Nexus Heroes / Nightmare

Nightmare (ナイトメア, Naitomea ) is a playable character in Nexus Heroes, hailing from the SoulCalibur series. He is almost exclusively based on the seventh main entry in the series, SoulCalibur VI.
==Who is Nightmare?==
===THE KNIGHT OF TERROR===
Behind the monstrous appearance and the azure armor of this infernal knight lies the soul of a young man, Siegfried, who in his quest to avenge his father's death was seduced by the unlimited power of a much maligned and evil sword, known as the Soul Edge. This cursed blade thirsts and feeds on the souls of innocent men, and can twists the bravest of warriors into a bloodthirsty monster whose name alone invokes fear in the heart of those who hear it : Nightmare, the azure knight.
==Gameplay==
=== Overview===
Nightmare is an extremely complex character in Nexus Heroes, whose abilities and attributes makes him a unique but difficult fighter to master. For starters, he doesn't boast great speed, nor on his movement nor on his attacks, although they do possess immense power and great range, courtesy of the intimidatingly large sword he carries, the Soul Edge. Nightmare's primary feature is the Soul Charge, a special status which Nightmare can access once he has dealt or received sufficient damage (indicated by a special meter below Nightmare's Damage Display Icon), and which greatly boosts his attributes, including his lackluster speed and air mobility, as well as buffing his Special Moves. Another important part of Nightmare's moveset is his ability to switch his fighting stance, either through his Neutral Special or by holding down one of his Normal Attacks. These Stances will modify Nightmare's walking speed and allow him to use Normal Attacks that he normally doesn't have access to, for one attack only. The utility of these attacks varies, but they tend to be great for chaining combos or gaining even more range or damage on his attacks.
So while he has obvious drawbacks in his speed and air mobility, Nightmare has access to devastatingly strong attacks, and his Stances give him access to a wide range of moves that opponents may not anticipate. And those who are caught into one of Nightmare's deadly combos, very rarely manage to survive the encounter, courtesy of an outrageous damage output and launch power on some of his attacks. 
*SOUL CHARGE : Nightmare has a unique 'Soul Meter' above his Damage Meter, which slowly fills up over time or when landing specific attacks. Once full, Nightmare can activate a unique status effect by either pressing the Neutral Attack and Neutral Special buttons simultaneously, or by landing his Side, Up and Down Special Attacks. Once active, this 'Soul Charge' status will have Nightmare surrounded by a purple flame-like aura, and his attributes will temporarily change : he'll become faster and even stronger, and especially his Special attacks will receive major buffs. This status lasts for a little bit, then the Meter will be empty once again.
*COMMAND STANCES : As well as being able to change his fighting stance to obtain different attacks through the use of his Neutral Special, Nightmare is also able to quickly access any of his stances by holding down a Neutral attack of the corresponding direction. So, for example, Nightmare can access his Night Side Stance, which is tied to Side, by holding down his Forward Tilt.
===Movelist===
  	Name  	Description
Neutral Attack, 	Plague Spreader I/Plague Spreader II	An horizontal slash with his sword from left to right, followed by a second, stronger one from right to left.
Neutral Attack (Night Side Stance) 	Soul Biter 	A wide, turning horizontal slash.
Neutral Attack (Night Behind Stance)	Terror Circular 	Spins his sword in front of himself twice, for two rapid strikes.
Neutral Attack (Night Lower Stance) 	Leg Hacker 	A low, horizontal slash with his sword.
Dash AttackDash, 	Ether Splitter 	An unconventional Dash Attack which has Nightmare launch opponents into the air with a vertical slash of his sword after passing through them. Good for following up with aerial attacks or grounded ones with good reach.
Side Tilt 	Blood Storm 	Steps forward while performing an horizontal slash. Nightmare has Super Armor during the initial dash of this move. If the input is held, Nightmare will quickly go into NIGHT SIDE STANCE after performing this move.
