Soto (Ice Age)

**Soto** is the main antagonist of the 2002 Blue Sky Studios film Ice Age. He is the deadly and dangerous leader of his pack who plans to kill Roshan, the child of the leader of the human tribe as revenge for killing half of his pack and use their skin to keep warm. He is also Diego's former boss/master and arch-nemesis.

He was voiced by Goran Visnjic.

## Ice Age

Soto is first seen talking with Diego about the former's plan which is attacking the human tribe and of course killing and eating Roshan, the son of the leader of the human tribe as an act of revenge to strike back at the humans. Soto then orders Diego to alert his other minions for an attack toward the humans at dawn and bring Roshan alive in order to kill him and enjoyed his revenge.

The very next morning, Soto and his pack attack the humans in which led to Diego trying to get Roshan easily although this was failed when the mother protected Roshan from Diego and the other saber-toothed tigers. When Soto heard from Diego that he lost Roshan over the falls, he scolds at Diego losing the baby as well as telling him that he better bring Roshan or he will get replaced by another saber-toothed tiger. Soto then announces that the pack (expect Diego due to not having Roshan alive) will go to Half Peck as well as also ordering Diego to meet him and the others at there and bring the Roshan alive.

On the way to Half Peck, Manny, Sid and Diego stopped for the night and Soto send his two minions, Oscar and Zeke to deliver a message to Diego which was to either come back with Roshan or don't come back at all. Hearing this, Diego tells the two saber-tooth tigers to inform that he is bringing Roshan and Manny. When Zeke tries to attack Manny, Diego tells him that they need the whole pack to take down Manny as well as also telling Oscar and Zeke to get everyone else ready.

At Half Peak, Soto is seen waiting for Diego's return with Roshan, Zeke then expressed his eagerness to get his claws on Manny only for Soto to tell everyone that they will not touch mammoth until Roshan is killed. Zeke then started reminiscing about mammoth meat, much to Lenny's annoyance. When Lenny is about to hit Zeke due to being obsessed with killing Manny, Soto grabs Lenny's paw, ordering him to save his energy as mammoths don't go easy. Soto then revealed his plan on how to take down Manny, using Lenny as a stand in. First, the sabers will force Manny into a corner and cut off its retreat, and when Lenny and the other three sabers have Manny trapped, Soto will go for the throat.

After arriving at Half Peak, Diego met Soto and his pack once again. During that, Soto says that he was beginning to worry about Diego and also expressed his approval at Diego's efforts. Unknown to Soto, Diego has joined forces with Manny and Sid, in his own plan to save Roshan and escape from Soto and his pack. Zeke then sees Sid carrying something presumed to be Roshan. Diego, who was trying to sabotage the attack, convince Zeke to jump out of hiding and attack Sid too early, lending the other sabers (expect Soto and Diego due to the latter now on the Manny and Sid's side) to chase Sid as well (despite Soto telling them to not attack until Manny comes by). Outraged by his pack's disobedience, Soto gets angry and chase after them and Sid in which caught the latter's attention. Sid, however, knew it would happen and sped away with a pair of skis fashioned from two barks, to be chased by Soto and his minions until he lost his ski and the bundle of clothing, which Soto pawned at, only to find out it's just a snowman inside the bundle of clothing. Angered, Soto ordered his minions to get Sid instead while he finds Manny. Lenny, Zeke and Oscar indeed chase the sloth, only to get ambushed by Manny, who clobbered them a log, knocking them off the cliff.

When Manny and Diego are about to find Sid and Roshan and leave Half Peak, Soto found them and ordered Diego to bring Manny down, only find out about Diego's betrayal. Enraged, Soto fought with Diego while Lenny and Oscar cornered Manny. When Diego and Soto are still continuing fighting, Soto threw Diego into a rock unconscious. When Soto prepares to kill Manny, Diego stands in the way protecting Manny from his former boss in which lead to Soto strike down and slashes Diego severely wounding him. Before he could finish Diego, Soto then hears Roshan's cries and notices Sid with the baby. As Soto was about to kill Sid and Roshan, Manny shoves Soto aside with his tusks, flinging him into a stone wall, causing several sharp icicles from the top of the wall to fall onto the evil saber, impaling and instantly killing him.

## Personality

Soto is a ruthless and bellicose predator who feels no regret or shame for slaughtering both prey and human, especially the fact his other minions have been killed by humans, which stated his extreme hatred on them as well as also trying to get revenge on them. Driven by poetic justice for his fallen pack members, he is dedicated to stalking out his victims and striking against them for those who would wrong him.

Soto seems to show no care for anybody but himself and his fellow pack members (likely due to not wanting to lose more members of his pack again which could be his one redeeming trait) but however despite this, he is shown to be an abusive boss towards his pack.

## Trivia

* Soto has the distinction of being the Blue Sky Studios' first main antagonist due to Ice Age being Blue Sky's first animated film.
* Soto and Gutt are the villains in the Ice Age franchise to be betrayed by their right-hand minions, Diego to Soto and Shira to Gutt. Both traitors then become heroes in the next films, and also Sabretooths interestingly.
	+ Before both of their deaths, they get thrown by Manny. Manny tossed Soto to the wall where the icicles impaled him to death while Manny hits Gutt with a stick where he lands into a cave where he gets eaten alive by the sirens.