| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %%* Spoiler warning is ON, so no need to spoiler text. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[center:[[WMG:''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' [[Characters/SoulSeries characters index]]\ |
| 7 | [- ''Characters/SoulEdge'' | '''''Soulcalibur''''' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburII'' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburIII'' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburIV'' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburV'' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburVI'' | ''Characters/SoulcaliburLegends''\ |
| 8 | [[Characters/SoulcaliburNonPlayableCharacters Non-playable Characters]]-]]]]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | [[WMG:'''NOTE: Spoilers will be [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff left unmarked]] in the examples below. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!''']] |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | A list of characters debuting in the second game of the series, ''Soulcalibur''. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | * For Mitsurugi, Taki, Siegfried, Sophitia, Rock, Voldo, Hwang, Seong Mi-na, and Cervantes, check the ''Characters/SoulEdge'' sheet. |
| 15 | ---- |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | !! Main Characters |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[folder:Kilik]] |
| 22 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kilik_alt_pic.png]] |
| 23 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur IV'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kiliksc4.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kilik01scdrwn.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | -> ''"Kali-Yuga, show me the way!"'' |
| 30 | |
| 31 | ->'''Origin:''' [[ImperialChina Ling-Sheng Su Temple, Ming Empire (China)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ming Empire, most of which constituted the modern-day nation of China.[[/note]] |
| 32 | ->'''Weapon (SC-IV and VI):''' ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_Yuga Kali-Yuga]] [[note]]("The Age of Kali" in Sanskrit. Kali is the Hindu goddess of time, creation, destruction and power)[[/note]]'', [[MartialArtsStaff a rod]]. |
| 33 | ->'''Weapon (V):''' [[DittoFighter all weapons]] [[note]]wielded by men[[/note]] |
| 34 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[SecretArt Secret Arts of the Ling-Sheng Su Rod]]'' |
| 35 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/SoichiroHoshi (Japanese), Scott Reyns (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Creator/GrantGeorge (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 36 | |
| 37 | -> A former monk raised at the Ling-Sheng Su temple. [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed He becomes a victim of]] [[TheCorruption the Evil Seed]], but [[OneeSama his adoptive sister Xianglian]] sacrifices herself to save him from the fate of insanity at the cost of her own, having removed her protective Dvapara-Yuga mirror and handed it to Kilik. Driven to insanity by the Seed, she attacked Kilik with all her strength, but he managed to kill her in self-defense and collapsed in shock soon after. |
| 38 | |
| 39 | -> He was eventually found and raised by an old hermit known only as the Edge Master. He taught Kilik how to disperse and destroy the various evil energies linked to Soul Edge. He first tries to physically destroy the sword; once that failed, he tries to purify it, even if it means becoming a hermit. As of ''SCIV'', he's determined to complete this task, attempting to distance himself from Xianghua so as to not share his sad destiny. |
| 40 | |
| 41 | -> Some time after ''SCIV'', his emotions finally get the better of him, and he has an affair with Xianghua. The next morning, Kilik makes the painful decision to leave her, deciding that his duty to keep the world and himself in check is more important than his love for her. Unbeknownst to him, Xianghua gives birth to Xiba, and this causes her great distress. While traveling the world in order to purify himself, he comes across a shrine which is actually a gateway into Astral Chaos, which is how he comes to know the fighting styles that he uses now. Those he learned the fighting styles from were also servants of Algol. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | -> He reappears in ''SCV'', in an [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]]-esque manner as a secret boss. He has mastered all fighting styles in the 17-year timeskip, and has devoted himself to training. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | -> For tropes applying to Kilik's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | -> Originally, Kilik was the successor of Seong Mi-Na's polearm style, focusing on long reach with good mobility and mixup options, but bad defense if his attacks are continuously blocked. In ''SCV'', however, he is now a mimic character who uses all the male characters' fighting styles. If he manages to get Xiba's style, however, he gains an exclusive move that only he and Edge Master can do. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | ---- |
| 50 | |
| 51 | * AnimalMotifs: ThePhoenix, as seen in his Critical Finish in ''SCIV''. In ''SCV'' this is emphasised further, where he wears a helmet with phoenix feathers on it, and has a phoenix-themed breastplate where his shirt used to be. In ''SCVI'', the background of his character art yet again features the Phoenix. |
| 52 | * BadassNormal: In the canon ending to the first ''Soulcalibur'', Kilik is the one to defeat Nightmare. |
| 53 | * TheBerserker: If he loses the Dvapara-Yuga (the mirrored belt he wears around his chest), he's engulfed by a blind rage. Eventually, Kilik was able to overcome his influence of the Evil Seed and instead used a necklace holding a shard of the Dvapara-Yuga (which was broken in the fight with Nightmare) to purify other victims of the Evil Seed. |
| 54 | * BrainwashedAndCrazy: As a result of the Evil Seed. |
| 55 | * BreakTheCutie: His backstory is especially tragic, as he was forced to kill his adoptive sister, rendering him stern and tense in persona. |
| 56 | * CoolHelmet: Adorns a Phoenix-motif helmet that hides his face in ''SCV''. |
| 57 | * DarkIsNotEvil: In his ''SCV'' character portrait, Kilik hides his eyes in the dark of his helmet, his aura is a sickly red glow, his pose is now a menacing engulf-everything with-your-hands. However, his personality is more or less unchanged from previous titles. |
| 58 | * DefeatMeansPlayable: In ''SCV'', defeat Kilik in either the Asia route of Arcade, Quick Battle, or Legendary Souls mode and he's added to the playable roster. |
| 59 | * DidNotGetTheGirl: Xianghua was forced into an arranged marriage by her grandfather, from which Lexia was born. But, sometime prior to ''SCV'', she and Kilik consummated their feelings for each other, [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy which left her pregnant with Xiba]], so it's more of a ''"Did Not Manage To Keep The Girl"''. |
| 60 | * DittoFighter: In ''SCV''; although he has exclusive moves with his Rod. |
| 61 | * EvilWeapon: The Kali-Yuga is tainted by the Evil Seed, causing Kilik to become an indiscriminate killing machine if he wields it without wearing the Dvapara-Yuga, which neutralizes its effects. Eventually he figures out how to purge the Kali-Yuga, however. |
| 62 | * TheFaceless: His helmet in ''SCV'' hides his face, his eyes in particular, though if you break off his helmet, [[TheUntwist he looks exactly as he did in previous games.]] |
| 63 | * FailureKnight: Has never been able to forgive himself for the massacre at Ling-Sheng Su. |
| 64 | * FallenHero: As of ''SCV'', it's revealed Kilik did not get to live happily with Xianghua, gave away the Dvapara-Yuga that kept his good morality in check, automatically resulting in him embracing his Evil Seed and posing as a dark warrior master of all styles. It is said that if he gave away his rod, he would be cured. |
| 65 | * FightingYourFriend: Before the final battle versus the Inferno, Kilik and Xianghua duel with each other to determine which of them will face it. It's never said canonically which of them wins. |
| 66 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: Has [[XMarksTheHero a criss-cross scar]] on his face below his left eye. |
| 67 | * HeroicSacrifice: Sacrifices himself in Xianghua's ending in ''SCIV'' to finally put an end to the Evil Seed -- though he doesn't go alone. (See "TogetherInDeath" in her section.) |
| 68 | * IRegretNothing: Tells Edge Master that he has no regrets upon defeating him in a match in ''SCV''. |
| 69 | * InconsistentSpelling: The name "Kilik" has been oddly romanized. Judging by the characters used in his original Japanese name, he is intended to be called Qi Li-Ke (齐力克), which makes much more sense for a Chinese character and indeed he bears this name in the Chinese versions of the game. |
| 70 | * LegacyCharacter: He has become this to Edge Master as of ''SCV''. Why he devoted himself to training in all forms of combat is currently unknown. |
| 71 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFcomo3w8LE ''Samsara: The Wheel of Destiny'']] |
| 72 | * LovedINotHonorMore: Towards Xianghua. |
| 73 | * MartialArtsStaff: His main weapon as a monk is a bo called "Kali-Yuga," one of the three sacred treasures of his temple. He gave it to Xiba {{offscreen|MomentOfAwesome}} sometime in ''SCV''. Despite a new fighting style, he still has a fondness for staff fighting and has unique moves when copying Xiba. When fighting him in Legendary Souls mode, he fights only with his staff. |
| 74 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 75 | ** Kilik's name is the Japanese pronunciation of the Sanskrit "Hrih," a seed syllable representing the Buddha of the Western Quarter, and the qualities of meditation and compassion. It comes from the Buddhist mantra he speaks in his ''Soulcalibur'' ending and his critical finish: "Om vajra dharma hrih" (Japanese: "On basara darama kiriku"). Why names like Xianghua, Seong Mi-na and Yun-seong were transcribed properly into English, and Kilik's wasn't, is a mystery. |
| 76 | ** He could well be named after ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilik_Pass Kilik Pass]]'', a mountain trail in Xinjiang on China's border with Kashmir. This Himalayan location also matches the look of his mountainous "Proving Grounds" stages in ''SC'' and ''SCIII''. |
| 77 | * PintSizedPowerhouse: Statistically, he is short at 167 cm and he became the shortest main male playable character after the first Soul Calibur when Siegfried grew past 165 cm. |
| 78 | * PowerGlows: His character portrait in ''SCV'' has him engulfed by a red glow. |
| 79 | * PrettyBoy: Young, smooth, handsome, lithe and athletic. |
| 80 | * SecretCharacter: In ''SCV'', he has to be unlocked, and is one the of last characters available, as it requires finishing story mode, then playing the Legendary Souls mode to fight against him. Or one can do it the easy way and fight him in the Asia route of Arcade mode. You don't even need to clear story mode. While it is an easier fight and accessible from the start, he is the final character in the route. Or one can hunt him down in Quick Battle. |
| 81 | * ShipTease: If it isn't apparent enough, see the related entry in Xianghua's section. |
| 82 | * SomeoneToRememberHimBy: Sometime after the conclusion of ''SCIV'', yet prior to ''SCV'', he and Xianghua finally consummated their feelings for each other. However, he was still plagued by feelings of guilt due to being infected by The Evil Seed and departed for the Astral Chaos to train in hopes of purifying himself, not knowing he'd left her with child. |
| 83 | * TrainingFromHell: Courtesy of Edge Master, implied by [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090702045050/soulcalibur/images/d/d0/KIL_training.jpg this picture.]] |
| 84 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: Most of his 1P outfits. |
| 85 | * WarriorMonk: He hails from a monastery deep in the Himalayas, and in ''SCV'', he seems to be following Edge Master's path to full enlightenment. His stage is a cave with a stone Buddha statue holding his Kali-Yuga, and he spouts mantras for his win-quotes. |
| 86 | * YinYangBomb: In more than one way. In the early games, he was said to be heavily contaminated by evil energy, but it was contained thanks to the holy mirror -- the Dvapara-Yuga -- he carried with him. Furthermore, in ''SCIV'', his final weapon is Soul Embrace, the combination of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Most likely as a reference to his ending in that game, where he's seen absorbing the energies of both weapons into his staff. |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[/folder]] |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[folder:Chai Xianghua]] |
| 91 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xianghua_7.png]] |
| 92 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]] |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur IV'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xianghuaiv.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xianghuafx.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | -> ''"Justice will prevail! ...Just kidding!"'' |
| 99 | |
| 100 | ->'''Origin:''' [[ImperialChina Peking, Ming Empire (China)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ming Empire, most of which constituted the modern-day nation of China. During this period, the capital was moved from Nanjing to Peking.[[/note]] |
| 101 | ->'''Weapon (SC):''' ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya_Yuga Krita-Yuga]] [[note]]the dormant form of the [[LivingWeapon Soul Calibur]][[/note]]'', [[HeroesPreferSwords a jian]] [[note]]Chinese rapier[[/note]] |
| 102 | ->'''Weapon (II onwards):''' [[NoNameGiven a nameless]] [[HeroesPreferSwords jian]] |
| 103 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[HeroicLineage Chai-style swordsmanship]]'' |
