Nightmare/Siegfried

1="Blood! Darkness! I shall drown the world in both!"

- Nightmare

2="The nightmare will devour your soul!"

- Nightmare

Nightmare (ナイトメア) is a character from the Soul series fighting games, originating from the rebooted timeline of Soulcalibur VI, and a character also appearing in Taki Gaiden: The Kunoichi Who Leapt Through Time.

Nightmare was originally Siegfried Schtauffen, a young knight who stumbled into Soul Edge after its first wielder was defeated. The cursed sword bonded to him, transforming him into the Azure Knight, who then unleashed the Evil Seed upon the world.

History
Appearing from out of the shadows like the advent of nightfall, this barbaric knight in azure armor reaps the souls of the living as if they were mere stalks of corn. His name came to represent fear and desperation to all who heard it. Those who found out that the rumors were true, that he was no fairytale villain, would be struck down in a single blow before they could even open their mouths to scream.

Personality
Little is presently known about Nightmare's personality beyond his insatiable bloodlust and devotion to Soul Edge, to the extent that he is an enigma even to his own minions. It is clear, however, that Siegfried - the host - retains a certain level of awareness, given his response to Sophitia wanting to "save [him]". He mere replies "there is no turning back", indicating that, while aware of his actions, he either knows or believes that there is no way for him to stray from the path of blood. What remains of Siegfried's consciousness within Nightmare is enslaved by Soul Edge's will, which has impersonated the ghost of his father to manipulate him.

If he defeats Sophitia, he will utter "My sins...can only be cleansed with blood!", indicating that he has a twisted sense of atonement (possibly believing that his massacres will bring back his deceased father that he himself killed, i.e. his "sins").

Nightmare is shown to struggle with the knowledge of having murdered his own father as Siegfried. Part of him believes a different person did it and is unwilling or unable to see the truth, while another -mostly dormant - side of him has begun to accept his role in Frederik's death and is attempting to force Nightmare to accept the truth; that "[his] father's killer" Nightmare blames for his father's death is himself. He despises this and tells his other side that he "shall kill [him] a thousand times over" in an attempt to rid himself of his guilt.

Portrayal
Given Nightmare's human host being Siegfried, he is voiced by Hiyama Nobuyuki (檜山修之). Hiyama is previously the of  and the voice of.

In the English dub, he is voiced by Kirk Thorton, who also voiced the character in Soulcalibur VI.