History YMMV / SoulSeries

** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreed Ezio Auditore]], generally considered to be among the upper echelon in regards to [[GuestFighter guest fighters]] featured in the series, and the most beloved and least contested newcomer in ''V'' by far.

* CompleteMonster:
** [[BigBad Soul Edge]] itself is a demonic EldritchAbomination in the form of a shapeshifting LivingWeapon, [[FromNobodyToNightmare born from a normal sword]] that was bathed in the blood and hatred of countless warriors. [[SoulEating Feeding on the souls of its victims]], [[OmnicidalManiac Soul Edge]] either brainwashes or directly controls its wielder into slaughtering every living thing they come across until they are killed, with those exposed to its power mutating into monstrous Malfested who are often compelled to serve the cursed blade. Soul Edge has enslaved countless wielders to its will and used them to claim countless lives over the millennia, including compelling the pirate Cervantes de Leon into raping an innkeeper's daughter to [[ChildByRape sire Isabella Valentine]] as a prospective future host; brainwashing the knight Siegfried Schtauffen into willingly becoming its host as Nightmare; [[IHaveYourWife taking Sophitia Alexandra's infant children hostage to force her to serve it]]; using Raphael Sorel as a test subject by altering his memories to turn him into Graf Dumas; instigating an anti-Malfested witch hunt to sow discord and reap even more souls; {{gaslighting}} Sophitia's son Patroklos Alexander into killing countless innocent civilians by telling him they were Malfested; and gaslighting Sophitia's Malfested daughter Pyrrha Alexandra into willingly becoming its host.
** [[BigBadEnsemble In addition]], ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' has Azwel. See his entry [[YMMV/SoulcaliburVI here]].
%% The Azwel entry is already

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The producers probably felt really bad about tossing Sophitia into the grinder in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. So not only does she get to appear in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 3 [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'', she returned in ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords''. Although the canon status of the game is questionable, it's something. Additionally, ''Lost Swords'' featured the return of Taki, Cassandra, Amy (assuming one does not believe Viola is an older Amy with a different playstyle, which would later be confirmed to be case by Project Soul prior to ''VI''), and Seong Mi-na. This came full force with ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', which from the first trailer alone showed the much-maligned TimeSkip from ''V'' had been undone, featuring a younger Mitsurugi and a living Sophitia.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The producers probably felt really bad about tossing Sophitia into the grinder in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. So not only does she get to appear in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 3 [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'', she returned in ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords''. Although the canon status of the game is questionable, it's something. Additionally, ''Lost Swords'' featured the return of Taki, Cassandra, Amy (assuming one does not believe Viola is an older Amy with a different playstyle, which would later be confirmed to be case by Project Soul prior to ''VI''), and Seong Mi-na. This came full force with ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', which from the first trailer alone shows the much-maligned TimeSkip from ''V'' has been undone, featuring a younger Mitsurugi and a living Sophitia.

* DifficultySpike: The third Chronicle in ''III''[='s=] Tales of the Sword mode; once you get a to a certain point, the A.I. goes from just gradually increasing to difficulty to flat-out jumping to an insane level, and it's like that for the rest of the playthrough.

** After being replaced by [[ReplacementScrappy the far less likable Yun-seong]], Hwang saw a notable upswing in popularity, to the point that fans petitioned him to be included in ''V''. He unfortunately didn't make it, but he and Li Long did briefly return in ''III'', even receiving expanded movesets alongside Amy in the game's ''[[UpdatedRerelease Arcade Edition]]''. [[TheBusCameBack His appearance as a side character in Seong Mi-na's story]] in ''VI'' (and Yun-seong nowhere to be seen outside of a brief mention) has generated much speculation and anticipation that he'll become playable in future DLC. [[IKnewIt Speculation which was later proven right]], as he was the final character added in Season 2.

** There is also a sizeable camp [[TakeAThirdOption who instead suggest]] ''III'' is the best game of the series, citing the colossal amount of single-player content -- you have individual stories for each character with MultipleEndings, Chronicles of the Sword, a fun and varied Mission Mode, Arcade, a random Tournament Mode, not to mention the now iconic Create-a-Soul feature with a vast array of character creation options that future iterations would never quite match. The most common complaints are ''III'' being exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 whereas ''II'' was MultiPlatform and [[CasualCompetitiveConflict the questionable gameplay balance and number of glitches that arose from the single-player focus]], and the game rated lower than either of its predecessors on Metacrtic (86%), but ''III'' is typically held up as the last entry of the ''Soul'' series' "golden age" -- and almost entirely on the strength of its single-player experience.

** ''Soulcalibur'' also has this with ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', the ''other'' big HistoricalFantasy weapons-based fighting game series. With an all-new SoftReboot of the ''[=SamSho=]'' series coming not long after the release of ''Soulcalibur VI'', many fans have been clamoring for a crossover game--a wish that was sort of realized when Haohmaru was [[https://twitter.com/EVO/status/1158141474371801088 announced]] to be a GuestFighter in ''VI''[='s=] second season of DLC.
** For [[Creator/BandaiNamco obvious]] [[SharedUniverse reasons]], ''Soulcalibur'' fans also tend to be on good terms with ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' fans.

*** His regular throw is so abuse-worthy to the point that he's used for some of the harder Weapon Master Mode missions. To top off that, he's one of the few characters with an easy-to-perform air combo, and one of the WMM missions involves you only being able to damage the enemy with air combos. Despite his bottom-tier standing, [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman Link's utilities make him a very popular pick for clearing missions]].

** Overall, the series as a whole is more popular in the west than back home. In North America and Europe (especially France), the series is one of the most popular fighters on the market. In Japan, it tends to get [[StuckInTheirShadow stuck behind the shadow]] of fellow Namco franchise ''Fanchise/{{Tekken}}''.

-->'''Sophitia:''' You're in pain. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment It's painful, isn't it?]]

** ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' attracted criticism from vocal outlets (namely Kotaku and Fandom) for having "immature" and "objectified" character designs, which in the fanbase has been a ''[[FlameWar very]]'' [[BrokenBase heated issue]] (see above and [[YMMV/SoulcaliburVI the corresponding YMMV page]] for ''VI''). ''VI'' may be the most sexualized fighter in the series to date, even surpassing that of ''IV'', and those who enjoyed ''V'' going in a TamerAndChaster direction were disappointed to learn that it was temporary thing and the series would be fully embracing its fanservice once again. And while ''IV'' at least had [[TokenWholesome Hilde as a counterbalance]] and gave most of the (female) characters considerably more conservative 2P outfits, ''VI'' lacked Hilde until Season 2 and has no additional costumes by default--players have to make edits in Creation if they want to cover up any of the characters. On an unrelated note, newcomer Grøh was derided by some for being an "edgy" anime-influenced character who seems out of place given ''VI'' losing much of its anime influence from ''V'', and feels more representative of Japanese tropes rather than him being Scandinavian.

