A Better Story Analysis of God of War Ragnarok

[@kwamekuma360]

“To grieve deeply is to have loved fully.” - Faye

[@lhays117]

Ain’t that the truth…love hurts like nothing else.

[@sentientmustache8360]

Such a banger of a line

[@tanders4444]

“What is grief but love persevering?”

[@mezuahaneku5443]

Wise words from our favorite marvel android vision. ​@tanders4444

[@nitromusic5526]

foolishness

[@vordeseite7273]

"Do not be sorry. Be better" turning into "We must be better." Really shows you how one can achieve change for the better when you have grieved for the past.

[@Thekoolaidchamp]

Today.. Today son, we WILL be better

[@ragnaaron9486]

When my father died 7 years ago I had no idea how to cope with the overwhelming grief I felt. I hid away from my grief, didn't want to talk about it and always tried to distract myself. When I played God of War 2018 for the first time I was instantly hooked, not only because it was a beatiful father and son story but because it presented a path. To be the best version of myself that I can possibly be, to make better choices every day and therefore, to continue my fathers legacy. He is and has always been my deepest inspiration, because he also tried to be the best version of himself and God of War 2018 and also your essays openend my eyes in that regard. And for that i want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

[@Theoramma]

We all get to choose how we want to live. Godspeed on your path brother.

[@GillgameshConsumerOfReality]

I hope you're doing well now. And let's just hope that your father made his way to The Lake of Souls.

[@ragnaaron9486]

@@GillgameshConsumerOfReality I am, thank you. I am sure he did 🙏

[@Archerboy666]

Godspeed, brother.

[@PsyduckChronicler]

Thank you for sharing and godspeed on your path, brother.

[@BrandonCitarella]

Faye is the one who taught Kratos this and learned from her own experience. In Vanaheim crater you learn about Faye’s violent battle against Thor where the entire surrounding area was leveled by their clash. Thor doesn’t remember this cuz he was blackout drunk but clearly this was the inciting event that may have made Faye the person we see in the cutscenes. She may have seen the destruction her anger, grief, and sorrow directed at Thor led to. The spirits you meet are all casualties of this clash and I’m certain there were many more we don’t talk to. Faye and Kratos are more alike then you would initially think. I really like this because it shows how Faye is not perfect either, she’s been just as messed up by grief as everyone else has but she managed to come to a conclusion and be able to deal with grief in a healthy and less destructive way.

[@dawa_-]

As the years go by, i get more and more critical of the crater. (I feel time would have been much better spent on fleshing out the third act) but the depth it gave to Faye and her relationship with kratos is some of the most interesting stuff we learn in the game

[@g3n3r1c6]

I feel like I've spent more time listening to FatBrett talk about GOW than I have actually playing GOW. Not that I'm complaining.

[@edgara3213]

Same dude

[@pizzamozarella2608]

Based

[@crypto40]

And he’s not once repeated himself and brings a new prospective in every video. Thats even more impressive

[@J0113]

I haven't played a second. I've played other games. But these games have been walking side by side with these other games, almost my whole life. My friends played gow, I watched it hype over and over again. It wasn't until I found this KZbin channel that I took an actual interest. And still not in the actual gameplay. But the story.

[@kradylladel2785]

I'm just to addicted to MMO's so I have to consume Fat's videos.

[@ysgramornorris2452]

I just realized this: When Angrboda shows the prophecy to Atreus, Kratos' supposed death is shown on the left, while Atreus serving Odin is shown on the right. And if you notice, the Giants' panels are always displayed from left to right in chronological order. But this time, not only does the prophecy of Kratos' death fail to come true, but it's not even shown in the right order. Which is another indication that the prophecies of the Giants aren't to be trusted blindly.

[@ninjawolfgame]

Kratos' very existence in the Norse realms throws a gigantic wrench in the works. Fimbulwinter and Ragnarok come centuries earlier for one. Secondly, he is THAT GUY. The guy who killed the Greek fates and then destroyed Olympus. Thirdly, and most importantly, the guy refuses to die. You can't kill him permanently, he broke out of the Greek underworld 3 times for God's sake.

