- "For better or worse, this sword is my fate..."
- — Ivy
Isabella "Ivy" Valentine (Japanese: イザベラ・バレンタイン - アイヴィー, Izabera Barentain - Aivī) is a character in the Soul series of fighting games.
She is nicknamed "The Twisting Blade Of Solitude".
What lies in her soul is Deliverance.
In Soulcalibur V's promotional material, she is referred to as The Return of a Legend. In Soucalibur: Lost Swords, she is referred to as Cursed by Her Own Blood.
Biography[]
Early life[]
The House of Valentine was once one of the most wealthy families in London. Isabella 'Ivy' Valentine had been raised with love by her parents. However, her father, Earl Valentine, was driven insane by his pursuit for what was called the "Key to Eternal Youth." By the time of his death, his efforts to search for immortality had drained his family's fortunes and left one of London's most distinguished families in ruins. As if to pursue her husband into death, the Countess fell ill and passed away soon after Earl Valentine's death. This left Ivy as the sole surviving member of the Valentine family.
In reality, Ivy was not a true Valentine by birth. The Earl and Countess found her abandoned in front of their mansion when she was an infant, and she was taken into the family as an adopted child. Ivy discovered this secret only after reading a will left behind by the Countess in her death. But this did not matter to her, for the Valentines were the only parents she knew.
Searching through her parents' possessions, Ivy found her father's diary. In it, she discovered that the "Key to Eternal Youth" her father had been pursuing was a sword called Soul Edge. He had also been obsessed with the art of alchemy. To honor her father, Ivy chose to become an alchemist and investigate Soul Edge.
During this investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword–it was an evil blade that feasted on souls. Vercci, Adams, Captain Cervantes; the more she read of the fates of those who had come into contact with Soul Edge, the more she became convinced of her suspicions.
"My father was driven mad by such a loathsome thing...this evil sword!"
Filled with rage and despair, Ivy vowed to avenge the death of her father by using all of her knowledge to destroy Soul Edge. Ivy realized she needed to create a weapon powerful enough to destroy Soul Edge. Her knowledge led her to successfully create a weapon capable of shifting back and forth from a whip to a sword. This weapon was merely mechanical though, and Ivy believed the only thing which could stand against a living weapon is another living weapon. She attempted to use alchemy and her own blood to give the sword life, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
Finding her alchemic skills useless, she turned to studying ancient sorcery. Every midnight, she would attempt summoning rituals, hoping to call upon a being who would grant her sword life. With every failed attempt, Ivy became more desperate and angry.
At last, one night, a large malformed arm emerged from her summoning circle. The arm, sensing her attachment to her weapon, proceeded to touch the whip sword. Ivy heard a soundless voice seemingly coming from the arm.
"I, Cross of the Pledge, shall confer upon thee the Point in the Escutcheon of Destruction - Dexter Purpure."
The ceremony came to an end and the mysterious being vanished. Under the moonlight, Ivy's sanity began to crack. She finally had the weapon she had sought to create; a living sword which would obey her every command. Calling her weapon the 'Ivy Blade', she set out on her journey to find and destroy Soul Edge.
Soulcalibur[]
The sword, which had a will of its own, accompanied and protected Ivy on her journey to vanquish Soul Edge. When she crossed paths with Nightmare, the one who breathed life into her sword, she agreed to assist him in the "summoning of souls." Little did she know that it was all part of the evil sword's plans. Ivy realized it was Nightmare who possessed Soul Edge. She came to this revelation only after he was defeated and the evil blade was shattered. That meant that the beloved blade she had forged to destroy Soul Edge had life thanks to the power of the evil blade. She also learned the secrets of her true lineage. Ivy's birth father once wielded Soul Edge and was manipulated by its wicked powers!
Soulcalibur II[]
Shaken by the horrifying truth that she had been collecting souls for the wielder of Soul Edge and of her own cursed lineage, Ivy returned home and locked herself away in a dark laboratory. She tried countless times to destroy Ivy Blade, which was now a symbol of her self-hatred and regret. She could not, however, bring herself to actually break the sword.
"I am the same as this sword... Yes, the blood of the evil blade flows through me. The same blood..."
Ivy Blade waited for its master's orders silently.
After months of soul searching, Ivy emerged with renewed resolve. Her goal was no longer to destroy the evil sword, but to completely wipe it out of existence. As a vow to her commitment, she renamed her sword "Valentine", a symbol of her will to continue onward as a human despite her own cursed blood. Once she acquired information about fragments of Soul Edge being scattered throughout the world, she immediately departed on her new journey.
Ivy's mission was to destroy not just the fragments of Soul Edge, but all of those who had been infected with the cursed blade's influence. All of them, even the innocent, would be granted no mercy. Ivy was determined to eliminate all traces of Soul Edge. Of course, she too would eventually have to be killed, and she believed this fate to be the ultimate end of her journey.
"Call me a monster or a demon if you must. I'll be happy to be called those names if it is the price I must pay to eliminate the existence of the evil blade!"
Soulcalibur III[]
Ivy intended to destroy every fragment of Soul Edge, anyone who carried its tainted bloodline, and anyone contaminated by its evil. Nothing would stop her from destroying the root of the evil, even if it meant killing the innocent - there would be no exceptions. The only thing that mattered was obliterating the evil sword's existence completely.
During her bloody, merciless quest, her sword began to change. It had become unstable and harder to control. Ivy decided to temporarily halt her mission and return to her mansion in order to determine the cause.
She stopped by a certain academic city in England and purchased new books, both ancient and recent, dealing with secret arts. At home, she found one particularly old book to hold much interest. In it was the most detailed information she had seen yet concerning Soul Edge and its origin. Continuing to decipher the text, she found information dealing with the spirit sword known as Soul Calibur, which was said to grant power to its wielder to stand against Soul Edge.
