Soul Calibur

From the Soulcalibur Wiki

For the game named after the sword, see Soulcalibur.

Soul Calibur
Soul Calibur, as it appears in Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.
Age	Everlasting
Place of creation	Unknown
Powers	Can take various forms based on the wielder
Weapon type	Various
Canonical wielders	Algol (creator) Barbaros (Soulcalibur Legends) Masked Emperor (Soulcalibur Legends) Iska Farkas (Soulcalibur Legends) Zasalamel Chai Xianghua (Soulcalibur) Siegfried Schtauffen(Soulcalibur III-to the present)

Soul Calibur is the spirit sword created to combat Soul Edge and is known as the protagonist in the Soul series. Algol, the king that once wielded Soul Edge and lost his son because of the demonic sword, vowed to create a holy sword from the purified shards of Soul Edge that would oppose the evil sword, being its equal in strength and opposite in intent. Algol enlisted the help of the greatest sage in the land, who used purified fragments of the cursed sword to forge a new spirit sword, to be known as "Soul Calibur". After many failed attempts, the holy sword was born when Algol sacrificed himself to complete the ritual. However, the sword that was created was far from good due to Algol's thirst for power, and it was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge. Nonetheless, the tribe that was tasked with guarding the sword slowly purified it to the point that it could be considered a holy weapon, while keeping dormant the dark soul that rested within the sword. The guardians lived in seclusion, passing the sword from generation to generation in secret. Whenever a warrior vowed to take on Soul Edge on his own, Soul Calibur appeared to prevent the cursed sword from causing any more damage. Soul Calibur finally appeared, somehow transformed into a different shape, as one of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple treasures, a sword called Krita-Yuga. The other treasures, Kali-Yuga and Dvapara-Yuga, are linked to the holy sword. Kali-Yuga, a holy staff, is capable of absorbing different energies in order to strengthen Soul Calibur. Dvapara-Yuga, the holy mirror of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, is used to help keep the purity of Soul Calibur intact and has the power of purifying the corruption of Soul Edge.

Krita-Yuga had been stolen from the temple by one of the monks, Kong Xiuquiang, and handed to his lover Chai Xiangfei, the mother of Chai Xianghua. She inherited the battered sword, unaware of its true form. Eventually she, alongside Kilik, fought with Nightmare at Ostrheinsburg Castle, and used the holy blade to shatter Soul Edge. However, Inferno, a creation of the blade, took Soul Calibur and plunged with it into an abyss of its own making.

Although it is not clear if it is canon or not, if the 'Evil Soul Calibur' ever existed, it would have been created in the void of Chaos, shortly after Inferno's defeat at Xianghua's hands, when the sword of light is lost in the abyss created by Soul Edge. Surrounded and consumed with the ambiance of evil from Soul Edge, Soul Calibur eventually succumbs to the darkness and bonds with its dark counterpart.

However, when Nightmare had almost completed Soul Edge, Raphael Sorel appeared and pierced the eye of Soul Edge during his battle against the Azure Knight. He was weakened considerably. Soul Calibur was freed from the darkness and so was Soul Edge's host, Siegfried Schtauffen, who regained his sanity. Soul Calibur appeared from where it was trapped within the cursed blade, and Siegfried drove it into the core of Soul Edge. Now both blades are silent, seemingly powerless, locked in a fateful Soul Embrace.

Time passed, and eventually Siegfried and the new Nightmare met at the Lost Cathedral. A ritual induced by Zasalamel broke the Soul Embrace and each sword was freed from the grasp of the other. Nightmare grasped the Cursed Blade while Siegfried took the Spirit Sword. The swords clashed, and their opposing energies caused a great release of energy which destroyed the cathedral and hurled the two warriors away from one another, injuring them both severely. Saved and sustained by Soul Calibur, Siegfried drew a strong connection with the blade, with his armor covered in crystals that match the sword's new form. Siegfried now pursues Nightmare toward Ostrheinsburg, seeking to finally atone for his sins, with the spirit sword firmly in hand.

[edit] Gallery

Soul Calibur, as it appears in Soulcalibur.

Soul Calibur, as it appears in Soulcalibur II.

Soul Calibur, as it appears in Soulcalibur III.

[edit] Trivia

• The sword's name is a play on the word Excalibur (which was a sword of King Arthur).
• Made clear in Soulcalibur IV, Soul Calibur is a sentient being--it makes decisions such as reviving Siegfried and telepathically talks to Cassandra in her ending.
• While Soul Edge speaks with a male voice, Soul Calibur speaks with a female voice.
• Talim's storyline and Cassandra, Taki, and especially Siegfried's Endings in Soulcalibur IV hint at the possibility that Soul Calibur may well still be twisted or corrupted in some way, in the latter character's ending covering the entire world in a crystalline layer (though this may be Siegfried's view that humanity is the source of all conflict, and not Soul Calibur's decision).
• Soul Calibur, like Soul Edge, adapts to the shape of the weapon of its current wielder's preference. It is most associated with Xianghua's single-handed short sword and Siegfried's two-handed great sword versions, however, it is believed that Xianghua's version is closer to its original form, as it was made from a shard of Soul Edge, and thus would be smaller. It is usually weaker than Soul Edge weapons in terms of attack power, but has more beneficial abilities, like healing the character using it.
• Soul Calibur's appearence seems to become more abstract as the series progress, being a well-defined and solid sword in Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II, and little more than a giant crystal shard in Soulcalibur IV. It is a direct contrast to Soul Edge's design, that begins being more flesh than metal and rather blocky in Soul Blade and Soulcalibur, and looking sleek and sharp in Soulcalibur IV.
• Siegfried's version of Soul Calibur in Soulcalibur III becomes the alternate version of Siegfried's base weapon in Soulcalibur IV, albeit with a darker shade of blue.
• Soul Calibur, Soul Edge, and Valentine are the only weapons to have life force.
• In Soulcalibur II, Siegfried's version of Soul Calibur looks a lot like Xianghua's version of Soul Calibur, but both of its wings are formed into one and one part of its split blade is much larger than the other.
• According to Soulcalibur IV's official strategy guide, Soul Calibur in its current form is not just a mere sword, but a pure, crystalline embodiment of raw power.
• Some of the characters in the Soul series such as Barbaros, the Masked Emperor, and Iska Farkas use Soul Calibur for their evil purposes.
• In Soulcalibur II, when the sword could first be use by anyone other than Xianghua, it could only be wielded by characters that would be considered pure such as Talim and Siegfried, albeit Siegfried in the form of Nightmare. This is perhaps to show its opposite to the evil Soul Edge. By contrast, Soul Edge could be used by anyone with a strong enough will, meaning all the characters had their own versions of Soul Edge (complete), even the guest characters.
• In Soulcalibur, Soul Calibur takes the form of an ordinary jian sword called the Krita-Yuga, which was Xianghua's choice weapon. It transforms into its true form for Xianghua to fight against Soul Edge.
• In Aeon Calcos' and Zasalamel's endings in Soulcalibur III, Soul Calibur makes its appearance along with Soul Edge. But in Mitsurugi's, it only appears in his input ending.
• In Soulcalibur IV, and Soulcalibur III, certain characters like Sophitia, Ivy, Yoshimitsu, Cassandra, Seong Mi-na, Kilik, and Setsuka are able to wield it as their ultimate weapon.