Taki (Soulcalibur)

Taki (タキ) is a fictional character in the Soul series of fighting games by Namco. Taki, one of the series' main good characters, is a 16th century Japanese demon huntress and a runaway kunoichi (female ninja), travelling the world on a quest to destroy the evil sword known as Soul Edge.

Taki was introduced in the arcade version of Soul Edge in 1995, in which she was one of the two official protagonists, along with Sophitia. Since then, she has been the only character featured as a player character in every title of the Soul series, up until 2011's Soulcalibur V, in which Taki's place was taken by her young disciple named Natsu. She was also featured in some other works, including Namco × Capcom and Queen's Gate.

The character received a positive critical reception, becoming an iconic and popular fighter in the Soul series, her absence in Soulcalibur V regretted by several publications. She has been often regarded as one of the top female ninja characters in video games and a sex symbol of the fighting genre and gaming in general.

Design


During the early development of Soul Edge, Taki had been originally conceived as a Yoshimitsu-like ninja armed with a long sword and wearing a loose outfit and large helmet covering her upper face. Before the first game was released, however, Taki went through several major design changes, eventually evolving into an athletic and buxom (having a chest size of 90 cm/E ), iron-masked woman clad in a partially armored catsuit. Taki used variations of this theme throughout the series, by default usually colored either crimson red or navy blue. A cloth mask returns with Taki's primary costume in Soulcalibur, which is also the only game in which her breasts are partially exposed, and an iron mask with her blue-colored main costume in Soulcalibur III, this time based on a lower part of female demon mask. A similar costume is also featured in Legends, but colored red. Other demonic motifs have often appeared on her armor since Soulcalibur.

Taki has also some distinctly different costumes, such as her green third attire in Soulcalibur II, modeled after the outfit worn by Waya Hime in Bravoman and Namco × Capcom. In it, she appeared with loose hair for the first time, instead of having her usual (to this point) ponytail (also tied back in her Soul Edge alternative costume). Until Soulcalibur II, Taki would appear unmasked only in some of her alternative costumes, but in II and IV she is unmasked in all of her appearances. In Soul Edge, one of the secret characters (accessible only via GameShark cheat device) is "Nugi Taki", an alternative version of Taki as seen in her ending in this game: unmasked and with short hair, and wearing a unarmored blue bodysuit with a mesh shirt underneath. Regarding her appearance in Soulcalibur V, in which Taki is depicted as over 40, the game's producer Hisaharu Tago joked: "In terms of her outfit, we don't know if she'll be in body tights."

Taki stands at 170 cm / '5.7 and originally weighed 55 kg (later 53 kg / 117 lbs). Her original weapon in Soul Edge is a ninjatō called Rekkimaru (Rekki-Maru), which according to canon she made herself by infusing its blade with mystical powers. This is her preferred weapon, and is one of the few original weapons never to have been replaced in subsequent games. Her secondary weapon, the kodachi Mekkimaru (Mekki-Maru), formerly property of Yoshimitsu's deceased clan, has been added for her new dual-wielding style in Soulcalibur, as the lower blade on her back. Though Taki uses a single weapon in Soul Edge, Mekkimaru was featured in this game as an unlockable weapon (her other optional weapons included a jutte, a kunai, a tantō and a bladed iron fan being more powerful but slower to strike). Immediately after the release of Soulcalibur V in Japan, the game's director Daishi Odashima said that he had decided that 46-year-old Taki would be too old to still be an active ninja, and so she has retired due to her age to train the next generation and is now watching over her pupil Natsu from the shadows.