In a month's time, Ivy had deciphered all the information dealing with Soul Calibur the book had to offer. However, her front door suddenly opened and a dark skinned man dressed in a white robe entered her home.
"Who are you?"
"Did you read the book?" asked the stranger.
The two of them drew their weapons, her faithful snake sword and his giant scythe, and a fierce battle began. Sparks flew as each struck and deflected the other's blows. "Dammit!!" cursed Ivy as she had to use more of her mental power than usual to control her own sword. The man took advantage of her hesitation and landed a heavy blow. When Ivy had recovered, she realized she had dropped the book.
The man picked up the book. "This is a mistake from my past. The world no longer needs this..." he said as the book suddenly burst into flames. The man dropped the burning remains of the book and left as a wall of fire separated him from Ivy.
"Stop!" Ivy demanded.
"If you wish to learn everything about the cursed sword and the spirit sword, then follow the knight you know well," he said as he vanished from sight.
Despite the loss of the book, Ivy still remembered what she had read about the spirit sword. She theorized that the odd behavior concerning her own sword may have a link to Soul Calibur as well. Ivy set out on a new mission to obtain Soul Calibur for herself and use it to destroy Soul Edge once and for all.
Soulcalibur IV[]
Ivy continued to seek information about Soul Calibur for the purpose of destroying Soul Edge. Following rumors, she set forward toward the East, searching for a certain temple. This temple, now abandoned and corrupt with evil energy, was said to have once guarded a sacred weapon.
At the temple, she encountered a man tending the graves. This man, Kong, told her about Soul Calibur, also known as the Krita-Yuga. From his information, Ivy was presented with a new problem. Her own cursed blood would prevent her from being able to wield the sword or utilize it to its full potential.
Ending her current journey, she returned home to her alchemic research. If she could not wield the spirit sword, she would create a being who could. She sought to create a homunculus and animate it with an artificial soul.
Unfortunately, her father Cervantes tracked her down and invaded her house, intent on consuming his own offspring's soul. Ivy's lab was utterly destroyed by the battle between father and daughter. In the end, Ivy lost and Cervantes was able to consume most of her soul. Now at the brink of death, Ivy was forced to use the artificial soul she had created in order to survive. However, the soul was not perfected. Sooner or later, she would die.
Mixed with the remains of her old, cursed soul, Ivy hoped that her new soul was pure enough to wield Soul Calibur. After seeing that her Valentine still responded to her, she set out on what she believed to be her final journey.
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny[]
(Non-Canon)
According to Cassandra, in the Gauntlet mode, Ivy is a professor who has agreed to help Hilde's father from his ailment. In return, she demands the soul of Cervantes. Somehow, she managed to get Siegfried in his crystalized state and kept him as statue until Cassandra accidentally broke him free.
Soulcalibur V[]
Ivy had rushed to Ostrheinsburg in order to destroy Soul Edge; instead she faced her father, Cervantes. She prevailed, ruthlessly dispatching her father in their final, fateful duel. Her Valentine reclaimed not just her own lost soul, but all the souls her father had taken. But before she could move on to her true quarry, the sky tore apart.
Soul Edge, its physical form shattered, disappeared into the rift above.
Others called this victory and she triumphed, but Ivy knew better.
Having spent a lifetime studying the cursed sword's cycle of destruction and rebirth, Ivy was convinced that Soul Edge was merely biding its time in another dimension, awaiting the day it could be born again in our world. The sword itself may be beyond her reach, she reasoned, but what if she could rob it of its refuge? What if she could destroy the world beyond the rift?
At some point, Ivy was visited by two mysterious strangers, one of whom wore a mask and spoke not a word during their meeting. The unmasked figure claimed to be a supporter of her research, and informed Ivy about the nature of the chaos realm she sought after.
For over a decade Ivy researched the sword's home, a place she came to call "Astral Chaos". Her body, with the blood of the cursed sword flowing in its veins, seemed to have forgotten to age.
It was Soul Edge that had thrust this destiny upon her, and Ivy would not rest until the cursed sword was purged from all existence.
Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul[]
(Non-Canon)
When the player and Cassandra encounter Ivy in the Maze of the Dead, she mistakenly thinks that they were performing inhumane rituals and fights them. After she is defeated, the misunderstanding is cleared and she tells them that they must destroy the core of Soul Edge in order to eliminate the sword.
Profile[]
Soulcalibur[]
Ivy was raised with love in the house of the English nobles, the Valentines. However, her father Count Valentine died a madman, driven to insanity through an obsession with alchemy.
The House of Valentine was brought down by the Count's insanity. Soon after her family's fall, Ivy learned from her mother on her deathbed that she was an adopted child. Ivy, however, had no interest in her "true parents."
Ivy eventually learned about her father's search for the mystical sword Soul Edge and began to follow in his footsteps in its quest.
As Ivy learned more about Soul Edge, she discovered its true nature and swore to destroy the demonic blade. She succeeded in creating a weapon for this purpose through ancient sorcery.
To this day, she is still oblivious about her true lineage...
Chapter X: Wreathing Blade of Isolation[1]
Isabella Valentine was raised with love as the daughter of the noble English Valentine family. However, her father, Count Valentine, grew obsessed in mystery and drove the rich family into despair. The count died in madness and the famous Valentine family was ruined in a single generation.
"You are not our daughter in blood... your true parents are..." said her tender mother, as she followed her husband into death. Devastated with remorse, Isabella could care less about her "true parents".
One day, as she was collecting her parent's possessions, she discovered her father's diary. In the diary, she found that the count had become obsessed with alchemy and was investigating a sword named "Soul Edge" which was rumored to be the key to immortality. She became an alchemist to follow her father's dream and pursued the trail of Soul Edge.
Vercci an Italian death merchant... Adams an English curio dealer... Captain Cervantes the dreadful Spanish pirate... The more clues she found, the greater her suspicions grew. Once she discovered the true form of Soul Edge, which she believed was the sword of mystery, something in her mind snapped.
My father was driven mad by such a loathsome thing... this evil sword!" Despair and rage gave her a new goal in life, destroy the sword and cleanse the Valentine name.
To destroy the evil sword, she needed an even more powerful weapon. All her intellect and skill was utilized to create a weapon that could change its shape back and forth from sword to whip. However, the weapon was still just a lifeless tool that could change its shape mechanically, it could never defeat a living demonic blade. In order to use her weapon's true potential, it needed to live! But even giving it her own blood would not bring it to life.
Frantically, she tried everything she could think of. Once she found her understanding of alchemy useless, she began to explore ancient sorcery and repeated summoning rituals every midnight. But just like her father, she lost her temper and struggled with rage. One night, her desperate desire finally summoned a malformed arm into the summoning gate. Isabella stared blankly at the arm as it sensed her attachment to her beloved sword and fused itself to it. Then a voice without sound uttered, "I, Cross of the Pledge, shall confer onto thee the Point in the Escutcheon of Destruction - Dexter Purpure." The ceremony ended as the being disappeared. Under frozen moonlight, the embodiment of Isabella's sanity cracked and twisted as it desired something unholy.
Her sword was completed beyond her wildest dreams! But Isabella still remains unaware of her true parents...Revelations[]
Massacre after massacre… devoted souls seeking the truth brought down… in the hands of its host Nightmare, the evil blade's monstrous eye smiled in satisfaction.
It used Astaroth and Lizardman as its hands to recover its strength with no risk to itself or its host. Soon it would regain the power it once had. The time had come here in Ostrheinsburg Castle with so many plots racing through each mind. Nightmare's plan was to have the evil blade eat the souls of Astaroth and Lizardman as the final touch since the monsters themselves sought to deprive the sword of its power.
Despite the evil air, Ivy walked down the isle to the back gate alone. She wanted to repay Nightmare for helping her create the Ivy Blade and so she helped him in his quest for resurrection. But she has finally reached her limit. These endless massacres left too many victims just for the art of resurrection. What was the true purpose of these tragedies?
This was the question that raced in her mind that bore no answer. Moreover she loathed the vile beast that carried out the massacres like cold executioners. The bloodthirsty giant must enjoy the slaughter and Lizardman was clearly not a creature from the earth. The eyes of Lizardman bore no emotion despite its heartless acts. Moreover everyone, including Nightmare, seemed to be plotting something terrible.
I can't help anymore.
A monster stood watch at the back gate of the castle. Looking for a way out of the castle while avoiding detection Ivy choose a secret underground passage. In the dark narrow isle she felt uneasy as if the eye of Nightmare's sword was gazing upon her. Her steps quicken as she saw the light of the exit in the distance. However as she emerged from the passage on to the ramparts she saw Astaroth and his clay golem subordinates waiting for her.
"It's strange that you are using an underground passage. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Astaroth smirked.
"I will no longer hold company with brutal creatures like you. I'm leaving this castle to complete my own quest." Ivy replied.
Hearing her words Astaroth said, "You stupid bitch, the object of your quest Soul Edge has sat in front of you all this time. Why didn't you feel anything when you gazed upon the eye? Well not that I care and the time is coming so devote your soul to the blade."
Dodging a sudden attack from the giant's axe Ivy drew her ever-morphing Ivy Blade.
What did he say? That Nightmare's sword was none other than Soul Edge?
"I felt the evil aura of the blade but that is not proof enough to call it Soul Edge. Above all if it were the Soul Edge he would have never let me who wants to destroy the blade, near him. Or maybe he thought because I am a mere woman…", Ivy's thoughts raced on.
"You are a spare host I've heard"; Astaroth smirked and answered with such confidence that it seemed as if he knew everything.
A spare host? What could that mean?
Ivy was stunned for a moment with this thought and with out hesitation Astaroth seized the moment. The giant's blade was coming down on her head as she regained her mental focus. Narrowly she dodged the axe's blade but the hilt slammed her against the wall. Astaroth stood in front of a beaten Ivy and smiled. But suddenly the clay golems behind him became noisy.
"What's happening? Three… three strong souls? Good." Upon his subordinates' report Astaroth turned his back to Ivy and began to leave.
"Are you running away?! Take back the words you said!"
"I'm leaving for a more efficient hunt. Worry not, these golems will finish my work and take your soul for the blade." Astaroth replied.
The giant left and the clay golems attacked Ivy obeying his orders. A long and hard fight left a breathless Ivy standing is a pool of melted clay. Her beautiful face and body were cover in mud, and strength gone and her consciousness fading. Desperately she made her way back to the passage. She refused to believe Astaroth's words and needed to talk with Nightmare directly.
"Stop child of the evil sword," the voice of a young woman rang out from behind Ivy.
As Ivy looked back she saw an Asian woman in strange clothing standing there. Ivy wasn't aware of the woman's presence before. Ivy brandished her sword with her last bit of strength but the woman stopped her attack with a short sword drawn from her waist. The moment the blades clashed Ivy Blade wreathed on the short sword as it began to shed a dark and evil aura. Affected by the dark aura the trees surrounding them groaned in pain.
"What is happening!?"
"This sword bears a crack of Soul Edge," said the woman. "And your sword which resonates with mine is the child of the sword."
"The child of the evil sword… it may be. So your words and Astaroth's are true, this sword was completed with the power of Soul Edge. How stupid I am, me who in order to destroy Soul Edge entrusted the very power of the evil sword itself." Ivy replied as she was hit with her own uneasy suspicion.
"One more fact, the blood of the evil blade runs in your veins."
"Wha…?!"
The woman had now called not only her blade the child of the evil sword but Ivy as well. With her last remaining power Ivy attacked the woman. But the woman parried her blade easily and jumped onto the ramparts.
"Once I fought with a man who bore an aura similar to yours. That man was the previous owner of the evil sword. Now, farewell."
"Wai… wait! What do you mean? You mean that my true father is…!"
Captain Cervantes, the immortal pirate?
She never said the name but she stared at the rampart where the woman once stood. Ivy then heard a heavy noise from inside the castle. The three trespassers must have been more than Astaroth expected. Ivy drew her exhausted body toward the dark castle with a new will.
If it's true I will cut him to pieces.
Knowing she was deceived is the only power that moves her now.[2][3]
Soulcalibur II[]
Ivy's father, Count Valentine, was driven insane by his pursuit of Soul Edge. By the time of his death, the Valentines--one of London's most distinguished families--was in ruins. The Countess fell ill and passed away soon thereafter, leaving Ivy with the words that the Valentines were not her true parents.
Obeying the wishes of her adoptive father, Ivy continued the search for Soul Edge and studied alchemy. During her investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword, which was an evil blade that feasted on souls. She vowed to destroy Soul Edge to avenge her father's death. She invoked strange powers through occult rituals to summon a mysterious individual who gave life to the mechanical sword she dubbed "Ivy Blade."
When she left on a journey to search for the evil sword, Ivy crossed paths with Nightmare, the one who breathed life into the sword. She agreed to assist him in his ritual to summon souls. Little did she know that it was all part of the demonic weapon's plan.
Ivy found out the truth the day Nightmare was defeated and Soul Edge was shattered. She realized that Nightmare possessed Soul Edge, and that her birth father was manipulated by the weapon's wicked powers.
Shaken by the horrifying truth, Ivy returned home and locked herself away in a dark laboratory.
After months of soul searching, Ivy emerged with renewed resolve. Her goal was to completely wipe out the sword's existence. She renamed her weapon, which shared the same fate as herself, "Valentine."
"She is the one who hides her secrets."
-Max Ernst, La Femme 100 têtes
Count Valentine, a practitioner of alchemy, was driven insane by his pursuit for Soul Edge-also known as the "Key to Eternal Youth." By the time of his death, his efforts to search for Soul Edge drained his family's fortunes and left one of London's most distinguished families in ruins.
As if to pursue her husband into death, the Countess fell ill and passed away soon after Count Valentine's death. This left Ivy as the sole surviving member of the Valentine family.
In reality, Ivy was not a true Valentine by birth. The Count and Countess found her abandoned in front of their mansion when she was an infant, and she was taken into the family as an adopted child. Ivy discovered this secret only after reading a will left behind by the Countess in her death. But this did not matter to her, for the Valentines were the only parents she knew.
Obeying the last wishes of her adoptive father, Ivy continued the search for Soul Edge and studied alchemy. During this investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword-it was an evil blade that feasted on souls. In order to avenge the death her father, who was driven insane by the allure of Soul Edge, Ivy vowed to use all of her knowledge to destroy it. She invoked strange powers through occult rituals to summon a mysterious individual who gave life to the whip-like, mechanical sword she dubbed "Ivy Blade."
The sword, which had a will of its own, accompanied and protected Ivy on her journey to vanquish Soul Edge.
When she crossed paths with Nightmare-the one who breathed life into her sword-she agreed to assist him in the "summoning of souls." Little did she know that it was all part of the evil sword's plans.
Ivy realized it was Nightmare who possessed Soul Edge. She came to this revelation only after he was defeated and the evil blade was shattered. That meant that the beloved blade she had forged to destroy Soul Edge had life thanks to the power of the evil blade. She also learned the secrets of her true lineage.
Ivy's birth father…he once wielded Soul Edge and was manipulated by its wicked powers!
Shaken by the horrifying truth, Ivy returned home and locked herself away in a dark laboratory. She tried countless times to destroy Ivy Blade, which was now a symbol of her self-hatred and regret. She could not, however, bring herself to actually break the sword. "I am the same as this sword… Yes, the blood of the evil blade flows through me. The same blood…"
Ivy Blade waited for its master's orders silently.
After months of soul searching, Ivy emerged with renewed resolve. Her goal was no longer to destroy the evil sword, but to completely wipe it out of existence. As a vow to her commitment, she renamed her sword "Valentine." And when she acquired information about fragments of Soul Edge being scattered throughout the world, she immediately departed on her new journey.
Ivy intended to destroy every fragment of Soul Edge, anyone who carried its tainted bloodline, and anyone contaminated by its evil. Nothing would stop her from destroying the root of the evil, even if it meant killing the innocent-there would be no exceptions. The only thing that mattered was obliterating the evil sword's existence completely. "…Call me a monster, a demon if you must. I'll be happy to be called those names if it is the price I must pay to eliminate the existence of the evil blade!!"
This was the beginning of her long, arduous journey. A journey where she would ultimately have to destroy herself and all that was related to her.
Ivy's adoptive family name "Valentine" became a symbol of her will to live as a "human" even though the cursed blood of the demonic blade ran strong within her.[4]Soulcalibur III[]
Over the course of her journey to remove all traces of Soul Edge from the world, Ivy's sword began to change. She decided to return to Valentine Mansion to investigate the cause. After returning to the Valentine mansion, among the books she brought back for research she found a particular volume that contained detailed descriptions regarding the nature and origin of the cursed sword. As she deciphered the ancient text, she soon found an account of the spirit sword, Soul Calibur--a sword that restrained the power of the evil sword and lent its power to fight against it.
Just as she deciphered the text, a man with a large scythe appeared before her.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"Did you read the book?" He quietly asked.
In the silence that followed, the two of them found the answer to their respective questions. Ivy drew her sword and the white-robed man produced a gigantic scythe.
