Cervantes de Leon

Cervantes de Leon
Soul series character
Cervantes de León, as he appears in Soulcalibur V
First game	Soul Edge
Voiced by (English)	Barry Gjerde (Soul Edge) Warren Rodgerson (Soulcalibur II) Wally Wingert (Soulcalibur III-Soulcalibur IV) Patrick Seitz (Soulcalibur V)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Takashi Nagasako (Soul Edge-Soulcalibur III) Jin Urayama (Soulcalibur Legends-Soulcalibur V)
Fictional profile
Birthplace	Valencia, Habsburg Spain
Fighting style	Possessed (Soul Edge) Memories of Soul Edge
Weapon	Wicked sword "SoulEdge" (Soul Edge) Longsword & Pistol sword (Soulcalibur-Soulcalibur V)
Weapon name	Soul Edge (double) (Soul Edge) Soul Edge & Nirvana (Soulcalibur II-Soulcalibur III) Acheron & Nirvana (Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur IV, Soulcalibur V)
Occupation	Pirate

Cervantes de León (セルバンテス・デ・レオン, Serubantesu de Reon) is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, he first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series.

Creation and conception

As a character introduced in Soul Edge, Cervantes's weapon was initially a rapier,^[1] selected before other elements of the character and designed to be unique amongst the other weapons in the game.^[2] As development progressed, the development team felt that the weapon choice made the character seem too "gentlemanly" (although the concept would later be used for Raphael Sorel), and changed it to a pair of swords, which were expanded upon to be the first appearance of the series' recurring weapon, Soul Edge.^[1] His design and concept were built to revolve around them, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. After his appearance and movement were fleshed out by a concept artist, his character was rendered as a 3D model by a design team that worked solely on him,^[2] and then animated by a motion designer using motion capture to create his in-game movements.^[3] The inspiration for a pirate as the game's antagonist was derived from two other fictional pirates, Captain Hook and Long John Silver.^[1]

When developing his swords, many different styles were considered, including the concept of the swords appearing as wisps of spiritual energy. Elements of these designs were utilized subsequent appearances of the Soul Edge weapon in later titles.^[1] When the character's design was modified to appear in Soulcalibur, one of the swords was changed to a pistol sword, with the curve on the weapon's blade emphasized in comparison to its counterpart.^[4]

Appearances

In video games

Cervantes' father was a privateer sent on a special mission from Spanish King Philip II to loot ships, but was killed and his ship destroyed by an English warship. As a result Cervantes forsook his allegiance to Spain and became a pirate. Receiving a request from Voldo's master to find Soul Edge, he pursued and found the sword only to be possessed by it. He killed his crew and led a reign of terror for twenty years until defeated by Taki, who pursued the sword for her own reasons. However, he was resurrected accidentally by Nightmare due to the fragments of the sword lodged in his body, initially with amnesia. As his memories slowly returned he desired the sword again, which had been by now shattered. Recovering fragments of the blade, they melded together to form a new weapon for him, and he pursued more pieces to strengthen it, attacking any ships that came close to his at sea. When Soul Edge summoned all pieces of itself back to it, Cervantes followed the trail, devouring the soul of his illegitimate daughter, Ivy along the way.

In Soul Edge, Cervantes' father, Philip de Leon, was a privateer sent on a special mission from the Spanish king to loot in the name of Spain (these "legal pirates" are known as corsairs). One day, he sailed closely to an English ship with intent to loot it, only to find out too late that it was a warship. He was taken by surprise, his ship was destroyed, and he died along with it. Cervantes was devastated. Cervantes grew up full of pride over his father who was a great sailor, but became a notorious pirate because of his father's death. He decided that if that was what happened to sailors that swear allegiance to Spain, he would forsake it and become a pirate. One day, he received a message from the "Merchant of Death," Vercci. It was a request to find Soul Edge. At first Cervantes dismissed the offer, but finally accepted since Vercci was the merchant who gave him the artillery for his ship. After a year of searching, Cervantes found information pointing to an antiques dealer with a "strange article". There was no specific evidence that said article was Soul Edge, but Cervantes was a pirate, and could find some use for the ship's goods even if Soul Edge was not there. Cervantes attacked the ship, and nobody heard from him again for more than twenty years. He obtained Soul Edge, and it eventually drove him mad as it devoured his soul. His insanity made him destroy anyone who came seeking the sword. Li Long was the first to confront him to possess Soul Edge, but was defeated from its overwhelming power. He tried to escape, and Cervantes pursued him. However, Li Long successfully fled. Cervantes' reign of terror continued for over 20 years until Sophitia, Taki and Siegfried defeated him. But this was not the end of Cervantes.

