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"Do not delude yourself, thou wretched fool!"
— Raphael

Raphael Sorel (ラファエル・ソレル Rafaeru Soreru?, French: Raphaël Sorel) is a fictional character in Namco's Soul series of fighting games. First appearing as the protagonist of Soulcalibur II, he later returned as a starting character for Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur IV, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Soulcalibur V and as an unlockable in Soulcalibur: Lost Swords. Raphael is well known for his fencing style of swordsmanship and his mocking, contemptuous persona. In Soulcalibur III he is nicknamed "Dark Lord". In Soulcalibur IV he is called "Lord Of The Night" and "Creature Of The Night" by other characters.

Appearance[]

Raphael appears as a fairly young man of French noble descent, having blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. In his first appearance, he wore an indigo jacket with black lining and red inner workings, matching gloves and black pants with red highlights. Tied around his waist is a long red sash. In Soulcalibur III, the influence of Soul Edge had changed his body to resemble something of a vampire, featuring paler skin and red coloured eyes, part of his hair swept up with another styled in a fringe that covers half his face, and a slightly more muscular build. He then wore a green jacket with a collared cape, both which feature red inner workings and gold lining with an armor plate beneath. In Soulcalibur IV, he wore a mostly black ensemble featuring a two-tailed high-collared coat with gold lining and an elaborate white frill decorating with a bat emblem on it, making him resemble Castlevania's Alucard. His eyes remained red.

As of Soulcalibur V, it appears he has not aged at all. The outfit he is wearing has a very similar silhouette to his Soulcalibur II costume with the addition of a black wide-brimmed hat. He also wears his bat ornaments upside down. The reason for this is still unknown and might never be explained, but it can be surmised the wide-brimmed hat is in reference to the Vampire Hunter D artwork done by Yoshitaka Amano. Like D, Raphael is vampiric in nature and, as of Soulcalibur V, can be assumed to be a tormented figure.

Abilities[]

Raphael is a master at fencing with his Rapier. After being corrupted and turned into a malfested, he became a vampire and as such gained numerous vampiric powers, such as drinking people's blood, and turning others into vampires that serve him. He can also somehow drain energy by touching someone on their abdomen.

Fighting Style[]

Raphael is a fencer who wields an English sword rapier. His fighting style predominantly accommodates thrusting and slashing attacks, in which he specializes. Raphael is a relatively fast character in terms of attack speed, and as an added bonus many of his thrusting attacks have an added Guard Impact effect, or allow him to dodge attacks entirely via sidestepping and ducking under his opponent's weapon.

Although these thrust attacks are Raphael's main strength, they are very linear and can be sidestepped with relative ease. Raphael's range of horizontal strikes are much less diverse, and the same could also be said for his kick attacks. However, they are thankfully fast, and are therefore able to catch someone at the start of a preemptive evade. Despite their relative quickness, they do not provide the dodging features of his thrust attacks, which leave him open to counterattacks.

Raphael has a reasonable number of low attacks in his arsenal, most of which deal moderate damage and are hard to guard on reaction. Raphael's throw attacks have a noted long-range, and are hard to avoid. Superficially, Raphael gives the impression of a very neat and technically correct swordsman in combat.

If played in the manner of a defensive player, using Guard Impact moves and dodge attacks rather than utilizing his speed, he is able to last for an extremely long time against opponents. This makes him one of the fighters, in SCIV, able to run out the clock by "blocking" attacks after the Soul Gauge runs low, which can prove nerve-racking, if not outright annoying, to other players.

Mastering Raphael's evasive maneuvers make him a good "mind game" character, bested only by fighters actually meant for the job, like Cervantes, Yoshimitsu, and Voldo.

Weapons[]

Stages[]

Theme Music[]

Soulcalibur II

  • "No Turning Back"

Soulcalibur III

  • "Endless Warfare"

Soulcalibur IV

  • "Reign of Doom"

Soulcalibur V

  • "Blood Thirst Concerto"

Trivia[]

General[]

