SoulCalibur II

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The following article is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.


SoulCalibur II is a 2002 arcade fighting game published by Namco. In 2003, it was given simultaneous home ports for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, with each console version made distinct by including a different guest character unique to that platform. Link is unique to the GameCube version of the game, contributing to its popularity.

Prologue

The game is set four years after the end of SoulCalibur, which based on calculations from a timeline released on the "Soul Archive" website, puts the game's story in the year 1591.

The wave of slaughters that terrorized Europe reached a sudden end. The knight in azure armor, Nightmare, and his followers were successful in collecting enough souls and were about to start the restoring ceremony on the ruins of the once-proud Osthreinsburg Castle. But just as the ceremony was to start, three young warriors assaulted the castle. In a matter of time the clan was defeated and Nightmare stood in front of the young warriors wielding the Sacred Trinity. After an intense battle Nightmare fell, but then the evil soul inside Soul Edge sent the young warriors into a vortex of hellfire and stood to confront them. As a result of Soul Edge's evil aura, Krita-Yuga revealed its true form: that of the Holy Sword, Soulcalibur.

The intense battle ended with the victory of the holy sword, but at the collapse of the vortex of Inferno, both swords along with the azure Nightmare were sucked in a void and expelled in another place. Siegfried Schtauffen, who was until a moment before the Azure Knight, restored his mind. Recognizing his sins, he set on a journey of atonement. Still the blade held a strong bond, and every night it took control of the body and took souls of those nearby. The efforts made by the young knight were fruitless, and four years later the Azure Nightmare returned.

Around those times various warriors came into contact of the blade's remaining fragments, revealing Soul Edge's ultimate survival after its defeat. Driven either to possess or destroy it, they join a new journey, while Nightmare starts his rampage once again, seeking souls to restore Soul Edge once again...

Link

Link's SoulCalibur II render

Link appears as a guest character on the Nintendo GameCube version of the game.

Biography

Hyrule's tranquility was shattered by the arrival of several disasters, which brought opaque, ominous clouds with them. Eventually, it was discovered that an unknown magician was to blame for all that had happened. Just as the people were about to lose all hope, the sun miraculously returned as Link, having been summoned by Princess Zelda to find the disasters' source, successfully defeated the magician. The people of Hyrule rejoiced in the belief that eternal peace would rule; but it eventually became clear that the magician responsible for the disasters was in fact controlled by an evil sword from another world, Soul Edge, and that the fragments of Soul Edge had been gathering in the other world.[1] Knowing that the resurrection of the evil blade must be prevented at all costs, Link chose to travel to the other world and destroy Soul Edge himself. He gathered his trusted Master Sword and Ocarina of Time, and transported himself off on a secret journey.[2] Eventually, he was successful in sealing away the evil within the Soul Edge, saving his homeland and quietly leaving the world he had come upon, leaving only a faint echo of his Ocarina.[3]

General Information

  • Link's Destined Battle in Arcade mode is against Raphael.
  • The overworld theme from The Legend of Zelda is used in Link's profile viewer and destined battle theme. It is also played if Link was used in Eurydice Shrine gallery.
  • Link's stage is the Ostrheinsburg Chapel and his alternate stage is Eurydice Shrine Gallery.

Costumes

Instead of having the standard two or three costumes like every other character, Link has 4 different costumes: green, red, blue, and violet. His two starter costumes are the green and red tunic. To obtain the Blue Tunic, the player must buy it in the Castor Shop for 21,000 Gold, found in the Extra Chapter 1 of the Weapon Master mode. Only after buying the Blue Tunic can the player buy the Blue Ring Tunic from the original The Legend of Zelda, which is sold for the same price as the Blue Tunic.

Fighting Style

In SoulCalibur II, Link is the only character with a ranged attack. His fighting style retains many of his signature moves from past games in the Zelda and Super Smash Bros. series. Some of these moves include the Spin Attack, the Jump Attack, the Down Thrust, the Jump Thrust, and the Dash Attack.

Weapons

Like all SoulCalibur II characters, Link has a total of 11 weapons to choose from. His starting and most-balanced weapon is the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, and the rest of the weapons must be bought in shops in various cities in the Weapon Master Mode.

Weapon Cost Attributes Description

Master Sword & Hylian Shield
Well-balanced A magic sword and shield that have accompanied Link on many adventures and helped him repeatedly save the land of Hyrule. This journey is no less dire, and Link once again goes into battle equipped with these items, this time in another world. These are well-balanced arms for Link.

Razor Sword
600 Gold Attack goes up 25%
Short reach
Takes 15% block damage
A sword forged by the blacksmith from the Mountain Village on Snowhead. The blacksmith is famous for his perfectionism—this sword is yet another excellent example of of his craftsmanship and boasts an amazingly sharp cutting edge. Unfortunately, the metal used to forge this blade is prone to chipping, so there remains some concern about its defensive capabilities.

