Taki (Soulcalibur)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Soul
series of fighting game
s by Namco
. Taki, one of the series' good characters, is a demon huntress and a runaway kunoichi
whose motive is destroying the evil sword known as Soul Edge.
Taki, Mitsurugi and Siegfried are the only characters who have been featured as a player character
in every title in the Soul series, including the spin-off game Soulcalibur Legends
and the upcoming Soulcalibur V
. Taki also plays a major role in the Soulcalibur manga
series, killing Cervantes
and destroying Nightmare. She received positive reception as one of the most popular characters of the franchise as well as one of the sex symbol
s and top ninja
characters in video gaming.
in 1996, 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, and is also an accomplished spy
and blacksmith
. 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 (1998) tells how eventually she has confronted and defeated the 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. 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 then destroy each other.
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, but is also 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 friends as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru. Taki returns as a starting character in the game's sequel, Soulcalibur II (2002), 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 decided 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. She then decided to keep both Soul Edge and Mekkimaru from Toki, but became worried of him as well.
Four years later, the 29-year-old Taki returns in the fourth installment of the saga, Soulcalibur III (2005). 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 faces her master Toki, who has 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 begins a new journey to end Soul Edge. In Soulcalibur IV
(2008), Taki witnesses how the battle between Siegfried and the Soul Calibur-wielding and Soul Edge-wielding Nightmare unleashed a powerful cataclysm. She then learned that Soul Edge was in the city of Ostrheinsburg, and Siegfried was heading there with Soul Calibur, and so she sets out there. In her ending, she tracks down and defeats Siegfried, who takes the evil sword and allows himself to be crystallized while she silently walks away. According to the text-only epilogue, "There is no way to know how Taki lived her life from that point on. She sealed such a great evil and disappeared from history."
Contrary to her Soulcalibur IV ending, however, Taki was confirmed to return in Soulcalibur V
(2012), set 17 years after the events of the previous game. She is set to appear along with a young female disciple named Natsu (a new player character).
tactical role-playing game Namco x Capcom
, where she represented the Soulcalibur universe alongside Mitsurugi and was eventually paired with Waya Hime (Bravoman
) and teamed-up with fighting game heroes Jin Kazama
(Tekken) and Ryu
(Street Fighter
). In 2009, the costumes of Taki and Mitsurugi were featured as free DLC
in the action role-playing game Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
.
, a theme that she would keep through the series in various variations and colors (by default either crimson red or navy blue).
She has also some distinctly different costumes, such as her third costume of Soulcalibur II, which was modeled after the one worn by Waya Hime in Bravoman. The same costume was the first in which she has appeared with loose hair, instead of having her hair up in a ponytail
(or hidden inside the helmet in her Soul Edge alternate), and with fishnet/mesh elements. Soulcalibur II also marked the first instance in which her primary outfit of the game has her face unmasked (actually there are no masks in all three of Taki's costumes in the game), althrough a metal mask from Soul Edge returned for her main costume of Soulcalibur III (blue-colored), this time shaped after the Japanese demon mask
. About her appearance in the upcoming Soulcalibur V, in which Taki will be 46-year-old, the game's producer Hisaharu Tago joked: "In terms of her outfit, we don't know if she'll be in body tights".
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). Her exclusive optional weapons include a jutte, a kunai
, a tanto
and an iron fan
.
According to 1UP.com
, in Soulcalibur IV 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 this game, in which she lost many of her usual adventages. 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.
It was revealed that Soulcalibur Vs Natsu would "borrow many of Taki's trademark moves".
figurines; a second Yujin-maden Taki figurine was released for the collection "Namco Girls Series #4", utilizing her secondary outfit from the same game. A 1/8 scale (7.5-inch) scale resin kit of Taki from Soulcalibur II was also released by Wave in 2003. In 2006, Namco released a PVC figurine as part of a Soulcalibur III set "Game Character Collection Soul Calibur III Series 1", based upon her promotional artwork for the game; while not posable, it came with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold and an alternate color version was later released in a secondary set. A 12-inch action figure
of Taki from Soulcalibur IV was released by Triad Games in 2008; it was strongly criticized by GamesRadar
as oversexualized.
stating: "Taki's boobs flopped about ridiculously with the slightest breeze it seemed, but that's not necessarily a complaint" and "her tighter than skin tight ninja outfit leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, making her high kicks the stuff of Hustler
magazine spreads" IGN noted 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." According to GamesRadar in 2007, "her love pillows" are the reason of "a fanboy fave".
In 2004, UGO featured her in the Imaginary Love series ("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") and included her on the list of Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters in 2008, as well as on the 2010's list of the 50 best girls in all video games (with a comment: "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?"), and in 2011 also featured her on their list of 25 Hot Ninja Girls. In 2007, Taki was included by Tom's Games among the 50 greatest female characters in video game history (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
. GamesRadar chose her to represent Soulcalibur IV in the 2008's article discussing the best breasts of video games, adding that "sure, Ivy's a couple of cup sizes larger, but Taki probably has less back pain". In 2008, IGN ranked her at fifth place on their list of the top ten fighters of the series as "everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best", adding that "it's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same". Virgin Media
also ranked her as fifth on the list of top 10 video game ninja heroes. In 2010, GamePro
ranked Taki second on their list of top 10 video game ninja characters, comparing her with Mai Shiranui
from the Fatal Fury
and The King of Fighters series, and tongue-in-cheek adding they had "originally contemplated giving Taki two places on this list in honour of her formidable pair of assets". In 2011, Cracked
listed the "sexy ninja" Taki as first on the list "important good guys" in the series, calling her the equivalent of Chun-Li
from the Street Fighter series.
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") and praised her "superb fashion sense", contrasting her with Mortal Kombat's Mileena
. Also in 2007, GameDaily commented about her in the article Babes of the Week: Soul Calibur Hotties how Taki "has left an impact from the very start" since the series' debut, adding in 2008's Babe of the Week: Babes We're Thankful For that "the only thing better than a regular looking ninja is a big breasted female one". Taki was also ranked as 17th in their 2008's article 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") and featured in the article The Next Wave of Video Game Babes that same year ("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 2009, they additionally included her in the two more Babe of the Week articles, Brunettes (commenting that "she's quite agile too, despite her tremendous breasts") and Asian Beauties (calling her one of the series' "most elite fighters").
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Soul
Soul (series)
The is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco Bandai Games. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur. The series is special in that each character...
series of fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
s by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
. Taki, one of the series' good characters, is a demon huntress and a runaway kunoichi
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
whose motive is destroying the evil sword known as Soul Edge.
Taki, Mitsurugi and Siegfried are the only characters who have been featured as a player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
in every title in the Soul series, including the spin-off game Soulcalibur Legends
Soulcalibur Legends
is an action-adventure game for the Wii console. It is a spin-off of Namco Bandai's successful Soul fighting game series and primarily features two of its most popular characters: Ivy and Siegfried. It was released on November 20, 2007 in North America and was released in Japan on December 13,...
and the upcoming Soulcalibur V
Soulcalibur V
is the upcoming sixth installment in Namco's Soul series of fighting games, and will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. The game will take place 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV. The main protagonist is Patroklos, the son of Soul series veteran Sophitia, while her...
. Taki also plays a major role in the Soulcalibur manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, killing Cervantes
Cervantes de Leon
is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, he first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series...
and destroying Nightmare. She received positive reception as one of the most popular characters of the franchise as well as one of the sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
s and top ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
characters in video gaming.
In video games
Given that Mitsurugi was replaced by the character Arthur in some versions of Soulcalibur, Taki is the only character to have appeared in all versions of every game. Soulcalibur III director Katsutoshi Sasaki described her as his personal favourite character in the series.Soul series
Taki debuted as one of the eight original characters in Soul EdgeSoul Edge
is a 3D arcade fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco. It is the first installment in the Soul series of fighting games...
in 1996, 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, and is also an accomplished spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
. 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 (1998) tells how eventually she has confronted and defeated the game's main villain and Soul Edge's wielder, Cervantes de Leon
Cervantes de Leon
is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, he first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series...
, and obtained a fragment of the shattered sword. In the process, she also saved another character, Sophitia
Sophitia
is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, she first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, as well as appearing in various merchandise related to the series.- Creation and conception:...
, 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 then destroy each other.
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, but is also 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
Kodachi
A , literally translating into "small or short tachi ", is a Japanese sword that is too long to be considered a dagger but too short to be a long sword...
short sword. Taki later gives a false report to Toki, leading his forces in pursuit of Li Long
Li Long
is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, he first appeared in Soul Edge, later appearing in both console and arcade versions of Soulcalibur III, as well as on various merchandise related to the series...
, 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 friends as she tries to destroy Mekkimaru. Taki returns as a starting character in the game's sequel, Soulcalibur II (2002), 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 decided 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. She then decided to keep both Soul Edge and Mekkimaru from Toki, but became worried of him as well.
Four years later, the 29-year-old Taki returns in the fourth installment of the saga, Soulcalibur III (2005). 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
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
Shrine. Sneaking there, Taki faces her master Toki, who has 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 begins a new journey to end Soul Edge. In Soulcalibur IV
Soulcalibur IV
is the fourth installment in Namco's Soul series of fighting games. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on July 29, 2008, in North America, on July 31, 2008, in Japan, Europe, and Australia, and on August 1, 2008, in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.The game is notable for...
(2008), Taki witnesses how the battle between Siegfried and the Soul Calibur-wielding and Soul Edge-wielding Nightmare unleashed a powerful cataclysm. She then learned that Soul Edge was in the city of Ostrheinsburg, and Siegfried was heading there with Soul Calibur, and so she sets out there. In her ending, she tracks down and defeats Siegfried, who takes the evil sword and allows himself to be crystallized while she silently walks away. According to the text-only epilogue, "There is no way to know how Taki lived her life from that point on. She sealed such a great evil and disappeared from history."
Contrary to her Soulcalibur IV ending, however, Taki was confirmed to return in Soulcalibur V
Soulcalibur V
is the upcoming sixth installment in Namco's Soul series of fighting games, and will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. The game will take place 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV. The main protagonist is Patroklos, the son of Soul series veteran Sophitia, while her...
(2012), set 17 years after the events of the previous game. She is set to appear along with a young female disciple named Natsu (a new player character).
Guest appearances
Taki appeared as a playable character in the 2005 crossoverFictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
tactical role-playing game Namco x Capcom
Namco x Capcom
is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.- Storyline :...
, where she represented the Soulcalibur universe alongside Mitsurugi and was eventually paired with Waya Hime (Bravoman
Bravoman
Bravoman, known in Japan as , sometimes referred to as Berabow Man is a 1988 platformer/beat-em-up hybrid arcade game developed and released by Namco for the arcades only in Japan. It was later ported to the NEC TurboGrafx-16 in 1990. This version was also released outside of Japan simply as Bravoman...
) and teamed-up with fighting game heroes Jin Kazama
Jin Kazama
is a video game player character in the Tekken fighting game series released by Namco Bandai. Trained by his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima in order to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin wishes to avenge his mother's apparent death...
(Tekken) and Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
(Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
). In 2009, the costumes of Taki and Mitsurugi were featured as free DLC
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
in the action role-playing game Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
is a spin-off of the Tales action role-playing game series for the PlayStation Portable. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology's characteristic genre name is . Like some of the previous games that bear Tales of the World in their title, this game is a crossover title featuring characters from...
.
Character design
Taki had been originally conceived as a helmeted Yoshimitsu-like ninja with a large helmet covering her upper face and loose outfit during the early development of Soul Edge. Before the first game was released, Taki went through several major design changes, eventually becoming a buxom, iron-masked woman in partially-armored catsuitCatsuit
A catsuit is a close-fitting one-piece garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex , leather, latex, PVC, or velour, and frequently close using a zipper at the front or back.Catsuits, which...
, a theme that she would keep through the series in various variations and colors (by default either crimson red or navy blue).
She has also some distinctly different costumes, such as her third costume of Soulcalibur II, which was modeled after the one worn by Waya Hime in Bravoman. The same costume was the first in which she has appeared with loose hair, instead of having her hair up in a ponytail
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
(or hidden inside the helmet in her Soul Edge alternate), and with fishnet/mesh elements. Soulcalibur II also marked the first instance in which her primary outfit of the game has her face unmasked (actually there are no masks in all three of Taki's costumes in the game), althrough a metal mask from Soul Edge returned for her main costume of Soulcalibur III (blue-colored), this time shaped after the Japanese demon mask
Hannya
The Hannya mask is a mask used in Japanese Noh theater, representing a jealous female demon or serpent. It possesses two sharp bull-like horns, metallic eyes, and a leering mouth split from ear to ear.-Origin of the name:...
. About her appearance in the upcoming Soulcalibur V, in which Taki will be 46-year-old, the game's producer Hisaharu Tago joked: "In terms of her outfit, we don't know if she'll be in body tights".
Taki's original weapon from Soul Edge is Rekki-Maru (a ninjatō
Ninjato
The , also known as or , is the most common name for the sword that the ninja are portrayed to have carried by ninja in television and movies. Historically, there is no physical evidence for the existance of this weapon. In reality, the katana was probably the ninja's weapon of choice...
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). Her exclusive optional weapons include a jutte, a kunai
Kunai
A is a Japanese tool possibly derived from the masonry trowel. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon...
, a tanto
Tanto
A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...
and an iron fan
Japanese war fan
A war fan is a fan designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-Description:War fans varied in size, materials, shape and use. One of the most significant uses was as a signalling device...
.
Gameplay
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.According to 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, in Soulcalibur IV 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 this game, in which she lost many of her usual adventages. However, according to IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, "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.
It was revealed that Soulcalibur Vs Natsu would "borrow many of Taki's trademark moves".
Merchandise
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 gashaponGashapon
is a Bandai brand trademark widely used throughout the world for their capsule toys. It is also referred to as ." Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy...
figurines; a second Yujin-maden Taki figurine was released for the collection "Namco Girls Series #4", utilizing her secondary outfit from the same game. A 1/8 scale (7.5-inch) scale resin kit of Taki from Soulcalibur II was also released by Wave in 2003. In 2006, Namco released a PVC figurine as part of a Soulcalibur III set "Game Character Collection Soul Calibur III Series 1", based upon her promotional artwork for the game; while not posable, it came with three interchangeable weapons for it to hold and an alternate color version was later released in a secondary set. A 12-inch action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
of Taki from Soulcalibur IV was released by Triad Games in 2008; it was strongly criticized by GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
as oversexualized.
Reception
Taki's character design has resulted in mixed reception, particularly in response to her large breasts and attire, KotakuKotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
stating: "Taki's boobs flopped about ridiculously with the slightest breeze it seemed, but that's not necessarily a complaint" and "her tighter than skin tight ninja outfit leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination, making her high kicks the stuff of Hustler
Hustler
Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
magazine spreads" IGN noted 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." According to GamesRadar in 2007, "her love pillows" are the reason of "a fanboy fave".
In 2004, UGO featured her in the Imaginary Love series ("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") and included her on the list of Top 11 SoulCalibur Fighters in 2008, as well as on the 2010's list of the 50 best girls in all video games (with a comment: "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?"), and in 2011 also featured her on their list of 25 Hot Ninja Girls. In 2007, Taki was included by Tom's Games among the 50 greatest female characters in video game history (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
Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is coined by the media as one of the Four Young Dan actresses in the Film Industry in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun...
. GamesRadar chose her to represent Soulcalibur IV in the 2008's article discussing the best breasts of video games, adding that "sure, Ivy's a couple of cup sizes larger, but Taki probably has less back pain". In 2008, IGN ranked her at fifth place on their list of the top ten fighters of the series as "everyone loves a good ninja, and Taki just so happens to be one of the best", adding that "it's hard to imagine a Soulcalibur game without Taki. It just wouldn't be the same". Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
also ranked her as fifth on the list of top 10 video game ninja heroes. In 2010, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
ranked Taki second on their list of top 10 video game ninja characters, comparing her with Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui
is a player character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK and in related media, also appearing in a large number of other games...
from the Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury
is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system.Producers Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto, who were the producers of the series from Fatal Fury 3 and onward, were the planners of the original Street Fighter...
and The King of Fighters series, and tongue-in-cheek adding they had "originally contemplated giving Taki two places on this list in honour of her formidable pair of assets". In 2011, Cracked
Cracked
Cracked was an American humor magazine. Founded in 1958, Cracked proved to be the most durable of the many publications to be launched in the wake of Mad magazine....
listed the "sexy ninja" Taki as first on the list "important good guys" in the series, calling her the equivalent of Chun-Li
Chun-Li
is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games....
from the Street Fighter series.
Taki has been featured in especially many articles by GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
, 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") and praised her "superb fashion sense", contrasting her with Mortal Kombat's Mileena
Mileena
Mileena is a player and boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Mileena was originally known as the personal assassin of the Outworld's evil emperor Shao Kahn and twin sister of his stepdaughter Princess Kitana, but in a truth she is a deformed clone of her created by the sorcerer...
. Also in 2007, GameDaily commented about her in the article Babes of the Week: Soul Calibur Hotties how Taki "has left an impact from the very start" since the series' debut, adding in 2008's Babe of the Week: Babes We're Thankful For that "the only thing better than a regular looking ninja is a big breasted female one". Taki was also ranked as 17th in their 2008's article 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") and featured in the article The Next Wave of Video Game Babes that same year ("there are many women worth mentioning in the Soul Calibur series, but if anyone really knows how to handle Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
, Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
and the Apprentice
Starkiller
Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek and the Apprentice, is the main character of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed project , who first appeared in the game Soulcalibur IV. He is voiced by Sam Witwer, who also gave his likeness to the character...
, it's Taki"). In 2009, they additionally included her in the two more Babe of the Week articles, Brunettes (commenting that "she's quite agile too, despite her tremendous breasts") and Asian Beauties (calling her one of the series' "most elite fighters").