Nightmare (ナイトメア, Naitomea) is the main antagonist of the Soul series.
The first character to act as Soul Edge's host and become the Azure Knight, was Siegfried.
Wearing red armor, he first appears as Siegfried's extra costume in Soul Edge under the name Siegfried!.
History[]
Soul Blade[]
Nightmare, known as Siegfried! in Soul Edge (Soul Blade).
Prior to Nightmare's full debut in Soulcalibur, an extra character named Siegfried! was added as an unlockable character in the home version of Soul Edge. Siegfried! was an alternate version of normal Siegfried taken from his no-input ending, in which he is consumed by Soul Edge. This early version was very different from the current Nightmare, having crimson-red armor and a more flesh-like design with the mutated "Nightmare Arm" being less pronounced and being the left one instead of the right one. He has no story nor ending, and only uses Siegfried's Soul Edge without effects.
Soulcalibur[]
In Soulcalibur, the concept was expanded and turned into an official character, though with changes to the design. His red armour was changed to a dark blue armor and its design turned more metallic instead of fleshy. This was also the first appearance of the Nightmare Arm. Siegfried's body was slowly being mutated by the sword's terrible power, causing his right arm to morph into a hideous claw. Despite the Nightmare Arm only having three large fingers, it didn't seem to hinder his combat abilities at all. He now wields his own version of Soul Edge, sporting a single eye on its blade, something that would become the trademark of the various versions of the weapon, and the creations made from it, such as Charade.
Nightmare was a starting character whose style resembled Siegfried's former moveset. Siegfried was later added to the cast as a time-release character and inherited the same style with minor changes. Nightmare's profile on the game explained how Siegfried obtained Soul Edge after a fierce fight against its former owner, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon and the fiery demon that spawned within it afterward, Inferno. After that, the sword spoke to him, promising the resurrection of his dead father if he helped it gather souls. Unaware that it was a trick to restore the sword's power, Siegfried agreed and started a killing spree which eventually made him weak to Soul Edge's will. Nightmare was born soon after.
Soulcalibur II[]
Nightmare's incarnation in Soulcalibur II remains mostly the same, with minor upgrades to his fighting style, mainly on his stance. As his and other character's profiles explain, he formed a group "Schwarzstrom" with Astaroth, Isabella "Ivy" Valentine and Aeon Calcos (the Lizardman) in an attempt to speed the gathering of souls and restoration of the sword's power. But during the ritual to restore Soul Edge, Ostrheinsburg Castle was assaulted by Kilik, Maxi, and Chai Xianghua. With his allies either defeated or missing, Nightmare confronted Kilik and Xianghua and was ultimately defeated, later falling into the collapsing void where they fought. After waking up, Siegfried, apparently free, regained his senses and tried to distance himself from the world to atone for the sins he committed as Nightmare. However, the sword slowly regained control over the young man and eventually Nightmare resurfaced to start another massacre on Europe. In this game, Nightmare is a starting character, while Siegfried turned into a third costume option for him. In his second costume option, it can be seen that most of the right side of Siegfried's chest has been corrupted in a similar manner to his arm, and his right eye has changed to a golden color.
Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul[]
- Note: Non-Canon material starts here
Nightmare is found by the player and Cassandra at Ostrheinsburg Castle. Sensing the fragments of Soul Edge within the player, he fights him/her for them. But he is defeated and turned back into Siegfried. Meanwhile, the player continues the journey with Cassandra to find more fragments, as he/she feels that there are still fragments of Soul Edge scattered throughout the world.
- Note: Non-Canon material ends here
Profile[]
Soulcalibur[]
No one knows when the knight in azure armor first appeared in Europe.
It was said that those who saw this knight's crimson eyes could not escape death.
The grotesquely shaped sword in his hand appeared as if enraptured when bathed in the blood of the living. And then there were the grotesque monsters that followed him...
Seasoned knights and armies equipped with the latest firearms were no match for it, as the nightmarish horde cut a path of destruction and horror through towns and villages.
Chapter IX: Azure Nightmare[8]
No one knew where the rumor came from.
The blue knight, with the mysterious crimson eyes, bore the huge sword in its malformed right hand. No one who saw the crimson eyes of the knight, from strong fighters to shrieking women, from innocent babies to tiny worms, could escape its blade as it devoured their souls. The single eye of the huge sword looked like it was smiling in enrapturement, as it tasted the blood of living things. Only the creatures of darkness that served its cold blade were exempt from its fevered hunger for new souls.
"Rumor, it's only a rumor." "Damn rumors all..."
Three years after the Spanish village saw the column of light, a small German village was in for a night of death as a knight with crimson eyes stood atop a cliff with the full moon to his back. It swallowed towns and villages in its path to the Black Woods. It was as if Captain Cervantes returned, but with a dreadfulness and evil far surpassing the original!
"We are coming, father…"Soulcalibur II[]
Originally, he was the leader of a group of brigands known as the Schwarzwind (Black Wind), whose stronghold was located near the Roman Empire. He left on a journey to find Soul Edge after his father was murdered.
Eventually, on a Spanish harbor he came across a sword emanating a strange aura lying besides the corpse of a pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, he reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.
It was then that he heard the voice of Soul Edge. It told him that if he used the souls absorbed by the sword, he would be able to resurrect his father. From that moment on, the man became Nightmare, the evil knight who would go on to strike fear into every corner of Europe.
He killed for three years thereafter to feed his sword with souls. But his dream was crushed when a warrior wielding a spirit sword called Soul Calibur--a sword with polar opposite energy of Soul Edge--appeared. Nightmare and Soul Edge were defeated, and they both fell into the collapsing void.
He somehow managed to survive and regained some of his sanity. Along with lucidity came the horrifying memories of the sins he had committed, as well as the realization that it was he who had murdered his father.
He knew Soul Edge must never fall into the hands of another man. He set off to be as far as possible from other humans, yet he awoke every morning to the sight of people he had slain during the night. The evil blade took over his body while he slept.
After four years, he was once again Nightmare, his body taken over by Soul Edge completely. He began to pursue the fragments of Soul Edge in a mission to fully restore itself.
Will there ever be a day when he will be Siegfried Schtauffen once more?
"What a chimera, then, is man! What a novelty! What a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy!" -Blaise Pascal, Pensées
At one time, Nightmare committed countless cold-blooded murders while under the control of Soul Edge. All who knew of him feared his crimson gaze and his strange, one-eyed, giant blade.
Originally, he was the leader of a group of brigands known as the Black Wind, whose stronghold was located in the Black Forest near the Roman Empire. It was news of his father's death that drove him from his marauding lifestyle, resolving to find his father's killer.
Hearing word of a sword known as Soul Edge, he became convinced that he could slay his father's murderer if he found this ultimate weapon. He searched through the battlegrounds in every region he traveled. Eventually, he came across a sword in a Spanish harbor that emitted a strange aura beside the corpse of its owner, who appeared to be a pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, he reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.
It was then that he heard the voice of Soul Edge, the sword that feeds on souls.
It told him that if he used the souls absorbed by the sword, he would be able to resurrect his father. Accepting his new goal, the man's body began to surge with the evil energy of the sword. The energy became a beautiful pillar of light that pierced the evening sky and dissipated into the atmosphere.
From that moment on, the man became Nightmare, the evil knight who would strike fear into every corner of Europe.
Having determined that the power Soul Edge had at that moment was insufficient to revive his father, Nightmare attacked village after village to nourish the blade. Not satisfied, he sought out those with strong souls to feed the evil sword.
The killings ended three years later, when Nightmare came across three sacrifices for his blade. One of them wielded a spirit sword called Soul Calibur, which possessed an aura that was the polar opposite of the evil power emitted by Soul Edge. The battle between the swordsmen took place in a vortex of hellfire and evil energy summoned by Soul Edge. After a raging battle, the evil sword shattered, and both Nightmare and Soul Edge fell into the collapsing void.