In video games
Taki debuted as one of the eight original characters in Soul Edge (1995), set in a fantasy version of the year 1584. In it, she is a 22-year-old Sengoku-era "Hunter of Darkness" (闇の狩人) who has dedicated herself to fighting supernatural evil and travels around Japan using her "seal magic" (封魔) against demons. Taki has been raised by the Fu-Ma ninja clan since being adopted by them as a young orphan after her parents and brother died from sickness, and is also an accomplished spy and blacksmith. In the series' lore, what "lies within her soul" (a character's defining concept) is honor. Her in-game story in Soul Edge (Soul Blade) tells of how she finds her self-made magical blade Rekkimaru weakened. Discovering the cause of this to be the powerful, evil sword known as Soul Edge, Taki decides to travel west to save her treasured Rekkimaru and to hunt down Soul Edge as well. The prologue of Soulcalibur (1998) tells of how she has eventually confronted and defeated the first game's main villain and Soul Edge's wielder, 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.

Soulcalibur Legends (2007), takes place between Soul Edge and Soulcalibur, and pits her against Geki and his partner Maki, both of whom having been transformed into monsters by Soul Edge's power. In this struggle, she receives support from the Holy Roman Emperor. Taki then tried to merge the fragment with her Rekkimaru without success, but when she fused it with her other weapon, the kodachi Mekkimaru, she created a new evil weapon that she sought to pit it against Soul Edge, hoping both blades would then destroy each other. She is then told by her old master Toki (トキ) that Fu-Ma former leader, Hachibei (八兵衛), has stole Mekkimaru and fled, becoming a nukenin (fugitive ninja). Toki orders Taki to hunt down and kill both him and his daughter Chie (千恵), a childhood friend, and bring back the blade. Taki locates Hachibei quickly, but learns about Toki's obsession with the powers of the blade. Hachibei urges her to not let Toki take hold of Mekkimaru and gives it to her. Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of Chie's lover Li Long but her deception is eventually discovered by Toki's right hand man, Geki, and she becomes a nukenin herself, being pursued by her former friends as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru.

Taki returns in the next sequel, Soulcalibur II (2002), set seven years after the events of the first game. After hearing about the destruction of Soul Edge, she has attempted to tame the evil kodachi instead, but discovers that Toki has obtained more Soul Edge fragments and decides to keep both Soul Edge and Mekkimaru away from him. Four years later, Taki returns in the fourth installment of the saga, Soulcalibur III (2005), in which she returns to Japan and learns that the Fu-Ma have descended into an internal conflict due to Toki's madness. Contacting the rebellious faction within the clan, Taki faces the Soul Edge-corrupted Toki at the underground sanctum within the Hoko Buddhist temple, where he has absorbed the Oni spirits within the shrine. She defeats him, but the spirits dwelling within him leave and travel west. Knowing they are seeking Soul Edge, and that the cursed sword's power was weak enough to allow its destruction, Taki begins a new journey to extinguish Soul Edge. In Soulcalibur IV (2008), Taki witnesses how the battle between Siegfried armed with the Soul Calibur and Soul Edge-wielding Nightmare unleashes a powerful cataclysm, motivating her to destroy both of Soul swords.

It was announced that Taki would return in Soulcalibur V (2012), set 17 years after the events of the previous game. Taki was expected to appear along with a young female disciple named Natsu (凪津), who is one of a number of new player characters in the series. According to Natsu's backstory, she goes to the west in search of her mentor, who had mysteriously disappeared several months earlier, telling her that she would be back in a couple of weeks. The game itself does not reveal wethever Natsu managed to find Taki, but it was announced that Taki would "eventually" return (possibly in another sequel).

Taki also appears as a playable character in the 2005 crossover tactical role-playing game Namco × Capcom, in which she represents the Soul universe alongside Mitsurugi and is paired with Waya-Hime (Princess Waya, a boss character in Bravoman) and teamed with fighting game icons Jin Kazama (Tekken) and Ryu (Street Fighter). In 2009, the costumes of Taki and Mitsurugi were featured as free downloadable content (DLC) in the action role-playing game Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology.

