History Heartwarming / GodOfWarRagnarok

* After 'Tyr' is revealed to be Odin in disguise and kills Brok, Kratos took Atreus back to Midgard away from the others and leaving Gjallarhorn with Freya, despite the others' protests. In a funk as he [[HeroicBSOD struggles to process]] how everything's gone wrong, Atreus request they they hunt down a deer once more, the [[MeaningfulEcho presentation echoing]] the initial E3 demo reveal of the Norse chapter, even having Atreus using the same aiming reticle that he had when lining up his shot on the unaware beast... only for Kratos to gently put his hand over the arrow and lower it to the ground, letting the animal flee. Aware from the Norns now that he has always had free will in the horrible events to keep occurring, Kratos recognises how he and his son are [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall only repeating their past steps]] without truly moving forward from them. As the crux of his CharacterDevelopment throughout the duology, Kratos ''finally'' decides to truly 'break the cycle' by doing what he could never have imagined before -- facing up to his responsibility in causing such tragedy and doing what he can to mend it, or if not, to 'Be Better' than the man he once was. A lesson he imparts to Atreus as they set off to find Sindri and face up to his [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech justified tirade against them]] for what he's lost, no matter how painful it is for them. It's a quiet moment, but it marks the point that Kratos stops causing hurt and starts trying to ''heal'', even though the task may be impossible.

* After 'Tyr' is revealed to be Odin in disguise and killing Brok, Kratos took Atreus back to Midgard away from the others and leaving Gjallarhorn with Freya, despite the others' protests. In a funk as he [[HeroicBSOD struggles to process]] how everything's gone wrong, Atreus request they they hunt down a deer once more, the [[MeaningfulEcho presentation echoing]] the initial E3 demo reveal of the Norse chapter, even having Atreus using the same aiming reticle that he had when lining up his shot on the unaware beast... only for Kratos to gently put his hand over the arrow and lower it to the ground, letting the animal flee. Aware from the Norns now that he has always had free will in the horrible events to keep occurring, Kratos recognises how he and his son are [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall only repeating their past steps]] without truly moving forward from them. As the crux of his CharacterDevelopment throughout the duology, Kratos ''finally'' decides to truly 'break the cycle' by doing what he could never have imagined before -- facing up to his responsibility in causing such tragedy and doing what he can to mend it, or if not, to 'Be Better' than the man he once was. A lesson he imparts to Atreus as they set off to find Sindri and face up to his [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech justified tirade against them]] for what he's lost, no matter how painful it is for them. It's a quiet moment, but it marks the point that Kratos stops causing hurt and starts trying to ''heal'', even though the task may be impossible.

* After clearing out the last of the Kol Raider camps in a sidequest, Kratos' companion will point out how Spekki and Svanna are still whining nervously. As Atreus had rescued them from the same type of raiders, it's understandable that they would remember the abuse. The party eventually realizes that with the Kol Raiders eliminated, the wolves are afraid of Kratos, so he reluctantly makes an effort to put them at east. Even with mistaking them as male instead of female wolves at first and awkwardly going the motions, it's still sweet that Kratos tried to comfort the wolves.

* When Brok learns of Sindri's secret, that he did in fact die at one point and Sindri could only restore part of Brok's soul, he goes a bit depressed at the fact. This is after the mermaid made Kratos his new spear weapon Draupnir, but Brok couldn’t get her to bless the weapon because she can’t see him. What is Kratos' response? He takes a knee before Brok, saying that the weapon [[SincerityMode "needs the blessing of a great blacksmith"]]. Brok tries to deny the honor, thinking a soulless being wouldn't count, but Kratos still believes and encourages the blacksmith, enough for Brok to bless the weapon.

'''Kratos:''' And so are we....when an animal is wounded, it must stop the bleeding. Or it will die. We have been wounded. And this... this is a distraction.

* When Kratos breaks the sacrifical cage to rescue Mimir from being burned on their first visit to "Greece," again breaking Valhalla, Sigrun risks being burned alive to save both of them, much to Mimir's horror ("Love, you're burning!"). After all three make it back to the Shore, Mimir and Sigrun share a brief moment.

* When Kratos reveals he doesn't regret killing Hercules, Tyr ask why. Kratos reveals that Hercules was always jealous of Kratos, believing he was Zeus' favorite son, and in turned, revealed his own goal in killing him and take the God of War title for himself. Kratos tells Tyr that he killed him because he wanted the title of God of War for every reason but the right one. Tyr congratulates Kratos, for knowing the difference and also showing how much he understood what being a God of War meant.

--> '''Kratos''': "If anyone else disparaged you as you disparage yourself, I would wish to strike them with an axe.

--> '''Helios''': "You WANT me here. Because I'll never let you forget what you did. And sometimes an ugly memory is the only thing keeping history from repeating itself."

** Freya asking Kratos to join her council in the first place shows how much she's come to trust and respect the man she once blamed for her son's death. When she realizes that the reason why Kratos decided to enter Valhalla to begin with was because he is taking Freya's offer serious, whatever negative feeling she had of him entering fades away, and begins to trust his actions.

