List of characters in the Soul series
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A comprehensive list of characters from the Soul series of fighting games produced by Namco.
Series characters
Official characters within the series' storyline. They are playable in some installments of the series.
Abyss
Abyss (アビス Abisu?) is one of the two final bosses on Soulcalibur III, being the most commonly found boss on the Tales of Souls story mode and always at the end of the Quick Play mode. He is Zasalamel after a mutation by the powers of both the holy sword and the evil sword. Abyss possesses the same fighting style of Zasalamel, with some moves replaced by unblockable projectile attacks. He can be unlocked as a normal character, but doesn't have a Story Mode nor an ending.
In the final chapters of Tales of Souls in Soulcalibur III, Abyss appears when Zasalamel absorbs the energies of both Soul Edge and Soulcalibur in an attempt to break his curse of eternal life. Instead, Zasalamel transforms into Abyss and attacks the player's character. Upon his defeat, the chosen character's ending plays.
In Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, Abyss is dropped from the character roster and turned into a non-selectable boss alongside Night Terror, both appearing at random at the arcade's end match.
Algol
Algol (アルゴル Arugoru?, Arabic; الغول) first appears in Soulcalibur IV as the Story mode boss. He is also unlockable as a playable character with his own Story mode and ending. His character's life was lived, even by comparison to the Soul Calibur series in the ancient past. In Soul Calibur IV, he is encountered as a magical, super-powered resurrection of his former self. In this resurrected form, Algol is manifested by the energy of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Including both of the spirit swords, Algol uses many weapons that appear and disappear quickly from within his body: also including blade-like wings, an energy projectile gun, and daggers from the tips of his feet. He is often seen seated in a throne that likewise appears and disappears at his will, and though he can crouch, jump, hang in midair, and plant his feet firmly while attacking, he otherwise always hovers just above the ground and never runs or walks.
Long before the events in Soulcalibur IV, Algol was known as "The Hero King," who utilized Soul Edge without being controlled by it. He used the sword to spread peace, but one day his jealous son Arcturus stole Soul Edge and was possessed by it. Algol was forced to battle Arcturus, resulting in the destruction of both his son and Soul Edge.
After his son's death, he worked to create another living sword using a purified shard of Soul Edge, to be used against Soul Edge whenever it inevitably reappeared. In service to the creation of the sword that would be known as Soul Calibur, Algol literally gave it his own body and soul, which slept undisturbed inside Soul Calibur until the sword finally fulfilled its purpose.
Unknown hundreds of years after his death, Algol's soul was awakened by the energy released when Soul Edge and Soul Calibur did meet. With this, he buildt a new body, the "Tower of Rememberance," and a facsimilies of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Knowing that his energy will not last for long unless he obtains the real spirt sword and cursed sword, he waits in his Tower of Rememberance, confident that the swords will come to him.
These events play a significant role in all of the stories in Story mode.
Cassandra Alexandra
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Cassandra witnessed Taki bringing back an unconscious Sophitia and pulling a shard out of her body. When Sophitia left again some time later, Cassandra was convinced that she went out to destroy Soul Edge. A few years later, after she finished some errands at her father's bakery, Cassandra visited Sophitia's home. There, she found Pyrrha and Patroklos fighting violently over a fragment of Soul Edge and Sophitia with a distraught expression on her face. Cassandra immediately grabbed the shard and ran to the shrine of Hephaestus and began screaming at the god why he was putting such a burden on Sophitia. She then passed out. After she recovered, she discovered that Soul Edge was still alive, but she didn't want her sister to carry out something burdensome as this again. Stealing the sacred sword and shield from the temple, Cassandra began her journey to cast away Soul Edge.
Cassandra returned in Soulcalibur III, as a starting character. She remained largely the same, with slight upgrades on her fighting style that sets her apart from Sophitia, and new costumes.
Her profile follows her travels towards the east, where she finds a town covered in evil energy. Trying to help the inhabitants, much like Sophitia did in her last trip, Cassandra tracks the core of the evil in a castle atop the mountains. However, she discovers the sacred weapons she carried to have cracks all over. Forced to flee the city after being surrounded by the corrupted city-folks, she travels back to Greece to ask her brother-in-law, Rothion, to forge her new weapons. Once there, she was informed by Rothion that Sophitia left to destroy Soul Edge on her own. After receiving a new pair of weapons from Rothion, Cassandra sets out to search and join her sister in this quest.
Cassandra returned in Soulcalibur IV, the latest installment, as a starting character again. She sports a complete overhaul on her visual design, and she still has most of her moves and attacks from the previous games.
Her profile states that she went back to the town that she visited from her previous journey. There, she encounters Raphael, who sensed the fragment of Soul Edge that she carried. The two fight, and in the end, Cassandra managed to deliver a blow on him. As he retreats, Raphael comments that she has the power to dispel evil, although she is not as powerful as the Holy Stone. Cassandra calls him a coward, but he tells her that he already had what he wanted. She then realized that he had taken her fragment of Soul Edge. She was unnerved at first, but she managed to get over it. Cassandra then found some townspeople that had their sanity thanks to a shining blue crystal. She wondered if they were referring to the Holy Stone that Raphael told her about. As she continued investigating, she heard rumors of a man with a mass of crystal (Siegfried) that was on his way to Ostrheinsburg. Cassandra wondered if the crystal he carried was the Holy Stone. And if it was, there was probably something evil in Ostrheinsburg. Believing that the evil was Soul Edge, she decides to follow the man to the ruined castle, thinking that he's going to use to the crystal to dispel the evil sword. Cassandra does not know that she's following Soul Calibur, the spirit sword that was made to destroy Soul Edge.
Yujin released a four inch tall immobile figurine of Cassandra after the release of Soulcalibur II, based upon her artwork for the title as part of their "Namco Girls Series #1" line of gashapon figurines.[1] In 2006, Namco released a second Cassandra figurine as part of a Soulcalibur III set based upon her promotional artwork for the game. While not posable, the PVC figure came with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold;[2] an alternate color version was later released in a secondary set.[3] To explain the new features of Soulcalibur IV, Namco released an omake manga, in which Cassandra "taught" new character Hilde about the game's features.[4]
Tom's Games included her in an article on sexism in video games, as a stereotypical lolita design that exploited females in games.[5] With her initial appearance in Soulcalibur II, many reviewers bemoaned her presence in the game as merely a "skin" for the absent Sophitia.[6] GameSpy noted her similarity in Soulcalibur II to her sister in terms of fighting style, but added "thanks to some intelligent changes she feels like a whole new gal in many important respects".[7] IGN commented on the similarity as well, but added that regardless she played "noticeably different";[8] they later listed Cassandra as one of the series' top ten fighters at number eight, noting a large fan following and admiration for her "spunk."[9] She is voiced by Debra Jean Rogers in English and Reiko Takagi in Japanese.
Cervantes
Cervantes de Leon's (セルバンテス・デ・レオン Serubantesu de Reon?)' father, Phillip de Leon, was a privateer sent on a special mission from Spanish King Philip II of Spain to loot in the name of Spain. One day, he sailed closely to an English ship with intent to loot it, only to find out too late that it was a warship. He was taken by surprise, his ship was destroyed, and his crew died along with it. Cervantes was devastated. He decided that if that was what happened to sailors that swear allegiance to Spain, he would forsake it and become a pirate. One day, he received a message from the "Merchant of Death," Vercci. It was a request to find Soul Edge. At first Cervantes dismissed the offer, but finally accepted since Vercci was the merchant who gave him the artillery for his ship. After a year of searching, Cervantes found information pointing to an antiques dealer with a "strange article". There was no specific evidence that said article was Soul Edge, but Cervantes was a pirate, and could find some use for the ship's goods even if Soul Edge was not there. Cervantes attacked the ship, and nobody heard from him again for more than twenty years.
