Soul Series/Characters/Soul Calibur

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


This is a list of characters from the Soul Series that made their debut in the second game of the series, Soulcalibur.

Kilik

Origin - Ling-Sheng Su Temple, Ming Empire (China)

Weapon(s) - Rod (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur IV), All weapons[1] (Soulcalibur V)

Voiced By: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Scott Reyns (Soulcalibur II; English), Grant George (Soulcalibur III onward; English)

One of the monks at the Ling-Sheng Su temple. He becomes a victim of the Evil Seed, but his adoptive sister Xianglian sacrifices herself to save him from the fate of insanity at the cost of her own. Because Xianglian removed her Dvapara-Yuga mirror from herself, she was driven to insanity by the seed and attacked Kilik with all her strength, but Kilik killed her in self defense and the shock from this event made him collapse.

He was eventually found and raised by an old hermit known only as the Edge Master. He taught Kilik how to disperse and destroy the various evil energies linked to Soul Edge. He first tries to physically destroy the sword; once that failed, he tries to purify it itself even if it means becoming a hermit. As of IV, he's determined to this task, attempting to distance Xianghua from him so as to not share his sad destiny.

Reappears in V, in an Akuma-esque manner as a secret boss. He has somehow mastered all fighting styles in the 17-year timeskip, and has devoted himself to training. 

After IV, he and Xianghua have an affair, and give birth to Xiba. Because Kilik is tainted with Soul Edge's influence, a portion of the evil energy was transferred into Xiba. Fearing for their child's safety, they consult Edge Master, who contacts Kong Xiuquang (Xianghua's grandfather whom she doesn't know about yet) to raise Xiba. Kilik decides to travel the world in order to purify himself, and comes across a shrine which is actually a gateway into Astral Chaos, which is how he comes to know the fighting styles that he uses now. The people he learned the fighting styles from were also servants of Algol.
  • Animal Motifs: Birds, possibly. His Critical Finish involves Kilik leaping into the air while surrounded by golden feathers as the cry of a phoenix resounds through the air, while his helmet in V is distinctively fashion after a bird.
  • Badass Normal: In the canon ending to the first Soulcalibur, Kilik was the one to defeat Nightmare.
  • The Berserker: If he loses the Dvapara-Yuga (the mirror belt of sorts he wears), he's engulfed by a blind rage. Eventually, Kilik was able to overcome his influence of the Evil Seed and instead used a necklace holding a shard of the Dvapara-Yuga (which was broken in the fight with Nightmare) to purify other victims of the Evil Seed.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: As a result of the Evil Seed.
  • Break the Cutie: His backstory.
  • Celibate Hero: A more complex variation. Unlike in III (where he's shown to either flat-out ask Xianghua to stay with him or be Oblivious to Love to her hints), IV states that Kilik is well-aware of Xianghua's infatuation with him. Kilik himself wants to reciprocate that affection, but due to a variety of psychological factors (such as Xianghua reminding him of Xianglian or the dangers of their quest to destroy Soul Edge), he ultimately wants Xianghua to be happy without him. This comes to a head in IV: either he leads a live of seclusion to properly balance the energies of the soul swords within his Kali Yuga (his ending) or she desperately pleads for Kilik to not to sacrifice himself and goes with him. Furthermore, even with Xianghua's daughter in V possessing the Dvapara-Yuga necklace, it's been revealed that he is not the father. But he is the father of her estranged son, Xiba.
  • Cool Helmet: Adorns a helmet that hides his face in SCV.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: In his SCV character portrait, Kilik hides his eyes in the dark of his helmet, his aura is a sickly red glow, his pose is now a menacing engulf-everything with-your-hands. However, his personality is more or less unchanged from previous titles.
  • Defeat Means Playable: In SCV, defeat Kilik in either the Asia route of Arcade, Quick Battle, or Legendary Souls mode and you get him.
  • Did Not Get the Girl: Xinghua was forced into an arranged marriage, and Lexia was born from it; but prior this event she and Kilik did have a time togther to make Xiba happen, so it's more of a "Did Not Manage To Keep The Girl".
  • Ditto Fighter: As of SCV; although he has exclusive moves with his Rod.
  • The Faceless: His helmet in SCV hides his face, his eyes in particular.
    • The Untwist: If you break off his helmet, though, he looks perfectly fine.
  • Failure Knight: Has never been able to forgive himself for what happened at Ling-Sheng Su.
  • Fallen Hero: Possibly as of SCV, Kilik did not get to live happily with Xianghua, gave away one of the items that kept his good morality in check, automatically resulting in embracing his Evil Seed and posing as dark warrior master of all styles. It said said that if he gave away his other item, he would be cured.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars/X Marks the Hero: Has a criss-cross scar on his face below his left eye.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: In Xianghua's ending, along with Xianghua in SCIV. Though he doesn't go alone. (See "Together in Death" in her section.)
  • Hot Dad: He is Xiba's father, and apparently becoming the next Master of all Weapons managed to hold his youthful looks.
  • Jossed: Many have assumed that Kilik became evil in V and while we do not know what happened between him and Xianghua, it was revealed through his winquotes that he was completely devoted himself to training and became a second Edge Master. Otherwise, he is more or less the same Kilik.
  • Legacy Character: Appears to have become this to Edge Master as of V. Why he devoted himself to training in all forms of combat is currently unknown.
    • I Regret Nothing: Tells Edge Master this upon defeating him in a match in V, referring to the above.
  • Duty First, Love Second: Towards Xianghua.
  • Power Glows: His character portrait in SCV has him engulfed by a red glow.
  • Secret Character: In SCV, he has to be unlocked, and is one the of last chracters to be so, as it requires finishing story mode, then playing the Legendary Souls mode to fight against Kilik to get him.
    • Or one can do it the easy way and fight him in the Asia route of Arcade mode. You don't even need to clear story mode. While it is an easier fight and acessable from the start, he is the final character in the route. Or one can hunt him down in Quick Battle
  • Simple Staff: His main weapon as a monk is a bo called "Kali-Yuga," one of the three sacred treasures of his temple. He gave it to Xiba Offscreen Moment of Awesome sometime in V. Despite a new fighting style, he still has a fondness for staff fighting and has unique moves when copying Xiba. When fighting him in Legendary Souls mode, he fights only with his staff.
  • Spell My Name with an "S": His name "Kilik" has been oddly romanized. Judging by the characters used in his original Japanese name, he is intended to be called Qi Li-Ke, which makes much more sense for a Chinese character.
    • Meaningful Name: However, he could well be named after Kilik Pass, a mountain trail in Xinjiang on China's border with Kashmir. This location also matches the look of his mountainous "Proving Grounds" stages in SC and SCIII.
  • Training from Hell: Courtesy of Edge Master, implied by this picture.
  • Warrior Monk: Has always been this but is taken Up to Eleven in V where he seems to be following Edge Master's route. His stage is a cave with a stone Buddha statue holding his Kali-Yuga and his winquotes have him saying mantras.
  • Yin-Yang Bomb: In more than one way. In early games, he was said to be heavily contaminated by evil energy, but it was contained thanks to the holy mirror he carried with him. Furthermore, in IV, his final weapon is Soul Embrace, the combination of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Most likely as a reference to his ending in that game, where's he's seen absorbing the energies of both weapons into his staff.

