If you thought a 7-year-old game couldn’t have one of its most iconic action scenes imitated by an animated Indian film, then think again. Accusations have suddenly come to light that Mahavatar Narashimha blatantly copies some of God of War 2018’s most iconic fight scenes.
Santa Monica’s 2018 reboot of God of War is a masterpiece. The combat is classic Kratos chaos, and its boss fights and action sequences go up a notch. Who can forget the opening sequence between Kratos and Baldur? Not Mahavatar Narashimha, apparently.
God of War And Mahavatar Narashimha Have Something In Common?
It wouldn’t be a shock if you’ve never heard of Mahavatar Narashimha. The Indian animated movie isn’t well-known outside the country of its origin. Even though it was first debuted at the International Film Festival of India in 2024, it only got a proper theatrical release this year.
It’s been a few months since its July 2025 debut on the silver screen. However, one narrative has suddenly come to the fore: One of Mahavatar Narashimha’s sequences looks like a direct copy of Kratos and Baldur’s first encounter.
X account Black Thunder has done a side-by-side video, showing the God of War sequence, and the alleged Mahavatar Narashimha imitation. The 19-second clip features Mahavatar Narashimha’s character being sent flying through the air—like Kratos—before crashing and lying face-first on the floor—like Kratos.
The next few seconds are unnervingly identical as each antagonist flies toward the character, misses, and stands up menacingly. Both heroes then rip a tree out of the ground, before being tackled and attacked in (again) frame-by-frame copies of one another.
You can be the judge on this one. It’s not like this would be the first time something has ever copied something else; it’s just odd. Do you think this is nothing more than a happy coincidence? Or is Mahavatar Narashimha blatantly honoring Santa Monica’s game? Give us your opinion via the Official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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