Mitsurugi

Heishiro Mitsurugi
	; Mitsurugi, as he appears in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Birthplace	Bizen, Japan
Birthdate	June 8, 1562
Age	22 (Soul Edge), 25 (Soulcalibur), 29 (Soulcalibur II-Soulcalibur IV)
Height	5'7
Blood type	AB
Weapon	Katana
Weapon name	Korefuji (Soul Edge); Shishi-Oh (later games)
Fighting style	Tenpu-Kosai-Ryu Kai
Family	Parents and 3 brothers, taken by sickness
Appears in	Soul Edge; Soulcalibur; Soulcalibur II; Soulcalibur III; Soulcalibur IV; Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
First game	Soul Edge
English voice actor	Scott Keck (Soulcalibur II-Soulcalibur IV)
Japanese voice actor	Toshiyuki Morikawa; Wataru Takagi (Soul Edge)

From the Soulcalibur Wiki

Heishiro Mitsurugi is a character in the Soul series of fighting games. Mitsurugi made his first appearance in Soul Edge and has returned for all four sequels: Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, and Soulcalibur IV. He also appears in Soulcalibur Legends as a playable character and is a character for the new PSP videogame Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.

What lies in his soul is Strength.

[edit] Biography

Mitsurugi was born the 4th son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan ; but after many years of seeing his home ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai. Taking advantage of his parents' death at his 14th year, he took a sword and the name of Mitsurugi, which most loosely means "calm but deadly man wielding a divine sword". He went to train under the powerful warlord of the Murakami clan.

Mitsurugi was a powerful force on the battlefield, and rumors of him spread like wildfire, heralding him as the warrior that could mow down foes like fields of wheat, and he was noted by Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. He received numerous military commendations and eventually reached the rank of commissioned officer in the Japanese armed forces. But all along, his only true desire was a worthy opponent.

After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary. It was during this time that he had learned of a new weapon that was said to be changing the way wars would be fought: the Rifle. He originally dismissed this weapon as a novelty, but he soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry. He sensed that the arrival of the rifle in common warfare would put him out of business. He decided that the only way to combat with this was to find a stronger weapon: the rumored Soul Edge.

Unfortunately, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword" on his quest and began taking tasks that were largely meaningless to him in order to pass the time. One of these involved guarding a nearby castle for the night ; and another of which involved aiding the Spanish Marquis Andre's force in laying siege on Sir Stefan's Ostrheinsburg Castle. In his frustration of finding no signs of Soul Edge, he returned home and challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel, trying to prove that he didn't need the Soul Edge to beat the rifle. But he suffered an embarrassing defeat in front of his lord, forcing him to depart in shame on a second quest to perfect his swordsmanship so that he might eventually defeat the rifle. It was during this quest that he learned of the Azure Knight, Nightmare, who terrorized Europe with a sword deemed invincible. Nightmare's trail eventually disappeared, but Mitsurugi was unwilling to give up.

Four years later, Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge while vising a castle in Xiwei (present-day Xi'an), where a mysterious dying man, after being saved by him from a gang of assassins, handed him a shard of the cursed blade. Although skeptical at first, Mitsurugi accepted the gift. Soon afterward, an incident occurred in which a servant of the Emperor of Ming marched to the castle, demanding the "Hero's Sword," and was slain when he refused to leave without it; Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming, but Soul Edge meant nothing to him. He had crossed countless battlefields, defeating every conceivable enemy, even those with rifles. What had once been his greatest enemy was none of his concern, as it no longer proved to be a threat. His only concern was with finding an opponent stronger than himself.

It was at this time that he was suddenly attacked by unknown forces, but he fought off all of his attackers quite easily. They were after the fragment the man from Xiwei had given to him; and judging by their outfits, they appeared to be ninja, with a sword technique he found strangely familiar. They reminded him of Taki, who had interfered every time he had drawn close to the Soul Edge. His thoughts drifted, wondering what was happening in Japan at that time, and whether or not he could receive a final showdown with Taki. He decided to return to his homeland.

By this time, the Sengoku period had ended, and the powerful feudal lord, Oda Nobunaga, was dead. The leaders of the states were now faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan in particular, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing instead to protect their existence as fierce pirates and rulers of the sea. But their resistance caught the attention of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and a final stand was about to ensue.

