Taki (Soulcalibur)

Taki (Soulcalibur)
, known as the , is a fictional character in the Soulcalibur series of historical fantasy fighting games by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Taki is a Japanese demon-hunting kunoichi and the greatest warrior of the Fu-Ma ninja clan, who is traveling the world on a quest to destroy the powerful swords known as Soul Edge and Soul Calibur.
Taki has been introduced in the original arcade version of Soul Edge in 1995 as one of the main characters along with her friend Sophitia. Taki has been featured as a player character in every main entry in the series up until 2012's Soulcalibur V, when her place was taken by her own young disciple named Natsu, but returned in 2018's Soulcalibur VI. She has further appeared in all of Soulcalibur spin-off games, as well as in some other titles such as Namco × Capcom and Queen's Gate.
She has been voiced in Japanese by Fujiko Takimoto until Soulcalibur III, and then by Sachiko Kojima in later games, while her English voice actors included Desirée Goyette. In terms of gameplay, Taki is most capable at close quarters fighting where her speed, acrobatic agility and powerful kicks are the most effective.
Taki has achieved a significant popularity among the fans of the series, especially in the West. She has received mostly positive feedback, often having been for noted her iconic status in the Soul series and regarded as one of the best female ninja characters in video games as well as one of sex symbols of the fighting genre and gaming in general, sometimes being compared in these aspects to the likes of Mai Shiranui and the ninja women from Mortal Kombat.
Appearances
Soul games
In her backstory, Taki has been raised by the Fu-Ma, a Sengoku-era mystic ninja clan based in a hidden village in Ōmi Province and connected to the Buddhist monk Tenkai, having had been adopted by them after her parents and brother died from disease. As a prodigy member of the Fu-Ma, specializing in forging anti-demon equipment and in combating harmful yōkai spirits, Taki became a very serious and stern fighter, regarded as most skilled in the entire clan, as well as an accomplished spy and blacksmith, known for not showing her personal feelings, carrying out her mission cool-headed, and being capable of making ruthless decisions. She eventually tasks herself with destroying both the cursed Soul Edge and the blessed Soul Calibur, and is not going to show mercy to anyone representing an obstacle.
Taki debuted as one of the eight original characters in Soul Edge (1995), set in the year 1584. In it, the 22-year-old Taki has dedicated herself to fighting supernatural evil and began travelling Japan to purge with her sealing magic. When her self-made magical blade Rekkimaru has been weakened by the legendary mighty evil sword known as Soul Edge, she decides to travel west to find and destroy it. The prologue of Soulcalibur (1998) tells of how at the end of Soul Edge she has confronted and defeated the game's main villain and Soul Edge's wielder, Cervantes de Leon, and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. During that fight, Taki also saved the wounded Greek female warrior Sophitia Alexandra, who became her friend. Taki tried to merge the Soul Edge fragment with Rekkimaru without success, but when she fuses it with her other sword, Mekkimaru, she creates a new evil weapon that she seeks to pit against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would then destroy each other. However, Fu-Ma's former leader, Hachibei, steals Mekkimaru and flees, becoming a fugitive nukenin (runaway ninja). Taki's old master and adoptive father, Toki orders her to hunt down and kill Hachibei and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of Taki, and bring back the blade. Taki locates Hachibei, but, learning about Toki's obsession with the blade, she gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces to pursue Chie's lover Li Long as a decoy. When Geki, Toki's right-hand man, discovers her deception, Taki becomes a nukenin outcast herself, carrying Mekkimaru and evading pursuers. Soulcalibur Legends (2007), which retells the events that take between Soul Edge and Soulcalibur, pits Taki, searching for the scattered shards of the Soul Edge, against Geki and his female partner Maki, both of whom eventually transformed into monsters by Soul Edge's power.
