History Characters / DarkSouls

* NothingIsScarier:[[spoiler: You fight them in the pitch-black darkness of the Abyss, where it's exceedingly hard to judge your distance or if you are even moving at all, they hit hard and drain your stamina very quickly, and, if you're not fast enough, more and more kings spawn, effectively making the boss a frighteningly frantic race to score damage before you're overwhelmed by them. And that's before you add the soundtrack, which consists of a ''very'' oppressive [[OminousLatinChanting ominous chorus]].]]

* BonusBoss

* DropTheHammer

* ChurchMilitant

* {{Expy}}: Of Yurt the Silent Chief from ''DemonsSouls''. He even uses the same type of weapon as Yurt... two of them, in fact.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: He warns the player to watch out for and to stay away from [[AxCrazy Lautrec]]. (This is a CallBack to ''DemonsSouls'', where he says much the same thing about Yurt the Silent Chief.) He also refers to [[spoiler:Petrus]] as "scum" - while this could simply be down to his [[spoiler:hatred of clerics]], it turns out that [[spoiler:Petrus]] is [[BitchInSheepsClothing indeed]] ''[[BitchInSheepsClothing not]]'' [[BitchInSheepsClothing a nice guy]]. [[spoiler:(Perhaps he witnessed Petrus' abandonment of Rhea...)]]

* BadAss

* SenseFreak: "I will stay behind, to gaze at the sun. The sun is a wondrous body. Like a magnificent father! If only I could be so ''grossly incandescent''!"

* KilledOffForReal: In the [[PlayerCharacter Player Character's]] timeline, the only way for specific [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] such as Tarkus to die permanently is for them to killed by the Player themselves. Tarkus, however, is found already dead, but never seen hollowed. Thus, it's implied that he may have made it as far as he did without even being undead, in which case he may even be more Badass than the player.

* WorldsStrongestMan: World's strongest ''human'' anyway. Never specifically stated, though his background alludes to this. It's presumed Tarkus comes from Berenike, the knights of which were renowned for their strength. Even among them, Tarkus was stronger.

* [[spoiler:DeathCryEcho: Lets out a death wail when he's defeated that's the stuff of legends.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: Artorias' limping left hand suggests that it's broken and not strong enough to wield his signature Greatshield during your fight with him. One shudders to think what happens if the player has to fight him with both hands intact, untainted by the Dark, with both his Greatsword and Greatshield at his arsenal, considering he handily beats most players with one arm broken...

* BeefGate: Acts as this for one entrance into Darkroot Basin.

* MightyGlacier: Wears one of the heaviest armors in the game, as well as one of the heaviest weapons. Is he slow? Yes. Can he one-shot a bitch? Oh yeah.

* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever

* SpikesOfVillainy: He's called the Knight of Thorns, and his sword, shield, and armor are appropriately covered with spikes. Rolling into or kicking an opponent with the armor equipped [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration actually deals some damage]], [[ScratchDamage however small]], and both the sword and shield have bleeding effect.

A paladin knight available for summoning against the Pinwheel boss in the Catacombs. He later invades the player deep into the Tomb of the Giants. [[spoiler: His gear is found within Nito's chamber, where he failed against the Gravelord.]]

* BeefGate: He invades you right before you can enter the tunnel leading to [[spoiler:Nito's chamber]], and he can easily send unsuspecting players to their deaths should he use his [[BlownAcrossTheRoom Grant's special ability or Wrath of the Gods]] while you are likely fighting him near a cliff.

* [[spoiler:{{Badass}}: He might be the BigBad, but he utterly trounced Artorias, and his boss fight is tied with the latter's for one of the toughest battles in the entire content.]]

* SinisterScimitar: Which is made of corpses and spreads plague!

* [[spoiler:EldritchAbomination: Was transformed into a tree-like monstrosity whose roots - provided they're not the roots of the Great Hollow - can be seen throughout the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, and is the source of all the Chaos Demons. ]]

* [[spoiler:PuzzleBoss]]

* CombatTentacles: Has three tails that function as these.

* EvilAlbino

* {{Determinator}}: The Wolf Ring described him as having "an unbendable will of steel," which is translated into a significant boost of Poise.

* MadeOfIron: His Wolf Ring mentions his unbreakable will. The player gains this ability when using this ring, which increases poise by 40, comparable to most full sets of medium armor.

