Setsuka

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Setsuka (雪華　Setsuka) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. Her first and only appearance to date is in Soul Calibur III.

Contents

1 Biography
2 Weapons
3 Stages
4 Character Analysis
5 Trivia
6 Series' Appearances
7 External links

Biography

Her appearance revealed she was not a native of Japan. She had white skin, glossy black hair, a chiseled face and deep blue eyes. Those around her shunned her since young; she was looked with disdain because of her appearance. Without a family to turn to and exposed to such hate and violence, she finally ran away from her home. Young and alone, she wandered to a city where a man took her in, and named her Setsuka (Snow Flower).

Her caretaker worked as a bodyguard in the region. He taught Setsuka the technique he used to protect his patrons, and it would became the way for her to protect herself, but it was the joy she felt when he praised her that made her devote to the training. Time passed, and Setsuka grew into a beautiful woman. She learnt to ignore those who still looked her with disdain, letting nothing trouble her.

One day, her master entrusted her with a letter, whose destination was far away. It would take her many month to travel there and back. Her master saw her uneasy look, and reassured her that her home will be always there for her. Setsuka left and, after a long journey, found the man to whom the letter was addressed. The old martial artist ran a dojo in a small village, and asked Setsuka many times to stay and train there, but she refused his invitation and started her long way home.

Upon her return, she found her master lying on the floor injured. Altough he would not reveal how he received the wounds, she was certain that he lost a duel. The injuries he received would prevent him from wielding a sword ever again. But still, the man tried to behave as always, even if Setsuka couldn't hide her concern. His lessons become more strict and demanding, but he also showered her with overwhelming love, something new to her. Even if their modest lifestyle couldn't afford luxuries, he bought her an elegant long-sleeved kimono. As she blushed under the man's smile, her feelings for him grow stronger than ever.

It was not fondness as a father nor rerevence as her master. It would not be after his death that she would come to recognize those feelings as love. Visiting his grave, she recalled the words he had spoken on her deathbed..."I did not teach you this art for the purpose of revenge...One who lives by the sword harbors no regret." That fateful fight had been the most exciting moment of his life. He taught her his fighting style so she can carry on the art, as he wanted her to live freely, unbound of hate or fear. Before dying, he told her his enemy's name: Heishiro Mitsurugi.

She shed no tears when her master died. Only later she realized her feelings and finally understand what it meant to fall in love. Her master didn't wanted her to live bound to feelings of revenge, but she was decided. With undying love in her heart, she went on a lone journey with a target in mind: a wandering swordsman who challenged swordsmen throughout the land, which no one saw him after he crossed the sea several years later in search of a swordsman named Nightmare. With few clues, she decided to track down Nightmare, believing it would lead her to Mitsurugi.

Weapons

-- Ugetsu Kageuchi

A hidden iaito in an umbrella. Nothing is known about this weapon, but it is speculated to be a gift from Setsuka's master to her.

Stages

-- Jyurakudai Villa (SC3)

"The blossoms of the cherry tree already fall like snow. What more can the wind ask of them?"
--Ohshikouchi no Mitsune
This poem, recited in lament of the sight of fleeting cherry blossoms as they wilt away, comes from a bygone age of flowery aristocratic culture, when the capital city of Kyoto was once called "Heiankyo," meaning "capital of peace." Time has since passed, and the world is now one of warriors. The land is ruled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The dazzling Azuchi-Momoyama era is in full bloom. Hideyoshi built his great citadel upon the remains of the imperial palace. This villa, too, with its fusion of the extravagant style of the time with the traditional beauty of the cherry blossom, parents an imposing grandeur which invites spectators into a dream-like world. This mansion stands as a symbol of Toyotomi's power, yet it will face destruction within a mere ten years. The cherry tress, perhaps foreseeing its fate, perhaps not, continue to silently shed their petals into the wind...

Character Analysis

In Soul Calibur III, Setsuka is considered mid-tier material, but many now consider her to be mid upper or upper tier for several reasons.

