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1This is a list of characters from the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series who made their debut in the first game of the series, ''Soul Edge''/''Soul Blade''.
2
3* Characters/{{Soulcalibur}}
4* Characters/SoulcaliburII
5* Characters/SoulcaliburIII
6* Characters/SoulcaliburIV
7* Characters/SoulcaliburV
8* Characters/SoulcaliburVI
9* Characters/SoulcaliburLegends
10* Characters/SoulcaliburNonPlayableCharacters
11
12----
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16!! Main Characters
17
18[[folder:Heishiro Mitsurugi]]
19[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mitsurugi_alt_pic.png]]
20[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur IV'' Appearance]]
21[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Calibur II'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mitsurugi_sc2fix3_removebg_preview.png[[/labelnote]]]]
22[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur '']][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snapedit_1685031591420.png]] [[/labelnote]]]]
23[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mitsu1se_3.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
24
25-> ''"In the fires of hell, we shall meet again."''
26
27->'''Origin:''' [[FeudalJapan Bizen, Japan]] [[note]] The ''Hinomaru'' ('ball of the sun') is amongst the oldest national symbols in the world. The first concrete evidence that testifies to use of a sun flag for Japan dates from 1184, with it then appearing in images depicting the wars of the 15th and 16th centuries, around the time period in which the ''Soul'' series is set.[[/note]]
28->'''Weapon (SE):''' ''[[FloralThemeNaming Korefuji]] [[note]]("Right Wisteria")[[/note]]'', [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana]]
29->'''Weapon (SC-IV):''' ''[[AnimalThemeNaming Shishi-Oh]] [[note]]("Lion King")[[/note]]'', [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana]]
30->'''Weapon (V):''' ''[[PowerOfTheVoid Muchimonji]] [[note]]("Nothingness")[[/note]]'', [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana]]
31->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} Shin Tenpu-Kosai-ryu]]''
32-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/WataruTakagi (''Soul Edge''; Japanese), Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (''Soulcalibur'' onward; Japanese), Scott Keck (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Ed Cunningham (''Soulcalibur III-V''; English), Creator/RayChase (''Soulcalibur VI''; English)[[/note]]
33
34-> Your typical {{Samurai}} looking for a good challenge. In ''Soul Edge'' he seeks a way to defeat the Tanegashima rifle and believes the legendary sword Soul Edge to be the blade that can do it. He eventually beats the rifle without the need of Soul Edge, but throughout ''Soulcalibur'', ''SCII'', and ''SCIII'', he's still searching for it for the sole purpose of fighting Nightmare. In ''SCIV'' he realizes that there are no more worthy challengers for him, and seeks to fight otherworldly opponents instead. He found a WorthyOpponent in Algol in ''SCIV'', but due to Soul Edge and Soul Calibur vanishing into a vortex, their battle was cut short as Algol vanished with them. And so Mitsurugi went home to Japan, where over the years he hung up his sword as the era changed - not literally, though, as he loses his Shishi-Oh to Setsuka sometime between ''SCIV'' and ''SCV''. Now a farmer, when he heard that Soul Edge had returned, he sold all of his lands for an opportunity to fight Algol again.
35
36-> For tropes applying to Mitsurugi's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]].
37
38-> Former director Daishi Odashima considered him the main character of ''Soul Edge''.
39
40-> Mitsurugi is usually the [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]] of the games — [[JackOfAllStats a well-balanced character with no glaring strengths or weaknesses.]] His katana strikes have great range, speed, and priority. Many of his attacks can also track the opponent's movements, making him difficult to guard against effectively at times. He can also switch styles between holding his sword at his shoulders, or using Iaido (only the shoulder stance remains in ''SCV'', however).
41
42----
43
44* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: His input ending in ''SCIII''. Either way, he comes into town looking for people to fight, but sees a man grabbing a woman and holding a knife. In the input ending, Mitsurugi kills the man and frees the woman.
45* AnimalMotif: The Tiger.
46* ArrogantKungFuGuy: More confident and blunt than outright arrogant, but he comes off as such in many of his pre- and post-battle comments, most of which are [[BadassBoast unabashedly braggadocious]], [[BringIt impatient]], or [[TrashTalk dismissive]]. He's not pompous, he just knows how strong he is and doesn't mince words.
47* TheArtifact: Mitsurugi was the main character of the first game, even though he was not the one to defeat Cervantes; by ''SCIII'', he is almost completely irrelevant to the plot, mostly serving as the motivator of Setsuka's StandAloneEpisode. After ''SCII'', he's basically only fighting because he's seeking a challenge, which has virtually no impact on the main story. He still gets bones thrown at him every once in a while, however, such as fighting PhysicalGod Algol to a standstill, fighting Darth Vader in the crossover trailer for ''SCIV'', and being prominently featured in the first trailers for ''SCVI''.
48* AwesomenessByAnalysis: During his training after his defeat against the Tanegashima rifles, Mitsurugi sought to fight as many varied fighting styles as he could in order to implement their fighting tactics into his own style -- to great success.
49* BadassBoast: "You will be a stain on my sword." Another notable one is "Not even the king of hell could stand against my blade." And these aren't his most badass boasts.
50* BadassLongRobe: Some 2-P costumes have him sport a yukata.
51* BadassNormal: Mitsurugi has no special powers and no connection to either spirit sword. The katana he uses is perfectly ordinary metal. He makes up for this by being so skilled that entire armies of normal men, including ''ones with guns'', can't beat him, and he's considered a worthy adversary to blatantly supernatural fighters like Nightmare, Olcadan (who ''killed a god's messenger''), and even Algol, a man so badass Soul Edge has no power over him. He is consistently a powerful fighter who is noted to have a great fighting prowess in-universe. In ''SCIII'', it is noted that he defeated several enemies of the Murakami navy with his sword and was a key part of their victory. In the 17-year time gap between ''SCIV'' and ''SCV'', he gave up fighting because anything less than a god-king just wasn't enough of a challenge anymore.
52* BladeAcrossTheShoulder: One of his victory poses has him waving his sword across his shoulder, and looking down on his opponent. Also, see his official artwork for ''SCIV'' above, as well as his in-game profile in the earlier games.
53* BloodKnight: So much so that he gave up his life as a farmer in ''SCV'' just so he could fight Algol. The advent of firearms concerns him, as he's worried that skilled swordsmen like him will no longer be needed.
54* CallToAgriculture: In ''SCV'', set at a time when most samurai were running out of business, Mitsurugi turns his hand to farming. He leaves this rustic life to fight Algol.
55* CombatPragmatist: Setsuka managed to shatter his blade during a duel between the events of ''SCIV'' and ''SCV''. Mitsurugi's response? A punch to the gut that crumpled her and won the duel for him.
56* DualWielding: He wields either Soul Edge or Soul Calibur alongside his katana in his ending in ''SCIII'', depending on if the player is successful in the quicktime event.
57* DuelToTheDeath: Most challenges are this for both Mitsurugi and his opponent. Unless he sees value in allowing them to live, in which case he'll simply let them go and tell them to remember his name.
58* {{Expy}}:
59** Modeled on Creator/ToshiroMifune, who played iconic Samurai roles in the Creator/AkiraKurosawa films ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'', ''Film/ThroneOfBlood'', and ''Film/SevenSamurai''. Also could be considered based on UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi, who was played by Creator/ToshiroMifune, so...
60** He's one to [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]], as their personalities and motivations are pretty one-to-one. In ''SCII'', he even has an outfit that looks nearly identical to Haohmaru's default design.
61* GuestFighter: Mitsurugi has appeared in several other games outside of the ''Soul'' series:
62** He and Taki team up together in ''Videogame/NamcoXCapcom''.
63** His outfit can be worn by Yuri Lowell from ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' as part of the Bandai Namco outfits for the protagonists.
64** He and many of the ''Soul'' series characters appear as limited event characters for the Bandai Namco mobile game ''Outcast Odyssey''.
65* GunsAreWorthless: His initial goal is to find Soul Edge so as to have a way to counter firearms. Canonically, he did not find the sword, but challenged a Tanegashima wielder anyway. He lost, but learned from the experience and developed ways to defeat gun wielders anyway.
66* HiredGuns: He's a mercenary who [[WalkingTheEarth wanders the world]] fighting in various conflicts in order to give himself a challenge.
67* {{Hunk}}: He's built, rugged, and not bad-looking at all.
68* IaijutsuPractitioner: Especially in ''SCII'', where he can sheathe his sword and deliver a powerful attack with a QuickDraw. In the description for Shishi-Oh in the weapons gallery, it's noted that he learned Iaijutsu as a way to counteract firearms.
69* JackOfAllStats: Which gained him something of a negative reputation, as most characters have significant weaknesses and he tends not to. However, his combo ability is weaker than average and some of his attacks are vulnerable to counters ''even after a correct use for them.''
70* KatanasAreJustBetter: His goal at one point was to find Soul Edge in the hopes that it could overcome the power of the Tanegashima rifle, which he and his katana were once bested by in a duel. In the end, his katana proves more than effective, and he can also use swords other than katanas in some of the later games, such as western longswords or Damascus Steel scimitars, while still using his fighting style.
71* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgAQQKESKcQ "The Wind And Clouds"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu-mDuVTc1I "Hagakure"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W891SR8oJTw "The Invincible Blade"]].
72* ManlyMan: Not only he is designed to be a big badass all around, he ditches all of the emotional drama of some other characters and his only wish is to face a strong opponent in battle. Also, there's his [[ManlyFacialHair epic manly beard]], [[BadassBoast Badass Boasts]], and his mannerisms, such as cracking his neck before a fight, and walking around with his sword across the shoulder.
73* MeaningfulName: "Mitsurugi" literally means "divine sword."
74* MinorMajorCharacter: Mitsurugi has never played a direct part in any game's plot, and in fact, actually ''stopped'' caring about either sword after a while. The only reason he continued to seek them out was because the strongest warriors always seemed to gather in proximity to them.
75* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: He actually delivers a line like this ''after'' the fight.
76--> ''The name's Mitsurugi! Don't forget it!''
77** Or in ''SCII'':
78--> ''The name's Mitsurugi! Remember it!''
79* NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight: The first time he fought Teppou Hei, Mitsurugi was defeated. It became one of his personal goals to defeat the Tanegashima rifle.
80* OneManArmy: He goes as far as to purposefully side with outnumbered sides so he has more people to fight.
81* OutOfCharacterMoment: His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oFWJ9fvU8Y B+G throw versus Alpha Patroklos]] in ''SCV'', where he's uncharacteristically flippant, calling the young warrior "Patty Cakes".
82* ParentalAbandonment: His parents were both taken by sickness, so he abandoned the pastoral life to start his sword training.
83* PerpetualPoverty: Mitsurugi was born to a fairly humble provincial family, and in the early games he has to make ends meet during travels by working as a mercenary. In ''SCV'', he ends up becoming a farmer when Japan has no further use for ronin and samurai, just to make ends meet.
84* RedBaron: According to his ''SC'' ending, he is known as the "Mercenary of Wartime Age".
85* {{Ronin}}: He actually ''refused'' to take a {{Samurai}} position when offered, preferring a mercenary lifestyle so he could find a WorthyOpponent.
86* {{Samurai}}: In appearance, and in fighting style, though he's technically a ronin as he's masterless.
87* SamuraiPonytail: Mitsurugi has the second, wilder type of hair, and his ponytail is taken to an extreme in his second outfit in ''SCII'', where it looks like a giant brush.
88* ScarsAreForever: In his alternate appearances in most of the games, he has a visible scar on his shoulder from the gunshot wound he received during his duel against a Tanegashima musket at the end of ''Soul Edge''.
89* SeeYouInHell: One of his win-quotes, such as the one above.
90* SwordPlant: Part of his kata.
91* WalkingTheEarth: As part of his desire for good opposition, he travels all over Japan, amassing fame throughout the nation for his skills. He's also probably the one character that has traveled the most throughout the series' course; during ''SCII'', he spends ''seven'' years traveling all over Eurasia.
92* WholeCostumeReference: One of his costumes in ''SCII'' bears a strong resemblance to [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]].
93* WolverinePublicity: Mitsurugi has appeared in every single game since ''Soul Edge'', was one of ''Soulcalibur's'' representatives in ''Videogame/NamcoXCapcom'', and has also appeared in several other titles as a guest character.
94* WorthyOpponent: He considers Taki his only worthy rival during ''[=SCII/III=]'' after having a few unfinished encounters with her. In ''SCIV'', he considers himself so strong, only Nightmare can fill that spot. As of ''SCV'', he seems to have some unfinished business with Algol. In terms of his own prowess, Olcadan's quotes indicate Mitsurugi is one to him.
95
96[[/folder]]
97
98[[folder:Taki]]
99[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taki_alt_pic_4.png]]
100[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur II'' Appearance]]
101[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taki3se.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
102
103-> ''"Demon slain! The deed is done!"''
104
105->'''Origin:''' [[FeudalJapan Fu-Ma no Sato, Japan]]
106->'''Weapons (SE):''' ''[[DemonSlaying Rekkimaru]] [[note]]("Slicer of the demon cirle")[[/note]]'', [[StockNinjaWeaponry a kodachi]]
107->'''Weapons (SC on):''' ''[[DualWielding Rekkimaru & Mekkimaru]] [[note]]("Slicer of the demon cirle" & "Extinguisher of the demon circle")[[/note]]'', [[DualWielding dual kodachi]]
108->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} Musō-Battō-ryu]]''
109-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/FujikoTakimoto (''Soul Edge''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/SachikoKojima (''Soulcalibur Legends'' & ''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Nanako Mori (''Soulcalibur VI''; Japanese) Desirée Goyette (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Cynthia Holloway (''Soulcalibur III'' onward; English)[[/note]]
110
111-> The ninja of the series. Raised in a [[HiddenElfVillage secret ninja village]] since [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan her childhood]], Taki has developed a mastery of sealing spells and dedicates her life to sealing demons all over Japan. In ''Soul Edge'', she leaves for Europe to find the cursed sword so as to empower her favourite sword, Rekkimaru. She's able to obtain a shard after defeating Cervantes, but the shard ends up attracted to another weapon called Mekkimaru, a sword with strong spiritual powers that have driven her master Toki insane. [[ContractOnTheHitman She is forced to leave her home when she's targeted by her own comrades]] after Toki discovers she has Mekkimaru. In ''Soulcalibur'', she tries to destroy Mekkimaru by pitting it against Soul Edge. Being unable to, she settles on her desire to control its immense power.
112
113-> In ''SCII'', the ninjas against her try to ambush her, and she realizes Toki's now after Soul Edge. Realizing the dangers of allowing a man like Toki to claim it, she travels back to face him, stopping and destroying him in ''SCIII''. In ''SCIV'', she realizes that Soul Calibur is as dangerous as Soul Edge (even if it is totally opposite in nature) from the battle between Siegfried and Nightmare, and resolves to destroy Soul Calibur as well — [[DarkerAndEdgier by any means necessary]].
114
115-> During the time skip, she finds an apprentice in Natsu, who succeeds Taki's position in ''SCV'', while Taki herself has gone missing, having yet to return from a journey westward, a journey she took after hearing a rumor Toki had returned from the dead. Natsu sets out to look for her.
116
117-> For tropes applying to Taki's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]].
118
119-> In-game, Taki is the FragileSpeedster character. She has the fastest mobility of any other character, but does not have many tools to defend herself effectively. Taki's quick dagger strikes are designed to catch the opponent in the middle of their attacks, then move in for big damage after getting a successful counter hit with mixup pressure and Possession stance shenanigans.
120
121----
122
123* BigDamnHeroes: When Sophitia was riddled with shards of the evil sword during her battle with Cervantes, Taki swooped down to save her. [[PetTheDog She then treated Sophitia's wounds and carried her back home to Greece.]] She couldn't treat all of them, as one of the shards was lodged near Sophitia's heart in a way that meant removing it would absolutely kill her without fail. This becomes a plot point later in ''SCV''.
124* TheBlacksmith: She forges her own blades and is a highly skilled smithy.
125* CharacterCatchphrase: "Fuuma Kanryo!", literally "Demon sealed, the deed is done!"
126* ChekhovsGun: Mekkimaru in ''Soul Edge'' is a mere extra weapon with little story relevance. Come ''Soulcalibur'', it becomes Taki's second main weapon and the focal point of her whole story up until ''SCIII''.
127* ContractOnTheHitman: From ''Soulcalibur'' up through ''SCIV'', she is targeted by the clan she was once a part of, and is only offered respite when an old accomplice took over the Fuma village.
128* DemonSlaying: Her main job involves sealing demons all over Japan.
129* DifficultButAwesome: Possession Stance Cancels. They considerably expand Taki's gameplay to a whole-new level and turn her into a LightningBruiser who can attack and defend herself at nigh-unreactable speeds and put her about 4 steps ahead of the opponent at all times. Good luck mastering them, though, as the timing is incredibly strict.
130* DualWielding: Since ''Soulcalibur'', having claimed Mekkimaru to join Rekkimaru.
131* EvilMentor: Toki, though not [[BrainwashedAndCrazy intentionally]] -- he was corrupted by Mekkimaru's powers.
132* EvilWeapon: Mekkimaru. Its powers corrupted Toki into a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity bloodthirsty madman]]. These powers were amplified when Taki merged a shard of Soul Edge into it, enough to make it the third-strongest weapon after the Soul swords.
133* FormFittingWardrobe: Her body-glove highlights her figure so much that it basically looks like she spray-paints herself red or blue and fights naked.
134* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Chie, her childhood friend.
135* HighlyVisibleNinja: She wears bright red (or blue) skin-tight bodysuits and screams many of her attacks. That's without mentioning the [[BuxomBeautyStandard obvious]] reason she'd be easy to spot.
136* ICallItVera: Rekkimaru is her favorite out of all the weapons [[TheBlacksmith she forged]], and she has a special attachment to it.
137* IntercontinuityCrossover: Appears in ''Namco x Capcom'' and ''[[Anime/QueensBlade Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos]]''.
138* JigglePhysics: She's practically the games' poster girl for it, sporting a pair of pendulous breasts that always receive dedicated animations.
139* KatanasAreJustBetter: She wields a pair of kodachi -- a type of small Japanese sword.
140* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFZeYoCdfIo ''Future Dancin'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAd_098EvtE ''A Haunting Wind'']].
141* MsFanservice: She wears a skintight bodysuit and is tied for having the third-largest bust size in the series. She'd probably be the TropeCodifier for the franchise if it wasn't for [[DressedLikeADominatrix Ivy]].
142* MurderIsTheBestSolution: By ''SCIV'', her primary solution to other people knowing about Soul Edge is to LeaveNoSurvivors. No matter who the character is or how good or bad they are, Taki will indiscriminately show up trying to murder them at some point.
143* MythicalMotifs: The background of her character art in ''SCVI'' features a Japanese demon or ''{{Oni}}'' — the type of which she actively seeks out and destroys in her role as a demon-sealer and huntress.
144* {{Ninja}}: Taki is ''the'' ninja of the franchise, and one of the most iconic in fighting games in general.
145* NippleAndDimed: Fun fact, you can actually see nipples and areola through her 1P outfit in ''SC''. In the other games, you can still distinguish nipples.
146* PaintedOnPants: Her spray-on, fuchsia-or-blue body-glove is slightly ludicrous, given that ninjas usually wore clothing to ''disguise'' their shape, not draw attention to it, though her costumes do allow her to ease of movement, which is essential for a ninja.
147* ParentalSubstitute: For Natsu, out of guilt after sealing the demon that destroyed the girl's village inside her. Hers was her mentor, Toki.
148* PowerTattoo: Most visibly in ''SCVI''; her body lights up in symbols when she unleashes her powers.
149* PutOnABus: Taki disappears from the series after ''SCIV'', and doesn't appear in ''SCV''. [[TheBusCameBack She returns]] in ''Lost Swords'', though the canonicity of the game is questionable.
150* RenaissanceWoman: A skilled fighter both armed and unarmed, as well as an accomplished demon huntress, spy, and blacksmith. In fact, she's the only one in her clan to master both demon-sealing and forging. The fact that she can go toe-to-toe with ''[[OneManArmy Mitsurugi]]'' is all you need to know.
151* TheRival: To Mitsurugi. They often cross paths with each other, and consider themselves to be each other's WorthyOpponent.
152* SelfMadeOrphan: She killed her ParentalSubstitute, Toki, after he was corrupted by Mekkimaru.
153* SphereOfDestruction: A few of Taki's spells. Best seen in the intro for ''SCII'', although her actual attacks of that caliber in-game are not nearly as widespread or destructive.
154* StatuesqueStunner: Borderline. At 5'7", she just misses the mark. However, being that she's ''Japanese'' (which for women average at 5' to 5'2" or even shorter, especially back in the 1500s), and that she's the second-tallest female character behind Ivy, she definitely fits here. She's even referred to as being tall in ''SCIII'''s Tales of Souls.
155* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her alternate outfits usually show a fair bit more skin, but in an interesting twist, are actually ''more'' modest than her default attire, despite the fact that you could technically say she's covered up.
156* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Her thoughts on Mekkimaru and spirit swords in general -- as a demon huntress, she does her best to suppress knowledge of such artefacts.
157* VaporWear: Her catsuit is so ludicrously tight and shows off every single detail of her body -- including, highly unusually for a mainstream game, her nipples -- that it annihilates any possibility of undergarments. But with Taki, there's doubt that there's ''anything'' there, as said catsuit is so ludicrously form-fitting you could actually be forgiven for thinking that it's bodypaint and that Taki is actually journeying across the world and getting in battles with warriors and supernatural creatures [[FullFrontalAssault whilst in her birthday suit]]. It's so tight, she'd probably be no more exposed if she actually was.
158* WallJump: A special skill of her (and others) in ''SCII''.
159* WouldntHurtAChild: Took in Natsu because the Arahabaki demon possessed her and she couldn't bring herself to kill a baby.
160[[/folder]]
161
162[[folder:Siegfried Schtauffen]]
163[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/siggy_alt_pic_8.png]]
164[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]]
165[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur II'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soul_calibur_2___nightmare.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
166[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soul_edge___siegfried.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
167
168-> ''"You could never understand."''
169
170->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire Ober-Getzenberg, Holy Roman Empire (Germany)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Holy Roman Empire. At the time the series is set, the modern-day nation of Germany was part of the much larger Holy Roman Empire, and not yet a distinct country.[[/note]]
171->'''Weapon (SE):''' ''[[ShoutOutThemeNaming Faust]] [[note]]("Faust" is the protagonist of a classic German legend, based on the historical Johann Georg Faust. The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures)[[/note]]'', [[{{BFS}} a zweihänder]]
172->'''Weapon (SC, III, and V):''' ''[[WeaponOfPeace Requiem]] [[note]](named for a religious mass held for the dead)[[/note]]'', [[{{BFS}} a zweihänder]]
173->'''Weapon (IV):''' ''[[ArtifactOfHope Soul Calibur]]'', [[MorphWeapon great sword form]]
174->'''Fighting style:''' [[TaughtByExperience Self-taught]]
175-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (Japanese), Creator/CrispinFreeman (''Soulcalibur III''; English), Creator/RogerCraigSmith (''Soulcalibur Legends''-''Soulcalibur V''; English), Creator/KirkThornton (''Soulcalibur VI''; English)[[/note]]
176
177-> A protagonist of the series. The son of a knight of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, when [[DisappearedDad his father was sent into a foreign expedition]], Siegfried fell into bad company and formed a gang of bandits, the Schwarzwind. During a raid against a group of cowardly knights, he murdered his own father by accident. The horror of what he'd done drove him insane, and he convinced himself that someone else had done it, deciding to seek Soul Edge to take revenge. After traversing Europe, he fought the possessed corpse of Cervantes de Leon and obtained Soul Edge, but became its new host and was transformed into the being known as Nightmare.
178
179-> He regained his sanity shortly after Nightmare was defeated by Kilik and Xianghua, but was unable to keep the sword under control and again fell into its clutches. He was finally freed from Soul Edge's control by Raphael, sealing Soul Edge using Soul Calibur, and during ''SCIII'', he sought a way to destroy Soul Edge for good. He eventually found a means to do so in Soul Calibur, which bonded to him in ''SCIV'' in order to save his life from a fatal injury sustained in a duel with Nightmare. In ''SCIV'', he was out to get Nightmare, while [[LeaveMeAlone shunning all those who try to help him]] in an attempt to avoid [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies any more victims]]. Using Soul Calibur, Siegfried defeated Nightmare and sent Soul Edge back to Astral Chaos.
180
181-> He returns in ''SCV'', now OlderAndWiser, and has reformed Schwarzwind into a mercenary group to combat Soul Edge's malfested servants. Hilde now accompanies him due to the fall of her kingdom during the timeskip caused by Nightmare. Z.W.E.I and Viola also accompany him to find a worthy successor to Soul Calibur.
182
183-> For tropes applying to Siegfried's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]].
184
185-> Director Daishi Odashima considers him the main character of ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'' and considers Nightmare!Siegfried the main character of ''SCII'' (read: "more than half the series"), but has explicitly confirmed he is ''not'' the main character for ''SCV'', despite his return.
186
187-> Siegfried may seem like a beginner-friendly character at first, but he is actually one of the more difficult characters to play effectively. Siegfried is a power character with a surprising mixup game through the use of his many special stances. His attacks have very long reach (second longest compared to Astaroth and Kilik later on in the series, and tied with Nightmare as well), but his mobility is quite slow and his attacks are also very linear and easy to evade.
188
189%%As per ATT discussion, please do not make any further elaborations on this character's height without further ATT discussion.
190
191----
192
193* AndIMustScream: From the moment he clutches Soul Edge, he becomes possessed by the evil sword. He's completely aware of what the sword makes him do, and he actually does scream when it begins to take him over.
194* AnimalMotifs: His armor in ''SCV'' incorporates the eagle symbol of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, his homeland.
195* ApologeticAttacker: Only against those who want him dead for his crimes as Nightmare. He feels they are in the right to seek revenge for his crimes, but he can't die before stopping Soul Edge. So he beats the crap outta them... and then apologizes.
196* ArmorIsUseless: Weapons do the same damage to him as they do to the likes of [[{{Stripperiffic}} Ivy]] and [[PaintedOnPants Taki]].
197* TheAtoner: He's spent practically every game since ''Soulcalibur'' (except for ''[[BrainwashedAndCrazy SCII]]'') trying to make up for murdering his father in cold blood and having been manipulated by the sword into killing thousands of innocents. The fact that he names his sword [[ICallItVera Requiem]] speaks volumes.
198* AxCrazy: Siegfried wasn't exactly the most stable person during his hunt for Soul Edge, entering the service of the lord of Ostrheinsburg Castle in order to see if his sword, the Grimblade, was Soul Edge (it wasn't) and then murdering him in order to take it. He grows out of it, becoming TheAtoner, and by ''SCV'' he has grown out of ''that'', as well, being OlderAndWiser.
199* BackStab: While everyone has a back throw, Siegfried’s is notable for being a literal backstab. He grabs his opponent from behind around their chest, restraining them, and then stabs them in the back and into the ground. Notably, this replaced his back throw from his debut appearance, which was an oddly less practical arm restrain and then using his sword to lift up his foe and toss them.
200* BadassCape: In ''SCV''. His 2P outfit in ''SCIII'' and 1P outfit in ''SCIV'' instead have him don a ScarfOfAsskicking, the latter being long enough to technically count as a cape.
201* BadassCrew: His mercenary group, the Schwarzwind ([[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110804203225/soulcalibur/images/5/51/Soul-calibur-siegfried-with-schwarzwind.jpg first]] [[http://images.wikia.com/soulcalibur/images/a/a5/Soul-calibur-siegfried-with-schwarzwind-2.jpg seen]] in Siegfried's ending from ''Soulcalibur'') appear to be a small BadassArmy. Thanks to Siegfried's reforms post-''SCIV'', by the time of ''SCV'', [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110804131710/soulcalibur/images/5/5c/296537769.jpg they're now]] [[HiredGuns a band of noble mercenaries]], a far cry from their original status as a band of thieves. They've also gained a traveling companion in Hilde, who tags along with them after the disappearance of her father and the fall of Wolfkrone, as well as enlisting Z.W.E.I and Viola into their ranks.
202* BarbarianLongHair: He's at his most barbaric in his Nightmare 2-P costume. In terms of his default appearance, he sports hair like this in ''SCIV''.
203* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Numerous times with Inferno, serving as a rare ''heroic'' version of an EnemyWithin. It finally comes to an end in ''SCII''.
204* {{BFS}}: His weapons are massive two-handed swords that stand as tall as he does and would give [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]] a run for his money. Despite this, during ''SCIII'', one of his most infamous win quotes is to [[OnlyAFleshWound reassure his opponent that he avoided hitting anything vital and that they would survive the battle]].
205* BlackKnight: His alternative ''Soulcalibur'' outfit is black armor, and Requiem is golden. His armor in ''SCV'' is also black.
206* BladeAcrossTheShoulder: Some of his victory poses have him pose this way.
207* BrainwashedAndCrazy: When he was Nightmare, he was a slave to Soul Edge's will.
208* BrattyHalfPint: In his debut appearance in ''Soul Edge'', he's mouthy, rude and arrogant, as well as being the youngest male character at 16, and the shortest in the series at 157 cm (a very petite 5'2" and very short for his age and gender). His short stature is used to enhance his childishness and comparative mental immaturity compared to the adults amongst the cast.
209* CelibateHero: He outright states in ''SCIV'' that "No one would touch his heart." This is because he doesn't want anyone to hinder him on his quest to destroy [[EvilWeapon Soul Edge]], and that he realized that [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies anyone who gets close to him is in danger]]. There was some speculation that he was the father of Hilde's children, but this was deconfirmed.
210* CharacterDevelopment: He starts out [[BelievingTheirOwnLies convinced that somebody else killed his father]], sought Soul Edge to kill them, and is cocky and arrogant in battle. After all the turmoils of his possession by Nightmare, he becomes less arrogant and starts his quest for redemption. On a more minor note, he also stops being a HeManWomanHater after his debut appearance. In ''SCIV'', he goes a bit too far in this direction and becomes a borderline KnightTemplar. In ''SCV'', he seems to have completed his quest for redemption (he no longer mentions words such as "atonement" and "redemption" in his win-quotes) and becomes OlderAndWiser, not to mention having a more active role in saving other people from the malfested, instead of focusing only on his issues.
211* ConfusionFu: In spite of wielding a weapon typically associated with mindless HackAndSlash, he wields his zweihander with a variety of stance mixups designed to bait his opponent into making a mistake.
212* CovertPervert: In one artwork from ''Soul Edge'', he is peeping on a partially undressed Sophitia with Li Long. In a comedic comic for ''Soul Edge'', he is shown staring at Seong Mina with a blush on his face. This trait is not present in any other game, which may coincide with him becoming a CelibateHero.
213* DarkAndTroubledPast: ''Self-inflicted'', no less. He was the leader of a group of bandits until he accidentally murdered his own father, then went searching for a cursed sword while killing anyone he suspected of having it.
214* DealWithTheDevil: In ''Soul Edge'', the sword told him that it'd resurrect his dead father if he were to offer souls to empower it. He agreed and eventually was corrupted into Nightmare.
215* DeathSeeker: He would gladly die to redeem himself for the crimes he committed as Nightmare.
216* DemonicPossession: By Inferno between ''Soul Edge'' and ''SCIII'', turning him into [[BigBad Nightmare]].
217* DestinedBystander: Starting out as a young inconspicuous knight, he goes on to become both the BigBad ''and'' TheHero of the series.
218* {{Determinator}}: His fighting style has a somewhat desperate "push onward at all costs" feeling to it, emphasized by one of his more basic moves being a series of headbutts.
219* DontYouDarePityMe: In his debut, he is incensed when Sophitia tries to dissuade him from seeking Soul Edge alone and offers him help. One of his quotes in ''SCIII'' seems to express this directly:
220-->''Sinners need no mercy... or sympathy.''
221* EnemyWithin: In ''SCII'', Siegfried functions as a ''heroic'' version of this for Nightmare/Inferno, awakening after lying dormant for so long to try and retake his body. Cue [[SpannerInTheWorks Raphael]] stabbing the eye of Soul Edge.
222* EmergencyTransformation: After fighting with Nightmare at the end of ''SCIII'', Siegfried was mortally wounded. Soul Calibur's recently awakened will selected him as a worthy host, due to his hatred of Soul Edge and desire for redemption, and saved his life by covering him in crystal armor. Even when this was broken and Soul Calibur didn't need him anymore, it left pieces of itself inside Siegfried, healing him.
223* FightingFromTheInside: Implied by some of Nightmare's win quotes in ''SC'' and ''SCII''. Before ''SCIII'', Siegfried was able to hold back Nightmare long enough for Raphael to stab Soul Edge's eye, weakening the evil sword and allowing Siegfried to break free. His playable appearances in ''SC'' and ''SCVI'' also reflect his struggle to break free from Soul Edge's control.
224-->''Ugh... I will '''not''' surrender to this nightmare!''
225* {{Foil}}: Siegfried is one to Sophitia. In their debut appearances, Siegfried fought to find and gain Soul Edge while Sophitia fought to destroy Soul Edge. By IV, they are foils for the opposite reason. Siegfried fights to destroy Soul Edge while Sophitia, reluctantly fights for Soul Edge.
226* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Siegfried is a playable character in ''SC'', with his own story mode and ending, though he canonically is stuck in his Nightmare persona at this point in the plot. He only became a separate character again in ''SCIII''.
227* GemstoneAssault: Whereas Soul Edge (and by proxy, Inferno and Nightmare) is associated with [[PlayingWithFire fire]], Siegfried seems to embody the element of icy blue crystals in contrast (presumably through his contact with Soul Calibur). Soul Calibur left a shard of itself inside Siegfried as a memento of his time as its host, and he can draw upon its power to create icy crystals. This can be seen with his Critical Finish in ''SCIV'' and Critical Edge in ''SCV''.
228* GermanicDepressives: He hails from what will become modern-day Germany and is a melancholy sort, which is unsurprising considering his angst-ridden back-story.
229* GlowingEyesOfDoom: In the opening of ''SCV'', his eyes glow blue and he gets a crystalline version of his old RedRightHand during his final battle with Nightmare.
230* GoodScarsEvilScars: Sports a vertical scar across his right eye starting in ''Soulcalibur'' (it's more clearly seen in his 2P costume, as his default outfit has bangs covering it).
231* TheGrappler: All but one of his throws involve him restraining his opponent.
232* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Definitely by the time of ''SCV''; previously in ''SCIII'', he was [[GoodIsNotNice rough]], but still a [[TheAtoner good guy]] at [[HiddenHeartOfGold heart]].
233* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: When he's not possessed by Soul Edge, he's trying to destroy it. The best thing you can say about Siegfried is however badly he screws up, [[{{Determinator}} he never stops fighting]].
234* HeManWomanHater: Downplayed because it is not a major character trait of his. In ''Soul Edge'', Siegfried patronizingly refers to Seong Mi-na and Sophitia as "little girls" and to Taki as an "impetuous female", which is notable because he is one of the only characters to act this way, although it was common for the time period. Ironically, he was [[TheNapoleon shorter than Seong Mi-na]] [[HeightAngst and shorter than Sophitia by a good deal in this game.]] In ''Legends'', Siegfried reacts with anger and outrage when he finds out that the contact he is meeting up with, Ivy, is a woman, and also when he finds out that the Masked Emperor is also female. This is not present in later games, showing he has grown out of this trait and matured.
235* HeroicBuild: All that armor he's wearing and his giant swords have lent him [[FemaleGaze some impressive strength]], especially since he was a lot more slender at age 16 when he debuted.
236* HiredGuns: Served as a Landsknecht -- a type of German mercenary pikeman -- to a nobleman in order to kill him and take his sword, which he suspected was Soul Edge. Later reformed his gang of thieves, the Schwarzwind, into a mercenary group.
237* {{Hunk}}: In ''SCV''. Previously, he was definitely very handsome, but then he got stubble on his face and swept his hair back to give him a more mature look; it also helps that he's broader and taller by ''SCV''.
238* IGotBigger: Siegfried experiences the most height growth out of the cast as the series progresses. He starts out at 157 cm at age 16, then 165 cm at age 19, 168 cm at age 23 and 172 cm at age 40. This coincides with his CharacterDevelopment, going from a haughty brat in his debut at 16 to a dignified, serious man at 40. His height growth does seem to be inordinately long, as he grows only 3 cm in the four years between 1 and 2, but he has grown another 4 cm between ''IV'' and ''V''. This would logically mean Siegfried grew for at least another 5 years after the age of 23, which is odd, because most people stop growing in their early 20’s, at the latest.
239* IWorkAlone: Has this mentality. When Sophitia offers to help him on his quest for Soul Edge in the first game, Siegfried is incensed. He has this reaction again when Hilde does the same in ''SCIV.'' Noticeably part of the reason for both is that he doesn't want to get distracted from his goals by not letting anyone [[CelibateHero touch his heart]], specifically in ''SCIV''. He drops this behavior after ''SCV'', where he has reformed and leads Schwartzwind.
240* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Siegfried takes it a step further with a move that stomps the opponent up to six times in rapid succession.
241* KidHeroAllGrownUp: He does a lot of growing both in height and bulk from his debut at age 16 to his appearance at age 40. He is rather slender, but by the 17 year time skip in ''SCV'', he has grown both taller and broader. Debuting at a diminutive 157 cm tall, and looking rather childish, he then grows throughout the series, even after age 23, a whole half a foot.
242* KnightInShiningArmor: In appearance. He looks the part (especially in ''SCIV'', where an intricate crystalline armor has grown over his regular silver suit) and it was his childhood dream to become one like his father, but it takes years of angsty soul-searching before he plays this straight in ''SCV''.
243* KnightInSourArmor: He becomes embittered from ''SCIII'' to ''SCIV'', due to his actions as Nightmare. [[{{Irony}} Ironically]], in ''Soul Edge'', one of his alternate costumes is a crimson armor that was based to create Nightmare later, and also, the alternate palette was a [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine golden/silver]] one.
244* KnightTemplar: Only against those cursed by Soul Edge, and because he's not aware of any cure for its malfestation.
245* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVK2jVtSYeo ''Soul And Sword,'']] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95eXX0XOSYg ''Darkness of Fate'']], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5V4RX82Ao ''Till Fate Writes My Epitaph'']].
246* LongHairedPrettyBoy: From ''SC'' to ''SCIV'', he sports a long, flowing blond hair and has pleasing, youthful features.
247* {{Mangst}}: His angst over his murder of his own father and his atrocities as Nightmare are done without any excess or melodrama and don't make him any less any badass.
248* MeaningfulName: Siegfried's weapon is named Myth/{{Faust}}, in reference to the archetypal story of a DealWithTheDevil and his actions as Nightmare.
249* MovesetClone: He is technically one to Nightmare in Nightmare's debut game (''Soulcalibur'') because Nightmare is unlocked from the start, while Siegfried must be unlocked by playing through the game. However, overall, Nightmare is this to him, since Nightmare uses a lot of his ''Soul Edge'' attacks during this era.
250* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
251** After remembering his atrocities as Nightmare.
252** He hits this wall with regards to his father's death as well, which is how he temporarily frees himself during the latter part of the first ''Soulcalibur''.
253* MyGreatestFailure: {{Patricide}}, specifically. The deeds he committed as Nightmare also weigh heavily on his conscience.
254* MyGreatestSecondChance: Defied in the interim between ''Soulcalibur'' and ''SCII'' (where he eventually succumbs to Soul Edge's sway once more), but played straight from ''SCIII'' onward. It's most evident in ''SCIII'', where his B ending has Siegfried believe that his father was the one who sent the lightning bolts that destroyed Nightmare and Siegfried interprets it as his father having already forgiven him for killing him.
255* MythicalMotifs: His artwork in ''SCVI'' features a [[WingedUnicorn horned]] ''{{Pegasus}}'', which is doubly suitable in his case, as the creature is most commonly associated with the [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic tragic hero]] Bellerophon, as well as the fact that knights (the English "cavalier" / the French "chevalier" — literally "horseman") have a long-standing association with horses.
256* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: An in-universe example. His father Frederick named him after the legendary Nordic hero, Sigurd, with "Siegfried" being the German name for the character.
257* TheNapoleon: Has shades of this in his debut appearance because he's the shortest playable character and is very aggressive. He calls Seong Mi-na and Sophitia "little girls”, despite both women being taller than him, hinting at HeightAngst. He grows out of this trait after his debut appearance, although his [[IGotBigger growth spurts]] afterwards probably helped with this insecurity. This also applies to the ''Legends'' manga, where he is angry that Ivy towers over him.
258* NotDrawnToScale: In ''SCV''’s Story Mode he is drawn taller than Patroklos by several inches when he is actually 2 inches shorter than him.
259* NotQuiteBackToNormal: Despite no longer being Soul Calibur's wielder, according to ''New Legends of Project Soul'', a fragment of its crystal remains embedded in his body and saved his life. He can still draw upon its power to an extent, as seen in his Critical Edge.
260* OlderAndWiser: By ''SCIV'', though his regretful determination to redeem himself has [[KnightTemplar more than a touch of fanaticism]] — in part due to Soul Calibur's influence.
261* OneHandedZweihander: Some attacks and winposes have him wielding his enormous sword with one hand.
262* ParentalAbandonment: Frederick was accidentally slain by Siegfried prior to the first game, whereas Margaret would pass away due to natural causes sometime before ''SCV''.
263* {{Patricide}}: Siegfried unknowingly killed his father as he performed a bandit ambush against returning crusaders at night. [[BelievingTheirOwnLies He managed to convince himself that someone else must have done it]] for some time.
264* PermaStubble: [[http://www.fightersgeneration.com/np8/char/siegfried-sc5.png Sports it]] in ''SCV'', a subtle nod to him having reached his forties.
265* PintSizedPowerhouse: He's 5'2" (157cm) when he debuts at age 16 and [[LightningBruiser can still kick your ass.]] Notably, he is the shortest or second shortest male character and short in general for most of the series, even after a series of growth spurts kick in in later games. This is because Siegfried was designed to be a small character wielding a big weapon. Amusingly, three of his throws, "hilt impact", "calamity fall" and "silent pride" require him to pull his foes lower so he can grab them. "Hilt impact" almost seems like the opponent is helpfully kneeling down so that he can connect the hit. Even with them kneeling, there are still at least a handful of characters who are too tall for him to connect the hit.
266* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: In Hilde's ending in ''SCIV'', Siegfried openly admits that he was once Nightmare and asks Hilde — whose father had been driven insane by the Evil Seed he'd unleashed — to kill him. Instead, she acknowledges Siegfried's struggle to atone for his sins and pardons him.
267* PowerDyesYourHair: As Nightmare in ''SCII'', he's shown to have flowing [[EvilRedhead red hair]].
268* PrettyBoy: He's smooth and handsome in a slightly rough-around-the-edges fashion when he's not rocking the SuperPoweredEvilSide look. In ''SCV'', since he's 17 years older, he becomes a classic {{Hunk}}.
269* RedemptionEqualsDeath: In every ''SCIV'' ending that involves him except Hilde's. And even in Hilde's, [[ForgivenessRequiresDeath he is prepared to die as penance for his sins]]. Compare this to [[RedemptionEarnsLife his ending in the third game.]]
270* RedRightHand: As Nightmare, he gains a literal red right hand. When Soul Calibur amps its possession of him up in ''SCV''[='=]s opening cutscene, he gains one made of crystal.
271* RedeemingReplacement: The new Schwarzwind he formed in ''SCV'' is a group of noble mercenaries fighting the remnants of Soul Edge's corruption -- a far cry from Siegfried's original bandit gang that bore the name.
272* {{Retcon}}: Siegfried's very short initial height in ''Soul Edge'' -- 157 cm (5'2"), as listed in his bio -- is subject to a retcon in ''Legends'' (although it is non-canon), where he is supposed to be 16 years old, but is the same height 165 cm (5'4") as he is at age 19 in later games. In ''VI'', where he is age 19, his short stature is again retconned, with him being 172 cm (5’ 8”) and the same height he is at age 40 in ''V''. The latter is noticeable because it put him from being a short man to a man of average height and being taller than all but one woman.
273* SelfMadeOrphan: Siegfried decapitated his father under the influence of his gang of thieves, not noticing him in his nightly attack, but developed TraumaInducedAmnesia and [[TheKillerInMe convinced himself someone else had done it and sought Soul Edge to take revenge]].
274* ShipTease: With Sophitia and Hilde. With the former, he is shown to be attracted to her in a humorous artwork for ''Soul Edge''. With the latter, he rejects her help because he doesn’t want [[CelibateHero anyone to touch his heart]], distracting him from his goal. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that he fights the two of them along with Ivy in the penultimate stage of his story mode in ''SCIV''. Both go nowhere because both wed someone else.
275* ShortTeensTallAdults: In his debut game, along with Seong Mi-na. Not only is he very short, he and Mi-na are the only teenagers in the cast at age 16 and are shorter than the rest of the cast by at least half a head.
276* ShoutOut: To the legendary Myth/{{Norse|Mythology}} hero Sigurd/Siegfried. A recurring weapon of Siegfried is Gram, the sword used by Sigurd to kill the dragon Fafnir ([[JapaneseRanguage mistranslated]] as "Glam" until more recent games), and Siegfried himself gets to face Fafnir in ''Legends''.
277* StabTheSky: Another win-pose of his, where he raise his massive sword skywards.
278* StanceSystem: Has several stances, called "Base Hold", "Chief Hold", "Side Hold", and "Reverse Side Hold". When put together, it makes him hard to read, putting him squarely into ConfusionFu territory, as it forces opponents to have to frequently guess (and he can freely transition between these stances to increase the unpredictability). Not bad for a character with a [[{{BFS}} massive sword]].
279* TheStoic: Siegfried isn't one to show much emotion, especially in the later games.
280* SugarAndIcePersonality: His default mood. Although, he can shift between this and {{Tsundere}} at certain times.
281* SupportingLeader: Becomes this in ''SCV'', where he leads a group comprised of him, Z.W.E.I, and Viola, yet only offers advice to Patroklos.
282* SwordDrag: One of his pre-fight intros, and during his critical art in ''SCVI'', whilst he winds up for a deadly horizontal swing attack.
283* SwordPointing: Before fighting him at the Lost Cathedral in ''SCIII'', he thrusts his sword at the opponent.
284* UnbreakableWeapons: In ''Soul Edge'', where [[BreakableWeapons breaking weapons]] is possible, Siegfried has one specific weapon (the 7-Branch Blade) which restores the weapon gauge so quickly that it's virtually impossible to break.
285* UnwittingPawn: To Soul Edge initially, and by the time he wised up, [[GrandTheftMe it was too late]]. He also becomes this to [[UnholyHolySword Soul Calibur]] in ''SCIV'', as it takes over him and manipulates his hatred of Soul Edge for its own purposes.