What had happened was that Cervantes had obtained Soul Edge on that ship, and it drove him insane as it devoured his soul. His insanity caused him to kill anyone who came looking for Soul Edge--including his own crew and the entire population of his home port town in Valencia--a reign of terror that lasted for twenty years. Li Long was the first to confront him to possess Soul Edge, but was defeated from its overwhelming power. He tried to escape, and Cervantes pursued him. However, Li Long successfully fled. After that, Sophitia Alexandra, Taki and Siegfried Schtauffen confronted Cervantes, and they all defeated him in succession. But this was not the end for Cervantes. Nightmare, the new host for Soul Edge, unknowingly resurrected him using the fragments of Soul Edge still lodged inside Cervantes' body, but all his memories of his past life had vanished. Over the course of the next three years, Cervantes sailed in a ghost ship, plundering and maddening ships across the world, as his memories gradually returned, along with the desire to search for Soul Edge again, even though he knew it had robbed him of his free will. During Cervantes' search for Soul Edge, he realized that the second sword had been shattered as well when he found a few shards of the second sword. He pondered as to whether or not Soul Edge had been definitively conquered, but at that moment, the shards melded together on their own to create a bigger piece of the sword. For the next four years, Cervantes began his quest to steal souls and collect additional fragments. Eventually, they took the form of a legitimate sword. Cervantes' new goal was to regain Soul Edge, and to do that, he needed as many of the fragments as he could find.
By making use of the fragments of the cursed sword within his body, Cervantes succeeded in preserving his own will. With Soul Edge and the Adrian, he devoured the souls of brawny men of the sea.
Charade
Charade (シャレード Sharēdo?) was developed similar to fellow Namco character Mokujin in that it used a randomly selected movelist from the game's other fighters exclusively. However, the developers intended him to be a unique character too, and created different animations for certain mimicked attacks. Charade was meant to be a tribute to Edge Master's role in Soulcalibur, and to be seen as a "valiant character for who all his body parts do their best to fight" instead of a "move thief".[10]
Charade is the name of a creature introduced in Soulcalibur II, formed from Soul Edge's fragments and various reshaped human body parts. It has no intellect, relies on instinct, and has a desire to absorb other pieces of Soul Edge. It mimics fighting styles and weapons by scanning the minds of its opponents. In the arcade version of Soulcalibur II, Charade appeared as the game's final boss,[11] and was a time-released unlockable character for players to use.[12] For home ports of the title Charade was replaced by Inferno as the game's final boss, and was made into a regular unlockable character. A Charade appears as a boss in Soulcalibur III in a three round match in which it progressively loses components of itself between each round, changing its fighting style from a wave sword to a grieve edge until reduced to its eye.
Several Charades appear in the game Namco x Capcom as small fry enemy characters, mimicking Sophitia's fighting style from Soulcalibur II. These Charades are unique in that Soul Edge creates them directly,[13] an ability it lacks in the Soul series. Called Soul Edge's "avatars" by the game's protagonists,[14] they are created by Soul Edge as foot soldiers and as a means to protect itself. When defeated, they will melt and dissolve into nothing.[15]
Hilde
Hildegard von Krone (ヒルデガルド・フォン・クローネ Hirudegarudo fon Kurōne?), or Hilde (ヒルダ Hiruda?) for short,[16][17] is the daughter of the king of Wolfkrone (German, Wolfcrown), a fictional European kingdom[18] under assault by Nightmare's forces from Ostrheinsburg Castle. After her father went insane, Hilde took up the responsibility of protecting its people, leading her armies in the front lines against Nightmare alongsidee. As a desperate measure, Hilde seeks the Sword of Resurrection, Soul Calibur, to bring back an ancient king who once restored peace to the world.[19] At the game's conclusion, Siegfried stands before her and requests to be executed for his role in creating Nightmare. She instead grants him a royal pardon, telling him to live for the future instead of the past. She is voiced by Julie Ann Taylor in English and Yūko Kaida in Japanese.
Hwang
Hwang Seong-gyeong (ファン・ソンギョン Fan Songyon?, Hanja: 黄星京 Hangul: 황성경 Hwang Seonggyeong) had been born to parents who, while poor, had a strong sense of justice. However, this resolve was what led to their downfall. He grew up hardened and eventually enrolled himself in the Seong Dojang to learn to use the long sword. It didn't take him long to become the best student in the dojang and was eventually deemed good enough to be taught a private lesson by the master himself, Seong Han-myeong. The master was happy to have such a gifted student and was even considering adopting him as his son. However, he never had a chance to do so, and his daughter, Seong Mi-na, was only friends with Hwang, with mutual lack of desire to make the relationship anything more than friendship. Facing increasing incursions from Japanese raiders, a coast guard was quickly formed and led by Admiral Lee Sun Shin, with Hwang as the first to volunteer. Rumours of Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", spread to Korea, and Admiral Lee Sun Shin sent him to go and find it.
On his quest to find the "Sword of Salvation," he received news of an impending Japanese invasion of his homeland. He cut his search short and returned home, dragging Seong Mi-na, who had run away to find the Soul Edge herself, home with him. He rejoined the Coast Guard as commander, but shortly thereafter, he received news from a new recruit, Kong Xiuqiang, that Mi-na had run away again. Angered and worried by this, he lost his better judgment and led his crew into a trap set by the pirates of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and many lives were lost. Admiral Lee Sun Shin sympathized with his worry over Mi-na's well-being, but was nevertheless obliged to dismiss him from the Coast Guard. Instead, he gave him a new set of orders. He was to aid Seong Han-myeong by finding Mi-na, under the guise of searching for the "Sword of Salvation." He immediately set off to the west once again, and, upon finding her, was told of the true nature of Soul Edge. Deciding that Korea would no longer rely on legends to save itself--that it could rely on its own strength--he dragged Mi-na home with one goal in mind: to rejoin the Coastal Forces in guarding against the impending Japanese invasion.
During his second quest Hwang learned that Soul Edge was evil, so he made a report to his superiors about the matter. Sadly that only served to tarnish his reputation. Admiral Lee Sun Shin dismissed him and forced him to return Blue Thunder, as punishment. Hwang left the garrison and stayed in his master's dojo, until one day when someone appeared in the exercise hall. He captured the stranger and upon interrogating him he found out that he was a spy from Japan, who claimed that Japan was in search of Soul Edge too. Since no one in the Coastal Defense has the knowledge of foreign lands and the experience from previous trips, Hwang was selected to carry on the new mission: find and stop the agent from Japan from finding Soul Edge, and bring the sword if possible. Lee Sun Shin handed him Blue Thunder again, and Hwang understood the meaning of this mission, to save his country. Before beginning his quest, he went to the Capital and stole the fragments gathered there, since he wouldn't leave his beloved country with anxiety in his heart. He then headed towards the West, knowing that both Yun-Seong, a student of the Seong Dojo, and Seong Mi-na were in a similar quest. He hopes to join forces with them and together destroy the evil blade once and for all.
In Soulcalibur III during Yun-seong's Tales of Souls story, he will go to the Grand Labyrinth and fight with an "Unknown Soul" hidden in shadow. The voice and fighting style of the soul confirm that it is Hwang. When he is defeated, Talim will remark that the Unknown Soul seemed to be testing Yun-Seong's ability.
In Soulcalibur IV, we find through the story of Yun-Seong that Hwang did indeed meet the young fighter. Hwang warns him of the dangers of the evil sword Soul Edge and still intends on destroying it.
Inferno
Inferno (インフェルノ Inferuno?) is an entity introduced in Soul Edge, and is the physical manifestation of the cursed sword Soul Edge's own soul. It fights using the attack style of others randomly from its memories of past battles, and will switch to them randomly. Though it exists in its own dimension, Chaos, it has used duplicity such as in the case of tricking Siegfried into expanding its will, and in more extreme cases utilized Cervante's flaming corpse and later the remnants of Nightmare's armor to create an avatar for itself. Inferno's will and power has directly and indirectly affected several other characters in the series, such as the Evil Seed event that caused many to turn somewhat evil or insane. It has also caused the creation of several life forms or modification of them, such as Ivy's sword Valentine, Charade, Necrid and Abyss.
As Soul Edge, it appeared in Namco × Capcom. In this setting Soul Edge is shown to have the abilities to create Charades at will, as well as teleport itself; two abilities not present in the Soul series.
Kilik
Kilik (キリク Kiriku?) was found as a baby on the doorstep of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, widely considered to be the greatest martial arts school in China. After the monks of the temple gave up their search for the child's parents, they decided to raise him as an orphan. Eventually, he was regarded as the temple's finest student and was hired as one of the school's teachers, eventually leading him to be the elected candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, Kali-Yuga, one of the three sacred treasures of the temple. However, he had always remained somewhat troubled and insomniac.
