Sophitia Alexandra

Sophitia Alexandra (Japanese: ソフィーティア・アレクサンドル, Hepburn: Sofītia Arekusandoru) is a character in the Soulcalibur series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division by designers Aya Takemura and Takuji Kawano, she first appeared in Soul Edge and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series. A baker turned warrior from Athens fighting with a Xiphos and shield, Sophitia became involved in the search for the cursed sword Soul Edge at the behest of the god Hephaestus. The affair soon affected her other family members as well, including her sister, Cassandra, and later her children, Pyrrha and Patroklos. Originally voiced by Michiko Neya, Sophitia's designs focused heavily on her beauty typically with outfits reflecting Greek themes, however the emphasis on making her beautiful led to the development team trying to find a balance between a "sacred" and "vulgar" appearance for her character. In later entries in the series she has been one of the first characters to be implemented into the game, and served as a benchmark for other later characters to test against as they were implemented. While her gameplay has evoked mixed reactions, the character herself has received positive reception. While her beauty was often praised by the media, she has also commonly been cited in scholarly literature as an example of oversexualization in video game women.