The Beheaded

"Aren't you the headless fellow that's been getting around?"

- Tutorial Knight

The Beheaded, also known as The Prisoner or the Fallen One, is the protagonist of Dead Cells. It appears to be a mysterious shadowy, gas-like substance, with a glowing crystal inside. The Beheaded prefers to possess headless bodies instead of moving around without one.

Lore
Hardly anything is known about the origin of the Beheaded — the Beheaded itself seems unaware of how it came to be. However, it appears to be known by the Prisoners (who seem to fear it) and a few others. The Beheaded hunts down the King, hoping that killing him will bring some kind of change to the world. The Spider calls the Beheaded an anomaly, and mentions that some "she" was looking for it. The exact identity of this mysterious entity that was pursuing the Beheaded is unknown, although it is quite possibly the Time Keeper, who seems to have a strong distaste for the Beheaded.

Abilities

 * The Beheaded can possess dead bodies, until said body becomes so damaged to the extent it becomes unusable.
 * Possessing a body is not instant. The Beheaded seemingly needs to "boot up" its body in order to use it efficiently.
 * With the use of the, the Beheaded can launch its "head" from the body while not losing control of the original.
 * Even without a body, the Beheaded retains the ability to move around, though it does not prefer doing so.
 * The Beheaded seems to be immortal. No matter where it is killed, even in the Forgotten Sepulcher’s darkness, it always seems to survive and come back.
 * The Beheaded seems immune to the Malaise, but the bodies it possesses are not.

Personality
While the Beheaded is unable to speak, it still has quite the personality. The Beheaded likes to make sarcastic remarks and jokes about the situations it finds itself in. It seems to have quite the mean streak, tending to kick bodies around, as well as pestering people. However, this does not mean it is completely empty of remorse and empathy. The Beheaded seems upset by the sight of the cruel orders from the King, grim at the sight of a guard killed by the effects of the Malaise, is seen telling a dead prisoner to "rest in peace", and lacking any kind of humor when finding a hanged woman. Its emotions are symbolized by the color of its textbox.

Trivia

 * The Beheaded can somehow consume food even though it does not have anywhere to consume them.
 * According to The Heart of Dead Cells, the green mass of the Beheaded is a homunculus.
 * This is implied in-game by the and the Failed Homunculus.
 * The Beheaded seems to have no issue possessing both male and female bodies, given some of the outfits.