[@badrinath5306]

We know the choice that breaks the prophecy was Kratos telling Atreus to spare the midgardians at ragnarok. If Atreus went to the gates of Asgard with that sort of mindset I imagine he would have killed both Sif and Thrud. Freya and the others wouldnt re convene and Thor after defeating Jormungandr would instead go searching for his child only to realize she was dead. I think instead of snatching up Kratos like he does end up doing actually he would instead snatching Atreus. Kratos makes it clear that if the choice of between himself and Atreus and he would choose Atreus. Odin makes an offer to let Atreus live in his service if Kratos dies so Kratos accepts death at the hands of Thor. Which would make sense of Loki serving Odon after the death of Kratos because he has no choice. I think Loki would later make Ragnarok happen again using Sinmara which would be the final prediction as per Groa with Tyr leading the charge, jormungandr and Thor killing each other and champion of the giants now having repopulated them with Angraboda leads them in battle against Asgard and kills Odin (in the reap prophecy it's supposed to be Fenrir who eats Odin). By the end the giants forsaw and wanted all of this to happen. As angraboda put it for the giants it was better to know this path and still knowingly walk it.

[@badrinath5306]

​@@ninjawolfgamehe did so but never by himself. The first time it was in the gods service. The second time was after Ares killed him for Pandoras box and he had the support of Zues and Athena ( and technically Hades himself). The last time was after Zues killed him and he escaped cause of the titans and especially giaia ( I know I may not have spelled that right)

[@ysgramornorris2452]

​@@badrinath5306 My point is the Giants' prophecies weren't trustworthy. Consider this: What if the Giants had a vague vision of Loki's father dying in his arms. Not Kratos, Loki's father. Who ends up dying in his arms? Odin, the All-Father. It was always going to be Odin, but the Giants saw "Loki's father" and interpreted the vision to mean it was going to be Kratos. And then they end up carving the mural depicting Kratos' death, and Kratos' survival isn't because he changed his fate, but because the Giants misinterpreted their own visions. I'm basing this interpretation on one particular scene, when Atreus first arrives in Asgard and suddenly Sif shows up. What's the dialogue in that scene? "You're not my prisoner, and more importantly, _I'm not your father."_ "All-Father!" Right after Odin tells Atreus he's not his father, Sif calls him All-Father. In a game where the writing is so tight, this can't be a coincidence. It was the writers foreshadowing the "subversion" of the prophecy. Similarly, what if the Giants' visions didn't have time stamps on them? What if they had to guess the order the visions would happen in? Piece the chronological order together from limited information? So they saw the prophecy of Loki's father's death, and in a different vision they saw Loki serving Odin and they were like "Well, Loki would never serve Odin with Kratos still around, so Kratos must be fated to die before Loki goes to Asgard, makes sense.", but they were wrong. There are many moments like this that are intended to make us doubt the Giants' prophecies, contrasting with the previous game where the writers did everything in their power to make us believe them blindly. The writers played us over the course of two games.

[@jensennguyen02]

@@badrinath5306 the way you broke down the prophecy makes so much sense, kratos dying from thor and atreus serving odin would realistically only happen if they were put into a situation where it was the only choice for it to happen. Kratos would only die as long as his son lived and atreus would only serve odin as the loser of a failed ragnarok.

[@astral_ragtime5365]

All I can think about for the destructive power of grief and fate is the Master Oogway quote: "One often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it"

[@brother_bear_one7340]

I'd love to see you do an essay on Faye and how she helped to rebuild Kratos. She's a genuinely powerful character, and in her case less ended up being so much more.

[@Comicbroe405]

The fact that you're redoing the analysis is pretty cool to show how much you've understood the story better.

[@pancakes8670]

This is what we all do. We look back on games or stories we like and come to different understandings of them as we get older

[@Comicbroe405]

@pancakes8670 True

[@BigDaddyRich69]

Yeah,I feel he missed quite a bit in the first story video he made for Ragnarok,glad to see he replayed the game and basically went through all the dialogue possible and came to a different understanding.

[@tiagocruz8313]

I'm replaying the Norse GoW games because I felt it's just what I needed to experience. The love of my life died in August this year, after struggling with cancer for more than a decade, and one of the most conforting thoughts I have are Faye's words about love and grief, which helps me process and contextualize this overwhelming pain as proof of how much we loved each other. I'd like to thank you, FatBrett, because even though I "liked" these games at first, they only had as much emotional resonance and impact due to your analyses. This video came, once again, at the exact moment I needed it.

