"Let's get serious... Arahabaki!!" — Natsu

Natsu (凪津 or ナツ) is a character in the Soul series of fighting games. Her first appearance was in the series' sixth installment, Soulcalibur V. She appears as a playable unit in Project X Zone 2 as the sole representative of the Soulcalibur franchise.

What lies in her soul is Confidence. In Soulcalibur V's promotional material, she is referred to as a Worthy Successor.

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Appearance

Despite her Japanese name and origin, Natsu has golden blonde hair (this is explained in New Legends of Project Soul as being because of Arahabaki). She has a curious hairstyle consisting of multiple ponytails on the back of her head and she wears a shiny pink hair-clip decorated with feathers. Natsu wears a scarlet bodysuit with long sleeves and is protected by partial armor on her arms and hips. She has a liking to glittery pink items, as even her swords' handles are pink and their scabbards are decorated with pink stones. There is a red bandage tied around her right thigh and the feather motif is repeated on the back of her greaves. She has strings of shiny pink beads attached to her waist. Natsu's outfit is bird themed, possibly falcon, which is visible in the recurring feather ornaments and the decoration of her vambraces.

Personality

Due to Natsu only making a very brief appearance in the story of Soulcalibur V, there isn't much known about her, other than that she seems to be a spirited young girl.

Judging by her pre-battle and victory quotes Natsu is lazy and rather cocky. When looking at her face Natsu is shown smiling most of the time and she playfully laughs and chuckles when attacking, showing her playful and rambunctious side while also maintaining a serious fighting spirit.

Natsu is also rather stubborn and disobedient, as she would sometimes disregard and ignore the Fu-Ma clan's rules. However, she seems to listen to those whom she respects or cares for, like her master Taki. It is possible that her personality is affected by the spirit of Arahabaki.

Since Taki had often left the village to carry out missions, Natsu was raised as the adopted child of Chie. The gentle Chie was always there to heal Natsu's heart, injured by discrimination. Growing up with the stigma of being "possessed by an evil spirit." But she is gentle and a very kind person.

As a child Natsu was particularly shy, but she gradually grew up into a cheerful and lively girl after receiving Taki's teachings.

Natsu appears to pay attention to her appearance, a characteristic common for a girl of her age. Although she may be accustomed to the prejudice around her, she still seems to suffer from handling her unruly hair every morning.

History

Natsu was a member of the demon-fighting Fu-Ma clan. She grew up under the harsh glares of her fellow ninja, who feared the great demon Arahabaki that was sealed within her. Some even made attempts on her life.

Thankfully, Natsu's master, Taki, protected and supported her. The young ninja came to love and respect her mentor; though she often disregarded the clan's rules, Natsu always obeyed Taki.

But now it had been several months since Taki left on a mission to the western continent, and Natsu was growing uneasy.

"Master said her journey would last no longer than two weeks..."

It was then that a girl named Leixia appeared at the gates of the Fu-Ma village. She explained she was on an "adventure" to uncover the secrets of a mysterious pendant. When Leixia learned of the demon dwelling within Natsu, not only did she show no fear, but she was actually envious of Natsu. Drawn to the girl's cheerful innocence, Natsu offered to serve as her bodyguard. After all, the trip might provide an opportunity to find her missing master as well...

And so it was the two girls began their long journey west...

Weapons

Stages

Fighting Style

Natsu uses an improvised version of Taki's moveset, focusing on close to mid-range. Natsu retains Taki's Possession stance in Soulcalibur IV. Compared to Taki, Natsu has higher damage output, but has fewer mix-ups with certain attack strings. To compensate, she has a few delayed input attacks to catch the opponent off-guard and deceptive options in Possession stance, such as using a bomb, quickly changing to a horizontal attack, or even teleporting behind the opponent. Like her master, Natsu has some of the fastest attacks in the game (i.e. A:6) and effective punishers. She also has some of the best okizeme in the game, mainly by the fact she can pressure her opponent with bombs (especially the unblockable version) or low attacks after knocking them down at the end of a combo.

With her wide array of useful tools, speed and damage, Natsu is considered by the SoulCalibur community as a top-tier character.

Great Curse of Arahabaki: Natsu will hold her kodachi in the air and exclaim, "Let's get serious...Arahabaki!" She will then stick her kodachi into the ground as she summons the Great Demon, sending six wild blasts through the stage and her opponent high into the air. This Critical Edge is very effective as it leaves the enemy vulnerable to numerous air combos and can be used to finish or extend a combo. Additionally, Natsu can quickly shift into her "Possession" stance during this attack, which can cause danger to the opponent even if it is blocked. The downside to this Critical Edge, however, is that it can be easily evaded by the "Quick Step" tactic if the enemy is prepared, leaving Natsu open for attack.

Theme Music

Soul Calibur 5 Natsu's Theme! Soulcalibur V, Faster Than A Howling Wind

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Appearances in Other Media

Natsu appears in the crossover RPG, Project X Zone 2. She is a solo unit and is the first character from the Soul series to appear in the Project X Zone franchise.

Natsu's promotional artwork from Project X Zone 2 Natsu attempting to give Hiryu (from Strider) and Hotsuma (from Shinobi) some "advice" and being completely ignored

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Quotes

You don't stand a chance .

. Right now? Okay. - spoken when facing against Leixia

spoken when facing against Leixia Man, what a drag.

You're so gonna regret this! - spoken when engaging in battle against Xiba or Maxi.

- spoken when engaging in battle against Xiba or Maxi. Ready?

What?

How's this?

Foul demon...banish! - spoken when attacking an "evil" character

- spoken when attacking an "evil" character Demons...BEGONE! - spoken when attacking an "evil" character

- spoken when attacking an "evil" character This is...CRAZY! - spoken when attacking Leixia or Xiba.

- spoken when attacking Leixia or Xiba. You want..easy? - spoken when performing a throw on Leixia, Xiba, or Maxi.

- spoken when performing a throw on Leixia, Xiba, or Maxi. Obliterate!!

Disappear!

As if!

No way! - spoken when an enemy breaks her guard

- spoken when an enemy breaks her guard Seriously!? - spoken when an enemy escapes her throw

spoken when an enemy escapes her throw Now what?

Oops.

Get lost!

Shut up!

I missed?

That's a wrap.

Let's get serious... Arahabaki!! — Spoken during her "Critical Edge".

— Spoken during her "Critical Edge". Oh yeah.

You're so lame!

Dammit! So pathetic... — Spoken upon losing a Time Out.

— Spoken upon losing a Time Out. What the...?! — Spoken during a Guard Burst and when hit by a tremor.

— Spoken during a Guard Burst and when hit by a tremor. You're mine!

(sarcastic)You're such a pain. — Taunt

— Taunt Bye now.

Ah Hell! — Spoken during a Ring Out.

— Spoken during a Ring Out. This is bad! — Spoken during a second Ring Out and afterwards.

— Spoken during a second Ring Out and afterwards. Whatever!

Over here!

Quick strike!

No way!

Boring.

I messed up. — Spoken when KO'd by Ivy's "Embrace of Guilt"

— Spoken when KO'd by Ivy's "Embrace of Guilt" What a pain! - Spoken when getting up on low health.

- Spoken when getting up on low health. Not bad.

You like?

Yeah, yeah.

Want more?

Outta my sight!!

Such a pain~! — Spoken during Yoshimitsu's Critical Edge

— Spoken during Yoshimitsu's Critical Edge Not good! — Spoken during Algol's Sadalsuud Markab

— Spoken during Algol's Sadalsuud Markab No!!! — Spoken when defeated by Leixia or Xiba

— Spoken when defeated by Leixia or Xiba Dammit!!! - Spoken when defeated by Maxi

- Spoken when defeated by Maxi How come it feels like I'm the loser? — Spoken after a victorious bout over Maxi

— Spoken after a victorious bout over Maxi Go be cute, I'll do all the fighting, OK? — spoken after winning against Leixia

— spoken after winning against Leixia That's enough of that for one day!

That... didn't suck.

That wasn't bad. Not great, but hey!

Boo-hoo! Stop your pouting already!

Aw...Do I gotta? — Spoken in Story Mode

— Spoken in Story Mode Leixia, seriously girl, you must be picking your opponents based on looks. — Spoken in Story Mode

— Spoken in Story Mode I win again! Ain't no big surprise. — Spoken after defeating Xiba

— Spoken after defeating Xiba Ugh... — When performing "Departure in Fire" throw.

— When performing "Departure in Fire" throw. You mocking me? - Spoken when timed out by Maxi.

- Spoken when timed out by Maxi. What?! Whatever... - spoken when times out by Leixia or Xiba

- spoken when times out by Leixia or Xiba Damn! So pathetic... - spoken when timed out

- spoken when timed out Leixia. - Unused

- Unused Xiba. - Unused

- Unused Maxi. - Unused

- Unused Time to train! - Unused

- Unused Master. -Unused

-Unused I guess you're not evil after all. So who are you? - Unused, presumably from cut Story Mode content.

Trivia

General

Arahabaki is, according to the Shin Megami Tensei Wiki: "An ancient Japanese aboriginal god since the Kohun period. The Momunofu were his servants and before his religion was submerged by the Shinto pantheon, Arahabaki was worshiped in Japan's North-Eastern regions. He was also worshiped by Nagasunehiko, an enemy of Emperor Jimmu, and so by the Emperor's orders Arahabaki became a symbol of treachery, rebellion, and heresy and his worship was forbidden for a long period afterwards. Nowadays, Arahabaki's clay figurine is especially common in inns throughout Japan. " This demon is a recurring character in the Megami Tensei series, and is commonly a symbol for defiance.

