Ratatoskr (God of War)

God of War franchise

In the first game, Atreus can acquire the Bitter Squirrel runic summon. Abrasive personality: This version of Ratatoskr is a foul-mouthed and sarcastic ghost squirrel. Gameplay function: When summoned, the Bitter Squirrel will scurry to Kratos's position to unearth Healthstones or Ragestones. Voiced by: The Bitter Squirrel was voiced by Troy Baker.

God of War Ragnarök: The Caretaker of Yggdrasil In God of War Ragnarök, Kratos and Atreus encounter the actual Ratatoskr, an anthropomorphic squirrel who explains the summon they knew was merely one of his spectral counterparts. True form: The real Ratatoskr, voiced by SungWon Cho (ProZD), is a witty, large, and surprisingly polite squirrel who tends to the World Tree. Spectral counterparts: Ratatoskr reveals that he projects different aspects of his personality—such as his bitterness, arrogance, and anxiety—into spectral forms to provide himself with "emotional breathing room". These aspects can cause trouble if they are not reabsorbed, as demonstrated when the Arrogant aspect accidentally releases Garm.

Physical description of the true Ratatoskr Size and build: Ratatoskr is much larger than a typical squirrel, possessing a bulky and upright posture that is more human-like. He is capable of standing, gesturing, and performing tasks with humanoid dexterity. Facial features: He has a partially humanoid face with blue eyes and is missing his left eye, an injury likely incurred during his formative years. His nose and mouth retain rodent-like characteristics.

Fur: His body is covered in thick, reddish-brown fur. Clothing and accessories: Ratatoskr wears pauldrons and other items of clothing, suggesting a degree of culture beyond a normal animal.

In God of War Ragnarök, Ratatoskr's four spectral aspects each have a distinct color and appearance. Bitter (summon from God of War 2018): In the 2018 game, this version appeared as a white, transparent ghost squirrel. In Ragnarök, his color is blue with glowing white eyes. Arrogant: This counterpart is colored red with glowing white eyes. Anxiety: This aspect appears purple with glowing white eyes. Perfectionist: This version is light green with glowing white eyes.

The spectral aspects of his personality To better perform his duties, Ratatoskr has removed the more bothersome parts of his psyche and made them into independent spectral entities. When they are not reabsorbed, these aspects can cause mischief. Bitter aspect Rude and sarcastic: The "Bitter Squirrel" that could be summoned in God of War (2018) is the most foul-mouthed and insulting of the aspects. It is endlessly sarcastic and constantly berates Kratos and Atreus, even though it provides them with healing or rage stones. Arrogant aspect Narcissistic: This aspect is self-important and cannot admit its mistakes. It was goaded by the Bitter aspect into releasing the Four Stags, causing chaos. Needs attention: The arrogant side of Ratatoskr craves attention and approval, even from Kratos, who quickly shuts down its attempts at conversation.

Anxious aspect Nervous and paranoid: The "Anxious" aspect is nervous to the point of stuttering and is quick to think it has offended others. It believes everyone hates it and that it is the most often ignored of all the aspects. Easily upset: It is easily unsettled, especially when it thinks Kratos and Mimir are talking about it behind its back. Perfectionist aspect Laconic and critical: This is the most rarely seen of the aspects and is mostly silent. When it does speak, it is critical of any imperfections, including the true Ratatoskr's over-explanations. Kratos, perhaps seeing a reflection of his own temperament, appears to be the only one who appreciates this part of the squirrel's personality.

In God of War Ragnarök, the real Ratatoskr is eccentric, friendly, and surprisingly fancy. However, his personality is not singular, as he has the ability to remove and externalize various negative aspects of his psyche into spectral forms. This makes his demeanor highly variable, depending on whether his fractured mind is whole.

When in his true form, Ratatoskr is the friendly and polite, if slightly verbose, caretaker of the World Tree. Amiable: He is cordial and welcoming to Kratos and his companions, acknowledging them as honored guests. His friendly nature was a conscious choice by the game's writers, contrasting sharply with his earlier, antagonistic depiction.

