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Heroes
Ax Battler/Tarik
Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka (PC Engine port), Troy Baker (Beast Rider)
A barbarian who lived with his mother alone in Firewood Kingdom, until Death Adder's men killed her and he vowed revenge.- Barbarian Hero: The most obvious of the three original player characters, since he goes into battle wearing little more than a loincloth and is heavily based on Conan the Barbarian.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: The Big to Tyris' Thin and Gilius' Short.
- Blow You Away: In Golden Axe II, he uses wind magic.
- Captain Ersatz: Is heavily based on Conan the Barbarian.
- Chromatic Arrangement: The Blue to Tyris' Red and Gilius' Green.
- Dishing Out Dirt: He uses rock magic in the first game.
- Heroic Build: Of the three main characters, he is the most muscular.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He carries a sword as his weapon. As the default character, he can be seen as The Hero and has the most balanced stats.
- Jack of All Stats: Has decent magic and attack stats, but Tyris has more powerful magic and Gilius has better physical strength.
- Magic Knight: As the most balanced of the three original main characters, his magic stats are decent as well as his fighting stats. He focuses on volcano-based magic in the first game and tornado-based in the second.
- Momma's Boy: Subverted. While he clearly loves his mother and is devoted to her—he takes care of his aging mother by doing things such as hunting wild game for her—he's his own man outside of this devotion and when his mother is slain, he's not broken and a loss for what to do. Nope, he joins two kindred souls to take on Death Adder and then goes on further adventures after that.
- Mr. Fanservice: He has a muscular body, and fights in nothing but a loincloth and boots.
- Named by the Adaptation: He is named Tarik in the Master System port of the original game and Beast Rider.
- Non-Indicative Name: Despite the name of Ax Battler, he fights with a sword.
- Two Guys and a Girl: He and Gilius are the two Guys to Tyris' Girl.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: His clothing is basically a loincloth and boots, which he wears into battle.
- Weapon Twirling: He wildly brandishes his sword before slashing behind himself as his special move.
Tyris Flare
Voiced by: Hiroko Emori (PC Engine port), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Beast Rider)
The Fallen Princess of the Firewood Kingdom, Death Adder slaughtered her family, and she trained with the Amazons hoping to take revenge one day.- Action Girl: Has no problem picking up a sword and fighting against 8 foot tall villains.
- Adaptational Skimpiness: Tyris had full cut bikini bottoms on her Chainmail Bikini in the arcade version, but was given a Thong of Shielding for the Genesis port.
- Amazonian Beauty: She's described by some sources as an Amazon.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: The thin to Ax's Big and Gilius' Short.
- Captain Ersatz: Is heavily based on Red Sonja, especially in appearance.
- Chainmail Bikini: Her outfit in the first game is literally just a metal bra and panties. This is only slightly improved on in the second game.
- Chromatic Arrangement: The Red to Ax's Blue and Gilius' Green.
- Game-Breaking Bug: In the arcade version of Golden Axe, each character has his or her own algorithm to determine if that character should use a longer range melee attack or a shorter range melee attack. In the Genesis/Mega Drive version, all characters share Ax Battler's algorithm. Therefore, attacks that needed Tyris's longest-range sword attack to hit a target would whiff if the algorithm picks the shorter range sword attack. This bug is carried over to Golden Axe II. This severely negatively affects Tyris's game play to the point that she could be unusable for someone who does not keep this in mind when playing her on the Genesis or Mega Drive.
- Harmful to Minors: She was only a child when Death Adder slaughtered her family and destroyed her kingdom.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Like Ax Battler, she wields a sword, albeit with less power than him.
- Kick Chick: Compared with Ax Battler's shoulder tackle and Gilius' headbutt, her running attack is a flying kick.
- Lava Magic Is Fire: Usually the high tiers of her fire spells involve lava. Her Level 5 magic in 1 issues a volcanic eruption, and in 2 her level 4 creates magma flowing upward.
- Magic Knight - Lady of Black Magic: She can fight with swords just fine, but has the shortest range. To compensate, Tyris is usually the one who collects the most potions and has the most powerful magic.