| 104 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/AyaHisakawa (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/RyokoShintani (''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Creator/AyaSuzaki (''Soulcalibur VI''; Japanese), Creator/WendeeLee (''Soulcalibur II'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | -> Born into a noble family hailing from Peking, the capital of the Ming Empire, Xianghua is [[LongLostRelative the younger sister of]] Kilik's adoptive sister Xianglian, daughter of a famous swordswoman and heiress to the Chai clan. She was sent by the Ming Emperor to obtain Soul Edge, but after finding out the truth about the evil sword, she teams up with Kilik and Maxi to destroy it. Discovering her ancestral sword, Krita-Yuga, was actually Soul Calibur, she uses it to defeat Nightmare and seemingly destroy Soul Edge, which marks the first appearance of the holy sword. As such, series producer Daishi Odashima considers Xianghua to be the series' main character. |
| 107 | |
| 108 | -> Since ''SCII'', Xianghua feels guilty for not informing her superiors of Soul Edge's "destruction", leading to the massacre of an entire city. She fails to help Kilik in ''SCIII'' against Zasalamel, and is overwhelmed by the guilt, until she learns to cope with it by focussing on her training as a member of a Ming general's household. As of ''SCIV'', she tries to stop Maxi from taking the sword, while worrying about Kilik's coldness towards her. On their journey home, Kilik and Xianghua have an affair, but when Xianghua awakens the next morning, Kilik has already left her. She returns home heartbroken and pregnant, giving birth to Xiba, who is also infected with the Evil Seed like his father. As she is of a prominent noble family, bearing a child out of wedlock is strictly forbidden. Facing punishment, Xianghua and her family consult with Edge Master and Kong Xiuqiang (her father), with the latter agreeing to adopting baby Xiba as his own and training him. All of this is the real reason why she doesn't want Leixia to go on an adventure -- Xianghua fears that Leixia will experience the torment and sadness that she did. |
| 109 | |
| 110 | ->As of ''SCV'', she is succeeded by her daughter, Leixia, whom she entranced with stories of her adventures. |
| 111 | |
| 112 | -> For tropes applying to Xianghua's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 113 | |
| 114 | -> Xianghua takes Hwang's place as the Chinese Sword wielder in the first ''Calibur'' game. She is a well-balanced character whose specialty is quick mix-ups and mind games with her stances. As time passed, she gained a special system regarding her stances that allowed her to gain new moves as she continued using her special stance taunts on the opponent. Her style would be inherited by her daughter Leixia in the fifth game. |
| 115 | |
| 116 | ---- |
| 117 | |
| 118 | * ActionHeroine: She's the series' protagonist and the one responsible for Nightmare's defeat in the original ''SC''. |
| 119 | * AnimeChineseGirl: She sports the classic UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}}-inspired outfit and fights with an acrobatic {{Wuxia}} martial arts style. |
| 120 | * ArrangedMarriage: Her grandfather forces her to marry a general of the Ming Empire, though Yan Wujin isn't really a bad guy. Wujin refused to marry her unless Xiba, her illegitimate son whom Xianghua's grandfather ordered to be killed, was allowed to live. Wujin also encouraged Xianghua to visit Xiba once a year, though Xiba has no idea that she is his mother. |
| 121 | * ConfusionFu: Her fighting style revolves around using feints, counter stances, and evasive maneuvers to either avoid attack, or position her for an attack. Her counter stances are designed to make her appear vulnerable and are often accompanied [[PracticalTaunt by a taunt]] to bait the opponent, but are recognizable by a brief purple glow on her sword. If her opponent falls for it, [[AttackReflector she auto-impacts their attack]] and immediately follows up with an auto-counter. |
| 122 | * {{Bodyguard Babe|s}}: To the Ming Emperor himself -- one of the most powerful men in the world at the time the series is set -- which is why she's so badass with her sword-play. |
| 123 | * DanceBattler: Her {{Wuxia}}-inspired movement patterns are beautifully graceful, and she fights with one of the most fluidly elegant styles in the fighting game genre. |
| 124 | * DifficultButAwesome: Her fighting style takes time to get used to, as many of her attacks require "slide command" inputs, referred to as such since they require you to lightly press one button, then quickly "slide" your thumb to the next corresponding button, thereby cancelling the first button's input before its attack animation begins. Which isn't as simple as it sounds, as the timing and duration of the first button press is strict and takes getting used to. Her feints and counters also have strict timing, with some being situational, which further complicates things. All of that said, '''IF''' you're willing to put in the time and effort it takes to master her, you'll find she's one of the most dominant characters in the series. Especially in ''SCIII & SCIV'', where she's considered top tier. |
| 125 | * FailureKnight: Can't forgive herself for not destroying Soul Edge, and later for not being able to help her beloved Kilik. |
| 126 | * FightingYourFriend: She doesn't want to risk losing Kilik to Inferno, nor does he want her to face it either. So they duel to determine which of them it will be. It isn't known which of them won. |
| 127 | * FlowerMotifs: Her character art in ''SCVI'' features the lotus flower, which is iconic in Chinese culture and symbolizes perfection and purity of both the heart and mind. It's been a mainstay feature of many of her stages throughout the series, which typically consist of beautiful Chinese water gardens. |
| 128 | * FragileSpeedster: She's fast, and has excellent dodge and counter abilities, but takes a lot of damage if hit. |
| 129 | * GenkiGirl: The ''Soul'' series' poster-girl -- she's upbeat, plucky and adorably earnest. |
| 130 | -->''GOOOOOO ME!!'' |
| 131 | * TheHero: Series producer Daishi Odashima says he considers her to be [[TheProtagonist the series' main character]] and, tellingly, she's canonically the one who wields the eponymous sword, Soul Calibur, as well as being jointly responsible (along with Kilik) for Nightmare's defeat. Later games' promotional materials would emphasize different characters such as Siegfried and Patroklos, however. |
| 132 | * JusticeWillPrevail: Her most iconic CharacterCatchphrase, which she often follows it up with a cheeky "just kidding!" |
| 133 | * KickingAssInAllHerFinery: She sports a selection of beautiful Chinese-style outfits, but special mention goes to [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=186974 her 2P costume]] from ''SCIV'', which is her most elegant and feminine in the entire series. |
| 134 | * LadyOfWar: She displays one of the most elegant fighting styles in ANY game, combining aspects of swordplay and fencing with fluid, near ballet-style movement. "Poetry in motion" doesn't begin to do it justice. |
| 135 | * LoveInterest: To Kilik, see the ShipTease entry below. |
| 136 | * NewChildLeftBehind: She doesn't know Kilik's current whereabouts, or what's become of him. But they still had their night together, which left her pregnant with their son, Xiba. |
| 137 | * NoNameGiven: In ''Soulcalibur'', she wields a jian named the "Krita-Yuga", but when she battles Inferno the weapon reveals it is actually a dormant form of the Soul Calibur. Upon defeating Inferno, it left her possession. After that, she met Edge Master, who gave her an unnamed sword as he believed there should be no personal connection between a user and their weapon. Out of respect, she adhered to this and, unusually for the series, did not name her weapon. |
| 138 | * ParentalHypocrisy: Tells her daughter Leixia all about her adventures, and even promised to go adventuring together with her, but when she sees Leixia holding Kilik's necklace, Xianghua tries to have her married off to the Ming Emperor as one of his multiple wives. Understandably, [[TheRunaway Leixia runs away in response]]. |
| 139 | * PracticalTaunt: Xianghua's taunts accompany her feints and are meant to make her seem open to attack. She also taunts by saying "Gotcha!" if she's successfully baited her opponent into attacking her during one of her counter stance animations, and a cancelled attack is indicated by her classic line [[ILied "Just kidding!"]] |
| 140 | * RelationshipUpgrade: Sometime along the way, and prior to ''SCV'', Kilik and Xianghua found some time to make Xiba happen. |
| 141 | * ShipTease: Shitloads with Kilik, to the point where the series beats you over the head with the [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] between them. Her backstory and their journeys together already make it abundantly clear they are attracted to each other, but during her endings in ''SCIII & SCIV'', she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Qf8OYONzU outright says]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNkAhrDOqnM she wants to be with him.]] It doesn't get any clearer than that. At least, not until ''SCV'', where we learn they had an affair which resulted in [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy Xianghua becoming pregnant with Xiba]]. |
| 142 | * TogetherInDeath: Xianghua's ending in ''SCIV'' has her follow Kilik into death as he sacrifices himself to neutralise the two swords, as [[PleaseDontLeaveMe she couldn't bear to be without him.]] Nor was she about to let him shoulder the responsibility of neutralizing the swords alone, since she still hadn't forgiven herself for not being there for him the first time. Although it wasn't the end he wanted for her, he acquiesces and thanks her. |
| 143 | * TheUnpronounceable: When she first debuted, her name (properly said as "Shang-hwah") caused a certain amount of consternation amongst Western gamers in terms of its pronunciation[[note]] "Zee-ang-hoo-hah" and other botched attempts were not uncommon, until the in-game announcer helped to clear up the confusion. [[/note]] as it spectacularly averts the [[StockForeignName typical Mei-Ling/Mai-Lee/Su-Lin staples common to Chinese females in video games]]. |
| 144 | |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Maxi]] |
| 148 | [[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxi3.png]] |
| 149 | [[caption-width-right:1000:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]] |
| 150 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxisc_9.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 151 | |
| 152 | -> ''"Boring, just like the rest of 'em!"'' |
| 153 | |
| 154 | ->'''Origin:''' [[MicroMonarchy Shuri, Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ryukyu Kingdom. At the time the series is set, the Kingdom (which consisted of Okinawa and other islands) was independent from mainland Japan.[[/note]] |
| 155 | ->'''Weapon (SC):''' ''[[FestivalEpisode Fatibal]] [[note]](a Hindi word -- normally written "fastibal" -- for a festival[[/note]]'', a set of nunchaku |
| 156 | ->'''Weapon (II onwards):''' ''[[DragonsAreDivine Soryuju]] [[note]]("Gathering of Revived Dragons")[[/note]]'', a set of nunchaku |
| 157 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[LuckySeven Shissen Karihadi]]'' |
| 158 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NobutoshiCanna (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/KenjiroTsuda (''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Shigeo Kiyama (''Soulcalibur V''; Japanese), Doug Boyd (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Steve Van Wormer (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | -> A dashing pirate from the Ryukyu Kingdom and TheLancer of Kilik's [[TwoGuysAndAGirl 2-man-and-1-woman-band]]. Maxi seeks revenge against Astaroth because he killed Maxi's adoptive brother Kyam and his crew. In ''Soulcalibur'', he ''apparently'' [[MutualKill dies after killing Astaroth]] but comes back in ''SCII'', though with his limbs weakened to the point of uselessness. His limbs are healed via a ritual using a piece of Soul Edge, but he gains LaserGuidedAmnesia in exchange. In ''SCIII'', he meets up with his former friends, Kilik and Xianghua, and remembers them, but because he has a piece of Soul Edge inside him, and Kilik's Dvapara-Yuga mirror wards off evil, Maxi can no longer travel with them. In ''SCIV'' he is manipulated by Tira into serving as a sacrifice for Soul Edge. After vanquishing Astaroth for good, he almost becomes a slave to Soul Edge's will, but Edge Master intervenes and teaches him to control the evil. Now one with the fragment of Soul Edge, he is entrusted with the care of Xiba in ''SCV'', and journeys to investigate new whispers of the dark sword's return. |
| 161 | |
| 162 | -> For tropes applying to Maxi's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 163 | |
| 164 | -> Maxi replaces Li Long as the series' nunchaku wielder. Believed by many to be a button masher character like Eddy Gordo in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', this is actually not the case, also like Eddy. He is a stance-based powerhouse who relies heavily on mixups and quick strikes, and can be very deadly in the hands of an expert player. Later games severely toned down his "masher-friendliness", rewarding those who actually take the time to train as him. |
| 165 | |
| 166 | ---- |
| 167 | |
| 168 | * BadassNormal: Beyond having a Soul Edge shard in him that seems not to empower him at all (besides making him ageless), he has no magical abilities, no magic weapon, and yet he's amongst the best fighters in the series -- only the clearly supernatural characters/monsters beat him out (Olcadan, Edge Master, Zasalamel, and Cervantes) without needing the Soul swords. Maxi also actually defeats Astaroth in one-on-one combat ''before'' having the shard of Soul Edge implanted in his body. |
| 169 | * BittersweetEnding: His ending in ''SC''. He kills Astaroth and destroys Inferno, but is wounded to the point of dying. A similar situation happens in his no-input ending in ''SCIII''. |
