Siegfried

Overview

Original Timeline

New Timeline

Nightmare

Gallery

Siegfried Schtauffen

Siegfried Schtauffen (ジークフリート・シュタウフェン, Jīkufurīto Shutaufen^?, German: Siegfried Schützen) is one of the most central characters of the Soul series and the main protagonist in most of its installments. He is a mainstay of the Soulcalibur series and one of the most iconic characters in the franchise.

Physical Appearance

In his debut, Siegfried appeared as a young German man with short blond hair and blue eyes, covered in simple knight armor. Following his redemption, Soulcalibur and beyond, he retains the armor but his hair has grown longer, past shoulder length. During Soulcalibur he gains a long scar dashing over his right eye, which he likely gained fighting against Inferno in the original Soul Edge. In Soulcalibur III, he returns with armor bearing the motif of a phoenix as well as feathers on his pauldrons. As of Soulcalibur IV, his armor remains the same, but a second layer of crystalline armor covers with a rather intricate design and wields Soul Calibur instead of Requiem. He also gains a long blue scarf as well, completing the 'knight in shining armor' visage. His weapon in Soul Edge was originally Faust, a simple zweihander with a basic design, but swapped it for Requiem, a large blade with a flat end and a black lining in the center. He continues to use this sword from Soulcalibur all the way to Soulcalibur III and resumes its use in Soulcalibur V. In Soulcalibur V, Siegfried's appearance begins to take on the traits of his father, and has grown a stubble. His hair is swept up with a couple bangs hanging down and his scar still remains. In trailers of Soulcalibur: Lost Swords he wore armor almost identical to his Soulcalibur V counterpart, albeit with blue coloring, but in-game he starts off in his underwear. His appearance changes depending on what equipment the player gives him.  In Soulcalibur VI, he is depicted in his youth once more, but wears armor identical to Nightmare's with a white color scheme and sporting a scarf, further emphasizing his polarity with his dark side's dark blue armor and tattered cape. The right side of his armor features tinges of blue, referencing the lingering remnants of Nightmare within and underneath his armor reveals bandages on his right arm which features some notable discoloration as a result of his arm recovering from drastic transformation triggered by Soul Edge. The E3 Story trailer also depicts his Soul Edge appearance, wearing similar armor and lacking the scarf. He started out the series very short, but grew as the series progressed, oddly for many years and past his mid 20's.

Personality

In Soul Edge and Soulcalibur Legends, Siegfried is somewhat cocky and arrogant, never stopping to achieve what he desires. However, after being freed from Soul Edge in Soulcalibur, he stops being selfish and strives to atone for his sins. When he becomes Nightmare again in Soulcalibur II, he is portrayed as a heartless beast. But when he becomes himself again in Soulcalibur III, he regains his desire for atonement. In Soulcalibur IV, Siegfried fears that he would get other people hurt if he lets them join him. So he isolates himself from others in order to destroy Soul Edge and repent for his sins. However in Soulcalibur V Siegfried is much calmer and relaxed, he also acts as a mentor to his comrades.

Weapons

Requiem, Siegfried's commonly used weapon throughout the series.

Main Weapons

• Faust
• Requiem
• Soul Calibur

Weapons introduced in Soul Edge

• Glam/Gram (called "Grimblade" in Western versions of Soul Edge)
• Atlas Sword
• Flamberge
• 7 Branch Blade
• Hard Steel Blade
• Claymore
• Soul Edge

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur III

• Galley Oar
• The Ancient

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur Legends

• Soul Edge α
• Soul Edge Ω

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur IV

• Great Sword
• Soul Calibur (Final Form)
• Take Off

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

• Zweihänder (called "Gram" in other languages)
• Broken Destiny
• Large Tachi (called "Great Sword" in earlier games)

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur V

• Soul Calibur (Hidden)
• Ogre
• Caladbolg
• The Master

Weapons introduced in Soulcalibur VI

• Octagonal Rod
• Clockwork

Other weapons

• Archangel's Strength

As Nightmare (in Soulcalibur II)

• Soul Edge (Male) (uses in the form of Nightmare)
• Great Blade (uses in the form of Nightmare)
• Soul Edge (Growth) (uses in the form of Nightmare)
• Soul Edge (Complete) (Nightmare) (uses in the form of Nightmare)
• Steel Paddle (uses in the form of Nightmare)

Stages

• Ostrheinsburg Castle - War (SE)
• City of Water (SC)
• Ostrheinsburg Chapel (SCII)
• Lost Cathedral (SCIII)
• Tower of Remembrance - Encounter (SCIV)
• Tower of Remembrance - Ancient Gate (SC:BD)
• Ancient Citadel: Under Siege (SCV)
• Ostrheinsburg Castle: Hall of the Chosen (SCVI)

Theme Music

Soul Edge

• "Soul and Sword" (Original)
• "Darkness of Fate" (Khan Super Session)

Soulcalibur

• "Worth Dying For"

Soulcalibur III

• "Forsaken Sanctuary"

Soulcalibur IV

• "Destiny Will Tell"

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

• "Gigantesque"

Soulcalibur V

• "'Till Fate Writes my Epitaph"

Soulcalibur VI

• "Darkest Shadow"

Etymology

Siegfried's name means "victory (=Sieg), peace and/or protection (=fried)" in German.

Series' Appearances

• Soul Edge
• Soulcalibur
• Soulcalibur (Chinese Manhua)
• Soulcalibur II (as Nightmare's 2P and bonus costume)
• Soulcalibur III
• Soulcalibur Legends
• Exciting! Soulcalibur Dojo (Cameo)
• Soulcalibur IV
• Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
• Soulcalibur Mobile
• Soulcalibur V
• Soulcalibur: Lost Swords
• Soulcalibur VI

Appearances in Other Media

Outcast Odyssey

Siegfried appears as a card in Outcast Odyssey. He appears wearing all new attire. He was a Limited time card, available until 7 September, 2015. He was a Level 5 rarity card.

Pro Baseball Famista 2011

Siegfried appears as a playable character in Pro Baseball Famista 2011 along with Mitsurugi

Trivia

General

• Similar to Ivy, Hyunckel from the popular manga Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken may as well have influenced Siegfried's design. Both are young men with long hair, have long capes, and wield a big two-handed swords, although Hyunckel's is a long sword. Both have a sentient magical sword, Hyunckel's sword sheath transforms into a demonic armor that Hyunckel wear, hiding all his body except for his eyes (and nose and little of his mouth with out his helmet locking), which transforms him to more demonic and less human version of him (as with Nightmare).
• One of Siegfried's Extra Weapons is the Glam (mistranslated as Gram), the weapon of the hero, Sigurd, from Norse mythology used to kill the dragon Fafnir. Fittingly, in Soulcalibur Legends, Siegfried fights a dragon named Fafnir. Siegfried is also the German name for Sigurd.
  • It should be noted that the "Gram" seen in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is a completely different weapon to the one seen in Soulcalibur IV; in the Japanese version of the game, its name was "Zweihänder."
• Siegfried's nickname in Soul Edge is Innocent Darkside, in Soulcalibur, it's A Soul in Purgatory, in Soulcalibur IV, it's A Glint of Conviction, and in Soulcalibur: Lost Swords is He who Fights the Past.
• Siegfried's Destined Battle in Soulcalibur is Mitsurugi or Arthur, and in Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur III his Destined Battle is Raphael. Also, in the latter game, Siegfried is the Destined Battle of Custom Characters with a 'Lightning' alignment (in Quick Play). His Destined Battle in Soulcalibur IV is Hilde.
  • Interestingly, despite being sworn enemies throughout most of the series, Nightmare and Siegfried never actually have a Destined Battle with each other.
• In his Soulcalibur III 2P costume, he has short hair, like he has in Soul Edge. The haircut seems to be layered. This hairstyle returns for his Soulcalibur IV 2P costume.
• In all the games, Siegfried seems to be left-handed, but in some cutscenes (like Soucalibur III's Intro), and especially in most Soulcalibur V media he holds his sword with the right hand. Also, while he is fighting, he switches his hands while using several attacks and stances. So it can be assumed that he is ambidextrous. In Soul Edge however, he is seen to be only left handed.
• Siegfried's fate from within the series is almost parallel to the fate of one of main World of Warcraft characters - prince Arthas Menethil: both of them wanted to get the powerful enchanted sword (Soul Edge/Frostmourne) to accomplish their revenge/desires, both of them were possessed by their weapon, both transformed into canonical Dark Knights. One notable fact between them is that Arthas murdered his own father in cold blood, on contrary of Siegfried, who murdered his father accidentally. Their personalities are different because Arthas was evil and ambitious and he allowed himself to be possessed by Frostmourne. Siegfried is good, he did not want to be possessed by Soul Edge, and seeks redemption for murdering his father and the people he killed (when he was Nightmare). Their appearances are similar to a degree, before Arthas's hair turned from blonde to white and his skin became paler.
• In both of Koei's Musou game series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, Guan Ping, Ma Chao and Shima Sakon have movesets that are similar to Siegfried's.
  • In Dynasty Warriors 5 and Warriors Orochi 3, Guan Ping's moveset is highly reminiscent of Siegfried's moveset. In both games, Ping's third charge attack is very similar to Blaze Wind.
• Siegfried bears similarities to the main protagonist of the Berserk series, Guts: both wield massive swords with similar designs, both swordsmen accidentally killed their fathers at a young age and both fell into darkness before going back on the righteous path. Also both characters warn against others joining them as it will likely spell their doom. Guts also fought Nightmare (who once possessed Siegfried) in the online fighting versus series Death Battle.
• Siegfried's first previous English voice actor, Crispin Freeman, is known for voicing Itachi Uchiha from the Naruto series, Tsume from Wolf's Rain, Alucard from Hellsing, Bruce Irvin from Tekken, and Rude from Final Fantasy VII.
