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1!All spoilers pertaining to the first timeline of the series (''Soul Edge'' to ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'') will be unmarked. [[{{Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned}} You Have Been Warned!]]
2[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/71l_cbaulvl.jpg]]
3''[[caption-width-right:350:Welcome to the stage of history!]]''
4
5->''"Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold..."''
6
7The ''Soul'' series ([[JustForFun/IReadThatAs unrelated to the]] "''Souls'' Series"[[note]]''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', and ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}''[[/note]] and '''definitely''' not related to ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Soul Reaver]]'') is a series of 3D weapon-based fighting games created by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment's team Project Soul, arriving shortly after the success of its other 3D fighter, ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}''.
8
9In 16th-century Eurasia, rumors persist of a legendary sword of heroes known only as "Soul Edge". Only a few know that Soul Edge is actually an evil ArtifactOfDoom with an insatiable thirst for human souls. Some warriors seek Soul Edge without knowing the truth, whereas others seek to destroy it or capture its power for themselves.
10
11To counter Soul Edge, an opposing sword of light was created: the spirit sword, Soul Calibur. When these two swords first clashed, Soul Edge was shattered into pieces and Soul Calibur fell dormant. Now, the shards of Soul Edge are seeking to reunite, oozing corruptive power that bestows misfortune on all who encounter them. An epic final battle between the two opposing swords is now fast approaching, with the fate of the world at stake.
12
13The series began in the mid-'90s with ''Soul Edge'', one of the first games to feature three-dimensional combat where every character holds a weapon. Control is mostly similar to ''Tekken'' and ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'', where characters can move along the three-dimensional plane and can be knocked out of the ring if they were careless. However, unlike its contemporaries, where controls are taken straight out of 2D fighting games (move towards or away from the opponent, upward directions jump, downward directions crouch) with limited sidestep capabilities, the directional controls allow the player to easily move in any of the eight basic directions. Characters can also deflect each other's weapon attacks, or break them and render them useless if hit enough times.
14
15''Soul Edge'', though mildly successful in arcades (and on the Platform/PlayStation [[MarketBasedTitle as]] ''[[MarketBasedTitle Soul Blade]]''), [[SequelDisplacement was largely overshadowed by]] ''Soulcalibur'', which revamped many of the original game's aspects, including the three-dimensional movement, character combos, and timing, and completely removed the breakable weapon aspect. The [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port of the game rebalanced the gameplay and overhauled the graphics, becoming its system's KillerApp in the process. It is often placed among game critics' "favorite games of all time".
16
17''Soulcalibur'' has since spawned five sequels, which have been ported to a number of home systems. Starting from ''II'', the series would begin making use of GuestFighter characters from other franchises, most notably [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader, Yoda]], and [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Ezio Auditore]], among others. A spin-off ActionAdventure title, ''Soulcalibur Legends'', has been released for the [[Platform/NintendoWii Wii]]; ''IV'' has also been ported to the [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]] as ''Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny'', which [[GuestFighter guest stars]] Kratos, [[VideoGame/GodOfWar the God of War]].[[note]]Despite Ares being a character in the series.[[/note]]
18
19''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords'' was released on February 6, 2014 in Japan and on April 22, 2014 in North America. ''Lost Swords'' was a single-player, online-only, [[AllegedlyFreeGame free-to-play]] title distributed through the Platform/{{PlayStation Network}} and based on ''Soulcalibur V'', the goal of which was for the player to collect loot through battles. Players could imbue the weapons with elemental properties, such as fire and wind. Virtual item sales were also offered. ''Lost Swords'' has since been shut down on November 30th, 2015.
20
21[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1sdAmSq4vs On December 7, 2017,]] Namco Bandai announced the next installment of the series, ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', which is at least in part set during the events of the original ''Soulcalibur''. It was released on October 19, 2018 for the Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne and PC.
22
23As of ''Soulcalibur III'', the series title [[SpellMyNameWithAnS seems to be]] ''Soulcalibur'' in a reference to {{Excalibur}}. The series underwent change in direction after this point. ''Soulcalibur V'' was directed by Daishi Odashima, who said he wanted the game to be named ''Soul Edge 2'', but was rejected. In December 2013, the series again changed project direction, and Masaki Hoshino took over as head of Project Soul, leading development of ''Lost Swords'' and ''Unbreakable Soul''. At some point he also left the team, resulting in ''Tekken 7'' producer Motohiro Okubo stepping in to lead development of ''VI''.
24----
25!!The series contains the following games:
26!!!Main Series:
27* [[index]]''Soul Edge'' / ''Soul Blade''[[/index]] (1995 - Arcade; 1996 - Platform/PlayStation)
28* ''Soulcalibur'' (1998 - Arcade; 1999 - [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]]; 2008 - [[Platform/XboxLiveArcade XBLA]]; 2012 - [=iOS=]; 2013 - Android)
29* ''Soulcalibur II'' (2002 - Arcade; 2003 - Platform/PlayStation2, Platform/{{Xbox}}, [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]; 2013 - Platform/PlayStation3, Platform/Xbox360)[[note]]The first game to feature guest characters: [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Heihachi Mishima]] for the [=PlayStation=] 2, ComicBook/{{Spawn}} for the Xbox, and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] for the [=GameCube=]. Both Heihachi and Spawn were made available for the 2013 re-release.[[/note]]
30* ''Soulcalibur III'' (2005 - [=PlayStation=] 2; Arcade - 2006)[[note]]The first game to feature the [[CharacterCustomization Create-A-Soul]] Mode.[[/note]]
31* ''Soulcalibur IV'' (2008 - [=PlayStation=] 3, Xbox 360)[[note]]''Franchise/StarWars'' guest characters: Yoda for the Xbox 360, Darth Vader for the [=PS3=], and [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed Starkiller/The Apprentice]] for both versions. The previously console-exclusive characters would later be made available for the other system as [[DownloadableContent DLC]].[[/note]]
32* ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'' (2012 - [=PlayStation=] 3, Xbox 360)[[note]]Guest characters: [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Devil Jin]] (fighting style only).[[/note]]
33* ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI''[[/index]] (2018 - Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, PC)[[note]]Guest characters so far: [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt of Rivia]], [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B]], and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]][[/note]]
34[[/index]]
35!!!Spinoffs:
36* [[index]]''VideoGame/SoulcaliburLegends''[[/index]] (2007 - Platform/NintendoWii)[[note]]A non-canon {{interquel}} set between ''Soul Edge/Blade'' and ''Soulcalibur'' showing Siegfried's transformation into Nightmare. Guest character: [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Lloyd Irving]].[[/note]]
37* ''Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny'' (2009 - Platform/PlayStationPortable)[[note]]A non-canon parody of ''Soulcalibur IV''. Guest character: [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]].[[/note]]
38* ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords'' (2014 - [=PlayStation=] 3)[[note]]A single-player free-to-play game using a token system to unlock characters from ''Soulcalibur IV'' and ''Soulcalibur V''. [[DefunctOnlineVideoGames Terminated]] in November 2015.[[/note]]
39* ''Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul'' (2014 - [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]])[[note]]A CardBattleGame set after ''Soulcalibur IV''. It was terminated after only a few months of service.[[/note]]
40* ''Soulcalibur Pachislot'' (2017 - Pachinko)[[note]]A pachinko slot machine using the character designs from ''Soulcalibur IV'' and ''Soulcalibur V''.[[/note]]
41----
42!!Transcending media and the internet, a tale of tropes and cliches, eternally clicked...
43[[foldercontrol]]
44[[folder:A-D]]
45* ActionMom: The Alexandra sisters; Cassandra's main reason to fight was to spare her older sister Sophitia from doing so since she's a mom, but when her kids are affected, Sophitia comes back to fight against Soul Edge anyway.
46** Taken to a more extreme and utterly ''cruel'' angle in ''IV'' when Sophitia's daughter [[MeaningfulName Pyrrha]] needs Soul Edge's influence to live, forcing Sophitia to kill anyone trying to destroy it.
47** Hilde, as of ''V'', is the mother of two children.
48* AgeInappropriateDress: Amy, Talim, and Leixia all wear fan service-laden outfits despite being underaged in Western countries.
49* AIBreaker: Anti A.I. moves in the third game, and Astaroth's Discus Breaker (1AB in community notation) in ''Soulcalibur IV''. Also, lying down facing the edge when fighting Algol on Floor 60. In ''V'', the A.I. simply does not know how to block Viola's orb setups. See ArtificialStupidity.
50* AlienGeometries: ''V'' has a few infinitely large stages. You can see scenery in the distance, but you can never get any closer to it no matter how far you move.
51** This can be rather dizzying if you watch the middle ground, where the ground you fight on blends into the fixed background. Perspective does not work that way...
52* AllThereInTheManual:
53** For the first several games, the canon storyline was only revealed in the opening pages of the guidebooks, or hinted at in the opening cinematic and character biographies.
54** ''New Legends of Project Soul'' is an artbook guide for ''V'' that provides a lot of background exposition many of the characters - including some who weren't in the game, as well as minor and background character - in addition to expanding on the series' lore and setting in general.
55* AlternateUniverse: Setting aside the various non-canon modes (Weapon Master, CotS), some of the character endings are not only mutually-exclusive, but simply can't exist within the context of the series as a whole. Some examples:
56** Tira in ''III''. In her Good ending, she sacrifices young Pyrrha and Patrolkos to Soul Edge. In her Bad ending, ''she'' gets sacrificed instead. Since all three are alive and well in ''V'', Tira's story can't fit in the main timeline either way.
57** Zasalamel's story in ''III'' either ends with him successfully using Soul Edge and Soul Calibur to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever become mortal]], or it fails and he GoesMadFromTheRevelation. Since he's still around, immortal, and sane in ''IV'' and ''V'', neither ending could have happened.
58* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The arenas where you usually face off against some permutation of Soul Edge like Inferno or Night Terror tend to be eerie, distorted planes of existence, some of which are hauntingly beautiful in spite of this. One of the biggest exceptions to date was Tartaros from ''II'', and even that was a FireAndBrimstoneHell.
59* AnachronismStew: Supposedly, this game takes place during the mid-to-late [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance Renaissance]], but there are certain aspects of the series that never really conform to a single real-world era. You have the costumes that cater to RuleOfCool and RuleOfSexy than historical basis or combat utility, the ClockPunk and SteamPunk elements that appear in things like Yoshimitsu's prosthetic limb and the big carousel in Hilde's home kingdom of Wolfkrone, you have [[EgyptIsStillAncient Sophitia's dress sense and religious beliefs...]]
60** Design-wise, some of the cheongsam inspired clothes the Chinese characters wear shouldn't exist yet.
61* AncestralName: The series features a character named Yoshimitsu, who is said to be the ancestor of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'''s Yoshimitsu.
62* AntagonistTitle: ''Soul Edge'' [[EvilAllAlong as well as]] ''Soulcalibur''.
63* ApologeticAttacker: Sophitia, Pyrrha, and Talim.
64** Siegfried tends to go into this when fighting non-possessed enemies, as they usually go after him for his past deeds as Nightmare. He accepts that they're angry at him, but he can't die until Soul Edge's done for. So he beats them down, and then apologizes.
65* AppropriatedTitle: The series was originally called ''Soul Edge'' but is now better known as ''Soulcalibur''.
66* ArmedLegs: The Grieve Edge moveset for custom characters in ''III''.
67* ArmorIsUseless: Heavily-armored characters take just as much damage as the characters who can [[{{Stripperiffic}} barely even be considered as wearing clothing]].
68** Averted starting ''Soulcalibur IV''; each character has a secondary costume that affects their attributes while it's intact. For example Cassandra has the green Atlanta items which greatly boosts her attack while Sophitia is wearing a fantasy version of Greco-Roman armour which reduces a large chunk of the damage she takes. The most protective clothing your character can wear, really does look like heavy armour.
69* ArtEvolution: Starting with ''Soulcalibur II'', character artwork became more realistic, as opposed to the {{Animesque}} style from the previous two entries, with the more realistic style solidifying in the following game. Compare ''SCI'' [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/5/57/KilikSC.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080303080523 Kilik]] to ''SCIII'' [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/a/af/Sc3-kilik-01.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/310?cb=20140820161314 Kilik]].
70* ArtifactOfDoom: Soul Edge is a cursed, possessed soul-eating sword that wants to destroy the world. And as ''Soulcalibur IV'' and ''V'' prove, [[KnightTemplar so is]] [[WorldOfSilence Soul Calibur.]]
71* ArtificialStupidity: Algol loves to use a certain combo that involves jumping over his opponent's head. He will use this even if his opponent is lying on the ground at the edge of the arena, flinging himself to his doom. Talim also did this a lot with her "Wind Flip" maneuver, particularly in ''III''.
72** Soul Edge itself, way back in the original game. Its habit of spamming that charged-up bum rush attack makes it all too easy to simply sidestep or jump over it, sending the final boss clear out of the ring. It's actually the easiest way to beat what is otherwise a major SNKBoss.
73* AssKicksYou: Cassandra's Critical Finish, where she literally knocks her foe over with her rear end, then proceeds to violently sit on her opponent's face, the second time using her shield. There is some lampshading when she calls out "[[{{Fanservice}} You like this kinda stuff]]?" while she's doing it. Not to mention all the pink hearts. She also has an attack that involves flinging herself butt-first at the enemy (which is her longest-range attack).
74** Rock [[GroundPound does this too]].
75** Even more disturbingly, Voldo does this, although not as a Critical Finish.
76** Like her sister, Sophitia has two or three of them as well.
77** And Pyrrha continues the tradition.
78* AttackingThroughYourself: Yoshimitsu is able to stab his sword through himself to damage his enemy. The attack does serious damage to himself, but even more to his enemy if it successfully connects.
79* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel:
80** Setsuka's alternate costume in ''SCIV'', which has been dubbed her "Film/MaryPoppins outfit" by fans, references her European origins but has far more in common with the fashions of the much more recent Edwardian (1900s) era, rather than late Elizabethan era in which ''SCIV'' is set.
81** Sophitia's overall look and design is more evocative of UsefulNotes/AncientGreece rather than 16th-Century Ottoman Greece with her Hellenic style skirts, togas tops, laurel-leaf hair decorations. There is also the fact she worships the Greek Pantheon rather than [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Eastern Orthodoxy]], just like in real life though this is admittedly noted to be an anachronism in-universe.
82* AwesomeButImpractical: Unblockable attacks look very cool, wreathing your weapon(s) in flames for the duration of the attack and darkening everything on-screen aside from the fighters and the HUD, and usually do a good chunk of damage. However, that duration tends to be a few seconds before the attack is actually pulled off, allowing players who notice the attack to generally dodge it with ease. And then punish the attacker right after with an attack of their own. Some of these attacks (such as Ivy's heel drop) leave the attacker open during the prep stages, too, making it very impractical unless the opponent is on the ground. They're really more for threatening a guard-happy opponent, as every character has at least one, and most are easily cancelled. ''IV'' fixes this by giving the characters several different types of unblockable attacks: Some are incredibly weak but come out quickly, others are done after combos to confuse the opponent and others cancel into stances and other attacks.
83** Soul Edge in ''II'' and ''III'' often carries elements of this; while generally more powerful than any other weapon, most of its side effects are negative compared to the many more useful abilities offered by Soul Calibur or other weapons. This is notably absent in ''SCIV'', except for certain forms which have the detrimental abilities Slow Feet and Evil Sword Berserk attached.
84** In ''IV'', Algol's 214A+B and 4B+K are awesome when they work, but they never will in a serious match. Nightmare's A+B and his 236A+B are also really cool, but are terrible moves.
85** In ''V'', Aeon's Critical Edge consists of knocking the opponent down with a Screw Attack, sprouting wings, flying up in the air, and breathing fire over the downed opponent. However, it's one of the least damaging Critical Edges, the fire breath attack can randomly miss due to a bug (which sometimes results in Aeon ringing himself out), and is punishable ''on hit'' by certain characters.
86** The Critical Finishes from ''IV'' can only be pulled off in very specific situations: you break your opponent's armor, force them into Soul Crush, then hit all four face buttons while they're reeling back. They're harder to pull off than it would seem, not least because the Soul Crush is hard to predict, and hitting the opponent even once before pressing the four face buttons will end your chance to perform it.
87*** ''Broken Destiny'' does simplify this to the point where they can be practically relied upon now. Each character now has a unique Guard Break attack done by hitting all three attack buttons, and landing one while the opponent's Soul Gauge is flashing red automatically triggers a Critical Finish. Soul Crushes are easier to force by mainly attacking blocking enemies and breaking their guards.
88* BadassAdorable: Many of the younger girls, particularly Talim and Ashlotte.
89* BadassBack: Voldo legitimately; other characters in ''III'' who [[FakeDifficulty shouldn't be allowed to]].
90* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Ideally, the conflict between Soul Edge and Soul Calibur is supposed to manifest itself like this, but in reality, Soul Calibur doesn't quite "get it" and thinks the only way to solve the problem of there being too much evil in the world is to [[WorldOfSilence freeze it and halt all of existence]], making it closer to BlueAndOrangeMorality.
