeat to motivate me to draft application essays and video submissions. I got into my dream school and I’ll be starting this fall. Thank you for putting this content out there and inspiring creativity in every form. Special shoutout to the Enigma of Amigara Fault video for helping me believe I can choose my own path.
I think its inherent within all god killers to have a sense of grief. Having actually gotten to the level of completing the task, a deep sadness must creep in, that they are now that powerful and unbound by the powers that be. They are on the cusp of becoming that which they fought against.
I kinda see the Godslaying as the ultimate symbol of change. If death is a form of change, the death of a god represents even greater change. As far as emotions go, I think Anger is one of the greatest catalysts for change. So it is fitting that many of the godslayers seem driven by Anger.
just dont make a god of anger in a process would be real silly if whatever you did amounts to replacing vain bastard of above.... With meatheaded being of murder and putting more skulls in his throne
Your channel inspires me to work on my own writing. I’ve always loved it, and there’s a world I came up with in high school I’m especially proud of. Being a freshman in college, trying to get a job, and working on my multiple projects in art (another of my passions) leaves little time for it, but your channel has helped inspire ideas and I’ve actually started writing recently!
Moon Channel has a really amazing video that goes into depth on the historical and cultural reasons why so many JRPGs involve killing gods. I'd def recommend giving that a watch too.
I was vibrating, and yelling at the screen "darksouls" when you mentioned Fate and destiny lmao 😂 I straight up jumped out of my chair and cheered when you said dark souls hahaha I do appreciate the Buffy mention. Was a cool show. Great video
Your videos make me want to cry some times, the way you word things just makes things I don't care for monumental. Oh, also love whatever video you talked about personifications of Death it was great.
we need a souls-like videogame where you play as Nietzsche on a quest to kill God, and the entire time he's just raving about how the game is so difficult and that's cause striving through adversity and hardship is just how the Ubermensch do
next to the video about the heroes of the souls games, this has to be one of my favourite videos by yall. i got so excited when you started talking about the Chosen Undead!!!
Wow... this really helped me on my original character i have been working on for my personal story. The part about one having to become a god to kill a god is quite an enigma that i love so much. Edit: Loving the videos. im always coming back to the channel to gain insight of creating characters and such. Keep it up!!!
Shin Megami Tensei series I think does this topic pretty well. Like take SMT 3 for example, the game provides you with numerous options and numerous reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with them. You could use this opportunity to create a new universe seeing as the old universe lead to this current situation, you could bring back the old and push this situation to a later date because there is no justification for forcing anyone to go through any of this let alone be tasked with such a grand decision. Or you could take the opportunity to acknowledge that the very system itself is the cause for all of this and letting it exist perpetuates the issue, therefor it should be dismantled so this injustice cannot ever repeat. The world was already destroyed, this role was already forced upon you, so can you really be blamed for anything? You're a victim in all of this after all. And seeing as using the system to recreate the world means the systems keeps on existing, someone in the future will become a victim too, so maybe dismantling the system itself is something to consider. None of these choices are obviously correct or wrong, outside of the ending where one fails to make a decision because this is still a scenario about desperation and difficult choices. You have to do something even if you don't know what to choose. And then in SMT 5 we learn that even the God himself was bound by an even grander system that dictates that a new god will rise and take over the throne to bring forth a new universe once the universe of the previous god has come to an end. Lucifer pretty much lets go and reaches some type of enlightenment when he learns of this, not caring about anything anymore other than that the new god will be able to create his universe outside of this system, a universe that can truly dictate its own existence without an overgoverning system. And he's let go so hard that he doesn't care what ideology the new universe is built upon, even if it includes bringing back the very God he hated. Because he now sees that even He was a kindred spirit, a prisoner of a system forced upon him.
This gave me an idea, what if the godslayer were just... forced to do it? Not by fate or by a weird deal they made but because it was their job? Some sort of multiversal hunting agency, only this time, the preys are celestial being that could easily overpower any of their member.
@@MVCx_xB yeah but the Hunter isn't aware of their role in the story until like Act 3. I think Elden Ring is a lot closer since you know right from the jump what you're supposed to be trying to do.
But then it wouldn't be forced? if it is a job, it is not forced, unless it is a job that uses slaves as employees, and at that point, it is not so different from being forced by fate. Essentially, anything external to you that forces you is equal to being forced by fate because circumstances that force you which you do not have any agency is what we call fate.
Theres one more god slayer trope that I think you missed “to kill a god of your own making” that when you create a being or have a child more powerful than its creator and itself becomes a god then the creator takes it upon themselves to kill that god, to games I like playing have this trope Destiny and Omari
I really enjoyed watching the drawing being done thank you robot guy I am really glad you are here to entertain us along with everyone else on the team
You're correct... ascending to godhood means shedding mortality and the notion of living as an ordinary human. :) The primary challenge lies in shouldering the weight of concerns that, once upon a time, wouldn't have crossed your mind as you simply went about your life.
My favorite version of this trope is Lyra Silvertongue in His Dark Materials. Lord Asriel attempts to become the overpowered Godslayer archetype, but in the end, it's a child-no more special or powerful than anyone else and who doesn't even realize what she is doing-who ultimately kills God. This portrayal also subverts our expectations of not just what a Godslayer is, but what God is, and shows us that a God of lies and cruelty can be overcome simply by truth and kindness.
Lord Asriel never had the Subtle Knife, so Will was brought up to be the God-Slayer and ultimately Pullman deprived us of the final Dragon Ball Z fight where God/Freeza is fucking destroyed by the Super Sayan!
Everyone who watches this video MUST play Pathless, a game where the LITERAL GODSLAYER is the main villain and you are the only person who can stop him. It’s a FANTASTIC take on many concepts
I wrote a story years ago that was kind of a twist on this. Where the hero had to face a godlike villain. And to fight him the hero did get similar godlike powers. However the twist is that the hero and villain got their powers from a virus. So to defeat the villain the hero simply cured that virus across the world which took away both his and the villains powers. Instead of becoming a god to kill a god, he turned both he and the villain into mortals. Then shot him in the face.
