Ever since its arcade days, the Soulcalibur franchise has been an incredibly successful one. Its iconic characters have fought now through six installments of the game in search of the powerful Soul Edge sword, either to harness its power or to destroy it and prevent it from bringing chaos into the world.
Whether you're a seasoned fan of the series or a newbie looking to dive head first into the lore and fighting mechanics of Soulcalibur, knowing which heroes will best serve your preferences is important. With that said, let's have a look at the strongest heroes in the series, both lore-wise and mechanically.
10 Sophitia
Known for her valiant nature and determination to protect her family, Sophitia is the ultimate kind-hearted mother who would do anything for her children - even protect an evil sword from destruction. She's faithful towards her gods and a brave swordswoman with a very basic kit.
Her weapon is a short sword and a small round shield, which gives her a medium to close range in combat. Much of her kit is very basic but highly accessible. Given how noble she is and how much she's been through just for her children, she's undoubtedly a very strong character.
9 Kilik
Kilik is an orphan and former monk that while possessed by an evil force killed his fellow monk. It was during his time at the temple that he learned the art of staff fighting, which is now his primary weapon in the series. He joined Xianghua to defeat Nightmare and helped her stop the Soul Edge ritual from taking place. After the initial defeat, however, Kilik hasn't always been the last person facing the Soul Edge.
Despite this, his accessible kit - which provides him with powerful and truly irritating long range attacks - is incredibly powerful for any beginners.
8 Talim
Hailing from a village worshiping the wind, Talim is a young girl proficient in the rare arts of elbow blades and wind dancing. It's highly likely she possesses some degree of magical, healing abilities, after being able to help a sick child cure from the Soul Edge's evil corruption. After receiving a shard of the cursed sword, she's been determined to put an end to it and restore balance to the world.
Her fighting style is very unique, involving elbow blades which are inspired by ritual objects rather than real weapons. Highly mobile and extremely agile, she's quite a daunting opponent to face despite her appearances.
7 Mitsurugi
Once a man that was brutally defeated and humiliated by his lack of knowledge on firearms, Mitsurugi is now one of the most feared and skilled warriors in the world. During his travels to find a worthy opponent, he fought so many talented fighters that he's become one of the best, able to even outplay a rifleman.
His kit is that of a typical samurai warrior, hit katana blade providing a comfortable close to mid-range combat, with powerful attacks that can cripple an opponent. Mitsurugi is also fairly accessible, which is why he's such a strong and amazing character in the series.
6 Voldo
When it comes to mobility and executing unique combos, Voldo is definitely the best hero pick out there. Formerly the loyal servant of an Italian weapon's merchant, Voldo was tasked with protecting his stash of treasures and was locked inside a vault for years, which turned him insane and blind. It's his master's desire to find the Soul Edge that drives him to relentlessly pursue the sword and demolish anyone on his path.
Voldo's more of a monster than any other character, feral, cruel and ruthless in his combat which allows him to bend into impossible positions and attack with powerful blades attached to his limbs. Hard to master but rewarding to play, he's a terrifying opponent.
5 Taki
Another truly good character in the series, Taki is a powerful ninja who hunts down evil supernatural spirits and other beings. Taki's an accomplished demon hunter and highly focused and loyal to her cause. Due to her experience with defeating demons and other evil beings, she seems to have the greatest edge again Nightmare and the Soul Edge sword.
Her attacks might be short range, but she's able to deal a great deal of damage with lethal combos and a relatively high mobility.
4 Groh
Groh is one of the newer heroes in the series. He first appears in Soulcalibur VI as a member of the Aval Organization, who's tasked with destroying anyone allied with the Soul Edge sword. Groh's life mission is to destroy the cursed sword and its servants, and even though a shard of its evil lingers in his heart, he's so determined to finish his mission that he decides to use the shard to his advantage and then sacrifice himself.
Groh wields a long double saber which lets him engage in both medium and close-range combat, and his Critical Edge Chevalier Mal Fet is a lethal yet easy to execute attack that can demolish and opponent.
3 Cervantes
One of the most evil characters in the game, Cervantes is a cold, callous specter of a man who was once in possession of the Soul Edge. Ever since then he's hungered for more souls and seeks the sword out for his own personal gain. In combat he dual wields two different swords that allow him to fight at both close and medium range.
While he might be easy to block, once you actually start getting down the combos with Cervantes you become almost unstoppable with how much damage and chaining you can do.
2 Ivy
Fighting games aren't exactly known for being subtle with sexualization, and Soulcalibur doesn't escape that trap either. Ivy's appearance aside, she's been quoted as among the most difficult characters to play in the game due to her kit.
What makes her so unique is in fact her sword that can retract into a metallic whip of sorts and deal crazy amounts of damage. This duality of fighting styles allows her to quickly bridge the distance between her and an opponent, and deal some high damage stuns and combos at super long range.
1 Nightmare
Nightmare is the antagonist of the series, the one hero that all others usually seek to destroy at the end. He wields the Soul Edge and is the living incarnation of the evil that resides within the sword. While he can be defeated with the right tools and strategies, he's incredibly annoying to deal with due to the damage and range that the Soul Edge provides.
He can somewhat easily whack at you from medium to long range because of the size of his weapon, and if he does catch you he chips away at your health in big chunks. A scary and worthy opponent, there's a reason why you meet him last.