Design Shop: IVY - A Tale Of Whips And Thongs

[@probablytyler260]

Oh yeah baby hit me with that frame trap

[@TheTruestZero]

Anyone going agaisnt Poison without much knowlegde is up for some surprise.

[@nolanstrife7350]

This is the greatest laugh I've had in recent days! That's pure gold, I tell ya! XDDDD

[@DAMIENDICE]

That made me laugh so hard

[@uwupowice2535]

10:19

[@Fenrize]

And here, ladies and gentlemen, you'll see a messy pile of gore that used to be.. Huh, what was his name again? It was Probably Tyler or something similar. *BADUM-TSS*

[@Ducilios]

Something you did not mention is that Ivi is canonically a virgin, which I find hilarious.

[@saafi9723]

She doesn't take it. When facing her, you do...

[@aliciafraser1835]

Yeah I really don't understand this "I find it hilarious" stuff. She specifically built to be strong.... Unless she specifically wants it, she's not going to take it... and I highly doubt anyone that isn't some kind of demon is going to be raping her.

[@Ducilios]

@@aliciafraser1835 I find funny the way she acts, all the dominatrix stuff, combined with the way she dresses, it feels like a person that, instead of experience or secondhand information, she got all her sexual education from a women's magazine, "You know what men like? when you step on their balls! They love it!" *Edit spelling

[@aliciafraser1835]

@@Ducilios I mean... to be fair.... some do.

[@MoonlightStrider]

It makes sense considering Ivy wants to rid the world of Soul Edge in any and all forms, including herself she doesn't want to pass on Soul Edge's curse through potential children.

[@musicman8371]

"Aww yeah baby, hit me with that FRAME TRAP." Damn you A.B.I, I choked on my cereal.

[@PsychoJosh]

So I think there is a reason why Ivy dresses the way she does, just not a stated one. Basically, Ivy is unable to have intimate contact with anyone due to the cursed blood in her veins - her body is literally flowing with the essence of Soul Edge as a result of Cervantes conceiving her while under its influence. This makes it so that Ivy is unable to make skin contact with anyone without corrupting their bodies and possibly killing them, so for that reason, she is lonely and sexually repressed. Her exhibitionist attire is reflective of the fact that she is desperate for sexual intimacy that she can never have. In a way this makes her name function as an aptronym; "Ivy Valentine", because a valentine is an expression of affection and love, and ivy is a highly allergenic, poisonous plant that you can't make skin contact with. By having cursed blood within her she is literally poisonous to the act of love.

[@Zenn_Chan]

That......is actually brilliant

[@FrostyAUT]

You're reading too much into this. She dresses like that because she's a particularly shameless case of fanservice driving a game's marketing. There need not be any other reason. That in itself isn't the problem though. The problem I think is that her appearance is simply poor taste. As soon as you have a character running around in a thong, their story simply doesn't matter anymore because the fetishism becomes a black hole that swallows up all attention.

[@PsychoJosh]

@@FrostyAUT So... you completely ignore all the intelligent theming simply because 'hurr sexy woman bad'. Just goes to show that you need to have a functioning brain to be able to understand subtext.

[@FrostyAUT]

@@PsychoJosh It's not that I'm against sexiness in general. I'm not prudish. But there's a difference between "sexy" and "fetish personified". Ivy is the latter. Too bad I hurt your feelings when I described her appearance as "poor taste". "Intelligent theming", yeah, right.

[@PsychoJosh]

@@FrostyAUT That's literally the point. BDSM is a fetish. They designed a BDSM character. She has fetishes because she is a sexually repressed character. Yes, the outcome is that she is used for fanservice, but that doesn't negate the existence of her subtext. Just because you're too prudish (you ABSOLUTELY are, don't even try to deny it, it's pathetic) and smoothbrained to recognize the intelligent theming doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[@tomefilho3902]

Tira please. That art concept with the glasses looks good on Ivy. In SC3 the art concept show her with a dress that also looks really good too.

[@kholdkhaos64ray11]

It makes sense. She is actually kind of a scientist

[@PsychoCrusher46]

I think the glasses is a nice touch.

[@VictoryNibbles]

Honestly, the looks both in game and in the lore art (both with the glasses and in the one that was being shown most in the end of the video) show make her so attractive when put together. It makes her more realistic and complex - like a woman who works as a domme in a sex dungeon during the day, then comes back home to curl up with a good book at night. It's like she could be down to whip your ass, have a deep philosophical discussion, or cuddle, all depending on the mood and time of day. Taken that way, she might actually show the most depth (as a human) of any of the Soul Calibur characters. I'd love to have her treat me like a bad girl, before having a discussion about how the emergent field of quantum physics might affect her work in alchemy over a spot of tea....

[@TheNocturnal1]

@@VictoryNibbles🤮

[@Icagel0]

I think you nailed it with this: Soul Calibur has a deep sense of story; It's just never in the games. It's always presented as backstory or epilogues so narrative disonances like this case never fully drop into most players

[@Raikiir]

Holy Shit, someone who adresses the ACTUAL problems with Ivy and doesn't just whine about her nakedness. Well done, great Video!

[@boitahaki]

C'mon now We both know the only "problem" with her is the fact her nakedness trigger insecure men like you. It has nothing to do with the design being flawed.

[@darklink2nd]

@@boitahaki I don't think you understood this comment.

[@dracocrusher]

@@boitahaki Video: "I'm fine with Ivy being naked, I just think her outfits could use a bit more class to them" Comment: "I'm so glad they talked about things other than her being naked" You: "HOW DARE YOU GET OFFENDED AT HER NUDITY!!!" Feels like there's a bit of a disconnect here, lol.

[@boitahaki]

@@dracocrusher In his dumbass opinion, Ivy's "worst" design is the worst simply because she is showing more skin, and then he claim there is nothing wrong with it. This video is just a pathetic attempt by another dumbass to try to justify why he hates attractive female characters.

[@briggsf9566]

@@boitahaki Kilik are with a naked nipple on Soul Calibur 6; but that does not bother anyone. Voldo is half naked and he is a character of sadomasochism and, again, I do not see anyone complaining about it. I think Ivy and Voldo are overly sexualized. I think R. Mika and Zangief are overly sexualized. I think Ayumi and Kratos are strongly sexualized. But today, only the exagered sexualization of women is seen as negative. I like to look both sides of the coin. Although I liked the video, I think there are very few people mentioning the exaggerated sexualization of virtual men. Which very famous fighting game has women topless? I'm against the female topless in fighting games. I only mention this to show how the world is full of "two weights-and-two-measures."

[@jeangentry6656]

I think the purple of Ivy's costume also harkens back to her being nobility. Other characters that wear purple, such as Sindel, Kazuya, and Rain also hail from nobility/royalty or rich families. Also, red can represent blood, or evil, and Kilik has a evil side that can summoned by Soul Edge and he killed his adopted sister while possessed, so he has blood on his hands. Edit: Magic is also represented by purple, and Ivy is an Alchemist and sorceress.

