List of characters in the Soul series

A comprehensive list of characters from the "Soul" series of fighting games produced by Namco.

Series characters

"Official characters within the series' storyline. They are playable in some installments of the series."

Abyss

nihongo|Abyss|アビス|Abisu is one of the two final bosses on "Soulcalibur III", being the most commonly found boss on the "Tales of Souls" story mode and always at the end of the "Quick Play" mode. He is Zasalamel after a mutation by the powers of both the holy sword and the evil sword. Abyss possesses the same fighting style of Zasalamel, with some moves replaced by unblockable projectile attacks. He can be unlocked as a normal character, but doesn't have a Story Mode nor an ending.

In the final chapters of "Tales of Souls" in "Soulcalibur III", Abyss appears when Zasalamel absorbs the energies of both Soul Edge and Soulcalibur in an attempt to break his curse of eternal life. Instead, Zasalamel transforms into Abyss and attacks the player's character. Upon his defeat, the chosen character's ending plays.

In "", Abyss is dropped from the character roster and turned into a non-selectable boss alongside Night Terror, both appearing at random at the arcade's end match.

Algol

nihongo|Algol|アルゴル|Arugoru, who is also known as "The Hero King," was able to subdue Soul Edge and with the help of his powerful strength of will, he avoided being controlled by it. According to the legend, he used the sword to spread peace among the lands but unfortunately, his jealous son, Arcturus, took Soul Edge and was possessed. Algol battled him and defeated him with a mighty blow. The strike was fatal.

After his son's death, he decided to create a sword to counter the evil within Soul Edge. The legend says that, using purified shards obtained from his battle with his son and with the assistance of various sages, Algol was able to create the Soul Calibur after many failed attempts and even sacrificing his own life. However, the ritual that claimed the king's life actually failed, and the sword that was created was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge, imbued with Algol's soul. The tribe that was tasked with the protection of the new sword slowly turned that failure into a success, creating Soul Calibur, and sealed the Hero King's soul away, keeping his thirst for power dormant over the centuries.

Cervantes

nihongo|Cervantes de Leon's|セルバンテス・デ・レオン|Serubantesu de Reon' father, Phillip de Leon, was a privateer sent on a special mission from Spanish King Philip II of Spain to loot in the name of Spain. One day, he sailed closely to an English ship with intent to loot it, only to find out too late that it was a warship. He was taken by surprise, his ship was destroyed, and his crew died along with it. Cervantes was devastated. He decided that if that was what happened to sailors that swear allegiance to Spain, he would forsake it and become a pirate. One day, he received a message from the "Merchant of Death," Vercci. It was a request to find Soul Edge. At first Cervantes dismissed the offer, but finally accepted since Vercci was the merchant who gave him the artillery for his ship. After a year of searching, Cervantes found information pointing to an antiques dealer with a "strange article". There was no specific evidence that said article was Soul Edge, but Cervantes was a pirate, and could find some use for the ship's goods even if Soul Edge was not there. Cervantes attacked the ship, and nobody heard from him again for more than twenty years.

What had happened was that Cervantes had obtained Soul Edge on that ship, and it drove him insane as it devoured his soul. His insanity caused him to kill anyone who came looking for Soul Edge--including his own crew and the entire population of his home port town in Valencia--a reign of terror that lasted for twenty years. Li Long was the first to confront him to possess Soul Edge, but was defeated from its overwhelming power. He tried to escape, and Cervantes pursued him. However, Li Long successfully fled. After that, Sophitia Alexandra, Taki and Siegfried Schtauffen confronted Cervantes, and they all defeated him in succession. But this was not the end for Cervantes. Nightmare, the new host for Soul Edge, unknowingly resurrected him using the fragments of Soul Edge still lodged inside Cervantes' body, but all his memories of his past life had vanished. Over the course of the next three years, Cervantes sailed in a ghost ship, plundering and maddening ships across the world, as his memories gradually returned, along with the desire to search for Soul Edge again, even though he knew it had robbed him of his free will. During Cervantes' search for Soul Edge, he realized that the second sword had been shattered as well when he found a few shards of the second sword. He pondered as to whether or not Soul Edge had been definitively conquered, but at that moment, the shards melded together on their own to create a bigger piece of the sword. For the next four years, Cervantes began his quest to steal souls and collect additional fragments. Eventually, they took the form of a legitimate sword. Cervantes' new goal was to regain Soul Edge, and to do that, he needed as many of the fragments as he could find.

By making use of the fragments of the cursed sword within his body, Cervantes succeeded in preserving his own will. With Soul Edge and the Adrian, he devoured the souls of brawny men of the sea.

Hilde

nihongo|Hildegard von Krone|ヒルデガルド・フォン・クローネ|Hirudegarudo fon Kurōne, or nihongo|Hilde|ヒルダ|Hiruda for short, [ [http://videos.neoseeker.com/gameplay/652-soul-calibur-iv-features-video/ Soul Calibur IV Features Video] . Neoseeker.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-28] [Haynes, Jeff. [http://ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821046p1.html TGS 2007: Soul Calibur IV Trailer and Gameplay] . IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-28] is the daughter of the king of Wolfkrone, a fictional European kingdom [cite web|url=http://www.jeux-france.com/news21815_soul-calibur-iv-se-precise.html|title=Famitsu scan (in Japanese) Jeux France. Retrieved on 2008-08-01] under assault by Nightmare's forces from Ostrheinsburg Castle. After her father went insane, Hilde took up the responsibility of protecting its people, leading her armies in the front lines against Nightmare alongsidee. As a desperate measure, Hilde seeks the Sword of Resurrection, Soul Calibur, to bring back an ancient king who once restored peace to the world. [ [http://www.namcobandaigames.com/games/soulcalibur4/features Namco Bandai Games America] . Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-08-01] At the game's conclusion, Siegfried stands before her and requests to be executed for his role in creating Nightmare. She instead grants him a royal pardon, telling him to live for the future instead of the past.

Hwang

nihongo|Hwang Seong-gyeong|ファン・ソンギョン|Fan Songyon|Hanja: 黄星京 Hangul: 황성경 "Hwang Seonggyeong" had been born to parents who, while poor, had a strong sense of justice. However, this resolve was what led to their downfall. He grew up hardened and eventually enrolled himself in the Seong Dojang to learn to use the long sword. It didn't take him long to become the best student in the dojang and was eventually deemed good enough to be taught a private lesson by the master himself, Seong Han-myeong. The master was happy to have such a gifted student and was even considering adopting him as his son. However, he never had a chance to do so, and his daughter, Seong Mi-na, was only friends with Hwang, with mutual lack of desire to make the relationship anything more than friendship. Facing increasing incursions from Japanese raiders, a coast guard was quickly formed and led by Admiral Lee Sun Shin, with Hwang as the first to volunteer. Rumours of Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", spread to Korea, and Admiral Lee Sun Shin sent him to go and find it.

On his quest to find the "Sword of Salvation," he received news of an impending Japanese invasion of his homeland. He cut his search short and returned home, dragging Seong Mi-na, who had run away to find the Soul Edge herself, home with him. He rejoined the Coast Guard as commander, but shortly thereafter, he received news from a new recruit, Kong Xiuqiang, that Mi-na had run away again. Angered and worried by this, he lost his better judgment and led his crew into a trap set by the pirates of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and many lives were lost. Admiral Lee Sun Shin sympathized with his worry over Mi-na's well-being, but was nevertheless obliged to dismiss him from the Coast Guard. Instead, he gave him a new set of orders. He was to aid Seong Han-myeong by finding Mi-na, under the guise of searching for the "Sword of Salvation." He immediately set off to the west once again, and, upon finding her, was told of the true nature of Soul Edge. Deciding that Korea would no longer rely on legends to save itself--that it could rely on its own strength--he dragged Mi-na home with one goal in mind: to rejoin the Coastal Forces in guarding against the impending Japanese invasion.

During his second quest Hwang learned that Soul Edge was evil, so he made a report to his superiors about the matter. Sadly that only served to tarnish his reputation. Admiral Lee Sun Shin dismissed him and forced him to return Blue Thunder, as punishment. Hwang left the garrison and stayed in his master's dojo, until one day when someone appeared in the exercise hall. He captured the stranger and upon interrogating him he found out that he was a spy from Japan, who claimed that Japan was in search of Soul Edge too. Since no one in the Coastal Defense has the knowledge of foreign lands and the experience from previous trips, Hwang was selected to carry on the new mission: find and stop the agent from Japan from finding Soul Edge, and bring the sword if possible. Lee Sun Shin handed him Blue Thunder again, and Hwang understood the meaning of this mission, to save his country. Before beginning his quest, he went to the Capital and stole the fragments gathered there, since he wouldn't leave his beloved country with anxiety in his heart. He then headed towards the West, knowing that both Yun-Seong, a student of the Seong Dojo, and Seong Mi-na were in a similar quest. He hopes to join forces with them and together destroy the evil blade once and for all.

