I have two answers for your question about the solo singer: Slave Knight Gael is both associated with an important female character, and there aren't really enough people left to form a full choir.
It's not so much that he's a slave breaking free in phase 2, it's that he finally hollows. When he's still conscious he's this mad hulking beast due to what he's gone through, but when he finally hollows he actually stands back up on 2 feet and fights less savagely. He's become basically an empty vessel for the dark soul itself, which if you know the lore means at this moment he's basically the most human any character has ever been. He regains a lot of dignity in this moment, it's thematically adjacent to what you're describing so you're spot on I would say
@@Outofrealman Cope? It's fromsoft we're talking about lmao they wouldn't add something like that for no reason What gameplay purpose does changing a random flag to enable 1 weapon to do slightly more damage in one phase serve? It's clearly intentional. He sees that he finally has the blood of the dark soul and with the knowledge that his mission is complete and that he has nothing left to go on for he hollows
@@Outofrealman I think you're mistaken. Consider one of the endings in which the fire is usurped to give birth to the lord of hollows and the age of men. Those individuals of the sable church are not beasts, they seem very dignified and sane. I'd argue that at that point when Gael finally lets the Dark Soul take hold of him, he loses control much like Manus did. When this happens, he becomes a vessel for the Dark Soul to lash out, using every manner of tactics and capability Gael once had. EDIT: The loss of control is referred to a loss of purpose/goals. We've seen many characters across all the games that whenever they achieve their goal, they turn hollow, which would mean they have nothing left to hold on to their humanity, which implies humanity = purpose in this world. This explains why the player character never goes hollow, as long as you are motivated to finish the game, you won't go hollow. The only way would be you giving up and putting the game down. It's quite cool in that sense.
Slave Knight Gael is the last boss of DS3. The Last Boss of the Souls saga. This was Miyasaki's last gift to us. The most epic and apotheosic fight in the saga. Just two undead fighting at the end of the world... for a new world.
I always wonder what would happen if Gael won this fight. I think he wouldn't even be able to deliver the Dark Soul back to the painter in the state he's in 🤔
@@Moschel91 He couldn't go back. What we did was basically time-skipping into the far future, finalizing the end of the world. That's why Gael was so different, why he asked "What, still here?". It's been god knows how long since the moment we touched Fillianore's shell, Gael hunted down every last one of the furtive pygmy, until he not only gathered the Dark Soul, but he became it. The Painted World of Ariandel likely doesn't even exist in this future anymore.
I think it's time for Dark Eater Midir to get its own analysis! The atmosphere and intensity of the fight, combined with its haunting music, deserve a deep dive. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Slave Knight Gael is easily the most tragic character in the entire trilogy and possibly in fiction; his level of dedication and the agony he had to endure only gets lightly glossed by his portrayal in game. Within the context of the souls world, each "cycle" where a powerful soul must link the fire to stave off the age of darkness is rough every 1000 years, and while never confirmed specifically how many cycles occurred between DS1-DS3 it is shown and stressed on the player that so many cycles have passed, so many times has the world been reignited for another millennium, that the world itself is essentially ash barely able to maintain a glow; and Slave Knight Gael has been enslaved and fighting during every. single. one. His reason for existence, and crux to stave off his hollowing is his will to serve first bound into service and fighting as nothing more than resurrecting fodder, this eventually lead him to the painter, a dedicated master to serve alone, one promising him salvation that while ultimately truthful, was something he would never experience. To ultimately achieve his goal, Gael had to collect the physical form of the dark soul, which requires recollecting every last sprite of humanity from every human across the entire planet, regardless of age, allegiance, or innocence. When you get sent to the far future after beating every enemy and finally find Gael there are only 2 humans remaining on the planet: You and him, Gael has already long lost his mind from the mental agony of being forced through such a grueling ordeal and the sheer passage of time that while leaving him alive still wears him down to an animalistic state. When you open his old wound, and his finally witnesses the prize he endured untold cycles to achieve, his service is complete, he produced the pigment for his lady, and he finally gives into his hollowing. Now unshackled from his shredded conscious Gael reverts to his most basic instincts; fighting upright, like a man, and as eventually as a vassal for the writhing will of the dark soul itself that you the player must now face; however the reward gained is what can be only described and the closest thing to a genuine good ending in a dark souls game. Given the perpetual property of "humanity" its use as a pigment for a new painted world solves the long-standing problem of having to burn away the rot and start anew, the painter finally creates a perpetual unending sanctuary for remaining life, free from the shackles of the cycle of fire and the darksign. TLDR: Grandpa Gael clutched up the 1 v 7,000,000,000 with no estus
Something that I always wonder about this is: Did Gael knew you could travel back to the past? Because in order to be a vessel of the Dark Soul he needed to consume every single one, which would make useless the effort because there wouldn't be any life to save into the new painted world, so I guess he knew there was a way to come back in time so you (or him) could go with the pigment and give it to Ariandel in an era where there was still life?
@@ChihiroOfAstora the painted world is unbound by spacetime so i imagine as long as you have access to it (painting or bonfire) you can return. Its also left unanswered but it can be assumed that since were able to take stuff from the future to the past and since were still able to fast travel back in time to oolacile instead of darkroot garden whenever we want in DS1, That as long as you linked the bonfire you can return at any point to that time and space. This would also inadvertently explain "saving" in Dark souls since you are simply relinking the bonfire, updating the fixed point in time to a future period.
8:09 Indeed there is! One of the characters whom you can find, in the DLC where Gael is first met, he specifically sends you to free and speak to a young girl, known as the Painter. the whole reason Gael goes through what he does is for her, so that she may 'paint" a new, gentle world into existance, using a pigment that must be claimed though the conflict that you face him in while this song plays. and once you deliver that pigment to the Painter, she wonders when "Uncle Gael" will be returning.