5:04 I was expecting "he's carrying the ashes of his dead family on his skin instead", but also acknowledge that's a bit darker tonally than what you'd normally say
I've been thinking about Slay the Princess since the Eldrich Bliss video, and this brought me back to it. The only way to kill a god is to ignore it, or gain the same godlike powers where you subvert their position.
I think my favorite take on this was the Belgariad. The godslayer is nothing but a youth who has a good lineage, but wasn't really anything special until much later in the series. Did he succeed in the quest? Yes. Did he become a god? No. Very powerful, yes. But not on a godlike level. He even met a few, and knew even at the height of his power how much more powerful they were. It makes that final confrontation and victory that much more satisfying. The method used is also very different. The sequel series is also interesting. Many stories stop when the god dies. Few deal with the aftermath and what it means when a god dies.
This is where I feel Ren Fujii from Dies Irae is an interesting example. He is actually an artificial being made to kill the current ruling God with no say in the matter. The twist is that said god is also his creator. Basically the story is a complicated suicide plot by said god to end his own life while ensuring a worthy successor.
One of more fun video games example I can give is Fear ans Hunger. I know the game is controversial and some people call it edgy dark fantasy, but I think that it isn't exactly true, for example author made very good use of this trope. You can kill a God, even multiple of them (New Gods). You do it to become New God yourself, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you become God or previous ones stay, because even as a God you are just a cog in a machine. You can even go as far as to challange the remains of Old Gods, but you can't win, because even their traces are too much for human or even human that becomes God itself. As there is clear distinction between Old Gods and New Gods, Old ones are the ideas, concepts themselves, while New Gods are just a puppets to fate. The canon ending, most impactful one and probably best ending,isn't becoming a God. Neither is defeating them. It is to help create other God, one that would rival even Old Gods in power and nature, instead of becoming a God Slayer, player becomes the Herald of this Ascended God. He must remain in humility, even sacriface his own life, but that way he achieves more than any other regular human ever could in greater scheme of things.
I also thought of Fear and Hunger when this topic came up. I would even add to your argument that creating that god is something even more impactful than just creating a powerful god to rival the old gods since this new god uses its concepts to usher a new age and, unlike the new gods, it actually pushes humanity to move forward. F&H 2 shows how deeply society and the human world was affected by the birth of this new god.
My most popular novel is a godslayer fantasy. I had no idea that it would be as popular as it is. But apparently it resonates with a lot of people, especially college-aged adults. I can't imagine why LOL
My favorite versions of this trope is the game Asura Wraths, where its a mix of a demi-god getting revenge for daughter and wife, but the twist is that the God of their world was the one who orchestrated everything that happened. That was because he wanted Asura to replace him as God on purpose. He fights the God anyways, even though it will kill him whether he wins or loses, because he knows his daughter wont be free from that God's schemes. In the end, his rage only subsides when he knows his wife has been avenged and his daughter is set free. Very interesting topic either way.
One of my favorite characters in this trope is Gorr the God Butcher from Marvel Comics (In my opinion one of the best villains in comic book history). He lived a miserable life as part of a religious nomadic tribe in a Doomed planet, the tribe had to be in constant movement to avoid dangers and find resources, in this world, no one lived to be considered old. the only confort the people of this planet had where their beloved gods in golden armor who protected them, guided them and took care of them. although they never saw one, they knew they where up there, looking up for them. Gorr had to fight every day since childhood just to survive and eventually saw everyone he loved die (from his mother to his wife and even his child). that amount of pain broke him and lead him to the conclusion that gods couldn't exist, if gods where all good and all powerful as everybody said, then they would never allowed such pain and suffering reach their followers. the existence of suffering proves that gods weren't real. Now imagine Gorr's surprise when one of this golden gods appeared in front of him, Gorr found the unquestionable prove that gods do exist, that hey where actually there, which means that they allowed all the pain he suffered, they allowed all his loved ones to die. The gods where real, but they didn't care about their people. the realization broke Gorr and turned him insane, his sadness boiling into blinding rage. After "finding" the powerful Allblack the Necrosword (also known as the god killer blade) Gorr started a brutal campaign of serial god murdering across the galaxy, he wouldn't stop until every world is free of the tirany of gods, he wouldn't rest until every mortal is free of their influence. "All gods must die" and Gorr the God Butcher would take care of it.
Though not quite a god slayer, V1 from Ultrakill (and honestly all the other robots) take this trope in a fun direction, too. The robots run on blood, but the earth is devoid of life, so they literally go to hell because there's plenty of blood to go around down there. Judging by the words of an angel (that v1 has already defeated once), the robots have also stripped the upper layers of hell of life. The game's still in development, though, so we'll see where hakita takes it
I actually found this video while I was writing a God-slaying character and found it very helpful. Always enjoy your videos and find them helpful when I write!
What's the background music used around 15:00 minute onwards? The humming and slow piano is so very melancholic yet grand. Perfect for the video, too bad it's almost drowned out.
Maybe you have already covered this, but i think it would be important to cover what even classifies as a god, or divinity. I would argue that to kill a god, while a tremendous achievement, does not put one closer to the divine. Destruction and death are, after all, inevitabilities of existence itself. It's much easier to destroy than to build or create. It's easy to break a mirror, but nigh impossible to put it back together again in the same way.
I created a godslayer character who’s not like the others but he works in a different way. He kills gods and deities out of spite, just cause he can. He obtained some of the greatest powers, and even found a way to kill magic itself. Yet he’s still basically human and that’s his weakness, he basically supposed to embody the consequence of letting human emotion affect the use of divine power. Hes grown as a person tho. He has a pet magic cat he named Schrodinger, made some friends of similar beings, and even has found love in a soft hearted witch hunter who was cursed with immortality
I feel like I've seen a similar topic before did talefoundry make a video on this before? Would have loved some Nier Automata references because that's what the opening line of the game is. The desire of the main character to kill God.
