Dehaka

"I am Dehaka. One-who-collects. I kill, I take essence."

- Dehaka introduces himself to Sarah Kerrigan

Dehaka is a primal zerg pack leader from Zerus. He was among the last of the primal zerg pack leaders.

Dehaka is bipedal with a large left arm and a small right arm. The small right arm appears to be counterpart for a severed small left arm, and the large left arm appears to be counterpart for a severed large right arm.

Zerus
Dehaka lost his large right arm prior to the Swarm's return to Zerus; it was later to be found in the same area where Sarah Kerrigan defeated the other primal pack leaders.

When the Zerg Swarm returned to Zerus, Dehaka initially opted to simply observe the Swarm and Kerrigan. He witnessed the newcomers awaken Zurvan and the primal-infestation of Kerrigan.

Though not as physically powerful as the other primal pack leaders, Dehaka's cunning and intelligence is what sets him apart from other primal zerg. While the other primal zerg pack leaders desired only to evolve to perfection, Dehaka correctly observed that this only leaves one vulnerable. Instead, Dehaka believed that survival, not perfection, is the goal of evolution and preferred to be flexible rather than physically powerful.

Dehaka perceived Kerrigan as the strongest zerg. He and his pack welcomed the new power by allying with the Swarm, believing Kerrigan would lead them to new essence. Dehaka correctly predicted that the other pack leaders would refuse to similarly adapt; the other pack leaders were destroyed by Kerrigan, including Zurvan. Kerrigan confronted Dehaka afterwards, confirming that Dehaka had known that Zurvan would turn on her. He did not deny this&mdash;one zerg would grow strong, the other would fall. Dehaka remained with the Swarm.

Skygeirr
"A floating home in the sky. Wasteful."

- Dehaka upon observing Skygeirr Station

The Swarm arrived at Skygeirr Station, a Terran Dominion base. Dehaka was perplexed at the structure, but was nonetheless content, and eager to sample terran essence. Essence of another kind existed within the base however, that of protoss-zerg hybrids. While their essence was strong, Dehaka could not collect it. He knew the beings' creator served Amon, a being that would "devour all essence." Dehaka believed that if Amon succeeded, all change would stop, and all essence would be collected. And he was willing to fight to prevent that from happening.

Working with Terrans
"There will be no essence here. I cannot collect if there is none."

- Dehaka

The Swarm operated with Raynor's Raiders with the intent of retreiving Jim Raynor from Dominion custody. Dehaka was disgruntled by the lack of essence to be found, and exchanged verbal barbs with Broodmother Zagara. Kerrigan broke up the altercation, and forbid Dehaka from collecting essence in the area. Raynor was successfully rescued, but Dehaka noticed Kerrigan's silence afterwards.

Korhal
"This planet has much essence."

- Dekaha, upon arriving at Korhal

Kerrigan took the Swarm to Korhal, intent on deposing Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. Dehaka noted the abundance of essence on the world, and how different it was from essences he had encountered in the past. He and his pack would collect it.

With the deployment of the Psi Destroyer, Dehaka and his pack were at an advantage, as they lacked the psionic connection that Swarm zerg shared. This made him immune to the Destroyer's effects, and he and his pack were able to sabotage its power links, allowing Kerrigan's zerg to destroy the device, giving the Swarm access to Augustgrad. Soon afterward, Dehaka and his pack participated in the final attack on Korhal Palace.

End War
During the End War, Dehaka lead the primal zerg against Amon and his hybrid. He was aided by three new pack leaders, Glevig, Murvar and Dakrun, who followed him for his strength.

Heart of the Swarm
Dehaka's name is revealed when he joins the Swarm after "The Crucible". Before that, his unit is identified in-game as "Strange Creature." Dehaka is playable as a hero unit in "Death From Above."

Abilities
There are also unfinished commands in the map editor for two additional abilities; Devour, where Dehaka bites an enemy to deal damage and heal HP; and Flurry, where Dehaka rapidly attacks around him dealing splash damage to nearby enemies.

Quotations

 * See StarCraft II Dehaka Quotations

Co-op Missions
Dehaka has been announced as the next Co-op Missions commander.

Heroes of the Storm
Dehaka appears as a character in Heroes of the Storm.

Personality and Traits
"Essence is change. Change is survival. Collect and live. Stay still and die."

- Dehaka

Dehaka is fixated on collecting essence, but not for the sake of power. Power, in Dehaka's mind, is a trap, and one the other pack leaders fell into. For Dekaha, essence is survival.

Dehaka views primal zerg as the "true zerg" (as opposed to their Swarm counterparts).

Dehaka reflected that he had changed much since joining Kerrigan's side. Cunning and wise, he remains one of the strongest surviving primals. Few primals have undergone as much change as Dehaka, and he intends to keep it that way.

Trivia

 * Dehaka might be named after Azi Dahaka, an evil figure in Persian mythology.


 * Map editor files for Dehaka allude to a different personality intended during development: "Eager and not too bright. Loud, speaks in a yell."


 * Dehaka was matched against Alexei Stukov on the StarCraft Twitter. 57% of voters claimed that Stukov would win.