#Soulcalibur Lost Swords

[danthepest]

Siegfried Schtauffen through the ages

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: X-Play - This Episode Is Not Canon | 4/2/08

I enjoy swearing at guys in high chairs!

(4GTV - 24/7. LIVE. WATCH NOW.)

[laikaflash]

The Infernal Bargain

Here it finally is, my writing entry for the SoulCalibur community prompt: Elysium/Inferno. This is a short take on Siegfried's transformation into Nightmare, something that wasn't supposed to be demanding on me at the time but real life kept getting in the way. Anyway, this is supposed to work with either timeline, with some liberties taken.

The aftermath of Siegfried's battle with Inferno in 1583. It is not enough that the sword has changed the boy into a monstrous knight. Now Soul Edge must convince him to harvest souls in the name of his slain father.

Siegfried’s duel at the deserted port in Biscay ought to have been one of his finest moments. Soul Edge, the blade as hellish as its previous wielder before the flames on his skeletal body died out. He could hardly restrain himself from picking up the sword before then. How had he not seen the talons on the crossguard before they closed on his hands? The longsword glowed like molten iron; it nearly felt like it. Siegfried had screamed himself hoarse as he struggled to wrest his hands free. Then came the white pillar of light that enveloped him and pierced the dark, stormy sky.

I grant you ultimate power. A voice before him rumbled like thunder. When Siegfried opened his eyes, he saw that the blade had changed shape into that of a broad zweihänder. The blade seemed to have split at the base of the hilt, which made for a crude crossguard. The hilt itself resembled twisting sinews which stretched into the fuller, and just below the crossguard, a huge, red-rimmed eye opened.

He almost wanted to drop the sword. But this was his prize, and with it he would avenge his father at last. As he held it aloft, he felt strength coursing through his veins. The sword began to feel lighter to him. As he gasped in wonder, white-hot pain shot from his right hand. He thought he felt the bones contorting as his clenched fingers hardened into gnarled claws. His armor, now stained a dark blue, had lost its sheen.

Then Soul Edge’s eye rolled toward him. I waited for you.

Siegfried stood transfixed. “Y-you… You have?” he asked, fighting back a stammer.

Yes. You are here because you lost something dear to you. I can read it on your very soul.

Siegfried gravely nodded. “With you I’ll cut down the bastard who slew my father.”

Better yet, young warrior. The voice’s rumble began to lower to a whisper. I can bring your father back. Listen closely…

Siegfried’s hand trembled as a new set of voices rose over the churning of the waves. It was a chorus of agonized screams. He looked around in vain for the source until a familiar voice reached his ears—his father’s voice.

Siegfried? My son, do you hear me? Save me from Hell!

Siegfried stood straight up. His grip on the sword tightened. Had the Devil himself appeared in front of him, Siegfried would have lunged and swung the sword with enough fury to give Saint Michael the archangel pause. Instead, he stood in rapt attention as though his father were there in full armor.

“How?” Siegfried growled. He shut his eyes tight, but in his mind, he saw a headless, armored knight approach. In his left hand he carried his sword and in the crook of his right arm rested the ashen head of Sir Frederick Schtauffen. His head had looked just as Siegfried remembered finding it: the short brown hair, his drooping mustache, his sharp nose, but his eyes were no longer dull and sightless. They were blazing.

When Siegfried opened his eyes again, he found himself alone with the sword. The sun was falling behind the city, shrouding it in shadow. Siegfried, with his hands shaking furiously, glared down at the sword’s eye.

“Why is he in Hell!”

That is not for me to know, the sword calmly answered. However, I can help you bring him out of it. Alas, before you set foot here, my powers were exhausted by one who dared to try and destroy me. She had a strong soul, at that.

“What must I do?”

The pupil of the eye widened. With me, you must gather souls. As many as you can reap. This night is yours to conquer!

Siegfried swung Soul Edge with only his left hand and found it almost effortless. His right arm grew more gnarled, almost scaly in appearance, broken only by glowing red lines running the length of it like veins. On his right hand, his fingers had fused into three thick talons which he flexed without fear. He turned his back to the sea and began to hunt for those who had innocently marveled at the pillar of light.

Night fell and so began the sword’s feast.

[rukafais]

Getting into the nitty gritty of character creation with an upcoming Fabula Ultima campaign and I'm very excited to be playing my fucked up guy who is also several character designs shamelessly slammed together (mostly ironclad slaythespire and nightmare soulcalibur).

He's fine and has no problems. Please ignore him and his extremely conspicuous murder sword he literally cannot get rid of if he tried because he's chained to it, and also the fact he has an entire bundle of psychological issues from being raised specifically to participate in a deathmatch tournament to try and win political power for his 'family'.

Also he may be a mass murderer, he's not totally sure because he lost time and then woke up in a mass of bloodied corpses that used to be his 'family' but it seems worryingly likely, but it's fine. He's fine. He's doing great.

[xbuster]

shut up, you're such a pick me woman

Nightmare (ナイトメア, Naitomea) is the main antagonist of the Soul series. He made his first appearance in Soul Edge, with his proper debut being in Soulcalibur. He is the host, wielder and living incarnation of the cursed sword, Soul Edge, the objective of most other characters in the story.

Nightmare has been portrayed in the games as a violent and ruthless creature, constantly in search of souls to restore Soul Edge. He looks down on humans, considering them "pathetic" and "foolish", having no mercy for others, even to those who fail to serve him, as shown to the members of his Schwarzstrom team who he treated as pawns. The only one who he treats with some respect is Tira for being just as violent as him, however he has still thought about taking her soul on occasion. His incarnation in V wants to take over the world rather than destroy it.

Nightmare has been present in one form or another due to him being an animated armor, his possessing of bodies or the power of Soul Edge keeping him alive in most games after. No matter the host Nightmare always has the same personality, though he only seems to form if the sword is wielded by a special man.

