| “ | Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Our pure Vessel has ascended. Beyond lies only the refuse and regret of its creation. We shall enter that place no longer. |
„ |
| ~ The Lore Tablet of The Pale King |
The Pale King is the posthumous overarching antagonist from Hollow Knight. He was the father of Hornet and the Vessels (including the player character and the titular final boss), and the husband(s) of The White Lady and Herrah the Beast. He was the ruler of Hallownest.
What Makes Him a Base Breaking Character?[]
What Do People Like About Him?[]
- His unfettered philosophy, "No Cost too Great", is considered an interesting one, with both his pros and cons.
- The Pale King is ultimately a benevolent but flawed ruler who attempted usurp The Radiance. Keep in mind that The Radiance gifts his own believers with his own plague to infect his followers out of spite, while The Pale King allowed free will to the bugs of Hallownest and wanted to save his people by sacrificing his own offsprings, making him to be the lesser of the two evils. Plus, he is shown to be remorserful over his actions, something that paints him as a more complex and a bit tragic figure.
- Some people considered him to be Gigachad for his love-making with The White Lady and Herrah the Beast, who are both bigger than him.
- He is also a pretty good font of memes in the community, with many fans making jokes over his love of sawblades, his interactions with the White Lady and Herrah and what he did to the Vessels.
What Do People Hate About Him?[]
- As a plan to counter his infection, he committed morally questionable acts such as sacrificing the Vessels (The White Lady's childrens) and left them in the abyss. Ultimately, he had The Radiance sealed within the chosen Vessel, The Hollow Knight, to left it inside the Black Egg temple. A lot of fans consider these actions too much, even for a Well-Intentioned Extremist like him.
- Even The Pale King was acknowledged in-universe as a base-breaking figure. While trying to save his people from the plague from The Radiance, some condemned his actions such as sacrificing the White Lady's offsprings and left them into the Abyss.
- Some fans are also annoyed from the platform hell section present in his White Palace, that is necessary to beat to achieve the best ending in the game. The bonus, albeit optional, section of the Path of Pain is even harder, whose only rewards are a short cutscene and a small piece of Lore. You don't even get an achievement or anything like that.
Trivia[]
- The Pale King, along with Zote, are the Base-Breaking Characters from Hollow Knight.