- "I shall vanquish... the evils of the ages!"
- — Hwang
Hwang Seong-gyeong (Hanja: 黄星京 Hangul: 황성경, Hwang Seonggyeong; Japanese: ファン・ソンギョン, Fan Songyon) is a character in the Soul series. A Korean swordsman, Hwang made his first appearance in Soul Edge, and has returned for Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur III. Prior to Soulcalibur III, his name was written as Hwang Sung Kyung.
In his debut, Soul Blade Hwang was entitled A Hero in a War-Like Age
Biography
Hwang Seong-gyeong was 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-myong. 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. Rumors of Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", spread to Korea, and 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. 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-myong 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.
Although he doesn't make an appearance in Soulcalibur IV, Hwang is mentioned in Yun-seong's storyline. They encounter each other while Yun-seong was on his way to Ostrheinsburg. Hwang warns the young warrior that Soul Edge is evil. However, he does not stop Yun-seong from continuing his journey, stating that he will let him find out for himself. Then the two of them go their own ways.
Years later, Hwang is seen as a national hero, along with Mi-na and Yun-seong. The three now teach at the dojo, training the new generation.
Endings
Soul Edge
Hwang picks up the two Soul Edge swords and comments how evil and powerful they are as well. . .
Bad Ending: He stumbles into the Seung Dojo with the two swords. The members ask him what happened, but he hits one of them and tells him to shut up. Hwang's glowing eyes and fangs suggest that he's now possessed.
Good Ending: He throws the swords over the Adrian. He then returns to the Dojo, where he is asked about his journey. Seong Han-myeong greets him, telling him that he heard of his exploits and thanks him for saving the country. Seong Han-myeong offers to adopt him, but he declines and rejoins the coastal defense force, because he has a duty to fulfill before he goes home.
Soulcalibur
One legend spoke of the "Sword of Salvation" as being in truth an evil sword that drove souls insane. Injured during a fight with Inferno, the incarnation of the sword, Seong Mi-na came to his aid.
Seong Mi-na: You can depend on me now.
Hwang: Indeed... thank you. We need not to rely on legends anymore, for we shall protect our country ourselves.
The zealous patriots depart for the seas of unrest to protect their country and their people. Their stories will surely be retold with pride to future generations.
Soulcalibur III
Upon returning from his second quest for Soul Edge, Hwang reported that the sword was evil, and not a sword of hope as they had previously thought. General Li of the navy defended his subordinate from as much criticism as possible, but he still had to suspend Hwang for a month. Hwang returned Blue Thunder to the general and left the navy. He didn't believe that his report was incorrect, but he had failed his general, who he had a great deal of respect for.
Hwang stayed at his master's dojo for the duration of his suspension. While there, he sensed a presence nearby. He captured and interrogated the suspect, learning he was a spy from Japan. Evidently, Japan was planning its own search for Soul Edge. The next day, Hwang was called by some senior officials in the navy. It was hard to believe that Japan would only send one spy. It was more likely that they had obtained information of Soul Edge, that it was a weapon they were searching for to fight Korea. Fearing an invasion from Japan using Soul Edge, Hwang was given a new mission. Though his last two attempts had ended in failure, Hwang was considered to be the only one with enough knowledge of the outside world for the job of finding Soul Edge.
"Travel the world and find those agents that seek Soul Edge for Japan and dispose of them. Make sure it does not fall into the hands of the enemy. And if possible, bring back Soul Edge."
General Li gave Hwang his mission and returned Blue Thunder. Hwang knew this meant the General trusted him.
Hwang, convinced that Soul Edge was evil, headed towards the capital before his departure. Some Soul Edge zealots there had gathered fragments of the cursed sword, and Hwang stole the fragments in order to dispose of them. It pained Hwang to lower himself to stealing, but he felt that leaving behind remnants of the sword was far too dangerous. Before commotion grew, he left the capital and headed for the west boarder and then to the great continent of the west.
If a person of power in any country were to become obsessed with the sword, it was very possible that the country would fall into turmoil. Enemies or not, Hwang didn't like the idea of watching innocent people suffer. He promised to himself that he would stop the cursed sword from taking any more lives. Learning that at the Seung dojo, both Mi-Na and Yun-seong had already departed to the west, he thought of joining them. Together, nothing would be impossible. Even the destruction of Soul Edge.
Weapons
- Blue Storm
- Qing Long
- Po Shan
- Nippon Blade
- Lei Yan
- Mountain Breaker
- Thunderous Fire
- Falchion
- Sword Of Dawn
- Midas Blade
- Phantom
- Dragon Sword
- Bonebreaker Sword
- Blue Thunder
Stages
Desert Path (SB)
A desert path that stretches in the middle of Asia. Its completely barren and desolate, aside from the ruins of an ancient Chinese fortress, who is now buried in the sands. This road is the most dangerous passage to the travelers who choose to avoid the dangerous sea route. It is truly and extremely cruel passage.