The Nightmare seen in Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, and Soulcalibur VI is Siegfried Schtauffen, possessed by the cursed sword at the end of Soul Edge.

In the Soulcalibur: Spirit Sword manhua, Kilik and later Astaroth are possessed by Soul Edge after Siegfried and become Nightmare.

The Nightmare appearing in Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur Legends, and Soulcalibur IV is Inferno possessing Siegfried's discarded armor.

The Nightmare appearing in Soulcalibur V, Soulcalibur: Lost Swords, and Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul is Soul Edge possessing the body of Raphael and plotting behind the scenes under the alias "Graf Dumas" as he plans to resurrect the full power of Soul Edge.

True to his nickname, Nightmare appears as a dark figure covered in dark blue armor that covers most of his body. His prominent feature is his right arm, which has been twisted and transformed into a large three-digit claw whose flesh overlaps his entire right arm and shoulder. He is depicted with Soul Edge in his left hand, symbolizing his polarity with Siegfried. Over the years, his appearance has progressively grown more and more demonic, as influenced by the state of Soul Edge himself. During the events of Soulcalibur, he was simply a suit of armor with a giant arm and horned helmet. In Soulcalibur II, Nightmare's armor changes design, now sporting long red hair from the back with bat wing-like ornaments on the sides replacing the horn. With a body to call his own at last, Nightmare returned to a suit similar to his original Soulcalibur variant, although slightly re-vamped, in Soulcalibur III, with the claw having stretched over his chest plate, possessing a rudimentary jaw lined with sharp teeth both on his shoulder and chest.

As of Soulcalibur IV, Nightmare seems to have degraded into a body of dark energy. What was once flesh has now fully transformed into a compound of metal and bone. The mouth covering the chestplate from before has split open around his entire waist, connecting the legs and torso with a torrent of evil energy. The armor appears fused to his claw and much more metallic in appearance. No longer using Siegfried, the alternate costumes are much more severe in mutation. His alternate outfit in Soulcalibur IV displays traits similar to Night Terror.

Following the destruction of the original Nightmare, Soul Edge obtains a new host in Soulcalibur V, resulting in the rise of a new Nightmare. His design returns to a more traditional look best likened to his appearance in Soulcalibur II. He retains the long horn on his helmet from his other designs, and both the horn and parts of his arm display a menacing orange glow. Despite having a new host, he retains his fighting style from past games. Soul Edge, like Nightmare himself, has also reverted to a design more like its appearance in earlier titles, despite having a different official design for the game. In Legendary Souls, the Soulcalibur IV version of Nightmare appears as one of the opponents, albeit the dark energy and smoke being replaced with flames, resembling Inferno to an extent.

In Soulcalibur VI, Nightmare is given a redesign from his Soulcalibur appearance, not only featuring yellow trims from his later designs, but now having upward-facing fins on his helmet and his breastplate being pointed. He also now wears a cape, similar to an art render from Soulcalibur's Art Gallery. As the game features battle damage, Nightmare's helmet can be knocked off, revealing Siegfried's face and shoulder-length blond hair underneath, though his eyes continue to produce the same glow.

In the spin off Soulcalibur Legends, Nightmare's appearance is taken from Soulcalibur III but it noticeably more demonic, with his greaves having developed talons and his right leg having taken on the form of a large jaw, similar to his right shoulder.

Even though Nightmare originally debuted in Soulcalibur, there was a "prototype" of his character in Soul Edge. In the home version, an extra character named Siegfried! was added as an unlockable character. Siegfried! was an alternate version of normal Siegfried taken from his no-input ending, in which he is consumed by Soul Edge. This early version was very different from the current Nightmare, having crimson-red armor and a more flesh-like design with no mutated Nightmare Arm. He has no story nor ending, and only used Siegfried's Soul Edge without effects. Oddly, he uses the same voice actor as Siegfried.

In Soulcalibur, the concept was expanded and turned into an official character, though with changes to the design. His red armor was changed to a dark blue armor and its design turned more metallic instead of fleshy. This was also the first appearance of the Nightmare Arm. Siegfried's body was slowly being mutated by the sword's terrible power, causing his right arm to morph into a hideous claw. Despite the Nightmare Arm only having three large fingers, it didn't seem to hinder his combat abilities at all. He now wields his own version of Soul Edge, sporting a single eye on its blade, something that would become the trademark of the various versions of the weapon, and the creations made from it, such as Charade.

Nightmare was a starting character whose style resembled Siegfried's former moveset. Siegfried was later added to the cast as a time-release character and inherited the same style with minor changes. Nightmare's profile on the game explained how Siegfried obtained Soul Edge after a fierce fight against its former owner, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon and the fiery demon that spawned within it afterward, Inferno. After that, the sword spoke to him, promising the resurrection of his dead father if he helped it gather souls. Unaware that it was a trick to restore the sword's power, Siegfried agreed and started a killing spree which eventually made him weak to Soul Edge's will. Nightmare was born soon after.

Nightmare's incarnation in Soulcalibur II remains mostly the same, with minor upgrades to his fighting style, mainly on his stance. As his and other character's profiles explain, he formed a group with Astaroth, Isabella "Ivy" Valentine and Aeon Calcos (the Lizardman) in an attempt to speed the gathering of souls and restoration of the sword's power. But during the ritual to restore Soul Edge, Castle Osthreinsburg was assaulted by Kilik, Maxi, and Chai Xianghua. With his allies either defeated or missing, Nightmare confronted Kilik and Xianghua and was ultimately defeated, later falling into the collapsing void where they fought. After waking up, Siegfried, apparently free, regained his senses and tried to distance himself from the world to atone for the sins he committed as Nightmare. But the sword slowly regained control over the young man and eventually Nightmare resurfaced to start another massacre on Europe. In this game, Nightmare is a starting character, while Siegfried turned into a third costume option for him. In his second costume option, it can be seen that most of the right side of Siegfried's chest has been corrupted in a similar manner to his arm, and his right eye has changed to a golden color.