** Yoshimitsu ([[LegacyCharacter both of them]]) is [[MechanicallyUnusualFighter very]] [[ConfusionFu much]] the same FightingClown as his ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' counterpart, right down to the infamous (and highly entertaining) DeathOrGloryAttack that is weaponized {{Seppuku}}. In addition to the usual oddities one can expect from Yoshimitsu [[labelnote:(For example...)]]NotQuiteFlight via his [[ArtificialLimbs mechanical arm]], using his sword as an improvised pogo stick, [[LifeDrain sapping his foes of their strength]] during a FacePalmOfDoom, [[SpinningOutOfHere teleporting through the ground]] from [[LotusPosition Indian Position]], etc.[[/labelnote]], this Yoshimitsu gained [[DivergentCharacterEvolution some additional variance]] as the series progressed, such as [[ImprobableWeaponUser being able to smack opponents with the flag worn on his back]]. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' would then go the extra mile by allowing him to [[ManaDrain steal meter from his opponents]] with certain attacks and making him the only character in the game to essentially retain the Brave Edges from ''V''.

** Speaking of ''Lost Swords'', that game frustrated the fanbase to no end, especially after the mess with ''SCV''. It had a shoddy story, steep energy costs to keep playing, the player was locked to ''one character'' at the beginning, unlocking new characters was either highly difficult or expensive, [[AllegedlyFreeGame the game was filled to the brim with]] {{microtransactions}}, and there was no player-versus-player component (as a misunderstood response to the complaints about the lack of single-player features in ''V''). The fact that it was free-to-play just forced comparisons to ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Revolution'', another [=F2P=] game by Namco that was better received.

** Overall, the series as a whole is more popular in the west than back home. In North America and Europe (especially France), the series is one of the most popular fighters on the market. In Japan, it tends to get [[StuckInTheirShadow stuck behind the shadow]] of fellow Namco franchise ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''.

** The games that featured guests ([[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]], ComicBook/{{Spawn}}, [[Franchise/StarWars Vader, Yoda]], [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed The Apprentice]], [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]], [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio]], [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt]], [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B]], [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]]) included them for the [[JustForPun soul]] purpose of introducing people who wanted to use them in a fighting game to the series.

** The use of {{Guest Fighter}}s itself can be seen as this. If one discounts [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu's]] inclusion in ''Soulcalibur'', this now-famous element wasn't introduced until ''Soulcalibur II'' in 2003, after [[SequelDisplacement the series had already been put on the map]]. Even then, the concept of guests hadn't truly solidified as tradition until ''IV'' was released five years later with the ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters (though, technically speaking, ''Legends''--featuring Lloyd Irving from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''--came earlier in late 2007). It was here that the series decided to have a new guest for every subsequent mainline entry, and also threw in [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] for 2009's ''Broken Destiny''. [[note]]A longstanding rumor states there allegedly were plans for ''III'' to have a guest of its own in the form of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'''s Dante (which would've truly established consistency), only for said plans to be scrapped for whatever reason, but [[https://web.archive.org/web/20061031174023/http://www.joystiq.com/2005/02/09/dante-joins-the-soul-calibur-3-lineup/ said rumor]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNUFJNKZxzE is false.]] The game's producer, Hiroaki Yotoriyama, not only confirmed in [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/28/no-online-for-soulcalibur-iii a March 2005 interview with IGN]] and [[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928195434/http://www.soularchive.jp/SC3/wat01e.htm an interview on the now defunct Soul Archive site]] that ''SCIII'' would have no guest characters, but also went as far as to directly rule out Dante (along with Necrid) in a separate interview featured in ''Magazine/ElectronicGamingMonthly'' #195 from September of the same year, [[GodNeverSaidThat noting that the unsubstantiated gossip came straight from the internet]]. That installment ''did'', however, feature a special set of custom parts that allowed the player to recreate KOS-MOS from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' -- though this still did not officially count as a guest appearance from the gynoid.[[/note]]

** [[BigBad Soul Edge]] itself is a demonic EldritchAbomination in the form of a shapeshifting LivingWeapon, [[FromNobodyToNightmare born from a normal sword]] that was bathed in the blood and hatred of countless warriors. [[SoulEating Feeding on the souls of its victims]], [[OmnicidalManiac Soul Edge]] either brainwashes or directly controls its wielder into slaughtering every living thing they come across until they are killed, with those exposed to its power mutating into monstrous Malfested who are often compelled to serve the cursed blade. Soul Edge has enslaved countless wielders to its will and used them to claim countless lives over the millennia, including compelling the pirate Cervantes de Leon into raping an innkeeper's daughter to sire Isabella Valentine as a prospective future host; brainwashing the knight Siegfried Schtauffen into willingly becoming its host as Nightmare; [[IHaveYourWife taking Sophitia Alexandra's infant children hostage to force her to serve it]]; using Raphael Sorel as a test subject by altering his memories to turn him into Graf Dumas; instigating an anti-Malfested witch hunt to sow discord and reap even more souls; {{gaslighting}} Sophitia's son Patroklos Alexander into killing countless innocent civilians by telling him they were Malfested; and gaslighting Sophitia's Malfested daughter Pyrrha Alexandra into willingly becoming its host.
** ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'': [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Azwel]], the [[BigBad main villain]] of the "Libra of Soul" story, was formerly a high-ranking member of the Aval Organisation. While a member, [[EvilutionaryBiologist Azwel]] performed terrible experiments that turned people violent and murderous, and at one point during his tenure, Azwel forced a group of ruffians to fight to the death and questioned the survivor, relishing the man's guilt, anguish and conflicting emotions. Eventually leaving Aval, Azwel stole a fragment of both Soul Calibur and Soul Edge and formed the Qualifiers, naming himself the [[DarkMessiah Leader of Humanity]]. Azwel continued his experiments while searching for Astral Fissures to absorb and strengthen his fragments and create full duplicates of the two swords. His final goal was to use the swords to sacrifice [[PlayerCharacter The Conduit]] and create an "Ultimate Seed" that would wipe out much of humanity while the survivors would ascend with himself in charge. Driven by his fanatical "love" of humanity, Azwel was a madman who saw people as playthings that exist for his amusement.

* DifficultySpike: The third Chronicle in Tales of the Sword mode; once you get a to a certain point, the A.I. goes from just gradually increasing to difficulty to flat out jumping to an insane level, and it's like that for the rest of the mode.