  • Ever since Soulcalibur III, fans have assumed that Raphael has become a vampire. This supposed nature is made clear in his Critical Finish animation. He also bites characters' necks as a grapple move. On the second stage of the Yoshimitsu's Story Mode in Soulcalibur IV, the player faces Raphael and his servants, Yoshimitsu inquires at the beginning of the battle "What art thou? A spectre?". Also, during Siegfried's Destined battle against him in Soulcalibur III, he says "You are no longer human, are you?". This line is repeated by Kilik throughout his appearances. He had blue eyes in Soulcalibur II, amber in Soulcalibur III, and red in Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur V. This fact makes him and Amy the only two characters in the series who have changed eye color throughout the installments.
  • Many of Raphael's weapons are designed almost exclusively for stabbing, including his signature rapier. In spite of this, the majority of his attacks are slashes. Furthermore, his fighting stance is exactly that of a sabreur.
  • Even though many of his swords have names of actual historical weapons, almost none of these resemble their historical counterparts.
  • Raphael has the most destined battles of any character in the series.
    • In Soulcalibur II, Raphael has a Destined Battle for Nightmare and for the three guest characters: Heihachi, Link, and Spawn. He shares his own Destined Battle with Nightmare.
    • In Soulcalibur III, Raphael is the Destined Battle for five characters: Cassandra, Talim, Kilik, Siegfried and Nightmare. He shares his own Destined Battle with Talim.
  • Raphael, along with Cassandra, Heihachi and Xiaoyu (both from Tekken), is an unlockable character in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2.
  • In Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur III, he searches for Soul Edge in his quest to create a world for Amy. However, in Soulcalibur IV, he is instead searching for Soul Calibur; this is likely because of the Holy stone 's impact on his plans, and his subsequent research on the spirit sword.
  • His alternate costume for Soulcalibur III was also used as his Soulcalibur IV alternate costume but his skin is not pale.
  • During one of his throws in Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, he will bite female fighters on the neck. If his opponent is male, he will instead clench their stomach with his hand and say "Agh! Disgusting!".
  • Some of Raphael's battle skills were based on moves from the movies The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro that were performed by Antonio Banderas.
  • In regards to his fencing style, it should be noted that Raphael is a left-handed swordsman. During the timeframe of the games (Which plays with notion of Raphael's Vampiric nature without directly stating so), a left-handed swordsman was deemed an abomination.
  • Despite his cold and cruel personality, he seems to love and adore Amy with all his heart.
  • Raphael should be written Raphaël. Without the dieresis, it would be pronounced Rafél.
  • In Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur V, during the Strigoii Envelopment move, if the player presses a direction (only left or right), Raphael is able to teleport nearer to or behind his opponent, leaving them open to a hit for a few seconds.
  • Raphael is the only character introduced in Soulcalibur II that was playable in Soulcalibur V.
  • The famous left handed painter Raphael has a painting for his lover called 'bakers daughter’ strangely bakers daughter is one of Cassandra joke weapons,however it is unknown if project soul is aware of this.
  • Raphael can be customized over Lee Chaolan in Tekken 6.
  • There must have been some particular reason for Raphael to study medicine because it wasn't something prestigious for aristocratic families at the time and was considered under them, mostly for the main heir of the family, like Raphael. As he mentions to Amy during their training in SCVI (Amy story), he was enamored with the idea of promises and vows, and physicians do take an oath, the Hippocratic Oath (though Raphael doesn't seem to have kept it), but it may show an ideal that Raphael was looking for, just like making a new world, or it may just plainly be to know poisons.
  • Despite his place of birth being presented as French Empire, France was a kingdom at that time and not an empire.

Soulcalibur II[]

  • Raphael was infamous for his Triple Botta in Tempo combo (Forward + B, B, B). This combo is infamous for its ability to trap and potentially kill any unsuspecting players.
  • Despite being the main cause of the incident at the end of the game, Raphael does not seem to realize (nor seem to care) that the Azure Knight now exists as two separate individuals: Siegfried and Nightmare.
  • Some view Raphael as the protagonist since he's the one who freed Siegfried from the control of Soul Edge. It was later confirmed that he is the protagonist of Soulcalibur II. [1]

Soulcalibur III[]

  • The Soul of Raphael discipline is available to created characters of the Knight class.
  • The description for Raphael's stage mentions Vlad The Impaler. Vlad's Romanian surname can be spelled as "Dracula", although several alternative spellings exist. This may coincide with Raphael's "vampire-esque" characteristics.
  • Siegfried's Destined Battle with Raphael is malfunctioned - Raphael has no lines if he wins, despite the subtitles clearly saying "You're too weak to stop me!". Furthermore, in Nightmare's Destined Battle, Raphael does not have a "set" line if he wins, and it will just be a random victory line.