- Ms. Fanservice: Fights in what is essentially a Chainmail Bikini. Even in the second game, while she dresses slightly more modestly, she is noticeably more buxom. Her ending in the PC-Engine port of the arcade game has her dress up in a strapless bikini top.
- Playing with Fire: No matter which game she appears, Tyris will use fire magic.
- The Phoenix: In II, her second-to-last tier spell appears as a Phoenix on the screen.
- Spell Levels: In I and II, Tyris's ultimate magic level allows her to summon a fire-breathing dragon's head on the screen.
- Two Guys and a Girl: She's the Girl to Ax and Gilius' Two Guys.
- Weapon Twirling: Just like Ax Battler.
Gilius Thunderhead
Voiced by: Takeshi Aono (PC Engine port)
Dwarven soldier of the Firewood Kingdom, he's the only survivor of Death Adder's onslaught, after seeing his friends and especially his twin brother died, Gilius took up arms for revenge.- Big Good: Becomes this in III when he's too old to continue the fight himself, so he recruits the new heroes to fight on his behalf. When all of them gets cursed, he manages to cure one or two of them so they can finish the battle and rescue the rest.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: The Short to Ax's Big and Tyris' Thin.
- Chromatic Arrangement: The Green to Ax's Blue and Tyris' Red.
- Cool Helmet: His horned helmet that he can use to headbutt enemies.
- Dishing Out Dirt: He uses rock magic in the sequel.
- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Fits the typical dwarf appearance, what with him having a huge beard, wielding an axe and living longer than humans.
- Shock and Awe: Gilius uses lightning magic in the first game.
- Spectacular Spinning: In the second game, he props his axe on the ground and launches himself around the handle to take out nearby foes.
- Two Guys and a Girl: He and Ax are the two Guys to Tyris' Girl.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: His special move in the first game is a roll backwards, thrusting his axe out, and then rolling back to his original position. It can be a bit difficult to land a hit.
- Use Your Head: His running attack is a diving headbutt. Wearing a horned helmet helps with this.
Kain Grinder
- Expy: An especially unsubtle one of Ax Battler, to the point that many believed it was Ax Battler at first, including the Sega Channel upload of the game.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Like Ax Battler before him. His sword looks to be based on Conan the Barbarian (1982)'s Atlantean Sword.
- Making a Splash: His magic is water-elemental.
- Private Military Contractors: According to his bio, he's a former mercenary.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Just like Ax Battler.
Sara Burn
- Amazonian Beauty: As Tyris before her.
- Chainmail Bikini: Like Tyris, she wears a very revealing bikini in battle.
- Dance Battler: As a travelling entertainer, she learned footwork from dancing.
- Double Jump: In a first for this franchise.
- Expy: Of Tyris Flare. Like Kain, the Sega Channel thought it was Tyris at first.
- Kick Chick: One of her special moves is a flying kick and her stationary attack is a spinning roundhouse kick.
- Playing with Fire: Her magic is fire-based, just like Tyris.
- Spell Levels: In III, her third tier magic is also a fire-breathing dragon's head that spews fire at the screen.
Proud Cragger
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Unlike the others, Cragger fights with his bare hands.
- Chained by Fashion: His artwork and in-game sprite show him with iron rings around his wrists and ankles.
- Dishing Out Dirt: His magic is rock-based.
- Half-Human Hybrid: He has giant blood in him, making him the biggest fighter.
Chronos "Evil" Lait
- Animorphism: He is hit with this trope against his will, making him a panther man.
- Anti-Air: The attack that he executes when you give the command to perform a both sides attack is an instant flash kick similar to Guile's flash kick except that it is not a Charged Attack. It is an effective counter to most enemies' air attacks.
- Cat Folk: He is an anthropomorphic panther.
- Forced Transformation: He was a human, but became a panther man due to being transformed against his will. He wants to find a way to become a human again.
- Mysterious Mist: His magic is related to mist (but does not seem to be wind-aligned), although the last tier spell also rains down thunder on the enemies.