One night, his "sworn sister", Xianglian, visited him as he was deep in thought, and revealed that she had become elected for inheritor of the holy mirror Dvapara-Yuga. But she also divulged the details of a conversation she had overheard; that only two of the treasures still existed at the temple, because the Krita-Yuga had been stolen years ago by her biological father and that the monks had been hiding this the entire time. She had been nominated for the Dvapara-Yuga instead, because she had told the master of the temple that she felt unworthy to inherit the Krita-Yuga, considering her family history, and her selfless reflection was a prominent feature of her inheritance of Dvapara-Yuga.
However, the night before the succession ceremony, the Evil Seed rained down on the temple, and an evil presence overwhelmed the inhabitants. Sensing the evil, the monks who were preparing for the ceremony immediately transferred ownership of the holy artifacts to Kilik and Xianglian. Minutes later, everyone in the temple lost their sanity except Xianglian. With madness combined with his great skills, Kilik killed many temple members as everyone fought one-another. Xianglian realized the power of the mirror and slung it around Kilik's shoulder, causing him to regain his sanity as she lost hers. When Kilik had completely regained his senses, he realized that the monks had slaughtered each other. He tried to leave, but the only other known survivor, Xianglian, blocked his way, now totally corrupted by the Evil Seed, and attacked him. He tried to avoid hurting her, but was forced to kill her in self-defense.
An old man, the Edge Master--advisor and teacher of the Ling-Sheng Su martial arts--found Kilik's unconscious body in the temple. He set the corrupted temple on fire and carried Kilik home. After two days, Kilik finally awoke, and Edge Master told him the truth: Kilik and Kali-Yuga had been infected with the Evil Seed, the source of which was the demonic sword, Soul Edge. The only thing protecting his sanity was the Dvapara-Yuga, and he could never remove the holy mirror from his shoulder at any time. Wrought with grief that his life had come at the sacrifice of Xianglian's, Kilik trained with Edge Master for three years, trying to learn to control the evil within himself and Kali-Yuga. Once his training was complete, Edge Master gave him the final test of destroying the Soul Edge, and Kilik embarked on that quest to purify himself and his weapon.
On his journey, Kilik traveled to an Indian port town to request a pirate ship to take him where he wanted to go. He met the Japanese pirate of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Kyam, who instantly took a liking to him, and granted Kilik's request for boarding, provided the ship's captain, Maxi, agreed when he returned. As Kilik waited for Maxi, a mysterious ship approached, which resulted in an attack, led by Astaroth. Maxi returned and Kilik assisted him during the attack. Astaroth managed to remove Dvapara-Yuga causing Kilik to lose sanity and attack Maxi. Maxi suppressed Kilik long enough to put Dvapara-Yuga back on him and they continued to fight, but every member of Maxi's crew was left dead, and Maxi decided to aid Kilik in his quest. Later, the two met Chai Xianghua, a member of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard, who aided them in their travels. (Although neither Kilik nor Xianghua knew that Xianglian was her long-lost sister.) With Maxi and Xianghua's help, Kilik stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle and defeated Nightmare, although Maxi was thought to be killed and the Dvapara-Yuga was destroyed. Kilik figured out he had learned to control the demonic powers within him and Kali-Yuga as he kept his sanity after Dvapara-Yuga was destroyed.
After Nightmare's defeat, Xianghua and Kilik were challenged by the demonic entity, Inferno within a demonic void. Kilik was too weak to fight, so Xianghua fought in his stead. During the battle, her keepsake tai chi jian transformed into the holy sword, Soul Calibur, allowing her to defeat Inferno. In the end, however, she was forced to leave the sword behind in order to drag Kilik to safety as the void collapsed.
Afterwards, Kilik returned alone to Edge Master's hermitage, continuing to perfect the technique of neutralizing and purifying evil energy. Four years later, he sensed the return of Soul Edge, and set out on another journey to defeat Soul Edge once and for all, so that he could atone for the sins he committed the night of the fateful Evil Seed. Along the way, he encountered Xianghua again. They argued over their difference of opinions (namely, they both argued that it was their duty to destroy Soul Edge this time), but they still travelled together in the end.
While purifying a town infected with evil, the two encountered Zasalamel. Kilik engaged Zasalamel in battle, but lost. Before he lost consciousness, Kilik heard Zasalamel tell him that if he challenged Soul Edge unprepared, he would be trapped in its dark abyss. He awoke a month later in Edge Master's hermitage, carried there by Xianghua. Sensing a terrible energy within his wounds, Edge Master had performed a special ritual to treat them. Kilik realized that he would not be able to seal Soul Edge with his current strength. Thinking to himself, he placed his hand on his chest and realized that the fragment of the Dvapara-Yuga was gone.
Edge Master then ordered Kilik to begin training. He surrounded himself in a dark aura, similar to a person affected by the Evil Seed. Armed with only the Kali-Yuga, Kilik realized that his target should be the evil energy within Edge Master. Within three months, Kilik managed to strike Edge Master with a purifying blow, enough to free his teacher's mind, but at the same time, seriously injuring him.
Edge Master told Kilik that even though he still lacked skill, and that a pure spirit strikes only at evil without harming the body, he noted that Kilik had made good progress in a short time. He handed Kilik another fragment of the Dvapara-Yuga and a letter from Xianghua. She wrote that she would improve on her skills and regain her courage, and she believed that together, they would be able to destroy Soul Edge. With these words, Kilik set out west to once again pursue the evil.
Li Long
Introduced in Soul Edge, Li Long (リ・ロン Ri Ron?, Chinese: 李 龍 Pinyin: Lǐ Lóng) was an assassin sent by the Emperor of China to kill a pirate lord, but failed. Badly injured, he was rescued by a innkeeper's silent daughter named Chie and eventually fell in love with her. While out one day, a fight broke out at the inn and Chie was believed to be dead. Told falsely Heishirō Mitsurugi was responsible, he set out after Soul Edge knowing Mitsurugi was also after the blade.[20] He located it in the possession of Cervantes de Leon, but was beaten severely in a battle for the blade. Chie meanwhile was alive, recovering from her injuries and pregnancy.
Returning as a secret character in Soulcalibur III, Li Long had survived and escaped, but with his body and confidence shattered. Finding himself on the run from assassins sent by his former employer, he disguised himself and fled during the nights under a false name. He later was taken in by a girl that he quickly came to trust, reminding him of Chie. When the assassins eventually found him, Li Long stood his ground instead of run and defeated them. Remembering the feel of fighting for something other than revenge, he set out to find himself, not knowing Chie had recovered and set out to find him.[21] Li Long was later included in the arcade version of III as well, with an updated moveset but not additions to his storyline.
A homage to Bruce Lee, Li Long placed last in a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character from the series.[22] Regardless, the character's return to the series was commonly requested by fans during the development of Soulcalibur IV, as noted by director Katsutoshi Sasaki.[23]
Lizardman
The Spartan soldier, Aeon Calcos (アイオーン・カルコス Aiōn Karukosu?), like Sophitia Alexandra, was one of the twenty-four warriors to receive an oracle from the god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge, one for every letter of the Greek alphabet. Armed with the holy Xi Sword forged for him, a group of desert travelers rescued a dehydrated Aeon and brought him to their village, and he was about to repay them by teaching them swordplay. He was unable to repay their kindness, however, as the Evil Seed had rained down and turned Aeon into a crazed killer, causing him to massacre everyone in the village.
Kunpaetku, the grand priest of the cult order Fygul Cestemus, eventually heard stories of him and captured Aeon so that he may be used as a human guinea pig in a terrible experiment, causing him to transform into Lizardman (リザードマン Rizādoman?) — the first of many lizardmen to come. Aeon was ordered to bring Rock's adopted son, Bangoo, to Europe so that his soul could be stolen. Aeon was eventually tracked down and defeated by Rock for the kidnapping, while aiding Astaroth in pursuing Soul Edge.
Soul Edge was struck down moments later, the energy emitted from Soul Calibur releasing Aeon from his brainwashed state. Hidden from the world, Lizardman set on a journey to restore his human form, however upon realizing he had no place to return to, he wondered angrily why Hephaestus had not helped him in his time of need. "My god has forsaken me," he thought, before casting away the sword and shield he was given. To find Soul Edge and destroy the god of the forge with the very weapon he feared most would be his new resolve and the ultimate goal.
