Inferno (インフェルノ Inferuno) is the central antagonist in the Soul series as the final boss and main villain of the first three video games. He first appeared in Soul Blade under then name SoulEdge, he later appeared in; Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition and Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul. He also appeared in Soulcalibur V as a costume for Cervantes in Legendary Souls mode. He is playable in Soulcalibur II with the use of Action Replay and is available for play on both the original Dreamcast version, and the Xbox Live port of Soulcalibur.
In Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, he is non-playable and the only NPC that can be fought before Abyss or Night Terror.
He is the controlling force behind Nightmare, possessing Siegfried in Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II, and becoming the second incarnation of Nightmare in Soulcalibur III after Zasalamel creates an artificial body for him, allowing him to walk freely without needing a host.
He was eventually defeated when the armor was destroyed by Siegfried in the end of Soulcalibur IV. However, after seventeen years, a new Azure Knight rises through the host, Graf Dumas.
Appearance
In his first appearance, in Soul Blade, Inferno appeared similar to Cervantes, wearing the same chestplate, jacket, boots and gloves, but the rest of his body was entirely composed of flame and his head was a devilish skull.
In Soulcalibur, he returns the fiery composite appearance but his head has taken on a half-dome shape and has developed hardened limbs with claws and two-toed talons with electricity surging around them. This is finished off by what appears to be a scarf of fire on his back. Following the console version, this was removed. As a playable character however, he is given a flexible, somewhat metallic sheen, as if to appear as crystallized magma, due to processing problems that prevented the original version from being playable. In Soulcalibur II, he is given a more tangible appearance with his entire body being a composite of bone and exposed flesh and is as tall as Astaroth In his head and chest is Soul Calibur herself lodged deep within his body. Transformed by Inferno's influence, she contains an eye and wings sprouting from above the hilt. Flames still cover his entire body but they can now be knocked off although they will still linger on.
In Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, his flames are still red in color, he has Metallic Feet, Metallic Shin Guards, Metallic Armor, Metallic Gauntlets and Metallic Skullheads.
History
Although no one knows when or where Inferno first appeared, he definitely exists. He took the shape of a sword in order to devour more souls and came to possess individuals to further his unholy cause. In his sword form, Inferno came to be known as Soul Edge. Those who held the Soul Edge were unable to escape from the curse of his evil powers. He continued to devour in darkness the souls of those who are led astray. Although he burns fiercely with the anguish and regret of the souls he had devoured, his blade shines with an icy gleam.
Soul Blade
In the 16th century, Rock's father had bought the sword in an auction, but Cervantes, a pirate in the employ of Vercci, attacked Adams' ship and made off with the Soul Edge. He eventually learned to use his power, and began harvesting souls for the sword to feast on.
For two decades, Cervantes possessed the swords. Under Cervantes' control, Soul Edge often manifested himself as a pair of swords instead of just one. Many ventured to the small port town in Spain that Cervantes used as his base, and Cervantes destroyed them all easily. There was one, however, that proved to be more than a match for Soul Edge's power. This was Sophitia, a sacred warrior who was protected by Hephaestus, Greek god of the forge. During her battle with Soul Edge, Sophitia managed to actually destroy one of the twin swords. Although she was badly wounded, Soul Edge was nearly destroyed, and the loss of control caused Cervantes to lose his next battle to Taki. Another young warrior, Siegfried, stumbled upon Cervantes' body. Realizing that Cervantes was now useless to him, Soul Edge entered Cervantes' body and began a battle with Siegfried. Half of his power was gone, though, and Soul Edge was defeated. The victory turned out to be Soul Edge's, however, for when Siegfried took hold of the demonic blade, the essence of Soul Edge was able to completely possess the unstable young warrior. Soul Edge used his remaining power to shower humanity with the Evil Seed, which he had been preparing all those years when Cervantes was dormant in Spain. The Evil Seed rained down all over the world, causing chaos and destruction unlike any in recorded history.
Soulcalibur Legends
- Note: Non-Canon material starts here
Inferno appears when Siegfried attempts to seal Soul Edge. He emerges from the blade in the form of Nightmare and fights Siegfried, only to be defeated.
