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Template:Character2 Sol Badguy is the main character in the Guilty Gear series and Ky Kiske's eternal rival. At first glance, he is an aloof, anti-hero bounty hunter, whose apparent laziness and gruffness belies his terrifying fighting ability, and the amazing genius and emotional depths beneath that brash exterior.
Character Design
Creator Daisuke Ishiwatari designed Sol in many ways to reflect his alter-ego, and also recorded Sol's in-game voice acting (the voice acting for GGXX's Story Mode and Drama CDs however, is done by Hikaru Hanada).
Sol's normal character design depicts him as left-handed, with brown hair and reddish-brown or golden eyes with slit pupils (the latter of which is to distinguish his true nature as a Gear), wearing a tight, black undershirt with the top half covered by a red, sleeveless jacket along and white jeans. His headband bears the words 'Rock You', a reference to the Queen song "We Will Rock You", while his belt buckle has the word 'FREE', a possible reference to Queen's song "I Want To Break Free". Sol's character design also contains a pair of black, fingerless gloves, red shoes, a drape of red cloth hanging down beneath his buckle and a multitude of belts, including a lone one on his left bicep. Sol fights using a blunt, rectangular sword known as Fuuenken (Fireseal) through which he releases a range of fire-based attacks.
Of note is that Sol is officially left-handed. In recent official artwork, Sol, as Frederick, was depicted with blue eyes and sported shorter hair.
Gallery
Sol Badguy's Image Gallery
Personality
Sullen and unrefined, Sol only speaks to others when absolutely necessary. This is reflected in everything he does, and his fighting moves, while rough and unpolished, are executed with absolute precision. He also tends to be impatient and rude towards those who wish to interact with him, whether they are friend or foe. Overall, Sol is not a friendly man, but he is not an inherently evil one neither. He is a person who prefers to convey his intent with his actions. And while he cynically mocks those who speak of justice, he has exhibited a staunch sense of righteousness that motivates him to prevent anything that might potentially threaten the world and the peace established after the Crusades. He is also surprisingly compassionate as seen when he spares and even helps both Dizzy and Solaria, despite both being Command Type Gears whose power could potentially endanger humanity if left unchecked. It is seen through the course of the series that Sol has much deeper emotional depths that he normally doesn't display towards people.
Story
Background
His exact history is unclear, but it is known for certain that Sol's real name is Frederick, who not only was one of the lead scientists of the Gear Project, but is also the Prototype Gear from over a hundred years before the events of the Guilty Gear games. As a prototype, he is immune to the orders of Commander-Type Gears. He was personally acquainted with That Man prior to the Crusades. His headband is actually a Gear-suppression device which prevents him from giving into his Gear nature and losing his rationality, at the cost of suppressing much of his power. The headband also conceals the red brand on his forehead, the telltale mark that would expose him as a Gear. In Guilty Gear 2: Overture, this headband suppression device seems to be beginning to malfunction, possibly explaining the increase in Sol's strength. That Man later explains the malfunction and Sol's increase in power is due to his body and powers evolving.
As Frederick, Sol created the "Outrage", which he called a supreme Anti-Gear weapon. The Outrage is actually not one weapon but several - eight components called "Jinki" (God Weapons), which greatly amplify their wielders' magical ability. Only three Outrage weapons are currently known to be active - Sol's own Fuuenken (Fireseal), Ky's Fuuraiken (Thunderseal), and Anji Mito's twin fans, Zessen (Suppressing Fans). Other four are supposedly in the custody of the United Nations, and Slayer is also in possession of an unknown Jinki.
Frederick also saved Kliff Undersn (one of the leaders of the Holy Order and the one who named Ky Kiske leader of the Holy Knights) when Kliff was still a young boy. Roughly half a century later, he was himself recruited into the order, as a bounty hunter named "Sol Badguy". Sol took part in the Crusades, ironically becoming one of the best fighters on the human side. At this time, he was a member of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights (Seikishidan). He acquired the nickname "Corrupted [or Immoral] Flame" (Haitoku no Honoo) during that time, a name that such figures as I-No and Justice use for him later. However, he later became disenchanted with the methods of the Sacred Order. At an unspecified time, Sol fled the order, taking with him the Fuuenken, which the Holy Knights had come to consider a sacred treasure — the theft earned him Ky Kiske's enmity. Ironically, Sol himself forged the Fuuenken.