91* {{BFS}}: Siegfried, Nightmare, Strife.
92* BigBadEnsemble: While Nightmare is normally the main villain of the series, ''Soulcalibur V'' has three separate entities competing for the title. The first is Graf Dumas - [[LegacyCharacter the new]] [[BloodKnight Nightmare]] - who uses politics, manipulation, and the power of [[ArtifactOfDoom Soul Edge]] with the goal to TakeOverTheWorld using his army of malfested slaves. The second is [[DragonAscendant Tira]], who wishes to resurrect the old Nightmare by using Pyrrha as a vessel, viewing the current one as a [[ReplacementScrappy fraud]], so she can reign chaos just as the original Nightmare did. The third is [[KnightTemplar Elysium]], the living incarnation of [[LightIsNotGood Soul Calibur]], who wishes to destroy Soul Edge and bring absolute peace to the world -- [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans regardless of the consequences]]. Behind the scenes is Algol, who serves as the GreaterScopeVillain. How this all would've come together is unclear, due to the fact that [[CutShort only 1/4 of the story made the final cut of the game]].
93* BittersweetEnding: ''Weapons Master'' ends with [[spoiler:you forced to kill your rival to stop Inferno/the latest host of Soul Edge; while you are now worthy enough to wield Soul Calibur, the game makes it clear you are but a footnote to the countless holders of Soul Calibur ''and'' heavily implies your story was just a pit stop compared to the main character's journeys. Your name fades into legend, known only by a few hardcore historians... and your newly immortal best friend.]]
94* BlackAndGrayMorality: One possible way to interpret the conflict between Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, if the OrderVsChaos interpretation isn't doing it for you. On one side you have the unambiguously EvilWeapon Soul Edge whose main goal is to claim as many souls as it can through strife and carnage. Opposing it is the holy weapon Soul Calibur that, on the surface seems to have humanity's best interests in mind, yet believes the only way it can protect the human world is to paralyze it rather than save it, with no compromise that leaves the world intact.
95* TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn: In the intro.
96* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Dampierre, although he doesn't rely only on it.
97* BlockingStopsAllDamage: Averted in ''Soulcalibur IV'', which raises just as much FridgeLogic as the regular version does when Yoda and Darth Vader take damage from somebody punching them in the lightsaber.
98* BloodKnight: Mitsurugi and Algol.
99* BloodlessCarnage: You'd think with all the blades flying around, someone would get at least a small cut. It is, however, worth noting [[GameplayAndStorySegregation that this is a gameplay restriction]], and within the story itself, the weapons do cause injuries and even death.
100* BlueBlood: Three of the main cast are nobility. In order of rank:
101** HRH Princess Hildegard Von Krone (a princess)
102** Lady Isabella Valentine (an Earl’s daughter, therefore Lady)
103** Raphael Sorel (noted to be nobility, though his rank in the French peerage is not specified).
104* BodyHorror: Soul Edge can twist the human body quite grotesquely, best seen in the number it did to Siegfried's right arm. The same corruption later happens to poor Pyrrha.
105* BonusLevelOfHell: Edge Master Mode, Mission Mode, Weapon Master Mode, Chronicles of the Sword, Tower of Lost Souls, and Legendary Souls, in chronological order.
106* BossRush: Legendary Souls in ''V'', which pit players against a gauntlet of bosses at the highest difficulty. Each of the 7 opponents there all have unique conditions and appearances compared to their playable incarnations:
107** The mimic characters are all locked into specific movesets for their fights: Kilik uses Xiba's moves to reflect his previous movelist, Elysium uses Pyrrha Omega's due to being physically similar to Sophitia, and Edge Master uses Alpha Patroklos'.
108** Siegfried and Nightmare are fought in their incarnations from ''IV'', right down to wielding that game's version of Soul Calibur and Soul Edge.
109** Cervantes uses a modified version of his second costume which turns him into a mass of flames trapped in a suit of armor, similar to his first appearance as Inferno.
110** Averted with Algol, who has no notable changes as the final enemy of the route.
111* BottomlessPits: Some arenas have cliffs, chasms, or are being hoisted into the air by an Egyptian construction crane. These are some of the most common forms of "Ring Out."
112* {{Bowdlerise}}: In countries (specifically, Korea) that discouraged references to {{samurai}} due to their histories with WWII-era Japan as well as various invasions from the 1590s, Mitsurugi was replaced twice: first with Hwang in the Korean arcade version of ''Soul Edge'', and then in ''[=SC=]'' with an [[MightyWhitey English-born, Japan-raised "samurai"]] named Arthur, who sported an EyepatchOfPower and wielded a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. The former became a main by the 2nd arcade revision, the later became an unlockable bonus character in ''III'' as well as making cameos in the introduction for Weapon Master in ''II'' and The Gauntlet in ''Broken Destiny''.
113** Interestingly enough, the backstories of the Korean characters involve those very same 16th-century conflicts, so you'd think the Korean audience would cherish being able to beat up a hardened samurai warrior with their national heroes.
114** Also, the PAL release of ''Soul Blade'' changes the weapons of Li Long from Nunchaku into Three-Sectional Staffs because of the legal status of the former in the U.K. and other countries.
115* BreakableWeapons:
116** ''Soul Edge'' only, although ''IV'' and ''V'' have breakable ''[[ClothingDamage armor]]''.
117** In the story mode of ''III'', this becomes the excuse for having a character use Soul Edge or Soul Calibur. Abyss will toss his scythe at you, requiring a [[QuickTimeEvent quicktime event]] to block it. If the character is scripted to end up fighting with one of the Soul weapons, the strike will break the weapon the character is holding no matter what, and then one of the Soul weapons will be launched at the character, which they pick up to finish the fight.
118** For an ultimate evil weapon, Soul Edge itself is surprisingly fragile. Several characters are shown to be capable of smashing to pieces it in a single blow during their endings. Canonically, it's been destroyed by Taki (One half anyway), Xianghua, and Siegfried. Mitsurugi and Siegfried can destroy it in no less than two games.
119* ButNotTooForeign:
120** Ivy is of complete Spanish ancestry, but was born and raised as a British aristocrat.
121** Arthur is a British orphan who was raised in Japan. His entire backstory was to appease the Korean market, because samurai are viewed ''very'' negatively over there after countless invasions, colonisations, and massacres at the hands of samurai.
122** Setsuka, who hails from an unknown European country but was raised Japanese. This is important, as she was shunned as a child for her overtly non-Japanese appearance until she was taken in by her master.
123* CanonImmigrant: Sort of... A character named Yoshimitsu appears in all five ''Calibur'' games; he's similar to the Yoshimitsu from ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', but may not be the same person.
124** According to his story, "Yoshimitsu" is actually the name of the sword he wields, as well as a ''title'' given to the strongest Ninja in his clan (the Yoshimitsu in ''Soulcalibur'' is the founder and the Yoshimitsu of ''Tekken'' is the current leader); the personality and fighting style are adopted to give the impression that he is immortal (LegacyImmortality, as popularized by ComicStrip/ThePhantom). However, Yoshimitsu is the same guy in the first four ''Soulcalibur'' games, as his story makes constant references to his development in past games; he is replaced by a new swordsman (who refers to himself as "Yoshimitsu the Second") in the events leading up to ''V''. The ''Tekken'' games all feature a single Yoshimitsu as well.
125** The ''Tekken 3'' booklet's bio of Yoshimitsu says something like "He may have existed since the 18th Century." If this is true (it's mentioned nowhere in the NTSC-U English manual), it's only an addition of the English translator, as no such mention appears in any of the Japanese profiles.
126** Staying within the confines of the series itself, we have Hwang and Arthur. In both cases, the characters were conceived as alternates to Mitsurugi for the Korean market (who have a high distaste for samurai due to their bad history), Hwang for ''Soul Edge'' and Arthur for ''Soulcalibur''. Later on, a second revision for ''Soul Edge'' was released and Hwang was canonized as a real character for all regions and given his own story. Likewise, in ''III'', Arthur was given some back story and added as a bonus character. Arthur has little relevance to anything in the narrative but Hwang has been a prominent player through the first two titles.
127* CanonWelding: Possibly implied with ''Tekken'' at the end of Zasalamel's story in ''IV'', which depicts him still alive in modern New York.
128* CaptainObvious:
129** Since the announcer in ''IV'' didn't have different quotes depending on who won, he could become this pretty often.
130--->'''Announcer:''' Victory belongs to the last one standing!
131** In Broken Destiny when you end up fighting Dampierre.
132--->'''Announcer:''' Only those who survive can fulfill their destinies.
133*** In general, the announcers go for "RuleOfCool PurpleProse" even if it doesn't make sense. This becomes much more prominent by the later games, to the point where in ''V'' even some of ''the fighters'' are doing it.
134* CarryABigStick: Rock, Kamikirimushi.
135* CelibateHero:
136** Ivy. No, [[JigglePhysics seriously]]. She knows that she has "cursed blood", thanks to Soul Edge (her blood type is even listed as "Soul Edge"), so she has taken a vow to never have children, lest they too be cursed.
137** Kilik. By ''IV'', he returns Xianghua's love, but says it can never be because he plans to throw away his life to become a hermit/the eternal guardian of both swords, and wants Xianghua to continue and live a full life rather than do the same just for him. She eventually moves on and has a daughter of her own named Leixia. Although, sometime after ''IV'' Kilik and Xianghua spent a night together, from which Xianghua eventually conceived Xiba.
138* CharacterCustomization: The games started featuring Create-a-Fighter mode in ''III'', ''IV'', and ''V''. [[VirtualPaperDoll It's arguably one of]] [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny the biggest draws of the games.]]
139* CharacterDevelopment: Siegfried turns from a deluded young man, into the BigBad, and finally into TheAtoner and the arguable protagonist/hero of the games. Similarly, Ivy has moved from evil to good. Most of the characters undergo some level of character development between games.
140* CharacterRosterGlobalWarming: ''Soulcalibur'' has four "big" characters (Astaroth, Nightmare, Siegfried, Rock) compared to more than twenty others.
141* ChekhovsGunman: As Algol is the Hero King who was able to wield Soul Edge and created Soul Calibur, he [[AllThereInTheManual has been mentioned]] [[ChekhovsGunman since the beginning]], they just gave him a name in ''IV''. But to those unfamiliar with the backstory, he would appear to be a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere.
142* CherryTapping: The Joke Weapons since ''II''. All of them make a light squeak sound effect when they makes contact with the opponent. CherryTapping indeed.
143** Xianghua's Crybaby is the [[www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhdS2HP07Bw ultimate humiliation finishing move]].
144* ChivalrousPervert: Raphael and Dampierre both fight over Amy dolls and constantly make {{Double Entendre}}s in ''Broken Destiny'', while trying to keep their honor.
145** Maccoi, in the same game, ''really'' would like to feel you up (and it's implied he does each time you lose), but still gives you hints and tips when fighting him, out of a sense of duty. And molestation.
146* ClockPunk: Clockwork cogs are theme in many arenas (more prominently in Zasalamel's stage in ''III'', which ''is'' inside a clock tower). Yoshimitsu has a clockwork cybernetic arm (with wooden parts!), while Ashlotte in ''IV'' is a clockwork robot.
147* ClothingDamage: ''IV'' has this in spades, for all characters with the exceptions of the bonus characters and the ''Star Wars'' exclusives. Kratos in ''Broken Destiny'' is also an exception. ''V'' retains the feature, though it only can occur once (as opposed to the High, Medium, and Low areas of equipment in ''IV'') and only if the finishing blow of a round is a sufficiently strong attack. Like the other guests before him, Ezio serves as the game's sole exception.
148* ComebackMechanic:
149** ''IV'' allows players to assign skills to custom created characters. Among them are Will Power and Hysterical Strength. Both are passive abilities that activate when the player's health dips below a certain point. Will Power requires the player to be in critical status (low health) and causes the character to glow red when active. It sharply increases the user's stats for the remainder of the round. Hysterical Strength only requires that the player's health drop below half and only offers a boost in attack power, noted by a greenish yellow glow when active.
150** In ''V'', if a player is one round away from losing a match, they receive one free meter stock.
151* ComicBookTime: Although a conflict of this nature would take copious amounts of time, ''not a single character'' has celebrated a birthday since ''II''. In fact, ''II'', ''III'', and ''IV'' all take place within the same year.
152** Averted in the first three games, which took place in real time, as the passage of years between the plots (3 and 4) coincided with the games' initial releases (1995-1998-2002).
153** Also averted with ''V'', which takes place [[http://twitpic.com/4w7me6 17 years after]] ''IV''.
154** Especially silly in the story mode of ''III'', which has the characters travelling back and forth several times between Europe, Asia and northern Africa, which in their age should have taken many years.
155* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: The A.I. of ''III'' blatantly reads your controller inputs, leading to things like a nigh-100% success rate in parrying basic throws (where there should be a 50% chance of failure), the ability to guard impact any attack, and never reacting incorrectly to any mix-up or cancelled attack. This makes anti-AI attacks a ''necessity'' to use, especially near the end of Chronicles of the Sword mode, where the AI operates on a higher level than the game's maximum difficulty!
156** There is one challenge in ''II'' where, in order to get to one of the special areas, you have to break your opponent's guard within a certain amount of time. Taki re-guards too fast after breaking her guard.
157** ''IV'' has the Tower of Lost Souls. Notably, it's not just in gameplay mechanics; the A.I. gets a number of [[SecretAIMoves unique character skills]] that are ''far'' more powerful than anything the player can ever get, up to and including near-100% automatic Guard Impact!
158** Back with a vengeance in ''V'' (at least in Legendary Souls mode and the harder opponents in Quick Battle). In addition to reading inputs, being immune to mix-ups, and abusing its own lack of needing input by executing complex moves faster than a human could ever do it, this A.I. will also flawlessly space your characters (staying close to long range characters and keeping away from short range ones) and perfectly confound all attempts at horizontal containment.
159* ConfusionFu: Voldo, Yoshimitsu, and Dampierre. Xianghua and her daughter's movesets also rely on feints to a much lesser extent.
160** Voldo gets a particularly honourable mention since, thanks to his incredible speed and moving like as though his skeleton is made out of slinkies, even his own player will need practice to figure out what exactly he is doing.
161** The rock-paper-scissors-style game mechanics (guards and sidestepping can only null certain types of attacks each) encourage mix-up tactics in general.
162* ContinuityNod:
163** In ''Soul Calibur IV'', Yoda's Critical Finish is a replica of how he dispatched a Clone Trooper during the attack on the Jedi Temple in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''.
164** Again in ''IV'', Kratos' Critical Finish is an exact replica of the finishing move used on Ares in the final battle of the first ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'', though with the Blade of Olympus replacing the Blade of the Gods.
165*** He also name drops [[BigBad Zeus]] after his opponent has not seen the end of this day. ("Zeus! You will be next!")
166* ContinuitySnarl: Despite being a guest character in ''Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny'', a non-canon game, Kratos being present in the ''Soul'' series world monkey wrenches everything about Sophitia's character; as the Greek pantheon (despite having long since fallen into antiquity by the late 1500s) does exist and Sophitia continues to receive guidance from Hephaestus. However, since Kratos is infamously known for completely destroying the Greek pantheon, this causes a conflict.
167* {{Contortionist}}: II has purchasable "demonstrations" for the fighters, with Yun-seong and Voldo's coming off more like circus contortion routines more than martial arts training. Well, Voldo comes off like that even when he does fight, but still.
168* CoolSword: Everyone that's mentioned in the sword tropes here, plus Soul Edge, Hwang, Xianghua, Yun-seong, Shura, Leixia, Z.W.E.I. and Alpha Patroklos (if an iai version of Soul Calibur counts).
169* TheCorruption: Malfestation, the curse spread by the Soul Edge's evil energy that turns normal beings (both humans and animals) into monsters. It was released upon the world when Siegfried became Nightmare, infecting many with this condition. Many evil characters are associated or infected with it, but there are exceptions. Fortunately, it can be treated under the right circumstances as well.
170* CosmicChessGame: Soul Edge versus Soul Calibur. The two swords have been warring in the hands of various wielders since ancient times, and no clear victor has emerged yet.
171* CounterAttack: Several characters have these. Some attacks just have frames at the beginning that cause a Guard Impact, which would make the rest of the attack sort of like a Counter Attack, but there are moves that genuinely won't do anything unless the opponent lands an attack at the proper frame of the animation. All attacks do more damage if they hit during the start-up or cool-down frames of an opponent's attack.
172* CoversAlwaysLie: Usually in game covers, ads, and merchandise, Ivy is usually shown lined up with the other villainous characters, because of her rather [[MsFanservice interesting]] appearance. Even though at one point she committed murders in the sword's name, she's been trying to destroy it for most of the series.
173** ''Soul Edge'''s cover shows Mitsurugi duel-wielding katanas. He only does it once, for non-gameplay reasons. In his ending in ''III'', if he meets up with Taki then he will have taken Soul Edge away from the last fight, and it will manifest into his in-game weapon while he still has the sword that he used since the beginning of the Tales of Souls story mode.