"Stop me if this sounds familiar. You're playing a video game. Maybe it's a JRPG..." Or a metroidvania? "...Maybe it's a first-person shooter..." .....or a metroidvania? "...Heck, maybe its a kid's game about a little pink guy who flies around on a star-" (recognizes Kirby, a WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF Void, immediately) *_OH GOD._* At the end of the main video: no hollow knight...? 😢
The doom part reminds me of the magus archives where Gurtrude Robinson makes it her life's mission to stop the 14 gods of fear because one of them killed her cat
FINALLY have nebula, so very happy to be ahead of the curb from here on. While I am sad no commenting over there, I think that wont bother me at all since Ill have much more to watch. this was a great vid to watch youtube side but Im finally a wee bit ahead on bills and the ads, are just too much. so off to enjoy the ad free experience and all the vids Ive missesdI go!
The most interesting version of this archetype is actually Gor the God Butcher, not from the movie Thor : Love and Thunder, but the comics. The part that makes him the most interesting to me is that he is angry because gods ignored him, and as a result, his family died. And when he found the god he found they just didn't care about anyone. So he became a god killer, hunting the gods believing their apathy to be worse than no gods at all. And he grows in power until he realizes that people are worshipping him as a god, and then he must reconcile that fact. And ends up not stopping thor from defeating him, because he realizes that he has become what he hated.
Legends Arceus introduced a really fun bit of lore as to why a 10 year old can capture the creator of the universe in a small ball. Its pokedex entry explains that it's just so interested in and impressed by you that it allows a single aspect of itself to travel with you.
@@Samu2010lolcats There is an even better one, to eat a god you raised into godhood yourself. You are not killing an enemy or enslaving a slave, not even hunting prey, you are slaughtering and eating cattle.
Atreus from Runeterra gained his powers from former possession of a god called Pantheon. One of his struggles is that he uses the godly powers in his killing of another god, Camphor. There's a lot of neat stuff surrounding it. The metanarrative with his regaining of control coinciding with a gameplay/visual update, the Targonian Mountain Culture, comparisons to Shuriman Ascension and Fallen. Good voicelines too, from this ancient warrior motivational speaker.
The story I’ve been working on is a bit of a combination of a few of these. The main group of characters end up killing several gods while on their adventure, and the first one they kill isn’t even because they chose to. They ended up accidentally discovering that gods exist at all by going to war with a cult. And them killing the god who came to avenge their people was for the most part out of self defense and fear
Been dabbling in a little of this. A god makes creatures capable of destroying other gods. Even himself as a failsafe if he were to become corrupted. Knowing his creation's livelihoods are not dependant on his survival.
5:07 actually he does have a reminder of his wife and daughter on him at all time because he was curse to wear the ashes of them as punishment for attacking an temple that he knew he shouldn’t have but did anyway thus giving him the nickname “the ghost of Sparta” but it’s more of a symbol of his regret and guilt
I find it funny how I was watching the "How to Kill a God" just some days ago and suddenly, this video uploads. Tale Foundry got no business reading my mind
When it comes to godslayers, all the ones brought up here are great examples. But one I love in particular is Verm from Small Saga. He’s essentially just a mouse with a human-proportioned switchblade, and has set out to kill the “Yellow God of Death”. It turns out that this Yellow God is just some average Joe working as an exterminator, but I love how it puts a perspective on how we regular humans might seem to a small mouse. Who probably would have a lot in common with Kratos now when I think about it.
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Once more with feeling... enough said T_T
I'm surprised that when you talked about Lady Eboshi, you never mentioned how she had to wind up *losing* her right arm before she realized she was in the wrong; a god slayer who's the *aggressor* in the scenario & clearly in the *wrong* might end up having to suffer a god inflicted loss before they realize they were in the wrong to try to kill a god that'd never done them any wrong. I think that was honestly worthy of a mention.
Wow
Day-uh-tee*
Nice video as usual 👍
dont use skill share
That Godslayer guy seems like a calm and reasonable person
Do you think he would like mead?
I think he knits in his free time
When the moment calls for calm.
He's constantly trying to be better.
I think his name was god of peace or something?
To quote Brian David Gilbert: "Either Sonic is a god, or he can kill God, and I do not care if there is a difference"
It’s the most perfect sentence I’ve ever heard somebody say :D
What was the origin of Brian David Gilbert's quote? What was the specific context?
He's got a beautiful mind
@@Orange_Swirlunraveled episode on the sonic bible
i googled that line and found the second best youtube video ever. thank you
While Kratos might not have had a pet rabbit foot on a keychain, his pale white skin wasn't actually his skin tone but the ashes of his dead family. So in a way he did carry a memento with him on his god slaying journey similar to the Doom Slayer
@@kktallman6257isnt his red mark also a reminder of his brother?
Racist slayer 🤡
@@NikGushuesort of? If I remember correctly his brother was born with those marks, while his are “painted” or made. All because he wanted to keep his brother alive(or because someone else wanted to) after hearing the prophecy of a marked man overthrowing the gods(or something to that effect). So, yes it was for his brother, but it didn’t start out as a reminder or memento.
Glad I read the comments first. I was about to make this point as well 😅😅
This person
A fun DOOM fact. In DOOM Eternal you can find Daisy hidden in every level. The developers have confirmed these are not just Easter eggs, but visions that The Doomslayer has of his beloved Daisy, eternally reminding him of what the demons took from him, and why he hates them.
There is a flower within my heart
Daisy, Daisy
Planted one day by a glancing dart
Planted by Daisy Bell
Whether she loves me or loves me not
Sometimes it's hard to tell
Yet I am longing to share the lot
A beautiful Daisy Bell
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
We will go tandem as man and wife
Daisy, Daisy
Peddling away down the road of life
I and my Daisy Bell
When the road's dark, we can both despise
Policemen and lamps as well
There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
I will stand by you in weal or woe, Daisy, Daisy
You'll be the bell witch I'll ring, you'll know
Sweet little Daisy Bell
You'll take the lead in each trip we take
Then if I don't do well
I will permit you to use the brake
My beautiful little Daisy Bell
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Doomslayer is just a demon slaying John Wick.
I'm surprised Nintendo didn't have a problem with that.
Wait Daisy is a rabbit??
@@treehousegames7903 bruh wtf are you rambling about? I think you're confusing Daisy with Isabelle from Animal Crossing.