| 170 | * CallingYourAttacks: In ''SCIV'', he is the only character who calls the name of his Critical Finish, "Rising Dragon of the Zodiac". |
| 171 | * ConfusionFu: Although occasionally labeled a mashing-friendly character, Maxi has five stances in ''SCV'' (toned down from '''SEVEN''' in ''SCIV'') that [[DifficultButAwesome require a lot memorizing to use or fight against effectively]]. While not to the same extent as Voldo or Yoshimitsu, once Maxi gets into a proper stance, his attacks become extremely hard to predict. |
| 172 | * DeadpanSnarker: Most of his quotes revolve around demeaning the opponent in a confident and often sarcastic manner, and his default tone is fatigued deadpan. |
| 173 | * {{Expy}}: He replaced Li Long as the game's nunchaku fighter. And he looks like Music/ElvisPresley. His moves make him the game's token [[BruceLeeClone Bruce Lee expy]]. That's ''three'' levels of Expy-ness. |
| 174 | * FunnyBruceLeeNoises: As part of his BruceLeeClone schtick. |
| 175 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: With Kilik. (Not that it stops the HoYay.) Before that, there's him and his "sworn brother" Kyam, who was murdered by Astaroth, along with the rest of Maxi's crew. |
| 176 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: He's desperate enough in his quest against Astaroth that he's willing to pick up and use Soul Edge in the full knowledge that his friends will have to fight him to stop him. It's clear that his hatred has driven him past reasoning. |
| 177 | * {{Hunk}}: He's dashingly suave and handsome, and sports impossibly cool Elvis-hair for the time period. |
| 178 | * ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: It's stated in his bio in ''V'' that he left Kilik and Xianghua's company because he didn't want them to be harmed by the lust for revenge that stayed with him even after he killed Astaroth. Thanks to Edge Master's training, he got better. |
| 179 | * TheLancer: He fits this role in regards to Kilik. If you see Xianghua as the hero, then he would be TheBigGuy. |
| 180 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MawZq9zuiQ8 ''Let My Soul Burn'']] |
| 181 | * LovableRogue: He's a pirate, but he's a good guy. |
| 182 | * OlderAndWiser: By ''SCV'', he's finally avenged his crew, received some training from Edge Master himself, mellowed out a bit, and has taken to leading Lexia, Natsu, and Xiba. |
| 183 | * OlderThanTheyLook: Specifically stated to be so in ''SCV'', even though he looks no different than he did back in the day. It's heavily speculated that his aging was slowed down by the effects of the Soul Edge shard that was inside of his body. This is even lampshaded by Maxi himself in his bio. |
| 184 | * {{Pirate}}: Of the dashing romantic hero type, he hails from the tropical island Kingdom of Ryukyu (made up of modern-day Okinawa and various other smaller islands). |
| 185 | * ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: He has yet to display any act of piracy. He seems more like a merchant than a pirate. |
| 186 | * {{Revenge}}: Towards Astaroth, who killed his adoptive brother Kyam ''and'' his whole pirate crew. |
| 187 | * RevengeBeforeReason: He's on the verge of falling into this abyss as of ''SCIV''. His ending even has him brandishing Soul Edge to defeat Astaroth, knowing full well that Kilik and Xianghua will have to fight him afterwards because of the sword. Luckily, Edge Master swoops in to prevent Maxi from becoming consumed by his desire for revenge. |
| 188 | %%* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: See above. |
| 189 | * SanitySlippage: In his bio in ''SCV'', it's stated that his humanity is slowly slipping away from him as he hid in the shadows. |
| 190 | * StageName: Maxi = "Makishi", based on the Japanese for his name (マキシ). Makishi is a fairly common Okinawan name, and he probably uses "Maxi" because it sounds more international in his capacity as a world-roaming pirate. |
| 191 | * StanceSystem: Called "Pure Soul Loops". Certain moves end with Maxi flipping his nunchakus around for a brief moment before returning to his regular stance. From these short periods where he's neutrally swinging his nunchakus, you can launch additional attacks. If you need more time, you can hold a direction while in a PSL to cause several Soul Loops to play out in sequence until you let go of the direction or perform an attack (though this can leave you vulnerable). This can make Maxi both easy and difficult to use (he's easy since he has a lot of options after an attack to continue his offense but difficult because a solid Maxi player will have very little time to gauge what their response will be to a given situation before they're back in Maxi's regular stance). To play Maxi right, you need to familiarize yourself with what Soul Loop his moves will end with and then what moves can be done next so flowing between an attack, the Soul Loop it ends on, and the follow up will happen without thought. |
| 192 | [[/folder]] |
| 193 | |
| 194 | [[folder:Astaroth]] |
| 195 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astaroth_9.png]] |
| 196 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur II'' Appearance]] |
| 197 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur IV'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astaroth_sc4_hr.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 198 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astarothsc.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 199 | |
| 200 | |
| 201 | -> ''"Squirm, you filthy maggot!"'' |
| 202 | |
| 203 | ->'''Origin:''' [[CultColony Grand Shrine of Palgaea, Safavid Empire (Iran)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Safavid Empire. At the time the series is set, the Safavid Dynasty ruled over Persia (modern-day Iran). Astaroth's CultColony is located within this region.[[/note]] |
| 204 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[ConLang Kulutues]] [[note]]("Merciless Destroyer" in the ancient (invented) tongue of the Fygul Cestemus cult)[[/note]]'', [[BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon a giant axe]] |
| 205 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[ConLang Gyulkus]] [[note]]("Protection" in the ancient (invented) tongue of the Fygul Cestemus cult)[[/note]]'' |
| 206 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/BanjoGinga (''Soulcalibur''; English), Creator/RyuzaburoOtomo (''Soulcalibur II'' onward; Japanese), Jay S. Gilbert (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Creator/MichaelMcConnohie (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 207 | |
| 208 | -> Astaroth is a large golem created by the Palgaea Cult, an evil, near-eastern sect that worshipped the God of War (No, not [[VideoGame/GodOfWar that one]]. [[note]]Okay, [[Characters/SoulcaliburIV maybe.]][[/note]]) His main task is to find Soul Edge and bring it to his master, Kunpaetku (Ares, actually[[note]]well, is it that one or isn't it?!?[[/note]]), and to that end he allied himself with Nightmare. He slaughtered Maxi's crew under Nightmare's orders, and is later killed by Maxi himself, but gets resurrected in ''SCII' by Ares. Kunpaetku placed a curse upon him in an attempt to regain control over him, but it only made him more prone to berserk rages. Due to this, he sets out to destroy Kunpaetku, who had planned to betray Ares and take Soul Edge's power for himself. Astaroth destroyed the whole cult and eventually found Kunpaetku, who revealed that Astaroth was a "failed experiment," and that he was modeled after a human. |
| 209 | |
| 210 | -> Astaroth tries fighting against the idea that he is based off a human until he encounters Rock, who he realizes is the man he was modeled after. Filled with anger, he attacks Rock and wins the fight. He then realizes that for all of his life, he had been serving someone, or something. He reaches the peak of his rage and sheds his humanoid appearance, becoming the golem that he was meant to be. He vows to use Soul Edge's power to kill Ares once and for all, [[OmnicidalManiac and then kill everything else afterward]]. |
| 211 | |
| 212 | -> The original Astaroth was slain in a decisive battle with Maxi in ''SCIV'', and his heart was harvested by Ashlotte and brought back to the cult. During the timeskip, a new sect of the cult lead by Kunpaetku created several new Astaroth-like golems using the heart, one of which appears in ''SCV''. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | -> Astaroth replaces Rock as the series' ax-wielder. He is slow, but can do ridiculous damage once he gets momentum. Later games brought in new focus on his throw game, molding him into the series' "grappler" character. |
| 215 | |
| 216 | ---- |
| 217 | |
| 218 | * BackFromTheDead: He's defeated by Maxi in ''SC'' and resurrected in ''SCII'' using shards of Soul Edge. |
| 219 | * BaldOfEvil: Very bald, very evil, and a one-man engine of destruction. |
| 220 | * BeatStillMyHeart: His chest features an exposed, pulsating heart. |
| 221 | * BoisterousBruiser: An evil version. He's a bloodthirsty golem who is nonetheless very boisterous and loud in battle. |
| 222 | * ButForMeItWasTuesday: When Maxi demands if Astaroth remembers him from their previous MutualKill battle or the massacre of Maxi's crew, Astaroth does not appear to have any idea who he is. |
| 223 | -->''(pre-battle) Pretentious little bug!'' |
| 224 | -->''(post-battle) You all look the same to me.'' |
| 225 | * TheCameo: He makes an appearance in ''PacManFever''. |
| 226 | * CharacterCatchphrase: In ''SCII'', "Worms!" |
| 227 | * CultColony: The Palgaea Cult’s TempleOfDoom is located in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} Persian Desert]] (modern-day Iran), as evidenced by the [[AllThereInTheManual story mode map and accompanying text]] in ''SCIII'', and the temple's placement on the world map in ''SCVI'''s Libra of Soul mode. |
| 228 | * TheDragon: To Nightmare, to a [[TheStarscream certain]] [[UnwittingPawn extent]]. |
| 229 | * EvilKnockoff: To Rock. He was the human template used to create Astaroth. |
| 230 | * {{Golem}}: Astaroth is a humanoid construct created by the mad scientists of the Persia-based Palgaea cult in their aim to retrieve Soul Edge and take control of all Eurasia. His golem nature is especially apparent in ''SCIV'' , where he becomes less and less human-looking, appearing more like an elemental being than ever before. |
| 231 | * AGodAmI: Strongly implied in both of his endings in ''SCIII''. In one ending, he declares himself "the ultimate" and in the other, he calls Ares a "lowly god", who doesn't have the right to rule him. |
| 232 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: In ''SCIII'', he discovers that he is an EvilKnockoff. His reaction is to completely destroy the temple where he was created. |
| 233 | * TheGrappler: He has a great throw game, which helps counter his poor attacks for close range. Notably, he is the only character in the series for whom grappling is considered a vital part of his gameplay. Other characters, such as Siegfried/Nightmare, Ivy and Xianghua, all have numerous and dangerous command throws or hit-throws, but their core fighting styles don't really need them at all. |
| 234 | * KilledOffForReal: Maxi finally killed him during the events of ''SCIV''. |
| 235 | * LargeHam: Always screaming and shouting for the opponent to die and to scream in terror and pain. |
| 236 | * LegacyCharacter: The Astaroth in ''SCV'' is a new character (described as his "brother"), said to be more powerful than the previous Astaroth. |
| 237 | * MightyGlacier: He is slow and doesn't have much combo ability, yet his attacks deal huge amounts of damage. |
| 238 | * MonochromaticEyes: A staple of his appearance since ''SC''. Aside from yellow eyes in ''SCIII'', other games have him with white eyes of this sort. |
| 239 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Astaroth is the Crowned Prince of Hell in demonology. Such a name already suggests that he is not to be messed with. |
| 240 | * NoIndoorVoice: Every line of dialogue is a bellowing roar. |
| 241 | * ObviouslyEvil: He has a huge monstrous appearance, MonochromaticEyes, and his quotes are mostly about killing the opponent and wishing to hear them scream in agony. |
| 242 | * OmnicidalManiac: Since ''SCIII'', where it is stated that the curse only made him angrier and more determined to destroy anything or anyone he saw. |
| 243 | %%(ZCE)* OneWingedAngel: His monstrous appearance in ''SCIV'' is [[AllThereInTheManual the result of this]]. |
| 244 | * RageAgainstTheHeavens: His goal in ''SCIV'' is to use Soul Edge's power to kill Ares, the god his cult worships. |
| 245 | * TheStarscream: In both ''SC'' and ''SCIV'' (and to a lesser extent in ''SCII''), he joins Nightmare's group with the ultimate goal of stealing Soul Edge from him. Though Nightmare's [[UnwittingPawn well aware of that, and just uses him to his convenience]]. |
| 246 | * UniquenessDecay: The original Astaroth Is the only one of his kind, mainly because he turned against his cult until Maxi slayed him. The one in ''SCV'' is part of a complete, mass-produced line and there are others that exist. |
| 247 | * WholeCostumeReference: Astaroth's 2P costume in ''SCV'' brings to mind a [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necron Warrior]]... or at least a melee-oriented Immortal. |
| 248 | * WrestlerInAllOfUs: Throughout the series, he's the character with the most variety of wrestling moves, even more than Rock, who moved towards less of a grappling role and more of a power-hitter type. |
| 249 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: He's actually younger than Talim. As of ''II'', he's only ''seven'', though that's due to him being an artificially created being. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[folder:Isabella "Ivy" Valentine]] |
| 253 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ivy_2.png]] |
| 254 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur IV'' Appearance]] |
| 255 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur V'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc5_ivy.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 256 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Alternate in ''Soulcalibur II'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/465px_ivy03scii.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 257 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ivysc.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | |
| 260 | -> ''"Well aren't we cheeky? Alright then!"'' |
| 261 | |
| 262 | ->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/{{England}} London, Kingdom of England]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the Kingdom of England. The series is set prior to the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603, and the Kingdom of Great Britain was not yet established.[[/note]] |
| 263 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[AndStarring Valentine]]'', [[WhipSword a whip sword]] |
| 264 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[ExoticWeaponSupremacy Unrelated Link]]'' |
| 265 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/YumiTouma (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Kanako Tôjo (''Soulcalibur Legends'' & ''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Creator/MiyukiSawashiro (''Soulcalibur V'' onward; Japanese), Renee Hewitt (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Creator/LaniMinella (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 266 | |
| 267 | -> Born [[BlueBlood Lady]] Isabella and raised in London by the Earl and Countess Valentine, an aristocratic English family, Ivy’s early years were spent in a loving environment — that is until her father’s obsession with alchemy and immortality gained by obtaining Soul Edge drove him to an early grave. Shortly thereafter, Ivy’s mother passed away, but not before revealing that Ivy was not a Valentine by birth. She was in fact Cervantes daughter and conceived when Soul Edge schemed to create a new host should he become unable to fulfil his duty. Cervantes, under this influence, raped the daughter of the owner of the Black Tail Inn, who gave birth to Ivy and left her in the care of the Valentines. After her adoptive father passed away, she sought to continue his research of Soul Edge through alchemy. She eventually discovered its true properties and sets out to destroy it in memory of her parents. She joins Nightmare, unaware he wielded Soul Edge, and serves him in the belief she'd eventually get her hands on Soul Edge. Later confronted by Taki, who reveals the truth of her birth and her father's identity. |
| 268 | |
| 269 | -> After a lot of soul searching, she decides to destroy everything related to Soul Edge. She conducts even MORE research on finding a way to destroy the evil sword and learns of Soul Calibur, the cursed sword's polar opposite. She closes in on finding a way to wield Soul Calibur, but Cervantes attacks her by surprise and steals her soul. Luckily, she finds a way to escape that fate by putting the artificial soul of the homunculus she was creating into herself. Her whip sword's style changes accordingly to her new body, and she sets out one last time to destroy Soul Edge once and for all. She encounters Cervantes and defeats him, bearing witness to the disappearance of Soul Edge into a vortex in the process. Knowing that this was not the end, she goes back to her mansion and begins researching the strange anomaly she saw. Devising a potential new way to destroy the sword over the course of 17 years, her body remains unaged due to her cursed blood, and [[OverlyLongGag she sets out to destroy the sword once and for all]]. |
| 270 | |
| 271 | -> For tropes applying to Ivy's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 272 | |
| 273 | -> Ivy is considered one of the most advanced characters in the series. She is a stance-based character who can be played a number of ways depending on which stance she is currently in. One must constantly switch between Sword Mode and Whip Mode to keep the opponent guessing. In ''IV'' she gained a new stance - Curled Mode, upping the challenge in using her. In ''V'', however, her stance system is gone, and she instead switches between styles through holding down specific buttons as she attacks. |
| 274 | |
| 275 | ---- |
| 276 | * NinetiesAntiHero: She was introduced as the series' first villainess, and comes complete with a DarkAndTroubledPast that ignites a highly volatile relationship with her birth father. Even after becoming TheAtoner, she uses morally questionable methods in the name of good, and infamously wears the skimpiest outfit of any woman in the series. |
| 277 | * TheAgeless: Due to her Malfestation, she stops aging in ''SCIV''. |
| 278 | * AlchemyIsMagic: She has the ability to conjure up fiery portals to fry her enemies in what is one of the game's more overt examples of a character using "magical" attacks. |
| 279 | * AnimalMotifs: Her shoulder pauldron in ''SCV'' incorporates a large, hissing {{snake|sAreSexy}}-head. |
| 280 | * AristocratsAreEvil: She's an English ''Lady'' (titled as such because she's the daughter of an Earl) and in her debut appearance in ''SC'', she's on the "evil" side when she teams up with Nightmare. However, she becomes more neutrally aligned from ''SCII'' onwards. |
| 281 | * TheAtoner: Starting from ''SCII'', where she's horrified to discover the reality behind Nightmare's evil plans and vows to put an end to him. |
| 282 | * BadassBoast: "Curse your fate for running into ''ME''". |
| 283 | * BadassBookworm: Most of her time is spent in the vast library, researching ways to destroy Soul Edge. |
| 284 | * TheBaroness: Steely, no-nonsense, and with a definite dominatrix vibe. |
| 285 | * BigFancyHouse: The Valentine Mansion, London. The grand staircase and library are used as fighting arenas in ''SC'' and ''SCIII'' respectively. The Mansion returns in ''SCV'', after an absence in ''SCIV'', with the fight taking place in a large atrium complete with a giant stained-glass window and two huge statues holding moonlight-reflecting mirrors. |
| 286 | * BlueBlood: She's a hereditary peeress, and as the daughter of an Earl, she would be referred to as "Lady Isabella Valentine". Upon the death of her father, if the Earldom of Valentine is a title that can pass in the female line, Ivy would automatically become 'The Right Honourable Isabella Valentine, Countess Valentine' (Countess being the feminine form of Earl). Incidentally, her father was initially mislabelled "Count" Valentine, a title that doesn't appear amongst the English aristocracy. He was correctly titled "Earl" (analogous to Count) from ''SCV'' onwards. |
| 287 | * BritishStuffiness: Played straight with her commanding, ''heightened'' RP accent and the witheringly dismissive attitude she displays towards her opponents, but completely defied with her increasingly revealing default costume. However, her more conservative alternate costumes generally play this straight too. |
| 288 | * ByronicHero: She exhibits many of the required character traits -- sophistication, confidence, and [[MsFanservice seductive magnetism]] but at the same time, emotional conflict and a troubled past. |
| 289 | * CelibateHero: Amazingly enough, given her risqué look, though it's ultimately because she doesn't want to risk having a Soul Edge-tainted kid. This is perhaps a shout-out to fellow celibate hero [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Elizabeth I]], the "Virgin Queen" who ruled England at the time ''Soulcalibur'' is set. |
| 290 | * ChainmailBikini: Her clothing is designed to serve as armor but falls squarely into RuleOfSexy. In fact, the only part of her body adequately covered is her left arm, which is typically fully-armoured in all of her default costumes. |
| 291 | * ChildByRape: Cervantes raped her mother under the influence of Soul Edge. |
| 292 | * CombatStilettos: Uses her heels to trample her grounded enemies. |
| 293 | * ComicBookFantasyCasting: Fans have commented on her resemblance to British actress Creator/SarahDouglas in her role as the ultra-sexy [[TheBaroness villainess]] Ursa in ''Film/SupermanII''. They even sound similar. |
| 294 | * ContraltoOfStrength: She is voiced with a booming, commandingly deep cut-glass RP accent, which suits her character as one of the more mature and intimidating women in the series. |
| 295 | * CoolBigSis: In ''SCV'', most of the young fighters who are introduced in the game look up to her this way (or even as [[TeamMom a surrogate mother]] sometimes). |
| 296 | * CreatingLifeIsBad: According to ''New Legends of Project Soul'', as part of her study on the nature and abilities of the Soul Swords and Astral Chaos, she exposed a piece of flesh to Soul Edge's evil energy, causing it to mutate into a baby EldritchAbomination she called Nauplius, similar in nature to Charade, that she keeps in a cage. It's visible in the background of her "Valentine Mansion" stage in ''SCV''. |
| 297 | * {{Crossdresser}}: Her alternate costumes in ''SC'' and ''SCII'' are of a distinctly masculine, period military style. She even slicks her hair back in the ''SCII'' alt. |
| 298 | * DarkActionGirl: A usually non-evil example, she nonetheless exhibits the confidence, intimidating presence, and dark-coloured outfits required. |
| 299 | * DarkIsNotEvil: Has the appearance and attitude of an icy villainess, but is actually a noble, decent person at heart and dedicated to destroying Soul Edge. |
| 300 | * DifficultButAwesome: Has a reputation for being one of the ''Soul'' series' hardest characters to use because of her expansive, stance-oriented moveset. It doesn't help that said moveset changes from game to game. Somewhat rectified in the fifth game, which streamlines her gameplay. That said, Ivy in the hands of an expert user is almost untouchable because of her long-ranged, keep-away game, and many of her moves do high damage, including the two most damaging throws in the game. |
| 301 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: She wields a ''whip'', wears BDSM costumes, a lot of her soundbites and voice grunting is suggestive, and several of her throws are {{dominatrix}}-esque. |
| 302 | -->''Well aren't we '''cheeky'''? This'll be fun!'' |
| 303 | * {{Dominatrix}}: In keeping with the previous trope, this is one of the major influences of her character design and commanding personality. Best example: a grapple move that forces the opponent on all fours, which she then uses as a chair, followed by this quote: |
| 304 | -->''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Learn. Your. PLACE!]]'' |
| 305 | * DoorstopBaby: Her biological mother was raped by Cervantes, and left baby Ivy at the front gates of the Valentine Mansion in London. She was raised by the Earl and Countess as a Valentine, and they only revealed her true parentage upon their death-beds. |
| 306 | * DressedLikeADominatrix: Her costumes are obviously inspired by that of a dominatrix, while she uses a whip as a weapon. |
| 307 | * EvilBrit: Ivy's nationality and corresponding accent are used with great effect to enhance the gravitas of her character and the imperious, domineering nature of her personality. She evokes the classic cinematic British villainess, and whilst she is considered evil by many due to her Machiavellian philosophy, especially in ''SC'', where she teams up with Nightmare, she becomes more neutrally aligned from ''SCII'' onwards, attempting to [[TheAtoner atone]] for her past mistakes. |
| 308 | * FlowerMotifs: Her shoulder pauldron, earrings, and some of the metal clasps on [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/c/c2/Ivy23.jpg her costume]] in ''SCIV'' incorporate the Tudor Rose, a traditional [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_rose heraldic symbol of England.]] This symbol continues to be used throughout her costume in ''SCV'', and is incorporated into her lapel buttons, earrings, and choker, as well as appearing again throughout her costume in ''SCVI''. |
| 309 | * GoodWearsWhite: In ''SCIII'', she wears a white version of her ChainmailBikini as standard costume, reflecting her new path of redemption. |
| 310 | * GorgeousGaijin: A classic example, Ivy follows a pattern established by her fellow English women [[note]][[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Cammy]], [[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Christie]], [[Characters/TheKingOfFighters Leanne]][[/note]] in Japanese fighting games -- that of a steely, no-nonsense femme fatale sporting a form-fitting outfit and a cut-glass RP accent. |
| 311 | * HeroicBuild: She's impressively tall, with an imposing frame, thighs of steel, and {{curves in all the right places}}. |
| 312 | * HeroicSacrifice: Her sword in her story ending for ''SCIV''. |
| 313 | * IAmVeryBritish: She is one of the only characters in the series to be voiced with their native accent. An appropriate London RP accent to be precise, befitting her status as an aristocrat. |
| 314 | * IconicSequelCharacter: As iconic to the series as she is, and an inseparable sex symbol for the franchise, it's easy to forget that she was ''not'' in the original game, especially since [[SequelDisplacement the sequel is far more famous than the original]]. |
| 315 | * IHateYouVampireDad: Her hatred for Cervantes has always been an important part of her story. All of her Destined Battles in the series have been against him. |
| 316 | * IntercontinuityCrossover: She makes an appearance in ''[[Anime/QueensBlade Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos]]''. |
| 317 | * ItsPersonal: After her father, the Earl, passed away, Ivy discovered his diary. In it, she discovered that the "Key to Eternal Youth" her father had been pursuing was the sword known as Soul Edge. During this investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword -- it was an evil blade that feasted on souls. Filled with rage and despair, Ivy vowed to avenge the death of her father by using all of her knowledge to destroy Soul Edge. |
| 318 | -->''My father was driven mad by such a loathsome thing... this evil sword!'' |
