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List of characters in the Soul series

 
Wikipedia: List of characters in the Soul series
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The Soul series features a wide diversity of characters and fighting styles

A comprehensive list of characters from the Soul series of fighting games produced by Namco.

Contents

Overview and character development

Further information: Soul (series)#Featured characters

The Soul series is a weapon-based fighting game franchise developed by Namco Bandai's Project Soul division and consists of seven games: Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur Legends, Soulcalibur IV, and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. Set in the 16th century,[1] the plot of the games revolve around Soul Edge, a cursed sword able to possess its wielder and devour souls, and Soul Calibur, a holy sword and Soul Edge's antithesis.

With each character, their weapon was decided upon before other aspects were. The design was then built to revolve around it, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. Once established, appearance and movement were fleshed out by the team's concept artist[2] and rendered as a 3D model by a design team that worked solely on the character.[3] The completed model was then animated by a motion capture artist working directly with the team. During this phase the team additionally worked with the story creators, refining the character's own role in the plot as needed throughout development.[4] In the course of the series, two characters have been an exception to the process: Johan Druer, a berserker exclusive to the Soulcalibur Japanese player's guide, and Necrid, a character co-produced with Todd McFarlane that appears in Soulcalibur II.

Starting with Soulcalibur II, guest characters from other franchises or companies were introduced for different home ports of the game, with The Legend of Zelda's Link appearing for the GameCube version, comic book character Spawn for the Xbox, and Tekken's Heihachi Mishima for the PlayStation 2. Despite rumors of Devil May Cry's Dante's inclusion in Soulcalibur III, developers confirmed no plans for the inclusion of guest characters for the title,[5] with series producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama stating "It’s my policy to never do the same thing twice."[6] However, under new producer Katsutoshi Sasaki the concept was revisited in later titles in the series, with Tales of Symphonia's Lloyd Irving appearing in Soulcalibur Legends,[7] Star Wars characters The Apprentice, Yoda and Darth Vader appearing in Soulcalibur IV, with the latter two exclusively to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions respectively until later released as downloadable content,[8][9] and God of War's Kratos for Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.[10]

In addition, with Soulcalibur IV several manga and anime character designers were invited to contribute additional, non-canon characters to the game: Angol Fear, a female alien designed by Mine Yoshizaki and cousin of his existing character Angol Mois; Ashlotte, a mechanical doll developed by Oh! great sent to destroy series character Astaroth; Kamikirimusi, a young female oni designed by Hirokazu Hisayuki searching for kindred spirits; Scheherazade, an elven storyteller designed by Yutaka Izubuchi and based on the the Persian queen of the same name; and Shura, a possessed female warrior designed by Hiroya Oku. Rather than having a unique fighting style, each was modeled after an existing character: Seong Mi-na, Astaroth, Nightmare, Amy, and Cervantes, respectively.[11]

Introduced in Soul Edge

Cervantes

Cervantes de León (セルバンテス・デ・レオン Serubantesu de Reon?)'s father, Phillip, was a privateer sent on a special mission from Spanish King Philip II to loot ships, but was killed and his ship destroyed by an English warship. As a result Cervantes forsook his allegiance to Spain and became a pirate. Receiving a request from Voldo's master to find Soul Edge, he pursued and found the sword only to be possessed by it. He killed his crew and led a reign of terror for twenty years until defeated by Taki, who pursued the sword for her own reasons. However he was resurrected accidentally by Nightmare due to the fragments of the sword lodged in his body, initially with amnesia. As his memories slowly returned he desired the sword again, which had been by now shattered. Recovering fragments of the blade, they melded together to form a new weapon for him, and he pursued more pieces to strengthen it, devouring the soul of his illegitimate daughter, Ivy along the way.

Cervantes was inspired by two other fictional pirates, Captain Hook and Long John Silver, and was initially intended to wield a rapier instead of dual swords. However after several suggestions and designs, the development team felt they were either too reminiscent of nihilistic pirates or gentlemanly in appearance, and took a different approach. His design was intended to orient towards his left side, with the exception of his hat. Several designs were also considered for his blade at this point, including having them consist of wisps of energy.[12] When designing the character's appearance in Soulcalibur, several zombified designs were considered, with varying states of decay. A pistol was worked into the hilt of one of his blades at the suggestion of a staff member, with the curve of the blades emphasized for each sword.[13]

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, Cervantes tied with Maxi for fourth place with 11% of the tally.[14] UGO.com ranked Cervantes at seventh place in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, describing him simply as "a big jerk" while praising him as one of the stronger characters in the series.[15] IGN listed him third on their list of the top ten characters in the series, citing his offensive techniques as a large part of his appeal.[16] They additionally named him one of their ten favorite sword wielding characters in video games, describing him as combining "two of our favorite things – big swords and pirates – into one awesome character", adding that his pistol weapon "makes him even more awesome".[17]

Hwang

Hwang Seong-gyeong (ファン・ソンギョン Fan Songyon?, Hanja: 黄星京 Hangul: 황성경 Hwang Seonggyeong), a man with a strong sense of justice, joined Korea's coast guard and was sent to find the "Sword of Salvation", really the cursed sword Soul Edge, in order to protect his country. However he returned after learning of an impending Japanese invasion of his homeland, bringing his friend's daughter, Seong Mi-na, back with him. After she set out after her again, he learned that the true nature of the sword, and informed his superiors of it. They dismissed him as a result, but upon learning that the Japanese were also after the sword he was instead sent to stop them. Heading westward, he plans to join forces with Mi-na and her ally Yun-seong to destroy the blade.