Chai Xianghua

Origin - Peking, Ming Empire (China)

Weapon(s) - Jian (Chinese rapier), Soul Calibur - Jian (Soulcalibur, during the battle with Inferno only)

Voiced By: Aya Hisakawa (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur III; Japanese), Ryoko Shintani (Soulcalibur IV; Japanese), Wendee Lee (Soulcalibur II onward; English)

Xianghua is the younger sister of Kilik's adoptive sister Xianglian, daughter of a famous swordswoman and heiress to the Chai clan. Was sent by her Emperor to obtain the Soul Edge, but after finding out the truth of the sword, works with Kilik to destroy it.

Since II, Xianghua has been feeling guilty for not informing her superiors of Soul Edge's "destruction", leading to the massacre of an entire city. She fails to help Kilik in III against Zasalamel, and is overwhelmed by the guilt, until she learns to cope with it during training in a Ming general's mansion. As of IV, she tries to stop Maxi from taking the sword, while worrying about Kilik's coldness towards her. As of V she is succeeded by her daughter Leixia, whom she entranced with stories of her adventures.

Daishi Odashima considers her the main character of Soulcalibur. Her weapon in her debut marked the first appearance of the Soul Calibur when her Krita-Yuga sword transformed into it.

Maxi

Origin - Shuri, Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa)

Weapon(s) - Nunchaku

Voiced By: Nobutoshi Canna (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur III; Japanese), Kenjiro Tsuda (Soulcalibur IV; Japanese), Shigeo Kiyama (Soulcalibur V; Japanese), Doug Boyd (Soulcalibur II; English), Steve Van Wormer (Soulcalibur III onward; English)

The Lancer of Kilik's 2-man-and-1-woman-band. Maxi seeks revenge against Astaroth because he killed Maxi's adoptive brother Kyam and his crew, as he sought Kilik due to the evil energy in him. In the Soulcalibur he apparently dies after killing Astaroth but comes back in II, thought with his limbs weakened to the point of uselessness. His limbs get even better throught a ritual with a piece of Soul Edge, but he gains Laser-Guided Amnesia in exchange. In III he meets up with his former friends and remembers them, but because Maxi has a piece of Soul Edge inside him and Kilik's Dvapara-Yuga mirror wards off evil, Maxi can no longer travel with them. In IV he is manipulated by Tira into serving as a sacrifice for Soul Edge. After vanquishing Astaroth for good, he almost becomes a slave to Soul Edge's will, but Edge Master intervenes and teaches him to control the evil. Now one with the fragment of Soul Edge, he is entrusted with the care of Xiba in V, and journeys to investigate new whispers of the dark sword's return.

  • Badass: Seems to fight his way through just about everything. When it looked like he was going to die at the end of Soulcalibur he got better and continued his unending quest to avenge his fallen friends. He was even willing to wield the Soul Edge just to strike down Astaroth, knowing full well that he'd have to be slain in order to stop the soul-stealing rampage that would follow.
  • Badass Normal: Beyond having a Soul Edge shard in him that seems to not empower him at all, he has no magical abilities, no magic weapon, and yet he's arguably the best fighter in the series—only the clearly supernatural characters/monsters beat him out (Olcadan, Edge Master, Zasalamel, and Cervantes) without needing the soul swords. And remember, he actually defeated Astaroth in one-on-one combat before having the shard of Soul Edge implanted in his body.
  • Expy: He replaced Li Long as the game's nunchaku fighter. And he looks like Elvis Presley. His moves make him the game's token Bruce Lee expy. That's three levels of Expy-ness.
  • Fan Nickname: Medieval Elvis.
    • He's known as "Kenny" amongst the users of 8wayrun.com, in tribute to South Park's un-killable namesake, as he too seems to die at the end of every iteration in the series and miraculously returns for the next.
    • Chilean fans refer to him as "Medieval René" because of his uncanny similarity to 90's kitsch singer René de la Vega.
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: With Kilik. (Not that it stops the Ho Yay.) Before that, there was him and his "sworn brother" Kyam (who was murdered by Astaroth, along with the rest of Maxi's crew).
  • He Who Fights Monsters: He's desperate enough in his quest against Astaroth that he's willing to pick up and use Soul Edge in the full knowledge that his friends will have to fight him to stop him. It's clear that his hatred has driven him past reasoning.
  • Lovable Rogue
  • Older Than They Look: Specifically stated to be so in V, even though he looks no different than he did back in the day. It's heavily speculated that his aging was slowed down by the effects of the Soul Edge shard that was inside of his body. This is even lampshaded by Maxi himself in his bio.
    • Older and Wiser: By Soulcalibur V, he's finally avenged his crew, received some training from Edge Master himself, mellowed out a bit, and has taken to leading Lexia, Natsu, and Xiba.
  • Pirate: Of the dashing romantic hero type, he hails from the tropical island Kingdom of Ryukyu (modern day Okinawa).
  • Revenge: Towards Astaroth, who killed his adoptive brother Kyam and his whole pirate crew.
    • Revenge Before Reason: On the verge of falling this into this abyss as of IV. His ending even has him brandishing Soul Edge to defeat Astaroth, knowing fully that Kilik and Xianghua will have to fight him afterward because of the sword. Luckily, Edge Master swoops in to prevent Maxi from becoming consumed by his desire for revenge.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: See above.
  • Sacrificial Lamb
  • Spell My Name with an "S": Maxi = Makishi - based on the Japanese for his name (マキシ). Makishi is a fairly common Okinawan name, so this makes sense. He probably uses Maxi because it sounds more international in his capacity as a world-roaming pirate.
  • Shiny Midnight Black: His glossy hair.
  • Tall, Dark and Handsome: Although he also has his snarky moments.

Astaroth

Origin - Grand Shrine of Palgaea, Persia (Iran)

Weapon(s) - Giant axe

Voiced By: Banjo Ginga (Soulcalibur; English), Ryuzaburo Ohtomo (Soulcalibur II onward; Japanese), Jay S. Gilbert (Soulcalibur II; English), Michael McConnohie (Soulcalibur III onward; English)

A large golem created by a cult that worshipped the God of War (No, not that one). His main task is to find Soul Edge and bring it to his master, Kunpaetku (Ares, actually[2]). He slaughtered Maxi's crew under Nightmare's orders. He is later killed by Maxi himself, but gets resurrected in II' by Ares. Kunpaetku placed a curse upon him in an attempt to recover control over him, but it only made him more prone to berserk rages. Due to this, he sets out to destroy Kunpaetku, who had planned to betray the god and take Soul Edge's power for himself. Astaroth destroyed the whole cult and eventually found Kunpaetku, who revealed that Astaroth was a "failed experiment," and that he was modeled after a human.

Astaroth tries fighting against the fact that he is based off a human until he encounters Rock, who he realizes is the man he was modeled after. Filled with anger, he attacks Rock and wins the fight. He then realizes that for all of his life, he had been serving someone, or something. He reaches the peak of his rage and sheds his humanoid appearance, becoming the golem that he was meant to be. He vows to use Soul Edge's power to kill Ares once and for all, and then kill everything else afterward.

The original Astaroth was slain in a decisive battle with Maxi in IV, and his heart was harvested by Ashlotte and brought back to the cult. During the timeskip, a new sect of the cult lead by Kunpaetku created several new Astaroth-like golems using the heart, one of which appears in V.

Astaroth (pre-battle): "Pretentious little bug!"
Astaroth (post-battle): "You all look the same to me."

Isabella "Ivy" Valentine

Origin - London, British Empire

Weapon(s) - Whip sword

Voiced By: Yumi Touma (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur III; Japanese), Kanako Tôjo (Soulcalibur Legends & Soulcalibur IV; Japanese), Miyuki Sawashiro (Soulcalibur V; Japanese), Renee Hewitt (Soulcalibur II; English), Lani Minella (Soulcalibur III onward; English)

Cervantes' daughter. She was conceived when Soul Edge schemed to create a new host should Cervantes become unable to fulfill his duty. Cervantes, under this influence, raped the daughter of the owner of the Black Tail Inn, who gave birth to Ivy and left her in the care of the noble Valentine household in London. After her adoptive father passed away, she sought to continue his research of Soul Edge through alchemy. She eventually discovered its true properties and sets out to destroy it in memory of her parents. She joins Nightmare, unaware he wielded Soul Edge, and serves him in slaughters under the belief she'd get to Soul Edge throught this. Later confronted by Taki, she discovers the truth of her birth and her father's identity from her.

After a lot of soul searching, she decides to destroy everything related to Soul Edge. She conducts even MORE research on finding a way to destroy Soul Edge and learns of Soul Calibur, the cursed sword's polar opposite. She closes in on finding a way to wield Soul Calibur, but Cervantes attacks her by surprise and steals her soul. Luckily she finds a way to escape that fate by using the artificial soul of the homunculus she was creating into herself. Her whip sword's style changes accordingly to her new body, and she sets out one last time to destroy Soul Edge once and for all. She encounters Cervantes and defeats him, bearing witness to the disappearance of Soul Edge into a vortex in the process. Knowing that this was not the end, she went back to her home and began researching into the strange anomaly she saw. Devising a potential new way to destroy the sword over the course of 17 years, her body remains unaged due to her cursed blood, and she sets out to destroy the sword once and for all.

  • Abusively Sexy Lady
  • The Ageless
  • Alchemy Is Magic: She's a practitioner of the art, and this shows up in some of her most powerful moves (like her Critical Finish in IV) in ways that resemble outright sorcery, conjuring up fiery portals to incinerate her enemies.
  • Ambiguously Gay: Has some occasional slight Les Yay moments with Sophitia and Taki and her more masculine outfits (such as in Soulcalibur II) do give her a Butch Lesbian vibe.
  • Animal Motifs: Her shoulder pauldron in SCV incorporates a large, hissing Snakes Are Sexy-head.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Obviously, Cervantes is her mortal enemy.
  • Aristocrats Are Evil
  • The Atoner: Starting from SCII.
  • Badass
  • Badass Boast: "Curse your fate for running into ME ".
  • Bare Your Midriff: Most noticible in IV. God, where do the fetishes stop?!
  • The Baroness
  • Be My Valentine
  • Big Fancy House: The Valentine Mansion, London. The grand staircase and library are used as fighting arenas in SC and SCIII respectively. The Mansion returns in SCV, after an absence in IV, with the fight taking place in a large atrium complete with a giant stained-glass window and two huge statues holding moonlight reflecting mirrors.
  • Blue Blood: Her status as a British Countess.
  • British Accents: She is one of the only characters in the series to be voiced with their native accent. An appropriate London RP accent, to be precise.
  • British Stuffiness: Played straight with her commanding, heightened RP accent and the witheringly dismissive attitude she displays towards her opponents, but completely subverted with her increasingly gratuitous costumes. However, her more conservative alternate costumes generally play this straight too.
  • The British Title System: She's a hereditary peeress, and as the daughter of an Earl, she would be referred to as "(The) Lady Isabella Valentine" .
  • Byronic Hero: She exhibits many of the required character traits—sophistication, confidence and seductive magnetism but at the same time, emotional conflict and a troubled past.
  • Child by Rape
  • Celibate Hero: Amazingly enough. She doesn't want to risk having a Soul Edge-tainted kid. This is perhaps a shout-out to fellow celibate hero Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen" who ruled England at the time Soulcalibur is set. The question, of course, is why the hell does she dress like that?!?
  • Celebrity Resemblance: Fans have commented on her resemblance to actress Sarah Douglas, [dead link] who played ultra-sexy villainess Ursa in Superman II. They even sound similar.
  • Combat Stilettos: Uses her heels to trample her grounded enemies.
  • Cool Big Sis: The newly introduced characters in V view her this way, or in some cases, as a surrogate mother.
  • Crossdresser: Her alternate costumes in SC and SCII are of a distinctly masculine, period military style. She even slicks her hair back in the SCII alt.
  • Dark Action Girl: A non-evil example.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: Though clearly she is neither soft nor nice either.
  • Did Not Do the Research: A minor point, but her father should be referred to as Earl Valentine, rather than Count—a mistake seen in-game and in source materials. The title of "Count" is not used within the English aristocracy (an Earl is analogous to the continental title Count). "Countess" however, is the correct form of address for the wife of an Earl—so her parents should be referred to as Earl and Countess Valentine.
    • This has since been corrected, as of her official SCV bio.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: She wields a whip, wears BDSM costumes, and a lot of her soundbites and voice grunting is... suggestive. Oh, and several of her throws are Dominatrix-esque. Yeah, there's no way this wasn't intentional.

Ivy: "Well aren't we cheeky? This'll be fun!"

  • Dominatrix: In keeping with the previous trope, this is one of the (obvious) major influences of her character design and commanding personality. Best example: a grapple move that forces the opponent on all fours, which she then uses as a chair. Icing on the cake? This quote:

Ivy: "Learn. Your. PLACE.

  • Door Step Baby: Her biological mother was raped by Cervantes, who left baby Ivy at the front gates of the Valentine Mansion in London. She was raised by the Earl and Countess as a Valentine, only revealing her true parentage upon their death-beds...
  • Evil Brit: Used with great effect to enhance the gravitas and imperious, domineering nature of her personality, she is considered evil by many due to her Machiavellian philosophy, especially in SC, where she teams up with Nightmare. However, she becomes more neutrally aligned from SCII onwards, attempting to atone for her past mistakes.
  • Fetish Fuel Station Attendant: Oh God yes! ... And that's despite the vow of chastity.
  • Flower Motifs: Her shoulder pauldron, earrings and some of the metal clasps on her costume in Soulcalibur IV incorporate the Tudor Rose, a traditional heraldic symbol of England.
    • This symbol continues to be used throughout her latest costume in SCV, and is incorporated into her lapel buttons, earrings and choker.
  • Genius Bruiser: Most of her time is spent researching on ways to destroy Soul Edge.
  • Heroic Build: She's impressively tall, with an imposing frame, thighs of steel, and Curves in All the Right Places.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Her sword in her story ending for Soulcalibur IV.
  • Heroic Suicide: Her eventual fate, if all goes according to plan. She knows that if Soul Edge's wicked influence is ever to be truly eradicated, she herself will have to die eventually. Canon-wise, she's not yet close enough to her goal worry about it, and has not said how she plans to do so, although one can assume she will save it for last.
  • I Hate You Ghost Zombie Pirate Dad
  • Intercontinuity Crossover: Is a character in Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos
  • Kneel Before Zod: As seen in her reverse throw, where she forces the opponent onto their knees, with her whip-sword around their neck like a leash and her heel in the base of their back.

"BEG FOR FORGIVENESS!"

  • Knight Templar: Her resolution after discovering her cursed heritage is to erase all traces of Soul Edge from Earth: the sword, its shards and those corrupted by it... even if they are innocents.
  • Mad Scientist: Averted because she does it for a good cause. But she does dabble in alchemy...
  • Meaningful Name: The nickname Ivy is an acronym of her given name (Isabella) and family name (Valentine). There's also the obvious parallel with her weapon and the ivy plant - a twisting, strangling vine. With regards to her given name, Isabella is Hebrew and means "my God is a vow". The surname Valentine is (appropriately) of English and Scottish origin, and comes from a medieval given name, derived from the Latin "Valentinus", a derivative of "valere", to be strong, healthy.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Which says a lot about just how fanservicey she is, this being Soulcalibur.
  • Noblewoman's Laugh: AAAAH HA HA HA HA HA!!!
  • Older Than She Looks: As of V, where chronologically she is 49 years old, she has apparently stopped aging and still looks exactly like she did in IV.
  • One Head Taller: She's a clear foot taller than fellow females Talim and Xianghua.
  • The Other Darrin: Zig-zagged. Kanako Toujo replaced Yumi Touma in Legends and IV. However, when Ivy made an appearance in Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos, Yumi Touma returned for voicing Ivy there.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: Despite her highly revealing in-game outfits, when Ivy isn't off questing for soul-destroying swords, she tends to dress more suitably for an English Countess in late 1500's London.
  • She's Got Legs: They make up most of her impressively statuesque height -- Just look at her!
  • Shown Their Work: The culturally accurate Tudor Rose of England symbology used throughout her costume in SCIV and V is a surprisingly well-researched touch, especially as the rest of her look is... unrealistic.
  • Statuesque Stunner: At an amazonian height of nearly 6 foot, Ivy towers above all of the other ladies in the series... and most of the men.
  • Stripperiffic: Perplexingly, given her vow of chastity, her outfits can make several prostitutes blush. Not for nothing is she deemed the Ms. Fanservice of the series...
    • Chainmail Bikini: If you could call that a bikini. It's more like a few conveniently placed strings.
    • Combat Stilettos: Loves using them the dominatrix way.
    • Thong of Shielding: "Thong" would be an understatement. Unless it's an overstatement.
    • Underboobs: As seen in her SCIV costume. Censored on the official US site.
      • Oddly enough, her art for SCV is finally showing the trend REVERSING. True, she's still wearing a fetishy dominatrix outfit which leaves hardly anything to the imagination (except it covers a little more, albeit with a lingerie style cleavage holder), but compared to her frankly absurd SCIV outfit, it's actually much more modest, a la some of her pre-SCIV outfits.
  • The Tease

"Won't you come closer...?"

  • Unwitting Pawn: Nightmare/Soul Edge planned her birth, gave life to her sword so she'd owe him and join his group, and would keep her at all times at his side (even though she wanted the sword's destruction) in the case the sword needed an emergency host. And Ivy was blissfully unaware of all that.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As seen in the family portrait hanging in the Valentine Mansion in her SCIII stage, in which she looks to be about 11–12 years old, sports a cute (platinum) Bob Haircut and has a hand placed lovingly on Earl Valentine's shoulder.
  • Whip Sword: A weapon she designed herself.
  • White-Haired Pretty Girl

Nightmare

Origin - The living incarnation of the cursed sword, Soul Edge

Weapon(s) - Soul Edge - Great Sword, Phantom Soul Edge - Great Sword (Soulcalibur III only)

Voiced By: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Soulcalibur & Soulcalibur II; Japanese), Fumihiko Tachiki (Soulcalibur III; Japanese), Kosei Hirota (Soulcalibur IV & Soulcalibur Legends; Japanese), Yasunori Masutani (Soulcalibur V; Japanese), Ted D' Agostino (Soulcalibur II; English), Patrick Ryan (Soulcalibur III & Soulcalibur IV; English), Michael McConnohie (Soulcalibur Legends; English), Charles Klausemayer (Soulcalibur V; English)

The main antagonist of the series and avatar of Inferno. Nightmare was originally what Siegfried became at the end of Soul Edge, but in Soulcalibur III Nightmare was "resurrected" by Zasalamel and becomes a physical manifestation of the cursed sword in IV. "It" now seeks to restore itself completely so that it can devour the souls of all life on Earth and plunge it into complete despair. Was felled by Siegfried during the events of IV, but has gained a new host by the time of V, in which he decides to forego an all-out slaughter for subterfuge and politics. 

A recent artbook reveals the reason for his political agenda: it is heavily hinted, almost outright confirmed, that the body Nightmare uses as Dumas is none other than Raphael who, being a noble, is a cunning tactician.
  • Animated Armor: In III and IV.
  • Badass: Armies of men have tried and failed to stop his crusade of carnage. His own following is only about six or seven strong and he does a lot of the legwork in battle.
  • Belly Mouth: In IV. Goes all the way around his body, separating his (floating) torso from his groin.
  • BFS: The Soul Edge.
  • Big Bad: From SC onward, since he is the primary holder of Soul Edge.
  • Blood Knight: Oh, hell yes.
  • Body Horror: Soul Edge's possession does this to any of its wielders, usually warping their right arm into a hideous and grotesque claw. Siegfried was no exception. His "Siegfried!" appearance took this further, with his armor being even more organic, as if it were a fusion of flesh and metal.
    • His 2P costume in V is fairly horrifying. Without his armor covering him up, we can see that his new body looks like it was horribly cobbled-together, with bone and diseased-looking grey flesh and metal grafted to his very skin. Maybe we don't want to see what Graf Dumas's face looks like...
      • Not to mention that his 2P Soul Edge in V looks like a giant strip of bacon with an eye.
  • Catch Phrase: "Blood, darkness, COME UNTO ME!" and "Need more souls!"
  • Char Clone: As "Graf Dumas" in Soulcalibur V.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: He first made an appearance in Siegfried's bad ending from Soul Edge and served as an extra costume for him in Soul Blade ("Siegfried!") with No Ending. Suffice to say, few thought this development would be canon. Nightmare's entire existence serves an as aversion to No Canon for the Wicked.
  • The Chessmaster: Evolving into this by the time of Soulcalibur V, which marks a departure from his usual self.
  • Continuity Nod: His look in Soulcalibur IV is partially based off of Night Terror, meshed with his Soulcalibur III look.
    • In Legends, Soul Edge appears in its Cocoon form when Siegfried finds it, which is how it was depicted when wielded by "Siegfried!"
    • Nightmare's look in V incorporates elements from all of the character's past outfits from Soulcalibur to Soulcalibur IV (although II is the most prevalent thanks to the horns and mane of red hair) and wields a version of Soul Edge nearly identical to the sword's original, pre-IV depiction.
  • Death From Above: In III, he gains an attack throw in which he stabs a grounded foe and then calls down lightning to smite them.
  • Devour the Dragon: Plans to do this to Tira. Whether or not that counts as a Kick the Dog or a Pet the Dog moment depends on your interpretation, seeing as Tira wants her soul to be consumed by Soul Edge so she can become one with the sword.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: In Soul Edge as "Siegfried!" Had that design of his been carried over to subsequent games, Nightmare would have instead been "The Crimson Knight."
  • Enemy Without: Of Siegfried. He used to simply be Siegfried's alter ego, but then in SCIII, they became separate entities, and it was revealed that Nightmare is a physical manifestation of the cursed sword. Now, in V, it appears that Nightmare has found another host.
  • Evil Chancellor: To Emperor Rudolf II as Graf Dumas in V.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Played somewhat straight in Japanese for Soulcalibur, as Nobuyuki Hiyama used a deeper, more sinister tone as opposed to Siegfried. However, in II, Hiyama's pitch for Nightmare returned to that of Siegfried's normal voice, and all subsequent actors on both sides of the pond either made Nightmare a raspy voice or a voice that was dark, but not bass. Definitely played straight starting in IV, where Nightmare now has a booming, distorted voice. In V, there is much less distortion, but both voice actors use deep tones to throw players off from his host's identity, but it isn't until the credits when the secret is revealed.
  • Extra-Strength Masquerade: His story-line in SCV reveals that he operates behind the scenes under the alias "Graf (Count) Dumas," ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary.
  • Fan Nickname: Affectionately known as "Nighty" by the fanbase.
    • Nightraph or Raphmare as of V because of a certain Easter Egg involving entering the customization mode, and choosing to make a new costume for him, which reveals that he has Raphael's head underneath the helmet.
  • Fallen Hero: Subverted in that Siggy wasn't exactly the nicest or noblest of souls in his debut, but becoming the host of the cursed sword is still a pretty damn hard fall.
  • Foreshadowing: In II. His third alt. is that of a fully human Siegfried and his ultimate weapon is the Soul Calibur. Nightmare's ending even has Siegfried break free and throw Soul Edge into an endless chasm. All of this perhaps served as a clue towards Siegfried's character progression in the next game.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: A young boy goes from the leader of a band of thieves to the greatest evil the world has ever known thanks to the evil influence of one sword. And yes, the pun is intended.
    • A cunning nobleman seeking to create the perfect world for the sake of his daughter, who has had little to no actual bearing in the story proper, now takes center stage as the villain.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom/Red Eyes, Take Warning
  • Guttural Growler: Siegfried shows traces of this. Nightmare RATCHETS! IT! UP! TENFOLD!
  • Hannibal Lecture: Delivers a SOUL-crushing one to Siegfried in the latter's ending in III.