• Siegfried's second previous English voice actor, Roger Craig Smith, also voices Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed, who is coincidentally a guest character in Soulcalibur V, as well as Chris Redfield from Resident Evil, Deidara from the Naruto series, Eddy Gordo from Tekken and Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Siegfried's current English voice actor, Kirk Thorton, also voices the "Veteran Knight" Create-a-Soul voice in Soulcalibur V and Soulcalibur VI and Hung in Shaolin Soccer.
• Siegfried's original Japanese voice actor, Nobuyuki Hiyama, has a history of being cast in fighting games, voicing characters in this genre such as Joe Higashi from both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series, Demitri Maximoff from the Darkstalkers series and Batsu Ichimonji from the Rival Schools series. He even voiced Link from The Legend of Zelda series in Soulcalibur II as well as in the original Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, alongside The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (as Fierce Deity Link).
• Siegfried is the only character who uses Soul Calibur but with different designs, specifically in Soulcalibur II (as Nightmare), Soulcalibur III, and Soulcalibur IV.
• Siegfried and Mitsurugi were the first two characters announced for Soulcalibur: Lost Swords. He was also one of the first four characters announced for Soulcalibur V.
• Just like Ivy, Siegfried also uses the weapon, the Seven Branched Sword, which originates from the Jin dynasty of China.
• Siegfried shares many similarities with Anakin Skywalker of the Star Wars saga. Both were proud, arrogant young men driven to evil by their lust for power. Both became consumed by an evil force and had their bodies sealed within armor, embodying their loss of original identity. Both ultimately reassert their will and redeem themselves. They even share a similar scar over their right eye. Anakin's alter-ego, Darth Vader, would even make a guest appearance in Soulcalibur IV.
• Siegfried is also very similar to Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat X. Both initially seek revenge for the death of a loved one. They eventually become unwillingly possessed by an evil force, both break free with the help of another person and seek redemption for their past sins. They restart the criminal groups they were a part of and turn them into forces of good. And they both act as mentors to the next generation of heroes.
  • Also both have an affiliation with Ice, and have a scar on their face.
• Out of all the characters, Siegfried undergoes the most height changes, his height changing in Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, and Soulcalibur V.
  • Siegfried seems to go through height growth each time he experiences character growth. He grows 8 cm when he is freed from being Nightmare, 3 cm when he wants to atone by destroying Soul Edge and 4 cm when he has done so and focuses on helping the world and not atoning. He goes through an unordinary growth period, growing from his teen years past 23. Growth spurt periods in people tend to be five years maximum. He may have also been made taller after V so that he is not only marginally taller than newcomers such as Pyrrha, Natsu and Xiba and to not be much shorter than Patroklos.
    • Coincidentally, he was 4 cm taller than both Sophitia and Cassandra Alexandra at some point. This is especially notable, because he was the same height as Sophitia for several games.
• Siegfried was designed to be a character with a small body but with a big weapon. This makes it more striking that he gained many growth spurts as the series goes, indicating that the intent was to have Siegfried grow as the series went, or the that the designers went back on this idea.
• Soul Edge seemed to propel his growth or advance his growth, because he is 165 cm in Soul Calibur, but 168 cm as Nightmare and he grows to 168 cm between 1 and 2 when he is freed from Nightmare. It is possible that the Soul Swords increase his growth, explaining his continued growth in his 20's outside of the creator's preferences. Soul Edge particularly is likely to have propelled his growth because Siegfried was a host twice.

Soul Edge

• It is possible that Siegfried got his scar on his right eye, when he was fighting against Inferno.
• Siegfried had a secret costume entitled "Siegfried!", which made him appear as an early version of Nightmare in red armor. Originally, the developers of that game had considered using the alternate costumes as separate characters, but the idea was scrapped. Ironically, Siegfried is later made the 3rd costume of Nightmare in Soulcalibur II.
• Siegfried was the shortest playable character and the shortest male character in the series at 157 cm.
• Siegfried was born from the concept of "a boy like River Phoenix who wields a great sword like Guts from Berserk".