- Non-Indicative Name: Done twice regarding both his real name and middle name/nickname. Despite the name "Chronos", he has no time-related powers or abilities. Nor is he actually "Evil", since he was only brainwashed in the beginning and is one of the good guys.
- Panthera Awesome: An anthropomorphic one, at that.
Stern Blade
- Expy: The game's resident Ax Battler replacement.
- Kill It with Fire: His magic is fire-based. A breath of fire blow from the right to left, scorching every enemies on screen.
- Meaningful Name: Unlike Ax Battler, he at least has a name that fits his weapon choice.
Dora the Centaur
- The Big Guy: She's got one of the highest hitting powers in the game
- Double Weapon: Her weapon has a staff with some sort of weight at each end.
- Magic Knight: Great as hitter and can use magic, though her lightning magic is the weakest out of all the characters.
- Shapeshifting: When she mounts a bizarrian or a siege engine, she transforms from a centaur to a normal human woman.
- Shock and Awe: She uses magic lightning like Gilius in the first game. However, because it uses less potions to cast, she easily spam it multiple times in a row.
Goah the Giant
- Big Guy, Little Guy: How the two of them work together, Goah does the moving and fighting while Gilius does magic.
- The Dividual: Of the Syndividual kind. He's used to carry Gilius Thunderbird around on his back in a basket-like backpack, and it's Goah that's the one who does the hitting with his axe. They're treated as one person when attacked.
- Magic Knight: Averted, he doesn't actually use magic. It's Gilius who casts of the spells of the two.
- Taken for Granite: Gilius uses the most powerful magic - Stone Magic, which will turn enemies into statues if it kills them.
Little Trix
- Green Thumb: His magic causes life-restoring fruit shrubs to grow.
Kain Blade
- Legacy Character: To Revenge of Death Adder's Stern Blade.
- Playing with Fire: His super attack set the enemy on fire.
Milan Flare
- Blow You Away: She uses air magic.
- Legacy Character: To Tyris Flare.
Gillius Rockhead
- Stroke the Beard: As one of his victory pose.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Like his ancestor, he uses rock magic.
- Legacy Character: To Gilius Thunderhead.
- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Wears a horny helm, wields an axe, has a beard and breaded hair. Yup, can't be more dwarven than that.
- Use Your Head: Like Gilius before him, he uses a ramming headbutt as a special attack, only this time he can do it while spinning like a drill.
Doc
- Gratuitous Ninja: Quite unusual in a Sword and Sorcery setting. Justified as he comes from a distant land.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Doc fights with a katana as his weapon.
- Shock and Awe: Doc's super is a lightning strike.
Jamm
- Expy: Of Samurai Shodown's Cham Cham.
- Wild Child: She was raised in the wilderness by a beast spirit.
Panchos
- Carry a Big Stick: Make use of a large mace in combat.
- Science Hero
- Stuff Blowing Up: Panchos make use of explosives for special attaks and his super.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Panchos isn't exactly a handsome guy, but he still manages to marry a beautiful woman in his ending.
Green
- Green and Mean: Averted. Despite his scary appearance, Green is one of the heroic characters in The Duel.
- Plant Person: The last survivor of a part plant, part animal race.
Villains
Death Adder
Voiced by: Masaharu Sato (PC Engine port)
- Barbaric Battleaxe: Death Adder's weapon of choice.
- Big Bad: He takes the Golden Axe and ravages the land. Subverted in the console ports, where he's actually taking orders from Death Bringer.
- Demoted to Dragon: In the console ports, it turns out that he's actually been taking orders from Death Bringer.
- Dragon Ascendant: If the case with Death Bringer is canon, then Death Adder becomes this in Revenge of Death Adder
- Large and in Charge: He's 8'2".
- Magic Knight: In addition to his massive axe, one of his attacks is to cast a magic fireball-type spell.
- Meaningful Name: The final word in his name, "Adder", is a type of snake. He is formed when a bunch of snakes slither towards a pile of corpses and armor and then form a humanoid body in the original arcade version of Golden Axe.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: With a name like Death Adder, he's not exactly going to be an amenable guy.
- Punctuation Shaker: the Arcade version consistently lists his name as "Death=Adder". Yes, with an equal sign.