[@Freefork]

11:44 Seriously! Bowser has NO CLOTHES. Jesus! Saying he is a turtle does not excuse it, Nintendo!

[@93SuperSonic]

Bowser's NOT sexualized. That's not the point with the guy.

[@caramelcomplx9518]

@@93SuperSonicr/woooosh

[@93SuperSonic]

@@caramelcomplx9518???

[@caramelcomplx9518]

@@93SuperSonic What freefork was saying is a joke. It's a joke

[@93SuperSonic]

@@caramelcomplx9518 Okay. Sorry.

[@melodyborg6164]

This isn't entirely relevant to the point being made in the video, but as a long-time female fan of this series one thing I always appreciated was that the male characters were also dressed over the top and somewhat sexualised, not just the women. In another game, Ivy's outfit would bother me a lot more if all the male characters were wearing full suits of armour or whatever. But Soul Calibur's designs place a sense of the characters personality, their fighting style and place of origin over practicality and I love it. You've got Ivy in a thong, Hilde in a suit of armour, Kilik with half a shirt missing, and whatever Voldo is. I always appreciated that there were varying levels of sexualised-ness to match your preference.

[@carlbloke8797]

Melody Borg indeed

[@kuronoroux8864]

You reminded me of a friend of mine who appreciated her design a lot, she was actually a woman very confident with her figure and sexuality. And appreciated the craziness and elegance of Tira, and loved the more amazonian build of Ivy, and how ahe was very sexy but a deep character at the same time.

[@tomasfong40]

to me it depends. If your playing a game like lets say senran kagura then yes I dont see a problem with it. The sexualization has to not interfere with the tone of the game. Thats why most fighting games are over the top and anime as shit. Waifus dont feel out of place in this zany fight world

[@ayo1201]

@Rockman Terra are you okay? I think you should give mommy her phone back.

[@TakaComics]

And in SC6 we have Kilik's 4K nipple. Honestly, I've never seen a more painstakingly rendered nipple EVER. Like, it draws your attention to it in the VS screen.

[@redviolet5158]

LOL BOWSER

[@IkariLoona]

Might have been an indirect nod to the Bowsette mania.

[@kholdkhaos64ray11]

With or without Bowsette, it's pretty true

[@ulkimion]

i want to like, but you have 69 likes, i can't

[@devilsadvocate22289]

Bowser is the most sexualized character in history, LOL.

[@Syiepherze]

Bowser is one hot dino dad

[@nichalasfink7952]

So, in the Libra of soul mode there is a dialogue branch that let's you ask Ivy about her outfit and she says that it helps give a closer connection to her sword and that's she never thought to hard about it. Do with that what you will.

[@slimehermit]

I never got to that part of Libra of Souls but that's what I assumed her reason was since the SC2 Kata demonstrations. She needs to feel her weapon when she goes into stances with the weapon is on her. The same reason IMO Maxi's true costume is the one where he is shirtless because he needs that feel of the weapon too

[@Nparalelo]

She never thought about it? Well, I guess if someone stared at her too long she would just kill them, and therefore nobody ever told her she looks kinky. They were dead before they could say it xD

[@SariniyaKiyu]

lol. Reminds me of Quiet and her skin explanation.

[@saafi9723]

I guess it makes kind of sense...

[@slimehermit]

@@SariniyaKiyu Quiet is stupid but Ivy is reasonable as if you watched the video, you see the chain whip martial artist doing the Kata with no shirt

[@revie4392]

I honestly think they had the idea for "Dominatrix with whip" before they settled on her place in the story. What i personally always liked about Ivy when I was younger (and now) was that despite the outfit she still carried that air. She still has plenty of moments where it feels like a "rich noble woman who's worth more than you'll ever be" And I think that ties into the dominatrix aspect greatly as well. Also I always thought I was in the minority with loving her outfit in 5, it really does take the aspects of how she carries herself and adds them in with just a few extra details while still properly cementing the dominatrix look.

[@SilverDragonLancer]

Dude you're super right about her SC5 outfit being the best, good mix of sexy and sophisticated! After your explanation with some of the story, I could KINDA understand the differences in her string thongs, but yeah her noble designs are WAY BETTER.

[@arseniccalibrator6521]

its nice to see someone talk abt ivy and her costumes from a narrative standpoint like a professional instead of just waving them off as fanservice :-)

[@pedmonds2011]

arseniccalibrator I agree, fan service good and all but artists put a lot thought into character design. Average viewers would probably assume Ivy is the game just for fetish purposes.

[@Kenmiester2012]

They probably designed Ivy first, then made up a backstory to provide _some_ kind of context. It didn't end up working, really; but that's probably the reason.

[@jeangentry6656]

From what I have read, Project Soul chooses a weapon, builds the character around the weapon, then fleshed out the backstory.

[@fightfannerd2078]

true

[@FFXfever]

Which is even weirder. Just say she's a controlling noble woman, problem solved. If she gonna be fetishfied, go big or go home. What is with that half assed lazy back story.

[@carlbloke8797]

Santa Australia THANK YOU!

[@kuronoroux8864]

@@FFXfever she was a product of rape, that's nothing unheard of irl, but in videogames?

[@tenj1n]

Design shop for the whole cast? In particular, it'd be interesting to look at Yoshimitsu's many designs.

[@jaschabull2365]

If he disses my gurl, Sophitia, he can expect a slow, painful death by hacky-sack-style juggles!

[@Phurzt]

@@jaschabull2365 Sophie isnt real. It's just a disguise lizardboi uses to lull men into a false sense of comfort before eating their innards and wearing their skin. I'm on to you scalies!!! -This comment reply was brought to you by the Setsuka PaTRUEklos gang.

[@deathbringr0005]

MITSURUGI GANG MITSURUGI GANG

[@93SuperSonic]

Talim, Xianghua, Asteroth, Voldo, Lizardman/Aeon and Nightmare for Design Shop, please. Maybe Guest Characters could have a chance?

[@JadeyedGrey]

Maxi! Maxi! Maxi! Maxi!

[@theliesinit]

In defense of her SCIV costume, this point of her life is one where she is out of control (living off a temporary soul, facing her father one final time) she's no longer the dominatrix but the one in bondage. She's trapped and vulnerable hence the tight, constraining and revealing clothes.

