Voldo
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Not to be confused with Volvo, the Swedish supplier of commercial vehicles
| Voldo | |
|---|---|
 Voldo in Soulcalibur IV |
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| Game series | Soul series |
| First game | Soul Edge |
| Information | |
| Age | 50 |
| Birthplace |  Palermo, Spanish Empire (present-day Italy) |
| Birthdate | August 25, 1541 |
| Blood type | A |
| Weapon | Dual Jamadhar Katars |
| Weapon name | Karma & Mara (Soul Blade) Shame & Blame (Soulcalibur) Manas & Ayus (later games) |
| Fighting style | Original Style |
| Family | Parents, deceased Four brothers, killed through warfare Master, Vercci (deceased) |
Voldo (ヴォルド Vorudo?) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. Voldo made his first appearance in Soul Blade and has returned for all the following sequels.
Voldo is easily recognizable by his strange and unique style of play. His moveset is based on attacks that bend and twist his body in unnatural ways, making him an extremely unpredictable fighter. He also has many stances that compliment his odd style, like his Mantis Crawl in which he stands on his four limbs face-first. Even his neutral stance has him moonwalking.
Another recognizable feature of Voldo is that he has no spoken dialogues, just grunts and hisses. This is explained in the game's universe because of his isolation in his dead master's tomb, which has led him to lose his sight and become insane, often hearing his master speaking to him in his mind. Later games have hinted that Vercci's voice could be produced by Soul Edge itself, but no official confirmation has been made. Voldo's face is obscured by either tightly bound strips of cloth or a full mask in every game he has appeared in.
Voldo first appeared in Soul Edge, offering the first insights of his unpredictable play style and mannerisms. Later, in the sequel, Soulcalibur, he gained many of his staple moves and traits that would later stay in his reappearance during following games Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV. He is one of the few characters to have been present in every version (either arcade or home) of each game in the series. Voldo remains one of the most known characters in the series because of his unique style and unpredictability.
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[edit] Background Story
Voldo's Follan Master Mode in the first game on the series, Soul Edge, revealed his past as the right-hand man of Italian weapons merchant Vercci, known as the Merchant of Death due to his business with the Spanish Armada. Vercci desired Soul Edge to form part of his collection of rare weapons, and Voldo stood as the head of the expeditions in his search, even contracting the services of the feared Spanish Captain Cervantes de Leon, and later accompanied Vercci when he decided to take the search personally. When word came that the Italian Wars broke on Italy and that Vercci's possessions were the first targets, Vercci grew mad. He moved his fleet, his only remaining possession, on an uninhabited island off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea and dug a 50-mt deep shaft that would serve as his tomb and vault. Voldo would later be instructed to slay the sailors that helped in the construction to avoid the location of Vercci's Money Pit to be revealed, then later shut himself with his deceased master. The Money Pit would later become Voldo's staple stage, featuring in every game in different locations like the main vault (in Soul Edge) or the Top Tier (in Soulcalibur II). Voldo would remain sealed underground, turning himself into the guardian of the tomb and slaying those who ventured to steal, making rumours of the island, its treasures and its "ghost guardian" spread around the globe. Years later, Voldo would hear his master's voice commanding him to search for Soul Edge once again, making him leave the tomb once again.
In his second appearance in the sequel Soulcalibur, it is stated in his profile that Voldo's search for Soul Edge ended in failure, and he returned to find the Money Pit flooded by a storm. After saving what he could, Voldo remained inside for the 3 year span between both games, later to reemerge from the pit following a woman with the essence of Soul Edge, Ivy, who tried to find leads on the sword for herself.
The profile on his next appearance, in Soulcalibur II, states how Voldo returned to the Money Pit after taking Yoshimitsu's katana, mistaking it for Soul Edge due to its evil aura, only to find years later an intruder with Soul Edge fragments. Voldo realized it was not Soul Edge and set outside on a new search, collecting its fragments along the way.
His latest appearance in the 4th game, Soulcalibur III, states that during one of his periodic visits to the Pit, Voldo found the tomb ransacked and the sword he mistook for Soul Edge stolen alongside the fragments he collected in his travels. Since the thieves were apparently interested in Soul Edge, he decided to track them down and force them to reveal any information they may possess regarding the sword. He also came to realize he was someday going to die and leave the pit unprotected, so he began to search for a worthy successor as well. Voldo's ending hints at Lizardman being appointed to this duty, although this assumption may not be canonical.
[edit] Soul Calibur III Ending
Voldo is seen at his stage, the secret money pit, carrying Soul Edge in his hand. He puts a rattling barrel on the ground, steps forward, and offers Soul Edge to his master, who is speaking to him through a giant statue. The input command shows up as Voldo's master congratulates him for his success in retrieving Soul Edge.
Input Ending Voldo turns around, remembering the barrel he placed on the ground, and knocks on the barrel. The barrel breaks open revealing Lizardman wearing Voldo's mask. Voldo and Lizardman bow to the master statue as the scene fades out.
No Input Ending Voldo's master tells him that even though he did a good job in retrieving Soul Edge, it's still not enough. Voldo's master orders him to retrieve souls to appeal Soul Edge. Voldo leaves to do this, but he has become possessed by Soul Edge.
[edit] Default costumes
[edit] Gameplay
Voldo is similar to Maxi in the sense that his erratic fighting style can be immensely confusing and unpredictable, and his odd and disturbing persona has a shock effect that can be utilized. Voldo's range may be very limited, but because his various stances and movements make him prone to leaping bizarrely about, the idea of range is obscured. Voldo has an excellent pressure and wakeup game, owing to his paramount psychology factor. It can be very difficult for even advanced players to read Voldo's unique style, which gives Voldo an invaluable edge. Voldo suffers, however, when facing long-range opponents who AREN'T cowed by his peculiar attacks and can effectively back to their preferred distance.
[edit] Weapons
Karma & Mara
- Voldo's katars in Soul Edge. Stated to have been attained by Vercci during his journey across the seas. The pair's design is later used to make Voldo's "Ancient" weapon in Soulcalibur III.
Shame & Blame
- Voldo's katars in Soulcalibur. Stated to being one of dozen pairs found in Vercci's tomb, and one of which he favoured due to their Indian origin. They were used by Voldo mostly to hunt down intruders to the Money Pit. These weapons are also able to be bought in Soulcalibur II as bonus weapons.
Manas & Ayus
- Voldo's katars in both Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur III. They are said to have been found by Vercci after setting his fleet during his hunt for Soul Edge, and have been Voldo's weapon ever since his death.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- In Soulcalibur III, characters created with the Dancer class can use a discipline called "Soul of Voldo." Using this discipline removes nearly all spoken words from their dialogue. A select few attacks are still accompanied by a spoken phrase, though. (Caliostro Rush B+G, for example)
- In Soulcalibur II, one of Voldo's costumes looks like Tira of Soulcalibur III.
- Voldo's nickname in both Soul Edge and Soulcalibur is "Hell Guardian".
- Voldo's Destined Battle in Soulcalibur is Ivy. His Destined Battle in both Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur III is Yoshimitsu.
- Voldo's fighting style is similar to Sunny the Scorpion the main villian in the 1991 kung-fu film Jie zi zhan shi aka Operation Scorpio.
- Voldo is shown developing effeminate personality.
- At 50 years old, Voldo is the oldest warrior in the Soul Edge series who is not affected by an outside power such as Soul Edge.
[edit] Series' appearances
- Soul Edge
- Soul Edge: Version II / Soul Blade
- Soulcalibur
- Soulcalibur II
- Soulcalibur III
- Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition
- Soulcalibur IV
[edit] External links
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