Athena

Athena (アテナ, Ἀθεονόα) is a mythological goddess of wisdom and warfare. Born from the head of Zeus, she is regarded as a guardian deity of cities.

Role in Games
The Warriors Orochi series has Athena follow her father to Orochi's world in search of Perseus who had betrayed their ranks.

Athena was present when her father, Zeus, decided to recreate a dimensional realm which was once created by Orochi, the Serpent King through the use of the Ouroboros Bracelets. Once Zeus was able to recreate the world, Perseus, a half-mortal son of Zeus and acquaintance of Athena, stole a number of those bracelets and escaped to the dimensional realm. As Perseus is half-mortal, he is able to enter the realm with no problem, while Athena, a goddess cannot enter yet due to the instability of the realm.

Athena and Ares were present when the bracelets' power was unlocked; Ares chastised Athena giving Perseus a leeway as a half-mortal, however, Athena took full responsibility and decided to go in personally and chase Perseus, bringing with her an army, while also forcing humans to work for her by giving out deals or taking leaders such as Liu Shan hostage, forcing Shu officers to obey her. Athena's forces managed to secure a bracelet before the human coalition managed to gain the bracelet, forcing her to retreat and reunite with Ares who had arrived. The Olympian forces, combined with the humans who had sided with the gods, outnumbered the humans, who had help from the Mystic Realm. The Mystics engaged in a duel with the duo Olympians, with Athena facing Nuwa; the Mystics then received help from their leader, Susano'o, who managed to hold the Olympians and those assisting them long enough for the humans to retreat. Athena then unsuccessfully tried to attack the coalition defense position in Honnōji, before losing another bracelet and was forced to retreat when Liu Shan was rescued. When the Demon Army reappeared under Da Ji, a three-way war began between the coalition, Olympus and the Demons; Athena first struck by trying to capture Perseus. While she was defeated, Perseus was kidnapped by the Demon Army, dispelling Coalition fears that Athena and Da Ji are working together. Athena and Ares are then reunited to help prepare for Zeus' arrival in the dimensional realm, while also facing an invasion from Asgard led by Loki, who was masquerading as Perseus and had allied with the Demons.

After her father arrived and not telling his goals, Athena sensed an unknown presence that was powerful enough to warrant her personal attention. Meeting the coalition and the Mystics, she agreed to work with them considering the circumstances and found out that the energy came from a revived God of Destruction taking the form of Orochi X, who then rampaged across the battlefield. Athena was surprised at his strength and destructive power that she agreed to retreat with the Mystics. Reunited with her fellow gods, she then faced the humans in a battle to prove their strength and was defeated. When Zeus "revealed" his plan, she was shocked at the plan, but was even more shocked when Ares struck down Zeus, having made a deal with Loki and the one who sent him, Odin, King of Asgard. With her forces taken over by Ares, she had no choice but to retreat and was aided by the humans, who in return allowed Athena to aid them. After aiding them several times and was shown of their conviction and knowledge, while acknowledging her own disadvantages, she then joins the coalition in an effort to save the worlds. She then assists the humans further after finding out Odin's plan of destroying all worlds, and helped Ares, who was betrayed by Odin. The humans assisted the Olympians in finding Zeus' body in order to stop Odin's plans, Athena even giving some of her powers alongside Ares's own and the Mystics to revive Zeus. With Zeus revived and a plan to stop Odin in place, she joins the humans in their fight further, in both the destruction of Orochi and Odin.

Personality
Living up to her moniker as the goddess of wisdom, Athena has a dignified air about her that compels awe and respect. Her loyalty to her father is matched by her strong sense of responsibility.

Character Symbolism
Aegis, Athena's sacred treasure, is known as a shield or animal skin that sometimes described as having the head of a Gorgon on it. Often times carried by both Zeus and Athena, its exact nature is unknown. The Gorgon's head on the Aegis refers to the Gorgon sisters, whose hair had been turned to living venomous snakes, and whose vision can turn anyone to stone. This is shown in some of Athena's attacks and musou, where enemies are turned to stone and shattered when Athena performs this attack. This is referring to Medusa, one of the Gorgon sisters, who was cursed by Athena to be a gorgon. Furthermore relating to this game, Medusa was slain by Perseus, a demi-god son of Zeus and Athena's half sibling, which entails Athena's obsessive pursuit of Perseus. The use of Aegis as a shield also entails directly back to what Athena represents: she is considered a guardian deity of cities, thus the representation of Aegis as a shield.

Voice Actors

 * Suzuko Mimori - Warriors Orochi 4

Quotes

 * "Hello there. What's a gorgeous goddess like you doing in a place like this?"
 * "Gorgeous...? I don't think anyone's called me that before. Frankly, it's a little awkward-- not very befitting for a god."
 * "You think? On the battlefield, you are a proud warrior. Many soldiers flee in terror rather than face you. But away from the battlefield? Why, your beauty is such that it puts the most delicate flowers to shame."
 * "Uh, thank you so much for your praise. I will continue to do my best not to bring any shame upon myself as a god of Olympus."
 * "See, I like that serious side of you as well. I hope you will continue to smile upon me as my own personal goddess of victory."
 * "Very well. I will do my duty as a god and lead you and this army to victory!"
 * "No matter how I try to seduce her, she just shrugs it all off. A true goddess indeed. But the greater the challenge, the greater the reward!"
 * Magoichi and Athena; Warriors Orochi 4

Fighting Style
Athena's Aegis can be used to perform a plethora of flexible combos to clear large crowds. Some of her charge attacks will turn enemies into stone; finishing them off in this state will reduce them to dust. By pressing the heavy attack button immediately after turning enemies to stone, Athena will throw out a large golden disc projectile that shoots sparks in many directions, giving her very good crowd control.

Greek Mythology
Athena is the goddess of wisdom, handicraft and warfare, and one of the Twelve Olympians, the most important beings in the Greek Pantheon. Both Athena and Ares are considered to be gods of war, however what they embody are different: while Ares embodies the physical and destructive nature of war, Athena embodies the disciplined and strategic nature of war, which extends to generalship and military strategy. Due to this nature, she is also considered as a patronness and protector of various cities in Greece, most notably Athens, where the Parthenon is dedicated to her, and Greek literature tend to be more favorable to Athena than Ares and holds Athena in a higher esteem. Athena also appeared in many Greek mythological stories, particularly in the Iliad and other stories where Athena is known to have helped heroes such as Perseus and Heracles.