Daisy is the Doomslayer's pet rabbit that gets killed and beheaded in the very first game, Isabelle and Doomslayer is a meme cause they both released on the same day
I actually like that trope. Especially because it, from my perspective, represents the normal man standing against authority.
Defeating kings, giant monsters, and gods is perhaps one of the most enjoyable feats in a story.
I beg to disagree, for me any “normal man” could not and cant do such a feat by them self, and would need a lot more then just help from others, but require others to do the task at all
ff6 vibes. 1st half = destroy an evil empire. 2nd half = murder an upjumped clown-god 👌🤘
or standing against the set reality
I share your perspective, but for the purpose of storytelling, the context is really important. Is this mundane human fighting the authority figure because they did something that warrants revenge or protection. Or (what i like) because the human has an ideology that is 'people in states of power become supremacists' especially super people. Zemo from the marvel universe is a good example.
What it is for sure is judging authority. With a god in particular you could say normal people don't have the right to judge gods.
I still find it funny Kirby is recognized as a God killer like Kratos.
All because he was hungry, tired, or both…
😂😂❤❤
Sonic needs to as well if the final villain isn’t a bad guy then it’s a god
Now I need a crossover adventure with both of them.
Whenever I hear "God Slayer", my first thought is always Kirby. He has killed more Gods than I can remember and still doesn't show any hint of stopping. He is a friend to us, and a demon to others.
The Pink Demon
Shaped like a friend
Kirby the inexorable Kirby the mighty Kirby of many friends
@@fullmaster6005He is a Nintendo character from the VERY popular series of games called Kirby
It’s also for kids
@@fullmaster6005 he's an adorable pink puffball from a children's video game franchise of the same name. He also kills a god in most games. Sometimes even killing someone who just barely ascended to godhood.
FUN FACT: He's called "The Pink Demon" in-universe.
The godslayer or dragonslayer always seem angry within rage even when it's done... It continues.
What does that even mean?
@@addison_v_ertisement1678 Sorry, I was making a Guts & Kratos comparison.
Why stop at one?
The difference between the two archetypes is the Dragonslayer has the reason to come back home.
The dnd world I’m working on has a godslayer npc who is born every few thousand years to kill all the gods who are also reborn. It’s to ensure the gifs don’t become too powerful. It’s literally just their job. Some of them accept this but a couple resist every cycle.
I’d love to see a video on darker sides of chosen ones. Just because you’re a chosen one doesn’t mean that you’re chosen to save the world; something could go wrong or you could be chosen to do evil. I don’t have any other examples of this other than hollow knight, but I think that Hollow Knight nails this. I’m curious to see other examples, and, of course, the character study
This reminds me an Anakin from starwars, they where the chosen one but not for the role the jedi thought of, but in fact a force against the jedi and the sith, the role was to bring down boths sides not just perpetuate one and destroy the other
Then may I suggest you look up "Archaon the Everchosen" from Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar. He is literally a prophesied "Chosen One" type but for the Dark Gods of the setting. So he was prophesied to kill and destroy a lot of people and nations. The entire world even. His is a great story imo.
@@cherrybomby6355it's like the force prefers "avatars" a few really powerful force users.
I was thinking about that actually
Rand from wheel of time veers toward this a lot
I got so sad not seeing kirby in the god slaying parts because Belive me that little pink blob has probably killed many gods
He was mentioned in the beginning of the video, albeit not by name.
Having watched these videos, I think a good idea to explore next is:
The consequences of killing a god. After all, these are fundamental forces of the universe. To kill one would be to be to destabilize the the key stones and foundations of nature, the cosmos, even reality itself.
FFX-2 has the aftermath of the death/killing of their society's corrupt diety form a key part of the setting and story. A civil war almost erupts between people who are reformists trying to retain some of their traditions vs revolutionaries who want to abolish everything related to the old faith and start over. Then you sing some pop music and fight a giant gun (it's a weird game😂)
Watch princess mononoke, it has consequences.
God of War 3 does a good job of showing that concept when Kratos kills the gods of Olympus.
You have the softest and calming voice I have ever herd.
You could probably make warhammer 40k sound like a relaxing bedtime story.
I wonder how they'd tell the story of Tuska Daemon-Killa. "And then the Ork, in desperation, reached for the Daemon Prince's balls with his Power Klaw, and squeezed."
Yes, that is actually canon lore. And that Ork got the good ending too. A very "wholesome" tale, that one.
I like how a lot of the characters with the Godslayer attribute are people with passion and get some kinda almost divine power to do it. And then we have Kirby who seemingly just kills gods because he can
My head canon for Kirby is that his Species(?) is the natural predator of dark lords and evil deities. Like, they're just another link in the cosmic ecosystem which had Kirby and cosmic entropy at the top
Look... you don't mess with someone's cake and get out scott free, these gods just learned the lesson the hard way
OR A FUCKING GOPRO!
The achievement earned at the end of DOOM Eternal’s Ancient Gods storyline is befitting his arc as well: “Rest Your Weary Fists”. He lost his family, his pet, his former life, and the second life he found on Argent D’nur, all because he was treated like a pawn for corrupt priests and false gods that secretly had a deal with Hell. After all of his rage, anguish, and sorrow, amidst a personal war against Hell itself, he can finally rest…
…until he is needed again.
A lot of people misunderstand Kratos. He isn't just "uughh I'm angry because I can be!" No he was tricked by Aries to kill his family and he didn't go on a journey for revenge. He served the gods for forgiveness and to forget and it was the gods that gave him the opportunity to kill Aries, it was only at God of war 2 where he becomes vengeful after the gods have constantly been screwing him over and by the time God of war 3 rolls around all his humanity has been beaten out of him and he becomes a villain. Kratos is a lot more complex in the older games then people tend to think.
What I find funny is Tale Foundry trying to avoid spoilers for both pre and post Norse God of War. Post I spet of understand, but the pre norse games are almost retro ganes by now
"Pleased with yourself? Feel all high and mighty, o powerful Godslayer?"