286* VillainProtagonist: Between ''Soul Edge'' and ''SCII'', Siegfried is little more than a serial killer obsessed with obtaining Soul Edge, and subsequently becomes Nightmare.
287* VillainousFaceHold: One of Siegfried's throws, Hilt Impact, involves him grabbing his foe by the jaw and leveraging their head so he can strike them in the face with his sword hilt. It is a notable throw because it either forces his foe to kneel down or they helpfully kneel down for him so he can connect the hit. It replaced a throw from his debut appearance called brutal smack, which is instead a clinch around his opponent’s neck, which makes sense, because the whole cast is taller than him and he can’t reach most of their faces. Interestingly, he switches to this throw after his debut appearance when he was a villain when he goes on his path for redemption.
288* WellIntentionedExtremist: A particularly tragic example in ''SCIV''. He believes that Soul Calibur is a sword of redemption that will destroy the evil of Soul Edge. What he doesn't realize is that Soul Calibur will freeze the world over in the process.
289* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: In the original ''Soul Edge'' and ''Soul Calibur'', and partially in ''SCII'' prior to his quest for redemption. A teenage bandit who accidentally beheaded his own father during a raid, Siegfried completely lost his mind and set off in search of his father's "true killer." On recovering the Soul Edge from the defeated Cervantes De Leon, the EvilWeapon completely consumed the fragile mind of the boy, transforming him into Nightmare. Whilst most characters fall under the thrall of the Soul Edge on possession of it, it is implied the sword influences them to do evil, corrupting them with its power. In Siegfried's case, his immature and unstable mind allowed the sword to transform him into an extension of the sword itself. Eventually, as the sword is weakened by its defeat at the end of ''Soulcalibur'', Siegfried's will begins to reassert itself until he is finally able to break free and begin his quest for redemption.
290* WrestlerInAllOfUs: He has an Enzuiguri-style dropkick and a jumping version of the Russian Leg Sweep grapple ("Calamity Fall") as part of his repertoire of moves.
291* YouKilledMyFather: His initial motivation, but really, he killed his own father, [[BelievingTheirOwnLies but convinced himself that someone else did it]] in ''SE''. It took some time for him to accept the truth.
292
293[[/folder]]
294
295[[folder:Sophitia Alexandra]]
296[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sophitia_alt_pic_6.png]]
297[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur IV'' Appearance]]
298[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sopsbeart1.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
299[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/my_project_10.png[[/labelnote]]]]
300
301-> ''"Gods, guide me."''
302
303->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/TurksWithTroops Athens, Ottoman Empire (Greece)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ottoman Empire circa late 1500s. At the time the series is set, modern-day Greece was under Ottoman Turk control and would not gain independence until 1830.[[/note]]
304-> '''Weapons (SE):''' ''[[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming Omega Sword & Owl Shield]] [[note]](literally "Great Sword", and in Greek mythology, the owl is particularly associated with Athena in her role as the goddess of wisdom)[[/note]]'',
305->[[HeroesPreferSwords a short sword]] [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe & shield]]
306-> '''Weapons (SC onwards):''' ''[[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming Omega Sword & Elk Shield]] [[note]](literally "Great Sword", and in Greek mythology, the elk is particularly associated with Artemis in her role as a virginal huntress)[[/note]]'',
307->[[KnightlySwordAndShield a short sword & shield]]
308->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{HistoricalEuropeanMartialArts}} Athenian Style]]''
309-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/MichikoNeya (''Soul Edge''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/ChieNakamura (''Soulcalibur Legends'' & ''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Lynn Harris (''Soul Edge''; English), Diane Holmby (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Eden Riegel (''Soulcalibur III''' to ''Lost Swords''), Creator/EricaLindbeck (''Soulcalibur VI''; English)[[/note]]
310
311-> The daughter of a Greek baker chosen by the god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. She reaches Cervantes' lair but ends up being gravely injured in the battle. Saved by Taki from certain death, she is able to return to her normal life. During ''Soulcalibur'', she [[LoveAtFirstSight falls in love]] with a young blacksmith, Rothion. But the blacksmith god came back to ask her to go destroy the still-at-large Soul Edge. She does but is unable to reach Nightmare before he's defeated, so she returns back and marries Rothion.
312
313-> In ''Soulcalibur'', ''SCII'', & ''SCIII'', she becomes a MamaBear due to her children being threatened by Soul Edge. She encounters Tira, whom she fights after she makes a threatening remark about her family. Tira escapes, and in ''SCIV'', Sophie's daughter [[MeaningfulName Pyrrha]] gets kidnapped and infected by Soul Edge, forcing her to make a FaceHeelTurn. She is succeeded by her son Patroklos and, to some extent, her daughter Pyrrha.
314
315-> ''SCV'' reveals that a shard of Soul Edge was implanted near her heart after fighting Cervantes, and it was impossible to remove without killing her. When Nightmare was defeated, Pyrrha slowly began to die because Soul Edge had left this world. Left with no other choice, Sophitia sacrificed herself to save her daughter's life by removing the shard from her own heart and implanting it within Pyrrha.
316
317-> Materials that followed ''SCV'', however, are seemly trying to rectify, or put a spin on, Sophitia’s death; the official bio in ''Lost Swords'' classify her whereabouts as “missing” instead of deceased, in ''Unbreakable Soul'' it is noted that Sophitia’s unconscious body was suddenly brought to the Astral Chaos.
318
319-> For tropes applying to Sophitia's appearance in the New Timeline starting with ''Soulcalibur VI'', see [[Characters/SoulcaliburVI here]].
320
321-> Her attacks have average range, but are very fast, powerful, and can keep the opponent guessing with mixups. In a nod to ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', she has a wavedash mechanic called Angel Step, which allows her to duck under most attacks and go for a powerful stab attack.
322
323----
324
325* ActionGirlfriend: She's the one who took to the battlefield, not her husband, [[TheBlacksmith Rothion]].
326%%(zce)* AntiVillain: In ''SCIV'': see ForcedIntoEvil.
327* ApologeticAttacker: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sun9k-HXuGA See for yourself.]] She'll [[GroinAttack kick her opponent hard]] between the legs, but always apologises.
328* ArmorIsUseless: In ''Soulcalibur'' she has an extra costume where she's dressed from head to toe in armor. Not that it affects her gameplay.
329* AssKicksYou: Employs her hips and backside in a lot of her attacks and throws.
330* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Her overall look is many centuries older than the series’ 16th Century setting, and far more in line with UsefulNotes/AncientGreece than the Ottoman period. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Sophitia’s worship of the “old Gods” is also anachronistic for the period, and is noted in-series. She does, however, appear in a more period-correct Greek bridal outfit in her ''SC'' ending depicting her wedding to Rothion.
331* TheBusCameBack: After being absent, killed, and replaced in ''SCV'', Sophitia returns in ''SCVI''. It helps that ''SCVI'' is a ContinuityReboot.
332* CainAndAbel: In ''SCIV'', she becomes the Cain to Cassandra's Abel, but not willingly (see ForcedIntoEvil).
333* ChildishBangs: More noticeable in her character models, but her main costumes almost always feature her sporting a full fringe over her forehead. This emphasizes her innocence and purity, as well as her slight naïveté, especially because she sports the style as a seasoned warrior.
334* CoolBigSis: Became one when Cassandra debuted in ''SCII''.
335* CounterAttack: One of her most iconic abilities is the Angel Step, which is a quick single or double duck that goes into a powerful stab. This lets her pass under medium attacks and cause extra damage if the enemy whiffs an attack.
336* DeadlyHug: One of her throws, Broken Promise, has her hug herself close to her opponent, restraining their right arm and then slashing the back of their neck.
337* EgyptIsStillAncient: Or rather, Greece. Sophitia started her whole journey to find Soul Edge because she received a mission from Hephaestus, the Ancient Greek god of blacksmithing. [[OhMyGods Her comments]] suggest that she still worships the Greek pantheon, as well. In reality, by the time of the late 16th century, the Greeks had been thoroughly Christianized for more than a thousand years, and they were quite insistent about it too. Classical Neopaganism is not something that would arise until centuries later (and they're fringe, at that). Realistically, a commoner like Sophitia should have been a devout Orthodox Christian and would have freaked out badly when someone claiming himself to be a god of a long-dead religion appeared to her.
338* FaceHeelTurn: She unwillingly joined Nightmare's forces in ''SCIV'' after Tira took her children hostage.
339* FanservicePack: Sophitia goes from being modestly buxom in ''Soul Edge'' to coming third in the series' official bust chart, landing behind Ivy and Setsuka, and edging out Taki. Her evolution over the games provides the current page image. Her return in ''SCVI'' shows she's still quite busty if not ''even more'' than before.
340* FlowerMotifs: Her artwork for ''SCVI'' features both the leaves and fruit of a grapevine, which feature prominently in classical Greek iconography.
341* ForcedIntoEvil: Sophitia's daughter Pyrrha has been captured and bound to the evil Soul Edge, meaning that if the sword is destroyed, so is her daughter's soul. Sophitia is forced to fight on the side of the villains and spill blood to save her daughter's life. The worst part of it is that her proximity to Soul Edge, her despair, her dread of doing something [[BeyondRedemption which can never be redeemed]], and [[EvilFeelsGood the overall exhilaration]] she tries to deny are all pushing her toward a permanent FaceHeelTurn. To rub salt in the wound, she's seemingly killed before she ever gets a chance to redeem herself.
342* GoodIsNotSoft: Sophitia may be PurityPersonified and one of the most unambiguously good characters in the series, but her fighting style is quite brutal and she is certainly not afraid to fight dirty, including moves like {{Groin Attack}}s and {{Neck Snap}}s. And while she is an ApologeticAttacker, she does so with an air of confidence and dignity. She is genuinely sorry she has to hurt her opponents, but she is ''not'' going to let anything stop her.
343* GorgeousGreek: The original MsFanservice of the series hails from Greece, albeit under Ottoman control, and her appearance is evocative of UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, with her apparently even ''worshipping'' the old Greek Gods, as opposed to the Abrahamic one.
344* GroinAttack: One of Sophie's favorite attacks. She's not above fighting dirty, but she'll apologize to male opponents if it connects.
345* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Her altruism is [[PurityPersonified her defining character trait]] throughout the series. She originally takes up arms against Soul Edge after being [[TheChosenOne chosen by Hesphestus]] and is [[ReligiousBruiser wholly devoted to serving him.]] Years later (''SCIV''), Tira and Soul Edge use her altruism to their advantage by infecting her daughter, Pyrrha, with a Soul Edge fragment, meaning if the Evil Sword were to be destroyed, Pyrrha would die along with it; [[ForcedIntoEvil leaving Sophitia no choice but to defend Soul Edge.]]
346* HappilyMarried: She and Rothion [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090902085659/soulcalibur/images/0/0c/235.jpg tie the knot]] for her character ending in the original ''SC''.
347* TheHeroine: She's the protagonist of ''Soul Edge'', as it is canonically her who defeats Cervantes, and she shares some similarities to other fighting game protagonists, such as being the newbie-friendly all-arounder. However, she becomes a side character come ''Soulcalibur'' and other characters such as Xianghua, Siegfried, and her son Patroklos become the canon POV characters of the following games.
348* HeroicSacrifice: Prior to the events of ''SCV'', she removes the shard embedded near her heart. This act saves her daughter Pyrrha's life, at the cost of her own.
349* InSeriesNickname: "Sophie", by Cassandra.
350* IntercontinuityCrossover: She [[GuestFighter appears in]] ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 3 Ultimate'' with Soul Edge's and Soul Calibur's xiphos and shield forms as special weapons.
351* JackOfAllStats: In terms of gameplay, Sophitia only has moderate power, speed, and short range, but doesn't suffer any 'real' drawbacks because of it.
352* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyOqvL_nRMg ''Heavenly Engage'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juDZRgACNy8 ''A Mediterranean Call'']]
353* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Her shield and sword were enchanted by the gods to protect her, and augment her own skills in battle.
354* LoveMakesYouEvil: Her love for her daughter Pyrrha causes her to make a FaceHeelTurn and protect Soul Edge in order to save Pyrrha's life.
355* MamaBear: Since ''SCII''. Gets taken to the cruelest extreme in ''SCIV'' when her daughter Pyrrha is kidnapped by Tira and infected by Soul Edge. Basically, either she has to kill Soul Edge's enemies or watch her daughter die.
356* MeaningfulName: Sophitia means "divine wisdom" in Greek, from ''sophia'' - "wisdom" and ''tia (thea)'' - "Goddess; Godly".
357* MiniDressOfPower: Her dresses are unrealistically short for the time period.
358* MissionFromGod: She began her journey when Hephaestus appeared before her and gave her the Omega Sword to destroy Soul Edge on his behalf.
359* MsFanservice: Of the GorgeousGaijin variety, she is introduced in ''Soul Edge'' by having Hephaestus appear to her while she's skinny-dipping, and her ending again features her bathing naked in a lake. She has the most extra costumes of all ''Soul Edge'' characters -- a bikini and a skimpy outfit -- at at time when alternate costumes were a rarity. Her fanservice levels continue to skyrocket in the later games with her increasingly diaphanous outfits.
360* NeverSayDie: The once clearly and officially dead Sophitia (since ''SCV'') has been tagged as just “missing” in ''Lost Swords'', and in ''Unbreakable Soul'', her unconscious body mysteriously was found in the Astral Chaos.
361* NiceGirl: Next to Talim, Sophitia is easily the kindest and gentlest character in the series, though she's willing to fight to fulfil her mission.
362* NippleAndDimed: Her ''SCIV'' costume is basically a see-through garb that barely covers anything.
363* ThePaladin: Her mission and the divine nature of her quest align her with the paladin character class.
364* PossessionImpliesMastery: Sophitia's instant prowess with the sword and shield, despite being an untrained girl, were imbued upon her by the sacred power of the holy weapons themselves.
365* PurityPersonified: She was chosen by Hephaestus for this reason.
366* RealityIsUnrealistic: The increase in her bust size in ''Soulcalibur'' is justified by the fact that she's pregnant.
367* ReligiousBruiser: The ''Soul Edge'' manual notes that her faith is as strong as her sword and shield.
368* {{Retcon}}: Having supposedly died at the end of ''SCIV'', her website profile was updated to state she's "[[HesJustHiding missing]]" instead of "deceased".
369* ReTool: ''Lost Swords'' and ''Unbreakable Soul'' clearly started building a plot to do Sophitia’s once flat-out stated death away.
370* RunningGag: The one about asking an Alexandra for their weight began with Sophitia outright refusing to confirm hers in ''Soul Edge''.
371* ShockAndAwe: Sophitia's Critical Finish summons Zeus' lightning to strike her foe.
372* {{Stripperiffic}}: This has become more and more prominent over the course of the series, which is ironic given her pure, dignified character. In ''SCIV'', her shirt is ''see-through'' ([[NippleAndDimed aside from on her nipples, naturally]]), has cleavage in front and on the side, and her skirt is very short, causing a PantyShot practically whenever she kicks, is knocked down, or there's wind blowing in the arena during every match.
373* SuperPowerfulGenetics: Sophitia's children inherited the evil energy of Soul Edge, which infiltrated her body through the wounds from her fight with Cervantes.
374* TokenGoodTeammate: Of Nightmare's Malfested gang in ''SCIV''. She's none too thrilled about her FaceHeelTurn, but ''has'' to fight for the sake of her children. Also,in ''Soul Edge'', she's actually the only one in the roster who Is altruistic, selfless, and unambiguously good, fighting for the good of the world and innocent people instead of for personal reasons.
375* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Between the two Alexandra sisters, Sophitia is the feminine, matronly one who eventually wed and started a family. Cassandra ''[[OneOfTheBoys on the other hand]]''....