174* CreatorCameo: Katsuhiro Harada can be fought in the Quick Battle mode of ''V''. He wears a turban and a sleeved version of Heihachi's black dogi, and fights with the Soul of Devil Jin (i.e. Mishima-style karate + [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]). Appropriately enough, he appears under the name "Harada_[[Franchise/{{Tekken}} TEKKEN]]" (which is the Twitter username he uses for Tekken-related tweets).
175* {{Crossover}}:
176** ''II'' includes [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]], ComicBook/{{Spawn}}, or [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], depending on which console you use.
177** ''IV'' includes ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters Darth Vader and Yoda, as well as the Apprentice from ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed''. [[note]]Yoda was initially exclusive to the Platform/Xbox360 version, while Darth Vader was originally exclusive to the [=PS3=] version; both eventually became available as DLC for the other version. Starkiller has always been available in both versions.[[/note]]
178** ''V'' actually includes a character who makes sense within the context of the series' story and time period: Ezio Auditore, from the ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' games. Well, story maybe, but time period, most certainly not; ''V'' takes place over a century after ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Brotherhood]]'', wherein Ezio is in about his 30s; ergo, he should already be dead by the time the game's story rolled by. And, even considering ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' had been released before ''V'', having Connor as a GuestFighter wouldn't normally have made sense, as he would only be born about 50 years later (same century, different timeframe).
179*** The backstory explains that Shawn Hastings deducted a jump in Ezio's timeline thrusting him about 100 years into the future and then back again after he found a artifact. So the same could happen to Connor, Altaïr or [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag Edward]] if the Animus malfunctioned again.
180*** Also, Heihachi's appearance in ''II'' is explained by him having found a shard of Soul Edge in a dig site which thrust him back in time -- he'd only return after beating Inferno.
181* CrystalPrison: Soul Calibur likes to pull this as of ''IV'' whenever it trumps Soul Edge in certain character endings. (And it has no qualms about doing it to fighters who ''oppose'' Soul Edge either, who, in effect, helped it reach that point. One example, in Ivy's ending to ''IV'', it does this to Nightmare, but also tries to inflict the same fate on Ivy; she's willing to accept it as punishment for what's she's done, but is [[HeroicSacrifice saved when her own sword destroys itself to save her]], convincing her she still has purpose.
182* CuteClumsyGirl: Talim becomes this when you use her running "kick" attack, which is more of a "trip and fall" attack. One of Xianghua's attacks when she is on the ground has her throw a tantrum. Dampierre is prone to falling in some of his attacks (when intended), and blocking will often get him to fall over in pain. In fact, in The Gauntlet, he's constantly accidentally activating his daggers into his own flesh. In ''Broken Destiny'', the first assassin sent to try and kill you is so clumsy that your character ''allows themselves to get hit, out of pity for her.''
183* CuttingOffTheBranches: Every character's ending inevitably has them doing something with Soul Edge and/or Soul Calibur.
184** The setup for ''Soulcalibur'' (and [[SoftReboot by extension]] ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'') assumes multiple elements from characters' endings. Li Long lost a fight with Cervantes that left him gravely wounded, seemingly [[KilledOffForReal dead]] in fact until ''III'' confirmed his survival. Sophitia was Cervantes' next opponent and despite a valiant effort where she managed to destroy one of the swords, she too was left badly hurt. [[BigDamnHeroes Then Taki appeared, quickly finished Cervantes off and carried Sophitia away to safety]]. Siegfried came seeking the sword and defeated the [[DemonicPossession possessed corpse of Cervantes]] after a brief fight, and took the remaining sword, becoming [[BigBad Nightmare]]. Also, Mitsurugi lost his duel against the Tanegashima rifleman, leaving him with a gnarly gunshot scar and a renewed desire to find Soul Edge.
185** ''II'' assumes elements of Xianghua's, Kilik's and Siegfried's endings. Xianghua and Kilik confront Nightmare at Ostrheinsburg Castle, and Kilik wins his fight against Nightmare but shatters his mirror in the process. When Soul Edge becomes Inferno, Xianghua's Krita-Yuga reveals itself to be Soul Calibur, the holy antithesis of Soul Edge, and Xianghua uses it to defeat Inferno and sunder Soul Edge, shattering the cursed sword into pieces. The castle crumbles and Kilik and Xianghua have to abandon Soul Calibur in their escape. With the destruction of Nightmare, Siegfried regains his sanity and control of his body after facing his dad in a dream and making peace with his father's spirit and his past sins.
186** ''III'' takes the basic setup from Nightmare's ending and also includes elements of Raphael's ending. Siegfried's freedom from Soul Edge's influence was short-lived and he became Nightmare again, travelling the world to gather the pieces of Soul Edge. Meanwhile, [[LightIsNotGood Soul Calibur had been corrupted by the presence of the cursed sword and become a weapon of similar evil]]. As Nightmare's quest neared completion, Raphael appeared and challenged Nightmare for the cursed sword. Just as Nightmare stood at the cusp of victory, Raphael pierced Soul Edge's eye with a desperate last attack, and Nightmare became wracked with pain. [[SealedGoodInACan Siegfried's consciousness]] used this moment to regain control of his body, seize Soul Calibur (freed from Soul Edge by Raphael's attack) and plunge it into the eye of Soul Edge, locking the two swords into a Soul Embrace that sealed away both of the swords' powers.
187* CutShort: ''Soulcalibur V'''s Story Mode was only ¼ complete when the game was released due to the team running out of development time.
188* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Namco LOVES this trope. [[DifficultButAwesome Voldo]] is a particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} example; from ''II'' to ''III'', his moveset remained the same, but the inputs changed.
189** Ivy is practically a completely different character in every game. This is especially noticeable in the transition from ''IV'' to ''V'', where she goes from having four stances to zero.
190* DarkerAndEdgier: ''IV'' has many formerly-good characters -- not to mention the pure Soul Calibur -- take a swing into the dark side. These include Sophitia (forced to protect Soul Edge, with deadly force if necessary, to save her daughter's life), Maxi (driven to wield Soul Edge to destroy Astaroth by Tira), Taki (her ending has her murder Siegfried to prevent his attempt to create a utopia going horribly wrong), and Siegfried himself (his own storyline presents him as becoming increasingly suicidal, and his ending implies that Soul Calibur may have frozen the entire human population in crystal stasis, not to mention killing him). Soul Caliber itself is depicted as, in fact, [[GodIsEvil evil.]]
191** ''V'' deals with the massacre and persecution of those who are and are accused of being "Malfested." [[spoiler:Original-Cassandra in ''VI'' reveals that the events of ''V'' are a BadFuture that should be avoided at all costs.]]
192** Traditionally a lighthearted character with an unusual fighting style and a grandoise air, ''VI'' presents [[FightingClown Yoshimitsu]] as a tragic man who is nearly consumed by his grief and desire to avenge his slaughtered ninja clan, only narrowly managing to turn away from the abyss before he falls in. He growls to his enemies that "(his) hatred for them has turned him into a demon", and it's entirely possible that [[AmbiguouslyHuman he]] [[EvilMakesYouMonstrous wasn't speaking figuratively]].
193* DecompositeCharacter: Siegfried and Nightmare. In the original ''Soul Blade'', Siegfried appeared as the main {{BFS}} user and story-wise he only became Nightmare at the end. An early version of Nightmare, titled "Siegfried!" appeared as a bonus costume. Then in ''Soulcalibur'', they were largely {{Moveset Clone}}s with little variation, and Nightmare was the evil BrainwashedAndCrazy version of Siegfried. In ''Soulcalibur II'', Nightmare replaced Siegfried entirely. Due to lore reasons however, Siegfried became separate entity from Nightmare, having broken free of Soul Edge's grasp, but the Nightmare persona itself remained due to Zasalamel using his sorcery to bond the armor to Inferno, thus allowing him to operate without a host. This marked the beginning of Siegfried and Nightmare being officially separate characters, with greatly diversified movesets and lore. In all appearances onward, the two are completely different characters, despite starting the same.
194* DenserAndWackier: Broken Destiny's Gauntlet Mode is essentially "What if ''Soulcalibur IV'' were a Gag Anime"? Exaggerated characters (IE, [[ClingyJealousGirl Xianghua]]), ridiculous scenarios (saving Hilde's father with "a Messenger of the Universe" aka [[ButtMonkey Yun-Seong]]) and much more. Including [[OneWingedAngel Nightmare]] being [[DeathbringerTheAdorable way too innocent for words]].
195* DifficultButAwesome: Guard Impacts. The requirement (pushing forward and guard right as an opponent's attack is about to hit, plus knowing what height to use) plus the consequence (there is no "fallback" if you miss, you will take damage) are demanding but execute one and your opponent's only response will be to do one of their own, bound by the same condition.
196** Several characters fall into this as well; Ivy and Setsuka are both extremely difficult to learn but utterly devastating when mastered. The Grieve Edge style from ''III'' could be considered this, too, as it was heavily reliant on expert timing for attacks and Guard Impacts but was extremely powerful when executed with proper precision, in addition to looking really awesome.
197** Just Guard in ''V''.
198* DisneyOwnsThisTrope: Why is this series called the "''Soul'' Series" as opposed to the "''Soul Edge'' Series"? A man known as Tim Langdell has spent the last 30 years or so sitting on a trademark over the word "edge" in video game titles.[[note]]At least prior to 2013, when a legal battle with Electronic Arts resulted in his trademark being surrendered and cancelled.[[/note]] Namco fell afoul of his notorious trademark squatting when they released ''Soul Edge'', prompting them to rename the [=PlayStation=] port "''Soul Blade''" in the US (it retains the ''Soul Edge'' name in Japan both in arcades and console). Going forward, the entire series was rebranded as "''Soulcalibur''" to avoid dealing with this kerfuffle again.
199* DittoFighter: Edge Master, Charade's ''II'' incarnation, and [[AscendedMeme Olcadan]]. Inferno also acts this way in his appearances, save for his very first one (where he was just a pumped up Cervantes named [=SoulEdge=]). In '' II'', he switches styles in the ''middle of the fight'' and has a super move regardless of style.
200** In ''V'', Edge Master returns as a mimic character, along with Kilik and newcomer Elysium. The difference between the three is that Edge Master can mimic all characters (except for Ezio, Algol and the Devil Jin style) while Kilik and Elysium can only mimic male and female characters respectively. Additionally, Kilik gains back his Kali-Yuga and some of his old moves with his rod if copying Xiba. Elysium, if using Pyrrha Omega's style, alters it to more closely resemble Sophitia's in past games. She's also the only one of the three to possess her own Critical Edge (usable regardless of who she's currently mimicking).
201* DivergentCharacterEvolution: Hwang & Mitsurugi had the same moves in ''Soul Blade'' until Hwang developed his acrobatic, one-handed style in the sequel.
202** Cassandra was originally envisioned as a MovesetClone of Sophitia, due to replace her older sister. Sophitia was too popular to be replaced however, so Cassandra instead became a grappler LightningBruiser to Sophitia's rushdown JackOfAllStats instead.
203* DramaticIrony: After Patroklos finally finds Pyrrha (his long-lost sister) he reassures her that he'll protect her from the malfested. He doesn't know that 1) she is a malfested, or 2) despite her deceptive appearance, [[MartialPacifist Pyrrha]] doesn't really need protection. Actually, she's spent like the last two scenes killing people.
204* DressedLikeADominatrix: Ivy Valentine usually wears some sort of skimpy costume, thigh-high boots and opera gloves. She wields a WhipSword and loves being cruel to her enemies.
205* DualWielding: Cervantes, [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Lloyd Irving]], and Shura all dual-wield swords, as well as Talim, who dual wields Tonfas. Taki and Natsu dual-wield daggers for certain attacks, and Algol's hands transform into Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, as well as double bubble cannons. Maxi can dual-wield nunchaku as an extra kata in ''Soulcalibur''.
206** Aeon Calcos (Lizardman), as of ''V'', duel-wields axes.
207[[/folder]]
208[[folder:E-H]]
209* EarlyBirdCameo: The Apprentice/Starkiller/Galen Marek from ''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'', in ''IV''. Amy makes a short cameo in the second game's intro (of course, she's part of Raphael's backstory, and he was introduced here).
210* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Soul Edge'' features concepts like [[http://youtu.be/BclqcGaz4P4 the Weapon Break meter and Critical Edge combo,]] stuff that was never revisited in later installments of the series. It also lacked the 8-way Run movement system that would become the trademark of the later games and as a whole, was slower and played closer to ''Tekken 2''.
211** A move called the [[FinishingMove Critical Finish]] showed up in ''IV'', but seems to be unrelated. The Critical Edge itself returns in ''V''.
212*** InNameOnly. The Critical Edge in ''V'' is a conventional [[LimitBreak super move]], governed by a gauge, instead of a long string of attacks.
213*** The Critical Edges in ''Soulcalibur V'' are actually quite similar in principle to the ones in ''Soul Edge/Blade''. The original Critical Edges were essentially ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}''-style 10-hit combos, but rather than using a long complex 10-part input string, they consisted of two half-combos with an a single input for each half. Pressing all three attack buttons initiates the first half of the combo, and a second (character-specific) input finishes the combo if pressed during the final hit of the first half ([[http://youtu.be/s3H6KtCMoY0 shown here with inputs]]). In ''V'', only Algol's Critical Edge still functions in this manner; the rest of the cast use [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebaw83w2R9o a single universal command.]]
214*** Additionally, both versions of the Critical Edge consume meter when performed. The key difference is that in ''V'', the meter starts at zero and has to built up during the fight, as is common for super-combos. In ''Edge/Blade'', the meter starts full, as it doubles as the weapon's defense/HP gauge, and is reduced by blocking attacks or performing Critical Edge; if depleted, the weapon will break and the character must finish the round unarmed.
215*** In a sense, the Brave Edges (enhanced versions of particular moves comparable to the EX Moves in ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'', ''Street Fighter'', and the like) could be seen as faint spiritual successors to the first game's Critical Edges.
216*** Similar to above, characters have a Weapon Gauge of sorts in ''V'' as well, which is similar to the Stun gauge in ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' and other series. Repeatedly guarding attacks will eventually cause their guard stance to shattered, leaving them completely defenseless for a brief moment. The Weapon Gauge resets immediately afterward.
217* EasterEgg: ''V'''s Quick Battle mode gives players the chance to fight Katsuhiro Harada, the producer of ''Tekken''. Harada uses a Create-A-Soul exclusive [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Devil Jin]] fighting style. Defeating him allows the use of the Devil Jin style for created characters.
218** It's also possible to to assemble [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} KOS-MOS]] in ''III'''s Character Creation.
219** ''V'' has DLC items that reference other Namco games, including accessories of ''VideoGame/PacMan'' and ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'', costumes from ''Tekken'', and even the [[VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}} Terror Mask]].
220* EgyptIsStillAncient: Sophitia is a woman from 16th Century Greece who dresses like a warrior-woman from Greek Antiquity, and also worships the god Hephaestus. At the time, Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire (which was Muslim), and the people of that country were Christian and ''very'' insistent on it. It's really just an [[RuleOfCool excuse]] to have an ancient Greek warrior fighting people in the Renaissance.
221* EldritchLocation: Astral Chaos, the dimension that Soul Edge retreats into whenever it gets too damaged.
222** Its predecessors Valencia Port - Chaos (''Edge/Blade''), Chaos (''Calibur''), [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Tartaros]] (''SCII''), and Chaos - Spiritual Realm (''SCIII'') are no slouches in this department, although the latter two Chaos stages are implied to be alternate planes of existence within Soul Edge where one does battle with Inferno as well as an extension of/one in the same with Astral Chaos. Similar to Valencia Port - Chaos, Astral Chaos later bleeds into the real world when Pyrrha Omega uses Soul Edge to tear open a rift in the sky above Denevér Castle, turning the stage into Denevér Castle: Eye of Chaos.
223** Ostrheinsburg Castle and the surrounding area is implied to have become this in ''IV'' after Nightmare decides to use it as his base of operations and transforms the city into what is known as Dark Capital Ostrheinsburg using Soul Edge's power.
224** The Lost Cathedral in ''III'' is a more benign version, crossing over with LostWorld: it's a breathtakingly beautiful palace of pristine water drawing from all forms of European architecture which can only be reached by "those with a strong will and a willingness to bet their own lives." Algol's Tower of Remembrance in ''IV'' (particularly its "Degration" version) and Tower of Glory in ''V'' could also qualify, with the latter explicitly residing in Astral Chaos.
225* ElegantGothicLolita: Amy. And then ''IV'' has Setsuka's alternate outfit (although an [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/7/78/Setsuka3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090113181301 early concept]] brought it closer to the trope; it's likely it was discarded because the girl in the art looked too young to be Setsuka) and Ashlotte, a ''[[RobotGirl robotic]] [[ClockPunk clockwork]]'' gothic lolita.
226* EmpathicWeapon: Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Ivy's Valentine WhipSword is also alive, which is why it can do all those improbable things in battle. Yoshimitsu's katana is shown to have a a level of sentience as well, especially in his ''II'' ending.
227* EnemyWithin: Inferno serves as this to anyone who would try to wield Soul Edge without getting taken over.
228* EnemyWithout: Nightmare to Siegfried, after the events of ''[=SoulCalibur=] II''.
229* EpicFail: Admit it, anyone who has played this game was able to ring themselves out by accident at least once.
230** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TbYZzJ7FE4 Like this guy did!]]
231* EternalRecurrence: The 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.
232* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: So far, Soul Edge has been shattered or destroyed at least three times (''Soul Edge'', ''Soulcalibur'', ''Soulcalibur II''), twice by Soul Calibur. What happens each time? The sword just breaks into pieces (each one every bit as evil as the whole sword) and eventually reforms itself, stronger than before. Now, what happens in ''every'' ending where the Soul Edge wins instead? The world gets '''''hosed''''', that's what. Even worse, in ''IV'', we learn that Soul Calibur is actually just as evil, but with a penchant for order rather than chaos.
233* EvilWeapon: Soul Edge. Soul Calibur during the period where it was corrupted by Soul Edge's evil; it's normally a holy sword meant to oppose Soul Edge. ''IV'' reveals that Soul Calibur can actually be considered just as evil, when it reaches its full power and sentience. Unlike Edge, which revels in chaos, destruction, death, and torment, Calibur wants peace, harmony, and safety -- by ''freezing the entire world so that no one can move''.
234* EvilVsEvil:
235** Nightmare vs. Cervantes over who will be the one true wielder of Soul Edge.
236** Pyrrha Omega vs. Nightmare in ''[=SoulCalibur=] Pachislot''.
237* {{Expy}}: In ''V'', many characters deemed too old or are dead are replaced with characters who have the same fighting style. Examples include Natsu for Taki and Pyrrha for Sophitia.
238* {{Fanservice}}:
239** In ''Soul Edge'', Sophitia appears naked in the opening (censored overseas, of course) and Taki has JigglePhysics. On the original Platform/PlayStation. Which is hilarious. Not to mention the ClothingDamage aspect added into later games and the ability for players to create intentional [[MrFanservice Mr.]] and MsFanservice characters via the "Create a Soul" system.
240** Algol's costume in ''V''. Seems like he and [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Gill]] shop at the same outlet.
241* FanservicePack: Most of the female characters' bust sizes were increased over the course of the series, most noticeably with Sophitia and Ivy. This also corresponded with a reduction in the amount of clothes they were wearing.
242* FantasyKitchenSink: The roster is composed, but not limited to, a Greek warrior blessed by the gods, a ninja with mystic powers, a samurai, a {{ghost pirate}}, an immortal alchemist {{femme fatale}}, an snotty aristocrat-turned-vampire, a OmnicidalManiac BlackKnight, a {{Golem}}, a [[LizardFolk lizardman]], a blind/deaf/mute old man who is barely human, an immortal scythe-wielder, and an interdimensional being, and that's for starters. The Greek Pantheon is confirmed to be real alongside the titular magic swords and so is a Gilgamesh-{{expy}}. It seems that different forms of magic, both eastern and western, exist in this setting. That's also not taking into account the AnachronismStew in the mix.
243* FemmeFatalons: Viola, although she relies more on her crystal ball.
244* FightsLikeANormal: For much of the series, there were many characters with magical ties and could in theory be capable of different abilities beyond that of a normal human. However, with a few exceptions, almost all of the cast fought without using any of their potential powers and relied solely on their skills with their weapons. For example, Zasalamel in the lore is portrayed as a sorcerer capable of many different feats of magic but in-game however, he just uses his scythe as a normal blade. In ''IV'' and ''V'', characters will only use special abilities when using a [[FinishingMove Critical Finish]] or [[LimitBreak Critical Edge]], though we don't know how much of that was just for [[GameplayAndStorySegregation show]]. This is finally and completely averted in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI''. Due to GameplayAndStoryIntegration, any character who has ties to magic ''will'' use their magic in a fight alongside their weapons, and each of them tie specifically to their backstory. It's not just for show either, as they are true mechanics and not simply visual effects; the aforementioned Zasalamel can create vortexes, manipulate gravity to draw his opponent in, and even [[TimeMaster slow down time]] to gain a temporary advantage.
245* FinishingMove: The Critical Finish in ''IV''. Don't expect to pull this one off all the time; it's mostly there to keep people from spamming guard the whole match. The fanciness is lost on Yoda though, who is too short for most of the animations, and thus Critical Finishes on him are simply the character performing an unblockable attack on him.
246%%* FixedFloorFighting
247* {{Flynning}}: Can be seen in the attract mode for ''III''.
248* FragileSpeedster: Taki and Maxi both have extremely fast attacks, but can't take what they dish out, especially against characters with longer reach. And even the slow, strong characters they counter still outrange them.
249* FreezeFrameIntroduction: The arcade version features this in attract mode. We see a fight between two characters. Halfway through the fight, one of the characters gets a profile and the other gets a profile after winning the fight. Both profiles list their names, origins, weapons, and weapon names.
250* GaidenGame: ''Broken Destiny'''s story mode starts by stating that its plot is based on "obscure fables" and therefore isn't canon. ''Legends'' was also referred as such in the early press releases.
251* GameBreakingBug: ''III''. Save file wipe. If you moved or deleted any other save file on your memory card, it's impossible to save in Chronicles of the Sword (and therefore to play that mode properly).
252* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
253** In the game, any character can beat any other character depending on skill. In-story, some characters are portrayed as being clearly out of the weight limit of others. For example, Nightmare is portrayed as being practically a OneManArmy that can obliterate entire armies all on his own, and only a few others could seriously give him trouble in the lore. Yet in the gameplay itself, for balancing reasons, he's a MightyGlacier that's strong but slow, and characters with canonically far lesser power can beat him with enough skill on the player's part.
254** Depending on the game, you can unlock Soul Edge as a weapon for any character. It might have some negative effects like random stats or depleting your HP, but it will not actually drive your character insane unless they pick it up in a cutscene. In fact in some cutscenes, you can get the amusing spectacle of your character destroying Soul Edge using another Soul Edge, or tossing their Soul Edge aside having suffered no ill effects from holding it to pick up the enemies' one and ''only then'' becoming corrupted by it.
255** Changing weapons no longer changes anything gameplay-wise to the characters in ''V''. So characters acquiring Soul Edge and powering them up does nothing in their matches.
256* GlacialApocalypse: This result is revealed to be the true goal of the [[UnholyHolySword Soul Calibur]]. The Calibur is [[NemesisWeapon opposed to]] its progenitor and counterpart, the [[EvilWeapon Soul Edge]]. Soul Edge seeks endless war, bloodshed, torment and chaos across the world while Soul Calibur wants peace, harmony and order. Its preferred method of attaining this, however, would be by [[WorldOfSilence freezing the whole world over]]. In certain [[ItsAWonderfulFailure bad endings]], we are shown such an apocalyptic scenario as ice envelops the world.
257* GoodOldFisticuffs: [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Heihachi and anyone with the Soul of Devil Jin.]] It comes to a head in Heihachi's final battle, as he decides to put fist against sword with Raphael in a sword-styled duel.
258* GoodArmorEvilArmor: The Create-A-Soul feature in ''Soul Calibur III'' features a KarmaMeter of sorts that determined your character's general attitude and outlook in combat based on what equipment you attached to them. Certain types of armor would move the meter between "Good" and "Evil". Equipping heavy armor covered in spikes would move you pretty far to the Evil side, where your character's dialogue would be aggressive and unrepentant.
259* GoodScarsEvilScars: Siegfried (scarred from being Nightmare's host and tormented to Hell and back, but ultimately a good guy) and Kilik ('''the''' good guy of the series).
260* GorgeousGreek: The Alexandria family are from Greece and they are all extremely good-looking. Sophitia, Cassandra and Pyrrha all have generous chests, long shapely legs and immaculate blonde hair. And it's not just the women: Sophitia's son Patroklos invokes Classical Greek sculptures of [[PrettyBoy beautiful young men]] with his cherubic blond hair, and Sophitia's husband Rothion when he briefly appears as an opponent in her story in ''VI'' is also shown to be very handsome.
261* GlassCannon: Possible in ''IV'' with custom characters. Several characters have weapons with extremely high damage but low health.
262* GrailInTheGarbage: Charade's backstory in states he bought shards of the Soul Edge from a random merchant.
263* GrappleMove: Grab moves can be canceled by doing your own grab move so that it connects with the opponent's. Later entries even allow you to ''counter'' an opponent's grab so you grab them instead. Both require [[SomeDexterityRequired A LOT of Dexterity]].
264* GratuitousGerman: With bad grammar.
265* GroinAttack: Several examples.
266** Sophitia's infamous "Widow Maker" throw, where she grabs her opponent and rams her knee into their crotch at full, pelvis-crushing force. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sun9k-HXuGA Hilariously]], if her opponent is male, she underscores the strike with a [[NiceGirl genuinely sympathetic-sounding]] [[ApologeticAttacker "I'm sorry!"]] Both her and Cassandra are also known to attack ''using'' their groins.
267** Seong Mi-na has multiple variations. One has Mi-na thrust the spear between the legs and raise up to slice the groin, another has her vault onto her opponent's shoulders, take them to the ground, and thrust down into the crotch. Kilik will also use the first attack too, though small mercies, he's not using a blade.
268** Dampierre, the vicious bastard he is, uses this as his back throw, the "Distinguished II Capitan": pushes the opponent to the ground, raises their legs, and just keeps kicking and stomping ''there'' before finishing with a strong kick to the tender area.
269** Ivy as well. She has a stomping move. If performed on a downed opponent she rubs the tip of her foot on them. This counts if her foot lands on their groin, which is almost guaranteed to happen if they're lying face up. This is quite similar to a move of Nina's in ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}''.
270* GuestFighter: [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]], [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], and ComicBook/{{Spawn}}, who were each a console-specific character in one of the versions of ''II''; [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Lloyd Irving]] in ''Legends''; [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader, Yoda]], and [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed the Apprentice]] in ''IV''; [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] in ''Broken Destiny'', [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio Auditore]] in ''V'', and [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt Of Rivia]] and [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B]] in ''VI'' with the latter as DLC.
271** [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} KOS-MOS]] appears in a roundabout fashion in ''III''. She appears as a special set of items for Character Creation that creates a character with her appearance when put together.
272** In a similar vein to KOS-MOS is [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Devil Jin]] in ''V''; his fighting style is available in the game[[note]]while unlockable, can be obtained fairly early (upon reaching Player Level 5, which frankly is an easier feat than beating [[CreatorCameo Harada_TEKKEN]])[[/note]], and Jin's outfit is available via DLC in the first ''Tekken''-themed pack.
273** ProductPlacement: Adding the Apprentice from ''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'', a game that was going to come out a month after ''IV'', was totally this.
274** Also, a bunch of anime/manga designers were hired to create an original character -- and by "original character" we mean "they look different." Each of their individual fighting styles are copied from another character. They don't even have their own voice sets (using the ones from Create-a-Character mode instead), although several of their lines are unique to those characters.
275* GunsAreUseless: While in-story the advent of rifles making swordsmen obsolete is a plot point, guns are quite useless in gameplay:
276** The only firearm in the game (Cervantes' "[[MixAndMatchWeapon pistol sword]]"); while the strongest attack that uses it deals decent damage (between a 4th and 3rd of health), it is very telegraphed, and can be dodged by simply moving to the side once. Back in ''II'', the only attack that involved it was a weak, easy to miss, anti-air attack grab (which is as useless as it sounds). (Of course, the game ''does'' take place in the 16th Century; firearms were rather primitive back then.)
277** Ezio's hidden pistol in ''V'' is even more useless than Cervantes's pistol sword. While unblockable, it takes a whole second to fire (although he can cancel it if needed).
278** Mitsurugi's character arc in the earlier games is to find a way to combat firearms. Initially, he thinks that finding Soul Edge is the key, but he ends up evolving his own sword techniques to defeat riflemen without the cursed sword. His [[MultipleEndings non canon input ending]] from ''Soul Edge'' has him defeat a Tanegeshima musket wielder in a duel by dodging the first shot and charging him while he's reloading, while the intro movie to ''Soul Calibur 2'' shows him charging an army and [[AbsurdlySharpBlade cutting a rifleman's weapon in half]], showing his progress from his defeat at the hands of the Tanegeshima. By ''3'', gun wielders no longer concern him.
279* TheHero: Sophitia, the kind-hearted baker's daughter on a MissionFromGod, is canonically the one who defeated Cervantes and destroyed Soul Edge (or at least half of it) in ''Soul Edge[=/=]Blade''. Later games relegated her to a side character and other characters like Xianghua (''Soulcalibur I'' and ''II''), Siegfried (''III'' and ''IV'') and Patroklos (''V'') would become the canon POV characters in the story, but Sophitia keeps many of the hallmarks of the fighting game protagonist (her newbie-friendly JackOfAllStats playstyle) and she also remains one of the most noble and good characters in the cast (barring a ''very'' reluctant ForcedIntoEvil phase in ''IV'').
280* HighFantasy: By later games, the series may have made a GenreShift into this territory despite ostensibly taking place in our world. While real world figures are referenced, and the lands are real, you have so many different fantastical aspects that it might as well be a ConstructedWorld. The roster includes a golem, a lizardman, a [[GorgeousGreek beautiful Greek woman]] granted power and weapons by the ancient Pantheon, a demon-hunting ninja with mystical powers, a GhostPirate, two vampires, a ScaryBlackMan who happens to be immortal, an DeityOfHumanOrigin who rules an EldritchLocation, a sexy FemmeFatale alchemist, ''another'' ninja with mystical powers (who's also a NinjaPirateZombieRobot), a teenage priestess who can control the wind, and the setting revolves around two [[CoolSword magical swords]] that drive the plot. That's ''still'' not naming everything. And when you're not just looking at the roster itself, SchizoTech is involved like Yoshimitsu's mechanical arm, various {{Steampunk}}-flavored stages, and costumes not being period appropriate in the slightest. With all that in mind, it's rather jarring when you remember that when the series began, it was largely based in real world history with very little magic, the ones that did exist being low-key and downplayed, amounting to MagicRealism or even LowFantasy.
281* HistoricalFantasy: What the series started off as before taking a dip into HighFantasy territory.
282* HitAndRunTactics: Conceivably possible with Spawn's signature fire/acid ball move. Any competent human or AI will be able to sidestep the fireballs, but against the easy and the inexperienced, you may be able to wipe the enemy health gauge clean before the enemy can so much as close for combat. Same goes for Link in the same game (except in the [=GameCube=] version only). Can also be attempted with Ivy's whip and Kilik's staff to a lesser extent.
283* HoistHeroOverHead: One of Darth Vader's grappling moves in ''IV''. Two of Hilde's throws also do this.
284* HornyVikings: The Viking Helm in ''IV'' is an example of this.
285* HotterAndSexier: From ''Soul Edge'' to ''Soulcalibur IV'', the girls all saw an [[BreastExpansion an increase in breast size]] and [[{{Stripperific}} skimpier outfits to match]]. There's also characters like Ivy, Taki, Sophitia, Cassandra, and Setsuka who have always been fanservice staples and got even sexier with each game. [[http://vgresearcher.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/boob-evolution.jpg This picture sums it up nicely]].
286** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Soulcalibur V'', the game notably dials the fanservice down a notch. Ivy was much more modestly dressed (even moreso than the first game), while all the other girls were replaced by much smaller-chested, more modestly dressed successors.
287** [[ZigZaggingTrope But then it comes back full force]] in ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords''. All the girls that were replaced/removed return, fanservice and all. But that doesn't cover the new costumes in customization such as the ultra-risque "Rabbit Football", "SC Woman", and "Mystery Armor". Even their advertisements reek of SexSells, and it's starting to put ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' levels of focus on the female cast.
288** Played straight with mainline Soulcalibur again in ''Soulcalibur VI'', a ContinuityReboot that marks a complete reversal of the TamerAndChaster direction of ''V'' and also brings back every girl who had been dropped from the cast previously.
289* HungryWeapon: Soul Edge has an insatiable thirst for souls.
290* HurtFootHop: A standard stun animation that can inflicted by several low attacks, some even as simple as the character deliberately attempting to stomp on their enemy's feet, involves the character holding their foot in agony and hopping around until they lose balance and fall to the ground.
291* HyperlinkStory: While only ''V'' makes it apparent by including a story mode with an obvious plot, the series has a canon storyline with details taken from some of the various characters' individual endings. Which story lines get pieced together usually isn't revealed until the into of the next instalment.
292[[/folder]]
293[[folder:I-L]]
294* IGotBigger: Almost every character experiences height growth as the series progresses.Very wonky, because several characters get taller past their mid twenties. Siegfried is the biggest offender because he grows in almost every game for an timespan of at least 7 years and after IV, he grows a whole 4 cm after the age of 23. That would mean he grew for at least 10 years when the max time a person grows in their growth spurt period is 6 years. Mitsurugi stops growing for a whole four years, and in V, he grows two centimeters extra.Also, this only extends to the men. Only three women, Seong Mina, Hilde and Amy have experienced growth. All but three men, Raphael,Yun-Seong, and Maxi have experienced height growth. One gets the idea that either Retcon is in play to heighten up the characters when the designers feel the character isn’t tall enough and a sense of favoritism for the male characters
295* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Many of the girls' outfits, including Amy and Ivy.