Honestly tho, I really like this trope(?). The idea of godslayers was what I wanted to explore for myself way back when I started writing my main story. So much can be done with this its kinda crazy. Its so fun
The Godslayer archetype is manifold but appears to be someone who’s broken down by a cruel world and awakened to the horrible reality that gods rule it.
They become full of rage, bitterness, or resentment, even when they go on in the story to find divine power or advanced tech in pursuit of actually ending the reign of gods. The Godslayer is in the name and so usually kills the gods, but also falls sometimes.
If they survive, they face the Greek mythology dilemma whereby a newer generation of gods eventually turn into the old gods they previously usurped. The Godslayer has gone through the hero’s journey and must realise there’s a new chapter ahead regardless of choices.
So Tiz from Bravely default when he takes on Oroboros because his village and little brother was swallowed up by a chasm.
all these characters have these crazy drives or motives to save the world from these God's, then you just have Kirby who regularly does this with minimal effort over maybe some cake or a disrupted nap. Also how the barnacles is ultrakill not mentioned, it is a perfect fit for this topic
Ultrakill's a weird example because he's both like Kirby and not like Kirby. The drive for blood in V1 is unmatched and yet...that's all there is to them. Their motive breaks down to "Get ALL OF BLOOD, with STYLE, and think of consequences NEVER," and I am 100% sure that's going to bite them in the ass when Hakita finishes up on the Betrayal levels.
14:34 I like that you can see the Sword of Artorias in the backround amongst the other weapons of those who fell before.
That's part passion for the series discussed in the these videos which makes them so fun to watch.
It makes it feel like they love these series just as much as the viewer might.
Edit: They say "DOGged determination" WHILE showing the Abyss Watchers (whom are connected through wolf blood). I love this.
I find a good example in Vin from the Mistborn Trilogy. A common street urchin finds herself in a heist plan against the Lord Ruler, the closest thing to a god within Sanderson's world of Scadrial. Her mentor, Kelsier, also holds that passion of rebellion to either overthrow or kill the god which is passed down to her throughout the first book. Those who have read the rest of the trilogy will know how closely she follows this path.
Took longer than expected scrolling comments to find some brandon sanderson lol
Sooooo happy Princess Mononoke got a mention in one of you vids. It's one of my all time favourits. So many messages and great characters in this film
I love how most godslayers have this big, tragic backstory or a lack of choice in the matter, and then Kirby basically stumbles into killing his upteenth god this month because someone took his shortcake or something.
Cake is serious business
Just ask the Companion Cubes
Speaking of, Chell is also a godslayer 😂
I think something pretty important that you missed in this video is the idea of an ideological godslayer , which I think are present in a lot of JRPG's which you mention at the start, but the idea that a person or group of people spend the entire story fighting against something fighting for an ideal and at the end of that story the opposing ideology manifests as a god and our heroes are forced to have one last epic battle to for the sake of their own ideals.
Absolutely!!! Since currently I'm not as knowledgeable about trends outside Persona (and Bravely Default I guess), I think it's cool how each Persona entry picks just a handful of ideologies (abstract values/philosophical arguments/societal norms etc) to zoom in on.
It can be slow but soon the whole game *drenches* the party's journey in that one underlying concept -- until they can't ignore the looming threat any longer & directly confront manifestations of that head-on.
Also maybe I'm just a weenie about too much "slaying" (plenty are super badass though lmao), but I also like when the characters go out of their way to not give any _human_ embodiments of their opposing ideology the easy way out of death.
It can be for making sure the truth of their crimes come to light, or forcing them to pay for the damage they've caused. In P5 Royal's case there's even what I'd call some catharsis and healing at the end ("killing" every last regret the final antagonist has been suffering with due to their well-meaning but wrongheaded ideology).
This trope always seemed like a way for writers to turn humanity fighting off an evil/problem into a literal fight
IDK if Gatsu from Berserk could really fit in this category or not but I do love that series a lot.
He does and as you go one and they said there will be a new season yes he will
@AndrewFrancisIlyrian pretty sure you're both right, just depends on the translation
haven't seen someone call him gatsu in years, wow
"Gatsu"?
@@tristanmisja That's Guts name in Japanese.
I also really like the trope of false-god slayer. Like in Tales of Symphonia, where you start off learning about the Goddess Martel, only to find out she's not only mortal, but has been dead for a very long time. And that the hero of legend, Mithos, is her brother, and has gained such immense power theough human experimentation. Though ultimately, your power comes from the same experiments, except you're using it for good, so that makes it less yucky.
Kratos not only carried the guilt and pain of his family he also has the ashes of his family fused into his skin. In the original series he went out his way to save his brother, then had to sacrifice being with his daughter in order to save the world, then in the third one he tried his best to save Pandora do to her resemblance to his daughter. Kratos has ALWAYS BEEN A DEEP CHARACTER FROM THE START AND ISNT JUST SOME CRAZY DUDE WHO DOESNT CARE. The very first scene of the first game has kratos depressed to the point where he is committing suicide do to his emotional pain and suffering
Noone said the opposite dude.
One of my favorite examples of the god killer is from Xenoblade chronicles, specifically Shulk from the first game
He goes from avenging a fallen lover to inevitably killing the very god he worshipped. And at the end of the game, he is given a choice to either become the god he had slain in order to ensure a future for his world, or let the world become godless and simply see how it goes. You’d think by the time he gets there, having unlocked a power akin to the gods themselves, he’d be ready to join them, but rather, he gives up his own god-like powers and lets the world move forward into new, unexplored territory.
I kinda forgot what I was getting at at this point, but I just think his story is great
This is also an exemplary case for a human rising above mortality to match the gods, yet completely laying down their power and not ending up like them at all.
Finally, someone brings up shulk.
Thank you.
And then there's Kirby. The God of Godslayers, who humbles all divinity for the funsies... and snacks.
Hey, speaking of writing, I just wanted to let you know something. While I was espresso depresso from getting rejected from my dream job in the final round and second guessing my chances at grad school, I had your videos and world building playlist on repeat to motivate me to draft application essays and video submissions. I got into my dream school and I’ll be starting this fall. Thank you for putting this content out there and inspiring creativity in every form. Special shoutout to the Enigma of Amigara Fault video for helping me believe I can choose my own path.