376* TragicVillain: Tira blackmails her into helping Nightmare in ''SCIV'', by holding Pyrrha hostage, leaving Sophitia no choice but to defend the Evil Sword from her friends; including her sister, Cassandra.
377* WalkingSwimsuitScene: Her "Sophitia!!" extra costume in ''Soul Blade''.
378* YouHaveToBelieveMe: After returning from her first quest, no one in town, except Cassandra, believed her stories about Greek gods, an EvilWeapon, and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ghost Pirates]].
379
380[[/folder]]
381
382[[folder:Voldo]]
383[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/voldo_alt_pic_3.png]]
384[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur IV'' Appearance]]
385[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/voldo_1.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
386
387-> ''"Ssssssshhhhhhhhkkkkkk...."''
388
389->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/TheCityStateEra Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily (Italy)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Kingdom of Sicily. At the time the series is set, modern-day Italy was separated into several distinct city-states and kingdoms.[[/note]]
390->'''Weapons (SE):''' ''[[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming Karma & Mara]] [[note]]("Karma" refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect and "Mara" is a demon in the Buddhist faith[[/note]]'', [[WolverineClaws a pair of katars]]
391->'''Weapons (SC):''' ''[[SublimeRhyme Shame & Blame]]'', [[WolverineClaws a pair of katars]]
392->'''Weapons (II onwards):''' ''[[SacredLanguage Manas & Ayas]] [[note]](Sanskrit for "mind" and "metal" respectively)[[/note]]'', [[WolverineClaws a pair of katars]]
393->'''Fighting style:''' [[ConfusionFu Self-taught contortionism]]
394->'''Voiced by:''' n/a
395
396-> Easily the freakiest character in the series, and possibly of all fighting games period. Hailing from Palermo in the historic Kingdom of Sicily, Voldo is a guardian of the treasures that were gathered by his master, Vercci. He seeks Soul Edge because it is the only treasure that his master did not have before his death, but which he longed for so passionately.
397
398-> Most of the series, he's just traveling around accomplishing nothing. In ''SCIV'', he finally reaches Soul Edge, and is tricked by the sword into becoming one of its servants/guards by imitating his beloved master. In ''SCV'', he returns to the Money Pit and becomes its guardian once again, but when Soul Edge reappears, he seeks it out, believing it to be Vercci, apparently now a slave to the evil sword's will.
399
400-> It turns out that Kilik had actually purified him in ''SCIV'', meaning that his search for Soul Edge in ''SCV'' is now once again of his own volition as a last will and testament to his beloved master Vercci. To do this, he gets close to Graf Dumas.
401
402-> Voldo is easily the strangest and one of the most difficult characters to use in the series. His movements are designed primarily for evasion and confusing the opponent. His attacks are not that strong normally, but once he gets a successful knockdown or mixup, he has many options at his disposal. Voldo's true strength lies solely in the mindset of the player — you never know what he will do next.
403
404----
405
406* AnimalMotifs: His costume in ''SCV'' references a tarantula spider, complete with tufts of arachnid-like hair and a horrific multi-eyed, spider-face codpiece.
407* AntiMagic: All evidence suggests that his obsessive devotion to Vercci renders him immune to Soul Edge's influence. [[TakeAThirdOption So, Soul Edge imitates Vercci.]] However, by the time of ''SCV'', he's malfested. Apparently, Voldo's luck didn't last.
408* BadassBack: For most characters, having the enemy behind them limits their options to a small handful of weak moves or just turning around. Being turned around is just a stance to Voldo, which gives him access to a lengthy movelist and mix-ups that are actually ''stronger'' than when he's facing his foe. It's actually safer to be in front of him.
409* BadassNormal: Voldo's so weird that many players assume him to be some kind of monster or undead at first, but he is in fact a physically normal man with no superpowers. He's just ''weird''.
410* BaldOfEvil: He’s amongst the oldest playable males in the series (50 in ''SCIV''), and he's not only villainous but also insane.
411* BlindWeaponmaster: He's spent so many years in the dark protecting his master's fortune that he's gone blind -- and insane.
412* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Voldo's morals are actually pretty simple; if you steal from Vercci, you die. Otherwise, he really couldn't care less what you do.
413* BoundAndGagged: A lot of his costumes have a strong BSDM vibe, including various harnesses, restraints and ball-gags.
414* CollectorOfTheStrange: Voldo's master was a fan of collecting weapons, especially Eastern katars. He used to boast that "if it isn't in [his] collection, then it doesn't exist." Voldo's distinctly Subcontinental weapons are derived from said collection.
415* ConfusionFu: Voldo's fighting style consists of twists, flips, rolls, and walking on his back like a crab.
416* {{Contortionist}}: Voldo can fight standing, with his back turned, arched on all fours with his pelvis in the air, and can twist around his opponent like a snake.
417* DisabilitySuperpower: Due to the loss of his sight, he has greatly developed both his hearing and smell, allowing him to fight on-par with even trained veterans.
418* DualWielding: Katars do not usually need to be used in pairs, but Voldo wields a matching pair.
419* {{Expy}}: His outlandish, slippery, exotic fighting style is reminiscent of Silat from ''{{Manga/Berserk}}''; they even both dual wield katars.
420* TheFaceless: His eyes are always blindfolded and his mouth always gagged shut. Even when changing his clothes in Create-a-Soul, you can't take those off to see what he looks like, aside from being bald and middle-aged.
421* FightingClown: He looks utterly ridiculous, flinging himself all over the arena, but he's a very effective fighter.
422* GenreRefugee: Next to the conventionally attractive fantasy archetypes that comprise the rest of the cast, Voldo comes across as an invader from some bizarre {{giallo}} or {{slasher movie}}.
423* GoMadFromTheIsolation: His backstory. The decades he spent isolated in the darkness of the Money Pit made him blind, mute, and insane.
424* {{Gonk}}: He stands out dramatically against the rest of the cast, who are pretty much all conventionally attractive (and downright beautiful in some cases), whereas he is nightmarishly creepy, to the point that he almost belongs in a different series, so (brilliantly) disturbing is he compared to the rest of his fellow fighters.
425* GrossUpCloseUp: His end poses mostly involve him contorting himself into various weird shapes, incorporating merciless close-ups of his aggressive-looking codpiece and thong-bound backside.
426* HandicappedBadass: He's blind ''and'' mute.
427* HearingVoices: He has been hearing Vercci's voice in his head ever since the first game.
428* IdleAnimation: A very slinky stationary moonwalk, compounding his weirdness.
429* IslandBase: The Money Pit, located on a Mediterranean island Vercci obtained, was intended to safeguard the merchant's remaining possessions after the ones on the mainland were confiscated. Voldo manages to restore it to its former glory around the time ''SCV'' kicks in.
430* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcL5GOoDqzs ''The Gears of Madness,'']] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_NoeRuzvqI ''Another Fanatic'']], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nve2ttY9zpw ''Amid the Pure Insanity'']].
431* MadmanInTheAttic: For years, Voldo was kept in total darkness at the bottom of the vertiginous Money Pit. Unlike other examples, he's perfectly happy to have done so, due to his UndyingLoyalty to his master.
432* OlderThanTheyLook: As of ''SCV'', he's ''67 years old'', but appears to have lost none of his freakish flexibility.
433* RummageSaleReject: Voldo's outfits often lack any sense of continuity or flow, helping to add to his crazed motif. Spikes, lots of exposed skin, and BDSM-like themes are common. In ''SCV'' he does take a little uniformity by adopting a somewhat spider-like motif, although the colors are a bright and abrasive yellow and purple scheme.
434* ShownTheirWork: Since the series’ inception, and for the next twenty years, his birthplace was listed as “Palermo, Kingdom of '''Naples'''”. However this has never been historically accurate, and come ''SCVI'', his official in-game bio is corrected to “Palermo, Kingdom of '''Sicily'''” -- the correct name for his homeland at the time the series is set.
435* TheSpeechless: He's mute, and his dialogue consists solely of rasps and hisses.
436* StereotypeFlip: In the FightingGame genre, Italians are ''mostly'' depicted as [[LatinLover sexy and suave]], with examples including [[SharpDressedMan Robert Garcia]] from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'', [[StatuesqueStunner Rose]] from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', [[ActionFashionista Claudio Serafino]] from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', and [[LatinLover Brad Burns]] from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''. Voldo, a native of Palermo, is a brilliantly freaky, hideous-looking bondage-fiend and provides a rather excellent exception to the rule.
437* {{Stripperiffic}}: A ''definite'' example, as most of the time he only sports a leather harness and a thong, although not all of his costumes qualify.
438* UndeathlyPallor: He's as pale as a corpse, and sometimes even has TaintedVeins, likely because he spends all his time underground.
439* UnderwaterRuins: After a heavy rain, most of the lower levels of the Money Pit were drowned, and treasures found there lost forever. The flooded Money Pit features as his stage in some early games in the series.
440* UndyingLoyalty: To his deceased master, Vercci.
441* UnwittingPawn: He thinks Inferno's voice is Vercci's, and thus serves the sword of his own free will.
442* VaderBreath: In ''Soulcalibur'', his vocalizations sounded like he was breathing through a respirator (which would be pretty anachronistic). In later installments, these were changed to sound like unaltered hisses and grunts, which makes more sense.
443* WarForFunAndProfit: Vercci did it on a smaller scale. He specialized in selling weapons, often to conflicting sides (like the Spanish Armada and Cervantes). This lent him and his business associates the title of "Merchants of Death." However, it also [[HoistByHisOwnPetard backfired on him]] when the Italian Wars set off and all his possessions were confiscated, due to his very fame as a weapons merchant.
444
445[[/folder]]
446
447[[folder:Seong Mi-na]]
448[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mina_alt_pic_4.png]]
449[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]]
450[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seu12.jpg]][[/labelnote]]
451
452-> ''"I won't be beaten so easily, you know."''
453
454->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Jirisan, Joseon Kingdom (South Korea)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Joseon Kingdom. During its reign, the Kingdom consolidated its effective rule over the current territory of Korea up until 1897.[[/note]]
455->'''Weapon:''' ''[[ColourfulThemeNaming Scarlet Thunder]]'', [[NaginatasAreFeminine a guandao]] [[note]]a bladed staff, referred to as a ''zanbatou'' in Japanese[[/note]]
456->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[HeroicLineage Seong-style Longsword]]''
457-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/HekiruShiina (''Soul Edge''; Japanese), Creator/YukoMiyamura (''Soul Blade''; Japanese), Creator/HoukoKuwashima (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/SanaeKobayashi (''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Creator/ChinatsuAkasaki (''Soulcalibur VI''; Japanese), Molly Lin (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Erika Lenhart (''Soulcalibur III''-''Soulcalibur IV''; English), Creator/EricaMendez (''Soulcalibur VI''; English)[[/note]]
458
459-> The only daughter of Seong Han-Myeong. She first leaves home to join Hwang in his search for Soul Edge, only for him to drag her back home. She leaves again in ''Soulcalibur'' to search for Soul Edge (and to get away from a clingy student of her father's), but is dragged back home ''yet again'' by Hwang. She later commits the mistake of giving a family sword to Yun-seong, who later runs away with it; she then receives permission from her father to seek him and the sword. During the quest, she discovers Soul Edge's true nature, and now seeks to warn Yun-seong to stop him from searching for it.
460
461-> As of ''SCV'', she and Hong Yun-seong returned to Korea, and were hailed as heroes. History then plays out as normal, with Japan no longer attempting to invade, meaning that Korea no longer has a part in the current events.
462
463-> Mi-na is the original polearm character in the series. She has excellent reach, speed, and mobility, but her damage is subpar and she gets put at a disadvantage rather easily if her attacks are continually blocked. She was succeeded by Kilik, but she remained as a secret character, having gained some moves from Hwang. To avoid eventually becoming a "model-swap" of Kilik, her style kept changing over time, discarding and gaining different stances and attacks altogether.
464
465----
466
467* ArrangedMarriage: If her father had his way, she'd be settling down with Hwang... or as seen in her ''SC'' ending, the [[TheFool idiot son]] of the neighboring Kim family.
468* BraidsOfAction: She wears her thick hair in a long tapering braid, much like [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Yuri Sakazaki's.]]
469* CoolBigSis: To Yun-seong, who refers to her as such in ''Broken Destiny''[='s=] Gauntlet mode, and several of her interactions with him throughout the series illustrate her concern for his well-being, and how much she cares about him.
470* CurbStompBattle:
471** She fought Ivy during the events of ''Soulcalibur'', and was completely overwhelmed by her WhipSword, a weapon she had never seen before and was unprepared to counter. Though her easy-to-anger impulsiveness got the better of her, too.
472** Sometime prior to ''SCIII'', she met Kong Xiuqiang, who said she was an amateur. She [[BerserkButton took it personally]], challenged him to a duel, and lost. Badly. This went on for weeks, 'til she finally accepted that she was outmatched and acquiesced. Xiuqiang admired her spirit and decided to train her.
473* DemotedToExtra: Her role in the series becomes progressively smaller after Kilik's introduction. In addition, she was [[RetCanon retroactively stated]] to be borrowing moves from the Ling-Sheng Su, despite being introduced ahead of Kilik. Much of her original moveset was transferred to him and, by ''SCII'', she was reduced to being an unlockable character, rather than part of the default cast. She would no-show in ''SCV'', but managed to return in ''SCVI''.
474* FanservicePack: In ''SCII'' (especially in her artwork) and more so in ''SCIII'', she wears a loose-fitting halter top that [[UnderBoobs shows she's topless underneath it.]] It's inverted in ''SCIV'', as her outfit is more conservative and her figure slimmer (which is ironic considering how just about all the other ladies went in the opposite direction). This came back around completely in ''SCVI'', which features what [[https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Seong_Mi-na/Gallery?file=El7-3kTVcAETn9j.jpg could be her most sexualized costume to date.]]
475* FatalFlaw: Her {{pride}} as a martial artist, which has led to her being humiliated twice, by Ivy and Kong Xiuqiang respectively (noted in the CurbstompBattle entry). From ''SCIII'' onwards, she tones it down a bit, but, as seen during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7_pijHQvw0 her bad ending,]] it can still get the better of her.
476* GroinAttack: A rather brutal example is her "Opening Treasure" attack, where she parts her opponent's legs and then stabs her weapon into their crotch. She even quips [[LampshadeHanging "bye bye"]] right as she does it, since a male opponent would likely be castrated. Ouch.
477* IdiotHero: Not as obvious as Yun Seong, but despite being better-informed than him, she makes the same mistakes, only with Soul Calibur instead of Soul Edge.
478* IGotBigger: Grows from 159 cm at age 16 to 162 cm from age 19 and onwards. Oddly, she is one of only a few female characters to grow.
479* IWillShowYouX: In her story mode in ''Soul Edge'', Siegfried patronizingly calls her a "little girl" while not letting her pass the stage he is guarding, and she says this to him verbatim. Amusingly, Siegfried is actually shorter than her in this game, so it's a touch ironic he calls her "little".
480* InconsistentSpelling: Seung Mina? Syung Mena? Seong Mi-na is the most commonly seen variant.
481* JumpedAtTheCall: She's always seeking adventure, even defying her father and running away from home to do so.
482* JustFriends: With Hwang, though her father (and [[{{shipping}} the fans]]) wish otherwise. As she plainly told her father in her original ending in ''Soul Edge'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt4UT19xkoc marrying Hwang just wasn't for her.]] By the time of ''SC IV'', she's still happily unwed.
483* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wh_f0vEK0M ''Kkaduri'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxFbwWncx0Y ''Tiny Amulet'']].
