[Brujah]

This is my list, in order, of the most badass malazans in the series. Having skill just isn't enough for this requirement. Attitude, feats performed, swagger, persona, and appearance all factor in. These are the most hardcore of them all. Not only the best, but the baddest.


1)Draconus - the ultimate badass in my opinion
- creator of Dragnipur, the most badass sword and weapon ever
- killed thousands from two opposing sides of a battle just by entering the scene
- gave the ultimate beatdown to Kilmandaros and The Errant at the same time, both extremely powerful
- fucks Mother Dark herself, the creator of the universe. Come on. That's bragging rights.
- Rake feels the need to ally with Osseric to oppose him

2)Anomander Rake - extremely close comparison with Draconus
- put Draconus into his own sword, possibly the only person able to have done so
- easily reaches rank of segulah 7 as swordsman
- master swordsman, able to go blow for blow with Dassem, Segulah 1st with only swords skill
- soletaken eleint
- high mage and master of the warren of darkness, kurald galain

3)Karsa Orlong - definition of malazan badassery
- kills two Deragoth, ancient Hounds of Darkness, drags their heads behind his horse and walks through malazan army
- attacks and kills the K'chain Nah-Ruk, an ancient being, inside the tower
- easily defeats segulah 14th in letherii
- knocks Icarium the fuck out
- has one of the best weapons in the series
- spent time in holy desert of Rakaru, same place that forged the bridgeburners and quick Ben
- killed Rhulad Sengar for good
- is highly immune to sorcery
- has his own warren

4) Hood - face-biter
- arguably the most badass action of the series when bites off the face of an extremely powerful Forkrul Assail
- ex god of death itself

5)Quick Ben -hidden badass
- does many of the most kick ass scenes in the series
- defeats Sukul Ankhadu, Sheltatha Lore, and Menadore, 3 badass soletaken dragons, at same time
- "I have no hold over him these days, alas. Why? He is too powerful. Too mysterious. Too conniving. Too Hood-damned smart. Indeed, even Shadowthrone has turned his attentions elsewhere." - Cotillion on Quick Ben
- "Because Draconus changes everything, and I'm the only one who can stand against him." - Quick Ben

6)Dassem Ultor - badass swordsman
- First Sword of the Empire
- Dessembrae, Lord of Tragedy
- defeated Rake in sword fight, although thought that Rake let this happen, still only one capable of the feat
- possibly the finest swordsman in the series
- ‘If he had decided we were behind the shipwreck, well, I don’t like to think what would have happened here.’
‘Simple, Cotillion. He would have killed us.’ - Shadowthrone

7)The Rope - most badass nickname, most badass weapon
- THE Patron of Assassins
- cuts through men so efficiently that even Kalam is humbled
- is the one that finally kills the Crippled God in the end by delivering the final, fatal daggers to the back
- leader of the Talon as Dancer
- already one of the most dangerous men in the world before ascending

8)Yedan Derryg - hust sword wielding, dragon slaying badass
- has a Hust Sword
- Prince and Watch of the Shake
- center of one of most amazing battle scenes in series, Defense of the First Shore
- "Yedan led the initial defence of the First Shore,killing over a thousand Tiste Liosan and several soletaken dragons before being slain by Aparal Forge in Eleint form. Such was his skill with the blade that the Liosan on the other side of the gate whispered that a legion of Hust sword-wielding soldiers surely waited for them across the gate to Kharkanas. "

9)Tayscreen - high mage of badass
- Imperial High Mage of Malazan Empire
- faced off against Rake above the city of Pale
- "Magic rained in an endless storm around Tayschrenn, where he still knelt on the withered blackened hilltop. But every wave directed his way he shunted aside, wreaking devastation among the soldiers cowering on the plain. Through the carnage filling the air, through the ash and shrill-tongued raens, through the raining rocks and the screams of the wounded and dying, through the blood-chilling shrieks of demons flinging themselves into the ranks of soldiery - through it all sounded the steady thunder of the High Mage's onslaught."
-

10)Kallor - the bad man's badass
- over one hundred thousand years old
- former High King of ancient empire on Jacuruku
- formidable enough that Draconus, K'rul, and Nightchill all descended upon him
- 8 high mages dropped a GOD from another world on him, they feared him so much
- killed off his own entire empire and cursed three elder gods with the power of his sacrifices

[Puck]

Technically, only four of those are actually Malazans..

[Ulrik]

Kruppe - Because he is hammerproof and has trait Epic Mule Charge

Mok - Because he is fucking Mok

Caladan - Because he has Reset Hammer, is Azathanai and Tennes

Pust´s Mule - You know WHY!

[Vaddon Ra]

Yh.... Mok would pimp stomp everyone

oh and it's the seg 12th see Karsa's 2 more ranks more badass than you thought

[Defiance]

Yeah, Draconus is not only a badass motherfucker, he managed to catapult from being "just some powerful dude" to one of my favorite and most badass characters in the span of one book. His entrance in Dust of Dreams is quite possibly my favorite character entrance ever, not just including Erikson books.

Hood did the exact same thing in The Crippled God. While he was interesting beforehand, he stole every scene he was in during the final book.

[Kanese S's]

Apsalar/Sorry, Hood, T'riss (in FoD), Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, Draconus, Cotillion, Kalam, Envy (FoD only made her more frightening), Spite.

In roughly that order.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Gosh, Karsa has actually left me with nothing to add because I agree wholeheartedly (in no particular order.)