The B+G throw can be glitched canceled resulting in 120-150 guaranteed combo damage total per B+G throw. It can be done by pressing 2,6, then G22, after the first stab in the throw, then she will recover into neutral stance while the enemy is still going through the animation of being thrown, allowing you to a strong combo at leisure. This is considered a glitch and may be considered cheap and disallowed in tournaments.

However, the "legit" 214 B+G throw can also result in some big damage close to 100 perhaps, by comboing into 214~3aB->2B+K. However, this may be fairly difficult to do as is all of her "umbrella" combos.

Her strengths arent limited to throws, she has some very lethal long range mids. 33B, is probably the best launcher in the game, being longer range, just as fast and even more safe than the legendary 3B of Xianghua. 33B results in some devastating guarenteed combos that although require some skill to execute, can do 80+ damage even on a normal hit. Her 214~3aB "umbrella" can be as fast as 12 frames on Just Input (even one frame faster than the feared 236B:4 from Sophie), this is the perfect punisher against blocked attacks.

Setsuka is very fast, safe, and damaging, and her staple moves have also very long range. However, her weakness is that although she has overwhelming strengths, these strengths are limited to middle attacks and her B+G throws which can become very predictable. Her low strikes are usually very short range and thus high blocking can eliminate most of her threat when outside of close range.

In the end, with these lethal tools at her disposal, she is still a justly feared opponent in the expert's hands.

Trivia

She's styled as a mix between the Queen of Hearts and on the predecessor of the Geisha, known as an Oiran. This is reflected in her overly intricate hair decorations, the extravagant color of her Kimono, the large platform sandals she wears, and the Obi tied in a bow on the front of the kimono rather than the back (although this is typically a feature of a prostitute, not a geisha). The Oiran reference is also used as the name of one of her kicks.
Setsuka fights wielding an iaito hidden in the handle of a parasol, using a style of martial arts that utilizes the speed of a sword as it is being unsheathed, Iaido. Many people confuse Iaido with the sword style of Battōjutsu, but Iaido concerns itself primarily with the drawing, cutting and re-sheathing of the sword, while battou-jutsu focuses only on cutting technique.[link] Setsuka's official profile states she uses battou-jutsu but judging by her movements in preview videos, it resembles Iaido.
Setsuka's fighting style, design, and weapon all seem to be based on the film/manga Shurayuki-Hime (Known as Lady Snowblood to English speaking audiences). In this film, the main character wandered the country side in a lavish kimono while carrying a concealed sword within her umbrella in search of revenge.
Setsuka's backstory is similar to that of Li Long (as he searches revenge on Mitsurugi for supposedly killing his lover) and Arthur (as he is also a non-japanese native raised in Japan).
Setsuka's style, "Soul of Setsuka" is available to create-a-characters of the Ninja class. Because she is taller than the average create-a-character, there are problems with either the sword or the umbrella floating outside a create-a-character's hand during victory poses when using Soul of Setsuka.
Setsuka has been taken by new players as an unfair character, since she combines strength and speed. Also, the fact the AI can seemingly defeat without too much effort any inexperienced player with her doesn't help.
Setsuka was originally meant to be blonde, as supported by her early design sketch portrayed in the in-game Gallery and in her second costume.
Setsuka's hairstyle is available as a female part for Characters Creation.
Setsuka's biography states that she has blue eyes, but they are actually an amber yellow/brown in her 1P costume.
Setsuka's ending where you do enter the code shows she found her revenge empty and that revenge dosn't make anyone happy.
Setsuka doesn't have an official nickname, but in the promotional videos of Soul Calibur III she's called "The Resolute Avenger".
Setsuka's Destined Battle in Soul Calibur III is Mitsurugi.

Series' Appearances

Soul Calibur III
[[Soul Calibur III: Arcade Edition]]

External links

[Official Project Soul website]

Soul series by Namco

Minor Characters
Other Characters | Bonus Characters

Boss Characters
Abyss | Inferno | Night Terror

Soundtracks
Soul Edge Original OST - Soul Edge KSS OST - Soul Calibur Original Soundtrack

Miscellaneous
Soul Weapons

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