Maxi
Maxi (マキシ Makishi?, also written as 真喜志) was a wandering pirate from Shuri in the Ryūkyū Kingdom (present-day Okinawa). Maxi's father was a confident merchant of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, but he wasn't allowed to commerce to the foreign countries, forced to commerce with his country only. Maxi spent most of his first years travelling from harbor to harbor with his father. He also learned to use the nunchaku as a way to defend himself, eventually turning into a strong youth.
During one of his father's travels, he met a man from Ming known as Zhang Wu. The man carried a bladed nunchaku, which Maxi noticed. He, full of pride, challenged the stranger to a fight. Not hearing Kyam (his sworn brother)'s pleas, Maxi faced the man and was defeated. Recognizing the world was wider than he thought, he asked the man to be his teacher for the remainder of the travel. The man agreed and for the time Maxi studied his style, and despite being different from his, he was able to improve further his abilities. Zhang Wu left after reaching port, but Maxi kept studying his work.
After his father's death, Maxi took his vessel and decided to turn into a freelance pirate, to see the world his father couldn't because of his ties to the country. He embarked with the crew, his "new family", and Kyam and sailed towards the west. They docked on an Indian port town and, while Maxi was out, Kilik approached the ship searching a way to go west. He argued with a pirate of the ship, who wanted Dvapara-Yuga as fee for the trip, until Kyam stepped in. Kyam sympathized with Kilik and let him stay until Maxi, the captain, would return.
But when Maxi returned, he found his ship under attack by a hoard of golems and lizard-like creatures led by Astaroth. With Kilik, both joined forces in the battle against the monsters. Eventually, they had repelled the golems, but not before Astaroth had temporarily snatched the holy mirror Dvapara-Yuga from Kilik, causing him to lose his sanity and savagely attack Maxi. Maxi was able to suppress Kilik and return the Dvapara-Yuga to him, but only after Maxi's sworn brother, Kyam, had been murdered and most of the other members of the crew were dead or missing. With his dying words, Kyam told Maxi of Kilik's quest and, having lost everything, Maxi decided to travel with him, swearing an oath of revenge against Astaroth. Eventually, the two met Chai Xianghua, a member of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard, who also aided them in their travels.
With Kilik and Xianghua's help, Maxi stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle, where the creatures that had killed Maxi's crew were waiting for them. After defeating the creatures, Astaroth presented himself and blocked the entrance to the castle. As Kilik and Xianghua ran past Astaroth, Maxi stayed behind to fight him to the death. He succeeded in killing Astaroth, but the god Ares, in bitter rage, commanded the ground to open up and swallow Maxi. When Maxi woke up, he was on a riverbed near an unfamiliar village, where an old man rescued him. Due to the severity of his wounds, Maxi's traveling days were over, and he stayed behind in the village, quickly becoming popular with the local residents. Four peaceful years passed, until a rumour of a horrendous man wielding a large bearded axe reached the village. Maxi had a horrible feeling that that man was Astaroth. He wanted to chase after him, but his body was too weak. Maxi went to see the village medicine man, who performed a secret ritual using a strange metal fragment, which was actually a fragment of Soul Edge, and several days later, Maxi left the village, promising to return some day. He did not realize, however, that all memory of his traveling companions had been lost as a result of the ritual.
Maxi's search for Astaroth led him to the ruins of the shrine where the golem had been created. While inspecting the ruins, he found a man in tattered clothing at the ruins, clutching something and muttering incoherently. This man was Kunpaetku--Astaroth's creator, who had managed to escape the shrine's destruction at the last minute. Kunpaetku mostly ignored Maxi until he asked him about Astaroth. Kunpaetku cursed Astaroth, calling him a failure. It was then that Maxi realized that Kunpaetku created him.
A strange urge to kill Kunpaetku began rising within Maxi. As he drew his weapon, the object in Kunpaetku's hand, a fragment of Soul Edge, began to glow with a faint red light. Kunpaetku then looked at Maxi madly, noticing that he had Soul Edge inside his body. Upon hearing this, Maxi killed Kunpaetku and kicked the fragment of Soul Edge into the ruins below. He felt an uneasy throbbing in his heart, born from his desire to kill Kunpaetku. Maxi then suddenly remembered a man who became lost to evil after having lost everything, and how he suffered after returning to his senses. But Maxi couldn't remember who this person was, no matter how hard he tried. Despite this, he decided to continue his search for Astaroth.
In Soulcalibur IV, Maxi regains his lost memories of Kilik and Xianghua. But, due to the fragment of the cursed blade embedded in his body, and the fact that Kilik bears a shard of the Dvarpa Yuga, he is unable to travel with them. He still pursues Astaroth, and due to Tira speaking to him about using the cursed blade to avenge his fallen comrades, he seeks to obtain Soul Edge to carry out this revenge. Maxi's story has become somewhat darker in this installment, since Kilik and Xianghua worry about him and his desire to obtain the blade.
Mitsurugi
Heishirō Mitsurugi (御剣 平四郎 Mitsurugi Heishirō?) was originally the son of a farmer in Bizen, which after suffering years of witnessing his homeland being ravaged by bandits and war, decided to take up swordsmanship under the tutelage of the Murakami Clan. Mitsurugi's skill and strength spread quickly over Japan, and he was recognized as a force to be reckoned on the battlefield, even being noted by both Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. After leaving the Murakami Clan, and having refused all military commendations offered for his services, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary.
It was during this time he heard about a new weapon, the Rifle, said to be changing the way wars were fought. At first Mitsurugi dismissed the weapon as a novelty, but soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry and realized its real power. Deciding that a strong weapon was the only way to combat it, he started a quest in order to find the rumored Soul Edge.[24]
In the sequel of Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, he returned as a regular character with an improved fighting style and design. But in the world release of the arcade version (SOC14/VER.C), Mitsurugi was exclusively replaced by a character named Arthur. Other than being of British nationality, Arthur is essentially Mitsurugi with blonde hair and an eye patch; the samurai outfit and katana blade remains unaltered. Arthur returned in Soulcalibur III as a bonus character.
As detailed in his profile for the game, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of Soul Edge, and in his frustration he carelessly challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel in front of his lord, which he ultimately lost after receiving a bullet in his right shoulder. He later departed in a new quest to perfect his swordsmanship, in order to defeat the rifle. During his training he learned of Nightmare's rampage on Europe and started a new quest to the west.
Mitsurugi's profile for Soulcalibur II explained he was once again unable to find his target, but he did not renounce to his quest. Stumbling on a castle in Xiwei (present-day Xi'an), Mitsurugi saved a man that was being attacked by assassins, and as reward he received a fragment of Soul Edge the man possessed. After an incident in which a servant of the Ming Emperor refused to hand over the "Sword of Heroes", Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming.
In his Soulcalibur III profile, Mitsurugi is said to have grown dissatisfied with every battle he has participated in, even considering Soul Edge meaningless and the rifles no more a threat, having defeated several riflemen as seen in the intro of Soul Calibur II. Having lost concern over the rifle, his greatest enemy, Mitsurugi started to seek without success a challenger of his strength. After fending off a group of unknown attackers that were after the fragment he obtained in Xiwei, Mitsurugi noticed their style resembled that of Taki and decided to return to Japan to find out what was happening at the time, as well as to seek a showdown with Taki.
At the moment the Sengoku period had ended and Oda Nobunaga was dead. The leaders of the states were faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing to protect their existence as fierce pirates of the sea. Soon they attracted Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attention, and a confrontation became imminent. Mitsurugi, having found no trace of Taki, decided to aid the Murakami in the upcoming nighttime raid. After the victory of the Muramaki, Mitsurugi was decorated for his services by the Murakami commander. The commander mentioned to him rumors about the resurface of Nightmare, and Mitsurugi, considering the knight a potential challenger, quickly set out to Europe once again.[25]
Mitsurugi has been one of the series' most recognizable characters ever since his first appearance in Soul Edge. With the exception of the specific arcade version of Soulcalibur where he was replaced by Arthur, he hasn't been dropped from the character roster on any of the following sequels. Ever since his first appearance in Soul Edge, Mitsurugi has remained a regular character on every sequel released of the series, including and up to Soulcalibur IV. He has also appeared in a cross-over game Namco x Capcom as a playable character.
Night Terror
Night Terror (ナイトテラー Naito Terā?) is the secret final boss in Soulcalibur III's Tales of Souls mode. The first time he is defeated in that mode, both his profile and concept art are unlocked. He also has his own mission in the Missions mode, known as Final Battle, where the player can confront him without having to go through Tales of Souls. Night Terror has special attributes in in-game combat; for instance, he can't be defeated by ring out. If he is knocked out of the ring, a cut-scene plays in which Night Terror uses his wings to fly back to the arena. He possess moves borrowed from both Nightmare and Siegfried, as well as a few unique ones; he has a flying stance, an unblockable eye-beam projectile and a diving attack executed from the air. He is, by far, the most powerful character that appears in Soulcalibur III, possessing the greatest reach, speed, and power (some of his moves can take off nearly half of a full life bar, his eye beam has the potential to take off even more than half).
Night Terror is created when the energies of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are fused with the remains of Nightmare, which contained Soul Edge's soul, Inferno. In his own profile, Night Terror is strong enough to escape Zasalamel's control and permanently kill him. Night Terror vaguely resembles a red and orange Soulcalibur, II Nightmare, but both its arms are talons, and it has a tail and flaming yellow wings. Unlike Nightmare, who is capable of speech, Night Terror just roars and growls. In Soulcalibur IV, Night Terror is not present, however Nightmare's second-player weapon resembles its weapon, Soul Edge "Complete", His lack of an appearance is explained due to the fact the swords were never fused, but it should be noted that he is technically canon.
In Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, Night Terror remains an non-playable boss character, though this time he appears at random in the arcade's end match, alongside Abyss.
In the PS2 console version of Soulcalibur III, Night Terror is seen when the correct trigger command is done in Nightmare's ending. Rapidly tapping the button indicated turns Nightmare into Night Terror. He slams down amidst several guards and flings them aside, then flies off the scene.
Olcadan
Olcadan (オルカダン Orukadan?) was introduced in Soulcalibur III as a warrior that mastered all kinds of martial arts and weapon usage, and interested in honing his skills. When he reached adulthood only one of his fights had ended in a draw, so to test himself he hunted down God of War Ares's messenger, a great snow owl, and decapitated it as proof of his victory. The Gods in turn cursed him to have an owl's head depending on the position of the stars, and he was eventually imprisoned in a labyrinth where time didn't flow. When Soul Edge brought about the events of the Evil Seed, the seal was broken, and impressed with its power he sought it out to defeat it. During this time he learned about currency, and desiring it he served as a instructor to other warriors for payment.
Olcadan is noted as being one of the Soul series few comedic characters.[26] His owl head has additionally earned him comparisons to the "O RLY?" internet phenomenon.[27][28] He received positive reception as a character due to his appearance and demeanor, placing in UGO.com's Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters article at eleventh place, beating out fellow series mimic character Charade.[29] They additionally awarded the character "Best New Character" of 2005, and proposed the possibility of Olcadan appearing in a stand-alone title and serving as a mascot for Namco, drawing comparisons to characters such as Master Chief.[30] The character was additionally mentioned by them in their early coverage of Soulcalibur IV, noting hope for his return in the title.[31]
Raphael
Raphael Sorel (ラファエル・ソレル Rafaeru Soreru?), the young master of the Sorel family, grew up with the rapier and medicine as his playmates. His cool, unemotional demeanor created many enemies, but his quick and precise decision-making and execution skills were prominent features of his family amongst the nobles. Unfortunately, Raphael made a critical mistake during the year of the notorious Evil Seed and killed an insane nobleman--a noble supported by his family. His family cast him out of their household and even aided the town in their pursuit of the murderer.
Raphael hid himself in a poor town to escape from his pursuers. There he met a young girl named Amy who hid the weakened Raphael from his enemies. For Raphael, this marked the first time he had ever owed his life to someone else, causing him to feel emotions he had never experienced before--Amy became an irreplaceable presence in his life.
Convinced that the chaos of the war in France at that time was no place to live, Raphael took Amy away. But even with the new surroundings, he could not get Amy to open her heart to the world. Then one day Raphael found a letter with references to the Evil Seed. It wasn't long before he could make the connections between the Evil Seed and the insanity of the noble that had attacked him; and he knew that the source of all this evil was a cursed sword called Soul Edge.
He pondered over the consequences that could occur if the pathetic nobles were to have the sword thrust into their possession; they would destroy themselves from the inside. Raphael decided to retrieve the sword himself so that the war-mongering nobles could be eliminated and a meaningful future could be secured for his foster daughter Amy.
He was determined to obtain the Soul Edge by any means necessary for the sake of this young girl, and concocted an insane scheme to help him achieve his end.
In his quest for the Soul Edge, Raphael tracked down and pursued its possessor, the Azure Knight Nightmare, at Ostrheinsburg Castle, but after a fierce battle he was defeated. His body weakened and his consciousness fading, Raphael looked up towards the Azure Knight, about to deliver a finishing blow, and muttered Amy's name. Emotion overcame Raphael's entire being, and he forced his body to move. The desperate strike he unleashed pierced the center of Soul Edge's eye; and his opponent writhed in pain. That was the last he remembered before losing consciousness. Once he recovered, he found he was alive and that the Azure Knight left without killing him.
Raphael dragged his wounded body back to his mansion. He spent several days on the brink of death, but eventually recovered. But he didn't notice the evil energy that had radiated in his Soul Edge induced wounds. He had come across the phenomenon of malignity transformation before in his research, but the transformation was already completed by the time Raphael thought this.
The symptoms even spread to Amy, possibly infected while she was treating his wounds. Their minds were intact, but they suffered physical symptoms. Their skin turned pale and their eyes shone red. They felt weak and sluggish by day, and a powerful thirst by night. Not long before, the neighboring people learned of their strange behavior. Thinking it was some form of plague, they attempted to drive them away. Furious, Raphael thought on taking vengeance, but having priority in Amy's safety, he took her away for good.
They traveled to Wallachia and purchased a castle ruin in the mountainous terrain, taking advantage of the war throughout the land. But Raphael had no intentions on living on the run. Since Amy has turned into a being who cannot interact with the world, he concluded that the world would change for them, and started spreading his evil plague. Eventually it moved into a great scale, reaching even a neighboring city. One day Raphael found that many of the transformed citizens had been returned to their original self thanks to something called "Holy Stone", a charm brought by a recent visitor. Raphael tried to steal the stone, but upon touching it his hand surged with pain as if it had been burned. Enraged, Raphael destroyed the stone.
But he still wondered if there were any other "Holy Stone" or charm with similar powers in the world. Feeling threatened, Raphael decided to venture away to seek out the stones' true nature and destroy them completely. But before leaving, an army, who had noticed the region's abnormality, appeared at the castle's base. Raphael bid his farewell to Amy before descending to confront the soldier's army by himself.
Raphael's appearance in Soul Calibur III was changed heavily, designed to represent his evil demeanor and royal image. The chief character designer of the game, Hideo Yoshie, stated that the change made Raphael "more distinctive".[32]
Rock
Nathaniel 'Rock' Adams, known in Japan as Rock Adams (ロック・アダムズ Rokku Adamuzu?), is the son of Mr. Adams, an English curio dealer specializing in rare weapons. Rock's father had bid on Soul Edge at a secret auction, and was bringing it home on his ship with family on board when the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon attacked. Rock's father ran to the storage room to hide the Soul Edge, and his mother ran after to stop him, telling Rock to stay where he was until their return; but they never came back, and the ship sank before they even had the chance. Rock washed up on the shore of the New World, where he learned to live off the land as the Natives had been practicing for many centuries before. He tried to join one of the tribes in the area, but they were afraid of the "White Giant," and the only one to befriend him was a young Native boy, Bangoo, whose parents had been taken by tribal warfare. Rock, by this time an adult, became a father figure to Bangoo.