Soulcalibur Legends[]

  • The guest character Lloyd Irving, from Tales of Symphonia, uses a dual Queen's Guard as his ultimate weapon. It is the same as Raphael's from Soulcalibur II, who uses just one.

Soulcalibur IV[]

  • It appears as though all of Raphael's followers have been "turned" because they all have yellow eyes.
  • In Raphael's ending, he has two servants that he kills to make the world only for Amy and himself. The servants are Marienbard and Auguste, but in Amy's ending the followers are Marienbard and Jacqueline.
  • As of this game, Raphael has two moves which should catch the eye of any Vampire fan. The first, Vurkolak Envelopment, is no doubt a play off the Slavic Vampire known as a Voukodlaks whose spirit is tainted and corrupts the body. Afterwards, the Vampire will seek young girls out until he finds his perfect mate. The second, Strigoii Envelopment, is no doubt named after the Romanian Vampire.

Soulcalibur V[]

  • As seen in his artwork, Raphael is holding a skull ornament that was attached to Amy's pigtails in Soulcalibur IV, which suggests he is most likely looking for her in this installment. What happened to her is still unknown, which could strengthen the speculations about Viola's true identity.
  • When Raphael was revealed, it was mentioned that he had died during the events of Soulcalibur IV. How he is still around, and what this means, is currently unknown.
  • Raphael's second outfit bears a strong resemblance to Sephiroth's from Final Fantasy VII, except it is mostly colored red instead of black.
  • During his attack "Mermet de Vec", Raphael seems to be able to sense other characters' link to Soul Calibur: he dislikes the "taste" of characters related to the holy sword or purification in general (like Edge Master).
  • Some fans started to speculate that Raphael is Graf Dumas.
    • Certain helmets you place on Nightmare removes the face mask and reveals portions of the face which reveals that he has Raphael's face model. Additionally, Raphael and Nightmare are listed as being the same height, and share the same voice actors. Fans speculate that Raphael's body is Nightmare's new host. Adding to this fact is that, according to Nightmare's designer Hiroaki Kado, there is a reason behind the bat patterns in Nightmare's armor.[2] However, Raphael, does not appear in Story Mode, so it is still uncertain.
  • Raphael's 2P costume's skin color is paler than his 1P costume.

Soulcalibur: Lost Swords[]

  • He is described as "A speed demon that can quickly close the distance and attack with a plethora of different strikes".

Soulcalibur VI[]

  • In Libra of Soul, Raphael states that he is the heir to Lord Dumas's estate, further solidifying his connection to Nightmare and Graf Dumas in Soulcalibur V.
  • Regarding the background on Raphael's artwork, according to the official Soulcalibur twitter: "The background of Raphael's illustration shows the Sword and Lion, the emblem of Sorel family, and you may have noticed that a single rose is nestled in the center of the sword."[3]
  • Unlike with other characters, performing Raphael's Death Throes (SC 6BBBB) on Amy won't remove any her armour or clothing.

Etymology[]

Raphael's name is of Hebrew origin, meaning "God has healed". His concept may have been inspired by Raphael, the famous left-handed painter who has the same name.

Relationships[]

  • Foster father of Amy.
  • Unintentionally freed Siegfried from Soul Edge's control during his fight with Nightmare in Soulcalibur II.
  • Defeated by Nightmare in Soulcalibur II. He shares a Destined Battle with the Azure Knight in Soulcalibur II.
  • His plans of world domination were interfered by Kilik with the help of the Holy Stone before Soulcalibur III.
  • Stole Cassandra's Soul Edge shard in the events prior to Soulcalibur IV.
  • Shares a destined battle with Talim in Soulcalibur III.
  • Master of Auguste, Marienbard, and Jacqueline in Soulcalibur IV.
  • Does not enjoy Viola's presence in Soulcalibur V.
  • Comes into conflict with Voldo in Soulcalibur V.
  • Is implied that he and "Graf Dumas" are one and the same entity in Soulcalibur V.

