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===''Soul'' series===
===''Soul'' series===
{{Update section|date=March 2011}} <!-- SCIV plz -->
{{Update section|date=March 2011}} <!-- SCIV plz -->
Taki started as one of the eight original characters in ''[[Soul Edge]]'', in which she is a 22-year old [[Sengoku]]-era demon huntress who has been raised in the [[Fūma Kotarō|Fu-Ma]] ninja clan since she has been adopted by them as young orphan (it is implied she is a lost twin sister of her rival [[List of characters in the Soul series#Mitsurugi|Mitsurugi]], as they are the same age and born on the same day<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/SC4/character/mitsurugi/index.html SOULCALIBUR IV] {{jp icon}}>/ref>), and is also an accomplished [[espionage|spy]] and [[blacksmith]].<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/souledge/taki/taki_pro.htm タキ プロフィール] {{jp icon}}</ref> Her Edge Master Mode in-game story states that, following a hard fight against a demon who haunted a temple, she discovered her beloved weapon, the magical blade she named Rekkimaru, was considerably weakened. Discovering the source to be Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured sword, and to hunt down Soul Edge as well. The Prologue of ''[[Soulcalibur]]'' tells how eventually she has confronted and defeated the main villain and wielder of the Soul Edge, [[Cervantes de Leon]], and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, [[Sophitia]], who was the one who shattered the smaller of the demon swords. She then tried to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success. But when she fused it with her other weapon, Mekkimaru, it shed a powerful evil aura. In order to destroy this new evil weapon, Taki sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would destroy themselves.
Taki started as one of the eight original characters in ''[[Soul Edge]]'', in which she is a 22-year old [[Sengoku]]-era demon huntress who has been raised in the [[Fūma Kotarō|Fu-Ma]] ninja clan since she has been adopted by them as young orphan (it is implied she is a lost twin sister of her rival [[List of characters in the Soul series#Mitsurugi|Mitsurugi]], as they are the same age and born on the same day<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/SC4/character/mitsurugi/index.html SOULCALIBUR IV] {{jp icon}}></ref>), and is also an accomplished [[espionage|spy]] and [[blacksmith]].<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/souledge/taki/taki_pro.htm タキ プロフィール] {{jp icon}}</ref> Her Edge Master Mode in-game story states that, following a hard fight against a demon who haunted a temple, she discovered her beloved weapon, the magical blade she named Rekkimaru, was considerably weakened. Discovering the source to be Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured sword, and to hunt down Soul Edge as well. The Prologue of ''[[Soulcalibur]]'' tells how eventually she has confronted and defeated the main villain and wielder of the Soul Edge, [[Cervantes de Leon]], and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, [[Sophitia]], who was the one who shattered the smaller of the demon swords. She then tried to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success. But when she fused it with her other weapon, Mekkimaru, it shed a powerful evil aura. In order to destroy this new evil weapon, Taki sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would destroy themselves.


However, the official profile released on the official website expanded on the backstory of her new weapon Mekkimaru, and how she obtained it. It starts with the revelation, from her master Toki, that former Fu-Ma leader Hachibei stole the mysterious sword and escaped. Turned a ''nukenin'' (fugitive ninja), she is ordered to kill both him and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of her, and bring back the blade. With her network intelligence, Taki locates Hachibei quickly, and she is informed about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki get ahold the Mekkimaru and gives Taki a [[kodachi]] short sword. Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of [[Li Long]], Chie's lover, under the idea he has Mekkimaru after killing both Hachibei and Chie. However, Taki is eventually found out by Toki's right hand man, a ninja known as Geki. Surviving the encounter, Taki becomes a ''nukenin'' herself, being pursued by her former allies as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru.<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/soulcalibur/Taki/taki_pro.htm タキ キャラクター紹介] {{jp icon}}</ref>
However, the official profile released on the official website expanded on the backstory of her new weapon Mekkimaru, and how she obtained it. It starts with the revelation, from her master Toki, that former Fu-Ma leader Hachibei stole the mysterious sword and escaped. Turned a ''nukenin'' (fugitive ninja), she is ordered to kill both him and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of her, and bring back the blade. With her network intelligence, Taki locates Hachibei quickly, and she is informed about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki get ahold the Mekkimaru and gives Taki a [[kodachi]] short sword. Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of [[Li Long]], Chie's lover, under the idea he has Mekkimaru after killing both Hachibei and Chie. However, Taki is eventually found out by Toki's right hand man, a ninja known as Geki. Surviving the encounter, Taki becomes a ''nukenin'' herself, being pursued by her former allies as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru.<ref>[http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/soulcalibur/Taki/taki_pro.htm タキ キャラクター紹介] {{jp icon}}</ref>