Finally, you're listening to this song! This is without a doubt my favorite Dark Souls song and certainly one of the most incredible I've ever heard on a soundtrack. The lore of this battle is so epic that some people cry just listening to the song when they understand the context of the battle. The lore: Gael is a slave knight from the age of war against the dragons, which could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years in the past. The slave knights were warriors who served merely as cannon fodder, they were there just to make up numbers in the war against the dragons and were completely disposable. Even when they got hurt, crippled or went mad, they were never released from their duty and their only destiny was to die in battle. However, Gael lived for ALL this time, always, at that moment he was after the pigment of the Dark Soul, which would serve as paint so that his mistress could paint a new world. However, when he found the pygmy kings who should have the dark soul, he discovered that their blood had already dried. With no choice, he consumed the pygmy kings in order to use his own body to create the pigment, but this made him go mad and lose his sanity once and for all. However, Gael already knew that this would happen and never expected to be the one who would deliver the pigment to his mistress, but us, the ashen one that he guided there with the purpose of helping his mistress against Frieda and finally, killing him so that he can take the pigment from his corpse and give it to his mistress. This old man lived for countless years doing the dirty work and without ever expecting any honors for it, and even in his end he gave his own life without expecting anything in return just to fulfill his mistress's wish. The most impactful thing about this battle is that we are teleported to the literal end of time in the future, at this point, the dragons have become extinct, the gods have fallen and humanity finds itself on the brink of complete collapse, but in this end of time it is an undead and an unkindle, the two most despicable and despised beings in the world who are fighting for what in the distant past was super important, but now there is no one left to care about it. The battle progress is also incredible, in the first phase Gael fights as if he were a beast, an animal, but in the second phase he starts to fight like a real warrior, and in the third phase he even starts to make lightning rain down on the arena. I like to separate his three phases as 1-a beast, 2-a hero, 3-a god!
I'm just curious, where was it confirmed that he's from the age of the war against the dragons? I've never gotten confirmation about this even though it seems widely accepted
@@aramkaizer7903 I think there's a lot of speculation for that conclusion, searching a bit reveals: - Gael knows the Way of White Corna miracle. - The Way of White was a religion created by Gwyn to subdue the undead to his will. - Gael was part of an order of undead knights used as fodder for bleak wars that needed to be fought, as such, he served Gwyn. - Gwyn fought 2 big wars, one against the demons unleashed by the witches of Izalith, and the other against dragons. - During the war against the demons he had his power consolidated, and used his silver knights for it. Against the dragons, he didn't, and needed outside help. - Hence, Gael *possibly* existed during the war of dragons and very likely fought in it.
@@aramkaizer7903 he is a constripted Knight of the Human race that participated in the war alongside the Gods as he is often referenced in his past as to being a slave Knight to the gods. When the gods died or left anor Londo, he was now free and found the painted world and serves the Painter
1:27 I'm pretty sure that the solo singer is Yuka Kitamura, the composer of not only Dark Souls 3's soundtrack, but also Sekiro and some songs in Elden Ring and Bloodborne.
The final portion of the track is derived from another track that never saw its place in the game but did come in as part of the trilogy collection for Dark Souls. The track is called "For the Dark Soul" and its arguably more melancholic than the Gael version. Slave Knight Gael is the pinnacle of Dark Souls as a whole, from the music, to the buildup leading up to the fight, to the interactions with him in the fight. Soul of Cinder was the final boss of the story, but Slave Knight Gael is the love letter to everyone who loved Dark Souls, to cap off the universe in the best way possible. Hard to find a boss that ticks so many boxes like that.
A duel at the end of everything. The last boss of the dark souls series and it was given the respect it deserved. The setting, the opponent, and the music tying it all together in a glorious fight.
One of the- if not the best souls track. It's just so insane, especially if you know the lore. It's just chef's kiss. Also, another cool little fact, Yuka Kitamura is both the composer of the track AND the main female singer. She's just awesome.
For three entire games, we had only ever *heard* the stories of the Dark Soul. In the second and final phase, we do not merely fight Gael. We fight the full, unmitigated power of the Dark Soul itself. Fighting that power was like trying to swim through a whirlpool capable of sucking you down to the bottom of the ocean. It was great.
Gael's theme is both a good representation of the character and acts as almost an antithesis to Gwyn. Gael has been fighting since the very beginning of the world, having served as an undead soldier in the first wars, ever resurrecting, completely disposable. He's survived countless cycles of the first flame being linked, countless kingdoms and wars. All because he was given a purpose, a reason to keep marching on and not lose his sanity like the many hallows you see throughout the series. And here he is, at the end of the world itself, no one else remains, only ash left to signify that there was ever a world to begin with, yet he still stands, his purpose unchanged. His quest to find the blood of the Dark Soul complete, he can finally let go of that eternal journey. As for how it compares to Gwyn, Gwyn was the lord of Light, bearer of the soul of light who over the ages slowly decayed, took pieces of that soul and gave it away and sacrificed his power for his age of fire until all that was left was a husk of his former self. A shambling corpse that refused to fall over. Gael however, had journeyed across the world, collecting the darkness of humanity and eventually taking the blood of the pygmies that spawned humanity, those who first beheld the dark soul. In doing so he has gained the full power of the dark soul, effectively becoming the lord of the dark, and he only awakens that power part way through the fight. We are fighting a freshly minted Lord, not the husk we fought in Gwyn.
While the Soul of Cinder was the amalgamation of everyone who ever linked the First Flame, Gael (as he is in this fight) effectively was the Dark version of that. Instead of being everyone who linked the First Flame, he effectively became the Dark Soul of Humanity itself.
It is so incredible that after 3 whole games, at the very last DLC of the last game, the very final fight is us vs. the titular Dark Soul that everyone wondered about where or even what it is. The ultimate resolution to an incredible trilogy, letting us finally see eye to eye to its namesake in a fantastic, nowadays beloved boss fight.
