Critical Finish

The Critical Finish (クリティカルフィニッシュ, Critical Finish^?) is a powerful move that only appears in Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. Successfully performing a Critical Finish will let the user win the the round, regardless of how much damage they or the opponent had sustained up until that point. If a Critical Finish is used to win a match, then the character will do a unique victory pose and the music that plays will be different from usual.

Soulcalibur IV

To perform a Critical Finish, the opponent must be in Soul Crush. This is achieved by draining the Soul Gauge using attacks and guard impact until the gauge flashes red. After a few more attacks, usually strong types, the opponent will reel backwards, and a flash of red light appears momentarily in which the player can press +++ to activate the Critical Finish. There is only a small timeframe in which to press +++ which means the player will have to be quick.

Due to his small size, Critical Finishes will perform differently on Yoda. Instead of their normal Critical Finish, they do the first hit of their normal Critical Finish before performing one of their unblockable attacks in slow-motion.

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Critical Finishes were slightly changed in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny; all characters were given a brand new Guard Break attack (performed by ++). If the player uses this attack when the opponent's Soul Gauge is flashing red or causes Soul Crush, then they will perform their Critical Finish. These new attacks all share the same name as the user's Critical Finish, and some of them even use the same animation as the first hit of the user's Critical Finish.

List of Critical Finishes

Character	Critical Finish
Algol	Wasat Almeisan: (Japanese: ワサト アルメイサム, Wasat Almeisam) He says "This is the end, now fall!" and sweeps the opponent with both Soul swords. Before they fall, he says "This is true power!" and shoots them midair repeatedly with his arm cannons and knocks the opponent down, killing them by crushing them on his throne. At the end of the attack, he says "All mine!" When performed on Yoda, Algol dives forward, slashing him with both Soul swords. As Yoda staggers backwards, Algol leans back with both swords extended before spinning into him.
Amy and Scheherazade	Thousand Roses: (Japanese: サウザントローズ) Starts with a kick ballet dance and delivers several rapid stabs and one final, heavy blow. Scheherazade also does this, though her Critical Finish has feathers in the background, while Amy's has rose petals. Amy also finishes by saying, "Pathetic." If she performs this on Raphael, she will instead say, "Does it hurt?" When performed on Yoda, Amy and Scheherazade twirls around before doing a downwards slash, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does, they perform their Bloody Funeral attack on him.
The Apprentice	Dark Force Attack: He says "You're in my way..."and then Force blasts the opponent into the air, then jumps after them, performing a series of spinning aerial lightsaber attacks to knock them higher, then finishing them with an irradiating Force Repulse. If he is fighting Darth Vader, he will begin by saying "This will end it!". The Apprentice's Critical Finish is slightly different when performed on Yoda; instead of launching Yoda into the air, Yoda staggers backwards. He then does his Force Lightning attack.
Astaroth, Rock, and Ashlotte	Eternal Damnation (Astaroth and Ashlotte) (Japanese: アズ・パルグリア, Az Palgria), Roar of the Brave Earth (Rock) (Japanese: ブレイブアースタトゥー, Brave Earth Tattoo): Headbutts the opponent twice to knock them to the floor, slams his weapon into the opponent, scurries them around the area, and then launches them away. Astaroth and Ashlotte perform a different pose than Rock at the end of the move. They stomp their weapon into the ground, causing an image of their cult's emblem to appear. Rock slams his weapon into the ground and then raises it victoriously, summoning a symbol to appear that resembles a tusked animal and an elephant can be heard. At the start of this attack, Astaroth will say "Don't be so cocky!" Rock will say "Gaia", and Ashlotte will say "Bring peace to those without guidence". When performed on Yoda, all three characters will headbutt him like normal, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. Astaroth and Ashlotte will then do their Canyon Creation attack while Rock does his Ultimate Volcano attack.
Cassandra	Final Crush: (Japanese: ファイナルボトムズ, Final Bottoms) She says "Here we go!" and slashes her opponent with her sword, knocks the opponent over with her backside, jumps onto them backside-first on the head (asking "You like this kind of stuff?"), and then, after she places her shield under her bottom, slams her bottom into the head, shooting hearts everywhere. When performed on Yoda, Cassandra leaps high into the air, slashing her sword down onto him. As he staggers backwards, she performs her Heaven's Guardian attack on him.
Cervantes and Shura	Tartarus Griet: (Japanese: タルタロスグリエット, Tartaros' Griet) He says "This is the end!" and slams the opponent to the floor and lifts them high up, then teleports up to shoot them back down. When performed on Yoda, Cervantes and Shura both slam the pommel of one of their swords down onto Yoda's head, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, they perform their Eternal Curse attack.
Dampierre	Dampierre's World: (Japanese: ダンピエールの世界, Dampierre's World) His critical finish starts with him telling his opponent the tale of his daughter who is fatally ill, and how he could not cover the costs for his daughter's medical treatment. The conversation is fast-forwarded comically while pictures in thought clouds of what happened appear. After the tale, the opponent is left piteous as he/she drops a coin in Dampierre's hand, seemingly "donating." The word "Critical Finish" shows as Dampierre is laughing with his back to his opponent, who is then crying over Dampierre's tale, while at the same time saying "Le Bello's weapon is his silver tongue!"