Revision as of 19:33, 26 March 2011

Taki
Soul character
First gameSoul Edge arcade (1996)

Taki (タキ, Taki, also written as 多喜) is a fictional character in the Soul series of fighting games. Taki ("Waterfall"), one of the series' good characters, is a demon huntress and a runaway female ninja whose motive is destroying the evil Soul Edge. She is the only character who has been featured as a player character in every game in the series so far (including Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny)[1] and is a personal favourite of the Soul series' director, Katsutoshi Sasaki.[2]

In video games

Soul series

Taki started as one of the eight original characters in Soul Edge, in which she is a 22-year old Sengoku-era demon huntress who has been raised in the Fu-Ma ninja clan since she has been adopted by them as young orphan (it is implied she is a lost twin sister of her rival Mitsurugi, as they are the same age and born on the same day[3]), and is also an accomplished spy and blacksmith.[4] Her Edge Master Mode in-game story states that, following a hard fight against a demon who haunted a temple, she discovered her beloved weapon, the magical blade she named Rekkimaru, was considerably weakened. Discovering the source to be Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured sword, and to hunt down Soul Edge as well. The Prologue of Soulcalibur tells how eventually she has confronted and defeated the main villain and wielder of the Soul Edge, Cervantes de Leon, and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, Sophitia, who was the one who shattered the smaller of the demon swords. She then tried to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success. But when she fused it with her other weapon, Mekkimaru, it shed a powerful evil aura. In order to destroy this new evil weapon, Taki sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would destroy themselves.

However, the official profile released on the official website expanded on the backstory of her new weapon Mekkimaru, and how she obtained it. It starts with the revelation, from her master Toki, that former Fu-Ma leader Hachibei stole the mysterious sword and escaped. Turned a nukenin (fugitive ninja), she is ordered to kill both him and his daughter Chie, a childhood friend of her, and bring back the blade. With her network intelligence, Taki locates Hachibei quickly, and she is informed about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki get ahold the Mekkimaru and gives Taki a kodachi short sword. Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of Li Long, Chie's lover, under the idea he has Mekkimaru after killing both Hachibei and Chie. However, Taki is eventually found out by Toki's right hand man, a ninja known as Geki. Surviving the encounter, Taki becomes a nukenin herself, being pursued by her former allies as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru.[5]

Taki returns as a starting character in the game's sequel, Soulcalibur II, set seven years after the events of the first game. Her profile states that, after hearing Soul Edge was destroyed by a group of warriors, she decides to try to tame the evil kodachi instead. Four years after, several Fu-Ma ninja tried to capture her without success. Taki discovers then that they carry Soul Edge fragments, and reaches the realization Toki has many more of them, and was looking for her to gather information. Taki decided to keep both Soul Edge and Mekkimaru from Toki, but became worried of him as well.[6]

Taki returned in the fourth installment of the saga, Soulcalibur III. Her story followed from her last profile, showing Taki decided to travel back to Japan, discovering that the Fu-Ma village was suffering from internal conflicts due to Toki's madness. Taki contacted the rebellious part of the Fu-Ma and discovered Toki's location on the Great Buddha Shrine. Sneaking there, Taki faced her master Toki, who recently absorbed the Oni spirits within the shrine. Taki defeats her master with the techniques he taught her, but then the spirits dwelling within him came out from him and traveled west. Knowing they are going for Soul Edge, and that the sword's presence was weak enough to allow its destruction, Taki starts a new journey to end Soul Edge at once.

