Most Tragic Elden Ring Characters: Part 2

Another Elden Ring character, another tragic entry for the list. And another extremely hard boss too. I know this person’s entry may seem a little strange at first, but just hear me out. I promise you his inclusion is well worth it.

As you can see by the picture, General Radahn is a part of my ‘Most Tragic Elden Ring Characters’ list, though I get if you are skeptical as to why he was included. Just like Malenia, I would never have thought his backstory was so complex and tragic.

Born to Queen Rennala of Raya Lucaria and Radagon, soon-to-be Second Elden Lord (more on that later), he is the brother (maybe the eldest, due to his size) of Praetor Rykard and Lunar Princess Ranni. Undoubtably, he was the strongest (and definitely the largest) of the demigods of the Lands Between, and he had the martial skill to back it up.

He took his father, Radagon, and the First Elden Lord, Godfrey, (who is kind of his father-in-law as Radagon is Queen Marika’s other half) as his martial role models. He openly flaunted his red hair (in honor of his father) and adopted a lion sigil (in honor of Godfrey) onto his armor. Clearly, the giant demigod was an impressionable, glory-hungry child.

But that wouldn’t be even half of Radahn’s true character. During his childhood/early adult years, the great hero became so attached to his small, yet loyal stead that they became close friends (well, as close as a demigod and horse can be). However, Radahn was quickly growing into his monstrous size, and he would have crushed the horse if he ever sat atop him.

Thus, Radahn set off to the Sorcery Town of Selia to learn how to control gravitational magic. That way he would not have to abandon his loyal friend and could ride him freely. Now, this may not seem like a weighty deed for some, but I found this to be one of the most compassionate acts in all of Elden Ring.

Radahn could have easily of abandoned his horse and taken a more impressive beast for himself. But, unlike nearly every other character in the game, the demigod decided to be compassionate and loyal by choosing to master a difficult magical field so that both he and his horse could stay together.

Anyway, not only was Radahn able to master gravitational magic, but he also was able to master gravity itself. Thus, he was able to save Sellia from a falling star (or something like that as the game only mentions Radahn saved Sellia from the stars), and that was how he earned the nickname “Starscourge “.

(PS: Now, this action would have a profound consequence upon another demigod and the events of Elden Ring, but that is a story for another article.)

Okay, back to Radahn. It was only a short while later that Radagon left Rennala to marry Queen Marika and replace Godfrey as the Elden Lord. Then, as we all know, Godwyn the Golden gets murdered, Lunar Princess Ranni commits suicide (well, only physically), and Markia shatters the Elden Ring, starting the Shattering war.

Radahn, now a general, gathers swarms of loyal soldiers, knights, followers, etc. and leads his armies out of his home, Redman Castle, to claim the other Elden Ring shards. Now it is never stated, but it seems very likely (to me at least) that Radahn wanted to emulate his father and his idol, Godfrey, by winning the war and becoming the new ruler of the Lands Between.

Due to his extraordinary size and strength, brilliant strategical mind, mastery of gravitational magic, and magnetic leadership skills, General Radahn and his forces won battle after battle, defeating every other demigod challenger in his way. Except for two: Miquella and Malenia.

As you may have read from my other article or just from playing the game, Malenia (on behalf of her brother) led the forces of the Haligtree against General Radahn and his Redmane army in an almighty battle in the Caelid Plains.

Malenia and Radahn dueled each other as their forces fought in what would end up being the most destructive battle in the Shattering war. Radahn was able to keep the unbeatable Malenia at bay, until she (accidently) unleashed her inner Scarlet Rot power, infecting nearly everyone and everything in the vicinity…including General Radahn.

Despite his tremendous powers and strength, the great general was horrible affected by the curse. Not only did the rot affected his body physically (as his feet eventually rotted away), but also his mind. Radahn’s mind was destroyed, turning the once proud, honorable demigod into a cannibalistic animal, eating the flesh from his deceased friends as he aimlessly roamed the rot-plagued Caelid Plains.

By the time of Elden Ring, the Tarnished is tasked by Ranni the Witch (the spirit of Lunar Princess Ranni for those who don’t know) to put Radahn out of his misery, take his Elden Ring shard, and free the stars from his control. Thus, the great Radahn’s story is ended in an epic showdown against the Tarnished and his/her allies in the remains of Caelid, where you are able to finally put down Radahn to end his torment and suffering.

For one of the most honorable and compassionate beings in all of the Elden Ring’s lore to end up as a mindless, cannibalistic, savage animal is the very definition of a tragic character. Thankfully, we were able to put Radahn out of his misery and give the General the hero’s death he deserved.

As I said in the Malenia article, if you want to read more about Radahn, Ranni, Malenia, the Haligtree, Redmane Castle, Sellia, the Shattering war, or any other part of Elden Ring’s lore, I recommend you check out the Elden Ring Fandom Wiki page. It has great, in-depth articles about nearly everything Elden Ring related, and it is how I learned more about Radahn too. I left a link below in case you want to check it out:

Images Sources: Featured Image: (Game Developers: FromSoft; Image Location: GameSpot YouTube) (ELDEN RING Official Launch Trailer – YouTube)

In Text Image 1: (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) (ELDEN RING – Story Trailer – YouTube)

In Text Image 2: (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) (ELDEN RING – Story Trailer – YouTube)

In Text Image 3: Game Developers: FromSoftware; Image Location: GameSpot YouTube) (ELDEN RING Official Launch Trailer – YouTube)

Other Sources: (Elden Ring Fandom Wiki) (General Radahn | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom)