Necrid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Necrid | |
|---|---|
| Soulcalibur character | |
 Necrid from Soulcalibur II | |
| First game | Soulcalibur II (2002) |
| Designed by | Todd McFarlane |
| In-universe information | |
| Weapon | Maleficus (Enigma) |
Necrid (Japanese: ネクリッド, Hepburn: Nekuriddo) is a character in the Soulcalibur series of weapon-based fighting games. Designed by comic book artist and toy designer Todd McFarlane through a collaboration with Namco, the character appeared in console ports of Soulcalibur II and later as part of an action figure set created by McFarlane Productions. Necrid's concept and physical build were outlined by Namco, who aimed to target North American audiences with the character, while McFarlane provided the character's design and name.
Once a human warrior who sought the cursed sword Soul Edge, he was instead pulled into the dimension that the sword's spirit inhabits. Though he escaped, his mind and body were drastically mutated, and he lost his memories and sanity. He now wields various forms of energy as weapons while searching for fragments of the shattered Soul Edge to ease his pain. Necrid's spoken lines in the game are unintelligible, and no voice actor has been credited.
The character has received a divisive response. While some sources criticized the character's design for clashing with the game's aesthetic, some others praised the visual appeal of the character when in motion. Some have called Necrid one of the best characters introduced to the series, while others considered him one of the worst. McFarlane's involvement with the character's creation was also a particular point of criticism, with some feeling it had fallen short of its potential. Necrid has also been the subject of scholarly study, which examined the nature of monstrous designs in video gaming and how players react to such.
Design
Series producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama learned that comics creator Todd McFarlane was a fan of the Soulcalibur series and that McFarlane had praised their characters' designs.[1] Text in each version of the game's box art also drew attention to Necrid.[2][3][4] In 2003, McFarlane was interested in creating a new video game based on the Spawn comic book franchise; his search for a developer resulted in a deal with Soulcalibur publisher Namco. When the topic of toys arose in discussions,[5] McFarlane and Namco reached an agreement to release a line of action figures based on Soulcalibur II characters. Afterward, Namco proposed that their company design a new character for video game console ports of the game, an idea that McFarlane accepted because he considered it an opportunity to create a toy based on Necrid's finished design.[5][6]
Necrid's design targeted North American audiences, specifically fans of American comic books.[1] Although McFarlane received most of the credit for the character,[7][8] Necrid was the result of a collaboration;[9] Namco outlined the then-unnamed character's traits, such as his in-game role and physical build,[10] and McFarlane's company completed the design.[11] As a result, both companies hold a partial copyright for Necrid, with Namco's rights to the character as a derivative work of McFarlane's illustrations.[12]
Standing 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) tall,[13] Necrid is a bald, green, and muscular humanoid. His eyes glow bright red, and short bones protrude from his left arm, back, jaw and a Mohawk-like ridge on his head. The fingers on his right hand have claw points, but his left hand is much larger and has three fingers with large, talon-like bone claws. Two large, ram-like horns extend from opposite sides of his left wrist, toward and slightly beyond his elbow. His clothing consists of dark blue pants, large metal sandals held together by bandages, and armor plating covering his abdomen, the sides of his legs, and the back of his lower right arm.[14] A pulsating red jewel described by McFarlane as a "power plant" is set in a circular piece of metal strapped to his chest.[6]
Necrid's alternate appearance differs heavily, and features scaly, reddish–orange skin. Additional differences include teal eyes, black pants, and a blue jewel. The protruding bones are isolated and bigger on his left shoulder and arm, and appear crystalline. A pauldron covering his right shoulder is fastened to the jewel's support harness, and the armor on his legs incorporate a pair of greaves. He wears a fauld on his abdomen, and bandages wrap around his stomach. A mask covers his face and is held in place by two straps around his head.[14] Necrid's speech is unintelligible, and the vocal samples in the game's sound test feature are named after emotions, such as "Determination" and "Indignation". He is the only speaking Soulcalibur II character whose voice does not change when the player selects a different language setting.[15]