I really like the harmony towards the end of the song, the soloist singing through the madness before finally taking control, guiding the choir as the strings wave under her voice
(Dark souls 3 DLC spoilers) My favorite thing with these videos is how much weight it adds to the thematic elements of the fight. When Gael transitions to phase 2 it's a representation of the end of his quest. He goes hollow right there on the spot. It's our first look at the Dark Soul itself, residing within this raging beast of humanity. Yet, it's all premature; even here at the end of time. His quest was to bring the Dark Soul to his lady, and although he's found it he can no longer be trusted to bring it back. it's so good!
The reason why there are glorious and happy feelings in this music is because at the very end of everything, we find a way to possibly save the world and all the souls. Though has to come through a painful and sad story. It perfectly sums up the entire universe of Dark Souls in the end, and perhaps opens another new beginning for the world.
It is incredible hearing you analyze the song and nailing every bit of the lore. Gael was tasked to find the dark soul to create a new world for his master. In doing so her finds himself at the end of the world having gone completely mad in his search. He is almost animalistic how he fights showing no signs of humanity left. When phase 2 starts he realizes that his blood holds the dark soul in his search and he regains his human side and begins fighting as a knight again. When phase 3 starts the darkness in his body explodes out of him in his attacks as his bidy breaks down. The fight happens literally at the end of the world, in a field where nothing but ash remains
Thank you for finally doing this Slave Knight Gael is probably my favorite piece of music in the entire franchise. Between its multiple phases, tons of emotion, great composition, and not to mention it plays during my favorite fight in the series. A great song for a great boss with a great character and is truly a moment I'll never forget. Anyways I'm glad i finally got to hear your take on it now all i need is for you to do Darkness Of The Unknown from Kingdom Hearts 2 and It will be perfect.
I always appreciate your reactions, and when you spoke of the unexpected happy chord for Phase 2, my brain BROKE bc yeah, Gael IS happy at the start of phase 2. We drew Gael's blood at the end of Phase 1, and he saw the product of his grisly efforts. He was tasked with finding the Blood of the Dark Soul, but it had completely dried up within the husks of the people that had once possessed it. So he resolved himself to eating those people in the hope that their flesh would mix with HIS blood with no assurances this would actually work. BUT IT DID.
In fact, in this case, the music is very harmonious, it shows the battle of the last 2 "dark souls", waged for nothing, at the end of the time of the world's existence, and perfectly separates the different phases of the battle: Phase 1 - you fight with a tired of everything, but extremely dangerous opponent, the attacks are wide and dangerous, but banal and monotonous. Phase 2 - you fight with a dangerous monster who has come to his senses, using unusual tricks, hidden attacks and cunning mechanics. Phase 3 - you fight with a maddened creature, rushing around the character and showering the entire arena with various attacks.
slave knight gael is probably my favorite souls boss and maybe my favorite boss ever. Thanks for the reaction and analysis, I hope you stream ds3 one day.
Man, this was the first thing I ever requested you do. Everything else got done and met. I thought this might never happen. The other DS3 tracks gave me hope. I didn’t expect this today. Thank you, Davi!
The female voice you hear is a depiction of the painter you find in the attic of the painted world of ariandel whereas the male voice is Gael himself and that’s why they each sing lyrics in Latin that fit their story
I would love to see you do “For the Dark Soul” as well. An alternate and shorter version of what was heard here but just as beautiful nonetheless. I believe it is officially the “last” song on Yuma Kitamura’s compositions for ds3
Is this a reupload? I could've sworn I'd watched your reaction to this track, and it was very interesting too! In fact, I was pretty sure it was the first video I watched of your channel! Maybe I'm tripping and losing my mind. :))
I'm always so satisfied whenever musicians listen and break down Dark Souls 3 music. You can almost completely count on them always describing the lore in shocking detail with each song.
Slave Knights were made to fight dragons with worse equipment than Silver Knights but able to fight endlessly because they just kept reviving and going hollow. Gael maybe deserted, or he was survivor after a war, and found new purpose: to find the Dark Soul's pigment for his niece to paint a better world for them. We fight Gael in far future where kingdom of men fell, but Gael is still looking. He looks like a savage beast demanding Dark Soul from us. In phase 2 he starts to bleed and sees? feels? Dark Soul in his own blood, and continues the fight but on his legs and not all 4. So my guess for happy cords in phase 2 is that he feels connection to his Dark Soul and feels power necessary to defeat us for Dark Soul for his niece. So i would say spot on with breaking free :D
I’ve always felt “motivated” when I listened to this song. Often listening to it in the gym. It’s so cool how you explained it. I didn’t even know that the happy cord made the song that way. Also you guessed the lore pretty well as usual. Without going into it, Gael was a human who lived for thousands of years never losing sight of his fate, never going hollow, but eventually he did. So when you face him at the end of the world, he remembers his duty and fights you for the Dark Soul. Which is used to destroy the age of fire completely and make a new world for humans. Gael is the final boss of DS3’s second DLC, making it THE final boss of Dark Souls trillogy, at the end you release him of his suffering, but his death is heroic.
6:16 i paused at the perfect moment, right when the choir starts: "second phase! I wonder how intense it will be-" *loudest, most intense singing possible*
This is my favorite theme of the series so I'm happy to see your reaction. The whole theme is a story and when played with the fight it makes for the best experience.
There is a "supposed" translation of the lyrics of the song, it's on youtube, it's not very popular nor does it have many views, but at least reading it, it seems quite accurate to me, because it frames well the memories and emotions of the character of Gael and his Lady, the Painter. It's called: Dark Souls III OST: Slave Knight Gael (Fan Translated Lyrics) - Daniel Olmos. Maybe this can give better context of the character and all his background.
The way the brass accompanies the "unexpected happy choord" section for the last time at the end of second phase and resolves just makes me a s c e n d.