I think its inherent within all god killers to have a sense of grief. Having actually gotten to the level of completing the task, a deep sadness must creep in, that they are now that powerful and unbound by the powers that be. They are on the cusp of becoming that which they fought against.
I kinda see the Godslaying as the ultimate symbol of change.
If death is a form of change, the death of a god represents even greater change.
As far as emotions go, I think Anger is one of the greatest catalysts for change. So it is fitting that many of the godslayers seem driven by Anger.
just dont make a god of anger in a process
would be real silly if whatever you did amounts to replacing vain bastard of above....
With meatheaded being of murder and putting more skulls in his throne
Your channel inspires me to work on my own writing. I’ve always loved it, and there’s a world I came up with in high school I’m especially proud of. Being a freshman in college, trying to get a job, and working on my multiple projects in art (another of my passions) leaves little time for it, but your channel has helped inspire ideas and I’ve actually started writing recently!
Pro Tip: Learn the difference between your and you're before you start writing.
@@JCavinee Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?
Moon Channel has a really amazing video that goes into depth on the historical and cultural reasons why so many JRPGs involve killing gods. I'd def recommend giving that a watch too.
Took me a few days to watch that video (due to scheduling), but was so worth it, I insta-subscribed.
I was vibrating, and yelling at the screen "darksouls" when you mentioned Fate and destiny lmao 😂
I straight up jumped out of my chair and cheered when you said dark souls hahaha
I do appreciate the Buffy mention. Was a cool show. Great video
Your videos make me want to cry some times, the way you word things just makes things I don't care for monumental. Oh, also love whatever video you talked about personifications of Death it was great.
we need a souls-like videogame where you play as Nietzsche on a quest to kill God, and the entire time he's just raving about how the game is so difficult and that's cause striving through adversity and hardship is just how the Ubermensch do
You got that backwards. The ubermensch is the solition to the dead god. Not the cause of it.
The whole feel and vibe of your videos is always so relaxing to me 😊
next to the video about the heroes of the souls games, this has to be one of my favourite videos by yall. i got so excited when you started talking about the Chosen Undead!!!
I've been a Game Master for so many years and this does spark my creativity in a positive way. Thanks, Tale Foundry! ❤
Wow... this really helped me on my original character i have been working on for my personal story. The part about one having to become a god to kill a god is quite an enigma that i love so much.
Edit: Loving the videos. im always coming back to the channel to gain insight of creating characters and such. Keep it up!!!
Shin Megami Tensei series I think does this topic pretty well. Like take SMT 3 for example, the game provides you with numerous options and numerous reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with them. You could use this opportunity to create a new universe seeing as the old universe lead to this current situation, you could bring back the old and push this situation to a later date because there is no justification for forcing anyone to go through any of this let alone be tasked with such a grand decision. Or you could take the opportunity to acknowledge that the very system itself is the cause for all of this and letting it exist perpetuates the issue, therefor it should be dismantled so this injustice cannot ever repeat. The world was already destroyed, this role was already forced upon you, so can you really be blamed for anything? You're a victim in all of this after all. And seeing as using the system to recreate the world means the systems keeps on existing, someone in the future will become a victim too, so maybe dismantling the system itself is something to consider. None of these choices are obviously correct or wrong, outside of the ending where one fails to make a decision because this is still a scenario about desperation and difficult choices. You have to do something even if you don't know what to choose.
And then in SMT 5 we learn that even the God himself was bound by an even grander system that dictates that a new god will rise and take over the throne to bring forth a new universe once the universe of the previous god has come to an end. Lucifer pretty much lets go and reaches some type of enlightenment when he learns of this, not caring about anything anymore other than that the new god will be able to create his universe outside of this system, a universe that can truly dictate its own existence without an overgoverning system. And he's let go so hard that he doesn't care what ideology the new universe is built upon, even if it includes bringing back the very God he hated. Because he now sees that even He was a kindred spirit, a prisoner of a system forced upon him.
This gave me an idea, what if the godslayer were just... forced to do it? Not by fate or by a weird deal they made but because it was their job? Some sort of multiversal hunting agency, only this time, the preys are celestial being that could easily overpower any of their member.
I do like the idea of Death, but the version that manages the fates of gods and demigods
isnt this basically bloodborne
@@MVCx_xB yeah but the Hunter isn't aware of their role in the story until like Act 3. I think Elden Ring is a lot closer since you know right from the jump what you're supposed to be trying to do.
But then it wouldn't be forced? if it is a job, it is not forced, unless it is a job that uses slaves as employees, and at that point, it is not so different from being forced by fate. Essentially, anything external to you that forces you is equal to being forced by fate because circumstances that force you which you do not have any agency is what we call fate.
Theres one more god slayer trope that I think you missed “to kill a god of your own making” that when you create a being or have a child more powerful than its creator and itself becomes a god then the creator takes it upon themselves to kill that god, to games I like playing have this trope Destiny and Omari
I really enjoyed watching the drawing being done thank you robot guy I am really glad you are here to entertain us along with everyone else on the team
You're correct... ascending to godhood means shedding mortality and the notion of living as an ordinary human. :) The primary challenge lies in shouldering the weight of concerns that, once upon a time, wouldn't have crossed your mind as you simply went about your life.
My favorite version of this trope is Lyra Silvertongue in His Dark Materials. Lord Asriel attempts to become the overpowered Godslayer archetype, but in the end, it's a child-no more special or powerful than anyone else and who doesn't even realize what she is doing-who ultimately kills God. This portrayal also subverts our expectations of not just what a Godslayer is, but what God is, and shows us that a God of lies and cruelty can be overcome simply by truth and kindness.
Lord Asriel never had the Subtle Knife, so Will was brought up to be the God-Slayer and ultimately Pullman deprived us of the final Dragon Ball Z fight where God/Freeza is fucking destroyed by the Super Sayan!
Kratos when he meets doomguy:
"Ayo my man"
"Wassup my ghostly friend"
I see a similar theme of overcoming the seemingly impossible being set up in the episodes of Hazbin Hotel that have been released so far.