[@patrickkanas3874]

"The culmination of love is grief, and yet we love despite the inevitable." "To grieve deeply is to have loved fully." Those two lines brought me comfort when my dad. It even helped me bring peace and comfort to my mom

[@crumblyairship]

grief rears itself in weird ways. today is Thanksgiving, and my uncle died almost two years ago. we weren't close. he was always super late to Thanksgiving, if dinner started at 6 he'd show up three hours late. i almost made a comment to my mom about him being late today, i legitimately forgot he was gone. this was about 20 minutes ago and i almost started crying

[@LazuliZodiac]

One thing I particularly like about your videos is that you always… give a moment for the viewer to sit, think, and experience a moment and come to their own conclusions before you talk about yours. It feels more like… an exploration of the media rather than a lecture about it

[@dire2293]

I've lost a lot of loved ones in my life and all I have to say is that this was an amazing video. It broke my heart to bits and made me cry like a baby, but the fact that you can bring all of that love and grief out of with me without knowing a single thing about who I am speaks volumes to how well put together your words are. Thank you for helping me remember them again.

[@creeperman1295]

I’d argue Odin experiences a genuine form of grief in the story but only at the very end and still only for selfish reasons. It’s when Atreus destroys the mask and portal to the higher knowledge he sought. He doesn’t understand what everything leading up to it was for and continues to lash out unable to handle what he lost. The only difference is, well, we don’t get the chance to see Odin truly try to grapple with that loss for obvious reasons. You could say it’s a story inversion compared to the protagonists who start off with that grief while Odin ends with it. There’s also the side quest in Vanaheim with Faye’s past where she was shown to fight against Thor with the Leviathan Axe, but I’m not sure if that tackles on the grief theme. I think that quest was more focused on even loved ones not necessarily knowing the past sins or demons a person has fought before, though maybe Faye not sharing those details at all was a way to hide her grief of who she was? The Faye part of this comment is much more speculative, just still something I wanted to bring up lol.

[@pancakes8670]

The mask was the one thing he cared about. Just a shame it wasn't his family.

[@sdgkh09]

The prophecy of Ragnarok come did come true; a father died and another survived. We initially thought that Kratos was going to die and that Atreus would speak a tongue that is snake-like. In a way, the old Kratos did die and Atreus was the reason of Jormungandr's birth. The all-father died, a veil to Kratos' desire to control every action Atreus make, and the other survived. Nothing of outcome changed, just the details. Many worlds died during the Ragnarok but the ones that mattered revived and the one that didn't stayed dead.

[@notad-class3899]

It's just like kratos's story of the oracle where prophecy is vague and lacks smaller details

[@GillgameshConsumerOfReality]

Can we just acknowledge how fucking awesome Faye was?? She managed to completely rebuild and restructure Kratos, The God Killer. In his deepest pit of anger and sorrow, Faye managed to break through everything Kratos put up in front of him and changed him for the better. That takes some strength that not even Freya could even Hope to find within herself.

[@Chucklebot_]

You know, a thought occurs about Kratos preferring to bury faye. His skin is STILL bleached white with the ashes of his last family. He literally is forced to wear the source of his worst memories for all eternity. The LAST thing he wants is the ashes of another loved one.

[@KRABBE406]

Who needs Thanksgiving when you have a new Brett video

[@Whitelisted_Productions]

I clicked so fast my finger broke

[@Demonreached]

Same

[@SonofMarowak]

Me last week

[@shuckLedurkins]

Clicked so fast I broke my butthole

[@sirmultiverse5896]

You ok?

[@Sef707]

Same bro

[@master_samwise]

Grief, if we let it, teaches us what to hold on to, and what to let go. This is a journey that most major characters in the game embark on. Those who fail (Odin, Sindri) typically do so because they are unable to let go of something or someone to which they have clung far too tightly.

[@charlesTCMS]

This was my first time seeing the scene at 7:05 since my family's old dog died back in the summer, and oh boy was I not prepared for how much harder it would hit me now

[@JARV9701]

I don't think Odin is not a grieving character, he is just not grieving for another person, but he was afraid for himself, he cannot stand the idea of losing power and his empire, that's why he attacked the other realms, to preserve and project it's influence over others, and when the giants and dwarfs resisted, he killed them or humilliated them, becaue they were opossing his power. He's always afraid and scared of that possibility. When Atreus destoryed the mask, the opportunity he thought would give him the answers he needed to preserve himself, he lost it, he threw a temper tantrum over it cause he had no other thing to feel secure about the future. I do think he is a character afraid of losing something and of change. Anyway, Great Video and analysis as always.

