SoulCalibur VI - All characters confirmed so far

Axe wielding golem Astaroth is an absolute beast, with a deadly attitude and brute strength as his main advantages in battle. In his original timeline story, 'The Demonic Guard' was created by a cult who worshipped the Greek god Ares in order to locate Soul Edge. After locating the Soul Edge, and discovering that it is broken, Astaroth creates an alliance with its wielder, Nightmare, to harvest the living souls necessary in order to restore the blade to its former condition - with every intention of stealing the blade upon its completion.

Those who have played the earlier editions of the SoulCalibur franchise will have seen Astaroth go through a complete transformation in SoulCalibur IV, when his muscular gladiator-like appearance was redesigned to feature a more rock-like texture.

Seong Mi-na, nicknamed the 'Daughter of the Bladed Rod' who uses Seong-Style Longsword and Staff Techniques in combat. Seong runs away from home after he father's persistent demands for her to marry.

Shortly after her escape, a certain practioner of Myeong School arrives before setting off to search for her. Although she's only around 5'4" tall, he speed and abilities with the Naginata staff are not to be underestimated.

Born in the Holy Roman Empire, new character Azwel is the antagonist in the Libra of Soul's story mode. He is highly intelligent and a scholar in history, medicine, war, art and many more fields.

It was his studies about the history of humanity that led to his conclusion that humanity would self-destruct through war and other calamities, and his desire for the people led him to enact a terrifying plan to save them from themselves. Azwel uses gloves called Palindrome as his weapon, powered by a Soul Edge fragment in the right glove and a Soul Calibur piece in the left.

Azwel harnesses power into the gloves from memories of past battles, preserved within the fragments, which allows him to craft a number of weapons in battle.

Spanish pirate Cervantes de León bit off more than he could chew after grasping the Soul Edge, with the power of the cursed sword transforming him into a monster. Things went from bad to worse as Cervantes was defeated by Sophitia and Taki - before being consumed by fire and sentenced to the depths of hell, where his body turned to ash.

Cervantes soon returned from the dead thanks to Nightmare, now the owner of the Soul Edge, who used the cursed sword's power to resurrect the Spaniard. The undead pirate wields Acheron, a sword used as his main weapon, and Nirvana, a dagger with a pistol in the hilt.

It seems that The White Wolf has tired of fighting Basilisks, Foglets and Nightwraiths - as he embarks on a new quest within the SoulCalibur Universe. Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist of The Witcher series, dons his attire from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as well as using his trusty steel and silver swords.

Geralt can cast a range of spells in combat including Igni, which uses fire-based attacks, and Axii, which causes delusion, confusion and domination (mind control). Doug Cockle also reprises the voice of Geralt, which adds to the authentic feel of the character.

Grøh is a brand-new character for SoulCalibur and is nicknamed The Agent of Black. His double-ended weapon, Aerondight Replica, draws its name from Lancelot's sword, and his appearance/design has been compared to that of Raiden (Metal Gear Solid & Metal Gear Revengeance).

When using his Soul Charge, the colors of the streaks in Grøh's hair from blue to red during a fight, as well as his eye color turning from grey-blue to glowing red.

After being consumed by the Soul Edge's power, Siegfried became the deadly Azure Knight known as Nightmare. Due to the effects of the transformation, Nightmare's arm mutated into a huge 3-fingered claw - which can be used in battle alongside his Soul Edge sword (Zweihänder).

Xianghua became an expert of swordsmanship from a young age, thanks to her mother's training within the Chai family - based in Beijing. With little information about her father, who is believe to have died a long time ago, the young fighter is itching to explore in order to discover whatever secrets that she can find. Xianghua uses a Jian, a Chinese blade inherited from her mother.

Raised by the monks of the Ling-Sheng Su temple, Kilik became a proficient fighter. His efforts in training and combat would lead to him being rewarded with one of the temple’s three sacred treasures. However, on the night before the official handover ceremony, things do not go to plan.

Kilik uses a Kali-Yuga staff in combat, as well as the secret arts of the Ling-Sheng and Su Style Rod fighting styles.

Nicknamed the 'Hellfire of Despair', Inferno's existence spawned from all of the souls collected in the Soul Edge. This powerful fighter possesses a deep knowledge of all fighting techniques, allowing it to use any weapon style and skill with ease.

Inferno’s look will change with every incarnation, making it stronger and more brutal than ever. Opponents are warned that even the most proficient of warriors cannot guard against Inferno's attacks, and one false move can result in a massacre.

Isabella 'Ivy' Valentine returns in another SoulCalibur adventure, as does her snake sword weapon, the Ivy Blade. In her childhood, Ivy lived a happy life until her father’s obsession with alchemy and immortality - obtained from the Soul Blade - drove him to death. Now, in attempt to avenge her father, Ivy will set out to locate the Soul Blade and destroy it.