Everyone who watches this video MUST play Pathless, a game where the LITERAL GODSLAYER is the main villain and you are the only person who can stop him. It’s a FANTASTIC take on many concepts
I wrote a story years ago that was kind of a twist on this. Where the hero had to face a godlike villain. And to fight him the hero did get similar godlike powers. However the twist is that the hero and villain got their powers from a virus. So to defeat the villain the hero simply cured that virus across the world which took away both his and the villains powers. Instead of becoming a god to kill a god, he turned both he and the villain into mortals. Then shot him in the face.
5:04 I was expecting "he's carrying the ashes of his dead family on his skin instead", but also acknowledge that's a bit darker tonally than what you'd normally say
I've been thinking about Slay the Princess since the Eldrich Bliss video, and this brought me back to it. The only way to kill a god is to ignore it, or gain the same godlike powers where you subvert their position.
I think my favorite take on this was the Belgariad. The godslayer is nothing but a youth who has a good lineage, but wasn't really anything special until much later in the series. Did he succeed in the quest? Yes. Did he become a god? No. Very powerful, yes. But not on a godlike level. He even met a few, and knew even at the height of his power how much more powerful they were. It makes that final confrontation and victory that much more satisfying. The method used is also very different. The sequel series is also interesting. Many stories stop when the god dies. Few deal with the aftermath and what it means when a god dies.
Was really hoping to see his dark materials mentioned. That story has probably the most interesting take on god killing ive seen
I love watching videos like this because it helps me a lot in developing my story.
Gives me a lot to think about regarding my characters
This is where I feel Ren Fujii from Dies Irae is an interesting example.
He is actually an artificial being made to kill the current ruling God with no say in the matter. The twist is that said god is also his creator. Basically the story is a complicated suicide plot by said god to end his own life while ensuring a worthy successor.
One of more fun video games example I can give is Fear ans Hunger. I know the game is controversial and some people call it edgy dark fantasy, but I think that it isn't exactly true, for example author made very good use of this trope. You can kill a God, even multiple of them (New Gods). You do it to become New God yourself, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you become God or previous ones stay, because even as a God you are just a cog in a machine. You can even go as far as to challange the remains of Old Gods, but you can't win, because even their traces are too much for human or even human that becomes God itself. As there is clear distinction between Old Gods and New Gods, Old ones are the ideas, concepts themselves, while New Gods are just a puppets to fate. The canon ending, most impactful one and probably best ending,isn't becoming a God. Neither is defeating them. It is to help create other God, one that would rival even Old Gods in power and nature, instead of becoming a God Slayer, player becomes the Herald of this Ascended God. He must remain in humility, even sacriface his own life, but that way he achieves more than any other regular human ever could in greater scheme of things.
I also thought of Fear and Hunger when this topic came up. I would even add to your argument that creating that god is something even more impactful than just creating a powerful god to rival the old gods since this new god uses its concepts to usher a new age and, unlike the new gods, it actually pushes humanity to move forward. F&H 2 shows how deeply society and the human world was affected by the birth of this new god.
If i had the choice between reality and fighting gods i will be needing a sword.
His Dark Materials did a nice twist on the Godslayer trope I’d say.
My most popular novel is a godslayer fantasy. I had no idea that it would be as popular as it is. But apparently it resonates with a lot of people, especially college-aged adults. I can't imagine why LOL
What’s you novels name?
You summed up my fate taken place 2-3 years ago and I see what you did there. The ladder god slayer was the cherry on top 🍒
Kirby is my favorite godslayer
"The Magicians" (2015-2020) series has some nice stuff relevant to this video.
I won't spoil it, but give it a watch.
My favorite versions of this trope is the game Asura Wraths, where its a mix of a demi-god getting revenge for daughter and wife, but the twist is that the God of their world was the one who orchestrated everything that happened. That was because he wanted Asura to replace him as God on purpose. He fights the God anyways, even though it will kill him whether he wins or loses, because he knows his daughter wont be free from that God's schemes. In the end, his rage only subsides when he knows his wife has been avenged and his daughter is set free. Very interesting topic either way.
One of my favorite characters in this trope is Gorr the God Butcher from Marvel Comics (In my opinion one of the best villains in comic book history).
He lived a miserable life as part of a religious nomadic tribe in a Doomed planet, the tribe had to be in constant movement to avoid dangers and find resources, in this world, no one lived to be considered old. the only confort the people of this planet had where their beloved gods in golden armor who protected them, guided them and took care of them. although they never saw one, they knew they where up there, looking up for them.
Gorr had to fight every day since childhood just to survive and eventually saw everyone he loved die (from his mother to his wife and even his child). that amount of pain broke him and lead him to the conclusion that gods couldn't exist, if gods where all good and all powerful as everybody said, then they would never allowed such pain and suffering reach their followers. the existence of suffering proves that gods weren't real.
Now imagine Gorr's surprise when one of this golden gods appeared in front of him, Gorr found the unquestionable prove that gods do exist, that hey where actually there, which means that they allowed all the pain he suffered, they allowed all his loved ones to die. The gods where real, but they didn't care about their people.
the realization broke Gorr and turned him insane, his sadness boiling into blinding rage. After "finding" the powerful Allblack the Necrosword (also known as the god killer blade) Gorr started a brutal campaign of serial god murdering across the galaxy, he wouldn't stop until every world is free of the tirany of gods, he wouldn't rest until every mortal is free of their influence.
"All gods must die" and Gorr the God Butcher would take care of it.
"Stop me if this sounds familiar: You're playing a video game"
Jup, that's me. Good video, but kinda short
10 seconds in and Kirby is already mentioned, nice
And never again for the rest of the video
Shin Megami Tensei tends to have you slaying gods in order to become one. In fact, SMT V kinda brought up the dilemma mentioned in the end
Though not quite a god slayer, V1 from Ultrakill (and honestly all the other robots) take this trope in a fun direction, too. The robots run on blood, but the earth is devoid of life, so they literally go to hell because there's plenty of blood to go around down there. Judging by the words of an angel (that v1 has already defeated once), the robots have also stripped the upper layers of hell of life. The game's still in development, though, so we'll see where hakita takes it
The real kicker for this trope is for the new god to have to face the NEXT god killer.
and so, the cycle continues...