With Soul Edge severely weakened, Nightmare regained some of his humanity. Along with lucidity came the horrifying memories of the sins he committed, as well as the fear and anger of those who were slaughtered by him. Moreover, he realized that he had been the one who murdered his father.
Expelled from the void into an unfamiliar place, Nightmare disappeared into the night-the evil sword still in his grip. But Soul Edge was weaker now, and splinters of itself were left in Nightmare's footsteps.
He knew Soul Edge must never fall into the hands of another man. He set off to go as far away as possible from human settlements.
Yet each morning, he awakened to the sight of people slain by him during the night. While he slept, Soul Edge took over his mind and flesh, and he was burdened by this new guilt. Nevertheless, he did not choose to take his own life and end things easily. He knew that if he died, the sword would only find a new host to continue its evil ways. The only solution was to find a place where the evil could be imprisoned forever.
Initially, the balance of power between him and the sword were equal. But as time wore on, his control over his body became irregular, and the sword held sway over him for slightly longer periods of time.
The number of those who fell victim to the blade continued to grow. The sword healed itself gradually by feeding off the victims' souls. After four years, the sword had nearly recovered to full strength.
The fragments of itself lost during its escape...The evil energy dispersed as the Evil Seed…Soul Edge's shattered companion blade…the other Soul Edge...
With dominant control over its host body, Soul Edge, once again in the form of "Nightmare," began to pursue the fragments of itself that it had lost. It was on a quest to restore itself completely!
But at the same time, he continued to fight the evil sword's plans with the little sanity left within him. [9]Endings[]
Soulcalibur[]
The time had come. With countless souls stolen from brave warriors the demon blade transformed into an apparition of his father.
“Siegfried, my son…”
“Father…”
“Pierce me with the sword.”
“Wha…!?”
“I am nothing more than an illusion. Look for the truth within yourself.”
Kneeling in front of his father’s grave he murmured.
“Can there be a chance for redemption, after what I have done?”
With that he left, carrying the heavy burden of atonement on his back and holding his father’s will in his soul.
The time had come...With countless souls stolen from brave warriors, the evil sword now transformed into an apparition of his father.
"Siegfried, my dear son..."
"F..Father..."
"Pierce me with this sword."
"What?!"
"I am nothing more than an illusion. Reflect back upon your sins and repent."
Standing before his father’s grave, he whispered to himself, "Is redemption possible?"
And so he embarked upon a journey with atonement as his cross to bear, embracing within his heart the last wishes of his father.
Soulcalibur II[]
Soul Calibur 2 - Nightmare's Ending
Soulcalibur II Nightmare's Ending
"Resist the evil presence!" the dormant soul within him awakened.
Sanity regained, he took his sword in hand and vowed to never sleep again as he wandered the lands.
Eventually, he came upon a crevasse that ran deep into the earth and cast the sword into its dark abyss.
He then destroyed the path leading to the chasm and became its guardian for eternity....
