Ares is the Greek god of war and the main antagonist of the original God of War, released by Santa Monica Studio in 2005. Tricked by Ares into killing his own family, Kratos spends the game hunting him down, and the climactic duel ends with Ares dead and Kratos taking his place as the new God of War. Short clips from the game circulate widely in gaming meme culture, where Ares has become shorthand for overwhelming power and final-boss menace. The clip is typically used online over gameplay highlights and dramatic edits rather than in its original story context.