Still probably my favorite piece of videogame music ever composed, although I'm not sure how much of that is just from this incredible piece and how much is because of the incredibly emotional finale for my favorite series of all time it's attached to
Two nobody’s in the middle of nowhere, fighting over literally everything that’s left. It‘s poetic how, after finally getting our hands on the dark soul after countless years, we as the player don’t just use it for our own good. Unlike everything else we’ve seen so far we use it to create a better world. Its clear that this new world won’t last forever. It’s possibly going to decay and burn away just like everything else in this hell... but after all the agony mankind and even the gods themselves went through it’s nice at least enjoy a small period of peace. The everlasting cycle can’t be stopped so why not just make the best out of it.
"The unexpected happy chord" in the second phase makes sense thematically, Slave Knight Gael is trying to gather up the entirety of the Dark Soul by consuming the Pygmies. When he bleeds and falls on the ground he sees his blood wich is completely blackened by the Dark Soul, this means his mission for his lady is complete. He has done it, the "blood of the Dark Soul" now just has to be delivered to the painter lady. And he knows you'll do it. That's why he led you into the Ringed City. He would go mad from consuming the Dark Soul and he had only one person to depend upon if and when that happened. He also goes "hollow" at this point. Undead go hollow when they no longer have a purpose. His duty is done.
One of the best boss in whole series for sure. And does it ends well or not, well, I guess it depends wether or not your ok to do a soulbereat errand or not to deliver the thing you get from him
Slave Knight Gale is the only being left alive at the very end of time itself, except, of course, for your character. He was one of the very first undead, and so the gods used his immortality and low social status to make him into an undying soldier. But now the gods and everyone else has succumbed eventually to madness, curses, hollowing, and eventually death, yet he still remains. Slave Knight Gale was the very last boss created for the last expansion of the last game in the Dark Souls series, and his fight takes place as the last two great cities of the world crumble into a field of endless ashes. It was surprising that for the final encounter in a story about endings, that this was the character they choose, not a God, or dragon, or monster, he is in essence, your fellow: another human cursed with immortality, and at the end if the day, there can only be one. Between the two of you, every last human has been killed, their humanity, which is shards of the original Dark Soul passes from victim to murderer until all of the pieces have been recollected between you and him. As the sun descends on reality for the very last time, one of you will kill the other and consume their humanity, and for the first time since the Age of Ancients, the Dark Soul will be whole again, and the world can finally end.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
hand it over, that thing, your video.
For my lady’s enjoyment
For my lady's algorithm.
Best comment 🤣🤣🤣
For my lady's copyright strike
For my lady's TH-cam.
The day has finally come
Took me a while
@@DaviVasc Worth the wait!
"Don't go overboard Yuka"
Yuka Kitamura: (Violin bursts into flames)
lol I did used to think that this piece was a little… compositionally masturbatory? But her work on sekiro might be my favorite OST of all time.
What...
Still here? Hand it over...
that thing...
your OST breakdown
for my viewing pleasure
@canadiangopnik7007 good one 😂
I have two answers for your question about the solo singer: Slave Knight Gael is both associated with an important female character, and there aren't really enough people left to form a full choir.
It's not like it's the end of the world or anything lol
i think the same Voice also appears in the Main Theme and the Abyss Watchers' Theme, so it could be the Voice of the Dark Soul itself
It's not so much that he's a slave breaking free in phase 2, it's that he finally hollows. When he's still conscious he's this mad hulking beast due to what he's gone through, but when he finally hollows he actually stands back up on 2 feet and fights less savagely. He's become basically an empty vessel for the dark soul itself, which if you know the lore means at this moment he's basically the most human any character has ever been. He regains a lot of dignity in this moment, it's thematically adjacent to what you're describing so you're spot on I would say
He is hollowed in phase 1, his mind comes back in phase 2. He was just a beast in phase 1.
@@Outofrealman You're wrong bro sorry, the hollowslayer greatsword only gets the damage buff against him in phase 2. There's only one way to read that
@@Volsraphel I take what he does any day over some abstract game mechanic for gameplay reasons.
@@Outofrealman Cope? It's fromsoft we're talking about lmao they wouldn't add something like that for no reason
What gameplay purpose does changing a random flag to enable 1 weapon to do slightly more damage in one phase serve? It's clearly intentional.
He sees that he finally has the blood of the dark soul and with the knowledge that his mission is complete and that he has nothing left to go on for he hollows
@@Outofrealman I think you're mistaken. Consider one of the endings in which the fire is usurped to give birth to the lord of hollows and the age of men. Those individuals of the sable church are not beasts, they seem very dignified and sane. I'd argue that at that point when Gael finally lets the Dark Soul take hold of him, he loses control much like Manus did. When this happens, he becomes a vessel for the Dark Soul to lash out, using every manner of tactics and capability Gael once had.
EDIT: The loss of control is referred to a loss of purpose/goals. We've seen many characters across all the games that whenever they achieve their goal, they turn hollow, which would mean they have nothing left to hold on to their humanity, which implies humanity = purpose in this world.
This explains why the player character never goes hollow, as long as you are motivated to finish the game, you won't go hollow. The only way would be you giving up and putting the game down. It's quite cool in that sense.
"This almost sounds like a third phase."
Yeah, about that...
6:17
"Second faze is coming. I wonder how intense it will be"
*LOUD CHOIR*
This legit made me cry from laughing
Wonderful video)
Slave Knight Gael is the last boss of DS3. The Last Boss of the Souls saga.
This was Miyasaki's last gift to us. The most epic and apotheosic fight in the saga. Just two undead fighting at the end of the world... for a new world.
I always wonder what would happen if Gael won this fight. I think he wouldn't even be able to deliver the Dark Soul back to the painter in the state he's in 🤔
@@Moschel91 Clearly. That's why we had to kill him.