Rock eventually re-learned of the people across the ocean, and faded memories of his parents and the Soul Edge began to resurface in his mind as he gradually recalled his past. He eventually decided that the Soul Edge would be the key to his fully-restored memory and with only his moon axe in hand, Rock set out towards the sea, hoping to cross it and find his destiny. In a battle with the Grecian, Sophitia Alexandra, he fought without conviction. When she halted the battle to ask him why he was hesitant in his attacks, he realized that he was leaving Bangoo to grow up alone and that leaving Bangoo alone was no better than never adopting him at all. He thanked Sophitia for her help and returned to Bangoo in the New World. But one horrible day, the grand priest of the cult order Fygul Cestemus, Kunpaetku, sent out a group of lizard men, led by Aeon Calcos, to kidnap the Native boy and lure Rock out to steal his soul. Taking the bait out of love for his foster son, Rock set out once again to Europe; but this time his motivation was not related to Soul Edge at all. He searched for a long time and eventually defeated Aeon Calcos in a battle, at the cost of his trusty axe. He saved Bangoo, but never truly discovered for what purpose Kunpaetku had wanted his soul out of all the souls available.
They were free once again, though they didn't return to the New World. Believing the travel at sea would be too much for young Bangoo, Rock decided to wait until he has become older to return. Heading north along the coast, they settled in northern Europe. There, they were greeted by a different and harder environment from that of his home. Rock wished for Bangoo to learn and strengthen himself amidst Mother Nature's limitless knowledge.
During one stormy winter night, Bangoo broke through thin ice while crossing the snowy valley. He fell into a crevice and spent the night with no way to warm himself. When he was rescued by Rock he was exhausted, but the light had not faded from his eyes. Rock asked him if he was frightened of nature, for which he answered that yes, but that he can’t bring himself to hate it. Upon hearing this, Rock felt that Bangoo’s time had finally come. For his rite of passage, Bangoo chose to cross the sea on his own, an act he before couldn't do. Rock saw Bangoo off on his solitary journey with a multitude of emotions in his heart.
Alone once more, Rock thought to himself and finally decided that he wanted to prove that he's worthy of being Bangoo's father. He had once searched Soul Edge without success, but now he would continue the search. In this journey he would reaffirm his strength and will. Without doubts in his heart of who he was, Rock beholds the seas one last time before leaving.
While on his way to prove himself as Bangoo's father, he was attacked and ambushed by Astaroth, the golem. After days, Rock surprisingly learned that Astaroth is under the service of the Azure Knight who possessed Soul Edge, the weapon Rock sought. So, he made a new quest to continue proving himself as Bangoo's father.
Rock first appeared in Soul Edge as a playable character and returned for Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur III, and again in Soulcalibur IV as a secret character.
Han Myeong
Seong Han-myeong (Hanja: 成漢明 Hangul: 성한명) is a secret character without character portrait, history, ending or extra weapons. Namco has not provided any official render, artwork or official information regarding him. Moreover, the narrator uses "Guest Fighter" instead of his name when he wins a fight. Han-myeong can only be fought against in Edge Master Mode. He's the second battle in Hwang's History Book. Han-myeong is the only remnant of a list of "Guest Characters" Namco planned to add to Edge Master Mode. Gel-o-Fury, Frederick Schtauffen, Cassandra and Arthur, among others, were planned to be included in Edge Master Mode, but the idea was later dropped and only Han-myeong remained.
Seong Han-myeong was the master of his own dojang in Jirisan, Korea. He was especially skilled in martial arts, which gained him great respect across the country. He had one daughter and one son, but his son and wife died of sickness, leaving only Seong Mi-na to continue his lineage. He worried for her every day, and taught her how to take care of herself by teaching her the ways of martial arts, and she had even become more skilled with the guan dao than he ever had, but he still wished she would settle down and stay home. There was another child at the dojo, the orphan Hwang Seong-gyeong, in whom Han-myeong had taken a particular interest. The young man had even distinguished himself enough to win a private lesson with the master, and Han-myeong was overwhelmed with happiness at the young man's potential. He saw this as an opportunity to have a son once again and considered adopting him, but Hwang had joined the Coastal Forces, and the opportunity never arose. He decided that once Hwang returned, he could ask him then. The young man returned sooner than expected, but it was only to ready himself for an important mission on behalf of the leader of the Coastal Forces, Admiral Yi Sun Shin, a childhood friend of Seong Han-myeong, to seek out the "Sword of Salvation," the Soul Edge. To show his appreciation, Han-myeong decided to hold a private conversation with the young man and offered to him his most prized sword, Mountain Breaker; but Hwang politely declined the offer, because it was Han-myeong's favorite weapon, but he accepted Blue Storm, one of the Seong's Family heirlooms.
All along, Mi-na had been listening in on their private conversation. Han-myeong knew she had previously tried to join the Coastal Defense but was rejected on account of her gender. The next day, as she was sneaking out of the house, he stopped her and asked where she was off to. She did not lie to him, but he was still not happy with what she had told him: She was off to find the Soul Edge on her own. He admonished her and ordered her to stay home, but she pushed him out of the way and ran off. Not long afterwards, news spread of an impending Japanese invasion of Korea, and most of his pupils left to join the Coastal Defense immediately. Upon hearing of the invasion, Hwang had cut his search short and returned home, dragging Mi-na along with him. When Mi-na had arrived, Han-myeong was waiting for her. He scolded her and made her endure a strict training regimen. Thanking Hwang for his help, he finally gathered the courage to ask the young man to be his son, but the offer was politely declined. Han-myeong did not give up there, for he began to plan a marriage for Hwang and Mi-na, making Mi-na grow very angry with him and run away soon afterwards. He was stricken with grief but also considered that perhaps he had always been too protective of her, as she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But she never returned for months, and he began to become extremely worried, even requesting the aid of Yi Sun Shin, who could not help him due to the invasion. But his worries were somewhat reduced when Yi Sun Shin sent Hwang on a mission to find her; and, three years later, the two of them returned. Han-myeong apologized to Mi-na for being too overprotective for all those years and promised to treat her as an adult from that day forward. Four years later, Han-myeong had acquired another student of immeasurable potential, Hong Yun-seong, but the proud boy had sneaked away on a personal mission for the Soul Edge, taking a Seong family heirloom with him, the dao White Storm. Mi-na came to Han-myeong in a private conversation and asked him to let her go to search for Yun-seong, since she felt obliged to retrieve it. Han-myeong did not want her to go, but he knew in his heart that even if he protested, she would simply run away again; he reluctantly gave her his blessing to retrieve it. By the time he considered that she would, in fact, try to seek out and destroy the Soul Edge on her journey, it was too late, and she was long gone.
Seong Mi-na
Seong Mi-na (ソン・ミナ Son Mina?, Hanja: 成美那 Hangul: 성미나 Seong Mina) is a character introduced in the original Soul Edge. Growing up in the famous Korean Seong Dojang headed by her father, Seong Han-myeong, Mi-na had always been surrounded by weapons, many of which she learned to use quite well, even surpassing her father with the guan dao. However, her looks led the local boys to tease her and call her nothing more than a girl, an image supported by her father who wanted her to settle down and marry a suitor, preferably Hwang Seong-gyeong, whom Han-myeong had personally wanted to adopt into the family. Facing increasing incursions from Japanese raiders, a coast guard was quickly formed and led by Yi Soon Shin, her father's childhood friend, with Mi-na desperate to join in the ranks; but she was barred from joining on account of her gender. Overhearing rumours of Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", while eavesdropping on a private conversation between her father and Hwang, she decided that if she would not be able to prove herself in the coastal defense, she could just as easily prove herself by finding the fabled sword for her country. This prompted her to pack her belongings and run away from home, not knowing that Hwang had already been sent out on his own official quest for the weapon.
During her search, she did meet up with Hwang, and upon receiving news of an impending Japanese invasion of Korea, he cut his quest short and returned home, dragging Mi-na home with him. Not long after her return, Mi-na ran away again. Her frustration with rigorous training, combined with her father's eagerness to marry her to Hwang and a proposal from one of her father's wealthy trainees, sent her over the edge and out the door. Mi-na resumed her quest for the Soul Edge, but gained a valuable lesson along the way. She heard of a female warrior named Ivy, who was also searching for the Soul Edge. But upon meeting Ivy, she was told that Soul Edge was inherently demonic and that Mi-na would be better suited at home because she was only a weak little girl. Quick to anger, she challenged Ivy to a fight, but, overwhelmed and confused by Ivy's unusual snake sword, she suffered a humiliating defeat. Questioning her own strength, Mi-na met a middle-aged, alcoholic man with a beaten bo staff who jeered her and told her not to challenge people so hastily. But true to form, she attacked him and never landed a single hit, as he caught her guan dao with his bare hands. She asked if she could train under him, and he reluctantly agreed; despite his chronic alcoholism, his ability with the bo staff taught her much during her training. After a year of training, he mysteriously disappeared while out to buy more alcohol, and her only trace of him was a goodbye note telling her there was nothing more he could teach her, signed by a one 'Kong Xiuqiang', who was, in reality, Chai Xianghua's long-lost father and an exiled student of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. From this experience, Mi-na learned to never underestimate the strength of an opponent, and she continued training for two years until she was ready to resume her quest for the Soul Edge. Eventually, however, she was dragged home once again by Hwang.
