Cato

"I can still do this. One more kill. It's the only thing I'm good at, to bring pride to my district, not that it matters."

- Cato while holding Peeta hostage

Cato is the main antagonist from the first book of the trilogy, The Hunger Games. He is a voluntary tribute from District 2, alongside with his district partner Clove.

He was portrayed by Alexander Ludwig.

Description
Cato is the strongest and biggest of the Careers, can use many weapons and has savage pleasure in killing. Therefore Katniss considers Cato to be her and Peeta's most fearsome opponent. Like all Career tributes, Cato has complete confidence in his abilities and expects that he will be the victor. Katniss believes he is not completely sane after seeing his reaction to the destruction of the Careers' food supply, and knowing that he already wants to fight with other tributes even before the Games starts. In addition, his only motivation is pride for his own district. Despite his brutality, it is likely that he shows remorse inside, though is unable to reach it.

Biography
Cato comes from District 2 and has been training for his entire life to win the Hunger Games. At age 18, he volunteers for the 74th Games and travels with his district partner Clove to the Capitol. During the opening ceremonies, he and Clove wear gold Roman themed armor, representing their district industry, military.

During the training, Cato soon joins other Career Tributes - Clove, Marvel and Glimmer - and spends much time with them. They laugh at other tributes when they show weakness, like at Peeta until he shows his true strength, surprising them all. Cato shows great fighting skills with swords and spears, making him as deadly enemy as Clove. In the film, he gets angry and blames the District 6 male for taking his knife which is, however, stolen by Rue. The two starts arguing and Cato threatens the boy that he will be his first target. At the end, Cato receives a training score of 10.

In the arena, she alliances with other Careers to kill the rest of tributes. In the Cornucopia bloodbath, he delivers the goods and kills the District 6 male at first. He then fights the District 4 female, hitting her three times with a baton and throwing her into the crate. When Cato sees the injured District 5 male, he finishes him with a sickle. Cato then enters the Cornucopia, finding the small District 4 male there. When the boy attempts to escape, Cato quickly slashes his throat.

Later, Cato and the other Careers are joined by Peeta and, in the book, the District 3 male and the District 4 female as well. Together, they walk through the arena, killing other tributes. They soon find the District 8 female who foolishly made fire, and Cato injuries her heavily, but it is Peeta who kills her definitely. In the movie, Cato gives his sword to Glimmer who then attacks the girl.

The Careers later bump into Katniss and chase her up a tree. After Cato unsuccessfully attempts to climb up, they decide to wait under the tree until she comes down. However, she throws down tracker jackers nest, forcing Cato and his partners to escape.

Katniss and Rue then form an alliance and plan to destroy the supplies that the Careers have at the Cornucopia. Rue successfully lures them away and Katniss manages to blow all supplies up, with some unintended help from Foxface, who indirectly distracted the Career guard. When Cato discovers it, he gets angry and kill one of his allies, the District 3 male, by snapping his neck, while Clove tries to calm him down.

Due Marvel's and Glimmer's deaths, the only living Careers are Cato and Clove now. They show up again at the Feast with a plan, which involves Clove going in for their District 2 backpack with Cato covering her. However, when Thresh kills Clove, Cato hears her screams and runs towards her, begging her to stay with him, but it is too late. Thresh also takes both his own and Cato's backpack, knowing Cato would pursue him instead of Katniss. After several days, Cato finishes Thresh as a revenge for killing Clove. In the film, however, Thresh is killed by the Wolf Mutts.



On the last day of the Games, the Wolf Mutts suddenly appear in the arena and start chasing Cato. When Katniss and Peeta sees him running towards them, Katniss shoots an arrow on him, but it is bounced by an armor he is wearing. As he ignores them, the two realize something is wrong when the Mutts attack them. Katniss and Peeta manage to climb up the Cornucopia, but Cato is already there. He starts choking Peeta, knowing Katniss can't shoot him without Peeta falling to the Mutts, too. In the film, Cato gives a speech about being a pawn of the Capitol and states that he only wanted to bring pride to his district, saying all he knew how to do was kill. During this, Peeta draws an "X" in blood on Cato's hand with his finger. Katniss then shoots her arrow into Cato's hand, forcing him to release Peeta and fall to the Mutts.

At first, Cato attempts to fight them, as it sounds like he attack them with a sword or a knife. However, after a long time he is too exhausted to defend himself and they manage to bite him, tearing his flesh brutally. Unfortunately for Cato, they can't kill him due his body armor and leave the savagely-bloodied boy in Cornucopia. After hours Katniss and Peeta are forced to listen to his moans of pain and despair, Katniss decides to use her last arrow to end his suffering. Before shooting him through his skull, a gnawed and bloody hunk of meat which used to be Cato mouths "please" to her. In the film, Cato doesn't suffer for a long time, as Katniss shoots him into his heart just after he falls down.

Known victims

 * District 10 male - slashed with a machete (Cornucopia bloodbath)
 * District 5 male - stabbed with a sickle (Cornucopia bloodbath)
 * District 6 male - slashed leg and stomach with a sickle (Cornucopia bloodbath)
 * District 4 male - slashed throat with a machete (Cornucopia bloodbath)
 * District 4 female - injured with a baton, later killed by a sword (in the film only)
 * District 3 male - snapped neck
 * Thresh - probably stabbed with a sword (in the book only)

Trivia

 * Cato is named after Marcus Porcius Cato (also known as Cato the Elder) who was a Roman military leader. It fits, as the book is Roman-themed.
 * He kills the most tributes (four) at the Cornucopia bloodbath than any other tribute or Career.
 * He is the last tribute to die in the 74th Hunger Games.
 * Cato and Katniss are the only known tributes who volunteer for the 74th Hunger Games, although it is possible the other Careers do it as well.
 * In the film, he kills both the tributes from District 4.
 * In the book, Cato seems to be Clove's friend or even boyfriend. When Thresh kills her at the Feast, Cato hurries to dying Clove, begs her to stay with him and his voice sounds pained. Clove's death also leads him to kill Thresh. However, in the film, Cato seems to have romantic attachment to Glimmer instead, as he saves her during the Bloodbath and they offer weapons to each other to kill other tributes. They also sleep together under the Katniss' tree.