Tira (Soulcalibur)

Tira
Tira
'Soul series character
	File:3D-Tira.jpg
First game	Soul Calibur III

Tira (ティラ, Tira) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. Her first and, to date, only appearance is in Soul Calibur III.

Biography

There was an underground organization hidden in the shadows which went by the name "Bird of Passage". They were affiliated with no single side, forming contracts with the powerful and sending out assassins to eliminate important figures. The group kept its existence in secret, influencing the history of Europe from behind the scenes. Tira was raised by the group since childhood, stripped of her freedom and choice for her future. Since her younger days she grew accustomed to taking the lives of others without feeling anything. The act of killing became a regular routine in her life, so much that she needs to kill on a regular basis for the stimulation it provides.

Tira worked to improve her skills with a cheerful demeanor, as if she enjoyed her job, but even herself wasn't aware that it was only to hide her true feelings. Tira was in the middle of a mission when the Evil Seed rained down. The leader's mind was burnt by the evil energy and the chain of command collapsed. Suddenly Tira was free from the underground and into the outside world. Eventually she forgot where she was when this event happened.

For a while Tira lived with an ordinary family in a quiet city among normal people. Unlike the world she had come from, nothing here satisfied her desire, but she thought that this lifestyle could be okay. But soon enough her peaceful days ended; one day she had set free the family's child bird pet without a clear reason and was scolded. That simple event triggered her dormant killing desire. By the time she realized what happened, she was in front of the corpse of her former "family". Realizing she couldn't live without killing, Tira began an aimless wandering, killing as she went.

One day she came to know the massacres caused by Nightmare. Her heart leapt at the thought of finding someone like herself. She tracked the Azure Knight and reached Ostrheinsburg, where she met a man carrying a scythe. The man revealed her that what she sought was the wicked sword Soul Edge, and that Nightmare was just a puppet. Tira was somewhat disappointed for the revelation, but a short time later she heard rumors of the Azure Knight's reappareance. She followed the trail of slaughters and finally found Nightmare, the bringer of destruction and despair beyond her wildest dreams. finally finding someone to give herself entirely, she turned into the sword's faithful servant.

Now Tira operates secretly behind the scenes with two set objectives: destroy the spirit sword, and thus breaking the seal over Soul Edge's body; and locate a new host for the cursed sword, since his actual body is an unstable temporal shell and he needs a host with both strong spiritual will and a body to operate.

Weapons

-- Aiselne Drossel

A ring blade used by Tira. Nothing is really known about this weapon. The blade of the ring is dull on the inside and sharp on the outside, allowing Tira to hold it and swing it around without injuring herself. Its name could be a mistranslation of "Eiserne Drossel", meaning "Iron Throttle" in German.

-- Bifrost This weapon has the ability to avoid some ringouts, as well as increase defense.

-- Ixion This ringblade will increase attack power, as well as recover health while attacking

-- Vimana This weapon will automatically guard impact some attacks, as well as make it easier to perform guard impact.

-- Soul Edge Increase attack pushback force, reduces health, penetrates opponent's guard, and increases attack power as time progresses.

-- Cogwheel Makes an odd noise and decreases attack power.

-- The Ancient has no effects.

Stages

-- Ostrheinsburg Castle - Battlement

Much time has passed since this proud, once-impregnable fortress, with its four citadels, was reduced to ruin. The scars inflicted by giant siege engines several years ago tell the tale of the horror of war. After losing its first lord and falling into ruin, this castle was occupied by a terrible master known as the Azure Knight. The chaos of war, and then the Azure Knight, filled this land with bitter hatred. A miasmal fog still lingers over the castle even after the knight has left. It is said that this land, avoided even by wild beasts, feels like home to those who have accepted evil into their hearts. Those who visit this place will surely see the dark birds that gather at the top of the tower of this crumbling castle.

Character Analysis

In Soul Calibur III, Tira's often seen as a low-mid tier character.

Tira's 8-Way runs are unusual in that they can produce infinite loops. Many of these bizarre attacks feature numerous different move classes (eg HML HML), and can be confusing for beginners to counter. Tira specializes primely in mid-ranged combat, but unfortunately she is outclassed by many others in that regard; her movepool is fairly limited and unlike some of the other characters, she does not have any outstanding strength.

Tira does have some fast combos, which do not do much damage. She has an excellent ring out move, and her acrobatic throws are nice to look at.

Trivia

Technically, Tira only has the normal default stances, although some of her moves cause her to change her position.
Tira suffers from bipolar disorder, which is proven by her sudden mood swings from extremely happy to downright foul. Even the slightest trigger would cause her to become either depressed, or manic. In fact, she has two different sets of phrases (excluding the damage/attack grunts and death cry), that can be switched back and forth by taunting (which she has two of as well) or getting hit. It also shows before you select her. If you go back and forth (or just switching clothes), she is either grinning or frowning.
She's one of six characters in the game who uses Soul Edge as her ultimate weapon (the other five are Nightmare, Astaroth, Cervantes, Lizardman, and Mitsurugi). Her version of Soul Edge resembles the Ouroboros symbol (a snake devouring its own tail).
In Namco's Soul Archive website, and others as well, Tira's weapon is listed as "Aisel Nedrossel". Its unknown if its an error or mistranlation on the websites or the game itself.
It seems Tira was the one mentioned in Yoshimitsu's storyline as the person who had slaughtered his ninjas and taken the Soul Edge shard, as Yoshimitsu says in both character's Tale of Souls event, "My clan members cry out for vengeance!" (Although this could be a reference to the single member of his clan she killed at the chapel.). On the other hand, Yoshimitsu recognizes her weapon from somewhere and he also wonders if she/it is "the master" in one scene, hinting she (or her former group) can be related to Yoshimitsu and/or the deceased Manji.
Tira's discipline, "Soul of Tira" is unique as it is available to create-a-characters of the Thief and Assassin class. All other character's disciplines are only available to one class.
It's rumoured that Tira came from Germany. Clues are the mistranslated name of her weapon (Eiserne Drossel would be correct) and her location Ostrheinsburg which is located in Germany. Some sources say, however, that she is from Denmark or even Poland (due to "Polonaise Spin", one of her attacks).
Though Tira is searching a new host for the blade, it seems Soul Edge could possibly use her instead. Her ending shows that (if the player chooses right instead of left).
Even if in most characters' Tales of Souls mode Tira is unquestionably loyal to Nightmare, she attacks him in Nightmare's Tales of Souls, in the cutscene prior to the fight she seems confused over why she is clinging on to "the visage of that man for so long". (speaking of Nightmare) After defeating her, Nightmare mentions his plan to devour Tira's soul eventually, but that for now it would not be wise to lose her as a servant.
In one of the Galleries of Soul Calibur III there is a sketch of Tira as a Catgirl. That illustration is the way she originally was supposed to look, until the artists decided to give her a different look.
Tira does not have an official nickname, but in the promotional videos of Soul Calibur III she's referred as "The Misguided Angel of Death".
Tira's Destined Battle in Soul Calibur III is Yoshimitsu.

Series' Appearances

External links

VIMANA.DE.BE a shrine to Tira