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231-574: The following is a comprehensive list of characters from the Soulcalibur series of video games, beginning with Soul Edge ( Soul Blade in the PlayStation version) in 1995. Soulcalibur is a weapon-based fighting game franchise developed by Namco Bandai 's Project Soul division. Set in the period of late 16th to early 17th century, the plot of the games revolve around Soul Edge, a cursed sword able to possess its wielder and devour souls. Its spirit

462-636: A polyglot . While Philip was also an archduke of Austria , he was seen as a foreigner in the Holy Roman Empire . The feeling was mutual. Philip felt himself to be culturally Spanish; he had been born in Castile and raised in the Castilian court, his native language was Spanish, and he preferred to live in the Spanish kingdoms. This ultimately impeded his succession to the imperial throne. In April 1528, when Philip

693-504: A zhanmadao like Seong Mi-Na's and a bladed nunchaku like Li Long's. Several different outfit components were also considered at this time, such as the inclusion of head or arm guards and an arm bandana. With Hwang's appearance in Soulcalibur his attire was changed. Chinese style costumes were considered, including an outfit with an open jacket and a bandaged design with a Chinese martial artist's attire. The developers based his look around

924-681: A German legend, in which the protagonist makes a deal with the devil (in-universe, Siegfried and Soul Edge have a Faustian bargain ). Arthur ( アーサー , Āsā ) is a playable character introduced in the first Soulcalibur , where he replaced Mitsurugi in Korea due to the local sensibilities regarding the subject of the samurai. Arthur is an orphaned European who has become a swordsman in Japan. In his first appearance, he looks exactly like Mitsurugi except with blond hair and an eye patch, and his weapon, movelist and ending are identical to Mitsurugi's. Arthur returned as

1155-425: A basic square, Soulcalibur II introduced stages with walls that blocked off parts of the ring and made Ring Outs possible only in certain parts of the stage or removing that condition altogether, and Soulcalibur III introduced low walls that can be destroyed to create a Ring Out opportunity). Soulcalibur V introduced a new aspect of Ring Outs; if a Ring Out is declared on certain stages, the battle will continue in

1386-540: A bonus character in all versions of Soulcalibur III , representing the "Katana" Create-a-Fighter discipline. In this game he is given unique facial characteristics and a weapon of his own, with his outfit based on that of Mitsurugi in Soulcalibur II . Arthur's Destined Battle enemy in Soulcalibur is against Taki (the same as Mitsurugi's), while in Soulcalibur III it is Mitsurugi. Astaroth ( アスタロス , Asutarosu )

1617-502: A bronze statue of himself trampling the rebellious Dutch under his horse's hooves, cast from the melted-down cannon looted by the Spanish troops after the Battle of Jemmingen in 1568; it was modelled on medieval images of the Spanish patron Saint James "the Moorslayer" riding down Muslims and caused such outrage that Philip had it removed and destroyed. In 1572, a prominent exiled member of

1848-613: A character counter properties for the duration of its charge). Large gameplay changes have been implemented for Soulcalibur V . Critical Finishes are no longer part of the gameplay, being replaced by the Critical Edge (a different attack from that used in Soul Blade ). Critical Edge attacks can be used after filling up the new Critical Gauge, which works similarly to "super meters" in other fighting games. Guard Impacts are now tied to this gauge (a segment must be sacrificed to execute one) and

2079-683: A combination of Catholic fervour and dynastic objectives. He considered himself the chief defender of Catholic Europe, both against the Ottoman Empire and against the forces of the Protestant Reformation . He never relented from his fight against heresy , defending the Catholic faith and limiting freedom of worship within his territories. These territories included his patrimony in the Netherlands, where Protestantism had taken deep root. Following

2310-467: A common goal; finding either the cursed sword Soul Edge or its holy counterpart, Soul Calibur. As the game is set in the late 16th century, many real-life events happening during the timeline often influence the story, one example being Oda Nobunaga as the initiator for Yoshimitsu 's journey to find Soul Edge. Out of all the characters in the series, four characters have appeared in all nine games so far: Cervantes , Mitsurugi , Siegfried and Nightmare ,

2541-471: A consequence of executions, brawls, violent encounters with indigenous peoples and diseases which were rife. A contributing cause for failure of the settlement may have been poor morale, an issue that plagued the venture almost from the beginning. This can in part be explained by a series of difficulties the expedition had to go through between the departure from Spain and the arrival to the strait. Philip II's inaction despite repeated pleas by Sarmiento to aid

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2772-511: A corrupted city where Kilik was knocked unconscious by him. He awoke a month later in Edge Master's home and began to train his skills again, determined to search Soul Edge with Xianghua again. While traveling with Xianghua, he realized that he had feelings for her, but he cannot confess it as she reminded him of the late Xianglian, so he planned to leave her when the time is right. During the seventeen-year gap of Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur V ,

3003-661: 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

3234-608: A decisive victory against the Turks at Lepanto in 1571, with the allied fleet of the Holy League , which he had put under the command of his illegitimate brother, John of Austria . He also successfully secured his succession to the throne of Portugal . The administration of overseas conquests was reformed. Extensive questionnaires were distributed to every major town and region in New Spain called relaciones geográficas . These surveys helped

3465-479: A half-lizard half-man concept, Lizardman's design changed very little afterwards in Soulcalibur , with only one alternative design resembling a more human appearance. Armor was added to his primary design to give him a more defensive appearance, while his secondary costume in Soulcalibur was intended to resemble an iguana . Lizardmen have appeared throughout the rest of the series as NPCs in various game modes, usually as Guardians . Soulcalibur There are

3696-414: A helper to guest character, Geralt of Rivia , in getting the witcher back to his world. Edge Master was created by illustrator Yasushi Nirasawa , who had designed him as a background character and weapon shop owner for Soul Edge Official Guidebook – Densetsu Buki Tankyū no Sho . Out of appreciation, Namco later introduced him as a playable character in Soulcalibur and a recurring series element. His age

3927-474: A man wielding the tanegashima , to a duel. However, Mitsurugi suffered an embarrassing defeat, leaving him with a scar of a gunshot wound on his right shoulder and forcing him to depart in shame on a second quest to perfect his swordsmanship so that he might eventually defeat the gun. It was during this quest that he learned of the Azure Knight, Nightmare , who terrorized Europe with a sword deemed invincible, and set out after him in order to find what he considered

4158-408: A man with a strong sense of justice, joined Korea 's coast guard and was sent to find the "Sword of Salvation", which in reality is the cursed sword Soul Edge, in order to protect his country. However he returned after learning of an impending Japanese invasion of his homeland, bringing his friend's daughter, Seong Mi-Na, back with him. When he set out after her again, he discovered the true nature of

4389-521: A medieval king. He mainly directed state affairs, even when not at Court. Indeed, when his health began failing, he worked from his quarters at the Palace-Monastery-Pantheon of El Escorial that he had built in 1584, a palace built as a monument to Spain's role as a center of the Christian world. But Philip did not enjoy the supremacy that King Louis XIV of France would in the next century, nor

4620-470: A mimic fighter; in this case, its main alter-ego Nightmare instead of Cervantes. Due to his final boss role despite being an unlockable character, Inferno is banned from online matches and official tournaments. In the backstory of Soul Edge , Heishiro Mitsurugi ( 御剣 平四郎 , Mitsurugi Heishirō ) is an orphaned son of a Japanese farmer, who after suffering years of witnessing his homeland being ravaged by bandits and war, decided to take up swordsmanship. At

4851-515: A new character named Dampierre, a conman who wears twin blades on his wrists. In addition, Kratos from the God of War franchise appears as a guest character. Broken Destiny received very positive reviews. Released in 2014, Soulcalibur: Lost Swords is a free-to-play video game distributed through the PlayStation Network. It is a strictly single-player game based on Soulcalibur V in which

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5082-538: A new location that is below the point where the Ring Out occurred. V also includes infinite stages (the stages have no edges of any kind, allowing the battle to continue in any direction with no limit) for the first time in the history of the series. Soul Edge is unique in the series as it is the only game to feature the Weapon Meter; a sword-shaped meter under the characters' vitality bars that determined how much damage

5313-577: 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

5544-501: A new timeline. Like Tekken 7 , it uses Unreal Engine 4 , and features downloadable guests, while one guest character ( Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series) acts as one of the base roster and plays a vital role on the storyline. Released in 2007 for the Wii, Soulcalibur Legends is the series' first spin-off title. Departing from the usual fighting game genre, it is an action-adventure game with elements of hack and slash , in which

5775-482: A novelty, he was shocked to see the riflemen obliterate the Takeda cavalry at the Battle of Nagashino . He decided he needed to find a stronger weapon for himself: the magic sword of legend, Soul Edge. Mitsurugi encountered the female ninja Taki during this time, but was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword". In his frustration at finding no signs of Soul Edge, he returned home and challenged Teppou Hei,

6006-466: A parallel timeline, the events after 1583 have been altered. While traveling to Ostrheinsburg to confront Nightmare, Kilik and his companions were aided by Grøh of the Aval Organization, a group created by the late King Arthur to use Soul Calibur to defeat Soul Edge. A few characters have learned of the dark future that was to come, and have started to work on changing that future. Zasalamel received

6237-739: A permanent reversal in the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean and the end of the threat of Ottoman control. In 1585 a peace treaty was signed with the Ottomans. During Philip's reign Spain considered the Pacific Ocean a mare clausum —a sea closed to other naval powers— as the only known entrance from the Atlantic, the Strait of Magellan was at times patrolled by fleets sent to prevent entrance of non-Spanish ships. To end navigation by rival powers in

6468-578: A playable character along with Taki, with whom he makes a temporary alliance there. He also appears as a limited card in Outcast Odyssey . Yuri Lowell from the Tales series can wear Mitsurugi's costume as his alternate outfit. He is also referenced in Ridge Racer 6 with the car named Mitsurugi Meltfire. Former Fanbyte editor-in-chief John Warren described him as "arguably the most recognizable character from

6699-488: A powerful sword that has fallen into the hands of an evil prince who plans to use it to open the gates of hell and destroy the world." The now-defunct teaser website for the film (soulcaliburthemovie.com) contained a citation from Nostradamus . The film remains in development hell . Soulcalibur Pachislot (ソウルキャリバーパチスロ, Sourukyaribāpachisuro) is a spin-off game in the Soul series as a pachislot machine created to celebrate what

6930-536: A proper ceremony. On 20 November 1592 a ghostly Parliament session was called, pushed by Philip II, who had arrived in Pamplona at the head of an unspecified military force, and with one only point on his agenda—attendance to the session was kept blank on the minutes: unlawful appointments of trusted Castilian officials and imposition of his son as the future king of Navarre at the Santa Maria Cathedral . A ceremony