Taki returns in the next sequel, Soulcalibur II (2002), set seven years after the events of Soul Edge. After hearing about the destruction of Soul Edge, she works to tame Mekkimaru, but discovers that Toki has obtained more Soul Edge fragments and decides to keep them away from him. In Soulcalibur III (2005), Taki comes back to Japan and learns that Toki's madness resulted in an internal conflict within the Fu-Ma. Contacting Chie's rebellious faction, Taki faces the corrupted Toki as he absorbs the oni spirits sealed within the Hoko temple. She slays him and Chie becomes the new Fu-Ma leader, but the evil spirits that dwelled within Toki escape and travel west. Knowing they are seeking Soul Edge, and that its power has weakened, Taki begins a new journey to find and finally extinguish the evil sword. In Soulcalibur IV (2008), witnessing a cataclysm caused by a duel between Siegfried armed with Soul Calibur and Soul Edge-wielding Nightmare motivates her to destroy both of the Soul swords.
Formerly, it has been announced that Taki would return in the sixth main installment, Soulcalibur V (2012) set 17 years after the events of the previous game, wherein she was supposed to appear alongside her young, female disciple named Natsu. However, Taki herself did not appear in the game in person. Soon after the events of Soulcalibur IV, she has sealed the demon Arahabaki inside Natsu, an orphan baby adopted by Chie, following Taki's slaying of his previous human host. Because this caused the girl to be ostracized by her peers, Taki took the responsibility to personally raise her so she may grow her confidence in herself. As explained in Natsu's backstory, Taki had traveled west to pursue rumors of Toki's return, promising that she would return in two weeks; she has not returned since, prompting the now-teenage Natsu to travel in search of her mentor. The game does not reveal whether Natsu finds her, but it was said that Taki would "eventually" return. Afterwards, has appeared as a playable character in the now-defunct free-to-play spin-offs Soulcalibur: Lost Swords (2014), where she looked by default as she did in Soulcalibur IV, and in Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul (2014), where she looked as she did in Soulcalibur II.
Her return as a playable character in the main series was first leaked and then officially announced for Soulcalibur VI (2018). The game is not set during or after the events of Soulcalibur V, however, but rather revisits and retells these of the original Soulcalibur.
Other appearances
Taki plays a lead role in the 1999 Soulcalibur manga series, in which she fights alongside Sophitia, first killing Cervantes and then destroying Nightmare. Taki has also joined the cast of the erotic franchise Queen's Blade, starring (in a cartoonish version of her default appearance from Soulcalibur IV) in her own gamebook, Queen's Gate Taki (神速の封刃 タキ), published in 2011. She is furthermore extensively featured in the collectible card game Universal Fighting System and in the series' 20th anniversary Soulcalibur pachislot machine.
Taki appears as a playable character in the 2005 crossover tactical role-playing game Namco × Capcom, where she represents the Soul universe along with Mitsurugi (considered her rival in the series). In this game, Taki is paired with Waya Hime (Bravoman) and teamed with fighting game icons Jin Kazama (Tekken) and Ryu (Street Fighter). Her default costume from Soulcalibur IV was made available as free downloadable content (DLC) for the player character Estelle in action role-playing game Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology in 2009, as well as for Sackgirl in puzzle platformer LittleBigPlanet 3 in 2016. Taki appears in The King of Fighters All Star in her Soulcalibur VI design.
Design and characteristics
At the height of 170 cm (5'7 feet), Taki has been the tallest female character in the first game until Ivy Valentine's debut in Soulcalibur. She has a chest size of 90 cm. Her blood personality type is stated as A and her technique's name is named the . Taki has been officially described as "one of the most versatile fighters of the SOULCALIBUR universe" due to "her unarmed & armed skills, demon huntress abilities and blacksmithing abilities." Soulcalibur II producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama spoke of his team being "proud" of Ivy and Taki as "these characters seem to live [...] as if it is real and they are really human." Soulcalibur III director Katsutoshi Sasaki regarded Taki as his personal favorite character from the series and she was one of the first two returning characters confirmed for it.