During Hwang's development for Soul Edge, several weapons other than a sword were considered, including a zhanmadao like Seong Mi-na and a bladed nunchaku like Li Long. Several different outfit components were also considered at this time, such as the inclusion of head and/or arm guards and an arm bandana[18] With Hwang's appearance in Soulcalibur his attire was changed. Chinese style costumes were considered, including an outfit with an open jacket and a bandaged design with a Chinese martial artist's attire. The developers based his look around the concept of a traveler, implementing subtle hints such as his torn pant legs.[19]

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Hwang placed sixth, with 3.55% of the tally.[14] Hwang's removal from Soulcalibur II was lamented,[20] with reviewers such as GameSpy noting a preference for the character over his replacement Yun-seong, who they described as "a less successful experiment in editing Hwang."[21] On the other hand insert credit cited a preference for Yun-seong's appearance compared to Hwang's wilder look.[22]

Inferno

Inferno (インフェルノ Inferuno?) is the physical manifestation of the cursed sword Soul Edge's own soul. It fights using the attack style of other fighters from its memories of past battles, and will switch to a random one at the start of each round. Though it exists in its own dimension, Chaos, it has used duplicity such as in the case of tricking Siegfried into expanding its will, and in more extreme cases utilized Cervantes' flaming corpse and later the remnants of Nightmare's armor to create an avatar for itself. Inferno's will and power has directly and indirectly affected several other characters in the series, such as the Evil Seed event that caused many to turn somewhat evil or insane. It has also caused the creation of several life forms or modification of them, such as Ivy's sword, Charade, Necrid and Abyss. As Soul Edge, it appeared in Namco × Capcom, shown to have the abilities to create Charades at will, as well as teleport its evil body.

Li Long

Main article: Li Long

Mitsurugi

Heishirō Mitsurugi (御剣 平四郎 Mitsurugi Heishirō?) was originally the son of a farmer in Bizen, who after suffering years of witnessing his homeland being ravaged by bandits and war, decided to take up swordsmanship under the tutelage of the Murakami Clan. Mitsurugi's skill and strength spread quickly over Japan, and he was recognized as a force to be reckoned on the battlefield, even being noted by both Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. After leaving the Murakami Clan, and having refused all military commendations offered for his services, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary.

It was during this time he heard about a new weapon, the rifle, said to be changing the way wars were fought. At first Mitsurugi dismissed the weapon as a novelty, but soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry and realized its real power. Deciding that a strong weapon was the only way to combat it, he started a quest in order to find the rumored Soul Edge.[23]

In the sequel of Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, he returned as a regular character with an improved fighting style and design. But in the world release of the arcade version (SOC14/VER.C), Mitsurugi was exclusively replaced by a character named Arthur. Other than being of British nationality, Arthur is essentially Mitsurugi with blonde hair and an eye patch; the samurai outfit and katana blade remains unaltered. Arthur returned in Soulcalibur III as a bonus character.

As detailed in his profile for the game, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of Soul Edge, and in his frustration he carelessly challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel in front of his lord, which he ultimately lost after receiving a bullet in his right shoulder. He later departed in a new quest to perfect his swordsmanship, in order to defeat the rifle. During his training he learned of Nightmare's rampage on Europe and started a new quest to the west.

Mitsurugi's profile for Soulcalibur II explained he was once again unable to find his target, but he did not renounce to his quest. Stumbling on a castle in Xiwei (present-day Xi'an), Mitsurugi saved a man that was being attacked by assassins, and as reward he received a fragment of Soul Edge the man possessed. After an incident in which a servant of the Ming Emperor refused to hand over the "Sword of Heroes", Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming.

In his Soulcalibur III profile, Mitsurugi is said to have grown dissatisfied with every battle he has participated in, even considering Soul Edge meaningless and the rifles no more a threat, having defeated several riflemen as seen in the intro of Soul Calibur II. Having lost concern over the rifle, his greatest enemy, Mitsurugi started to seek without success a challenger of his strength. After fending off a group of unknown attackers that were after the fragment he obtained in Xiwei, Mitsurugi noticed their style resembled that of Taki and decided to return to Japan to find out what was happening at the time, as well as to seek a showdown with Taki.

At the moment the Sengoku period had ended and Oda Nobunaga was dead. The leaders of the states were faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing to protect their existence as fierce pirates of the sea. Soon they attracted Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attention, and a confrontation became imminent. Mitsurugi, having found no trace of Taki, decided to aid the Murakami in the upcoming nighttime raid. After the victory of the Muramaki, Mitsurugi was decorated for his services by the Murakami commander. The commander mentioned to him rumors about the resurface of Nightmare, and Mitsurugi, considering the knight a potential challenger, quickly set out to Europe once again.[24]

He has also appeared in a cross-over game Namco × Capcom as a playable character.

Mitsurugi has been described as one of the "staple" and "stalwart" characters of the Soul series.[25] In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Mitsurugi placed ninth with 2.5% of the tally, tied with Siegfried.[14] UGO.com listed him at number three in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters article", describing him as a "solid choice for newer players" due to his high speed and strength.[26] IGN listed him as one of the series' top ten fighters at number seven, stating "Whereas most SC fighters are either nimble little backstabbers or giant, hulking brutes, Mitsurugi strikes a nice balance between power and agility...experienced players often gravitate towards this wandering samurai for a good reason."[27]

Rock

Nathaniel 'Rock' Adams, known in Japan as Rock Adams (ロック・アダムズ Rokku Adamuzu?). Rock first appeared in Soul Edge as a playable character and returned for Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur III, and again in Soulcalibur IV.

