Template:Character2 Testament (テスタメント, Tesutamento) is a human-type Gear in the Guilty Gear series of fighting game. He is able to wield odd magic and fights with both a scythe and impressive moveset consisting of summons, as well as his youkai familiar, EXE Beast.
Character Design
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Gallery
Testament's Image Gallery
Personality
Prior to to his Gear conversion, Testament was said to be a kind and gentle individual whose hatred for violence bordered on phobia. Though he was a knight in the Sacred Order, the Crusades took its toll on him as all the death around him deteriorated his mental health. After his Gear conversion, Testament was no more than a puppet to Justice, hating humanity just like her, yet he still showed signs to resistance to her control. After being freed from her, his hatred for humans remained, knowing already how Gears saw them.
Despite isolating himself to avoid humans, he once again showed kindness and love upon meeting Dizzy. He became obsessed, and sometimes even irrational, in protecting her and the Grove they were living in. He sees this as a form of atonement for all the people he had killed as a Gear and a new purpose in life.
Testament has a light side though. It is stated that he enjoys pudding, while his profile page in the Guilty Gear Bible states that he likes potatoes (this is further evidenced in Dizzy's side-story in the Drama CD Side Black, where she and Testament share a potato salad, which Dizzy bought for that specific reason).
Story
Background
Testament was an orphan during the Crusades, and was adopted by Kliff Undersn. When he was old enough, he desired to become a soldier in the war against Gears and was known in the Sacred Order of Holy Knights as the Black Knight. However, his gentleness and his hatred for violence ultimately made him unfit for war. The Post-War Administration Bureau found him frustrated as he became mentally depressed, and offered to transform him into a Gear. To obtain power and impress his father, he accepted, but unlike most Gears, he still retained his sense of self. However, Justice turned him against humanity, and he found himself on the opposite side of the war from which he started.
Guilty Gear
At the end of the Tournament, Testament appeared to the winner (officially, Sol Badguy, but this varies depending on the character played as), revealing that it was actually he who hosted the tournament, with the intentions of sacrificing the winner to revive Justice, saying, "All that's required is the blood of one more sacrifice!" However, he was himself defeated, and used his own blood as the sacrifice. Justice was then defeated as well.
Guilty Gear X
Upon discovering that there was another Gear alive, Dizzy, Testament immediately took it upon himself to protect her in her hidden grove, fighting off everyone who came near (much like in the original Guilty Gear, Testament was fought before the "main" boss was). He did this until Dizzy decided to leave, joining Johnny and May of the Jellyfish Pirates. His Story Mode in Guilty Gear X Plus has two endings, both of which are doubtful. In one, he and Dizzy decide to stay in the grove for a thousand years until humans have forgotten about Gears, while in the other, he and Dizzy decide to leave the grove together.
Guilty Gear XX
Testament arrives on the Mayship unannounced with the intentions of visiting Dizzy, only to find that she had been knocked off the ship by I-No. He curses humanity, and storms off to find her. He has three endings: in the first (non-canonical), he discovers that Dizzy has been killed, fights (and probably kills) Johnny, and vows to avenge Dizzy by way of the annihilation of the human race. In the second, he encounters Sol Badguy, who reveals that That Man has returned and the Post-War Administration Bureau is on the move; Testament also reveals his respect for Sol as he may feel that Sol is the only one who may understand his nature aside from Dizzy. In the third, he fights I-No and then a Necro-possessed Dizzy, who recovers and tells Testament that her fall really wasn't the crew's fault, and in the end, Testament decides to become more accepting of humans... to a point.
Guilty Gear XX Λccent Core Plus
Testament remains as guardian of the Souls Forest. However he is lured to go out for a while by I-No, and the threat that Dizzy may once again be in trouble. In one of his endings he returns to the forest and discovers it being burned by humans. He curses humanity, but promises to remain with the burning forest and to disappear along with it, resigning himself to finally rest. In his second ending, Testament encounters Dizzy and upon safely returning her to the Jellyfish pirates, he returns to the forest, promising to remain there and protect it until a time where he has to leave once again.
Gameplay
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Command List
Powers & Abilities
After his conversion into a Gear, Testament gained abilities commonly associated with such individuals; his natural, muscular strengh surpasses by far the average of a normal human's. He also possesses longevity. In battle, Testament takes on a supernatural fighting style, evoking many elements of the Death mythos, most notably, the hemomancy; his signature weapon, a Scythe, is formed with his blood by cutting his fingers. Said control over his blood allows him to create constructs he can use to trap his victims. He can even transform his entire body into liquid-like state. He possesses the unique ability of bypassing and controlling dimensional barriers and space, in a manner that is noted to be similar to Faust's own dimensional manipulation. His contract with the Succubus, Exebeast, also makes him proficient at summoning.
Musical Themes
- A Fixed Idea - Guilty Gear
- Bloodstained Lineage - Guilty Gear X and XX
- In the Arms of Death - Guilty Gear XX KOR OST
- Push a Bush - Guilty Gear Isuka
Character Quotes
See: Testament Quotes
References and Allusions
- He owes his name to American thrash-metal band Testament.
- His attack "Badlands" is a reference to the late 80's rock band Badlands founded by ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E' Lee and former Black Sabbath members Ray Gillen and Eric Singer.
- His attack "Warrant" is a reference to an 80's Glam rock band of the same name.
- One of his special moves, "Grave Digger", is a reference to a German heavy-metal band of the same name (Gravedigger).
- His Overdrive, Master of Puppet, is named after "Master of Puppets", an album and a song by Metallica, and Instant Kill "Seventh Sign" is yet another allusion to Yngwie J. Malmsteen, as it is the name of one of his albums.
Trivia
- In Guilty Gear, Testament's scythe had a silver blade and was held with the blade facing down, near Testament's right leg. For the rest of the series, his scythe has a blood red blade and is wielded with the blade level to his head.
- Potemkin called Testament the "Gear of Distortion" or "Lawbreaking Gear" in the Drama CD, This is because he is the only Gear created after Justice to resist her command and gain independence from her while she was still active. It also likely due to his ability to manipulate and bypass dimensional space, as well as his contract with his succubus familiar.
- In the first Guilty Gear, Kliff mentioned that it's been 40 years since he last saw Testament. Likewise, the Drama CD has Testament saying that he hadn't written a letter for 50 years, making him at least in his sixties.
- Testament's win quote at A.B.A reveals that he has a blood pact. His quote upon using his Instant Kill, Seventh Sign, reveals that the Succubus is a Youkai that he made a contract with.
- The succubus that accompanies him during battle has been nicknamed "Zio" by fans, due to this name being used in a Guilty Gear doujinshi. In Guilty Gear Xrd's Database Library, it is finally revealed that her official name is EXE Beast.
- As stated in some victory quotes from other characters, Testament is considered rather attractive, if not at times a bit vain about his features. This has also been a cause for confusion for new players at first, as most people think that Testament is a woman due to his design.
- The outfit he wears is actually the tattered remnants of his Holy Knight uniform.
- It is implied that Testament's Gear Mark may be located near his buttocks. This is also humorously indicated when Faust uses his Enema Scalpel technique on him, exclaiming "Don't go near my secret!"
External Links
- Dustloop Forums - Testament Gameplay and Q&A
- Dustloop Forums - Accent Core Combos Theories and Practice
- Mizuumi's GG Wiki- Testament
References
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