| “ | I do not fight for evil...nor do I fight for good...I just fight! Come to me, Legendary Dark Knight! Continue this battle for I am not sated! More blood! More clashes of the swords! I want, no, I demand a fight to the DEATH! NOTHING LESS!!! | „ |
| ~ Zodd |
Zodd, also known as Zodd the Immortal, is a legendary and powerful demonic swordsman famed for his bloodlust on the battlefield and skill with a blade. He is the current general of Hell's armies, replacing Sparda after the latter rebelled against the Inferno and its lords.
Appearance[]
Zodd as a towering humanoid demon with a heavily muscled build, darkish pale skin, and spiky black hair. He dons a black shaggy cloak around his neck, a long waistguard tied with several worn wraps and belts, and black boots. The buckle of the waistguard is modeled into a demonic face. Perhaps Zodd's most noticeable physical feature is his in human face which seems to borrow several physical characteristics of a lion, pointed teeth with two protruding from his bottom lip like small tusks, and glowing reddish orange eyes.
After his battle with Sparda during Hell's invasion of the human, Zodd now sports a large scar that runs diagonally across his chest and abdominal region. Later he would gain another scar that runs vertically across his left eye.
When assuming his Devil Trigger, Zodd's size grows even more and becomes more bestial in appearance. He becomes coated with jet black fur, his face becomes more lion-like and has pronounced sharp teeth, grows sharp claws, has hooves for feet while also being bipedal. Zodd sports a long tail, black chiropteran wings, and finally two large swooping horns.
History[]
Background[]
Zodd was born and bred to be a warrior, groomed to become one of the finest and strongest demonic warriors in Hell. His skills alone would have him ascend to become one of the Knights of Hell, demonic swordsmen famed for their unrivaled skill and power. Despite being a knight, Zodd was not among the Vassals of the Morning Star, although it was implied that he was denied to join their ranks as Zodd did not share the same code of honor as they did which enraged him. As a result, he opted to prove himself by battling one of the vassals on numerous occasions and while a dangerously formidable opponent, Zodd would fall or close the battle to a draw.
His greatest rivalry was perhaps with Sparda himself, the Legendary Dark Knight, constantly challenging the Dark Knight for the right to take his role as Hell's general yet would be defeated each time only to come back stronger and deadlier. During Mundus's reign, Hell would begin its global conquest over humanity with Zodd being sent out to Earth to fight and weaken humanity's defenses. On Earth, Zodd engaged by his lonesome against an armada of mortal soldiers and armies, even encountering several supernaturally enhanced individuals only to fall by his swords. The wanton slaughter he left behind earned him the title of "Nosferatu" by the mortals – a monstrous, immortal "battlefield god" that surfaces to tread through an ocean of blood.
Sparda's Rebellion[]
It was not until Sparda would betray Hell and its masters for the sake of humanity that Zodd would be elected as Hell's new general though he was not too fond of how he obtained the rank as he wished it would be through combat. Zodd led the demonic armies of Mundus himself and conquered the lands of where Mundus's Hell Gate was placed. However, they met resistance in the form of Sparda himself who single-handedly challenged Mundus's armies and later Zodd himself.
Sparda and Zodd would engage in a vicious and terrible duel that lasted for hours as Zodd's tenacity and unquenchable thirst for combat only continuously fueled his battle prowess. It culminated in Sparda and Zodd achieving their Devil Triggers, escalating the scope of the battle until finally Sparda was able to strike down Zodd, leaving a large and noticeable diagonal gash on across his chest and abdomen which Zodd refused to heal, instead keeping it as a memento of this battle.
Rise of Fuzon[]
After his defeat by Sparda, Zodd would not surface to the human world until centuries later. Despite his defeat, this only strengthened Zodd's resolve to become stronger and seek out powerful opponents until his fated encounter with the Legendary Dark Knight. He was said to have trained endlessly before managing to somehow make his way to the human world. It is also revealed that several years before reuniting with Sparda, Zodd encountered Cain, the Father of Murder himself. Recalling to the time Cain was able to push and test Sparda's abilities, Zodd was excited at the prospect of fighting the Unkillable.
