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Nightmare

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Last updated Last updated: Dec 25, 2019

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Nightmare

Character
Debut:	Soul Edge/Blade
Voice (E):	Ted D' Agostino (SC2) Patrick Ryan (SC3) Michael McConnohie (SC4) Charles Klausemeyer (SC5) Kirk Thornton (SC6)
Voice (J):	Nobuyuki Hiyama (SBE-SC2, SC6) Fumihiko Tachiki (SC3) Kōsei Hirota (SC4) Yasunori Masutani (SC5)
Biography
Age:	Existed since ancient times as Soul Edge
Birthplace:	Unknown
Birthday:	Unknown
Blood:	None
Height:	5'6" (168 cm) (SC1-4) 5'10" (178 cm) (SC5) 5'8" (172 cm) (SC6)
Weight:	212 lbs (98 kg) (SC1-4) 336 lbs (152 kg) (SC5) 346 lbs (157 kg) (SC6)
Family:	All life is but prey to satiate his hunger On good terms with Rudolf II (the Holy Roman Emperor) Controls an army of malfested as his personal soldiers Former servants: Ivy, Lizardman, Tira, Astaroth, Voldo, Sophitia Former host: Siegfried
Fighting Style
Type:	Soul Edge (Zweihander Type)
Weapon:	Soul Edge
Discipline:	The Memories that Stain his Armor; what the sword desires

Nightmare (ナイトメア, Naitomea) made his first appearance was in one of the possible endings for Siegfried in the game Soul Edge. In the sequel Soulcalibur, he was given a name and featured as a central focus. Since then, Nightmare has been the main antagonist and owner of Soul Edge, and thus the objective of most other characters in the story. He has appeared in every game in the series.

Biography

Bio: Soulcalibur

No one knows when the knight in azure armor first appeared in Europe. It was said that those who saw this knight's crimson eyes could not escape death. The grotesquely shaped sword in his hand appeared as if enraptured when bathed in the blood of the living. And there were the grotesque monsters that followed him... Seasoned knights and armies equipped with the latest firearms were no match for it, as the nightmarish horde cut a path of destruction and horror through towns and villages.

Soul Edge is the legendary sword of Nightmare. To some, it was the "Hero's Sword" and to others, "The Sword of Immortality." Although the details of this legendary sword changed as its rumor traveled around the world, its true nature was unmistakably evil. Nightmare was said to be a young warrior who was corrupted by taking possession of Soul Edge.

The evil sword had a will of its own, and it transformed itself into a gigantic sword that would make the best use of the warrior's fighting experience. Its single eye appeared enraptured whenever the grotesquely shaped sword was bathed in blood. The demonic blade manipulated its bearer to commit atrocities so that it could consume the souls of the innocent. Soul Edge's true purpose and intent remains to be discovered.

Bio: Soulcalibur II

Originally, he was Siegfried Schtauffen, the leader of a group of brigands known as the Schwarzwind (black wind), whose stronghold was located near the Roman Empire. He left on a journey to find the Soul Edge after his father was murdered. Eventually, on a Spanish harbor, he came across a sword emanating a strange aura lying beside the corpse of a young pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, Schtauffen reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.

It was then that he heard the voice of the Soul Edge. It told him that if he used the souls absorbed by the sword, he would be able to resurrect his father. From that moment on, Schtauffen became Nightmare, the evil knight who eventually struck fear into every corner of Europe. He killed for three years to feed his sword with souls. But his dream was crushed when a warrior wielding a spirit sword called the Soul Calibur--a sword with the polar opposite energy of the Soul Edge--appeared. Nightmare and the Soul Edge were defeated, and they fell into a collapsing void.

He somehow managed to survive and regained some of his sanity. Along with lucidity came the horrifying memories of the sins he committed, as well as the realization that it was he who had murdered his father. He knew the Soul Edge must never fall into the hands of another man. He set off to be as far as possible from other humans, yet he awoke one morning to the sight of the people he had slain during the night, as the power of the evil blade had once again taken over his body. After four years, he was once again Nightmare, his body taken over by the Soul Edge completely. He began to pursue the fragments of it in a mission to restore himself completely. Will there ever be a day when he will once again be Siegfried Schtauffen?