Fierce combat ensued, but Ivy had to expend more mental effort than usual to make her sword obey her will. Her moment of hesitation left a slight opening in her defense, and she stumbled from the force of a heavy blow. The man with the scythe slowly picked up the book about the swords.
"This is a mistake from my past. The world no longer needs this..." As he spoke quietly, crimson flames engulfed the book in his hand. He dropped the burning book onto the floor and turned to leave.
"If you wish to learn everything about the cursed sword and the spirit sword, then you should follow the knight you know well..."
Ivy made up her mind. She was going to find the truth. If Soul Calibur did in fact exist, she would obtain it for herself!
No coward souls is mine
-Emily Bronte
Ivy set out on her journey determined to remove all traces of Soul Edge from the world forever. There is no hope for those seduced by the cursed sword. No cure besides death. Her resolution had resulted in much spilled blood--she had sometimes struck down the innocent, but nothing swayed her determination.
Over the course of her journey, her blade began to change. Seeing it become more unstable than it had ever been, she decided to return to the Valentine mansion to investigate the cause. Once she returned to her alchemical lab, she would have access to her research equipment.
On the way back, she stopped at a certain academic city in England and bought texts and books of the secret arts, both ancient and new, gathered from around the world. After returning to the Valentine mansion and looking over them, she found one particular volume that captured her interest.
It was clearly much older than the others. It contained detailed descriptions regarding the nature and origin of the cursed sword. As far as she knew, this book contained the most detailed information ever written about the cursed sword.
Feeling her excitement grow as she deciphered the ancient text, she soon found an account of the spirit sword, Soul Calibur--a sword that restrained the power of the evil sword and lent its power to fight against it. The story was hard to believe, but the precise nature of the text did not feel like fiction.
After a month of work, she had managed to decipher every detail of the spirit sword's description, and was convinced it was real. Ivy closed her eyes and sank into deep contemplation, numerous thoughts flashing through her mind. She opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening. Slightly startled, she looked at the entrance to see a tall, dark skinned man in a white robe.
"Who are you?"
Unfazed by the sudden intruder, Ivy questioned him with a firm tone.
"Did you read the book?"
The man replied with a question, his voice quiet and cold. In the silence that followed, the two of them found the answer to their respective questions.
Ivy grabbed the book and, taking her distance, drew her weapon. From seemingly nowhere, the white-robed man had produced a gigantic scythe.
Fierce combat began at once. The man swung precise strikes with his scythe, while Ivy unleashed a storm of fury with her freely-transforming sword. Sparks flew as their blows collided and each deadly strike was deflected.
"Dammit..." Ivy clenched her teeth. She had to expend more mental effort than usual to make her sword obey her will. A moment of hesitation left a slight opening in her defense, and she stumbled from the force of a heavy blow.
She managed to regain her distance, but the book was no longer in her hand. The man with the scythe slowly picked it up.
"This is a mistake from my past. The world no longer needs this..." As he spoke, crimson flames engulfed the book in his hand. Ignoring Ivy's gasp, he dropped the burning book onto the floor and turned to leave. The flames spread with an unusual fervor, separating Ivy and the man.
"Stop!"
The man responded to her voice.
"If you wish to learn everything about the cursed sword and the spirit sword, then follow the knight you know well..." With those words, the man disappeared behind the curtain of flames.
The wall of flames surrounded Ivy. She did not fear a fire of this size, but she could not risk her alchemy lab becoming engulfed in flames. After a moment's thought, she gave up on the pursuit.
Looking out into the darkness, Ivy pondered. She had lost the book, but the information concerning the spirit sword was etched into her memory--a spirit sword possessing power equivalent to and the opposite of the cursed sword. With such power, she might be able to destroy the cursed weapon once and for all. The abnormality in her sword might also have some connection to the spirit sword.
Soulcalibur IV[]
Ivy continued to search for a way to destroy the cursed sword, and arrived at a great empire to the East where she learned of the spirit sword. However, this presented a new problem. The blood of the cursed sword that coursed through Ivy's veins would prevent her from ever wielding the spirit sword. Even if she could find it, she would not be able to use it to destroy the cursed sword.
Ivy interrupted her journey and returned to her family mansion, where she once again delved into her alchemic research. But just as she began to close in on success, her experiments were cut short by a sudden attack. Cervantes, her own cursed, inhuman father, had come to rob his own flesh-and-blood, to take his daughter's soul.
Ivy lost that deadly fight, and the man nearly consumed her soul entirely, but Ivy had one last chance. She had been searching for the means to fabricate a being that could wield the spirit sword. Ivy used the artificial soul that would have animated that being to save her own life instead, but the research had been incomplete. Death would come to her, sooner or later.
Ivy took up the snake sword that was her other half. She had lost much of the soul that connected her to the weapon, but it still responded to her. Yes, she could fight with it. And the new soul she had created, even though mixed with Ivy's own cursed soul, remained pure. Perhaps she could wield the spirit sword now?
Ivy would fulfill her oath and destroy Soul Edge. Resolutely, she set out on her last journey.
For how long could she cling to life?
This terrible uncertainty shadowed Ivy's every step. But she knew the answer to that question lay in the hands of fate, and no human mortal, no matter how wise, could answer it for her. All she could do was keep moving forward, one step at a time, and not waste a moment of whatever time she had left.
With only the few clues she had gleaned from the book that the man with the scythe had burned, Ivy set out, not just to find Soul Edge, but also to discover a way to destroy it. She had heard rumors that the answers she sought were in a great empire to the East. There could be found a temple that had been corrupted by evil and fallen into chaos, a temple that had safeguarded a certain weapon. She followed the trail of rumors until she met a man who claimed he had bad been banished from the temple and now lived there tending the graves. He told her of the spirit sword.
However, this presented a new problem. The blood of the cursed sword that coursed through Ivy's veins would prevent her from ever wielding the spirit sword. Even if she could find it, she would not be able to use it to destroy the cursed sword.