In "Soulcalibur III" during Yun-seong's Tales of Souls story, he will go to the Grand Labyrinth and fight with an "Unknown Soul" hidden in shadow. The voice and fighting style of the soul confirm that it is Hwang. When he is defeated, Talim will remark that the Unknown Soul seemed to be testing Yun-Seong's ability.

In "Soulcalibur IV", we find through the story of Yun-Seong that Hwang did indeed meet the young fighter. Hwang warns him of the dangers of the evil sword Soul Edge and still intends on destroying it.

Inferno

nihongo|Inferno|インフェルノ|Inferuno is an entity introduced in "Soul Edge", and is the physical manifestation of the cursed sword Soul Edge's own soul. It fights using the attack style of others randomly from its memories of past battles, and will switch to them randomly. Though it exists in its own dimension, Chaos, it has used duplicity such as in the case of tricking Siegfried into expanding it's will, and in more extreme cases utilized Cervante's flaming corpse and later the remnants of Nightmare's armor to create an avatar for itself. Inferno's will and power has directly and indirectly affected several other characters in the series, such as the "Evil Seed" event that caused many to turn somewhat evil or insane. It has also caused the creation of several life forms or modification of them, such as Ivy's sword Valentine, Charade, Necrid and Abyss.

As Soul Edge, it appeared in "Namco × Capcom". In this setting Soul Edge is shown to have the abilities to create Charade's at will, as well as teleport itself, two abilities not present in the "Soul" series.

Kilik

nihongo|Kilik|キリク|Kiriku| was found as a baby on the doorstep of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, widely considered to be the greatest martial arts school in China. After the monks of the temple gave up their search for the child's parents, they decided to raise him as an orphan. Eventually, he was regarded as the temple's finest student and was hired as one of the school's teachers, eventually leading him to be the elected candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, Kali-Yuga, one of the three sacred treasures of the temple. However, he had always remained somewhat troubled and insomniac.

One night, his "sworn sister", Xianglian, visited him as he was deep in thought, and revealed that she had become elected for inheritor of the holy mirror Dvapara-Yuga. But she also divulged the details of a conversation she had overheard; that only two of the treasures still existed at the temple, because the Krita-Yuga had been stolen years ago by her biological father and that the monks had been hiding this the entire time. She had been nominated for the Dvapara-Yuga instead, because she had told the master of the temple that she felt unworthy to inherit the Krita-Yuga, considering her family history, and her selfless reflection was a prominent feature of her inheritance of Dvapara-Yuga.

However, the night before the succession ceremony, the Evil Seed rained down on the temple, and an evil presence overwhelmed the inhabitants. Sensing the evil, the monks who were preparing for the ceremony immediately transferred ownership of the holy artifacts to Kilik and Xianglian. Minutes later, everyone in the temple lost their sanity except Xianglian. With madness combined with his great skills, Kilik killed many temple members as everyone fought one-another. Xianglian realized the power of the mirror and slung it around Kilik's shoulder, causing him to regain his sanity as she lost hers. When Kilik had completely regained his senses, he realized that the monks had slaughtered each other. He tried to leave, but the only other known survivor, Xianglian, blocked his way, now totally corrupted by the Evil Seed, and attacked him. He tried to avoid hurting her, but was forced to kill her in self-defense.

An old man, the Edge Master--advisor and teacher of the Ling-Sheng Su martial arts--found Kilik's unconscious body in the temple. He set the corrupted temple on fire and carried Kilik home. After two days, Kilik finally awoke, and Edge Master told him the truth: Kilik and Kali-Yuga had been infected with the Evil Seed, the source of which was the demonic sword, Soul Edge. The only thing protecting his sanity was the Dvapara-Yuga, and he could never remove the holy mirror from his shoulder at any time. Wrought with grief that his life had come at the sacrifice of Xianglian's, Kilik trained with Edge Master for three years, trying to learn to control the evil within himself and Kali-Yuga. Once his training was complete, Edge Master gave him the final test of destroying the Soul Edge, and Kilik embarked on that quest to purify himself and his weapon.

On his journey, Kilik traveled to an Indian port town to request a pirate ship to take him where he wanted to go. He met the Japanese pirate of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Kyam, who instantly took a liking to him, and granted Kilik's request for boarding, provided the ship's captain, Maxi, agreed when he returned. As Kilik waited for Maxi, a mysterious ship approached, which resulted in an attack, led by Astaroth. Maxi returned and Kilik assisted him during the attack. Astaroth managed to remove Dvapara-Yuga causing Kilik to lose sanity and attack Maxi. Maxi suppressed Kilik long enough to put Dvapara-Yuga back on him and they continued to fight, but every member of Maxi's crew was left dead, and Maxi decided to aid Kilik in his quest. Later, the two met Chai Xianghua, a member of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard, who aided them in their travels. (Although neither Kilik nor Xianghua knew that Xianglian was her long-lost sister.) With Maxi and Xianghua's help, Kilik stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle and defeated Nightmare, although Maxi was thought to be killed and the Dvapara-Yuga was destroyed. Kilik figured out he had learned to control the demonic powers within him and Kali-Yuga as he kept his sanity after Dvapara-Yuga was destroyed.

After Nightmare's defeat, Xianghua and Kilik were challenged by the demonic entity, Inferno within a demonic void. Kilik was too weak to fight, so Xianghua fought in his stead. During the battle, her keepsake tai chi jian transformed into the holy sword, Soul Calibur, allowing her to defeat Inferno. In the end, however, she was forced to leave the sword behind in order to drag Kilik to safety as the void collapsed.

Afterwards, Kilik returned alone to Edge Master's hermitage, continuing to perfect the technique of neutralizing and purifying evil energy. Four years later, he sensed the return of Soul Edge, and set out on another journey to defeat Soul Edge once and for all, so that he could atone for the sins he committed the night of the fateful Evil Seed. Along the way, he encountered Xianghua again. They argued over their difference of opinions (namely, they both argued that it was "their" duty to destroy Soul Edge this time), but they still travelled together in the end.

While purifying a town infected with evil, the two encountered Zasalamel. Kilik engaged Zasalamel in battle, but lost. Before he lost consciousness, Kilik heard Zasalamel tell him that if he challenged Soul Edge unprepared, he would be trapped in its dark abyss. He awoke a month later in Edge Master's hermitage, carried there by Xianghua. Sensing a terrible energy within his wounds, Edge Master had performed a special ritual to treat them. Kilik realized that he would not be able to seal Soul Edge with his current strength. Thinking to himself, he placed his hand on his chest and realized that the fragment of the Dvapara-Yuga was gone.

Edge Master then ordered Kilik to begin training. He surrounded himself in a dark aura, similar to a person affected by the Evil Seed. Armed with only the Kali-Yuga, Kilik realized that his target should be the evil energy within Edge Master. Within three months, Kilik managed to strike Edge Master with a purifying blow, enough to free his teacher's mind, but at the same time, seriously injuring him.

Edge Master told Kilik that even though he still lacked skill, and that a pure spirit strikes only at evil without harming the body, he noted that Kilik had made good progress in a short time. He handed Kilik another fragment of the Dvapara-Yuga and a letter from Xianghua. She wrote that she would improve on her skills and regain her courage, and she believed that together, they would be able to destroy Soul Edge. With these words, Kilik set out west to once again pursue the evil.

Li Long

Introduced in "Soul Edge", nihongo|Li Long|リ・ロン| Ri Ron|Chinese: 李 龍 Pinyin: "Lǐ Lóng" was an assassin sent by the Emperor of China to kill a pirate lord, but failed. Badly injured, he was rescued by a innkeeper's silent daughter named Chie and eventually fell in love with her. While out one day, a fight broke out at the inn and Chie was believed to be dead. Told falsely Heishirō Mitsurugi was responsible, he set out after Soul Edge knowing Mitsurugi was also after the blade. [ [http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/souledge/lilong/lilo_pro.htm Li Long's "Soul Edge" profile] (in Japanese). Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-09-07] He located it in the possession of Cervantes de Leon, but was beaten severely in a battle for the blade. Chie meanwhile was alive, recovering from her injuries and pregnancy.

Returning as a secret character in "Soulcalibur III", Li Long had survived and escaped, but with his body and confidence shattered. Finding himself on the run from assassins sent by his former employer, he disguised himself and fled during the nights under a false name. He later was taken in by a girl that he quickly came to trust, reminding him of Chie. When the assassins eventually found him, Li Long stood his ground instead of run and defeated them. Remembering the feel of fighting for something other than revenge, he set out to find himself, not knowing Chie had recovered and set out to find him. [ [http://namco-ch.net/ps2_soulcalibur3/character/lilong.php Li Long's "Soulcalibur III" profile] (in Japanese). Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-09-07] Li Long was later included in the arcade version of "III" as well, with an updated moveset but not additions to his storyline.