"You will never run away from your sin! You have no right to live! It is a sin for you to be alive!"

  • He Cleans Up Nicely: Look at his design from IV. Now look at his design from V. Big difference.
    • Granted, when you see what he has to work with beneath that more presentable-looking armor, suddenly his overtly monstrous form in IV doesn't seem so bad...
  • Heel Face Turn: In Broken Destiny, he becomes a Non-Malicious Monster. This is not meant to be taken seriously at all.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Siegfried destroys Nightmare and Soul Edge itself by stabbing it through the middle. Unfortunately, Soul Edge re-materializes at some point during the time skip, and finds a new host...
  • In the Hood: His 2P outfit in V. It makes him look like a less-clothed Noob Saibot.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: Similar to Siegfried, his moveset includes a stomp, but only one. He takes it a step further by allowing you to charge it to be unblockable, causing the background of the game to darken and flames to surround his foot.
  • Large Ham: DOESN'T! EVEN! BEGIN! TO! DESCRIBE! HIM!
  • Legacy Character: An interesting example as the character who left the title behind continues to persist in the storyline (Siegfried in Calibur and Calibur II, then what was Soul Edge/Inferno for III and IV).
    • He's back to a more humanoid form in V, but retains his fighting style and Siegfried remains a separate entity. According to his bio, Nightmare has a new host (a swordsman), but it's unknown who exactly is under the armor. Or, given what we see of him in a less-armored form, perhaps what might be a better word...
      • Both "who" and "what" are actually correct. His new host is Raphael, who is now an immortal vampire.
  • Lightning Bruiser
  • Looming Silhouette of Rage: In the opening movie for III.
  • Made of Evil: Starting in III, same deal as Inferno.
  • Obviously Evil: You can have your pick of what stands out to you but the best bets are the gigantic mutated right arm or (in IV) the gaping maw with the glowing core.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: "All life is but prey to satiate his hunger." Yeah, this is clearly a guy we can trust.
    • Take Over the World: Evolves into this in V, seeing as how Soul Edge takes on the memories and personality of its host. With Siegfried, he fought rather recklessly without much strategy, and without him he became nothing more than Kill All Humans. With Raphael as his host, however, Nightmare has become Soul Calibur's equivalent to Zero, as his new modus operandi involves manipulating governments to his advantage so he can secretly rebuild his malfested army of soulless slaves to rule Europe.
  • One-Handed Zweihander: Starting in III.
  • One-Man Army
  • Power Dyes Your Hair, Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Siegfried (naturally a blond) exhibited this when under Soul Edge's control, as evidenced by his long mane of red hair in SCII.
    • That's actually just the mane from the helmet.
  • Power Incontinence: Tira's ending in IV hints that Nightmare cannot sustain himself and fully control Soul Edge's power without a human host.
  • Puny Earthlings: His view on humans. It's hard to tell where this ends and Humans Are the Real Monsters begins.
  • Red Baron: The Azure Knight.
  • Replacement Scrappy: An in-universe example. Tira hates what he's become by the time of Soulcalibur V because he's no longer slaughtering everything left, right, and centre and is instead trying to control the world rather than destroy everything on-sight. Tira being Tira, she believes that this is because he's an impostor.
  • The Right Hand of Doom: His monstrous, three-digit claw. As "Siegfried!", his mutated arm was instead his left arm.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: From SCIII onward.
  • Series Mascot: After the Soul series got popular enough to warrant its own separate developer team, namely after Soulcalibur II, Nightmare became the logomark of Project Soul (up until SCV).
  • Shoulders of Doom
  • Shout-Out: His 2P attire in V is reminiscent of his 2P outfit from II, but includes an iron mask that obscures his facial features (most likely done to not prematurely spoil his true identity). Thus, he's The Man in the Iron Mask. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), he goes by the alias of Dumas during this time.
  • Spikes of Villainy
  • This Is Sparta: EVERY! WORD! OUT! OF! HIS! MOUTH!
  • Tin Tyrant: Played straight by his 1P costumes, but usually averted by his 2P costumes.
  • Unskilled but Strong: Nightmare lacks the form and finesse of Siegfried, but makes up for it by hitting hard and hitting fast. His incarnation in V deserves special note, as certain changes made to Nightmare have now made him a Tier-Induced Scrappy. Expect plenty of moaning and ragequits.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Soul Edge itself qualifies as this. Everybody seems to want it. Only a few people know that it's utterly evil. Literally done with the whole "Graf Dumas" thing in V.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: How does he fool everyone as Graf Dumas with his giant clawed arm? By hiding it and assuming a more presentable appearance, that's how.
  • A Worldwide Punomenon: Several of his quotes deal with nightmares. His most iconic of the bunch?