484* NaginatasAreFeminine: She wields a larger-than-usual version, designated a "zanbatou" (large katana) in her bio, and her moveset involves keeping the opponent at a safe distance with precision strikes, which is why naginatas were traditionally wielded by women in FeudalJapan. Kilik, who shares mostly the same moveset, wields a more gender-neutral staff.
485* NotDrawnToScale: Which can be noted for many characters in the series. In Soul Edge, she is supposed to be only 2 centimeters taller than Siegfried, but as seen in their render together, she clearly towers over him by half a head, even when she is not standing straight. Her model is taller than Sophitia’s even though she is always shorter than her at 159 cm and 162 cm. Her character model is also one of the taller ones for the girls, being just behind Setsuka, Taki and Ivy’s. This makes sense because she has one of the longest reaches of all the female characters.
486* OlderAndWiser: From ''SCII'' onwards, having learned the truth about [[ArtifactOfDoom Soul Edge.]] She spends the remainder of the series trying to warn Yun Seong that [[CassandraTruth the sword is evil and that it'd be impossible to save their country with it]], but he just won't listen.
487* PluckyGirl: The series original example, she's only 16 when she makes her debut and defies her strict father to run away and learn more about Soul Edge in defense of Korea -- "I will never lose!"
488* SecretCharacter: In several of her appearances, namely ''SCII''.
489* SexyMentor: To Yun Seong, particularly in ''SCIII'', [[NotDistractedByTheSexy not that he seems to notice all the eyecandy that's on display.]]
490* ShipTease: With Siegfried all of people. In the renders for ''Soul Edge'', she is paired with Siegfried, who she doesn't have much of a connection with besides him appearing in her story mode. Everyone else who is paired together have more of a connection to each other. In said render, she is staring slightly flirtily at him and her left foot is placed firmly against his right foot. They are even striking the same pose, while everyone else isn’t. In one humorous comic, Siegfried is seen ogling her.
491* {{Stripperiffic}}: Zigzagged. Her outfit in ''SCII'' is basically a bra and {{loincloth}}, but unlike most of the ladies in the series, whose outfits have gotten skimpier with each new game, ''SCIV'' sees Mi-na actually cover up more than she ever has. In fact, one of her alternative outfits is a quite conservative ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanbok hanbok]]''. And then ''VI'' happened, and Seong Mi-na was given her most fanservicey costume to date.
492* {{Tomboy}}: Much to her father's chagrin, who wishes she'd settle down and start a family so he'd finally have "a son" to leave his dojo to. Instead, she's rebellious [[JumpedAtTheCall and has an adventurous streak.]] By ''SCII'', he's given up trying to keep her at home, figuring she'd set off on another journey in spite of him... and she did.[[note]]Though she had good reason, since she was trying to catch up to Yun Seong so she could warn him [[ArtifactOfDoom about Soul Edge]], before it was too late.[[/note]]
493* {{Tomboy with a Girly Streak}}: Despite her personality, some of her outfits can be quite feminine, particularly her mostly pink outfit in ''SCVI'', adorned with flowers. She also tends to wear her hair in a long, feminine braid.
494* {{Underboobs}}: Her official art for her default outfits in ''SCIII'', ''SCIV'', and ''SCVI'' makes it easy to see [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=297617 the undersides]] [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=399923 of her]] [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=2613309 breasts]].
495* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The series is set in 16th century Europe and Asia -- which is why it's odd that no one bats so much as an eyelid at the fact that she traverses the continent half naked; especially considering how nubile she is.
496* YouGoGirl: She wants to prove her fighting worth to her overprotective father.
497
498[[/folder]]
499
500[[folder:Hwang Seong-gyeong]]
501[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hwang_7.png]]
502[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]]
503[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hwang_sx.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
504
505-> ''"I shall vanquish...the evils of the ages."''
506
507->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Jirisan, Joseon Kingdom (South Korea)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Joseon Kingdom. During its reign, the Joseon Kingdom consolidated its effective rule over the current territory of Korea up until 1897.[[/note]]
508->'''Weapon (SE):''' ''[[ColourfulThemeNaming Blue Storm]]'', [[HeroesPreferSwords a Chinese sword]]
509->'''Weapon (SC onwards):''' ''[[ColourfulThemeNaming Blue Thunder]]'', [[HeroesPreferSwords a Chinese sword]]
510->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[HeroicLineage Hwang-style Longsword]]''
511-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (''Soul Edge''; Japanese), Creator/WataruTakagi (''Soul Blade''-''Soulcalibur''; Japanese), Naoki Imamura (''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/SungWonCho (''Soulcalibur VI''; English), Creator/SubaruKimura (''Soulcalibur VI''; Japanese)[[/note]]
512
513-> A Korean soldier given orders to investigate and destroy Soul Edge. Orphaned from a young age, he came to rely on others, and once grown he decided to help those in need by joining the Korean Coast Guard. In ''Soul Edge'', he was sent to find the titular sword, under the impression that it would help in the fight against his country's mortal enemy, Japan, but he has to hurriedly return home after hearing rumors of Korea being invaded.
514
515-> In ''Soulcalibur'', he was sent to seek the runaway Mi-na under the guise of a second search for Soul Edge. During said quest, he learns of the sword's evil, but no one in Korea believes him and he ends up demoted. After spies from Japan are found looking for the sword, the higher-ups send him again, as he's the most experienced, but he decides to destroy the sword against his bosses' wishes. Ends up injured by Sophitia and letting Yun-seong take over his spot on the roster.
516
517-> As of ''SCV'', Korea no longer has a part in the current events. As such, whatever happened to him is still unknown, although it is said that he, Seong Mi-na, and Yun-seong were hailed as heroes and began training a new generation of soldiers for Korea's army.
518
519-> Originally, Hwang was a balanced character who made more utilization of kicks than any of the other characters. His style would later be split between Xianghua and Yun-seong.
520
521----
522
523* AnimeHair: Never seen without his vertiginous spiky hair.
524* {{Bowdlerise}}: Before Arthur's introduction, Mitsurugi was switched out with him in Korean arcades, as depiction of {{Samurai}} are not allowed in Korea. This made him a SecretCharacter in the western arcades.
525* BridalCarry: Does this to Seong Mi-na in her ''SC'' ending when he forcibly returns her to her anxious father.
526* ButNowIMustGo: According to the artbook for ''SCV'', once [[UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu Tokugawa]] took over Japan and ended the war with Korea, there was no longer a need for Hwang to concern himself with Soul Edge. So he returned home, along with Seong Mina and Yun Seong, ending Korea's role in the series.
527* InconsistentSpelling: Hwang Sung Kyung? Korean names always seem to have this problem. G's are sometimes K's, O's are sometimes U's...
528* JackOfAllStats: He's mostly a PaletteSwap of Mitsurugi in ''SE'', so he retains most of his strengths and weaknesses. He's still a balanced fighter in later games, even with an updated move-set, though.
529* JustFriends: With Seong Mina, though her father, Han Myong (and [[FanPreferredCouple fans of the pairing]]), wishes he'd reconsider.
530* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rS7B9-_rQ ''Horangi Arirang'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQkOyhadd8 ''Yellow Sands'']]
531* {{Mentor|s}}: Mi-na's father Seong Han-myeong is his. He also has a mentor figure in real life Admiral Yi Sun-sin of the Korean Navy.
532* MovesetClone: In ''SE'' and ''SC'', he never had an original style, instead sharing his moveset with another character while retaining a few original moves. He shares with Mitsurugi in ''SE'', and Xianghua in ''SC''.
533%%(zce)* OlderAndWiser: Since ''SCIII''.
534* PatrioticFervor: He set out to search for Soul Edge in order to protect Korea from Japanese invasion.
535* PutOnABus: Went missing after ''Soulcalibur'', and enjoys a brief return in ''SCIII'' and its arcade port. Even then, he still appears on the sidelines in Yun-seong's story.
536* TheRival: With Mitsurugi in ''Soul Edge'' and Maxi in ''Soulcalibur''.
537* TheStoic: He's not very emotional, maintaining a granite-like facade most of the time.
538* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Nobody back home in Korea believes him when he returns home claiming Soul Edge to be an EvilWeapon.
539
540[[/folder]]
541
542[[folder:Nathaniel William "Rock" Adams]]
543[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rock_06.png]]
544[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]]
545[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocksoulblade.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
546
547->''"Spirits, grant me strength!"''
548
549->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/{{England}} London, Kingdom of England]] [[GoingNative (raised in the New World)]] [[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]]
550->'''Weapon (SE-SC):''' ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Apocalypse]]'', [[BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon a battle axe]]
551->'''Weapon (III onward):''' ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Onslaught]]'', [[CarryABigStick a mace]]
552->'''Fighting style:''' [[TaughtByExperience Self-taught]]
553-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/TakashiNagasako (''Soul Edge''-''Soulcalibur''; Japanese), Minoru Inaba (''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Creator/ToruOkawa (''Soulcalibur IV''; Japanese), Robert Belgrade (''Soul Edge''; English), Wally Burr (''Soulcalibur III''; English), David Jeremiah (''Soulcalibur IV''; English)[[/note]]
554
555-> Born the son of an English curio dealer specializing in rare weapons, Nathaniel William Adams obtained his nickname, "Rock," because of his immense strength. Rock's father had bid on Soul Edge at a secret auction, and was bringing it home on his ship with his family on board when the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon attacked. Rock's father ran to the storage room to hide Soul Edge, and his mother ran after to stop him, telling Rock to stay where he was until their return -- but they never came back, and the ship sank before they even had the chance. Rock washed up on the shore of the New World, where he learned to live off the land as the Native Americans had been practicing for many centuries before.
556
557-> Later, he adopts a son named Bangoo. In ''Soulcalibur'', Bangoo is kidnapped and he rescues him from Astaroth's cult, which used him as bait to take his soul. Afterwards, he seeks to become stronger to prove his worth as a father to Bangoo.
558
559-> While missing in ''SCII'', due to believing that heading out to fight frequently instead of being an available father was not the way to raise Bangoo, he returns in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'', wielding a large mace instead of his axe. In ''SCIV'', he confronts Astaroth and [[LampshadeHanging notes the similarity in their fighting styles, which worries him]]. It is currently unknown what became of him in ''SCV''.
560
561-> Rock is the original grappler character in the series, but eventually was replaced by Astaroth until ''SCIII''. He is slow, but his axe and his throws have a long reach that give him the edge up close. As of ''SCIII'', his mace has a much shorter reach than Astaroth's axe, and his style focuses more on grabs than normal attacks.
562
563----
564
565* ActionDad: The best way to spur him into action is to kidnap or threaten his adoptive son, Bangoo.
566* AssKicksYou: Using his impressively-muscled butt, he leaps into the air and squashes his opponent flat.
567* BarbarianHero: He's certainly got the appearance down pat, due to being raised in the wilderness of North America, and despite originating from a well-to-do English family.
568* TheBear: He's big, strong, hairy, and like ''a wild animal'' almost. He's definitely got the manly looks.
569* BoisterousBruiser: A loud and hammy power-based fighter, yet a very nice guy.
570* CatchPhrase: '''''BANGOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!'''''
571* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: In his ''SCIII'' ending, he travels back to the New World... by ''swimming across the Atlantic''.
572* DubNameChange: His actual name ''is'' Rock Adams. The translator of the first game decided to turn it into a nickname and gave him the full name "Nathaniel William Adams." Worth noting this name only appears in ''Soul Edge'', and all subsequent games have ignored/failed to mention it, while names of other (actual) nicknamed characters (Ivy, Lizardman) are always mentioned.
573* GreatWhiteHunter: The man has apparently brought down bears, rhinos, bison, and even a freaking [[AnachronismStew mammoth.]]
574* GroundPound: His Canyon Dive (B+G) throw, where he crushes the opponent under his muscular behind.
575* ImprobableWeaponUser: His "Juggernaut" weapon in ''SCIII'' & ''SCIV'' is a stone statute of the head of a Buddha fastened to a pillar.
576* LeadYouCanRelateTo: Almost ''all'' fighting games include an American character, mostly to ensure a nation that makes up a huge proportion of the game-buying public has a representative character. In the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' period setting, the USA does not yet exist as a nation, and so the almost prerequisite "American" character is not possible. However, Rock's design provides a happy compromise -- he's from England (the USA's "parent" nation) and was raised by ''Native'' Americans, so to all intents and purposes he fills the slot of the "American" fighter (as well as the English one).
577* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY5j74JiQ-Q ''Recollect Continent'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5VtaqiTNOI ''A Continental Gale'']].
578* MightyGlacier: He's slow in walking speed and when swinging his weapon, but hits like... well, a rock.
579* MightyWhitey: Downplayed. He's British in origin and became known as the "White Giant" by the Native Americans after he was shipwrecked in the New World as a youth, but it's the "Giant" part that's far more relevant to his reputation as a great warrior.
580* MistakenForGods: As seen in his ''SCIII'' ending. Sailors who witness him swimming the Atlantic, wearing his horned headdress, mistake him for "The Protector of the Sea." Years later (presumably), this sighting becomes ShroudedInMyth and his ending finishes with an antique-looking illustration that shows a highly exaggerated, Titan-sized Rock emerging from the sea dwarfing a ship.
581* MrFanservice: His standard outfits leave very little to the imagination, and he has ''quite'' the nice muscular frame on him.
582* NatureHero: He lived alone for most of his life on the New World, and has developed his fighting style as a way to communicate with mother nature. He also wears the fur/skulls of the animals he needs to kill in respect of the wild creatures he co-habits with.
583* PapaWolf: To his adoptive son, Bangoo. Rock's main motivation for fighting is to rescue Bangoo when he is kidnapped by the Fygul Cestemus cult.
584* PrimitiveClubs: Reflecting his status as a BarbarianHero, since ''SCIII'' Rock has wielded maces as his preferred weapon, instead of the axes he used in ''SE'' and ''SC''.
585* SoProudOfYou: After being trapped in a crevasse for a whole night, Rock found Bangoo and asked him if this experience made him fear nature. He said that he didn't, and Rock realized he was ready for his rite of passage into adulthood.
586* WalkingShirtlessScene: Most of his outfits.
587* YouCantFightFate: He reaches this conclusion after investigating Astaroth and realizing his connection with Soul Edge. He considers it his destiny to stop the vile monster.
588
589[[/folder]]
590
591[[folder:Li Long]]
592[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lilong.png]]
593[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur III'' Appearance]]
594[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/li1sedrwn.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
595
596->''"Not bad."''
597
598->'''Origin:''' [[ImperialChina Peking, Ming Empire (China)]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Ming Empire.[[/note]]
599-> '''Weapon:''' ''[[AnimalThemeNaming Falcon]]'', [[DoubleWeapon bladed nunchaku]] or [[BannedInChina three-section staff]] [[note]](due to censorship)[[/note]]
600->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[DragonsUpTheYinYang Matchless Dragon]]''
601-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/JinYamanoi (''Soul Edge''; Japanese), Masaya Takatsuka (''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese)[[/note]]
602
603-> A mercenary from the Ming Empire. Believing Mitsurugi to have killed his mute lover Chie (daughter of the former head of Taki's clan, childhood friend of Taki, and in hiding with her father as innkeepers), he intends to has his revenge, and has no problem killing anyone who gets in his way. Later, he was almost killed by Cervantes, but survived, albeit with his self-esteem damaged.
604
605-> While on the run from Ming assassins for disobeying orders, he was rescued by another mute girl. He stayed with her until his pursuers found him, which forced him to fight again in order to protect her. Having remembered what it was like fighting for someone, he decides to restore his confidence by fighting the sword that shattered it in the first place.
606
607----
608
609* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: His 1P outfit in ''SCIII'' has him wearing one, as depicted in the art above.
610* BruceLeeClone: His fighting style and nunchaku make him an ImperialChina version.
