Tira

From the Soulcalibur Wiki

Tira
Tira, as she appears in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Birthplace	Unknown
Birthdate	1574
Age	17 (Soulcalibur III & Soulcalibur IV)
Blood type	AB
Weapon	Ring Blade
Weapon name	Eiserne Drossel
Fighting style	Dance of Death
Family	Master, Nightmare
Appears in	Soulcalibur III Soulcalibur IV Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
First game	Soulcalibur III
English voice actor	Jennifer Hale
Japanese voice actor	Masumi Asano

Tira (ティラ, Tira) is a character in the Soul series of fighting games. Tira is referred to as the "The Misguided Angel of Death" during her debut appearance in the official E3 teaser for Soulcalibur III. She made her first appearance in Soulcalibur III and appeared in the next installment, Soulcalibur IV. In Soulcalibur IV she undergoes a drastic evolution in design, exchanging the teal-colored hair, green rags, and feathered fringe she wore in Soulcalibur III for black pigtails and a red ensemble. At first this dramatic change was speculated to be the outcome of one of Tira's epilogues in her Tales of Souls in Soulcalibur III, in which she was possessed by Soul Edge, but the real reason was to reflect her unstable new personality, as revealed in an interview with one of the character designers of Soulcalibur IV.^[1] She was also confirmed to return in the new videogame Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.

Throughout the earlier games, Tira's existence was subtly alluded to through the presence of her guardian ravens, which delivered shards of Soul Edge to Nightmare (an example of this is in the opening clip for Soulcalibur II). Tira fights with a unique type of weapon reminiscent of a bladed hula hoop, appropriately called a ring blade, which she can effortlessly swing using her wrists, feet, and body. Her battle style relies on acrobatics, speed, and flexibility.

Tira is nearly as ruthless and sadistic as her master, having no qualms with claiming the lives of her victims. She derives a demented form of amusement from others' suffering, apparently due to her upbringing as an assassin, and is lethally addicted to murdering others. When Soulcalibur III was released, many fans speculated that Tira suffered from some form of bipolarity due to her interchangeable and unstable emotions. In Soulcalibur IV, Tira develops two disparate personalities, both representing the opposite spectrums of her erratic emotions, from being exposed to Soul Calibur and Soul Edge's conflict. These alternate personalities manifest themselves in her battle style, as two stances: Jolly Side and Gloomy Side. Similar to how being damaged would affect Tira's moods in Soulcalibur III, Tira's two "sides" can be changed either manually, or randomly, also altering Tira's moveset.

What lies in her soul is Torment.

Contents 1 History 2 Endings 2.1 Soulcalibur III 2.2 Soulcalibur IV 3 Weapons 3.1 Eiserne Drossel 3.2 Other Weapons 4 Stages 4.1 Ostrheinsburg Castle - Battlement (SC3) 4.2 Ostrheinsburg Castle Throne Room (SC4) 5 Quotes 5.1 Soulcalibur III 5.2 Soulcalibur IV 5.2.1 Jolly Side 5.2.2 Gloomy Side 6 Trivia 7 Relationships 8 Series' Appearances 9 Gallery 10 References 11 External Links

[edit] History

Tira's origins begin with a European organization hidden in the shadows, which went by the name of the "Bird of Passage." Aside from her training as an assassin, very little is known about Tira's history. Tira was raised exclusively as an assassin, as the Bird of Passage specialized in forming contracts with powerful people of prestige and dispatching assassins to eliminate important targets, and began killing at a very young age. Due to her upbringing, Tira became utterly inured to the sight of death, eventually becoming so engrossed in her ability to kill without experiencing any remorse or conflicting emotion that she started to become dependent on killing for the stimulation it provided. During an assignment, the Evil Seed pervaded through the sky, burning the leader's mind and dissolving the chain of command.

Inadvertently, Tira was freed, and inexplicably drifted into the custody of an adopted family. Although she struggled to adapt to an "average" life, Tira ruminated on the new freedoms that were provided, and decided that this new life could be acceptable. However, Tira's peaceful new existence didn't last for long, as, after she was scolded for releasing the youngest daughter's pet bird, she murdered her entire adopted family in a blind rage. Realizing she could not live among ordinary people and could not live without the fundamental excitement inflicting death created for her, Tira fled.

Amidst her travels, Tira learned of the Azure Knight's massacres, and started to harbor a twisted fondness for the terrifying figure. During this leaderless period, Tira's emotions spiraled out of control, rapidly swinging between extremities with the slightest provocation. Because she had grown up without the freedom to make her own decisions, Tira ultimately resolved to track down the Azure Knight and become his servant, believing him to be a kindred spirit due to his ability to spread pain and suffering. Tira arrived at Ostrheinsburg, where she met Zasalamel. Zasalamel explained that Nightmare was no more than a puppet being controlled by the evil sword, Soul Edge. Tira was disappointed by this information, but still jumped at the opportunity later when she learned of the Azure Knight's resurfacing. After following a trail of massacres, Tira found Nightmare and became his servant. After this acceptance, she was given two tasks: To destroy the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, thus liberating Soul Edge from his prison, and locate a new, permanent host for Soul Edge.

