Transcending history and the world — and several console generations — Soulcalibur VI will continue a tale of soul and swords that began a quarter-of-a-century ago. That said, it’s been on quite a worrying hiatus for fans like us. Soulcalibur V came out in 2012 and made the sort of massive missteps one only sees in a ring out loss.
Be that as it may, six years have passed and we figure newcomers ought to know which souls burn the brightest in the roster. Most of the fighters in this list have been confirmed as returning and any absentees here had best be shoehorned in come launch time, lest the legend of this franchise die an untimely death.
1. Heishiro Mitsurugi – Token Samurai Guy
Every fighting game needs a stoic Japanese guy — an embodiment of bushido with a bigger headband fetish than Daniel LaRusso (if possible). Street Fighter has Ryu, Virtua Fighter boasts Akira Yuki and Tekken has three generations of crazy-eyebrowed Mishimas. Mitsurugi is the Souls series answer to this archetype and he’s been present and accounted for since 1995’s Soul Edge.
What’s his deal? Mitsy looks a little geriatric in his recent Soulcalibur VI incarnation and is still very much designed to be an approachable all-rounder. Pro players bemoan his predictable, scrub-friendly toolset but the fact is he’s quite lethal at any range in the right hands.
Much like Haohmaru from the Samurai Shodown series, Mitsurugi is meant to resemble legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. You could also argue that his tragic peasant-rags-to-ronin-riches backstory mirrors Kikuchiyo from The Seven Samurai.
Mitsurugi’s hobbies include collecting every sword in the world (except the actual franchise MacGuffin) and almost never putting on a shirt properly. He’s a “one sleeve and leave it” kind of guy.
2. Taki – Demon Huntress of Spandex
Another OG fighter who hails all the way back to this series’ inception, Taki is the kunoichi who loves a good spray-on onesie. The only thing she dislikes more than evil is the comfort and support of common sense chest protection.
What’s her deal? Don’t let the diminutive kodachi blades lull you into a false sense of security. What Taki lacks in steel length she more than makes up for with acrobatic prowess and hyper-mobility. She’s basically Yoda on red cordial. Keep her well at range or you’ll get a bunch of new speed-holes installed.
Apparently Taki’s chosen name wasn’t the devs throwing shade on her fashion sense by making a play on the word “tacky”. It actually means “much rejoicing,” though fans who played Soulcalibur V didn’t rejoice very much when they found her replaced by Natsu, a younger protégé. Thankfully, Project Soul has seen sense and Taki will be back again in Soulcalibur VI.
3. Talim – Prodigal Fan Fave
This tonfa-wielding wind-priestess is a weird one. She’s insanely popular with the fanbase but, strangely, we almost never got paired against her in Soulcalibur IV‘s online mode. Something extra weird about Talim: she had no copycat successor, nor a roster spot, in Soulcalibur V. She was just there one day and gone (possibly with the wind) the next.
What’s her deal? The ill-advised idea to bring two nightsticks to a sword fight means Talim isn’t your heavy-hitter of the piece. She’s based around cunning evasion and speedy, pressure-oriented combos that are designed to wrong-foot her opponents.
Though Talim was considered to be Filipina on her debut, she never actually had any realistic features of that racial background. Oddly, fans were quick to demand Project Soul fix her skin tone in Soulcalibur III and yet nobody raised a single eyebrow at her ability to weaponise wind, presumably via chronic flatulence.
Bandai Namco has just announced that Talim will be in Soulcalibur VI, and fans will be pleased to see this sequel is staying true to her style.
4. Isabella ‘Ivy’ Valentine – Whips it Good
Say “hello” – or murmur another, shorter safe-word – to Ivy, a buxom snake sword exponent who’s been brawling since 1999’s Soulcalibur. She started out life as the illegitimate daughter of franchise antagonist and undead pirate Cervantes de Leon. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree here: Ivy has the evil gene and though she’s no buccaneer she’s arrr-rated in other ways. (Sorry.)
What is the dominatrix? Essentially, Ivy is a zoner who has been equipped with the longest reach weapon in Soulcalibur (a snake sword can shift from a broadsword into a chain whip form). She’s difficult to master, too — her command throws are so tricky to pull off they’ve had Xbox achievements tied to them in the past. So best of luck with that.
Ivy’s been used extensively in promotional material for the series and over the years certain parts of her design were stripped back whilst other facets saw enhancement. That’s about as diplomatic as we can get on this topic, to be honest. Lastly, if you’re wondering why she’s so spry and gravity-resistant at age 50, the answer is: immortality siphoned from a very bad sword. That, or good genetics and Maybelline. One of the two.
5. Kilik – In Rod He Trusts
Speak softly and carry a big stick: that’s the motto of Kilik. He’s basically the head of staff in the Soulcalibur series — a drubber of faces who twirls a very mean broom handle. Also, this palindromic warrior monk has had a Jedi-padawan relationship with Edge Master (a jack-of-all-styles fighter) over the years.
Why should you put your faith in rod? If you like to keep people frustrated and at distance you should select Kilik (or seek counselling — that’s really unhealthy behaviour). Mind you, this is OG Kilik I’m talking about. Strangely, Project Soul made him a filthy “mimic” character in Soulcalibur V, a random fighting-style copycat with no unique form of his own.
Beyond that cardinal sin of character design, there haven’t been a ton of changes to Kilik over the years. The holy mirror of Dvapara-Yuga (read: the mystical item that keeps him from turning evil) has been shrunk from a bandolier down to a stylish necklace, so that’s nice, functional fashion.
The best recent change is that in Soulcalibur VI he’s no longer a style-less parrot. Kilik is back to sticking with what he knows best (which would be…sticking).
Honourable Mentions – Crossover Craziness
Before we tie this off, let’s not discount the power of novelty-factor here. Over the years the Soul franchise has had some cracking one-time visitors, like Spawn, Link, Kratos, Apprentice (Starkiller), Heihachi Mishima, Devil Jin, Darth Vader, Ezio Auditore, and Yoda.
Soulcalibur VI will be no exception. Be sure to get your preorder in to play as the White Wolf himself, Geralt of Rivia. And if you’re listening, Project Souls, we’ll pay good money for a themed stage that has Roach the horse bugged out on the roof of a nearby village hut. Universe authentic.