7161-456: A punch, but lost his katana Shishi-Oh in the battle. In Soulcalibur V , after the warring period of Japan had ended, Mitsurugi has settled a quiet life as a farmer for seventeen years. He regains his fighting spirit when he heard about Soul Calibur and goes on a journey to once again continue the battle with Algol that was left unfinished years before. A young Mitsurugi returns in the reboot/altered timeline-themed game Soulcalibur VI . It

Characters of the Soulcalibur series - Misplaced Pages Continue

7392-612: 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

7623-521: A round point for their opponent. The idea of Ring Outs in 3D fighting games was originally conceived by the Virtua Fighter series of fighting games and adopted by Namco for Soul Edge . A combatant cannot be knocked out of the ring without being eliminated by some effort from themselves or by their opponent. Later games introduced new ring designs that modified the way Ring Outs were handled ( Soulcalibur allowed rings to take different shapes instead of

7854-420: A second chance by Edge Master to purify Pyrrha without killing her. However, Patroklos was trapped subconsciously to fight Soul Calibur's spirit, Elysium , the one who had guided him all this time, as she was angry at him for sparing his malfested sister. After defeating Elysium, he alongside Pyrrha pierced Soul Calibur with Soul Edge, after which he accepted to live with his sister regardless of who she is. In

8085-464: 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

8316-572: A ship but was followed and eventually captured by Turgut Reis. In 1563, capitalizing on the political climate, the Regency of Algiers launched the sieges of Oran and Mers El Kébir in a large scale attempt to dislodge the major Spanish positions in Northern Africa, but the attempt met failure. Philip's navy then conquered Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera the following year. The Ottomans sent a large expedition to Malta , which laid siege to several forts on

8547-463: 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

8778-536: A smile that was cut by a sword". After living in the Netherlands in the early years of his reign, Philip II decided to return to Castile. Although sometimes described as an absolute monarch, Philip faced many constitutional constraints on his authority, influenced by the growing strength of the bureaucracy. The Spanish Empire was not a single monarchy with one legal system but a personal union of separate realms, each jealously guarding its own rights against those of

9009-459: A story mode called "Chronicles of the Sword" which is a mode with some strategic aspects for created characters. It is the only game in the Soulcalibur series to be THX approved. Released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the fourth installment of the series is the second game with no arcade release prior to the release of the home game, as well as being the first to take bouts online and

9240-519: A total of 30,000 soldiers under the command of Giovanni Andrea Doria , nephew of the famous Genoese admiral Andrea Doria . On 12 March 1560, the Holy League captured the island of Djerba , which had a strategic location and could control the sea routes between Algiers and Tripoli . As a response, Suleiman sent an Ottoman fleet of 120 ships under the command of Piyale Pasha, which arrived at Djerba on 9 May 1560. The battle lasted until 14 May 1560, and

9471-461: A total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs , including music albums and a series of manga books in the Soulcalibur series. The first game in the series, Soul Edge (or Soul Blade outside Japan), was released as an arcade game in 1995 and was later ported to consoles ; the widespread success of its second main installment Soulcalibur in 1998 led to Soulcalibur becoming

Characters of the Soulcalibur series - Misplaced Pages Continue

9702-416: A village and nearly gets killed. But Mi-na is saved by Hwang and the villagers, who were inspired by her bravery. She then reluctantly allows Hwang to take her home. Due to her infiltration at a base of Soul Edge's servants, she was targeted by the evil sword's servant Won Gabok, but was saved by Hwang and learned the true nature of Soul Edge. Her distaste towards Soul Edge and its evil nature has since becoming

9933-512: A village that had given him shelter. Captured by a cult, they transformed him and others into Lizardmen, however the destruction of Soul Edge at the end of Soulcalibur restored his sanity. Despite this his humanity and memories deteriorated, and after being taken in by a group of lizardmen like himself, he now pursues the restored Soul Edge seeking to reclaim his soul. By the time of Soulcalibur V his body has changed further due to battle, now having grown wings and able to breathe fire. Lizardman

10164-468: A warning from his future counterpart of the mistakes that he would make, and decided to be a leader for mankind instead of seeking for a permanent death. Cassandra Alexandra , younger sister of the holy warrior Sophitia, was given a warning by her original timeline counterpart, who had been stuck inside the Astral Chaos and became malfested. The warning was about Sophitia's death and Pyrrha's malfestation in

10395-534: A weapon could sustain. As a character blocked attacks; the meter would deplete until it emptied which resulted in a weapon breaking (the player would also have to pay half the Weapon Meter to perform a Critical Edge combo ). Once the character's weapon was broken, they were forced to fight bare-handed until the end of the round. The Weapon Meter was designed to promote consistent offense and deter constant defense (other fighters have adopted similar means to deter over-defending; Street Fighter Alpha 3 ' s Guard Meter

10626-518: A woman artist. Charles V had left his son Philip with a debt of about 36 million ducats and an annual deficit of 1 million ducats. This debt caused Philip II to default on loans in 1557, 1560, 1575, and 1596 (including debt to Poland, known as Neapolitan sums ). Lenders had no power over the King and could not force him to repay his loans. These defaults were just the beginning of Spain's economic troubles as its kings would default six more times in

10857-453: A worthy challenge (this being his motivation through the remainder of the series since Soulcalibur ). Nightmare's trail eventually disappeared, but Mitsurugi was unwilling to give up, and gradually improved his fighting style to the point riflemen were no longer a threat. Returning from his quest, Mitsurugi challenged Teppou Hei again, but this time Mitsurugi managed to kill the man with a single strike with his sword. Four years later, during

11088-471: Is a golem created by a cult of Ares to retrieve the cursed sword known as Soul Edge. Upon finding the blade, Astaroth realizes that it is damaged and allies himself with its wielder Nightmare to harvest living souls necessary to restore the blade, planning to steal the blade once completed. However, before he can complete this task, he is confronted by a survivor of his attacks, Maxi, and is slain. Revived by Ares in Soulcalibur II , Astaroth continues after

11319-417: Is a card-based fighting game where players can pick different attack cards to strike enemies. Elemental system makes a return from Soulcalibur: Lost Swords ; players can mix the cards with one of the five elements: fire, water, wind, light, and dark. There are over 200 weapons as well as more than 150 player avatars featured. The game's story revolves around Cassandra and Edge Master in their efforts to find

11550-402: Is a demonic transformation caused by Soul Edge's curse. It is regarded as a type of cancer, or even an entirely new parasitic organism. However, it causes enhanced physical abilities among its victims and can cause them to mutate into more powerful states of being when they experience intense emotion. It can also cause some to gain what appears to be some kind of immortality. The traits gained by

11781-445: Is a fighting game designed for Java-based cellphones, heavily based on Soulcalibur IV released in 2012 by Namco Bandai. The gameplay mechanics are primarily borrowed from IV but movesets are watered down for mobile devices. The main difference is that Mobile is a 2D Fighter but still retains 8 directional movement. Much of the story is the same as IV . The Soulcalibur series is a successful fighting game franchise. As of 2012,

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12012-430: Is a new addition to the series. However, unlike Soulcalibur III , the only available weapon disciplines are taken from the existing roster and there are no unique disciplines for created characters. Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Soulcalibur V is the sixth installment of the series and the second game to take bouts online, as well as the last installment to conclude the original timeline story. Like

12243-415: Is a recurring enemy type in the Soulcalibur series, resembling bipedal anthropomorphic lizards that communicate through growls and grunts while wielding a short sword and shield. The most notable of which is Aeon Calcos ( アイオーン・カルコス , Aiōn Karukosu ) , one of the warriors sent by the god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge. However he was driven insane when exposed to Soul Edge's energies, and massacred

12474-515: Is a retelling of his creation and service to Nightmare, though now he is aided by a ker , sent by Ares to aid him in obtaining Soul Edge. Soulcalibur IV lead programmer Masaaki Hoshino called Astaroth his favorite character, stating that because he is "so powerful there's always a chance to make a comeback". Edge Master ( エッジマスター , Ejji Masutā ) has a mysterious past; renowned for his skill with various weapons, his past and real name are known only to himself. He served as advisor and teacher at

12705-471: Is a young Korean woman, excelling at weapon usage but regarded as simply a girl by her peers. Barred from joining the coast guard due to her gender, she sought out the rumored "Sword of Salvation", which in actuality was Soul Edge, to prove herself. Hwang eventually caught up with her and dragged her back home, but she set out again after her father's efforts to marry her to him became unbearable. Encountering another female warrior named Ivy, she challenged her but

12936-448: Is an example of such a device). The Weapon Meter was abandoned following Soul Edge and instead replaced with Soulcalibur ' s trademark 8-Way Run system. The 8-Way Run allowed players to walk in any direction at any time instead of using a specific command to sidestep. This kept the fights truly three-dimensional and made it easier to maneuver around attacks or away from ring edges (as well as launch specific 8-Way Run attacks). Each of

13167-413: Is available through Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network digital storefronts. Being based on the original PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases, both ports include the two guest characters ( Heihachi Mishima and Spawn ) who were originally exclusive to each platform. Breaking with tradition, the PlayStation 2 version of Soulcalibur III was released in 2005 before an Arcade Edition

13398-495: Is called Inferno , and his avatar/host is called Nightmare. Soul Calibur, a holy sword and Soul Edge's antithesis , also has a spirit called Elysium . When creating characters for the series, they started with the weapon first, aiming to choose one that would feel unique amongst the cast. The character concepts themselves are then built around the chosen weapon, with their movement, animations and personality designed to fit it. According to series creator Hirokai Yotoriyama, movement

13629-430: Is carried unconscious by Xianghua (after their fight with Zasalamel) for three months, until he left on his own after receiving a purifying blow from Edge Master and Xianghua's letter. Around this time, he is also challenged by Seong Mi-na, who is swiftly defeated, and trained her for some time upon her request. In the seventeen-year gap between Soulcalibur IV and V , he taught another of Kilik's companion, Maxi to control

13860-404: Is destroyed by Siegfried at the end of Soulcalibur IV , though its will continues to live in the leftover shards of Soul Edge and later manifests itself in a new Soul Edge. However, after the new Nightmare, Graf Dumas (heavily hinted to be Raphael Sorel) was slain, Inferno choose Pyrrha as its new host until being defeated by her brother and Soul Edge along with Soul Calibur were both sealed away in

14091-634: Is done and the character roster undergoing major changes, with former mainstays being replaced by their younger successors. The series is notable for its inclusion of characters from other series appearing as guests. Since Soulcalibur II , every sequent game have hosted guest characters, usually from other Namco franchises, although more recent games have branched into titles developed by other companies, such as The Legend of Zelda , Spawn , Star Wars , God of War , Assassin's Creed and The Witcher . The guests, though, can only appear in one game due to licensing. Guest characters who have appeared in

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14322-416: Is finally reunited with Yun-seong after the destruction of Soul Edge and the two go back home. Upon returning she is deemed as a national hero and begins training the younger generation with Hwang. The new timeline reiterates Mi-na's adventures as she runs away from home to avoid marriage, loses to Ivy and Xiuqiang, and trains under the latter. She then goes on a dangerous mission to stop a cult from targeting

14553-523: Is for the Xbox 360 version. Each character was also available for download on the consoles in which they do not appear. Both versions of the game include the Apprentice character from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed . Like Soulcalibur III , the game includes a character creation system with various customizable parts, some of which have to be unlocked. These characters can be taken into online bouts, which in itself

14784-781: Is given to players in the form of cutscenes that flow normally or are arranged on the fly based on the player's progress. Soul Dimension is the main mode, and it features Patroklos and Pyrrha battling monsters in Astral Chaos, Deadline Battle mode features Patroklos fighting Cervantes, Astaroth, Voldo, or Tira in a more classic environment mimicking the fighting games in a theatrical style, Justice Overdrive mode features older characters from V , Nightmare Battle mode features Patroklos protecting Pyrrha from Nightmare, Omega Mode features Pyrrha becoming malfested in order to protect Patroklos from Nightmare and his army, Just Judgement mode that features Inferno, and Algol Bonus mode features Algol giving players bonus points. Soulcalibur Mobile (ソウルキャリバー モバイル)

15015-615: Is intended to reflect his experience and strength. Kilik ( キリク , Kiriku ) as an infant was left on the steps of a temple in China. He grew up with Xianglian, a fellow monk whom Kilik had seen as his own sister. He was trained in the art of staff-fighting and inherited one of the temple's treasure Kali-Yuga. However, during the night of the "Evil Seed", Kilik and other monks were possessed and fought each other. Xianglian used her inheritance Dvapara-Yuga to stop Kilik, but ended up possessed which forced Kilik to kill her. Sane once more, he came under

15246-450: Is made all the creepier by the fact that she's only 16 when the story starts." She further criticized the character's portrayal, noting she complains about being seen as a child while being pursued by a man nine years her senior, adding "If this storyline gave Seong Mi-Na any agency, then maybe the decision to put this insecure teenager in this outfit would feel less tragic." Siegfried Schtauffen ( ジークフリート・シュタウフェン , Jīkufurīto Shutaufen )

15477-401: Is not featured in the arcade version of Soul Edge and in home versions there is a role-playing -type mode titled "Edge Master" where the player can unlock various items including weapons for the default characters. The first installment, titled Soul Edge , was released for arcade, and was later updated to Soul Edge Ver. II . This enhanced version was then ported to the PlayStation, where it

15708-511: Is the father of Seong Mi-na and the owner of the Seong dojo. He only appeared as a secret character in the console version of Soul Edge , utilizing a Chinese sword akin to Hwang. After his wife and son both died of illness, he trained his daughter in martial arts but wished her to stay home, despite her rebellious nature. He became interested in a student of his, Hwang Seong-gyeong, and tried to adopt him as his successor, although Hwang politely rejected

15939-447: Is the first element they focus on, deciding how the character will attack, and how mobile they are. Afterwards the character is defined down to their weight, height, age, and gender, and then developed by the concept artists. Afterwards a 3D model team is assigned to work on that character exclusively, with little overlap between the individual teams. Motion capture is then utilized for character movement and animation, though in select cases

16170-522: Is the first portable installment of the Soulcalibur series. It uses many of the features used in Soulcalibur IV , such as the soul crush, armor destruction, critical finishers, and Character Creation, and also brings in some new features such as new lighting effects for stages that correspond to different times of day, and the new Gauntlet Story mode. The game's features are similar to Soulcalibur IV , including its customization features, but it introduced

16401-525: Is the son of an English dealer who specialized in rare weapons. His father managed to bid Soul Edge at one auction and was about to take it home, only for the ship to be attacked by pirate Cervantes who killed everyone except Rock, who washed up in the shores of America with his memories gone. The Native Americans were unwilling to help Rock due to his size and only a boy named Bangoo was unafraid to befriend him. Rock eventually recovered his memories over time and left America in search of Soul Edge, which may become

16632-508: The Assassin's Creed franchises for Soulcalibur V . Devil Jin from Tekken was also added to Soulcalibur V as a non-playable character and his moveset can only be accessed by creating a character that uses his style of fighting. Soulcalibur VI added Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher , 2B from Nier: Automata and Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown as guest characters. Cervantes de Leon ( セルバンテス・デ・レオン , Serubantesu de Reon )

16863-718: The Balearic Islands , especially inflicting great damage on Menorca and enslaving many, while raiding the coasts of the Spanish mainland. Philip appealed to the Pope and other powers in Europe to bring an end to the rising Ottoman threat. Since his father's losses against the Ottomans and against Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1541, the major European sea powers in the Mediterranean, namely the Spanish Crown and Venice , became hesitant in confronting

17094-589: The Battle of Mookerheyde on 14 April 1574, killing both him and his brother Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg . Rampant inflation and the loss of treasure fleets from the New World prevented Philip from paying his soldiers consistently, leading to the so-called Spanish Fury at Antwerp in 1576, where soldiers ran amok through the streets, burning more than 1,000 homes and killing 6,000 citizens. Philip sent in Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma , as Governor-General of

17325-681: The Crown of Aragon . In the north, Milan was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire held by Philip. Attached to the Kingdom of Naples, the State of Presidi in Tuscany gave Philip the possibility to monitor maritime traffic to southern Italy, whilst the grant of the Duchy of Siena to the new Grand Duchy of Tuscany , ensured it would remain a Spanish ally. The Council of Italy was set up by Philip in order to co-ordinate his rule over

17556-517: The Duchy of Savoy , and Corsica to the Republic of Genoa . Both Genoa and Savoy were allies of Spain and, although Savoy subsequently declared its neutrality between France and Spain, Genoa remained a crucial financial ally for Philip during his entire reign. The treaty also confirmed Philip's control over Milan , Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia . Therefore, all of southern Italy was under Spanish rule as part of

17787-510: The GameCube . Featured on the PlayStation 2 version's roster is Heihachi Mishima of Tekken , while Image Comic 's character Spawn was an addition for the Xbox version. A high definition-optimized enhanced port of the game, entitled Soulcalibur II HD Online , was released in November 2013, and features revamped HD visuals, online play, and trophy/achievement support. It is a digital release and

18018-454: The Holy League under the command of Philip's half brother, Don John of Austria , and Don Álvaro de Bazán . A fleet sent by Philip, again commanded by Don John, reconquered Tunis from the Ottomans in 1573. The Turks soon rebuilt their fleet, and in 1574 Uluç Ali Reis managed to recapture Tunis with a force of 250 galleys and a siege that lasted 40 days. Thousands of Spanish and Italian soldiers became prisoners. Nevertheless, Lepanto marked

18249-554: The House of Habsburg . In practice, Philip often found his authority overruled by local assemblies and his word less effective than that of local lords. Philip carried several titles as heir to the Spanish kingdoms and empire , including Prince of Asturias . The newest constituent kingdom in the empire was Upper Navarre , a realm invaded by Ferdinand II of Aragon mainly with Castilian troops (1512), and annexed to Castile with an ambiguous status (1513). War across Navarre continued until

18480-618: The Iconoclast Fury ; in response to growing Protestant influence, the army of the Duke of Alba went on the offensive. In 1568, Alba had Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn executed in Brussels ' central square , further alienating the local aristocracy. There were massacres of civilians in Mechelen , Naarden , Zutphen and Haarlem . In 1571, Alba erected at Antwerp

18711-707: The Italian Wars . Philip was present at the Siege of Perpignan in 1542 but did not see action as the Spanish army under Alba decisively defeated the besieging French forces under the Dauphin of France . On his way back to Castile, Philip received the oath of allegiance of the Aragonese Cortes at Monzón . His political training had begun a year previously under his father, who had found his son studious, grave, and prudent beyond his years, and having decided to train and initiate him in

18942-550: The Low Countries (modern-day Belgium , Luxembourg , and the Netherlands ). A member of the House of Habsburg , Philip was the son of Emperor Charles V , who was also king of Castile and Aragon , and Isabella of Portugal . He was born in the Castilian capital of Valladolid on 21 May 1527 at Palacio de Pimentel , which was owned by Don Bernardino Pimentel (the first Marqués de Távara). The culture and courtly life of Castile were an important influence in his early life. He

19173-611: The Netherlands . The son of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal , Philip inherited his father's Spanish Empire in 1556, and succeeded to the Portuguese throne in 1580 following a dynastic crisis. The Spanish conquests of the Inca Empire and of the Philippines , named in his honor by Ruy López de Villalobos , were completed during his reign. Under Philip II, Spain reached the height of its influence and power, sometimes called

19404-566: The Papal States and temporarily held territory there, perhaps in response to Pope Paul IV 's anti-Spanish outlook. According to Philip II, he was doing it for the benefit of the Church . In a letter to the Princess Dowager of Portugal, Regent of the Spanish kingdoms, dated 22 September 1556, Francisco de Vargas wrote: I have reported to your Highness what has been happening here, and how far

19635-500: The Papal States and the Pope declared a neutral position between France and the Spanish kingdoms. Philip led the Spanish kingdoms into the final phase of the Italian Wars . A Spanish advance into France from the Low Countries led to their important victory at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557) . The French were defeated again at the Battle of Gravelines (1558) . The resulting Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559 secured Piedmont to

19866-610: The Perez affair . Following a fire in Valladolid in 1561, he resisted calls to move his Court to Lisbon , an act that could have curbed centralisation and bureaucracy domestically as well as relaxed rule in the Empire as a whole. Instead, with the traditional Royal and Primacy seat of Toledo now essentially obsolete, he moved his Court to the Castilian stronghold of Madrid . Except for a brief period under Philip III of Spain , Madrid has remained

20097-720: The Revolt of the Netherlands in 1568, Philip waged a campaign against Dutch heresy and secession. It also dragged in the English and the French at times and expanded into the German Rhineland with the Cologne War . This series of conflicts lasted for the rest of his life. Philip's constant involvement and focus in European wars took a significant toll on the treasury and caused economic difficulties for

20328-401: The Soulcalibur original, in both graphics and gameplay. Soulcalibur II was released in arcade format three years after the previous release in the series, and was subsequently ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles . This is the first game in the Soulcalibur series to feature characters from non-Namco media, such as Link from Nintendo 's The Legend of Zelda , playable on

20559-514: The Soulcalibur series had sold more than 13 million units worldwide, with that number, as of 2018, rising to more than 15 million. As of July 2021 the series has crossed over 17 million units worldwide. The series has been rated favorably for the majority of its main series titles. Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip

20790-459: The Soulcalibur series", adding that "Mitsurugi's design isn't revelatory by any stretch. Yet its consistency over the years and his genuine, ineffable coolness" made him one of the top characters in the series. Nathan Ditum from PlayStation Official Magazine – UK chose him as his personal favourite out of the cast of Soulcalibur V . Rock ( ロック , Rokku ) , born as Nathaniel William Adams ( ナタニエル・ウィリアム・アダムス , Natanieru Wiriam Adamusu ) ,

21021-530: The Spanish Golden Age , and ruled territories in every continent then known to Europeans. Philip led a highly debt-leveraged regime , seeing state defaults in 1557, 1560, 1569, 1575, and 1596. This policy was partly the cause of the declaration of independence that created the Dutch Republic in 1581. Philip finished building the royal palace El Escorial in 1584. Deeply devout, Philip saw himself as

21252-608: The War of the Portuguese Succession , the pretender António fled to France following his defeats and, as Philip's armies had not yet occupied the Azores , he sailed there with a large Anglo-French fleet under Filippo Strozzi , a Florentine exile in the service of France. The naval Battle of Terceira took place on 26 July 1582, in the sea near the Azores, off São Miguel Island , as part of

21483-530: The "8-Way Run". The title Soulcalibur became a trademark title to be used throughout the series since. In 2008, Namco Bandai released Soulcalibur on the Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Although online leaderboards and achievements were supported in this version, there was no online playing mode or mission mode, as there was in the Dreamcast version. 2002's Soulcalibur II further improved and expanded on

21714-428: The "Hero's Sword", and was slain when he refused to leave without it. Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming, but Soul Edge meant nothing to him. He had crossed countless battlefields, defeating every conceivable enemy, even those with rifles. What had once been his greatest enemy was none of his concern, as it no longer proved to be a threat. His only concern was with finding an opponent stronger than himself. Wondering what

21945-500: The 1528 ( Treaties of Madrid and Cambrai ). Charles V proposed to end hostilities with King Henry II of Navarre —the legitimate monarch of Navarre—by marrying his son Philip to the heiress of Navarre, Jeanne III of Navarre . The marriage would provide a dynastic solution to instability in Navarre, making him king of all Navarre (Upper and Lower ) and a prince of the independent Béarn , as well as lord of part of southwestern France. However,

22176-572: The Crown and even bankruptcies. In 1588, the English defeated Philip's Spanish Armada , thwarting his planned invasion of the country to reinstate Catholicism. But war with England continued for the next sixteen years, in a complex series of struggles that included France, Ireland and the main battle zone, the Low Countries . It would not end until all the leading protagonists, including himself, had died. Earlier, however, after several setbacks in his reign and especially that of his father, Philip did achieve

22407-599: The Duke of Parma to end Henry IV's siege of Paris in 1590 and the siege of Rouen in 1592—contributed in saving the French Catholic Leagues's cause against a Protestant monarchy. In 1593, Henry agreed to convert to Catholicism; weary of war, most French Catholics switched to his side against the hardline core of the Catholic League, who were portrayed by Henry's propagandists as puppets of a foreign monarch, Philip. By

22638-520: The Dutch aristocracy, William the Silent , Prince of Orange , invaded the Netherlands with a Protestant army, but he only succeeded in holding two provinces, Holland and Zeeland . Because of the Spanish repulse in the Siege of Alkmaar (1573) led by his equally brutal son Fadrique , Alba resigned his command, replaced by Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga . Alba boasted that he had burned or executed 18,600 persons in

22869-460: The Evil Seed, and his rivalry with new character, Grøh . Throughout his journey with Xianghua and Maxi, Kilik is constantly troubled over Xianglian's death, but is aided by Sophitia , who helps him cope with his past. In the battle against Inferno, Kilik saves Xianghua with control over his malfestation as Grøh did before him, and the pair defeat Inferno. During Kilik's initial design creation, while

23100-752: The Franco-Spanish Catholic forces. French victory at the Battle of Fontaine-Française in Burgundy, 5 June 1595, marked an end to the Catholic League in France. The French also made some progress during an invasion of the Spanish Netherlands . They captured Ham and massacred the small Spanish garrison, provoking anger among the Spanish ranks. The Spanish launched a concerted offensive that year, taking Doullens , Cambrai , and Le Catelet ; at Doullens, they massacred 4,000 of its citizens. On 24 April 1596,

23331-599: The French Catholic cause gain the conversion of Henry, ensuring that Catholicism would remain France's official and majority faith—matters of paramount importance for the devoutly Catholic Spanish king. In the early part of his reign Philip was concerned with the rising power of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent . Fear of Islamic domination in the Mediterranean caused him to pursue an aggressive foreign policy. In 1558, Turkish admiral Piyale Pasha captured

23562-521: The French nobility under Francis I opposed the arrangement and successfully ended the prospects of marriage between the heirs of Habsburg and Albret in 1541. In his will, Charles stated his doubts over Navarre and recommended that his son give the kingdom back. Both King Charles and his son Philip II failed to abide by the elective (contractual) nature of the Crown of Navarre and took the kingdom for granted. This sparked mounting tension not only with King Henry II and Queen Jeanne III of Navarre but also with

23793-560: The French throne. Elisabeth of Valois , Philip's third wife and Isabella's mother, had already ceded any claim to the French Crown with her marriage to Philip and in France the Salic law remained in effect. However, the Parlement of Paris , in power of the Catholic party, gave verdict that Isabella Clara Eugenia was "the legitimate sovereign" of France. Philip's interventions in the fighting—sending

24024-469: The Guard Impact defense system and the Ring Out condition of victory. In the first game ( Soul Edge/Blade ), the Guard Impact system is a repelling technique that allows the player to check an incoming strike and push it back to allow a free hit. A Guard Impact requires precise timing (with the player pressing forward and guarding at the instant an opponent strikes) but it results in tactical advantage for

24255-623: The Japanese version and Outsiders ( 異分子 , Ibunshi ) by the Aval Organization is a being corrupted by the power of Soul Edge be it by the sword itself or shards of it if it's in pieces. They serve as the primary antagonists in the Soul series. Initially thought to have been created by the Evil Seed, it is later revealed that the Evil Seed merely transformed them from humans into mutated monsters. In Soulcalibur Legends , Malfested initially were on

24486-549: The Ling-Sheng Su Temple, before it was destroyed by the "Evil Seed" event. Taking in the only survivor of the event, Kilik, he taught him to suppress the evil within himself and sent him to destroy Soul Edge, before departing on a quest of his own. After Soul Edge is shattered by Kilik's companion, Xianghua, he gave her an unnamed Jian and returned to training Kilik in hermitage until Kilik went on his second quest to destroy Soul Edge. Later, he returned to training him when he

24717-611: The Murakami and aided them in their naval victory. Soon, he learned of the arrival of Nightmare, whom he had lost track of before. Mitsurugi left the Murakami and went to the West again. Ever-searching for a worthy adversary to test his skills, Mitsurugi journeyed to Ostrheinsburg, where he entered a chaotic alternate dimension and faced the Hero King, Algol , high atop a colossal tower. The two warriors clashed when suddenly Algol disappeared, along with

24948-479: The Netherlands, in addition to the far greater number he massacred during the war, many of them women and children; 8,000 persons were burned or hanged in one year, and the total number of Alba's Flemish victims can not have fallen short of 50,000. Under Requesens, the Army of Flanders reached a peak strength of 86,000 in 1574 and retained its battlefield superiority, destroying Louis of Nassau 's German mercenary army at

25179-551: The Netherlands, when he left the low countries for the Spanish kingdoms in 1559, but forced her to adjust policy to the advice of Cardinal Granvelle , who was greatly disliked in the Netherlands, after he insisted on direct control over events in the Netherlands despite being over two weeks' ride away in Madrid. There was discontent in the Netherlands about Philip's taxation demands and the incessant persecution of Protestants. In 1566, Protestant preachers sparked anti-clerical riots known as

25410-532: The Ottomans. The myth of "Turkish invincibility" was becoming a popular story, causing fear and panic among the people. In 1560, Philip II organised a Holy League between the Spanish kingdoms and the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa , the Papal States , the Duchy of Savoy and the Knights of Malta . The joint fleet was assembled at Messina and consisted of 200 ships (60 galleys and 140 other vessels) carrying

25641-595: The Parliament of the Spanish Navarre ( Cortes , The Three States ) and the Diputación for breach of the realm specific laws (fueros) —violation of the pactum subjection is as ratified by Ferdinand. Tensions in Navarre came to a head in 1592 after several years of disagreements over the agenda of the intended parliamentary session. In November 1592 , the Parliament ( Cortes ) of Aragón revolted against another breach of

25872-399: The Pope is going in his fury and vain imaginings. His Majesty could not do otherwise than have a care for his reputation and dominions. I am sure your Highness will have had more recent news from the Duke of Alva, who has taken the field with an excellent army and has penetrated so far into the Pope's territory that his cavalry is raiding up to ten miles from Rome, where there is such panic that

26103-529: The Portuguese nobleman Rui Gomes da Silva and Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga , the son of his governor. These men would serve Philip throughout their lives, as would Antonio Pérez , his secretary from 1541. Philip's martial training was undertaken by his governor, Juan de Zúñiga y Requesens , a Castilian nobleman who served as the commendador mayor of Castile. The practical lessons in warfare were overseen by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba during

26334-522: The Prudent ( Spanish : Felipe el Prudente ), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He was also jure uxoris King of England and Ireland from his marriage to Queen Mary I in 1554 until her death in 1558. Further, he was Duke of Milan from 1540. From 1555, he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of

26565-481: The Soul Edge's shard in his body and warned him to bequeath Kali-Yuga to Xiba, as Kilik's life is in great danger. Leaving his hermitage a second time, he entered Astral Chaos to prevent the Hero King, Algol from corrupting the world with the realm's energies. Although not playable in Soulcalibur VI , Edge Master appears in the story mode as Kilik's mentor, Taki 's ally in keeping Mitsurugi away from Soul Edge, and