Ivy brought her journey to an end and returned to her family mansion. A brilliant scientist, she once again delved into her alchemic research. Her failures far outnumbered her successes, but at length she finally began to close in on the answer. Had she been allowed to complete her experiments, Ivy may well have achieved her goal, but it was not to be. An uninvited guest interrupted her work. It was the man whose soul was closest to her own—Cervantes, her own cursed, inhuman father. He had come to rob his own flesh-and-blood, to take his daughter's soul so that he might become more powerful.
Ivy's priceless collection of documents and tomes were torn apart, their pages scattered. The heavy laboratory table was scarred and broken, and glasses and phials lay in fragments on the floor. The walls, floor, and ceiling all bore the signs of terrible violence; nothing survived of her alchemic laboratory. And Ivy herself hovered on the brink of death.
The man had almost consumed her entire soul, but Ivy had one last chance, a desperate trump card that might save her life. As she hovered on the edge of death, she struggled to play it. She had been researching the secret of life itself, trying to find the means to fabricate a being that could wield the spirit sword. Ivy used the artificial soul that had been meant to animate it to save her own life. But, the research had been incomplete. Death would come to her, sooner or later.
Ivy took up the living snake sword that was her other half. She had lost much of the soul that connected her to the weapon, but it still responded to her. Yes, she could fight with it. And the new soul she had created, even though mixed with 1vy’s original cursed soul, remained pure. Perhaps she could wield the spirit sword after all?
Ivy had one objective. She would fulfill her oath and destroy Soul Edge. Resolutely, she set out on her last journey.[6]Soulcalibur V[]
When Ivy arrived at Ostrheinsburg, it was not Soul Edge awaiting her but rather her biological father, Cervantes. Upon emerging victorious in the fateful duel against her own father, Ivy noticed a rift in the sky above her. Based on the information she had gathered, Ivy knew this rift led to an alternate dimension where order and chaos were perpetually colliding. Her information suggested that Soul Edge had disappeared through the rift and was assumed to be destroyed.
Ivy scoffed at the notion. A simple review of Soul Edge's history was enough to reveal a noticeable pattern of "destruction" and "restoration". This alone led Ivy to surmise that Soul Edge had merely retreated through the rift in order to regain its strength. As far as Ivy was concerned, there was only one way to stop Soul Edge for good: she would have to destroy the world on the other side of that rift.
Ivy spent over a decade studying the world beyond the rift, which she named "Astral Chaos". Despite the years she devoted to her research, the cursed blood running through her veins prevented her from growing old.
Ivy continues her journey and research to this day, intent on ridding the world of the cursed blade that had infused her with this abhorrent blood and destiny.[7]
Endings[]
Soulcalibur[]
"But...It can’t be..."
Through her battles, her premonitions proved to be true.
Although evil had been destroyed, the sword would not die.'
The cursed blood that flowed through her veins was the sword’s life source.
However, she felt no hesitation in coming to terms with the truth.
"I feel as though a burden on my soul as been lifted..."
The fetters of her curse were broken and thus began a new unholy quest.
Soulcalibur II[]
Soul Calibur 2 - Ivy's Ending
Ivy's ending SCII
Her oath her destiny, Ivy killed everything that stood in her way.
At the end of her bloody, infernal journey, she destroyed the loathsome, evil blade.
Now, only she and her beloved sword possessed the cursed blood.
Forsaking others, she chose a life of solitude to wither away in obscurity, accompanied only by her sword.
Soulcalibur III[]
Ivy, sword in hand, gets ready to destroy Soul Edge. Right when she is about to attack, a ghost of herself grabs her arm from behind her and stops her from striking. The ghost then tries to force Ivy to grab Soul Edge, even though she refuses to.
Soul Calibur 3 - Ivy - Ending B
Ivy's SCIII ending B
Input Ending
Ivy breaks free of the ghost's grab, extends her sword into a whip, and with one mighty slash, she destroys both the ghost and Soul Edge simultaneously. The screen fades to white, and then shows Ivy kneeling on the ground. She spots the last remaining piece of Soul Edge, the eye, and smashes it, shouting "Bastard!".
Soul Calibur 3 - Ivy - Ending A
Ivy's SCIII ending A
No Input Ending
The ghost successfully makes Ivy grab Soul Edge. As Ivy grabs the sword, she drops her own. Ivy is then shown kneeling down, hands both on Soul Edge, weeping. "So, there's no way for me to do this?" she says.
Soulcalibur IV[]
Soul Calibur IV Ivy Ending
Ivy's ending SCIV
As a defeated Nightmare stumbles around, a bright light is seen up above. Soul Calibur then comes flying down and strikes Nightmare, killing him. As the crystals begin to encase Nightmare's body, Ivy is suddenly stricken with pain. "So, I'm the same as him." Ivy makes no effort to fight or escape as crystals start to encase her body from the feet up. Ivy says to herself, "With the blood of the evil sword in my veins and the countless atrocities I have committed, this is a fitting death." Right as the crystals are about to cover Ivy's head, her sword extends itself, wraps itself around Ivy, and saves Ivy from death. Valentine, itself, shatters into segments in the process. The light shining from Soul Calibur fades, suggesting that it has now become silent. Ivy picks up one of the fragments of her sword and asks it, "My sword, are you telling me to live? Is there still something that I can do?" Ivy then tells herself, "Whatever it is, I will find it." She then walks away.
The text-only epilogue reveals that her new soul lights the path to the future. She severed her bond with the cursed sword and has now started a new life.