As in the case of all Soul characters, Taki's character creation started with choosing the weapon. During the early development of Soul Edge, Taki was conceived as a Yoshimitsu-like ninja character, armed with a long sword and wearing a loose outfit and large helmet covering her upper face. She underwent several major design changes before the game's release, evolving into an athletic, iron-masked woman clad in a partially armored catsuit. Taki used variations of this outfit throughout the series; by default her primary costumes are colored crimson and sometimes navy blue, and usually she has long hair in a ponytail. Taki's outfits are generally supposed to give emphasis on ease of movement, due to her fighting style's emphasis on high leaping, tumbling and rolling. Her original weapon in Soul Edge is a kodachi, called , which she made by infusing it with mystical powers. This is her preferred weapon and is one of the few original weapons that have not been replaced in subsequent games. Her secondary weapon, the kodachi , formerly property of the deceased clan of the ninja Yoshimitsu (originally from Tekken), was added for her dual-wielding style in the first Soulcalibur as the lower blade on her back.
The later games' character design was based around the characters' movement so their look would match it, which in Taki's case included using two swords, moving very fast, and having a specialized kicking moveset. In some of her costumes she different hair styles, and in some has no mask at all. A simple cloth version of the mask has been introduced with Taki's primary costume in Soulcalibur (the only game in which her breasts are partially exposed). In some of her outfits, since Soulcalibur III, she has an ornate, demon-themed menpō armored half mask covering the face from the nose down to the chin but exposing the mouth; other demonic motifs have appeared on her armor since Soulcalibur. Taki alternate costumes include one in Soulcalibur II that was modeled after that of Waya Hime from Bravoman. One of her especially varied attires for Soulcalibur: Lost Swords has been the limited-offer "SC Woman" that was created by Bayonetta's character designer Mari Shimazaki, inspired by American comic books superheroines. According to Japanese culture researcher Rachael Hutchinson, "although Taki is sheathed in fabric, it is so tight that the shape of her body is clearly visible, making her the only female character with visible nipples and pubis. Taki is arguably the most sexualized of all the female characters [in the series] in this respect, although her costume is very strong and powerful where the costumes of Sophitia, Xianghua and Seung Mi-na are softer and more fluid." The game's producer Hisaharu Tago said of her appearance in Soulcalibur V, in which Taki is depicted as over 40, "In terms of her outfit, we don't know if she'll be in body tights." Taki retained her skintight clothing with noticeable nipples (a noted trait of the character and of the series) in Soulcalibur VI, which goes back to the series' early timeline.
Immediately after the release of Soulcalibur V in Japan, the game's director Daishi Odashima said that he had decided that at 46, Taki would be too old to be an active ninja, and she retired to train the next generation and is now watching over Natsu from the shadows.
Gameplay
According to Adam Rosenberg from UGO in 2008, "Taki is a close-range fighter, end of story. She's blindingly fast, perhaps one of the most agile fighters in the series. The best way to play Taki then is to string combo into combo without ever letting up. Official UK PlayStation Magazine recommended Taki and Li Long in Soul Edge as "probably best for the novice they can both offer a great range of kicks and attacks." Ultra Game Players noted her for speed and a variety of attacks, choosing her and Mitsurugi as the two most well-rounded characters in the game, and her alone as probably the best character, with "an attack for any given situation." She was noted for being very dangerous in unarmed combat (after losing weapons) too, due to her many and powerful kick moves. According to Computer and Video Games (CVG) guide to Soul Edge, "lightning fast combos and close quarter combat" is what a Taki player has to master in the game: "Though she has little in terms of long range attacks, she has multi-height combinations that can be employ in close. A good choice for the competent player to move on to." Similarly, James Price of DC-UK wrote that in Soulcalibur, the "fast and agile" Taki is capable of "swift and deadly attacks" as well as "of making somersaults over and around her opponents," but at the cost of having a limited range. According to Jesse Schedeen of IGN, the character's fighting style "improved dramatically" between Soul Edge and Soulcalibur due to being given dual swords to use at once. Taki has remained the quickest and most mobile character in Soulcalibur; as described by GameFan, "there is no character quicker and trickier (well, maybe Voldo has more tricks), than Taki. While her attacks don't do great damage, her quickness makes it easy to combo almost anything with her."