Initially during development, the character was called "Beast Warrior", and his design changed little over the course of creating the character. His appearance is intended to reflect the atmosphere of a wild warrior, while his facial expressions were drawn in a positive manner, intended to show him enjoying the fight.[28] When developing his appearance for Soulcalibur, a clothed design and a bald appearance were both rejected, as the team felt they gave the impression of an urban or "bad guy" character, respectively.[29]

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, Rock placed seventh, with 3.04% of the tally.[14] GameSpot described him as "the token slow-moving, 'no one uses him' character".[30]

Seong Mi-na

Seong Mi-na (ソン・ミナ Son Mina?, Hanja: 成美那 Hangul: 성미나 Seong Mina) is a Korean woman, excelling at weapon usage but regarded as simply a girl by her peers. Barred from joining the coast guard due to her gender, she sought out the rumored "Sword of Salvation", which in actuality was Soul Edge, to prove herself. Hwang eventually caught up with her and dragged her back home, but she set out again after her father's efforts to marry her to him became unbearable. Encountering another female warrior named Ivy, she challenged her but was quickly defeated, and learned from Ivy that not only was she still inexperienced but that the sword she sought was inherently evil. She later challenged an alcoholic armed with a bo staff who also quickly defeated her. She requested training from him, and he taught her all his skills, revealing in a farewell letter his name as "Kong Xiuqiang", the long-lost father of Xianghua. However, before she set out she was dragged home once more by Hwang.

She later encountered Hong Yun-seong, a student of her father angry after being disregarded by Hwang when he challenged him to a duel. Feeling sorry for him, she handed him her family heirloom, the dao 'White Storm', and later that night he set out himself after Soul Edge. Mi-na set out to retrieve the dao from him, this time with her father's blessing.

IGN reviewer Anoop Gantayat heavily praised Mi-na for her appearance in Soulcalibur, describing her as the "babiliscious Korean babe" and citing her as his favorite character for the title.[31] In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Seong Mi-na placed first, with 22% of the tally.[14]

Siegfried

Siegfried Schtauffen (ジークフリート・シュタウフェン Jīkufurīto Shutaufen?) the protagonist of the series, was born to Sir Frederick Schtauffen, a brave knight who was considered a champion among the oppressed peasants of his German home, and a woman named Margaret who met Frederick while he was on campaign, during the late sixteenth century. He was given the name 'Siegfried' after the famous hero, and was taught swordsmanship by his father.

Frederick embarked on a foreign crusade and, due to lack of guidance in life, Siegfried unintentionally killed his returning father while rampaging as the leader of a teenage band of thieves calling themselves "Schwarzwind" (German translation for "black wind"). Siegfried grew in despair and eventually convinced himself that anyone but he was to blame for his father's death. Siegfried had heard rumours of the invincible Soul Edge, and came to believe his father's killer could only be killed with that weapon.

After taking the life of a noble he worked for during a siege on his castle in Ostrheinsburg (he did so in an effort to claim - what he thought was - Soul Edge), he finally managed to come across the legendary weapon Soul Edge, lying beside the corpse of the defeated Cervantes de Leon which transformed into Inferno. Siegfried defeated Inferno, earning the right to wield Soul Edge himself. However, Soul Edge telepathically spoke to Siegfried, arranging a deal between the two; Siegfried would help the blade to restore itself gathering souls, and Soul Edge would resurrect his father Frederick. But Siegfried finally succumbed to the sword's power - transforming into the Azure Knight, Nightmare.

He claimed refuge in Ostrheinsburg Castle. During the following three years, he gathered together a group of followers: the golem Astaroth, Lizardman (Aeon Calcos), and Ivy. Each of them aided him in Soul Edge's quest to devour souls for a rejuvenation ceremony to be performed in his chosen stronghold, Ostrheinsburg Castle. But as the ceremony was about to take place, the clan was quickly laid to waste. Both Aeon Calcos and Astaroth were defeated; and Ivy left the clan after learning the shocking truth of her past from the Fu-Ma ninja, Taki. Two young warriors confronted Nightmare: Kilik, owner of both the sacred staff Kali-Yuga and sacred mirror Dvapara-Yuga; and Xianghua, owner of Krita-Yuga, which revealed itself as Soul Calibur.

Nightmare and Soul Edge were defeated, initiating a new resolve in the now-conscious Siegfried, albeit temporary - shards of the weakened Soul Edge were still present within his body. He eventually assumed the azure armor for a second time, becoming Nightmare all over again, desperately pursuing fragments of the Soul Edge so that he might fully restore it.

Raphael Sorel appeared in search of Soul Edge and Nightmare stood victorious after a fierce battle. As he stepped forward to finish Raphael, he muttered something incoherently. Following this, an internal struggle began between Siegfried and Inferno (spirit of the evil sword) vying for control over their physical body. With this show of "hesitation", Raphael unleashed a desperate final blow upon his enemy, piercing the center of Soul Edge. Nightmare let out an inhuman cry, and Siegfried finally regained control of his own body. Siegfried remembered his actions previous, before using the newly-revealed holy sword, Soul Calibur, to drive into the evil eye that was the core of Soul Edge, where the weapon had been trapped - however, this effort to destroy the evil sword would prove insufficient.