296* ImprobableAge: In a series with a roster consisting primarily of adults, there are some characters who are in their teens yet can fight with the best of them, such as Talim, Amy and Tira.
297* ImprobableWeaponUser: Plenty, even without counting anyone's JokeWeapon. Tambourines, anyone?!
298* InfinityPlusOneSword: Each character has one; also inverted in Soul Edge itself, which may count as an AwesomeButImpractical InfinityMinusOneSword, as it often drains the health of its possessor.
299* InstantFlightJustAddSpinning: Yoshimitsu can do this to set up a SwordPlant.
300* InstrumentOfMurder: Talim of ''IV'' uses a pair of ocarinas as her joke weapons.
301* JigglePhysics:
302** Almost all female characters have breasts that jiggle as they move, most noticeably with the bustier ladies like Taki and Ivy (although there are [[JailbaitTaboo exceptions]]).
303** In ''IV'', Cassandra's alternate costume applies this to her ''thighs.''
304** ''III'' also has Valeria the shopkeeper, and more of the girls have this in ''IV'', including Sophitia, Setsuka, and pretty much every female Create-A-Character, [[ClothingDamage especially since they'll end up in their underwear anyway]]. [[{{Golem}} Astaroth]] has ''chest'' jiggle physics, and Xianghua has ass jiggle physics.
305** In ''II'', Lizardman's thighs jiggle!
306** JigglePhysics is even customizable for custom characters, where (reasonably) undergarment choice affects bounce. The strapless bra will have more jiggle than what is essentially a leather sports bra.
307* JigsawPuzzlePlot: The series' canon storyline up until ''V'' combined bits and pieces of several character-specific endings, and wasn't revealed until the release of the next game.
308* JokeItem: Each character has one. Usually a [[NerfArm wooden sword]] of some description that does very little damage and/or makes amusing noises whenever it connects with someone.
309* KatanasAreJustBetter: Mitsurugi, Yoshimitsu, Arthur.
310* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Several outfits the ladies wear are very fancy and elegant.
311* LampshadeHanging: Seong Mi-na + bladed weapon + GroinAttack + "Bye bye" = not pleasant[[TradeSnark â„¢]].
312* LargeHam: Nightmare's taunts before a battle and after winning a match. His lines could be very scary, if he didn't sound like he was trying so hard. "Have a taste of my darkness!" Also [[BoldInflation The]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Narrator]] at times.
313** Kratos in ''Broken Destiny'', even more than in [[VideoGame/GodOfWar his own series]].
314** Cervantes is extremely hammy as well, being a [[TalkLikeAPirate pirate and all]] [[spoiler: except during his alternate ending in ''Soul Blade'', where he reclaims his sanity and is a lot more composed]].
315** Abyss in ''III'' actually has some pre-battle lines that are so lengthy that they get cut off/run into the other fighter's!
316** Everything Astaroth says is incredibly melodramatic.
317** Yoshimitsu is in [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg a category all his own]].
318* LargeHamAnnouncer: Except in the fifth game, where the announcer has a calm, sexy voice instead of a [[LargeHam loud and hammy one]].
319-->'''Announcer in ''Soul Calibur''''': <Character> was seriously wounded, but the SOUL STILL BURNS!
320* LaserBlade: Darth Vader, Yoda and the Apprentice [[Franchise/StarWars (for obvious reasons)]].
321* LegacyCharacter:
322** Nightmare is the name of the wielder of Soul Edge, and there have been three hosts so far in the series. The original was Siegfried, who was freed from being the host at the end of ''II''. In ''III'' and ''IV'' the host was Inferno himself, thanks to Zasalamel bonding the demonic entity to Nightmare's discarded suit of armor, but it was destroyed by Siegfried at the end of ''IV''. The third is Graf Dumas, who arose seventeen years later and became the ruler of Hungary, and it's heavily implied that Dumas is actually Raphael.
323** The original Astaroth was slain by Maxi in ''IV''. The one that appears in ''V'' is part of a mass-produced line from another cult.
324** Yoshimitsu was already established as a legacy with ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', and this is enforced in ''V'' where the original was slain by Cervantes sometime after ''IV'', and the one appearing in ''V'' is a new man behind the mask. He even makes sure to introduce himself as ''Yoshimitsu the Second''.
325* LeotardOfPower: Ivy, particularly in ''II''. Cassandra in ''IV'' has a coat on over one of these.
326* LighterAndSofter: ''Broken Destiny'''s Gauntlet Mode is DenserAndWackier than the main story and contains massive amounts of LampshadeHanging (ranging from one of the wild creatures asking why their wolf protector is suddenly walking around on two legs, to the characters constantly asking each other, and themselves, why they keep giving hints to the player when they fail a mission), a few personality changes, starting with Cassandra being a GenkiGirl, no one getting killed aside from the wolf you eat in the beginning, Nightmare becoming a good guy, anime-style illustrations (including a [[Memes/TouhouProject Yukkuri shiteitte ne! cameo]]), with all the standard visual gags.
327* LightIsNotGood: The titular blade, Soul Calibur. It was shown in ''IV'' that it wants to freeze the world in crystal, thus creating a WorldOfSilence. Soul Calibur's justification is that if nobody can move, there won't be any more war. Granted, [[WellIntentionedExtremist it's still insane]].
328** Reinforced in ''V'' when its spirit presents itself as Sophitia to manipulate Patroklos into killing Soul Edge's wielder, his sister Pyrrha.
329* LightningBruiser: Siegfried and Nightmare hit hard and fast naturally. Ashlotte, Astaroth, and other slow-but-strong characters can be modified into this through the Step Speed Up and Run Speed Up abilities. Hilde's movement is among the fastest in the game, and she also has the two most powerful attacks (her 30 second charge attacks), both of which are near [[OneHitKO one hit K.O.s.]]
330** Cassandra, originally planned to be a MovesetClone replacement for Sophitia, gradually became this instead through DivergentCharacterEvolution. Sophitia remains a (very strong) JackOfAllStats, while Cassandra is definitely geared towards an aggressive rushdown[=/=]grappler playstyle. She's quite a bit faster than her older sister, has great frame advantage and hits like a truck, but her inability to deal with a threat at any range other than "very close" is more readily apparent.
331** Darth Vader in ''IV'', which is rather true to his portrayal in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe.
332* LimitBreak: The Critical Edge attacks in ''V'', complete with their super meter.
333%%* LittleMissBadass: Talim and Amy.
334* LowFantasy: When the series first started, it was this trope before it became MagicalRealism that mutated into HighFantasy. The setting was 16th century, had a primarily historical focus with the fighters (almost all being ordinary humans) using real weapons. Magic did exist, with [[ArtifactOfDoom Soul Edge]] having been there from the the start, and a few other factors like Sophitia getting her skills from the Greek Pantheon, Taki being a demon hunting ninja, and [[WreathedInFlames Inferno]] as the final boss were there, but it was largely downplayed in favor of making the roster and setting feel like products of the real world. It wasn't until later installments really played up the magical elements did the series become the FantasyKitchenSink it was known for.
335* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Sophitia, Lizardman, [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], Cassandra, Patroklos and Pyrrha, all coupled with a sword.
336[[/folder]]
337[[folder:M-P]]
338* MagicRealism: All games in the series are set in the [[RealLife real world]], and there are plenty of historical references to real life events and people of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. Story Mode (in ''III'' and ''V'') features a world-map of Eurasia that the fighters traverse. This, however, is all juxtaposed with the use of [[MagicAIsMagicA "magic" powers]] (especially in the Critical Edge super moves where energy emissions are fired off), as well as fantasy creatures such as golems (Astaroth) and animated skeletons (Revenant). It all works rather well, though, and it doesn't cross the line ''too'' much into ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[HighFantasy territory]].
339** Although arguably ''V'' has taken the series into the realms of HighFantasy -- despite retaining a real-world map, two of the new characters (Viola and Zwei) use weapons and fighting styles that are ''completely'' fantasy-based, namely a [[WrongContextMagic floating crystal ball and a floating were-wolf torso]] respectively...
340* MalevolentArchitecture: Abound in ''Legends,'' where even '''Creator/LeonardoDaVinci's house''' is full of swinging blades, rolling boulders, and puzzles.
341** Considering the role played by Leo in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', this might be intentional...
342* ManaMeter: ''V'' has one (with multiple stocks at that), and it's used to power the Brave Edge and [[LimitBreak Critical Edge]] moves.
343** The ''Star Wars'' fighters in ''IV'' had a unique Force gauge attached to them. They have the ability to perform enhanced moves and unblockables by sacrificing a portion of it, which is then recovered over time or when they give or take damage. Unlike most other examples of this, they can still perform Force moves if the meter is empty or they lack the adequate amount of meter, but will be momentarily stunned and left open.
344* ManipulativeBastard: Zasalamel in ''III'' manipulates Nightmare, Siegfried, Ivy, and a bunch of {{Mooks}} as part of his plan to raise both swords' powers back to full. Also, in each character's own story mode, there's one path in which he baits said character into his clock tower, tests him/her in battle, and then either directs him/her to Nightmare (so he gets a chance to feed the sword with a strong soul) or curse him so he'd not become a nuisance later.
345** Also Tira in ''IV'', as she convinces many of the characters to seek out Soul Edge to meet their goals, most notably manipulating Sophitia into working for the side of Nightmare by saying that her daughter was at risk if Soul Edge was destroyed.
346** Dampierre in ''Broken Destiny''. To get two men into his service, one of which attempted to shoot him earlier, he reveals his hideout to the police, and later saves them when they are cornered. This act, plus a claim of greatness and his impressive counterfeit collection, are enough to turn them into his lackeys.
347** Iska in ''Legends'' fits this trope perfectly as he makes the character do the whole story then attempts to kill them.
348* MasterOfAll: Edge Master, a proclaimed master of the art of fighting, who has [[MultiMeleeMaster supposedly mastered every fighting style known to man]] to the point that he can teach others and [[DittoFighter utilize them himself if need be]]. It's also noted that he has clashed with the Warrior King Algol and perhaps was the one person who fought Olcadan to a draw. Especially enforced in ''Soulcalibur V'', where he is the only character able to mimic every style, while fellow [[DittoFighter mimics]] Kilik and Elysium can only copy male and female fighting styles respectively.
349* MeaningfulName: Pyrrha, Sophitia's daughter. You just know there's [[PyrrhicVictory only one way]] for that whole mess to end.
350** It doesn't help that her other child is named Patroklos, as in the man who wore Achilles' armor in the Trojan War.
351** Also Amy, coming from the old French Amee, means "beloved"; this is played up with the mission you need to complete to unlock her in ''III'', named "Beloved."
352* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Several. Generally, the less normal a character is the higher chance of an unusual style they'll have.
353** Both Voldo and Dampierre's main attacks largely involve being able to block due to their stances, be they facing away from the enemy or being downed on the ground.
354** Yoshimitsu has a number of different quirks befitting his status as a FightingClown, and each one of them could've made him an example all by itself, but combined he takes it up to eleven. For one, he has by far the most moves in the game. Many of them do little more than [[ConfusionFu confuse]] the opponent, but mastering each stance is what separates the best from the average. While other characters have stances, his are by far the most unique as they include sitting, flying while using his blade as a helicopter, and bouncing on his sword like a pogo stick, and ''all'' of them give him additional options. He's one of the few characters capable of self-harm with moves that CastFromHitPoints, even having an enhanced dodging mechanic that can get him out in a pinch but at the cost of his health, and he even can [[{{Seppuku}} stab himself]] with a move... [[TakingYouWithMe and take the opponent down in the process]]. Some of his moves can even harm himself if performed incorrectly, meaning that there's no margin of error when using them. Others are [[CounterAttack reliant on baiting the player]] and thus must be timed right, and this is in a series that doesn't feature an active counter system. Oh, and he's also the only character who can [[HealThyself heal himself]] mid-match. Finally, he can make full use of TeleportSpam to further confuse the opponent. As you can tell, Yoshimitsu is what happens when someone with ComboPlatterPowers is made into a fighting game character.
355** Tira has a StanceSystem with her "Jolly" and "Gloomy" states. What separates her from the other characters with stances is that she can't actively switch between them, and changes after she performs a successful combo on an enemy. The change is marked by a gold yellow flash if changing to Jolly or a dark purple flash when changing to Gloomy. Also, the latter state actually damages ''[[CastFromHitPoints herself]]'' with every move. While the damage is tiny, using Gloomy could potentially knock you out without the opponent landing the final blow.
356** Algol doesn't play like a standard fighter in the series. For one, he doesn't use a standard weapon, but rather his body. He can create up to ''[[WalkingArmory 10 different weapons]]'', which includes {{Arm Cannon}}s (making him the only standard character with a long ranged projectile), a BladeBelowTheShoulder, [[BadassBack blades that can be summoned from his back]], just to name a few. He's one of the few who can teleport (alongside the aforementioned Yoshimitsu), which he does via a stance that involves [[CoolChair sitting in his chair]]. Algol's variety of weapons means he can be DifficultButAwesome; though he's tough to master, he can rush down his opponent, deal heavy attacks, and engage enemies trying to flee with SpamAttack.
357** ''Soulcalibur IV'' has ''Franchise/StarWars'' characters as guests. Darth Vader, Yoda and The Apprentice have their own "Force" meter that governs how much of their Force power they can use at once, and thus players must be mindful of them. On the other end, they have access to a whole new subset of moves that the rest of the cast doesn't have. Yoda in particular is an example of his own, since he's [[NonStandardCharacterDesign much shorter]] than everyone else, which means mid and high attacks flat out don't work on him, nor can he be grabbed. On the flip side, Yoda is ''painfully'' slow when using standard movement, and must use combat rolls and his own attacks to traverse the stage.
358** ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'' introduces Z.W.E.I. and Viola. On top of the two being unusual aesthetically (looking like fantasy characters in what is supposedly a historical setting), both of their playstyles involves [[ExcuseMeWhileIMultitask multitasking]]. The former must balance out normal combos with his [[PuppetFighter minion]] E.I.N., and knowing when to summon the spirit wolf is absolutely crucial to his style of play. The latter uses an orb that the player actively controls and assists her during her attacks, while the orb stays where it was last placed, so the player must be mindful of where it is at all times.
359** ''V'' also gives us [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Devil Jin]] as a style exclusive to [[CharacterCustomization created characters]]. Thing is, Devil Jin doesn't use weapons at all, instead relying on his ''[[BareFistedMonk fists]]''. That being said, the style gives the character {{Flight}} and EyeBeams, and combo potential in line with the ''Tekken'' series. Basically, apart from the Critical Edge, the style plays like Devil Jin transplanted in ''Soulcalibur'' while losing nothing along the way.
360** Kilik in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' mostly plays like his usual self from the past games, but with one major change. The return of the [[SuperMode Soul Charge]] mechanic, which gives most of the cast extra moves and [[ScratchDamage the ability to hurt enemies even as they're blocking]]. The effect is almost universal for each fighter. For Kilik however, his Soul Charge triggers his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Possessed State]] which increases his overall damage output, gives him new moves, ''and'' a completely new [[LimitBreak Critical Edge]], which makes him one of two characters with two different versions of the attack. As a trade off, it will [[CastFromHitPoints actively drain his health]], and unless one has high health to begin with, there's a huge risk versus reward factor in initiating the super.
361* {{Meido}}: Lynette, one of the three shopkeepers in ''III''. In ''IV'', we also have Marienbard and Jacqueline, Raphael's servants.
362** You can also create characters with maid costumes in ''III'' and ''IV'', though in the latter case it requires a DLC to do so.
363** Pamela in ''Broken Destiny'', who also serves as an assassin. A really bad one.
364** Pyrrha worked as a meido until she was implicated in a murder. Probably the first example for a main character in ''Soulcalibur''.
365* MightyGlacier: Rock and his MovesetClone, Astaroth, have a big, slow-swinging axe that can cause insane amounts of damage with each slow, telegraphed swing.
366* MightyWhitey: Subverted with Setsuka; she's a woman of European heritage, who was orphaned and ended up being raised in Japan. Because of her appearance, however, she was shunned and distrusted by the majority of the native people around her.
367** Played a little straighter with Rock, an English boy lost in a shipwreck who grew up in America, who became a fearsome giant. Still mistrusted and feared though, because, y'know, GIANT.
368*** Despite this Rock isn't even all that big, standing at only 175cm and weighing 85kg. Cervantes in ''SCV'' is both taller and heavier.
369** Arthur as well: an orphan who ended up in the care of a Japanese merchant and was raised in Japan. He was despised by his peers, which made him the preferred target for projectiles in the battlefield.
370* MiniDressOfPower: Sophitia, Cassandra, and Amy.
371* MorphWeapon: Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Normally, they take the shape of a [[{{BFS}} really big sword]] and a jian, respectively, but they can morph to fit just about any weapon shape. In ''II'', three characters (Xianghua, Nightmare, and Talim) could use Soul Calibur, and ''every'' character had a Soul Edge version of their weapon (Nightmare had ''three'': Soul Edge, Soul Edge [Growth], and Soul Edge [Complete]). By ''III'', Siegfried has Soul Calibur, and it too becomes a {{BFS}}.
