CHARACTER PROFILE
Tarkus
- Primary work
- Phantom Blood
Other recorded work links
Tarkus (タルカス, Tarukasu) is a primary antagonist featured in the first part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Phantom Blood.
Tarkus was a knight in 16th-century Britain who served alongside Bruford as a loyal retainer of Mary Stuart. The two knights were executed after being betrayed by Elizabeth I. After being resurrected as a zombie by Dio Brando, he becomes wholeheartedly loyal to his new master and fights Jonathan Joestar, eventually trapping him in a one-on-one Chain Neck Deathmatch.
Image attribution details
Tarkus. Source illustration via JoJoWiki; copyright remains with the original rights holders.
Image via JoJoWiki. Original franchise/production rights holders retain copyright; the wiki text CC BY-SA license does not license this image.
Original image ↗ · Archived image ↗01Basic information
- Japanese Name
- タルカス↗
- Romanized Name
- Tarukasu↗
- Age
- ~300+↗
- Birthday
- ~1500s↗
- Gender
- Male↗
- Nationality
- Scottish↗
- Occupation
- Zombie subordinate | Royal retainer (Formerly)↗
- Species
- Zombie | Human (Formerly)↗
- Affiliation
- Mary Stuart (1500s) | Agents of DIO (1888)↗
- Manga Debut
- Chapter 26↗
- Anime Debut
- Episode 5↗
- Game Debut
- Phantom Blood (PS2 Game) (Playable)↗
02Appearance
Tarkus is a towering and muscular zombie. He wears a set of heavy metal armor consisting of a chestplate, two shoulder pads, two legplates and a loincloth. On top of his medium-length hair, Tarkus wears a horned and crested metal helmet, which he removes during his Chain Neck Deathmatch with Jonathan.↗
03Abilities
As a trained warrior and one of the only five knights to succeed in the trial of the 77 Rings, Tarkus possesses an incredible amount of physical strength and endurance. He was also a skilled swordsman, described as a hero who could cut rocks like butter with his sword. Even while alive as a human, his neck could withstand several attacks and break the axes of executioners before being cut. Tarkus also became an expert at the Chain Neck Deathmatch, besting and killing a total of forty-eight warriors.↗↗↗
04Story
SPOILERS
Background
Born in the 16th century, Tarkus was a member of the Tudor dynasty and a retainer of Mary Stuart. After losing his relatives in previous wars, the young Tarkus was brought up as Mary Stuart's knight and trained his body for that sole purpose, eventually becoming attached to Mary. Alongside his fellow retainer Bruford, Tarkus passed the trial of the 77 Rings in 1563, becoming one of the only five in history to complete it.↗↗
Eventually, when Mary was imprisoned by her political rival Queen Elizabeth, Bruford and Tarkus fought the queen's army until she offered Mary's release in return for their surrender. However, on the day of their execution, Bruford and Tarkus learned from their executioner that Mary had already been killed. Tarkus was livid to hear that Elizabeth deceived them and cursed her in his dying breath; rumors say that his neck became so rigid from anger that several axes broke before he was beheaded.↗↗
Phantom Blood
After taking residence in Windknight's Lot following his transition into a vampire, Dio resurrects Bruford and Tarkus as his zombie enforcers to exploit their hatred against the world, pitting them against Jonathan, Will Anthonio Zeppeli, and Robert E. O. Speedwagon. While Bruford fights Jonathan, Tarkus prevents Zeppeli and Speedwagon from interfering in the fight. However, following Bruford's defeat, Tarkus desecrates his remains, calling him a mockery of the 77 Rings winners.↗↗↗
Jonathan enters the building to find a place where Poco can hide safely, only to be caught in the Chamber of the Two-Headed Dragon, where Tarkus engages Jonathan in a Chain Neck Deathmatch. Poco sneaks in and successfully unlocks the door, despite taking a kick from Tarkus. Zeppeli prepares to fight Tarkus, but the zombie leaps into the air. Tarkus wraps Zeppeli in his chain before pulling it tighter, tearing the Ripple master in half and snapping Jonathan's neck.↗↗↗
05Plot details
SPOILERS
Appearances
Chapter 35: Pluck for Tomorrow and the Successor, Part 3 (Death)↗
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 7: The Successor (Death)↗
Phantom Blood Musical Scene 16: Pluck for Tomorrow (Death)↗
Profile details
Status: Deceased (Part 1)↗
Date of Death: 1565 (Original death) | December 1, 1888 (Definitive death)↗↗↗
Cause of Death: Decapitated (original death) | Obliterated by Jonathan Joestar 's Ripple energy (definitive death)↗
06Appearances
07Sources & attribution
- Tarkus
Source text: JoJoWiki and its contributors. This entry has been reorganized and condensed for readability under CC BY-SA 4.0. Archived records reflect their capture dates. Referenced manga, anime, and artwork retain their respective copyrights.
Source bibliography (10)
- Chapter 26: Tarkus and the Dark Knight Bruford, Part 1 Open ↗
- Deduced from the date of death of Mary Stuart Open ↗
- Chapter 41: Fire and Ice, Jonathan and Dio, Part 3 Open ↗
- Chapter 27: Tarkus and the Dark Knight Bruford, Part 2 Open ↗
- Chapter 33: Pluck for Tomorrow and the Successor, Part 1 Open ↗
- Chapter 31: The Knights' Ruins Open ↗
- Chapter 28: Tarkus and the Dark Knight Bruford, Part 3 Open ↗
- Chapter 30: Sleep as a Hero Open ↗
- Chapter 34: Pluck for Tomorrow and the Successor, Part 2 Open ↗
- Chapter 35: Pluck for Tomorrow and the Successor, Part 3 Open ↗
08More profiles to explore
Continue with related characters, distinct versions and more profiles from the same recorded work.