** Rothion's case has taken a more positive and hilarious turn thanks to ''V'' and ''VI''. Basically, if Rothion had to die for the ship, the main reason would be to prevent [[TheScrappy Patroklos]] from coming to existence; therefore, Rothion dying is now retroactively considered a HeroicSacrifice.

** Seong Mi-na--one of the original three ''Soul'' ladies, but the one with the least plot importance by far--was thrust here at some point after ''V''. There was even a short-lived movement, Occupy: Soul Calibur, that tried to get her and fellow darkhorse Talim (see below) into the game as DLC. Like Sophitia and Taki before her, fans were looking forward to her "return" in ''[[AllegedlyFreeGame Lost Swords]]'', but when it was learned that the only means of unlocking her boiled down to [[http://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/201410150004/ buying three sets of x12 Premium Chests]] (equaling a grand total of '''[[BribingYourWayToVictory $90 USD]]'''), they were quick to voice their displeasure. Fortunately, damage control was done with the announcement of Mi-na's inclusion in ''VI'' at EVO 2018, which received a roaring applause from the crowd.

** Talim is also very popular due to her kind personality and unique playstyle. Filipino players especially like her, since she's the only Filipino fighter in the series (and was the only Filipino character in any other fighting series out there until [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Josie Rizal]] came around approximately ''thirteen'' years later). The lack of Talim is cited as one of the reasons why fans dislike ''V'', and then she proceeded to top the popularity poll. Yeah, she's THAT loved. And, much like Taki, her long-awaited return to the series in ''VI'' was welcomed with open arms by the fanbase.
** [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]-exclusive {{guest|Fighter}}. Singlehandedly got more people into ''Soulcalibur II'' than any other system's guest character. In fact, the [=GameCube=] version is one of the few multiplatform games in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames 6th generation of consoles]] to sell best there.

* EvenBetterSequel: The general fandom consensus is that ''Soulcalibur II'', the [=GameCube=] version especially, is the best game in the series, though this is still widely debated due to the [[PolishedPort excellent]] [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port of ''Soulcalibur'', which is considered to be far superior to the Arcade versions, and a good contender for the best game ever released on the console. [[note]]Metacritic scores have ''Calibur'' rated higher than its sequel (98% vs. 92/93%), but more fans lean towards ''II'' for the tightening of mechanics from ''Edge'' and ''Calibur''; [[SerialEscalation the expansion of character movesets, fighting arenas, and game modes]]; and the introduction of {{guest|Fighter}} characters, Link most notably.[[/note]]
** However there is also a sizeable camp [[TakeAThirdOption who instead suggest]] ''III'' is the best game of the series, citing the colossal amount of single player content - you have Story modes for each character with MultipleEndings, Chronicles of the Sword, a fun and varied Mission mode, Arcade, a random Tournament mode, not to mention the now-iconic Create A Soul feature with a vast array of character creation options that future iterations would never quite match.

** As a carryover from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', Yoshimitsu is usually called Yoshi for short, but his [[LegacyImmortality successor]], Yoshimitsu the Second from ''SCV'', is alternatively known as Yoshi II or, [[PunnyName for extra punnage]], [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Yoshimitwo]]. (You can thank [=8WayRun=] for that last one, by the way.)
** The quartet of Maxi, Natsu, Xiba and Leixia in ''V'' has been nicknamed [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo The Scooby Gang]].
** Also in ''V'', fans came up with "Patsuka/Petsuka" for Alpha Patroklos (who uses Setsuka's iaijutsu and was originally trained by her in-canon) and "[[Series/TheOprahWinfreyShow Oprah]]" for Pyrrha Omega.

** For single-player, there are AIBreaker movesets that even high-difficulty computers have hard time blocking. Particularly game-breaking in ''Soul Calibur III'' with lots of single-player content. The most egregious examples including:

** ''Soulcalibur III''[='s=] Event Viewer let you change any character's weapon before choosing which scene to watch. Choosing to equip Mitsurugi with Soul Edge and choosing to view his ending could lead to the implication and sight of him being able to wield Soul Edge AND Soul Calibur at once... and then came ''Soulcalibur IV'' which introduced Algol, who could do exactly that as part of his story. Even funnier when you learn that Mitsurugi's later story involved him challenging Algol to a duel.

** Raphael is often the butt of jokes in this vein too, owing to Amy, to whom he is [[LoveMakesYouCrazy madly]] [[LoveMakesYouEvil devoted]], being the only significant person in his life. His foster daughter's [[AgeInappropriateDress outfits]] getting [[HotterAndSexier more and more revealing]] doesn't help, nor does his destined battle in ''3'' being against the ''other'' young teenage girl on the roster.

** Hearing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY8sm2rq7nI "The Deed Is Done"]] upon completing Taki's Edge Master Mode playthrough in the first game. It contains ThatOneLevel where you have to beat Sophitia with [[AwesomeButImpractical Taki's Critical Edge]], a nightmare if you don't know how the timing works and tough even if you do given her tendency to just block it, and you get 3 shots tops. Some of the other levels are tough too, and the whole path could be considered the most difficult thing in the entire game. So if you do manage to get this song, you can definitely say ''you've earned it''.

-->'''Sophitia''': You're in pain. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment It's painful, isn't it?]]

** The use of {{Guest Fighter}}s itself can be seen as this. If one discounts [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu's]] inclusion in ''Soulcalibur'', this now-famous element wasn't introduced until ''Soulcalibur II'' in 2003, after [[SequelDisplacement the series had already been put on the map]]. Even then, the concept of guests hadn't truly solidified as tradition until ''IV'' was released five years later with the ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters (though, technically speaking, ''Legends''--featuring Lloyd Irving from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''--came earlier in late 2007). It was here that the series decided to have a new guest for every subsequent mainline entry, and also threw in [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] for 2009's ''Broken Destiny''. [[note]]A longstanding rumor states there allegedly were plans for ''III'' to have a guest of its own in the form of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'''s Dante (which would've truly established consistency), only for said plans to be scrapped for whatever reason, but [[https://web.archive.org/web/20061031174023/http://www.joystiq.com/2005/02/09/dante-joins-the-soul-calibur-3-lineup/ said rumor]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNUFJNKZxzE is false.]] The game's producer, Hiroaki Yotoriyama, not only confirmed in [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/28/no-online-for-soulcalibur-iii a March 2005 interview with IGN]] and [[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928195434/http://www.soularchive.jp/SC3/wat01e.htm an interview on the now defunct Soul Archive site]] that ''SCIII'' would have no guest characters, but also went as far as to directly rule out Dante (along with Necrid) in a separate interview featured in ''Magazine/ElectronicGamingMonthly'' #195 from September of the same year, [[GodNeverSaidThat noting that the unsubstantiated gossip came straight from the internet]]. That installment ''did'', however, feature a special set of custom parts that allowed the player to recreate KOS-MOS from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''--though this still did not officially count as a guest appearance from the gynoid.[[/note]]

* PolishedPort: At the time of its release, the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port of ''Soulcalibur'' was highly praised for being not [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect]], but drastically arcade-''superior''! In fact, ''Soulcalibur'' is often considered to be the best game ever released for the console.