Nightmare is found by the player and Cassandra at Ostrheinsburg Castle. Sensing the fragments of Soul Edge within the player, he fights him/her for them. But he is defeated and turned back into Siegfried. Meanwhile, the player continues the journey with Cassandra to find more fragments, as he/she feels that there are still fragments of Soul Edge scattered throughout the world.

Nightmare appears when Siegfried attempts to seal Soul Edge. He emerges from the blade and fights Siegfried as he shoots lasers, spawns deadly black holes, causes waves of fire to burn the ground and levitates in an attempt to regain his sacrifice, however he is defeated and disappears back into the sword.

Before the events of Soulcalibur III, Nightmare met with Raphael Sorel in the Ostrheinsburg Chapel and defeated him. As he stepped forward to kill the man and harvest his soul, Siegfried's mind started to struggle with Soul Edge for freedom. Raphael, watching as Nightmare stood motionless as a result of the mind struggle, released an attack and pierced Soul Edge's eye. This allowed Siegfried to reclaim his body and also released the holy blade Soul Calibur from within Soul Edge. In a state of temporary sanity, Siegfried then drove the holy sword into the cursed Soul Edge and sealed both together, nullifying both powers. However, the will of Soul Edge escaped the sword and entered the dark blue armour that Siegfried quickly discarded after reclaiming his body. Eventually, the mysterious immortal Zasalamel found the armor and created a new body for the immobile Soul Edge out of the countless evil souls haunting Ostrheinsburg. This new Nightmare restarted his reign of terror in search of Siegfried and the rest of Soul Edge, this incarnation of Nightmare was far more powerful than before as his new body was heavily unstable.

Nightmare appears once again in Soulcalibur IV. By this time, Nightmare's entire body had been twisted by the power of Soul Edge completely and utterly.

As the storyline of this game begins, Nightmare and Siegfried found each other once more at the Lost Cathedral. Soul Edge was freed from the Soul Embrace because of the secret art performed by Zasalamel. Nightmare took the evil sword as Siegfried became the new wielder of Soul Calibur. Then the two fought, the clashing of their swords gradually destroyed the cathedral, ripping both Nightmare and Siegfried apart only to be repaired by their swords after falling into a warp created by their duel.

Conveniently, both Nightmare and Soul Edge landed in Ostrheinsburg. Waves caused by the clash of the two swords awakened the fragments of Soul Edge that were scattered all over the world. The fragments were pulled into Soul Edge and all were consumed, restoring the blade to its whole form. As Nightmare seeded roots into the land, Ostrheinsburg soon became a cursed city that Nightmare would utilize to devour souls. The Azure Knight then prepared for his final battle against the wielder of Soul Calibur.

The storylines involving Algol feature Algol, the ancient king, whose will was strong enough to totally resist Soul Edge's power and who also created Soul Calibur in case Soul Edge ever needed to be destroyed, builds himself imitations of both soul swords wielding them simultaneously as he plots his resurrection and returns to his post as king.

After its destruction by Soul Calibur, Soul Edge was shattered, its fragments scattered across the world. However, minions still loyal to the cursed sword managed to track down the shards, and reassembled as much of the sword as they could. Five years later, it regained consciousness and possessed a new host, one specially prepared for such an occasion. Unlike the Azure Knight who had swept through Europe as a genocidal monster, this "new Nightmare" preferred subterfuge and diplomacy. He assumed the name Dumas, and became part of the inner circle of Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire. He became the Graf, or Count, of the Kingdom of Hungary. From this position he would sent his servants to regain the missing Soul Edge fragments while organizing purges against innocents he deemed "malfested" in order to harvest souls to bolster his strength.

In 1607, Graf Dumas manipulates Patroklos into slaughtering "malfested" by claiming to help him search for his missing sister, Pyrrha. Eventually, Patroklos violently leaves his service and flees. Later, after reuniting with his sister, he encounters Dumas, who has reached his full power and reveals himself as Nightmare. He attacks Patroklos but is stopped by Pyrrha, who becomes truly malfested. With his power restored, Nightmare and his corrupted followers cause war throughout Central Europe. At Castle Denevér, he is defeated and killed by Z.W.E.I., Pyrrha becomes the new host of Soul Edge. Pyrrha is then defeated by Patroklos, and in the end both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are sealed back inside the Astral Chaos. It's unclear what happen to Nightmare's body after Dumas was slain by Z.W.E.I. considering that when Siegfried was Nightmare he discarded the armor after escaping from Soul Edge's control, it could be possible that the same could have happen to the armor that Dumas wore.

Nightmare's weapon in Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur IV and the evil sword that is the center of the game's storyline. Its Weapon Gallery profile in Soulcalibur II states that details on the sword change while rumors of its legend spread on the world. It can change shape, even separating into more than one physical object to accommodate its wielder's fighting style and experience and it also has the power to corrupt and control its wielder's mind, guiding them to commit massacres in order to collect souls for the sword to consume. Its single eye, which was added in the design ever since Soulcalibur, is said to appear enraptured when bathed in blood.

Its profile in Soulcalibur IV's official Japanese website states that "Soul Edge was nothing more than a sword made by human hands in ancient times and it is unknown how many souls it has devoured or possessed, but even now, it's still growing."

Night Terror has its own version of the Soul Edge labeled "Complete". The reason for this label is that Night Terror is the Soul Edge completed, every fragment and everything made with it has returned, even the Soul Calibur (originally a purified fragment of Soul Edge). This variant of Soul Edge is also the second-player version of Nightmare's Soul Edge in Soulcalibur IV. The Final Form of Soul Edge (not complete), Nightmare's legendary weapon which is also used in his Soulcalibur IV boss battle, appears the same as his 1P version and has a deep red glow.

