Sophitia
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Soul series
of video games. Created by Namco
's Project Soul division, she first appeared in Soul Edge
and its subsequent sequels, as well as appearing in various merchandise related to the series.
to create her in-game movements. Tomoe, who additionally created the "struck" movements for many other characters in the game, noted particular fondness for Sophitia while designing her.
During her creation, designers focused on maintaining an innocent appearance for her face, to give the character a sense of feeling fresh and young. Freedom of movement between the sword and shield were also emphasized, with the intention to allow for the blade to rotate around the shield for cyclonic attacks. An alternate character called Azula was conceived during the development of Sophitia's secondary outfit in Soul Edge, but was abandoned. The character concept would later be revisited in Soulcalibur IV, appearing as an ally character in Sophitia's story mode and using her fighting style.
. Hephaestus told her of the evil blade Soul Edge: that the existence of such a powerful blade would put shame to his name, as he had not created it, and that if anyone were to discover it, it would bring much pain to the world. Hephaestus ordered her to come to the Eurydice Shrine and receive a holy weapon, the Omega Sword, so that she could destroy the Soul Edge. Sophitia eventually found the Soul Edge in a port in Valencia, Spain; and she fought its possessor, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon
, destroying one of the twin blades. However, shards of the evil sword flew with great force from her powerful blow wounding her too greatly to finish the fight. Just as Cervantes was about to deliver a finishing blow to the endangered Sophitia, Taki
arrived to save her and proceeded to kill Cervantes. After the battle had finished, Taki carried Sophitia back to Athens, where her sister, Cassandra, had been waiting for her. Cassandra was the only member of her family or group of friends to believe her story at the time.
After recovering from her wounds she suffered from the sword fragments, she returned to her life as the daughter of a baker and spent her days peacefully. However, one day, when she was out for shopping with Cassandra, Sophitia had a vision of Nightmare and the true Soul Edge. She collapsed and rescued by a local swordsmith named Rothion, they fell in love, and got engaged. Later, she received a second oracle from Hephaestus to destroy the remains of Soul Edge. Hephaestus then supplied her with holy metal, which Rothion used to forge a new Omega Sword and shield; she set out on a second journey to destroy the cursed sword. Sophitia destroyed Soul Edge once again and returned home, where she married Rothion and gave birth to both Patroklos (son) and Pyrrha (daughter). However, four years later, Rothion received a shard of Soul Edge from a mysterious customer, and his and Sophitia's children began fighting over the shard. The evil aura the fragment emanated caused Sophitia's old wounds to ache, as they had been undoubtedly infected with the evil energy of the Soul Edge seven years previous, explaining her children's predilection for the bizarre aura. Cassandra, desperate to save her sister, proceeded to grab the shard from her grasp and run out the door, running away from home soon afterwards. A couple of weeks later, Sophitia decided that if she was to free her children from the evil sword's curse and ensure her sister's safety, she had to embark on a third journey. Because Cassandra had stolen Sophitia's previous weapons, which she had stored at Eurydice Shrine, Rothion forged her a new set to destroy the cursed Soul Edge once and for all.
Her journey took her to Ostrheinsburg Castle, where she encountered Tira. Tira told Sophitia that Soul Edge was not in the castle and later kidnapped Sophitia's children in order to set them up as sacrifices for Soul Edge. Sophitia therefore resolved to destroy Soul Edge for the sake of her children until she found out about Tira's kidnapping.
figurine of Sophitia as part of their "Namco Girls Series #3" line of figurines for gashapon
. Other commercial items bearing Sophitia's likeness have also been released, such as a resin
kit designed by Hiroshi Satou for manufacturer Kurushima.
In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Sophitia placed second with 18% of the tally, behind Seong Mi-na. UGO.com praised Sophitia in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, placing her at seventh place and describing her as "a regular little spitfire". She additionally placed thirty-eighth on their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, which stated "Sophitia Alexandra...is a force to be reckoned with in the Soul Calibur series." Maxim
named her one of the hottest video game females of 2008, calling her "literally, the best thing since sliced bread." She was listed by Tom's Games as one of the fifty greatest female characters in video game history, stating "She's a virtuous heroine who's as brave as she is cute. And she can cook, too." Race, Gender, Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers used her as an example of most female characters in video games, describing her body and clothing as being created solely for the viewing pleasure of players, often males.
WomenGamers.Com praised her strength as a character in the series, noting of her role in the original Soulcalibur, "Sophitia is probably one of the most important and pivotal of all the seekers of the twin blades." Additional praise was given to her personality in contrast to more common anti-hero
characters, as well as the realism of her fighting style approach, stating that all combined made her role in the game "uniquely positive." GameDaily
described her appearance as "angelic", adding "despite looking homelier than the other girls, [she] is still jaw dropping"; she additionally ranked number five on their "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" list, and received mention and praise in similar articles for her character strength and evolution along the series. GameSpy
named her one of their top ten women in gaming at number five, stating Sophitia "became one of the most easily recognized characters in the series. She remains one of Soul Calibers most memorable babes since the days of her swimsuit debut in Soul Blade."
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Soul series
Soul (series)
The is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco Bandai Games. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur. The series is special in that each character...
of video games. Created by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
's Project Soul division, she first appeared in Soul Edge
Soul Edge
is a 3D arcade fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco. It is the first installment in the Soul series of fighting games...
and its subsequent sequels, as well as appearing in various merchandise related to the series.
Creation and conception
As a character introduced in Soul Edge, Sophitia's weaponry, a sword and shield combination designed to be unique amongst the other weapons in the game, were selected before other elements of the character. Her design and concept were then built to revolve around it, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. After her appearance and movement were fleshed out by a concept artist, her character was rendered as a 3D model by a design team that worked solely on her, and then animated by Tomoe Yamashita using motion captureMotion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
to create her in-game movements. Tomoe, who additionally created the "struck" movements for many other characters in the game, noted particular fondness for Sophitia while designing her.