Since Mitsurugi could find no trace of Taki, he decided to aid the Murakami in the battle. A nighttime raid commenced. The ships clustered together and rode the tide in to charge the enemy fleet - the traditional secret strategy of the Murakami. The battle began, and Mitsurugi stormed enemy ships like a hurricane. This combined with the Murakami's naval prowess allowed for swift victory, and Mitsurugi was decorated for his service, gaining an invitation to meet with the Murakami commander. The commander engaged him in long conversation, mentioning rumors of a warrior clad in azure armor appearing from the west and boasting the strength of a god. Mitsurugi looked up in surprise, realizing that this must be Nightmare, whom he had lost track of before.

Mitsurugi bade farewell to the Murakami and ran to a nearby port, giving all of his reward money to a boatman, demanding that he be taken west. He needed neither money nor fame, only the satisfaction of a fierce battle in which his very soul would clash against his opponent's ; and that battle, he concluded, would be found in Nightmare.

In Soulcalibur IV, Mitsurugi searched for many powerful warriors from all over the world. But no matter how many enemies he fought and how powerful he became, he still hungered for more. He gave up searching for the legendary sword because he figured that no matter how powerful a weapon, it's useless if one doesn't have the strength to match it.

However, after he defeated some assassins that were looking for information about Soul Edge, he remembered the fragment of the evil sword that he had. He was about to throw it away because he felt that he didn't need it, when suddenly, the fragment had an unholy glow, and then it flew into the sky, heading west.

With anticipation, Mitsurugi followed, hoping to find both Nightmare and Soul Edge. He also heard rumors that the land before him was filled with terror, and horrible monsters and insane warriors were gathering. But these stories didn't scare Mitsurugi. In fact, he was excited. This was a challenge that seemed worthy for him.

[edit] Personality

Mitsurugi has only one goal in mind: To seek out the strongest warrior and challenge him/her to a duel then become the strongest warrior in history. He is never satisfied at the opponents he defeated in battle. Aside from being cocky, Mitsurugi is a kind of a person who sticks to his words; he's not all show. Being a samurai, he fights with honor and kills his opponents in an honorable fashion. He believes that true strength lies within a person and not from the weapon. He is considered a neutral character.

[edit] Endings

[edit] Soul Edge

Mitsurugi realizes that Soul Edge is evil and destroys both swords. He decides to challenge a rifleman to a duel... Unlike the other characters' endings, the player controls Mitsurugi in a first-person view. The goal is to evade shots from the rifleman and slash him down.

Bad Ending If the player fails, Mitsurugi gets shot. He is seen standing in an open field and decides that if he's going to defeat rifles in battle, he's going to need a stronger weapon. He then sets off on his quest again.

Good Ending If the player succeeds, Mitsurugi defeats the rifleman and realizes that his weapon doesn't matter. He then decides to start training again, holding his katana to the sky.

[edit] Soulcalibur

After countless battle, the demonic blade Soul Edge was in Mitsurugi's hands. En route back to his homeland, pirates attacked him on the high seas. Mitsurugi was completely surrounded by the bloodthirsty pirates. He smiled without fear as he looked down the barrels of their guns and murmured...

Mitsurugi: I've had enough of duels... you're just what I need to try the blade of my new sword...

This was the last that anyone heard of the lone samurai known as the "Mercenary of Wartime Age."

[edit] Soulcalibur II

After countless battles and a deadly duel, Mitsurugi finally possessed Soul Edge, the ultimate sword. But he soon realized that the weapon was inherently evil.

"Surely this can't be the sword I've been searching!"

Mitsurugi shattered the demonic blade to pieces. Without a moment's rest, Mitsurugi embarked on another journey to find the true Soul Edge.

[edit] Soulcalibur III

Mitsurugi is seen slaughtering several soldiers in a town and then arrives at a bridge where a man grabs a woman.

Input Ending Mitsurugi runs up to the man and kills him, freeing the woman. 3 more soldiers run up to Mitsurugi, and the camera focuses on the moon as sword strokes are heard. When the camera pans down, the three samurai fall as Mitsurugi goes to leave, with Soul Calibur in his left hand. As he walks away, he says "If you want to kill me, you better bring a whole army!"

No Input Ending Mitsurugi runs up to the man and woman, but is stopped by a surprise attack from Taki. Mitsurugi ignores the man and woman, and now focuses on Taki. "That Soul Edge in your possession, it's time to hand it over." Taki commands. Mitsurugi replies by saying "If you want it that badly, come and take it by force!" He then jumps at her with his Soul Edge in his left hand, as the scene pauses and turns to sepia tone.