A homage to Bruce Lee, Li Long placed last in a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of "Soulcalibur II" regarding their favorite character from the series. [ [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/101/101406p1.html Soul Calibur 2 -- New Screens And Character Info] . Retrieved on 2008-08-02] Regardless, the character's return to the series was commonly requested by fans during the development of "Soulcalibur IV", as noted by director Katsutoshi Sasaki. [Cram, Robert (2008-07-31). [http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/features/article/321/XCN-Soul-Calibur-IV-QA-with-Katsutoshi-Sasaki-Director.html XCN Soul Calibur IV Q&A with Katsutoshi Sasaki, Director] . XCN. Retrieved on 2008-08-16]

Lizardman

The Spartan soldier, nihongo|Aeon Calcos|アイオーン・カルコス|Aiōn Karukosu, like Sophitia Alexandra, was one of the twenty-four warriors to receive an oracle from the god Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge, one for every letter of the Greek alphabet. Armed with the holy Xi Sword forged for him, a group of desert travelers rescued a dehydrated Aeon and brought him to their village, and he was about to repay them by teaching them swordplay. He was unable to repay their kindness, however, as the Evil Seed had rained down and turned Aeon into a crazed killer, causing him to massacre everyone in the village.

Kunpaetku, the grand priest of the cult order Fygul Cestemus, eventually heard stories of him and captured Aeon so that he may be used as a human guinea pig in a terrible experiment, causing him to transform into nihongo|Lizardman|リザードマン|Rizādoman — the first of many lizardmen to come. Aeon was ordered to bring Rock's adopted son, Bangoo, to Europe so that his soul could be stolen. Aeon was eventually tracked down and defeated by Rock for the kidnapping, while aiding Astaroth in pursuing Soul Edge.

Soul Edge was struck down moments later, the energy emitted from Soul Calibur releasing Aeon from his brainwashed state. Hidden from the world, Lizardman set on a journey to restore his human form, however upon realizing he had no place to return to, he wondered angrily why Hephaestus had not helped him in his time of need. "My god has forsaken me," he thought, before casting away the sword and shield he was given. To find Soul Edge and destroy the god of the forge with the very weapon he feared most would be his new resolve and the ultimate goal.

Maxi

nihongo|Maxi|マキシ|Makishi|also written as 真喜志 was a wandering pirate from Shuri in the Ryūkyū Kingdom (present-day Okinawa). Maxi's father was a confident merchant of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, but he wasn't allowed to commerce to the foreign countries, forced to commerce with his country only. Maxi spent most of his first years travelling from harbor to harbor with his father. He also learned to use the nunchaku as a way to defend himself, eventually turning into a strong youth.

During one of his father's travels, he met a man from Ming known as "Zhang Wu". The man carried a bladed nunchaku, which Maxi noticed. He, full of pride, challenged the stranger to a fight. Not hearing Kyam (his sworn brother)'s pleas, Maxi faced the man and was defeated. Recognizing the world was wider than he thought, he asked the man to be his teacher for the remainder of the travel. The man agreed and for the time Maxi studied his style, and despite being different from his, he was able to improve further his abilities. Zhang Wu left after reaching port, but Maxi kept studying his work.

After his father's death, Maxi took his vessel and decided to turn into a freelance pirate, to see the world his father couldn't because of his ties to the country. He embarked with the crew, his "new family", and Kyam and sailed towards the west. They docked on an Indian port town and, while Maxi was out, Kilik approached the ship searching a way to go west. He argued with a pirate of the ship, who wanted Dvapara-Yuga as fee for the trip, until Kyam stepped in. Kyam sympathized with Kilik and let him stay until Maxi, the captain, would return.

But when Maxi returned, he found his ship under attack by a hoard of golems and lizard-like creatures led by Astaroth. With Kilik, both joined forces in the battle against the monsters. Eventually, they had repelled the golems, but not before Astaroth had temporarily snatched the holy mirror Dvapara-Yuga from Kilik, causing him to lose his sanity and savagely attack Maxi. Maxi was able to suppress Kilik and return the Dvapara-Yuga to him, but only after Maxi's sworn brother, Kyam, had been murdered and most of the other members of the crew were dead or missing. With his dying words, Kyam told Maxi of Kilik's quest and, having lost everything, Maxi decided to travel with him, swearing an oath of revenge against Astaroth. Eventually, the two met Chai Xianghua, a member of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard, who also aided them in their travels.

With Kilik and Xianghua's help, Maxi stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle, where the creatures that had killed Maxi's crew were waiting for them. After defeating the creatures, Astaroth presented himself and blocked the entrance to the castle. As Kilik and Xianghua ran past Astaroth, Maxi stayed behind to fight him to the death. He succeeded in killing Astaroth, but the god Ares, in bitter rage, commanded the ground to open up and swallow Maxi. When Maxi woke up, he was on a riverbed near an unfamiliar village, where an old man rescued him. Due to the severity of his wounds, Maxi's traveling days were over, and he stayed behind in the village, quickly becoming popular with the local residents. Four peaceful years passed, until a rumour of a horrendous man wielding a large bearded axe reached the village. Maxi had a horrible feeling that that man was Astaroth. He wanted to chase after him, but his body was too weak. Maxi went to see the village medicine man, who performed a secret ritual using a strange metal fragment, which was actually a fragment of Soul Edge, and several days later, Maxi left the village, promising to return some day. He did not realize, however, that all memory of his traveling companions had been lost as a result of the ritual.

Maxi's search for Astaroth led him to the ruins of the shrine where the golem had been created. While inspecting the ruins, he found a man in tattered clothing at the ruins, clutching something and muttering incoherently. This man was Kunpaetku--Astaroth's creator, who had managed to escape the shrine's destruction at the last minute. Kunpaetku mostly ignored Maxi until he asked him about Astaroth. Kunpaetku cursed Astaroth, calling him a failure. It was then that Maxi realized that Kunpaetku created him.

A strange urge to kill Kunpaetku began rising within Maxi. As he drew his weapon, the object in Kunpaetku's hand, a fragment of Soul Edge, began to glow with a faint red light. Kunpaetku then looked at Maxi madly, noticing that he had Soul Edge inside his body. Upon hearing this, Maxi killed Kunpaetku and kicked the fragment of Soul Edge into the ruins below. He felt an uneasy throbbing in his heart, born from his desire to kill Kunpaetku. Maxi then suddenly remembered a man who became lost to evil after having lost everything, and how he suffered after returning to his senses. But Maxi couldn't remember who this person was, no matter how hard he tried. Despite this, he decided to continue his search for Astaroth.

In Soulcalibur IV, Maxi regains his lost memories of Kilik and Xianghua. But, due to the fragment of the cursed blade embedded in his body, and the fact that Kilik bears a shard of the Dvarpa Yuga, he is unable to travel with them. He still pursues Astaroth, and due to Tira speaking to him about using the cursed blade to avenge his fallen comrades, he seeks to obtain Soul Edge to carry out this revenge. Maxi's story has become somewhat darker in this installment, since Kilik and Xianghua worry about him and his desire to obtain the blade.

Night Terror

nihongo|Night Terror|ナイトテラー|Naito Terā is the secret final boss in "Soulcalibur III"'s Tales of Souls mode. The first time he is defeated in that mode, both his profile and concept art are unlocked. He also has his own mission in the "Missions" mode, known as "Final Battle", where the player can confront him without having to go through Tales of Souls. Night Terror has special attributes in in-game combat; for instance, he can't be defeated by ring out. If he is knocked out of the ring, a cut-scene plays in which Night Terror uses his wings to fly back to the arena. He possess moves borrowed from both Nightmare and Siegfried, as well as a few unique ones; he has a flying stance, an unblockable eye-beam projectile and a diving attack executed from the air. He is, by far, the most powerful character that appears in "Soulcalibur III", possessing the greatest reach, speed, and power (some of his moves can take off nearly half of a full life bar, his eye beam has the potential to take off even more than half).

Night Terror is created when the energies of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are fused with the remains of Nightmare, which contained Soul Edge's soul, Inferno. In his own profile, Night Terror is strong enough to escape Zasalamel's control and permanently kill him. Night Terror vaguely resembles a red and orange "Soulcalibur", "II" Nightmare, but both its arms are talons, and it has a tail and flaming yellow wings. Unlike Nightmare, who is capable of speech, Night Terror just roars and growls. In "Soulcalibur IV", Night Terror is not present, however Nightmare's second-player weapon resembles its weapon, Soul Edge "Complete", His lack of an appearance is explained due to the fact the swords were never fused, but it should be noted that he is technically canon.

In "", Night Terror remains an unplayable boss character, though this time he appears at random in the arcade's end match, alongside Abyss.

In the PS2 console version of "Soulcalibur III", Night Terror is seen when the correct trigger command is done in Nightmare's ending. Rapidly tapping the button indicated turns Nightmare into Night Terror. He slams down amidst several guards and flings them aside, then flies off the scene.

Olcadan

nihongo|Olcadan|オルカダン|Orukadan was introduced in "Soulcalibur III" as a warrior that mastered all kinds of martial arts and weapon usage, and interested in honing his skills. When he reached adulthood only one of his fights had ended in a draw, so to test himself he hunted down God of War Ares's messenger, a great snow owl, and decapitated it as proof of his victory. The Gods in turn cursed him to have an owl's head depending on the position of the stars, and he was eventually imprisoned in a labyrinth where time didn't flow. When Soul Edge brought about the events of the Evil Seed, the seal was broken, and impressed with its power he sought it out to defeat it. During this time he learned about currency, and desiring it he served as a instructor to other warriors for payment.

