Tira (Soulcalibur)

Tira's design in Soulcalibur IV was designed to represent her unstable personality[9]

As a character introduced in Soulcalibur III, Tira's weapon was created before her own concept, a "ring blade"[10] designed to be unique amongst the game's pre-existing weaponry. Her design and concept were built to revolve around it, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. Her appearance and movement were fleshed out by the team's concept artist Aya Takemura,[1] who designed her with the intention of having the character appeal to European audiences.[11] Afterwards, her character was rendered as a 3D model by a design team that worked solely on her,[12] and then animated by a motion designer using motion capture and working directly with the team,[1] utilizing acrobatics and a hula hoop to keep the animation unique and uniform while simultaneously fluid and feminine.[13][14] During this phase the team additionally worked with the Soulcalibur story creators, refining the character's own story as needed throughout development.[15]

Her appearance is based on her emotional instability and madness, representing her mood through her trashed clothing and makeup.[1] The instability is also represented in the game, such as sulking when she loses a match only to cheer up suddenly afterwards.[14] In addition, emphasis was placed on her movements and attacks to give her the appearance of dancing while fighting.[10]

In Soulcalibur IV, her attire was changed from green to red to emphasize her now dual-personality and the fact she was slightly more evil.[9] In addition, her other features appear to have been redesigned completely for this purpose as well; she got long black hair tied in lopsided pigtails, her eyes are now purplish-red, and she wears black eye makeup and red lipstick rather than all-green makeup.

Tira's behavior in Soulcalibur III led to the suspicion of her having multiple personalities, as her mood and voice would shift suddenly and dramatically.[18] IGN described her gameplay as having "plenty of bizarre and powerful moves mixed with a smattering of chained 'perma-moves',"[3] while GameSpot's staff described her as different than the female character stereotype of fast but weak, and a more deliberate fighting style and a "change of pace."[19] At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show presentation of Soulcalibur III, the character was not received well by players, cited as difficult to control and light on damage.[20] GameSpy added that "the jury is out" regarding her attack style, describing her as difficult to control.[21] Impress Watch on the other hand praised her gameplay, stating her movements and fighting style made her quite unique in the series.[22] However, her English voice acting has been a source of criticism for the character, cited in Soulcalibur IV as "grating" and annoying.[23] Criticism has also been made towards her mood-driven gameplay in Soulcalibur IV, due to the random and sometimes inconvenient nature of the shifts.[18]

Tira was featured as one of the girls in GameDaily's article "Babes of the Week: Soul Calibur Hotties", describing her as "one of the more dangerous-looking women introduced in the Soul Calibur series"[24] and "an essential new addition to the series";[25] GameDaily also included Tira in the list of "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" at number 19, praised for her "part goth and part carnival performer" design as well as her revealing appearance,[26] later drawing mention also in the article "Babe of the Week: Chicks with Baggage" due to her mental instability.[27] UGO.com ranked Tira number six in their list of "Top 11 Soulcalibur Fighters", noting a liking of her weapon of choice and describing her as "a force to be reckoned with...also quite the hottie in a dangerous, 'forbidden fruit' sort of way."[28] Mania.com named her one of the "Top 10 Hot But Mostly Bothered Video Game Females", placing fifth on the list and described as "unquestionably hot", though noted as frightening due to the character's fascination with death.[29] Magazine publications have also featured her in a context revolving around her attractiveness, such as play's "Girls of Gaming 5" annual publication.[30]

The Globe and Mail describes Tira as a character "who looks like a refugee from the Cirque du Soleil",[31] while Game Revolution describes her as "a lithe little wench who apparently idolizes Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy", noting she "adds a needed gust of fresh air" to the series.[32] Comparisons have also been made to fellow DC character Harley Quinn. IGN included her in their "Babes of Soulcalibur" article, stating "She immediately stands out (...) Whereas most of the SC women fight on the side of good, Tira is totally, deliciously evil." They also praised her outfits, calling them some of the best in the Soul series.[33] The Escapist online magazine stated "Tira's bi-polar hysterics match her ever-shifting stances and frenetic attacks," and added the aspect of her character brought her fighting style into sharp focus.[34]