** Moreover, ''this'' is the '''real''' Týr, not the imposter Tyr cowering from danger or questioning everyone's decisions that Odin presented him to be. Kratos, and by extension the audience, finally get to see the Aesir God of War loved and respected by so many: [[StrongAndSkilled A powerful and versatile warrior]], [[WarriorTherapist a wise counsellor]], and [[AllLovingHero a kind, helpful person]].

* During one of your runs in Valhalla, Týr will talk about Kratos' actions in Greece. In one scene he mentions what happened after Kratos ripped off Helios' head (and Helios himself hijacking Týr's speech to lambast Kratos for the destruction he caused in killing him). In said scene, Týr very briefly mentions that Greece was in fact ''rebuilt'', meaning Kratos' homeland did in fact survive the fall of Olympus and its gods. And that it very may well have been through Kratos' HeroicSacrific of spreading Hope to those Grecians still alive.

* During one of your runs in Valhalla, Týr will talk about Kratos' actions in Greece. In one scene he mentions what happened after Kratos ripped off Helios' head (and Helios himself hijacking Týr's speech to lambast Kratos for the destruction he caused in killing him). In said scene, Týr very briefly mentions that Greece was in fact ''rebuilt'', meaning Kratos' homeland did in fact survive the fall of Olympus and its gods.

** A meta example is the reason that the younger Kratos does not speak, Chris Judge refused to voice him (and stated he never will) out of respect for Kratos’ original voice actor Terrence C. Carson, saying that to do so would be a disservice to his work.

* Freyr. In a franchise absolutely ''teeming'' with insecure, paranoid, uncaring and otherwise just straight-up [[JerkassGods cruel deities]], here we have a breath of fresh air in the form of a welcoming, humble, and genuinely KIND god. Despite the suckage of Vanaheim’s current situation, Freyr does everything he can to make sure his realm and friends survive has managed to gather a surprisingly varied group of allies—who’d likely be trying to kill each other in any other circumstance—with nothing but charm and kindness alone, and above all, has nothing but love for his sister and truly wishes to mend his relationship with her. Even Kratos can’t help but admit that, while his leadership skills may be lacking, Freyr has a good heart; very few gods in this series can lay claim to that.

* Atreus and Thor deal with TeethClenchedTeamwork as they travel through Muspelheim, with Thor outright threatening Atreus's life multiple times. In spite of this, Atreus still goes out of his way to claim to Odin that Thor helped a lot on their mission, even though he was mostly a glorified bodyguard. As they return to Asgard, Thor also offhandedly admits that he thinks Atreus is an "okay kid", and this is ''before'' the aforementioned complimenting.

** Furthermore, Heimdall's death was surprisingly merciful on Kratos' part, considering he'd threatened to kill Atrues mere moments earlier, and other gods have died [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6bQZRqrIM much]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnRYjLhIc4 much]] worse deaths just for getting in Kratos' way.

---> '''Kratos''': "If anyone else disparaged you as you disparage yourself, I would wish to strike them with an axe.

---> '''Helios''': "You WANT me here. Because I'll never let you forget what you did. And sometimes an ugly memory is the only thing keeping history from repeating itself."

** Freya asking Kratos to join her council in the first place shows how much she's come to trust and respect the man she once blamed for her son's death. When she realizes that the reason why Kratos decided to enter Valhalla to begin with was because he is taking Freya's offer serious, whatever negative feeling she had of him entering faded away, and begins to trust his actions.

** And Týr reason for helping Kratos in the first place, when asked directly by Kratos himself? "Because I can." Týr is truly such an AllLovingHero that he decided to help a person he hardly knows and who has a complicated reputation that would easily make most wary, simply because he saw Kratos struggling and knew there was a way that he could help him. And all this without an ounce of expectation for thanks or repayment.

* There's a long tirade from Odin chewing out Kratos for being a sorry excuse for a god who only cares for himself and has never gotten the love of anyone. ''Immediately afterwards'', it cuts to Kratos running through the woods with Freyr slung over his shoulders as the forest crumbles around them. And more blatantly, he pulls Atreus back onto their dog-sleigh whilst travelling at breakneck speeds and when both are submerged underwater, Kratos swims after his son to ensure his safety, holding him tightly when they surface.
* A gameplay trailer shows Kratos being perhaps what is the most tender with his son seen so far, gently holding his cheek as though to calm him down and even putting his arm around his shoulders. For the latter, if you look closely, he even appears to be '''smiling'''. Just goes to show how LoveRedeems even someone like Kratos.

** When Odin offers Kratos peace, he sternly rebuffs him. Why? Well, Kratos has plenty of reasons to mistrust and dislike the Raven God but the main reason he turned him down was because he ''threatened Freya''. As far gone as she is at this point, Kratos still considers Freya a valued friend for her saving an incredibly ill Atreus, and would never dare ally against her with her ex-husband.