[@callumager537]

I think the loss of his wife, someone who Mimir referred to as his great love affected him greatly. Surely that kind of loss would spark a curiosity in what lies beyond death. Maybe I’m looking too far into it, but I think his grief resulted in a man blinded by ambition, that anything around him unhelpful was something he could happily disregard.

[@moalition446]

​@@callumager537could it also be possible that Odin came to feel such grief for Fjörgyn that he subsequently repressed any form of attachment? That would, at least in part, help to explain his strained marriage to Freya/Frigg (a matrimony which wasn't even his idea but Mimir's). Maybe Fjörgyn was-from start to finish-the only person for whom he ever truly cared. If that is the case then perhaps there was a time he really did care about his children by her, but when she died so did that part of him (the part he had dedicated to her), just as Kratos feared would happen to himself when Faye eventually died.

[@773Spair]

I think all three of you are describing some aspect of his mindset and the reasons for it.

[@YetiRawr]

I noticed only just now that four sprites leave Fenrir's body, but only three fade away in the air - the fourth stops at the dagger.

[@Hey_Its_J]

I needed this understanding of this story. This year, I felt that fear that came from grief for someone, a friendship that I could see becoming more. But I would stay up awake at night feeling emotional at the thought of that relationship ending. I tried to ignore it and just let myself feel happy with someone I grew to care about and care about me. That fear eventually caused me to make the mistake that ended that relationship. A decision I have to live for the rest of my life. I've needed help for a long time life and I do believe I'm finally making the right first steps towards it. But I do wish I had those better voices in my head and accepted that I can't let fear control me as it has before. Thank you for your video and work with this game

[@Incenitivity]

Be better bro 🧍‍♂️

[@Hey_Its_J]

@@Incenitivity I hope I will

[@Blaaiidd]

@Hey_Its_J I wish you only the best. It gets better . And one day you'll be able to look back on these past experiences without the pain of grief. You'll also be able to use these memories as fuel to help others who are struggling through something similar. Cheers

[@rybaneightsix5085]

I'm convinced you're a part of the writing team. The way you analyze and dissect this masterpiece of a story is spot on to the most minute detail.

[@alexpousson5237]

Babe, wake up. Another Brett God of War video!

[@UncommonSensed]

Cringe

[@Ennahdee]

What is this a reference to? I see it everywhere now

[@MrAjking808]

@@Ennahdeejust corny ass memes

[@Darkpheonixpet-_-]

first, also I love the way you tell your analysis, I am implementing it in my own writing, I have trouble with flow in my essays and your voice is so calming, I love your content, keep it up :3

[@kin4386]

It's reasons like this that God of War Ragnarok is one of my favourite video games ever made. The gameplay, graphics, music, acting and world are all great, but what really left it's mark on me was how it's story deals with real world problems that we all experience. Grief, regret, addictions and depression, aspiring to be better. As someone who's lost one of their parents, what Faye had to say about grief just broke me. It's like she was saying those things directly to me.

[@brandonyen-mt9yt]

“Loss is a collaborative art between the people who leave us, and those who remain. We dance with the shadows of their absence”

[@Arkham13v]

I will say, there is this series of side quests on a missable part of Vanaheim tha reveals a certain past about Faye. During her warrior days, she would have a confrontation with Thor which leads to the destruction of the surrounding lands. The major detail on this event is that Faye was fueled with rage during the battle. So perhaps, despite the appearance of a calm and noble warrior, she, much like the others, also experienced grief even to the point of causing destruction. But later on, wether it was before or after she meets Kratos, she would finally find the path to acceptance and share that knowledge to Kratos so that he too can make his way to the right path.

[@Uncle_Tijikun]

Wonderful take man. Grief is something I experienced quite a lot in my life, and GOW Ragnarok/Valhalla actually helped me deal with some of my unresolved issues. When my wife gifted me a hand made drawing of kratos and Faye with the "The culmination of love is grief" on the back I'm not ashamed to say I cried. Looking forward to the Greek saga retrospective Cheers from Scotland

[@ethancadge2102]

Dam the videos now adays are SO comprehensive Genuinely awesome work dude

[@tonyvaldez8738]

This is something I'm thankful for, well deserved as my number one recommended video on my feed

[@bli2z4rd]

I'll always say it: this game is a masterpiece. I was composed during the whole video but when you played the scenes with Faye, somehow I got emotional. Even though she didn't appear that much, she was such a powerful, important and wise character. And then when she delivered one of my favorite lines, I finally broke: the culmination of love is grief. Goddamn... About the channel, I'm hyped for the greek content. A video about Atreus would be welcome too but I don't know if there's enough material to talk about Magni, Modi and that grandma whose name I forgot..