26796-594: The Spanish also conquered Calais . Following the Spanish capture of Amiens in March 1597, the French Crown laid siege to it until it managed to reconquer Amiens from the overstretched Spanish forces in September 1597. Henry then negotiated a peace with the Spanish Crown. The war was only drawn to an official close, however, with the Peace of Vervins in May 1598. The 1598 Treaty of Vervins

27027-440: The Spanish monarchy to govern Philip's overseas possessions more effectively. Charles V abdicated the throne of Naples to Philip on 25 July 1554, and the young king was invested with the kingdom (officially a Papal fief) on 2 October by Pope Julius III . The date of Charles' abdication of the throne of Sicily is uncertain, but Philip was invested with this kingdom on 18 November 1554 by Julius. In 1556, Philip decided to invade

27258-457: The Strait of Magellan Spanish viceroy Francisco de Toledo ordered Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa to explore the strait and found settlements on its shores. In 1584, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa founded two colonies in the strait: Nombre de Jesús , and Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe . The latter was established north of the strait with 300 settlers. The new colonies suffered from high death rates, likely as

27489-455: The Strait of Magellan caused Chiloé Archipelago to assume the role of protecting western Patagonia from foreign intrusions. Valdivia and Chiloé acted as sentries, being hubs where the Spanish collected intelligence from all over Patagonia. Philip's rule in the Seventeen Provinces known collectively as the Netherlands faced many difficulties, leading to open warfare in 1568. He appointed his half-sister Margaret of Parma as Governor of

27720-517: The War of the Portuguese Succession and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) . The Spanish navy defeated the combined Anglo-French fleet that had sailed to preserve control of the Azores under António. The French naval contingent was the largest French force sent overseas before the age of Louis XIV . The Spanish victory at Terceira was followed by the Battle of the Azores between the Portuguese loyal to

27951-448: The aftermath. Now hungering for power, he is offered it in return for servitude to Nightmare during the events of Soulcalibur IV , an offer he accepts with the secret goal of devouring Soul Edge itself. Destroyed instead by Maxi, Astaroth's heart is retrieved by the cult responsible for his creation, and a new series of golems all bearing the name "Astaroth" are created from research conducted upon it. Astaroth's story mode in Soulcalibur VI

28182-409: The age of 14, having picked up a sword and the last name Mitsurugi, he went to train under the Murakami clan. Mitsurugi, noted as a great warrior, received numerous commendations and rose in the ranks, but his only true desire was a worthy opponent. After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in the great civil war in Japan as a hired mercenary. Having originally dismissed the firearm as

28413-432: The ailing colony has been attributed to the strain on Spain's resources that resulted from wars with England and Dutch rebels. In 1587, English corsairs renamed Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, Puerto del Hambre, or "Port Famine". Most of the settlers had died from cold or starvation. When Sir Thomas Cavendish landed at the site of Rey Don Felipe in 1587, he found only ruins of the settlement. The Spanish failure at colonizing

28644-508: The aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise , and both sides received assistance from foreign sources. Philip claimed descent from Constantine I and Charlemagne , justifying his intervention in French Wars of Religion and his continuing efforts to depose Henry IV of France . Philip signed the Treaty of Vaucelles with Henry II of France in 1556. Based on

28875-487: The astral chaos. Its 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, Charade, Necrid and Abyss. In Soulcalibur VI , Inferno's gameplay is similar to his original Soul Edge counterpart, as being more of an enhanced version of certain Soul Edge wielders than as

29106-445: The atmosphere of a wild warrior, while his facial expressions were drawn in a positive manner, intended to show him enjoying the fight. When developing his appearance for Soulcalibur , a clothed design and a bald appearance were both rejected, as the team felt they gave the impression of an urban or "bad guy" character, respectively. Seong Han-myeong ( ソン・ハンミョン , Son Hanmyon , Korean :  성한명 ; Hanja :  成漢明 )

29337-526: 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

29568-456: The battle was eventually ended by Taki, who managed to slay Cervantes. Siegfried then came to check Soul Edge, but he became possessed by the release of the "Evil Seed" and turned into the monstrous Nightmare . The Evil Seed event had major impact to the world, including several people going insane, and Nightmare replaced Cervantes in terrorizing the world, wanting to recover the lost Soul Edge fragments. Three years later, Nightmare had prepared for

29799-454: The capital of Spain. It was around this time that Philip II converted the Royal Alcázar of Madrid into a royal palace; the works, which lasted from 1561 until 1598, were done by tradesmen who came from the Netherlands, Italy, and France. King Philip II ruled at a critical turning point in European history toward modernity whereas his father Charles V had been forced to an itinerant rule as

30030-459: The case of tricking Siegfried into expanding its will, and in more extreme cases utilized Cervantes' flaming corpse and later the remnants of Nightmare's armor to create an avatar for itself. Within Astral Chaos, Inferno can manifest itself as a flaming and mostly skeletal body for itself, creating weapons to match whichever fighting style it currently uses, particularly Siegfried's being its primary likeness at most part. Inferno, along with Soul Edge

30261-635: The character(s) involved: Soul Calibur plays a crucial role in counteracting the curse. Characters like Siegfried have used Soul Calibur to resist and even partially cleanse themselves of the malfestation, showcasing the sword’s powerful counteracting abilities: None the less, wielding Soul Calibur does come with some drawbacks and complexities: The Soulcalibur series features a wide variety of characters hailing from various countries, backgrounds, and disciplines. Most characters typically have their own reasons in partaking their journey, although they frequently meet and interact with each other and most also share

30492-565: The claimant António, supported by French and English troops, and the Spanish-Portuguese forces loyal to Philip commanded by the admiral Don Álvaro de Bazán . Victory in Azores completed the incorporation of Portugal into the Spanish Empire . Philip financed the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion. He directly intervened in the final phases of the wars (1589–1598), ordering Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma into France in an effort to unseat Henry IV , and perhaps dreaming of placing his favourite daughter, Isabella Clara Eugenia , on

30723-399: The concept of a traveler, implementing subtle hints such as his torn pant legs. Hwang appears in Soulcalibur VI , although he was not playable until being made available as downloadable content. He eventually learns a taoism to combine its power with his original sword technique. Inferno ( インフェルノ , Inferuno ) is the physical manifestation of the cursed sword Soul Edge's own soul and

30954-418: The darkness of Inferno. Four years later, Nightmare had begun on his Soul Edge ritual again in his old castle, wanting to resurrect Soul Edge, but his ritual was interrupted by an exiled French nobleman, Raphael Sorel , who wanted Soul Edge in order to get revenge on the French nobles who exiled him. Although Raphael was utterly defeated, he was able to penetrate Soul Edge, which gave Siegfried and Soul Calibur

31185-421: The defender of Catholic Europe against the Ottoman Empire and the Protestant Reformation . In 1584, Philip signed the Treaty of Joinville , funding the French Catholic League over the following decade in its civil war against the French Huguenots . In 1588, he sent an armada to invade Protestant England, with the strategic aim of overthrowing Elizabeth I and re-establishing Catholicism there, but his fleet

31416-496: The defender. The opposing player is able to counter a Guard Impact with their own and this can result in a stalemate until one of the players misjudges the timing on a subsequent Guard Impact. As the series progressed, the Guard Impact system was developed further. In Soulcalibur , Namco introduced new Guard Impact techniques: Parry and Weapon Strip, while the original repelling technique was renamed Repelling. These different Guard Impact types have been kept in subsequent installments of

31647-467: The design team will animate the character by hand instead. During the phase the designers will work with the story creators, refining the character's role in the plot as necessary. Some characters have been an exception to this process, such as Necrid , a character co-produced with Todd McFarlane that appears in Soulcalibur II . Starting with Soulcalibur II , guest characters from other franchises or companies were introduced for different home ports of

31878-418: The differences between three versions of human Malfested: Being malfested comes with several significant notable downsides. These downsides add a layer of tragedy to the characters affected: Breaking the curse of malfestation is a complex and often tragic process. The curse is deeply tied to the evil sword, Soul Edge, and its corrupting influence. The exact method can vary depending on the game’s storyline and

32109-473: The end of 1594 certain League members were still working against Henry across the country, but all relied on the support of the Spanish Crown. In January 1595, therefore, Henry officially declared war on the Spanish Crown, to show Catholics that Philip was using religion as a cover for an attack on the French state, and Protestants that he had not become a puppet of the Spanish Crown through his conversion, while hoping to reconquer large parts of northern France from

32340-410: The events of Soulcalibur II , Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge while visiting a castle in Xiwei , where a mysterious dying man, after being saved by him from a group of assassins, handed him a shard of the cursed blade. Although skeptical at first, Mitsurugi accepted the gift. Soon afterward, an incident occurred in which a servant of the Emperor of Ming marched to the castle, demanding

32571-405: 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

32802-466: The expulsion of the Moriscos from Granada and their dispersal to other provinces. Despite its immense dominions, the Spanish kingdoms had a sparse population that yielded a limited income to the crown (in contrast to France , for example, which was much more heavily populated). Philip faced major difficulties in raising taxes, and the collection was largely farmed out to local lords. He was able to finance his military campaigns only by taxing and exploiting

33033-422: The fighting genre of games. With Versus (one-on-one battle mode), Survival (take on a gauntlet of opponents until the player is unable to continue), Time Attack , Team Battle (a selection of combatants will take on an opposing group, a victor is announced when the last remaining member of a team is defeated) and Training modes, the console port also saw the addition of Edge Master, a single-player mode in which

33264-404: The forces of Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis (who joined Piyale Pasha on the third day of the battle) won an overwhelming victory at the Battle of Djerba . The Holy League lost 60 ships (30 galleys) and 20,000 men, and Giovanni Andrea Doria was barely able to escape with a small vessel. The Ottomans retook the Fortress of Djerba, whose Spanish commander, D. Álvaro de Sande , attempted to escape with

33495-431: The fragments of Soul Edge. Unbreakable Soul received unfavorable reviews. All the games in the Soulcalibur series retain some specific features while others features vary from game to game. The basic button layout for the series launches two weapon attacks (horizontally and vertically aligned strikes), a kick button, and a guard button for blocking. Two features that have been kept in the series since its inception are

33726-437: The fragments that sustained him crumbled. He was informed by a servant of Soul Edge, Tira , that a powerful entity was the one responsible, so Cervantes sought to defeat the entity and preserve his life. Eventually, Soul Edge summoned all pieces of itself back to it. Cervantes followed its trail, intending to wield the sword once it completed itself. Along the way, he devoured the soul of his illegitimate daughter, Ivy , but after