[@slimehermit]

To be honest, the Soul Caliber 5 ads are hilarious with the context of the Voldo bulge is also emphasis

[@danielramsey6141]

Angry Joe had one of the Best opening skits because of those ads. :)

[@carterscott01]

Dicks

[@aquilesriffo]

Called it Equality : IVY and Voldo are the hyper-sexual characters, one of each biological gender to serve the majority of SoulCalibur fans . Remember Voldo represent bondage and Ivy Dominatrix

[@Closto]

She IS my favorite Soul Calibur character and easily one of my favorite in video game history, especially when SCII came out. I'm also sad that she does not get the respect and sincere love for she is as a character. I kindda feel like she keeps wandering the games hoping to find that respectful treatment from the designers. The personality is there, the motivation is there, but I still see her as a victim of her creators. I will keep fighting alongside her in hopes she finds her rightful spot. Hang in there, Ivy! 💪🏻

[@carlbloke8797]

It’s so annoying how many people are missing the point of ABI’s video. If she’s a woman who’s meant to enjoy acting so dominating after finally gaining her independence, then actually try to explain it in the game and why

[@thorsffe5712]

Honestly I find people who say 2B is just weeabo bait for this game so strange. I mean have they not seen the girls in this game, for the love of god she has more clothes on than Talim

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma *FACEPALM* No she isn't. Ivy is the real seen bait. And even then, have you even played Neir Automata!? Yeah, clearly a game about the pain of repeating mistakes and trying to discover "humanity" is for weebs. Allow me to quote DiGi Valentine on this: "Wasteman!"

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma aside from being an interesting and three dimensional character from a true masterpiece of a game? Seriously: play NeiR: Automata!

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma ok. Sure. Just keep calling 2B waifu bait because your a biased, immature brat. And by the way, Darth Vader and Yoda don't fit in the setting either, they're guest characters. They're supposed to be dissonant fanservise -_-

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma try looking up the words you don't understand. I'm typing perfect English.

[@poultriarchy]

PersonMan Productions while I think stellar was being a little pedantic, you did use “your” rather than “you’re”. Also, while I don’t think 2B becoming a character is purely “weeaboo bait”, I do think it’s going to attract a lot of people from a fan base that has a higher than average population of fans of anime and Japanese entertainment. Automata is a pretty niche title even keeping its success in mind. People who played through the game once casually and put it down aren’t the same people who will buy a full priced fighting game irrespective of whether they like fighting games or not just to see how 2B translates into this form. It’s the people who replayed the game to achieve a wider scope of the narrative who will pick this up. This is obviously anecdotal, but a large amount of friends I have who’ve completed Automata thoroughly also happen to be anime fans. Quite a few of them don’t play fighting games but are excited to try Soul Calibur once 2B arrives. It doesn’t feel like TOO much of a stretch to assume this character addition will attract a lot of anime fans. And that’s not a bad problem to have either; ultimately we want more people playing SC and not less. One last bit. I kinda get Talim or Ivy or whoever else being considered “weeaboo bait” in sentiment, but I really feel people are more drawn to familiar IPs and series than individual characters. While 2B has some awesome design, there are characters in anime series and games all over the place with just as inspired designs and a considerably smaller following. I find a lot of actresses more attractive than Meryll Streep, but by golly would I take a Streep film over an Angelina Jolie flick any day of the week. I don’t think Talim or Ivy or X or anyone in SC have nearly as much widespread appeal as 2B does, and ESPECIALLY in the anime world. Ask anyone who watches anime what they know about Talim as a character and they’ll probably respond with “who?”. If you ask them what they know about 2B, chances are they’ll at the very least know what recent game she is from, that she has a sword, what she looks like, that she fights robots or something, and that she has an ass that’s been featured across the web on underground and mainstream sites. TL;DR, 2B is weeaboo bait. And that isn’t a bad thing at all. Imho.

[@IkariLoona]

Thanks for pointing out the value of her military/noble-themed alt outfits, I tend to love those and wish they got promoted to main, but I guess Ivy became to iconic to change that much. One thing I tend to like about her usual designs though is the metal gauntlet on her left hand/arm - I guess it's not in every game, but add a solid splash of solid power to a look that tends to look a bit unprotected for the occasion, and gives the impresion she should still smack someone around without her sword. Also, it's funny how even a game as openly pervy like Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos, when you unlock the protagonist' dialog scenes with Ivy, those scenes focus almost exclusively on Ivy's alchemical practice and knowledge - her design damns her, but her narrative concept and identity still burns...

[@caprese1243]

Bowsette. I see what you did there

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

It's Because like 50 million Bowsette pictures?

[@parrisxsummers]

The dissonance is solved by just assuming she’s kinky. Being kinky is expensive and British aristocrats had nothing to do so they were super kinky.

[@Mekasoundwave]

Yeah, I also thought the easiest explanation for why she dresses like a dominatrix is she's just a pervert like that. It's just an extra wrinkle in her character that doesn't come up in the story because it doesn't need to (and because this is a fighting game with next to no story).

[@whentheshroomish]

"(and because this is a fighting game with next to no story)." did you not watch the video where it's explained that the soul series has a fairly extensive story

[@Mekasoundwave]

Yes, I did, and I also watched the part where he talked about how the series not doing a good job of conveying that story because none of it happened in the actual games.

[@parrisxsummers]

Mekasoundwave now unfortunately I disagree on the no story aspect. Up until soul calibur 4 they did a good job with the story. They had character openings, biographies, endings, destined battles, unique dialogue, story modes, weapon descriptions. I understood without the need for extra reading

[@parrisxsummers]

AT Productions a true dominatrix doesn’t take dick, she dishes it

[@maxchaos44]

Actilually if you think about it shes all about domination. Shes bound and dominated by her fate to soul edge and her entire goal is to gain dominance of her fate. I guess XD

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

The Flying Toaster honestly that's a bit of a stretch

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma anyone who can pay attention to a story for more than five seconds care.

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma how about you go back to your Michael bay films? Clearly you wouldn’t know a good story if it kicked you in the crotch

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma believe it or not: the story is one of the things that sets a fighting games tone and characters. You need a story to establish who a character is and to keep the game fresh. In other words: EVERYONE! Would people like Talim as much as they do if she had no story? Would they like Karin Kanzuki as much? Would they like King as much? No. And why? Because the story establishes who they are and what they’re like and why they should interest you. Without a story, all you have are functions: and we all know how well that goes. Hell, even bad stories like KoF can establish loveable characters that catch your eye that make you want to play them!

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma also “autistic” really? Grow up and get an education

[@blindbeholder9713]

So, clothing and armor breaking have been a thing in this series since IV, but while some of the newer characters have been designed around that, a lot of the older characters who are wearing very little don't do a lot with this system. Like, in SC VI, Ivy wears the classic dominatrix suit, and when the armor break happens, some bits fall off. The only classic character who really uses this system to its fullest is Nightmare, who starts in his classic SC I/II armor, and then when it breaks his old P2 costume is underneath. Ivy could easily do the reverse, where she wears her old P2 aristocratic outfit, and then when it breaks she has the dominatrix gear underneath. But they never do that.

[@livingcorpse5664]

Maybe if she starts off in a dress and then magically transforms into the leather outfit, like Witchblade.

[@Elerigo]

Later archs of the witchblade actually made it a full armor, and not a metal g string. The story also got a lot better after Ron Marz took over.

[@fidelmagdaleno3736]

I can only think she wears like that, because she's not afraid of showing off her skin; mostly in combat. In SCVI there's an interaction between Mina and Ivy where Mina becomes jealous or insecure telling Ivy that size isn't everything. Yet, it doesn't bother Ivy. Not to mention if you're the kind of person to be easily distracted then it's best to steer clear from Ivy. That's a possibility with her outfit being able to give her the sense of dominance and flexibility, but also showing her skin unafraid to her opponent. Majority of opponents would be distracted by her wears in a fight, thus giving her more control over her opponent, more dominance. Of course it does depends on who fights her if they're fazed by her looks. As for outside combat... Kinda got me there, too. It's very confusing, maybe sometime the developers can shed some light to this. I can only guess that she isn't afraid to show her skin, but she honors her adopted parents to properly when it comes to dressing up outside of combat. Other than that I love your video nonetheless.

[@livingcorpse5664]

2:04 I want Ivy with a cape as an alternate outfit. Capes make everything cooler, even crazy scanty costumes.

[@KentzHodiono]

NO CAPES

[@livingcorpse5664]

@@KentzHodiono :(

[@saafi9723]

A cape would hides her ass most of the time, so it wouldn't be a very popular choice...

[@trcsonic]

With her dominatrix looks, it's not weird that Voldo is her main rival in the first Soul Calibur

[@stijnvandevyver7958]

I'm not sure i buy the chain whip being an assassin's weapon unless it was just used for strangling someone. A knife is easier to use and also easy to conceal. Anyways, i like her ridiculous design. And i agree, when i read her backstory i thought i was missing something. It's like she was written and designed by two seperate groups of people who were isolated from eachother.

[@bornstellareternal]

I think there's a big part of her character missed here. With Ivy it's less about her nobility and more about her father Cervantes. Her agency is challenged by the soul edge. Much like Voldo, who is also sexualized, she is unwillingly bound to the cursed blade. However her story is about taking back that control. That's why she is a dominatrix, that's why she creates her own weapon, that's why she takes the purple path of independence.

[@jeangentry6656]

True, but Here's my question/observation- purple tones factor into Voldo's design as well. While he is just as sexualized as Ivy, he is her thematic opposite- Ivy fights for her freedom and represents Domination, while Voldo is willingly, and happily, submissive. If purple is the color of independence for Ivy, what does it represent for Voldo?

[@bornstellareternal]

@@jeangentry6656 I haven't really been super into the lore on Voldo but my bet would be that purple is more mysterious as he's often attacking from shadows. His soul Calibur 4 or 5 ending shows the Soul Edge open on a throne but Voldo defending it from the shadows

[@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447]

but she's still designed in a way that no one can take her seriously in a million years

[@mikhailthegreatestdragon3627]

@@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447 If you can't take her seriously after seeing the shit she does, the fault is on you lol

[@TheNocturnal1]

@@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447that’s on them 🥴

[@Abigdummy4life]

For sure, I'll agree with her SC5 design; plus, that outfit looks pretty cool lol

[@RicochetForce]

It was the first time I ever thought Ivy looked hot AND cool.

[@autistic-dan455]

I wonder if her dominatrix look could have been brought on by her backstory. Like, she couldn't stop her father from obsessing over eternal life and she couldn't look after her mother on her own. She felt like she failed as a daughter and had no control of the outcome. To compensate for that, she adopted the controlling persona so as to never appear weak again. I don't know it their is any evidence of this. It's just a theory that came to me.

[@changnoic00]

When guilty gear design shop, when.

[@RandomJtv]

I've always preferred Ivy's P2 outfits over her default because they have far more character. The exception being that Anna Williams disco bodysuit mess. I don't know what was up with that. But I do like her P1 look, because it is iconic. I don't think it's ALWAYS necessary for a characters' outfit to reflect their back story note for note. And in the case of Ivy, the context of her character and her stages kinda sold her to a point where I never questioned the outfit, because it made sense for her fighting style.

[@TheShadowchiefstudio]

Yup, SC5 has issues, but it has Ivy's best look

[@SaiKisaragi]

I lowkey wanna see a video of him just rakkin' on Soul Caliber 5's story xD

[@yourboyrussell6738]

@@SaiKisaragi And tearing Patroklos and Pyrrha a new one in terms of their character in the process! 😂😂😂

[@rampant1apart]

I know SC6 is a reboot, but I low key wanted Ivy's outfit from SC5 to sneak into the game somehow.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

SCV FOREVER!

[@aldenmcgrath9722]

@@0uttaS1TE yes you did

[@drsusredfish]

3:17 does fit the morality palette because kilik is good with evil inside him that he has to keep under control so that's why he has red and blue.

[@toacidrainbows]

I like Ivy's backstory, but when I started playing I was super unaware of any of it once I found it out I was really annoyed at her character design because they could have at least given her a hat and coat, I think the jacket works well, although I might go a step further and give it tails, maybe I'll do a redraw thing of her design to reflect more of her story. Because I feel like my problem with her design has always been- it's not in service of the character/story.

[@ekx5120]

Your integrity is without fail. Finally a man who can make criticism over over-sexualisation and owning that you talk 'bout dem asses on other videos. You did the same in the Abigail video when right off the bat you recognised that you couldn't do this video with integrity because you didn't know how he played in Final Fight. And you asked for help. Class acts all the way. And smart with that. I also wanted to add that I've been playing this series starting with Soul Blade/Edge, I've never noticed the blue/red dichotomy in the coulours worn by the characters. I feel so stupid!

[@tristancarter4324]

A key thing I always keep when doing my art is make everything there for a reason not purely for looks Ivy sexuality won't be so bad if it didn't seem like someone ask her to wear it at times or that she doesn't even seem to understand what she's wearing Mileena is a character where I feel be sexually is a big aspect of her character and MKX is a prime example of when a character need their sexuality to be fully rounded. Imagine a Catwoman, Nightwing, Jessica rabbit or even new Dante

[@SchwarzSchwertkampfer]

*_No dissonances, we all have have different sides to ourselves and are multi dimensional_*

[@thenewrobin1913]

I hope he makes a Design Shoo video on Anna Williams from Tekken, I really question her red dress design, I'm not say I don like it her dress. She looks awesome in the dress but I do question the dress

[@playapiano666]

Now I understand why I always liked Ivy's suited up alternate in two. It really does have that classy look

[@Arassar]

Her white costume was always my favorite

[@ManlyPlant]

You know I'm glad someone addressed this point in a concise manner. Excellent job.

[@LOKITYZ]

I think this was simply a design first and backstory later situation. As mentioned in the video, there were many other design concepts that were thought about in relation to the whip-sword style, and the dominatrix design fit the best. However, that does not excuse the fact that they should have done a better job in creating her backstory in the first place. Or at least add some more flirtatious lines to emphasize and contextualize her sexual nature a bit more, so it makes sense. Like it makes sense for Mileena from Mortal Kombat and Posion Ivy from Injustice. I usually just assume that she's kind of a kinky noble who had these repressed desires that were all released as she began to live by herself and travel. The way her lines are delivered and the choice of voice actress seem to facilitate that line of thinking. But all this isn't actually written on paper, it's just my attempt as a player to rationalize her appearance. And great character design should not require that much rationalization. Speaking of great character design, any chance of a Voldo analysis? I've always thought he had amazing character design. His looks combined with his backstory make him so eerie and unsettling for me...

