Iron Bull

"Also, it's 'THE Iron Bull.' I like having an article at the front. It makes it sound like I'm not even a person, just a mindless weapon, an implement of destruction... That really works for me."

The Iron Bull is a one-eyed Qunari mercenary, companion and a pansexual romance option for the Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Background
Before he became known as the Iron Bull, he worked as an agent of the Ben-Hassrath on the Qunari-held island of Seheron. According to him, the island was "a sack of cats". Incursions from Tevinter, marauding Tal-Vashoth, and native rebels fighting both sides made life chaotic. He took down plenty of spies, rebels and deserters, but burned out by 9:40 Dragon. The Ben-Hassrath reassigned him to Orlais, ostensibly as a Tal-Vashoth, to work undercover, where he founded the Bull's Chargers mercenary company. Bull uses his mercenaries to gather information on Orlesian nobles, feeding the intelligence to the Ben-Hassrath. Though he still reports to his old masters, time in Orlais led to something of an identity crisis for him.

He remains in command of the Bull's Chargers, though spends much of his time drinking, lazing about and overindulging - all clear violations of the Qun. Despite his unusually friendly demeanor and lax attitude to his philosophy, Iron Bull still has a loyalty to the Qun which dies hard. He doesn't proselytize, but neither does he apologize for his way of life.

Approval
Iron Bull's approval can most easily be gained by taking him along on battles. Fighting groups of Venatori enemies will grant slight approval, so keeping him in your party in areas heavy with Venatori will earn you a fair amount of approval quickly. After killing a High dragon, a cutscene will occur after you return to Skyhold where the Inquisitor has a few drinks with Iron Bull in celebration—approval can be gained there by agreeing with him about dragons and drinking when he prompts you to. Furthermore, killing High Dragons with him in the active party gains great approval.

Iron Bull generally approves of the Inquisition's actions, so many choices you make won't have a big effect on his approval. However, there are a few major choices that he will greatly approve of. These include:

Romance
Iron Bull is a pansexual romance option for both male and female Inquisitors.

Unlike many of the game's romance options, the Inquisitor's relationship with Bull begins as a physical one instead of a romantic one. After having flirted with Bull enough and having completed his personal quest involving the possible Qunari alliance, speaking to him will trigger a cut scene where the Inquisitor walks into their quarters to find the Bull sitting on their bed. He then tells the Inquisitor that he "got the hints" and knows the Inquisitor wants to "ride the Bull". If the Inquisitor admits this and does not reject him, Bull will proceed with a sexual encounter. The next time the Inquisitor speaks to Bull on the topic of their relationship they can either choose not to pursue further romance with Bull or agree to Bull's ground rules for something similar to a friends-with-benefits arrangement.

In a dialogue option where you ask Bull how "serious" your relationship is, he says that it’s up to you and that he’s fine keeping things casual and light if that’s what the Inquisitor wants. When asked how Qunari show they’re serious about a relationship, Bull explains that Qunari don’t have sex for love but that to show their commitment to an individual they craft matching necklaces out of a dragon’s tooth broken in half, each party wearing half the tooth. “Then, no matter how far apart life takes them, they’re always together.” You’re given a requisition for the necklace, called the “Necklace of Kadan”, and once you have it you can give it to Bull. Before Bull will let you give him the necklace, he will initiate another sexual encounter. After you're finished (but before Bull has dressed), Cullen, Josephine and Cassandra will walk in on you. At that point you can either denounce your relationship with Bull (calling it “just a fling” to save face and ending the relationship), or you can tell the three that you intend to continue relations with Bull. If the latter is chosen your advisors leave you be and you can give the necklace to Bull – in exchange, he calls you “Kadan” (Qunlat: "my heart") From then on, he addresses you primarily as Kadan in conversation.

If the Inquisitor begins a relationship with Iron Bull before killing a High Dragon for the first time, there will be an extra line of dialogue at the end of the cutscene in Skyhold where the Inquisitor has celebratory drinks with Iron Bull. He will also refer to the Inquisitor as "Kadan" during the cutscene, even if he has not yet been given the Necklace of Kadan.

Quotes


Bull: "Oh... Shit. That would have been better."
 * "You don't need blood magic or demons to change someone's mind. We're a lot more fragile than we'd like to believe."
 * "How many personal freedoms do you figure that baker in Val Royeaux has? Life isn't about freedom."
 * (Regarding living by the Qun) "It's like being a block of stone with a sculptor working on you. One day, the last of the crap gets knocked off, and you can see your real shape, what you're supposed to be."
 * "Whenever you need an ass kicked, The Iron Bull is with you."
 * "I know every soldier under my command. You don't have that option... but a few faces might help."
 * "People don't always tell the truth when you're polite. You've gotta poke them a bit."
 * "Dragons are the embodiment of raw power. But it's all uncontrolled, savage... So they need to be destroyed. Taming the wild. Order out of chaos. Have another drink."
 * "My people don't pick leaders from the strongest, or the smartest, or even the most talented. We pick the ones willing to make the hard decisions... and live with the consequences."
 * "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're careful and all, but I like my nipples uncauterized, thanks."
 * "It's a good thing we brought all these nobles with us. Perhaps the Templars are attracted to shiny objects."
 * Cole: "I like your horns The Iron Bull. But they're dragon horns, not bull horns. You could have named yourself The Iron Dragon."

Trivia

 * In official promotional material, Iron Bull is described as "The Muscle".
 * When comparing Iron Bull to food, Patrick Weekes describes him as "either rump roast for size or chili dog for delicious bad decisions."
 * It was revealed that the Iron Bull was meant to be a race-specific romance due to technical limitations related to him being extremely large and tall. He also originally had dialog that explained why he couldn't romance the Inquisitor. However the animation team and cinematic designer John Epler was able to fix the issue.
 * He is the first Qunari companion who is a romance option for a protagonist in the Dragon Age series.
 * According to the characters' voice actor, Freddie Prinze Jr., Iron Bull does have a fear of demons, due to their ability to possess people, including Qunari.
 * Iron Bull is described as humorous, dismissive, and a natural charismatic leader, but he’s struggling with being a fish out of water.
 * Bull's greatest fear is madness.
 * During the scene when the player and Bull have sex before giving him the Dragon's tooth as a gift, Bull can be seen with two patterns on his shoulders. It is not currently known if these are tattoos or some kind of Qunari body paint. How he got them also remains a mystery.
 * If the Inquisitor doesn't romance Iron Bull or Dorian, the two will have party banter indicating a sexual relationship. If your friendship is high enough with either of them (or both), you can ask them about their relationship.
 * Iron Bull lost his eye saving Krem from a flail blow meant for him when the two first met. He also has a brace on his left ankle and is missing several finger joints on his left hand.
 * Iron Bull's name under the Qun, Hissrad, literally means "liar".
 * If Iron Bull becomes Tal-Vashoth, he can admit that he is not sure which frightens him more: going mad, or confirming that many of the Tal-Vashoth he has killed in the past could have been fully sane.
 * Iron Bull was written by Patrick Weekes.