Zodd would confront Cain in a lone cabin located within the outskirts of ancient Norway. Initially mistaking him for a raider, Cain tells him to leave only for Zodd to punch Cain clear over the house. The two start a brutal and violent fight across the forest, upheaving trees, sending the other flying, and cracking the earth beneath them, moreover neither was seemingly gaining any ground as Cain's immortality prevented him from dying while the damage Zodd would receive would only increase his strength and prowess. Regardless of the damage Cain would inflict on him, Zodd would only grow more elated and estatic at the idea that there are others besides Sparda who reside on Earth that can push him this far. After a long and grueling fight, Cain overpowered Zodd by jamming a spear in his throat before throwing him over a cliff edge and into a chasm opened by their fight.
Unfortunately, Zodd was simply incapacitated by Cain's attack and emerged relatively unharmed but Cain was long gone by then. A few centuries later, Zodd would at last come face to face with Sparda himself who was masquerading as a human in the kingdom of Redania; it was also during the time of when the Ringed Wraiths were searching for the phylacteries of Drath Mephruhn in order to use him to summon Fuzon. He approached Sparda inside one of Tretogor's taverns, sitting in front of him and immediately alarming the Dark Knight of his true identity when he showed him the scars Sparda gave him all those years ago. Immediately, Zodd and Sparda engaged in a duel that knocked the Dark Knight out of the tavern. Zodd noticed that Sparda was not giving his all as he feared the humans would get caught in the crossfire. The Nosferatu furiously taunted the Dark Knight over this weakness and continued the battle until Keyleth joined in to repel the demon. Furious over the interruption and the location of the battle, Zodd swore to continue this battle another time.
Zodd would continue to target Sparda, attempting to separate him from his peers to have a single uninterrupted duel. His activities gained the attention of the Briarwoods with Amara suggesting that he could perhaps be of some use. Zodd was summoned by the Briarwoods where Amara made a proposition to the Nosferatu; using their influence they can frame the Dark Swordsman Party as enemies of the empire, forcing them to become fugitives. As distrust grows among their ranks it would culminate in their separation thus allowing Zodd to at last have his duel with Sparda. The Briarwoods assured Zodd that their own forces will deal with the Party members so that they would not interfere with his fight. Zodd accepted this proposal but made it clear that he is not working for the Briarwoods.
Personality[]
Zodd is described as a bold, fearless, and fierce demonic warrior in all aspects of his view on life. He is ruthless and incredibly bloodthirsty on the battlefield, and values the bloodshed of his enemies that he spreads and enjoys battling for the sake of the thrill of the battle itself, and was thrilled by others following the same philosophy. His urge to fight stronger opponents and relish in battle has left myriads dead in his wake. He is ferocious and merciless, even when his opponents are clearly outmatched. Above all, he longs for an adequate challenge – the "ultimate strong one" - which will give him the fight he so desperately desires.
Since Zodd was bred to be a warrior for the lords of Hell, he was already very familiar with war and seemingly desired for nothing more than endless combat. This upbringing seemingly influenced his values to revolve around war prowess and, as such, he views the battlefield as a sacred place, and any disturbances to a fight as unjust for taking away a battle's freedom.
He sees fighting not as a means to an end, but as a purpose in life. This is further supported by the fact that he only followed Mundus because doing so allowed him to fight as much as he wants. Zodd becomes excited when battling enemies who can actually stand toe to toe with him in a fight, though he likewise feels immense disappointment when they fail to defeat him. Despite his bloodlust, Zodd was also a capable master and teacher as he was able to teach Berial and Ruccugon in the ways of battle and combat. Zodd also proved to be an understanding and receptive individual as he held no qualms for Sparda defeating him and even enjoyed his defeat which strengthens his resolve and determination to get stronger and increase the scope of their future battles.