** A good number of Hwang fans (and fans of the [[ShipTease Hwang/Mi-na pairing]]) were not so fortunate when he was replaced for ''II'' by Yun-seong, who they saw as a HotBlooded teen yahoo with a grating English voice, far less likeable than Hwang the badass OfficerAndAGentleman. Apart from a brief reintroduction in as a Yun-seong MovesetClone in ''III'' and his [[TheBusCameBack glorious return]] in ''VI'', Hwang fans would have to be saddled with Yun-seong for a long time.

** A good portion of the new characters from ''V'' were seen as inferior to the characters they replaced. See YMMV/SoulCaliburV for more info.

** While the concept of a GuestFighter had existed before ''Soulcalibur II'', it wasn't nearly as widespread until ''II'' brought it to the public's attention. Back in 2003, it was a novel concept and was a major selling point by having a platform-specific guest character, specifically [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]] for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, ComicBook/{{Spawn}} for UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] for UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube. This was the point where many requested guests to appear in other games, which is precisely what happened. Now that having at least one guest (and oftentimes more) is so pervasive and common in the FightingGame genre that it's more or less expected these days, many gamers are more annoyed by it than wowed, particularly in titles that aren't meant to be {{Massive Multiplayer Crossover}}s. All the while, this also makes ''II'' seem less unique in hindsight, as its use of guests are now so commonplace that some have wondered what was so special about it. Though ''II'' is still held in high regard, the guests are often not one of the reasons for it ([[JustHereForGodzilla apart from maybe]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse Link]]).

* {{Sequelitis}}: Though the subject is a matter of debate, the most common consensus tends to be that the Dreamcast port of ''Soulcalibur'' is the best entry in the series (and a strong contender for the best game ever released for the console); ''II'' is, depending on who you ask, either an EvenBetterSequel for ''Calibur'' or "merely" an excellent follow-up that just falls short of its predecessor's incredible story and mechanics. While praised for its colossal trove of fun game modes and singleplayer content, the odd GameBreakingBug you see in ''III'' puts a damper on the quality we have come to expect from the series. ''IV'' was fairly well-received but this is where the series began its decline for many fans. ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburV'''s short, clunky and only partially-realized story told from the POV of a [[ReplacementScrappy firmly despised suck-sessor for fan-favourite heroine Sophitia]], a large portion of the series' other familiar faces also being replaced by younger and less likeable replacements, and a poorly-utilized setting change and other disagreeable lore alterations, all consigned the fifth entry to be banished into ContestedSequel territory. ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'', a SoftReboot designed from the ground-up to undo ''V'' and go back to the series' roots with ''Calibur'', was received with warm reviews, possibly saving the series from a FranchiseKiller.

** [[SNKBoss NIGHT TERROR.]] There is ''a perfectly good reason'' it serves as the TrueFinalBoss of Tales of Souls in ''III''; you ''need'' to be flawless if you want to [[GuideDangIt even reach it]], let alone win. One would expect what is effectively Nightmare/Inferno's OneWingedAngel form fueled by the power of both soul swords to be more than a little overpowered, but Night Terror exceeds these expectations by leaps and bounds. Night Terror is the largest "human-sized" character in the game, hits like it, [[LightningBruiser moves far faster than its size would indicate]], [[{{BFS}} has what is likely the longest reach of the cast]], and possesses a command list where nearly every other move--be it basic melee combos, {{Sword Beam}}s, [[DeathFromAbove airborne]] [[BeamSpam laser barrages]], or a much larger and much quicker-acting version of [[SphereOfDestruction Nightmare's Soul Wave]]--is ThatOneAttack. Perhaps worst of all, he's ''completely immune'' to Ring Outs in a cruel aversion of WingsDoNothing. You knock it off the stage and it will merely fly right back up to continue the fight. All in all, these traits combine to give you what is undoubtedly the most gloriously unbalanced character in ''Soul'' series history.

** Aurelia, despite being the ArcVillain for a good part of the first half of the campaign, is an absolute joke when you finally fight her. She goes down a lot more quickly than even the regular enemies that attacked you at the beginning of her Chronicle, and her AI isn't too impressive either.

** The transition from the Mantis War storyline was never properly done. [[spoiler:Not only was the Mantis war plot completely discarded by the time you've killed Aurelia and ended the Kingdom of Dalkia, literally all that's said next chapter is that [[TimeSkip a year has passed since then]], and you're immediately dumped with the fact that Girardot started a rebellion against Strife. No explanation about why Chester is now working for Strife or his involvement, just that [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains Strife is suddenly now the new antagonist]] despite that the intro movie pushed Chester as the main villain.]]

** In Chronicles of the Sword, most players will more likely resort to two types of unit: Bandit and Cavalry. Bandits are the second best units in both speed and destroying strongholds, while Cavalries are the fastest units. In contrast, [[MightyGlacier Knights]] have highest defense and best at destroying strongholds, but are the slowest that it's hard to utilize their strengths, while [[JackOfAllStats Infantry]] has highest damage on enemy units, but then......
** ......players will more likely resort to traditional battles rather than real time skirmishes, especially 1v1. Real time skirmishes, aside from time-consuming, will also guarantee to inflict damage on both units. By engaging the traditional battles, not only that it pauses the whole map, but players can also score perfect wins by abusing the AIBreaker. Not to mention that some bonuses requires several perfect victories. This is also the reason why Knight and Infantry units are negligible.

* GameBreaker: Swordmaster job in Chronicles of the Sword is possibly an [[PurposefullyOverpowered intentional]] one: Highest stats bar speed, and being able to use all custom style weapons. While it has downside of not being able to use main characters' styles, considering that some of the available styles are [[GameBreaker Game Breakers]] on their own (especially Iron Sword disciple), it doesn't need to. It's also the hardest job to get, but the payoff is worth it.

** GUARDIAN FUCKING FORCE!! It's a stronghold ability that grants SuperArmor on any opponent in it, but since Soul Series still hasn't used the mechanic by this point, they basically turn into this. There are very few, but those few are certainly qualified. They are:
*** Aege in Chronicle 11. She's even harder than Luna, the stage's boss, and achieving Perfect in a straight fight is nigh impossible. She's also the reason why the bonus only requires 4 perfect matches from total 5.