- Note: Non-Canon material ends here
Soulcalibur
Soul Edge transformed Siegfried into the foul creature Nightmare, and used his new host to rebuild his strength. The destruction of one of the twin swords and the release of the Evil Seed had left Soul Edge depleted. With the help of several minions, Nightmare was able to harvest many souls to power Soul Edge. As he grew stronger and stronger, Soul Edge noticed that Siegfried's will was increasing as well. Unlike Cervantes, who had gladly accepted the unholy possession, the young knight was actually attempting to resist Soul Edge's control. As Nightmare, Siegfried used some of Soul Edge's power in an attempt to resurrect his dead father Frederick. Although he succeeded in creating an apparition of his father, Siegfried realized it was not real and began to resist Soul Edge even more. He finally freed his mind from Soul Edge's influence and was able to separate himself from Soul Edge. By this time, however, it did not matter whether Soul Edge had a host or not. He had collected so many souls that his power was tremendous, and he was able to finally manifest in his true form.
A trio of warriors, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi came to challenge the newly released Inferno. Normal humans would not have been much of a match for Inferno, but Kilik and Xianghua possessed mystical weapons that rivalled Inferno's power. The combined power of their weapons proved to be too much for Inferno. But neither Inferno, nor Soul Edge, was destroyed. Inferno had escaped back into the cursed blade, which Siegfried had reclaimed.
Soulcalibur II
Soul Edge would make Siegfried do horrible things in his sleep however. He would kill many asleep, and when he woke up, he had no memory of it, but he would always be surrounded by corpses. Eventually, Siegfried succumbed to Soul Edge's power, and became the Azure Knight once more.
Soulcalibur III
One day however, at the Ostrheinsburg Chapel, Nightmare was challenged by Raphael to a fight. Nightmare accepted and nearly won, but a small spark of sanity appeared in the Azure Knight's mind once more.
That small spark fought Inferno in the Azure Knight's mind, which caused Nightmare to stand motionless. Raphael mustered what was left of his strength, and stabbed the sword in his eye. This weakened Inferno severely, and Siegfried managed to reclaim his body. He threw off the azure armor that he resented, and he almost destroyed it. Suddenly, Soul Calibur appeared, free from her prison within Soul Edge. Siegfried instinctively took Soul Calibur, and drove the blade through Soul Edge's eye.
Soul Edge still was not defeated, however. It bonded with Soul Calibur, rendering both powerless, and created Soul Embrace. Inferno escaped into the detestable armor that Siegfried once wore, but could not move without a host. Zasalamel appeared, and shared a wordless conversation with Inferno, before conducting a ritual to give the horrible soul of Soul Edge a body. Inferno, as Nightmare, then set out to reclaim himself, Soul Edge.
Soulcalibur IV
Eventually, Nightmare and Siegfried met at the Lost Cathedral. The Embrace was finally broken. Siegfried claimed Soul Calibur, while Nightmare took Soul Edge. They clashed, and the two powers leveled the Cathedral. Nightmare fell into a warped dimension, but even then Soul Edge sought power. Because Nightmare had been given a body by the evil and hatred that dwelled there, the sword and body ended up at Ostrheinsburg when they fell out of the void. Soul Edge stretched his evil roots into the azure armor. The shockwave admitted at the Cathedral spread an evil energy that made all of the sword's shards active. Now Soul Edge called out to them and they returned, both small and great. This included both the being Charade and Soul Edge's female half, which was being wielded by Cervantes. These pieces had been scattered by the Evil Seed, but they were now being called home. The sword drank them all in, and for the first time in decades, he was mostly whole again. But he still was not satisfied, and the sword continued to stretch into Nightmare. Now the Azure Knight's body, which had been formed from a lingering hatred and a tormented ghost, truly became Inferno.
Finally, drawn to the sword like a pulsating beacon, the sword's servants began to gather at Ostrheinsburg. The azure armor was no longer enough to contain the evil power, and so the power and mind of Soul Edge sank his roots into the Earth itself, and Ostrheinsburg became a cursed city, a vessel that would consume souls to further strengthen the sword. Siegfried, bonded to Soul Calibur, arrived to confront Nightmare and they fought once more. Nightmare injured Siegfried, forcing him to draw on Soul Calibur's power. Nightmare shattered Siegfried's crystal armor, but was impaled on Soul Calibur, seemingly robbing Soul Edge of its power for seventeen years.