I actually found this video while I was writing a God-slaying character and found it very helpful. Always enjoy your videos and find them helpful when I write!
EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED THANK YOU
What's the background music used around 15:00 minute onwards? The humming and slow piano is so very melancholic yet grand. Perfect for the video, too bad it's almost drowned out.
Found it it's called 'We Trust' by Johannes Bornloef. It's simply exquisite!
Maybe you have already covered this, but i think it would be important to cover what even classifies as a god, or divinity.
I would argue that to kill a god, while a tremendous achievement, does not put one closer to the divine. Destruction and death are, after all, inevitabilities of existence itself. It's much easier to destroy than to build or create. It's easy to break a mirror, but nigh impossible to put it back together again in the same way.
Who up slaying their god with a fly swatter
I created a godslayer character who’s not like the others but he works in a different way. He kills gods and deities out of spite, just cause he can. He obtained some of the greatest powers, and even found a way to kill magic itself. Yet he’s still basically human and that’s his weakness, he basically supposed to embody the consequence of letting human emotion affect the use of divine power.
Hes grown as a person tho. He has a pet magic cat he named Schrodinger, made some friends of similar beings, and even has found love in a soft hearted witch hunter who was cursed with immortality
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL SO MUCH
I feel like I've seen a similar topic before did talefoundry make a video on this before?
Would have loved some Nier Automata references because that's what the opening line of the game is. The desire of the main character to kill God.
0:47 so bloodborne, you go from killing beasts to killing eldritch god like entities.
Bro your intro animation is fire
"Stop me if this sounds familiar. You're playing a video game. Maybe it's a JRPG..."
Or a metroidvania?
"...Maybe it's a first-person shooter..."
.....or a metroidvania?
"...Heck, maybe its a kid's game about a little pink guy who flies around on a star-"
(recognizes Kirby, a WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF Void, immediately) *_OH GOD._*
At the end of the main video: no hollow knight...? 😢
The doom part reminds me of the magus archives where Gurtrude Robinson makes it her life's mission to stop the 14 gods of fear because one of them killed her cat
New Title sequence!! Intriguing!!
I have just finish watching your "how to kill a god" video and then you drop this ?! amazing
FINALLY have nebula, so very happy to be ahead of the curb from here on. While I am sad no commenting over there, I think that wont bother me at all since Ill have much more to watch. this was a great vid to watch youtube side but Im finally a wee bit ahead on bills and the ads, are just too much. so off to enjoy the ad free experience and all the vids Ive missesdI go!
I was gonna say if he doesn't mention Kirby I was gonna be mad but then he brought him up and I lost my mind
Absolutely love this video, inspired me to get back to work on my own story
I love princess monoke. The moral ambiguity is so human.
The most interesting version of this archetype is actually Gor the God Butcher, not from the movie Thor : Love and Thunder, but the comics. The part that makes him the most interesting to me is that he is angry because gods ignored him, and as a result, his family died. And when he found the god he found they just didn't care about anyone. So he became a god killer, hunting the gods believing their apathy to be worse than no gods at all. And he grows in power until he realizes that people are worshipping him as a god, and then he must reconcile that fact. And ends up not stopping thor from defeating him, because he realizes that he has become what he hated.
I kinda just kept thinking of the Calamity mod since you fight gods there XD
Its Ironic that you fight a worm that also kills and devours gods Lol
the main antagonist of the game is literally a man who has killed gods en masse but your mind was first drawn to the player who kills like 3
dont believe them, if they were true - you couldn't
Meanwhile in Pokemon you capture and use Gods.
Legends Arceus introduced a really fun bit of lore as to why a 10 year old can capture the creator of the universe in a small ball. Its pokedex entry explains that it's just so interested in and impressed by you that it allows a single aspect of itself to travel with you.
Because what's a greater feat than killing a god? Enslaving one to your will.
@@Samu2010lolcats There is an even better one, to eat a god you raised into godhood yourself. You are not killing an enemy or enslaving a slave, not even hunting prey, you are slaughtering and eating cattle.
@@Samu2010lolcatsa greater feat: befriending it, it does your bidding not because it’s forced to, but because it *wants* to
@@OtisCluck But that's just normal god behavior. Worship is basically the act of befriending a god.
Atreus from Runeterra gained his powers from former possession of a god called Pantheon.
One of his struggles is that he uses the godly powers in his killing of another god, Camphor.
There's a lot of neat stuff surrounding it. The metanarrative with his regaining of control coinciding with a gameplay/visual update, the Targonian Mountain Culture, comparisons to Shuriman Ascension and Fallen.
Good voicelines too, from this ancient warrior motivational speaker.
Thank you for the video.
The story I’ve been working on is a bit of a combination of a few of these. The main group of characters end up killing several gods while on their adventure, and the first one they kill isn’t even because they chose to. They ended up accidentally discovering that gods exist at all by going to war with a cult. And them killing the god who came to avenge their people was for the most part out of self defense and fear
Been dabbling in a little of this. A god makes creatures capable of destroying other gods. Even himself as a failsafe if he were to become corrupted. Knowing his creation's livelihoods are not dependant on his survival.
5:07 actually he does have a reminder of his wife and daughter on him at all time because he was curse to wear the ashes of them as punishment for attacking an temple that he knew he shouldn’t have but did anyway thus giving him the nickname “the ghost of Sparta” but it’s more of a symbol of his regret and guilt
I find it funny how I was watching the "How to Kill a God" just some days ago and suddenly, this video uploads. Tale Foundry got no business reading my mind
When it comes to godslayers, all the ones brought up here are great examples. But one I love in particular is Verm from Small Saga. He’s essentially just a mouse with a human-proportioned switchblade, and has set out to kill the “Yellow God of Death”.
It turns out that this Yellow God is just some average Joe working as an exterminator, but I love how it puts a perspective on how we regular humans might seem to a small mouse.
Who probably would have a lot in common with Kratos now when I think about it.