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In the universe of Skullgirls, a large portion of society is built around the research of and protection from the titular undead monster. The Canopy Kingdom's military and royal family are trained extensively in anti-Skullgirl combat, while the numerous sectors of the Anti-Skullgirl Labs develop new and terrifying means of countering her abilities. Even to the general public, the Skullgirl is a commonly-known figure, with multiple Skullgirls being responsible for many tragedies over the course of history.

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In addition to the Skullgirl herself, though, the means by which she is created is also well-known, if not well understood: the Skull Heart. Any woman who wishes upon the Skull Heart will have their wish granted, but in the end, no matter what was wished for, she will end up becoming the next Skullgirl, unleashing chaos anew. So what exactly is the Skull Heart, what is its goal in creating Skullgirls, and is there any way to truly stop it? Do note that we'll be getting into some spoilers for individual characters' stories and arcade mode endings as we unravel this mystery.

Scourge From Beyond The Stars

The Skull Heart in a box in Skullgirls

Technically speaking, the Skull Heart isn't actually a product of the planet or humanity. Rather, it was deliberately created by a trio of extraterrestrial goddesses known collectively as "The Trinity." Venus, Aeon, and their mysterious Mother crashed down onto the planet untold eons ago, and for reasons that haven't been made clear, created the Skull Heart as a means of destroying the world. This is rather paradoxical, given that worship of the Trinity is one of the foremost religions of the Canopy Kingdom and possibly beyond. Regardless, the Skull Heart exists, and has tormented humanity for nearly as long as civilization itself has existed.

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In addition to the Skull Heart, the Trinity created and dispatched a shapeshifter to act as their agent on the planet and ensure the circulation of the Skull Heart. This shapeshifter, Double, would assume all manner of guises and aliases to trick vulnerable humans into accepting the power of the Skull Heart, all to ensure more Skullgirls would come into being. Considering her current guise as a nun for the church of the Trinity, it is possible she played a role in the development of their religion into civilization.

Be Careful What You Wish For

King Franz fighting Queen Nancy in Skullgirls

The Skull Heart is a sentient artifact with the ability to tap into the reality-warping abilities of the Trinity. Utilizing those abilities, the Skull Heart can be used to wish for anything anyone can think of, though for some reason, only women can wish on the Skull Heart. Its power is immense, however, and in fact, many major upheavals of society over the years have resulted from a Skull Heart wish. The problem is that the Skull Heart is a rather vindictive little bauble. It will grant almost any wish requested of it, but much like a mean-spirited genie, it will subvert the wish with an ironic twist.

One good example of this arose from Parasoul's mother, Queen Nancy Renoir. During the reign of her and her husband, King Franz, the Canopy Kingdom was embroiled in a massive war with several other neighboring nations. Nancy wished on the Skull Heart that the war would end and that the nations would reach peace, and they did... because the Skull Heart turned Nancy into such an immensely powerful Skullgirl that the nations had no choice but to unite to stop her.

An Aura Of Death

Selene as the Skullgirl in Skullgirls

The mere presence of a Skullgirl animates dead matter, raising corpses and skeletons into a self-sustaining army of the deceased. In most cases, the Skullgirl doesn't really discriminate on where her undead army is sourced from, though this can change depending on the wish. Marie, for example, wished on the Skull Heart for revenge against the Medici Mafia, which is why nearly all the undead in her army are former Medici thugs and enforcers. They were the first ones she killed, which is why her aura revived them first.

In some extenuating circumstances, it is possible for a corpse to resist the call of the Skullgirl, at least partially. Squigly is the one known example of this, as she was revived from the dead first by her own mother-turned-Skullgirl, Selene Contiello, then again by Marie. In both instances, however, the presence of the powerful Parasite Leviathan in her body allowed her to maintain her sense of self. Unfortunately, the aura of the Skullgirl is the only thing that animates Squigly, which means her presence is an indicator that a Skullgirl has risen.

No Such Thing As A Pure Wish

Filia turning into a Skullgirl in Skullgirls

According to legend, the only way one can make a wish on the Skull Heart without turning into a Skullgirl is if their wish is absolutely selfless, and they make their wish without even a hint of malice in their heart. Unfortunately, this is a half-truth; wishing, by its very definition, is inherently selfish, as it subverts the laws of reality to accomplish something that shouldn't be possible. No matter how selfless a wish may seem, the Skull Heart can always find a grain of darkness to latch onto. This is why there have been no recorded instances of a Skull Heart wish not resulting in a Skullgirl.

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That said, the Skull Heart is not without its small mercies. If a wish is made with genuinely good intentions, the Skull Heart will provide a grace period before the user is turned into the Skullgirl. An example of this occurs in Filia's story when she wishes Painwheel to be restored to her normal life as Carol. The Skull Heart points out that while aiding another is altruistic, Filia only made that wish to absolve herself of guilt, since it's her fault Carol was turned into Painwheel in the first place. As such, Filia will still become the Skullgirl, but the process will be slower than usual.

The Cycle Continues

Big Band destroying the Skull Heart in Skullgirls

While the Skull Heart does wield incredible power, the actual artifact isn't indestructible. In fact, it's actually very easy to destroy it, and you can do so with a sword, a gun, or even your bare hands. Sadly, even its own destruction isn't enough to stop the Skull Heart's menace, as it will always reappear somewhere else in the world after a seven-year cycle, usually carried by Double. Theoretically speaking, the only ways to truly put an end to the menace of the Skull Heart would be to either seal it away so it can't reincarnate or defeat the Trinity. The former would require a nearly-impossible resistance of temptation, while the latter would require defeating literal goddesses. Obviously, neither has happened.

This is why the Canopy Kingdom focuses instead on disaster response measures. Both the military and the agents of the Anti-Skullgirl Labs have developed powerful weapons to ensure that, if and when a Skullgirl appears, she can be swiftly terminated before the damage can get out of hand. On the public level, the Canopy Kingdom also runs propaganda on television to sway the citizenry from ever attempting to make a Skull Heart wish. The popular children's program, Annie of the Stars, is one of these shows, as Annie herself sought to educate the populace after a Skull Heart wish made her eternally young.

The world can only hope that some day, someone can find a way to stop the menace of the Skull Heart for good, because as Skullgirls are created, they have become steadily more and more powerful. It is possible that one day, the power of the Skullgirl could reach a singularity from which humanity would never be able to escape.

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