* Freyr. In a franchise absolutely ''teeming'' with insecure, paranoid, uncaring and otherwise just straight-up [[JerkassGods cruel deities]], here we have a breath of fresh air in the form of a welcoming, humble, and genuinely KIND god who, despite the suckage of Vanaheim’s current situation, does everything he can to make sure his realm and friends survive, has managed to gather a surprisingly varied group of allies—who’d likely be trying to kill each other in any other circumstance—with nothing but charm and kindness alone, and above all, has nothing but love for his sister and truly wishes to mend his relationship with her. Even Kratos can’t help but admit that while his leadership skills may be lacking, Freyr has a good heart; very few gods in this series can lay claim to that.
* After clearing out the last of the Kol Raider camps in a sidequest, Kratos' companion will point out how Spekki and Svanna are still whining nervously. As Atreus had rescued them from the same type of raiders, it's understandable that they would remember the abuse. Even with mistaking them as male instead of female wolves at first and awkwardly going the motions, it's still sweet that Kratos tried to comfort the wolves.

* Kratos has come a long way from the man he once was. He always addresses Atreus, Mimir, and Sindri and Brok by their names, is much more tolerant of their respective antics, and all in all has clearly settled well into the role of stern but loving patriarch.

* When Brok learns of Sindri's secret, that he did in fact die at one point and Sindri could only restore part of Brok's soul, he goes a bit depressed at the fact. This is after the mermaid made Kratos his new spear weapon Draupnir, but Brok couldn’t get her to bless the weapon because she can’t see him. What is Kratos response? He takes a knee and says that the weapon [[SincerityMode "needs the blessing of a great blacksmith"]]. Brok tries to deny the honor, thinking a soulless being wouldn't count, but Kratos still believes and encourages the blacksmith, enough for Brok to bless the weapon.

** The fact that Kratos doesn't merely give Brok the spear for the blessing. He kneels. The God of War. The Ghost of Sparta. Destroyer of Olympus. Kneels to a dwarf, who the Aesir treated as little better as slaves, and quietly asks for him to bless his weapon.
** Brok makes one request of Kratos and Mimir: they never tell the story of what happened at the Forge, as it is his "story to tell". Kratos agrees instantly and when Mimir tries to weedle the chance to tell it later Kratos firmly tells him no.

** Further, everyone present - even 'Tyr' - is truly furious with Atreus for his mistake, except Kratos. A bit of FridgeBrilliance, Kratos, of all people, knows what it's like to have one's actions have severe consequences.

** Which makes sense, the Draupnir Spear was a weapon Kratos forged in desperation, one with which he planned to hunt down and butcher someone, albeit in defence of a loved one - and we all know how Kratos feels about [[OldShame the]] [[IHatePastMe blades]]. The axe meanwhile belonged to someone Kratos loved, and was forged to defend the weak and help those across the nine realms. In other words, the blades are who [[VillainProtagonist Kratos]] [[ItsAllAboutMe was]], the spear is who [[PragmaticHero he]] [[ClassicalAntiHero is]] and the axe is he [[IdealHero could]] [[GoodIsNotSoft become]].

* Crossing with Funny, when Atreus is finally able to convince Kratos to let him go back to Asgard to get the final piece of the mask, Atreus passes by Freyr and Brok who are both seated at the table. The two of them simultaneously lift up their steins in a silent gesture of wishing him luck.

* During a side-quest in Alfheim, Kratos finds a diary in an ancient library which could forever change the conflict between the elves, but is attacked by a light elf librarian before he could leave with the book. When he defeats her, however, the elf says she was trying to protect her people; Kratos explains that he’s still taking the book, but spares her life, which she thanks with a head tilt. When Atreus or Freya comments about the end of the fight, Kratos says that, the last time he killed an elf leader, his people suffered, and he didn't want to cause those consequences again. It really shows how Kratos grew to think about the negative consequences of his acts and to feel empathy even for his enemies.

** After Kratos apologizes to his son, Atreus gives him the [[MeaningfulEcho "Don't be sorry, be better" line]], to which Kratos gives him a smile that's equal parts SoProudOfYou and [[ActuallyPrettyFunny "You stole my line you cheeky bugger."]]

** The impact of the story above is made much more effective by its delivery, where Atreus unintentionally sets up a red flag by asking his father to "Finish his story tomorrow morning" if he happens to fall asleep during it, which he does just as Kratos mentions death coming for the old man, suggesting Kratos will indeed "finish his story" by perishing during the coming battle as foretold. Kratos gazes sorrowfully and lovingly at his sleeping son as if this is their last day together and goes to rest dreaming of his wife. Fortunately the sequence instead turns out to be RedHerring.

'''Kratos:''' YES! But what will you do ''now?''\\
'''Thor:''' We don't change... We... are ''[[IAmAMonster destroyers]].''\\
'''Kratos:''' ''No more.'' ''[Quietly puts away his axe]'' No more. For the sake of our children. We. Must. Be. '''Better.'''