[@ravenheart9448]

LOKITYZ ivy is celibate

[@LOKITYZ]

ravenheart94 Well, if that's true and is in actual lore, then it makes her character design even more ridiculous and dissonant...

[@carlbloke8797]

LOKITYZ agreed

[@simonleech1109]

Turns out there is a reason with the outfit being skimpy etc in lore and in Libra of Soul mode no less: She designed it herself and it allows her to communicate with her blade and control it as a sword or whip. So I guess that you could say that it's imbued with alchemical powers or used to enhance the alchemical nature of her fighting style.

[@caprese1243]

You know, if they made Ivy an outright villain, or a very morally questionable hero at best, there wouldn't be a narrative dissonance. Make her be a character corrupted by Soul Edge before her whole introduction to the series, kinda like Tira. No one thinks Tira's design contradicts her narrative, so it should work with Ivy as well, while keeping her iconic look.

[@caprese1243]

Also, love that cheeky Bowsette sneak=in about "sexulization"

[@danielramsey6141]

THEY'VE Already Done That! The Whole Morally Questionable bit with her I mean! Seriously man, ya gotta look into the lore Abit before ya say that.

[@caprese1243]

@@danielramsey6141 When I mean Morally Questionable, I mean really, really questionable. Not the redeemable kind. I mean Raphael levels of questionable. The kind that says Ivy went kinda too far, and is at the brink of irredemablilty. The kind that would be perfect to intermix with a BDSM motif. The kind where Ivy just doubles down in everything. Actually, Ivy would really fit well in Raphael's role, if Raphael didn't already fill his role really well.

[@RanmaruRei]

No-no. Actually, I like as she is. Even if her look feels questionable, but it's reasonable. Her dominatrix personalty, her noble postion and her origin are pretty good combination. Even before her line in LoS in SCVI, I knew the reason of choice for her battle clothes. She does not care how it looks like, it's just comfotable for her fighting style. It really is.

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

AT Productions well gee! It's almost like masochism is about causing incredible pain to someone else because both of you get a high from it! It's not exactly sunshine and rainbows.

[@mackenzi_kintsugi]

"The most sexualized character in video game history." *sees Bowser* Well played, sir. xD

[@st4pps]

You would be surprised by how many people wanna get railed by bowser

[@juliododd860]

"Ivy is among the most sexualised videogame characters of all time" *puts bowser at Ivy's side*

[@Stroggoii]

Do one of these for Amy and Raphael please. Those two went on a wild ride.

[@vanotis324]

I see you making Asuka in the background

[@TheNexDude]

I think her design matches the nature of her style which is dominance. The idea of superiority stems far from ideology and can also be in appearance which Ivy shows. Sure it's sexualized but I think its a way of her showing off her body to lure foes into distraction so she can dominate them easier in battle.

[@s7able574]

This reminds me of that video that MatPat did about sexy costumes and Dead Or Alive. Like the costumes are there to distract opponents, that it reduces reaction time and stuff.

[@TheNexDude]

@@s7able574 Yeah I mean she isn't the only one in the series even outside of fanservice just look at Voldo his whole character is mastering is strange style and confusing attire.

[@night1952]

I'd compare Ivy with Bayonetta. They are both sexy classy dominatrix, but Ivy doesn't look classy at all. Also, i hate her forward forward vertical.

[@rampant1apart]

Though I think it's fair to say Bayonetta is a bit more campy and in on the joke than Ivy. Ivy still carries herself with no comment on how clearly provocative she looks while Bayo is almost making burlesque out of her sex appeal.

[@night1952]

@@rampant1apart She puts her sword on the crotch and thrusts her hips forward. That's alone is more on the nose than anything she could say, might as well give her a strap-on. For me Ivy looks like an 80s pornstar while Bayo is a pole dancer at most.

[@blackdragon6718]

Bayonetta is not sexy she to damn skinny not my type

[@rampant1apart]

@@night1952 I'm not arguing relative sexiness (because that gets pretty subjective pretty quickly.) I'm just talking about attempts at humor and campiness, which Bayo is clearly more willing to do (I won't argue if that character succeeded at being funny because again subjective.) Like you could make a montage of Bayo being silly while you have to squint to see any attempts at being funny with Ivy. Like you pointed out her 66B. That's...what? One sort of funny move out of how many? Or any of her voice lines? Or endings? To be clear, I'm not ragging on either (and thus, I'm not really arguing with you, just clarifying my point.) Ivy is my main in every Soul Calibur, and I love the Bayo games. Just pointing out an important difference between the two.

[@night1952]

@@rampant1apart ​ And i was talking about how Bayo is more classy, i didn't say one was sexier than the other and i don't see how Bayonetta's playfullness has anything to do.

[@RicochetForce]

Ivy's look in SCV is so good I hope there's a mod to put it into SCVI. It just has more visual interest and nice detail than any other primary outfit she's had.

[@gaeren]

I clicked thinking "Oh here we go again. This will either decry Ivy, or drool on her." I have never been so please d to be wrong. Thank you sir. Excellent analyses.

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma finally! You wrote something sensible!

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma umm. I meant that you said something true, that he was both complimenting AND being critical of her but of course your talking it to far. Plus, Chun Li’s fanservice makes perfect sense. She’s elegant and graceful (as shown by her Quipao) but is also always battle ready and is a bit of a show off (modifies her Quipao for combat, wears 80 pound bowser bracelets as arm training and has tight leggings to show off the very thing she’s so proud of, wears wrestling boots) whereas Cammy wears an overly tight jumpsuit that shows off her ass, tits and six pack for absolutely no reason other than “hur hur, I gotta boner!”

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma I said Chun-Li’s design made perfect sense, not Cammy’s. And Chun Li does exactly what you want. In her story mode she wears, guess what? A bloody police uniform! And yes I think that should probably be her main outfit but the outfit she’s wearing reveals numerous layers of her personality and keep in mind, she isn’t just a police woman, she is also a dedicated and proud martial artist. The design expresses her character like a good character design should. Plus, her panties aren’t on display! She’s wearing tights! And yes I too am excited to see ABI’s video on Cammy because her design SUCKS whereas Chun-Li has a fantastic design that conveys everything about her at a glance without the need for exposition or overdone buildup. Whereas Cammy’s design is a dumpster fire that should never have happened. Also “problematic? Neither me or ABI said that once about Ivy or Cammy. We just said that their designs make no sense in their story (and also gameplay in Cammy’s case)

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma Again, her current default outfit establishes her character And what does Ivy’s character have to do with dominatrix tendencies? She’s overly serious, determined and isn’t very concerned with her appearance. Unlike characters such as Poison or Carmilla, nothing about Ivy conveys the feeling of a dominatrix aside from her dumpster fire of a design And yes I too am excited for a possible Cammy video

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma Are we even talking about the same costume? I’m talking about Chun Li’s CHINESE DRESS WITH TIGHTS. You know, her DEFAULT OUTFIT. And yet you can’t provide any evidence or prove me wrong. And you can prove that right? Ivy as a character is described as “spiting her opponents with dramatic words” and considering the fact that during her gameplay she usually has an overly serious scowl on her face and doesn’t smile 90% of the time during fights: I don’t think she’s exactly having a good time hurting people, which a dominatrix usually does. But hey, if you could show some evidence proving me wrong: that’d be nice! And I can’t wait for Bandai to try to draw out a few more horndogs like yourself with no regard for artistic integrity.