Four years later, Mi-na saw a student of her father, Hong Yun-seong, angry after being rejected by Hwang when he challenged him to a battle. She felt sorry for the brooding young man and handed him a Seong family heirloom, the dao 'White Storm' that, according to legend, possessed the ability to reflect the innermost thoughts of those who wielded the blade. That night, Yun-seong had packed his belongings and run away from the dojo in pursuit of Soul Edge, taking the dao with him. Since Mi-na had lent the heirloom to him, she felt obligated to retrieve it, and decided to leave the dojang to find him. Seong Han-myeong did not want her to go, but he knew in his heart that if he protested, she would simply run away again, and he gave her his blessing to retrieve the weapon. By the time he considered that she would, in fact, try to seek and destroy the Soul Edge on her journey, it was too late, and she was long gone.
Seong Mi-na traveled throughout Ming, continuing her search for Yun-seung. In one city, she got involved in a fight. After defeating a brawny man, one of the onlookers casually remarked that her style largely resembled the fabled Ling-Sheng Su Style. When she thought about it, the man who had taught her how to use her weapon had never given a name for the style. This fighting art was a solid part of her now, but she didn't know where it originated from. Mi-na became interested and decided to visit this temple famous for its martial arts.
She went to the said temple and found that it was destroyed a few years ago. However, she found out that an old master of the said style was still alive. She decided to visit the old man living in some mountains in the Himalayas. She arrived and saw Edge Master, who was also Kilik's master. When she first challenged him to a fight, he refused. But in the end, he agreed. Seong Mi-na suffered a total defeat. The old man then invited her to stay with him to train. During breaks, she told him of stories of her travels. He seemed vaguely interested, but he jumped at the information that Mi-na was also looking for Soul Edge. He told her the sword was evil. She did not believe him at first, but she knew that a man like him would not lie.
After a few months of training, Mi-na made up her mind to go after Yun-seong again, to tell him that the sword was evil. After saying goodbye to her new master, she thought that next time, she would bring Yun-seong along. She concluded that it would be so much fun.
Setsuka
Setsuka (雪華 Setsuka?) is a character introduced in Soulcalibur III. Early in her life in Japan, she was shunned as a gaijin, and eventually ran away from her home. In another city, she was taken in by a man who named her Setsuka (Snow Flower). The man worked as a bodyguard in the region, and taught her his fighting style over the years, as well as showing her affection and treating her with gifts, things which she was deprived of before. After he was defeated by Heishiro Mitsurugi, Setsuka realized she had grown to love him over the years as a father, and despite his dying request not to pursue revenge, she chose to do so. She now tracks Nightmare, believing it will lead her to Mitsurugi, who pursues Nightmare himself.
Setsuka relies on the sheer power of her speed to strike at her foes, and fights in a style similar to Iaidō, with her sword sheathed in an umbrella for secrecy.
Siegfried
Siegfried Schtauffen (ジークフリート・シュタウフェン Jīkufurīto Shutaufen?) the protagonist of the series, was born to Sir Frederick Schtauffen, a brave knight who was considered a champion among the oppressed peasants of his German home, and a woman named Margaret who met Frederick while he was on campaign, during the late sixteenth century. He was given the name 'Siegfried' after the famous hero, and was taught swordsmanship by his father.
Frederick embarked on a foreign crusade and, due to lack of guidance in life, Siegfried unintentionally murdered his returning father while rampaging as the leader of a teenage band of thieves calling themselves "Schwarzwind" (German translation for "black wind"). Siegfried grew in despair and eventually convinced himself that anyone but he was to blame for his father's death. Siegfried had heard rumours of the invincible Soul Edge, and came to believe his father's killer could only be killed with that weapon.
After taking the life of a noble he worked for during a siege on his castle in Ostrheinsburg (he did so in an effort to claim - what he thought was - Soul Edge), he finally managed to come across the legendary weapon Soul Edge, lying beside the corpse of the defeated Cervantes de Leon which transformed into Inferno. Siegfried defeated Inferno, earning the right to wield Soul Edge himself. However, Soul Edge telepathically spoke to Siegfried, arranging a deal between the two; Siegfried would help the blade to restore itself gathering souls, and Soul Edge would resurrect his father Frederick. But Siegfried finally succumbed to the sword's power - transforming into the Azure Knight, Nightmare.
He claimed refuge in Ostrheinsburg Castle. During the following three years, he gathered together a group of followers: the golem Astaroth, Lizardman (Aeon Calcos), and Ivy. Each of them aided him in Soul Edge's quest to devour souls for a rejuvenation ceremony to be performed in his chosen stronghold, Ostrheinsburg Castle. But as the ceremony was about to take place, the clan was quickly laid to waste. Both Aeon Calcos and Astaroth were defeated; and Ivy left the clan after learning the shocking truth of her past from the Fu-Ma ninja, Taki. Two young warriors confronted Nightmare: Kilik, owner of both the sacred staff Kali-Yuga and sacred mirror Dvapara-Yuga; and Xianghua, owner of Krita-Yuga, which revealed itself as Soul Calibur.
Nightmare and Soul Edge were defeated, initiating a new resolve in the now-conscious Siegfried, albeit temporary - shards of the weakened Soul Edge were still present within his body. He eventually assumed the azure armor for a second time, becoming Nightmare all over again, desperately pursuing fragments of the Soul Edge so that he might fully restore it.
Raphael Sorel appeared in search of Soul Edge and Nightmare stood victorious after a fierce battle. As he stepped forward to finish Raphael, he muttered something incoherently. Following this, an internal struggle began between Siegfried and Inferno (spirit of the evil sword) vying for control over their physical body. With this show of "hesitation", Raphael unleashed a desperate final blow upon his enemy, piercing the center of Soul Edge. Nightmare let out an inhuman cry, and Siegfried finally regained control of his own body. Siegfried remembered his actions previous, before using the newly-revealed holy sword, Soul Calibur, to drive into the evil eye that was the core of Soul Edge, where the weapon had been trapped - however, this effort to destroy the evil sword would prove insufficient.
In the preceding event of Soulcalibur III, Siegfried now has control of his own body, picking up both swords and leaving Ostrheinsburg on a mission to seal away Soul Edge for all eternity, as he swore to atone for his sins, not knowing that Nightmare had gained a separate body of his own. Eventually, he fell victim to Zasalamel's plot to reunite Soul Edge and Soul Calibur at the Lost Cathedral. Siegfried took up Soul Calibur and fought a ferocious battle against the now-independent Nightmare, who in turn regained Soul Edge. Though victorious for the time being, the combination of the energy released from Soul Edge and Soul Calibur as well as his injuries from the battle mortally wounded Siegfried.
The events of Soulcalibur IV see Siegfried having been revived by the Soul Calibur, which has gained some sentience from the Soul Edge and the release of its creator, Algol. Now dependent on the armor in which the Soul Calibur had encased him for survival, Siegfried rejects all human contact and devotes himself to destroying both swords once and for all. In his ending, he finally defeats Nightmare decisively and releases the power of the Soul Calibur, permanently sealing away the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, and killing himself in the process. In Hilde's ending, he is instead forgiven for his crimes as the Azure Knight and given a royal pardon.
One of Siegfried's extra weapons is the Glam (mistranslation of Gram), the weapon that Sigurd in Norse mythology used to kill the dragon Fafnir and in Soulcalibur Legends, Siegfried fights "Fanfir". The Faust blade also takes reference from a German legend, in which the protagonist makes a deal with the devil (in-universe, Siegfried and Soul Edge have a Faustian bargain).