"I will show you the greatest nightmare!"

  • Yandere/Stalker with a Crush: His obsession with Siegfried has been lampshaded by Tira, and he tries to force Siegfried to reclaim Soul Edge in Legends. Even when he acquires a new host, he still uses Siegfried's fighting style, which is referred to as being "What the sword desires."

Lizardman (Aeon Calcos)

Origin - Sparta, Ottoman Empire (Greece)

Weapon(s) - Short sword and shield (Soulcalibur), Axe and shield (Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV), Twin axes (Soulcalibur V)

Like Sophitia, Aeon Calcos was one of the 24 warriors chosen by the Greek god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. Aeon was unfortunately struck by the Evil Seed and turned into a berserker. In the midst of one of his crazed rampages, he was captured by the Fygul Cestemus order (the very same cult that created Astaroth) and transformed into Lizardman, a loyal servant sent to obtain Soul Edge. He eventually breaks free of their control, and realizes what he has become. Believing that Hephaestus has abandoned him, Aeon renounces his faith and resolves to destroy Hephaestus. Unfortunately, his mutation gets worse and in IV his mind and heart completely degenerate into the monster that he was transformed into. He gathers other creatures like him to search for Soul Edge to reclaim his lost soul and regain his humanity.

In Soulcalibur II he is a bonus character, only serving as a guardian for both the maze and labyrinth sections of the Weapon Master Mode. This version of him is not the real Aeon Calcos, but rather the 3 variants of Lizardmen that he commands, who now serve Fygul Cestemus as a shard-gathering troupe. In V he returns, now with wings and goes by his human name Aeon Calcos, compelled by a mysterious voice to devour both Patroklos and Pyrrha. 

The recent artbook reveals that the voice that commands him to do this is that of Ares, now in a war with Hephaestus who had ordered Aeon on his quest as a holy warrior. Coincidentally, Ares is also actually the god that Fygul Cestemus worships, and had manipulated the previous Astaroth to do his bidding. Now he hopes to do the same with Aeon.

Yoshimitsu

Origin - Base of Mt. Fuji, Japan

Weapon(s) - Katana and sashimoto

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur III; Japanese), Norio Wakamoto (Soulcalibur IV onward; Japanese), Phil Sheridan (Soulcalibur II; English), Mitch Urban (Soulcalibur III onward; English)

Not that one. His ancestor.

Yoshimitsu is the leader of the Manjitou Clan of ninjas. They are chivalrous thieves, much like Robin Hood. At first, after his clan is killed by Oda Nobunaga, he sought Soul Edge to get revenge, but later found that doing that wouldn't make him any different than him. In III he creates the Manjitou in order to help the poor, as well as destroy Soul Edge. In IV, he discovers that Tira killed most of his men, and brings the remaining ones to assault Nightmare's castle.

The Yoshimitsu of Soulcalibur V is a new man wielding the Manji leader's titular blade. He was a ninja of the Fu-Ma clan who trained under the original, and slew him in order to succeed him. This is because the first Yoshimitsu was fatally wounded by Cervantes upon his return, and wanted to die honorably. Unfortunately, Yoshimitsu II's hatred for evildoers, especially Cervantes, makes it difficult for him to properly wield the Yoshimitsu blade, forcing him to use the sacred Fu-Ma sword to act as the Balance Between Good and Evil. He was also the one who led Leixia to the Fu-Ma clan.

  • Artificial Limbs: Like his descendant, one of his arms is a wooden mechanical limb. This seems to be a defining trait of the one who takes over as the leader of the clan, as the man who inherits the title "Yoshimitsu" in V also bears a mechanical arm.
  • Boisterous Bruiser
  • Canon Immigrant: Actually, an aversion. The character itself was added to the roster due to the strong compatibility Yoshimitsu (from Tekken) has with the world of Soulcalibur but his story is completely unique for this universe and isn't simply the same person being adapted for a different setting. It does suggest that he is an ancestor of the Yoshimitsu seen in Tekken but who he is and what he does exists purely for Soulcalibur.
  • Confusion Fu: A staple of his character, carried over from his future successor.
  • Fighting Clown: It's Yoshimitsu.
  • Gratuitous Japanese: YOKOZUNA!
  • Just Like Robin Hood
  • Katanas Are Just Better: As are wakizashis.
  • Klingon Promotion: The Yoshimitsu of V defeated the original to become the new Manji leader, as only one man can hold the title of Yoshimitsu at a time.
  • Large Ham
  • Legacy Character: Confirmed! Word of God states that this is indeed the ancestor of Tekken's Yoshimitsu.
    • Legacy Immortality: The one who wears the mask in Soulcalibur V is a new man, so the legend continues.
  • Last of His Kind
  • Named Weapons: While virtually every Soul series character has a weapon with a unique title, Yoshimitsu's is special as it is the same as its wielder ("Yoshimitsu"). The original Yoshimitsu named the katana after himself as a vow of revenge for his fallen clansmen, and after he created his group of chivalrous thieves, it became custom that the sword denotes the leader of the clan and the man behind it is also referred to as "Yoshimitsu" in deference to the blade (essentially making this an inversion).
    • Soul Jar: If Tekken in any indication, Yoshi I's soul should be inside of the Yoshimitsu katana after Yoshi II killed him to become his successor.
  • Ninja
  • Rule of Funny: His character in a nutshell. Made all the more in hilarious when Norio Wakamoto voices him in IV.
  • Seppuku: A move that only he can use, and if done right, one of the best ways to achieve a Double Knockout. (In later games he can do other, more productive things with the move, even regain a full health bar, provided he has enough health left after using it.)
  • Warrior Poet: Many of his win quotes, and his SCIV victory speech, show elements of this.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Heeth doth speaketh thiseth wayeth alleth theeth timeth.
    • This is a Woolseyism as he speaks archaic Japanese in the Japanese version.

