Gladiator

"The roar of the crowd can be intoxicating. It can give you the edge you need to defeat an opponent. It can also seal your fate should you lose favor. The arena is not a battlefield. The thrill of the fight has waned. But how will they fare in all-out war? Gladiators have risen the ranks of fighters and have run out of challengers. With their trident and shield, they charge into the fray. Their armor minimal and their bravado staggering. It is now time for gladiators to fight for something greater than themselves."

Gladiators are a playable hero in For Honor.

Overview

The Gladiator is a fighter by trade. They have honed their skills through grueling matches in the arena and are now the top of their field. They fight for their own personal reasons: some fight to glory, some fight for riches... but in the end, they all fight.

Their armor is minimal to allow for greater mobility but also to better highlight their skill. They have won over the crowd in every match but how will they fare when all that skill and training is put to the test in all-out war? The time has come for the Gladiator to pull a performance on the biggest stage they will have ever performed on.

Armor

The Gladiators wear very little armor. They possess metal pauldrons and a bronze helmet as well as bronze greaves. Their torso is covered by a subligaculum loin cloth, while their right arm is protected by a manica.

Weapon

Trident & Buckler - Originally a fishing spear, the Trident became famous when Gladiators started using them in combat. In their other hand, they use the buckler to provide swift protection.

Trivia

• Historically, Gladiators were warriors who fought in arenas against animals, condemned criminals, and other Gladiators to entertain audiences. While Roman citizens would volunteer to become a Gladiator, many of the Gladiators were either soldier-prisoners or slaves.
  • In real life, female Gladiators did exist in Rome between 55 and 200 AD. They are known as Gladiatrices (Singular: Gladiatrix) by modern terms.
• Based off the armor and weapons used by the Gladiator, the Gladiator seems to be a combination of the Parmularius and the Retiarius Gladiators.
  • The Parmularius, meaning "shield-man," were any gladiator who used a Parma shield. Due to the small shield, Parmulii would wear shin guards.
    • It was previously noted that the Gladiator's buckler was based off the Hoplomachus' small round shield. However, this was incorrect as the Hoplomachus was based off Greek hoplites, whose shields were arm-strapped, whereas bucklers and the Parma are center-gripped.[1]
  • The Retiarius, meaning "net-man," were meant to look like fishermen, fighting with fishing equipment such as tridents and nets; they would also be armed with a dagger. For protection, the Retiarius were lightly armored, wearing only a loincloth, an arm guard (manica) that would cover the entirety of their dominant arm and a matching shoulder guard.
• According to Ubisoft's UbiBlog, and as observed in-game, the fighting stance and style of the Gladiator is based off a boxer's.
  • This choice of incorporating a "boxer's personality" is also mirrored within some of the Gladiator's moveset, such as Bee's Sting referencing the famous quote "Dance like a butterfly, Sting like a bee" by boxer Muhammad Ali, and Sucker Punch being an unfair punch delivered when the opponent is distracted (ie. punching the opponent during a break) and not through an actual skilled tactic like a feint.
• The names of the Gladiator's executions and the Highlander's were switched at release, but was corrected later on.
• All of the female Gladiator's catapult lines are in English, unlike the male Gladiator's Latin.
• Translations:
  • The move "Fuscina Ictus" translates to "Trident Strike."
  • The Execution "Cave Adsum" translates to "Beware, I am here."
  • Male Gladiator in the Cave Adsum execution (together with the battle emote "To the death!") says something akin to "Fīō" (lit. "I am made"), although this may be simply a grunt and not a quote.
  • The execution "Carpe Ventrem" translates to "seize the stomach" or "rend the stomach," and is a play on the phrase "seize the day" (latin: carpe diem).

Quotes

• Latin: "Turbae carissimus!" - English: "Favoured of the crowd!"
  • Bamboozle
• Latin: "Audaces fortuna iuvat!" - English: "Fortune favors the brave!"
  • Fuscina Ictus and Knock It Off Execution
• Latin: "Mars me adiuvat!" - English: "Mars favors me!"
  • Skewer
• Latin: "Dēmissa manē te!" - English: "Stay down!"
  • Fuscina Ictus against a target who is out of stamina
• Latin: "Vate retro!" - English: "Go away!"
  • Male Gladiator, Sleep Now Execution
• Latin: "Noli me tangere!" - English: "Don't touch me!"
  • Female Gladiator, Sleep Now Execution
• Latin: "Jactáte!" - English: "Hurl it!"
  • Male Gladiator, Catapult (enemy)
• Latin: "Terreamondus magicate!" - English: "Create an earthquake!"
  • Male Gladiator, Catapult (enemy)
• Latin: "Fos Prōterite!" - English: "Crush that area!"
  • Male Gladiator, Catapult (enemy)