In the preceding event of Soulcalibur III, Siegfried now has control of his own body, picking up both swords and leaving Ostrheinsburg on a mission to seal away Soul Edge for all eternity, as he swore to atone for his sins, not knowing that Nightmare had gained a separate body of his own. Eventually, he fell victim to Zasalamel's plot to reunite Soul Edge and Soul Calibur at the Lost Cathedral. Siegfried took up Soul Calibur and fought a ferocious battle against the now-independent Nightmare, who in turn regained Soul Edge. Though victorious for the time being, the combination of the energy released from Soul Edge and Soul Calibur as well as his injuries from the battle mortally wounded Siegfried.

The events of Soulcalibur IV see Siegfried having been revived by the Soul Calibur, which has gained some sentience from the Soul Edge and the release of its creator, Algol. Now dependent on the armor in which the Soul Calibur had encased him for survival, Siegfried rejects all human contact and devotes himself to destroying both swords once and for all. In his ending, he finally defeats Nightmare decisively and releases the power of the Soul Calibur, permanently sealing away the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, and turning himself into crystal in the process (much like what had happened to Algol). In Hilde's ending, he is instead forgiven for his crimes as the Azure Knight and given a royal pardon.

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, Siegfried placed ninth with 2.5% of the tally, tied with Mitsurugi.[14] As Nightmare, Siegfried has been described as "one of the most memorable fighting-game villains in history."[32] IGN described him as the most interesting of all the characters in Soulcalibur for his role in the game's plot,[31] and alongside Nightmare he placed first on their list of top ten series characters.[33]

Sophitia

Main article: Sophitia

Taki

Taki (タキ Taki?, also written as 多喜) started as one of the eight original characters from the Arcade game Soul Edge, and remained as such in the successive upgrade Soul Edge: Version II and PSX port, gaining slight gameplay upgrades along the way. Her Edge Master Mode in-game story states that, after a hard fight against a demon who haunted a temple, she discovers her beloved weapon, the magical ninjatō she named Rekkimaru, was considerably weakened. Discovering the source to be Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured sword, and to hunt down Soul Edge as well.

Taki returned as a starter character on Soulcalibur, both on the Arcade and Dreamcast port. Her style went through a substantial change: originally using a single weapon, she is given a second ninjatō to wield, changing her style to dual-wielding. Besides the gameplay upgrades she gained, her story fleshed out considerably as well.

Taki is similar to Kunimitsu. The prologue of the stage explains how Taki confronted the main villain of Soul Edge, Cervantes, and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, Sophitia, who was the one who shattered the smaller of the Soul Edges. Her in-game profile follows her story as she tries to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success. But when she fused it with her other weapon, Mekkimaru, it shed a powerful evil aura. In order to destroy this new evil weapon, Taki sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would destroy themselves.

However, the official profile released on the official website expanded on the backstory of her new weapon Mekkimaru, and how she obtained it. It starts with the revelation, from her leader Toki, that former Fu-Ma leader Hachibei stole the mysterious sword and escaped. Turned a nukenin (fugitive), she is ordered to kill both him and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of her, and bring back the blade. With her network intelligence, Taki locates Hachibei quickly, and she is informed about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki get ahold the Mekkimaru and gives Taki a kodachi (short sword). Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of Li Long, Chie's lover, under the idea he has Mekkimaru after killing both Hachibei and Chie. However, Taki is eventually found out by Toki's right hand man, a ninja known as Geki. Surviving the encounter, Taki becomes a nukenin herself, being pursued by her former allies as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru.

Taki returns as a starting character in the game's sequel, Soulcalibur II. Mostly unchanged from her last appearance, it marks the first instance in which her primary outfit appears unmasked. Her profile states that, after hearing Soul Edge was destroyed by a group of warriors, she decides to try to tame the evil kodachi instead. Four years after, several Fu-Ma ninja tried to capture her without success. Taki discovers then that they carry Soul Edge fragments, and reaches the realization Toki has many more of them, and was looking for her to gather information. Taki decided to keep both Soul Edge and Mekkimaru from Toki, but became worried of him as well.

Taki appeared in the fourth installment of the saga, Soulcalibur III, with minimal changes in both appearance and playstyle, the most prevalent being her new magic-based attacks. Fittingly, her fighting style becomes available to use in the Create-a-Character feature to characters using the "Ninja" job setting. Her story followed from her last profile, showing Taki decided to travel back to Japan, discovering that the Fu-Ma village was suffering from internal conflicts due to Toki's madness. Taki contacted the rebellious part of the Fu-Ma and discovered Toki's location on the Great Buddha Shrine. Sneaking there, Taki faced her master Toki, who recently absorbed the Oni spirits within the shrine. Taki defeats her master with the techniques he taught her, but then the spirits dwelling within him came out from him and traveled west. Knowing they are going for Soul Edge, and that the sword's presence was weak enough to allow its destruction, Taki starts a new journey to end Soul Edge at once. Taki returns in Soulcalibur IV in her first edit color costume in Soulcalibur III with some minimal changes made to its design. Ever since her appearance in Soul Edge, Taki is one of the few characters to have appeared in every sequel released of the series, including and up to Soulcalibur IV.

