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, better known as just Xianghua, is a fictional character in the ''Soul'' series of historical fantasy fighting games by Namco who was introduced in ''Soulcalibur'' in 1998. ==Appearances== Xianghua's ancestors of the Chai family have groomed men and women into seasoned warriors of China for generations. A woman named Xiangfei was sent to the prestigious Ling-Sheng Su Temple to learn the swordplay and became supremely skilled with the jian. Following her father's passing, Xiangfei forged a forbidden romance with Kong Xiuqiang, a monk at the temple and the most prominent candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, the Kali-Yuga. Not until the illegitimate birth of their first daughter, Xianglian, was their love made known to the other monks who remained very strict regarding the temple's edicts and so Xianglian was taken from her parents on her second birthday. Xiangfei became too wrought with grief to remain at the temple. Han Dongxiu, a sworn brother of Xiuqiang and Xiangfei, helped Xiuqiang sneak the holy Krita-Yuga sword to his lover, to serve as a promise the two would one day meet again. Unknown to Xiuqiang was that when Xiangfei, pregnant with a second child, had left the temple, secretly returned to her homeland, was taken in by the Chai home there, and became a soldier in the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard, the Jinyiwei. Months later, she gave birth to her second daughter, Xianghua, but never revealed anything about the girl's father or his lineage to her. By this time, the temple had found that Xiuqiang had stolen the Krita-Yuga and he was exiled from the temple, but Xianglian was to remain there to be trained as an orphan. Xiuqiang eventually discovered Xiangfei's whereabouts, but the Chai family asked him to leave her alone, as she would be happier in her ignorance. When monks from the Temple came to Xiangfei, searching for the missing sword, all they found was young Xianghua playing with a battered jian, and they gave up the search years later. Ond only Xiuqiang knew that Xianghua's sword was actually the Krita-Yuga in disguise. As time passed, Xianghua had learned to use it just as well as her mother when Xiangfei died after her 11th birthday. Five years afterward, Xianghua became a member of the Imperial Guard. Prior to the events of ''Soulcalibur'', the Emperor became displeased with the search for the "Hero's Sword" as he never heard back from any that had ventured out, including close friends, so he sent members of his Guard to help the quest advance. The guards would travel undercover under the guise of a traveling opera troupe, with Xianghua to be the main attraction, so as not to raise suspicion of their true motives. As Xianghua prepares for her journey, she recalls her mother's dying words that she was born to complete an important task. With her mother's keepsake jian, Xianghua lefts on her own, after cutting her hair short like her mother's. On her journey, she encounters a Ling-Sheng Su member Kilik and a Ryūkyū pirate Maxi. Told of the sword's evil nature by Kilik, she agrees to aid both of them in their quest to destroy it, not knowing that her long-lost older sister Xianglian was accidentally killed by Kilik when he was consumed by a berserker-style rage. (In ''Soulcalibur'' manga adaptation, Xianghua meets Edge Master in the middle of her journey.〔''Soulcalibur Manga Comic'' Volume 2 (Act 10).〕 Later, Xianghua and Li Long's sister Meimei are forced to fight through a Lizardmen invasion of an Indian town and Meimei is killed in battle. Xianghua is rescued by Kilik and Maxi in their first meeting, and her Krita-Yuga suddenly transforms into the Soul Calibur, destroying the Lizardmen.〔''Soulcalibur Manga Comic'' Volume 3 (Act 14).〕〔''Soulcalibur Manga Comic'' Volume 3 (Act 15).〕) Together they storm the evil-infested Ostrheinsburg Castle in Europe. Maxi stays behind and defeats Astaroth, disappearing soon after, while Kilik and Xianghua slay the demon hordes and reach Soul Edge. Kilik uses his holy bo staff Kali-Yuga to defeat Nightmare, but immediately afterward, Xianghua is pulled into an ethereal void to face Inferno. Her mother's keepsake sword unveils herself as the holy sword and Xianghua defeats Inferno after a fierce struggle. As the void started to collapse, she carries Kilik out of it, though her sword is left behind. A mysterious man awards her with an unnamed jian in return for the great deed she has done. Xianghua keeps her role in Soul Edge's destruction secret and never reports it, but is stripped of her rank and reassigned to a menial position for her failure to retrieve the "Hero's Sword". Four years later (the timeline of ''Soulcalibur II'', ''Soulcalibur III'' and ''Soulcalibur IV''), news reach her that the Emperor destroyed and massacred Xiwei, the center of government in the Empire's western territory under the public justification of a revolt, believing that the fortress had been withholding Soul Edge from him. He asks Xianghua to investigate the ruins, as her experience could be useful in locating the sword among the rubble. Xianghua finds out the truth behind the attack from Ming spies. Though she believed that she had destroyed Soul Edge, pieces of it are rumored to exist in this place and so Xianghua decides to find every fragment and destroy them. She lefts on a second journey alone, convinced that this was a burden she has to bear after she failed to destroy Soul Edge completely the first time. During her adventure, Xianghua is reunited with Kilik. While on their journey, they are attacked by Zasalamel, who gravely injures Kilik. Xianghua takes Kilik back to his home, where she hears that he would make full recovery. After leaving a letter for him, she departs seeking an old general whom Edge Master has arranged for her to meet. Training with the general, Xianghua's skills improve significantly but she is unable to shake off an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy due to her failure to help Kilik. On the general's sage advice, she then begins to train her mind to become more fluid and allow her heart to filter in both the good and the bad. After months of training, she feels that she was ready and bid farewell to the general, beginning her journey anew to fight by herself. While traveling west on the Silk Road, she reunites with Kilik. Together they travel to India to find Maxi, but he does not join them. Xianghua swears to destroy the Soul Edge properly and once and for all. A few years later, Xianghua again reunites and connects with Kilik, but he considers this the result of an unfortunate destiny, and eventually disappears. Returning to her homeland with a broken heart, she realizes she is pregnant. However, her grandfather and patriarch of the Chai house is furious at this, as Xianghua is the second generation of women from such a distinguished family to bear the child of an unknown man, and she is ordered to kill the child and marry into another family. Xianghua is rescued by the heir of the Yan family, Yan Wujin, who issues a condition for marrying Xianghua and not revealing the scandal, to allow the child, a boy named Xiba, to live (Xiba was then raised by Kong Xiuqiang). She later gave Wujin a daughter named Leixia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chai Xianghua」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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