Gameplay
According to Adam Rosenberg of 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" (too easy to use) by other players. James Price of DC-UK wrote that in Soulcalibur, Taki is "fast and agile", capable of "swift and deadly attacks" as well as "of making somersaults over and around her opponents," but at the cost of having a limited range. According to Jesse Schedeen of IGN, her fighting style "improved dramatically" between Soul Edge and Soulcalibur due to being given dual swords to use at once. In Soulcalibur Legends, Taki is the only character capable of performing a double jump. Soulcalibur V's Natsu borrows "many of Taki's trademark moves."

According to a guide by Stephen Kleckner of GameSpot, in Soulcalibur II, "Taki is a pressure machine", with "a lot of options and variety which allow her to really mix up her attack heights" and very quick moves making her highly capable at close range, but "is going to essentially become a moving target" if her player "can't rush down someone who is really good at sustaining a range game, such as Kilik." According to Andrew Alfonso of GameSpy, "what makes Taki so fearsome is her speed. She's still the fastest character in the game, and despite this her damage potential is still very good at times. However, unlike the big power hitters like Cervantes and Astaroth, she needs to work for her wins" as she is "somewhat hard to learn and execute with." He added that the key "is to maintain her flow of attack, which is done with a combination of her many string attacks and her new technique, EXC (Exorcism Cancel)."

Taki was one of the four characters available in the pre-release demo version of Soulcalibur IV. According to Alex Jenkins of 1UP.com, even as she has lost some of her prior advantages, in this game she is still 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 close to the opponent), as well as a strong counter-attacker. Her weaknesses include difficulty playing against ranged-type characters and many risky special moves. According to IGN's Jesse Schedeen, "thanks to her lightning-quick ninja reflexes," Taki is "a vicious combatant that new and old players alike love to control."

Other appearances
Taki plays one of the lead roles in the 1999 Soulcalibur manga series, together with Sophitia killing Cervantes and destroying Nightmare. She has also joined the cast of Queen's Blade characters and is featured in her own erotic gamebook Queen's Gate Taki (神速の封刃 タキ), released in 2011.

A Taki keychain figurine and a "standing clock" watch were released by Namco in the Soul Edge line. Two four-inch immobile figurines of Taki were released by Yujin as part of their gashapon figure collections Namco Girls Series 1 (in her primary outfit from Soulcalibur II) and Namco Girls Series 4 (in her alternative costume based on Waya-Hime's design). A 1/8 scale (7.5-inch) scale resin (garage) kit figure of Taki from Soulcalibur II was released by Wave in 2003. In 2006, Namco released a MegaHouse PVC statuette as part of a Soulcalibur III set Game Character Collection Soul Calibur III Series 1, based upon her promotional artwork for the game, while an alternative color and unmasked version was also released in a secondary set; while not posable, it came with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold. A 12-inch action figure of Taki from Soulcalibur IV (available in red and blue versions) was released by Triad Toys in 2008,  and was strongly criticized by David Houghton of GamesRadar as oversexualized. Two more resin kits were released by E2046 for Taki's appearances in her prime costumes in Soulcalibur III (17 cm, crouching) and IV (24 cm, dashing), the latter also featured in an alternate color version.

Reception
Taki is widely regarded as one of the most popular characters in the series. Namco named Taki as one of the three most popular Soulcalibur characters in North American markets, alongside Ivy Valentine and Nightmare, while Soulcalibur III director Katsutoshi Sasaki described her as his personal favourite character from the series. She was also noted to be the favourite Soul series character of GamePro editors McKinley Noble and Billy Berghammer. In 2008, UGO ranked Taki as sixth best Soulcalibur character, while Jesse Schedeen of IGN ranked her as the fifth top fighter in the series, commenting: "It's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same." GameDaily, which called Taki one of the "most elite fighters" in the Soul games and stated that she "has left an impact from the very start" of the series, commented: "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." In 2011, Cracked.com listed the "sexy ninja" Taki as first among the "important good guys" of Soulcalibur, calling her the series' equivalent of Street Fighter's Chun-Li.

Taki has also been repeatedly listed as one of gaming's top ninja characters, including being ranked as fifth best ninja hero in video games by Virgin Media in 2008. IGN's Jesse Schedeen wrote: "Everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best." In 2010, GamePro's Chris Jager ranked her as the second best of video game ninja characters, comparing her with the similarly "improbably propotioned" Mai Shiranui and tongue-in-cheek adding they had "originally contemplated giving Taki two places on this list in honour of her formidable pair of assets" and calling her "arguably the toughest and most skilful ninja on our list" next to Mai in such circumstances. In 2012, Complex ranked her as the third swiftest ninja in games, commenting that this "only female on this list is also probably the most incredible ninja on here."

Some publications have also regarded her as one of the best female characters in video games in general and for reasons other than just sex appeal. In 2007, Taki was chosen by Rob Wright of Tom's Games as one of the 50 greatest female characters in video games, described as "a skilled and noble warrior with a shining spirit and stunning beauty," along with a suggestion that she should be played by Zhang Ziyi in the games' live-action film adaptation "because even though she's Chinese, she's beautiful and we know she can handle the swords." In 2011, FHM featured her as one of examples of "some of the wonderful women of videogames" but one that would be impossible to date.

Sex appeal
The character was often noted for her attractiveness. In 2003, play called Taki and Ivy "arguably the finest females in all of 3D fighting." UGO featured her in a series "Imaginary Love" in 2008, stating that "thinking about her beauty and what she might be able to do with that amazing flexibility of hers makes our brains - and our pants - explode." She has been featured in many articles in the "Babes of the Week" gallery series by GameDaily, including the 2007 special "Babe of the Week: Taki", which stated that she is "becoming more agile – and big-breasted – with each new entry. She made such an impact [...] that we awarded her a solo gig." Other Game Daily galleries featuring Taki included "Soul Calibur Hotties", "The Next Wave of Video Game Babes", "Babes We're Thankful For", "Girl Power: These Chicks Will Kick Your Ass", "Brunettes" and "Asian Beauties". In 2008, GameDaily also ranked her as 17th top "hottest game babe", stating: "Female ninjas will always hold a special place in our hearts, especially Taki, what with her muscular physique and insanely large chest." In 2009, Taki was listed was listed as one of top ten "hottest game girls" by Complex. In 2010, she was listed among the 50 "hottest girls" in video games by UGO, additionally described as "quick, efficient, and super-deadly." In 2011, Taki was included on the list of Japanese gaming's top ten "hottest girls" by Bob Muir of Japanator.com, being described as "easily the hottest one in the cast" of the Soul series for her "sexy kind" of armor, "voluptuous body, including her generous chest," and "a dark humor to all of her taunts," while GameFront included her on the list of finest breasts in video game history.

Taki has been also often described as one of the most sexy ninja characters in video games, with GameDaily commenting that "the only thing better than a regular looking ninja is a big breasted female one." As such, she was described as "the bounciest ninja this side of Mai Shiranui" by GameSpy in 2003. In 2011, UGO featured her among the 25 "hot ninja girls" in all media, while Complex pitted Taki against Kitana from the Mortal Kombat series in the "battle of the beauties" feature, category "female ninjas", but could not decide on either one (with Taki being "hot, face mask on or off") and so took them both. In 2012, FHM included Taki on the list of nine "sexiest ninja babes" in games, comparing her to Solenn Heussaff.