* {{Badass}}: In spades. His fight in the DLC is one of the most brutal you will have.
* TheBerserker: During his boss fight, full stop. He roars wildly like an animal multiple times, often times gaining a power boost as he does it. He uses [[InASingleBound wild, insane leaping attacks]], both vertical and horizontal [[SpinAttack spin attacks.]] He recklessly and relentlessly charges at the player. It makes sense considering his [[Manga/{{Berserk}} inspiration]] and the [[TheCorruption state you find him in.]]

* BlackKnight: His dark armor speaks for itself.
** His armor's color makes him more of a Dark Blue and Silver/Gray Knight.

* TheFaceless: He bears a heavy resemblance to the [[LordoftheRings Nazgul.]]
* TheGhost: Artorias' legend permeates the deeper layers of DS lore, tying with several significant weapons, the history of an ancient area and a plot regarding the Abyss.

* MasterSwordsman: His Wolf Ring mentions him as being unmatched with a greatsword. It's hard to argue, given that even in his corrupted state and having a mangled left arm, he can be compared to [[PhysicalGod Gwyn]].

** [[spoiler:AscendedExtra: He is the second of the new bosses the player faces in the expansion.]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Data mining in the PC version reveals that he originally had dialogue during the fight against him. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_99HBLHz_k Prepare to]] [[TearJerker Cry]].

* MightyGlacier: Slow and cumbersome, but each of its swings and punchs are likely to knock off most of your health.

* {{Badass}}: You summon him in an area infested with [[DemonicSpiders Bonewheel Skeletons]], and he can easily oneshot them with his [[DropTheHammer gargantuan mace Grant]], or simply cast the [[BlownAcrossTheRoom Wrath of the Gods miracle]] for good measure.

* DropTheHammer: His Grant is one of the three treasures of the Way of White covenant, and, just like other divine weapons, [[DeaderThanDead permanently kills skeletons]].

* LightIsNotGood: He's a {{Paladin}} and a member of the Way of White covenant. He also tries to kill you for unknown reasons ''without'' having gone hollow.

* [[FallenHero Fallen Heroes]]: Were once noble and just rulers until Kaathe tempted them with the Art of Lifedrain.

* AnAxeToGrind: [[{{BFS}} One befitting its size, no less!]] It also fires [[RazorWind streams of air that explode upon impact.]] [[spoiler: You can forge one for yourself by using the golem's core, with the ability to fire those streams as well, although it's the heaviest weapon of its category.]]

* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Soon after yoou defeat her, her summon sign becomes available in front of Quelaag's boss gate.

* {{Badass}}: You summon him in an area infested with [[DemonicSpiders Bonewheel Skeletons]], and he can easily oneshot them with his gargantuan mace, [[DropTheHammer Grant]], or simply cast [[BlownAcrossTheRoom Wrath of the Gods]] for good measure.

* [[spoiler:BigBad]]: He is the [[spoiler: FinalBoss]] of the Artorias of the Abyss content.

* MeaningfulName[=/=]UnfortunateName: His is a play on the word "calamity", as evidenced by the Calamity Ring he drops.

* [[spoiler:DarkIsNotEvil]]: Maybe... his claims [[spoiler:Frampt is a traitor]] gain a lot of credibility once [[spoiler:you notice the holes in his claim]].

* RememberTheNewGuy: Can come across as this should you [[spoiler:give the Lordvessel to Frampt before attempting the Four Kings boss fight (which means you'll never even meet him at all) and then choosing the Dark Lord ending after defeating Gwyn.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Implied. The current fan theory is that Pinwheel was a necromancer who tried to resurrect his family. [[FateWorseThanDeath The result...]]

* AntiVillain
* BodyHorror

* RecurringBoss: He’s notable for being the only invading NPC who attacks you more than once.

* [[spoiler:BiggerBad]]: This could well be the case, for Chester reveals that [[spoiler: Oolacile was tricked into awakening Manus by "that toothy serpent." He could've just as well been referring to Frampt, however. There's also the whole being the patron of Darkwraiths thing.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Implied. The current fan theory is that Pinwheel was a necromancer who tried to resurrect his family. [[FateWorseThenDeath The result...]]