- The Worm That Walks: In the original Arcade version, Death Adder starts out as an empty helmet, and appears when a mass of dark gray snakes slither into a pile of corpses and armor, swarms into the helmet, and forms into a humanoid body. In the PC-Engine version, he starts out as a snake, who has the helmet put on him by one of his minions. A mass of snakes then appears and merges with him to form a humanoid body.
Death Bringer
- Canon Foreigner: Only appears in the Sega Genesis, PC, and Amiga ports of the arcade game.
- Flunky Boss: He appears alongside two Nigh-Invulnerable skeletons.
- Green and Mean: He has green skin and is one of the villains.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Defeating him causes his axe to land in his chest.
- Large and in Charge: Like Death Adder, he's 8'2".
- Long-Range Fighter: He uses his most dangerous attack, the magic fireball, from a distance. At point-blank range, he's actually incapable of attacking.
- Magic Knight: Like Death Adder, he uses a magic fireball. He also uses a magic spell every time he lands a melee attack on the player, while unleashing his dragon spell if he lands a hit with the fireballs.
- The Man Behind the Man: Turns out he's ordering Death Adder about.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Death Bringer is an even more intimidating name than Death Adder.
- Palette Swap: He looks exactly the same as Death Adder, just with different colouration.
- Schrödinger's Canon: Because the series never determines whether the arcade or console versions of the first game are canon, Death Bringer's own canonical status is left ambiguous, since he appears exclusively in the latter.
Dark Guld
- Big Bad: Of II. He's the one who takes the Golden Axe and sends his army out pillaging.
- This extends to the Sonic the Comic strips where he is the main threat to the heroes in the first storyline. His name is also used almost as a euphemism of certain bad happenings.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: The Final Boss and the strongest enemy, clad in a golden armor and wielding the powerful Golden Axe. Also, Guld mean 'gold' in Danish and Swedish.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He wears a similar horned helmet to Death Adder and, like him, is Large and in Charge.
Damned Hellstrike
Also known as the Prince of Darkness.
- Big Bad: Of III.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: A name like Damned Hellstrike pretty much paints him as the bad guy.
- Spikes of Villainy: Unlike his prececessors, his shoulders adorns spikes.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Just like II's Dark Guld, he is also a Large and in Charge warlord who wears a similar horned helmet to Death Adder.
King Eve
The brainwashed king who was turned into an anthropomorphic gryphon.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Similarly to Proud Cragger, Eve fights with only his fists, beak and legs.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Brainwashed by Damned to be his loyal second in command.
- The Dragon: Eve is the unwilling second in command to Damned Hellstrike.
- Our Gryphons Are Different: Eve is an anthropomorphic opinicus, as evidenced by his lion-like hands and legs.
- Duel Boss: While the previous fight with him, he was a Flunky Boss, the final bout with him is this.
- The Rival: He is a massive thorn to the heroes' side.
- Secret Character: He is the fifth playable character in the versus mode, and is only playable in that mode.
Zoma
- Evil Laugh: Will laugh evilly at you if he kicks you with his super attack.
- Evil Sorcerer: Zoma fights with spells and staff.
- Forced Transformation: One of his special ability is to turn you into a frog. Unlike B. Orchid however, no frog squashing.
- Green and Mean: A blue-skinned wizard (his skin is green as an alternate color) who feeds from the life energy of captured travelers.
Keel
- Dual Wielding: Fight with two daggers, one for each hand.
- Evil Counterpart Race: Averted: Keel is the only elf with a bloodlust, to the point where his clan tried to get rid of him.
- Kill It with Ice: His super attack make use of ice magic.
- Serial Killer
- White Hair, Black Heart: Keel has long silvery hair.
Golden Axe
- Bling of War: Being the Golden Axe changing into a sentient armored figure will turn him into this.
- Evil Laugh: As part of his Victory Pose, he will laugh mechanically at you.
- Living MacGuffin: He's the artifact everyone wants to get their hands on. By The Duel, he becomes a living armor capable of fightning.
- Living Weapon: It creates a body out of armor to battle in The Duel.