In Soulcalibur II, Taki was given more distance-closing moves to help compensate for her limited range. Nevertheless, the Soulcalibur II guide by GamePro verdicted Taki is an "excellent short range fighter with plenty of height variation in attack," yet still "weak against good long range opponents" and with "poor offensive capabilities outside short range." The game's review by Marlon Ramos of Philippine Daily Inquirer "of course" highly recommended Taki for the players who are "after speed". In GameSpot's guide to Soulcalibur II, Stephen Kleckner wrote that Taki has "a lot of options and variety which allow her to really mix up her attack heights" and very quick moves making her highly capable at close range, but might "essentially become a moving target" if her player "can't rush down someone who is really good at sustaining a range game, such as Kilik." Andrew Alfonso wrote in GameSpy's guide that "what makes Taki so fearsome is her speed. She's still the fastest character in the game, and despite this her damage potential is still very good at times. However, unlike the big power hitters like Cervantes and Astaroth, she needs to work for her wins." Alfonso added that Taki can be "somewhat hard to learn and execute with" and the key strategy "is to maintain her flow of attack." Taki and Talim, who are both the most acrobatic and fastest characters in the game, were noted to be particularly dangerous in the original version of the HD Online edition due to Internet multiplayer lag problems.
Taki has been one of the four characters available in the pre-release demo version of Soulcalibur IV. According to Alex Jenkins of 1UP.com, in this game Taki lost some of her prior advantages but is still an agile and fast character who can cause considerable damage and is meant to be played aggressively, as well as a strong counter-attacker. Her weaknesses include difficulties in playing against ranged-type characters and having many risky special moves. IGN's Schedeen wrote that, due to her "lightning-quick ninja reflexes," Taki is "a vicious combatant that new and old players alike love to control." According to the game's battle director, Taki is to be the fastest character of SCVI. In addition, her expanded magical possibilities are to make getting close to the enemy from a distance easier and her Rekkimaru to be able to hurt even to a blocking enemy.
In the action-adventure game Soulcalibur Legends, Taki is the only character capable of performing a double jump (a video game character's ability to jump a second time in mid-air). In the now-defunct online spin-off Lost Swords, she had been originally announced as one of the only four are available in this game from the start (the others being Siegfried, Mitsurugi and Sophitia) but was actually one of unlockable characters in the released version.
Promotional and reception
Namco released a Taki key chain figurine and a standing clock in its 1996 Soul Edge line, among other items such as window shades and table mats. Yujin released two 4 in (10 cm) immobile figurines of Taki in her primary outfit from Soulcalibur II as part of its gashapon figure collections 'Namco Girls' Series 1 and 4 (in her alternative costume based on Waya Hime's design), and Wave released a 1/8 scale 7.5 in (19 cm) garage kit figure of Taki from the same game in 2003. In 2006, Namco released a MegaHouse PVC statuette based upon promotional artwork of Taki for the game as part of a Soulcalibur III, set along with an alternative-color unmasked version with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold. Triad Toys released a 12 in (30 cm) action figure of Taki from Soulcalibur IV in red and blue versions in 2008. In 2007–2010, Futene Karada and Aya released two resin kits for Taki's appearances in her prime costumes in Soulcalibur III, 7 in (17 cm) (crouching) and 9.4 in (24 cm) (dashing), as well as an alternate version of the latter. A 19.5 inch (50 cm) high statue of Taki based on her appearance in Soulcalibur II was announced by First 4 Figures in 2017, along with an even larger version made exclusive for pre-orders only.
