In any RPG, the most enticing factor aside from the world or story is the player’s freedom when exploring both. Nothing describes player freedom like having the means and power to handle any problem thrown their way. In The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda has accomplished that aspect in spades, as anything from blades to magic is at the player’s fingertips. They have also accomplished the feeling of the player, and by extension the protagonist, being an all-powerful, nearly invincible force of nature that nothing in or beyond Tamriel can stop, whether it’s bandits, demons, dragons, or gods.

Every protagonist in The Elder Scrolls is a force of nature in their own right, but the question remains: who is the greatest? For any fans, the answers are numerous and varied, with no shortage of opinions or debates to be had when it comes to such a question. However, there’s only one answer, and it comes from one of the older games in The Elder Scrolls series; a gem of the past with a hero who saved Tamriel and all of Nirn from a demonic apocalypse. For any still uncertain, the game being referenced is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the demonic apocalypse being the Oblivion Crisis, and the hero in question is a former prisoner chosen by the fates and the gods to save the world. He is, of course, the Hero of Kvatch.

An Unlikely Hero From Questionable Beginnings

The Hero of Kvatch, also known by other names such as the Champion of Cyrodiil, is without a doubt the strongest, most powerful protagonist in The Elder Scrolls. A hero to the people of Cyrodiil and Cyrodiil itself, this individual was the bane of bandits, daedra, cultists, and even the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon himself.

Through his actions and deeds, they would go on to stop the Oblivion Crisis along with a plethora of other threats to come in Tamriel’s direction. With such accomplishments and deeds, one would think that such a venerated legend would have the most grandiose of beginnings, but such thoughts couldn’t be farther from the truth. On the contrary, the legend of the Hero of Kvatch did not begin from the grandest heights, but at the lowest depths.

• The Hero of Kvatch was a hero who came from humble, even questionable beginnings
• They were a prisoner who was able to escape thanks to the emperor
• Their escape and actions would change the fate of Cyrodiil, Tamriel, and all of Nirn

Held deep within the Imperial City’s dungeons, they were a prisoner consigned to be locked away and forgotten, with nothing or no one to mark their passing. But fate itself, or maybe even the gods, had other plans, as the soon-to-be hero would find their cell greeted by the presence of the emperor himself, Uriel Septim VII.

It was Uriel who allowed the prisoner to follow them during the Mythic Dawn’s invasion into the Imperial Palace, who vouched for their character when it was called into question by his personal retinue, the Blades. But most importantly, it was Uriel who told the prisoner of their fate, of what destiny and the gods had in store for them.

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Whether by the will of chance or the Divines, the emperor saw the importance of the prisoner, and before his death, he set them on course towards a journey; one that would, unbeknownst to them, change the fate of the Empire, Cyrodiil, and Tamriel itself. And through this journey, the prisoner would become a hero — one that, with the help of a lost son of the emperor and the Blades, would close shut the jaws of Oblivion.

Thanks to their efforts, they would go on to successfully stop the onslaught of the daedra, the machinations of the Mythic Dawn, and the ambitions of Mehrunes Dagon. Because of them, and a heroic, selfless sacrifice, the Oblivion Crisis would be brought to a close, and with it the end of a dynasty and era. But the protagonist, like both, would go on to be remembered throughout time and history as the Hero of Kvatch, the Champion of Cyrodiil; the one who saved the world itself from destruction.​​​​​​​

The Hero of Kvatch Interceded in Other Crises Throughout Cyrodiil

Saving the World More Than Once

Though undoubtedly memorialized for ending the threat of Mehrunes Dagon and the Oblivion Crisis, this would not be the only time that the Hero of Kvatch saved Cyrodiil, Tamriel, and potentially all of Nirn from a world-ending threat. On the contrary, they would go on to intervene in other affairs throughout the realm, both mortal and godly.

• The Oblivion Crisis was not the only danger that the Hero of Kvatch thwarted
• They defeated the threat of Umaril and recreated the Knights of the Nine
• They defeated Jyggalag and stopped the Greymarch

And like before, their actions would change the course of fate. The first of these affairs would be during the events of Knights of the Nine, the first expansion DLC for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In this expansion, the Hero of Kvatch would reform the aptly named Knights of the Nine, an ancient knightly order dedicated to safeguarding the relics of the Divine Crusader, Pelinal Whitestrake.

In addition, they would then take up these same relics, donning the arms and armor of Pelinal and combating the threat of his eternal nemesis, Umaril the Unfeathered, a self-proclaimed demi-god and sorcerer king who sought vengeance upon the Divines for their role in his former defeat. Another crisis that would be averted by the Hero of Kvatch would be in Shivering Isles, the second and last expansion DLC for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which takes players to the destination of the same name.

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Throughout the Shivering Isles, they would become the champion (mainly glorified errand person) of the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath, and help to avert the Greymarch, an event that comes once every millennium with the return of Sheogorath’s nemesis and alter ego Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order and Logic. Although not exactly a threat to Tamriel itself, this was indeed a danger to the Shivering Isles and its denizens. Not to mention, the Hero of Kvatch was able to avert both the danger and Jyggalag themselves.​​​​​​​

The Hero of Kvatch Became a God

The New and Improved Prince of Madness

Despite everything — ending multiple crises, and defeating multiple enemies of both mortal and godly — all of this does not make the Hero of Kvatch the most powerful protagonist. No, what makes them the most powerful, is the grandest achievement they’ve ever completed, a feat that was done only by the likes of Tiber Septim (albeit on a much less epic scale) or the Tribunal Gods of Morrowind.

The Hero of Kvatch became a god; specifically, they became a Daedric Prince. During the events of Shivering Isles Sheogorath (the former one) was condemned to repeat the cycle of the Greymarch: to transform into the Daedric Prince of Order Jyggalag and take over the Shivering Isles, transform back into his former self and undo the damage, and cursed to do it all over again.

• The Hero of Kvatch became the new Daedric Prince of Madness after the events of the Shivering Isles
• No other protagonist has been able to or has ever done such a feat
• Through ending crises, gods, and becoming the latter, the Hero of Kvatch is The Elder Scrolls’ greatest protagonist

It was only thanks to the Hero of Kvatch that Jyggalag and his forces were defeated, ending the ironically maddening cycle of order and chaos. But with the defeat of Jyggalag and the end of the Greymarch, the former finally departed the Shivering Isles, and the hero would become its lord. Through this, the Hero of Kvatch became the new Daedric Prince of Madness, the new Sheogorath.

This was a feat that was never before done by any other protagonist of The Elder Scrolls. Through this and many other deeds, it is not hard to see why the Hero of Kvatch is not only a legendary but also a powerful figure in The Elder Scrolls’ storied history. Despite having less than favorable beginnings, this individual would go on to save Tamriel, Nirn, and even a Plane of Oblivion from ultimate destruction.

To defeat a multitude of mortal crises and gods is no small feat, yet it was done by a prisoner consigned to be forgotten, who ironically became venerated. Known as the Hero of Kvatch, the Champion of Cyrodiil, the Divine Crusader, and even the Daedric Prince of Madness, the protagonist of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is undeniably the greatest, most legendary, and most powerful protagonist in the series.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Released

March 20, 2006

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence