When you think about gaming’s most recognizable characters, who comes to mind. Certainly, people like Mario, Lara Croft, and Sonic pop up. But there is one woman who probably is a fixture. It is Ivy from the Soulcalibur series. She is one of the strongest women in gaming, an icon who has been around for years, and is just plain amazing. But what makes her so great? Let’s go over all the reasons!
One of the first reasons Ivy is great is because of her character design. Love or hate her outfits and body, you can not deny that she is one of the most recognizable heroines in gaming. If you see her face, with her signature white hair, short cut with bangs over her left eye, and blue eyes, you know who it is. When you see her outfits, whether she is wearing something skimpy or a more formal suit, you know her style. Most of all, when you see that sword, you definitely know there is only one person who can successfully wield it. Ivy looks amazing. And, because she is so confident in who she is, it makes the character even cooler.
Her personality is amazing too. Ivy is a mysterious character. We never really know what side she is on. With her fascination with alchemy, dark aura, revealing outfits, and no nonsense attitude, it would be easy to mistake her for a villain. After all, she can be a rather harsh mistress. But, she is actually someone rather lawful. She does not want Soul Edge for herself. She wants it to be destroyed. She may be cursed, as she lost her soul after being attacked by Cervantes once, but was smart enough to get an artificial one and continue after the Soul Edge to end it and its curse. She knows what is important, and that means she is willing to sacrifice to do the right thing, even if it makes people question her loyalty and morals.
There is also the element of surprise. We always know that Ivy can be unpredictable. Her sword is simultaneously a whip. This means her attacks could end up having unexpected range or be able to suddenly strike from below when she plows it into the ground. But in the Soulcalibur VI trailer, we see it transform yet again. This time, for one of her special attacks, her sword/whip becomes a bow. It is that versatility that makes her a great character and fighter. People can chain together these amazing combos, all because she has this range that goes from long to short in an instant. She can surprise an opponent with her varied moveset. Yet, in spite of all these details, she is still not one of the most complicated characters on the Soulcalibur roster.
But maybe the best thing about Ivy is how sympathetic she is as a character. How even though she is so strong, there is a fragility and desperation that keeps her from being perfect. That despite being a master alchemist and brilliant, she still is not smart enough to instantly solve the Soul Edge problem. She lost the only father she had known and her mother, due to their obsession with the Soul Edge. Her biological father, Cervantes, is always her destined battle and is more often her enemy and trying to kill her than her friend. (And vice versa!)
Ivy is an enduring character. People love her for many reasons. She looks fantastic. She has a sense of right and wrong, as well as the intelligence and strength needed to survive. She is confident in who she is. Plus, she’s an amazing character to control. Ivy is not only one of Soulcalibur’ s best, but she is one of the best fighting characters in general.