In Soulcalibur, Nightmare, the new master of Soul Edge, unknowingly resurrected him using the fragments of Soul Edge still lodged inside Cervantes' body, but all his memories of his past life had vanished. Once again, Cervantes seeks the demonic blade with renewed fervor and strength. Over the course of the next three years, Cervantes sailed in a ghost ship, plundering and maddening ships across the world, as his memories gradually returned, along with the desire to search for Soul Edge again, even though he knew it had robbed him of his free will.

In Soulcalibur II, during Cervantes' search for Soul Edge, he realized that the second sword had been shattered as well when he found a few shards of the second sword. He pondered as to whether or not Soul Edge had been definitively conquered, but at that moment, the shards melded together on their own to create a bigger piece of the sword. For the next four years, Cervantes began his quest to steal souls and collect additional fragments. Eventually, they took the form of a legitimate sword. Cervantes' new goal was to regain Soul Edge, and to do that, he needed as many of the fragments as he could find. By making use of the fragments of the cursed sword within his body, Cervantes succeeded in preserving his own will. With Soul Edge and the Adrian, he devoured the souls of brawny men of the sea.

In Soulcalibur III, Cervantes sailed around his homeland of Spain, seeking souls to sustain both himself and his half of Soul Edge. But one day, the presence of the other half of the evil sword suddenly disappeared, And he himself began to crumble. Cervantes then realized that the fragments of Soul Edge that were sustaining his life were slowly losing their power. Then Tira appeared on board the Adrian with a huge flock of ravens, claiming that she is a servant of the evil sword. She tells Cervantes that a powerful entity has appeared, and it was the one who temporarily destroyed the other half of Soul Edge. Then Tira leaves. Cervantes did not plan on sharing the same goal as hers, but he had to destroy the entity in order for him to stay alive.

In Soulcalibur IV, Over time, Cervantes had consumed so many souls that he was able to create an army of the undead. He had even planned to devour the sweet soul of his own daughter, Ivy, in order to gain an even larger amount of power, but he could not locate his daughter's whereabouts. Soul Edge was now free from the seal of Soul Calibur, and his own sword was responding to this. Cervantes had no other choice but to let it go. But once Soul Edge regained all of its power, Cervantes will claim the sword for himself. So he picked up an old sword that he used long ago, and even this sword soon became evil. With such great power, Cervantes was sure that no one can stop him.

In Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, Gauntlet storyline, Cervantes' soul is required as payment for Ivy to create a potion for character Hilde and her party to cure her father. Though they attempt to renegotiate, they are forced to find and take Cervantes' soul by force.^[5]

In Soulcalibur V, in Cervantes traveled to Ostrheinsburg in order to reclaim Soul Edge and devour the sweet soul of his daughter, Ivy, but it was Ivy herself who foiled this plan. His body beaten and his mind shattered, Cervantes was swallowed by a dimensional rift opened by Soul Edge. Years later, as the 17th century dawned, strange rumors began to stir among the men of the sea. They spoke of a giant ship with a skull on its bow, captained by the legendary Cervantes. No one truly believed it, of course—more than half a century had passed since the great pirate last stalked the Atlantic. What they did not know—what they couldn't have known—was that Cervantes had broken free of Soul Edge's control, and escaped from the other dimension. He had returned to his world at the height of his powers.

Design

During development, several designs were considered for Cervantes, with the initial concept appearing as a clean-shaven man with long hair tied in a pony tail and a raised-collar coat. This and several subsequent designs were eventually rejected, however, as the development team felt they were either too reminiscent of nihilistic pirates or gentlemanly in appearance. Taking a different approach, they designed his appearance as a tall male with a trim mustache and white hair extending to the base of his neck. A blue coat with an extended tail covered his upper body, with thick gloves extending past his wrist and a large hat covers his head. White pants cover his lower legs, surrounded by leather armor on his upper thighs, and armor plating covering his lower legs and upper chest, with a neck scarf resting atop the breastplate. His design was intended to orient the viewer's eye towards his left, with his hat angled in the opposite direction.^[1]

When designing the character's appearance in Soulcalibur, several zombified designs were considered, with varying states of decay.^[4] As the series progressed his mustache was expanded into a growing beard, while his skin tone developed a purplish hue. His pupils were additionally negated, giving his appearance either solid white or red glowing eyes, depending on the game. His attire developed a more pronounced barbed appearance as well, with the gradual expansion of his breastplate, and the addition of a red loin cloth by Soulcalibur IV.