Sources such as JIVE Magazine have described him as one of several "total crutches for mediocre players" in Soulcalibur II for his attack strength.[33] In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, Siegfried placed ninth with 2.5% of the tally, tied with Mitsurugi.[34] As Nightmare, Siegfried has been described as "one of the most memorable fighting-game villains in history."[35] According to IGN, Siegfried and Nightmare are placed as number one in their list of top ten Soulcalibur fighters.[36]
Sophitia Alexandra
The daughter of a Greek baker, Sophitia worked at her family bakery. She lives in Athens, a part of Ottoman Empire. She has always treasured her country's culture and prayed often to the city guardian, Athena, the goddess of wisdom. One day, as she bathed in a forest spring, a bright light appeared and took the shape of a man. He revealed to her that he was the Olympian god of fire and forge, Hephaestus, and told her of the evil blade Soul Edge--that the existence of such a powerful blade would put shame to his name, as he had not created it, and that if anyone were to discover it, it would bring much pain to the world. Hephaestus ordered her to come to the Eurydice Shrine and receive a holy weapon, the Omega Sword, so that she could destroy the Soul Edge. Upon gaining her equipment, she ventured forward. Sophitia did eventually track down the Soul Edge in a port in Valencia, Spain; and she fought its possessor, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon, destroying one of the twin blades. However, shards of the evil sword flew with great force from her powerful blow wounding her too greatly to finish the fight. Just as Cervantes was about to deliver a finishing blow to the endangered Sophitia, a mysterious female ninja, Taki, saved her and proceeded to kill the evil pirate. After the battle had finished, Taki carried Sophitia on her back to her home in Athens, where her sister, Cassandra, had been waiting for her. Cassandra was the only member of her family or group of friends to believe her story at the time. While recovering from her wounds, she was also taken care of by a local blacksmith named Rothion. The two eventually fell in love.
Three years later, she had returned to her life as a baker's daughter, spending her days without a sword or shield and entertaining her eventual marriage to her betrothed, Rothion. However, one night, she had had an ominous vision of a knight in azure-colored armor and a second sword of immense evil--a sword she knew that had to be the real Soul Edge. Following this dream, she received a second oracle from Hephaestus to destroy the remains of Soul Edge, who then supplied her with holy metal, which Rothion used to forge a new Omega Sword and shield; she set out on a second journey to destroy the cursed sword. On this second journey Sophitia, who healed the lands polluted by evil, eventually stopped feeling the evil presence of the blade. She continued for a while, but once she was sure someone else destroyed the blade, she immediately ended her travels and returned to her home as quickly as possible. There, she soon married Rothion and gave birth to both a son and a daughter. But a strange shard that Rothion had received from a mysterious customer four years later brought a halt to her newfound happiness. Upon bringing the metal fragment home, their two children, Patroklos and Pyrrha, scrambled to fight violently with each other over the artifact. The evil aura the fragment emanated caused Sophitia's old wounds to ache, as they had been undoubtedly infected with the evil energy of the Soul Edge seven years previous, explaining her children's predilection for the bizarre aura. Cassandra had seen Sophitia's distraught expression and proceeded to grab the shard from her grasp and run out the door, running away from home soon afterwards. A couple of weeks later, Sophitia decided that if she was to free her children from the evil sword's curse and ensure her sister's safety, she had to embark on a third journey. But because Cassandra had stolen Sophitia's previous weapons, which she had stored at Eurydice Shrine, Rothion forged her a new set to destroy the cursed Soul Edge once and for all.
Her journey took her to Ostrheinsburg Castle, which was blanketed by a thick fog. From the fog emerged a small girl in green clothing with a large ring-like blade (Tira). The girl casually told Sophitia that Soul Edge was not in the castle and she also told her that she wanted to play with her children with a smile that was neither gentle nor heartwarming. Sophitia lunged at the girl, but she easily dodged her, and disappeared into the fog. Sophitia quickly returned home and was relieved to see that her family was safe, but she was unsure whether or not to continue her search for Soul Edge. She went to the Eurydice Shrine to pray to Hephaestus for guidance, where the girl in green was waiting for her.
As they fought, Sophitia noticed an emotion from the girl other than madness. She realized that the girl had never felt happiness. With a look of hatred in her eyes, the irritated girl simply pushed Sophitia away and left, leaving these words before leaving: "You're annoying...when the time comes, I'll come for your children". Sophitia then made up her mind. She was going to destroy Soul Edge for the sake of her children. Asking her husband to keep their children safe, Sophitia left to continue her search for the cursed sword.
It would be during her ongoing search for Soul Edge that Sophitia would confront several of Nightmare's loyal followers. One day, as she was recuperating by a flowing stream, a dark cloud began to cast a shadow across the sky. She sensed that the sword was regaining power, and as such her resolve to see its destruction would have to increase. Just then, she was once again confronted by the small girl, Tira. Sophitia drew her sword to attack, but the girl simply giggled. "I have a secret to tell you. Wanna hear it?" "I have no time for games, servant of the Azure Knight! If it means the safety of my family, then your life's end is all I seek!" Suddenly, the girl's demeanor changed drastically to something so vile and disturbing it shook Sophitia to the core. "Pathetic human! Your child's fate has already been sealed!!" Sophitia looked on in horror as an image of her daughter, Pyrrha, infected with the curse of Soul Edge's power, flashed through her mind. Her journey called for her to continue on in search of the evil sword, but she had no choice but to return home. Upon her arrival, her fears were confirmed. Pyrrha had become possessed by Nightmare's dark infection, but it lay dormant and listless. Then, as if resonating across the world, she heard the girl's wretched voice in her mind: "Serve my master, or your family will fall to his power."
Sophitia, a warrior chosen by the gods themselves to smite the evil Soul Edge, made a choice that day. A choice that would tear her soul apart. A choice she felt she had no alternative but to uphold. As images of Pyrrha's darkness spreading to her beloved husband and son ripped through her mind, she rose to her feet and embarked on a new journey with a heavy heart. No longer would she seek out the Soul Edge to destroy it. Instead, she would aid in its harvest.... Upon defeating Algol, the Hero King, Sophitia took hold of the demon sword in an effort to end her family's suffering. Soul Edge, once a polar opposite to the purity of her heart, fed upon the countless murders on her conscience in serving Nightmare's command and began to possess her soul with the very madness that claimed Siegfried years prior. Algol, reminded of his battle with his own son, stopped Soul Edge's malice and freed her daughter of its infection, commending Sophitia for her bravery but reminding her of her true goal: protecting those she loved- a goal that could never be achieved under Soul Edge's influence.
In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Sophitia placed second with 18% of the tally, behind Seong Mi-na.[37] UGO.com praised Sophitia in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, placing her at seventh place and describing her as "a regular little spitfire", noting her attack strength and visual appeal.[38] She was also listed by Tom's Games as one of the fifty greatest female characters in video game history.[39]
Taki
Taki (タキ Taki?, also written as 多喜) started as one of the eight original characters from the Arcade game Soul Edge, and remained as such in the successive upgrade Soul Edge: Version II and PSX port, gaining slight gameplay upgrades along the way. Her Edge Master Mode in-game story states that, after a hard fight against a demon who haunted a temple, she discovers her beloved weapon, the magical ninjatō she named Rekkimaru, was considerably weakened. Discovering the source to be Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured sword, and to hunt down Soul Edge as well.
Taki returned as a starter character on Soulcalibur, both on the Arcade and Dreamcast port. Her style went through a substantial change: originally using a single weapon, she is given a second ninjatō to wield, changing her style to dual-wielding. Besides the gameplay upgrades she gained, her story fleshed out considerably as well.
The Prologue of the stage explains how Taki confronted the main villain of Soul Edge, Cervantes, and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, Sophitia, who was the one who shattered the smaller of the Soul Edges. Her in-game profile follows her story as she tries to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success. But when she fused it with her other weapon, Mekkimaru, it shed a powerful evil aura. In order to destroy this new evil weapon, Taki sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would destroy themselves.
However, the official profile released on the official website expanded on the backstory of her new weapon Mekkimaru, and how she obtained it. It starts with the revelation, from her leader Toki, that former Fu-Ma leader Hachibei stole the mysterious sword and escaped. Turned a nukenin (fugitive), she is ordered to kill both him and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of her, and bring back the blade. With her network intelligence, Taki locates Hachibei quickly, and she is informed about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki get ahold the Mekkimaru and gives Taki a kodachi (short sword). Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of Li