[@aldrichunfaithful3589]

despite having very little screentime faye has become one of my favourite characters, she's kind of simple but she just has a really strong presence on screen and feels wise in a way that not many fictional characters do. i'd love to see a breakdown of her character at some point

[@ricksanchez3695]

3:31 When I first played the game I didnt know the context but just from how he lost control for a second I felt that pain and its a scene that hurts my heart just from thinking about it😢

[@shadowsnake8989]

I'll be honest, the GOW series never really hit home for me. It was never something I liked unlike a lot of my classmates. But years later I was just scrolling through videos to listen to at work, saw your video on Baldur and said, "what the heck, I'll watch it". I'd call it a great decision, as I've gotten a new perspective on this series, and I've watched a lot of your analysis videos since then. So when you do go back to the older games, I'm here for it.

[@nateecotee]

I was coincidentally going through all your GOW videos this morning. Can't get enough of these.

[@D4nielP]

My favorite videos of all time

[@ryansims380]

I've been binging all your God of war videos.They are some of the best analysis videos that i've seen on youtube

[@Daniel-tb8mu]

I'll be listening to your God of war videos till the day I die. I'm so happy I stumbled on them. Every few weeks to every other month I relisten to how God of war matured with its audience, that one just hits me.

[@Sams_Bricks]

I simply cannot express into words how much I've loved watching thease videos over the past year and catching up on them, it's helped me develop better analysis and appreciate the game more than I thought I ever would every time you put a video out, I actually felt a little emotional when you said you'd make a couple more videos on the Norse games and then wrap things up for the 2 because I feel verry invested and I enjoy your verry good analysis, but at the same time I look forward to the early 3 games because I'd like to learn more about them so I look forward to the future of thease videos 👍

[@The_Stranger1986]

I've literally just been rewatching all of your GOW 4 and Ragnarok analysis videos so this was great timing.

[@chefcrea1734]

Please never stop with the gow content. U have completely changed my views on fictional writing, truly amazing work

[@A-Ner2]

grief is such a major driving force for most characters in the entire God of War series, much like how grief is a common factor in life itself. I think that's why this game series is so important, it shows us all the ways people may work through their grief (albeit quite exaggerated), both good and bad.

[@Warrior-Of-Virtue]

21:00 I'm still trying to figure out _how_ she died. Freya was never a mortal. She was a jötunn. And an exceptionally powerful one considering that she fought Thor to a standstill. Her dieing of old age or sickness doesn't seem possible.

[@opalishmoth8591]

Maybe she was half mortal? She definitely died a peaceful death- not a violent one. Honestly my thought is… cancer? It’s a story beat that is familiar for us, because the loss of a loved one to disease (especially cancer, in so many causes it is a death sentence) But yea, it then leads to the question of “can being with god-tier and otherworldly powers get cancer?”

[@alabanghills]

Love your comprehensive deep dives into the layers upon layers of this game. Enriching.

[@EvanYoungMusic]

“The culmination of love is grief. And yet we love despite the inevitable.” One of the most real quotes in the world.

[@Mephiestopholes]

Sir. I am thankful for you and your thoughtful content. I went to sleep listening to your Zelda essays, last night. Thank you for this, today. Happy Turkey day!

[@LastLighthouse]

I’m definitely a player who’s mainly done the Norse era and has loved all your videos on them but don’t you worry I’ll be staying to watch where you go with these videos

[@pridexxstorm]

I'm all in on all of your video essays. They're so articulate and full of knowledge and hidden gems of the series.

[@dawa_-]

Faye is such an interesting character. I'd kill to see a game about her warrior days.

[@viciousmonkey1992]

Thank you for your analyses. Your videos have been very inspiring. I want to write and create stories, and to do that one must try and understand other stories. I find that a lot of other videos on KZbin that analyze stories don't always articulate their ideas in a digestible way, but you always find a way to share your thoughts in a way I can understand. Thanks for all your work!