" This demon is a recurring character in the Megami Tensei series, and is commonly a symbol for defiance. Natsu seems to be inspired by the Naruto series as she expresses similar traits and backstory to the protagonist, Naruto. She also uses the catchphrase of Shikamaru Nara and shares the same English voice actress of Sakura Haruno, who are all from the Naruto series. Also, Natsu shares the same English voice actress as Talim, as they are both voiced by Kate Higgins.

series as she expresses similar traits and backstory to the protagonist, Naruto. She also uses the catchphrase of Shikamaru Nara and shares the same English voice actress of Sakura Haruno, who are all from the series. Her hairstyle might be a reference to the nine-tailed fox spirit, the Kitsune.

During a livestream from Project Soul , Natsu's hair color was explained as a design choice to make her look as different from Taki as possible.

, Natsu's hair color was explained as a design choice to make her look as different from Taki as possible. Natsu's appearance is aesthetically similar to the gyaru fashion trend in modern Japan; her decorated pink nails, light colored hair and flashy ornamentation are all typical of the style, including her thick, dark eyelashes and hair style.

Natsu's name shares the character 津 with Yan Wujin, the father of Leixia and Leixin. However, they are read differently from each other, due to vast differences in Japanese and Chinese reading.

Natsu is not a native of the Fu-ma village. Her own village was destroyed by Arahabaki when she was an infant.

Natsu does not return in Soulcalibur: Lost Swords, ironically being replaced by the same character she was meant to succeed.

Soulcalibur V

Strangely enough, when she faces off against herself she will occasionally say " Foul demon...banish!" It's likely she is referring to Arahabaki, as she says this against antagonists in the game.

It's likely she is referring to Arahabaki, as she says this against antagonists in the game. In her official 2D artwork, Natsu has glittery pink fake nails, but they're missing in her in-game model. She shares this discrepancy with Viola.

Natsu's titles in Quick Battle are Phantom and Swift Sealing Knife .

and . Natsu's theme, Faster Than A Howling Wind, bears a slight reassemblence to Taki's theme from Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur III , The Cursed Image. The rhythm is noticeably a lot faster, but it is played with a lot of the same instruments.

and , The Cursed Image. The rhythm is noticeably a lot faster, but it is played with a lot of the same instruments. The title of Natsu's theme may be a reference to Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan (風森火山), a philosophy from Sun Tzu's book The Art of War . The characters translate into "wind", "forest", "fire", and "mountain", and is commonly translated as, "Be as quick as the wind, as still as the forest, as dangerous as fire, and as immovable as the mountains."

. The characters translate into "wind", "forest", "fire", and "mountain", and is commonly translated as, "Be as quick as the wind, as still as the forest, as dangerous as fire, and as immovable as the mountains." In a behind-the-scenes video, the decision to include Natsu came from deciding that Taki would likely be too old to be a ninja anymore. In Odashima's mind, you can only be a ninja up to a certain age, after which you retire from active duty and focus on training younger ninjas. While Taki has retired, she's still watching over Natsu, he adds.

A flower-like symbol can briefly be seen on Natsu's left shoulder during her Critical Edge and in one of her win animations. This could possibly be the seal placed on her or the symbol of Arahabaki.

Some of Natsu's early costume concepts were based on shrine maiden outfits. Her other costume concepts bear references to geishas.

In the concept sketches, it is suggested that Natsu's hairstyle is caused by the influence of Arahabaki.

Natsu's eyes are blue in colour while in her alternate outfit, and her hair blonder.

In Episode 15 for Soulcalibur V's story mode, Natsu uses Kuzukiri & Mekki-Maru.

Natsu's 1P costume was designed by Tomoko Imura.

Natsu is the only character in the series to use a modern insult phrase, "That didn't suck."

Early beta versions of had a different theme for Natsu which was not included in the final version of the game.

Natsu's weapons Kuzukiri & Awayuuki resemble Rekki-Maru & Mekki-Maru 1P appearance in Soulcalibur II , Which are Taki's primary weapons, this hints to their relationship as teacher and student.

, Which are Taki's primary weapons, this hints to their relationship as teacher and student. Every time Natsu uses some of her demon based powers, the seal placed on Arahabaki by Taki weakens.

Natsu has Taki's previous side throws; "Cellar Drop" and "Jute Burial", but their names have been switched in the move list. "Cellar Drop" is now named as the right side throw while "Jute Burial" is named as the left side throw. It is unknown if this was intentional or a mistake.

In early beta, the blasts from her Critical Edge rose after she released her kodachis from the ground.

Etymology

Natsu (凪津) means "Summer" in Japanese.

Relationships

Disciple of Taki.

Friend, bodyguard, and travel companion of Leixia.

Friend and travel companion with Maxi and Xiba.

A demon known as Arahabaki is sealed within her.

Raised by Chie.

Li Long's son, Riki, is part of the Fu-Ma's demon sealing team and a brother figure to Natsu.

Appears to be an acquaintance of Yoshimitsu II.

Repeatably picks on Xiba in order to relieve stress.

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