Series Appearances[]

References[]

  1. ^ Takahashi, Yoshinori [@masuooyama] (November 27, 2020). "Surprisingly, he's the protagonist of SC2. He is so outstanding in both talent and madness that worthy of being a vessel for the Evil Sword." (Tweet). Retrieved April 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ SoulCalibur: New Legends of Project Soul. Richmond Hill: UDON Entertainment Corp. February 2014. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-926778-95-2.
  3. ^ @soulcalibur (November 27, 2020). "The background of Raphael's illustration shows the Sword and Lion, the emblem of Sorel family, and you may have noticed that a single rose is nestled in the center of the sword. You already know what this pretty flower symbolizes, don't you?" (Tweet). Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
Soulcalibur Playable Characters
Introduced in Soul Edge CervantesHwangInfernoLi LongMitsurugiRockSeong Han-myeongSeong Mi-naSiegfriedSophitiaTakiVoldo
Introduced in Soulcalibur ArthurAstarothEdge MasterIvyKilikLizardman (Aeon)MaxiNightmareXianghuaYoshimitsu
Introduced in Soulcalibur II AssassinBerserkerCassandraCharadeHeihachiLinkLizardman (Generic)NecridRaphaelSpawnTalimYun-seong
Introduced in Soulcalibur III AbeliaAbyssAmyAureliaChesterDemuthGirardotGreedHualinLynetteLunaMiserOlcadanRevenantSetsukaStrife AstlarTiraValeriaZasalamel
Introduced in Soulcalibur Legends Lloyd Irving
Introduced in Soulcalibur IV AlgolAngol FearThe ApprenticeAshlotteDarth VaderHildeKamikirimusiScheherazadeShuraYoda
Story only: AzolaGerhildeHelmwigeShadow
Introduced in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny DampierreKratos
Introduced in Soulcalibur V Devil JinEzio AuditoreElysiumLeixiaNatsuPatroklos (α Patroklos)Pyrrha (Pyrrha Ω)ViolaXibaZ.W.E.I.
Introduced in Soulcalibur VI 2BAzwelGeralt of RiviaGrøhHaohmaru
Soulcalibur II
Soulcalibur II (HD Online)The Art of Soulcalibur IIUnlockablesSoulcalibur II Original SoundtrackWeapon Master
Characters
AssassinAstarothBerserkerCassandraCervantesCharadeHeihachiInfernoIvyKilikLinkLizardmanMaxiMitsurugiNightmareNecridRaphaelSeong Mi-naSiegfriedSophitiaSpawnTakiTalimVoldoXianghuaYoshimitsuYun-seong
Stages
Egyptian CryptEgyptian RuinsEurydice Shrine GalleryHwangseo Palace - Phoenix CourtImperial Capital AyutthayaKaminoi Castle - Sakura-Dai GateLabyrinthLakeside ColiseumMoney Pit - Top TierOstrheinsburg ChapelPalgaea Shrine - Lowest LevelPirate's AlcoveSouth France Mansion - LibraryTartarosVillage of the WindXiwei Siege Ruins
Soulcalibur III
Soulcalibur III (Arcade Edition)UnlockablesSoulcalibur III Original Soundtrack - Legend of SoundsTales of SoulsSoul ArenaChronicles of the Sword
Characters
AbeliaAbyssAmyArthurAstarothAureliaCassandraCervantesChesterDemuthGreedGirardotHualinHwangIvyKilikLi LongLizardmanLunaLynetteMaxiMiserMitsurugiNightmareOlcadanRaphaelRevenantRockSeong Mi-naSetsukaSiegfriedSophitiaStrife AstlarTakiTalimTiraValeriaVoldoXianghuaYoshimitsuYun-seongZasalamel
Stages
Battle in the StraitChaos - Spiritual RealmClock TowerEgyptian TempleEurydice Shrine - Gate of the GodsGrand LabyrinthIndian PortJyurakudai VillaKunpaetku Shrine RuinLakeside ColiseumLing Sheng-Su Temple RuinLost CathedralLost Cathedral - RuinLotus GardenOld Toledo - Burning GalleryOstrheinsburg Castle - BattlementPalgaea Shrine - RuinsPirate RaidProving GroundsRomanian Valley - Castle SiegeSacred Mt. Fuji - Lava BedSecret Money PitSilk Road RuinUnderground Buddhist SanctumValentine MansionWater Mill Valley
Soulcalibur IV