In 2175, Sol faced Justice directly. The two fought, and Justice won, also discovering that Sol was a Gear (but not his true identity as the Prototype Gear). Justice attempted to assert her power as a Commander Gear to control Sol, but was unable to do so. Exploiting her confusion from the fight, the Holy Order, led by Ky Kiske, sealed Justice away, bringing the war to an end.
Guilty Gear
Canon states that Sol was the winner of the Tournament, and it is here that Justice discovers that Sol is, in fact, Frederick. Justice, in her dying words, comments that she wishes that "the three of us" could talk one last time, and Sol swears to kill That Man.
Guilty Gear X
Sol has three endings, all of which involve a fight against Dizzy, who has a half-million World Dollar bounty on her head. However, he spares her life in all of them, losing against her in his second ending, and judging that she isn't a threat to the world in the other two. In his third ending, we see a conversation between That Man and one of his servants, in which That Man cryptically says "To think there was a daughter... most interesting". It is revealed in the Drama CD Side Black to that this a reference to Justice being Dizzy's mother.
Guilty Gear XX
His storyline here involves chasing down I-No. His first ending, after he defeats I-No, leads to a direct confrontation with That Man. That Man casually deflects all Sol's attacks, and says that Sol is needed because soon a greater battle than the Crusades will occur. In Sol's second ending, Slayer informs him of the Post-War Administration Bureau's interest in Dizzy, which catches his interest. In the third, he fights Dizzy, who had been possessed by Necro after I-No knocked her off the Mayship, and sends Dizzy on her way to meet Johnny and May.
Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus
His story here is similar to the previous one in that he is hunting I-No down, as well as investigating the Post-War Administration Bureau. Depending on the player's choices and actions, Sol may do battle with Ky, and upon further investigation, encounter Crow and defeat his copy of Justice, before encountering I-No again and being pulled into the past and being forced to battle his past self, Order-Sol.
After their battle, I-No slyly kills Order-Sol. Depending on the players choices and/or if they did not use a continue at all, Sol will either be destroyed by the resultant time paradox as That Man laments Sol's falling for I-No's trickery and implores him to live (Path 2), or he will resist it and obliterate I-No, before returning to the present and battling Ky (for the second time if players choose the first option upon encountering him at the P.W.A.B. branch). After the battle, Ky makes Sol promise that they'll meet again before they go their seperate ways (Path 1).
Guilty Gear 2: Overture
Sol Badguy has taken in a young man named Sin as his apprentice, and travels the world with him as bounty hunters. During their journey, they came across a wanted poster with Sol’s picture on it. Sol figures that the poster is just Ky's way of asking for help. Shortly after, he is plagued by a headache and the pair are attacked by the Vizuel, the servants of Valentine. The Vizuel had the upper hand until a voice introduces Sol to a new power, the Soul Sinker. This allowed Sol to construct Servants of his own from his soul, leading to their victory. The voice later introduced himself as Izuna, a resident of the Backyard. Izuna told Sin and Sol that the Vizuel were seeking out and destroying Gears. Their main area of interest was the kingdom of Illyria.
Izuna, through a series of warp gates, takes the pair to Illyria. There, they meet Valentine for the first time. Sol’s head ached again, and he was shocked by Valentine's resemblance to Aria. Sol battled her and the Vizuel with the help of Izuna’s powers. After the fight, the group made it to Illyria Castle, where they found Ky in a powerful binding spell. They met with Raven, who Sol recognized as That Man's servant, and the two battle.
After the fight, Sol left Sin to guard Ky, while he went to meet Dr. Paradigm who can release Ky's spell. Sol was shocked to be brought to a colony of living and self-aware Gears. After learning that Sol is Frederick, Dr. Paradigm agreed to help the king. Sol then accompanied Dr. Paradigm to Illyria to release the seal placed on Ky. After realizing that Sin carries the Gear cells Valentine needed, Sol and Izuna left the others to defend Illyria Castle while they chased after the young man.
They were too late to stop Valentine from kidnapping Sin. Sol and Izuna chased after them to Bel Canto Valley where they fought a brainwashed Sin. After Sin came to his senses, the group took off after Valentine. Thousands of Vizuel stood in their way. To their surprise, Ky, Paradigm, and the knights of Illyria arrived to take on the fight. Sol, Izuna, and Dr. Paradigm went on ahead, leaving Sin and Ky to take on the Vizuel.