611* TheCameo:
612** He makes a cameo appearance in Cervantes' ''SCIII'' story mode as a shadow enemy. Though this enemy appears in other stories, only Cervantes recognizes Li Long as this "Unknown Soul".
613** He has cameos as a created character in the Quick Battle mode of both ''Broken Destiny'' and ''SCV''.
614* ContractOnTheHitman: The Ming Empire command sent assassins to kill him for having disobeyed orders.
615* DisappearedDad: He was unaware he had a child for most of the games, and may still not be aware, as far as it's known.
616* DisneyDeath: Chie's "miraculous survival," considering the only mark she had was a huge sword slash on her back.
617* DualWielding: In ''SCIII'', he's given twin nunchakus to fight, probably to differentiate him from Maxi.
618* TheFourGods: He has four weapons in ''Soul Edge'' named after them.
619* HappilyMarried: With Chie, as of ''SCV''.
620* HeroicBSOD: After being defeated by Cervantes, Li Long's confidence crumbled as he started doubting if his manhunt was righteous after all, or just full of atrocious acts. Feeling condemned by everything, his guilt weighted on him until he could not hold his weapon anymore. After that, it took him quite a while to even stop his hand from shaking when in a fight.
621* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0-vuoqt5w ''Dragon's Call'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DudreytfBJ8 ''Moonlight Shadows'']].
622* {{Mentor|s}}: To Maxi, under the alias of Zhang Wu. After losing a battle to him, Maxi asked Li Long if he could train under him while traveling together.
623* NothingPersonal: One of his win-quotes in ''SCIII'':
624-->''It was nothing personal.''
625* PutOnABus: Has it far worse than Hwang, who at least was still around (mostly thanks to Yun-seong) story-wise during his in-game absences. Li Long has barely gotten any mentions at all.
626* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Most fans assumed this was his fate after he stopped appearing in the series after the first game. ''SCIII'' confirms he's still alive, and didn't die at Cervantes' hands.
627* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He has killed many swordsmen on his search for Chie's killer.
628* SixthRanger: To the Fu-Ma clan, being that he was originally from China and was adopted by the Fu-Ma. He isn't even a ninja, but enjoys being a full-fledged member due to being married to current leader, Chie.
629* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Him and his family. Finally resolved between ''SCIV'' and ''V''. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplementary materials]] for ''Broken Destiny'' state that he met with Taki in ''SCIII'', who told him that Chie was still alive. Chie herself becomes the new head of the Fu-Ma clan. Li Long's actions after this revelation and his current fate, though, remains unknown. ''New Legends Of Project Soul'' reveal he now lives amongst the Fu-Ma Clan with Chie and their son.
630
631[[/folder]]
632
633[[folder:Cervantes de Leon]]
634[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cervantes_7.png]]
635[[caption-width-right:350:''Soul Calibur V'' Appearance]]
636[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Calibur IV'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc4_cervantes.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
637[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cerv1sedrwn.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
638
639-> ''"Wallow in your despair."''
640
641->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/{{TheKingdomOfSpain}} Valencia, Kingdom of Spain]] [[note]] The flag shown is that of the historic Spanish Empire, known as the “Cross of Burgundy”, which was used up until 1793 before being replaced with the familiar ''la Rojigualda''. [[/note]]
642->'''Weapon (SE):''' ''[[LivingWeapon Soul Edge (male & female)]]''
643->'''Weapon (SC, IV, V, VI):''' ''[[HeavenVersusHell Acheron & Nirvana]]'', [[SwordAndGun a longsword & pistol sword]]
644->'''Weapon (II and III):''' ''[[LivingWeapon Soul Edge]] [[FantasticNirvana & Nirvana]]'', [[MorphWeapon a longsword]] [[SwordAndGun & pistol sword]]
645->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[TransferableMemory Memories of Soul Edge]]''
646-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/TakashiNagasako (''Soulcalibur''-''Soulcalibur III''; Japanese), Jin Urayama (''Soulcalibur Legends'' & ''Soulcalibur IV'' onward; Japanese), Warren Rodgerson (''Soulcalibur II''; English), Creator/WallyWingert (''Soulcalibur III'', ''Soulcalibur IV'', & ''Soulcalibur Legends''; English), Creator/PatrickSeitz (''Soulcalibur V'' onward; English)[[/note]]
647
648-> A badass {{pirate}} from Valencia, who learned of Soul Edge's existence via Vercci, the Merchant of Death, and took it for himself. He subsequently [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity went insane and killed his own crew.]] He is then controlled by Soul Edge into absorbing souls to increase its power. Sophitia fights him and [[BerserkButton destroys one of the two parts of Soul Edge]], [[UnstoppableRage sending Cervantes into a berserk rage.]] Taki assists a wounded Sophitia and kills Cervantes.
649
650-> [[NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow Normally, he would have been dead from that fatal blow]], but after Siegfried became Nightmare due to Soul Edge's influence, [[UnexplainedRecovery Cervantes was resurrected]]. And so as of ''Soulcalibur'' he became a GhostPirate, seeking out Soul Edge once again.
651
652-> In ''SCII'', he regains enough pieces of Soul Edge to recreate one of his original weapons and became a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Zombie Pirate]], then went to look off for more pieces. In ''SCIII'', he finds out that his body is starting to decay because Soul Edge's influence has been sealed off. To preserve himself, he decides to [[OffingTheOffspring take his daughter Ivy's soul]]… and he succeeds according to ''SCIV''. He reached his final evolution of '''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ghost Zombie Pirate]]''', then headed to Ostrheinsburg once again to claim Soul Edge as a whole and [[GodhoodSeeker become a god]].
653
654-> When Soul Edge was sucked into a vortex at the end of ''SCIV'', so too was Cervantes due to his deep connections with it. However, Cervantes escaped the void as well as Soul Edge's will, and gained a new body. Seeing that many seafarers had believed him to be dead, he set out to prove the contrary, now acting on his own free will without the use of Soul Edge.
655
656-> Cervantes is a power character with excellent mobility who is designed solely for the purpose of pressuring and punishing any of the opponent's actions. He is similar to [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] in this regard, as he has very weak defenses. He also has the ability to teleport, but this was nerfed in later games. In exchange for this, the later games also granted him the ability to use the hidden gun within his short sword for quick mixups.
657
658----
659
660* ArchnemesisDad: To Ivy, since she owes her cursed existence to [[ChildByRape him raping her mother]]. Years later, Cervantes wants to kill her and absorb her soul to gain more power.
661* BackFromTheDead: He is resurrected in ''SCV'', and becomes human-looking for the first time since ''Soul Edge''.
662* BadassLongcoat: It gradually becomes a badass ''vest'' over the course of the series.
663* BadassNormal: In ''SCV'', he's resurrected into a living body that conveniently looks exactly like his previous living form.
664* BaddieFlattery: Now and again. Unlike his fellow villains [[OmnicidalManiac Nightmare]], [[AxCrazy Tira]], and [[PitifulWorms Astaroth]], he's occasionally willing to give a particularly WorthyOpponent their due.
665-->''I salute your courage... for challenging me.''
666* BigBad: Of ''Soul Edge''.
667* BlackEyesOfCrazy: In his default costume in ''Soul Edge/Blade'', his eyes have yellow irises and black sclerae, accentuating his status as being Malfested by Soul Edge.
668* BroughtDownToBadass: He no longer has Soul Edge in ''SCV'', and gained a new, human body... albeit one still suffused with Soul Edge's power, letting him still fight at a superhuman level. According to ''New Legends of Project Soul'', his sword-swings with the Acheron are capable of cleaving through cannon balls, and the Nirvana's bullets are more powerful than cannon-fire.
669* CarpetOfVirility: In ''SCV'', his reborn body has got some chest hair action going on.
670* CoolBoat: His flagship, The Adrian, which forms his home stage in many of his appearances.
671* CoolSword: We wields a 'pistol-sword' -- a sabre with a gun incorporated into the handle. Seems like pure fantasy, but it was very much a real, if exotic and unusual, weapon during the time period of the series.
672* DegradedBoss: Downplayed in the sequels. He is no longer the main villain, but hasn't got any less powerful.
673* DeityOfHumanOrigin: He effectively becomes a god in his ''SCIV'' ending.
674* DualWielding: Regardless of what actual weapon he uses, Cervantes always wields a long blade and a short blade. Soul Edge takes the form of a straight sword and a curved dagger called "Male & Female" when in his hands. When not using Soul Edge, the long blade is called "Acheron" and the short sword is "Nirvana", which is an unconventional pistol sword. During the period where he constructed his own Soul Edge from fragments he found, it replaced his long sword while he kept the pistol sword.
675* EmptyShell: Post-resurrection, he's described as feeling a "long emptiness" only brought to an end by joining with Soul Edge once more.
676* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Cervantes was devastated at the loss of his father Phillip, whom he was proud of during his childhood decades prior of the events of ''SE''. This event prompted him to snap and become the pirate he is today.
677* EvilVersusEvil: Although the same evil sword is signing both of their paychecks, Cervantes is as much an enemy of Nightmare and his gang as the series' heroes. This dread pirate does ''not'' share power.
678* EvilWeapon: In-life he wielded Soul Edge in the form of a pair of swords. After being reanimated, he created an offshoot of Soul Edge using fragments he collected, but later relinquished it and resumed wielding his old swords the Acheron and Nirvana -- which were suffused with Soul Edge's power and became corrupted themselves.
679* GhostPirate: He's killed by Sophitia and Taki in the first game and resurrected by Soul Edge as a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ghost Zombie Pirate]]... with a gun and [[GodhoodSeeker delusions of trying to achieve godhood]].
680* GoingColdTurkey: At the end of ''SCIV'', he is sucked into a vortex along with Soul Edge, but somehow fights his way out of the void known as Astral Chaos, becomes mostly human again, and realizes his hunt for Soul Edge wasn't worth it anymore because it led him astray from his true goal — becoming the most dreaded pirate in the Seven Seas.
681* HumanTraffickers: Horrifyingly, he expresses his intent to sell any female character or child to the sex slave markets if he wins against them in ''SCV''.
682* HeroKiller: Originally was believed to have killed Li Long due to the prologue in the first ''Soulcalibur'', although Japanese sources from the very same game hinted and later confirmed he survived, albeit gravely injured[[note]]Western fans had to wait up until ''SCIII'' to become aware of this fact, however[[/note]]. He also canonically defeated his daughter Ivy and drank up her soul. She did get better, though.
683* {{Immortality}}: From ''SCII'' to ''SCIV'', he's undead and kept alive by Soul Edge's power.
684* LargeHam: He's loud and boastful during combat, barking his attacks in a booming, bass rumble. He's also incongruently voiced with a classically hammy Bristolian 'pirate accent', which is ''completely'' at odds with him being Spanish.
685* LaserGuidedAmnesia: After his [[BackFromTheDead resurrection]], he has forgotten everything about his past. Over time, he only recovered selected memories.
686* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pa-KcpZHrI ''Bravely Folk Song,'']] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJuzS01izcE "Castaway Into Darkness"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6NHe94ufD0 ''The Storm Bringer'']].
687* LightningBruiser: Fast and powerful, but with complexity that makes him difficult to master and even more difficult to use effectively under pressure.
688* MonochromaticEyes: Usually white; red in ''SCII''.
689* MustHaveNicotine: Cervantes' obsession with Soul Edge is likened to an addict having a relapse. After recovering his memories, he craved to find the sword again, even though he remembered quite well how it manipulated him.
690* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: His non-canon good ending in ''Soul Edge'' has him break free from the sword's influence long enough to see the devastation it's made him wreak on his beloved Valencia, and he [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices his life]] to destroy Soul Edge.
691* OffingTheOffspring: He's tried to consume Ivy's soul at least twice, most recently in the events leading up to ''SCV''. Not only did he fail in that attempt, but she reclaimed every soul he ''ever'' consumed.
692* OneWingedAngel: When defeated in ''SE'', he becomes the titular Soul Edge to fight you again.
693* OutOfContinues: His immortal life is maintained by Soul Edge's influence. Without it, his body would start to rot away and he'd be DeaderThanDead. Apparently he's capable of body-hopping, as his bio for ''SCV'' states that he is now inhabiting a new body. What, exactly, happened that let him do this is unclear.
694* {{Pirate}}: His occupation both before and after becoming Soul Edge's host -- he's even voiced with a hammy "Argh, Jim lad!" Bristolian brogue.
695* APirate400YearsTooLate: Inverted; Cervantes looks as though he comes straight out of the Golden Age of Piracy, but bear in mind that the ''Soul'' series takes place during the ''late Renaissance.'' He's a pirate 150 years too early!
696* PromotedToPlayable: In the original arcade version of ''Soul Edge'', he was an unplayable SubBoss. He became playable in the revised arcade edition ''Soul Edge ver. II'', and has remained so ever since.
697* ShoutOut:
698** He's named after two historical figures: Miguel de Cervantes, considered one of the best writers in Spanish language history (if not the best), and author of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' (although "Cervantes" is actually a family name, not a first name); and Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish conquistador who sought the Fountain of Youth.
699** His Geo Da Ray (214+B) move looks a lot like M. Bison's [[Franchise/StreetFighter Psycho Crusher]].
700* SwordAndGun: Manages to have it both ways, as his shorter sword ''is'' a gun.
701* SupernaturalGoldEyes: In ''Soul Edge'', to denote his possessed status. Interestingly, ''SCII'' is the only game where he has GlowingEyesOfDoom and {{red eyes|TakeWarning}}.
702* TalkLikeAPirate: Develops a Bristolian, nautical tone to his speech in ''SCIII'', but has shades of this in other games as well, which is totally at odds with his Spanish nationality.
703* {{Teleportation}} and [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]]: He has these powers when an undead.
704* ThisBananaIsArmed: His joke weapons (wood carvings of Soul Edge in ''SCII'' and a pair of shish-kebabs onward) are still able to use the bullet-firing moves.
705* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: Cervantes became a bloodthirsty and ruthless pirate after his beloved father's death, keeping his crew in line with fear, and terrorizing the Atlantic for decades. After getting his hands on Soul Edge he became enthralled by the dark swords' power, raping the daughter of the Black Tail Inn's innkeeper to sire a replacement host for it. After he's killed and reanimated by Soul Edge's shards, he retains his mind but ''New Legends of Project Soul'' elucidates that he was being puppeted by Inferno.
706* TheUndead: From ''SC'' to ''SCIV'', all that's keeping him alive is Soul Edge's power.
707* UsedToBeASweetKid: According to his ''Soul Edge'' profile, as a child Cervantes idolized his kindhearted privateer father, who was killed by an English warship disguised as a merchant vessel. Devastated, Cervantes took his dad's hat, repudiated his ideology, and became a notoriously ruthless pirate long before he got his hands on Soul Edge.
708* VolcanicVeins: His redesign in ''SCVI'' incorporates these, marking him as a malfested slave to Soul Edge's will.
709* WhoDares: One of his intro poses in ''SCV'' and ''Lost Swords.''
710--> ''"So... you DARE to defy ME?!"''
711
712[[/folder]]
713
714[[folder:Inferno]]
715[[quoteright:506:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inferno_alt_pic.png]]
716[[caption-width-right:350:''Soulcalibur VI'' Appearance]]
717[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/souledge_9.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
718
719->'''Origin:''' [[EldritchLocation Astral Chaos]]
720->'''Weapon (SE):''' ''[[LivingWeapon Soul Edge (male & female)]]''
721->'''Weapon (SC onward):''' [[DittoFighter all weapons]]
722->'''Fighting style:''' [[DittoFighter all styles]]
723
724-> The physical embodiment of the titular ArtifactOfDoom Soul Edge, though only when it brings forth its [[AnotherDimension own dimension, Astral Chaos]]. Inferno is invisible and intangible in the real world up until ''Soulcalibur III'', when Zasalamel allowed it to animate Siegfried's trademark blue armor, turning it into Nightmare. In ''Soulcalibur IV'', Inferno — as Nightmare — reclaimed Soul Edge and became its physical manifestation, but was unable to unleash his full power without a proper host and was defeated.