Silk Road Ruin (SC)
The prosperous oasis cities in the shirt of the Takla Makan were important relay stations for caravans crossing the Silk Road. Merchants rested and enjoyed these cities as they chased the profits of trade. This remain constructed in a cave deep within a valley lay but one day's travel by wagon from a nearby oasis city. Rumor has it that a rich merchant, fond of life away from the rush of city life, built this remain. As if to prove the rumor the halls and floors are decorated with expensive lazurite and malachite. (Note: Known as Remain in the Desert in the arcade version).
Silk Road Ruin (SC3:AE)
The south path through the western countries is one of the steepest parts of the Silk Road. Near the entrance on the west side lies an especially eye-catching ruin that serves as a landmark to travelers. It is said that the building was built by a wealthy merchant during the time when this region was still the center most route along the Silk Road. In everything from the patterns on the pillars to the decorations on the walls to the materials used in the floors, one can see the mix of Eastern and Western culture typical of a Silk Road ruin.
(Note: Originally Lizardman's stage in the console version)
Theme Music
Voice Collection
Hwang Original Voice Collection From Soul Blade
Quotes
Soul Blade (Japanese)
- Forgive me. I've done this for good. (Yuruse. Taigi no tame da.)
- It looks like victory is mine. (Sono inochi ore ga atsukarou.)
- I will protect my village. (Kono shorio ga sokokara tame ni.)
- This must be SoulEdge.(Ending)
- What fearful swords they are! They are full of evil spirits.(Ending)
- But contain extraordinary power.(Ending)
- If I have the power...... I may be able to save my country.......(Ending)
- I wonder if I can manage this power.(Ending)
- Sh...... shut up!(Ending)
- Hahahaha...hahahahaha...hahahahaha...(Ending)
- The evil sword that confused people's minds cannot help in saving my country!(Ending)
- Teacher, I'm back home.(Ending)
- ...No.... I have many things to do in protecting our country.(Ending)
- I'm not ready for....(Ending)
- I have a duty to protect this country and the people I love.(Ending)
- I will finish my duty some day, and then I will return home.(Ending)
Soulcalibur
- I'll make my own way through history!
- Save yourself! Go home!
- I'll remember your defeat!
- You idiot!
- How do you like that?
- You're finished!
Soulcalibur III
- I shall vanquish... the evils of the ages.
- Do not waste your life! Go back home!
- I promise... you will not be forgotten.(press "X" in winning)
- You really want to do this?
- It's over!
- You're mine!
- Let's go!
- Are we going?
- How about...
- This!
- Have some of this!
- You ready?
- How careless!
- Die!
- Over!
- No way...I lost!
Trivia
- Hwang is the second character officially confirmed to not return in the new game, Soul Calibur V, the first being SCIV bonus character Shura. Although a petition [1] was made in an attempt to amend this.
- Green is Hwang's favorite color.
- Hong Yun-Seong's alternate costume in Soul Calibur II (the one where he has brown hair) might be a reference to Hwang. Also, his shirt is green & his pants are blue.
- Hwang originally doubled as a replacement for Mitsurugi in Korean releases of the game, where depicting Japanese samurai is a culturally touchy subject. He appears in other localizations of Soul Edge Version 1 (the Arcade version of Soul Blade) as a secret character. He is unlocked for Player 1 by holding the Start Button (during the entire code) with Mitsurugi highlighted and pressing Up, Down, highlighting Taki and pressing Up, Up, Down, Down, highlighting Rock and pressing Down, Up, Down, Up. A sound will confirm correct code entry. Press left to play as Hwang. For player two, at the character selection screen hold Start with Siegfried highlighted and press Up, Down. With Li Long highlighted, press Up, Up, Down, Down. With Voldo highlighted, press Down, Up, Down, Up. A sound will confirm correct code entry. Press Right to unlock Hwang. Release Start.
- In Hwang's bad ending in Soul Edge, "you" changes to "tou" in the English subtitles.
- Hwang was nicknamed "Hero in the Warlike Age" in Soul Edge and "Burning Patriot" in Soulcalibur.
- In Tales of Soul mode, using Kilik or Yun-seong, Hwang appears as "Unknown Soul" in the Grand Labyrinth: Darkness of Soulcalibur III.
- His fighting style is similar to Mitsurugi's in Soul Edge, and he has some very minor similarities to Xianghua in Soulcalibur.
- In versions of Soulcalibur where Arthur replaced Mitsurugi, Hwang is available from the start while Xianghua is a time-release character.
- Hwang appears in the dialogue of The Gauntlet story mode in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, speaking with Seong Han Myeong. He also appears as one of the development team's created characters that the player can fight against in Quick Match mode, using Yun-seong's fighting style and his nickname is "Soul Successor".
- In the Tales of Souls mode, in Soulcalibur III. While fighting against Hwang in Extra stage (Xianghua's stage), Hwang's Blue Storm may break the player's weapon easily while the player is guarding his attacks.