Despite his intense hunger for battle and seeming one-track mind, Zodd is an enigmatic individual. Zodd overall has a surprisingly very positive view on death, thinking that it is the moment a person achieves true glory. As such, he admires those who die fighting until the very end and acknowledges the impact they end up causing in those moments. Unlike most demons, he does not actively kill humans, nor is he inherently sadistic and cruel; he takes no pleasure in torturing or killing weaklings. Indeed, Zodd also seems to suffer from bouts of apathy, boredom, and even melancholy at his own strength, as he is too powerful to find adequate adversaries. For those who not only survive their encounters with him but outright defeat him, and thus prove themselves worthy opponents, Zodd has nothing but respect. He holds anyone who can harm, defend themselves, or even defeat him in great esteem, such as Sparda and Cain.
Powers and Abilities[]
As one of the Knights of Hell and General of Hell's armies, Zodd is recognized as an extremely powerful demonic warrior and one of the strongest and most skilled individuals on Hell and Earth. In terms of power and combat prowess, he was considered by several demon lords to be second (barring Artorias) only to Sparda himself, whom he is shown nevertheless to effectively compete against among the Knights of Hell, and who openly acknowledged Zodd's might and could not defeat him without a struggle. His power was even acknowledged by the Vassals of the Morning Star, the most elite guard in all of Hell, who admit that had Zodd possessed a similar code of honor to theirs he would have been a perfect fit in their ranks.
Zodd has learned a large variety of fighting styles and tactics throughout his centuries of battle. He is able to fight with nearly any weapon he finds on the battlefield, but his preferred weapons in his normal form are dual-wielding swords and battleaxes. Zodd's skill and mastery of the blade is so profound that humans have called him a "God of the Battlefield" where he single-handedly engages an armada of soldiers with various degrees and styles of fighting before effortlessly destroying them. His skills were also recognized and acknowledged by Sparda and Artorias themselves, both of whom are considered to be among the greatest swordsmen in the Inferno with Sparda being the mightiest of them all. In fact, Zodd's skill with a blade was so great that he was even able to push Sparda greatly, something very few are capable of doing. Zodd was also surprisingly very intelligent and keenly observant in battle, able to discern in seconds on which fighting style is preferable to counteract his opponent's own style of combat.
Perhaps Zodd's most defining and greatest ability is his remarkable adaptability in the midst of combat where his skills and strength improve at an accelerated rate. This ability seems to surface only through his damage intake and coupled with his already innate mastery over swordsmanship and intellect in combat makes Zodd all the more dangerous and powerful of an opponent. Sparda himself claims that his is also mainly due to his strong will to continue to fight regardless of what happens, and even went so far as to say that slaying Zodd would be futile as he would grow stronger with each defeat prompting the Dark Knight to resort to sealing him.
Most remarkably, Zodd was known to be tremendously resilient, as he brushed off attacks from Sparda and Cain multiple times and was barely affected by Cain's unrivaled strength. Against the likes of humans, their swords could barely if it all penetrate his skin to where he once outright caught a soldier's sword with his bare teeth and shattered it with a single bite. Moreover, in conjunction with his adaptability, Zodd's durability would only grow as well as the fight drags on making it all the more difficult to put him down with Cain himself admitting that their fight would seemingly last forever until he finds a way to wear him down and end the battle quickly. Additionally, Cain was also unable to land a decisive blow against Zodd in the initial startup of their battle with Zodd only displaying minor annoyance from his attacks. Zodd also shows incredible pain tolerance; reacting to his arm being cut off with mere amusement. If damaged or grievously injured, Zodd can regenerate and heal his wounds well-nigh instantly. This durability and healing is what gave Zodd the title of "Zodd the Immortal" with a reputation of being unable to die.