*** [[spoiler:Abelia in Chronicle 18.]] Unlike [[spoiler:Girardot]], only [[PlayerCharacter The Cadet]] can face her if you ZergRush her stronghold. Worse, one of the loss condition is "Death of The Cadet", so you only have one try once you raid the main stronghold with your character. The only saving grace is that her level is quite low on that point, and she's a [[GlassCannon Gladiator]] with low defense.
** Chronicle 19 has two Swordmasters boss:
*** Ende, a level 99 Swordmaster, and the highest level enemy in the entire Chronicles of the Sword mode. Not only that his stats are sky-high, but his stronghold ability allows him to knock you up in the air for some time, leaving you vulnerable to jugglings. Thankfully, he's optional, unlike.....
*** Chester as the chronicle's last boss. In contrast to his AntiClimaxBoss encounter in Chronicle 10, he has been upgraded from [[TierInducedScrappy Thief]] to Swordmaster job, buffing him up significantly. And enjoy his "All Guard Break" stronghold ability!
** [[FinalBoss Strife]] in Chronicle 20. Oh boy, where do we start? First, despite being a level 63 Swordmaster, his stats are impossibly high, even exceeding Ende's, and [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard not even players can catch up with his stats, not even with level 99 Swordmasters]]. Then, he wields powerful Soul Edge that guarantees to hurt a lot. Even when the cursed weapon drains his health slowly, he has insanely high health that the health drain is negligible, so your usual defensive tactics against Soul Edge wielders won't work.

* TierInducedScrappy: Thief is statistically the second worst job in Chronicles of the Sword, but becomes the worst job thanks to its choice of weapons. While Dancer is the worst job stats wise, it is offset by excellent weapons choices, especially [[GameBreaker Soul of Xianghua]]. Thief, however, has none of those. The default weapon style, Dagger, has very weak AIBreaker moves and is awkward to use. Thief has two souls, Yun Seong and Tira, but Yun Seong has no discernable AIBreaker moves, and Tira is also available on Assassin, an advanced and better job.
* ToughActToFollow: Despite the flaws mentioned above, Chronicles of the Sword is largely one of the reasons why single-player contents of ''Soul Calibur III'' are well regarded in the series. Fans are upset that ''IV'' and ''V'' don't even bother to add anything similar despite the improvements of character creation, and even ''VI'''s Libra of Souls is often compared unfavorably towards COTS.
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: For a miniature world, the maps in Chronicles of the Sword are well detailed, complete with effects that complements the map's atmosphere.

* GeniusBonus: Ivy uses a whip-like weapon and is the daughter of a pirate captain. Another name for the whip-like cat-of-nine-tails is "captain's daughter," according to [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} the Other Wiki]].

*** Ende, a level 99 Swordmaster, and by far the enemy with highest level in the entire Chronicle. Not only that his stats are sky-high, but his stronghold ability allows him to knock you up in the air for some time, leaving you vulnerable to jugglings. Thankfully, he's optional, unlike.....

** [[FinalBoss Strife]] in Chronicle 20. Oh boy, where do we start? First, despite being a level 63 Swordmaster, his stats are impossibly high, even higher than Ende.

** [[FinalBoss Strife]] in Chronicle 20. Oh boy, where do we start? First, despite being a level 63 Swordmaster, his stats are impossibly high, even higher than Ende[[note: at least Ende doesn't break the rules and still has similar stats to a level 99 Swordmaster player characters]]

** ......players will more likely resort to traditional battles rather than real time battles, especially 1v1. Real time battles, aside from time-consuming, will also guarantee to inflict damage on both units. By engaging the traditional battles, not only that it pauses the whole map, but players can also score perfect wins by abusing the AIBreaker. Not to mention that some bonuses requires several perfect victories. This is also the reason why Knight and Infantry units are negligible.

* ThatOneBoss: GUARDIAN FUCKING FORCE!! It's a stronghold ability that grants SuperArmor on any opponent in it, but since Soul Series still hasn't used the mechanic by this point, they basically turn into this. There are very few, but those few are certainly qualified. They are:
** [[spoiler:Girardot in Chronicle 15.]] On top of the Guardian Force, he's also a Knight, which means he has insane health and durability. Fortunately, if you raid his stronghold with more than one unit, [[PlayerCharacter The Cadet]] will be the last one to face him. Even then, it'll be a heavy task to whittle down his health with all your units, especially if they're underleveled.
** [[spoiler:Abelia in Chronicle 18.]] Unlike [[spoiler:Girardot]], only [[PlayerCharacter The Cadet]] can face her. Worse, one of the loss condition is "Death of The Cadet", so you only have one try once you raid the main stronghold with your character. The only saving grace is that her level is quite low on that point, and she's a [[GlassCannon Gladiator]] with low defense.

** [[FanservicePack The increased T&A with each subsequent sequel]], which came to a head with ''Soulcalibur IV''. It's not uncommon to hear debates over whether it's acceptable or past the point of absurdity. One of the few points of praise ''V'' received by one portion was for then-director Daishi Odashima [[TamerAndChaster scaling back the fanservice from its predecessor]]. [[ZigZaggingTrope That changed when]] Masaki Hoshino was put in charge, who then promptly turned the {{Fanservice}} back UpToEleven in ''Lost Swords''. Motohiro Okubo followed suit with ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', having fanservice that could rival or even ''surpass'' that of ''IV''.

** "Ha ha, this rod shall be your doom!" Um, [[SimpleStaff Kilik]]...?

* ToughActToFollow: Many agree that ''II'' is where the series peaked, so every game since is this by default. Still, there are a great deal of fans who will take the original ''Soulcalibur'', ''SCIII'', and--most recently--''SCVI'' as acceptable answers ([[CasualCompetitiveConflict regardless of the reasons]]) for one's favorite entry in the series alongside ''SCII''.