Olcadan is noted as being one of the "Soul" series few comedic characters. [Chadwell, Dustin (2008-07-28). [http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/specials/page2.pl?spec=sc_retrospective&pagenum=8&pages=8&title=Soulcalibur%20Retrospective Soulcalibur Retrospective - Characters] . GamingAge. Retrieved on 2008-08-18] His owl head has additionally earned him comparisons to the "O RLY?" internet phenomenon. [ [http://stars.ign.com/objects/142/14232025_biography.html IGN Stars: Olcadan (Soulcalibur)] . IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-24] [ [http://www.deeko.com/ps2/reviewdetail.asp?id=441 Soul Calibur III Review] . Deeko. Retrieved on 2008-08-31] He received positive reception as a character due to his appearance and demeanor, placing in UGO.com's Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters article at eleventh place, beating out fellow series mimic character Charade. [ [http://www.ugo.com/games/soulcalibur-best-characters/?cur=olcadan Top 11 Soul Calibur Fighters] . UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-14] They additionally awarded the character "Best New Character" of 2005, and proposed the possibility of Olcadan appearing in a stand-alone title and serving as a mascot for Namco, drawing comparisons to characters such as Master Chief. [ [http://www.ugo.com/channels/games/features/yearinreview_2005/character.asp Best New Character - 2005] . UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-24] The character was additionally mentioned by them in their early coverage of "Soulcalibur IV", noting hope for his return in the title. [ [http://gamesblog.ugo.com/index.php/gamesblog/C392/ Soulcalibur IV Preview] . UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-24]

Rock

Nathaniel 'Rock' Adams, known in Japan as nihongo|Rock Adams|ロック・アダムズ|Rokku Adamuzu, is the son of Mr. Adams, an English curio dealer specializing in rare weapons. Rock's father had bid on Soul Edge at a secret auction, and was bringing it home on his ship with family on board when the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon attacked. Rock's father ran to the storage room to hide the Soul Edge, and his mother ran after to stop him, telling Rock to stay where he was until their return; but they never came back, and the ship sank before they even had the chance. Rock washed up on the shore of the New World, where he learned to live off the land as the Natives had been practicing for many centuries before. He tried to join one of the tribes in the area, but they were afraid of the "White Giant," and the only one to befriend him was a young Native boy, Bangoo, whose parents had been taken by tribal warfare. Rock, by this time an adult, became a father figure to Bangoo.

Rock eventually re-learned of the people across the ocean, and faded memories of his parents and the Soul Edge began to resurface in his mind as he gradually recalled his past. He eventually decided that the Soul Edge would be the key to his fully-restored memory and with only his moon axe in hand, Rock set out towards the sea, hoping to cross it and find his destiny. In a battle with the Grecian, Sophitia Alexandra, he fought without conviction. When she halted the battle to ask him why he was hesitant in his attacks, he realized that he was leaving Bangoo to grow up alone and that leaving Bangoo alone was no better than never adopting him at all. He thanked Sophitia for her help and returned to Bangoo in the New World. But one horrible day, the grand priest of the cult order Fygul Cestemus, Kunpaetku, sent out a group of lizard men, lead by Aeon Calcos, to kidnap the Native boy and lure Rock out to steal his soul. Taking the bait out of love for his foster son, Rock set out once again to Europe; but this time his motivation was not related to Soul Edge at all. He searched for a long time and eventually defeated Aeon Calcos in a battle, at the cost of his trusty axe. He saved Bangoo, but never truly discovered for what purpose Kunpaetku had wanted his soul out of all the souls available.

They were free once again, though they didn't return to the New World. Believing the travel at sea would be too much for young Bangoo, Rock decided to wait until he has become older to return. Heading north along the coast, they settled in northern Europe. There, they were greeted by a different and harder environment from that of his home. Rock wished for Bangoo to learn and strengthen himself amidst Mother Nature's limitless knowledge.

During one stormy winter night, Bangoo broke through thin ice while crossing the snowy valley. He fell into a crevice and spent the night with no way to warm himself. When he was rescued by Rock he was exhausted, but the light had not faded from his eyes. Rock asked him if he was frightened of nature, for which he answered that yes, but that he can’t bring himself to hate it. Upon hearing this, Rock felt that Bangoo’s time had finally come. For his rite of passage, Bangoo chose to cross the sea on his own, an act he before couldn't do. Rock saw Bangoo off on his solitary journey with a multitude of emotions in his heart.

Alone once more, Rock thought to himself and finally decided that he wanted to prove that he's worthy of being Bangoo's father. He had once searched Soul Edge without success, but now he would continue the search. In this journey he would reaffirm his strength and will. Without doubts in his heart of who he was, Rock beholds the seas one last time before leaving.

While on his way to prove himself as Bangoo's father, he was attacked and ambushed by Astaroth, the golem. After days, Rock surprisingly learned that Astaroth is under the service of the Azure Knight who possessed Soul Edge, the weapon Rock sought. So, he made a new quest to continue proving himself as Bangoo's father.

Rock first appeared in Soul Edge as a playable character and returned for Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur III, and again in Soulcalibur IV as a secret character.

Han Myeong

Seong Han-myeong (Hanja: 成漢明 Hangul: 성한명) is a secret character without character portrait, history, ending or extra weapons. Namco has not provided any official render, artwork or official information regarding him. Moreover, the narrator uses "Guest Fighter" instead of his name when he wins a fight. Han-myeong can only be fought against in Edge Master Mode. He's the second battle in Hwang's History Book. Han-myeong is the only remnant of a list of "Guest Characters" Namco planned to add to "Edge Master Mode". Gel-o-Fury, Frederick Schtauffen, Cassandra and Arthur, among others, were planned to be included in "Edge Master Mode", but the idea was later dropped and only Han-myeong remained.

Seong Han-myeong was the master of his own dojang in Jirisan, Korea. He was especially skilled in martial arts, which gained him great respect across the country. He had one daughter and one son, but his son and wife died of sickness, leaving only Seong Mi-na to continue his lineage. He worried for her every day, and taught her how to take care of herself by teaching her the ways of martial arts, and she had even become more skilled with the guan dao than he ever had, but he still wished she would settle down and stay home. There was another child at the dojo, the orphan Hwang Seong-gyeong, in whom Han-myeong had taken a particular interest. The young man had even distinguished himself enough to win a private lesson with the master, and Han-myeong was overwhelmed with happiness at the young man's potential. He saw this as an opportunity to have a son once again and considered adopting him, but Hwang had joined the Coastal Forces, and the opportunity never arose. He decided that once Hwang returned, he could ask him then. The young man returned sooner than expected, but it was only to ready himself for an important mission on behalf of the leader of the Coastal Forces, Admiral Yi Sun Shin, a childhood friend of Seong Han-myeong, to seek out the "Sword of Salvation," the Soul Edge. To show his appreciation, Han-myeong decided to hold a private conversation with the young man and offered to him his most prized sword, Mountain Breaker; but Hwang politely declined the offer, because it was Han-myeong's favorite weapon, but he accepted Blue Storm, one of the Seong's Family heirlooms.

All along, Mi-na had been listening in on their private conversation. Han-myeong knew she had previously tried to join the Coastal Defense but was rejected on account of her gender. The next day, as she was sneaking out of the house, he stopped her and asked where she was off to. She did not lie to him, but he was still not happy with what she had told him: She was off to find the Soul Edge on her own. He admonished her and ordered her to stay home, but she pushed him out of the way and ran off. Not long afterwards, news spread of an impending Japanese invasion of Korea, and most of his pupils left to join the Coastal Defense immediately. Upon hearing of the invasion, Hwang had cut his search short and returned home, dragging Mi-na along with him. When Mi-na had arrived, Han-myeong was waiting for her. He scolded her and made her endure a strict training regimen. Thanking Hwang for his help, he finally gathered the courage to ask the young man to be his son, but the offer was politely declined. Han-myeong did not give up there, for he began to plan a marriage for Hwang and Mi-na, making Mi-na grow very angry with him and run away soon afterwards. He was stricken with grief but also considered that perhaps he had always been too protective of her, as she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But she never returned for months, and he began to become extremely worried, even requesting the aid of Yi Sun Shin, who could not help him due to the invasion. But his worries were somewhat reduced when Yi Sun Shin sent Hwang on a mission to find her; and, three years later, the two of them returned. Han-myeong apologized to Mi-na for being too overprotective for all those years and promised to treat her as an adult from that day forward. Four years later, Han-myeong had acquired another student of immeasurable potential, Hong Yun-seong, but the proud boy had sneaked away on a personal mission for the Soul Edge, taking a Seong family heirloom with him, the dao White Storm. Mi-na came to Han-myeong in a private conversation and asked him to let her go to search for Yun-seong, since she felt obliged to retrieve it. Han-myeong did not want her to go, but he knew in his heart that even if he protested, she would simply run away again; he reluctantly gave her his blessing to retrieve it. By the time he considered that she would, in fact, try to seek out and destroy the Soul Edge on her journey, it was too late, and she was long gone.

eong Mi-na

nihongo|Seong Mi-na|ソン・ミナ|Son Mina|Hanja: 成美那 Hangul: 성미나 "Seong Mina" is a character introduced in the original "Soul Edge". Growing up in the famous Korean Seong Dojang headed by her father, Seong Han-myeong, Mi-na had always been surrounded by weapons, many of which she learned to use quite well, even surpassing her father with the guan dao. However, her looks led the local boys to tease her and call her nothing more than a girl, an image supported by her father who wanted her to settle down and marry a suitor, preferably Hwang Seong-gyeong, whom Han-myeong had personally wanted to adopt into the family. Facing increasing incursions from Japanese raiders, a coast guard was quickly formed and led by Yi Soon Shin, her father's childhood friend, with Mi-na desperate to join in the ranks; but she was barred from joining on account of her gender. Overhearing rumours of Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", while eavesdropping on a private conversation between her father and Hwang, she decided that if she would not be able to prove herself in the coastal defense, she could just as easily prove herself by finding the fabled sword for her country. This prompted her to pack her belongings and run away from home, not knowing that Hwang had already been sent out on his own official quest for the weapon.

