The Halo franchise has been changing the gaming market for the past two decades ever since the first game was released in 2001. These days, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Halo: Infinite, despite recent claims that the game is being made under tough crunch conditions.
The Arbiter first appeared in Halo 2 becoming an instant fan-favourite. As a strong, honour-bound warrior, the Arbiter pairs well with the series’ protagonist: Master Chief. A few details hidden in the franchise’s books and flavour text provide the Arbiter with a more fleshed-out back story.
10 The Only One Of His Kind With The Mark Of Shame
Sangheili (the Arbiter’s race) are a loyal, militaristic people; s a result, they seldom ever receive the Mark of Shame. That’s the name of the brand that the Arbiter receives during Halo 2. It’s a Covenant symbol given to those who were once a part of the Covenant but either disgraced themselves or turned away from the religion.
Usually, after receiving this mark, the being is executed, but the Arbiter managed to escape that fate. The Arbiter is the only Sangheili that fans know of to be branded with the Mark of Shame.
9 His Name (And Lack Thereof)
The Arbiter that most fans are familiar with is usually just referred to as “the Arbiter.” That’s just his title, though; the Arbiter’s real name is Thel ‘Vadam. It isn’t used in Halo 2 because of his species’ emphasis on honour.
As someone with the Mark of Shame, the Arbiter is considered not to have enough honour to merit a name. His name is only returned to him after the outbreak of the Great Schism (otherwise known as the Covenant Civil War).
8 The Arbiter’s Original Title
When the game was in development, the character’s title/rank wasn’t called “The Arbiter” but “The Dervish”. That title refers to members of a Muslim mystic group or tariqa or Ṣūfī fraternity. Islamic dervishes believe that experiences in the world, not book learning, will lead them to God. This lines up with how the Arbiter character operates in the Halo franchise.
It was changed due to the complicated cultural conversation in the United States about Islam at the time. Halo: Combat Evolved released only a month after the 9/11 tragedy and Halo 2 came out shortly after, in 2004. The developers did so in order to avoid any unnecessary parallels.
7 He’s Always Been Interested In Humans
For the players, who had only known the Covenant as their enemy, it was a shock to find one who was curious about humans and open-minded enough to listen to them. For the Arbiter, on the other hand, it wasn’t out of character at all.
Even before he allied with human forces, the Arbiter expressed an interest in humans - specifically, their weapons. He is shown in Halo canon to be extensively informed about Covenant weapons and vehicles, which might suggest that it’s a personal hobby of his.
6 The Arbiter’s Armour Has The Legendary Skull
Players with a careful eye will be able to spy a special detail on the Arbiter’s armour during Halo 2: the skull symbol associated with “Legendary” difficulty in Halo games. Fans will need to pay close attention in the cutscenes (or using two-player mode) to catch it, though.
It’s less obvious in the original game due to poor graphics and the way it sinks into the armour. But it’s easily seen in the updated Halo 2: Anniversary. Everyone is left wondering what came first: the chicken or the egg?
5 The First Of His Family
The Arbiter’s family, the Vadam, are like most other Sangheili citizens - living under harsh conditions with a militaristic sense of honour. However, no known member of the Vadam family managed to rank higher than a Shipmaster.
In the Covenant military, a Shipmaster is a title given to someone who is in charge of any single ship (usually a Sangheili). The Arbiter was the first in his family to exceed this rank when he became the Supreme Commander of a fleet of starships called “the Fleet of Particular Justice”, prior to the events in Halo 2.
4 The Arbiter’s UNSC Equivalent
The title of “Arbiter” carries a lot of cultural and religious weight among the Sangheili. Stories were told of how the Arbiter can lead all of the clans and dominate any enemy on the battlefield. As a result, there’s no one-for-one comparison between the Arbiter and a UNSC rank since the UNSC is not a religious organization.
However, the instruction manual that comes with Halo Wars indicates that the Arbiter is approximately equivalent to a Four-Star UNSC General within the Covenant hierarchy (based on human speculation).
3 His Voice Actor
Keith David is the stunning, show-stopping voice actor behind the Arbiter. He’s voiced the character in every game he’s appeared in so far and even recently teased on social media that he might be involved in Halo: Infinite.
Gamers would recognize his voice from playing David Anderson in the Mass Effect trilogy, Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11, Nick Fury in Marvel Heroes, and Julius Little in Saints Row. He also starred in shows and movies that most folks are familiar with including Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog and Frank in They Live.
2 The Arbiter’s Guest Appearance On Killer Instinct
The Arbiter made an appearance as a playable character in Killer Instinct, a few years back. Killer Instinct is a series of fighting games made by Rare (and now Microsoft Studios) where players face off against one another or NPCs in one-to-one combat, a la Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.
Even if you knew this little tidbit, you may not have realized that this Arbiter isn’t the one fans are familiar with in the Halo franchise: since “The Arbiter” is just a title, it’s explained that the character who appears in Killer Instinct is actually an amalgamation of every Sangheili who’s had the role.
1 The “Prophets’ Bane”
Like many other Sangheili, the Arbiter fights with a trusty energy sword. However, most energy swords that gamers are familiar with are a light blue colour, while the Arbiter’s personal blade is orange and gold.
It was an ancient Sangheili weapon that had been locked away until the Arbiter found it. Once, it had been known as the “End of Night.” However, after the Arbiter killed the Prophet of Truth using it, the sword took on the name “Prophets’ Bane.”