Darth Vader	The Empire's Wrath: Throws his opponent in the air, then a red force aura appears underneath Vader and his opponent as he stops them in mid-air with the Force, then he attacks them by controlling his lightsaber with the Force, slicing them rapidly and continually, and finally he throws his lightsaber to make a powerful blow, killing them. When performed on Yoda, Darth Vader does a hammer punch on him, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Darth Vader does his Force Eruption attack.
Hilde	Warrior's Honor: (Japanese: ターゲスアンブルフリート, Tages Ambelfried / Day Gait Peace) She says "Victory shall be mine!" and stabs the opponent with her spear, sheathes her sword to free her other hand, then stabs the opponent again with both hands, this time impaling them. She then launches the opponent upwards using her spear and then throws it into the opponent, blowing them out of the arena. Adding some sort of praise to her enemies, "You were a worthy opponent, farewell!" When performed on Yoda, Hilde thrusts her spear forward, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Hilde does her Stage 4 version of Mystic Star.
Ivy	Grand Alchemy: (Japanese: 大いなる再験 [リ　エイコーン], Great Repeated Omen [Re-Acorn]) Whips the opponent, says "Taste the power of my blade - shred apart!" and starts an alchemist spell to trap the opponent in a ball, splits the blade up into small pieces, and shoots them into the opponent. She then asks "Does it hurt?" When performed on Yoda, she transforms her sword into a whip and strikes him with it, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, Ivy performs her Heel Explosion attack.
Kilik	Ling Sheng Su: Dynastic Phoenix: (Japanese: 臨勝寺秘蔵禁技・真行鳳翼覇, Rin Shou Ji Hizou Kin Gi: Shin Gyou Hou Yoku Ha) He shouts "Ling Sheng Su Bo!", then stabs his opponent in the stomach with enough force to wind them, charges his staff, then leaps in the air (As you hear a Phoenix's Cry) to smash the opponent's head into the ground. He gets up and rests his staff horizontally with both hands below the stomach and says calmly "Nothing personal". However, if used on Yoda, Kilik performs a roundhouse kick on Yoda, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, Kilik performs his Yin and Yang attack.
Kratos	Rage of the Gods: (Japanese: レイジ・オブ・ゴッズ) Using the Blade of Olympus, he slashes his opponent thrice, jumps on the opponent and stabs them with the sword, pulls the blade out again, and kills the opponent with a heavy, final strike. If performed on Sophitia, Kratos says "I am the god of war!"
Lizardman	Drilling Tornado: (Japanese: アルティメットテリブルトルネード, Ultimate Terrible Tornado) Uses his tail to attack his opponent by spinning like a fan, dives into the air and spins down to his opponent, drilling into them with his horn to kill them. When performed on Yoda, Lizardman headbutts him, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Lizardman performs his Mezentius Style Sand Roll, ending in his Crawling stance.
Maxi	Rising Dragon of the Zodiac: (Japanese: 玄斗・束ね宿星淬ぎ昂龍, Gento: Tabane Shukusei Niragi Kouryuu) He says "It's over!", batters his opponent, saying "Feel the sting!", and uppercuts them. As they fall, he jump-kicks them away (as he calls out his attack name: "Rising Dragon of the Zodiac!"). When performed on Yoda, Maxi strikes him with the kontei (the bottom) of his nunchaku, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Maxi performs his Twisted Loop attack.
Mitsurugi	Demon Slayer: (Japanese: 悪鬼ヶ据物斬, Akki ga Suemono Giri) He says "Try this!" and performs four quick slashes that briefly ignites the opponent and kills them instantly as he asks them "See that?". When performed on Yoda, Mitsurugi does an upwards slash, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Mitsurugi performs his Cannon Divide attack, ending in his Relic stance.
Nightmare and Kamikirimusi	Evil Seed: (Japanese: イヴィルスパーム, Evil Sperm) Uppercuts his opponent in the air and slams Soul Edge into the floor, and a red energy sphere surrounds him. The opponent falls down, is drawn into the sphere momentarily, and then is launched out of it. This move presumably drains the opponent's soul. When performed on Yoda, Nightmare and Kamikirimusi both do a single uppercut on Yoda, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, they both do their Soul Blaze attack.
Raphael	Pale Moon Dust: (Japanese: ペイルムーンダスト) He says "My turn now..." and stabs his opponent saying "On your knees!". He bites their neck greedily, leaning on them and starts sucking their blood, vowing to make them one of his minions. He wipes his mouth and considers making them Amy's pet. The dialogue is different when performing the move on Amy--the minion speech is omitted, and instead of the pet speech, Raphael merely says "Mmm...Sweet nectar!" after wiping his mouth. When performed on Yoda, Raphael spins around before doing a downwards thrust with his rapier, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Raphael does his Bloody Funeral attack.
Seong Mi-na and Angol Fear	Seong's Blazing Heaven's Wheel: (Japanese: 成式奥義裂煌天輪儀, kana: Son-shiki Ougi Rekkou Tenrin Gi) Smashes the opponent into the air, spins with her blade to injure the opponent, and slams them back down. She then lands on them and her blade stakes them through the heart. Then jumps back up, twirls the staff back into her fighting stance. When performed on Yoda, Seong Mi-na and Angol Fear both do an upwards swing, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, they both do their Seong's Crushing Long Blade attack.
