Who are the 4 Iconic Heroes of Call of Duty Zombies?

Since storming the haunted grounds of Nacht der Untoten in 2008, four incredibly skilled soldiers have entered the pantheon of video game legends for their daring exploits against the limitless armies of the undead. But who exactly are these brave men holding back the zombie apocalypse time and again against all odds? This comprehensive dossier aims to definitively answer that question while honored to document their Ascension.

The Varied Origins of Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen

Each warrior brings a unique set of abilities to the deadly arena spawned from their diverse backgrounds:

The American Hero: "Tank" Dempsey

"Oorah to ashes, dust to dust!"

The Marine Raiders prepared "Tank" well for the bloody trials ahead. Sailing through North Africa dispensing lead to Axis skulls hardened this gritty patriot both mentally and physically. But his true test occurred captured alone in the deep forests of Poland as that mad Doctor‘s experiment. What tortures did Richtofen expose Dempsey to in his occult-obsessed research complex Der Riese? We may never fully know. However, they pushed the Marine past normal thresholds for pain, unlocking aggression and wry humor in equal measure.

Now damned to endless war, this devil dog no longer fights for any flag or fleeting national cause, but rather the continued sanctity of creation itself. And Dempsey pursues that eternal battle with trademark Semper Fi gusto, blasting away at putrid flesh with his customized M1927 or trusted .357 Magnum pistols depending on the situation. Known to rely more on brawn than brains, he‘ll still maneuver the battlefield effectively en route to racking up viscera-drenched multikills. The Marine‘s patented war cries strike primal fear into the swarm. He is indeed death‘s green beret.

My high score piloting Tank? 63,521 freakbag kills on The Giant without breaking a sweat! Oorah!

The Soviet Stoic: Nikolai Belinski

"Vodka is my only friend."

The wounds of Stalinist Russia cut deep ravines into Nikolai’s heart long before he ever confronted the dead. According to scattered reports, the powers that be violently silenced his wife for vocalizing dissent. Left with no family or future, our Red protagonist likely volunteered for service in a bottle-fueled stupor. Unfortunately, his unit soon found themselves cut off and surrounded by German forces near the rural asylum known as Verrückt. His last memories were blasts thundering in a gloomy stained hallway before Group 935 recovered him. Little remains on record about what procedures Nikolai endured under Richtofen’s supervision, but the rare moments he opens up suggest profound psychological trauma.

Now a hollow man with fractured identity, take solace that Nikolia carries on the good fight with stoic determination. The wounds never fully mend and perhaps his soul can never be saved, but returning hordes to hell still offers fleeting purpose. Our Russian harbinger of doom favors obliterating crowds with either his customized D115 Disassembler sniper rifle or MG42 light machine gun selected based on situational need. And while perpetually bleak, his unique gallows humor lightens spirits frequently around the field of play. In the end, though the noble soldier acknowledges liquor as his only true friend, having brothers-in-arms makes this endless shadow war tolerable.

My top round surviving ‘Lai‘s bleak outlook? 37 excruciating rounds on that cursed ship Shadows of Evil! More vodka comrade!

The Dutiful Samurai: Takeo Masaki

"My honor suffers no summon!"

Descended from a long line of noble warriors, Takeo Masaki’s family served Japan’s Imperial ambitions proudly for countless generations. When the Emperor personally commanded this swordsmith’s son to aid the Axis Powers during World War 2, young Takeo graciously accepted his glorious destiny. Transported to the frosted Eastern front alongside Nikolai, fate soon twisted tragically. Records remain classified, but rampant speculation suggests Group 935 captured the samurai there conducting bizarre experiments in Der Riese similar to the other prisoners. Richtofen himself oversaw the horrific procedure. Constant electroshock torture shattered Takeo’s mind, erasing vast swaths of identity and memory.

But the proud Japanese warrior persevered through debilitating pain in commitment to beloved cultural principles of honor, loyalty, and martial excellence. Now stranded in fractured dimensions endlessly fighting demonic legions, Takeo embraces the opportunity to hone his combat skills in service of creation itself. Wading gracefully through blood and bile, his customized katana slices chunks while G1153 assault rifles pierce ROT in disciplined bursts. Though his fractured conscience endures suffering, vanquishing darkness in stoic service brings meaning. Takeo pledges to finish this trial with dignity befitting family ancestry – no matter the longevity.