| 319 | * KneelBeforeZod: As seen in her reverse throw, where she forces the opponent onto [[PoseOfSupplication their knees]], with her whip-sword around their neck like a leash and her heel planted firmly in the base of their back. |
| 320 | -->'''''BEG FOR FORGIVENESS!''''' |
| 321 | * KnightTemplar: Her resolution after discovering her cursed heritage is to erase all traces of Soul Edge from Earth; the sword, its shards, and those corrupted by it... even if they are innocents. |
| 322 | * LadyOfWar: Despite her {{stripperiffic}} look, she’s composed, commanding, and dignified in character, especially in her less-revealing costumes, and her NoblewomansLaugh really helps -- all that, and the fact that she is an actual ''Lady'' in title by birth. |
| 323 | * LegFocus: They make up most of her impressively statuesque height -- [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090604204313/soulcalibur/images/6/67/MINAOWNEDBYIVY.jpg Just look at her!]] |
| 324 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IL5XhjTL4w ''Without The Blessing of Fate'']], a tinkling Elizabethan-style pianoforte piece in keeping with her nationality. |
| 325 | * MadScientist: Although, she does it for a ''good'' cause, she does dabble in alchemy, and carries out experiments on the shards of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur that she has obtained. |
| 326 | * MagicKnight: Ivy is trained in [[AlchemyIsMagic alchemy]], which she uses in conjunction with her WhipSword skills. |
| 327 | * MeaningfulName: The nickname ''Ivy'' is an acronym of her given name (Isabella) and family name (Valentine). There's also the obvious parallel with her weapon and the ivy plant — a twisting, strangling vine. With regards to her given name, ''Isabella'' is Hebrew and means "God's promise". The surname ''Valentine'' is (appropriately) of English and Scottish origin, and comes from a medieval given name, derived from the Latin "Valentinus", a derivative of "valere", to be strong, healthy. |
| 328 | * MsFanservice: She's the one who truly started the series' trend for scantily clad, generously proportioned female characters. Following Ivy's introduction, her and Sophitia's designs seemingly compete to see which of them can get away with showing more skin. By ''SCIV'', you can measure the total amount of fabric they wear within ''centimeters''. |
| 329 | * MoreDakka: Ivy has the two most damaging throws in the game, 'Summon Suffering' and 'Calamity Symphony'. Unlike most super-high damage throws in fighting games, these aren't based on [[HumanHammerThrow giant swing]] or SpinningPiledriver-type moves. Instead, she magically dis-corporates the blades of her whip sword, which then fly out to repeatedly pierce the enemy at a machine-gun rate. |
| 330 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: She starts out working with the bad guys in the original ''Soulcalibur'' until she realizes to her horror that she's been unwittingly helping them harvest innocent souls to feed Soul Edge. [[HeelFaceTurn She then turns on them and devotes herself to destroying the evil sword,]] which regretfully sometimes [[IDidWhatIHadToDo requires her to kill innocents corrupted by Soul Edge's influence.]] |
| 331 | * MysticalWhiteHair: She has white hair and Soul Edge-cursed blood, and is an accomplished alchemist. |
| 332 | * MythicalMotifs: The background of her artwork in ''SCVI'' features ''caduceus'', the traditional symbol of Hermes, which features two snakes winding around an often winged staff. The two-snake caduceus design has ancient and consistent associations with trade, eloquence, negotiation, wisdom and, most applicably for Ivy, alchemy. |
| 333 | * NoblewomansLaugh: Less high-pitched than normally encountered, though much more booming and threatening -- '''AAAAH HA HA HA HA HA!!!''' |
| 334 | * NotAfraidToDie: She has known from the start that if her overall goal or eradicating Soul Edge and its influence is to succeed, she herself must die. Preferably, that part comes last. |
| 335 | * OfCorsetsSexy: Most noticeable in ''SCIV'', where her bodice is made up of nothing but artfully placed ''strings''. |
| 336 | * OlderThanSheLooks: As of ''SCV'', where chronologically she's 49 years old, though still looks exactly like she did in ''SCIV''. |
| 337 | * OneHeadTaller: She's a clear ''foot'' taller than fellow female warriors Talim and Xianghua. |
| 338 | * PurpleIsPowerful: Most of her standard outfits are purple-colored and she is associated with the color, befitting her noble and intimidating character. The alias Nightmare gives her, ''Dexture Purpure'', means "Skillful Purple". |
| 339 | * ShamelessFanserviceGirl: A lot of her animations emphasize her voluptuous assets, and quite a few of her quotes are spoken with a seductive tone, especially when she teases her opponent about dominating them. |
| 340 | * SheCleansUpNicely: Despite her highly revealing in-game outfits, when Ivy isn't off questing for soul-destroying swords, she tends to [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/3/3e/Ivyart.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100405004057 dress more suitably]] for an English Countess in London in the late 1500s. In fact, pretty much every single one of her P2 costumes is a fancy dress or formal, military-themed outfit that shows almost no skin. |
| 341 | * ShownTheirWork: The culturally accurate ''Tudor Rose of England'' symbolism used throughout her costume in ''SCIV'' and ''SCV'' is a surprisingly well-researched touch, especially as the rest of her look is infamously not so symbolic. |
| 342 | * SomeDexterityRequired: Ivy famously has the two strongest throws in the game -- 'Summon Suffering' and 'Calamity Symphony' -- though both require a good degree of dexterity to pull off. The inputs required change every game but are always a string of at least six directional inputs, which can even do bonus damage if the inputs are done frame-perfect. |
| 343 | * StatuesqueStunner: At an amazonian height of nearly 6 foot even without her 6-inch heels, Ivy towers above all of the other ladies in the series -- ''and most of the men''. |
| 344 | * {{Stripperiffic}}: Despite her vow of chastity, her outfits are traditionally very revealing, typically consisting of just a bodice and suspenders, with very minimal armour. Not for nothing is she deemed the MsFanservice of the series. |
| 345 | * TheTease: A few of her quotes and tone of voice exhibit suggestive SugaryMalice. |
| 346 | -->''Won't you come closer...?''\ |
| 347 | ''You thought you could really win? How '''cute'''.'' |
| 348 | * ThongOfShielding: It's always a given in her 1P outfits that she has only a thong "covering" her shapely behind. |
| 349 | * {{Underboobs}}: As seen in her ''SCIV'' costume. Censored on the official US site. Inverted in ''SCVI'' where those are the ''only'' parts of her breasts covered in her default costume, though the rest of her buxom bosom is still clearly visible. |
| 350 | * UndyingLoyalty: Her sword is sentient and completely loyal to her. This is best shown in her ''SCIV'' ending where Ivy becomes encased in crystal and is prepared to accept her fate, feeling she deserves it after what she has done. Her sword however defies her wishes and frees her, shattering itself into pieces as a result. |
| 351 | * UnwittingPawn: Nightmare/Soul Edge planned her birth, gave life to her sword so she'd owe him and join his group, and would keep her at all times at his side (even though she wanted the sword's destruction) in case the sword needed an emergency host. And Ivy was blissfully unaware of all that. |
| 352 | * UsedToBeASweetKid: As seen in the [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100405004323/soulcalibur/images/b/bd/Adoptive_parents.jpg family portrait]] hanging in the Valentine Mansion in ''SCIII'', in which she looks to be about 11-12 years old, sports a cute platinum blonde bob, and has a hand placed lovingly on Earl Valentine's shoulder. Seeing Ivy in such an innocent, familial setting provides great contrast with her stern, icy, adult persona. |
| 353 | * VaporWear: Her outfit in ''SCIV'' is so revealing and skintight that it's quite evident she's not wearing any form of underwear beneath it. |
| 354 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: She came to the realisation that in order to destroy all traces of the Soul Edge, she would have to kill innocents, and show no mercy while doing so. (And she also realized that ''she'' had to die eventually as well.) To quote her directly: |
| 355 | -->''...Call me a monster, a demon if you must. I'll be happy to be called those names if it is the price I must pay to eliminate the existence of the evil blade!'' |
| 356 | * WhipOfDominance: Ivy is a British BlueBlood who is introduced in the series as a cold, haughty, domineering EvilBrit, dressed in a {{Stripperiffic}} and [[DressedLikeADominatrix dominatrix]] take on old British aristocratic garb, wielding a WhipSword in combat. Her taunts and movesets all emphasize the {{dominatrix}} inspiration, which includes a grapple that forces the opponent on all fours, at which point she [[DominanceThroughFurniture sits on them]] and booms "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Learn. Your. Place.]]" |
| 357 | * WhipSword: A weapon she designed herself, but was animated by Nightmare. "Valentine" is an EmpathicWeapon, and as noted in her bios, the sword seems to be sentient, treating Ivy like its master. The alchemic properties of its creation likely contributed to it gaining sentience. |
| 358 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: Only in her debut game, where she's on the evil side, but following that, she is ultimately an anti-heroine rather than a full-blown villainess. |
| 359 | [[/folder]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | [[folder:Nightmare (Siegfried)]] |
| 362 | |
| 363 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightmareii.png]] |
| 364 | |
| 365 | -> ''"Your nightmare has begun!"'' |
| 366 | |
| 367 | ->'''Origin:''' [[MadeOfEvil The living incarnation of the cursed sword, Soul Edge]] |
| 368 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[LivingWeapon Soul Edge]]'', [[MorphWeapon great sword form]] |
| 369 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[TransferableMemory The memories that stain his armor]]'' |
| 370 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (''Soulcalibur'', ''Soulcalibur II'', and ''Soulcalibur VI''); Ted D' Agostino (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Creator/KirkThornton (''Soulcalibur VI''; English)[[/note]] |
| 371 | |
| 372 | -> The [[BigBad main antagonist]] of the series and wielder of Soul Edge. The original Nightmare was Siegfried Schtauffen, who took up the moniker when he became possessed by [[GreaterScopeVillain Inferno]] at the end of ''Soul Edge''. In ''Soulcalibur'', Nightmare assembled a team of villains - Ivy, Astaroth, and Aeon - to act as bodyguards, conquered the city of [[TheNecrocracy Ostrheinsburg]], and conducted a [[OmnicidalManiac campaign of slaughter]] spanning all of Europe in an attempt to reassemble Soul Edge. Before he could do so, he was defeated by Xianghua, the wielder of Soul Calibur. With Soul Edge damaged and weakened, Siegfried regained control of his body, but was eventually repossessed because he had kept the cursed sword out of fear others would fall victim to it. In ''Soulcalibur II'', Nightmare resumed his campaign until he was confronted by the French aristocrat Raphael, who he easily defeated. When Raphael stabbed Soul Edge's eye in a last, deperate attack, Siegfried regained control of his body and sealed Soul Edge using Soul Calibur. |
| 373 | |
| 374 | ->For tropes applying to the second Nightmare, see [[Characters/SoulcaliburIII here]]. For tropes applying to the third Nightmare, Graf Dumas, see [[Characters/SoulcaliburV here]]. For tropes applying to Nightmare's appearance in the New Timeline starting from ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 375 | |
| 376 | ---- |
| 377 | |
| 378 | * BadassCape: ''SCVI'' adds a tattered black cape to his ''Soulcalibur'' design. |
| 379 | * {{BFS}}: Nightmare wields Soul Edge in the form of a zweihänder. Soul Edge specifically altered Graf Dumas' memories so that it could retain that form. |
| 380 | * BigBad: In ''SC'' and ''SCII'', since he is the primary holder of Soul Edge. |
| 381 | * BloodKnight: Oh, '''''hell''''' yes. Nightmare exists solely to feed Soul Edge the souls of those foolish enough to face him in combat. |
| 382 | * BodyHorror: Soul Edge's possession does this to any of its wielders, usually warping their right arm into a hideous and grotesque set of talons. Siegfried was no exception. His "Siegfried!" appearance took this further, with his armor being even more organic, as if it were a fusion of flesh and metal. |
| 383 | * CardCarryingVillain: When he's not referring to himself as "the greatest Nightmare", he's ranting about how he will drown the world in blood and darkness. |
| 384 | * CatchPhrase: "'''Blood, darkness, COME UNTO ME!'''", "I will show you the greatest Nightmare!" and "''Need more souls!''" |
| 385 | * ChekhovsGunman: He first made an appearance in Siegfried's bad ending from ''Soul Edge'' and served as an extra costume for him in the western version, ''Soul Blade'', ("Siegfried!") with {{no ending}}. Suffice to say, few thought this development would be canon. Nightmare's entire existence serves an as aversion to NoCanonForTheWicked. |
| 386 | * ContinuityNod: In ''Legends'', Soul Edge appears in its Cocoon form when Siegfried finds it, which is how it was depicted when wielded by "Siegfried!" |
| 387 | * CoolSword: Evil and creepy as it is, there's no doubt a massive sword that looks as if it's made of flesh and sporting a living eye isn't attention-grabbing. |
| 388 | * DivergentCharacterEvolution: A quite justified example. As Nightmare was Siegfried in ''SC'' and ''SCII'', his moveset was pretty much the same as his. Since he became a different character in ''SCIII'', his fighting style had become much more unique, gaining a different stance and a lot more moves. |