Setsuka	Divine Shadow Strike: (Japanese: 神詠・玉葛ノ陰薙ギ, kana: Tenrin: Azusa Yumi, Shin'ei: Tamakazura no In'nagi / Divine Verse: Tamakazura's Cutting Down Shadows) She says "Now it ends!" The screen grays out as she runs toward her enemy and says "Depart!" and slashes horizontally. A line runs through the middle of the screen; one second later the screen splits and Setsuka taunts "You won't even know what hit you" as she prepares to sheath her blade (While the opponent is starting to feel pain). As soon as she sheaths it, they fall over dead. Flower petals begin to fall as she says "Yet another opponent unworthy of my blade." When performed on Yoda, Setsuka runs forward and slices Yoda with her sword, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, she performs her Blazing Moon attack.
Siegfried	Soul Conviction: (Japanese: コンヴィクションキャリバーン, Conviction Caliburn) He shouts "Get ready!", then uses his sword to knock the opponent in the air and brings them down. He then powers up Soul Calibur by raising it into the sky, yelling "Prepare to die!" (preceded by a battle-cry in the Japanese). As the foe stands up, he slashes his blade through them vertically, sending crystals everywhere as the opponent drops dead, consumed by blue flames. When performed on Yoda, Siegfried swings his sword upwards, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Siegfried performs his Earth Divide attack.
Sophitia	Divine Palladium: (Japanese: アドベンドパラディオン, Advent Palladion) Slashes the opponent, jumps off them, and throws her sword into them. She then kneels and summons down a lightning bolt to strike the opponent. When performed on Yoda, Sophitia slashes Yoda with her sword, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, she does her Heaven's Gate attack on him.
Taki	Blades of Vanquishment: (Japanese: 断魔斬朧剣) She says "Ougi", kicks the opponent's face, jumps off, and starts a ninja spell while saying "Hi-yah! You've lost!". She then triples herself and slashes the opponent before jumping in the air and launching down on the opponent, killing them, as she says, "Danma Zan Rouken!". When performed on Yoda, Taki jumps into the air and kicks Yoda's face twice, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, Taki performs her Seal of the Fire Dragon attack.
Talim	Wind of Bliss: (Japanese: ウィンブロン 『マビリス』) Slashes the opponent vertically several times and lets a powerful wind sweep them up and fall back dead seconds later. When performed on Yoda, Talim does an upwards swing with one of her tonfa, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, she performs her Whirlwind Hambalos attack on him.
Tira	Judecca Requiem: (Japanese: ジュデッカコーラス, Judecca Chorus) Vertically slashes her opponent, leaps on them, and kisses them passionately as they squirm, turning the screen dark gray, and causing a skull shape cloud to appear, and drains their soul. If she was "Jolly", Tira says happily "How was that?!" If she was "Gloomy", she'll say in an unsatisfied voice "Hmph... You don't interest me." When performed on Yoda, Tira swings her ring blade upwards, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Tira performs her Blazing Cadenza attack on him.
Voldo	Great Gear of Madness: (Japanese: グレート・ギア・オブ・マッドネス, Great Gear of Madness) He attaches himself to his opponent from behind, who he sets on fire rolling around. Voldo then jumps up and slams the opponent to the ground. When performed on Yoda, Voldo swings one of his jamadhar downwards, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Voldo performs his Gravestone Cleaver attack, ending on his Death Roll stance.
Xianghua	Torrential Chi Blast: (Japanese: 如河・珠麗練気功, kana: Joka: Shu Rei Ren Kikou, Rú Hé: Zhū Lì Liàn Qìgōng) Attacks her opponent rapidly with her feet and blade before delivering what appears to be a blue energy bubble explosion. When performed on Yoda, Xianghua swings her sword at Yoda, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, Xianghua performs her Muu Ling attack on him.
Yoda	Force Judgment: He stabs his opponent in the gut, slices them vertically with a backflip, then throws his lightsaber into his opponent's chest, then jumps up and removes it from the opponent as they fall. When performed against himself, Yoda will stab his opponent with his lightsaber, causing them to stagger backwards. As they do so, Yoda performs his Ataru Strike on them.
Yoshimitsu	Glimpse of Heaven and Hell: (Japanese: 地獄極楽垣間覗き, Jigoku Gokuraku Kaima Nozoki / Peeping Between the Gap of Heaven and Hell) He says "Prepare thyself!", knocks his opponent to the floor, spins behind them, and says "Ascend". He then slices them down in a traditional samurai execution as autumn leaves fall from the sky and Japanese music plays. Occasionally a Japanese kanji appears on the screen after the opponent is slashed, and Yoshimitsu wipes his katana using his robotic hand while saying different phrases depending on the Kanji that appeared. There are 7 kanji in all. When performed on Yoda, Yoshimitsu slashes him with his katana, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Yoshimitsu performs his Moon Sault Slayer attack on him.
Yun-seong	Hong-style Prime Strike: (Japanese: 洪式極上撃, kana: Hon-shiki Gokujou Geki, Hóng Shì Jíshàng Jí / Hong-style Best Shot) He says "Yeah, this is it!", uppercuts his opponent with his sword saying "Fly high!", and performs several attacks that make a Japanese sequence as he says the attack's name. He then poses and says "Perfect!" as the opponent explodes in the background, but is blown away by said explosion. When performed against Yoda, Yun-seong swings his sword like a baseball bat, causing Yoda to stagger backwards. As he does so, Yun-seong performs his Fire Storm attack on him.
Zasalamel	Gate of Meslam: (Japanese: ゲート・オブ・メスラム) He says "Go down!", then he binds his opponent to the ground and moves his fingers in several motions performing a spell, then "launches" them into a "Black Hole", then the camera pans around to his raised arm with his robes dangling. "Farewell!" he says. In Broken Destiny, he says "Can you feel the power of the abyss?" When performed on Yoda, Zasalamel slams his scythe down onto Yoda, causing him to stagger backwards. As he does so, Zasalamel performs his Tiamat's Rampage on him.