372* MortalityEnsues: In his input ending of ''III'', Zasalamel succeeds in becoming mortal and spends the rest of his life as a scholar, chronicling everything he experienced.
373* MultiMeleeMaster: Edgemaster, Olcadan (both are proficient with ''any'' weapon), Inferno (who can manifest the forms of any other weapon), Charade, [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Ezio]], Elysium (who can use any style used by female fighters) and, as of ''V'', Kilik (who uses male characters' styles).
374* MultipleEndings: ''Soul Blade'' had two endings for each character, the second of which could be accessed by performing a certain input at the right time. The bad endings for Mitsurugi and Siegfried, where the input is ''not'' entered, are canonically what happened to them (Mitsurugi gets shot and Siegfried becomes Nightmare). This mechanic returns in ''Soul Calibur III'', though this time prompts are provided for the inputs.
375* MsFanservice: Basically every female character. [[FemmeFatale Ivy]] is the clear standout with her dominatrix outfit, Sophitia the GorgeousGreek is practically wearing see-through clothing by ''III'', and Seong Mina's outfit in ''II'' is basically just a bra and a loincloth. ''V'' saw a reining-in of sexy clothes and exposed cleavage for females, before ''VI'' brought it all back with a vengeance. Even [[LadyOfWar Hilde]], who was originally conceived to avoid this by looking fetching in utilitarian steel armour, has been sexed up.
376* NaginatasAreFeminine: Kilik and Seong Mi-na are built off of the same moveset. Kilik (male) uses a staff while Mi-na (female) uses spears, including one weapon simply called "Naginata."
377* NemesisWeapon: Soul Edge is the original EvilWeapon, born from a normal sword that had killed countless people. Algol, fearing its power, breaks the sword, and then uses some shards of the sword to forge a new one, while using his sacrificed soul to purify it, creating Soul Calibur. Soul Edge, however, would later regenerate itself over years.
378* {{Ninja}}: Taki, Natsu, and Yoshimitsu; Yoshimitsu's fighting style is classified as that of a Samurai, but his backstory indicates that he was part of a Ninja clan.
379* NintendoHard: ''Soul Edge''. So much so that the original arcade version was recalled due to [[SNKBoss the final boss]] ([=SoulEdge=], better known as Inferno in the sequels) being impossible to defeat due to [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard moving faster than the player could counter]]. Whilst in the home version, the A.I. was less difficult in Arcade Mode, Edge Master Mode -- with its specific requirements -- could be ridiculous at times, offsetting the lowered difficulty. This all was in part thanks to holdovers from ''Tekken 2''[='s=] A.I. design; while characters could sidestep, a mechanic not present in ''T2'', ''Soul Edge'' retained its sister series' [[PerfectPlayAI tendency to make CPU-controlled opponents evade/block moves in any way they could]]. There was a significant decease in difficulty in later ''Soul'' games, though ''Soulcalibur III''[='s=] Night Terror and ''Soulcalibur IV''[='s=] The Apprentice brought back the controller-smashing frustration of the first game, to say nothing of higher-level opponents in ''IV''[='s=] [[BonusLevelOfHell Tower of Lost Souls]] or [[SNKBoss the entirety of]] ''Soulcalibur V''[='s=] [[BossRush Legendary Souls]].
380* NonLethalKO: No matter what happens, "KO" is the worst that you can expect. Fatalities do occur in the actual story but in-game it never goes beyond a mere knockout (and this includes being hit vertically by a {{BFS}} or thrown from a shrine suspended in the sky and coming back for another round).
381-->'''Siegfried in ''III'':''' I avoided your vitals, you'll live.
382* NoSidePathsNoExplorationNoFreedom: Granted, we don't expect those things from the main fighting games, but it seems like a cop-out in ''Legends''.
383* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: A particularly extreme example. Almost everyone in the series speaks with a generic American accent despite the fact that ''Soulcalibur'' takes place in the 16th/17th century, with the characters hailing from primarily Europe or Asia '''before''' the United States even existed. The exception to this is Ivy, who is voiced with a deep British accent that's appropriate for her. GuestFighter [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio]] is another exception, being voiced with an Italian accent that holds true to his original series.
384* OddlyCommonRarity: There sure were a lot of ways for characters to stop aging, something that was billed as unique. Of all the returning characters, the only ones who aged were Siegfried, Mitsurugi, Hilde, and Voldo. Compare that to Ivy, Cervantes, Maxi, Kilik, Edge Master, Tira, Raphael, Dampierre, Algol, and Aeon. They ''do'' get around this with Nightmare, Astaroth, and Yoshimitsu, as they are ''technically'' different characters but [[LegacyCharacter share the same identity]]. This was one of the reasons why ''V'' was hit with a backlash -- they aged so few of the returning characters yet still cut out fan-favorites like Taki, Talim, Setsuka, and Seong Mi-na for "[[StayInTheKitchen being too old]]."
385* OminousPipeOrgan: "Hellfire" begins with one. Also, "Forsaken Sanctuary" is full of it.
386* OneHandedZweihander: Nightmare uses his sword like this. Averted by Siegfried, who uses both hands to swing his {{BFS}}. Most of the time.
387* OneManArmy: Mitsurugi in his backstory and certain endings, Nightmare in the introduction to ''III'' as well as a character with a discipline with a good anti A.I. move in Chronicles of the Sword.
388* OneSteveLimit: Averted. ''III'' contains both Eurydice Shrine (a stage) and Eurydice, a character in the Chronicles of the Sword sub-game.
389* OnlyAFleshWound: Siegfried sometimes makes the claim "I avoided your vitals. You'll live," after winning a fight in ''III''. Apparently the brain isn't a vital area.
390* OrderVersusChaos: If Soul Calibur's own ambition to freeze the world in crystal is its actual motivation, then the battle between Soul Calibur and Soul Edge is more this than good vs. evil. Both will do bad things to the world, it all comes down to how they bring it about (Edge wants violence and terror, Calibur wants order and serenity through nothingness).
391* PaintedOnPants: Very possible in Character Creation, and is pretty much your only alternative to fighting in underwear after ClothingDamage in ''IV''.
392* ParasolOfPain: Setsuka (though she doesn't actually use the umbrella itself, given that she's a IaijutsuPractitioner).
393* ParryingBullets: Mitsurugi is seen deflecting a bullet with his sword in the intro of ''Soulcalibur II''.
394* PatrioticFervor: Figures into the backstory for all of the Korean characters in the ''Soul'' series. Hwang is a soldier in the Imperial Navy seeking Soul Edge in order to stop Japan's invasion of his country. Seong Mi-na is trying to prove that females can be as capable soldiers as male recruits, and Yun-seong's out to prove his worth to Hwang and his country. In later games, they realize that the sword is evil and instead fight to destroy it, with the side goal of proving the nation's strength.
395** Yun-seong, in his ''III'' pre-boss fight (the one where you fight someone who has to do with the character's backstory), has him walking into the room, taking one look at Mitsurugi, whom he has never seen before, and yelling something along the lines of "Enemy of my homeland, prepare to die!"
396** Ivy also exhibits this, but visually. In her ''IV'' costume, her shoulder pauldron and the various metal clasps on her costume incorporate the Tudor Rose of England motif, which is a traditional symbol of her native England and also probably serves as a medieval example of WearingAFlagOnYourHead.
397** Hilde: "My people give me strength! For our homeland!"
398* PerfectPlayAI: Some of the AI opponents in ''Broken Destiny''[='s=] Quick Match mode can play like this, especially a Setsuka-styling custom character named "Alissa" who will flawlessly guard everything you throw at her while effortlessly winding her way around your defenses. Quick Match is set up like a faux-online queue of opponents so you can see how good your foe will be based on their W/L rate at the menu.
399* PersonalityBloodTypes: Blood types are listed in the character profiles.
400* PimpedOutDress: Quite a few of the outfits.
401* {{Pirate}}: [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie Cervantes]]. Maxi may not look the part, but he's a pirate from Ryukyu.
402* PrayerPose: Often invoked by Sophitia in her {{victory pose}}s, particularly in ''Soulcalibur IV'', including one where she kneels and clasps her hands together, bowing her head, as she implores the gods for their divine protection.
403* PressXToNotDie: Tales of Souls in ''SCIII'' features several [=QTEs=] during a few of the more important storyline battles. Failing to input the right command usually results in the character getting tanked by a sneak attack at the expense of health and, in one case, affects the outcome of a battle between two other [=NPCs=] during endgame. Likewise, each character's ending in [=ToS=] abides by the same principle, although the consequences there range anywhere from [[HilarityEnsues comedic]] to [[DownerEnding fatal]].
404** Earlier in the franchise, ''Soul Edge'' used [=QTEs=] to determine what ending you get in Arcade mode. However, [[TrialAndErrorGameplay you weren't told what button to press]].
405** Special mention goes to Seong-Mina's ending in III where you must match ''several'' [=QTEs=] in succession.
406* PrettyInMink: A few outfits with fur trim. Amy's outfit in ''IV'' has a fur neckline.
407[[/folder]]
408[[folder:R-Z]]
409* RainbowPimpGear: To get the best possible statistics in ''IV'''s CAS mode, your fighter ''will'' be horribly mismatched. Just go with it.
410** To be fair, you can still color-change most of the clothing, so you can make it less horrible.
411* RecoveryAttack: Generally averted, but played straight with Heihachi's guest appearance, since he comes from a series that ''does'' have recovery attacks.
412* RecruitedFromTheGutter: In the back story for ''Soulcalibur II'', Raphael is on the run from the king's men when he comes upon a village ravaged by plague. A young girl (Amy) hides him in a nearby building and when asked by the king's men, she sends them in a different direction. Since Amy's parents died from the plague, Raphael adopts her as a daughter.
413* RecurringRiff: "Path of Destiny", titled "Recollection" in its first appearance, is the ending theme to every ''Calibur'' game prior to ''V''.
414* RepeatCut: In ''Soulcalibur V'', scoring a knockout blow strong enough to [[ClothingDamage destroy part of the other fighter's clothes/armor]] results in this.
415* RevenueEnhancingDevices: Incredibly, Namco managed to restrain themselves in this regard. ''IV'' has costume packs and the ''Soulcalibur'' soundtrack available for DLC, plus [=PS3=] owners can download Yoda and Xbox owners can download Vader. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Now, why couldn't they have offered the custom weapon disciplines from]] ''[[WhatCouldHaveBeen III]]'' [[WhatCouldHaveBeen and some more characters...]]
416* RingOut: The other major fighting series to employ the trope (''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' being the predominant entity). Unlike ''VF'', there is EdgeGravity in this series so it's not as easy to throw yourself out of the ring (though it is possible through a number of ways).
417* RingsOfDeath: Tira wields one huge bladed one.
418* RoyalRapier: Raphael, Amy, Scheherazade.
419* RuleOfSexy: The outfits of most of the female characters aren't historically accurate in the slightest, but well, [[{{Fanservice}} you know...]]
420* RunningGag: ''Never'' ask an Alexandria woman how much she weighs.[[note]]Sophitia's weight is listed in her bio as "Refuses to reveal", Cassandra's is listed as "Claims to have lost weight recently", and taken full circle with Pyrrha's weight which is listed as "Embarrassed to reveal". Mind your own business, eh?[[/note]]
421* {{Samurai}}: Mitsurugi. Arthur is an interesting case: being an England-born orphan, he was raised and trained to serve as a samurai by his Japanese master (who previously bought him).
422* SceneryPorn: A lot of the stages.
423* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains:
424** Tira wears a skin-tight bodysuit and caters to the "Hot {{Goth}}" fandom. She's also TheOphelia, which can endear anyone to fans if they're attractive enough.
425** Ivy counts as well (she's not the current poster girl for [[MsFanservice/VideoGames the Video Games section of the Ms. Fanservice page here]] for nothing), but only during ''Soulcalibur'' (and even then, Ivy was merely an AntiVillain misled by Nightmare's scheming); she'd undergo a HeelFaceTurn afterward and become a more heroic, if not [[AntiHero morally gray]], character.
426** A few others could also fit the criteria at various points in the series (such as Raphael), depending on how far you're willing to stretch the definition of the word "evil."
427* SeriesContinuityError: During a flashback in ''V'' of Tira kidnapping Pyrrha, Pyrrha is shown as a baby when she should have been three years old.
428** Then again, [[UnreliableNarrator that could be how Patroklos imagined it]].
429* SetSwordsToStun: Everyone just ends up knocked out at the end of any bout, despite the fact things such as being hit vertically by gigantic axe can happen during the fight. Siegfried even reassures his opponent that he "avoided [their] vitals, [they'll] live" in ''III'' regardless of the fact that his weapon, a {{BFS}} in all senses of the term, doesn't really have the necessary precision to avoid doing anything but catastrophic damage to an opponent. ''IV'' gets the most extreme with this as opponents can be hit by honest-to-goodness ''[[LaserBlade lightsabers]]'' and leave both their weapon and body unblemished. However, as stated under BloodlessCarnage, in the series canon the weapons do real damage and characters have died from wounds suffered during duels.
430* ShipSinking: When Leixia's profile was released, many a Kilik/Xianghua fan panicked that Project Soul was doing this, due to the news that Xianghua had married a general of the Ming Empire and had two children with him. Possibly averted by later information which implied that she was forced into the marriage and that she still loved Kilik; later, it was truthfully averted with the Japanese official artbook, which revealed Xiba as being their son, so by proxy Kilik and Xianghua had upgraded their relationship, even for a brief moment.
431** ''V'' makes it explicitly clear that Siegfried and Hilde are mere comrades-in-arms and not a BattleCouple.
432* ShipTease: Someone on the team noticed that the fans ''really'' dug on [[FanPreferredCouple LinkxTalim.]] So much so that in ''IV'', Talim's joke weapon is a pair of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime ocarinas.]]
433* ShockwaveStomp: Night Terror when he stabs the ground. A few other characters have ground stabbing moves that make one, and Xianghua has an actual stomp.
434* ShooTheDog: Kilik tries several times to keep Xianghua from following him, because he doesn't plan for his quest to end well. This is also the case for Hwang in ''Soul Edge'' and the first ''Calibur'', who keeps sending Seong Mi-na home when she follows him out.
435* {{Shotoclone}}: The Dagger moveset for custom characters in ''III'' includes a [[{{Shoryuken}} jumping uppercut]] and [[HurricaneKick spinning midair kick]], with and bombs as a projectile in place of the [[EnergyBall Hadouken]].
436* ShoutOut: Gameplay-wise, most of the new additions and systems in ''V'' come from Daishi Odashima being a fan of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: 3rd Strike''.
437** The Just Guard system, however, is more or less the Just Defend system from ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''.
438*** The whole TimeSkip setting of ''V'' seems to be a ShoutOut to both games. That or ''Tekken 3''.
439** Several characters in ''II'' have costumes that reference characters from other video games:
440*** Mitsurugi's 2P costume makes him strongly resemble [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]].
441*** Sophitia's bonus costume is a shout-out to [[VideoGame/TheTowerOfDruaga Princess Ki]].
442*** Cassandra's bonus costume is a shout-out to the eponymous heroine of yet another Namco game, ''The Legend of Valkyrie''.
443*** Voldo's bonus costume looks a lot like an Franchise/{{Alien}}. The design was later used for ghosts in Namco's ''VideoGame/GhostHunter.''
444*** Ivy's bonus costume is a shout-out to [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Anna Williams]].
445** Raphael's ''IV'' 1P costume resembles [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Alucard]].
446** Iska in ''Legends'' mentions learning/using alchemy in some of the dialogue sequences; he's even voiced by [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] in both [[Creator/RomiPark Japanese]] and [[Creator/VicMignogna English]].
447** In ''V'', there's a Quick Battle opponent named Diego Umeharez, as in Daigo Umehara.
448*** More specifically, it's the screen name used by a Mexican Daigo impersonator. However, being ranked D4 by the game, he is not hard to beat.
449** Another Quick Battle opponent is called Kerrigan, is from the United States, and has the title "Leg Crusher"... Sure, it's a switcheroo, but [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding#January_1994_incident does it sound familiar?]]
450** One particular shout out is the part before Natsu begins a battle, one of her lines is [[Manga/{{Naruto}} "Man, what a drag."]]
451** Siegfried plays homage to [[Myth/NorseMythology Nordic folk hero Sigurd]]; his namesake is [[Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}} Sigurd's German]] [[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung counterpart]] (in-universe, [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous this was deliberate on Frederick's part when it came to naming his son]]), one of his extra weapons is named Gram, and Siegfried even squares off against a dragon by the name of Fafnir in ''Legends''. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), the eight members of Hilde's [[AmazonBrigade all-female]] [[PraetorianGuard royal guard]] in ''IV'' [[note]]CAS characters [[WhipSword Gerhilde]], [[RoyalRapier Siegrune]], Waltraute, [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Schwertleite, Grimgerde]], [[RoyalRapier Helmwige]], Ortlinde, and [[CarryABigStick Rossweisse]], the last three becoming Malfested due to an attack on Wolfkrone by Nightmare prior to the events of the game[[/note]] [[ShoutOutThemeNaming are named for eight of the nine]] {{valkyries}} from ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Die Walküre]]'', with Hilde being partially named after the ninth, Brünnhilde.