Soulcalibur

• When the announcer says Siegfried's name, he pronounces it in the proper German tone, with the "s" sounding like a "z" and the "d" sounding like a "t". For the rest of the series, the announcer says it phonetically.

Soulcalibur II

• Nightmare's bonus costume is a combination of Siegfried's Soul Edge 1P costume and Soulcalibur 1P head design. Equipping him with either Faust or Requiem further compliments the illusion of his former identity.
• Nightmare's 2P costume represents Siegfried mid-transition into Nightmare, featuring his human form with a grotesque dragon-like arm, a golden right eye and ruined armor based off his Soulcalibur 1P design. Additionally, the Soul Edge he uses in this form is visually reminiscent of the Soul Edge wielded by Siegfried in Soul Blade.

Soulcalibur III

• The Soul of Siegfried discipline is available to characters created under the Knight class.
• In Tales of Souls, near the end of any character's path, Siegfried will face off against Nightmare, and the winner will face the player's character next. This of course excludes himself and Nightmare, as these two will battle if Siegfried or Nightmare manage to avoid being trapped in the cage. Or else, they will fight Zasalamel.
• What appears to be a body suit beneath Siegfried's armor bears a coloration discontinuity; in the opening movie and concept art, the suit is depicted to be bright green, but in all other aspects of the game, it appears to be black in color. Also, one of his concept art slides depicts him wearing a helmet shaped like an eagle's head and a suit of armor with feather designs on it, similar to the armor he currently wears.
• In the opening movie, the way Siegfried pierces Soul Edge's eye with Soul Calibur is similar to what Cassandra does in her Soulcalibur IV ending.
• In Soulcalibur III's Quick Play mode, Siegfried is Strife's sub-boss.

Soulcalibur IV

• In his 2P costume in Soulcalibur IV, he wields the same looking Soul Calibur from Soulcalibur III, except this version seems to have a darker shade of blue.
• Siegfried's ending brings ambiguity over his good intentions because it is a source of controversy over whether he simply brought peace to the world, making it a utopia; or if he crystallized everything, ending the world. Also, fans debate the exact meaning of Siegfried's line "our kind should not exist in this world. Not ever again" if he meant humanity in general, or those with connections with Soul Edge in some way or another.
• Siegfried dies in almost every ending that he appears in, including his own: he gets crystallized or killed by Nightmare. The only exception from this is Hilde's ending, where she knights him forgiven of his sins when he asks her to kill him, stating that true warriors think not of themselves but of others, also noting that he had sacrificed everything to atone for his sins.
• In his first stage of his Story Mode, Siegfried fights his father, Frederick, who is actually an illusion created by Zasalamel.
• Siegfried seems to be associated with ice, as it appears during his Critical Finish, and his introduction sequence. This is in contrast to Nightmare, who is associated with fire. This is a reference to Veigue Lungberg from Tales of Rebirth, another one of Namco's game's protagonists with ice powers who similarly use great swords and is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama in Japanese. Veigue himself wields Seigfried's Requiem when he appears as a cameo boss battle in Tales of Graces.
• In the Chain of Souls, Taki and Siegfried are linked together by a red arrow, showing that they are somewhat enemies. Talim and Siegfried are also linked together by a red arrow, implying the same thing.

Soulcalibur V

• Even though he no longer wields Soul Calibur, the sword's power fragments still exist inside him. This can be seen in his Critical Edge, which consists of crystal spikes being ejected from the ground.
• Siegfried has a bonus costume that is the same as his 1P costume in Soulcalibur IV. However, only the computer can use it and only in Legendary Souls mode and Quick Match mode.
• Siegfried is one of only three characters to show physical signs of aging from the time skip. The others are Mitsurugi and Hilde.
• Siegfried's artwork is used as a blackened silhouette in the PlayStation 3 trophy 'Footsteps of Soldiers' while the feminine counterpart resembles no character whatsoever, though it resembles Hilde's victory (and character creation) pose.
• Siegfried's alternate costume seems to be a casual outfit, Siegfried likely uses it when he is at his home or when he goes out for a hunt.
• Siegfried's Soulcalibur V render was redone and now has the lighting changed, which makes his face look different. Also, the pixels on his sword have been smoothed out visibly.

Soulcalibur VI

• Some of Siegfried's damage reaction voice clips are recycled from Nightmare's Soulcalibur V incarnation.
• Siegfried serves as the sub-boss in the Easy Arcade mode.
• Regarding the background of Siegfriend's artwork, according to the official Soulcalibur twitter: "The winged unicorn in Siegfried's background is a mirror image of the one in Nightmare's background, but its horn is broken off."