Eccentric and witty: He has a fancy and somewhat theatrical manner of speaking, but can also be quite witty. He is also surprisingly perceptive, as he shows deep admiration for Kratos's ability to overcome limitations, which Ratatoskr himself struggles with. Grateful and understanding: He displays genuine gratitude to Kratos for defeating the serpent Níðhögg, accepting that it was a necessary action to protect the World Tree. He also shows profound sadness over Brok's death, revealing a softer, more caring side.

Can be possessive: He refers to the World Tree as "his," and the dwarves who live there as "his tenants," suggesting a territorial, though not malicious, streak. Can be overcome by negative emotion: While usually calm, Ratatoskr can become angry and frustrated, particularly if Kratos insists on repeatedly using the summon bell. In these moments, his original "Bitter" personality can resurface briefly.

In the God of War series, Ratatoskr's powers come from his connection to the World Tree, Yggdrasil, which granted him immortality and caretaker abilities. In addition to these core powers, he can project different spectral aspects of his personality and manipulate reality within the tree.

Powers derived from Yggdrasil Immortality: Ratatoskr was originally a normal squirrel who was nearly killed by a predator. After taking refuge on Yggdrasil, the World Tree saw potential in him and made him its immortal caretaker. He cannot die of old age or sickness, and his life is tied to the tree itself. It is implied that the only way for him to be killed is if Yggdrasil is destroyed.

Cosmic awareness: As the caretaker of the World Tree, Ratatoskr has a form of cosmic awareness that allows him to perceive disturbances throughout Yggdrasil and all Nine Realms. He can instantly sense when major events occur, such as the killing of the serpent Níðhögg or the murder of Brok. Superhuman speed: Ratatoskr can move at incredibly high speeds, traversing the great heights of Yggdrasil in moments to get to Kratos and his companions.

Spectral projection To manage his fractured psyche and avoid burnout, Ratatoskr can project different aspects of his personality into distinct spectral forms. These duplicates can wield some of his base powers and act on his behalf. Outsourcing tasks: Since he cannot leave the confines of the World Tree, Ratatoskr uses his spectral aspects to observe and interact with the other realms.

Conjuration: The "Bitter" aspect is a runic summon for Atreus that can magically unearth items from the ground, such as Healthstones, Ragestones, or Hacksilver. Portal creation: The "Arrogant" aspect has shown the ability to create portals between realms. He used this power to release the Four Stags of the Seasons from the realm between realms. Remote observation: Each aspect gives Ratatoskr a window into what is happening in the other realms, bypassing the limitation of him being unable to leave the tree.

Reality-altering abilities Ratatoskr has demonstrated some power to manipulate reality, especially within the bounds of Yggdrasil. Damage repair: He was able to fix the damage to the fabric of reality that Garm caused as the wolf tore rifts through the World Tree. This took him a considerable amount of time to accomplish. Magic object creation: Ratatoskr can conjure magical items, including the chime that responds to Kratos' Leviathan Axe and rewards for completing tasks.

Splintered psyche: He explains that the Bitter Squirrel they knew was one of his "spectral aspects," or projections of his own bothersome personality traits. He created these counterparts so he could better focus on his duties of tending to the tree. The other aspects: Throughout the game, Kratos and Atreus meet Ratatoskr's other aspects: the Arrogant, Anxious, and Perfectionist squirrels. The Arrogant aspect causes trouble by releasing the Four Stags of the Seasons from the realm between realms.

Quest-giver: Ratatoskr provides Kratos with several favors, including finding the Four Stags of the Seasons. Source of power: He explains that he was once a normal squirrel who was granted immortality and powers by Yggdrasil after a near-death experience, with the caveat that he cannot leave the tree's confines.

Messenger of discord: In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr's role is to run up and down Yggdrasil carrying insults and gossip between the eagle at the top and the serpent Níðhöggr at the root, fueling their animosity. Thematically linked: The God of War series incorporates this role by having the Bitter Squirrel embody Ratatoskr's mischievous, insulting side. His internal struggle with his different aspects also reflects the mythological conflict between the tree's two inhabitants.

