Kratos Brutally Executes Poseidon, Greek God of the Seas

In God of War III, Kratos kills Poseidon, mighty god of the seas, in shockingly gory fashion by blinding him and snapping his neck with his bare hands. It marks yet another brutal takedown of a Greek god who betrayed Kratos, the vengeful Spartan warrior. This article will analyze the epic, multi-stage boss battle between the mythic combatants and explore how Kratos managed to defeat one of Olympus’ most powerful commanders.

Poseidon – Fearsome God Of The Ocean Deeps

Poseidon was one of the most venerated Greek gods, wielding immense elemental power over the seas, oceans, and marine life. As classic mythology established, Poseidon commanded the oceans with his trident and could conjure massive floods, storms, and tsunamis through sheer force of will. Seafaring Greeks would make sacrifices and offerings to keep this mighty yet temperamental god appeased.

According to God of War director Cory Barlog, Poseidon guarded his underwater domain ferociously and would use the oceans themselves to smash apart any ships that entered his waters without permission. Barlog compares him to a wrathful underwater bully. This matches the depiction of Poseidon in God of War III – ruthless, territorial and willing to unleash the full destructive fury of the seas against those who opposed him.

The Road To Confrontation – Poseidon Succumbs to Pandora’s Box

Initially, Poseidon disapproved of Kratos’ genocidal rampage on Olympus in God of War III. But according to the official canon, even this powerful god-king fell victim to the evils of Pandora’s Box that Kratos unlocked at the start of his quest for vengeance. Poseidon became infected with paranoia, fear and hatred towards Kratos, mirroring what happened to the other Greek gods.

Now viewing Kratos as a hated enemy, Poseidon vowed to interfere with the vengeful Spartan’s plans of killing Zeus and destroying Olympus. After Kratos had eliminated much of Poseidon’s forces during naval battles earlier in God of War III, a final confrontation was inevitable.

Entering Poseidon’s Personal Chambers

After causing mass destruction across Greece and toppling mighty gods like Helios and Hermes, Kratos finally enters Poseidon’s personal chambers deep in the depths of the oceans. The Spartan had battled through legions of Poseidon’s forces, including vicious sirens, gorgons, cyclopes and fully-armored warriors.

As the God of War himself sets foot in the lavishly decorated hall befitting an all-powerful sea king, an outraged Poseidon bellows "You challenge me in my own realm?". Seething with elemental rage, Poseidon declares that the halls will become Kratos‘ watery grave. What follows next is one of the most visually spectacular – and challenging – boss battles in the entire franchise.

Phase 1: Poseidon Transforms Into A Massive Sea Beast

As the battle starts, Poseidon undergoes a drastic physical transformation, shaping himself from a godly body into a hulking aquatic beast. This mutated form towers stories tall in the spacious chamber, luminescent marine life and corals covering Poseidon‘s massive frame. In this form, he wields deadly mastery over all the ocean’s fury. Roaring with sea-tinged rage, the creed of Poseidon echoes through the halls:

"The gods will favour me for killing you!"

The first phase is triggered as Poseidon slams his massive limbs down, sending powerful shockwaves towards Kratos that crack chamber floors and cause eruptive blasts of water. Kratos must utilize his signature combination of jumps, dodges and blocks to evade taking massive damage.

One of Poseidon’s deadliest attacks sees him lift a entire section of ruined architecture high above his head before flinging it down on Kratos’ position. The Spartan warrior must scramble and roll at the last second to avoid getting crushed.

Phase 2: Dodging Deadly Hydra Spikes

In another attack sequence, Poseidon plunges his forearms into the chamber floor, ripping out deadly, poison-tipped hydra spikes the size of ballista bolts. He proceeds to launch this spiked ammunition right at Kratos from different angles, forcing the player to quickly determine the trajectory of projectiles before dodging them. Getting struck by just one of these flesh-piercing spikes can inflict grievous damage or even instant death.

Kratos spends much of the first two phases simply trying to survive while identifying openings to attack safely. Patience and constant movement is critical. Poseidon also summons aggressive amphibious monsters like gigantic crabs to distract and harass Kratos. Destroying these minor enemies can yield green orbs to replenish Kratos‘ health and blue orbs to maintain his magic powers.

Phase 3: Dodging Whirlpools And Finding Harpoon Ammo

In another segment, Poseidon summons spherical whirlpools in the water, creating intense suction that pulls Kratos off his feet and towards certain drowning. Well-timed button mashing lets Kratos struggle free, but health still takes a hit.

Kratos also needs to grab useful harpoon ammunition in the form of massive sword blades stuck into columns around the arena. Once armed with these attached to long chains, Kratos can hurl them at specific glow points on Poseidon‘s body. Connecting enough harpoons gradually weakens Poseidon over time, even amidst his relentless deluge of water attacks. Patience is critical, as Poseidon will simply rip out any attached harpoons if given time to recover.

Phase 4: Poseidon Reverts To Human Form

After considerable effort, Kratos finally succeeds in dislodging all the glowing weak points on Poseidon‘s body, causing the armor plates to crumble away. Bereft of his protective shell and unable to maintain the mutated form, Poseidon reverts to human form – albeit still towering in height.

Now vulnerable, Poseidon attempts to flee by crawling away in desperation. But Kratos manages to grab the severely wounded god by the shoulders before he can escape to safety.

The Final Blows: Blinding and Neck Snap

Having grabbed the brutalized and exhausted sea god, Kratos proceeds to gouge out Poseidon‘s glowing sea-green eyes with his bare hands. The Spartan warrior digs his thumbs deep into Poseidon‘s eye sockets while clutching his head, permanently blinding him.

Poseidon releases an agony-filled scream from having his eyes ruptured by the merciless Kratos. But the Spartan promptly ends Poseidon‘s suffering – as well as his immortal life – by grabbing hold of his head with both hands and brutally twisting to snap the sea god‘s neck.

The vicious fight concludes with the sickening crack of Poseidon‘s neck breaking, echoing through the flooded halls. Kratos discards Poseidon’s lifeless body to the waterlogged ground. Defeating the mighty god of the seas opens up a new weapon for Kratos – the deadly Triton’s Lance. This fittingly allows the new God of War to harness the power of water itself as a weapon.

The brutal execution of Poseidon also triggers a catastrophic flood that ravages Greece, hinting at a destructive natural order that Kratos will gradually upend with each god slain.

Takeaways: Strategy and Symbolism

Analyzing this boss battle reveals insightful lessons for overcoming God of War III’s toughest foes:

Patience Over Aggression – Poseidon has such far-reaching mastery over the aquatic plane that simply attacking without thought leads to swift defeat. Instead Kratos spends much of the battle evading attacks and waiting to counter safely.

Maintain Health/Magic – Destroying lesser monsters that Poseidon summons serves a vital purpose – they drop orbs that keep Kratos’ strength and powers replenished for the long battle.

Gradual Damage Over Time – Rapidly attacking Poseidon fails. Piercing his armor with harpoons to weaken him over time ultimately proves the winning strategy.

On a symbolic level, killing Poseidon hands Kratos growing command over creation’s elemental forces. As more gods fall before him, the world descends into chaos – hinting that Kratos’ total revenge could wipe out Greek civilization itself. Like Poseidon, Kratos possesses incredible power coupled with merciless anger – the key question is whether the dark path brings redemption or self-destruction.