Weapons[]
- Soul Edge (Soul Edge/Soul Blade)
- Soul Edge (Male) (Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II)
Stages[]
- Ostrheinsburg Castle (SC)
- Ostrheinsburg Chapel (SC2)
- Ostrheinsburg Castle: Hall of the Chosen (SCVI)
Theme Music[]
- "In The Name of Father"
- "Raise Thy Sword"
Quotes[]
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| もう引き返せないんだよ | There’s no turning back now! |
| 血よ…闇よ…我の元に！ | Blood...Darkness...Come unto me! |
| 俺は…心を取り戻す！ | I shall reclaim my soul! |
| 剣よ…力を我に！ | My sword, give me strength! |
| 魂よ…集え！ | Souls, come unto me! |
| まだ足りめというのか？ | You ask for more?! |
| うおわりゃ！ | Waaaryah! |
| くらえぇい！ | Take this! |
| ここまでだ！ | I’m through with you! |
| もっとだ！ | More! |
| More souls! |
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Voices | English Voices | |
| 魂を、ささげよ！ | Offer your soul! | |
| うえいぃぃ、恐怖を味わえ！ | Taste fear! | Annihilate! |
| 剣よ…、力を我に！ | Sword, give me strength! | |
| 悪夢を見せてやる | I will show you a nightmare. | I will show you the greatest nightmare. |
| 死に急ぐのか！ | Do you want to die that badly? | Massacre! |
| もう…、引き返せないんだよ | There's no turning back. | |
| 皆殺しだっ！ | Massacre! | Bloodbath! |
| 魂こそ、我が力！ | Souls are my strength! | Souls, give me strength! |
| 魂よ…、集え！ | Souls, come unto me! | |
| 渇く…、渇くぞ！ | I thirst! | My thirst is endless! |
| 最高の悪夢を見せてやる | I will show you the greatest nightmare. | |
| 血よ…、闇よ…、我の元に！ | Blood, darkness, come unto me! | |
| まだ…、足りぬというのか | I still need more souls. | More, need more souls! |
| 早く…、次をよこせ | Hurry, give me the next soul! | |
| 何故だ？ うがぁぁぁぁ！ | Why?! | — |
| うぅ…、うがぁぁぁぁ！ | (Battle Cry 1) | (Anguish 1) |
| うぅ…、ギギギギギイイ | (Battle Cry 2) | (Anguish 2) |
| うがぁぁぁぁ！えぇっ、ここまでだ！ | (Battle Cry 3) | This is it! |
| ああぁぁぁぁっ！これで…、終わりだっ！ | This is the end! | |
| ふっはははははは、いって来い！ | Go! | Go away! |
| 剣よ…、力を我に！しゃぁ！ | Sword, give me strength! | — |
| 復活まであとわずか…、しゃぁ！ | Soon, I will be revived! | I'll be restored soon. |
| 魂をささげよ！しゃぁ！ | Offer your soul! | — |
| ざけんな⁉ | You gotta be kidding?! | Fool! |
| 何故だ⁉ | Why?! | Not yet! |
| そんな⁉ | How?! | |
| この日を待っていた、長かったぞ | I've been waiting for this day for too long! | |
| お前の狂気を見せてみろ！ | Your insanity...show it to me! | You conceited, wretched human! |
| これでいい | Yes, this is it! | Yes, this is it.... |
| くだらんやつだ、しねい！ | Die! You pathetic soul! | You're pathetic!...Go away! |
| …っは！ | (Attack 1) | |
| ふっ！ | (Attack 2) | |
| たぁ！ | (Attack 3) | |
| おらぁ！ | (Attack 4) | |
| かぁっ | (Attack 5) | |
| とりゃ！ | (Attack 6) | |
| えぇっ | (Attack 7) | |
| っせぃ | (Attack 8) | |
| てぃやっ | (Attack 9) | |
| ふうっ | (Attack 10) | |
| ていやぁ | (Attack 11) | |
| このー | (Attack 12) | |
| しゃぁ！ | (Attack 13) | |
| っえいぃぃ | (Attack 14) | |
| てやぁー | (Attack 15) | |
| ひよぉ！ | (Attack 16) | |
| ほぉー | (Attack 17) | |
| それぇぃ | (Attack 18) | |
| うおわりゃ | (Attack 19) | |
| っは！ | (Attack 20) | |
| いやぁぁぁぁっ！ | (Attack 21) | |
| はあぁぁぁぁっ！ | (Attack 22) | |
| てやぁぁぁぁっ | (Attack 23) | |
| ああぁぁぁぁっ！ | (Attack 24) | |
| これで… | This is... | |
| 終わりだっ！ | ...the end! | |
| おとなしく… | Stay... | — |
| 寝てろっ！ | ...down! | — |
| これで… | How's... | — |
| どうだ | ...this! | — |
| 受けて | Take... | — |
| みろ！ | ...this! | — |
| 魂よ… | Souls... | Souls! |
| 集え！ | ...come unto me! | Come unto me! |
| 邪魔だ！ | Get out of my way! | Shatter! |
| もらった！ | You're mine! | Got you! |
| もっとだ！ | There's more! | More! |
| とどめだ！ | This is the end! | Begone! |
| おらおらおらっ | Come on, come on, come on! | (Attack 25) |
| いって来い！ | Go away! | |
| しねい！ | Die! | |