Last gift you say, and then he went along and handed us Elden Ring.. he's insane
@@Rainnifer He is our beloved god
@@Moschel91 He couldn't go back. What we did was basically time-skipping into the far future, finalizing the end of the world. That's why Gael was so different, why he asked "What, still here?". It's been god knows how long since the moment we touched Fillianore's shell, Gael hunted down every last one of the furtive pygmy, until he not only gathered the Dark Soul, but he became it. The Painted World of Ariandel likely doesn't even exist in this future anymore.
The solo female vocals is Yuka Kitamura herself singing
6:19 "Is this blood...? The blood... Of the Dark Soul?"
I think it's time for Dark Eater Midir to get its own analysis! The atmosphere and intensity of the fight, combined with its haunting music, deserve a deep dive. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Slave Knight Gael is just some dude that decided to save a universe the gods couldn't handle.
Slave Knight Gael is easily the most tragic character in the entire trilogy and possibly in fiction; his level of dedication and the agony he had to endure only gets lightly glossed by his portrayal in game.
Within the context of the souls world, each "cycle" where a powerful soul must link the fire to stave off the age of darkness is rough every 1000 years, and while never confirmed specifically how many cycles occurred between DS1-DS3 it is shown and stressed on the player that so many cycles have passed, so many times has the world been reignited for another millennium, that the world itself is essentially ash barely able to maintain a glow; and Slave Knight Gael has been enslaved and fighting during every. single. one.
His reason for existence, and crux to stave off his hollowing is his will to serve first bound into service and fighting as nothing more than resurrecting fodder, this eventually lead him to the painter, a dedicated master to serve alone, one promising him salvation that while ultimately truthful, was something he would never experience. To ultimately achieve his goal, Gael had to collect the physical form of the dark soul, which requires recollecting every last sprite of humanity from every human across the entire planet, regardless of age, allegiance, or innocence.
When you get sent to the far future after beating every enemy and finally find Gael there are only 2 humans remaining on the planet: You and him, Gael has already long lost his mind from the mental agony of being forced through such a grueling ordeal and the sheer passage of time that while leaving him alive still wears him down to an animalistic state. When you open his old wound, and his finally witnesses the prize he endured untold cycles to achieve, his service is complete, he produced the pigment for his lady, and he finally gives into his hollowing.
Now unshackled from his shredded conscious Gael reverts to his most basic instincts; fighting upright, like a man, and as eventually as a vassal for the writhing will of the dark soul itself that you the player must now face; however the reward gained is what can be only described and the closest thing to a genuine good ending in a dark souls game. Given the perpetual property of "humanity" its use as a pigment for a new painted world solves the long-standing problem of having to burn away the rot and start anew, the painter finally creates a perpetual unending sanctuary for remaining life, free from the shackles of the cycle of fire and the darksign.
TLDR: Grandpa Gael clutched up the 1 v 7,000,000,000 with no estus
Something that I always wonder about this is: Did Gael knew you could travel back to the past? Because in order to be a vessel of the Dark Soul he needed to consume every single one, which would make useless the effort because there wouldn't be any life to save into the new painted world, so I guess he knew there was a way to come back in time so you (or him) could go with the pigment and give it to Ariandel in an era where there was still life?
You, him AND Marcel the ringed knight chilling in the back
@@ChihiroOfAstora the painted world is unbound by spacetime so i imagine as long as you have access to it (painting or bonfire) you can return. Its also left unanswered but it can be assumed that since were able to take stuff from the future to the past and since were still able to fast travel back in time to oolacile instead of darkroot garden whenever we want in DS1, That as long as you linked the bonfire you can return at any point to that time and space. This would also inadvertently explain "saving" in Dark souls since you are simply relinking the bonfire, updating the fixed point in time to a future period.
@@blazouille2453 could also include shiva and the pygmy bound to her weapon but i assume the ashen one fights them prior to gael
Bro is doing tricks on Gael's dick
Two guys at the end of the world fighting for their own reasons
Also, Steve, the Ringed Knight, is there.
And ironically, for the same thing.
@@sirparadigm2241hes there but hes not really involved i mean the one chick is also there but we never talk about here either
and the most tragic thing: nobody even knows or care that they are there
Two nobodies, fighting over nothing, in the middle of nowhere, with no-one to witness their grand struggle
6:17 "I wonder how intense it will be..."
DS3: Buckle up!
8:09 Indeed there is! One of the characters whom you can find, in the DLC where Gael is first met, he specifically sends you to free and speak to a young girl, known as the Painter. the whole reason Gael goes through what he does is for her, so that she may 'paint" a new, gentle world into existance, using a pigment that must be claimed though the conflict that you face him in while this song plays. and once you deliver that pigment to the Painter, she wonders when "Uncle Gael" will be returning.
Davi finally looking at Gaels theme?!?!?
OohyouknowhowlongIvebeenwaitingforthis
Justmakesurepeopleknowwhathappenedheretoday
Finally, you're listening to this song! This is without a doubt my favorite Dark Souls song and certainly one of the most incredible I've ever heard on a soundtrack. The lore of this battle is so epic that some people cry just listening to the song when they understand the context of the battle.
The lore: Gael is a slave knight from the age of war against the dragons, which could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years in the past. The slave knights were warriors who served merely as cannon fodder, they were there just to make up numbers in the war against the dragons and were completely disposable. Even when they got hurt, crippled or went mad, they were never released from their duty and their only destiny was to die in battle. However, Gael lived for ALL this time, always, at that moment he was after the pigment of the Dark Soul, which would serve as paint so that his mistress could paint a new world. However, when he found the pygmy kings who should have the dark soul, he discovered that their blood had already dried. With no choice, he consumed the pygmy kings in order to use his own body to create the pigment, but this made him go mad and lose his sanity once and for all. However, Gael already knew that this would happen and never expected to be the one who would deliver the pigment to his mistress, but us, the ashen one that he guided there with the purpose of helping his mistress against Frieda and finally, killing him so that he can take the pigment from his corpse and give it to his mistress. This old man lived for countless years doing the dirty work and without ever expecting any honors for it, and even in his end he gave his own life without expecting anything in return just to fulfill his mistress's wish. The most impactful thing about this battle is that we are teleported to the literal end of time in the future, at this point, the dragons have become extinct, the gods have fallen and humanity finds itself on the brink of complete collapse, but in this end of time it is an undead and an unkindle, the two most despicable and despised beings in the world who are fighting for what in the distant past was super important, but now there is no one left to care about it.