Side Tilt (Night Side Stance) 	Skull Chopper 	An extremely quick and powerful horizontal slash aimed upward, which serves as a great anti-air tool.
Side Tilt (Night Behind Stance) 	Knee Kick Rush 	Advances forward with a knee strike, followed by an upward kick.
Side Tilt (Night Lower Stance) 	Death Horn Charge 	Moves forward and gets back up while stabbing his sword diagonally upward, dealing good damage to foes.
Up Tilt 	Midnight Launcher 	Holds his sword's handle with two hands and launches the opponent in the air with a powerful, although slow, vertical strike. If the input is held, Nightmare will quickly go into NIGHT BEHIND STANCE after performing this move.
Up Tilt (Night Side Stance) 	Phantom Splitter 	Grips his sword in reverse, then brings it up from low to high for a quick vertical upward slash which slightly lifts opponents into the air. Excellent for following up with other attacks and juggle the opponent.
Up Tilt (Night Behind Stance) 	Terror Vortex 	A powerful vertical slash, which deals great knockback and damage.
Up Tilt (Night Lower Stance) 	Death Lifting Kicks 	Two rotating kicks in quick succession, which lifts opponents in the air.
Down Tilt 	Shadow Buster 	A relatively quick, two handed downward slash which has Nightmare crouch. If the input is held, Nightmare will quickly go into NIGHT LOWER STANCE after performing this move.
Down Tilt (Night Side Stance) 	Night Front Kick 	A rapid front kick, which deals little knockback, but is quick to come out.
Down Tilt (Night Behind Stance) 	Terror Sweeper 	A low to the ground sweep with his sword, which trips opponents.
Down Tilt (Night Lower Stance) 	Reborn Storm 	Lunges forward while crouching and hits opponents with a circular, low to the ground slash.
Forward Strong+ 	Back Blade 	Holds his sword behind, charging a powerful horizontal strike. Nightmare's blade will be surrounded by blue electricity while charging the move.
Up Strong+ 	Soul Blaze 	Charges up, then unleashes a fiery vertical slash with his sword, with great knockback and damage output.
Down Strong+ 	Soul Smasher 	An unusual Down Strong attack which acts as a command grab : Nightmare stabs his sword into the ground, and if he hits anyone, he'll quickly charge energy into his Malfested hand and release a burst of dark energy which damages opponents all around himself, as well as knocking back the hit foe. During the energy charge, Nightmare has Super Armor. This move can activate Nightmare's Soul Charge, and if performed in that state, Nightmare will be invincible during the energy charge phase of the move.
Neutral AerialAirborne 	Chariot Splitter 	A downward arcing slash.
Forward AerialAirborne 	Fatal Spin Slash 	A turning, horizontal slash of his sword, with great KO potential.
Back AerialAirborne 	Drop Kick 	A powerful dropkick, which is a bit slow to come out. Nightmare will be surrounded by blue electricity while performing this move.
Up AerialAirborne 	Soul Vanquisher 	An overhead arcing slash.
Down AerialAirborne 	Fatal Buster 	A two-handed downward slash
Grab 	Grab 	Grabs and holds the opponent with his malfested hand.
Pummel, 	Triple Headbutt 	Headbutts the opponent.
Forward Throw, 	Wicked Torture 	Generates a burst of purple aura which sends the opponent flying in front of himself. This move can activate Soul Charge.
Back Throw, 	Soul Devour 	Hits the opponent behind their neck, then briefly holds them up and tosses them backwards. This move can activate Soul Charge.
Up Throw, 	Flap Jack 	Crouches while holding the opponent, then also uses his other hand to toss the victim up into the air, using both hands. This move can activate Soul Charge.
Down Throw, 	Shoulder Claw Throw 	Flips the opponent over his head, slamming them on the ground behind himself, then hits them with a fist from his malfested hand. This move can activate Soul Charge.
Floor AttackGrounded > 	Dark Split 	Two quick slashes of his sword, front and back.