| どうした！ | What's the matter?! | Suffer! |
| ここまでだ！ | This is it! | |
| 諦めろ！ | Give it up! | — |
| うぉあ | (Damage 1) | |
| んうっ | (Damage 2) | |
| おっ | (Damage 3) | |
| おわっ | (Damage 4) | |
| ぐっ！ | (Damage 5) | |
| んんっ！ | (Damage 6) | |
| があーっ | (Damage 7) | |
| のわああ！ | (Damage 8) | |
| ごはあ！ | (Damage 9) | |
| ぐおお！ | (Damage 10) | |
| ぐはあ！ | (Damage 11) | |
| ぎえっ！ | (Damage 12) | |
| ぐはあ！ | (Damage 13) | |
| ぬわああ | (Death Cry) | |
| — | — | The end! |
Relationships[]
- Master of Ivy, Astaroth and Lizardman in Soulcalibur.
- Master of Charade in Soulcalibur II.
- Defeated by Xianghua and Kilik in Soulcalibur.
- Fought and nearly killed Raphael in Soulcalibur II.
Nightmare's servants[]
Former servants:[]
- Astaroth (during Soulcalibur).
- Ivy (during the events of Soulcalibur only).
- Lizardman (during the events of Soulcalibur only).
Soulcalibur (Chinese Manhua)[]
The Soulcalibur manhua is non-canon.
- In Volume 1 (Act.4), Nightmare begins his rise upon his army of darkness (armies of Lizardmen and Astaroth) during the darkness ritual.
- In Volume 4 (Act.24), Nightmare was defeated by Mitsurugi. After Mitsurugi was away, Nightmare was still alive and revived into half of Siegfried's body (just like the 2nd outfit from Soulcalibur II).
- In Volume 5 (Act.30), Nightmare was completely recovered from the Darkness Ritual. His appearance is now based off his 2nd outfit from Soulcalibur.
Series' Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Whereas Nightmare's right arm is mutated, Siegfried!'s left arm is mutated. Interestingly, this makes more sense as Nightmare/Siegfried! holds Soul Edge primarily with his left hand.
- An illustration in Siegfried's Arcade ending/Edge Master Mode ending depicts Siegfried! wielding Cervantes' Soul Edge swords rather than his own version of the male sword seen in the PlayStation port's Arcade mode version of the same ending. This is likely because the design for the zweihänder form of Soul Edge was not yet made until it was needed for the PlayStation port.
Notes[]
- ^ Although the in-game name simply refers to it as just "Soul Edge", the relationship chart shown on the Soul Archive site clarifies that it is "Soul Edge (Male)".
- ^ Although not explicitly stated to be Soul Edge (Male), it uses the exact same design as it.
- ^ The Japanese text makes it clear that the "his" refers to Soul Edge. 「ソウルエッジの記憶」
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Character Profiles, Soulcalibur.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "蒼き悪夢 ～ナイトメア～" (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Experience Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Dreamcast/ソウルキャリバー・蒼き悪夢～ナイトメア" (in Japanese). Namco Ltd. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "ナイトメア" (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Experience Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Character Profiles, Soulcalibur II.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Portrait, Soulcalibur VI.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nightmare" (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ "Soul Calibur -- Nightmare". Soulcalibur. Namco Limited. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Soul Calibur 2 - History - Nightmare". Soulcalibur. Namco Limited. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved on January 12, 2024.
| 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. |