In Soulcalibur IV, there is a version of Soul Edge labeled as "Soul Edge (Nauplius)". This version is the same one Algol and his son are seen holding in the game's opening movie. It is believed that this is the original form of the weapon, shortly after it gained sentience.

Nightmare's weapon in Soulcalibur III. It is but a materialization of Nightmare's memories of the original Soul Edge, created from his own body. It has the ability to consume souls, but other than that is just a weaker version of the true Soul Edge. It is created in a similar way to how Charade and Inferno create their own weapons (from their bodies), taking into account that this incarnation of Nightmare is the sword itself.

Nightmare appears as a playable card in Outcast Odyssey. He is a part of the first wave of Soul series characters. Available for a limited time. All four of his cards feature a brand new costume, never before seen in the Soul series, although his second card bears a resemblance to his appearance in Soulcalibur V.

It is unknown if the Nightmare who appeared in this game is Graf Dumas, Inferno, Siegfried or a whole new host altogether.

[kinnikuniverse-blog]

https://www.tumblr.com/communities/soulcalibur/post/770305378995044352/soul-calibur-by-kinni-chapter-9

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Saw this on Twitter and I thought I would bring it over here as well for my main fandoms.

Fan Card - SoulCalibur

Fan Since: 2005

First Game: SoulCalibur II (Demo)

Favourite Game: SoulCalibur III

Main Character: Ivy

Least Favourite Game: SoulCalibur: Lost Swords

Least Favourite Character: Talim

Reblog and add yours!

[raineymunokami]

[magistera]

No need for words, I speak with this.

[jtgunner]

And to think after all that time spent waiting for that game to download... I didn’t even play Soulcalibur: Lost Swords that much.

And now that game has been taken offline lmao.

Trying to download Soulcalibur: Lost Swords on my PS3. I’ve been downloading it since 3AM, and it’s still only halfway one.

[realroykoopa]

My Zelda Timeline

My Zelda timeline inspired by lorulean historian, Brian David Gilbert, and Bird Keeper Toby: Includes fan creations:

keep in mind not everyone may agree on this timeline. This isn’t to discredit anyone else’s personal timeline it is simply the way I see the games as fitting together:

Majora’s Mask prequel manga 

Minish cap and split:

Timeline 1: Minish cap bad ending: Zelda is turned to stone and Vaati briefly rampages but Link seals Vaati in the four sword leading to the rest of the four swords trilogy.

Four Swords

Four Swords Bonus Manga Stories 

Four Swords Adventures 

Timeline 1A: link to the past and other classic Zelda games: A branch off from the four swords trilogy in which Ganon tries to steal the triforce and gets sealed in the sacred realm. 

A link to the past 

Nintendo Land: Zelda Battle Quest 

Oracle of ages and seasons 

Ancient Stone Tablets and Link’s awakening 

The Time Break and BS The Legend Of Zelda: Link goes into the multiverse after being stranded in the Mario universe, whilst he is gone the events of BS The Legend Of Zelda happen in which a different set of protagonists battle Ganon since link is absent:

Super Mario RPG

Donkey Kong Country 3

Captain Rainbow 

Super Mario Maker

Super Mario Maker 2

Mario Kart 8

Soulcalibur II 

Sonic Lost World Legend Of Zelda Zone

Scribblenauts Unlimited 

End of time break: Link returns to his own universe:

Oath of Riruto

A link between worlds 

Tri force heroes 

Zelda’s Adventure 

End

Timeline 1B: CDI Shenanigans: Instead of going to the sacred realm Ganon goes directly for Hyrule leading to the original Zelda games and media. 

Zelda Game watch

The legend of Zelda and the moblin’s magic spear book presumably takes place at some point during the original Zelda game. 

The Faces of Evil 

Zelda Game and Watch 

The wand of Gamelon 

Crystal Trap and Shadow Prince

Zelda Tv Show and Valiant Comics  

Captain N 

Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

Battle of Mirage Castle

End 

Timeline 2: Minish Cap good ending: the regular ending of Minish Cap leading to the prospering of Hyrule and a different origin for Ganon. 

Cadence Of Hyrule 

The Skull Kid And The Mask manga story 

Ocarina Of time 

Rouru Of The Watarara Manga story 

Link and the Portal of Doom 

Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland

Tingle's balloon trip of love 

Majora’s Mask 

Link’s Crossbow Training

Twilight Princess

Wind Waker 

Phantom Hourglass

Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS 

Spirit Tracks

Timeline 2A: Terrako doesn’t go back in time resulting in the breaking of Demise’s curse and Hyrule prospering for eternity:

Breathe Of The Wild 

Tears Of The Kingdom

Timeline 2C: Champions succeed: Terrako Travels back in time allowing the champions to succeed. However Ganon was meant to be destroyed for good to break the curse so unbeknownst to them they have doomed The Hero, Hylia, and Demise to reincarnate for eternity meaning there will never be true peace in Hyrule:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity 

Hyrule Warriors 

Hang ‘Em Hyrule a Zelda western fan Film 

Modern Zelda Fan Film 

Demise’s curse is never broken leading to Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf reincarnating for the rest of time. 

Timeline 2D: Cadence doesn’t come to Hyrule:

Octavo’s Ode 

Ganon’s Fury 

Symphony Of The Mask 

Ocarina Of Time 

Wind Waker Arc (Hyrule Warriors)

Leads back to Phantom Hourglass in Timeline 2 and continues as normal from there 

I haven’t been able to figure out where the hell Skyward Sword fits on the timeline though. It clearly can’t be first since the first timeline cannot logically include Skyward Sword as part of its backstory due to the fact that Zelda 2 gives a different origin story for the very first Princess Zelda. Unless the Zelda from Zelda 2 is the same as the one from Skyward Sword this would not work. It could go after Minish Cap but it would be hard to explain how the humans go from living on the ground to in the sky. The easy solution would be to say that the timeline was never unified in the first place.