During her creation, designers focused on maintaining an innocent appearance for her face, to give the character a sense of feeling fresh and young. Freedom of movement between the sword and shield were also emphasized, with the intention to allow for the blade to rotate around the shield for cyclonic attacks. An alternate character called Azula was conceived during the development of Sophitia's secondary outfit in Soul Edge, but was abandoned. The character concept would later be revisited in Soulcalibur IV, appearing as an ally character in Sophitia's story mode and using her fighting style.
In video games
Sophitia's life as a warrior began when she met the Olympian god of fire and forge, HephaestusHephaestus
Hephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes...
. Hephaestus told her of the evil blade Soul Edge: that the existence of such a powerful blade would put shame to his name, as he had not created it, and that if anyone were to discover it, it would bring much pain to the world. Hephaestus ordered her to come to the Eurydice Shrine and receive a holy weapon, the Omega Sword, so that she could destroy the Soul Edge. Sophitia eventually found the Soul Edge in a port in Valencia, Spain; and she fought its possessor, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon
Cervantes de Leon
is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, he first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series...
, destroying one of the twin blades. However, shards of the evil sword flew with great force from her powerful blow wounding her too greatly to finish the fight. Just as Cervantes was about to deliver a finishing blow to the endangered Sophitia, Taki
Taki (Soulcalibur)
is a fictional character in the Soul series of fighting games by Namco. Taki, one of the series' good characters, is a demon huntress and a runaway kunoichi whose motive is destroying the evil sword known as Soul Edge....
arrived to save her and proceeded to kill Cervantes. After the battle had finished, Taki carried Sophitia back to Athens, where her sister, Cassandra, had been waiting for her. Cassandra was the only member of her family or group of friends to believe her story at the time.
After recovering from her wounds she suffered from the sword fragments, she returned to her life as the daughter of a baker and spent her days peacefully. However, one day, when she was out for shopping with Cassandra, Sophitia had a vision of Nightmare and the true Soul Edge. She collapsed and rescued by a local swordsmith named Rothion, they fell in love, and got engaged. Later, she received a second oracle from Hephaestus to destroy the remains of Soul Edge. Hephaestus then supplied her with holy metal, which Rothion used to forge a new Omega Sword and shield; she set out on a second journey to destroy the cursed sword. Sophitia destroyed Soul Edge once again and returned home, where she married Rothion and gave birth to both Patroklos (son) and Pyrrha (daughter). However, four years later, Rothion received a shard of Soul Edge from a mysterious customer, and his and Sophitia's children began fighting over the shard. The evil aura the fragment emanated caused Sophitia's old wounds to ache, as they had been undoubtedly infected with the evil energy of the Soul Edge seven years previous, explaining her children's predilection for the bizarre aura. Cassandra, desperate to save her sister, proceeded to grab the shard from her grasp and run out the door, running away from home soon afterwards. A couple of weeks later, Sophitia decided that if she was to free her children from the evil sword's curse and ensure her sister's safety, she had to embark on a third journey. Because Cassandra had stolen Sophitia's previous weapons, which she had stored at Eurydice Shrine, Rothion forged her a new set to destroy the cursed Soul Edge once and for all.
Her journey took her to Ostrheinsburg Castle, where she encountered Tira. Tira told Sophitia that Soul Edge was not in the castle and later kidnapped Sophitia's children in order to set them up as sacrifices for Soul Edge. Sophitia therefore resolved to destroy Soul Edge for the sake of her children until she found out about Tira's kidnapping.
Promotion and reception
Yujin, released a four inch tall immobileMotion (physics)
In physics, motion is a change in position of an object with respect to time. Change in action is the result of an unbalanced force. Motion is typically described in terms of velocity, acceleration, displacement and time . An object's velocity cannot change unless it is acted upon by a force, as...
figurine of Sophitia as part of their "Namco Girls Series #3" line of figurines for gashapon
Gashapon
is a Bandai brand trademark widely used throughout the world for their capsule toys. It is also referred to as ." Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy...
. Other commercial items bearing Sophitia's likeness have also been released, such as a resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
kit designed by Hiroshi Satou for manufacturer Kurushima.
In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Sophitia placed second with 18% of the tally, behind Seong Mi-na. UGO.com praised Sophitia in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, placing her at seventh place and describing her as "a regular little spitfire". She additionally placed thirty-eighth on their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, which stated "Sophitia Alexandra...is a force to be reckoned with in the Soul Calibur series." Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
named her one of the hottest video game females of 2008, calling her "literally, the best thing since sliced bread." She was listed by Tom's Games as one of the fifty greatest female characters in video game history, stating "She's a virtuous heroine who's as brave as she is cute. And she can cook, too." Race, Gender, Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers used her as an example of most female characters in video games, describing her body and clothing as being created solely for the viewing pleasure of players, often males.
WomenGamers.Com praised her strength as a character in the series, noting of her role in the original Soulcalibur, "Sophitia is probably one of the most important and pivotal of all the seekers of the twin blades." Additional praise was given to her personality in contrast to more common anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
characters, as well as the realism of her fighting style approach, stating that all combined made her role in the game "uniquely positive." GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
described her appearance as "angelic", adding "despite looking homelier than the other girls, [she] is still jaw dropping"; she additionally ranked number five on their "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" list, and received mention and praise in similar articles for her character strength and evolution along the series. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
named her one of their top ten women in gaming at number five, stating Sophitia "became one of the most easily recognized characters in the series. She remains one of Soul Calibers most memorable babes since the days of her swimsuit debut in Soul Blade."