Sol and the others reached the gate to the Backyard, but it was already closed. Just before all hope was lost the gate opened and a lone figure came out, That Man. Sol unleashed his evolved Dragon Install in order to fight That Man. During the battle, That Man seemed to be testing Sol, and informed him about Valentine's intentions. When the battle ended, Sol was unable to damage That Man. As he left, That Man gave the group an effect that would enable them to survive the immense pressure of The Backyard.
The group entered the Backyard and caught up to Valentine. The Key was already in motion and the Cube was starting to open. In frustration, Valentine transformed into a Justice-like monster and battled the late arriving Sin together with Izuna and Dr. Paradigm. Meanwhile, Sol was busy stopping the Cube from opening. He succeed, and Valentine seemed to give up fighting. She appeared as if she was going to self-destruct. Sol told the others to escape the Backyard while he remained back to fight yet another form of Valentine. In the fight, Sol battled both Valentine's immense body and her soul. In her soul, he would hear a rush of her emotions and memories. Once he laid the final blow, the last thing she said was his true name, Frederick. After the fight, Sol found himself in a white space, unable to return.
While there, That Man came before him yet again. He revealed that Valentine is involved with “A Merciless Apocalypse”, an event that Sol is to take part in. Sol confirmed with That Man that Valentine was a copy of Aria, Sol’s former lover, who is implied to be the woman That Man turned into Justice. With That Man's help, Sol was able to return to the real world and reunite with the others.
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
When Ramletherl Valentine declared war on the world itself, Sol decides to go to the Backyard despite Ky's objections.
Gameplay
Sol's gameplay consists of mainly rushdown aspects, so just about all of his damage is dealt up close. He's probably the most average character in the cast and is easy to learn, and has a couple of very useful normals and specials like 5K and Volcanic Viper, but he can be a very high risk/low reward character if some moves are used recklessly, like Ground Viper and his Overdrives for example, though this becomes less of a problem in several retweaks of the GGXX games. In the early days of GGXX, Sol's infamous dustloops devastated several of the cast, but as the revisions went on, Sol's dustloops were more tweaked, and his Sidewinder loops as of GGXX Slash (much more so in Accent Core) become rather more character specific, forcing to higher levels of play.
Command List
Powers & Abilities
Sol Badguy is often noted to be one of the greatest fighters seen in the Guilty Gear series. Being the Prototype Gear, Sol was immune to the control Justice had over other Gears. Due to his Gear state, he possesses longevity. He also possesses degrees of regeneration and in some cases, invulnerability. While he does not practice any fighting style in particular, his skill level seems to be second to none. He is also proficient in sword combat and doesn't appear to favor any particular type of blade, no matter the size.
Sol's weapon of choice is the Fireseal (Fuuenken), a uniquely designed sword with a rectangular blade, the blunt part which seems to have an exhaust/engine-like device that spews forth flames. The weapon itself is capable of generating high-power flames, which he can use to augment both his physical and sword attacks. He often fashions this fire into ground-bound projectiles. He later upgrades to the Bullet Heaven, another rectangular-shaped blade/gun that uses ammunition. Upon further inspection, the Fireseal can be seen inside this new sword, leading to the theory that Sol may have built the Bullet Heaven around the Fireseal as a case.
Whenever Sol becomes serious or desperate, he may rely on his own latent Gear powers to give him an extraordinary boost. Whenever he first does so, his body flashes a silhouette, as if to contain something. In truth, this is him holding back his transformation. When he was a bit younger as a Holy Knight, the silhouette has wings and a long tail, which suggests that in his current state, he has been able to repress it almost entirely. Should he remove the seal on his forehead however, he will transform into a dragon-like creature with his blade wrapped in infernal flames shaped into a sword, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with That Man. However, it had been stated that even in this form during the fight, Sol had not actually went all out, which may suggest an even more drastic transformation should he release it all.