Edge Master

Origin - Unknown (Resides in the Himalayan Mountains)

Weapon(s) - All weapons

Voiced By: Daisuke Gouri (Soulcalibur; Japanese), Kouji Ishii (Soulcalibur V; Japanese), T.J. Storm (Soulcalibur V; English)

The mysterious master of all fighting styles in the world, teacher and advisor of the Ling-Sheng Su, foreteller of all events in the series. Trained Kilik after his temple went down, and later taught him the art of purification so he would purify Soul Edge. He remains for the rest of the series sitting down in his hermitage/home, doing something from time to time (like teaching Mi-na in III).

He returns in V, unaged from his original appearance, revealing himself as an immortal resident of the realm where Soul Edge and Calibur reside, Astral Chaos.

  • Badass Grandpa
  • Badass Beard, Badass Mustache: If Broken Destiny's self-admitted non-canon Gauntlet mode is to be believed, dude's been growing the former for 10,000 years.
  • The Blacksmith: He has forged for himself every one of his weapons.
  • The Bus Came Back: His only appearance in the series was the first Soulcalibur. After a few games of being succeeded by other copycat fighters, he will finally be returning in Soulcalibur V.
  • Deus Exit Machina: Somewhat fitting of his Obi Wan-esque status. Edge Master is most likely one of the strongest characters in the series, up there with Algol, but he never directly gets involved in the story, instead observing events from afar and giving advice and tutelage to those who seek him out, such as Kilik and Seong Mi-na. V marks the first time he's actually contributed to the plot, even if it's only for all of five minutes.
  • Ditto Fighter: Subverted, as he had two unique moves with Kilik/Seong Mi-na. In V's Legendary Souls mode, Edge Master only mimics Alpha Patroklos' style.
  • Evil Redhead: His Super-Powered Evil Side switches his old white hair into furious red.
  • Mr. Exposition: He could be this, but he refuses to speak about his past, or that of the sacred weapons he supposedly carried into the temple.
    • He does speak a bit about the nature of Astral Chaos to Patroklos, as well as giving him advice on following his own path and controlling his own sword.
  • Named Weapons: Averted completely. Edge Master's philosophy is that a weapon is just a tool and only a strong soul makes a strong warrior. To reflect this, all his weapons are nameless.
    • The story behind Xianghua's nameless sword in II implies that it was originally his, with IV confirming it.
  • Old Master
  • Immortality Inducer: Implied in his first appearance, later confirmed in IV to be the result of exposure to both swords' energies.
  • Sink or Swim Mentor: His last trial for Kilik was a no-holds battle against his Super-Powered Evil Side.
  • Yin-Yang Bomb: Inside his body he stores evil energy, which he can make use of to simulate being a victim of Soul Edge's corruption. And he's a master of purifying techniques as well.

Arthur

Origin - Southampton, British Empire

Weapon(s) - Katana

Voiced By: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Soul Edge-Soulcalibur; Japanese), Masaya Takatsuka (Soulcalibur III; Japanese)

British orphan raised in Japan. Hated by his peers, he sought to do great things to be respected. He sought Soul Edge, thinking it was the greatest deed there was to do, but later found it was meaningless and returned home to marry a prostitute. Later, the shard he gave her as a gift got her killed, so he placed the guilt on himself and set out to destroy the sword and redeem himself.

  • Always Someone Better: At first he wanted to do some legendary stuff so he'd be respected by his peers. A year into his quest, he just realized he wasn't really that good and that there were many better fighters out there.
  • Ascended Extra: At least he went from obscure to bonus character spot...
    • The Cameo: He makes two in Broken Destiny, one as a random foe for quick play and in another he is part of a conversation in The Gauntlet where he is referred to as "Blond Samurai." He also makes a small cameo with the player characters in the intro to Weapon Master in SCII.
  • Badass Beard
  • Badass Mustache
  • Bowdlerise/Palette Swap: Korea has bad blood with Japan (for very good reasons), and especially regarding samurai, so Mitsurugi's character model was modified to have blonde hair and an eyepatch. Thus was born Arthur.
  • Eyepatch of Power
  • It's All My Fault: He blames himself for handing the shard of Soul Edge he found to his wife, which caused her death.
  • Mighty Whitey: British raised in Japan. Subverted in that, in-canon, he's nothing special.
  • Phenotype Stereotype: A blonde-and-blue-eyed British Mitsurugi is Namco's idea of a foreign character replacement for Mitsurugi.
  • Ramming Always Works: His style in Soulcalibur III has plenty of shoulder rams, a few of which are anti-AI moves.
  • Shout-Out: He's highly reminiscent of William Adams, an English navigator who travelled to Japan in the year 1600 and became the first western samurai.
  1. ↑ wielded by men
  2. ↑ well, is it that one or isn't it?!?
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Soul_Series/Characters/Soul_Calibur?oldid=1965423"