[@kintsuki99]

In the video it is talked a lot about the lack of noble ressemblance in Ivy's costume but taking the story in consideration in SC1 she is a mercenary in league with the villains, you could say that she left her noble past behind to embrace what she is at the moment, and in the next few games she is still struggling with the corruption, so still no nobility, and when she rid herself of the corruption specs of noble atires start to appear in a simbolic way of "recovering ones nobility". Another thing that people never take in consideration when talking about her is the magic aspect, we could assume her design is because she was a villain and that is how villains dress but it could also be that her behaviour and clothing are necessary to increase the power of her magical weapom, like in a RPG where classes dresses in especific clothing because they increase the power of the class and not in others beause it gets in the way.

[@lijnat]

Would have been a complete analysis if the following quote from SC6 LoS was addressed... You: What up with your armor? (paraphrasing) Ivy: This? I designed it myself. It allows me to communicate quickly with my blade and control it whether as a sword or whip... I've never really thought deeply on why though, to be quite honest. (direct-quote)

[@michael-fz4nl]

That explains what it does but as she mentions it doesn't explain why "I've never thought deeply about why though" the problem isn't that she wears the outfit the problem is there is no explanation as to why she wears the outfit why did she come up with the idea of a dominatrix suit when she was thinking about her weapon. (And also why did it not make her feel awkward if up until recently she'd been dressing like a rich English girl in medieval times I. E. Fully covered in long dresses)

[@lijnat]

michael lol my point was simply that the topic wasn't covered. The video could have used the context ts of your reply to address it and I would have been satisfied.

[@BKsunstar]

@@lijnat what if she just wanted too?

[@lijnat]

@@BKsunstar I'd say, "Nice."

[@randominternetsurfersurfin7595]

@@michael-fz4nl she wanted the weapon to work,so she needs to wear the set like that.

[@HMagnus]

After watching this video, I'd love to see take on Athena Asamiya's design history.

[@dannofdawn]

I don't agree. Your entire argument is based on the fact that Ivy was raised under a noble family, and that her costume should, therefore, carry more of an air of nobility and class. However, 1) Ivy was adopted, therefore not actually a noble, and others definitely wouldn't recognize her status if another one found out about it. You have to remember this is set in medieval times, noble bloodlines have a huge political impact. So to say Ivy is a noble or statesman is just not proven to be true in the setting. Therefore not a narrative dissonance that she herself to not portray herself as one. 2) Ivy might have been raised in a noble family, she herself never genuine identified herself as one. What she really is, is an alchemist, who also dabbled in sorcery. If you ask Ivy in-person who she sees herself as, a noble would fall below alchemist, sorceress and a cursed soul as her answer. Acting like a noble and presenting herself as one would be her mask, not a true image of herself. 3) Even more importantly, her stories have nothing to do with being noble. Her adopted parents' story has nothing to do with being noble either, her real father also has nothing to do with it. Her own backstory is also mostly about the creation of her sword and the means of creating it, ie. alchemy, sorcery and soul manipulation. She doesn't deal with politics or try to maintain her status as a noble. Instead, she stays at home studying, conduct rituals, before finally going on "adventures". She travels to fight others for various reasons each game. Again, nothing to do with being a noble. 4) Being a dominatrix is by far her most important image. It fits the chain whip, it fits her personality, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY it fits her story as she is one that would hate being controlled the most out of all the roster. She HATES being controlled by fate. She hates her cursed blood, she hates how her loving adopted parents were destroyed by an uncontrolled obsession towards a cursed sword, and now she herself is controlled by the events that led her to have to deal with it because her life depends on it. I would argue the reason Ivy would lean towards being a dominatrix or at least appear to be one is that of all that has happened to her. Her way of dealing and coping with it is to become it. Her adopted father ends up destroying his family because of obsession. Guess what, she did the same. She dedicated all her time into her weapon. That is why she is an anti-hero. She doesn't let moral stops her from alchemy and sorcery. Everything she does is her way of rejecting control, by taking control herself. Taking initiative by setting on a path of revenge. Study the occult and arcane in order to tap unnatural powers. Willing to take other's souls for her own gains and care little for other's will. All of this are characteristics of someone who would refuse to be guided and controlled by others. Now couple with the chain-whip, tell me how is her costume not the perfect representation of Ivy as a character?

[@SJtheMFZB]

dannofdawn ABI's preference aside, he's correct in that an in-game explanation of any sort would have given meaning to the contrast beyond social appeal. I, too, can appreciate his fervor for explanation. We can draw inference all we like, but those guesses are our only closure. This suffices for some, but you ask too much of a dedicated character analyst. 'Ivy was a woman of class for all of her young life, but with neither thoughtful transition nor context, she is suddenly a dominatrix.' I understand the misgivings.

[@Max7Rush]

Still, walking around looking like that, especially in a middle ages, bound to get you into some needless trouble, and Ivy doesn't strike me as thougthless character that takes decisions on a whim.

[@rampant1apart]

@@SJtheMFZB Yeah, her reasons for being a dominatrix can be inferred from the game text, but there is no inference needed to know that she spent all of her formative years identify as the daughter of a noble house.

[@dirtyox6862]

To much to read

[@Tongyo42]

​@@Max7Rush Ivy's obsession with controlling her destiny makes it clear she isnt the kind of character to go around "avoiding trouble". She's got the power and the means to do what she wants. That's intrinsic of her design.

[@Epic_Amir_Hamza]

I heard Ivy's sword whip may be inspired by the Urumi used in Kalaripayattu. Some theorised that she learn the martial art when the British colonised India.

[@jeffreyslavens2164]

Please please do an ABItorial on G in SFV. His design is so deep and interesting. His parallels with Q are extremely compelling. I'd love to see what you think.

[@ninjawannabe87]

you are correct that her outfit contradicts the narrative and there is no doubt that she was designed for those that wish to see a voluptuous half-naked dominatrix kick some @$$. I can think of a few reasons story wise that she might employ that type of attire: 1) Weaponizing her beauty - the way she is dressed in the majority of the games she's in realistically would open up her opponents defenses whether they're attracted to her or not thru means of rage or arousal. 2) Semi-suicidal tendencies - more on the side of not caring whether she dies in her quest to rid the earth of soul edge. Her father worked himself to death trying to find soul edge and she likely had to watch her mother slowly die 3) lacking the need of armor protection - the perks of her bloodline or some sort of magic may grant her some sort of enhanced durability or resilience to some degree that gave her the idea that she needs some scant armor coverage although it could be a mix of all of the mentioned reasons. All that being said I hope that they release DLC that enables us to recreate her alternate appearences from the other games like her secret one in SC2 to the "awful" one's in SC4. I also hope the extra weapon disciplines from SC3 make a return in a more refined form, such as the Kusari-gama being less like a discount ivy stance and being more like the actual weapon

[@jp3813]

Ivy's SC4 costume >>>>>>>>>> Ivy's SC5 costume The impossibility of the former's design makes her more mystical. Embracing the fantastical side of this franchise.