33957-623: The future, and the new Cassandra set off to prevent the tragic fate of her family. Meanwhile, Azwel , who had been a member of the Aval Organization but betrayed them, set about to create the “Ultimate Seed,” which was similar to the original Evil Seed. But his plans were thwarted by the Conduit, a warrior who had the power to absorb astral fissures and who was aided by Grøh. But the Conduit later had to fight Grøh, who had succumbed to his malfestation. The Conduit will either kill or spare Grøh, depending on their actions from their journey. A Malfested  (referred to as Evils ( イヴィル , Ivuiru ) in

34188-474: The game's Quest Mode: Soulcalibur Legends , as generic enemies that can be encountered on some stages; and in Soulcalibur VI , as NPCs that can be encountered in its Libra of Soul mode. Depending on the circumstances guardians and berserkers can maintain each other roles. Malfested animals that act as minions for Soul Edge are known as Watchers (監視者). Cervantes' shark, Nightmare's hawk, and Tira's crows are examples of Watchers. Malfestation, in and of itself,

34419-450: The game, with The Legend of Zelda ' s Link appearing for the GameCube version, comic book character Spawn for the Xbox , and Tekken ' s Heihachi Mishima for the PlayStation 2 . Despite rumors of Devil May Cry ' s Dante 's inclusion in Soulcalibur III , developers confirmed no plans for the inclusion of guest characters for the title, with series producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama stating "It's my policy to never do

34650-422: The game. In the fifth game, Guard Impacts were slightly altered by giving the Parry maneuver the new property of slamming opponents to the ground rather than just easing their weapon off course. Repels still work in the same way as they have in previous Soulcalibur series games. Ring Outs occur when one of the fighters is forcibly removed from the game's arena (or ring), instantly ending the round and resulting in

34881-477: The goal is for the player to collect loot, including raw materials and weapons, through battles in the new Quest Mode. Initially trademarked by Bandai Namco in October 2013, Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul was announced on Bandai Namco's Global Gamer's Day 2014 for the mobile phones, the first installment made specifically for the platform, this time iOS (the previous mobile game was an Android port of Soulcalibur ). Released on May 8, 2014, Unbreakable Soul

35112-457: The government of the Spanish kingdoms. The king-emperor's interactions with his son during his stay in Castile convinced him of Philip's precocity in statesmanship, so he determined to leave in his hands the regency of the Spanish kingdoms in 1543. Philip, who had previously been made the Duke of Milan in 1540, began governing the most extensive empire in the world at the young age of sixteen. Charles left Philip with experienced advisors—notably

35343-472: The group's combined accomplishments. All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally released as arcade games, and subsequently ported to home consoles. The ported versions are known for their extra features, including characters, weapons, costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single-player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions. For example, Seung Han Myong (Romanized in later games as Seong Han-myeong)

35574-426: The island and took some of them, but the Spanish sent a relief force under D. García de Toledo and a rescued Álvaro de Sande, which finally drove the Ottoman army out of the island. The grave threat posed by the increasing Ottoman domination of the Mediterranean was finally reversed in one of history's most decisive battles, with the destruction of nearly the entire Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, by

35805-463: The key to his full memories. Through Sophitia's words, he returned to care for Bangoo, only to find him being kidnapped by Aeon Calcos/Lizardman whose cult demanded Rock's soul. He crossed back to Europe and rescued Bangoo. They stayed in Europe for several years until Bangoo grew older, after which Bangoo went to America by himself. Later, Rock is attacked by a giant named Astaroth whose moves have an uncanny resemblance to his own. He learned that Astaroth

36036-424: The last game to conclude the 1590 A.D. trilogy. Soulcalibur IV introduces new gameplay mechanics into the series in the form of damage-absorbing armor (that can be shattered) and Critical Finishes (both tied to the new Soul Gauge). Like Soulcalibur II , the fourth game also included cameos from different media. The Star Wars character Darth Vader is a playable character on the PlayStation 3 version, while Yoda

36267-423: The latter had survived thanks to her artificial soul, Ivy retaliated and defeated Cervantes, releasing all souls he had consumed, including hers. His body beaten and his mind shattered, Cervantes was swallowed by a dimensional rift opened by Soul Edge. Seventeen years later, during the wake of the 17th century, people reported the presence of Cervantes' ship, voyaging through the sea; Cervantes had been released from

36498-410: The latter two making one appearance each as an alternate costume to each other. Four characters: Astaroth , Ivy , Sophitia , and Taki have come close, appearing in eight games. Other characters who do not appear often make cameos or are commented upon in-game. While continuously being revised in each game, the character lineup generally stay consistent until Soulcalibur V , in which a major time skip

36729-422: 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

36960-457: The local resources of his empire. The flow of income from the New World proved vital to his militant foreign policy, but his exchequer several times faced bankruptcy. Spanish culture flourished during Philip's reign, beginning the " Spanish Golden Age ", creating a lasting legacy in literature, music, and the visual arts. One of the notable artists from Philip II's court was Sofonisba Anguissola , who gained fame for her talent and unusual role as

37191-477: The name of the franchise, with all subsequent installments also using the name onwards. More recent games in the series have been released for consoles only and have evolved to include online playing modes. The central motif of the series, set in a historical fantasy version of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, are mythical swords, the evil weapon called " Soul Edge " and the subsequent sword used to oppose this evil, " Soul Calibur " (parsed as two words, while

37422-464: The next 65 years. Aside from reducing state revenues for overseas expeditions, the domestic policies of Philip II further burdened the Spanish kingdoms and would, in the following century, contribute to its decline, as maintained by some historians. The Spanish kingdoms were subject to different assemblies: the Cortes in Castile , the assembly in Navarre , and one each for the four kingdoms of Aragon , which preserved traditional rights and laws from

37653-459: The next three years, he decided to search for the cursed sword despite knowing that it had robbed him of his free will while slowly recovering his memories. Upon the shattering of Soul Edge, Cervantes began his quest on collecting the fragments of the cursed sword for four years which melded to form a weapon for him, attacking other ships that came close to his sea. When the presence of Soul Edge's other half vanished, Cervantes's body began to weaken as

37884-720: The offer. Regardless, Han-myeong planned to marry his daughter with Hwang, which only caused Mi-na to run away from home for months, although she was eventually dragged back home by Hwang. When a malfested army invades his dojang to hunt Mi-na for her involvement and lure Hwang (who is now also a Taoist in Soulcalibur VI ), Han-myeong learns Soul Edge's evil nature from his student. Later, another student of his, Hong Yun-seong ran away from his dojo to find Soul Edge and Han-myeong reluctantly gave his blessing to his daughter in an attempt to find him, yet entrust her to prevent Yun-seong from nearing Soul Edge. Seong Mi-na ( ソン・ミナ , Son Mina , Korean :  성미나 ; Hanja :  成美那 )

38115-417: The original Guard Impact mechanic is replaced by Just Guard, which works similarly but removes the consequence for missed timing. The Critical Gauge can also be used for Brave Edge attacks, which are stronger attacks than regular ones that don't require an entire bar. In addition to the 8-Way Run, Quick Step allows players to execute a faster sidestep to circle their opponent. A long time ago, an ordinary sword

38346-425: The other Soulcalibur series, this game features guest characters; in this case Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin's Creed series and as well as the fighting style of Devil Jin from the Tekken series. Soulcalibur VI was released in 2018. While the storyline takes place after the fifth game, it acts as a soft reboot, taking the series back to mostly reimagined after Soul Edge and eventually set in

38577-424: The past, and that the French will calm down. May God give us peace in the end, as their Majesties desire and deserve! In response to the invasion, Pope Paul IV called for a French military intervention. After minor fights in Lazio and near Rome, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba , Viceroy of Naples met Cardinal Carlo Carafa and signed the Treaty of Cave as a compromise: French and Spanish forces left

38808-417: The peninsula. Mary Tudor's death in 1558 enabled Philip to seal the treaty by marrying Henry II's daughter, Elisabeth of Valois , later giving him a claim to the throne of France on behalf of his daughter by Elisabeth, Isabella Clara Eugenia . The French Wars of Religion (1562–1598) were primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). The conflict involved the factional disputes between

39039-449: The people who had ostracized her, Tira was confronted by Pyrrha's long-lost brother, Patroklos Alexander , formerly a warrior under Graf Dumas, who had made his life's goal to find his sister and avenge his mother's murder. While he was able to bring her back, they were confronted by Nightmare and Pyrrha awakened her Soul Edge powers. She was disappointed when Patroklos was hesitant in accepting her, and decided to follow Tira again. Patroklos

39270-428: The player blocks an attack and is replenished by landing attacks on the opponent, it also refills slowly over time). Also tied to the Soul Gauge is the concept of destructible character armor (akin to Fighting Vipers ) that can be smashed off characters to weaken their resistance to attacks. The Critical Finish itself replaces the Soul Charge from the other three Soulcalibur games (a supercharge-like move that can give

39501-415: The player controls one out of the game's seven playable characters through a level infested with enemies and defeats the boss in the end. It features competitive and cooperative gameplay in addition to the single-player mode. Soulcalibur Legends , although set between the events of Soul Edge and Soulcalibur , is non-canon to the series. Released in 2009 for the Sony PSP , Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

39732-497: The player would guide one of the ten main characters in a story-like manner while obtaining a variety of weapons for use. The sequel to Soul Edge was released for arcade a year later, with a port for the Dreamcast in 1999. The plot is set two–three years after the first game. The title is derived from Soul Calibur, a legendary weapon which opposes the evil of Soul Edge. Though retaining elements of its predecessor, Soulcalibur incorporated an extensive number of new features, including

39963-412: The population would have run away had not the gates been closed. The Pope has fallen ill with rage, and was struggling with a fever on the 16th of this month. The two Carafa brothers, the Cardinal and Count Montorio, do not agree, and they and Piero Strozzi are not on as good terms as they were in the past. They would like to discuss peace. The best thing would be for the Pope to die, for he is the poison at

40194-481: 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

40425-478: The premier power of Europe, to the detriment of France. In France, Henry II was fatally wounded in a joust held during the celebrations of the peace. His death led to the accession of his 15-year-old son Francis II , who in turn soon died. The French monarchy was thrown into turmoil, which increased further with the outbreak of the French Wars of Religion that would last for several decades. The states of Italy were reduced to second-rate powers, with Spain dominating

40656-450: The realm-specific laws, so the Attorney General ( Justicia ) of the kingdom, Juan de Lanuza, was executed on Philip II's orders, with his secretary Antonio Pérez taking exile in France. In Navarre, the major strongholds of the kingdom were garrisoned by troops alien to the kingdom (Castilians) in a conspicuous violation of the local laws, and the Parliament had long been refusing to pledge loyalty to Philip II's son and heir apparent without