In contrast, his secondary character model has remained throughout the series. Originating as a full body suit of armor with faceplate, initial appearances incorporated a large cape and small metal face mask, initially intended to cover Cervantes' entire face.^[1] In Soulcalibur, large spikes were incorporated into the arms and legs of the armor, while the cape was adapted into a metal "tail" for the lower half. In Soulcalibur III an open-face helmet replaced the mask, while in Soulcalibur IV, elements of both were combined together. While the purplish hue added to his skin was retained as the series progressed, his facial hair changed game by game, either appearing clean shaven or with a simple mustache, depending on the title.

Cervantes was designed in mind to be something of a ghost pirate. Starting with Soul Edge, Cervantes had peach skin, long white hair with a violet tint and blue eyes and sported a full mustache. His attire consisted of a traditional pirate captain's uniform. When under the influence of Soul Edge, his skin gained an unnatural purple tint and his eyes turned yellow with the scelera turning black. He retained this appearance with very minute modifications into Soulcalibur. After returning from the dead as a specter, his skin even paler than before and his eyes purely white, although his mustache has grown past his cheeks and reaching his hairline. His attire had also changed to feature lighter colors and armor with the additions of gauntlets and greaves and wore a new jacket loosely on his back. In Soulcalibur III, his skin pigment became a light purple and his hair turned fully white and becoming spiky. His appearance showed off more skin to reveal impressive musculature with his facial hair now fully forming a long beard. His clothing was now similar to his earlier appearance but has also taken on a purple, more darker sheen, and his gloves are now the same color. In Soulcalibur IV, his appearance seems to have been even further corrupted than before, with claw-like shoulder pads with purple eye decorations with an additional one on his hat and his coat becoming wing-like with segmented metal linings.

As of Soulcalibur V, he seems to have reverted to normal and his look is similar with his original Soul Calibur appearance, his hair and skin's pigment returned to their natural color and his clothing although he keeps his facial hair and length. His clothing returns to a more traditional appearance but now featuring a red and black color scheme and a Jolly Roger emblem on his boots and belt. His coat opens up to reveal his bare chest, showing off chest hair. His bonus costume on the other hand, gives him a suit of armor but his physical body appears to give off a fiery glow and aura with his face seemingly internally consumed by fire, resembling Soul Edge to an extent.

Gameplay

Cervantes utilizes his two swords in combat to execute a variety of moves that take advantage of both weapons, many of which involve impaling his enemy or firing the pistol from the short sword for a long-range attack. Perhaps his most recognizable move is the "Flying Dutchman", in which he crouches and delivers multiple stabs to the enemy's midsection with extreme speed. This attack has been featured in several games as one of his signature techniques. In Soul Calibur II, many of his weapons are named after the rivers of Hades, such as Lethe, Phlegethon and Styx.

His fighting style also seems to be inspired in part by Niten Ichi-ryū, as evidenced by his normal stance.

Other appearances

Reception

Since his introduction Cervantes has been well received, with his fighting style serving as an element to compare to for later characters in fighting games.^[6] In 1997, PSM included "a wickedly evil villain" among the three reasons why Soul Edge "is the best Namco fighting game ever."^[7] In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soulcalibur II regarding their favorite character, he tied with Maxi for fourth place with 11% of the tally.^[8] UGO.com ranked Cervantes at seventh place in their "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" article, describing him simply as "a big jerk" while praising him as one of the stronger characters in the series.^[9] IGN listed him third on their list of the top ten characters in the series, citing his offensive techniques as a large part of his appeal.^[10] They additionally named him one of their ten favorite sword-wielding characters in video games, describing him as combining two of their favorite elements-"big swords and pirates"-into a singular character, adding that his pistol weapon "makes him even more awesome".^[11] Den of Geek editor Harry Slater shared the sentiment, naming Cervantes the seventh best character in fighting games and adding that while the character had become overshadowed by others in the series, he was "a brute, plain and simple".^[12] In 2012, Complex ranked Cervantes as the 41st "Most Dominant Fighting Game Character".^[13] In 2013, they enlisted the 20 best characters from the series, ranking him the fifth best character.^[14]

References