In 2005 Taki appeared in the crossover game Namco × Capcom. Taki, alongside Mitsurugi, appears as a playable character. She is eventually paired with Waya Hime, an enemy from the videogame Bravoman, and teamed up with fighting game protagonists Jin Kazama (from Tekken) and Ryu (of Street Fighter fame).

Taki was listed by Tom's Games as one of the fifty greatest female characters in video game history, praising the character's strength as it developed through the series.[34] She also appeared twice in GameDaily's Babes of the Week article and an article of her own. IGN listed her fifth in their "Soulcalibur: Top Ten Fighters" article, stating "Everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best...it's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same."[35]

Voldo

Main article: Voldo

Introduced in Soulcalibur

Arthur

Further information: #Mitsurugi

Astaroth

Main article: Astaroth (Soulcalibur)

Edge Master

Edge Master (エッジマスター?) has a mysterious past; a renowned for his skill with various weapons, his past and real name are known only to himself. He served as advisor and teacher at the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, before it was destroyed by the "Evil Seed" event. Taking in the only survivor of the event, Kilik, he taught him to suppress the evil within himself and sent him to destroy Soul Edge, before departing on a quest of his own.

Edge Master was created by illustrator Yasushi Nirasawa, who had designed him as a background character and weapon shop owner for Soul Edge Official Guidebook - Densetsu Buki Tankyū no Sho.[36] Out of appreciation, Namco later introduced him a playable character in Soulcalibur and a recurring series element. His age is intended to reflect his experience and strength.[37]

Ivy

Main article: Ivy (Soulcalibur)

Kilik

Kilik (キリク Kiriku?) as an infant was left on the steps of a temple in China, where as he matured he studied martial arts and eventually inherited the holy staff Kali-Yuga. However, when the "Evil Seed" event occurred, himself and his fellow monks turned on one another, with Kilik the sole survivor. Sane once more, he came under the tutelage of Edge Master, and joined forces with Xianghua and Maxi to destroy Soul Edge and purge the evil within himself.

During Kilik's initial design creation, while the weapon selected remained constant several ages and related appearances were considered. In particular amongst these was suggested a young boy whose design was based upon the Chinese mythical character Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Other designs such as a feral appearance were considered, but unused due to them feeling "pretty wild" and too different from the initial concept.[38]

UGO.com included Kilik in their "Top SoulCalibur Fighters" article at number ten out of eleven, praising his attack range and high speed.[39]

Lizardman

The Spartan soldier, Aeon Calcos (アイオーン・カルコス Aiōn Karukosu?), like Sophitia Alexandra, was one of the twenty-four warriors to receive an oracle from the god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. A group of desert travelers rescued a dehydrated Aeon and brought him to their village. About to repay them by teaching them swordplay, the "Evil Seed" event occurred and turned him into a crazed killer that massacred everyone the village. Astaroth's creator Kunpaetku heard stories of Aeon and captured him for experiments, transforming him into a Lizardman (リザードマン Rizādoman?). Ordered to bring Rock's adopted son to Europe, he was defeated while pursuing Soul Edge, which was destroyed moments later. Freed from his brainwashed state, he tried to restore his human form but was unable to and thus blamed Hephaestus for abandoning him. His state deteriorated further, gradually losing his humanity and memories. Taken in by a group of lizardmen like himself, he realized he lost his soul to Soul Edge, and sought to reclaim it.

Lizardman went through few changes through his initial development, with several drafts remaining consistent in their design. However at once point it was proposed to have the characters be exactly "half human, half reptile", and as a result in terrible pain.[40]

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Lizardman placed eight with 2.53% of the tally, slightly above Mitsurugi and Siegfried.[14] In their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, UGO.com placed him at number nine, describing him as "cute" and noting his strength as a fighter.[41] Insert credit's Tim Rodgers described Lizardman's appearance as "needlessly ugly and misshapen".[42]

Maxi

Maxi (マキシ Makishi?, also written as 真喜志) was a wandering pirate from Shuri in the Ryūkyū Kingdom (present-day Okinawa). He fights using nunchaku after learning techniques from "Zhang Wu", an alias for the assassin Li Long.[43][44] He pursues the golem Astaroth, who attacked his ship and slaughtered his crewmates, joining forces with Kilik and Xianghua. Maxi defeats Astaroth but is critically wounded as a result. He is later found by some villagers who help nurse him back to health using fragments of Soul Edge. He eventually pursues Soul Edge in order to use it to kill Astaroth once and for all, planning to himself die shortly afterward.

After initially considering having Li Long return for Soulcalibur, the development team instead focused on creating a new, younger nunchaku wielder for the title. After considering several ideas for his hairstyle, including several gag designs, the developers initially chose to give him dreadlocks before changing to the current appearance. Additionally, they opted to give him an outfit that would make him attractive, but also served as a partial nod to another fictional character, Takakazu Abe.[45]

The New York Times stated that despite Maxi's open vest and Elvis-inspired hairstyle, he was ultimately "just Nunchaku Twirler No. 439 in the history of fighting games".[46] He was later named one of several "total crutches for mediocre players" in Soulcalibur II by JIVE Magazine in regards to the speed and ease of his fighting style.[47]

Nightmare

Main article: Nightmare (Soulcalibur)

Xianghua

Chai Xianghua (Chinese: 柴 香華 Pinyin: Chái Xiānghuà, Japanese: チャイ・シャンファ Chai Shanfa) was first introduced in Soulcalibur. Xianghua's ancestors, the Chai family, have groomed men and women alike into seasoned warriors of China for many generations. Xianghua's mother, Xiangfei, forged a forbidden romance with a monk at the temple, Kong Xiuqiang, thought to be the most prominent candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, Kali-Yuga, but not until the birth of their first child, Xianglian.

