Colossi
| Character Group | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Colossi |
| Type: | Species (?) |
| Fandom: | Shadow of the Colossus |
| Members: | |
| Other: | |
| Related: |  Ueda and the Colossi (Aug 2016) by TedAgriogianis, featuring creator of SotC Fumito Ueda surrounded by all 16 Colossi |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Colossi are 16 creatures, usually quite large, that inhabit the Forbidden Lands and who the player character Wander is tasked with killing in the video game Shadow of the Colossus. Each one houses a part of Dormin's essense, which is released into Wander when the Colossus is killed.
The individual Colossi don't have official names, though the developers had their own nicknames to refer to them with. Instead, each Colossus is either referred to as the 1st-16th Colossus, a Roman Numeral (I-XVI), or a fan name. The fan names are as follows: Valus, Quadratus, Gaius, Phaedra, Avion, Barba, Hydrus, Kuromori, Basaran, Dirge, Celosia, Pelagia, Phalanx, Cenobia, Argus, and finally Malus.
Fans often have a favourite Colossus, influenced by, among other things, aesthetic preferences, temperament, and boss battle quality. Gaius in particular is popular in fanart.
Canon
Colossi are beings each housing a part of Dormin. Most are quite large, as the main objective in the game involves climbing them as main character Wander in order to kill them, though a few are much smaller.
Unused Colossi
Alongside the 16 Colossi in the game, there are 10 other known Colossi to have been scrapped relatively late in development: Devil, Evis, Griffin, Phoenix, Roc, Saru, Sirius, Spider, Worm, and Yamori A. Originally, 48 Colossi had been planned, before being cut down to 24, then 20, and then finally 16 in the final game.
Fandom
The Colossi are frequently ranked by fans and media outlets, and many have favourite Colossi.
Names
The developer name, common fan name, and binomial fan name for each Colossus is as follows:[1][2]
| Number | Developer Name | Common Fan Name | Binomial Fan Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Minotaur A | Valus | Minotaurus colossus |
| II | Mammoth | Quadratus | Taurus magnus |
| III | Knight | Gaius | Terrestris veritas |
| IV | Kirin | Phaedra | Equus bellator apex |
| V | Bird | Avion | Avis praeda |
| VI | Minotaur B | Barba | Belua maximus |
| VII | Eel | Hydrus | Draco marinus |
| VIII | Yamori B/The Gecko | Kuromori | Parietinae umbra |
| IX | Kame/The Turtle | Basaran | Nimbus recanto |
| X | Narga | Dirge | Harena tigris |
| XI | Leo | Celosia | Ignis excubitor |
| XII | Poseidon | Pelagia | Permagnus pistrix |
| XIII | Snake | Phalanx | Aeris velivolus |
| XIV | Cerberus | Cenobia | Clades candor |
| XV | Minotaur C | Argus | Praesidium vigilo |
| XVI | Evis | Malus | Grandis supernus |
The common fan names are by far the most popular way for fans to refer to them as in fandom.
Original Colossi
Fans of the game have been known to create their own Colossi, usually based on animals. A similiar thing happens in the fandom for the Horizon video game series, with Machines.
Common Tropes & Themes
Fanworks
Fanart
Links
- Encounter with XIII - Shadow of the Colossus (Oct 2023) by Juunyar, featuring Phalanx (13th)
Gallery
Shadow of the Colossus (Jun 2010) by MySkittlesTasteEpic, featuring Quadratus, the 2nd Colossus.
Avion (Jun 2009) by ShadowElite951, featuring Avion, the 5th Colossus, chasing Wander as he rides on Agro.
Inktober 2019: Ancient (Oct 2019) by KajaG, featuring Dirge, the 10th Colossus, with Wander fighting them from the back of Argo.
Colossus #16 - Malus (Grandis Supernus) (Sep 2013) by DELIRIO88, featuring Malus, the 16th and final Colossus. His idol is on the left, and Lord Emon is on the right, for scale comparison.
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Resources & External Links
- The Colossi - Team ICO Wiki page