Tarkus


 * The character featured in this article is commonly referred to as "Tarukus".

Tarkus is an antagonist from Part I: Phantom Blood. He is a zombie made from the centuries-old corpse of a powerful warrior of ancient Britain. Unlike his ally Bruford, Tarkus was a typical strongman fighter and had sold his entire soul to Dio Brando.

Personality
Tarkus was a powerful knight in his living time, and loyal to his queen. However, different from his partner Bruford, he didn't really have a sense of honor and thought that the long-haired Dark Knight was a shame to them. Tarkus was a brutal and ruthless fighter, and so had no regrets in forcing his opponents in battles to death, including the Chain Neck Deathmatch, even if against their own will.

History
Tarkus and Bruford were two knights successful in The Challenge of the 77 Rings in 1563 (two of only five challengers to ever succeed). Tarkus and Bruford were members of the Tudor Dynasty and retainers of Mary Stuart. Tarkus is described as a hero who could cut rocks like butter with his sword without any relatives, all lost in wars, Mary being the closest to a family. Eventually they gave themselves over to save Mary from her rival Elizabeth I. However, their executioner revealed that Mary was already dead before they arrived, the one imprisoned being a imposter used to make them surrender, as their army was unbeatable. Tarkus's neck, rigid from anger, broke several axes before being beheaded. Elizabeth's deception to make them surrender led to a strong sense of betrayal that made both Tarkus and Bruford susceptible to manipulation by Dio Brando three centuries later.

Phantom Blood
The pair are resurrected as zombies by Dio so that they could oppose Jonathan Joestar, Will A. Zeppeli, and Robert Speedwagon. During Bruford's fight against Jonathan, Tarkus stands guard against Zeppeli and Speedwagon, preventing them from rushing to Jonathan's aid.

However, after Bruford's defeat, Tarkus shows little respect for him and promptly stomps on his armor, the final remaining signs of his friend's presence in the world. He also forced Jonathan into a death match and killed Zeppeli for attempting to help Jonathan, but was killed by the latter shortly after.

Abilities
Tarkus is shown as being a really strong man. Even while alive he could cut through rocks as if they were nothing and his neck could withstand several attacks and even break axes before being cut. He was also an expert at the Chain Neck Deathmatch, killing several warriors in death matches. He used his surroundings at his advantage, such as ensnaring his opponents with the chain to rip their bodies apart. When transformed into a zombie his brutality and power increased even more, making him even be capable of squashing people with his bare hands.