[@circuitbreaker_644]

I remembered this vid and I agree with his first part about him loving Soulcalibur and wanting to talk more about it. WHY DON'T YOU? It sounds great!

[@NeroDeAngelo]

Awesome Video, loved it, like always =D BUT I have two things to add to add to this: 1: Ivy actually explains in Soul Calibur 6 why she has this Costume. Ivy states that she designed her outfit, deliberately crafting it in such a manner to maximize the communication with her sword. If I remember correctly, it doesn't explain Why it helps her communicating with it, but it is at least something. 2: There could be another weapon that influenced the Segmented Sword Whip: AN ACTUAL SWORD WHIP! There is a weapon called "Urumi" that is used in an indian martial arts called "Kalarippayattu". those are actual flexible, thin and sharp blades that can be used like a whip. There are versions with only one Blade, but also version with up to 32 Blades on ONE Grip in the Sri Lankan version! You should check it out =3

[@BainesMkII]

Purple is "the color of nobility". Even the noblewoman dress image you use appears to be of a purple dress.

[@Kumaclaws]

To me I think her outfit is a perfect fit for Ivy. While yeah she's a noble, she has an anxiety of being controlled to the point of being essentially an assassin dominatrix. So my personal theory is that she doesn't want to fit into the "prim and proper" mold she was assigned to as an adopted noble. This one is a stretch but here's a personal theory, I see Ivy as a counter to Sophitia. Sophitia is just an afraid housewife with an angel/elegant motif trying to protect her children from Soul Edge. She's motivated by what's right for both her and her family. Compare that to Ivy, who spends most of her time trying to escape her fate with Soul Edge and has a distinct dark/crow or devil theme. Sophitia has light colors, flowing clothes and long flowing hair, while Ivy wears tight and restricted dark clothes with short hair in an icy and malicious white. But I do 100% agree, the lace and jacket outfit from 5 is my favorite. It still has some classy elements while not destroying her original outfit

[@ubenserivera2934]

Great Video. Hope you do more Soul Calibur characters as they are usually well design. My favorite is Tira

[@Amelanduil]

Whenever I played Tekken, there never was a character I’d want to play on first sight. The tekken designs never made me want to play with a specific character. Unlike Soul Calibur, in which I feel inclined to play every single one of them.

[@Narutardiness]

I think its cause the fact that everyone just punches and kicks in Tekken. Looking at weapons in soul calibur, you wonder what they can do with it, so ya try the char.

[@dirtyox6862]

Yeah tekken7 character are boring

[@Amelanduil]

Hangry Scout I’m not saying they’re objectively bad. In my own personal preference the tekken characters never grabbed me at first glance. I never looked at a character in tekken and thought „yes, I wanna play as this character right now”, contrary to soul calibur. Personal preference.

[@Granhier]

WAIT A SECOND I WAS EXPECTING MORE STREET FIGHTER NEW CHARACTERS But this will do too.

[@Tongyo42]

Her outfit alone immediately adds depth to the character. From her backstory, we know she is a noble, had all that lost father jibber-jabber, she has the knowldge and means to forge the coolest weapon in the game and is driven by vengeance like a proper half-evil character. We ALSO know she's a kinky person. No need to jam that into her story. Compare it to Cervantes. He was an evil pirate. Became zombie pirate. Dresses like a zombie pirate. That's all the character has to offer. My take is, while it makes it harder to classify characters into more standard concepts, this kind of dissonance has the potential to add flavor, particularities, things that make them veer from the typeset characters. Her SCV outfit was the best, but I'd much rather have Ivy on a full dominatrix outfit than on a full noble one, because in the latter case, she loses depth.

[@dwaynetherockjohnson2024]

she is simply gorgeous.Perhaps the most beautiful and sexiest female character ever ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I don’t care if she looks like a pornstar she is absolutely stunning

[@dwaynetherockjohnson2024]

Stellar Gnoma well she’s not my favorite character in the series but i can appreciate her beauty

[@soarel325]

I…don’t really agree. For one, I don’t really see how Ivy being a dominatrix is in any way contradictory to her being this classy noble lady. Being part of the nobility means wealth and power. It means always being in control. Her dominatrix theme ties into that just as well as her 2P outfits do. While the SC5 outfit is great, I don’t have any issue with the other outfits. My other issue is how you seem to think SC being an anime tiddy game is in any way a problem with it. I see it more as a problem with mainstream society - the rejection of open sexuality as part of aesthetic design. Why is it okay for a fighter to be associated with over the top stylish violence, but not over the top sexuality? My only issue is that SC doesn’t do enough for the female and gay/bi male fanbase with its male cast. As part of that audience I’d like to see them do more with the guys.

[@soarel325]

Stellar Gnoma I don’t think that’s the issue. I think he’s just ashamed of one of his favorite fighters being known primarily for sex appeal. I don’t think he should feel this shame, but he does. It’s not really political like you think

[@werewolfgold]

What does sexuality have to do with fighting? It's quite an odd question to ask why it's okay for a fighter to be associated with stylish violence...when fighting IS violence. That's the entire point. "Sexuality" in fighting games is pretty much always shoehorned in, and it can cheapen the character/setting if it's done without any self-awareness (like the SCV ad). Not saying that you can't like sexy characters, but it's not rocket science to get why people question it in fighting games. People aren't going over to dating sims for example and complaining that the characters are too sexy (maybe too young, but that's another topic).

[@soarel325]

@@werewolfgold I'm saying that it's stupid to be outraged over over the top sexuality if you think over the top violence is okay.

[@werewolfgold]

That's too simple. It's in the execution. If it's not handled well, then neither one is "okay". But also, if I'm trying to play a violent game, that doesn't necessarily mean I want to be smacked in the face with sexuality, and vice versa. They're not usually something that mixes well. Again, they don't really have anything to do with each other. You're creating a "fighting game". You can't do that without violence. It literally is what the game is. Sexuality will always be tangential, and trying to go over the top with it when the goal is to beat someone up/kill them will always raise some eyebrows. Very, very few people are saying that over-the-top sexuality has no place anywhere.