Soulcalibur IV (Broken Destiny)Soulcalibur MobileSoulcalibur IV (DC Comics)Exciting! Soulcalibur DojoThe Art of Soulcalibur: Broken DestinySoulcalibur IV UnlockablesSoulcalibur IV Original SoundtrackSoulcalibur Broken Destiny Best Of SoundtrackCritical FinishTower of Lost SoulsQuick MatchThe Gauntlet • Trials (Trial of Attack, Trial of Defence, Endless Trial) • Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Unlockables
Characters
AlgolAmyAngol FearThe ApprenticeAshlotteAstarothCassandraCervantesDampierreDarth VaderHildeInfernoIvyKamikirimusiKilikKratosLizardmanMaxiMitsurugiNightmareRaphaelRockSeong Mi-naSetsukaScheherazadeShuraSiegfriedSophitiaTakiTalimTiraVoldoXianghuaYodaYoshimitsuYun-seongZasalamel
Stages
Challenge of the GodsDistant Marsh (Sleeping Marsh) • Egyptian Temple - Sacred Flame (Egyptian Temple - Sand Cloud) • Grand Labyrinth - Corridor of Suspended TimeHall of the Warrior GodIce Coffin of the Sleeping AncientJyurakudai Villa - Virgin Snow (Jyurakudai Villa - Twill Damask and Brocade) • Kunpaetku Shrine - Dream Remnants (Grand Shrine of Palgaea - Sea of Decay) • Ostrheinsburg Castle Throne RoomOstrheinsburg Castle - Twilight (Dark Capital Ostrheinsburg) • Phantom PavilionSailor's Rest (Sailor's Rest - Twilight) • Star Destroyer Docking BayThesmophoros' Imperial Garden (Thesmophoros' Imperial Garden - Sunset) • Tower of Remembrance - Ancient GateTower of Remembrance - DegradationTower of Remembrance - Encounter (Tower of Remembrance - Omen) • Tower of Remembrance - Spiral of TimeVoiceless Volpe BridgeWolfkrone Monument
Soulcalibur V
Soulcalibur VUnlockablesThe Art of Soulcalibur VNew Legends of Project SoulThe Making of Soulcalibur VSoulcalibur V Original SoundtrackStory ~1607 A.D.~
Characters
AeonAlgolAstarothCervantesDampierreEdge MasterElysiumEzio AuditoreHildeIvyKilikLeixiaMaxiMitsurugiNatsuNightmarePatroklos (α Patroklos)Pyrrha (Pyrrha Ω)RaphaelSiegfriedTiraViolaVoldoXibaYoshimitsuZ.W.E.I.
Stages
Ancient Citadel: PeacetimeAncient Citadel: Under SiegeAstral ChaosAstral Chaos: PathwayCavern of Light and DarknessConqueror's ColiseumConqueror's Coliseum: Underground FightDenevér Castle: AssaultDenevér Castle: Eye of ChaosFree Imperial City: Old QuarterFree Imperial City CenterFu-Ma No Sato: Mechanical SpiderHouse of Valentine's Prague ResidenceLast Rites on the BattlefieldLuoyang: Grand Festival of Guandi TempleMt. Fuji the Holy: Hidden DragonPenitentiary of DestinyShrine of the Snake God PalgeaSinking Merchant ShipThe AdrianTorture ChamberTower of Glory: Most Holy DichotomyTower of Glory: Spiral of Good and EvilTranquil Wasteland Unknown ForestUnknown Forest: Dark NightUtopia of the Blessed
Soulcalibur VI
Soulcalibur VISoul ChronicleLibra of SoulThe Art of Soulcalibur VISoulcalibur VI Original Soundtrack
Characters
2BAmyAstarothAzwelCassandraCervantesGeraltGrøhHaohmaruHildeHwangInfernoIvyKilikMaxiMitsurugiNightmareRaphaelSeong Mi-naSetsukaSiegfriedSophitiaTakiTalimTiraVoldoXianghuaYoshimitsuZasalamel
Stages
Astral Chaos: Tide of the DamnedCity Ruins: Eternal ApocalypseCursed Moonlit WoodsFaraway MeadowGairyu IsleGrand Labyrinth - Sealed CorridorIndian Port: Impending StormKunpaetku Temple: Serpentine BanquetMaster Swordman's Cave: Azure HorizonMaster Swordman's Cave: Wicked DepthsMotien Pass RuinsMurakumo Shrine GroundsOstrheinsburg Castle: Hall of the ChosenReplica Kaer MorhenShrine of Eurydice: Cloud SanctuarySilver Wolves' HavenSnow-Capped ShowdownSunken Desert RuinsWindswept Plains
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