In order to fulfill these objectives, Tira was granted the protection of Nightmare's raven sentries, the Watchers. Tira is seen affectionately kissing one of these ravens on the head in the opening cinema for Soulcalibur III. Presumably after the events in Soulcalibur III, Tira was deeply affected by the destruction unleashed by the meeting of Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. The collision left Tira's mind severely scarred, and threatened to tear her being apart. Tira survived through her devotion to Soul Edge, and managed to reassemble her consciousness. The process left her with dual personalities, dividing her mind into the two extremes of the original. Tira plots to assist Soul Edge in his conquest, and eventually hopes to become a part of the sword.

Tira's story in Soulcalibur III tied in with Yoshimitsu's as well, as she was the one responsible for murdering one of his clan members. She also menaced Sophitia continuously throughout both their Tales of Souls stories, threatening to use her children as Soul Edge's new hosts. The outcome of this story was revealed in Soulcalibur IV: Tira abducted Sophitia's daughter, and she taunted the mother with the knowledge that her child would die along with Soul Edge if someone were to destroy him, and manipulated Sophitia's feelings for her daughter to convince her to start killing those who were seeking to destroy Soul Edge. Tira also appears in Maxi and Astaroth's stories in Soulcalibur IV, persuading one to pursue the cursed blade in order to avenge his slain comrades, and the other to serve Nightmare.

[edit] Endings

[edit] Soulcalibur III

Tira begins to walk through Sophitia's and Cassandra's home, looking for Soul Edge's new body. She is holding Soul Edge, which has adopted a ring blade's shape.

• Left/Default Tira enters the children's room and confronts the sleeping children, presumably making them the next hosts.

• Right Tira is ambushed by Sophitia and Cassandra and chased out the window. There, Soul Edge decides to possess Tira. Her body and clothes turn purple as Soul Edge speaks through her, saying that Tira's body will have to suffice until he finds a more suitable host.

[edit] Soulcalibur IV

Tira bows down to Nightmare, who is holding Soul Edge and sitting in a throne at Ostrheinsburg. As Nightmare stands to confront Tira, he stumbles and grasps onto Soul Edge. Tira gasps as his body can no longer hold Soul Edge, and so she tries to save her master. But her Gloomy side argues with her, and so she lets him pass on. Later on she is seen kneeling near the glowing soul of Soul Edge, smiling.

A text-epilogue then appears, stating that the cursed sword lay dormant now that the spirit sword is destroyed. When he awakens, his fires will consume the world.

[edit] Weapons

[edit] Eiserne Drossel

A ring blade used by Tira. The primary weapon of choice among the Bird of Passage, Eiserne Drossel was given to Tira during her days as a fledgling assassin.^[2] Tira uses Eiserne Drossel to harvest souls for Nightmare. The blade of the ring is dull on the inside but sharp on the outside, allowing Tira to swing it around without injuring herself. In Soulcalibur III, Eiserne Drossel was referred to as Aiselne Drossel, a mistranslation of the German phrase meaning "Iron Thrush." In Soulcalibur IV, the mistakes were corrected.

Another version of Eiserne Drossel intended to match Tira's second player outfit is outlined in pointed, silver blades, while it has a golden inner ring ornamented with stylized skulls.

Note: Drossel also means "choke" or "throttle", but it can be inferred that in this use it was meant to be "Thrush" in keeping with the bird theme surrounding Tira.

[edit] Other Weapons

• Circular Sword
• Bifrost
• Ixion
• Vimana
• Soul Edge
• Cogwheel
• Hula Hoop

[edit] Stages

[edit] Ostrheinsburg Castle - Battlement (SC3)

Tira's stage takes place outside of the famed castle itself, on a perpetually-moving, sizable raft drifting down a labyrinthine series of currents. These currents sweep the raft in consistent rotation around the perimeter of the castle's bank, underneath bridges. All characters in Soulcalibur III can encounter Tira if they choose the appropriate direction during their Tales of Souls stories, with the exception of Tira herself, who battles Sophitia at the stage. Tira uses the bridge as an outpost, which provides her with an effective perch to watch rafts toting unaware visitors.

The derelict interior of Ostrheinsburg Castle served as Nightmare's stage in earlier parts of the Soul series.