During her search, she did meet up with Hwang, and upon receiving news of an impending Japanese invasion of Korea, he cut his quest short and returned home, dragging Mi-na home with him. Not long after her return, Mi-na ran away again. Her frustration with rigorous training, combined with her father's eagerness to marry her to Hwang and a proposal from one of her father's wealthy trainees, sent her over the edge and out the door. Mi-na resumed her quest for the Soul Edge, but gained a valuable lesson along the way. She heard of a female warrior named Ivy, who was also searching for the Soul Edge. But upon meeting Ivy, she was told that Soul Edge was inherently demonic and that Mi-na would be better suited at home because she was only a weak little girl. Quick to anger, she challenged Ivy to a fight, but, overwhelmed and confused by Ivy's unusual snake sword, she suffered a humiliating defeat. Questioning her own strength, Mi-na met a middle-aged, alcoholic man with a beaten bo staff who jeered her and told her not to challenge people so hastily. But true to form, she attacked him and never landed a single hit, as he caught her guan dao with his bare hands. She asked if she could train under him, and he reluctantly agreed; despite his chronic alcoholism, his ability with the bo staff taught her much during her training. After a year of training, he mysteriously disappeared while out to buy more alcohol, and her only trace of him was a goodbye note telling her there was nothing more he could teach her, signed by a one 'Kong Xiuqiang', who was, in reality, Chai Xianghua's long-lost father and an exiled student of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. From this experience, Mi-na learned to never underestimate the strength of an opponent, and she continued training for two years until she was ready to resume her quest for the Soul Edge. Eventually, however, she was dragged home once again by Hwang.

Four years later, Mi-na saw a student of her father, Hong Yun-seong, angry after being rejected by Hwang when he challenged him to a battle. She felt sorry for the brooding young man and handed him a Seong family heirloom, the dao 'White Storm' that, according to legend, possessed the ability to reflect the innermost thoughts of those who wielded the blade. That night, Yun-seong had packed his belongings and run away from the dojo in pursuit of Soul Edge, taking the dao with him. Since Mi-na had lent the heirloom to him, she felt obligated to retrieve it, and decided to leave the dojang to find him. Seong Han-myeong did not want her to go, but he knew in his heart that if he protested, she would simply run away again, and he gave her his blessing to retrieve the weapon. By the time he considered that she would, in fact, try to seek and destroy the Soul Edge on her journey, it was too late, and she was long gone.

Seong Mi-na traveled throughout Ming, continuing her search for Yun-seung. In one city, she got involved in a fight. After defeating a brawny man, one of the onlookers casually remarked that her style largely resembled the fabled Ling-Sheng Su Style. When she thought about it, the man who had taught her how to use her weapon had never given a name for the style. This fighting art was a solid part of her now, but she didn't know where it originated from. Mi-na became interested and decided to visit this temple famous for its martial arts.

She went to the said temple and found that it was destroyed a few years ago. However, she found out that an old master of the said style was still alive. She decided to visit the old man living in some mountains in the Himalayas. She arrived and saw Edge Master, who was also Kilik's master. When she first challenged him to a fight, he refused. But in the end, he agreed. Seong Mi-na suffered a total defeat. The old man then invited her to stay with him to train. During breaks, she told him of stories of her travels. He seemed vaguely interested, but he jumped at the information that Mi-na was also looking for Soul Edge. He told her the sword was evil. She did not believe him at first, but she knew that a man like him would not lie.

After a few months of training, Mi-na made up her mind to go after Yun-seong again, to tell him that the sword was evil. After saying goodbye to her new master, she thought that next time, she would bring Yun-seong along. She concluded that it would be so much fun.

etsuka

nihongo|Setsuka|雪華|Setsuka is a character introduced in "Soulcalibur III". What lies in her soul is Devotion. Setsuka was not a native of Japan. She had pale, milky-white skin, glossy black hair, a chiseled face and hazel brown eyes. Those around her shunned her since she was young; she was looked with disdain because of her appearance. Without a family to turn to and exposed to such hate and violence, she finally ran away from her home. Young and alone, she wandered to a city where a man took her in, and named her Setsuka (Snow Flower).

Her caretaker worked as a bodyguard in the region. He taught Setsuka the technique he used to protect his patrons, and it would became the way for her to protect herself, but it was the joy she felt when he praised her that made her devote to the training. Time passed, and Setsuka grew into a beautiful woman. She learned to ignore those who still looked her with disdain, letting nothing trouble her.

One day, her master entrusted her with a letter, whose destination was far away. It would take her many months to travel there and back. Her master saw her uneasy look, and reassured her that her home will be always there for her. Setsuka left and, after a long journey, found the man to whom the letter was addressed. The old martial artist ran a dojo in a small village, and asked Setsuka many times to stay and train there, but she refused his invitation and started her long way home.

Upon her return, she found her master lying on the floor injured. Although he would not reveal how he received the wounds, she was certain that he lost a duel. The injuries he received would prevent him from wielding a sword ever again. But still, the man tried to behave as always, even if Setsuka couldn't hide her concern. His lessons become more strict and demanding, but he also showered her with overwhelming love, something new to her. Even if their modest lifestyle couldn't afford luxuries, he bought her an elegant long-sleeved kimono. As she blushed under the man's smile, her feelings for him grow stronger than ever.

It was not fondness as a father nor reverence as her master. It would not be until after his death that she would come to recognize those feelings as love. Visiting his grave, she recalled the words he had spoken on his deathbed. .."I did not teach you this art for the purpose of revenge. ..One who lives by the sword harbors no regret." That fateful fight had been the most exciting moment of his life. He taught her his fighting style so she can carry on the art, as he wanted her to live freely, unbound of hate or fear. Before dying, he told her his enemy's name: Heishiro Mitsurugi.

She shed no tears when her master died. Only later she realized her feelings and finally understand what it meant to fall in love. Her master didn't wanted her to live bound to feelings of revenge, but she was decided. With undying love in her heart, she went on a lone journey with a target in mind: a wandering swordsman who challenged swordsmen throughout the land, which no one saw him after he crossed the sea several years later in search of a swordsman named Nightmare. With few clues, she decided to track down Nightmare, believing it would lead her to Mitsurugi.

In Soul Calibur IV, she is still searching for Mitsurugi, and she had no problems picking up his trace, since he has been through so many towns, looking for clues about Nightmare. But people have been warning Setsuka that he is too powerful for anyone to battle. They also told her that he has been involved in a lot of battles in a couple of wars in order to fight a huge amount of opponents.

These stories about Mitsurugi did not frighten Setsuka. It was all the better for her. Once she finds hims, she plans to rise to his challenge. But then she wondered if she is strong enough. Setsuka never knew if she even surpassed her deceased master. She then decides to become stronger, which she does by having faith in herself. Everytime she slashed her sword, she became faster. But Setsuka hopes to obtain the excellent speed that her master had Setsuka relies on the sheer power of her speed to striker at her foes. Her weapon (similar to a razor sharp long dagger), is shealthed in an umbrella for secretcy. Her ability to attack an opponent is supposed to be within the span of .10th of a second and can jab numerous times before her opponent even relizes her/she has been hit (dead otherwise).

http://soulcalibur.wikia.com/wiki/

Xianghua

Xianghua's ancestors, the Chai family, have groomed men and women alike into seasoned warriors of China for many generations. Xianghua's mother, Xiangfei, forged a forbidden romance with a monk at the temple, Kong Xiuqiang, thought to be the most prominent candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, Kali-Yuga but not until the birth of their first child, Xianglian.

Months later after Xiangfei left the temple, she gave birth to their second daughter, Xianghua, but never revealed anything about the girl's father. By this time, the temple had realized that the Krita-Yuga was missing, and found that Xiuqiang had stolen it. He was exiled from the temple, but Xianglian had to remain there to be trained as an orphan.

Meanwhile, when monks from the temple came to Xiangfei, searching for the missing sword, all they found was young Xianghua playing with a battered tai chi jian, and gave up the search years later. Only Xiangfei had known that the jian Xianghua had been holding was actually the Krita-Yuga in disguise. As time passed, Xianghua had learned how to use the jian just as well as her mother when Xiangfei died sometime after Xianghua's tenth birthday. Six years after, Xianghua became a member of the Imperial Guard.

Eventually, the emperor of Ming Dynasty China had become displeased with the search for the "Hero's Sword"; he never heard back from any that had ventured out, including Li Long. He sent members of his Imperial Guard to help the quest advance more quickly. The guards traveled under the guise of a traveling opera troupe, with Xianghua to be the main attraction, so as not to raise suspicion of their true motives. As she prepared for her journey, she recalled her mother's dying words--that she was born to complete an important task and that she must cut her own path through an uncertain future. With her mother's keepsake tai chi jian, Xianghua left on her own. On her journey, she encountered a member of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple in China, Kilik, and a Japanese pirate of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Maxi. Told of the Soul Edge's evil nature by Kilik, she agreed to aid both of them in their journey to destroy the evil blade, not knowing all the while that her long-lost older sister, Xianglian, had been killed by Kilik as she had been consumed by a berserker rage on the night of the notorious Evil Seed.

With Kilik and Maxi's help, Xianghua stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle. After defeating Nightmare, the combatants faced Inferno in an ethereal void but the prior battle had left Kilik too weary to fight. As Xianghua readied herself, her mother's keepsake unveiled itself as the holy sword, Soul Calibur. After a fierce struggle, Xianghua defeated her opponent with Soul Calibur's protective power. As the void started to collapse, she carried Kilik out of it, though her mother keepsake's sword was left behind.

After destroying the sword she was sent to find, a mysterious man approached her and awarded her with an unnamed jian in return for the great deed she had done. Once she returned, Xianghua fell in disfavor with the Emperor because of her failure to find Soul Edge. She was stripped of her rank and reassigned to a menial position. Xianghua kept her role in Soul Edge's destruction secret and never reported it. She left on a second journey alone, convinced that this was a burden she had to bear, since she failed to destroy Soul Edge completely the first time.

Xianghua then began to train her mind. Rather than becoming weak, she would be more fluid and allow her heart to filter in both the good and the bad. After months of training, she felt that she was ready and bid farewell to the general, beginning her journey anew. So she left the temple to fight by herself.

Yun-seong

nihongo|Hong Yun-seong|ホン・ユンスン|Hon Yunsun|Hanja: 洪潤星 Hangul: 홍윤성 "Hong Yunseong" was well-known in the famous Seong Dojang for his swordsmanship, especially by his seniors, including his master and head of the dojang, Seong Han-myeong. As a child, Yun-seong had idolized Hwang Seong-gyeong, but now he was no longer a personal hero, but a goal to surpass. Yun-seong wished more than anything to challenge him to a duel. One day, news reached the Seong Dojang that Hwang was returning from his long journey. Yun-seong saw this as the perfect opportunity to force him to acknowledge his fighting skills, personally entertaining the idea of becoming stronger than his former hero all along. However, his challenge was rejected as Hwang was more occupied with attempting to rejoin the military to help defend Korea in the impending invasion by Japan. Seong Mi-na, daughter of the dojang's owner, saw this brooding student of her father bitterly angry on account of the rejection of his challenge and handed him a Seong family heirloom: the dao White Storm that, according to legend, possessed the ability to reflect the innermost thoughts of those who wielded the blade. That night, Yun-seong studied the image of himself in the dao and reflected, leading him to the self-realizations that it was foolish to challenge Hwang for personal reasons as Korea was in a state of peril and that if he could obtain the "Sword of Salvation" that Hwang had failed to find, Yun-seong would finally be recognized and his challenge would be accepted. He immediately packed his belongings, took the dao, and left the dojang in pursuit of the "Sword of Salvation", unaware that Seong Mi-na would soon embark on a journey to bring him back home.

During his journey, Yun-seong heard rumors that the "Sword of Salvation" was an evil sword. He arrived in a village inhabited by children who survived a war between neighboring nations over a fragment of Soul Edge that resulted in the destruction of a fortress city where they once lived. He announced that he was searching for Soul Edge, and was greeted happily by the children, except one--Talim, who told him about the dangers of the sword. The children's leader, a sick boy, was startled when the sword was mentioned. Thinking that he knew something, Yun-seong waited for an opportunity to question the boy.

But the opportunity never came, for the boy would always avoid him. Talim tried to treat the boy, but to no avail. Seeing her disheartened, Yun-seong would talk to Talim every chance he could get, and she started to lighten up towards him. As the boy's condition deteriorated, Talim announced she would try a drastic treatment, but the boy refused. Yun-seong stopped him from arguing with Talim and spoke to him alone.

The boy told Yun-seong that he was the son of the lord of the fortress city, who went insane when he obtained a fragment of Soul Edge. He performed terrible human experiments, using his own son as a test subject, resulting in the dark energy within the boy's body. The neighboring cities attacked and the lord was killed, while the boy rescued the children who were going to be used as test subjects. After hearing his story, Yun-seong handed the boy his dao, White Storm, telling him of its ability to show what lies inside the heart of whoever holds it. The boy looked into the blade and thanked Yun-seong.

After the ritual, Talim left the village, but Yun-seong went after her, still having a few unanswered questions. Before he left, the boy told Yun-seong that the wielder of Soul Edge, Nightmare, was in the lands of the west. Yun-seong set out to find out the truth about Soul Edge.

Zasalamel

nihongo|Zasalamel|ザサラメール|Zasaramēru hails from an ancient tribe that was tasked with the protection of the holy sword Soul Calibur by Algol, the Hero King, many years before the game's set timeframe. Zasalamel was angered by the tribe's restrictions that forbade the use of the sword; which didn't allow the tribe to use the weapon if a crisis were to occur. When trying to take Soul Calibur in his hands, he was discovered and exiled from the tribe. Zasalamel spent his time later in pursuit of ancient and forbidden knowledge thought lost, until he attained the art of reincarnation.

However, he reincarnated repeatedly over many generations, and gradually lost the joy of living as his existence waned and the pain of death increased. In an attempt to end what he considered a "curse", Zasalamel set his eyes on Soul Edge. He would use its soul devouring properties to commit a form of suicide and release himself from the circle of eternal reincarnations. However, even a death by the sword was not enough, so Zasalamel turned his hopes to Soul Calibur, but when he reached the place where his tribe existed, he found no traces of it or the holy sword.

Tracking Soul Edge once again, he discovered that Soul Calibur had appeared as well to confront the cursed sword. He hoped that he may be able to obtain both of them at once; but he discovered the Soul Edge had lost half of its body and become sealed, and the Soul Calibur had been infected by evil, gradually losing its strength. Then, in order to restore both blades to its power, he revived the will of the sword in the form of Nightmare. In order to aid the sword in its restoration, he needed to create conflict within the mind of Siegfried, the bearer of both blades, by leading survivors of Nightmare's past massacres towards him. If Soul Edge regained its strength, so would Soul Calibur in order to confront it.

Zasalamel then takes a role as lead antagonist in most of the game's characters story modes, attempting to eliminate them as he sees them as potential obstacles. Zasalamel has an event of his own in the game's story mode, "Tales of Souls", in which he lures the characters into his stage, the Clock Tower, where he then attacks the character first with a falling gear. The player can avoid the gear with a quick input of the D-Pad RIGHT button and avoid starting the match with slightly less health. Zasalamel then appears during the last events of the mode, to either confront the player as a sort of "sub-boss" battle or to take the power of both swords to turn into the game's final boss, Abyss.

In the Lost Cathedral, when he performed the ritual to break the embrace of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, he received a vision of humanity reaching the pinnacle of its enlightenment, and technological zenith. Seeing this, in an ironic turn of events, Zasalamel's desire to perpetually resurrect renewed as he desired to witness the events depicted in his hallucination. Now he opts to prevent anyone from threatening the soul swords as they could possibly break his cycle of reincarnation.

Guest characters

Various guest characters have appeared in the series, such as Link, Heihachi Mishima, Spawn, Darth Vader, Yoda, and Lloyd Irving. All but Heihachi and Lloyd are characters licensed from other companies.

Bonus characters

"Playable characters who are listed under the title of "Bonus Characters" in "Soulcalibur III" and "Soulcalibur IV". Not all of them are considered part of the main storyline of the games. In the console version of Soulcalibur III, Amy, Li Long and Hwang were bonus characters as well, but Amy joined the main roster in Soulcalibur IV, while Hwang and Li Long could be found on the main roster of previous games in the series."