Edge AttackLedge > 	Soul Taker 	Hits opponents with an uppercut from his Malfested hand.
NEUTRAL SPECIAL 	Stance Selection 	With this button, Nightmare can access up to three different stances, all of which modify his Neutral Attack and his Side, Up and Down tilts. They also modify his walking speed, and Nightmare cannot dash during any stance. Nightmare can revert back to his ordinary stance by shielding, jumping, rolling, grabbing and receiving damage. Each stance also ends after performing one attack. To select the different stances with this button, players can either cycle through them in a fixed order, or access a specific one by inputting the corresponding direction right after pressing the special button. The stances, in their respective order and with the corresponding direction, are :
NIGHT SIDE STANCE ( Forward )- Holds Soul Edge in his malfested hand at his side. Reduces his walking speed, and has fast but weak attacks.
NIGHT BEHIND STANCE ( Up )- Holds Soul Edge behind his back. Increases his walking speed, and has slow but powerful attacks.
NIGHT LOWER STANCE ( Down )- Crouches, while holding Soul Edge outward. Greatly reduces his walking speed, but his attacks have more reach.
SIDE SPECIAL 	Soul Attack 	Nightmare holds up his sword for a brief moment, then shifts forward while performing a powerful downward slash, which briefly immobilizes opponents, opening them up. It also nullifies incoming projectiles. The slash puts Nightmare into freefall, if used in the air. This move can activate Soul Charge, and if performed during this state, it will no longer make Nightmare helpless.
UP SPECIAL 	Grim Lord 	Nightmare rises diagonally upward while grabbing with his Malfested hand. If he catches an opponent with it, the grab will be followed up by a burst of purple aura, which also brings Nightmare higher, while launching the foe with strength. This move can activate Soul Charge, and if performed during this state, the distance covered by the initial rise will be much greater.
DOWN SPECIAL 	Soul Wave 	Charges, then releases a burst of purple aura from his whole body, which damages foes all around himself as well as nullifying projectiles. This move can activate Soul Charge, and if performed during this state, Nightmare will have Super Armor during the initial charge, and projectiles will be reflected.
FINISHER 	Dark Reconquista 	Nightmare holds up Soul Edge, producing a beacon of dark energy from it. Whoever comes in contact with it will then be attacked by Nightmare as he charges towards them riding a horse made of a dark purple aura with a single, powerful slash, which ends the cinematic finisher and launches the hit foes away.
===Intro Animation===
Emerges from a wave of dark energy while clenching his Malfested fist in anger.
===Taunt===
Raises Soul Edge into the air while saying "Surrender your Soul!".
===Idle Poses===
*Looks at his malfested hand and clenches it as it trembles.
*Slowly waves Soul Edge around a bit.
===Quotes===
====Selection Lines====
*" Give me your soul! "
*" My sword, give me strength! "
*" Souls ... come unto me! "
====Successful KO====
*" I'm through with you! "
*" Taste the terror! "
*" My thirst cannot be quenched. "
*" Such a waste of soul! "
*" Your soul shall be mine! "
*" My sword hungers for you. "
*" You shall become my nourishment. "
*" Death to the weak! "
*" Your suffering .. it soothes me. "
*" Let darkness consume you! "
====Respawning====
*" Your madness .. how it shines! "
*" Your soul will be mine! "
*" Impossible! "
*" You will pay with your blood! "
*" Hmpf .. a pathetic trick. "
*" You cannot run from me! "
*" I am reborn! "
*" Damn you, damn you! "
*" Your end is near! "
*" You cannot defeat me, now or ever! "
*" I won't forget this! "
===Victory Poses=== 
*UP : Stands upright while looking at Soul Edge, then raises it up victoriously into the air while saying "My sins ... cannot be cleansed!"
*SIDE : Performs a pose with Soul Edge pointed towards the camera and his other arm extended outward, waving around once, before ending with the same pose. As he does this, he says "The Nightmare will consume you!".
