Games - Heishiro Mitsurugi

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	Games - Heishiro Mitsurugi

Heishiro Mitsurugi is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. Mitsurugi made his first appearance in Soul Edge and has returned for all three sequels: Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II and Soul Calibur III. However, in South Korea, where samurai and ninja are prohibited in video games, Mitsurugi is replaced by a character named Arthur. Other than being a British "knight," Arthur is essentially Mitsurugi with blonde hair and an eye patch; the samurai outfit and katana blade remains unaltered.

Biography

Mitsurugi was born the son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan; but after many years of seeing his home ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai, taking the name of Mitsurugi, which most loosely means "calm but deadly man wielding a divine sword". Mitsurugi was a powerful force on the battlefield, and rumors of him spread like wildfire, heralding him as the warrior that could mow down foes like fields of wheat. He received numerous military commendations and eventually reached the rank of officer in the Japanese armed forces. But all along, his only true desire was a worthy opponent. After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary. It was during this time that he had learned of a new weapon that was said to be changing the way wars would be fought: the Rifle. He originally dismissed this weapon as a novelty, but he soon learned that it was capable of wiping out the Takeda cavalry. He sensed that the arrival of the rifle in common warfare would put him out of business. He decided that the only way to combat with this was to find a stronger weapon: the rumoured Soul Edge. Unfortunately, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword" on his quest and began taking tasks that were largely meaningless to him in order to pass the time. One of these involved guarding a nearby Japanese castle for the night, where he prevented the female ninja Taki from breaking in; and another of which involved aiding the Spanish Marquis Andre's force in laying siege on Sir Stefan's Ostrheinsburg Castle. In his frustration of finding no signs of Soul Edge, he returned home and challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel, trying to prove that he didn't need the Soul Edge to beat the rifle. But he suffered an embarrassing defeat in front of his lord, forcing him to depart in shame on a second quest to perfect his swordsmanship so that he might eventually defeat the rifle. It was during this quest that he learned of the Azure Knight, Nightmare, who terrorized Europe with a sword deemed invincible. Nightmare's trail eventually disappeared, but Mitsurugi was unwilling to give up.

Four years later, Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge while vising a castle in Xiwei (presenty-day Xi'an), where a mysterious dying man handed him a shard of the cursed blade. Although skeptical at first, Mitsurugi accepted the gift. Soon afterwards, an incident occurred in which a servant of the Emperor of Ming marched to the castle, demanding the "Hero's Sword," and was slain when he refused to leave without it; Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming, but Soul Edge meant nothing to him. He had crossed countless battlefields, defeating every conceivable enemy, even those with rifles. What had once been his greatest enemy was none of his concern, as it no longer proved to be a threat. His only concern was with finding an opponent stronger than himself. It was at this time that he was suddenly attacked by unknown forces, but he fought off all of his attackers quite easily. They were after the fragment the man from Xiwei had given to him; and judging by their outfits, they appeared to be ninja, with a sword technique he found strangely familiar. They reminded him of Taki, who had interfered every time he had drawn close to the Soul Edge. His thoughts drifted, wondering what was happening in Japan at that time, and whether or not he could receive a final showdown with Taki. He decided to return to his homeland. By this time, the Warring States Period era had ended, and the powerful feudal lord, Oda Nobunaga, was dead. The leaders of the states were now faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan in particular, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing instead to protect their existence as fierce pirates and rulers of the sea. But their resistence caught the attention of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and a final stand was about to ensue. Since Mitsurugi could find no trace of Taki, he decided to aid the Murakami in the battle. A nighttime raid commenced. The ships clustered together and rode the tide in to charge the enemy fleet - the traditional secret strategy of the Murakami. The battle began, and Mitsurugi stormed enemy ships like a hurricane. This combined with the Murakami's naval prowess allowed for swift victory, and Mitsurugi was decorated for his service, gaining an invitation to meet with the Murakami commander. The commander engaged him in long conversation, mentioning rumors of a warrior clad in azure armor appearing from the west and boasting the strength of a god. Mitsurugi looked up in surprise, realizing that this must be Nightmare, whom he had lost track of before. Mitsurugi bade farewell to the Murakami and ran to a nearby port, giving all of his reward money to a boatman, demanding that he be taken west. He needed neither money nor fame, only the satisfaction of a fierce battle in which his very soul would clash against his opponent's; and that battle, he concluded, would be found in Nightmare.

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