The Forgotten
A skeletal child who hurls its own skull as a weapon, leaving its body vulnerable but its rage unbound.
via Wikipedia: Beth Alpha · see source
The Forgotten is a playable character from The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ and Repentance, representing a skeletal, forgotten child who wields a bone club and can throw its own head as a weapon. This character embodies themes of abandonment and decay, with a unique mechanic that splits the body and head into separate entities, each with distinct health and attack capabilities.
- Role
- Playable character
- Affiliation
- Isaac's alternate selves / The Binding of Isaac roster
- First appears
- The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Booster Pack #5)
- Status
- Unlocked by defeating the boss in the Dark Room with specific conditions
Lore & Background
In the twisted world of Isaac's basement, The Forgotten is a remnant of a child who was never loved or remembered, reduced to bones and rage. Its body is a hollow shell, animated by the same sorrow that drives Isaac, but its head holds a fiery spirit that can be hurled at enemies. This duality reflects a fractured soul—one part rooted in the past, the other reaching out in desperation.
In Their Own Story
In a forgotten corner of the basement, a pile of bones stirs. The child's skull rolls free, its empty eye sockets glowing with a dim light. It remembers nothing but pain—the cold floor, the locked door, the silence. Now, it rises, clutching a bone club, and throws its head into the darkness, shattering a wall. The body follows, dragging its feet, searching for a way out that never comes.
Reader's Guide
The Forgotten is a high-risk, high-reward character that rewires the game's flow. Its body and head have separate health pools—the head acts as a throwable, recallable ranged weapon that deals contact damage on the fly, while the body lumbers behind, defenseless when the skull is away. The bone club isn't just a melee weapon; it's a rock-shattering, wide-arc wrecking ball that can clear rooms and open secret paths. Mastering the rhythm of toss-and-recall is key: throw the head to snipe a distant switch or grab a pickup, but recall it fast before a spider gnaws your body to pieces. Unlock The Forgotten by defeating The Lamb with specific items (like the Bone Heart and Mom's Shovel), then learn to dance between separation and unity—because one wrong toss and your body becomes a sitting duck.
Did You Know?
- The Forgotten was added as part of a community-driven booster pack, not the original expansion.
- Its bone club can destroy rocks and deal damage in a wide arc, making it one of the few characters with a built-in melee attack.
- The Forgotten's head can be used to activate switches and collect items from a distance, similar to how other characters use familiars.
- In Repentance, The Forgotten gained a new alternate form called The Soul, which can be switched between during runs.
Elsewhere in the The Binding of Isaac universe
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