Bio: Soulcalibur III

In the instant that the spirit sword pierced the cursed sword, no one noticed the will of Soul Edge escape from the sword. It escaped into the remains of the armor worn by Nightmare; armor which had struck fear into countless men. Lacking Soul Edge, however, it could not even move this bodiless, empty shell of a host. After a time, a man with a scythe came to visit the place. He seemed to understand everything that had happened, and exchanged a wordless conversation with the cursed sword. After a few moments, the man agreed to help.

The man with the scythe performed a ritual of ancient arts. The energy of the cursed sword and the swirling spirits of the Lost Cathedral were woven together and bound into the remains of the armor. The soul of the cursed sword regained its body, and a tremendous, bizarre sword appeared in its hand. The memory etched into the armor had taken on physical form.

Having acquired a new body, Soul Edge unleashed its hunger upon the land, devouring all in its path. The souls of those who fell before it would find peace not even in death. "More, more!" In order to maintain its body, and in order to increase its evil energy, the Azure Knight sought stronger, richer souls. In the end, the twisted compass directing its path would surely point towards freeing Soul Edge itself. Rumors of a merciless butcher and the terror of the azure nightmare spread throughout Europe once again.

Bio: Soulcalibur IV

The secret art had freed Soul Edge from the Embrace of Souls in the Lost Cathedral. Nightmare took the cursed sword in hand, while the blades former puppet took up the spirit sword and stood in challenge. The swords clashed. The ensuing storm sent a wave of destruction rushing outward from the epicenter of the battle. The temporary vessel that was Nightmare could not withstand the maelstrom; he and Soul Edge fell into a dimensional warp.

But the cursed sword followed the lingering hatred and tormented ghosts that gave Nightmare shape, and managed to return to Ostrheinsburg. The azure armor lay slumped on the throne. Soul Edge stretched its evil roots into the scarred, broken metal. The waves of destruction created when the swords clashed spread across the entire world, awakening the scattered shards of the cursed sword. Metal fragments both large and small gathered like particles of light and fell in a dazzling rain upon Ostrheinsburg.

Years earlier, these pieces of Soul Edge had been scattered as the Evil Seed, but now they were being called home. The cursed sword drank them all in. Soul Edge sank roots deep into the land. Ostrheinsburg became a cursed city, a vessel that would consume souls to further strengthen the evil sword. The blade sat on the throne at the center of the cataclysm and waited for the time when, once again, it would clash with the spirit sword, Soul Calibur.

Bio: Soulcalibur V

Defeated in battle by Soul Calibur, Soul Edge shattered, its fragments passing through a dimensional rift that scattered them all over the world. But the cursed sword's minions tracked down the shards, and reassembled as much of the sword as they could. Eventually, it regained consciousness; using a spare body it had hidden beneath Ostrheinsburg, Soul Edge was rebon.

Soul Edge's new host assumed the name "Dumas," and worked its way into the inner circle of the Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire. Undefeated in battle and brimming with knowledge from all corners of the world, Dumas quickly won the Emperor's favor, and was granted dominion over the Kingdom of Hungary. Hungary was on the front lines of the war with the Ottoman Empire, and in a perfect position to advance Soul Edge's goals. Exploiting nationalistic tendencies and religious differences to fan the flames of hatred and suspicion, Dumas initiated a widespread hunt and massacre of the malfested.

Of course, the purge was merely a cover for Dumas' true intent: collecting the remaining fragments of Soul Edge and harvesting countless human souls. And so, under banners of unity and purity, Soul Edge's new "nightmare" bgan to sweep through Europe...

Bio: Soulcalibur VI

Appearing from out of the shadows like the advent of nightfall, this barbaric knight in azure armor reaps the souls of the living as if they were mere stalks of corn. His name came to represent fear and desperation to all who heard it. Those who found out that the rumors were true, that he was no fairytale villain, would be struck down in a single blow before they could even open their mouths to scream.

Nightmare carries the demon sword Soul Edge, a blade that has been part of many battles and retains the memories of those who wielded it, and those who faced them. Such memories influence the fighting style of the blade’s current master, so even if its wielder lacks experience in combat, they can battle like a seasoned warrior. When facing Nightmare, one must never forget that he is able to at least partially unleash the power of the sword. If he does, be prepared for a blow designed to kill in one fell cut.