Months later after Xiangfei left the temple, she gave birth to their second daughter, Xianghua, but never revealed anything about the girl's father. By this time, the temple had realized that the Krita-Yuga was missing, and found that Xiuqiang had stolen it. He was exiled from the temple, but Xianglian had to remain there to be trained as an orphan.

Meanwhile, when monks from the temple came to Xiangfei, searching for the missing sword, all they found was young Xianghua playing with a battered tai chi jian, and gave up the search years later. Only Xiangfei had known that the jian Xianghua had been holding was actually the Krita-Yuga in disguise. As time passed, Xianghua had learned how to use the jian just as well as her mother when Xiangfei died sometime after Xianghua's tenth birthday. Six years after, Xianghua became a member of the Imperial Guard.

Eventually, the emperor of Ming Dynasty China had become displeased with the search for the "Hero's Sword"; he never heard back from any that had ventured out, including Li Long. He sent members of his Imperial Guard to help the quest advance more quickly. The guards traveled under the guise of a traveling opera troupe, with Xianghua to be the main attraction, so as not to raise suspicion of their true motives. As she prepared for her journey, she recalled her mother's dying words—that she was born to complete an important task and that she must cut her own path through an uncertain future. With her mother's keepsake tai chi jian, Xianghua left on her own. On her journey, she encountered a member of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple in China, Kilik, and a Japanese pirate of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Maxi. Told of the Soul Edge's evil nature by Kilik, she agreed to aid both of them in their journey to destroy the evil blade, not knowing all the while that her long-lost older sister, Xianglian, had been killed by Kilik as she had been consumed by a berserker rage on the night of the notorious Evil Seed.

With Kilik and Maxi's help, Xianghua stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle. After defeating Nightmare, the combatants faced Inferno in an ethereal void but the prior battle had left Kilik too weary to fight. As Xianghua readied herself, her mother's keepsake unveiled itself as the holy sword, Soul Calibur. After a fierce struggle, Xianghua defeated her opponent with Soul Calibur's protective power. As the void started to collapse, she carried Kilik out of it, though her mother's keepsake sword was left behind.

After destroying the sword she was sent to find, a mysterious man approached her and awarded her with an unnamed jian in return for the great deed she had done. Once she returned, Xianghua fell in disfavor with the Emperor because of her failure to find Soul Edge. She was stripped of her rank and reassigned to a menial position. Xianghua kept her role in Soul Edge's destruction secret and never reported it. She left on a second journey alone, convinced that this was a burden she had to bear, since she failed to destroy Soul Edge completely the first time.

Xianghua then began to train her mind. Rather than becoming weak, she would be more fluid and allow her heart to filter in both the good and the bad. After months of training, she felt that she was ready and bid farewell to the general, beginning her journey anew. So she left the temple to fight by herself.

During Xianghua's early design phase, several concepts were considered for her attire, before settling upon a light and oriental appearance for her. Additionally it was considered to have her appear as a young girl instead, or alternatively for her to fight unarmed using martial arts, an idea later put to effect through Heihachi Mishima and his appearance in Soulcalibur II.[48]

Xianghua's fighting style has been compared to the martial arts seen in films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon[49] and Hero,[50] while her attractiveness as a female character has been described as "beautiful but deadly".[51] Periodicals have used her likeness in images invoking sex appeal, such as PSM's 2003 swimsuit issue.[52] IGN listed in their "Babes of Soulcalibur" article praising both her fighting style and beauty, adding "Xianghua may be traditional in some ways, but she certainly doesn't dress like it...Never before has a kung fu hero been such a babe."[50]

Yoshimitsu

See also: Yoshimitsu (Tekken)

Yoshimitsu (吉光?) is a Japanese warrior that refused an offered of alliance by Lord Nobunaga, costing him his right arm in the process. He initially plans to pursue the sword Soul Edge to take his revenge, but decides against it, realizing it would make him no better than Nobunaga himself. He eventually sets out to destroy all remnants of the sword, in the process forming a Robin Hood-esque band of thieves known as the Manjitou in order to do good and to find the fragments. After the death of one of his servants at the hands of Soul Edge's vassal Tira, he hunts her for revenge and destroy the restored Soul Edge.

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character from the series, Yoshimitsu placed sixth, with 4.56% of the tally.[14] He was listed number five in Dutch gaming magazine Power Unlimited's "Top 5 Coolest Oneliners in Games", with "Namu namu namu namu namu namu..."[53]

IGN listed Yoshimitsu as one of the top ten fighters in the Soul series, at number six, describing him as "a true force of nature" when used properly and a character that felt "more at home" in the series than in Tekken.[54] The book Kung Fu Cult Masters compared his fighting style to Minoru Suzuki, though added "one assumes that Suzuki did not use his sword as a pogo stick".[55]

Introduced in Soulcalibur II

In addition to the characters below, lesser storyline related characters were included in console versions of the title as unlockable characters, appearing as recurring enemies in the game's "Weapon Master Mode". Assassin and Berserker served as counterparts to previous characters Hwang and Rock. Both would later appear as boss enemies in Soulcalibur III, with Assassin's fighting style modified to utilize a kunai and Berserker modified into a smaller, fully armored warrior armed with a lance. Several generic Lizardmen also appear as recurring enemies and an unlockable character, utilizing an axe and shield fighting style that would be used by the original Lizardman in later appearances of the character.