40887-490: The reason she, Hwang and Talim tries to prevent Yun-seong from nearing it. In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, Seong Mi-Na placed first with little under 20% of the tally, just ahead of runner-up Sophitia (18%). In an article for Kotaku , Maddy Myers heavily criticized her design, stating "It's never explained why Seong Mi-Na is wearing an underboob-baring top that offers her breasts no support whatsoever, and which

41118-483: The rift, now free from Soul Edge's control and at his height of power. In the non-canonical Gauntlet storyline of Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny , Cervantes' soul was required as payment for Ivy to create a potion for character Hilde and her party to cure her father. Though they attempted to renegotiate, they were forced to find and take Cervantes' soul by force. Hwang Seong-gyeong ( ファン・ソンギョン , Fan Songyon , Korean :  황성경 ; Hanja :  黄星京 ) ,

41349-424: The ritual to complete Soul Edge, but three warriors from Asia, Chai Xianghua , Kilik , and Maxi stormed his castle, the Ostrheinsburg, and managed to defeat Nightmare, with Soul Edge's spirit ( Inferno ) being shattered by Xianghua's blade, which was revealed to be the lost Soul Calibur. Though Siegfried temporarily regained his sanity, he became possessed again shortly after, as did Soul Calibur, which succumbed to

41580-480: The root of all this trouble and more which may occur. His Majesty's intention is only to wrest the knife from this madman's hand and make him return to a sense of his dignity, acting like the protector of the Apostolic See , in whose name, and that of the College of Cardinals , his Majesty has publicly proclaimed that he has seized all he is occupying. The Pope is now sending again to the potentates of Italy for help. I hope he will gain as little thereby as he has done in

41811-558: The same thing twice." However, under new producer Katsutoshi Sasaki the concept was revisited in later titles in the series, with Tales of Symphonia ' s Lloyd Irving appearing in Soulcalibur Legends , Star Wars characters The Apprentice, Yoda and Darth Vader appearing in Soulcalibur IV , with the latter two exclusively to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions respectively until later released as downloadable content , God of War ' s Kratos for Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny , and Ezio Auditore da Firenze from

42042-638: The second time in the Tower of Remembrance, where Siegfried managed to destroy both Nightmare and Soul Edge, seemingly once and for all. Seventeen years later, however, Soul Edge had reformed itself, as did Nightmare, who had possessed a swordsman and became the king of Hungary under the alias "Graf Dumas". His former servant, Tira, did not accept him and intended to search for a new vessel for Soul Edge. She eventually found her now-dead nemesis Sophitia's daughter, Pyrrha Alexandra , whom she had once kidnapped to blackmail Sophitia, who had Soul Edge's power in her blood. Though successful in advising her to attack and kill

42273-426: The secretary Francisco de los Cobos and the general, the Duke of Alba. Philip was also left with extensive written instructions that emphasised "piety, patience, modesty, and distrust". These principles of Charles were gradually assimilated by his son, who would grow up to become grave, self-possessed and cautious. Personally, Philip spoke softly and had an icy self-mastery; in the words of one of his ministers, "he had

42504-475: The sequels to Soulcalibur has used the 8-Way Run movement system. In Soulcalibur IV , Namco introduced a new variation of the Critical Edge combo, called the Critical Finish. Rather than being a combo, a Critical Finish is more of a finishing move which involves an elaborate move that defeats opponents in a single attack. This new attack is tied to the Soul Gauge that works similarly to the Guard Break meter in Street Fighter Alpha 3 (the meter decreases whenever

42735-409: The series by Namco, Enterbrain , Gamest, Nintendo and V Jump . Two soundtrack albums were released for Soul Edge , and one album for each of Soulcalibur , II , III , IV , V and VI . Soulcalibur series characters were featured in the 2006 collectible card game Universal Fighting System . Taki and Ivy were also the subject of a 2011 erotic gamebook in the Queen's Gate series. Pyrrah

42966-637: The series include Heihachi Mishima , Devil Jin , King , Ling Xiaoyu , Asuka Kazama , and Jun Kazama from Tekken (the latter five as attires for custom characters), Link from The Legend of Zelda , Spawn from Spawn , Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia , KOS-MOS from Xenosaga (as an attire for custom characters), Darth Vader , Yoda , and The Apprentice from Star Wars , Kratos from God of War , Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed , Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher , 2B from NieR: Automata and Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown . Other than featuring characters from other series,

43197-405: The series' characters have also appeared in other video games as well, including the Ridge Racer series, Pac-Man Fever , Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 , Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos , Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate , as well as crossover titles such as Namco × Capcom and Project X Zone 2 . A five-volume manhua based on Soulcalibur (劍魂 Jiànhún lit. translation 'Soul of Sword' )

43428-442: The series' title is written as a single word). While it has developed during its various iterations, some of the characters and gameplay elements have remained consistent throughout the series. Project Soul is the internal Namco development group responsible for the Soulcalibur franchise after the release of Soulcalibur II . Although the games are usually credited to Namco itself, the team established its name to draw attention to

43659-836: The side of the Ottoman Empire , but after the defeat of Barbaros , they joined the Masked Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire . Malfested that protect shards of Soul Edge are known as Guardians (ガーディアン). While Guardians exist throughout series' lore, they are most prominent in Soulcalibur Legends and serve as boss characters. Notable Guardians include Fafnir, Ammon, Geki, Maki , Lizardmen/Lizardwomen , and Cervantes. Berserkers (バーサーカー) are names given to various warriors who have been driven mad with blood lust due to exposure from Soul Edge and care for nothing else other than to cause as much death and destruction as inhumanly possible. They have appeared in Soulcalibur II , as an unlockable character ; Soulcalibur III , as an NPC that can be fought in Tales of Souls; Soulcalibur: Lost Swords , as NPCs in

43890-412: The special effects would be done by Rhythm and Hues Studios because of their relationship with Namco. In 2004, Warren Zide's Sony -owned Anthem Pictures acquired the rights to adapt the game to film, which would be produced by Matthew Rhodes and Noel Vega and released in 2007. It has been stated that the film's plot "revolves around two warriors who are chosen by Shaolin monks to recover and destroy

44121-408: The states of Milan, Naples and Sicily. Ultimately, the treaty ended the 60-year Franco-Habsburg wars for supremacy in Italy. It marked also the beginning of a period of peace between the Pope and Philip, as their European interests converged, although political differences remained and diplomatic contrasts eventually re-emerged. By the end of the wars in 1559, Habsburg Spain had been established as

44352-421: The sword and informed his superiors of it. They dismissed him as a result, but upon learning that the Japanese were also after the sword he was instead sent to stop them. Heading westward, he plans to join forces with Mi-na to destroy the blade. In Soulcalibur IV , he was in Ostrheinsburg when he crossed paths with Hong Yun-seong, a student of the Seong dojo. Hwang tried to warn him the danger of Soul Edge, though

44583-427: The sword gradually corrupted him until his soul was devoured by it. Having murdered all of his crew, Cervantes boarded his ghost ship on a reign of terror for twenty years until he was defeated and killed by the combined efforts of Greek warrior Sophitia and Japanese ninja Taki . However, Cervantes was accidentally resurrected without his memory by Nightmare because of the Soul Edge fragments lodged in his body. For

44814-506: The sword, from which he then made a weapon in grief, naming it "Soul Calibur". He was sacrificed to complete the sword's ritual which would then be protected by a cult; no one knew that Soul Edge would reform on its own later on. Soul Calibur itself was lost after it was stolen by a member of the cult, Zasalamel . In 1553, a Spanish pirate, Cervantes de Leon stole Soul Edge from a dealer's ship, but gradually became corrupted by its spirit until it devoured his soul, influencing him to terrorize

45045-425: The sword. However, the cult that created him regards this as a betrayal, and places a curse on the golem to dominate him. Astaroth resists and counterattacks the cult, learning in the process his design is not original but instead modeled after a human being, Rock . To assert himself as unique, Astaroth finds and nearly kills Rock at the conclusion of Soulcalibur III , breaking free of Ares' control and transforming in

45276-416: The terms of the treaty, the territory of Franche-Comté in Burgundy was to be relinquished to Philip. However, the treaty was broken shortly afterwards. France and the Spanish kingdoms waged war in northern France and Italy over the following years. Spanish victories at St. Quentin and Gravelines led to the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, in which France recognised Spanish sovereignty over Franche-Comté. During

45507-463: The time to break free of its control fully. Soul Edge was then pierced by Siegfried using Soul Calibur, trapping them in the "Soul Embrace". While things seemed to go normal afterwards, Zasalamel had returned to try and free both swords, intending to use their power to break his cycle of reincarnation induced by Soul Calibur. He managed to do so, and Inferno took a physical form to become the "second Nightmare". Siegfried clashed with this new Nightmare, but

45738-452: The time when they were separate kingdoms. This made the Spanish kingdoms and its possessions difficult to rule, unlike France, which while divided into regional states, had a single Estates General . The lack of a viable supreme assembly led to power defaulting into Philip II's hands, especially as manager and final arbiter of the constant conflict between different authorities. To deal with the difficulties arising from this situation, authority

45969-419: The tower and all their surroundings—a dimensional convergence had warped Mitsurugi back to reality before the duel could be decided. He had also unknowingly make rival with Setsuka , after he mortally wounded her master during a battle that eventually led to his death, although he did not realize it until they fight sometime during the events of Soulcalibur IV , at which he defeated her by stunning Setsuka with

46200-517: The true antagonist within Soul series as his Nightmare incarnation, where it mostly started out as the final boss in Soul Edge (originally listed as "SoulEdge") until Soulcalibur II , including the reboot/retelling game Soulcalibur VI . It fights using the attack style of other fighters from its memories of past battles and will switch to a random one at the start of each round. Though it exists in its own dimension, Astral Chaos (a realm where time and space never exist), it has used duplicity such as in

46431-437: The tutelage of Edge Master, and joined forces with Maxi and Xianghua (unknowingly Xianglian's sister) to destroy Soul Edge and purge the evil within himself. They confronted Nightmare during his Soul Edge ritual and Kilik managed to defeat him. He returned to hone his skills with Edge Master, but sensed Soul Edge's return four years later that made him travel around the world with Xianghua once again. The two confronted Zasalamel in

46662-431: The two reunited where Kilik had an intimate meeting with Xianghua that conceived Xiba, but left her before Xiba was born. He then spent his time trying to close the astral gates, where he touched the souls of those who had wandered the Astral Chaos and made him able to learn their styles. The new timeline not only retells Kilik's tragic past in the Ling-Shang Su temple massacre, but also reveals his malfested form because of

