Tarkus

"Let loose the cry of despair!"

- Tarkus

Tarkus (タルカス) is an antagonist from 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 had no regrets in forcing his opponents to battle him to the death, including the Chain Neck Deathmatch, even if it was against their own will. This was due to Dio's corruption of him. Both his personality and appearance resemble Walken from Baoh.

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. His special attack using chain is called Hell Heaven Snake Kill (天地来蛇殺). When transformed into a zombie his brutality and power increased even more, making him even be capable of squashing people with his bare hands.

Phantom Blood (PS2 Game)
Tarkus appears as a boss fight in the game. The player needs to beat him under 280 seconds, first you fight him using Zeppeli, then you play as Jonathan Joestar. Like most of the enemies  on the game Tarkus will chase the player trying to attack him with punches and kicks. Tarkus special ability allows him to use chains to make long-range attacks on the player (the same chains he used to trap Jonathan and kill Zeppeli).

Tarkus can be playable during some missions on EXTRA BATTLE, with both his Normal and Final Battle appearance. During his "normal" appearance he uses his giant sword as a special ability (on the same way he did to attack Jonathan's group during his story debut).

Trivia

 * Tarkus is the first villain to kill an ally protagonist character.
 * His name is probably derived from the progressive rock album and song, Tarkus. His ally, Bruford, is also a progressive rock reference.