The battle progress is also incredible, in the first phase Gael fights as if he were a beast, an animal, but in the second phase he starts to fight like a real warrior, and in the third phase he even starts to make lightning rain down on the arena. I like to separate his three phases as 1-a beast, 2-a hero, 3-a god!
I'm just curious, where was it confirmed that he's from the age of the war against the dragons? I've never gotten confirmation about this even though it seems widely accepted
@@aramkaizer7903 I think there's a lot of speculation for that conclusion, searching a bit reveals:
- Gael knows the Way of White Corna miracle.
- The Way of White was a religion created by Gwyn to subdue the undead to his will.
- Gael was part of an order of undead knights used as fodder for bleak wars that needed to be fought, as such, he served Gwyn.
- Gwyn fought 2 big wars, one against the demons unleashed by the witches of Izalith, and the other against dragons.
- During the war against the demons he had his power consolidated, and used his silver knights for it. Against the dragons, he didn't, and needed outside help.
- Hence, Gael *possibly* existed during the war of dragons and very likely fought in it.
@@AugustoXRock
This still isn't really conclusive IMO
@@aramkaizer7903 wellcome to dark souls lore 🤣
@@aramkaizer7903 he is a constripted Knight of the Human race that participated in the war alongside the Gods as he is often referenced in his past as to being a slave Knight to the gods. When the gods died or left anor Londo, he was now free and found the painted world and serves the Painter
"Second phase is coming, I wonder how intense it will be."
*Gets punched in the face by Yuka Kitamura*
I've heard the theme of the fight described as "two nobodies fighting over the last of anything, amounting to nothing at the end of everything."
1:27 I'm pretty sure that the solo singer is Yuka Kitamura, the composer of not only Dark Souls 3's soundtrack, but also Sekiro and some songs in Elden Ring and Bloodborne.
I’m 99% sure she did that yeah
The final portion of the track is derived from another track that never saw its place in the game but did come in as part of the trilogy collection for Dark Souls. The track is called "For the Dark Soul" and its arguably more melancholic than the Gael version. Slave Knight Gael is the pinnacle of Dark Souls as a whole, from the music, to the buildup leading up to the fight, to the interactions with him in the fight. Soul of Cinder was the final boss of the story, but Slave Knight Gael is the love letter to everyone who loved Dark Souls, to cap off the universe in the best way possible. Hard to find a boss that ticks so many boxes like that.
A duel at the end of everything. The last boss of the dark souls series and it was given the respect it deserved. The setting, the opponent, and the music tying it all together in a glorious fight.
I have waited so long for this I love your videos man
Thank you for sticking around! There are so many tracks to get to, sometimes it takes a while but I'm always listening to your suggestions
One of the- if not the best souls track. It's just so insane, especially if you know the lore. It's just chef's kiss.
Also, another cool little fact, Yuka Kitamura is both the composer of the track AND the main female singer. She's just awesome.
For three entire games, we had only ever *heard* the stories of the Dark Soul.
In the second and final phase, we do not merely fight Gael.
We fight the full, unmitigated power of the Dark Soul itself.
Fighting that power was like trying to swim through a whirlpool capable of sucking you down to the bottom of the ocean.
It was great.
Gael's theme is both a good representation of the character and acts as almost an antithesis to Gwyn.
Gael has been fighting since the very beginning of the world, having served as an undead soldier in the first wars, ever resurrecting, completely disposable. He's survived countless cycles of the first flame being linked, countless kingdoms and wars. All because he was given a purpose, a reason to keep marching on and not lose his sanity like the many hallows you see throughout the series.
And here he is, at the end of the world itself, no one else remains, only ash left to signify that there was ever a world to begin with, yet he still stands, his purpose unchanged. His quest to find the blood of the Dark Soul complete, he can finally let go of that eternal journey.
As for how it compares to Gwyn, Gwyn was the lord of Light, bearer of the soul of light who over the ages slowly decayed, took pieces of that soul and gave it away and sacrificed his power for his age of fire until all that was left was a husk of his former self. A shambling corpse that refused to fall over. Gael however, had journeyed across the world, collecting the darkness of humanity and eventually taking the blood of the pygmies that spawned humanity, those who first beheld the dark soul. In doing so he has gained the full power of the dark soul, effectively becoming the lord of the dark, and he only awakens that power part way through the fight. We are fighting a freshly minted Lord, not the husk we fought in Gwyn.
While the Soul of Cinder was the amalgamation of everyone who ever linked the First Flame, Gael (as he is in this fight) effectively was the Dark version of that. Instead of being everyone who linked the First Flame, he effectively became the Dark Soul of Humanity itself.
It is so incredible that after 3 whole games, at the very last DLC of the last game, the very final fight is us vs. the titular Dark Soul that everyone wondered about where or even what it is. The ultimate resolution to an incredible trilogy, letting us finally see eye to eye to its namesake in a fantastic, nowadays beloved boss fight.
The flame has died the world is dust and we are all that’s left oh ashen one you’ve come for the dark soul haven’t you.