[@werewolfgold]

@Ben Sprague That's the thing, though. People always have to come up with these elaborate head-canons and "maybe" justifications to explain away some of these characters' outfits, rather than just the outfit immediately clicking. Sometimes, it fits a character, but most of the time, it doesn't. Ivy is clearly not from a society that fights with just body paint. Now, Kitana is a warrior princess from a ruined wasteland. But Sonya in MK9 had no excuse to be dressed like a stripper "cop" with high heels. She's not from another world or a succubus or a Japanese wrestler. She's in the American military. Nothing about her outfit is explained in her character bio or background, same with Ivy. We have to bend over backwards to act like it makes sense when it largely doesn't. We all know the real reason the outfits turn out this way. The designers can't stop drawing with their boners and/or they are pandering to an audience whose only measure of a good female character is how naked she is. I'm not going to sit here and act like it never ever makes sense for a character to dress in a provocative outfit. I have no problems with Morrigan, Sheeva, Rainbow Mika, Sadira, the list goes on. But, in some of these cases it might even make *more* sense for for a female character to just be topless or naked rather than pretend that the strips of fabric they were given as an outfit would actually stay on while fighting. Even when some of the guys' outfits are kind of ridiculous, there's no fear that it would just get blown off by a heavy wind. lol

[@ThunderPaladin]

Very well spoken sir. Thank you!

[@Monty2289]

Why do you need explicit context for why she wears the dominatrix suit. The designers have pretty much all but said they design character based on the weapon and a bladed whip fits a dominatrix. I mean its easy to explain it away with head canon. Ivy is a noble woman but for whatever reason that's supposed to restrict her to "I can't wear dominatrix gear". Maybe...she doesn't care about conventions like that. Or a better explanation - to me at least - Her desire for power pretty much made her an explorer of power dynamics. Maybe she sees dominance as a positive towards her goal and wears such an outfit to express that mindset. When she's a proper lady she wears her prim shit but when its time to fuck people up she puts on the outfit that gives her the impression of a dominator because that IS what she WILL be.

[@SamOnMaui]

Her SC 1 & 2 alternate costumes were my favorites.

[@magicalgirl1296]

I absolutely despise Ivy's character design, so I wanna see if this changes my opinion. EDIt: I've learned that her alternate costumes are almost always better. Except Soul Calibur V, where the alternate costume was horrific and her actual costume had the best blend of her iconic terrible dominatrix suit and majestic noble look.

[@lukejones7164]

You obviously have poor taste lmao. And the whole dominatrix thing isn't even out of character, since BDSM fetishism was common among 15-17th century European nobility.

[@magicalgirl1296]

Yeah, her weirdass costumes are indeed not my thing. A design can suit a character and still not be appealing to everyone.

[@williamts9422]

Well now that we're on the topic of Soul Calibur and Ivy, may we please have a Design shop episode on 2B?

[@matteste]

Really well put on the fanservicy aspect. What you described is exactly why I can be quite harsh on games such as Xenoblade 2, but give characters such as Kaine from Nier a pass. (Also surprised to see Eve among your character examples. Especially given how obscure Daemon Bride is).

[@matteste]

@Stellar Gnoma No, cause her design is actually part of the narrative and fit her character.

[@matteste]

@Stellar Gnoma What are you even talking about now?

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma she also has a vagina and identifies as a woman. In reality: she is a hermaphrodite but is a woman despite her also having a penis. Yeah, I explained Kaine’s gender, gonna call me an SJW now? Btw, looks like your buzzwords got on ABI’s new video! How does it feel to be famous? ;)

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Stellar Gnoma great! Can’t wait to hear the other buzzwords you’ll be throwing around!

[@pieoverlord]

How to have your cake and eat it (hurr): have one of her intro scenes be her in a more typical fancy dress, which she sheds to reveal her sexy dominatrix outfit underneath for combat - snake imagery, hidden secrets imagery, actual dominatrix imagery, sudden threat imagery, all while making sense in-universe and in-character. Done and dusted.

[@fodxp]

Ivy Valentine is the only reason to play this game. I love her character, her design, and her weapon is the best thing ever. I really abuse her whip state and transitions. >;D I love her Soul Calibur 2 and 5 costumes out of all her various default costumes.

[@damianrodriguez7165]

Soul Calibre is a game that I played when I was young and remember because how unique it was compared to different fighting games, that and Yoda.

[@bruvamichal7437]

ho ho ho merry christmas sir ,don't forget about bayonetta...

[@tgonzalez1983]

Ive always loved Ivy since the Dreamcast version of SC launched. Not just her design but her style and story too. It has nothing to do with dominatrix stuff either. Shes just a great character with great attacks. Her looking attractive is just a bonus

[@darcwizrd]

This is a really good analysis of this costume and I think you're really hit the nail on the head with the issues that a lot of fans of Ivy and her story have with her design. I sorta wish people in the comments weren't also trying to take the opportunity to take potshots at the #SJWs but that's fanboys for you. Anyway thanks for the video and keep up the good work

[@ManiacMonkboon]

Well done my good man Sir. I love Ivy. Then again, I love thick type girls in game's. But Ivy's look, moves and backstory make her the ultimate imo. I still play Soul Calibur on my DC all the time. Again, great job.

[@ayanamisouls]

In Libra souls mode when I met her I chose to ask about her costume,she say she use this clothing to communicate easy with the sword,what that means?

[@ghostbetweenpeopleandmysel5138]

You earned my respect on that last part : Even if she's a fictional character, you still give her respect, you have a great way of see things . 👍🇲🇽🇺🇸

[@GimmickMemes]

Ivy has been my main since buying SCii on game cube when I was little. I'm gay so there was no 'sexual attraction' to her, just the concept of a sword that turns into a whip and her white hair stood out to me when I was a child. So her outfit having some class and signs of British royalty is a great idea to me.

[@lipailong2]

One of the worst things about SC6 is the lack of alt costumes.

[@dasetman]

In the SC6 story mode when asked about her outfit, she says its to communicate with her sword better. Which is MGS5 Quiet levels of reason but its there.

[@dasetman]

gyazo.com/89a57383e3721455f8cf040d1e82d5c8.png The reason.

[@ProtonCannon]

Wait, the Soul games had a story?

[@slightlytwistedagain]

I have zero issue with sexualisation, I just take issue when it looks stupid which that SC4 costume looks. Personal favourite costume of hers is her 3P costume from SC2, I hope it returns one day.

[@neonknight5857]

You know how a lot of the air of Kratos's brutality comes from him not wearing much? Not even having hair to fuss over his image about? Ivy is the only female character I've ever seen that comes off as brutal in the same way, instead of sexy, for having exposed skin. I do wish we got a real lore reason for why she chooses that look though. Not just implied theming shit.

[@Tokeslokos]

Ivy streperrific outfit is to iconic to change no matter what is character arc is, its part of her its like Mario last 3 main games he was on a tropical island, the space and in multiworlds yet he still wears his iconic plumber attire beacuse of how iconic is, same with Ivy his dominatrix outfit is iconic plus she looks sexy

[@pajamapantsjack5874]

Those are some large Robertson’s

[@MrTheil]

Pajamapants Jack I swear you’re in every comment section I check

[@DWN-024ShadowMan]

Man, I love this type of analysis! Give us more like this A.B.I. I'm still waiting on the president of the world "G" analysis. 😁