Fighting Style[]
Ivy has a unique fighting style that utilizes both short and long range attacks thanks to her magical sword. She is also one of the characters that switch stances along with her sword's length whether it can be coiled, whip, or a sword state. Her speed is average and her kicks too. Her throws deal good damage but her two signature throws Summon Suffering and Calamity Symphony deal better damage. Her weaknesses are her low attacks, which can be easily guarded or evaded. Another weakness is that when Ivy switches stances, she leaves an opening for an attack from the opponent; so the best strategy to counter this weakness is that switch stances (or sword states) in a safe range and take advantage of that range since she can attack in great distances. Her two signature throws, Calamity Symphony and Summon Suffering, are regarded by the Soul Calibur community as the hardest moves to perform. Overall, Ivy is regarded as a low to high-tier character, because of the difficulty of her use. On Twitter, Daishi said Ivy's fighting style will be closer to her Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II appearances: she will have two stances, the sword and whip states.
Soulclaibur IV[]
[]
Ivy created a living weapon to destroy the cursed sword, and then set out to study the sword fighting arts so that she could unleash its full potential. But no school of warfare existed that could teach her to wield such a unique weapon. After an exhaustive search of ancient and modern texts from around the world, she at last found the answer in a document from ancient China that described fencing arts hitherto unknown in the West. She combined them with battle-whip techniques to develop her unique fighting art.
She had invented a fighting art both she and her weapon could magically transform themselves. They were a perfect match. How ironic that the blood of Soul Edge that coursed through their veins was what united them so.[6]
Soulcalibur V[]
[]
Unrelated Link is a fighting style unlike any other, developed by Ivy in order to control the living snake sword named Valentine. After fleeing to Prague to escape the turmoil within her homeland, Ivy further developed her fighting style.
There, Ivy was able to dedicate herself to her research, and eventually acquired the ability to control Valentine more directly by achieving a new level of harmony between her own blood and the evil energy flowing through Valentine.
As she got closer to truly understanding the nature of her heritage, Ivy knew she would be able to figure out the truth surrounding the alternate dimension that Soul Edge seemed to call home. Unrelated Link is the product of Ivy's solemn vow to find a way to eradicate the cursed blade's evil influence.[7]
Critical Finish[]
Grand Alchemy: 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?"
Critical Edge[]
Acasual Paradox: Ivy grabs her opponent and, as her sword shatters, parts of it stick to the opponent's body, making them levitate and fly. While in air, the sword pieces slash her opponent several times until the shards slam her opponent to the ground. At the beginning of the animation, she says "You're in need of some discipline! I'll teach you to behave!" and the animation closes with her saying, "Satisfied?".
Weapon Arts[]
Chaotic Symphony: This simply is her Calamity Symphony throw, though at the beginning there's a movement from SCII-SCIV, when her sword quickly turns into a whip and grabs the opponent, while Ivy says "Ensnare". This throw works on a relatively big distance and is performed quickly, comparing it with other Weapon Arts grabs. If it misses, probably, you will be punished. Indeed, it's hard to continue a combo with a grab, and it's impossible to start a combo after this Weapon Art as well. Even though it's quick, it doesn't turn into a combo after such moves as Insanity Light or short distance version Embrace of Guilt, whereas some other attacks do extend a combo after them. An interesting fact about this Weapon Art is that every time it's activated, Ivy's sword is in colorful sparkles, however when she sends the opponent into the air, the links of her sword are accompanied with colored flames only when the enemy is grabbed from the front or from the sides, but not from the back.
Apocalypse Crush: That's a combination of Danger Range and Arch Cage. After three attacks of Danger Range the opponent is thrown into the mid-air, Ivy immediately catches him with her Ivy Lick, which turns into Arch Cage. All in all, there are nine hits. Danger Range and Arch Cage inflict almost equal damage to the opponent. Before releasing her final Arch Cage shot Ivy says "This'll feel good!", and time slows down, as she creates a bow with an arrow enflamed at its end from her weapon's fragments. The Weapon Art has a comfortable middle range, though if the range is a little longer, it may occur, that only the first hit is delivered. Its quick start will let you avoid some of the coming vertical and high attacks, but you can be easily stopped by others. In case the first attack of Danger Range combination misses or the opponent blocks it, Ivy will still make the other two and Ivy Lick at the end. If just the second or the third Danger Range attack is landed, Arch Cage will always be performed successfully. It isn't very safe to start with, because if the opponent guards against two first middle attacks, he can just crouch under the last two, and you'll get punished. It's hard to call it quick as well, owing to the slow motion, it takes much time. Nevertheless, this Weapon Art can easily continue a combo, but when the opponent is thrown high in the air, you should activate it at exactly the right moment, otherwise some of Danger Range attacks may miss and Arch Cage won't work. This happens more frequently if the enemy has suffered from different types of stun (in a long combo). It will hit the stunned opponent on all occasions, except for the one, when he's already on the ground. The other thing happens when the third strike of Danger Range performs the last Soul Break (or the only one) of the enemy. If that occurs, the enemy won't fly up and the rest of the Weapon Art will fail (except for Ivy lick indeed). By the way, both Arch Cage and Danger Range can make the opponent hit the wall, and Ukemi can still save the opponent from Stinging Souls after Arch Cage, so one shouldn't rely on continuing a combo after it. It's curious, that in SCV Ivy could use far version of Stinging Souls to reach the enemy after Arch Cage, but now it's a medium version on most of the enemies, while others, for some reasons, end up between medium and far Stinging Souls. However, if the enemy is close to the wall or the edge of the arena, you'll be able to perform long lasting almost guaranteed combo by consecutive use of Stinging Souls and Apocalypse Crush, though it's not so easy to perform.
Released Souls: Her unblockable attack has turned into a Break Attack. If the opponent is guarding, it always causes a Guard Burst. The range of this attack is pretty short, because Ivy steps back in animation before launching the actual attack, saying "Destroy everything", so the best way to use is to interrupt the opponent's combo with it, or trigger it when you see your opponent begin the attack. It also can be turned into a combo, if you activate it, when the opponent is in the air or when he's stunned close to you, but there's no guaranteed combos after it. The attack is performed immediately after pressing the buttons, that's why it enables to catch the flying opponent or to hit between his attacks. And yet, it won't save you from long-ranged attacks of the opponent. This stroke, as before, can make the opponent hit the wall.