This is a strong contender for my favorite track in the series. It goes SO well with the fight and makes it even more epic
I really like the harmony towards the end of the song, the soloist singing through the madness before finally taking control, guiding the choir as the strings wave under her voice
(Dark souls 3 DLC spoilers) My favorite thing with these videos is how much weight it adds to the thematic elements of the fight. When Gael transitions to phase 2 it's a representation of the end of his quest. He goes hollow right there on the spot. It's our first look at the Dark Soul itself, residing within this raging beast of humanity. Yet, it's all premature; even here at the end of time. His quest was to bring the Dark Soul to his lady, and although he's found it he can no longer be trusted to bring it back.
it's so good!
The solo voice represents his niece for me which is his motivation throughout the dlc’s
The reason why there are glorious and happy feelings in this music is because at the very end of everything, we find a way to possibly save the world and all the souls. Though has to come through a painful and sad story. It perfectly sums up the entire universe of Dark Souls in the end, and perhaps opens another new beginning for the world.
Davi wondering how intense the second phase will be and then IMMEDIATELY getting hit with the phase transition crescendoing got a laugh out of me
It's so good. Definitely one of my favourite themes in all gaming.
I think this is my single favorite ost of all times, out of every videogame I've ever played.
I read from somewhere (I can’t remember now from where) that the female solo singer is actually the composer herself: Yuka Kitamura
The solo singer is the composer herself here too 😎
It also has bits of the intro menu ds3 music mixed in. It all comes full circle
It is incredible hearing you analyze the song and nailing every bit of the lore. Gael was tasked to find the dark soul to create a new world for his master. In doing so her finds himself at the end of the world having gone completely mad in his search. He is almost animalistic how he fights showing no signs of humanity left. When phase 2 starts he realizes that his blood holds the dark soul in his search and he regains his human side and begins fighting as a knight again. When phase 3 starts the darkness in his body explodes out of him in his attacks as his bidy breaks down. The fight happens literally at the end of the world, in a field where nothing but ash remains
I think the happy chord is to add on to the valour Gael has and the dedication he has to complete his task for his Lady, the painter.
Man, you always seem to nail it when you talk about these characters based on music alone, its so cool every time
The cords on 1:44 are a reference to the music of the dark lord ending in DS1, which makes a lot of sense given this part of DS3’s story.
Great Vid! 🙌
And Yuka herself sang the female solo in this ost.
Thank you for finally doing this Slave Knight Gael is probably my favorite piece of music in the entire franchise. Between its multiple phases, tons of emotion, great composition, and not to mention it plays during my favorite fight in the series. A great song for a great boss with a great character and is truly a moment I'll never forget. Anyways I'm glad i finally got to hear your take on it now all i need is for you to do Darkness Of The Unknown from Kingdom Hearts 2 and It will be perfect.
I always appreciate your reactions, and when you spoke of the unexpected happy chord for Phase 2, my brain BROKE bc yeah, Gael IS happy at the start of phase 2. We drew Gael's blood at the end of Phase 1, and he saw the product of his grisly efforts. He was tasked with finding the Blood of the Dark Soul, but it had completely dried up within the husks of the people that had once possessed it. So he resolved himself to eating those people in the hope that their flesh would mix with HIS blood with no assurances this would actually work. BUT IT DID.
whoa
Love your reaction. Gael's theme has always been so unique to me, glad to see you reacting to it!
I'm so glad that the Dark Souls trilogy got a perfect ending. Two nobodies fighting in the middle of nowhere.
Couldn't have wished for anything more.
If you haven't already, I would really love to see you do a breakdown of Sister Friede and Father Ariendel from the Ashes of Ariendele dlc.
Never realized you didn't cover this one yet, about time
In fact, in this case, the music is very harmonious, it shows the battle of the last 2 "dark souls", waged for nothing, at the end of the time of the world's existence, and perfectly separates the different phases of the battle:
Phase 1 - you fight with a tired of everything, but extremely dangerous opponent, the attacks are wide and dangerous, but banal and monotonous.
Phase 2 - you fight with a dangerous monster who has come to his senses, using unusual tricks, hidden attacks and cunning mechanics.
Phase 3 - you fight with a maddened creature, rushing around the character and showering the entire arena with various attacks.
slave knight gael is probably my favorite souls boss and maybe my favorite boss ever. Thanks for the reaction and analysis, I hope you stream ds3 one day.
Two nobodies fighting at the end of the world. Easily the most poetic fight in the series
Man, this was the first thing I ever requested you do. Everything else got done and met. I thought this might never happen. The other DS3 tracks gave me hope. I didn’t expect this today. Thank you, Davi!
The female voice you hear is a depiction of the painter you find in the attic of the painted world of ariandel whereas the male voice is Gael himself and that’s why they each sing lyrics in Latin that fit their story
I would love to see you do “For the Dark Soul” as well. An alternate and shorter version of what was heard here but just as beautiful nonetheless. I believe it is officially the “last” song on Yuma Kitamura’s compositions for ds3
Is this a reupload? I could've sworn I'd watched your reaction to this track, and it was very interesting too! In fact, I was pretty sure it was the first video I watched of your channel! Maybe I'm tripping and losing my mind. :))
This song really felt special to me, it really fit "The End" to me, a final farewell to this universe.
I WAS JUST CHECKING YESTERDAY FOR IF YOU HAD MADE THIS VIDEO YET.
I’m so happy
I believe the solo singer is in fact Yuka Kitamura herself!
The solo singer is actually the composer herself singing I believe. She also sang the dark souls 3 main theme.
iirc the female voice in the song is suppose to be the Painter who's waiting for Gael coming back with the ''paint''
I'm always so satisfied whenever musicians listen and break down Dark Souls 3 music. You can almost completely count on them always describing the lore in shocking detail with each song.