[recentanimenews]

ESSAY: Berserk's Journey of Acceptance Over 30 Years of Fandom

  My descent into anime fandom began in the '90s, and just as watching Neon Genesis Evangelion caused my first revelation that cartoons could be art, reading Berserk gave me the same realization about comics. The news of Kentaro Miura’s death, who passed on May 6, has been emotionally complicated for me, as it's the first time a celebrity's death has hit truly close to home. In addition to being the lynchpin for several important personal revelations, Berserk is one of the longest-lasting works I’ve followed and that I must suddenly bid farewell to after existing alongside it for two-thirds of my life.

  Berserk is a monolith not only for anime and manga, but also fantasy literature, video games, you name it. It might be one of the single most influential works of the ‘80s — on a level similar to Blade Runner — to a degree where it’s difficult to imagine what the world might look like without it, and the generations of creators the series inspired.

  Although not the first, Guts is the prototypical large sword anime boy: Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife, Siegfried/Nightmare from Soulcalibur, and Black Clover's Asta are all links in the same chain, with other series like Dark Souls and Claymore taking clear inspiration from Berserk. But even deeper than that, the three-character dynamic between Guts, Griffith, and Casca, the monster designs, the grotesque violence, Miura’s image of hell — all of them can be spotted in countless pieces of media across the globe.

  Despite this, it just doesn’t seem like people talk about it very much. For over 20 years, Berserk has stood among the critical pantheon for both anime and manga, but it doesn’t spur conversations in the same way as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, or Dragon Ball Z still do today. Its graphic depictions certainly represent a barrier to entry much higher than even the aforementioned company. 

    Seeing the internet exude sympathy and fond reminiscing about Berserk was immensely validating and has been my single most therapeutic experience online. Moreso, it reminded me that the fans have always been there. And even looking into it, Berserk is the single best-selling property in the 35-year history of Dark Horse. My feeling is that Berserk just has something about it that reaches deep into you and gets stuck there.

  I recall introducing one of my housemates to Berserk a few years ago — a person with all the intelligence and personal drive to both work on cancer research at Stanford while pursuing his own MD and maintaining a level of physical fitness that was frankly unreasonable for the hours that he kept. He was NOT in any way analytical about the media he consumed, but watching him sitting on the floor turning all his considerable willpower and intellect toward delivering an off-the-cuff treatise on how Berserk had so deeply touched him was a sight in itself to behold. His thoughts on the series' portrayal of sex as fundamentally violent leading up to Guts and Casca’s first moment of intimacy in the Golden Age movies was one of the most beautiful sentiments I’d ever heard in reaction to a piece of fiction.

  I don’t think I’d ever heard him provide anything but a surface-level take on a piece of media before or since. He was a pretty forthright guy, but the way he just cut into himself and let his feelings pour out onto the floor left me awestruck. The process of reading Berserk can strike emotional chords within you that are tough to untangle. I’ve been writing analysis and experiential pieces related to anime and manga for almost ten years — and interacting with Berserk’s world for almost 30 years — and writing may just be yet another attempt for me to pull my own twisted-up feelings about it apart. 

  Berserk is one of the most deeply personal works I’ve ever read, both for myself and in my perception of Miura's works. The series' transformation in the past 30 years artistically and thematically is so singular it's difficult to find another work that comes close. The author of Hajime no Ippo, who was among the first to see Berserk as Miura presented him with some early drafts working as his assistant, claimed that the design for Guts and Puck had come from a mess of ideas Miura had been working on since his early school days.

  写真は三浦建太郎君が寄稿してくれた鷹村です。 今かなり感傷的になっています。 思い出話をさせて下さい。 僕が初めての週刊連載でスタッフが一人もいなくて困っていたら手伝いにきてくれました。 彼が18で僕が19です。 某大学の芸術学部の学生で講義明けにスケッチブックを片手に来てくれました。 pic.twitter.com/hT1JCWBTKu

— 森川ジョージ (@WANPOWANWAN) May 20, 2021

  Miura claimed two of his big influences were Go Nagai’s Violence Jack and Tetsuo Hara and Buronson’s Fist of the North Star. Miura wears these influences on his sleeve, discovering the early concepts that had percolated in his mind just felt right. The beginning of Berserk, despite its amazing visual power, feels like it sprang from a very juvenile concept: Guts is a hypermasculine lone traveler breaking his body against nightmarish creatures in his single-minded pursuit of revenge, rigidly independent and distrustful of others due to his dark past.

  Uncompromising, rugged, independent, a really big sword ... Guts is a romantic ideal of masculinity on a quest to personally serve justice against the one who wronged him. Almost nefarious in the manner in which his character checked these boxes, especially when it came to his grim stoicism, unblinkingly facing his struggle against literal cosmic forces. Never doubting himself, never trusting others, never weeping for what he had lost.

    Miura said he sketched out most of the backstory when the manga began publication, so I have to assume the larger strokes of the Golden Arc were pretty well figured out from the outset, but I’m less sure if he had fully realized where he wanted to take the story to where we are now. After the introductory mini-arcs of demon-slaying, Berserk encounters Griffith and the story draws us back to a massive flashback arc. We see the same Guts living as a lone mercenary who Griffith persuades to join the Band of the Hawk to help realize his ambitions of rising above the circumstances of his birth to join the nobility.

  We discover the horrific abuses of Guts’ adoptive father and eventually learn that Guts, Griffith, and Casca are all victims of sexual violence. The story develops into a sprawling semi-historical epic featuring politics and war, but the real narrative is in the growing companionship between Guts and the members of the band. Directionless and traumatized by his childhood, Guts slowly finds a purpose helping Griffith realize his dream and the courage to allow others to grow close to him. 

  Miura mentioned that many Band of the Hawk members were based on his early friend groups. Although he was always sparse with details about his personal life, he has spoken about how many of them referred to themselves as aspiring manga authors and how he felt an intense sense of competition, admitting that among them he may have been the only one seriously working toward that goal, desperately keeping ahead in his perceived race against them. It’s intriguing thinking about how much of this angst may have made it to the pages, as it's almost impossible not to imagine Miura put quite a bit of himself in Guts. 