* EvenBetterSequel: The general fandom consensus is that ''Soulcalibur II'', the [=GameCube=] version especially, is the best game in the series, though this is still widely debated due to the [[PolishedPort excellent]] [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port of ''Soulcalibur''. [[note]]Metacritic scores have ''Calibur'' rated higher than its sequel (98% vs. 92/93%), but more fans lean towards ''II'' for the tightening of mechanics from ''Edge'' and ''Calibur''; [[SerialEscalation the expansion of character movesets, fighting arenas, and game modes]]; and the introduction of {{guest|Fighter}} characters, Link most notably.[[/note]]

* FandomEnragingMisconception: Saying that Seong Mi-na is a [[MovesetClone "female clone"]] of Kilik when in reality ''she'' came first. If anything, it's ''Kilik'' who's a clone of Mi-na. Strangely, the series itself is guilty of adding to the misconception. Save for ''SCIII'', Mi-na is always the unlockable character when she and Kilik appear together, and many of the attacks she shares/[[DivergentCharacterEvolution shared]] with Kilik weren't added to her command list until ''after'' the original ''Soulcalibur''. Mi-na also learns aspects of the Ling-Sheng Su style from both Kong Xiuqiang and Edge Master prior to the events of ''SCI'' and ''SCIII'' whereas Kilik was formally trained in those arts from his youth. With this in mind, [[LampshadeHanging Kilik noting that one of Mi-na's moves is his]] during her story in ''IV'' '''is''' technically true.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: The use of {{Guest Fighter}}s that tends to annoy fans nowadays began with ''Soulcalibur II'', considered by many to be the best entry in the series. While back then it was considered a neat idea made into reality, the fact that, today, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny virtually every game has at least one]] has made it a little harder to see the inclusion of guests as an "innovative" concept. Meanwhile, ''Soulcalibur'' has been front and center as the game where the GuestFighter is a staple of the series, much to the annoyance of some. Often, fans hold the sentiment that staple veterans, [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan]]-[[IconicSequelCharacter favorites]], and other highly requested characters get shafted in favor of a fighter that will [[OneShotCharacter only be there in one game]], [[BaseBreakingCharacter may not have universal appeal]], or [[FishOutOfWater looks jarringly dissimilar to the rest of the game]] in either aesthetics and/or gameplay, something that came to a head when ''Soulcalibur IV'' included ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters. It's understandable why you see fans who are adamant about the idea that there should be ''no'' guest characters, which would defy expectations, but that often falls on deaf ears.

** As anyone will tell you, Siegfried is ''the'' hero of the series. While Siegfried has indeed been part of the series since Day 1, he wasn't exactly heroic in the early days; not an outright villain, but certainly one of the darker [[AntiHero anti-heroes]] of the ''Soul Edge'' cast. Originally the leader of a band of thieves, Siegfried was rash, arrogant, and something of a jerk (though Schwarzwind would later be established as having [[JustLikeRobinHood a Robin Hood-esque reputation]] among the peasantry for primarily targeting corrupt nobles and similar persons of import, whereas it was shown as early as Siegfried's ''Soulcalibur'' ending that the group, for all their faults, were TrueCompanions). He even ended up [[SelfMadeOrphan killing his own father]] when Schwarzwind attacked a group of knights returning from a foreign crusade, the realization shattering Siegfried's sanity and spurring him on a quest for "revenge" that eventually led the boy to Soul Edge. Becoming TheAtoner after ''Soulcalibur'' only to be corrupted by Soul Edge into becoming Nightmare once more, Siegfried didn't truly get a crack at absolving himself of his past sins until ''III'', when he was finally free of Soul Edge's influence and embarked on a [[RedemptionQuest redemption arc]], whereupon he's remained a good guy since. He additionally was ''not'' the lead of ''Soul Edge''; that would be poster boy Mitsurugi according to WordOfGod, with Sophitia and Taki the likely {{deuteragonist}} and tritagonist given their joint role in defeating Cervantes. With all this in mind, it would however be fair to say that, given his importance to the series chronology (embarks on the [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain Protagonist's Journey to Villain]] in ''Edge'', BigBad in ''Calibur'', VillainProtagonist in ''II'' via WordOfGod, and finally explicitly established as TheHero of ''III'' and ''IV''--complete with obtaining Soul Calibur), Siegfried ''is'' the overall main character of the series.

* PolishedPort: At the time of its release, the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port of ''Soulcalibur'' was highly praised for being not [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect]], but drastically arcade-''superior''!

* SequelDisplacement: To fans not around in the late 90s, ''Soul Edge'' has fallen into this, especially as [[MarketBasedTitle it has a different name overseas]] and hasn't seen any anniversary reissues. It's not helped by inconsistent naming; whilst it was called "Soul Edge" for the Japanese home releases, the international ones were renamed "Soul Blade" due to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers trademark kerfuffle]] with notable trademark troll Tim Langdell's nonsensical leverage over the word "edge" in the context of video games. The game was far from a failure at the time -- it garnered enough success to receive a platinum release -- and prior to the release of ''Tekken 3'' was frequently regarded by journalists as the best fighter on the [=PlayStation=]. When ''Soulcalibur'' was announced as a Dreamcast exclusive, it was a major incentive for fans of the prior game to buy a Dreamcast, and as the game was frequently considered one of the killer apps for the system, it introduced the series to a lot of new fans. As several characters were DemotedToExtra in ''Soulcalibur'' (Hwang, Seong Mi-na and Rock) and one removed outright (Li Long) in order to be replaced by clone characters (Xianghua, Kilik, Astaroth and Maxi), younger fans can have the misconception that the originals are themselves the clones. ''Soulcalibur VI'', a semi-remake of ''Soulcalibur'', does not even include Hwang and Rock as extras (though Hwang would later be added to the roster as DLC), but on the other hand, it includes more references to events and characters from the time of ''Edge'' in its Story Mode than any previous sequel.
* {{Sequelitis}}: ''Soulcalibur'' was praised for having excellent lore and a long-lasting, fun single-player campaign in the form of missions, plus lots of bonus content such as art galleries. While ''II'' was arguably an EvenBetterSequel, ''III'' was a mixed bag (mainly due to gameplay-related bugs that would not be ironed out until much later with ''Arcade Edition''), but still well-received by fans who appreciated the single-player modes and story. [[note]]While common consensus places ''Calibur'' and ''II'' as the pinnacle of quality for the ''Soul'' series, a ''very'' sizable portion of the fanbase that was introduced to the games through ''II'' and ''III'' sees the latter as the "best" entry because of the sheer scale of the single-player content (Tales of Souls, Chronicles of the Sword, Mission Mode in Soul Arena, the introduction of Create-A-Soul and its multiple "original" weapon styles, etc.), something that has not been matched since. And many of these fans still hold that sentiment even after they learned about the aforementioned shortcomings in the gameplay department.[[/note]] ''IV'''s bonus mode, the Tower of Lost Souls, was considered boring compared to the single-player modes of the previous games. ''V''... lacked a single-player mode other than the oft-derided Story Mode, which simply had players alternate characters in a nonsensical storyline, and Legendary Souls, [[BossRush a daunting gauntlet of]] [[FakeDifficulty input-reading]] {{SNK Boss}}es.\\
\\
Furthering the above BrokenBase entry is the fact that ''V'' is seen by many players, detractors included, as having gameplay mechanics at least on par with ''II''; a substantial portion, if not the majority, actually deems it to be ''superior'' in that aspect. Essentially, even with the controversial roster changes could ''V'' have been a great game that appealed to [[CasualCompetitiveConflict both crowds]] if not for its skimpy, terribly mishandled narrative. ''IV'' might have backtracked in terms of single player content (and Tower of Lost Souls was viewed as a poor replacement for Weapon Master Mode), but the sense of closure the story aimed for (as ''IV'' was originally going to be the GrandFinale) is more than what one can say for [[WhatCouldHaveBeen its]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot sequel]]. All of this, coming from a series lauded for having a well-told story in a genre [[ExcusePlot typically not known for such a convention]].\\
\\
Fortunately, ''VI'' would end up [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel reversing the trend]], being lauded as an excellent return to form the series justly deserved while boasting both polished gameplay and enough single player content to avoid the [[CasualCompetitiveConflict "casual vs. competitive"]] pitfall ''V'' found itself stuck in.