Many comments centered on her large breasts and skintight attires. Michael McWhertor of Kotaku wrote about Soulcalibur IV: "Sure, Taki's boobs flopped about ridiculously with the slightest breeze it seemed, but that's not necessarily a complaint," while GamePro noted how her "um, assets bobbed and jiggled after each move" so "fighting fans - and pubescent teen boys - will have a ton of fun." According McWhertor, Taki's character design may be "may be bordering on obscene" as "her tighter than skin tight ninja outfit leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, making her high kicks the stuff of Hustler magazine spreads." FHM's Gelo Gonzales wrote that Taki's "skin-tight catsuit [...] is very practical in her profession" but Ben Richardson of GamesRadar suggested that Taki's costume, which he said was designed for one thing—"making her love pillows resemble torpedoes"—might be be the reason of "a fanboy fave". According to GameRadar, "if you're prepared to believe she's been bathing in beetroot juice, she might as well be fully nude, barring a bit of armor." Ross Lincoln of GameFront asked: "No seriously, how do you make navel-conforming cloth?" In 2007, Joystiq's JC Fletcher called her "everyone's favorite underdressed ninja" and GameDaily praised her "superb fashion sense" and positively contrasted her with Mortal Kombat's Mileena. In 2008, GamesRadar UK chose Taki's "generous bosom" as "the breast story of the year" and GamesRadar US also chose her to represent the Soul series while discussing the "best in breasts" of video games.

Some of the reception has also addressed the size of her bust specifically. GameDaily repeatedly commented on a contrast between Taki's "inexplicably big boobs" and her "swift ninja moves," wondering "how does she fight with those big boobs" and noting that "she's quite agile too, despite her tremendous breasts." Grant Howitt of FHM wondered about "how she kept those enormous breasts supported during fights" and Complex commented that it is Taki's knowledge of mastery of ninjutsu and ninja magic that must be reason how she is able to do all her acrobatic moves with such a chest. Similarily, UGO team stated: "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? To be honest we don't really care, but there must be some kind of ninja-magic that supports those behemoths." GamesRadar agreed, writing that in Soulcalibur IV "Taki’s boobs have been designed by a hormone-addled 13-year-old. They’re simply unfathomable and totally impractical for the fighting physique." GamesRadar's AJ Glasser added: "Sure, Ivy's a couple of cup sizes larger, but Taki probably has less back pain." Rich Knight of Complex too commented on how "most women with a cup size that big would have back pains and would have to sleep on their side at night" yet Taki "takes it all in stride, moving around the stage of history like the most athletic girl on the volleyball court."

Reactions to substitution
The lack of Taki and her replacement by Natsu in Soulcalibur V sparked criticism from many media outlets. In 2011, GamePro included it as one of the reasons why they were "worried" for this then-upcoming game. In 2012, Game Rant named the "long-time favourite" Taki to be the "most notable of the absentees", G4 TV listed her among the characters that are "noticeably absent", PopMatters listed as first her among the missing "fan favorite fighters", and Kotaku's Evan Narcisse called the replacement of "established characters Talim, Taki and Kilik" to be the Project Soul's "most baffling decision". A review by Daniel Bischoff of Game Revolution said: "It's a cop-out to say that Taki is too old to fit in Soul Calibur V's timeline, and then flaunt Ivy and all of her overly-abundant assets at the age of 50+. Why remove the characters at all if you're going to replace them with cardboard stand-ins?" A review by Jeremy Duff of GamingNexus.com advised those who are "not happy with the fact that Taki was left out" about a possibility to restore through the game's "better than ever" character creation mode. Following the release of Soulcalibur V, the staff of IGN named Taki "the most obvious choice for the first DLC character" and her omission in the basic game to be "ridiculous". In an accompanying poll that asked the readers of IGN who would they choose first to be added through downloadable content, Taki placed third out of seven candidates, winning against Covenant Elite, Kratos, Neytiri and Sophitia but losing to Bayonetta and Darth Maul. Angelo M. D'Argenio of Cheat Code Central included Natsu and "every new character in the game" in a 2012 list of top ten "lamest" video game characters of all time, adding: "Instead of Taki, the mysterious ninja, we get Natsu, a bored girl with the same backstory as Naruto."

On the other hand, a preview by Taylor Cocke of the Official Xbox Magazine stated that "you'll be happy to know that newcomer Natsu is taking up her mantle and then some." Similarily, Derrick Smith of Game-insider.com wrote: "Taki, my personal all-time favorite doesn’t make the Soul Calibur V trip. Yet she is nicely replaced with Natsu, her apprentice who brings with her the complete Taki package with some added youth to spice things up."