452** In ''V'', the story where the new male protagonist has the new female protagonist until her betrayal. It looks familiar in the Scenario Campaign for ''Tekken 6''.
453** Yoshimitsu's Iron Fist Possession move has him do a random[[note]]less random in recent titles since it's partly based on the timer[[/note]] move from a character in ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' like Paul's incomplete somersault kick, Jin's Power Stance and a Kazuya Lightning/Lightning Screw uppercut. Also counts as a BilingualBonus since Tekken is Japanese for Iron Fist. Also [[RhymesOnADime Tekken Possession]]
454** Siegfried's alternate look gives him a haircut that makes him resemble [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]].
455* SkillGateCharacters: For the most part, averted; a number of the easy-to-learn characters like Talim, Kilik, and Mitsurugi are so deadly because they're even ''worse'' to fight against when mastered. Those that don't consider [[TheScrappy Necrid]] completely broken argue he falls more into this category, since the majority of people play him for his stupidly cheap spam attacks without regard for how poorly this fares against players that know what they're doing.
456* SinglePlayerGauntlet: A recurring feature throughout the series. ''Soul Edge'', ''I'', ''II'', ''V'', and ''VI'' are very traditional in their implementation of their respective Arcade Modes, while ''III'' and ''IV'' work in more elements of their characters' respective stories.
457* SingleStrokeBattle: During ''III'', many characters will have to face off against either Nightmare or Siegfried. If the player avoids being trapped by the falling cage, they come across the pair of them fighting. At the end of it, they charge at each other and strike at the same time. Depending on who you're playing as, one will collapse and you'll now have to fight the other.
458* SinisterScythe: Zasalamel (and Abyss, [[SuperpoweredEvilSide by extension]]).
459* SNKBoss:
460** Soul Edge from, um, ''Soul Edge''. Do you like fighting [[LightningBruiser Cervantes]]? How about a much tougher Cervantes that can teleport and use flying unblockable attacks? It can take several attempts to beat Soul Edge and the original arcade had to tone down the difficulty just for his fight because he was nearly impossible to beat. There is also Tanegashima, from Mitsurugi's story, who also qualifies because he's got a rifle already primed and loaded and pointed at your face when the fight starts... and if you don't dodge the fast-moving projectile within a split-second of the match starting, he hits you with an unblockable OneHitKill.
461** ''II'' has Inferno, a final boss who uses random movesets from other characters, has a deceptively large lifebar (three times bigger than a normal characters'), a damage bonus, a special throw that knocks off half your health in one hit, and he changes movesets when reduced to 2/3rds and 1/3rd of his lifebar. If he weren't so [[AIBreaker susceptible to throws]], he'd be a complete joystick-snapper.
462** ''III'' has several. First off, the aptly-named '''Night Terror'''. He has EyeBeams that can kill you in one hit, a stance that renders him immune to damage from most attacks, Nightmare's moveset with even more stupidly high damage and reach, oh, and you can't beat him with a Ring Out because he'll just fly back into the ring? What about Colossus, a giant stone statue you sometimes fight in Sophitia's stage? He can't block (you're just hacking away at his shin) but he has a huge life bar and half his attacks have Guard Break or Unblockable and ridiculous range that can yeet you off the stage in a Ring Out even if you're hit in the centre of the ring. Oh, and if you do knock his HP to zero then [[KaizoTrap he has one last trick where he can crush you with his body if he falls on top of you and this counts as his win because the announcer only declares him defeated once he's nose-down in the dirt]]. There's also Keres, a story mode-only character who is ImmuneToFlinching, which also renders him immune to most throws and knockback and allows him to wail on you since you can't interrupt him.
463** ''V'' offers you Legendary Souls Mode. Remember [[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift Score Attack]]? You fight '''SEVEN''' nightmarish bosses one after another controlled by a demonically-possessed AI that seemingly reads your inputs and reacts with unbelievable timing, doesn't allow you to so much as breathe once it goes on the offensive, and always, ''[[PerfectPlayAI always]]'' performs Just Frame attacks perfectly, allowing them to pull off disgusting combos that are nearly impossible for master players. Let's run down the list:
464*** First up, you got Kilik. Normally he's a mimic character who can use random movesets. Here, Kilik sticks to Xiba's (originally his moveset) and combos you like a maniac the moment he's able to get an opening with ambiguous mixups, and doesn't stop for noone. Not content to just beat you with Xiba's tricks, Kilik also uniquely uses some of his old signature moves as well.
465*** Second, you have Nightmare, wearing a special ''IV'' costume. He'll always have you beat on reach and can take away 50-70% of your HP with Brave Edges and a special command throw for when you are downed.
466*** Your third opponent is Siegfried, also using his costume from ''IV''. Siegfried acts like a combination of Nightmare's insane reach and power with Kilik's confusing mixup game, while also being a StoneWall. Good luck here, he'll ring you out several times while you wail against his defences.
467*** Opponent No.4 is Cervantes, decked out in a costume that makes him look like Inferno. Fortunately he's a bit easier than Siegfried, but your jaw will drop when he shows how to juggle you with instant strings of Geo Da Rays/[[Franchise/StreetFighter Psycho Crushers]] for mental damage.
468*** Made it past Cervantes? Congratulations, a lesser player would have snapped their controller by now, but here's where the fun really begins. Your fifth opponent is [[CoolOldGuy Edge Master]], who uses Alpha Patroklos's moveset (i.e, Setsuka's moveset). All he has to do is block a single attack and that's it, you will be punished with either a combo finishing up with his Critical Edge which can be pulled off pretty much any move due to how fast it comes out, or a Just Frame Sakura Twister which he can do ''twice in a row'' and deals incredible damage for a combo finisher. For many, this is the breaking point, but there's two more to go, and the next is even more terrible than him...
469*** Now for Elysium, using Pyrrha Omega's moveset, or Sophitia's style from ''IV'' if you are unfamiliar. Welcome to the hardest boss of all the seven, the lowest and hottest pit in the Legendary Souls Tartarus. Elysium's take on Sophitia (who it bears noting, was top tier back in ''IV'') is even faster and more dangerous than she was before with an astonishing mixup game, spamming Angel's Strike (her gut stab) like it's going out of style, and she always finishes it with a Just Frame. In addition, just like with Kilik, Omega Pyrrha's style gains some of Sophitia's old and best moves with special properties exclusive to Elysium. And if that wasn't enough, she has an exclusive 20-hit, full-screen Critical Edge she'll unleash on you with any opportunity and at the worst possible moments.
470*** If you manage to get to the seventh and final opponent, you might be shocked to see a familiar face - it's Algol, but he's taken fashion advice from [[Franchise/StreetFighter Gill]]. This time he's gotten smarter and he doesn't accidentally ring himself out anymore, and he's not as tough as Elysium before, but don't underestimate him: he's a force to be reckoned with if allowed to build up some meter, spamming Brave Edges and Critical Edges with sadistic abandon. And if Algol is feeling nasty, he might save up his meter and use it ''all at once''. Nothing quite says frustration like a 10-hit touch of death combo where he flips you like a beermat and you can do nothing but lie back and take your beating like a good soldier. ''Orrrr'' he might unleash his Complete Critical Edge at full meter which is among the most damaging single hit moves in the ''entire game''. He's not quite as oppressive as Elysium, but don't let the bastard gain momentum, or you ''will'' regret it.
471* SoftReboot: ''Soulcalibur V'' jumps ahead seventeen years later after the original series, replaces many of the regular characters with successors, removes others, and has a different storyline compared to previous games. In fact, the game's director Daishi Odashima originally wanted it to be called ''Soul Edge II'', in order to mark his new direction for the franchise. However, with director Odashima gone and the series promoting pre-time skip characters, it's anyone's guess if his changes will stick.
472** ''Soulcalibur VI'' is a more direct example of a series reboot. According to director Motohiro Okubo, the game is to be set in the events of 1586, or in other words, the events of the first ''Soulcalibur''. The team decided to reboot the series in a hope to re-engage old fans and to attract newer fans. [[spoiler:Which makes the WhamShot of Original!Cassandra stumbling out of a time portal all the more shocking.]]
473* SoulCuttingBlade: Soul Edge.
474* SpectralWeaponCopy: Necrid's weapon in ''Soulcalibur II'' was a glowing orb. His moveset, however, is based off of different moves from every other character in the game. As such, the orb usually shapeshifts into an energy form of the weapon of the person whose move he's using.
475* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Seung Mina and Yunsung? You mean Seong Mi-na and Yun-seong?
476** The title of the series since ''Soulcalibur'' has been subject to this a few times, evidenced even by this very wiki. At first, it appeared to be two words like the titular sword (i.e. ''Soul Calibur''), up until ''Soulcalibur III'', where it became one word (which in turn retroactively affected the titles of the previous games). [[http://www.soularchive.jp/ The official website supports this spelling,]] although you'll still see ''Soul Calibur'' being thrown around, as well as ''[=SoulCalibur=]'' due to the title font for every game other than ''III'', ''Legends'' and ''Lost Swords''. All of this, of course, excludes those who spell the name of the game as [[RougeAnglesOfSatin "Soul Caliber."]]
477* SplitPersonality: Tira in ''IV'' switches between [[SlasherSmile Slasher Smiling]] psycho to [[KubrickStare Kubrick Staring]] psycho when her health is half-depleted (or by using Gestalt Madness -A + K-), as a side-effect of prolonged exposure to Soul Edge.
478** She was also a lot like Harley Quinn in her first appearance, except oddly, switching between grinning and not at random.
479** Also, oddly enough, Soul Calibur is like a split personality of Soul Edge, since it was created from Soul Edge -- one's a KnightTemplar and one is TheHeartless.
480* SpotlightStealingSquad:
481** Siegfried in ''III'' and ''IV''. While he was arguably the main character in the very first game, he comes back with a vengeance in the third game, becoming the wielder of Soul Calibur itself and the one who has to destroy Soul Edge.
482** Even more so is Patrokos in ''V'', where the entirety of the game's story mode is centered around him. At least previous games had story modes for other characters (individual story modes for all characters were on the cards for ''V'', but the developers ran out of time).
483* TheStarscream: Astaroth, in ''IV'', as detailed in his Story Mode profile. This started as far back as the first ''Calibur'' game, where he joined Nightmare to help him restore the sword just so he could claim it in perfect shape for his true master.
484* StoryBreadcrumbs: Single-player modes do spill some of the story, but it's hard to separate the canon from the "we needed a few more scenarios for Character A, so we put him in Character B's role" scenarios, and almost every character's ending contradicts the bulk of the cast's. Practically all of the story information comes from [[AllThereInTheManual story, weapon, and stage profiles and the official site]], and those still require some context work to piece together.
485* {{Stripperiffic}}: Women wear everything from skirts that flip up at the slightest provocation, to battle thongs, to ornate dental floss, with heels being standard. Men tend to go shirtless but are otherwise adequately dressed.
486** According to WordOfGod, [[JeanneDArchetype Hilde's]] character design was intentionally made to [[DefiedTrope avoid this trope]]. Pyrrha dresses comparatively sensibly as well.
487* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: This happens to Sophitia Alexandra in ''IV'', where she's made to defend Soul Edge in order to save her daughter's life.
488* SurroundedByIdiots: Hilde (and you) in ''Broken Destiny''.
489* SwordAndGun: Cervantes.
490* SwordOfDamocles: The [[OneHitKill Critical]] [[FinishingMove Finish]]es in ''Soulcalibur IV'' are these, due to requiring your opponent to have an empty Soul Gauge, which can only happen if your opponent abuses blocking. Thus, the Critical Finishes stop guard spam merely by existing, even without being used.
491* TakeThat: Dampierre's reactions to Sophitia's married status in The Gauntlet mode of ''Broken Destiny'' could be seen as this to those who refuse to accept that she has a husband.
492* TemporaryOnlineContent: Sometime around possibly Late 2016/Early 2017, the DLC for Soulcalibur IV has been delisted from both respective console stores in all regions (Playstation/Xbox). This also includes the digital Xbox 360 version for unknown reasons (although back in the day, full games for [=PS3=] digitally weren't a thing yet until the Early 2010's, so no digital [=PS3=] version never happened). Although no official sources mention anything about the delisting besides word of mouth by some social areas/forums for Soulcalibur. Fortunately, the game is still available physically, but those looking to have a complete character roster will be sadly attuned that the DLC characters for Darth Vader and Yoda are no longer available (although, this isn't the first time a fighting game with DLC and the digital game gets removed, that honor goes to some of the titles in the VideoGame/CapcomVs series).
493* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: In-universe example: Tira's reaction in ''V'' to the new Nightmare being a manipulative warmonger instead of the sociopath OneManArmy it previously was.
494* ThongOfShielding: Several of Ivy's costumes.
495* TimeSkip: A major feature of ''V'''s story, which is 17 years forward of the events of the last canon installment.
496* TitleScream: A random character or the announcer will do this.
497* WiseSerpent: [[BadassBookworm Ivy Valentine]] is a trained alchemist and sorceress who dedicates most of her time to research and experiments in attempts to find ways to destroy Soul Edge. She has a snake AnimalMotif -- her WhipSword is sometimes called the "Snake Sword", her primary outfit in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'' has a shoulder pauldron resembling a hissing snake head and her secondary outfit is a golden snakeskin suit with a choker shaped like a coiling snake. The background of her artwork in SCVI even features caduceus, a staff featuring two snakes winding around a winged staff and an ancient for wisdom, eloquence, diplomacy and alchemy.
498* WritingAroundTrademarks: The reason ''Soul Edge'' was renamed ''Soul Blade'' -- and the reason the series eventually became ''Soulcalibur'' -- was Tim Langdell's questionable (and now invalidated) trademark on the word "Edge" in relation to video games. After the trademark was invalidated, ''V''[='s=] director wanted to rename the game to ''Soul Edge 2''; Namco executives wouldn't let him.
499* TogetherInDeath: Kilik is determined to destroy Soul Edge even if it costs him his life. Xianghua makes it clear that if he succeeds, he won't be alone.
500* TookALevelInJerkass: Taki becomes a bitch between ''III'' and ''IV''. Her treatment of Ivy and Siegfried, who have both become TheAtoner by this point, is particularly grating.
501-->[[KickTheDog "You're your father's daughter after all."]]
502** Though worth noting, Taki has no reason to know that they become atoners. Ivy and Taki especially have a history of not getting along very well.
503** Inverted with Patroklos, who starts a Jerkass and later takes a more heroic route.
504** This happened earlier with Siegfried, who ''also'' started out as a self-serving jerk unable to take responsibility for his own actions. Like Pat, he slowly matures into a force for good, although his character progression involves him tangling with a loss of lucidity to truly horrific extents and taking several more games before his transformation into a man looking for penance finally culminates.
505* [[{{Irony}} Tragic Irony]]: Siegfried frees himself from the control of Soul Edge, cleansing himself of his sins. Then he takes Soul Calibur, believing it to be a holy weapon of pure good to counter Soul Edge's evil. Unbeknownst to him, Soul Calibur is a KnightTemplar that intends not only to freeze him and Nightmare into crystal, but the rest of the world as well, and Siegfried's adamant claim "never again will I bend to anyone's will" has been subverted without him realizing it.
506* TrappedInVillainy: During the events of ''Soulcalibur IV'', Sophitia Alexandra is threatened with the death of her daughter Pyrrha if anything happens to Soul Edge, and ends up fighting anyone who would destroy it.
507* TreasureRoom: Voldo has been tasked with protecting his master's treasure, in a trap filled labyrinth called the Money Pit.
508* TrickedOutShoes: The grieve edges, bladed footwear from ''[=SoulCalibur III.=]''
509* UnderwearOfPower: Though none of the main characters use this (even Ivy just wears a very, very skimpy leotard), this can be done in character creation, and is a must in ''IV'', where clothing damage often reverts characters to their underwear anyway.
510* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The Gauntlet, ''Broken Destiny'''s campaign mode, is pretty much a memory/timing puzzle, except with fighting. It's strangely addicting.
511* UnreliableNarrator: When confronting Tira in ''V'''s Story Mode as Patroklos, the narrator refers to her as "your mother's murderer" seemingly confirming that Tira killed Sophitia. This was later disproven in the [[AllThereInTheManual official sourcebook]].
512** The implication is that the narrator was voicing Patroklos' interpretation of the event, similar to how [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} Jin believes Jun to be dead]] despite WordOfGod saying only that she's "missing"/"in hiding."
513* UnusualEars: ''IV'' bonus characters Kamikirimusi and Scheherazade.
514* UpdatedRerelease: ''Soulcalibur II'' got this treatment in the form of ''Soulcalibur II HD Online'' for the [=PS3=] and 360.
515%%* VariableLengthChain
516* VersionExclusiveContent: ''Soul Calibur 2'' and onwards has one exclusive Guest Fighter on each release platform: The Xbox version gets Spawn, the [=PS2=] version gets Heihachi from Tekken, and the [=GameCube=] version gets Link. It is however not possible to connect and battle other players on different versions. Soul Calibur 4 has Darth Vader as a default character on the [=PS3=] version, and Yoda on the Xbox 360. (The other exclusive character can be purchased as DLC.)
