Charon

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“	Gguhhhhhh....	„
	~ Charon

Charon is the boatman of the Underworld and transition incarnate, son of Nyx, and responsible for ferrying deceased souls across the river and into the underworld. In Greek mythology, he required a single obol - placed into the mouth before burial - as payment for his services, or else the soul in question would be left to wander the banks of the Styx for a hundred years.

Charon's services in-game are, unfortunately, much more expensive; he functions as the game's shopkeeper, selling Zagreus various power-ups, healing items, and boons in return for the obols he collects throughout his escape attempt. He can be found in chambers with a preview showing a brown sack, usually around the mid-length of each biome before a mini-boss encounter and at the penultimate chamber of a biome, before the boss encounter.

He also operates the Wells of Charon which can be randomly found throughout the Underworld.

He doesn't say much, communicating only in groans of various intonations, which Zagreus appears to either understand or enjoy interpreting in humorous ways. Zagreus often expresses annoyance that Charon apparently either cannot or will not simply ferry him up to the surface in his boat.

While all the gods (except Chaos) can use Charon's shop to offer their boons to Zagreus, Hermes is the only god with whom Charon has a lasting professional relationship, as seen in dialog with Hermes, as well as in Hermes's Codex Entry.

Charon returns in Hades II and sell his wares to Melinoë, this time using Gold as currency instead of his obols as they were melted by Chronos.

Characteristics and Personality[ | ]

Charon, or simply the "Boatman," is the main figure who transports the souls of the departed to their final destination. He remains a mystery and does not like to be persuaded or bribed, having been deceived and paid dearly for it in the past.

Charon is a mysterious and enigmatic figure even to the rest of the inhabitants within the Underworld. However, conversations with Zagreus and other characters suggest that he is actually quite affable and reasonable, so long as he isn't deceived, and especially "stolen" from. Even his brothers, including Thanatos, seem to fear him and dare not challenge him. When forced to confront Zagreus, Charon will demonstrate that he is not a fool and will use his paddle as an "unlikely weapon." Nyx and Hermes explain that he may actually enjoy having someone to fight with from time to time.

Charon is generally antisocial even by Underworld standards. His odd friendship with Hermes, the Messenger God, is surprising as Charon manages to intimidate even the most powerful of beings within Hades' realm.

Above all else, Charon was also shown to be extraordinarily money-hungry, as he was obsessed with acquiring golden obols by any means necessary for reasons that were known only to him. His obsession with gold was so strong, that he would make it a point to demand payment from all of the souls that came to him before delivering them to the House of Hades. Should a soul be unfortunate enough not to have any coins on them when they die, Charon would refuse to allow them safe passage instead leaving them to rot for eternity in Erebus unable to make the rest of the trip.

Although he usually does not respond to requests, he can make exceptions. Charon's sweet side was revealed afloat, when at the request of Persephone, he helped by secretly returning her and her son. Charon offered a ride on his boat from Greece to the House of Hades. During the transport, Charon remained in perpetual silence, but it was something that was very kind of him.

Physical description[ | ]

Charon appears as a seedy, shadowy floating figure. He always carries his oar, and sometimes uses it as an unlikely weapon. He wears a large hat that obscures his face, revealing only one of his eyes that appears a vivid purple light. His long black clothes with golden details are lined with coins collected from his salary, the obols. His hair is dirty blond and wavy, and he exudes smoky purple air coming out of his mouth when he breathes.

History[ | ]

Before Hades[ | ]

Charon is one of Nyx's many children, an ancient being present in the underworld long before Hades arrived. After Hades's arrival, he offers to ferry the souls of the dead across the River Styx to Hades.

In addition to his role as a ferryman accepting the funeral coin, the obol, in exchange for passage, Charon also functions as a local merchant, offering a variety of goods and services.

It's hinted that Charon took Persephone to the surface when she decided to leave the Underworld.

Hades[ | ]

Charon will appear intermittently during escapes, selling items he unearthed from the Styx during his travels. However, it is anticipated that the cost of any of these items will surpass a single obol, with many being notably pricier compared to their regular rates. Nevertheless, they do offer enhanced effects or rarity at the very least to offset their higher prices.