Guest appearances

Taki appeared as a playable character in the 2005 crossover tactical role-playing game Namco x Capcom, where she represented the Soulcalibur universe alongside Mitsurugi[7] and was eventually paired with Waya Hime (Bravoman) and teamed-up with fighting game protagonists Jin Kazama (Tekken) and Ryu (Street Fighter). In 2009, Taki and Mitsurugi costumes were featured as free DLC in the action role-playing game Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology.[8]

Character development

Taki had been originally conceived as a helmeted Yoshimitsu-like ninja with a big helmet covering her upper face and loose outfit during the early development of Soul Edge and went through several major design changes, eventually becoming a partially-armored masked woman in skin-tight costume.[6] Her third costume in Soulcalibur II (with loose hair) was modeled after the one worn by Waya Hime in Bravoman; this game marks the first instance in which her primary outfit appears unmasked.[9]

Taki's original weapon from Soul Edge is Rekki-Maru (a ninjatō which she made herself by infusing its blade with mystical powers and is her preferred weapon), one of the few original weapons to have never been replaced in the following games. Her secondary weapon is kodachi Mekki-Maru, the lower blade on her back which has been added in Soulcalibur as her new dual-wielding style (even though Taki uses a single weapon in Soul Edge, Mekki-Maru was in fact already featured there as an unlockable weapon).

Gameplay

According to 1UP.com, Taki is an agile and fast character, able to deal considerable damage and meant to be played aggressively (the main way to play Taki is to stay up close), as well as a strong counterattacker. Her weaknesses include having trouble playing against ranged characters and many unsafe special moves in Soulcalibur IV, in which she lost many of her usual adventages.[10] However, according to IGN, "thanks to her lightning-quick ninja reflexes", Taki is still "a vicious combatant that new and old players alike love to control" in this game as well, and her fighting style had improved dramatically between Soul Edge and Soulcalibur due to having given the second sword to wield once.[1] According to UGO, Taki is "a close-range fighter, end of story" - a character that is "blindingly fast, perhaps one of the most agile fighters in the series", and often perceived as being "cheap" by the other players.[11]

Promotion and reception

Yujin released a four inch tall immobile figurine of Taki after the release of Soulcalibur II, based upon her artwork for the title as part of their "Namco Girls Series #1" line of gashapon figurines.[12] A second figurine was released by them for their "Namco Girls Series #4" collection, utilizing her secondary outfit.[13] A 1/18th scale resin kit of Taki was also released by Wave in November 2003 for the game.[14] In 2006, Namco released a second figurine as part of a Soulcalibur III set based upon her promotional artwork for the game. While not posable, the PVC figure came with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold;[15] an alternate color version was later released in a secondary set.[16] A 12-inch action figure was also released by Triad Games in 2008,[17] strongly criticized by GamesRadar as oversexualized.[18]

Taki is arguably best known and most popular because of her looks, in particular her very large chest.[19] According to Kotaku, in Soulcalibur IV "her tighter than skin tight ninja outfit leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, making her high kicks the stuff of Hustler magazine spreads"[20] and "Taki's boobs flopped about ridiculously with the slightest breeze it seemed, but that's not necessarily a complaint",[21] with IGN noting how "Taki's, um, assets bobbed and jiggled after each move. We expect that fighting fans - and pubescent teen boys - will have a ton of fun."[22] According to GamesRadar in 2007, "her love pillows" are the reason of "a fanboy fave".[23] GamesRadar also chose her to represent Soulcalibur IV in the article "Best in breasts" in 2008 ("Sure, Ivy’s a couple of cup sizes larger, but Taki probably has less back pain").[24] In 2010, GamePro ranked Taki #2 on their list of top 10 video game ninjas, comparing her with Mai Shiranui (with a comment they had "originally contemplated giving Taki two places on this list in honour of her formidable pair of assets").[25]

In 2007, Taki was included by Tom's Games among the 50 greatest female characters in video game history ("She's a skilled and noble warrior with a shining spirit and stunning beauty").[26] In 2008, IGN ranked her at #5 on their list of the Top Ten Fighters in the series ("Everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best...it's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same").[1] UGO included her on the list of "Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters" in 2008,[11] as well as their list of the 50 best girls in video games in 2010 ("There's just one thing we don't understand about Taki: how the hell does she move around with those two bombshells riding shotgun on her chest?"),[27] and in 2011 also featured her on their list of 25 "Hot Ninja Girls".[28] Virgin Media included her on their list of top ten video game ninja heroes.[29]