[@immortalsaiyan9074]

FINALLY.... I will NEVER get tired of listening to these😌

[@Tolly7249]

That scene of Atreus and the wolf hit me really hard... I lost my service cat earlier this year after a long illness, he had to be put down to avoid suffering. And the way the light went out of the wolf's eyes and she slumped, is the same way his eyes went empty and he went away. It hurts, I don't know that it'll ever NOT hurt. It's so pitch-perfect, I feel like someone on the writing team lost a beloved fluffy soul mate too.

[@anewhero1216]

I’d say in Atreus’s case, it’s less fear of future grief so much as an extension of the still-fresh grief of losing his mother - he’s only just started to feel better again about her loss, and now his father is prophesised to die as well? He fully can’t accept that old wound being reopened lol

[@silverbullet1620]

You, sir, have made me really appreciate Kratos as a character. I hated him from the original God of War games, but now I have a real appreciation for him.

[@Jmf2412]

I love these video essays man, I can't wait for both the norse essays and greek essays together 🙌

[@ArielEveMachado]

I am continually impressed with the depth of these games and your incredible insight into them. Thank you for making these videos!

[@minilightfire]

I think the character of Surtur also fits in really nicely in this theme of grief. Would like to see a video on him and how he handled grief, by being apart just so he does not lose his loved one.

[@andrewowens4421]

I love the idea of "The reason you feel such deep grief is because you loved so fully" It shows that you'd never understand _why_ you grieve if you didn't have love in your heart. When you lose something it's not that you lost love, but that you loved something so much that the lost of it affects you. Love and Grief are two sides of the same coin and you have to accept grief in order to appreciate love. What makes a person a horrid individual isn't necessarily them doing bad things, but them not _caring_ about the fact that they've done bad things. Caring can hurt but without caring you'd have no reason to be happy. So you have to accept the fact that you _will_ hurt in order to continue living with hope.

[@SpringStargazer]

I love your videos. Your analysis is always in depth and thoughtful. I love diving deeper into games I love.

[@zachmadness]

I love how you see all the "soul bits" as brok puts it float away from fenrir but one going into his knife, I played Rag, many times and am just now realizing this. hell this game is so good

[@stonestreamentertainment]

Something ya missed FB. Odin is a psychopath, not a sociopath. He is incapable of feeling empathy because he just flat out doesn't. He doesn't even PRETEND to feel it.

[@kathrynvincent1563]

I got into these videos about GoW right about the time my family needed to say goodbye to our ancient 14 year old Cocker Spaniel, Sunne. We’ve been fortunate to have only lost loved ones when I was younger so I hadn’t experienced fresh death in years. I feared his death since he was 6 when I had to write an essay in a Bible class about how animals don’t have souls and don’t go to heaven. So I thought it would destroy me after going through the throes of way too many mental health crisises over the past few years. I begged him to live forever. Part of me thinks he held on as long as he could till my family found some kind of peace. But Faye’s words to Kratos, “The culmination of love is grief.” broke something in me in a good way. It helped me cope with losing Sunne because the pain I feel was borne out of intense love. And I believe there’s beauty in that. TLDR: GoW helped me process grief over my elderly dog passing and I thank FatBrett for these videos

[@viper-the-great]

Animals have souls too. Most anyway. Any creature with sentience and will of their own would have to, otherwise there's no way they would or could behave in the ways they've proven capable of. Both free will and sentience can't really exist without it and many many animals clearly display it. Especially pets. Don't blindly believe everything you read or hear. Reading that in your comment bothered me and I thought I should say something. Nothing personal

[@kathrynvincent1563]

@ Oh that was a high school assignment that left me fucked up but that was years ago and I’m past college and healed a lot of myself. It was just a teacher taking advantage of their authority. Which I butted heads with a ton as a kid anyways so my instincts and intuition were leading me towards anyways

[@thedoomfork134]

Great video. One thing: Odin might not be as immune to grief as it would seem, or at least he didnt used to. Thor Mother, Odins first wife, was a Giant that died under murky circumstances. Mimir alludes that this changed/broke Odin in both games. And after that, he is indeed as untouched by grief as you describe. Thought this might add some context or fun theories, as it is only ever touched upon by the games.