  Perhaps this is why it feels so real and makes The Eclipse — the quintessential anime betrayal at the hands of Griffith — all the more heartbreaking. The raw violence and macabre imagery certainly helped. While Miura owed Hellraiser’s Cenobites much in the designs of the God Hand, his macabre portrayal of the Band of the Hawk’s eradication within the literal bowels of hell, the massive hand, the black sun, the Skull Knight, and even Miura’s page compositions have been endlessly referenced, copied, and outright plagiarized since.

    The events were tragic in any context and I have heard many deeply personal experiences others drew from The Eclipse sympathizing with Guts, Casca, or even Griffith’s spiral driven by his perceived rejection by Guts. Mine were most closely aligned with the tragedy of Guts having overcome such painful circumstances to not only reject his own self enforced solitude, but to fearlessly express his affection for his loved ones. 

  The Golden Age was a methodical destruction of Guts’ self-destructive methods of preservation ruined in a single selfish act by his most trusted friend, leaving him once again alone and afraid of growing close to those around him. It ripped the romance of Guts’ mission and eventually took the story down a course I never expected. Berserk wasn’t a story of revenge but one of recovery.

  Guess that’s enough beating around the bush, as I should talk about how this shift affected me personally. When I was young, when I began reading Berserk I found Guts’ unflagging stoicism to be really cool, not just aesthetically but in how I understood guys were supposed to be. I was slow to make friends during school and my rapidly gentrifying neighborhood had my friends' parents moving away faster than I could find new ones. At some point I think I became too afraid of putting myself out there anymore, risking rejection when even acceptance was so fleeting. It began to feel easier just to resign myself to solitude and pretend my circumstances were beyond my own power to correct.

  Unfortunately, I became the stereotypical kid who ate alone during lunch break. Under the invisible expectations demanding I not display weakness, my loneliness was compounded by shame for feeling loneliness. My only recourse was to reveal none of those feelings and pretend the whole thing didn't bother me at all. Needless to say my attempts to cope probably fooled no one and only made things even worse, but I really didn’t know of any better way to handle my situation. I felt bad, I felt even worse about feeling bad and had been provided with zero tools to cope, much less even admit that I had a problem at all.

  The arcs following the Golden Age completely changed my perspective. Guts had tragically, yet understandably, cut himself off from others to save himself from experiencing that trauma again and, in effect, denied himself any opportunity to allow himself to be happy again. As he began to meet other characters that attached themselves to him, between Rickert and Erica spending months waiting worried for his return, and even the slimmest hope to rescuing Casca began to seed itself into the story, I could only see Guts as a fool pursuing a grim and hopeless task rather than appreciating everything that he had managed to hold onto. 

  The same attributes that made Guts so compelling in the opening chapters were revealed as his true enemy. Griffith had committed an unforgivable act but Guts’ journey for revenge was one of self-inflicted pain and fear. The romanticism was gone.

  Farnese’s inclusion in the Conviction arc was a revelation. Among the many brilliant aspects of her character, I identified with her simply for how she acted as a stand-in for myself as the reader: Plagued by self-doubt and fear, desperate to maintain her own stoic and uncompromising image, and resentful of her place in the world. She sees Guts’ fearlessness in the face of cosmic horror and believes she might be able to learn his confidence.

    But in following Guts, Farnese instead finds a teacher in Casca. In taking care of her, Farnese develops a connection and is able to experience genuine sympathy that develops into a sense of responsibility. Caring for Casca allows Farnese to develop the courage she was lacking not out of reckless self-abandon but compassion.

  I can’t exactly credit Berserk with turning my life around, but I feel that it genuinely helped crystallize within me a sense of growing doubts about my maladjusted high school days. My growing awareness of Guts' undeniable role in his own suffering forced me to admit my own role in mine and created a determination to take action to fix it rather than pretending enough stoicism might actually result in some sort of solution.

  I visited the Berserk subreddit from time to time and always enjoyed the group's penchant for referring to all the members of the board as “fellow strugglers,” owing both to Skull Knight’s label for Guts and their own tongue-in-cheek humor at waiting through extended hiatuses. Only in retrospect did it feel truly fitting to me. Trying to avoid the pitfalls of Guts’ path is a constant struggle. Today I’m blessed with many good friends but still feel primal pangs of fear holding me back nearly every time I meet someone, the idea of telling others how much they mean to me or even sharing my thoughts and feelings about something I care about deeply as if each action will expose me to attack.

  It’s taken time to pull myself away from the behaviors that were so deeply ingrained and it’s a journey where I’m not sure the work will ever be truly done, but witnessing Guts’ own slow progress has been a constant source of reassurance. My sense of admiration for Miura’s epic tale of a man allowing himself to let go after suffering such devastating circumstances brought my own humble problems and their way out into focus.

    Over the years I, and many others, have been forced to come to terms with the fact that Berserk would likely never finish. The pattern of long, unexplained hiatuses and the solemn recognition that any of them could be the last is a familiar one. The double-edged sword of manga largely being works created by a single individual is that there is rarely anyone in a position to pick up the torch when the creator calls it quits. Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond, Ai Yazawa’s Nana, and likely Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter X Hunter all frozen in indefinite hiatus, the publishers respectfully holding the door open should the creators ever decide to return, leaving it in a liminal space with no sense of conclusion for the fans except what we can make for ourselves.

  The reason for Miura’s hiatuses was unclear. Fans liked to joke that he would take long breaks to play The Idolmaster, but Miura was also infamous for taking “breaks” spent minutely illustrating panels to his exacting artistic standard, creating a tumultuous release schedule during the wars featuring thousands of tiny soldiers all dressed in period-appropriate armor. If his health was becoming an issue, it’s uncommon that news would be shared with fans for most authors, much less one as private as Miura.

