Siegfried Schtauffen

Siegfried is the son of Sir Frederick Schtauffen, a valiant knight considered a champion among his oppressed countrymen in Germany, and Margaret, who met Frederick while he was at a military camp. The name 'Siegfried' was given to him after a famous hero, and the art of swordsmanship was taught to him by his father. Frederick left for a crusade. Meanwhile, Siegfried joined a band of criminals called the "Schwarzwind." Years later, Siegfried and his companions attacked a nobleman and his soldiers returning from the Crusades; he managed to defeat the nobleman in a duel and then decapitated him, only to discover with horror, once the helmet was removed, that he was holding his father's head in his hands. Siegfried grew despondent, burdened by his father's death. He heard of the invincible weapon Soul Edge and realized that his father's killer could only be slain by that sword. After taking the nobleman's life, he worked tirelessly in his castle at Ostrheinsburg until he finally encountered the legendary Soul Edge, which lay beside the lifeless body of the dreaded pirate Cervantes de Leon. But when Siegfried approached, the corpse rose, unleashing a hellish inferno, and attacked him. Siegfried brandished his zweihänder and defeated his opponent. However, his sword broke, so he decided to take Soul Edge with him. Once Siegfried grasped the evil sword, the Seed of Evil emanating from him passed through a beam of light that struck the entire world, leaving death and destruction everywhere. Soul Edge communicated telepathically with Siegfried, proposing a pact between them; Siegfried would help the sword restore itself by gathering souls, and Soul Edge would return his father Frederick to him. Siegfried accepted and carried the sword into many battles, but eventually succumbed to the sword's power—transforming him into the azure knight Nightmare. Siegfried/Nightmare took refuge in his castle at Ostrheinsburg. Over three years, he recruited a group of followers: the golem Astaroth, Lizardman, and Ivy. Each of them helped Soul Edge seek out souls to devour for the rejuvenation ceremony, which was to take place in his fortress, Ostrheinsburg Castle. But when the ceremony was about to begin, the clan was quickly routed. Lizardman and Astaroth were defeated; Ivy left the group after hearing the shocking truth about her own horrible past from the Fu-Ma ninja Taki. Two young warriors faced Nightmare after destroying many golems: Kilik, wielder of the Kali-Yuga staff and the sacred Dvapara-Yuga mirror; and Xianghua, armed with Krita-Yuga, the sword revealed to be "Soul Calibur." Nightmare and Soul Edge were defeated after a bloody battle and were sucked into a bottomless abyss. With Soul Edge particularly weakened, Nightmare regained some of his humanity and remembered the terrible sins he had committed, especially the murder of his father, and he realized that the "resurrection" of his father was merely an illusion of his mind. After long meditation, Siegfried finally managed to accept responsibility for his sins. He decided to return home to his mother, but swore to atone for his past actions by distancing himself from civilization, to prevent further irreparable harm caused by him. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Although Soul Edge was weak, it was still present within Siegfried and aimed to gain control of his body during sleep. Despite his efforts to resist every destructive force, Siegfried had to surrender. Four years passed, and he once again assumed the form of the azure knight, becoming Nightmare a second time, desperately seeking the fragments of Soul Edge in order to restore its full power. Nightmare preyed upon powerful souls and recovered the shattered shards of the sword, so the fracture in Soul Edge gradually healed. His goal of reviving the evil sword was nearly achieved, and after some time, he returned to his old fortress at Ostrheinsburg, deeming those blood-soaked lands a fitting place for the restoration of Soul Edge's true power.

Updated September 23, 2026