| 389 | * DualWielding: In the ending cutscene of Siegfried's bad ending in ''Soul Edge/Blade'', a picture of "Siegfried!" wielding two Soul Edges is shown. |
| 390 | * EarlyBirdCameo: In ''Soul Edge'' as "Siegfried!" Had that design of his been carried over to subsequent games, Nightmare would have instead been "The Crimson Knight." |
| 391 | * EvilOverlord: Took over the city of Ostrheinsburg and turned it into a place of ghosts, monsters, and Malfested. |
| 392 | * EvilRedhead: In his 1P outfit in ''II'' has a long mane of red hair. |
| 393 | * EvilSoundsDeep: In ''Soulcalibur'', a lot of Nightmare's dialogue is Siegfried's dialogue but modified with slower speed and a lower pitch. Starting with ''SCII'', he speaks in a raspy tone that's dark, but not as baritone. |
| 394 | * EyesDoNotBelongThere: He occasionally has extra eyes on his mutated arm. |
| 395 | * FallenHero: Siegfried wasn't exactly the nicest or noblest of people when he made his debut, but he is, at heart, a good person, and becoming the host of the cursed sword Soul Edge is a pretty damn hard fall. |
| 396 | * FeatheredFiend: Nightmare had a malfested hawk as a pet, as seen in the opening of ''SCII''. |
| 397 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: In ''SCII''. His third alt. is that of a fully human Siegfried and his ultimate weapon is the Soul Calibur. Nightmare's ending even has Siegfried break free and throw Soul Edge into an endless chasm. All of this perhaps served as a clue towards Siegfried's character progression in the next game. |
| 398 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: A young boy goes from the leader of a band of thieves to the greatest evil the world has ever known thanks to the evil influence of one sword. And yes, the pun is intended. |
| 399 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: Nightmare's databook entries and brief cutscene appearances illustrate that he is a lot faster and stronger than his playable self indicates. |
| 400 | --> '''New Legends of Project Soul:''' *regrading Graf Dumas* "The maddened 'Azure Knight' Nightmare is capable of destroying several mounted and heavily armored soldiers with a single sweep of the massive Soul Edge, and can pull out his victims' very souls using his misshapen right arm." ... "Nightmare fights using powerful moves that take his physical body beyond its usual limits, and a purple flame that eats through his own flesh while burning his victims. To some, Nightmare could very well look like a tragic victim of the cursed blade's power as he stirs up a storm of destruction that devastates his body nearly as much as it does the world around him." |
| 401 | * HadesShaded: In ''SCII'', what little skin that's visible beneath his armor is reddish brown. |
| 402 | * IconicSequelCharacter: Since his debut in ''SC'', he became the main villain of the franchise, appearing in all following games and even becoming the mascot for Project Soul (although who was inside the armor itself has shifted over time). |
| 403 | * IveComeTooFar: In Sophitia's rival cutscene in ''Soulcalibur'' she claims to want to save Nightmare/Siegfried, to which his response is that there is "no turning back". This scene is echoed in ''SCVI'' with Sophitia and Nightmare's unique match intro. |
| 404 | * KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Similar to Siegfried, his moveset includes a stomp, but only one. He [[ShockwaveStomp takes it a step further]] by allowing you to [[ChargedAttack charge it to be unblockable]], causing the background of the game to darken and flames to surround his foot. |
| 405 | * LargeHam: '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis DOESN'T! EVEN! BEGIN! TO! DESCRIBE! HIM!]]''' |
| 406 | * LegacyCharacter: An interesting example as the character who left the title behind continues to persist in the storyline (Siegfried in ''SC'' and ''SCII'', then was Soul Edge/Inferno for ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV''). After being slain, a new host takes his place seventeen years later. |
| 407 | * LightningBruiser: |
| 408 | ** Depending on the skill of the user, evaluations of this will vary wildly. It's not uncommon for many a [[RageQuit ragequitting]] [[{{Scrub}} scrub]] to claim he is a GameBreaker, while in contrast many competitive players consider him exceptionally mediocre as he is incredibly unsafe when blocked for the most part. His ability to dish out damage is not in question, except when facing a clever foe that has mastered Just Guard... |
| 409 | ** [[GameplayAndStorySegregation In the series lore]] he is ''definitely'' one, moving with inhuman speed and strength, and being capable of mowing down entire armies by himself. Perhaps the closest the games have ever come to actually realizing this are ''SCII'', in which he was considered one of the most top tier characters in the game due to his high damage, long range, and deceptive mobility that contributed to some extremely deadly mix-ups, and ''VI'', in which the movement speed has seemingly been tripled and he has been shown to have extremely brutal-looking attack strings and new extensions to existing ones. |
| 410 | * MasterSwordsman: Has Soul Edge's knowledge of multiple fighting styles, but primarily utilizes Siegfried's self-taught zweihander techniques. |
| 411 | * MeatPuppet: Nightmare serves as a puppet for Soul Edge's will. |
| 412 | * MonsterLord: As the wielder and avatar of Soul Edge, Nightmare is the lord and master of the Malfested, those afflicted with the cursed sword's demonic energy. |
| 413 | * MovesetClone: Started out in ''SC'' as one for Siegfried, but gradually gained his own moves and stances. See DivergentCharacterEvolution above. |
| 414 | * ObviouslyEvil: You can have your pick of what stands out, but the best bets are the gigantic mutated right arm. |
| 415 | * OmnicidalManiac: "All life is but prey to satiate his hunger." [[SarcasmMode Yeah, this is clearly a guy we can trust]]. |
| 416 | * OneManArmy: All incarnations of Nightmare have been shown capable of annihilating entire armies on their own. |
| 417 | * PintSizedPowerhouse: Not so much in the actual game, where he's one of the 'big' character, but his official height is stated to be ''5'6"'', due to him being based off of Siegfried. Some thought this was a little ridiculous. There is a small discrepancy between his and Siegfried’s height in 1. He is always 168 cm tall while Siegfried is stated to be 165 cm tall. Because Siegfried is also 165 cm in the game Legends, this implies that this is not a mistake and that Soul Edge made Siegfried taller. |
| 418 | * PlayingWithFire: In a contrast to Siegfried's ice powers in ''SCIV'' onwards, Nightmare gains fire moves. |
| 419 | * PowerDyesYourHair: Siegfried, naturally blond, exhibited this when under Soul Edge's control, with a side order of PowerMakesYourHairGrow, as evidenced by their long manes of red hair in ''SCII''. |
| 420 | * {{Pun}}: Several of his quotes deal with nightmares. His most iconic of the bunch? |
| 421 | -->''I will show you the greatest nightmare!'' |
| 422 | * PunctuatedForEmphasis: '''[[RunningGag EVERY! WORD! OUT! OF! HIS! MOUTH!]]''' |
| 423 | * PunyEarthlings: His view on humans. It's hard to tell where this ends and HumansAreBastards begins. |
| 424 | * RedBaron: The Azure Knight, due to his dark blue armor. |
| 425 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: When in control of a human host, Nightmare has red sclera and yellow irises. |
| 426 | * TheRightHandOfDoom: His monstrous, three-digit claw, a physical symptom of his Malfestation. As "Siegfried!", his mutated arm was instead [[ASinisterClue his left arm.]] |
| 427 | * SeriesMascot: After the ''Soul'' series got popular enough to warrant its own separate developer team, namely after ''SCII'', Nightmare became the logomark of Project Soul up until ''SCV''. |
| 428 | * ShouldersOfDoom: His right shoulder has spikes projecting from it. |
| 429 | * SpikesOfVillainy: His right shoulder and arm have spikes on it. |
| 430 | * TinTyrant: Played straight by his 1P costumes, where he is clad in a blue suit of armor, but usually averted by his 2P costumes. |
| 431 | * TransformationOfThePossessed: Due to Malfestation, Siegfried developed red sclera and yellow irises, reddish-brown skin, and a malformed right hand often studded with spikes and extra eyes. |
| 432 | * UnskilledButStrong: Nightmare lacks the form and finesse of Siegfried, but makes up for it by [[LightningBruiser hitting hard and hitting fast]]. |
| 433 | * VillainBasedFranchise: The canon endings change between games, and as such a couple of characters can be called "TheHero" thanks to them having the one true POV for that one game, but the lynchpin tying the franchise together is always Nightmare. |
| 434 | [[/folder]] |
| 435 | |
| 436 | [[folder:Yoshimitsu]] |
| 437 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoshimitsu_9.png]] |
| 438 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur IV'' Appearance]] |
| 439 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur II'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoshi_0.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 440 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoshimitsusc.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 441 | |
| 442 | -> ''"Shikisoku... ZEKU!"'' |
| 443 | |
| 444 | ->'''Origin:''' [[FeudalJapan Base of Mt. Fuji, Japan]] |
| 445 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[AndStarring Yoshimitsu]]'', [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana & sashimono]] [[note]]the ''sashimono'' is the banner he carries on his back[[/note]] |
| 446 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} Manji Ninjutsu]]'' |
| 447 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/NorioWakamoto (''Soulcalibur IV'' onward; Japanese), Phil Sheridan (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Mitch Urban (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]] |
| 448 | |
| 449 | -> The [[LegacyCharacter ancestor]] of the same Yoshimitsu of the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. |
| 450 | |
| 451 | -> Yoshimitsu is the leader of the Manjitou Clan of ninjas. They are chivalrous thieves, much like Robin Hood. At first, after his clan is killed by UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga, he sought Soul Edge to get revenge, but later found that doing so wouldn't make him any different than Oda. In ''SCIII'' he creates the Manjitou in order to help the poor, as well as destroy Soul Edge. In ''SCIV'', he discovers that Tira killed most of his men, and brings the remaining ones to assault Nightmare's castle. Sometime after ''SCIV'', the original Yoshimitsu is slain by Cervantes, and succeeded by Yoshimitsu II. |
| 452 | |
| 453 | -> Yoshimitsu plays very similarly to his ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' descendant, combined with a few moves from Mitsurugi. He is a fast mixup character with many options, but at the cost of being very difficult to control. Unpredictability is his greatest strength, and in the hands of a good player he can be very overwhelming, often tricking you into believing he is vulnerable when he really isn't. |
| 454 | |
| 455 | -> For tropes applying to Yoshimitsu's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]]. |
| 456 | |
| 457 | ---- |
| 458 | |
| 459 | * AlasPoorYorick: The artwork for Yoshimitsu II has him crouching over Yoshimitsu I's severed head, still in its mask from ''SCIV''. |
| 460 | * AntiquatedLinguistics: In the original Japanese, he speaks this in combination with Kabuki-style melodramatics. It's carried over in his English vocalisation, where's he voiced with a Shakespearean-style, theatrical tone. |
| 461 | * ArtificialLimbs: Like his descendant, one of his arms is a wooden mechanical limb. This seems to be a defining trait of the one who takes over as the leader of the clan, as the man who inherits the title "Yoshimitsu" in ''SCV'' also bears a mechanical arm. |
| 462 | * BambooTechnology: His mechanical arm is made entirely out of wood and functions as seamlessly as a real arm. Functional wooden prosthetics actually did exist in the 16th Century, but none worked as flawlessly and as practically as Yoshimitsu's. |
| 463 | * BoisterousBruiser: A good-hearted individual who is power-based, loud and hammy. |
| 464 | * CanonImmigrant: Actually, an aversion. The character itself was added to the roster due to the strong compatibility Yoshimitsu (from ''Tekken'') has with the world of ''Soulcalibur'' but his story is completely unique for this universe and isn't simply the same person being adapted for a different setting. It does suggest that he is an ancestor of the Yoshimitsu seen in ''Tekken'' but who he is and what he does exists purely for ''Soulcalibur''. |
| 465 | * CatchPhrase: "Namu!" -- literally 'praise' in Japanese. It represents adoration and homage in Japanese Buddhism. |
| 466 | * CoolHelmet: A key part of a Yoshimitsu's appearance, no matter what costume he sports. |
| 467 | * ConfusionFu: A staple of his character, carried over from his future successor. |
| 468 | * DarkerAndEdgier: As humorous and fun as he is, the exception is undoubtedly his critical art in ''SCIV'', in which he very creepily spins behind the opponent, to rise menacingly from a cloud of shadow, before exacting a killing blow in scenes that resemble a horrific ritual sacrifice. Chilling. |
| 469 | * DarkIsNotEvil: He's a creepy looking bugger, often sporting an evil-looking mask, or even an exposed ''skull'' in ''SCIV'', but he's undoubtedly one of the good guys. |
| 470 | * DifficultButAwesome: Gut-bustingly hilarious to watch, ulcer-inducing to actually learn competitively. |
| 471 | * FightingClown: It's '''Yoshimitsu'''. His move set includes some of the most fantastically humourous attacks in the game, including bouncing frantically on his sword's tip, and using it as a helicopter blade to levitate out of reach. |
| 472 | * GratuitousJapanese: Shikisoku... '''ZEKUUUUU!''' |
| 473 | * HighlyVisibleNinja: How stealthy can he be by being, well... himself? |
| 474 | * IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: This is why he refused to kill Oda Nobunaga when he had the chance. |