Since her introduction, Taki has been positively received. Namco described Taki, Ivy and Nightmare as the three most popular Soulcalibur characters in North American markets in 2002, and in 2015 she was voted the series' second most popular character among the Western audience in an official Facebook poll by Namco Bandai. Dave Halverson from Gamers' Republic wrote about being "elated" by its "work of art" character design of Taki, who "exhibits remarkable grace and agility, an almost spirit-like quality." GMR magazine named her one of gaming's great heroines, noting they felt she was overdue for her own standalone game in light of other ninja-themed titles at the time. John Warren of Fanbyte heavily praised her as a "simple, strong design Namco nailed right from the start," further adding that no other character in the series is as purely fun to play and stating "Taki is pound-for-pound one of the best fighting game characters ever created." IGN's Jesse Schedeen stated "Everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best [...] it's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same." The latter sentiment was echoed when she was excluded from Soulcalibur V, resulting in negative reactions from both fans and publications, with Daniel Bischoff of Game Revolution stating "It's a cop-out to say that Taki is too old to fit in Soul Calibur V'''s timeline, and then flaunt Ivy and all of her overly abundant assets at the age of 50+."Daniel Bischoff, Does the Soul Still Burn?, GameRevolution, 02/03/12.
Much of the reception around Taki focuses primarily on her appearance, namely her attire and breasts. In 2011, Bob Muir of Japanator.com described Taki as "easily the hottest one in the ['Soulcalibur'] cast" stating her armor "insists on not covering up anything that's fun to look at on her voluptuous body, including her generous chest", and noting the bright red color "[defied] the stealthy expectations of a ninja". Ben Richardson of GamesRadar commented: "Long time Soul Calibur battler Taki is a fanboy fave" due to how her "ninja suit has seemingly been designed for one thing. And that's making her love pillows resemble torpedoes [...] Namco really understands its fanbase." GameSpy in 2003 described her as "the bounciest ninja this side of Mai Shiranui" and later as "clearly modeled as though she is naked, but her clothes are just painted on to make it look like she's wearing a red bodysuit." Electronic Gaming Monthly described her as "what happens now that consoles can chum out superflucous polygons to render realistic nipples under a skintight leotard", adding "seriously, she looks like a balloon animal". According to Kotaku's Michael McWhertor, Taki's "tighter than skin tight ninja outfit leav[es] absolutely nothing to the imagination, making her high kicks the stuff of Hustler magazine spreads."
Several publications have also noted the size of her breasts steadily increase as the games progressed, with Complex in particular stating "Taki, who has been there from the very beginning, went from a modest C cup to a, gee, we don't know, an F cup over the course of the series." PlayStation: The Official Magazine stated Taki "appears to have been reimagined with the gravity- defying Itagaki-san physics from Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 in mind." In a later article they added that she "seems to be, ahem, falling out of one of her two outfits during every battle. As a spectator, that can be a little distracting". GamesRadar UK voiced their disproval of the change, implying her appearance in Soulcalibur IV was designed by a "a hormone-addled 13-year-old. They’re simply unfathomable and totally impractical for the fighting physique." Bradly Flecher for play'' noted that while Taki was one of his favorite characters in the series, her "gargantuan, strangely comical bouncing breasts" made her resemble "a grotesque alien version of a real doll for mad-scientist plastic surgeons. Just plain weird, folks."
University of Delaware professor Rachel Hutchinson stated that due to the tightness of her outfit Taki was "the only female characters with visible nipples and pubis [...] arguably the most sexualized of all the female characters", though added her costume was particularly strong and powerful in constrast to other female character outfits which were "softer and more fluid". She additionally suggested her prominent nipples and the later color shift of her outfit from blood red to shiny purple-pink may have been intended to feminize her design, both due her above-average height and in regards to perceptions of the Japanese ninja being a primarily male archetype. In another paper she argued Taki's large breasts "are engineered to enhance the erotic element of spectacle" of the games in contrast to Western media.
See also
Ninja in popular culture
Notes
References
External links
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