Slave Knights were made to fight dragons with worse equipment than Silver Knights but able to fight endlessly because they just kept reviving and going hollow. Gael maybe deserted, or he was survivor after a war, and found new purpose: to find the Dark Soul's pigment for his niece to paint a better world for them. We fight Gael in far future where kingdom of men fell, but Gael is still looking. He looks like a savage beast demanding Dark Soul from us. In phase 2 he starts to bleed and sees? feels? Dark Soul in his own blood, and continues the fight but on his legs and not all 4. So my guess for happy cords in phase 2 is that he feels connection to his Dark Soul and feels power necessary to defeat us for Dark Soul for his niece. So i would say spot on with breaking free :D
two nobodies, in the middle of nowhere, at the end of time, fighting over nothing and everything
I’ve always felt “motivated” when I listened to this song. Often listening to it in the gym. It’s so cool how you explained it. I didn’t even know that the happy cord made the song that way. Also you guessed the lore pretty well as usual. Without going into it, Gael was a human who lived for thousands of years never losing sight of his fate, never going hollow, but eventually he did. So when you face him at the end of the world, he remembers his duty and fights you for the Dark Soul. Which is used to destroy the age of fire completely and make a new world for humans. Gael is the final boss of DS3’s second DLC, making it THE final boss of Dark Souls trillogy, at the end you release him of his suffering, but his death is heroic.
One of the best themes in all the fromsoft games! Such an amazing breakdown on it! great job!
Thank you!
6:16 i paused at the perfect moment, right when the choir starts: "second phase! I wonder how intense it will be-" *loudest, most intense singing possible*
This is my favorite theme of the series so I'm happy to see your reaction. The whole theme is a story and when played with the fight it makes for the best experience.
THE GOAT OF ALL TRACKS 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you man, this is without a doubt my favorite ost from the dark souls series
There is a "supposed" translation of the lyrics of the song, it's on youtube, it's not very popular nor does it have many views, but at least reading it, it seems quite accurate to me, because it frames well the memories and emotions of the character of Gael and his Lady, the Painter. It's called: Dark Souls III OST: Slave Knight Gael (Fan Translated Lyrics) - Daniel Olmos. Maybe this can give better context of the character and all his background.
God Devouring Serpent from Elden Ring please. Nice video btw, always good
I second this. The ost is so so good
Wait so long for this magnificent ost
第一楽章の１２３のテンポが心地良すぎる。そこからの第二楽章での盛り上がり、最後に第三楽章の非常に激しいのに哀愁感ある本来アンバランスなのにも関わらず、見事に調和されてる旋律、全てが素晴らしすぎる。
The way the brass accompanies the "unexpected happy choord" section for the last time at the end of second phase and resolves just makes me a s c e n d.
ohhh ive been waiting for this one
Still probably my favorite piece of videogame music ever composed, although I'm not sure how much of that is just from this incredible piece and how much is because of the incredibly emotional finale for my favorite series of all time it's attached to
Very good intuition, there is in fact, a female character related to Gale. The painter in the previous DLC, Ashes of Ariandel
Two nobody’s in the middle of nowhere, fighting over literally everything that’s left. It‘s poetic how, after finally getting our hands on the dark soul after countless years, we as the player don’t just use it for our own good. Unlike everything else we’ve seen so far we use it to create a better world. Its clear that this new world won’t last forever. It’s possibly going to decay and burn away just like everything else in this hell... but after all the agony mankind and even the gods themselves went through it’s nice at least enjoy a small period of peace. The everlasting cycle can’t be stopped so why not just make the best out of it.
I defiantly like to see you listen to some of DS2's music mainly Sir Alonne , the slumbering Dragon and longing.
Finally l have been waited for this moment!
"The unexpected happy chord" in the second phase makes sense thematically, Slave Knight Gael is trying to gather up the entirety of the Dark Soul by consuming the Pygmies. When he bleeds and falls on the ground he sees his blood wich is completely blackened by the Dark Soul, this means his mission for his lady is complete. He has done it, the "blood of the Dark Soul" now just has to be delivered to the painter lady. And he knows you'll do it. That's why he led you into the Ringed City. He would go mad from consuming the Dark Soul and he had only one person to depend upon if and when that happened.
He also goes "hollow" at this point. Undead go hollow when they no longer have a purpose. His duty is done.
This song gets me emotional now, such a beautiful piece and a fitting conclusion to the Souls trilogy 🥲
Oh man i have been waiting for this
wow i didnt expect this from you, sick stuff!!!
There’s a video with the lyrics of this bosses theme too I think it adds on tons more alongside your analysis
One of the best boss in whole series for sure. And does it ends well or not, well, I guess it depends wether or not your ok to do a soulbereat errand or not to deliver the thing you get from him
Wow, I can't believe it finally happened, after so long did thoust wait, for the coming of the knight.
Slave Knight Gale is the only being left alive at the very end of time itself, except, of course, for your character.
He was one of the very first undead, and so the gods used his immortality and low social status to make him into an undying soldier. But now the gods and everyone else has succumbed eventually to madness, curses, hollowing, and eventually death, yet he still remains.
Slave Knight Gale was the very last boss created for the last expansion of the last game in the Dark Souls series, and his fight takes place as the last two great cities of the world crumble into a field of endless ashes.
It was surprising that for the final encounter in a story about endings, that this was the character they choose, not a God, or dragon, or monster, he is in essence, your fellow: another human cursed with immortality, and at the end if the day, there can only be one.
Between the two of you, every last human has been killed, their humanity, which is shards of the original Dark Soul passes from victim to murderer until all of the pieces have been recollected between you and him. As the sun descends on reality for the very last time, one of you will kill the other and consume their humanity, and for the first time since the Age of Ancients, the Dark Soul will be whole again, and the world can finally end.
one of the best tracks for one of, scratch that THE best boss in all of gaming
So excited to watch this, I even done my own decomposition of it
Probably Yuka Kitamura's best composition, in my opinion. The lead vocalist never fails to give me chills. And those violins!😫👌
"there's a lot more chaos now"... yea... that's about right...
Pls do sister Friede and Dark Eater Midir next both are also good
Finally!!!
Glorious work. And that was not a happy end.
super awesome analysis