*DOWN : Kneels, then raises up his Malfested hand as it trembles, while saying "I shall slay you a thousand times over!"
==Arcade Mode==
Nightmare fights a series of opponents in one-on-one battles, with one twist : all of his adversaries were at one point guest characters in a SoulCalibur title. They are all fought in order of their appearance in the SoulCalibur series, going from the oldest one to the most recent one.
First up is Kratos, who appeared in the PSP title SoulCalibur : Broken Destiny. It should be noted that the version of Kratos that appeared in the game was the "greek" one, however. The music choice does reflect that, however. Then, Nightmare goes up against Ezio, who made his debut in SoulCalibur V. 
Always from the fifth chapter, Nightmare fights Jin Kazama after completing the first Bonus Stage. While Jin himself never appeared in a SoulCalibur game, the fighting style of Devil Jin can be selected for a custom character in SoulCalibur V. As well as that, Heihachi (Jin's grandfather) does appear in SoulCalibur II, exclusively on the PS2 version of the game. The fact that the stage for this encounter is Nightmare's and not Jin's also reflects this. Nightmare then moves on to battle Geralt, who made his debut in the most recent title of the series, SoulCalibur VI. 
After the second Bonus Stage, Nightmare fights 2B, who also debuted in SoulCalibur VI, like Geralt, though she was available as a DLC character. The stage for this match is notably not 2B's, but rather Sacred Lands, which aims to simulate the City Ruins, the main area in NieR : Automata which served as the home stage for 2B in SoulCalibur VI. After 2B, Nightmare goes against his in-game Rival, Cloud. The battle is titled "Blades of Delusion", as a reference to the fact that both characters, as well as using large swords, had their own minds twisted at some point in their lives as they were unable to accept reality, and decided to create a faux one in their head : Cloud was unable to cope with the fact that he could never actually join the SOLDIER program, and thus projected his persona into that of his best friend Zack Fair, who actually joined SOLDIER. Nightmare, on the other hand, could not accept that he was the one to accidentally murder his own father, and after claiming Soul Edge, assumed the identity of Nightmare, the azure knight who would seek vengeance against his father's murderers, refusing to accept that it was him. 
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	
1 	Kratos 	Lake of Nine 	Colossus Of Rhodes 	
2 	Ezio 	Florence 	Venice Rooftops 	
Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1
3 	Jin Kazama 	Astral Chaos 	Pavor Nocturnus 	
4 	Geralt 	Kaer Morhen 	Kaer Morhen 	
Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2
5 	2B 	Sacred Lands 	Birth Of A Wish 	
6 	Cloud
(Rival Battle)	Mako Reactor 	Main Theme Of FFVII	
7 	Kerrigan 	Kerrigan's Leviathan	Conscience 	
==Alternates==
===Alternate Colors===
*BLUE : Default appearance, based on his design from SoulCalibur VI.
*WHITE : Based on his P2 Color from SoulCalibur VI.
*RED : Based on his P3 Color from SoulCalibur VI.
*PURPLE : Based on his P4 Color from SoulCalibur VI.
===Alternate Costume===
File:PN NIGHTMARE RENDER.png|"Default" Costume
File:PN NIGHTMARE ALT.png|"Siegfried!" Costume
 
*Default : Based on his appearance in SoulCalibur VI.
*Siegfried! : Based on Nightmare's appearance when his armor fully breaks in SoulCalibur VI, which is in itself a reference to Siegfried's evil appearance (not yet named Nightmare) in the original Soul Blade.
==Trivia== 
*Some of his moves are actually based on Siegfried.
*The name of his costume "Siegfried!" is a reference to the name of secret character from Soul Blade.
*Having four different sets of Normal Attacks, Nightmare is the character with the highest number of moves in the game.
*Nightmare is one of just two characters in the base roster of Nexus Heroes to be an antagonist, the other one being Ash. 
Category:Project Nexus
Category:Project Nexus / Movesets
Category:Movesets