"Soulcalibur II"

Assassin

A generic assassin unlockable only in North American and European console ports of "Soulcalibur II", and even then, only selectable in practice mode, team battle mode and versus mode. He does not have an in-game profile or ending, but he has a profile of his own in the "Soulcalibur II Official Complete Guide". It does not state anything more than that they ("Assassin" is actually a group of people) are assassins of unknown origin (though seeing the SCIII Assassin in the Shrine of Kunpaetku seems to point that they are agents of Fygul Cestemus) in search of Soul Edge's fragments. Although his fighting style is based on that of Hwang Seong-gyeong and Chai Xianghua, he has no biographical association with any character in the series. In battle, he uses the Chinese Blade "Assassin Blade". He is voiced by Kentaro Ito and has six different costumes in the game. A unplayable opponent fought in Tales of Souls mode and one of the few surviving members from Astaroth's sect Fygul Cestemus. She uses the Kunai discipline. Can easily be created in Character Creation mode. "Assassin" is also one of the Create-a-Character jobs. Assassin, along with Berserker and Lizardman , appears as a common enemy wearing his defeault costume in "Soulcalibur II".

Berserker

A generic berserker unlockable only in North American and European console ports of "Soulcalibur II", and even then, only selectable in practice mode, team battle mode and versus mode. He doesn't have an in-game profile or ending, but he plays a role in the story mode as a guard in the many labyrinths the player roams through, but he has a profile of his own in the "Soulcalibur II Official Complete Guide". It states that the Berserkers ("Berserker" is actually a group of people) are people corrupted by the Evil Seed. Only the strongest ones are still alive, and they had been spotted in Eastern Europe following a strange armored man with a scar and a monster through the forest. Although his fighting style is based on that of Rock and Astaroth, he has no biographical association with any character in the series. In battle, he uses the giant double-edged axe "Great Ax". Berserker is an unplayable enemy character enshrouded with an evil aura. He is a knight with green armor, including a green helmet. His weapon isn't an axe this time, he uses the Lance Discipline. Though officially not unlockable, he can easily be made in Character Creation mode knight job. With a cheating device, the difference is he says no words, just screams, and when he wins, the announcer won't say "knight wins" instead he says "Berserker wins". They're still the same Berserkers as in the other games. Only small differences exist pertaining to the armor and body size. Berserker appears as a common enemy, he resembles the one in "Soulcalibur II" but the differences are color, has a bigger size, a different helmet, and uses a Giant Mace instead of an axe.

"Soulcalibur III"

Greed

Greed is a special "Prepare to Defend Yourself" challenge on "Soulcalibur III" Tales of Souls Mode, in which he steals all the player's gained money up until that point if he wins the battle, and also an unlockable Bonus Character. He represents the "Kunai" Create-a-Soul discipline.

Greed is part of a mysterious and secretive organization of thieves that works in the shadows. Many of his personal details remain a mystery, even his real name as he is always referred to simply as "Greed." Being a thief, he stalks his prey from the shadows and takes their goods and money from them. He seems to enjoy the act of killing more than stealing, and is always in search of more victims. He is referred to as "Number Four" within his organization and views his colleague Miser as a rival. His group opposes Yoshimitsu's Manjitou. He is quickly defeated by Mitsurugi prior to the events of "Soulcalibur IV" when he tries to rob him of his fragment of Soul Edge.

Greed wields a pair of kunai called Austere & Void. One of them, most probably the one named "Void", is split down in the middle forming two prongs. Aside from this and having no special effects, nothing else is known about these weapons.

Miser

Miser is a special "Prepare to Defend Yourself" challenge on "Soulcalibur III" Tales of Souls Mode, in which she steals all the player's gained money up until that point if she wins the battle, and also an unlockable Bonus Character. She represents the "Katana & Shuriken" Create-a-Fighter discipline.

Miser is part of a mysterious and secretive organization of thieves that travels the world. Many of her personal details remain a mystery, even her real name as she is always referred to simply as "Miser." As a thief, she attacks from the shadows and deprives her victims of their goods. Miser's favourite place to stay is dark places. She is referred to as "Number Five" within her organization and views her colleague Greed as a rival. Her group opposes Yoshimitsu's Manjitou. She is quickly defeated by Mitsurugi prior to the events of "Soulcalibur IV" when she tries to rob him of his fragment of Soul Edge.

The katana and shuriken Miser carries on her killings are called Red Crow & Rusty Wing. Red Crow is a katana with a gold hilt and a decoration above it in the form of a red wing. Rusty Wing is a shuriken with a strange form, having 2 sharp ends, looking more like a boomerang. Both weapons are balanced, so they do not have any special effects, however, other details on both of these weapons are unknown.

Revenant

Revenant first appeared in "Soulcalibur III"'s Tales of Souls Mode like a normal Standard Character, unlike the other Bonus characters who appears as "Prepare to Defend Yourself" challenges. In everybody's Tales of Souls, players who encounter him always mention him as a controlled puppet. Revenant's entire costume is built using parts from the Character Creation Mode, except his skull which can't be accessed. A former feared underworld assassin, he killed a previous life of Zasalamel only to in turn be killed by him when he was old and weak. Revived as a skeleton, he works as an enforcer for Zasalamel now, hoping for his freedom.

In "Soulcalibur III", Revenant wields a pair of Wave Swords, basically curved blades, named Gatekeepers. Revenant makes a return in "Soulcalibur IV", this time fighting in Cervantes' style, with Styx and Nirvana as his weapons. [ [http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/s/o/soc4p3311.jpgRevenant] ]

The Shopkeepers

*Hualin

She is one of the three shopkeeper girls in "Soulcalibur III", alongside Lynette and Valeria. Hualin is in charge of selling weapons and fights with an elongating staff called the "Cepheus Seal". Hualin started her life as a weapon seller when she entered as a servant in a weapon store set on a small village at the foot of a mountain where a martial artist master is said to dwell. While she did her daily chores and weapons caring, she found her life's career. From that point, she put all her efforts into becoming the finest weaponsmith in the world.

One day at the end of year she met Cepheus. He was returning from a big purchase in Ming and stopped to visit an old friend. He was astonished at seeing Hualin's smithing skills, but lamented her situation, for even if her handling of Ming weapons were excellent, she was inexperienced in other kinds of weaponry. Cepheus decided to ask the store's owner if he would let him take Hualin to his store, in a city where east and west met and where she could train her skills further.

Hualin installed in the store of Cepheus, and started taking care of his weapon management, training daily under the old man's supervision to refine her skills even more.

*LynetteLynette is the shopkeeper created for the Armor Shop within "Soulcalibur III", and an unlockable Bonus Character in the main game as well. She represents the "Tambourines" Create-a-Fighter discipline.

Lynette's the one in charge of selling clothes and accessories, but she's in search of her life's calling. She often saw her co-workers work hard to become what they've chosen as their careers, and usually compared herself to them. Even though she lived in a town of mixed east and west cultures, she was yet to find something she would focus her energies on. One day Cepheus, realizing her suffering, came and told her to be patient, that she didn't need to be like the others, and that she should take her time and find her answer. Since then Lynette has started to travel in search of an answer. She went from store to store, trying to work there while hearing others' experience and stories. She asked customers as well, and also took walks outside. Eventually she took other hobbies, like dancing and self-defense. Still nothing seemed appealing to her. She would still search, for the world is wide and full of surprises.

*Valeria

Valeria is the daughter of an antiques appraiser. Since her mother died of illness, her father was always outside traveling around the world, leaving her at the care of an old friend of his named Cepheus. Valeria grew up resenting him, and eventually nurtured a genuine interest in the same job as him. Cepheus gave her the job trying to make Valeria understand her father, but he believed her choice was her desire to beat him in his own game.

Cepheus urged Valeria's father to stay in town and spent time with her, but he answered that was the only life he knew and could provide for her. After hearing Valeria's choice of work, he thought maybe she would go with him someday. After that, he went to the west to assist to an auction selling a pair of mysterious swords known as "Soul Edge", and never returned.

Cepheus knew he was not the type of man to disappear for nothing, and when he heard Nightmare's rampage and his relation with Soul Edge, he understood the man's disappearance and told Valeria all he knew. Now a grown woman, she understood her father's true desires and wept for him.

She still wants to become the best item appraiser in the world, and continues taking care of Cepheus' shop as one of his three shopkeepers.

Chronicles of the Sword Characters

These bonus characters from the "Chronicles of the Sword" story can be unlocked in "Soulcalibur III": Abelia, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Abelia," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 174-175.] Aurelia, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Aurelia," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 180-181.] Chester, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Chester," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 182-183.] Demuth, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Demuth," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 184-185.] Girardot, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Giradot," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 186-187.] Luna, [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Luna," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 196-197.] and Strife. [Joey Cuellar and Adam Deats, "Strife," "SoulCalibur III: BradyGames Signature Series Guide" (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 204-205.]

"Soulcalibur IV"

Bonus characters that appeared in "Soulcalibur IV" which were designed by guest manga artists and anime character designers.

Angol Fear

A character designed by Mine Yoshizaki. [ [http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/739576/soulcalibur-iv/images/soulcalibur-iv-20080411110117207.html Angol Fear] ]

Angol Mois's cousin, she is a 14,800 year old dark skinned, white haired woman who has many pointy accents on her clothes. She wields a multicolored, cross-shaped spear with a round, black moon shaped weight at the end called a Lucifer Spear. Her fighting style and Critical Finisher are based on Seong Mi-na. Her birth date is beyond reckoning of Earth's calendar. She can also be seen in Keroro Gunsou, except in Keroro Gunsou she is called Angol Mois.