725
726-> Originally, Inferno was a more powerful version of Cervantes with more powerful attacks, but in later games, he is a mimic character with a few exclusive moves of his own. In the first game, he was known as 'Soul Edge', but was changed to Inferno in Soul Calibur to differentiate him from the sword.
727
728----
729
730* AnthropomorphicPersonification: It is the personification of Soul Edge's will.
731* ArchEnemy: To Siegfried. Inferno was responsible for corrupting him and turning him into the first Nightmare.
732* ArtificialStupidity: His constant spamming of that torpedo attack in ''Soul Edge'' makes him laughably easy to ring out simply by leaping over him as he rushes.
733* BigBad: Of ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'', ''Soulcalibur'' and ''SCII'', being the physical form of Soul Edge.
734* DemBones: In ''SCII'', he appears as a flaming skeleton.
735* DemonicPossession: It takes over anyone who takes ahold of Soul Edge and uses their body to gather souls in the corporeal world (Inferno himself cannot exist outside of the Astral Chaos dimension until Zasalamel forces him to be bound to the Azure Knight armor in ''SCIII'') via slaughter. Inferno needs to have a host to unleash his full potential, which is why he's so fixated on Siegfried. The process of being possessed by Inferno and Soul Edge is called "Malfestation".
736* DittoFighter: He mimics other characters' movesets, but also has exclusive special moves.
737* EnemyWithin: For those who seek to wield Soul Edge.
738* EnemyWithout: To Siegfried as Nightmare in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV''.
739* EvilIsBurningHot: In all of his appearances, he is wreathed in flames.
740* FinalBoss: Most prominently in ''SCII'', though he's also in essence the FinalBoss of ''Soul Edge'' (see "OneWingedAngel" below) and ''Soulcalibur''.
741* FlamingSkulls: In ''Soul Edge'', he was basically "a firespawn with Cervantes' clothes and [[SkullForAHead a skull head]]", and in ''SCII'', where he is a [[DemBones malformed skeleton]] that is WreathedInFlames.
742* GrandTheftMe: If the wielder of Soul Edge is unable to best Inferno in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, then he/she will become the sword's host. And even if they do win, it's only a matter of time...
743* HumanoidAbomination: Those who he possesses are turned into this.
744* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70zDd1qMdQU ''World Atlas Collapsed'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peTzaApbBTE ''Doubtful Judgment'']].
745* MadeOfEvil: Soul Edge was once a normal blade until it tasted too much blood on the battlefield, giving it sentience and an evil soul (Inferno).
746* OneWingedAngel: In ''Soul Edge'', Inferno possesses Cervantes's corpse to fight Siegfried, functioning as this for the Dread Pirate.
747* OutsideTheBoxTactic: Throws do about as much damage as normal against him, while normal attacks do roughly 3/4 their usual damage.
748* PowerLimiter: As Nightmare in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'', it was unable to unleash its full power without a host and lost to Siegfried.
749* PromotedToPlayable: Unplayable in the arcade versions, but became unlockable in the home versions of ''Soul Edge'' and ''Soulcalibur''. He remains unplayable in the home versions of ''SCII'' though.
750* SevenDeadlySins: His voice samples in ''Soulcalibur'' are named after them.
751* ShapeshifterWeapon: Inferno can create weapons out of its body to accomodate any style he's willing to use.
752* TinTyrant: Manifests as Nightmare in ''Soulcalibur Legends'', and ''is'' Nightmare in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV''.
753* WreathedInFlames: In all of his appearances, his body is constantly aflame.
754
755[[/folder]]
756
757[[folder:Soul Edge]]
758
759[[quoteright:278:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soul_edge_7310.png]]
760 [[caption-width-right:278:''Soulcalibur V'' Appearance]]
761[[caption-width-right:278:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soulcalibur'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/326.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
762
763-> The titular ArtifactOfDoom, Soul Edge was once a [[{{BFS}} two-handed sword]] that, over years of being bathed in blood, developed a demonic soul called Inferno. Claimed and subdued by the Hero-King Algol, Soul Edge was stolen by his son Arcturus and quickly took him over. Algol was forced to kill his son, and out of a desire to destroy the cursed sword, forged Soul Calibur out of a purified shard of Soul Edge. Soul Edge was passed down through the ages until it fell into the hands of the pirate Cervantes de Leon, who wielded it in the form of two longswords. One of its halves was shattered by Sophitia, and the remaining half was claimed by Siegfried Schtauffen, who became Nightmare. Siegfried eventually escaped from the sword's control and sealed it with Soul Calibur, but Inferno escaped into his discarded armor, becoming the second incarnation of Nightmare. Zasalamel split the two swords apart and it was claimed by Nightmare, who wielded it against Siegfried and was defeated. As revealed in ''SCIV'', Soul Edge is now an otherworldly force of evil that seeks to devour all life, contained in the form of a sword.
764
765----
766
767* AchillesHeel: Soul Edge's [[GoForTheEye eye is vulnerable to piercing attacks]], and attacking it can disrupt its control over its host.
768* ArchEnemy: To Soul Calibur, it’s GoodCounterpart.
769* ArtifactOfDoom: Is incredibly ancient, and seeks to devour all life.
770* {{BFS}}: Soul Edge was once an ordinary two-handed sword, but by the time of the main series, its most common form is of a massive sword with an eye in its hilt.
771* BigBad: The main one for the whole series.
772* BishonenLine: Fits this trope the best way that an inanimate object can. Soul Edge's most common form is closer to a messy heap of red flesh rather than an actual sword, but when it finally becomes complete during ''SCIV'', it takes the form of a solid, proper-looking zweihander. By ''SCV'', it's back to its original "heap of flesh" form as it recuperates from its defeat, but when it finds a very suitable host in the form of Pyrrha, its blade once again becomes much sleeker (as pictured above).
773* BlingBlingBang: The sword that would one day become Soul Edge was an ornate greatsword. Its Nauplius form, depicting the "young" Soul Edge wielded by Algol and Arcturus many years ago, still looks like one even with Soul Edge's corruption beginning to grow over it.
774* TheCorruption: Soul Edge's evil energy taints the souls of those who are exposed to it, turning them into Malfested. Most Malfested are indistinguishable from humans except for pale skin, red eyes, and homicidal tendencies. Others, like Nightmare and Necrid, undergo grotesque metamorphoses as a result of exposure to particularly potent doses of Soul Edge's power.
775* DemonicPossession: If the wielder of Soul Edge is weak-willed or unable to best Inferno in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, then he/she will become the sword's host. And even if they do win, it's only a matter of time...
776* {{Determinator}}: The only ones able to successfully resist its influence were Algol and Pyrrha.
777* DualWielding: Took the form of two longswords when wielded by Cervantes.
778* EldritchAbomination: While it started out as an ordinary sword, according to Darth Vader's intro in ''SCIV'', Soul Edge is the physical manifestation of "[a being] that could best be described as a convergent energy [form]". Furthermore, when damaged, it retreats into an EldritchLocation called Astral Chaos and either repairs itself or scatters its shards around the world, and its power [[BodyHorror transforms]] those infected by it into monsters called Malfested.
779* EmpathicWeapon: Has a mind and will of its own (see Inferno above), and actively tries to influence and take over its wielder.
780* EternalRecurrence: The ''Soul'' series' motto isn't "a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold" for nothing. Soul Edge awakens and claims a host in order to destroy/conquer the world. Soul Calibur awakens and claims a host to seal/shatter Soul Edge. Once Soul Edge regains enough power to take a new host, the cycle repeats, and it's been going on for millennia with neither weapon being powerful enough to fully destroy the other.
781* EvilCounterpart: It’s one to Soul Calibur, both are ancient and powerful swords that have spiritual beings in them and both were wielded by different individuals. But while Soul Calibur is a holy sword of light, Soul Edge is a demonic sword of darkness.
782* EvilWeapon: Soul Edge used to be a normal sword, but after centuries of being soaked in blood, it became a shapeshifting demonic weapon with its own mind and will.
783* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Has an eye in its hilt, and some of its forms are studded with eyeballs.
784* FromNobodyToNightmare: Literally, considering its host. It was initially an ordinary sword, but after too many battles, it became a sentient EvilWeapon.
785* HolyBurnsEvil: The only times Soul Edge has canonically been destroyed were by holy weapons like Sophitia's Omega Sword and Soul Calibur.
786* HumanoidAbomination: Not Soul Edge itself, but Charade, who is a conglomerate of Soul Edge's shards in the shape of a human skeleton with an enormous eye in its ribcage. Nightmare in ''SCIII'' is Inferno possessing Siegfried's discarded armour, and in ''SCIV'' said armour has become an extension of Soul Edge itself.
787* HungryWeapon: Soul Edge is ravenous for the souls of any and all who stand before it, growing stronger with each kill.
788* FisherKing: Its power taints the city of Ostrheinsburg, turning it into a [[EldritchLocation cursed place]] that is [[TheNecrocracy haunted by the ghosts of those who have died there.]]
789* FromNobodyToNightmare: Was once a normal sword, but by consuming the blood and souls of countless people, it became something much more.
790* InstantAllegianceArtifact: It corrupts whoever wields it regardless of their intentions, and only a handful of people have been able to successfully resist.
791* LivingWeapon: It's a sword made of twisted flesh, metal, and bone, with a huge eye in its hilt.
792* MadeOfEvil: Soul Edge was once a normal sword until it tasted too much blood on the battlefield, giving it sentience and an evil soul called Inferno.
793* ManBehindTheMan: The puppet-master pulling Nightmare's strings.
794* MindManipulation: It can read the souls of its wielders, and seeks to manipulate or outright control them into serving it.
795* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Its [[InfinityPlusOneSword Complete forms]] when wielded by Nightmare in ''SCII'' and ''SCIII'' are lined with fangs.
796* MoreThanMindControl: If it doesn't outright take over its host, it manipulates them to serve its interests.
797* MorphWeapon: A key feature of Soul Edge is that it will take the form of whatever weapon the user is most comfortable using. When Cervantes used it, it was two separate swords referred to as "Male & Female" (the Male sword being the long sword and the Female sword being the shorter wavy sword). The Female blade was shattered by Sophitia and the Male blade was picked up by Siegfried, who became Nightmare and wielded it as a [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] because that was his weapon. Later on, Pyrrha wields Soul Edge as a short sword and shield, like her mother. Cervantes also reclaimed a piece of Soul Edge during the events of ''SCII'' and ''SCIII'', during which it replaced his longsword (Acheron) but Cervantes continued to use his shorter pistol sword (Nirvana). Soul Edge/Inferno itself takes a liking to Siegfried and prefers to stay in the great sword form, which is why it manipulated Graf Dumas to stick with the OneHandedZweihander style in ''SCV'' that Nightmare had been using during ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'' (assuming that it was Raphael under the armor, this is [[RoyalRapier quite a difference]] to what he would be accustomed to).
798* OmnicidalManiac: Its ''raison d'etre'' is to kill.
799* PillarOfLight: Due to being imbalanced after its Female half was destroyed, when Soul Edge Male claimed Siegfried as a host, it unleashed the Evil Seed, which infected thousands of people with its power and scattered shards across the world.
800* PowerLimiter: Despite Inferno-as-Nightmare collecting almost all its scattered shards in ''SCIV'', Soul Edge wasn't able to unleash its full power due to needing a proper host. After recovering from being shattered in ''SCV''[='=]s opening cinematic, Soul Edge forced Siegfried's style on Graf Dumas in an experiment to see if it could take a host while retaining its favorite form. However, it found that in order to unleash its full potential, it still had to take on a form suited to its wielder. As such, it was delighted to claim Pyrrha as its new host due to its fragment inside her containing memories of Sophitia — who had once destroyed it — and Pyrrha being skilled in Sophitia's fighting style, which it wanted to use against Soul Calibur.
801* SealedEvilInADuel: In ''III'', Siegfried attempted to destroy Soul Edge with Soul Calibur, but failed due to Inferno escaping into his discarded armour and only ended up merging the swords into the Soul Embrace.
802* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can change shape to accommodate its wielder's fighting style.
803* SoulCuttingBlade: Soul Edge cuts and consumes the souls of its victims.
804* SoulEating: Devours the souls of its victims to become more powerful.
805* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Due to information not traveling as fast or reliable in the 16th century, Soul Edge's reputation has been skewed, particularly in the eyes of Mitsurugi and the Korean fighters, who see it as a powerful weapon that will end the firearm age before it ever starts and a salvation that will drive invaders from their shores respectively. Characters like Sophitia, on the other hand, know its true nature and stop at nothing to see it destroyed.
806* WeaponWieldsYou: Soul Edge has possessed everyone who wielded it except Algol.
807* WorfHadTheFlu: It's purportedly the most-powerful weapon in existence aside from its counterpart Soul Calibur, but it's almost never seen at full power due to Sophitia shattering half of it at the end of ''Soul Edge''. Even when Inferno-as-Nightmare collects most of the shards in ''SCIV'', it's still unable to release its full power due to needing a compatible host and it is shattered again by Siegfried in the opening cinematic of ''SCV''.
808* WreckedWeapon: One half of it was shattered at the end of ''Soul Edge'', and following that Nightmare's goal — as well as that of several other antagonists and protagonists — is to collect the scattered shards.
809* {{Yandere}}: It seems to have a fixation on either reclaiming or killing Siegfried.
810* YinYangBomb: As the Embrace of Souls in ''SCIV''.
811* YinYangClash: With its UnholyHolySword counterpart Soul Calibur.
812
813[[/folder]]
814
815!! Additional Characters
816
817[[folder:Seong Han-Myeong]]
818
819[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc6_seong_han_myeong_2jpg.jpg]]
820 [[caption-width-right:174:''Soul Calibur VI'' Appearance]]
821[[caption-width-right:174:[[labelnote:Appearance in ''Soul Edge'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hwang_28soul_edge_artbook29_5.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
822
823-> ''"Is that all you got?"''
824
825->'''Origin:''' [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Jirisan, Joseon Kingdom (South Korea)]]
826->'''Weapon:''' ''[[SinisterScimitar Mountain Breaker]]'', [[HeroesPreferSwords a Chinese sword]]
827->'''Fighting style:''' ''[[HeroicLineage Seong-style Longsword]]''
828-> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/TakashiNagasako (''Soul Edge''; Japanese)[[/note]]
829
830-> The father of Seong Mi-na. The master and owner of the Seong dojo. The owner of the Seong family swords Mountain Breaker which he uses, Blue Storm which he gave to Hwang, and White Storm which Mi-na lent to Yun-seong who took it with him when he left the dojo. A secret character only playable in ''Soul Edge''.
831
832----
833
834* TheArtifact: Originally, the console game was set to feature various playable 'guest fighters' who were prominent in various character's Edge Master Mode storylines. This idea was scrapped early on. However, Han Myong was already finished and so was implemented into the game. Remnants of unfinished characters can be seen through hacking.
835* CoolTeacher: The master of the Seong dojo.
836* FantasyForbiddingFather: Han-Myeong isn't too thrilled about his daughter's adventurous streak. Somewhat understandable if you remember that his wife and son died of illness.
837* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQWocr5DqaY ''Asia Dawn'']] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze3Zw4_xV08 ''P.N.K.N.'']]
838* TheMentor: To Hwang and Yun-seong.
839* MovesetClone: His moveset is the same as Hwang's, though adding a handful of additional attacks.
840* PutOnABus: Stays in his Dojo and does not appear after ''Soul Edge'' but is mentioned in Seong Mi-na's and Yun-seong's profile.
841
842[[/folder]]
843

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