46893-494: The victims are possibly based on their personality and physique, as Tira may have stopped aging due to being part of a clan that valued survival above all else. Male Malfested often display physical transformations while females generally don't, though exceptions like Pyrrha Ω , and Maki exist. When Cervantes became malfested, he was a zombie due to being revived by Soul Edge. When Raphael and Amy became malfested, they gained vampiric traits and abilities. Soulcalibur VI introduces

47124-425: The weapon selected remained constant several ages and related appearances were considered. In particular amongst these was suggested a young boy whose design was based upon the legendary Chinese character Sun Wukong , the Monkey King. Other designs such as a feral appearance were considered, but unused due to them feeling "pretty wild" and too different from the initial concept. "Lizardman" ( リザードマン , Rizādoman )

47355-434: The world for over twenty years. This terror made several warriors to venture out and stop him, including a female ninja, Taki , who wanted to destroy Soul Edge for having corrupted her master, and a German rebel, Siegfried Schtauffen , who desperately wanted to blame someone for his accidental murder of his father. Eventually, a Greek warrior, Sophitia Alexandra , confronted and managed to destroy one of Cervantes' blades, but

47586-438: The young warrior did not heed his warning and continued his journey to find the sword. After Soul Edge is destroyed, he is deemed a national hero and begins training in the new generation alongside Mi-Na and Yun-seong. In a new timeline depicted in Soulcalibur VI , Hwang was forcefully being implanted with the evil seed and almost transformed into a malfested by Won Gabok, a servant of Soul Edge. He managed to injure himself and

47817-425: Was a privateer who was sent on a mission by the King of Spain to loot in the name of Spain. Following a disastrous attack on an English warship that killed Philip, Cervantes forsook his allegiance to his king and became a pirate. Receiving an order from a wealthy merchant to find the cursed sword Soul Edge, Cervantes voyaged through the sea and eventually found the sword in the possession of an English dealer. However,

48048-435: Was administered by local agents appointed by the crown and viceroys carrying out crown instructions. Philip II felt it necessary to be involved in the detail, and he presided over specialised councils for state affairs, finance, war, and the Inquisition . Philip II played groups against each other, leading to a system of checks and balances that managed affairs inefficiently, even to the extent of damaging state business, as in

48279-502: 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

48510-408: Was created by Lizardman's cult based on his image and is now serving Nightmare. Rock is determined to stop him at all costs. His fate afterward is not known, as no explanation is given for his absence in Soulcalibur V . Initially during development, the character was called "Beast Warrior", and his design changed little over the course of creating the character. His appearance is intended to reflect

48741-635: Was defeated in a skirmish at Gravelines (northern France) and then destroyed by storms as it circled the British Isles to return to Spain. The following year Philip's naval power was able to recover after the failed invasion of the English Armada into Spain. Two more Spanish armadas unsuccessfully tried to invade England in 1596 and 1597 . The Anglo-Spanish War carried on until 1604, six years after Philip's death. Under Philip, an average of about 9,000 soldiers were recruited from Spain each year, rising to as many as 20,000 in crisis years. Between 1567 and 1574, nearly 43,000 men left Spain to fight in Italy and

48972-839: Was dragged home once more by Hwang. She later encountered Hong Yun-seong, a student of her father angry after being disregarded by Hwang when he challenged him to a duel. Feeling sorry for him, she handed him her family heirloom, the dao 'White Storm', and later that night he set out himself after Soul Edge. Mi-na set out to retrieve the dao from him, this time with her father's blessing. Afterward, Mi-na met with an old man, Edge Master, who quickly defeated her in their battle, at which point he trained her for some time. She eventually confronted Yun-seong and together with his companion, Talim tried to convince him to abandon his quest, though he did not heed their warnings and left on his own one night while both women were asleep. Mi-na then promised Talim that she will find Yun-seong before they parted their ways. She

49203-428: Was eleven months old, he received the oath of allegiance as heir to the crown from the Cortes of Castile. From that time until the death of his mother Isabella in 1539, he was raised in the royal court of Castile under the care of his mother and one of her Portuguese ladies, Doña Leonor de Mascarenhas, to whom he was devotedly attached. Philip was also close to his two sisters, María and Juana , and to his two pages,

49434-419: Was entrusted to the royal governess Leonor de Mascareñas , and tutored by Juan Martínez Siliceo , the future archbishop of Toledo . Philip displayed reasonable aptitude in arts and letters alike. Later he would study with more illustrious tutors, including the humanist Juan Cristóbal Calvete de Estrella. Though Philip had good command over Latin , Spanish, and Portuguese, he never managed to equal his father as

49665-445: Was happening in Japan at that time, and whether or not he could have a final showdown with Taki, he decided to return to his homeland. By the time of Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV , the Murakami clan, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with Toyotomi Hideyoshi , choosing instead to protect their existence as fierce pirates and rulers of the sea. Since Mitsurugi could find no trace of Taki, he went to aid

49896-474: Was held before the bishop of Pamplona (22 November), but its customary procedure and terms were altered. Protests erupted in Pamplona, but they were quelled. Philip II also grappled with the problem of the large Morisco population in the Spanish kingdoms, who had been forcibly converted to Christianity by his predecessors. In 1569, the Morisco Revolt broke out in the southern Kingdom of Granada in defiance of attempts to suppress Moorish customs. Philip ordered

50127-402: Was largely a restatement of the 1559 Peace of Câteau-Cambrésis and Spanish forces and subsidies were withdrawn; meanwhile, Henry issued the Edict of Nantes , which offered a high degree of religious toleration for French Protestants. The military interventions in France thus failed to oust Henry from the throne or suppress Protestantism in France, and yet they had played a decisive part in helping

50358-445: Was later included. During spring 2001, the martial arts film star Sammo Hung announced plans for a film adaptation of Soulcalibur entitled Soul Calibur: The Movie . The film was to be directed by Hung and would be produced by Alan Noel Vega, Michael Cerenzie, Sam Kute and Joseph Jones. According to a statement posted on his website, the film budget would need to be $ 50 million, locations were to include Eastern Europe and China, and

50589-401: Was named as Soul Calibur's new wielder afterwards by Siegfried and also purified the holy sword through the help of several Asian warriors, before going on an all-out battle in Europe. Nightmare was eventually killed by Siegfried's subordinate, Z.W.E.I. , who was immediately wounded by the possessed Pyrrha, who proceeded to battle Patroklos. Patroklos accidentally killed his sister, but was given

50820-442: Was originally conceived as a character meant to complement Sophitia's fighting style, and as a result use the same sword and shield combination as her. At one point Lizardman was meant to be left-handed, but due to various reasons the concept was shelved. In an early character draft, it was considered to have it be a golem protecting a little girl, and would have had bits of its body knocked off during combat. Deciding instead to go with

51051-571: Was published in 1999 by author Mó yì (魔翼) and was published by Qingwen (青文). A separate two volume manhua titled Soulcalibur: Spirit Sword (靈神劍, Ling Shenjian, lit. translation: Spirit Holy Sword ) was released in 1998 that retold the events of the first game but with Hwang as the central character in a setting with Sci-Fi elements. A two-volume novelization was written by Tobita Mandom (supervised by Project Soul), illustrated by JUNNY, and published by Shueisha in Japan in 2012. Several guide and art books were published in Japan for various installments of

51282-425: Was quickly defeated, and learned from Ivy that not only was she still inexperienced but that the sword she sought was inherently evil. She later challenged an alcoholic armed with a bō staff who also quickly defeated her. Seong Mi-na requested training from him, and he taught her all his skills, revealing in a farewell letter his name as "Kong Xiuqiang", the long-lost father of Xianghua. However, before she set out she

51513-426: Was renamed Soul Blade outside Japan. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom has their own reasons for joining the quest but they all share a common goal: to obtain the legendary sword, called 'Soul Edge'. After appearing in arcade, the game was made available for PlayStation in 1996. Along with its soundtrack, it has been praised for being innovative yet traditional to

51744-438: Was revealed that his failed attempt to fight Nightmare is because Taki was sent by Edge Master to keep him away from end having an awful encounter with the Azure Knight. Misturugi made a friendly rivalry with a universe-displaced The Witcher Geralt of Rivia , and his long waited rival who is also his counterpart from SNK Corporation , Samurai Shodown ’s protagonist Haohmaru . Mitsurugi also appeared in Namco × Capcom as

51975-404: Was seen. It used a different graphics engine . Soulcalibur III contains a new single-player mode called "Tales of Souls", a story mode in which the player can make course-altering decisions. Arenas are more interactive, for example with rocks breaking if a character were to impact against them. Soulcalibur III is the first game in the series to feature a character creation system, and features

52206-442: Was soaked with blood through the endless battles of its era, causing the sword to be corrupted and becoming sentient by its own, which earned it the name "Soul Edge". No one dared to wield the sword without getting corrupted by its evil spirit, and only the Hero King, Algol can wield it without getting possessed. However, Algol's son, jealous of his father's feat, wielded the sword and became corrupted. Algol destroyed both his son and

52437-424: Was such a rule necessarily possible at his time. The inefficiencies of the Spanish state and the restrictively regulated industry under his rule were common to many contemporary countries. Further, the dispersal of the Moriscos from Granada—motivated by the fear they might support a Muslim invasion—had serious negative effects on the economy, particularly in that region. Philip's foreign policies were determined by

52668-436: Was the 20th Anniversary of the Soul series. It was developed by Project Soul and published by Yamasa for arcades and Apple iPhone , iPad , and iPod devices which was developed by Ichikaku Co,. Ltd. in Japan on January 29, 2017. The game's story is based off of and uses assets such as music, graphics, and models from Soulcalibur V along with the some of its more notable characters across various in-game modes. The story

52899-401: 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

53130-410: Was thought to have committed suicide. However, Hwang survived and was saved by Woo Soo-yun, an ally of the Aval Organization and by extension, the Wolfkrone Kingdom, including Hwang's deceased parents. Hwang masters taoism for three months to suppress the malfestation from taking over his body and countermeasure any other malfestation threats. During development several weapons were considered, including

53361-581: Was wounded in the process and had to be healed by Soul Calibur, tying him with it permanently, while Soul Edge was cast to the void to heal itself. The clash of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur had awakened Algol from his slumber, who rose the Tower of Remembrance to wait for warriors to challenge him. Meanwhile, Nightmare, with his servant Tira , wanting to gather the Soul Edge fragments to complete Soul Edge, forced several warriors, including Astaroth , Sophitia, and Voldo into servitude, while Siegfried, having recovered, set out to confront Nightmare. The two clashed for

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