āActually, I go by Thanatos now. The extra H is for hamazing.ā |
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Thanatos
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Appearances |
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Occupation |
Commander in the Underworld Army |
Thanatos (éē„ćæććć¹ Majin Tanatosu, "Devil God Thanatos") is the God of Death, debuting in the original Kid Icarus under the name Tanatos.
A mischievous shape-shifter, he serves as a commander to the Underworld Army and as the boss of Chapter 7.
He is voiced by Danny Mann in the English version of Kid Icarus: Uprising, and by Eiji Itou in the Japanese version of the game.
Characteristics[]
Physical Appearance[]
In his true form, Thanatos resembles a genie with green skin, puffy red cross-shaped eyes, and a large blue-lipped mouth, with a single fang protruding from the right side. He stands at a height of around 10'10" (330 cm[1]), and he has an angular red gem embedded into his stomach, with cracks branching out from it on the surrounding skin. He also has a short, stubby nose and a skull ornament tied into his blond hair. Thanatos wears a magenta-colored scarf and a pair of large, yellow and red striped trousers. In addition, the armor on his shoulders appears to be covered with various branch-like structures that have jewelry hanging from them.
Personality[]
Thanatos is depicted as a very flamboyant and eccentric character. He carries a very goofy and sometimes immature disposition almost all the time, such as covering his ears and pretending not to listen to certain statements while making ridiculous sounds. He enjoys witty repartee and likes to make humorous conversations and jokes, even to his enemies. He is also very sensitive, easily getting offended when ignored or told to shut up.
Despite his loyalty to Medusa and not wanting to give up the key, he insists on handling things more civilly at first, wanting Pit and Palutena to hang a while and catch up because he, as he puts it, "prefers honey to vinegar." However, his initial unwillingness to fight may simply be due to laziness, as he also claims he doesn't wish to improve his rank because of the amount of work it would involve.
Abilities[]
Despite Thanatos's goofy demeanor, he is a powerful shape-shifter, able to morph his body into a variety of shapes. As shown in Thanatos Rising, Thanatos can shape-shift parts of his body, such as turning his hand into a large mace. Thanatos can also fire dark fireballs from the spikes on his shoulder and a large, skull-shaped blast of energy at Pit.
Aside from his impressive shape-shifting abilities, Thanatos displays other magical talents. He can fly, teleport, materialize objects out of thin air, and use his magic to enchant other objects, as seen when he uses his magic to make the Trojan Horse tank sprout wings and fly.
| Min Health | Max Health |
| 150 | 600 |
Transformations[]
Being a shape-shifter, Thanatos has many different forms he uses in battle. Aside from his normal appearance, he can also turn into a green snake, a large bat that splits into a flock of smaller bats, a giant foot, a vase that shoots skulls, a sword surrounded by spears, a Russian nesting doll, and a dragon made of green flames.
| Transformation | Description |
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Normal |
Thanatos, in humanoid form, will shoot a skull-shaped gas at the player. He can also shoot two beams of bats as if he had orbitars. |
| Bat |
As a bat, Thanatos will occasionally shoot bat-shaped shots at the player. Sometimes his bat form will split into groups of bats and come at the player and later rejoin into one bat. Thanatos is invulnerable when his bat form splits. |
| Nesting Doll |
These dolls will hop around towards the player. To get to the next transformation, the player will have to shoot the red dot on the middle of the smallest doll; another, smaller doll will pop out. After the smallest doll, a mini Thanatos will come out and hop around; attacking him will make him turn into his next transformation. |
| Urn |
Thanatos will claim to be impervious to Pit's attacks; in actuality, the player can damage the urn (but not his face) with ranged shots. The most effective way to get Thanatos out of this form, though, is to attack the white skull projectiles that the jar will spill or throw at the player. The red skulls, however, will explode on contact with Pit. |
| Foot |
Thanatos becomes a giant green foot and will hover towards everywhere Pit goes. He will either stomp once or three times in quick succession. |
| Sword |
This form will have spears that levitate around Thanatos. The spears will occasionally fly at the player and get stuck in the ground. Palutena will advise Pit to get the sword to hit the spears to where it will pause for a little bit, making it more vulnerable to attack. The spears circling the sword will block Pit's attacks. |
Appearances[]
Kid Icarus[]
āA snake that lives in Medusa's hair. Tanatos means "death" in Greek. It's really strong and powerful.ā |
Tanatos aids Medusa in the final battle, where he pops out of her hair and zigzags across the screen toward Pit. He is easily avoidable, as he keeps toward the bottom of the screen during the fight and will temporarily disappear upon receiving damage.
| Hit Points | Damage | Hearts | Score (Experience) |
| 1 (respawns) | 3 | 0 | 100 |
Kid Icarus: Uprising[]
Thanatos leads the Underworld Army from the Seafloor Palace prior to Pit reaching his base. Though offered a chance to give the Underworld Key to him willingly, Thanatos battles Pit and is subsequently defeated.