Cassandra

Main article: Cassandra Alexandra

Charade

Charade (シャレード Sharēdo?) is the name of a creature introduced in Soulcalibur II, formed from Soul Edge's fragments and various reshaped human body parts. It has no intellect, relies on instinct, and has a desire to absorb other pieces of Soul Edge. It mimics fighting styles and weapons by scanning the minds of its opponents. In the arcade version of Soulcalibur II, Charade appeared as the game's final boss,[56] and was a time-released unlockable character for players to use.[57] For console ports of the title Charade was replaced by Inferno as the game's final boss, and was made into a regular unlockable character. A Charade appears as a boss in Soulcalibur III in a three round match in which it progressively loses components of itself between each round, eventually reduced to just its eye.

Charades appear in the game Namco × Capcom as minor enemy characters, mimicking Sophitia's fighting style from Soulcalibur II. These Charades are unique in that Soul Edge creates them directly,[58] an ability it lacks in the Soul series. Called Soul Edge's "avatars" by the game's protagonists,[59] they are created by Soul Edge as foot soldiers and as a means to protect itself. When defeated, they will melt and dissolve into nothing.[60]

The developers intended Charade to be a unique character, creating different animations for certain mimicked attacks. Charade was meant to be a tribute to Edge Master's role in Soulcalibur, and to be seen as a "valiant character for whom all his body parts do their best to fight" instead of a "move thief".[61]

Yun-seong

Hong Yun-seong (ホン・ユンスン Hon Yunsun?, Hanja: 洪潤星 Hangul: 홍윤성 Hong Yunseong) was introduced in Soulcalibur II as a famous sword fighter that idolized Hwang Seong-gyeong. He seeks the "Sword of Salvation" to protect his people and prove himself worthy to challenge Hwang, with Seong Mi-na following him to make him return home and teaming up with Talim along the way.

Necrid

Main article: Necrid

Raphael

Raphael Sorel (ラファエル・ソレル Rafaeru Soreru?) is a French nobleman, exiled for committing a grievance against them. Hidden by his pursuers by a young girl named Amy, he takes her in as his adopted daughter and seeks Soul Edge to rid himself of the nobles and secure a future for both of them. However, he was utterly defeated, and with both himself and Amy contracting vampirism as a result of the encounter they inhabit a castle in Romania and the populace quickly becomes infected, sparking several raids and wars against the castle. Learning of Soul Edge's counterpart Soul Calibur, he decides to locate it out of a desire to create a "perfect world" for himself and Amy.

Raphael's appearance in Soul Calibur III was changed heavily, designed to represent his evil demeanor and royal image. The chief character designer of the game, Hideo Yoshie, stated that the change made Raphael "more distinctive".[2]

Talim

Main article: Talim

Introduced in Soulcalibur III

In addition to the characters below, several others appear within the game under the title of "bonus" characters, representing fighting styles exclusive to the game's character creation mode as unlockable characters. These include minor storyline characters such as Amy and Revenant, others from previous installments otherwise absent from the game such as Li Long, and characters exclusive to the game's "Chronicles of the Sword" mode. Of these, only Amy and Revenant would be included in later installments, with the former expanded into a full character and the latter appearing as a boss alongside Zasalamel.

Abyss

Further information: #Zasalamel

Amy

Amy (エイミ Eimi?) was initially introduced as a background character for Raphael, as a young girl who hid him from his pursuers and taken in as his foster daughter in a debt of gratitude.[62] To secure a future for her, he left Amy behind to pursue the cursed sword Soul Edge, with plans to present it to the nobles that pursued him so they would be overtaken by its curse and destroy each other.[63] However he was utterly defeated by its host, and as Amy tended to his wounds both of them were infected with vampirism. They traveled to a castle in Romania, and he left her to ensure the creation of an ideal world for both of them. Amy however felt abandoned, and set out on her own to protect their world herself.[64]

First seen in Soulcalibur II opening sequence, Amy's character model was reused with a modified design in Soulcalibur III as a debug character for the developers to test elements of the game with and against, also appearing in some of the game's epilogue sequences. After completion of most of the game, they decided to implement her as a full character as a result of liking her design.[65] When she was announced as a playable character in the sequel for Soulcalibur IV, game director Daishi Odashima stating the reason behind her inclusion as "I like weaker characters", noting her as one of his three favorite characters in the game.[1]

Night Terror

Further information: Nightmare (Soulcalibur)

Olcadan

Olcadan (オルカダン Orukadan?) was introduced in Soulcalibur III as a warrior that mastered all kinds of martial arts and weapon usage, and interested in honing his skills. When he reached adulthood only one of his fights had ended in a draw, so to test himself he hunted down God of War Ares's messenger, a great snow owl, and decapitated it as proof of his victory. He was cursed as a result with an owl's head depending on the position of the stars, and was later imprisoned in a labyrinth where time stood still. When the seal was eventually broken, he learned of Soul Edge's power and, impressed, he sought to defeat it. During this time he also learned of currency, and growing fond of it he served as an instructor to other warriors for payment.