Master of the Nunchaku, Maxi was nicknamed 'Dandy of the Seas' after deciding to round up his friends from his hometown, form a pirate crew and set out to see the world - following his father’s dying wishes. Not much has been said about Maxi's journey in the new timeline, but we suspect that he will encounter dangerous enemies and a certain treasure.

Long-serving and popular SoulCalibur character Heishiro Mitsurugi is, of course, returning for the sixth installment in the franchise. Sporting traditional Japanese Samurai armor and a Katana blade, Mitsurugi has an insatiable thirst for knowledge when it comes to fighting, and wants nothing more than to become one of the great warriors in history.

The stylish French fighter Raphael Sorel is a bit of an all-rounder, having captured the emperor's study from childhood and studied medicine, as well as having polished sword skills and surviving a bloody political fight. Wielding his Flambert Rapier, players using Raphael can expect his flamboyant style in both appearance and combat skills.

The long blonde locks of Siegfried Schtauffen will be swishing around in battle, along with his Zweihänder sword that harnesses a number of different powers to unleash powerful attacks. After becoming the original host to Nightmare, a demonic power created by the Soul Edge, Siegfried is defeated by fellow warriors and awakes with the harrowing memories of slaying his own father whilst under the curse.

Desperate to avenge his father and make amends, the bright knight embarks on a quest for redemption to hopefully free himself from the cursed sword’s grasp once and for all.

One minute you're working in a family bakery in Athens, the next you're contacted by the an oracle from the Olympian God of fire and forge and sent on a dangerous mission. Welcome to the life of Sophitia Alexandra, who battled the ferocious Cervantes and barely survived in a narrow victory - now, she must venture once more in search of the Soul Edge to bring balance to the world.

Sophitia uses a Sword & Elk Shield in combat, with an Athenian fighting style.

Taki is a skilled fighter, and needs to be as her former clan is trying to hunt her down. An outcast of the Fu-Ma clan and the most skilled adept of the Musō-Battō-ryū style, Taki's is being tracked down in an attempt to claim the Mekki-Maru, a sword which she forged using a shard from Soul Edge.

Her signature pink bodysuit makes an appearance in the game, as well as her mask from SoulCalibur III. When performing a special attack or a Soul Charge, pink bright symbols appear all over her body before unleashing the powerful attack.

Nicknamed 'The Last Priestess of the Winds', Talim has learnt the ways of the ceremonial Wind Dance, and grew up with the two ancestral elbow blades, Syi Sarika and Loka Luha, which she still carries today. Her ability to use these weapons with such mastery allows her to control the wind itself, which has resulted in a unique elemental fighting ability.

After a stranger arrived in her sleepy town carrying a shard of Soul Edge, Talim has vowed to return it to its rightful place, after sensing the danger it might bring to her home.

She's the fighter that will run 'rings' around you, quite literally. Tira, one of the DLC characters appearing in SoulCalibur VI, was trained by the mysterious Birds of Passage, a group of assassins. Since the group disbanded due to its leader going mad, Tira now wanders the world on her own.

She is an expert wielder of her Ring Blade, Eiserne Drossel, and uses her own Dance of Death fighting style.

Don't be distracted by Voldo's bizarre body movements in battle, as you'll soon pay the price. The 'Hell Guardian' uses Dual Jamadhar Katars, which can result in a wide variety of unusual attacks due to his incredibly flexible body.

His Mantis Crawl stance can entice opponents in to attack, often followed by a counter of shredding blades that will leave them vulnerable to heavy damage.

Just in case you were confused, the Yoshimitsu in the SoulCalibur franchise is an ancestor of Yoshimitsu from the TEKKEN games, glad we cleared that up!

Wearing traditional Samurai armor and using his Manji Sword & Fu-Ma Blade - combined with the Manji ninjitsu combat style taught to him by the Manji Clan - Yoshimitsu is considered one of the greatest swordsmen of his time. After his clan was destroyed by the ire of a powerful warlord, the lone survivor has dedicated his life to martial arts, and harnessing unique combat powers.

Born into the Guardians of the Spirit Sword clan, Zasalamel excelled at being a dominate warrior. However, his cockiness resulted in fellow members breaking both of his arms and banishing him forever. Now alone, the Death scythe-wielding fighter began studying ancient arts to discover the secrets to reincarnation. His search for everlasting life, but at what price?

He is able to manipulate time and has inherited some moves from Abyss, an alternate (evil) form of himself who appeared in SoulCalibur III.

As part of a campaign leading up to the game's release, Bandai Namco reached out to social media followers to help vote on features for creating a unique fighter via the game's character creation system. Before long, we had Wizard Lizard, a reptilian warrior with cat ears...

Unfortunately, Wizard Lizard won't be added to the game's official roster, but it shows the vast amount of aspects that players can customize with their chosen fighters.