Themes
Musical Themes
- Keep Yourself Alive - Guilty Gear
- Keep Yourself Alive II - Guilty Gear X, Guilty Gear XX
- Keep Yourself Alive III - Guilty Gear 2: Overture
- Starchaser - Guilty Gear XX #Reload Korean OST
- Sheep Will Sleep (If You Become Fatigued) - Guilty Gear Isuka
- Give me a break - Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
- Ride the Fire - Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- (Dragon Install theme)
Rivalry Themes
- Conclusion (vs. Ky) - Guilty Gear
- No Mercy (vs. Ky) - Guilty Gear X
- Noontide (vs. Ky) - Guilty Gear XX
- Revelations (vs. Ky) - Guilty Gear XX: #Reload Korean OST
- Faith Shall Save Thee (EX vs EX Ky) - Guilty Gear XX: #Reload Korean OST
- The Re-Coming (vs. Ky) - Guilty Gear 2: Overture
Character Quotes
See: Sol Badguy Quotes
Sol's quotes are usually abrupt, rude and taunting, reflecting his reticent nature and cocky attitude.
References and Allusions
- Ishiwatari's favorite band is Queen, and he thus named Sol Badguy, whose "real" name is Frederick (or Freddie for short), after Freddie Mercury, whose nickname was 'Mr. Bad Guy'.
- Like Ishiwatari, Sol's favorite band is also said to be Queen, with Sol's favorite album being 'Sheer Heart Attack'.
- Sol's theme song, "Keep Yourself Alive", shares the same name as the first track from Queen's debut album. Several chords are lifted from another Queen song, "Stone Cold Crazy".
- Sol's Instant Kill, "Napalm Death", shares its name with that of a Grindcore/Death metal band.
- Fafnir, written as Fáfnir or Frænir is known as a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar of Norse mythology, and through Andvari's ring and gold curse, Fafnir was transformed into a dragon and slain later by Sigurd.
- As noted above, Sol's headband bears the words 'Rock You', a reference to the Queen song "We Will Rock You".
- The "FREE" inscription on Sol's belt buckle may be a double reference— one being to Queen's "I Want to Break Free" and the other being to a lyric in English metal band Iron Maiden's song "Revelations":
- Bind all of us together
Ablaze with hope and free,
No storm or heavy weather
Will rock the boat you'll see.
- Bind all of us together
- One of Sol's round win quotes is "Yare yare daze...", a reference to the popular JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga.
Trivia
- Sol appears as a guest character in Square Enix's upcoming game, Lord of Vermilion III.
- Sol is a playable character in the IO Entertainment Online Fighting Game, Lost Saga.
- It is unknown why Sol carries a violent vendetta against That Man. Fans have speculated that it is because he might've been a unwilling participant in the Gear conversion experiment(which is hinted at in Overture when Sol angrily accuses That Man of "Making him this way" when he was complimented on his prowess after their battle). Others suspect that he is enraged at how That Man has used his research (as he is stated to be the lead scientist behind the "Gear Concept") to turn Gears into biological killing machines, which has resulted in the mass genocide of the human race. Another idea is that it was not Sol who was an unwilling participant, but rather his girlfriend, Aria, who is hinted to be Justice.
- Some recent official art shows Sol smoking, confirming longstanding fanon. Additionally, he can arguably be heard lighting a cigarette in the Guilty Gear X Drama CD.
- Sol's clothing brand of choice has always been "RIOT". Sin and Bridget also use the same brand. According to text in artwork, RIOT was established in 2134.
- In the official manga, Sol is shown to have a secret hideout in some ruins; this hiedout has a laboratory with a global mapping system. He also has a picture showing him, his former lover Aria, and That Man (whose face has been intentionally damaged).
- Sol, Axl Low, I-No, and Johnny, are the only characters in the series that can play the guitar.
- Sol's bounty in Overture is higher than Dizzy's in Guilty Gear X.
- One of Sol's shouts during battle is "Gun Flame", which is the name of one of his special moves. Because of the lack of English dub and translation, however, players always mishear this as "girlfriend".
- On the front of Sol's Tyrant Rave ver. α, the exact same "eye" symbol that is on Venom's hair can be seen.
- It has been shown in both character art, short stories and cutscenes in Guilty Gear: Overture, Vastedge XT and - SIGN - that Sol regularly carries around Fire Seal/Bullet Heaven in a red duffel bag that he purchased from RIOT.
External Links
- Dustloop Forums - Dustloop's Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Tutorial
- Mizuumi's GG Wiki- Sol Badguy
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