** [[SNKBoss NIGHT TERROR.]] There is ''a perfectly good reason'' he ([[PronounTrouble it?]]) serves as the TrueFinalBoss of Tales of Souls in ''III''; you ''need'' to be flawless if you want to [[GuideDangIt even reach him]], let alone win. One would expect what is effectively Nightmare/Inferno's OneWingedAngel form fueled by the power of both soul swords to be more than a little overpowered, but Night Terror exceeds these expectations by leaps and bounds. He's the largest "human-sized" character in the game, hits like it, [[LightningBruiser moves far faster than his size would indicate]], [[{{BFS}} has what is likely the longest reach of the cast]], and possesses a command list where nearly every other move--be it basic melee combos, {{Sword Beam}}s, [[DeathFromAbove airborne]] [[BeamSpam laser barrages]], or a much larger and much quicker-acting version of [[SphereOfDestruction Nightmare's Soul Wave]]--is ThatOneAttack. (It only gets more harrowing when facing Night Terror on his home turf, as the size of the "Chaos - Spiritual Realm" stage makes several of these attacks nearly unavoidable. And even then, his Soul Wave is capable of knocking you out of bounds ''from the very edge of the arena'' so long as Night Terror is at least at the center of the stage, as [[LetsPlay/TheOnlineWarrior Max]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HVuxxHi640#t=6m34s had the misfortune of discovering.]]) Perhaps worst of all, he's ''completely immune'' to Ring Outs in a cruel aversion of WingsDoNothing; knock him off the stage and he'll merely fly right back up to continue the fight. All in all, these traits combine to give you what is undoubtedly the most gloriously unbalanced character in ''Soul'' series history. To wit, other boss characters like Abyss, Algol, and Elysium, despite having idiosyncrasies that could land them in this category (Algol especially), are still able to [[DefeatMeansPlayable be unlocked for play once defeated]]. Night Terror '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTAHeQ81grc is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa9Ctkw2-LM not.]]'''
*** To put it another way, Night Terror is so notorious among ''Soulcalibur'' bosses that Inferno simply [[CompositeCharacter picking up several of his moves]] in ''VI'' (despite lacking many of Night Terror's most significant advantages) was enough to give several survivors of ''III'''s bloodbath [[OhCrap bad]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck memories]].
** [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed The Apprentice]], despite not being a broken character, tends to be a pain in the neck to fight against. As pointed out on another page, if you haven't mastered defensive strategy going into a fight with him, you certainly will by the time you win it.

* VillainDecay: Lizardman goes from being enslaved by an evil cult, to wishing to destroy the God Hephaestus with Soul Edge, to simply wanting his human soul.
** Mind you, none of these things are necessarily bad reasons for villainy. The reason the decay took over is because of the direction Namco took his character in; ''III'' and ''IV'' saw Lizardman used more for comedic purposes, with his quest for vengeance and sympathetic qualities mostly glossed over.
** Of course, ''V'' implies Lizardman has [[TookALevelInBadass taken a level in badass]], and is now a winged, fire-breathing, dual-wielding monster back to hunting down holy warriors. It doesn't hurt that his moveset now takes a few cues from none other than Kratos. Not to mention the implication in his bio in ''V'' that he killed Kratos and ate him.
** Lampshaded in ''Broken Destiny'', where one of the early levels consists of the player beating the shit out of him, while it's obvious he's TheWoobie.

* FanPreferredCouple:
** While being focused more on violence and RuleOfCool than romance, subtextual or otherwise, some popular pairings as of ''IV'' are [[{{Forgiveness}} Siegfried/Hilde]], [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Siegfried]]/[[OppositesAttract Cassandra]], [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Sophitia]]/[[DieForOurShip ANYONE but Rothion]], [[FoeYayShipping Cassandra/Raphael]], Tira/Talim, [[OfficialCouple Kilik/Xianghua]], and [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou Mitsurugi/Taki]].
** Even if [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Siegfried]] is a {{Chaste|Hero}}[=/=]CelibateHero and Sophitia is HappilyMarried, a lot of people in the fandom still like to couple them up.
*** This may have some canonical basis. Sophitia collapses prior to the events of ''Soulcalibur'' after having a vision of Siegfried as Nightmare (which is how she meets Rothion, ironically enough). In the same game, Sophitia shares a Destined Battle with Nightmare; Sophitia steps forward to challenge him and states her resolve with the words "I want to... save you," possibly implying she knows that Siegfried is Nightmare (or at least that Nightmare is really a tortured soul under Soul Edge's sway). Siegfried also rescues a captured Sophitia early on in the admittedly non-canon ''Legends'' (which would be set between ''Edge'' and ''Calibur'') and she's one of three women to face Siegfried in his ''IV'' story right before his final battle with Nightmare (the others being Hilde and Ivy, who also have strong ties to Siegfried) and in Sophitia's story mode, he implores her to leave. ''VI'' also has Sophitia personally seek out a post-possession Siegfried for what is basically a re-enactment of the aforementioned Destined Battle, but despite the warm, vaguely romantic undertones in their scenes together, Sophitia has already been courted by Rothion by that point in time.
** Not to mention the wars that broke out over [[BelligerentSexualTension Yun-seong/Talim]] [[ShipToShipCombat vs.]] [[CrackPairing Link/Talim]].
*** Someone at Project Soul must've been paying attention to the latter, seeing as Talim's joke weapons in ''IV'' are a pair of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime ocarinas]]''.
** [[ArrangedMarriage Hwang/Mi-na]] and [[TeacherStudentRomance Yun-seong/Mi-na]] are both fairly popular with the fandom and has resulted in ShipToShipCombat between the two factions. Never mind the fact that Mi-na has said [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt4UT19xkoc she isn't interested in marrying Hwang]] [[note]]and Hwang told Han-myeong the same thing, since he intended to protect Korea by joining their country's national guard[[/note]], or that she thinks of Yun-seong ''[[AnnoyingYoungerSibling as a kid]]'', which is lampshaded twice in ''SCII'': If you highlight Yun's Child Sword, it says the inscription reads: "for children only" and states Mi-na gave it to him because she was treating him as a child. Then, after their Destined Battle, she states, "This isn't a place for kids." Likewise, Yun [[ChristmasCake thinks she's "old"]] and [[UnwantedAssistance should butt out of his business]]. Furthermore, Mi-na officially [[CoolBigSis sees Yun as her surrogate younger brother]]; the Chain of Souls relationship chart in ''IV'' and ''Broken Destiny'' explicitly labels Mi-na's concern for him as platonic love. As such, both shipping factions have been arguing over ships that have long since been [[ShipSinking officially sunk]].
*** Oddly enough, ''VI'' may have reversed its stance on ''both'' ships. Hwang is adamant on the fact that he ''and'' Mi-na will defend their homeland together, with Mi-na's initial misunderstanding about Hwang telling her it wasn't up to him whether or not she could protect their nation causing her to go looking for Soul Edge for a second time after she storms off in anger. Later, when Hwang saves Mi-na from the Fygul Cestemus cult, he tells her that his previous journey caused him to reflect on what was most important to him, and the implication is that he's specifically referring to Mi-na. The art accompanying this scene shows Hwang {{bridal carry}}ing [[LuminescentBlush a blushing Mi-na]] (though the blush might have been out of embarrassment), followed by Mi-na cheerfully asking if Hwang can give her [[PiggybackCute a piggyback ride]] like he used to do when they were younger. On the other end, while Yun-seong [[TheGhost does not appear in person]], his character profile mentions how close he and Mi-na are... while curiously adding that there is "far more to their relationship" than Mi-na strong-arming Yun-seong all the time and mentioning that their friends [[EveryoneCanSeeIt "do their best to hide knowing smiles"]] whenever they see them interacting.
** And of course, [[NoYay Raphael/Amy]] and [[UnholyMatrimony Nightmare/Tira]].
** Thanks to [[RevengeBeforeReason some arguable]] tension on Setsuka's side prior to Setsuka dropping her grudge after defeating him in a duel sometime after ''IV'', Mitsurugi/Setsuka is palpable. As is [[OneTrueThreesome Taki/Mitsurugi/Setsuka]]. In terms of ThemePairing, more than a few fans have latched onto Arthur/Setsuka due to the fact that the latter could be seen as the former's DistaffCounterpart.
** In the yuri fandom, any combination of Sophitia, Taki, and Ivy or [[OneTrueThreesome all three at once]] is seen as [[GirlOnGirlIsHot an acceptable choice]].

