Sophitia - Merchandise and Reception

Merchandise and Reception

Yeah, Soulcalibur's Cassandra Alexandra is hot and all, but her sister Sophitia makes her look like a regular Lizardman. Draped in some type of gauzey, semi-sheer material, Sophitia is a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. And just like her sis, she's got a sword and buckler, making her look like the star of the new Starz show Lady Spartacus: T and A.

Yujin released a four inch tall immobile figurine of Sophitia as part of their "Namco Girls Series #3" line of figurines for gashapon. Other commercial items bearing Sophitia's likeness have also been released, such as a resin kit designed by Hiroshi Satou for manufacturer Kurushima.

In a 2002 poll by Namco prior to the release of Soul Calibur II regarding their favorite character, Sophitia placed second with 18% of the tally, behind Seong Mi-na. In 2003, GameSpy named her one of their top ten women in gaming at number five, stating Sophitia "became one of the most easily recognized characters in the series. She remains one of Soul Caliber's most memorable babes since the days of her swimsuit debut in Soul Blade." In 2007, she was listed by Tom's Games as one of the 50 greatest female characters in video game history, for being "a virtuous heroine who's as brave as she is cute." UGO.com placed her seventh in the 2008 list of top Soul series characters, describing her as "a regular little spitfire". She additionally placed 38th in their 2011 list of top "videogame hotties", called "a force to be reckoned with in the Soul Calibur series." They also listed her as one of their list of "Fighting Games' Finest Female Fighters". Maxim named her as one of the hottest video game females of 2008, calling her "literally, the best thing since sliced bread." In 2011, GameFront ranked her breasts as the 36th "greatest boobs" in video game history, while PSU.com featured her among the sexiest PlayStation game characters, adding "Somebody say MILF?" In 2012, Complex included her on the list of ten "hot MILFs" in video games. In 2013, Scott Marley of Daily Record ranked her as the fourth most attractive female video game character.

The 2004 book Race, Gender, Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers used her as an example of most sexualized female characters in video games, describing her body and clothing as being created solely for the viewing pleasure of players, often males. WomenGamers.com praised her strength as a character in the series, noting "Sophitia is probably one of the most important and pivotal of all the seekers of the twin blades." Additional praise was given to her personality in contrast to more common anti-hero characters, as well as the realism of her fighting style approach, stating that all combined made her role in the game "uniquely positive." GameDaily described her appearance as "angelic", adding "despite looking homelier than the other girls, is still jaw dropping"; she additionally ranked number five on their list of the "hottest game babes", and received mention and praise in similar articles for her character strength and evolution along the series. In 2012, Complex ranked her as the eight "hottest" video game character, calling her "essentially a female Leonidas, by which we mean a gladiator with massive cleavage. We'd take watching her over Kurt Russell any day."