Soulcalibur V
17 years later, Nightmare was finally destroyed by Siegfried. However, Soul Edge's minions gathered its remains, and gave Inferno a new human host that allowed Nightmare to be reborn under the name of Graf Dumas (Heavily implied to be Raphael). This incarnation of Nightmare was different from his predecessors, though, in that it wants to rule the world rather than destroy it. And this Nightmare was also a cunning strategist, which proved useful for Soul Edge, but not to Tira, her being dissatisfied with the new Nightmare's ways, and deciding to, instead, replace this host with the late Sophitia's child, Pyrrha, which she had abducted after the murder of the mother. Graf Dumas had become ruler of Hungary, and manipulated the times' events from the shadows, by using Patroklos as a pawn; having him murder innocent humans Dumas led him to believe were Malfested, in order to make an army to take over the world in his twisted image. Eventually Graf Dumas revealed himself to be Nightmare to Patroklos and Pyrrha, to the shock and dismay of the siblings. Nightmare was presumably slain by Z.W.E.I., a man whom he had previously hunted for a long time. Z.W.E.I. himself, however, was attacked and thrown off by Pyrrha in her malfested state, leaving Soul Edge at her disposal. The youth would thus come to be the new host for the cursed blade: a new warrior known as Pyrrha Ω, Tira schemed. Pyrrha then went on a rampage, yet was eventually stopped by her brother, Patroklos, who freed her from Inferno's influence.
Endings
Soul Blade
After the final battle Soul Edge plunges into the waters of Valencia Port. 400 years pass and the evil sword is seen being discovered by an unsuspecting scuba diver who then reaches for its hilt.
Soulcalibur
Soulcalibur - Inferno ending
Inferno ending in Soulcalibur
A pillar of light pierced through the clouds to herald the event. A powerful sword capable of destroying evil, as if in opposition to the surging evil.
For the demon sword seeking stronger souls to consume, he became the ultimate source of power. The Krita-Yuga was consumed by a wave of evil, and a new sword of chaos was born.
Inferno's cry of joy reverberated as if to reach the entire world. All hope was lost... and now an era of darkness is about to begin...
Weapons
Soul Blade
Inferno uses Soul Edge, his own body, as his weapon to protect himself. In Soul Blade, being in the form of dual longswords, most of his moves are reminiscent of Cervantes. In Soulcalibur (story mode NPC) and Soulcalibur II he uses the Soul Edge in the regular form wielded by Nightmare.
Inferno can be unlocked by either clearing either Arcade Mode or Time Attack Mode as the other ten characters using only their primary weapons or playing for twenty hours total.
All Weapons
When playable in Soulcalibur, Inferno randomly switches between every characters fighting style between each fight. When fought in Soulcalibur II, Inferno will switch between any of the in-game warriors fighting styles when enough of his health has been taken away.
Inferno is more or less the soul of Soul Edge, and since being wielded by many people, the memories of the warriors he defeated were crystallized within him. Inferno used the warriors' memories and incorporated them into his own style of fighting. He can also copy the fighting styles of warriors he faces. Inferno was even able to create weapons from memory and form them from his body. The anguish of defeated warriors fueled the brilliance of Inferno's disturbing crimson flames. When Inferno's weapon becomes enveloped with that flame, the world would know the meaning of true fear and despair.
By default, Inferno uses Nightmare's style and weapons though he has a couple of exclusive attacks such as Roy D'Effrayeur which causes him to float in the air curled up in a fetal position with his weapon(s) extended and begins to spin around before charging forward in this state and Roy D'Angolmois, a low spinning lunge identical to Cervantes' Iceberg Circular with the added effect of acting as a grab. If it connects, he spirals high into the air with his weapon impaled into the opponent's gut and then comes back crashing down before pulling it out. To unlock him on the Dreamcast, Edge Master must first be unlocked. The player must then purchase both of Inferno's profile pictures, both of Kilik's, and the first of Xianghua's (this will unlock Xianghua's third costume). Then the player must clear Xianghua's Arcade Mode in her third costume and score at least one perfect K.O. on Edge Master along the way. Clearing Arcade Mode this way will unlock Inferno. In contrast, all characters in the Xbox Live Arcade version, including Inferno, are playable from the start.
Longsword and Pistol Sword
In Soulcalibur V's Legendary Souls mode, when Inferno (as an alternate costume for Cervantes) is fought, he utilises The Master as his weapon.
Critical Edge
Cursed Roman Fire: Inferno (Cervantes) brandishes his pistol sword and shouts "Get ready! Now die!" and fires off a powerful blast. If timed right, it can also hit off the ground as well.
Abilities
Being the evil spirit of Soul Edge, Inferno is very powerful. Inferno can perfectly mimic and improve upon any fighting style he witnesses, as well as summon any weapon he wishes in order to accompany his fighting styles. He has the ability to transport himself and his opponent into Astral Chaos whenever he wishes. He is also capable of possession of both living and dead entities, notably when he did not have enough power to manifest himself, he took control of Cervantes' corpse in order to fight. Inferno is also capable of flight, the manipulation of reality itself and fire manipulation.