[@TheSSBBfan666]

yeah, my theory is she died birthing Thor (given his size he might have been to much on her during labor) and while his mother loved and wanted the baby to live happy. The All-Father would scorn and treat his child like a tool and abuse him over a crime he wasnt even aware of or could be blamed for.

[@suparkornpalakkul9099]

Love your content and the thought about characters, In fact it's sometime helped me seeing wider and more perceptive thought through my tough times. So can't wait to see your future content and take care :)

[@jonathanbaumgarten6027]

Your videos are Top Tier. Well done sir.

[@emmabush8517]

I’ve been playing this game for first time in the past couple of weeks. Throughout my playthrough, I’ve been watching your videos and really really enjoying them! I was excited to dive into this one!

[@crapsound]

I agree, there might be another God of War game coming. But Kratos' story seems to have concluded here. Even more so in the DLC. Kratos has found a new home there, it looks like he has come full circle in that he has a new even bigger family now. It's like Mimir said to him, he has come a long way since then. If anything at all, I'm hoping they'll show this part of Kratos' journey, the culmination of it. Maybe, just maybe, we'll be playing as Atreus and for a brief moment in the game, we simply see Kratos enjoying his new life there or something like that.

[@LastGoatKnight]

10:24 unrelated but I noticed here that one part of Fenrir's soul stayed with Atreus. Which was later established as well. Took me a while😅

[@jaketenn559]

Also, isn’t this another representation of the 4 soul parts that all living things in Norse mythology are made up of? Brok only had 3 out of 4 saved by Sindri and 1 out of 4 of Fenrir’s remained with Atreyus.

[@ВладиславБулаев-л3э]

​@@jaketenn559yes, it is

[@Lastwill1189]

This is some truly eye opening work that we can put to use in our own lives. Awesome stuff

[@joenandez5880]

So there's a theory i like to imagine exists that involves Kratos and Fayes Ashes that explains how she seems to contact him from beyond the grave. In the earlier games he gets cursed to forever be covered in the ashes of his wife and child. The curse isn't specific to only his original wife at least to my knowledge and so when Fayes body is burned part of her ashes also stick to Kratos and whenever he touches the bag that held Fayes ashes or when he's in the darkest of mental spaces he feels and connects with her through those ashes. You could also say theres a rather interesting layered interpretation, that if you assume that until he lets go of the grief he's held onto Faye or at least part of her won't be able to leave Kratos. Which for the story and for Kratos isn't necessarily a bad thing but can be seen a crutch and something he needs to overcome.

[@anze6712]

I really enjoy watching your videos, I hope after covering the greek games you'll soon cover The Last of Us 2, when you talked about the first game it made me love it even more. No matter what you will decide to do, I know this quality of video won't stop, so I wish you all the best!

[@robsED2008]

Always gotta rush for this man’s videos😮‍💨

[@Whatgameshouldiplaytoday]

Love your video essays man, looking forward to your thoughts on the old games

[@chamakudo2187]

First I want to thank you for the spectacular video you made, I love every single essay you have done on God Of War and they are (let’s say it like that) a safe space for me. I am currently carrying out a process of mourning because I just lost my favorite person, we met 5 years ago and it is about to be one month since she is no longer. This video helped me a lot to understand my process and validate everything I feel, because sometimes it’s easier to hide the pain than to be vulnerable. Love that part where you stress the importance of talking about things that hurt us over and over again with people we love because this can help us heal. It’s been hard, but now I can go back to this video to motivate me to move on and not be stuck in frustration, anger or sadness. Thank you so much 🫂🐺🐻

[@sunayocarissime5309]

My mother used to say, "death is a part of living. If you try and pretend that it doesn't exist you will never be able to accept and grow from it. Even at my age I'm still learning and I'm going to be 77 next month. I will love you not matter what but you have to accept that I will be gone eventually. I'll always be with you mi hito', that will never change." She was gone by April of that year due to acute heart failure but I took her words to heart. It made me strong and learned to accept it. If you cannot comes to terms with loss its not going to go well for you. It's how we grow and become better people. We also learn to appreciate how fragile, rare and precious life is and respect it.

[@JacerAcer08]

This thanksgiving I'm thankful for FatBrett thanks man keep up the good work

[@srbu8650]

I thrive on your content. Never Stop.

[@LadyGoggles]

Phenomenal video. I'm still processing it, but your interpretation of grief and its affects is powerful. Thank you for this.

