King Minos serves as a judge of damned souls within the underworld, operating specifically in the circle of Limbo. His origins are rooted in ancient Greek mythology, where he ruled Crete as a powerful but tyrannical king. His death transformed him into one of the three Judges of the Underworld, alongside Rhadamanthus and Aeacus. In this infernal role, Minos determines the appropriate circle of Hell for each condemned soul based on their dominant sin during mortal life.

Physically, Minos appears as a large, withered humanoid. A skeletal crown is fused to his head. Notable features include scaled shoulder guards, a squid-like torso featuring a pale pinkish protrusion, and a chain accessory crafted from damned corpses. He is depicted as blind, relying instead on supernatural senses of smell and touch to perceive his surroundings and evaluate souls. His primary method of judgment involves coiling his tail around his body—the number of loops corresponding to one of Hell's nine circles—before impaling the soul on a bladed torture wheel, propelling them toward their designated eternal punishment.

Minos possesses supernatural abilities integral to his function. His most notable power is a supernatural sense of smell allowing him to detect and categorize sins with infallible accuracy, identifying the dominant transgression dictating a soul's damnation. He also exhibits immense physical strength, near-invulnerability (though his abdomen and head remain vulnerable), surprising speed for his size, and the capacity to summon lesser minions. Additional abilities include control over hellish winds through his roar and the use of tentacle-like appendages to attack from beneath the ground.

His confrontation occurs when Dante enters Limbo demanding the location of Beatrice. Minos initially detects Dante's sins—identifying him as a traitor, glutton, and murderer—and warns him to turn back. When Dante challenges this judgment, Minos becomes enraged by the defiance and attacks. The conflict culminates in Dante forcibly impaling Minos' tongue onto the spikes of his own torture wheel, spinning it to split his face in half and kill him. This act allows Dante to proceed deeper into Hell while causing unrest among the damned souls previously under Minos' control.

Minos' dialogue emphasizes his authority and contempt for defiance, frequently condemning souls with unyielding verdicts like "Heresy!" or "Treachery!" and chastising Dante with lines such as "You slaughtered hundreds!" and "Salvation is not within your reach!" His personality reflects a stern adherence to infernal order, though he momentarily shows restraint by warning Dante—a living soul—against proceeding further into Hell before their conflict escalates.