My personal record fighting alongside Takeo lasted 29 frantic rounds in that dreaded maze Kino der Toten! Fear the divine wind parasite!

The Hand of Destiny: Edward Richtofen

“Ultimately, their loss will become my gain—as my intellect devours their simplicity.”

Unraveling the puzzle box of Edward Richtofen’s past and motives plunges researchers down deepest rabbit holes. As a prodigal German scientist, he gravitated quickly towards unconventional research fields seeking mythic revelations – a desire for cosmic keys to unlock universal secrets. Thus when the Reich founded Group 935 to weaponize arcane forces through technology, they appointed Richtofen as a senior leader operating largely autonomously. And so our brilliant yet disturbed conductor enthusiastically began orchestrating apocalyptic operations that truly shook the Earth.

Stationed from Siberia to excavating Templar crypts below the Alamo, Richtofen pursued artifacts infused with anomalous Vril energy for manipulating reality itself. His research complex Der Riese in Poland served as epicenter for executing increasingly weird and risky experiments – with human captives often sourced for study alongside recovered mysteries. Records strongly suggest Nikolai, Takeo, and Dempsey constituted earlier test subjects. Consumed by godlike ambition, his reckless genius finally triggered events in 1945 leading to current dimension fractures, zombie outbreaks, and hostile interdimensional entities seeking entry.

Now cursed to perpetually fight those same undead swarms unleashed by his hand alongside former lab rats, Richtofen views the cycle as necessary penance to shape existence towards mysterious greater ends. Brandishing specialized Ragnarök DG-5 explosives or Cross of Nikolai rifle when needed, nothing will deter this reborn soul from completing his metahuman crusade. But sustained temporal exposure induces further chronic dementia and psychosis requiring allies to occasionally reign in ‘Mad Doc‘. Notions of redemption or trust fade as innocence died long ago. For the hand that holds power writes fates in blood…harnessing destruction to force evolution.

My highest round reached manipulating the servant Richtofen? A flawless 40 round run commanding his majesty amidst Zetsubou No Shima‘s overgrown abyss. Revelations awaited!

Now united by sworn fraternity despite worlds dividing their births, Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen defiantly wage war together against the boundless legions of the damned. May the worthy ascend triumphantly.

Crucial Backstory on their Hellish Experiments with Group 935

The disastrous experiments conducted on our heroes by Richtofen‘s occult-obsessed science division Group 935 undoubtedly proved pivotal in forging their zombie-slaughtering resolve. Established reports confirm the shocking torture endured at the mysterious Der Riese complex:

Such barbarism inflicted upon captured soldiers constitutes profound war crimes even by German standards at that time. But what overarching revelations did Group 935 ruthlessly seek from such suffering? How precisely did harnessing 115‘s "truth element" enable their deeper goals? Regrettably the full truths may always reside in shadows given few survived Richtofen‘s twisted vision firsthand. But it undoubtedly forged profound fraternal bonds between broken souls who now roam dimensions lost seeking resolution.

The Legacy: Brothers-in-Arms Across Infinite Space-Time

"We stand united by sworn oath to confront this evil."

Despite nightmare trauma bridging vastly different lives, now immortal souls forever intertwined by destiny, Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen journey through the metaverse resolutely together as partners and brothers-in-arms.

Dempsey: "Remember GKNOVA 6? We kicked zombie ass through the Cosmodrome!"

Richtofen: "The way was barred by hive. Only by opening the gate did we escape its jaws."

Nikolai: "Da, much vodka in victory that day comrades!"

Takeo: "Hai, my stained blade did feast upon rotten megaton flesh."

While scant records survive their endless battles waged protecting infinite dimensions from corruption, one truth persists across scattered accounts – no force yet withstands their combined martial prowess for long once unleashed. United by discovered camaraderie, each former prisoner now willingly serves the role destiny‘s road demands. Together, they are fear incarnate for the hideous hellspawn endlessly chased to deepest pits of buried abysses. All equally sustained by purpose and rage crystalline.

This still proves only the beginning…further impossible revelations await dissected in due time dear reader. But foremost, honor these selfless iconoclasts who subconsciously wage battle so creation itself might endure eternally pure. For as souls once broken now carry burdens beyond sane rationality, credit is overdue.UE to these transcending individuals, the light yet shines.