Armos Series
900 Gold Defense decreases 30%
Offense increases with Soul Charge 40% (deteriorates)
A sword and shield from one of the living Armos statues that dot the land of Hyrule. The origins of these items are shrouded in mystery, much like the Armos themselves. Concentrating one's will increases the weapons' power, but they are a bit too heavy for Link and he cannot use them effectively for guarding.

Megaton Hammer
1,200 Gold Offense goes up 35%
Short reach
An extremely heavy hammer. Learning to use it effectively could take some time, as its reach is somewhat short for a weapon. Its power and toughness, however, far exceed that of any normal sword. It's guaranteed to inspire awe.

Cane of Byrna
1,600 Gold Soul Charge boosts offense up to 50%continuous effect
Soul Charge lowers damage received by 25%diminishing effect
Soul Charge recovers up to 32 HP each time
An ancient magic staff that grants protection to heroes. It can be used even by those who are not sorcerers as long as their hearts are pure. It is said that praying to the staff with all one's heart will shroud the user in light and fill him with vitality. Because it is not a true weapon, it usually does not fare well when it clashes against an opponent's weapon.

Mirror Shield
2,200 Gold Hits taken are counters
33% of damage received is inflicted back onto opponent
A mirror-like shield found in the Spirit Temple. It is an amazing work of art, and there are few who would argue that it is not one of the finest shields in Hyrule. It is said that its surface reflects not only light but hostile intent as well.

Magic Sword & Magic Shield
3,000 Gold Causes 40% block damage
Weak against physical impact
Ancient arms hidden deep in an underground tomb. This powerful sword holds an enchantment that counters the forces of darkness, and its holy aura allows it to deliver damage to the enemy even without making physical contact. The shield is enchanted with a spell that protects its user from enemy magic, but the actual shield itself is quite old and is weak against physical impact.

Biggoron's Sword
4,000 Gold Long reach
Drains 3 HP per attack
A masterfully crafted long sword forged by the best blacksmith in Hyrule, Biggoron, who lives on Death Mountain. Designed specifically for Link, it is made to be wielded with one hand. Even so, swinging it with full force gets tiring after a while.

Soul Edge (Complete)
7,700 Gold Offense goes up 40%
Defense goes up 35%
Drains 2 HP per second
An evil blade with a reputation for devouring souls. This weapon is also known to be a shape-shifter—which form it takes depends on its current owner. The forms it has taken are legendary, as are the souls of the renowned warriors it has consumed. Only those with great mental discipline can retain their will while wielding this weapon. It consumes the souls of those who fall before the blade, and also the soul of its wielder.

Great Fairy Sword
9,800 Gold Attack goes up 20%
Gains 5 HP per second
Takes 20% block damage
A sword blessed by the Great Fairy, rumored to be able to reflect any and all dark magic. Merely holding it fills the wielder with strength, but unfortunately, its protective power did not survive intact in this world, and it is no longer able to resist enemy attacks.

Bug-Catching Net
12,500 Gold Offense decreases 80%
Defenses decreases 80%
A long-handled net used for catching bugs. This item is an old companion of Link's and has appeared on many of his adventures—it accompanies him on this adventure as well. Obviously, it is not a weapon, but perhaps it will cause opponents to let down their guard.

Trivia

  • Link, alongside Spawn, was one of the first characters in the Soul series to use projectiles, in his case arrows, bombs, and a boomerang.
  • Link and Nightmare (later revealed to be Siegfried Schtauffen), the franchise's protagonist, as well as Yoshimitsu share the same Japanese voice actor, Nobuyuki Hiyama.[citation needed]
    • The Japanese voice actress for Young Link, Fujiko Takimoto, voices the character Taki in this game.
  • Aside from Charade, Link is the only character in the game to have his voice remain unchanged regardless of the dub option set to Japanese or English, due to not having any sentences to speak.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese ソウルキャリバーII (Sourukyaribā Tsū) Same as English.

Gallery

External Links

References

  1. Just as the people were about to lose all hope, the sun miraculously returned. Link, who was summoned by Zelda to find the cause of the disasters, successfully defeated the magician. The people of Hyrule rejoiced in the belief that eternal peace would rule. Unfortunately, this was not to be. It became clear that the magician responsible for the disasters was in fact controlled by an evil sword called Soul Edge, which existed in an another world. — N/A (SoulCalibur II)
  2. Knowing that the resurrection of the evil blade must be prevented at all costs, Link chose to travel to the other world and destroy Soul Edge. Link gathered his trusted Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Ocarina, and set off on a secret journey. — N/A (SoulCalibur II)
  3. Link came to this world in order to defeat the evil which threatened Hyrule. After a long journey, Link finally succeeded in sealing away the terrible evil. In doing so, he not only saved his homeland from peril, but also maintained the tranquility of this world. Link then quietly left this world--a faint echo of his Ocarina was all that remained. — N/A (SoulCalibur II)