It was also Charon that arranged for Skelly to be Zagreus's training dummy and for Hermes to lend an extra hand, all in secrecy.

During Zagreus's last visit to his mother, she'll be ready to depart. Charon is the one that ferries them down to the House, much to the prince's surprise.

Epilogue[ | ]

Charon will attend the feast thrown at the House and enjoy it alongside Hermes.

After that, he'll keep being the shop in Zagreus's security checks. The prince can also try to win a discount, if he manages to survive the boatman's strong attacks.

Hades II[ | ]

Charon provides assistance to Melinoë in her war against Chronos.

Affinity[ | ]

If given Nectar, Charon will give you the Bone Hourglass, which increases the duration of items sold at Wells of Charon.

Charon's affinity gauge is maxed out at 7 hearts.

Favor[ | ]

Charon's favor requires spending at least 10,000 in total at his shop.

Codex entry[ | ]

Unlocking the complete Codex Entry requires deepening Zagreus' relationship with Charon.

'...The Stygian Boatman is a lot of things, although I am afraid he isn't much for conversation; I have tried, though perhaps not persuasively enough. I wonder where he finds the time to mill about as sometimes he is prone. His duty as the shepherd of the recently deceased must keep him very busy, overall, yet even still he finds the time to collect trinkets and to sell them back to us, for reasons only he could understand. He seems to have a certain motive of his own; but it cannot be fathomed, nor can the boatman's manner be deciphered by one such as me. I choose to think he serves a purpose higher even than the Master's own.'

Book of Shadows Entry (Hades II)[ | ]

'One of the elder sons of Night, he has served the realm beneath the earth in a variety of ways for some aeons. He once ferried the dead to their final resting-place, but now has other burdens. Even his own kin struggle to communicate with him, and find him to be off-putting, cryptic, or aloof. You are pleased to know him otherwise.'

Wares[ | ]

Before Styx[ | ]

The following offerings are available in Charon's Shop in Tartarus, Asphodel or Elysium:


Item	Cost	Notes
Darkness (25 )	25	Amount gained increased by Dark Thirst after purchase Does not work with Pitch-Black Darkness In same pool as Chthonic Keys, Gemstones, and Nectar
Chthonic Key (1)	50	Does not work with Fated Keys In same pool as Darkness, Gemstones, and Nectar
Food (+30% )	50
Pom Slice	50	+1 Lv. to a random Boon
Gemstones (20 )	75	Amount gained increased by Darker Thirst after purchase Does not work with Brilliant Gemstones In same pool as Darkness, Chthonic Keys, and Nectar
Pom of Power	100
Centaur Heart	125
Random God Boon	125	Any non-Chaos
God Boon	150	Any non-Chaos
Nectar (1)	200	Does not work with Premium Vintage In same pool as Darkness, Chthonic Keys, and Gemstones
Daedalus Hammer	200

Temple of Styx[ | ]

“

Not far from here, the dead begin their journey to their final resting-place down in the depths below; and so the river-boatman Charon often passes through.

„

Charon's Shop in Temple of Styx has 6 offerings in total.

1 offer of either (Cost of this offering is not affected by Pact Condition Convenience fee):
- 1 Diamond costing 1000
- 1 Titan Blood costing 1200
1 offer of either
- Hermes' Boon with Boosted rarity costing 500
- Anvil of Fates costing 275

2 offers of the following:
- 1/4 chance: Centaur Heart costing 125
- 1/4 chance: Pom of Power costing 100
- 1/2 chance: Non-Hermes, Non-Chaos Boon costing 150
2 offers of the following:
- 1/3 chance: a non-Hermes, non-Chaos Boon with Boosted rarity. Costs 450
- 2/3 chance: a super Pom of Power that can increase level of a boon by 2. Costs 300

The Boosted rarity for higher priced Gods' boons are:

Chance to be Legendary: 10%
Chance to be Epic: 25%
Chance to be Rare: 65% -- this means the rarity would be at least Rare and never Common.