  Even without delays, the story Miura was building just seemed to be getting too big. The scale continued to grow, his narrative ambition swelling even faster after 20 years of publication, the depth and breadth of his universe constantly expanding. The fan-dubbed “Millennium Falcon Arc” was massive, changing the landscape of Berserk from a low fantasy plagued by roaming demons to a high fantasy where godlike beings of sanity-defying size battled for control of the world. How could Guts even meet Griffith again? What might Casca want to do when her sanity returned? What are the origins of the Skull Knight? And would he do battle with the God Hand? There was too much left to happen and Miura’s art only grew more and more elaborate. It would take decades to resolve all this.

  But it didn’t need to. I imagine we’ll never get a precise picture of the final years of Miura’s life leading up to his tragic passing. In the final chapters he released, it felt as if he had directed the story to some conclusion. The unfinished Fantasia arc finds Guts and his newfound band finding a way to finally restore Casca’s sanity and — although there is still unmistakably a boundary separating them — both seem resolute in finding a way to mend their shared wounds together.

  One of the final chapters features Guts drinking around the campfire with the two other men of his group, Serpico and Roderick, as he entrusts the recovery of Casca to Schierke and Farnese. It's a scene that, in the original Band of the Hawk, would have found Guts brooding as his fellows engage in bluster. The tone of this conversation, however, is completely different. The three commiserate over how much has changed and the strength each has found in the companionship of the others. After everything that has happened, Guts declares that he is grateful. 

  The suicidal dedication to his quest for vengeance and dispassionate pragmatism that defined Guts in the earliest chapters is gone. Although they first appeared to be a source of strength as the Black Swordsman, he has learned that they rose from the fear of losing his friends again, from letting others close enough to harm him, and from having no other purpose without others. Whether or not Guts and Griffith were to ever meet again, Guts has rediscovered the strength to no longer carry his burdens alone. 

  All that has happened is all there will ever be. We too must be grateful.

      Peter Fobian is an Associate Manager of Social Video at Crunchyroll, writer for Anime Academy and Anime in America, and an editor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: Peter Fobian

[amepcrdue]

Raphael Sorel  ⚔ Soulcalibur Series 2002 - 2018 Top row: Soulcalibur II (2002), Soulcalibur III (2005), Soulcalibur IV (2008) Middle: Soulcalibur VI (2018) Bottom row: Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (2009), Soulcalibur V (2012), Soulcalibur: Lost Swords (2014)

[satoshi-mochida]

Some games on the ‘Big in Japan’ sale going on now on the NA PSN(full list/prices; sale is also active in other regions, not sure if the list will be the same):

PS4

2064: Read Only Memories(also on Vita)

428: Shibuya Scramble

Aegis of Earth(also on Vita)

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend

Birthdays the Beginning

BlazBlue: Central Fiction

Blue Reflection

Castlevania Anniversary Collection

Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy

Cladun Returns! This is Sengoku

Code: Realize: Bouquet of Rainbows

Code: Realize: Wintertide Miracles

Dark Souls Remastered

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

Dark Souls III

Death Mark(also on Vita)

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition

Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry HD Collection

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Dragon Ball Xenoverse

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Dragon Quest Builders(also on Vita)

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest Heroes

 Earth Defense Force 4.1

Exist Archive(also on Vita)

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force

Fate Extella(also on Vita)

Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy X/X-2(also on PS3/Vita)

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

Final Fantasy XV

God Eater 2: Rage Burst

God Eater 3

Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator

Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2

Gundam Versus

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X(also on Vita)

I Am Setsuna

Judgment

Jump Force

Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package

Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix

Kingdom Hearts 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue

Kingdom Hearts III

Life is Strange 2: Episode 1

Light Tracer

Little Dragons Cafe

Lost Sphear

Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle

Mega Man Legacy Collection 1+2(also on sale separately)

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2(also on sale separately)

Megadimension Neptunia VII

Megadimension Neptunia VIIR

Mega Man 11

My Hero(Academia): One’s Justice

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road to Boruto(and several other games in the series)

Ni no Kuni 2

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir(also on PS3/Vita)

Omega Quintet

One Piece: Burning Blood

One Piece: World Seeker

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3

Override: Mech City Brawl

Persona 5(also on PS3)

Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness(also on Vita)

Resident Evil 2(and several others in the series)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13

Romancing SaGa 2

Saint Seiya Soldiers’ Soul

Secret of Mana(also on Vita)

Sekiro

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shenmue I+II

Shining Resonance Refrain

Soulcalibur VI

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness

Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

Steins;Gate Elite

Super Bomberman R

Super Neptunia RPG

Tales of Berseria

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

The Girl and the Robot

The Last Remnant Remastered

The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince

The Quiet Man

The Silver Case

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs(also on Vita)

Tokyo Xanadu eX+

Touhou Genso Rondo

Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st](also on PS3/Vita)

Valkyria Chronicles 4

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap

World of Final Fantasy(also on Vita)

Yakuza 6

Yakuza Kiwami

Yakuza Kiwami 2

Ys Origins(also on Vita)

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (also on Vita)

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games (also on Vita)

Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner- M∀RS

PS3

Demon’s Souls

Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax(also on Vita)

Drakengard 3

Final Fantasy Origins(PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy V (PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy VI (PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy VII (PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy VIII (PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy IX(PSOne Classic)

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Final Fantasy Tactics(PSOne Classic)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd(also on Vita)

Lost Dimension(also on Vita)

Mamorukun Curse

Mega Man 8 (PSOne Classic)

Mega Man 9+10(also on sale separately)

Mega Man Legends (PSOne Classic)

Mega Man Legends 2 (PSOne Classic)

Mega Man X4  (PSOne Classic)

Mega Man X5  (PSOne Classic)

Metal Gear Rising: Revengance

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Nights into Dreams

Persona 4 Arena

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Resident Evil(and several others in the series)