Playable in Soulcalibur II
Inferno is playable in Soulcalibur II with the use of a cheating device such as Action Replay. He retains his "Roy" moves, but their inputs have been changed to A+B+G plus Up or Down and gains a new powerful throw (Up A+G). While he operates fine in the PS2 version, he is a bit unstable in the Gamecube version. For instance, he will never properly copy who he is fighting. He will copy their style but will always use Nightmare's weapon and this extends to the Extra modes where he will simply use the corresponding weapon/model slot. The game is also likely to crash if he is copying Ivy's style due to its unique physics and structure. In Weapon Master mode, the Inferno model will not load up. Instead, it uses the selected character's model, but they will be covered in flames like normal and use their own voice set. In addition, should Inferno lose a portion of his health, the game will attempt the weapon switch, but the computer opponent will do the animation instead and Inferno will do the time out animation of whoever character he is copying and will continue to loop until the game is reset.
Inferno also uses Charade's Character Exhibition, but if attempted on other characters, their model will glitch about as body parts will elongate to the torso area until the animation finishes up where the parts assemble.
Non-playable in Soulcalibur III
Inferno is non-playable in Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition. He is the middle bosses (before Abyss and Night Terror) that can be fought in Lost Cathedral - Ruin. He is selected the same moves as the "Soul of Cervantes" for the first round, and then random moves selected in the second and third round.
Stages
Valencia Port- Chaos (SB)
A place where time and space don't exist. One can see rests of ships and ruined houses floating in the background. Only red embraces the skies.
Chaos (SC)
Chaos is a desolate land created by Inferno and filled with hellfire. According to legend, this land is made in the image of the place where the demonic blade Soul Edge shows his true self. This place is the physical manifestation of the pain and suffering caused by Soul Edge as he consumes the souls of his victims. However, those who gaze upon these lands may only recognize this as the mesmerizing, beautiful colored lights that shift and dance in the air. This is the final destination for those who pursue Soul Edge.
(Note: Known as Gap of the World in the arcade version).
Tartaros (SC II)
Also known as Hellfire, it is a deserted lava ground with an illusionary background.
Lost Cathedral - Ruin (SC III: AE)
(Note: Inferno uses this stage before Abyss appears.)
The Adrian (SCV)
Inferno (as the Legendary Souls version of Cervantes), uses this stage when fighting him in Legendary Souls.
Theme Music
Soul Blade
- "World Atlas Collapsed"
Soul Calibur Original Soundtrack - Immortal Flame (Inferno Theme)
Immortal Flame
Soulcalibur
- "Immortal Flame"
Soul Calibur II - Hellfire
Hellfire
Soulcalibur II
- "Hellfire"
Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition
- "Catastrophe" (shared with Abyss)
Soulcalibur V
- "The Storm Bringer" (Cervantes' theme; Legendary Souls)
Relationships
- Is the will of Soul Edge.
- Has influenced, manipulated, and possessed countless warriors through the ages.
- Cervantes De Leon during the events of Soul Blade
- Siegfried Schtauffen, whose fragile mind he was able to consume completely and turn into Nightmare during the events of Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II.
- "Graf Dumas", who became the third and latest Nightmare, and Pyrrha, who became Pyrrha Ω.
- He was manifested by Zasalamel and became the second incarnation of Nightmare.
- Defeated by Siegfried when he took control of Cervantes' corpse.
- Defeated by Xianghua and Kilik in Soulcalibur.
- Defeated by Siegfried in Soulcalibur II, when Siegfried fought him in Astral Chaos to regain control of his body.
- Was the new Nightmare as of Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV.
- Of course, Inferno was always Nightmare as Inferno was possessing Siegfried's body. As of the end of Soulcalibur II, Nightmare is simply no longer the Inferno-possessed body of Siegfried and is it's own entity. Though the problem was that it couldn't use it's full power and could destroy his body without a human host.
- Defeated by Siegfried at the end of Soulcalibur IV.
- Was reborn with Soul Edge 17 years later and had Graf Dumas as his new host but couldn't control him due to his strong will. Is heavily implied to be Raphael Sorel one of the malfested that Soul Edge turned into.
- Possessed Pyrrha as it's new host until breaking free from his control and sealing him away alongside Elysium.
- Is the counterpart of Elysium.