[edit] Soulcalibur IV

Mitsurugi stabs Algol once more, destroying the power of the sword. Algol commands Mitsurugi to take his power as well, and use it however he'd like. "I don't need it." Mitsurugi says, as he puts his sword away. "Weapons are just tools. True strength lies within me." As he begins to walk away, Algol mutters his last words: "Well done."

The text-only epilogue reveals this: The date of death is unknown, and he won countless fights. He kept proving throughout his life that he was the best, and even now his name never fades.

[edit] Fighting Style

Mitsurugi's fighting style is one of the easiest, fastest, and the strongest fighting styles in the game. He displays incredible strength in most of his attacks. His low attacks are arguably the best in the game and some of them can be chained to make a combo. His kick attacks are mediocre in strength but they are speedy too. Mitsurugi can also switch stances that wait and counterattack an opponent. His weakness however, is that some of his attacks are predictable even though they are fast and damaging. Also, he is criticized for having few moves and his strong attacks are frequently used so the opponent has a chance to counter these attacks. However, Mitsurugi is placed between mid to high-tier by among Soul Calibur fans.

[edit] Weapons

[edit] Stages

[edit] Pirate Fortress (SE)

The castle owned by Noto Murakami and the Settouchi Pirates (also called the Mori Sea Force). This castle is built on the whole island, and act as a port and a barrier in the seas. It also supplies pirate ships between raids. Mitsurugi comes here seeking a boat to the mainland.

[edit] Takamatsu Castle (SC)

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur, and based on the real-life Siege of Takamatsu, orchestrated by Hashiba Hideyoshi after he constructed a 3-kilometer bank around it in order to stop the flow of water and produce a flooding. Mitsurugi, as a trusted mercenary on the base of Mori's Murakami Navy, was assigned the defense of the castle during the conflict. The stage consists on a wooden raft amidst battle, with the castle as background and flaming arrows constantly flying around.

[edit] Xiwei Siege Ruins (SC2)

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur II, situated in Xiwei at the west border of the Ming Empire. It is said to be a vital stronghold for the Empire's keep of the western territories. As explained in Xianghua's profile, the castle was attacked when the Emperor believed the castle was hiding Soul Edge. The stage is shared with Xianghua for the same reason.

[edit] Battle in the Strait (SC3)

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur III. The stage resembles slightly his Soulcalibur stage, albeit this one is set atop a half-sunken battleship amidst a naval battle. As said in his game profile, the stage shows one of many sea battles held between the Murakami Navy and Hideyoshi's Kuki forces. It is said that the Murakami started with the advantage, but were eventually pressed back and defeated.

[edit] Jyurakudai Villa - Virgin Snow (SC4)

[edit] Jyurakudai Villa - Twill Damask and Brocade (SCBD)

[edit] Trivia

In Soulcalibur IV, Mitsurugi is featured in a short movie with Darth Vader. The two of them defeat a few enemies individually, and then they confront each other. They draw their weapons and begin to fight. After a while, they clash their weapons, and Darth Vader says to Mitsurugi, "You are powerful. But now you must be destroyed!" The movie ends, as the two of them still have their weapons intact. The movie takes place outside of Algol's tower.
Mitsurugi, along with Taki, is a playable character in Namco X Capcom.
In the ending of Soulcalibur III, Mitsurugi can wield Soul Calibur and Soul Edge simultaneously - this can be done by selecting Soul Edge as his weapon for the Tales Of Souls mode, and choosing Soul Calibur in the quicktime event. As he faces off against Taki, he will pull both out.

[edit] Relationships

Rival of Taki.
Hated by Setsuka, who seeks revenge against him for the death of her master ever since Soulcalibur III. Shared a Destined Battle with her in Soulcalibur III.
Seeks to defeat Nightmare in Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV.

[edit] Series'Appearances

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Soul Blade

Mitsurugi portrait from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi portrait from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi render from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi render from SoulBlade
Mitsurugi render from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi and Li Long render from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi again from SoulBlade
Mitsurugi yet again from SoulBlade	Super-deformed Mitsurugi from SoulBlade	Super-deformed Mitsurugi again from SoulBlade	Mitsurugi render art from SoulBlade
Mitsurugi from SoulBlade