He is later seen in Chapter 14 leading the Underworld Army under Hades's orders against the Forces of Nature. Engaging his rival commander Phosphora in an aerial dogfight, Thanatos loses and falls from the sky, leaving his ultimate fate unknown.
Captain N: The Game Master[]
Three Tanatos serpents appear in the episode Mega Trouble For Megaland, where they are seen on Medusa. Tanatos himself later appears in the comics' The Happy Zone story aiding various Underworld monsters and Metroid enemies in fighting Kevin, Samus, and Pit.
Kid Icarus 3D Anime[]
Thanatos stars as the main antagonist in the animated short Thanatos Rising. Aside from his ability to shape-shift, he also demonstrates the ability to enchant one of the "Trojan Horse Tanks" in the film and cause it to sprout wings and fly.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Thanatos appears as a collectable spirit in the game's aptly named Spirits mode.
Idol Descriptions[]
God of Death, Thanatos[]
The god of death. Bored with his 9-to-5 guiding the souls of living to their final resting place, Thanatos turns his work over to the Reapers and leisurely passes his days in a palace deep beneath the ocean.
Thanatos (Transformations 1)[]
A talented shape-shifter, Thanatos takes various forms to fight. As a sword, the god of death is quick to stab, creating openings with his many points. When he transforms into a foot, a crushing stomp is sure to follow.
Thanatos (Transformations 2)[]
Thanatos's alternate forms give him dozens of unique attacks. Whether an urn, a bat, or a nesting doll, Thanatos's wild transformations are only to be underestimated by fools with a death wish.
Trophy Description[]
Thanatos, God of Death[]
Don't be fooled by Thanatos's childish attitudeāhe's more dangerous than most clowns. And don't expect smiles from the god of death. He serves as Medusa's second in command and, thanks to his shape-shifting talents, can entertain his master with a decent clown act too.
Quotes[]
Chapter 7: The Seafloor Palace[]
- "Oh, goodyāguests! Protecting an impregnable fortress can get awfully lonely." - Thanatos's first line in Kid Icarus: Uprising
- "I'm wounded, truly I am. I know it's been awhile, but surely you haven't forgotten your old foe?" - After Pit questions if he's met Thanatos before
- "Hoo hoo hoo! Impatient as always, I see! But since you've come all this way... Wouldn't you like to stay and catch up for a bit? Oh, pretty please?" - After Palutena asks Thanatos for the key
- "No need to get all huffy now. I'll have you know that I much prefer honey to vinegar. And I prefer witty repartee to any condiment!"
- "I'm not really interested in climbing the corporate ladder. You wouldn't believe the amount of overtime you have to put in." - When Palutena questions why Thanatos doesn't outrank Medusa in the Underworld Army
- "What was that? You seem to be cutting out! La la laaaaa la! I can't heeeear you!" - When Palutena accuses him of dodging her question
- "Oooah! I must have dozed off there. Hooah. Waiting around is such exhausting work!" - Upon being confronted by Pit
Chapter 14: Lightning Battle[]
- "Do you mind? We're in the middle of something here!" - When Pit distracts Phosphora in the middle of their battle
- "Aaah! Farewell cryyyyyyy!" - Upon being defeated by Phosphora
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Thanatos is based on the Greek mythological figure of the same name.
- His design in Uprising also seems to draw inspiration from the likeness of genies and clowns.
- Thanatos shares his English voice actor, Danny Mann, with Hewdraw. Mann's portrayal of Thanatos is based heavily on the voice and mannerisms of actor and comedian Ed Wynn.
- The sword that Thanatos shapeshifts into closely resembles the sword that Magnus wields.
- In Chapter 7, Palutena questions why Thanotos isn't in charge of the Underworld, the land of the dead, instead of Medusa, but gets no satisfactory answer. This foreshadows that the true leader is actually Hades, the god of the Underworld itself.
References[]
| Characters in the Kid Icarus series | |
|---|---|
| Kid Icarus | Pit ā¢ Palutena ā¢ Medusa ā¢ Hewdraw ā¢ Pandora ā¢ Tanatos ā¢ Friendly God ā¢ Nurse ā¢ God of Poverty |
| Of Myths and Monsters | Pit ā¢ Palutena ā¢ Orcos ā¢ Don ā¢ Crow ā¢ Zeus ā¢ Nurse ā¢ God of Poverty |
| Uprising | Palutena's Army
Pit ā¢ Palutena ā¢ Centurion (Centurion Strongarm ā¢ Centurion Knight) Underworld Army Medusa ā¢ Hades ā¢ Pandora (Amazon Pandora) ā¢ Thanatos ā¢ Gaol ā¢ Hewdraw Forces of Nature Viridi ā¢ Dark Pit ā¢ Phosphora ā¢ Arlon ā¢ Cragalanche Unaffiliated Magnus ā¢ Pyrrhon (Aurum Pyrrhon) ā¢ Chariot Master ā¢ Dyntos ā¢ Poseidon ā¢ Girl ā¢ Dog ā¢ Fighter Other |