Isabella "Ivy" Valentine

"At last, I can let my tears fall."

- Ivy, when defeating Nightmare in Soul Calibur IV Isabella Valentine, more known as Ivy, is a character from the Soul Calibur series who is probably known well for her extremely voluptous body and penchant for extremely revealing clothing. She first appeared in Soul Calibur as a villain serving Nightmare and then acted as an anti-heroine in the rest of the series, without any actual allegiance.

Count Valentine, a practitioner of alchemy, was driven insane by his pursuit for Soul Edge-also known as the "Key to Eternal Youth." By the time of his death, his efforts to search for Soul Edge drained his family's fortunes and left one of London's most distinguished families in ruins. As if to pursue her husband into death, the Countess fell ill and passed away soon after Count Valentine's death. This left Ivy as the sole surviving member of the Valentine family.

In reality, Ivy was not a true Valentine by birth. The Count and Countess found her abandoned in front of their mansion when she was an infant, and she was taken into the family as an adopted child. Ivy discovered this secret only after reading a will left behind by the Countess in her death. But this did not matter to her, for the Valentines were the only parents she knew.

Obeying the last wishes of her adoptive father, Ivy continued the search for Soul Edge and studied alchemy. During this investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword-it was an evil blade that feasted on souls. In order to avenge the death her father, who was driven insane by the allure of Soul Edge, Ivy vowed to use all of her knowledge to destroy it. She invoked strange powers through occult rituals to summon a mysterious individual who gave life to the whip-like, mechanical sword she dubbed "Ivy Blade."

The sword, which had a will of its own, accompanied and protected Ivy on her journey to vanquish Soul Edge. When she crossed paths with Nightmare, the one who breathed life into her sword, she agreed to assist him in the "summoning of souls." Little did she know that it was all part of the evil sword's plans. Ivy realized it was Nightmare who possessed Soul Edge. She came to this revelation only after he was defeated and the evil blade was shattered. That meant that the beloved blade she had forged to destroy Soul Edge had life thanks to the power of the evil blade. She also learned the secrets of her true lineage. Ivy's birth father... he once wielded Soul Edge and was manipulated by its wicked powers!

Shaken by the horrifying truth, Ivy returned home and locked herself away in a dark laboratory. She tried countless times to destroy Ivy Blade, which was now a symbol of her self-hatred and regret. She could not, however, bring herself to actually break the sword. "I am the same as this sword... Yes, the blood of the evil blade flows through me. The same blood..." Ivy Blade waited for its master's orders silently.

After months of soul searching, Ivy emerged with renewed resolve. Her goal was no longer to destroy the evil sword, but to completely wipe it out of existence. As a vow to her commitment, she renamed her sword "Valentine." And when she acquired information about fragments of Soul Edge being scattered throughout the world, she immediately departed on her new journey.

Ivy intended to destroy every fragment of Soul Edge, anyone who carried its tainted bloodline, and anyone contaminated by its evil. Nothing would stop her from destroying the root of the evil, even if it meant killing the innocent-there would be no exceptions. The only thing that mattered was obliterating the evil sword's existence completely. "Call me a monster, a demon if you must. I'll be happy to be called those names if it is the price I must pay to eliminate the existence of the evil blade!!"

Desiring to destroy the sword, she creates a segmented, animated blade, only to become Soul Edge's pawn and learn that it intends to use her as its next host. After an attack by Cervantes results in the loss of her soul, Ivy uses a temporary artificial one to keep herself alive, and continues after the blade; seeking to free herself from its evil linage.

This was the beginning of her long, arduous journey. A journey where she would ultimately have to destroy herself and all that was related to her. Ivy's adoptive family name "Valentine" became a symbol of her will to live as a "human" even though the cursed blood of the demonic blade ran strong within her.

Even though Ivy is technically Neautrally aligned, in the first game, she is a ruthless servant of Nightmare and Soul Edge (however she is unaware of this) and takes pleasure in taunting her opponjents and then killing them. However, despite only wanting freedom, She'll do whatever it takes in order to accomplish her goal, and will kill anyone who gets in her way...