Ashlotte

A character designed by Oh! great. [ [http://kotaku.com/5009587/new-character-for-soul-calibur-iv-ashlotte Ashlotte] ]

Ashlotte is a mechanical doll who operates via clockwork concepts, part of which is visible through the gears and cogs located in her abdomen (in a heart-shaped window). She has an unnaturally pale human face and white curly hair, but otherwise appears mostly human. She wields a huge Halberd named Krnielk, with a wide spear tip at the front and a lance tip at the other end. Being an early example of a living robot, her body operates with the use of sacred oil instead of blood, and was created by two priests at the hidden shrine of the same cult that created Astaroth, in order to destroy the golem as revenge for destroying their previous shrine. Ashlotte was only recently "born" as of "Soulcalibur IV". Her fighting style and Critical Finisher were based on Astaroth.

Kamikirimusi

A character designed by Hirokazu Hisayuki. [ [http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/7903/1215437160865rt7.jpgKamikirimusi] ] Kamikirimusi was the last bonus character revealed before the release of "Soulcalibur IV".

She is a young oni girl with beastly features dressed in a short kimono, and has wild red hair with horns. She is brash, violent but does get upset when she hit opponents too hard. She wields a kanabō named Denryu Bakuha, is over 600 years old, is 5"0 tall and she used to have a family of spirits that were purified. Her fighting style and Critical finisher are based on Nightmare.

Scheherazade

A character designed by Yutaka Izubuchi. [ [http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/739576/soulcalibur-iv/images/soul-calibur-iv-images-20080416021522322.html Scheherazade] ]

A young-looking woman who wears a feathered green beret and has elven ears. She is younger than the others in her home village, but does not keep count, is 5"2, and her birth date is the 12th day under the chanting moon. She carries with her a rapier named Alf Layla Wa Layla (One Thousand and One Nights). Her fighting style and Critical Finisher are based on Amy.

Scheherazade is based on the legendary Persian queen of the same name and the story itself.

Shura

A character designed by Hiroya Oku. [ [http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/739576/soulcalibur-iv/images/soulcalibur-iv-20080523095923472.html Shura] ]

Born in Suwa of Japan, Shura is a female samurai who is possessed by the demon skull on her shoulder. It is forcing her to find a stronger opponent so it can kill Shura and move on to the next host. She wields twin katanas named Raijin-Maru and Fujin-Maru. According to her profile in "Soulcalibur IV" she has forgotten her age, birth date, never weighed / measured herself and also has no knowledge of her other family. Her fighting style and Critical Finisher are based on Cervantes; though she doesn't carry firearms, she can still perform the Shooting moves that Cervantes does due to her moveset being identical to his. Shura also joined forces with a knight named Shadow (Voldo's clone), and is a rival of Ivy's.

Background characters

"Characters related to background stories of the main characters from the games. None of them are playable in any version."

Gel-o-Fury

Gel-o-Fury, known as nihongo|Mōdotakuyō|猛怒託妖 in the Japanese version, is a strong ancient demon once sealed by Taki in the Bamboo Shrine of the Ōmi Province. During the Evil Seed raining, Gel-o-Fury gained enough strength to break free of his imprisonment and, using the water passages that exists under Japan, he reached the Hōkō-ji. Taki followed his trail and sealed him again in the Buddha Shrine. Gel-o-Fury stayed there until Toki, Taki's master, released and absorbed him. After losing to Taki, Gel-o-Fury left the old man's body and fled to parts unknown. He can be seen in the beginning movie of the PlayStation version of "Soul Edge".Fact|date=July 2008

Ilona Farkas

Iska Farkas' sister who got taken by Barbaros. Iska is always mumbling about Ilona and how he regrets not saving her. When Barbaros attacked Hungary, Iska fled but forgot Ilona. The Masked Emperor was made to look like her, revealed at the end of "Soulcalibur Legends". Before his death, Iska starts to say something to her, but it is cut off. Their graves are shown at the credits, showing that Ilona did die.

Iska Farkas

He is one of the key characters in the series' spin-off, "Soulcalibur Legends". He is a refugee Hungarian prince who serves as a court jester for a Masked Emperor. Iska has Heterochromia with one blue eye and one red eye. His belts also correspond to this trait.

He was born in Buda who lived with his sister Ilona until the usurper sultan, Barbaros, attacked the city and destroyed it, though his sister allowed him to escape with his life by sacrificing herself. Iska then went around the world looking for shelter, but all those that took him in eventually betrayed and used him, and then he studied under the famous alchemist Paracelsus who taught him much at Basel, until Iska disappeared, stealing Paracelsus's notes on the creation of false humans and was said to have made at least one successful artificial human.

He thought up a crazed scheme to take over the world using the swords Soul Calibur and Soul Edge, to gain power for his lost sister. He used Paracelsus's notes to create a homunculus, made to look in the form of his sister. She managed to become the Masked Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He faked a story of being brought in by the "Masked Emperor" and becomes her court jester.

His scheme comes into effect, as his homunculus has Siegfried and several other companions reluctantly agree to help the Holy Roman Empire against Barbaros of the Ottoman Empire (who wields Soul Calibur) by strengthening Soul Edge, which Siegfried wields. Iska is very persuasive in keeping his comrades to uphold their agreements and constantly reminisces about missing his sister and his home, lamenting his weakness, and wishes that he had strength and power which he did not have then to survive the pains of his life.

After Soul Edge regains power and Siegfried kills Barbaros, claiming Soul Calibur, the "Masked Emperor" claims Soul Edge and tries to attack Siegfried and claim Soul Edge for Iska. However, a new version of the Evil Seed comes from Soul Calibur as the two swords clash, knocking Siegfried far away. Siegfried ends up sealing Soul Edge's power after realizing that he killed his own father at the peak of the Himalayas, however keeps it. He also gets Requiem here. The group storms Vienna to defeat the Emperor, and after Siegfried does, he plants Soul Edge into the ground alongside Soul Calibur. Iska then claims them (restoring Soul Edge's power using Soul Calibur), revealing his scheme to Siegfried. He then attempts to kill Siegfried, but Siegfried instead wins and Iska dies. During the credits there are two graves that say Iska Farkas and Ilona Farkas. Siegfried keeps Soul Edge, eventually succumbing to the Evil Seed and becoming Nightmare.

Johan Dürer

Johan Dürer originally appeared in the Japanese "Soulcalibur Official Guide" published by Axela. Despite never appearing playable in any game, he's considered an official character, with his own profile and even an "ending". [ [http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/soulcalibur/wwsc/05_johan.htm Whole World of Soulcalibur] ] He is referenced in the Berserkers' profile as their leader and also appears in the introduction of "Weapon Master Mode", alongside other "missing" characters from "Soulcalibur II" like Edge Master, Arthur, Li Long, Hwang or Rock. His weapon of choice is a long sword named Misery.

:Soulcalibur Background Story:Johan Dürer was born in Constance, Holy Roman Empire, in September 18, 1542. Since young he took the path of the sword due to the harsh times, and eventually turned into a mercenary. He participated in every war he could, and when there wasn't one he worked as a bodyguard for the merchants, usually targets of local bandits. Because he took his enemies' weapons, he developed a form to wield any weapon with ease. He called this style "Riese Apostel" ("Giant Apostle" in German, translated as "Largus Apostolus" in Girardot's profile, which has the same style) in honor of the nickname he got in the battlefield, "Riese".

:Eventually the firearms started to replace swords in war and Johan, frustrated by continuous defeats, finally decided that he can't made a life from only onslaughts, so he joined an elite knight force from a fortified city and settled there. He married a woman which gave him two sons and a daughter, and thanks to his past war records turned into the elite's leader.

:The day of the "Evil Seed" phenomenon, the lord of the castle was possessed by its evil will. Turned into a bloodthirsty monster, he rampaged the castle until he got captured. The high-ranking vassals of the castle, worried by the situation, sent various undercover groups, Johan leading one, to investigate the strange phenomena. During his travel, Johan met with the Azure Knight Nightmare. Nightmare killed the entire unit, including Johan's sons, but left him alive and scarred.

:Johan returned, bearing a frightful scar on his armor. He revealed the information about Soul Edge, its existence and the events surrounding a Spanish port town and Captain Cervantes. Eventually Johan convinced the vassals to allow him to create a hunt unit to retrieve the evil sword. Johan gathered young men and, after weeding the cowards and curious, started an arduous training.

:Johan and his group travelled around the world, until the training was complete and they headed back to the castle. The men were no longer knights, as they returned as Berserkers. Johan, finally taken by the evil energy from his wounds, lead his unit to assault the castle. Johan himself freed the captive beastly lord and executed the vassal, soon discovering the evil powers inside him asking for souls. Johan set the castle on flames and leaves with his lord and students into the eastern forests.

:Johan appears as a character in "Soulcalibur IV" as a servant character and uses the moveset of Nightmare.

References