Changes: Natsu

Revision as of 12:14, 9 January 2012

"Let's get serious... Arahabaki!!"

— Natsu

Natsu (凪津 or ナツ) is a character in the Soul series of fighting games. Her first appearance was in the series' sixth installment, Soulcalibur V.

In Soulcalibur V's promotional material she is referred to as a Worthy Successor.

Appearance

Despite her Asian name and origin, Natsu has rather light, strawberry blonde hair. This is unlike other Asian characters in the series, who all have dark hair. She has a curious hairstyle consisting of multiple ponytails on the back of her head and she wears a shiny pink hairclip decorated with feathers. Natsu wears a scarlet bodysuit with long sleeves and is protected by partial armor on her arms and hips. She has a liking to glittery pink items, as even her swords' handles are pink and their scabbards are decorated with pink stones. There is a red bandage tied around her right thigh and the feather motif is repeated on the back of her greaves. She has strings of shiny pink beads attached to her waist. Natsu's outfit is bird themed, possibly falcon, which is visible in the recurring feather ornaments and the decoration of her vambraces.

History

Natsu was a member of the demon-fighting Fu-ma clan. She grew up under the harsh glares of her fellow ninja, who feared the great demon Arahabaki that was sealed within her. Some even made attempts on her life.

Thankfully, Natsu's master, Taki, protected and supported her. The young ninja came to love and respect her mentor; though she often disregarded the clan's rules, Natsu always obeyed Taki.

But now it had been several months since Taki left on a mission to the western continent, and Natsu was growing uneasy.

"Master said her journey would last no longer than two weeks..."

It was then that a girl named Leixia appeared at the gates of the Fu-Ma village. She explained she was on an "adventure" to uncover the secrets of a mysterious pendant. When Leixia learned of the demon dwelling within Natsu, not only did she show no fear, but she was actually envious of Natsu. Drawn to the girl's cheerful innocence, Natsu offered to serve as her bodyguard. After all, the trip might provide an opportunity to find her missing master as well...

And so it was the two girls began their long journey west...

Weapons

Kuzukiri & Awayuki

Stages

Fu-Ma No Sato: Mechanical Spider (SC5)

Critical Edge

Natsu will hold both of her kodachi and say "Let's get serious... Arahabaki!!", she sticks her blade to the ground and summons six giant fires that will blast the opponent in the air for an opening combo.

This giant fire is presumably Arahabaki's spirit or just a ninja spell.

Theme Music

Soulcalibur V

"Faster Than a Howling Wind"

Quotes

You don't stand a chance.
Right now?! Okay.
Man, what a... drag.
Ready?
What?
How's this?
Now what?
Oops.
Get lost!
I missed?
That's a wrap.
Let's get serious... Arahabaki!! — Spoken during her "Critical Edge".
Oh yeah.
You're so lame!
Dammit! So pathetic... — Spoken upon losing a Time Out.
What the...?! — Spoken during a "Guard Burst."
You're mine!
You're such a pain. — Taunt
Bye now.
Ah Hell?! — Spoken during a Ring Out.
Whatever!
Over here!
Quick strike!
No way!
Boring.
Not bad.
Yeah, yeah.
Want more?
No!!! — Spoken when defeated by Xiba.
How come it feels like I'm the loser? — Spoken after a victorious bout over Maxi
That's enough of that for one day!
That... didn't suck.
That wasn't bad. Not great, but hey!
Boo-hoo! Stop your pouting already!

Trivia

Arahabaki is, according to the Shin Megami Tensei Wiki: "An ancient Japanese aboriginal god since the Kohun period. The Momunofu were his servants and before his religion was submerged by the Shinto pantheon, Arahabaki was worshiped in Japan's North-Eastern regions. He was also worshiped by Nagasunehiko, an enemy of Emperor Jimmu, and so by the Emperor's orders Arahabaki became a symbol of treachery, rebellion, and heresy and his worship was forbidden for a long period afterwards. Nowadays, Arahabaki's clay figurine is especially common in inns throughout Japan." The historically worshiped demon is a recurring character in the Megami Tensei series, and is commonly a symbol for defiance.
Many people in the community compare Natsu to the main character of the popular manga and anime Naruto, due to both of them being ninjas, having blonde hair, similar personalities and wearing very bright outfits. Naruto also had a demon sealed within him, just like Natsu. She also possessess a quote ("Man... what a drag!") which is said many times by a naruto character Shikamaru Nara.
Her hairstyle might be a reference to the nine-tailed fox spirit.
Natsu is the first Asian character to have light hair in her main design. This might have been caused by the fact that her hairstyle resembles that of Ayame from Tenchu, making the characters look very similar to each other if it weren't for the drastically different color schemes. Her light haircolor has also caused speculations that Natsu is not of Japanese descent and might be a child of one of the fair-haired veterans (or even minor characters that had appeared throughout the series). The incongruence is compounded by the fact that the game is set in the early 1600's, when it would have been impossible to dye brown/black Asian hair such a light shade. It seems odder still, because Namco took care to explain that Setsuka's fair hair is a result of her being ethnically European. Additionally, during one of the livestreams from Project Soul, one of the developers suggested that she infact may not be of Japanese descent. However, it has been not yet confirmed whether or not this is the case.
Natsu's eyes are also noticeably less almond-shaped than all of the other Asian characters, even considering the fact that the characters are drawn and modeled in a stylized way. Her in game eye shape resembles more that of European characters (Cassandra, Sophitia or even Setsuka) than Taki's or Xianghua's, who are both Asian.
Natsu 's appearance is aesthically similar to the gyaru fashion trend in modern Japan; her decorated pink nails, light colored hair and flashy ornamentation are all typical of the style, including her thick, dark eyelashes and hair style.
Like Pyrrha, Tago has said that Natsu will have her own fighting style later in development of Soulcalibur V.
In her official 2D artwork, Natsu has glittery pink fake nails, but they're missing in her in-game model. She shares this discrepancy with Viola.
Natsu's name shares the character 津 with Yan Wujin, the father of Leixia and Leixin. However, they are read differently from each other, due to vast differences in Japanese and Chinese reading.
In Soulcalibur V, Natsu shares the bird theme of her outfit with Tira and Siegfried.
Natsu's voice actress is Colleen O'Shaughnessey who voices the character Ino Yamanaka from Naruto who is also a female ninja.

Etymology

Natsu (凪津) means "Calm Haven" in Japanese.

Relationships

Disciple of Taki.
Friend and bodyguard of Leixia. Travels with her, Maxi and Xiba.
A demon known as Arahabaki is sealed within her.
Raised by Chie.

Gallery

Soulcalibur V

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.

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 *''No!!! ''— Spoken'' ''when defeated by Xiba.
 *''How come it feels like I'm the loser? ''— Spoken after a victorious bout over Maxi
-*''Ugh, that's enough for one day.''
+*''That's enough of that for one day!''
 *''That... didn't suck.''
 *''That wasn't bad. Not great, but hey!''