Crucifixion: That's another example of turning a single attack into a Weapon Art. This is a short version of her Crucifixion, as if you're not holding the buttons. Ivy steps back for a while, swinging her sword, which lets you avoid all kinds of coming attacks, including low and middle attacks, both vertical and horizontal. When Ivy launches her middle-ranged attack, time freezes for a very short period, when camera changes its angle and it makes the opponent spin in a stunned state. A peculiar thing is that there's no time freeze or change of camera's angle when the enemy's hit at a distance. If you succeeded in delivering it, you can support the attack with many sorts of combos on stunned opponent, but you'd better take action quickly, as the opponent can recover from the stun almost in no time. If the opponent guards against it, there's no chance for him to punish you. The attack itself isn't strong, and performed too slowly to continue any kinds combos with it, though it's a good combo starter and the safest Weapon Art of hers. In case you managed to landed on the opponent in the mid-air, time will freeze anyway and he'll spin rapidly, falling forwards.
Acausal Paradox: This is Ivy's Critical Edge with minor changes. At the beginning of this short-range grab she says "You're in need of some discipline!" and then adds "I'll teach you to behave!". At the end there's "Satisfied?". There are 14 hits in total. The last and most damaging strike of the Weapon Art is now performed in slow motion and the enemy on the ground is surrounded by blue transparent flame. By the way, now we can hear a loud sound of the grab, when Ivy clutches the enemy at his throat and there's colored flame added to the grab, which is most noticeable when it misses. In addition to that, it absolutely cannot be stopped, so now it is completely safe to interrupt a range of the enemy's attacks by it. And yet at the end or in the middle of some moves enemies are unavailable for high attacks. Its start is pretty slow, it still misses sometime when the enemy is turning around and the attack itself takes a lot of time, which may turn out to be a problem when you lack time. The best way to use it is to stop enemy's attacks by it when you're not in a hurry.
Gameplay[]
Soulcalibur IV[]
Tower of Lost Souls[]
Ivy made a minor appearance in the Tower of Lost Souls mode on the Ascend path, but like Yun-seong, she appears on the floor challenge "Unfailing Tower."
TOLS Ascend Mode: Unfailing Tower[]
Partners (Unfailing Tower Floor 28)
Skills On Unfailing Tower
- HP Recovery C
- Auto Grapple Break C
Descend Mode Skills
- Auto Unblockable Attack A
- Soul Gauge Rate Up A
- Nullify Ring Out A
Default Skills
- Hyper Mode
- Auto Impact A
- Appeal
Quotes[]
- I'll tear everything apart!
- Do you want more?
- Sing, my sword!
- This sword is my treasure!
- Haaa haa haa!
- This is the end for you!
- There's still more!
- Fiesty one!
- Behave!
- Dance I say, dance!
- Stay away, you filth! - spoken against Cervantes
Relationships[]
- Daughter of Cervantes de Leon, who she defeated and destroyed before the events of Soulcalibur V.
- Formerly a servant of Nightmare in Soulcalibur.
- Defeated by Astaroth in Soulcalibur.(Non-canonical.)
- Followed by Voldo during Soulcalibur.
- Defeated by Taki in Soulcalibur.
- Defeated Seong Mi-na in Soulcalibur.
- Defeated by Zasalamel before the events of Soulcalibur III and later defeated him in his Clock Tower, making him flee to the Lost Cathedral.
Soulcalibur (Chinese Manhua)[]
| Warning: The following information is considered to be non-canon. |
- In Volume 1 (Act.5), Ivy appears from her mansion. She awakens from a dream and begins to search for her father Cervantes. After she cuts her long hair, she wields her snake sword and puts on her body armor to begin her first journey at Indian Port.
- In Volume 2 (Act.8), Ivy fought Voldo until she's in danger. Lord Vercci then appears and commands Voldo to stop violating.
- In Volume 4 (Act.24), Ivy attacks Mitsurugi after he defeats Nightmare.
| Non-canon information ends here. |
References[]
- ^ "Soul Calibur -- Ivy". Soulcalibur. Namco Limited. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Soul Calibur -- Ivy (Revelations)". Soulcalibur. Namco Limited. Archived from the original on November 21, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ 呪われし血統～アイヴィーの苦悩 (in Japanese). Soul Archive. NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Soul Calibur 2 - History - Ivy". Soulcalibur. Namco Limited. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "SOULCALIBUR III". Soul Archive. NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Deats, Adam; Epstein, Joe (July 17, 2008). SOULCALIBUR IV Signature Series Fighter's Guide. BradyGames. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-7440-1006-0.
- ^ a b SoulCalibur: New Legends of Project Soul. Richmond Hill: UDON Entertainment Corp. February 2014. pp. 80-81. ISBN 978-1-926778-95-2.
| Original Timeline Main Characters |
|---|
| Aeon (Lizardman) • Algol • Amy • Astaroth (Mass Produced) • Cassandra • Cervantes • Charade • Edge Master • Hilde • Hwang • Ivy • Kilik • Leixia • Li Long • Maxi • Mitsurugi • Natsu • Olcadan • Patroklos (α Patroklos) • Pyrrha (Pyrrha Ω) • Raphael • Rock • Seong Mi-na • Setsuka • Siegfried • Sophitia • Soul Calibur (Elysium) • Soul Edge (Inferno, Nightmare, Night Terror) • Taki • Talim • Tira • Viola • Voldo • Xianghua • Xiba • Yoshimitsu • Yun-seong • Zasalamel (Abyss) • Z.W.E.I. |