A sequel to Namco's Soul Edge / Blade, 1998's Soulcalibur has become one of the most famous 3D fighting games of all time and has spawned a series which continues to attract fans even today.
Shmuplations has translated an interview with Koh Onda (character supervisor and writer) and Koji Mitsunaga (main character designer) which was originally publishing in Japanese in the Legend of Soulcalibur art / design book.
The piece discusses the team's approach to designing the game's cast, with Onda explaining that he wanted to make "happy" characters because "people told me that Siegfried's story was too dark and depressing."
Mitsunaga adds that there were requests to add "outlandish" characters, adding that "overseas players love their freaks." He also says that there was an effort to ensure that there was no "overlap" with the cast. "In terms of female characters, we already had Taki and Seung Mina… so, when it came time to decide on the direction for new characters, we saw a space for an edgier womanly sort of character, so we decided to add Ivy."
It would seem that the brainstorming sessions for the game were quite liberating, with Mitsunaga saying that at one point, there was talk of "adding a space sheriff from a future that had been invaded by Soul Edge. Another proposal featured a guy with something resembling an electric chainsaw—in the beginning, it was everything-goes." At another point, a centaur character was up for consideration.