God of War (2018) In the first game of the Norse saga, the player never meets the real Ratatoskr. Instead, he appears only as the Bitter Squirrel, one of several animal runic summons for Atreus. A summonable ability: The Bitter Squirrel is a combat ability. When summoned, it scurries to Kratos's location to dig up healing Healthstones or Rage stones, depending on Atreus's equipped arrow type. Foul-mouthed personality: True to its name, this spectral squirrel is a loudmouthed, insulting, and sarcastic creature who constantly insults Kratos and Atreus. Kratos, for his part, simply ignores its endless tirades. Anticipation for the sequel: This brief, eccentric appearance set up a fun mystery for players, who were left to wonder about the nature of this strange, belligerent squirrel.

God of War Ragnarök The sequel completely reinvents Ratatoskr, revealing the Bitter Squirrel to be just one aspect of his true, more polite self. Kratos and Atreus encounter the real Ratatoskr, an anthropomorphic squirrel, at Sindri's House in the Realm Between Realms. Ratatoskr's explanation of his nature The true caretaker: Upon meeting him, Ratatoskr reveals that he is the caretaker of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, and was once just a mortal squirrel who was granted immortality.

Key interactions with Kratos and Atreus First meeting: Ratatoskr first interacts with the duo to explain how to use the Yggdrasil seeds to access the Realm Between Realms. He can be summoned at any time at Sindri's house for conversations and side quests. The Garm incident: After Garm is accidentally released, Ratatoskr is furious, demanding that Kratos and Atreus fix the damage the wolf is causing to the fabric of reality. A respectful friendship: By the end of the game, Ratatoskr has developed a genuine appreciation for Kratos, viewing him as a respected guest. He praises Kratos's capacity for growth, something Ratatoskr wishes he could have himself. Grief for Brok: He shows genuine sadness over the death of the dwarf Brok, whom he considers a tenant of the World Tree. Rewards for help: After the events of Ragnarök, Ratatoskr rewards Kratos for his efforts in saving the Nine Realms by giving him the Realm Seeds that were dislodged during the final battle.

Likes The World Tree, Yggdrasil: As its caretaker and a being who owes his immortality to it, Ratatoskr is fiercely protective and possessive of Yggdrasil. Order and cosmic balance: He values the order he maintains within the Nine Realms and gets visibly frustrated when that balance is disrupted, such as when Garm's howling tore reality apart.

A "civilized" demeanor: As his polished, verbose speech suggests, Ratatoskr prefers to conduct himself with a dignified and proper manner. This is part of the reason he expels his more annoying personality traits into separate beings. Kratos: Ratatoskr develops a profound respect and even admiration for Kratos over the course of Ragnarök. He is grateful for Kratos killing the serpent Níðhöggr, and later praises him for his ability to overcome his limitations and grow as a person.

His tenants: Although he's somewhat possessive of the World Tree, Ratatoskr genuinely cares about its inhabitants. He feels real sadness over the death of Brok, one of his "tenants". Praise and flattery: His original voice actor described Ratatoskr as "almost like a car salesman who wants you to like him". This suggests he enjoys being liked and appreciated.

Dislikes Odin: Ratatoskr despises Odin's lust for power and control. His remarks imply that he has had to foil Odin's schemes to exploit the World Tree on numerous occasions and was shocked when Odin managed to deceive him while disguised as Tyr. The chimes: If Kratos repeatedly hits the chimes to summon him, Ratatoskr will become increasingly annoyed and even snap at Kratos in his bitter, foul-mouthed aspect.

His own negative emotions: To be an effective caretaker, Ratatoskr must expel aspects of his personality he finds distracting or bothersome. These include his arrogance, anxiety, and bitterness. He dislikes how these emotions make him feel, which is why he tries to manage them through his spectral aspects. Unnecessary chaos: Ratatoskr was clearly outraged when his arrogant aspect released the Four Stags and, later, when Garm began tearing holes in reality. He finds this kind of cosmic chaos a nuisance to clean up. Selfishness and callousness: He holds a deep appreciation for Kratos's capacity for growth and acknowledges that Kratos makes mistakes. This stands in stark contrast to his impression of Odin's "callousness".

Homosexual

Four feet tall