He received positive reception as a character due to his appearance and demeanor, placing in UGO.com's Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters article at eleventh place, beating out fellow series mimic character Charade.[66] They additionally awarded the character "Best New Character" of 2005, and proposed the possiblity of Olcadan appearing in a stand-alone title and serving as a mascot for Namco, drawing comparisons to characters such as Master Chief.[67] The character was additionally mentioned by them in their early coverage of Soulcalibur IV, noting hope for his return in the title.[68]

Setsuka

Setsuka (雪華 Setsuka?) is a character introduced in Soulcalibur III. Early in her life in Japan, she was shunned due to being Caucasian, and eventually ran away from home. In another city, she was taken in by a man who worked as a bodyguard in the region and named her Setsuka, or "Snow Flower" He taught her his fighting style, as well as showing her affection and treating her with gifts she had before been deprived of. After he was slain by Heishirō Mitsurugi, Setsuka realized she had fallen in love with the man, and despite his dying request not to pursue revenge she chose to do so. She now tracks Nightmare, believing it will lead her to Mitsurugi, who himself pursues Nightmare.

Character developer Hideo Yoshie stated that Setsuka's concept originated from the idea of a flower.[69] Her outfit in Soulcalibur III was inspired by historical Japanese courtesans known as Oiran, who wore cosmetics and clothing similar to Geisha but tied their obi at the front instead of behind, mixed with elements from the Queen of Hearts as part of a "East-meets-West" concept.[70]

Tira

Main article: Tira (Soulcalibur)

Zasalamel

Zasalamel (ザサラメール Zasaramēru?) hails from an ancient tribe that was tasked with the protection of the holy sword Soul Calibur by Algol. Angered by the tribe's restrictions, he tried to take Soul Calibur but was caught and exiled. Pursuing the sword he gained the ability to reincarnate, though eventually yearned to die for good. Tracking down Soul Edge, he manipulated events so that Soul Calibur would come to him, serving as the main antagonist of Soulcalibur III. Hoping to use the combined energies of the swords to end his existence, he was instead transformed into a monster called Abyss. During these events he had a vision of the future, and desiring to see it firsthand he returned to life, acting in Soulcalibur IV to protect the swords in case their destruction broke his cycle of reincarnation.

Zasalamel as a character was warmly received by fans and critics. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine described Zasalamel as "easily the coolest" of the three new characters introduced in Soulcalibur III, noting his speed and ability to pull opponents to him.[71] Other reviewers have shared the sentiments, praising his accessibility for new players.[72] GameSpy went further to described him as one of the best characters in Soulcalibur III, noting his offensive abilities and range control.[73]

Introduced in Soulcalibur IV

Algol

Algol (アルゴル Arugoru?) first appears in Soulcalibur IV as the Story Mode boss for most characters and as an unlockable character. Prior to the events of Soul Edge, Algol was known as "The Hero King", able to use the cursed sword Soul Edge without being controlled by it. With it, he spread peace, until his son Arcturus stole the sword and was controlled by it, forcing Algol to destroy it but kill his son as well. He worked to create a purified sword from a shard of Soul Edge to counter the weapon when it reappeared, resulting in the creation of Soul Calibur, but with his body and soul being trapped inside until Soul Edge and Soul Calibur clashed. Building himself a new body armed with facsimiles of both swords, he waits for them to come to him so that he can make his revival permanent.

Character designer Hideo Yoshie described Algol as "a character that obviously proves the setting of being the strongest character ever in the [Soulcalibur] series". Algol's costume was designed around the concept of originating from a culture so ancient that it was not recorded in history, which complicated the character's creation. After consider several themes including a lion and a dinosaur, a bird motif was finally settled upon. An option was considered for Algol to cause an "off site brawl" while on a pipe chair, but was unused.[74]

His design elements including his projectile-firing "rifle arm" were called fresh and inovative by Gameswelt.[75] The staff of 1UP.com were particularly impressed by his rifle attack, nicknaming the projectiles "Soul Bubbles" in reference to a game by the same name.[76] Kotaku also praised the character, describing him as "much more of a bad ass" than recurring series boss Inferno.[77] Edge described him as breaking the tradition of "ill-balanced uber-enemies" as well as one able to use a gun as a weapon without seeming "hopelessly out of place" in the series.[78] GameAxis Unwired praised the character for breaking the series' tradition of bosses that mimicked existing fighting styles, and added that Algol remained for the most part fair to fight against.[79] Neoseeker stated that Algol felt as if he was "just there, purely for your entertainment", calling his fighting style bizarre but while frustrating to fight, beatable.[80]

Hilde

Main article: Hilde (Soulcalibur)

Dampierre

Dampierre (ダンピエール Danpiēru?) is a con artist introduced in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and known by a variety of titles, amongst which include "Alchemist of the Ages", "The World's Best Assassin", and "Miraculous Psychic". He eventually became recognized as a thief, and resorted to robbery and kidnapping to continue his rich lifestyle. Desiring to live a noble life instead, he decides to fight against Nightmare and use his skills for good. His weapons consist of two spring mounted daggers strapped to the underside of his wrists.[81] He is voiced by Shigeru Chiba in Japanese, who the developers felt gave the character a distinct voice.[82]

GameSpy described Dampierre as a "Snidely Whiplash-looking fellow" and described his attacks as both "unorthodox" and "a hoot to watch".[83]

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Soul video game series
Games
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Astaroth · Cassandra · Hilde · Ivy · Li Long · Necrid · Nightmare · Sophitia · Talim · Tira · Voldo
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