* GenderBlenderName: Sif is a [[NorseMythology Norse ''goddess'']]'s name. [[WordOfGod Only Miyazaki can tell Sif's gender as it stands now.]]

* SpikesOfVillainy: He's called the Knight of Thorns, and his sword, shield, and armor are appropriately covered with spikes.

Guardian of a FieldOfBlades graveyard found within the Darkroot Basin, which pay honor to Knight Artorias the Abysswalker. She wields a now powerless version of her old master's greatsword, which she holds in her mouth. Defeating Sif grants the player a ring called the Covenant of Artorias, allowing them to traverse the Abyss and slay the Four Kings. [[spoiler: Sif is encountered in the new content as a wolf cub. The player has the option to save Sif from the Abyss, allowing the player to summon her during the fight against Manus. Completing the new content before gaining the Covenant of Artorias will cause a new boss intro video to play.]]

* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:In the Prepare to Die edition, the player can find her separated from her dead master, weak and surrounded by Humanity phantoms with only Artorias' shield keeping them away from her. Should the player choose to rescue her, she can be summoned for the Manus boss fight.]]

* FragileSpeedster: Sif is this in comparison to other bosses. Sif has fairly high damage, but for the most part, it isn't capable of one shotting you like the Stray Demon and the Gaping Dragon. Sif is also extremely fast and agile, but comparatively low in defense and armor.
* [[spoiler: HeartbrokenBadass: Should you manage to save her prior to the mandatory boss fight against her, Sif will recognize the player and whimper softly at their approach. The player reaches out to pet her, but Sif pulls away and howls mournfully, before sadly grabbing Astorias's greatsword]].
* PunchClockVillain: She's the one of the few bosses in the game to be utterly non-antagonistic. She's only defending her master's grave, which the player needs access to in order to traverse the Abyss.
* UndyingLoyalty: Defends the tomb of her friend to the death, even when she is [[PlayerPunch too weak to stand.]] [[spoiler:The PlayerPunch is even greater if the player saves Sif in the new content before entering Artorias' grave. Sif actually ''recognizes'' the player, before reluctantly drawing Artorias' greatsword for the boss fight.]]

* PlayingWithFire: A pyromancer, and not a bad one either.

* DefeatEqualsFriendship

* FaceHeelTurn: Will invade you even if you summoned him for the Pinwheel battle. Most other [=NPCs=] attack you because they've gone [[AxCrazy Hollow]], but Leeroy is most likely aware of his actions.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Has an impressive trophy room with the Four Knights.
* BadAss
* BladeOnAStick

* DueToTheDead: Should you kill Smough first. Not that the latter would return the favor...

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: His most dangerous attack in the second stage and will most likely kill you in one hit.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Not him, but his armor. The max-stat Black Phantoms released into the games of players who broke the street date wore his armor.

* TurnsRed: If you kill Ornstein first, Smough charges his hammer with Ornstein's lightning.

* LightIsNotGood: His skin is white and as the Grandfather of Sorcery, his power lies in the bending and manipulation of light. He's also on the cruelest beings in the entire game.

* DeadAllAlong: Implied.

* LastOfHerKind: Possibly, given that Oolacile has little mention elsewhere in-game.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: She was originally supposed to summon you to rescue her instead of freeing her spirit from the Golem. The new content plays with and rebuilds this, [[spoiler: but you find out that ''Artorias'' was the one trying to rescue her. You just get dragged into it.]]

* DefrostingIceQueen

* DefrostingIceQueen

* [[spoiler: PlayingWithFire: Both the Witch of Izalith and the Bed of Chaos use this. The Bed of Chaos might have copied the ability straight from the Witch herself.]]

* LightIsNotGood: He's colored white and as the Grandfather of Sorcery, his power lies in the bending and manipulation of light. He's also on the cruelest beings in the entire game.

* MementoMacGuffin: A couple of odd cases. In the main game, his Crest can be purchased to unlock the Forest Hunter Covenant. His ring, the Covenant of Artorias, is used to allow the player to traverse the Abyss in New Londo. Not to mention the soul of his friend Sif can be used to forged three powerful weapons. [[spoiler: In the ''Prepare To Die'' Edition/''Artorias of the Abyss'' DLC, his Soul can be given to Ciaran for her personal weapons and his Silver Pendant is can be acquired to make the fight against Manus a bit easier.]]