* TierInducedScrappy: Thief is statistically the second worst job in Chronicles of the Sword, but becomes the worst job thanks to his choice of weapons. While Dancer is the worst job stats wise, it is offset by excellent weapons choices, especially [[GameBreaker Soul of Xianghua]]. Thief, however, has none of those. The default weapon style, Dagger, has very weak AIBreaker moves and is awkward to use. Thief has two souls, Yun Seong and Tira, but Yun Seong has no discernable AIBreaker moves, and Tira is also available on Assassin, an advanced and better job.

* TierInducedScrappy: Thief is statistically the second worst job in Chronicles of the Sword, but becomes the worst job thanks to his choice of weapons. While Dancer is the worst job stats wise, it is offset by excellent weapons choices, especially [[GameBreaker Soul of Xianghua]]. Thief, however, has none of those. Even two souls of thief (Yun Seong and Tira) doesn't have any discernable AIBreaker moves. And the default weapon style, Dagger, has very weak AIBreaker moves and is awkward to use.

* VisualEffectofAwesome: For a miniature world, the maps in Chronicles of the Sword are well detailed, complete with effects that complements the map's atmosphere.

* VisualEffectsofAwesome: For a miniature world, the maps in Chronicles of the Sword are well detailed, complete with effects that complements the map's atmosphere.

** In Chronicles of The Sword, most players will more likely resort to two types of unit: Bandit and Cavalry. Bandits are the second best units in both speed and destroying strongholds, while Cavalries are the fastest units. In contrast, [[MightyGlacier Knights]] have highest defense and best at destroying strongholds, but are the slowest that it's hard to utilize their strengths, while [[JackOfAllStats Infantry]] has highest damage on enemy units, but then......

* ThatOneBoss: GUARDIAN FUCKING FORCE!! It's a stronghold ability that grants SuperArmor on any opponent in it, but since Soul Series still hasn't used this mechanic by this point, they basically turn into this. There are very few, but those few are certainly qualified. They are:

* ToughActToFollow: Despite the flaws mentioned above, Chronicles of The Sword is largely one of the reasons why single-player contents of ''Soul Calibur III'' are well regarded in the series. Fans are upset that ''IV'' and ''V'' don't even bother to add anything similar despite the improvements of character creation, and even ''VI'''s Libra of Souls is often compared unfavorably towards COTS.

** For single-player, there are AIBreaker movesets that even high-difficulty computers have hard time blocking. Particularly game-breaking in "Soul Calibur III" with lots of single-player content. The most egregious examples including:

* ToughActToFollow: Despite the flaws mentioned above, Chronicles of The Sword is largely one of the reasons why single-player contents of "Soul Calibur III" are well regarded in the series. Fans are upset that IV and V don't even bother to add anything similar despite the improvements of character creation, and even VI's Libra of Souls is often compared unfavorably towards COTS.

** In CoTS, most players will most likely resort to two types of unit: Bandit and Cavalry. Bandits are the second best units in both speed and destroying strongholds, while Cavalries are the fastest units. In contrast, [[MightyGlacier Knights]] have highest defense and best at destroying strongholds, but are the slowest that it's hard to utilize their strengths, while [[JackOfAllStats Infantry]] has highest damage on enemy units, but then......
** ......players will more likely resort to traditional battles rather than real time battles, especially 1v1. Real time battles, aside from time-consuming, will also guarantee to inflict damage on both units. By engaging the traditional battles, not only that it pauses the whole map, but players can also score perfect wins by abusing the AIBreaker. Not to mention that some post-level bonuses requires several perfect victories.

** For single-player, there are AIBreaker movesets that even high-difficulty computers have hard time blocking. Particularly game-breaking in III with lots of single-player content. The most egregious examples including:

** Sophitia and Taki have "unblockable" attacks which, while still slow to use, have areas of effect which can't be walked around, so you need to jump/attack the other person instead. Sophitia's barely even has the startup restriction, since another attack leads into it.

** In ''SCIII'', Xianghua's A+K B+K move. The computer almost never blocks it. A few other [[AIBreaker "A.I. killers,"]] too, with special mention going to the Iron Sword custom character discipline, which is more or less an entire ''moveset'' of [[AIBreaker A.I. Breakers]].