- "You are quick mortal, quick to die!"
- —Dahaka.
The Dahaka (also known as the Guardian of Time) is an antagonist in Battles of Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.[1][2] The guardian of the timeline, he appears only when the timeline is disrupted. It is the Dahaka's duty to make sure that the Prince meets his death to restore the timeline.
Official Description
Strategy Guide
- "A Massive mythical creature spawned by the Prince's disruption of the Timeline, the Dahaka is the Guardian of the Timeline. When something exists in the Timeline that should not be there, the Dahaka is sent to erase it. Since the Prince should have died in the Sultan's Palace, the Dahaka has been sent to remove him. This huge beast follows our hero with a single purpose: Ending the Prince's life. The Dahaka appears sporadically, traveling through reality in a swirling black void. As it approaches, the ground trembles and unsuspecting bystanders are forever pulled into this gaping emptiness, never to return. This beast is surely not of this world. The Dahaka knows its purpose. Walls and weapons mean nothing to it and it cannot be killed, harmed or slowed down."
- —Official booklet description[3]
Instructional Manual
- "Created by the Prince’s disruption of the Timeline, this massive, mythical creature was created with a single purpose – ending the Prince’s life as quickly as possible. The Dahaka is a monster too hideous even to imagine. As it approaches, the ground trembles and walls, earth, and unsuspecting bystanders are forever pulled into a gaping emptiness, never to return. It couldn’t be clearer that this beast is not of this world."
- —Instructional Manual[4]
Biography
Battles of Prince of Persia
The Dahaka appeared to the Prince during the time wherein his abilities a warrior were brought into question and thought little of on account of his tampering with time. When the Dahaka attempted to kill the Prince, his life was spared by Darius, who sacrificed himself to save the Prince. After the death of Darius, the Prince began the search on how to stop the Dahaka.[1]
Warrior Within
The Chase
During his travels on the Island of Time, the Dahaka pursues the Prince throughout the Fortress of Time. The hero has to flee, unable to harm the creature. The Dahaka is relentless in his pursuit of the Prince and his mission is only halted whenever the Prince crosses areas with water; the Prince learns that the Dahaka cannot touch water or fight against it, so he uses this advantage to escape from the Dahaka.[2]
A Second Chance
The Dahaka followed the Prince even in the past, making his journey even more difficult. After the death of the Empress of Time, the Prince thinks that he's free to leave the Island, but the Dahaka arrives and throws him into a secret passage. The Prince then realizes that by killing the Empress, he created the Sands of Time.[2]
The Prince managed to retrieve the mask, transforming into the Sand Wraith. He then assumes that the creature who was following him was in fact himself who was trying to warn him about the Empress of Time.[2]
The Prince travels back in time to reach Kaileena, but once again, he's followed by the Guardian of Time. The wooden bridge onto which the Dahaka steps collapse, but before falling to his assumed death, one of the Dahaka's tentacles reaches the prince, who slices it and screams with anger.[2]
After reaching the entrance to the passage for the Throne Room, the Sand Wraith finds his doppelganger the Prince from the past once again. However, as he is aware of the Dahaka's attack, he lets his past self get captured by the monster, allowing him to take off the Mask of the Wraith.[2]
Final Battle
After reaching Kaileena in the present, the Prince demands her to stand down as it is not his intent to kill her.. Suddenly, the Dahaka appears and tries to absorb Kaileena, who doesn't belong in the present.[2] The Prince attacks him, and due to having the Water Sword, can harm him. Kaileena runs away, and the Prince fights the beast with his sword, now able to harm the monster. After a long battle, Kaileena throws a sand ball at the Dahaka, who gets caught on the edge of the platform. The prince stabs the Dahaka's head, and the creature falls into the water. As the sea turns black, the Dahaka comes out from the water, only to explode, the ocean water returning to normal. The Prince has changed his fate.[2]
Trivia
- Dahaka's horns resemblances the "infinity" sign, reassuring its connection with the time itself.
- The Old Man has a considerable knowledge about the creature, most likely because of his mystic nature and arts he masters.
- When the Prince fights Kaileena for the first time, she says: "I had hoped the Dahaka would kill you.", but when he fights her for the second time with the Water Sword and the Dahaka appears, Kaileena seems to have never seen its appearance before, and has no idea why the Dahaka is after her (as now she doesn't know the Prince has already fought against her before).
- The Dahaka may have very likely been based on a character from Iranian mythology known as Aži Dahāka.
- The Dahaka speaks in reverse. When the Dahaka speaks, if time is turned back, its sentences can be understood.[5]
- Dahaka has some similarities to the boss-Forgotten One of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. They are considered to be the most powerful beings in the game. They both appear as “Hidden bosses” (Dahaka as boss of True End and Forgotten One as boss of downloadable content). They are eventually killed by the protagonist with more powerful powers (Prince uses the Water Sword, Gabriel Belmont feeds on the vampire Laura and becomes a vampire, One step ahead of Forgotten One to gain his power).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Battles of Prince of Persia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
- ↑ Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Bradley Games Official Strategy Guide, page 10
- ↑ Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Instructional Manual, page 5
- ↑ The real voice of Dahaka (Backwards)
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