Nice work!

[Cyclorrhapha]

This thread needs more Gothos and Osserc.

[Brujah]

 Cyclorrharpha, on 06 May 2013 - 12:14 AM, said:

This thread needs more Gothos and Osserc.

No, I agree. But there are literally so many other characters I battled with when trying to come up with my top 10.

The one I was most sad I had to leave out was Coltaine,

[Defiance]

 Cyclorrharpha, on 06 May 2013 - 12:14 AM, said:

This thread needs more Gothos and Osserc.

I don't know, Osserc has never seemed all that badass to me. Maybe because he really didn't do much of anything during Erikson's series. Granted, he was pretty cool in Return of the Crimson Guard, and I liked his segments in Blood and Bone, but when compared to other characters in the series he doesn't do much to measure up.

I do agree when it comes to Gothos, though. Turns an entire continent into an ice box and writes a never-ending suicide note? Not sure if he would quite make my top 10, but he certainly is a badass.

[Cyclorrhapha]

As far as Osserc's concerned I have to agree with you that he's been neglected during the events of the main series, but the fact that he single-handedly stomped each and every upstart ascendant in the Liosan realm and clashed with Rake/Draconus numerous times puts him pretty high on my list of badassery. He's pretty much Anomander in Tiste Liosan form, but more prone to fits of rage and brutality.

Also the scene in RotCG where he faces down ST, Cotillion and Dassem was pretty epic, though the three of them + hounds of shadow would most likely be too much for any single EG/Ascendant to handle I still highly doubt he'd go down without taking at least a few of them with him.

[Abyss]

Fiddler.

Because he's a 'mere' mortal, who, hopelessly outmatched and scared out of his frikkin mind, would still stand up and throw a cusser in the face of everyone listed upthread to save his soldiers.

[Kanubis]

 Abyss, on 13 May 2013 - 04:03 PM, said:

Fiddler.

Because he's a 'mere' mortal, who, hopelessly outmatched and scared out of his frikkin mind, would still stand up and throw a cusser in the face of everyone listed upthread to save his soldiers.

Hedge, because all of the above, but he'd run with the cusser at the cost of his life to make sure.

[Abyss]

 Kanubis, on 13 May 2013 - 09:57 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 13 May 2013 - 04:03 PM, said:

Fiddler.

Because he's a 'mere' mortal, who, hopelessly outmatched and scared out of his frikkin mind, would still stand up and throw a cusser in the face of everyone listed upthread to save his soldiers.

Hedge, because all of the above, but he'd run with the cusser at the cost of his life to make sure.

Technically that's moving from badass into stupid, but hey, why not?

[Kanubis]

 Abyss, on 14 May 2013 - 03:57 AM, said:

 Kanubis, on 13 May 2013 - 09:57 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 13 May 2013 - 04:03 PM, said:

Fiddler.

Because he's a 'mere' mortal, who, hopelessly outmatched and scared out of his frikkin mind, would still stand up and throw a cusser in the face of everyone listed upthread to save his soldiers.

Hedge, because all of the above, but he'd run with the cusser at the cost of his life to make sure.

Technically that's moving from badass into stupid, but hey, why not?

Stupid if you stay dead. Awesome if you're too badass to stay dead

Although let's be honest, a little bit of stupid is really a prerequisite for a Malazan sapper.

This post has been edited by Kanubis: 14 May 2013 - 07:31 AM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

In favour of Gothos' inclusion has to be this quote:

"I greet you as guests and so I will not crush the life from you and devour your souls with peals of laughter. No, instead I will make some tea."

Genuinely laughed out loud when I came to that.

[Battalion]

Kallor would be top of my list - also special mention for Iron Bars, Coltaine and Tool - They'd be in my top ten.

[Vaddon Ra]

Bad ass as attitude and not just pure ability... cos hey not everyone who's hard in malazan is badass right ok here goes

1: Nefarious Bredd
2: Temper
3: Karsa Orlong
4: The heavies
5: Bridgeburners
6: Hood
7: Mok
8: Braven Tooth
9: Fist Kindly (he likes it, honestly)
10: Leuitenant master sergeant quartermaster pores (or whatever

[Kaamos]

1. Samar's snark and attitude. Who else can order Karsa to stay quiet without getting stomped into pulp?

2. Karsa's little orlong that will split everything in half.

3. Hellian's liver, which will outdrink even Finns.

4. Tehol's fashion sense. Some grand badassery right there to wear bicolored knitted underpants.

5. Havoc. Will munch on your hand first and leave the sugar lump for dessert.

6. Iskaral's mule and Joyful Union, joyfully and mulishly united beneath the same number of honor due to the list compiler's indecision.

7. Baldy Captain Kindly's hobby of collecting cones.

8. Gothos' utterly badarse garden of a single potted plant.

9. Kruppe's appetite. Never ever offer him lunch, lest the dept collectors bang on your door come the following morn.

9.5 Shurq's ootooloo.

This post has been edited by Torahammas: 09 August 2013 - 08:06 AM

[Elzhi]

As long as we aren't talking strictly "Malazan", these are some of my favorites...

Coltaine


Rell

Iron Bars

Karsa Orlong (duh)

Gothos

Gruntle

Ruthan Gudd

Traveller/Dessembrae

Lostara Yil

Ganoes Paran

Honorable mention: Geser and Stormy, as a duo. And Nil/Nether.

This post has been edited by Elzhi: 13 August 2013 - 11:17 PM