Abyss (Soul Calibur)
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| Abyss | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Game series | Soul series |
| First game | Soul Calibur III |
| Voice actor(s) | Hiroshi Tsuchida |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Weapon | Death scythe |
| Weapon name | Irkalla |
| Fighting style | Unknown (resembles' Zasalamel style) |
| Family | Freed from meaningless concepts such as family |
Abyss (アビス Abisu) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. Abyss made his first and, to date, only appearance in Soul Calibur III as the final boss.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Soul Edge and Soul Calibur... if a human were to absorb the power contained within these two swords...
Zasalamel put this idea into action. It was an idea no normal person would ever consider, but for Zasalamel, it was his chance to attain true death.
He hid behind the scenes during the battle between the cursed sword and the spirit sword, appearing only when their powers reached their zenith. Then, using a secret art, he connected his body to the world of the abyss and created a jet-black magnet that absorbed all forms of energy. His plan was to use this to draw out the essences of the two swords and take them into his body. It was an act that only Zasalamel, with the knowledge gained from an eternity of lifetimes, could have performed.
Clusters of light, most pure and fierce, were released from the swords. For a moment, they seemed to struggle as if they had a will of their own, but then proceeded to be absorbed into Zasalamel's body. Power coursed through his entire body, and he began to transform.
At the end of an experience completely different from his countless rebirths, he had obtained sharpness of senses, overflowing power, and a voice that thundered like an echoing roar. Zasalamel thought that, having acquired this power, his goal had been achieved. The peace and death that he had sought was right before his eyes. But deep within him, something other than himself was beginning to awaken. He had invited into himself an inhuman power...
[edit] Weapon
-- Irkalla
Zasalamel's scythe after being exposed to the powers of both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. The weapon, after absorbing the energies of both swords, was mutated into an abominable scythe with incredible strength. Its name comes from the goddess of the netherworld or darkness in the mythology of the Sumerians. Surprisingly, Irkalla has no special effects when used by Abyss, but it's Zasalamel's ultimate weapon.
[edit] Stages
-- Lost Cathedral - Ruin (SC3)
The showdown that took place in this cathedral of light and water was tainted by Zasalamel, the man who seeks death.
At that same time, the sun faded away as if overcome by evil, and though it was midday, the world became enshrouded in darkness. Abyss, the terrible entity created by the power of Soul Calibur and Soul Edge, destroyed the cathedral itself.
The energy released by Abyss caused the power of the earth to awaken. Billowing clouds and steam began to rise from the grounds of this palace built upon the nexus of the world's spiritual energy lines.
The pure light took on an evil glow and began to twist the hearts of men. The pure water swirled violently and grew muddy, releasing the odor of death. This once holy place was transformed into a violent land ruled by terror...
-- Chaos - Spiritual Realm (SC3:AE)
No matter who they might be, those who take the evil sword Soul Edge into their hands come face-to-face with the blade as it invades their minds. When this happens, they see the very spirit of the cursed weapon. Upon entering this dimension devoid of life, an otherwordly landscape greets them. In this place exists no heaven, no earth. No reality - merely the sinister-yet-beautiful waves given off by Soul Edge, and the countless souls trapped by the wicked blade. The fate of those who visit this place - whether they hold strong to their will and win against Soul Edge, or become a new offering to the cursed sword - is known only to those who take the evil sword into their hands...
(Note: Abyss shares this stage with Night Terror)
[edit] Character Analysis
There are still discussions about Abyss' ranking in the Tier list. He has almost all of Zasalamel's moves, except some which are changed by projectile attacks. Overall he has more strength and range than Zasalamel, but his moves have bigger start-up times and are, mostly, unsafe on block. His projectiles are not too useful, since they come out very slowly, and are easily interrupted or avoided by sidestep.
In general Abyss works best as a long-range fighter, since his moves have long reach and some even more than it appears, often catching unsuspecting opponents off-guard. His strength also lies on his high-damaging attacks and great BT game. Playing as Abyss requires mostly taking advantage of the spacing and punishing the opponent's mistakes. Since Abyss doesn't have many options at close, his better tools can be used at a long range to force the opponent into committing mistakes.
Overall, since Abyss is hard to play thanks to the amount of unsafe moves and the slow starting time on most of them, he's generally accepted to be somewhere between low-tier and bottom-tier.
[edit] Trivia
- Abyss is one of two final bosses in Soul Calibur III. The other one, Night Terror, can only be fought if a special route is followed.
- Abyss is the only standard character who isn't playable in Tales of Souls.
- Abyss and Zasalamel share the same weapon exhibition, the only difference being the stage in the background.
- Abyss's second costume is his first one recolored.
- Abyss and Olcadan are the only standard characters without a selectable "Soul of..." discipline for created fighters. Zasalamel can unlock Abyss' weapon, however.
- In Soul Calibur III: Arcade Edition Abyss is dropped from the selectable roster, though he's still in the game, as one of 3 possible bosses on Standard Mode.
- Abyss's stage in the Arcade Edition is Chaos - Spiritual Realm. His former stage is now given to Inferno.
- Abyss presents the same gold eye that Zasalamel has. His other eye is missing.
- Abyss is one of the few characters with projectile attacks. He has two: one where he charges a sphere of energy in his hand, then releases it (Cosmic Embryo); and one where he uses his scythe as projectile (Gates of Amud).
- Though Abyss' profile is mostly unknown, he might have the same stats as Zasalamel (since he "morphs" into Abyss).
- Irkalla is also Zasalamel's Ultimate Weapon, but Abyss' version doesn't give him any special abilities.
- Zasalamel is the only character in the game to face Abyss in the Chaos - Spiritual Realm stage (Night Terror's Stage) at the end of his Tale of Souls story.
- Abyss is the only standard character who doesn't have a Joke Weapon.
- In the intro movie, Zasalamel transforms into Abyss. But Abyss is still seen holding the Kafziel.