517* VideoGamePerversityPotential: A given due to the extensive character creation tools, but ''Soulcalibur V'' has it best thanks to "specialized equipment" which can be placed anywhere on the character's body. It is not surprising that one of the first things people tried to do with it was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D4E9XddX5M giving their characters penises]].
518* VirtualPaperDoll: Create A Soul mode allows for huge CharacterCustomization with loads of different clothing and armour available.
519* WakeUpCallBoss: The Apprentice in ''IV'''s arcade mode is much more difficult than the fights preceding it due to [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the computer opponent abusing the Force]]
520* WalkingTheEarth: Every characters travels all over Europe and Asia in search of the Soul Edge for their personal reasons.
521* WellIntentionedExtremist: Raphael's life was saved by a little girl named Amy. After they appear to get [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiric symptoms]], he attempts to change the world by spreading it since it doesn't accept them, as opposed to attempting to cure themselves.
522** Zasalamel can be seen as this in ''IV'', since in order to attain his goal of "leading humanity into a bright future", he's more than willing to torture, murder, or destroy the life of anyone, either for obstructing him or because it helps move his plan along.
523** Soul Calibur itself is a holy weapon created by Algol to keep the evil Soul Edge sword in check. However, the sentience granted to Soul Calibur has allowed it to come to the conclusion that the world is full of chaos and violence and the only way to save humanity from itself is to crystallize the world and all its inhabitants.
524* WesternSamurai: Arthur was originally conceived as an alter-ego of Mitsurugi for countries that are culturally sensitive to depictions of {{Samurai}}, like Korea and China. Arthur is a blond Englishman with an EyepatchOfPower who was raised in Japan and eventually became a samurai - he is loosely based on the legendary English sailor and samurai [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_(pilot) William Adams]].
525* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The whole reason why Zasalamel brings the two swords together -- he's tired of living forever. Reversed in ''IV'', when Zasalamel decides he does want to live forever after seeing humanity's future, which apparently is so awesome that he also performs a HeelFaceTurn. He's still a {{Jerkass}}, however. There's a odd kind of morality to his speeches on human potential versus his sociopathic comments before fights. He also has a tendency to make people fight those who were important to them before they died, like Siegfried's father Frederick, Kilik's adoptive sister Xianglian, and Algol's son, THEN fight completely-dead versions of them.
526* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Story Mode for ''V'' focuses, for the first time, on the actions and destinies of only a few characters. As a result, many characters never have their reasons for being in the game stated and some, like Zasalamel, Talim, and Cassandra (who's the aunt of both the main characters no less), have disappeared entirely without explanation.
527* WhipSword: Ivy.
528* WolverineClaws: Voldo.
529* WorldOfBuxom: Thanks to the incremental {{Fanservice Pack}}s the girls have been receiving since ''II''. (You'll notice that everyone was more modest in cup size back in ''Soul Edge'' and ''Soulcalibur'', although the non-canon ''[[{{Interquel}} Legends]]'' nullifies that where Taki, Sophitia, and Ivy are concerned.) When Project Soul's director Daishi Odashima [[http://twitpic.com/4vvlbz/full released an official height and breast size chart]] on his Website/{{Twitter}} account prior to ''V'', ''seven'' of the eleven playable females in ''IV'' were ''at least'' D cups (though they appear to have recanted where [[TokenWholesome Hilde]] is concerned); the only ones who didn't qualify were Seong Mi-na (slightly smaller than Tira), Xianghua (who makes up for her more petite bust with junk in the trunk), Talim (who's 15), and Amy (who is even younger than Talim and likely prepubescent). Part of this falls under DependingOnTheArtist, as Takuji Kawano (the lead character illustrator from ''II'' to the current day) tends to draw the women larger, regardless of how chesty they really are (such as Tira and Viola). Like the clothing choices themselves, the new additions in ''V'' backtrack on this; of the five girls joining vets Ivy, Tira, and Hilde, only Pyrrha and Elysium are noticeably endowed.
530* WorldOfHam
531* WreckedWeapon: For an ultimate evil weapon, Soul Edge has a tendency to get broken quite a lot. Its shards end up being plot points for several characters. Siegfried's original sword, Faust, was apparently broken at some point, but was restored by the power of Soul Edge. In her ending in ''III'', Cassandra [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu breaks her own sword in the process of destroying Soul Edge]].
532* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Among many shining examples, Astaroth's powerbomb and Nightmare's dropkick.
533** Darth Vader's Dark Glory is essentially a Gorilla Press Slam. Yep even the ''Star Wars'' universe has professional wrestling apparently.
534* YetAnotherStupidDeath: [[SNKBoss If]] you beat the Colossus in ''III'', do '''not''' just stand there!
535* YinYangBomb: The Soul Embrace (which is what happens when Soul Calibur and Soul Edge merge) in ''III'' and ''IV'', and Kilik's weapon Kali-Yuga which absorbs both good and evil energies.
536* YouGoGirl: Seong Mi-na.
537* YouKilledMyFather: Siegfried's original motivation. Although in this case it's more like [[TheKillerInMe I Killed My Father.]]
538** In ''V'', Patroklos seeks revenge on the Malfested for his mother's death.
539[[/folder]]
540
541----
542!!The alternate universe single player modes, Weapon Master and Chronicles of the Sword, have examples not found in the main games:
543
544* AllThereInTheManual: The Japanese website gives (gave) a good deal of backstory for Chronicles of the Sword.
545* AssetActor: The [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] in Weapon Master are portrayed by standard fighters, since the character customization feature didn't exist yet.
546* DefeatMeansFriendship: How you get your old friends back from Soul Edge-induced mind control post-time skip in Chronicles of the Sword.
547** Also, there are two sets of two possible party members, the one who you beat first joins you. The other waits for NewGamePlus.
548* DualBoss: Lanbardy and Hobb at the end of the Underground Juno.
549* EasyLevelsHardBosses: The Chronicles of the Sword mode in ''III''. While most of the fodder can be dealt with quite easily, the bosses can be an absolute chore to bring down (most of the time).
550* EvilWearsBlack: Every single {{Elite Mook|s}} from Maletta wears entirely black armor.
551* FalseFlagOperation: Strife sends you into atleast two of these, both which are painfully obvious to the cadet.
552** In one of the beginning missions, you're fending off a bandit attack, but the cadet notices atleast two Grandall soldiers in the mix which the cadet takes notice of before the next mission, [[spoiler: with later interactions between Strife and Chester indicating that Strife had been ordering the latter to attempt to kill you since the beginning]].
553** One of the chronicles [[spoiler:after the Mantis War]] has your unit fighting off a "rebel" attack that's quite heavily implied to be yet another assassination attempt sent by Emperor Strife. If the dialogue between him and Chester at the start of the level and your squadmates' remarks about the "rebels" acting strange don't set off any red flags, the fact that their commander ''wears Grandall colors'' probably should.
554* GaidenGame: Neither Weapon Master or Chronicles of the Sword take place in the same world (seeing as how the ''Soul'' series takes place on an alternate Earth), but share a few similarities (the presence of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, for example).
555* GenreShift: The Chronicles of the Sword sub-game in ''III'' mashed strategy and fighting together.
556** That is, unless you're strong enough to crush multiple enemies outright. There is perhaps one Chronicle in which strategy is needed: Chapter 8, ''City Of Coffins'', the first half of which is a rescue mission. It's often impossible to do anything else in some levels, as the enemies favor rushing you (while it ''is'' their best option, as this forces you to face everyone at once and you can't recover between them, it tends to make the rest of the map fairly boring).
557* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere:
558** The Kingdom of Maletta counts as one. They were never mentioned in the intro nor were there any hints that they existed.
559** In Chronicles of the Sword, on the second-to-last level, the stronghold right next to your main stronghold is guarded by a '''level 99 BossInMookClothing''' named Ende. He is never referenced prior to this, is the first enemy to have a purple health meter (the highest [=CotS=] goes), and has exactly one line of dialog when you bring his stronghold down, apparently referencing the fact that he is just a mercenary. He also has a unique weapon for the Katana discipline of CharacterCustomization, the Kokuenra. Beating him allows you to use it as well... Too bad his stronghold has the habit of slowing your falls, allowing him to juggle you mercilessly with his sword.
560* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Aurelia is the final boss of the first half of Chronicles of the Sword, has tried to TakeOverTheWorld, and wields "BlackWidow."
561* HeroicMime: In both modes, your character will think to themselves between chapters, but never actually say anything.
562* InstantWinCondition: Averted in Chronicles of the Sword, a ring-out will only take 50% of a combatant's max HP, though for the toughest fights it's still something to aim for as it's the quickest way to do telling damage.
563** Played straight on one occasion in Chapter 16 ''Carrying On A Legacy''. There is one stronghold in the game where falling to the floor means instant death. And your opponent is a Level 60 character (Zasalamel). Thank your lucky stars that he isn't immune to the stage's effect, unlike other occasions in the game.
564* LethalJokeCharacter: The Dancer class in Chronicles of the Sword fights with a pair of tambourines as its first weapon. Did we mention the most basic attack from these tambourines utterly breaks the A.I.? Or that their fast attack rate is paired with a weapon that regenerates health with every swing? Swordmaster using tambourines is better because of much higher stats, but impossible to unlikely to use for a first playthough.
565* LouisCypher: Wonder what Demuth Beel Zebus Halteese could mean...
566* LuckBasedMission:
567** Merope Monastery's bonus mission in Weapon Master is dependent entirely on if the AI moves the right way, as you have ~15 seconds to defeat each of the 6 foes, only truly possible with a ring out while over 3/4 of the stage is wall.
568** In Chapter 8 of Chronicles of the Sword, you have to rescue at least 3 of 5 allied units on the field from the enemies. Outside of a NewGamePlus (where you can get through fortresses much quicker with your higher strength units), unless you're intimately familiar with who to deploy where, the A.I. decides if you can rescue the three named ones that will join you as well as your ability to rescue the two generic ones for bonus points, as if they attack any unit with more than one of theirs, they are going to die.
569* LukeIAmYourFather: Her name, backstory, and dying words all but outright say that Mooncalf is Luna's mother.
570* MakeWayForTheNewVillains: When it gets to the Halteese arc, it seems that Halphas and the sons of the Halteese ruler are going to be the main antagonists, [[spoiler:then Mooncalf assassinates Halphas and the Kingdom of Maletta, whom were never mentioned in the intro, end up launching an attack against the remnants of the Republic and become the new villains for a while after Halteese crumbles entirely]].
571* ManipulativeBastard: Chester has three out of the four kingdoms under his strings around the end of the first half, part of his EvilPlan to become king himself.
572* MookChivalry: Chronicles of the Sword both averts this and invokes it. When multiple units from both sides meet on the battlefield, they'll all attack each other simultaneously. However, you also have the option of settling the skirmish the old-fashioned way, in which case the game's combat system forces both sides' combatants to line up and fight one-at-a-time. Battles involving forts have the latter by default.
573* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Abelia in Chronicles of the Sword. You befriend this out of her.
574* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Lanbardy, Marauder of Slaughter.
575* NewGamePlus: Chronicles of the Sword; either this or a fresh game is required to get all of the create a character parts (as at least one part will be unlocked by picking one OptionalPartyMember over the other).
576** Weapon Master Mode has [[PlayableEpilogue special chapters]] unlocked after defeating the BigBad, which offered a {{sidequest}} set after the plot's end.
577* NominalImportance: Averted in Chronicles of the Sword; most named characters are merely EliteMooks (as opposed to the {{Red Shirt}}s who are named for their affiliation).
578* ObviouslyEvil: Many, many characters in the main series apply, but Emperor Strife in Chronicles of the Sword is a conventional example. The nature of [=CotS=] leads most players to suspect that you'd end up fighting him right from the start, if the brutal orders he issues you and that 90% of your allied units end up rebelling against him didn't seed that already. Oh, and the small fact that his name is, y'know, Emperor '''Strife'''.
579* OneManArmy: Chronicles of the Sword. It's even lampshaded, with generic soldiers thinking your character is a War God(dess).
580* PerversePuppet: One appears in Weapon Master that can only be defeated via ring out.
581* {{Pirate}}: Alfred, king of pirates in Weapon Master, as well as his crew.
582* PlayerMooks: An option for Chronicles of the Sword over preset characters. They are stupidly broken due to the ability to put them into a strong class and use any "reliable" weapon of your choice, plus you don't lose them during the TimeSkip.
583* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: You do this post-timeskip in Chronicles of the Sword (see above).
584* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Luna and her subordinates in Chronicles of the Sword (named "The Klessirpemdo"). Their quirks only go as far as elemental theming due to a lack of development.
585** AmazonBrigade: All 5 of them are women.
586** DegradedBoss: For a single chapter, all 5 are fought at once, rather then the 4 minibosses and 1 boss fashion they use in their other appearances. They are back to normal in a few chapters.
587** TrueCompanions
588* TheRepublic: The Halteese Republic was meant to be this [[spoiler: but it fell apart thanks to infighting, along with Chester influencing Demuth to secede so that he could take the latter's kingdom away from him]]. It's also an oligarchic republic at most given that it has a royal family (which a random mook of all people points out while his commander is busy [[AsYouKnow expositing]]).
589* RiskStyleMap: Weapon Master
590* TheRival: Abelia in Chronicles of the Sword.
591* RivalTurnedEvil: Quite a few in Weapon Master. Justified; they were seeking Soul Edge, a sword that has a tendency to turn people evil.
592* SceneryGorn: The Castle of the Dead, as well as anywhere Veral has been once he acquires Soul Edge.
593* SceneryPorn: Chronicles of the Sword's levels are rather well detailed.
594* {{Sidequest}}: A few optional chapters in Weapon Master.
595* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: The end of Weapon Master tells you that whatever your choice was when confronted with Soul Edge, it was never put into history. Indeed, the BigBad of Weapon Master is said to have only been a footnote in the Soul Edge's long and colored history, and you're completely forgotten.
596* SuaveSabre: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While Raphael and Amy both primarily use {{Royal Rapier}}s, a Roman saber called "Schweitzer" has been available as an alternate weapon for both of them at different points in the series.
597* {{Superboss}}: Weapon Master has a bonus chapter gained by fighting enough battles to reach the rank of Edgemaster, with four very difficult opponents to fight. Chronicles of the Sword has the main universe characters appear at a rate of 1-3 a chapter, and do not require the player to fight them to finish the level.
598* ThemeNaming: All the areas in Weapon Master (and a lot of the main story's characters/places/etc) are named after stars: Aldebaran, Mizar, Castor, Pollux, Regulus, Antares...
599* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Link, for a few of the Weapon Master levels due to his proficiency with ringouts (and for 1 stage, ability to get a high number of hits) he excels, even though he is placed on the bottom of the tier list. ([[DemotedToExtra That happens to]] [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros him a lot.]])
600** Obviously, these stages aren't as easily gotten around in the Xbox and [=PS2=] versions.
601* ThrowAwayCountry: [[spoiler:The Halteese Republic was treated as such by both Demuth and Chester for the sake of creating the Kingdom of Maletta]].
602* TimeSkip: In Chronicles of the Sword, the story skips ahead a year after the war ends to pit the player against a rebellion.
603* TrainingBoss: The first level of Weapon Master. The first two chapters of ''Chronicles of The Sword''.
604* UriahGambit: Strongly implied why Strife sends the cadet after the gates of the Halteese Republic with as little resources or soldiers as possible. Even Gidarot gets sick of this when confronting Strife himself over the fact.
605* WakeUpCallBoss: Luna's first appearance in in Chronicles of the Sword (Chapter 4, ''Battlefield Moon''). Before this chapter, the A.I. is passive and fairly weak. Now they will rush you on multiple fronts with overleveled troops ''and'' there is a "main universe" character on the field for the first time (in this case Astaroth; he is level 60 when you are 5 at best, learn to avoid them).
606** Beating them all makes you feel badass. But, if you have enough skill, then you can overcome the level gap and defeat all of them, even without the use of A.I. breakers, because despite being competent, they don't use any of the A.I. special tactics too much, meaning that they are as defeatable as an average human player.
607** Not to mention that "main universe" characters can be exploited, if you know what you're doing. Note that losing still gives you experience... just have one guy protecting your base (particularly one you're good with), send the rest to fight the level 60. Sure, you'll likely lose easily, but you'll see them gain levels EXTREMELY fast. Not to mention beating said character gives the biggest level-up chain ever for that point. This can quickly become a GameBreaker.
608* WarGod: One chapter of Chronicles of the Sword has your character note they overheard someone call them this once.
609* WeaponsKitchenSink: Chronicles of the Sword has katana wielders fighting side by side with people who wield claymores, Chinese swords, rapiers, and nunchucks.
610* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: A few Chronicle Missions, including the final one, [[HeroMustSurvive have your main character's death as a loss condition]].
611* WorthyOpponent: Luna says you are this during the first fight with her, and her dialog throughout the rest of the game supports it.
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