Trivia

• Critical Finishes shares its name from a similar mechanic from an earlier 3D fighting video game, Critical Blow. In concept, they are similar to Mortal Kombat’s and Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirit’s "Fatalities", only a lot less gory, and may not always actually kill the opponent; instead, the finishing move may incapacitate the opponent, but still leave the opponent alive to face justice. In that sense, they are more similar to Guilty Gear’s Instant Kills.
• All Critical Finishes have a name, it can be viewed as the first move of the "Simultaneous Press Moves" section of the move list in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. This is evident, as, for example, Maxi shouts out "Rising Dragon of the Zodiac" while performing his, and the move is named Rising Dragon of the Zodiac.
• All created characters have the same critical finish as the style that they're modeled on, although what they say varies from the original (some don't even say anything but simply sigh in relief or fatigue).
• Dampierre's Critical Finish is the only Critical Finish that doesn't incapacitate or kill the opponent.
• In Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, during Setsuka's Critical Finish, the opponent does not utter a death cry once Setsuka sheathes her blade completely.
• Voldo's Critical Finish is named after his theme song in Soul Edge, called "Gear of Madness".

External Links

• Trailer showcasing armor damage

Videos

Soul Calibur IV - All Critical Finishes - Xbox 360 - High Quality

Critical Finishes of All characters and shows alphabetically, made 2 times (one is against Yoda, changing the Critical Finish) (excluding Darth Vader)

Soul Calibur 4 - Darth Vader - Critical Finish

Darth Vader´s Critical Finish VS The Apprentice in Training

Fagins Critical Finish

SOULCALIBUR 4 - All Critical Finishes (2 each character)

(HD) Soul Calibur Broken Destiny- Critical Finish Exhibition