Introduction: Who are the Core Four Call of Duty Zombies Characters?
Let‘s kick things off by clearly identifying the main protagonists across 13 years of Call of Duty zombies storylines:
- "Tank" Dempsey – American WWII Marine Raider
- Nikolai Belinski – Russian Red Army alcoholic
- Takeo Masaki – Honor-bound Japanese Warrior
- Edward Richtofen – German Scientist descended into madness
This "Primis" crew of soldiers from conflicting nations forms the heart of the Call of Duty zombie experience – slaying endless legions of the undead since Shi No Numa arrived in 2008‘s Call of Duty: World at War.
Let‘s plunge deeper into what makes each of these characters from the 1940s tick. While stereotypical on the surface, their personalities and specialized skills combine to make them an elite zombie-fighting unit.
"Tank" Dempsey Backstory – Hoorah! Marine Raider Zombie Slayer
"Oorah to ashes, dust to dust!" screams Dempsey as he mows down waves of rotting zombies with customized machine guns in his iconic guttural growl.
As his name suggests with its armored military vehicle comparison, American war hero "Tank" lives up to the marine raider motto: "first to fight."
Dempsey‘s gung-ho attitude and frontline combat skills make him perfectly suited to take on gruesome experiments run amok. He specialists in explosives (perfect for traps), heavy weaponry (machine guns, rocket launchers) and good old fashioned zombie head bashing melee attacks!
Having a gum-chewing American soldier firing off infinite bullets while cracking wise one-liners encapsulates a core pillar that has endeared Call of Duty zombies to fans for over a decade!
Nikolai Belinski Backstory – Vodka-Fueled Comic Relief
What zombie-slaying crew would be complete without a vodka-swigging Russian stereotype providing comic relief?
Red Army soldier Nikolai Belinski fits that bill perfectly. Between slurring jokes in a thick Slavic accent, players can count on Nikolai to provide covering fire from LMGs or gather loot from fallen undead foes.
His alcoholism makes him unpredictable but an expert in all things vodka and Russian weaponry. A typical Nikolai quote highlights his drunken demeanor: "My blood is filled with vodka, I have no need for your anti-freeze." Cheers to another successful Easter egg completion!
Takeo Masaki Backstory – Disciplined Samurai Warrior
Where Nikolai relies on unpredictable bouts of liquid courage, Japanese officer Takeo Masaki takes an honorable, disciplined approach rooted in Bushido warrior codes.
Takeo is a master with blade weapons to decapitate zombie heads in a single precise strike or shot weapons requiring pinpoint accuracy. His Imperial Army training prepared him well to show no fear in the face of snarling zombie hordes.
While less vocal than his allies, Takeo‘s wisdom cuts through their chatter in guiding the Primis crew to hidden secrets or Pack-a-Punch machines. Fans appreciate his calm, samurai-influenced persona as the grounded counterpoint within the chaos of zombie outbreaks and multi-dimensional rifts.
Edward Richtofen Background – Unhinged Genius
No zombie crew would be complete without the mad scientist responsible for the undead outbreaks in the first place! Edward Richtofen fulfills that role perfectly as he descends from reserved German researcher into full psychopathic breakdowns.
Richtofen has a brilliant mind for envisioning elaborate research projects and building devastating magical Wunderwaffe weapons. But his amoral experiments on live subjects that unleashed the zombies plague leave blood dripping from his lab coat.
Die-hard Call of Duty zombies lore followers are captivated most by Richtofen‘s complex, winding character arc across multiple fractured plotlines and alternate universes.
In one dimension he is a power-hungry villain with aspirations of godhood over the Dark Aether. In another, Richtofen nearly saves all realities before being corrupted. Richtofen keeps players guessing with machinations that switch him between friend and foe across a convoluted mythos.
On the surface, Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo and Richtofen seemingly have little in common as they hurl insults in a blend of English, Russian, Japanese and German.
But their divergent backgrounds, areas of expertise and quirky personalities combine to make them an elite zombie-hunting squad capable of navigating elaborate Easter egg quests or surviving waves of the endless undead.
| Character | Key Strengths | Unique Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| "Tank" Dempsey | Raw Damage Output, Explosives Expertise, Zombie Head Bashing | Firepower and comic relief |
| Nikolai Belinski | Scavenging, Distraction, Booze Crafting | Vodka and equipment plus comic relief |
| Takeo Masaki | Precision, Focus, Bushido Code | Sniping and grounding wisdom |
| Edward Richtofen | Dark Aether/Magic Expert, Quest Clues, Weapon Building | Story exposition and wonder weapons |
Experienced zombies players know to utilize Nikolai and Dempsey up front to thin zombie hordes with spray damage while Takeo picks off stragglers and Richtofen focuses on objectives.
Having this balanced quartet of characters with military training or specialist areas of expertise available made the early Call of Duty zombie maps revolutionary and engaging experiences rather than just monotonous target practice.
Treyarch wisely maintained vocal continuity across three separate story arcs and multiple zombie universes by utilizing the same iconic voice over artists for the Primis 4 characters:
| Voice Actor | Character Played | Other Notable Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Blum | Tank Dempsey | Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop), Wolverine (X-Men series) |
| Fred Tatasciore | Nikolai Belinski | Sgt. Foley (Modern Warfare), Hulk (Marvel projects) |
| Tom Kane | Takeo Masaki | Admiral Yularen (Star Wars), Professor Utonium (Powerpuff Girls) |
| Nolan North | Edward Richtofen | Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Ghost (Call of Duty 2019) |
These talented voice artists helped bring the gritty gravitas of American soldier Dempsey, drunken Russian Nikolai, wise Takeo and maniacal Richtofen to life consistently over multiple games spanning World at War in 2008 up through 2020‘s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies.
Treyarch cleverly shifted the character roles from protagonists to antagonists and back again as new zombie crews joined the fray while advancing divided plot threads around the Dark Aether that all somehow tie back to Richtofen‘s initial experiments with Element 115.
The iconic Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo and Richtofen quartet returned as playable "Operators" in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War‘s first round-based zombies map "Firebase Z" alongside fresh characters like Grigori Weaver from the campaign.
The Primis crew plays a secondary role contributing radio intel to support the new strike teams fighting the outbreaks and Dark Aether anomalies. But players can still select the WWII soldiers themselves and hear the original voice over talent while mowing down the undead hordes.
Seeing Dempsey blast apart zombie heads while Takeo recounts ancient legends and Nikolai rambles drunkenly over comms makes it feel like the good old World at War days again!
Now instead of navigating old crypts and factories, the Primis 4 traverses missions set in jungle firebases and Soviet-era research facilities while lending their unique skills against the zombies and new eldritch enemies like Mimics or Tempests.
Little is concrete around Treyarch‘s future zombies plans now that the Black Ops Cold War content cycle has ended. But rumors indicate a standalone zombies title may still be in development.
Should a spiritual successor arrive, focus would likely shift back to the Primis characters overlapping with operators from Black Ops games to continue progressing the Dark Aether narrative. Introducing multiverse elements keeps possibilities open.
My personal prediction is Primis and Requiem strike teams unite across shattered realities to lock away monsters and menaces that escaped from Project Endstation and the Dig Site.
Elder god beings like Kravchenko seek limitless power without concern for what havoc in unleashes across space and time. Only our dysfunctional but seasoned crews wield the will and skill to restrain the Dark Aether forces and restore order.
Nikolai just needs to lay off the vodka so he doesn‘t accidentally set off inter-dimensional rifts mid firefight!