| 475 | * JustLikeRobinHood: He steals from the rich and gives to the poor, which is made more clear in his endings in ''SCIII''. |
| 476 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: As are wakizashis. |
| 477 | * KilledOffForReal: By Yoshimitsu II, both in order to pass the title and the blade "Yoshimitsu" on to him, but also as a MercyKilling, as he had already been fatally wounded by Cervantes. |
| 478 | * LargeHam: Oh hell yes. In both English ''and'' Japanese. |
| 479 | * LegacyCharacter: Namco states that he is indeed the ancestor of ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'''s Yoshimitsu. |
| 480 | * LegacyImmortality: The one who wears the mask in ''SCV'' is a new man, so the legend continues. This is also acknowledged in his ''SCIV'' ending: |
| 481 | -->''His ideal to save the weak transcends history and lives on today.'' |
| 482 | * MovesetClone: He started out in ''SC'' as one for Mitsurugi. |
| 483 | * NamedWeapons: While virtually every ''Soul'' series character has a weapon with a unique title, Yoshimitsu's is special as it bears the name of its wielder ("Yoshimitsu"). The original Yoshimitsu named the katana after himself as a vow of revenge for his fallen clansmen, and after he created his group of chivalrous thieves, it became custom that the sword denotes the leader of the clan, and the man behind it is also referred to as "Yoshimitsu" in deference to the blade (essentially making this an [[InvertedTrope inversion]]). |
| 484 | * {{Ninja}}: Of the Manji Clan, the same one featured in ''Tekken''. |
| 485 | * ReligiousBruiser: He chants Buddhist prayers and recites vaguely pious-sounding proverbs in his victory quotes. His clan of thieves is even named after a Buddhist symbol. |
| 486 | * RuleOfFunny: His character in a nutshell. Even when voiced by Creator/NorioWakamoto, of all people. |
| 487 | * SoulJar: If ''Tekken'' in any indication, Yoshi I's soul should be inside of the Yoshimitsu katana after Yoshi II killed him to become his successor. |
| 488 | * {{Seppuku}}: A move that only he can use, and if done right, one of the best ways to achieve a DoubleKnockout, as it can skewer both him and his opponent. In later games he can do other, more productive things with the move, even ''regain a full health bar'', provided he has enough health left after using it. |
| 489 | * WarriorPoet: Many of his win quotes, and his ''SCIV'' victory speech, show elements of this. |
| 490 | * YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: In times of yore, this beeth his manner of speech. A {{Woolseyism}} as he doth speaketh archaic Japanese when the voice settings beeth changed. |
| 491 | |
| 492 | [[/folder]] |
| 493 | |
| 494 | [[folder:Aeon Calcos / Lizardman]] |
| 495 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aeon_alt_pic_4.png]] |
| 496 | [[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]] |
| 497 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lizardmansc.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 498 | |
| 499 | ->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/TurksWithTroops Sparta, Ottoman Empire (Greece)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ottoman Empire. At the time the series is set, modern-day Greece was under Ottoman Turk control and would not gain independence until 1830.[[/note]] |
| 500 | ->'''Weapons (SC):''' ''[[CoolSword Xi Sword]] & [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Game Shield]]'', [[DualWielding a short sword & shield]] |
| 501 | ->'''Weapons (III and IV):''' ''[[BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon Grudge Axe]] & [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Aya Shield]]'', [[DualWielding an axe & shield]] |
| 502 | ->'''Weapons (V):''' ''[[MeaningfulName Ktinos & Anthropos]] [[note]](Greek for "beast" and “man” respectively)[[/note]]'', [[DualWielding a pair of axes]] |
| 503 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{HistoricalEuropeanMartialArts}} Rapid Ares Style]]'' |
| 504 | ->'''Voiced by:''' n/a |
| 505 | |
| 506 | -> Like Sophitia, Aeon was one of the 24 warriors chosen by the Greek god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. Aeon was unfortunately struck by the Evil Seed and turned into a berserker. In the midst of one of his crazed rampages, he was captured by the Fygul Cestemus order (the very same cult that created Astaroth) and transformed into Lizardman, a loyal servant sent to obtain Soul Edge. He eventually breaks free of their control, and realizes what he has become. Believing that Hephaestus has abandoned him, Aeon renounces his faith and resolves to destroy Hephaestus. Unfortunately, his mutation gets worse and in ''SCIV'' his mind and heart completely degenerate into the monster that he was transformed into. He gathers other creatures like him to search for Soul Edge to reclaim his lost soul and regain his humanity. |
| 507 | |
| 508 | -> In ''SCII'' he is a bonus character, only serving as a guardian for both the maze and labyrinth sections of the Weapon Master Mode. This version of him is not the real Aeon Calcos, but rather the 3 variants of Lizardmen that he commands, who now serve Fygul Cestemus as a shard-gathering troupe. In ''SCV'' he returns, now with wings and goes by his human name Aeon Calcos, compelled by a mysterious voice to devour both Patroklos and Pyrrha. |
| 509 | |
| 510 | -> The Japanese art book reveals that the voice that commands him to do this is that of Ares, now in a war with Hephaestus who had ordered Aeon on his quest as a holy warrior. Coincidentally, Ares is also actually the god that Fygul Cestemus worships, and had manipulated the previous Astaroth to do his bidding. Now he hopes to do the same with Aeon. |
| 511 | |
| 512 | -> Aeon was originally a watered-down copy of Sophitia, but in ''SCIII'' he gained a new fighting style based on more savage and animalistic maneuvers, such as rolling on the ground and crawling on all fours. In ''SCV'' he gains another new style which combines elements of Kratos' style from ''Broken Destiny'' with that of his own. |
| 513 | |
| 514 | ---- |
| 515 | |
| 516 | * BigEater: Even has a large comedy leg of lamb for his joke weapon. |
| 517 | * BrainwashedAndCrazy: Ares compels him to attack Patroklos and Pyrrha in ''SCV''. |
| 518 | * BreathWeapon: He can [[http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/390962_277515435625129_157579717618702_801387_142756616_n.jpg breathe fire]] as of ''SCV''. |
| 519 | * CompositeCharacter: In ''SCV'', he's a combination of his classic moveset and Kratos's moveset in ''Broken Destiny''... which makes his being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy controlled by Ares]] at the time [[VideoGame/GodOfWarI rather ironic]]. |
| 520 | * CursedWithAwesome: Because being a kick-ass humanoid reptile who kills gods and leads an entire army sucks when you slowly end up going feral. |
| 521 | * DualWielding: Carries two axes starting in ''SCV''. |
| 522 | * EvilCounterpart: To Sophitia -- a fellow Greek also chosen by the ancient gods, though he was driven down a far darker path by the evil god Ares. |
| 523 | * {{Expy}}: Duplicates Sophitia's move-list in ''SC'' and ''SCII'', until he casts aside his sword for an axe in ''SCIII'' and gets his own moves. |
| 524 | * FightingClown: In ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'' most definitely, due to his tumbling, crawling fighting style, and the overall absurdity of fighting a six foot lizard. |
| 525 | * HissBeforeFleeing: Does this in ''Broken Destiny'' story mode. |
| 526 | * IAmAHumanitarian: Mentioned in his official profile for ''SCV'' that he [[CannibalismSuperpower metamorphoses when he eats his victims]], [[JustifiedTrope justifying]] his changes in appearance between games. |
| 527 | * LargeAndInCharge: Leads his own pack of Lizardmen in ''SCIII'' onwards, and is the most muscular and adorned of them all. |
| 528 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncly1knhkaY ''Brutal Instinct'']] |
| 529 | * MeaningfulName: Aeon Calcos -- it literally means "bronze age", though "aeon" can be more lyrically translated to mean "life", "vital force" or "eternity". Befitting his Greek heritage, he is named after ''Aeon'', a Hellenistic deity associated with time, the orb or circle encompassing the universe, and the zodiac. |
| 530 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: In ''SCV'', he's basically a fire-breathing lizard-dragon who fights like none other than [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]]. |
| 531 | * NonMaliciousMonster: In ''Broken Destiny'' and partially in ''SCIII''. |
| 532 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: In ''SCV'', due to his [[PlayingWithFire fire-breathing abilities]] and wings, he resembles a DraconicHumanoid. |
| 533 | * RageAgainstTheHeavens: Like Astaroth, but he wants to kill the god of fire instead of the god of war (no, [[VideoGame/GodOfWar not that one]]). |
| 534 | * RoarBeforeBeating: His pre-match taunts. |
| 535 | * ShroudedInMyth: Aeon Calcos had a family back in Sparta. They were once important to him (they mean nothing to him now) and his memories of them are slowly fading into nothingness. |
| 536 | * SomethingPerson: His fighter name (at least before ''SCV'') was the ''Lizard''man. A rare non-superhero example of this trope. |
| 537 | * SuddenNameChange: Sort of. While his name was always Aeon Calcos, his fighter name in the series from ''SC'' through ''SCIV'' is "Lizardman". When he returns in ''SCV'', he is called by his first name Aeon, instead. |
| 538 | * TookALevelInBadass: He became something of a joke in ''SCIV'' and ''Broken Destiny''. In ''SCV'', he's regained all his earlier menace and then some. It's implied that he ''killed Kratos and then devoured him''. |
| 539 | * WhatMeasureIsAMook: Silently lampshaded. Being given the [[NominalImportance generic name Lizardman]] and acting like a standard mook leads to him being easily dismissed by players not aware of his sad ([[DramaticIrony and ironic]]) backstory. Since he is referred to by his actual name in ''SCV'', this begins to change. |
| 540 | * WholeCostumeReference: His 2P costume in ''SCIV'' looks very similar to Armadon from ''VideoGame/PrimalRage''. |
| 541 | [[/folder]] |
| 542 | |
| 543 | [[folder:Soul Calibur]] |
| 544 | [[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soul_calibur_sc5_8.jpg]] |
| 545 | [[caption-width-right:268:''Soulcalibur V'' Appearance]] |
| 546 | [[caption-width-right:268:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soulcalibur_sc2.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 547 | |
| 548 | --> A blue, often crystalline, weapon forged by Algol from a purified shard of Soul Edge with the intent of destroying the cursed sword at the cost of the Hero King's own life. However, the ritual was flawed due to Algol's lust for power, and Soul Calibur developed a will of its own dedicated to ruthless justice, forcing the tribe of sages assigned to guard it to seal it away. Wherever Soul Edge appeared, so to did Soul Calibur to put a stop to it, eventually making its way into China, where it took the form of a jian called the Krita-Yuga. When Soul Edge resurfaced in Europe, Soul Calibur awoke and guided Xianghua to Nightmare. Plunged into Astral Chaos after Nightmare's defeat, Soul Calibur remained lost until Siegfried broke free from Soul Edge's control, weakening the cursed blade enough for Soul Calibur to break free. Siegfried used Soul Calibur to seal Soul Edge away, but the "Soul Embrace" was broken by Zasalamel, the last surviving member of the clan assigned to guard Soul Calibur. While Siegfried had been mortally wounded in a battle with Nightmare, Soul Calibur chose him as its host and encased him in a crystal exoskeleton to sustain his life and heal him. After Nightmare was defeated and Soul Edge destroyed, Soul Calibur fell into a decade-long slumber, reawakening when its nemesis returned. |
| 549 | ---- |
| 550 | * BigBad: Of ''SCV'' as Elysium. |
| 551 | * BigGood: Of the entire series (except ''SCV'') as it's the GoodCounterpart to Soul Edge and wherever it appeared, Soul Calibur will always put a stop its evil. The exception is ''V'', where it's revealed to be every bit as evil as Soul Edge, albeit a different [[KnightTemplar kind of evil]]. |
| 552 | * CoolSword: In its first form as Soul Calibur in ''SC'' and ''SCII'', it was a fork-bladed jian. It returns to this form in ''SCV'' when Elysium mimics Lexia's fighting style. Otherwise, it tends to have an icy, crystalline appearance. |
| 553 | * CrystalPrison: It encases Patroklos in one when he refuses to submit to its will in preparation for turning him into its counterpart, Nightmare. Fortunately, Pyrrha breaks him free using Soul Edge before this can happen and he defeats Elysium, the manifestation of its will, in a battle for control of his body. |
| 554 | * EvilWeapon: While Soulcalibur isn't nice at the best of times, in Inferno's ending in the first game and throughout the second game, a corrupted version of it called "Soul Calibur (Evil)" appears. |
| 555 | * {{Excalibur}}: In the series, Myth/KingArthur once wielded Soul Calibur to defeat a Saxon warrior wielding Soul Edge. |
| 556 | * ExcaliburInTheRust: For the entirety of ''Soulcalibur'', it was disguised as a jian called the Krita-Yuga, one of three sacred Chinese treasures reputed to have the ability to undo Soul Edge's curse. |
| 557 | * GemstoneAssault: From ''SCIII'' onwards, it appears to be comprised of icy blue crystals, though it reverts to the form it had in the first two games when Elysium mimics Leixia's fighting style. A shard of it remaining in Siegfried's body enables him to fire SpikesOfDoom from his sword as a Critical Edge. |
| 558 | * HealingFactor: Soul Calibur's "spirit shards" are noted to have healing properties, as demonstrated when a piece embedded in Siegfried's body slowly restored him to health after he was mortally wounded during a battle with Nightmare. This is also seen in-game, specifically in ''SCIII'', where each character's "Soul Calibur" weapon has the side effect of gradually restoring their health. |