- In Soul Blade, Mitsurugi and Hwang were very similar with the exception of a few attacks. In later games, both characters were given new attacks, but Hwang ended up keeping most of the ones that both had used in Soul Blade - this is most likely because Seong Han Myeong was also given these attacks (although he naturally matched Hwang more so than Mitsurugi) so it made more sense to keep these attacks as Hwang's. Mitsurugi fights quite differently in the "Calibur" games when compared to Soul Blade.
- Gan Ning has a very similar character model to Hwang.[2]
- In Soul Calibur III the player can use Hwang's style for a created character by equipping them with the Chinese Sword. This discipline is modeled on Hwang's style from Soul Blade and Soul Calibur, and also has similarities with Assassin in Soul Calibur II, who's style was based on Hwang.
- If Yun-seong is selected in Soulcalibur III's Tales of Souls, and the player chooses to visit the Grand Labyrinth, Yun-seong will always fight against Hwang, but he will be obscured, and the game will list him as "Unknown Soul" When the battle is over, Talim (who is following Yun-seong for his Tales of Souls) will admit that it looked like their mysterious assailant was trying to test Yun-seong, rather than cause any harm.
- In Soul Calibur III Hwang's Voice Over is the same one used for "Young Man 2" albeit with some added lines, which match Hwang's lines in previous games, and a few standard lines moved around. However, Hwang's "death cry" in Japanese version of "Young Man 2" voice is different and has no echo unlike the other fighters (except Zasalamel).
- Hwang does not have a stage of his own in Soulcalibur III, though he can be found on Tales of Souls in the following stages as a "Prepare to Defend Yourself" challenge: Ling Sheng-Su Temple Ruin, Indian Port and Silk Road Ruin.
- In Korean, "Seong-gyeong" translates to "Bible".
- His appearance and attitude are somehow similar to Street Fighter character, Ryu, and Akira from the Virtua Fighter universe. Coincidentally, one of Akira's costumes resembles Hwang, but with a different color scheme.
- Hwang appears in SoulCalibur V's Quick Battle mode using the Devil Jin (Tekken) moveset with an evil voice. This may mean that he has in fact turned evil, though no Quick Battle characters are considered canon.
- Lei Wulong can be customized to look like Hwang in Tekken 6; however, the hairstyle & headband cannot be put together.
- In the arcade version of Soul Edge, he is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa, which is also the voice actor of Hwoarang in Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament (the original), and Tekken 4.
- In Soul Calibur III, most of his parts are character creation. The only unique difference, is that the scarf is skinnier, the pants are baggier by the thighs down to the knees, & he also wears bandages on his arms under his gauntlets.
- In Naruto Shippuden, Konohamaru Sarutobi resembles Hwang.
- The CAS face used for Hwang bears a striking resemblance to Jin Kazama from the Tekken Series.
Relationships
- His group of travelers may have been slain by Maxi's pirates, who Hwang fought against.
- Found Seong Mi-na twice, and returned home with her. Mi-na has a Destined Battle with Hwang in Soulcalibur, which they actually share once she becomes playable.
- Seong Han-myeong attempted to adopt him, and later wanted him to marry Seong Mi-na.
- Warrior that Yun-seong idolized from his childhood. They encounter each other before Soulcalibur IV.
- Defeated by Maxi in Soulcalibur. He has a Destined Battle with him in the same game if Mi-na has not yet been unlocked.
Soulcalibur Manga Comic
- In Soulcalibur Manga Comic, Volume 2 (Act.9), Hwang appears in Headquarters of Seoul Empire. Hwang's failure describes that his ship and his companion lose to a group of pirates named Kyam and Maxi.
- In Soulcalibur Manga Comic, Volume 3 (Act.19), After Hwang was defeated by Maxi, he explains the cause of Hwang's Pirate ship sunk by being crushed, beneath a rock, under the sea. And Hwang questions to Maxi why they threw a bunch of logs towards Hwang, and Maxi answered that they would spare them a life by giving them wood to float over the sea. Maxi and Kyam didn't plan to attack their ship as they sail toward the tail of Hwang's pirate ship. Maxi and Kyam were only fishing and their duty is to export the items that they work with, and a passenger who needed to travel.
Gallery
Soul Blade
Soulcalibur
Soulcalibur III
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
| Original Timeline Main Characters |
|---|
| Aeon (Lizardman) • Algol • Amy • Astaroth (Mass Produced) • Cassandra • Cervantes • Charade • Edge Master • Hilde • Hwang • Ivy • Kilik • Leixia • Li Long • Maxi • Mitsurugi • Natsu • Olcadan • Patroklos (α Patroklos) • Pyrrha (Pyrrha Ω) • Raphael • Rock • Seong Mi-na • Setsuka • Siegfried • Sophitia • Soul Calibur (Elysium) • Soul Edge (Inferno, Nightmare, Night Terror) • Taki • Talim • Tira • Viola • Voldo • Xianghua • Xiba • Yoshimitsu • Yun-seong • Zasalamel (Abyss) • Z.W.E.I. |