Taki has been featured in especially many articles by GameDaily, including the 2007 gallery special "Babe of the Week: Taki" ("becoming more agile – and big-breasted – with each new entry. She made such an impact ... that we awarded her a solo gig") which praised her "superb fashion sense" in contrast with Mortal Kombat's Mileena.[30] Same year, they commented about her in the article "Babes of the Week: Soul Calibur Hotties" how she "has left an impact from the very start" since the series' debut,[31] adding in "Babe of the Week: Babes We're Thankful For" in 2008: "The only thing better than a regular looking ninja is a big breasted female one."[32] Also in 2008, she was ranked #17 on their list of "50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial" ("Female ninjas will always hold a special place in our hearts, especially Taki, what with her muscular physique and insanely large chest")[33] and featured in the article "The Next Wave of Video Game Babes" ("There are many women worth mentioning in the Soul Calibur series, but if anyone really knows how to handle Darth Vader, Yoda and the Apprentice, it's Taki").[34] In 2009, they also included her in the Babes of the Week articles "Brunettes" ("She's quite agile too, despite her tremendous breasts")[35] and "Asian Beauties" (calling her one the series' "most elite fighters").[36]

References

  1. ^ a b c Soulcalibur: The Top Ten Fighters. IGN, July 29, 2008
  2. ^ Soul Calibur Director Katsutoshi Sasaki on Weapons, Characters and Storyline, Kotaku, Sep 20, 2007
  3. ^ SOULCALIBUR IV Template:Jp icon>
  4. ^ タキ プロフィール Template:Jp icon
  5. ^ タキ キャラクター紹介 Template:Jp icon
  6. ^ a b タキ キャラクター原案 Template:Jp icon
  7. ^ Hardcore Gaming 101: Namco X Capcom
  8. ^ Tales of the World 2 Gets Soulcalibur Costumes, Kotaku, Feb 18, 2009
  9. ^ タキ Template:Jp icon
  10. ^ Soul Calibur 4 Character Spotlight: Taki | The voluptuous ninja works her magic once again., 1UP.com, Jul 28, 2008
  11. ^ a b Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters | We single out our favorite SoulCalibur Fighters, UGO.com, July 31, 2008
  12. ^ Namco Girls Series 1 (3) Mini Figure Set
  13. ^ Namco Girls Mini Figures Series 4 Set of 3
  14. ^ Taki (Resin Kit) Wave Soul Calibur II
  15. ^ 『鉄拳5』＆『ソウルキャリバーIII』の キャラクターたちがコレクションフィギュアに！, Dengeki Online, 2005/12/06 Template:Jp icon
  16. ^ Namco Game Character Collection Soul Calibur III Series 1 Set of 6 Figures (2nd Colors)
  17. ^ New Soul Calibur Figure Is A Little Taki, Kotaku, Dec 10, 2008
  18. ^ The most horrifically crap toys based on games, GamesRadar UK, 2010-04-30
  19. ^ Cast of Characters: Soulcalibur IV, IGN, May 29, 2008
  20. ^ Soulcalibur IV Features Tasteful Greek Cleavage, Kotaku, Oct 25, 2007
  21. ^ Soulcalibur IV Hands-On Impressions, Kotaku, Jan 9, 2008
  22. ^ The 5 best games at the Tokyo Game Show, IGN, September 21, 2007
  23. ^ Soul Calibur IV gets boob job | A tale of souls and swords, and ridiculous breasts, GamesRadar UK, 2007-06-13
  24. ^ Best in breasts | GamesRadar salutes National Breast Cancer Month, GamesRadar US, 2007-10-24
  25. ^ Top Ten video game ninjas, GamePro, 06 August, 2010
  26. ^ The 50 Greatest Female Characters in Video Game History, Tom's Games, 2007-02-20 (archived)
  27. ^ Who Is the Best Girl in Video Games? | The sexiest compilation of ones and zeroes you've ever seen., UGO.com, May 8, 2010
  28. ^ Ninja Chicks are So Freakin' Hot, UGO.com, January 5, 2011
  29. ^ Taki (Soul Calibur) - Top ten ninjas - Pictures - Games - Virgin Media
  30. ^ Babe of the Week: Taki | Namco's demon huntress demands your attention., GameDaily, October 19, 2007
  31. ^ Babes of the Week: Soul Calibur Hotties, GameDaily, October 05, 2007
  32. ^ Babe of the Week: Babes We're Thankful For, GameDaily, November 26, 2008
  33. ^ Top 50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial, GameDaily, March 21, 2008
  34. ^ The Next Wave of Video Game Babes, GameDaily, July 24, 200
  35. ^ Babes of the Week: Brunettes, GameDaily, January 23, 2009
  36. ^ Babe of the Week: Asian Beauties, GameDaily, February 06, 2009
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