[@EqqusHearts]

I lost a dear friend who I deeply loved this summer. Atreus’s reaction to the prophecy is exactly how I responded when I found out my friend had died. I kept saying over and over “It can’t be true. It can’t be real”. People are prepared for the sadness part of grief…but the denial and rage…most people don’t understand that part.

[@jager477]

That cutscene of the wolf Fen. dying is so heart wrenching to me.

[@PR1ME98]

A video on Thanksgiving?!?!? I just finished cooking the turkey, good to have something to eat it too :)

[@sirshartsalotxvii]

Holy crap he posted on thanksgiving goated youtuber

[@20x20]

gow4 was released a few months after my spouse was diagnosed with cancer. a few more months after our daughter turned 1. I saw myself in Kratos - just having to learn how to be a solo father, knowing I would have to do that myself in the coming years. ragnorok came out the year after she died. both games brought me to tears and i don't think they ever won't.

[@ReplicatorFifth]

Sindri’s grief reminds me of a quote from Senua’s Sacrifice: “Have you ever died before? It’s a serious question. When the illusion of self shatters you simply cease to be. Though it may not seem that way to others. You know when it is true. You feel it, a stranger in your own body. An imposter. And nothing is ever the same ever again”

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

Make analysis videos on Baldur's Gate 3. There is a freaking gold mine sitting there that you could mine for years. The lore of BG's universe is fantastic and so are the characters and their arcs.

[@Wicked061]

One of the best character arcs EVER. ive been kickin ass with kratos since his beginning. I love the Logan turn his character took. These 2 games helped me understand alot of things. Especially about my own father. What a journey. I just hope the next game treats kratos right. Im ok with the fact he wont last forever, but if they wanna keep running with old wise but still god of freaking war awakened kratos im cool with that. Only time will tell.

[@unknownstranger3646]

11:10 - 11:15 that is so true. In Norse mythology, Thor was one, gluttonous god. He once drank almost the entire ocean. He even once had to be disguised as a bride to retrieve his hammer. And when he and Loki were at the banquet, Thor started to devour everything in front of him. His Hammer was his main priority and yet he started to eat everything like he was back in Asgard.

[@EM-gz6cq]

I was just rewatching the older videos, perfect timing

[@firebat9664]

Such an amazing channel! Can’t wait to see the videos to come!

[@ewanfraser]

Thank you. I just finished the game and needed to hear this.

[@SV-kp4sq]

I think Odin actually does experience grief, though it’s from an easy to miss line in the game. Mimir mentions how after losing Fjorgyn, Odin was never quite the same. This is a fair bit of speculation but I think that Odin is in a constant state of grief for the woman he loved, but he expresses it through complete and utter apathy for those around him. I wouldn’t be surprised if his belief in the omnipotence of the mask was partially fueled by the belief he could bring her back if he unlocked its secrets, though that’s pure conjecture. Hell, it would be a fascinating angle if the reason why Odin was so callous is that he believed that he was immune from consequences because he could undo anything and everything he has done with infinite power if he ever chose to. At the end of the game when Odin loses the mask, you see the beginning of the effects of an unimaginable loss for Odin, though we never get enough time to see it.

[@TheSSBBfan666]

also think he blames Thor for Fyorgin's passing, as there's a lore marker in the last game that implies Thor had something to do with her death, be it intentional or not (I like to think she died birthing him). so his treatment of Thor stems partially from his disgust for his son killing the love of his life.

[@ReaperOfRock]

Perfect! I just picked this game back up for a post game Berserker hunt!

[@kayleighdriessen]

Definitely one my favorite themes in this game's story.

[@kaden1991]

I had almost forgotten about the cubs that Atreus orphaned. As an inverted version of what Kratos did to Freyja, it would be nice to see one or both of the cubs again in the same way that Freyja was able to become their friend despite Kratos's actions. Unfortunately, as a learning experience for the godling I expect we will be left to assume they perished.

[@PBart7]

Brett uploads and I stop everything I'm doing

[@victorjozek5384]

28:58 Grief might forever be what defines the stories of God of War. At the end of Ragnarok and Valhalla, Kratos learned to acknowledge grief but not yet to fully accept it. As he says it himself, he must be better. The potential next game's theme might be the biggest challenge. I bet on a Greek prequel with the Norse telling style, diving deeper in the mythology and Kratos past as a general.