Zasalamel

Story

Zasalamel was born into a group of warriors known as Guardians of the Spirit Sword. The guardians followed a strict set of rules, one of which forbids using the Soul Calibur under any circumstances. Young and rash, Zasalamel failed to suppress his urges and attempted to lay his hands on the spirit sword. When he was discovered, the guardians broke his arms and banished him. In his despair, Zasalamel searched for a way to survive and eventually found the art of reincarnation. After devoting much time to training, he finally mastered this lost wisdom.

With his natural aptitude for magic and plenty of time in his disposable, Zasalamel would become the greatest wizard of his generation. He reincarnated himself over and over, becoming an entity that transcends time. Unfortunately, for this great power, there was an even greater price to pay. Every time he reincarnated, he experienced the indescribable pain of death, feeling as if his soul was being crushed. Despite all his accomplishments, power, and knowledge, he still couldn't escape death. His many bodies were laid in graves, but his soul could not know peace. Burdened by this, Zasalamel saught only to find his final, eternal death.

This wish eventually began to corrupt his everyday life, leading him to extreme measures and, at one point taking hold of Soul Edge. Intoxicated with its power, Zasalamel became the sword's puppet, fighting to his last breath. However, even the cursed sword could not free him from the endless cycle of reincarnation. After being reborn again, his search for the final death continued until suddenly, he saw a vision. The vision depicted a bright future that mankind has the potential to reach. Zasalamel couldn't figure out where these intentions came from. Perhaps it was an old memory from within or a message from himself in the future. What he did know is that he would need to have control of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur to usher forth the new age of humanity, and as such, he set out on this new path.

Personality

Distant and calculating, Zasalamel is not known to interact or turn to others for help. Instead, he chooses to manipulate those around him to achieve his goals and is eager to step in himself when necessary, often using his deadly scythe in the process. Zasamael is notably studious and amassed a lot of knowledge over the years when not in battle or coming with his next plot. He also began writing a book about the history of Soul Edge for his leisure.

Playstyle

Zasalamel is an interesting character who features a unique curse mechanic and a variety of moves that allow him to manipulate the opponent's position. Using certain moves, he can apply up to three curse stacks on the opponents and later use them to stop time and gain a massive frame advantage or deal damage. Meanwhile, his ability to pull opponents towards him makes Zasalamel dangerous even when he's at risk of being ringed at, as the situation can quickly get reversed.

These strengths are balanced out by Zasalamel's relatively slow and unsafe attacks, forcing him to rely on curse setups to become a real threat. Pulling opponents close to him can also become a noticeable disadvantage when playing against characters that thrive in point-blank range.

Appearance

Zasalamel is a tall, dark-skinned man. His right eye is blue, while his left eye is completely golden and has a tattoo around it. He wears a complex white and gold outfit with interwoven stripes, ornate designs, and exotic jewelry. His head is covered by a hood that flows down into a cape. His armor consists of two golden pouldrons that curve upwards and similar golden greaves.