[edit] Ostrheinsburg Castle Throne Room (SC4)

This stage is set in the throne room of Ostrheinsburg Castle, an enormous elegant chamber. At the far end a platform, accessed by a set of red-carpeted steps and framed by columns, holds a throne. Two statues of golden lions stand on either side of the steps. A long red carpet covers most of the floor. At the rear of the chamber the floor drops away into unfathomable darkness, leading into a pit, and the back wall is an enormous ornate window, through which a fierce thunderstorm can be seen raging. A line of armed knights advance every so often during the stage, lessening the fighting ground with each movement.

[edit] Quotes

[edit] Soulcalibur III

• "Let's play!"
• "I'll cut your heart out."
• "I can't wait to see you in pieces!"

[edit] Soulcalibur IV

[edit] Jolly Side

• "Let's dance!"
• "Soul Edge is eating right now, it doesn't want to be disturbed!"
• "That's it! Show me you mean business."
• "Hurray! I found a new one!"
• "Can I kill you, please?"
• "I can't wait to see you in pieces!"
• "Oh, perfect! I'll just tear you limb from limb!"
• "Let's see you dance!"
• "Alright!"
• "Great."
• "Swoosh."
• "Hurry up."
• "Here we... go!"
• "Come on. I'm ready to play again."
• "Come on. Come on."
• "Here, kitty, kitty."
• "Fall apart."
• "Break already."
• "I'll shred you to pieces."
• "Toys are most beautiful, right before they break."
• "Why are you being such a goody-goody?"
• "Hmm, very mediocre... this won't do... nope, nope."
• "Oh, you're so lucky... You got to die so peacefully!"
• "Aw, you wanted to play a little longer, didn't you?"
• "I don't need you. You're no fun."
• "What?!...No way..."

[edit] Gloomy Side

• "I'll cut your heart out."
• "You'll be dead before you know it."
• "You deserve the most painful death imaginable."
• "Hurry up now and die."
• "Did it hurt? Tell me it hurts."
• "I'll kill you."
• "What a pain."
• "It's too late."
• "Shut up."
• "Fall apart."
• "Genocide."
• "Are you kidding?"
• "Just die."
• "Disappear."
• "Get lost."
• "Is that it?"
• "Are you afraid?"
• "I'm going to kill you."
• "Stay away. You irritate me."
• "Just don't know when to give up."

[edit] Trivia

• In the earlier stages of Tira's design, she was depicted as wearing thick mittens, apparently for the purpose of protecting her hands when she wields her ring-blade. More concept art unlocked as bonuses in Soulcalibur III reveal that Tira was also initially designed as a catgirl. The artists probably didn't feature that as a costume because she was associated with birds, not cats.
• Tira is typically considered a lower-tier character by the tournament community in Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV and is rather difficult for beginners to handle because of her limited range. However, with dedication and persistence, it is possible to master her.
• Birds are a recurring theme throughout Tira's history, and are reflected even in her appearance (she wears feathers as decorative elements to her costume in both Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV). Freeing her adopted family's child's pet bird served as the catalyst to her murdering her family, and Tira is accompanied by her raven guardians in the game.
• Most of Tira's attacks are named after birds or dance styles (such as Canary Waltz, Nightingale Jig), referencing both the avian theme surrounding her appearance and character, and her battle style, the Dance of Death. Tira's throws are named after elements from fairy tales (such as Glass Slippers, Poison Apple).
• In Soulcalibur IV, when the player uses the taunt (guard and kick), Tira's personalities will change.
• Tira's personality disorder in Soulcalibur IV, can have powerful attacks when switching. When a particular event takes place and its during one of Tira's taunts, Tira will become Gloomy Side and say "My turn!" And then attack the opponent fiercely. She also has the "Grim Reaper" attack where in her gloomy side, if the players make her taunt, and the opponent attacks, their attack will rebound. Tira jumps onto their chest and spins her ring blade at maniacal speeds and lower it down on the enemies' throat. This is hard to do though since the player leaves himself/herself open for an attack.
• Tira's Destined Battle in Soulcalibur III is Yoshimitsu.
• Although Tira's birthplace is never specified in the game, many fans have speculated she is from Scandinavia or Germany.
• Tira is one of only a few characters to wield Soul Edge in her Tales of Souls mode. The giant blade, when held in her hands, adapts its form to best suit her fighting style, becoming a giant, dried snake similar to the Ouroboros symbol.
• Tira has bipolar and emotional problems which lead her in extremely hysterical ways, and eventually she can have somewhat suicidal tendencies.
• In Soulcalibur III, Tira simply suffered from a Bipolar disorder, being joyous to gloomy, while in Soulcalibur IV, after being radiated by Soul Edge's power, her mind was shattered. It clawed itself together, but instead of simple Bipolarity, she now has split personalities, which is reflected in her modified fighting style.
• Tira's mental instability shows itself in her Soulcalibur IV moveset. During battle she will switch between her two sides either by taunting or sustaining enough damage, with special benefits, drawbacks, moves, and dialogue per each. Tira's Jolly side reflects her original fighting style and joyous moods with more graceful, flowing attacks while her Gloomy side reflects her more destructive tendencies; she viciously attacks with little regard for her own safety, injuring herself during battle.
• In Tira's Story Mode in Soulcalibur IV, Tira is accompanied by Solnhofen for the first three stages. Then Tira offers his soul to Soul Edge. In Nightmare's Story Mode, Tira accompanies him for four stages. Then he devours her soul before moving on to fight Siegfried.
• For other characters in Soulcalibur IV who fight Nightmare as a final boss, Tira's body is seen thrown, and then consumed by flames. The real reason for this is unknown. Some believe that it is because of her failure in a certain mission. Others believe that it's simply because Soul Edge wants more souls, so Nightmare eats Tira's.
• In Kilik's Story Mode in Soulcalibur IV, Tira makes Maxi the new host for Soul Edge. It's unknown if she had done the same thing to Sophitia in Cassandra's Story Mode, as she wields a form of Soul Edge but appears to act normally.
• Early Soulcalibur III footage showed Tira's current mood displayed next to her name during battle. It was probably going to have an affect on gameplay, but was removed. It was brought back for Soulcalibur IV
• To many users and players, Tira seems to resemble a lot like Harley Quinn from Batman either due to her personality and voice being so similar or her second outfit in Soulcalibur IV where she dresses as a clown.
• In Soulcalibur III, Tira's moveset is available to both the Thief and Assassin classes, making it the only main character moveset available to more than one class.
• In Soulcalibur III, her weapon was mistakenly translated as Aiselne Drossel
• Tira is a sub-boss in Soulcalibur III's Tales of Souls Mode for a battle in Osthreinsburg Castle, where she will say the following:

- "Oh, he/she looks really strong. Very strong! I can't wait to see you die; it's going to look incredible!"

- "You're not bad, but I don't like the look in your eyes. There's no need for a conscience. I wanna see if you're worthy of that sword. Let's find out!"

- "This is completely absurd! How do you manage to even exist? I'm annoyed. I'm going to make you disappear forever!"

- "What are you? You look kind of funny, you don't belong in this place."

- For Sophitia, Tira will say "Aha ha ha ha! Here she comes! To abandon your children and travel all this way. You're such a horrible mother. Sheesh!"

- For Nightmare, she will say "To cling on to the visage of that man for so long. No... I don't understand. Tell me why. Answer me!"

• The only move in Soulcalibur III where Tira releases grip of the ring blade completely is the Uprising Neb Counter.
• In Soulcalibur IV, except for Nightmare, and a few other characters on the second stage in Story Mode. The character will have to fight Tira, Voldo, Astaroth, and Sophitia.
• With a hack cheat in Soulcalibur II, some of the characters had extra costumes that slightly resembeled Tira's costume, though Voldo had a costume which looked exactly like Tira, along with her face, hair, body build, weapon (X2) and his voice became slightly feminine.

[edit] Relationships

• Servant of Nightmare.
• Accompanied by a flock of ravens called Watchers.
• Tormented Sophitia by threatening her children and eventually kidnapping her daughter.
• Murdered one of Yoshimitsu's clan members.
• Motivated Cervantes to find Soul Edge before the events of Soulcalibur III.
• Motivated Maxi and Astaroth to achieve their goals using Soul Edge before the events of Soulcalibur IV.

[edit] Series' Appearances

• Soulcalibur III
• Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition
• Soulcalibur IV
• Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

[edit] Gallery

Tira from Soulcalibur III	Tira render from Soulcalibur III	Tira art from Soulcalibur III	Tira art from Soulcalibur III
Tira art from Soulcalibur III	Tira wallpaper from Soulcalibur III	Tira portrait from Soulcalibur III	Tira in Soulcalibur IV
Tira's alternate costume in Soul Calibur IV	Tira art from Soulcalibur IV

[edit] References

[edit] External Links

• Tira's Wikipedia article
• Tira's Soul Archive profile (Japanese)

Main characters in the Soul series
Abyss | Algol | Amy | Astaroth | Cassandra | Cervantes | Charade | Edge Master | Hilde | Hwang | Inferno | Ivy | Kilik | Li Long | Lizardman | Maxi | Mitsurugi | Necrid | Nightmare | Night Terror | Olcadan | Raphael | Rock | Seong Han Myeong | Seong Mi-na | Setsuka | Siegfried | Sophitia | Taki | Talim | Tira | Voldo | Xianghua | Yoshimitsu | Yun-seong | Zasalamel