Tarkus


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

Tarukus 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, Tarukus was a typical strongman fighter and had sold his entire soul to Dio Brando.

History
Tarukus and Bruford were two knights successful in The Challenge of the 77 Rings in 1563 (two of only five challengers to ever succeed). Tarukus and Bruford were members of the Tudor Dynasty and retainers of Mary Stuart. Tarukus 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. Tarukus'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 Tarukus 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, Tarukus stands guard against Zeppeli and Speedwagon, preventing them from rushing to Jonathan's aid.

However, after Bruford's defeat, Tarukus 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 killed Zeppeli for attempting to help Jonathan, but was killed by the latter shortly after.