| 559 | * IconicSequelCharacter: The series after ''Soul Edge'' is known as ''Soulcalibur'', so, naturally, the eponymous sword is a key component of that. Soul Edge continues to be a major player, though (and Soul Calibur's introduction changed the context of the series from being a battle against an evil sword to a CosmicChessGame where both swords have their agendas and use the characters of the series to try to drive those ends). |
| 560 | * InstantArmor: Encases Siegfried in translucent blue crystal armor in ''SCIV'', to protect and heal his mortally-wounded body. |
| 561 | * KnightTemplar: Whereas Soul Edge wants to bathe the world in blood and suffering, Soul Calibur's solution is to gain peace through absolute nothingness where man cannot harm themselves because it won't let them. |
| 562 | * LightIsGood: A holy sword created to combat Soul Edge. |
| 563 | * LightIsNotGood: Soul Calibur is a KnightTemplar that ruthlessly seeks to exterminate Soul Edge and the Malfested. |
| 564 | * LivingWeapon: Like Soul Edge, Soulcalibur has a soul and will that seeks to manipulate - and in some cases outright control - its wielder. |
| 565 | * MindManipulation: It can read the souls of its wielders and, like Soul Edge, seeks to manipulate them into serving it. In ''SCIV'' it chose Siegfried as a host due to his corresponding hatred of Soul Edge and desire for redemption, making him an easy unwitting puppet. In ''SCV'' it deemed him unworthy, since he'd grown suspicious of it over the time skip. It picked Patroklos instead because he was naive and blindly devoted to justice and therefore all too easy to manipulate. Unlike Soul Edge, which overwrites the mind of its host with its own, Soul Calibur is more about taking desires one already has and working those towards its objectives. |
| 566 | * MirrorCharacter: Due to having been forged from a shard of Soul Edge, Zasalamel's clan instigated a rule that no one was allowed to become the sword's host more than once out of fear that the similarities between the two swords ran deeper than shapeshifting. It turns out they were right. |
| 567 | * MorphWeapon: Like its origin, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur can change shape to accommodate its wielder's preferred fighting style. Its "default" form is that of a short, two-pronged one-handed sword wielded by Xianghua as a jian. It changed into a crystal {{BFS}} when Siegfried took it. When Patroklos claimed it, unlike his sister (who continued to use the same short sword and shield combo) it transformed into a sheathed sword because Patroklos's memories of being an IaijutsuPractitioner were awakened when he took the sword. Elysium, who uses a randomized female fighting style each round, will create Soul Calibur-equivalents of the weapons wielded by the female cast (including Natsu's dual kodachi or Hilde's short sword and lance combo). |
| 568 | * PetTheDog: It left a shard of itself inside Siegfried to heal his body even though it no longer needed him after Soul Edge's destruction. |
| 569 | * PowerCrystal: From ''SCIII'' onwards, Soul Calibur is shown to have a glowing blue crystal at its core, a counterpart to Soul Edge's eye. |
| 570 | * RedBaron: Soul Calibur is frequently referred to as the "Spirit Sword". |
| 571 | * SealedGoodInACan: For a given value of "[[UnholyHolySword good]]". When Xianghua first defeated Nightmare, Soul Edge lashed out and sucked the Spirit Sword into the depths of Astral Chaos. When Raphael stabbed Soul Edge's eye in a final act of defiance, Soul Edge was weakened enough that Soul Calibur was able to escape its prison. At the end of ''SCV'', both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are banished back to Astral Chaos. |
| 572 | * SealedEvilInACan: The purification ritual that created it was tainted due to Algol's lust for power, imbuing Soul Calibur with a malevolent will. The sages assigned to guard it managed to suppress it until Siegfried's and Nightmare's clash at the end of ''SCIII''. |
| 573 | * UnholyHolySword: Soul Calibur developed the reputation of being the only thing capable of ending Soul Edge once and for all. However, due to the weakness in its creator's heart, it possessed a malevolent will of its own that sought to impose "[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans order]]" on the world. It ruthlessly exterminated the Malfested (and anyone who gets in its way). |
| 574 | [[/folder]] |
| 575 | |
| 576 | !! Additional Characters |
| 577 | [[folder:Edge Master]] |
| 578 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edgemaster.png]] |
| 579 | [[caption-width-right:280:''Soulcalibur V'' Appearance]] |
| 580 | [[caption-width-right:280:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/262px_edgemaster.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 581 | |
| 582 | -> ''"Can you beat this old warrior?"'' |
| 583 | |
| 584 | ->'''Origin:''' [[TheShangriLa Unknown (Resides in the Himalayan Mountains)]] |
| 585 | ->'''Weapons:''' [[MultiMeleeMaster all weapons]] |
| 586 | ->'''Fighting style:''' [[DittoFighter all styles]] |
| 587 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/DaisukeGori (''Soulcalibur''; Japanese), Creator/KoujiIshii (''Soulcalibur V''; Japanese), T.J. Storm (''Soulcalibur V''-current; English)[[/note]] |
| 588 | |
| 589 | -> The mysterious master of all fighting styles in the world, teacher and advisor of the Ling-Sheng Su, and foreteller of all events in the series. Trained Kilik after his temple went down, and later taught him the art of purification so he could purify Soul Edge. For a time, he remained in his hermitage, moving the plot along from time to time (like teaching Mi-na in ''SCIII''). |
| 590 | |
| 591 | -> He returns in ''SCV'', unaged from his original appearance due to becoming immortal when he absorbed the energies of both Soul swords. He encounters Patroklos in Astral Chaos as he is trapped there when Elysium takes full control of his body, rewinding time for him so he can rectify his mistake of killing Pyrrha. When Patroklos refuses Elysium's order the second time, he is sent back into Astral Chaos and Edge Master teaches him how to implant his own will into Soul Calibur, freeing him from the imprisonment in Astral Chaos. |
| 592 | |
| 593 | -> The art book reveals that the reason Edge Master is in Astral Chaos is to fight Algol, who has secretly been corrupting the world's energies from behind the scenes in the hopes of conquering it while everyone else is in disarray. |
| 594 | |
| 595 | -> Edge Master is the series' original mimic character. He uses all fighting styles, switching to another one at the end of each round. |
| 596 | |
| 597 | ---- |
| 598 | |
| 599 | * AscendedExtra: He made his very [[https://twitter.com/masuooyama/status/1345225124497162241 first appearance]] in the ''Soul Blade'' strategy book commissioned by Namco itself. In ''Soulcalibur'', he is made into a playable character. |
| 600 | * TheBlacksmith: He has personally forged every one of his weapons. |
| 601 | * TheBusCameBack: His only appearance in the series was the first ''Soulcalibur''. After a few games of being succeeded by other copycat fighters, he finally returned in ''SCV''. |
| 602 | * DeusExitMachina: Somewhat fitting, considering his Obi Wan-esque status. Edge Master is most likely one of the strongest characters in the series, up there with Algol, but he never directly gets involved in the story, instead observing events from afar and giving advice and tutelage to those who seek him out, such as Kilik and Seong Mi-na. ''SCV'' marks the first time he's actually contributed to the plot, even if it's only for all of five minutes. |
| 603 | * DittoFighter: Mimics all characters' fighting styles, though he does have two unique moves with Kilik/Seong Mi-na. In ''SCV''[='s=] Legendary Souls mode, Edge Master only mimics Alpha Patroklos' style. |
| 604 | * EvilRedhead: His SuperpoweredEvilSide switches his old white hair into furious red. |
| 605 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRah9_LFBVg ''Master of Edge'']] |
| 606 | * AMasterMakesTheirOwnTools: Creates all of his own weapons so they are suited to his technique. |
| 607 | * MrExposition: He ''could'' be this, but he refuses to speak about his past, or that of the sacred weapons he ''supposedly'' carried into the temple. He does speak a bit about the nature of Astral Chaos to Patroklos, as well as giving him advice on following his own path and controlling his own sword. |
| 608 | * MultiMeleeMaster: Being a DittoFighter, he is a master of every single fighting style in the game. |
| 609 | * NoNameGiven: Edge Master's philosophy is that a weapon is just a tool, and only a strong soul makes a strong warrior. To reflect this, all his weapons are nameless. The story behind Xianghua's nameless sword in ''SCII'' implies that it was originally his, with ''SCIV'' confirming it. |
| 610 | * OldMaster: He's lived long enough to have mastered every weapon fighting style. |
| 611 | * ImmortalityInducer: Implied in his first appearance, later confirmed in ''SCIV'' to be the result of exposure to both swords' energies. |
| 612 | * TheRival: Seems to be one to Olcadan. |
| 613 | * TimeMaster: Somehow becomes this in ''SCV'' -- completely out of the blue -- sending Patroklos back in time to correct his mistake in killing Pyrrha. |
| 614 | * SinkOrSwimMentor: His last trial for Kilik was a no-holds battle against his SuperpoweredEvilSide. |
| 615 | * WorldsBestWarrior: He has ''never'' been defeated in combat, with the exception of one draw against [[TheRival Olcadan]]. And Kilik ''did'' defeat his SuperpoweredEvilSide as part of learning to use Kali-Yuga to strike at evil energy, but it's unknown whether he was stronger or weaker than his normal self in that state. |
| 616 | * YinYangBomb: Inside his body he stores evil energy, which he can make use of to simulate being a victim of Soul Edge's corruption. And he's a master of purifying techniques as well. |
| 617 | |
| 618 | [[/folder]] |
| 619 | |
| 620 | [[folder:Arthur]] |
| 621 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arthur_358.png]] |
| 622 | [[caption-width-right:300:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]] |
| 623 | [[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arthur_artwork.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 624 | |
| 625 | ->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/{{England}} Southampton, Kingdom of England]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the Kingdom of England. Arthur's debut appearance in the series predates the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland, and the Kingdom of Great Britain was not yet established.[[/note]] |
| 626 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[NamedWeapons Gassan]]'' [[note]](named for the smith who forged it)[[/note]], [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana]] |
| 627 | ->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} Tsujikiri-Ittou-ryu]]'' |
| 628 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (''Soul Edge''-''Soulcalibur''; Japanese), Masaya Takatsuka (''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese)[[/note]] |
| 629 | |
| 630 | -> An English orphan raised in Japan. Hated by his peers, he sought to do great things to be respected. He sought Soul Edge, thinking it was the greatest deed there was to do, but later found it was meaningless and returned home to marry a prostitute. Later, the shard he gave her as a gift got her killed, so he placed the guilt on himself and set out to destroy the sword and redeem himself. |
| 631 | |
| 632 | ---- |
| 633 | |
| 634 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: At first he wanted to do some legendary stuff so he'd be respected by his peers. A year into his quest, he realizes he wasn't really that good, and that there were many better fighters out there. |
| 635 | * AscendedExtra: At least he went from obscure to bonus character spot... |
| 636 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: Korea has bad blood with Japan ([[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan for very good reasons]]), and especially regarding samurai, so Mitsurugi's character model [[PaletteSwap was modified to have blond hair and an eyepatch]]. Thus, Arthur was born. |
| 637 | * TheCameo: He makes two in ''Broken Destiny''; one as a random foe for quick play and in another he is part of a conversation in The Gauntlet where he is referred to as "Blond Samurai." He also makes a small cameo with the player characters in the intro to Weapon Master in ''SCII''. |
| 638 | * EyepatchOfPower: It's unknown how he lost his eye, or if he has lost it at all, however. |
| 639 | * ItsAllMyFault: He blames himself for handing the shard of Soul Edge he found to his wife, which caused her death. |
| 640 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: He's highly reminiscent of William Adams, an English navigator who travelled to Japan in the year 1600 and became the first western samurai. John Blackthorne from ''Series/Shogun2024'' and its 80s predecessor are also based on Adams. |
| 641 | * PhenotypeStereotype: A blond-and-blue-eyed British samurai is Namco's idea of a foreign character replacement for Mitsurugi. |
| 642 | * RammingAlwaysWorks: His style in ''SCIII'' has plenty of shoulder rams, a few of which are [[AIBreaker anti-AI moves]]. |
| 643 | * SpearCounterpart: To Setsuka; both are Westerners raised in Japan, who dress like locals, and fight with Japanese martial arts. |
| 644 | * WesternSamurai: Arthur was originally an alter-ego of Mitsurugi created for countries, like Korea and China, that refuse to allow the depiction of samurai. However, in subsequent titles he was later canonized as a separate character instead a replacement for Mitsurugi. In design, Arthur is a blond, British man sporting an EyepatchOfPower who was raised in Japan and eventually became a samurai. |
| 645 | |
| 646 | [[/folder]] |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext Characters / Soulcalibur
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load