Combat[ | ]

“	A hidden stretch of the boundless river Styx cuts through misty Erebus, providing for the river-boatman Charon a locale in which to deal with the unruliest of souls.	„
	~ Nice place you got here, mate!

A sack of 300 Charon's Obol randomly appears behind him under some circumstances. It only appears at shops mid-way through biomes, not ones immediately preceding a boss fight, and requires that you have beaten the final boss at least once. It has a 22% chance of appearing. If the player steals the sack, Charon will send Zagreus into a room in Erebus filled with his treasures and four tall, golden jars. Initiating a fight with the player, the boatman has the following attacks.

Ghost Charge: Charon hovers to the sides of the field, sending a wave from the west or east side of the room. Throughout the battle, the pattern changes depending on his health (he also hovers to the center of the room instead), sending waves from the top and bottom, both east and west sides in a V-shaped pattern, or in a full room rotation counter-clockwise.
Floor Wave: Charon pushes a small wave that bounces once around the room towards the player. As the battle progresses, Charon will send up to three waves.
Oar Swipe: Moving to the player, Charon swipes his oar twice in a wide range, dealing heavy damage if caught.
Stun Wave: If too close to Charon, he will pulse a wave that deals knockback and a brief stun to the player.

At 75% max HP and 45% max HP, Charon will shatter two of the golden jars, destroying the player's cover from his attacks.

At 20% max HP, Charon will call off the fight, granting Zagreus a Loyalty Card for his troubles, and you also get to keep the 300 Charon's Obol "borrowed" from him.

The fight has the same difficulty regardless of the biome, so players will have the best chance of defeating Charon if they initiate the fight in Elysium, after they've received some boons. However, defeating him in Tartarus or Asphodel will give the player more opportunities to use the Loyalty Card.

After you defeat him the first time, you trigger an extra dialog with Thanatos about the fight.

Trivia[ | ]

Charon is such an ancient deity that Hades himself refers to him as an ancient god. The lines from Ares and others suggest that Hades respects Charon for his longstanding role as the messenger of death. Since Thanatos is confirmed as Zagreus' childhood friend, this game line establishes Charon as the eldest among the three House brothers.
- The official Japanese translation of Hades shows Hypnos using honorifics (カロン兄) "Karon-Nii" (older brother Charon) to refer to him in-game.
  - Later Moros uses the honorific (兄) "Ani," meaning "older brother," to refer to him. According to the codex in Hades II, Charon is "one of the older sons of Nyx", if not the oldest presented so far.
He just emits groans like "Gguhhhhhh...." For some reason, it seems to be understood by everyone in the House. Zagreus either genuinely understands him or playfully interprets things the way he prefers.
- Sometimes, even the player can catch a slight slip of words. For example, when you max out their favor and give them Ambrosia, they let out a groan, saying, "Go..... on.....".
- Moros demonstrates great surprise in knowing Melinoë can fully understand him, implicating it's not an easy feat for those outside of Nyx's family (and possibly even for those in the family).
Aside from the Loyalty Card, Charon also has a Calling Card, which he gave to Persephone (see quotes section).
He and Chronos have a big rivalry going on.
- This appears to be simply because Chronos melted Charon's obols and formed new coins with his symbol. However, it could also be tied to how Charon was sometimes mixed with Chronos and identified as the God of Time.
In Greek Mythology, no source gives a clear genealogy to Charon. Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian Renaissance writer, identifies Charon as a child of Nyx and Erebus. Before that, the only other account has Charon as a child of Akmon, Ouranos's father, but the text might be corrupt.
He had a placeholder sprite during the Early Access of both games.
Charon is frequently shipped with Hermes within the fandom. Their ship name is Charmes or Speedboat.
- So far, they're the most popular non-canonical ship in the fandom. In general, they're in third place, after Thanzag (Thanatos x Zagreus) and Patrochilles (Patroclus x Achilles).
- Hades II seems to further develop their relationship in comparison to the little hints in the first game, as both express extreme concern for the other and a mutual longing.