Resonance of Fate

Silent Hill (PSOne Classic)

Suikoden  (PSOne Classic)

Suikoden II (PS2 Classic)

Suikoden 3  (PS2 Classic)

Suikoden IV (PSOne Classic)

Tears to Tiara II

The Awakend Fate Ultimatum

The Guided Fate Paradox

Vita

7′scarlet

Adventures of Mana

Bad Apple Wars

Code: Realize

Code: Realize: Future Blessings

Collar x Malice

Dissidia Final Fantasy(PSP game)

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy(PSP)

Dungeon Travelers 2

Earth Defense Force 2

Final Fantasy III (PSP)

Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection (PSP)

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP)

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3

Jet Set Radio

Mary Skelter: Nightmares

Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X (PSP)

Megatagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs Zombies

MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death

Mind Zero

Muramasa Rebirth

Norn9

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy

Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy

Penny-Punching Princess

Period Cube

Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly

Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate

Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God

Stranger of Sword City

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

The Longest Five Minutes

The Lost Child

Tokyo Xanadu

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Truth Bundle(also on sale separately)

Valkyria Revolution

Ends September 24th.

[inquisitorsnappy]

6, 14, 28

6. Who is your favourite character design?

HILDE! easily without a doubt. she has some of my favourite designs in the series but my absolute favourite is her player 1 outfit in scv. i will Yell about my Love for this design for a very long time bc it is Very Good and definitely one of my favourite armour designs, even outside of soulcalibur!

honourable mentions: scii player 2 ivy, ashlotte, sciii siegfried (both designs bc they’re both good), scii player 1 nightmare

14. What is your favourite stage?

probably lost cathedral from sciii. the general aesthetic there is really pretty but also works very well for the climactic fight between nightmare in siegfried and the music on it slaps too!

28. What are your thoughts on Siegfried’s crystal armour?

i remember thinking it looked really cool when i was a kid but tbh now i just think it looks silly and over-designed. i generally am not a fan of a lot of the visual design in sciv tbh and the designs for the two swords and also both resident big sword boys are definitely a notable part of that opinion.

send me questions about soulcalibur!! (question list | askbox)

[chacusha]

Ranking of Soulcalibur VI characters from best to worst based on their announce trailers by my fiance who has not played Soulcalibur since the first one

Siegfried: 12/10. "Taste the power of my sword" is amazingly gay.

Talim: 11/10. She looks like a sailor scout. She looks so utterly unprepared for doing this fighting thing. That's so relatable. Literally actually nervously says "don't underestimate me."

Raphael: 9/10. I like light pokey agile fighting styles. One of his moves seems to be a super foot stomp and that seems very painful. His theme seems to be vanity and he wears a mask. "Let me show you... my blade" -- I’m beginning to think this entire game is a sex metaphor. I appreciate the Ninja Turtles reference.

Xianghua: Amazing. She's one of the Heathers - an insecure cheerleader who gets murdery. I like characters that are light on their feet. That fighting style appeals to me. 8 or 9/10.

Azwel: 8/10. *shocked face throughout the whole trailer* High camp Shakespearean actor? I actually... like it a lot??

Ivy: 8/10. I get she has a theme but it's just -- too much. Like, her special move literally ends with her stepping on a dude's face, and "I'll make you submit" is too on-the-nose. Not into the not-wearing-clothing. It looks so cold! The line "curse the fate that led you to me" is so good though.

Voldo: 7 or 8/10. Demonic, quasi-robotic, yogi, gimp? That's such a unique aesthetic. Looks cool as well. Would have liked words.

Inferno: 7 or 8/10. A gay symbol - like the Pride Parade wants to kill you. I like that it's big but still nimble and teleporty. Wished it talked instead of doing a growly thing.

Cervantes (the one character he remembers from Soul Blade): My emotional attachment to this character, the general greatness of purple, and the sheer absurdity of the gun sword more then make up for how ridiculously bland he was and how that wasn't a good pirate voice at all. 7/10.

Seong Mi-na: 7/10. "Let's get this over with" "You're gonna pay now" "I've no plans to lose" -- sounds more like a waitress than a fighter. Aesthetically looks pretty cool, though, and gets points for repping waitresses.

Grøh: 6/10. Divorced geography teacher joins the CIA - dweebish but at the same time endearing. Out of his league but trying to fake it, is the impression I got.

Astaroth: 6/10. Demon Foucault? I didn't like the way he looked, but he gets points for saying such weird things. He won't just beat you but wants you to also be disciplined.

Taki: 5/10. Standard ninja. Would give 6/10 for being a ninja because ninjas are cool but then docked her a point for the line "I'll decimate you." How do you decimate a single person? That doesn't even make sense.

Yoshimitsu: Really hard to rate because he looks super cool but sounds like a fucking dweeb. 5/10

Zasalamel: All over the place so let's say 5/10. He seems like an annoying smug nerd. I can just imagine him wearing a fedora. The scythe is dumb, but the time freeze move with the hood and dramatic snap is an 11/10.

Tira: Angelica from Rugrats has all grown up and found a frisbee of death after joining the Lost Boys. Seems mainly concerned to carry on a conversation and only incidentally to have a fight. 5/10.

Maxi: 4/10. Generally a dweeb who I thought was ineffectually trying to flirt more than anything else, but "Dandy of the Seas" made me laugh so much he gets some points.

Nightmare: 2/10. Rubbish. That sword looks so dumb. It looks like he got a hand to match his sword and that’s the dumb way around. Spent the time talking to his sword, which is very Freudian. Gets points for the helmet, which reminds me of Marvin the Martian.

Kilik: Too many of his moves look like he’s lightly poking you. I know that would hurt in real life but it doesn’t look like it. He’s repping his martial art school like he's a youth pastor but I wasn’t invested. How can you suffer someone's bloodlust? That’s weird. 1/10. Doesn’t even look like Marvin the Martian.