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Claudio Serafino (クラウディオ・セラフィーノ Kuraudio Serafīno?) is a character in the Tekken series who was introduced in Tekken 7 as one of the new characters. Claudio originates from Italy and is said to be "the world's strongest exorcist." He leads the organization known as the Archers of Sirius.

Biography[]

Claudio is the de facto leader of the Archers of Sirius, an ancient order of exorcists who have been banishing supernatural threats for hundreds of years.

Heihachi Mishima, leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu, contacted the Archers of Sirius, requesting that they become part his conglomerate.[2] When Claudio refused the request, Heihachi traveled to the Archers of Sirius' base, Duomo di Sirio, to force Claudio to join him. Initially, Claudio refused to go with him; however, after being defeated by Heihachi in a fight, he found himself with no choice but to comply. Heihachi explained that he required Claudio's assistance in subduing Kazuya Mishima's devil form.[4]

Claudio joined Heihachi at the headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu. In the control room, he provided intel from his organization that something inhuman had been spotted in the Middle East. They first thought this must be Jin Kazama, but it would later transpire that the intel actually applied to Akuma.[5]

After sharing all he knew about Jin and Kazuya, Claudio left the control room and encountered a young woman. He was about to call the guards, but she piqued Claudio's interest by demanding that she be taken to Jin Kazama. A plan sprung to Claudio's mind. He led her to the roof and prepared to fight her.[6]

Heihachi dismissed Claudio from his service after he believed himself to have eliminated Kazuya.[7]

Whilst initially Claudio had intended to use Xiaoyu as bait to get to Jin, he was impressed by her devotion to him, and, when the credibility of his organization fell apart, he decided to reveal his previous ulterior motives to her, and instead help her. Claudio later discovered Zafina unconscious in front of the Sirius Sanctuary, and helped strengthen the seal keeping Azazel within her arm.[8] Claudio learned from her that Jin Kazama had lost the ability to utilize his Devil Gene, making Kazuya an even greater threat. Together, they headed to a coliseum where The King of Iron Fist Tournament was being held.

Zafina, however, was attacked there by Kazuya, who had intended to lure her out. Azazel's power was released from her arm, and Kazuya absorbed it into himself. While Jin retreated to gather strength, Claudio remained behind in order to stall Kazuya and attempt to purify him of his Devil. Claudio chained Kazuya in place mid-air with glowing sigils, then fired a large arrow at him. The arrow weakened Kazuya, but Claudio in turn was struck by a blast of Kazuya's laser.

Personality[]

Claudio is somewhat sarcastic and cocky, as suggested by his intro quotes that see him calling his opponents either amateurs or an easy win, all while flicking his hair. A number of his poses and entrances have dramatic flair to them, suggesting some pride and vanity to him. One of his victory poses suggests that he can be more empathetic and kind, as he lends a hand to his opponent after they lose against him. However, in another instance, he is also shown to slow clap sarcastically. In both his and Ling Xiaoyu's ending, Claudio shows a sinister side towards his main targets, particularly Devil Gene users such as Jin Kazama, and a willingness to manipulate Xiaoyu's innocent care for Jin in order to achieve his own goals. In the non-canonical Tekken Pachislot 4, Claudio can be seen getting irate and short-tempered when exorcisms do not go well, as compared to a more gentle and compassionate appearance he has when things go his way.

Appearance[]

Claudio has almost slate blue eyes which alter when he uses his Sirius-Style Exorcism Sorcery, so that his left eye shines white. He has very dark hair that appears to be dark blue under certain light, and pale skin. His hair is medium length, wavy, and combed back. He is noticeably muscular but is somewhat lean, having a more slim figure in comparison to some of the more bulky male characters like King and Feng Wei. He has a large tattoo on his right arm, which is partially visible through the black bandages (which are secured by a single chain and lock). A similar tattoo can also be seen under his left eye when he uses his powers.

Outfits[]

Main article: Claudio Serafino/Outfits

Claudio's main outfit has him wearing a collared, white frock coat adorned with gold lining and embroidery, and knotwork patterning on the tails. The collar, lapels, and cuff of the coat are black, with white patterns similar to the design on the coat hem. The coat is worn over a formal suit made up of white pleated trousers, which have a ram or goat skull buckle, and a formal gray buttoned vest, over a shirt, which is worn over a torn black undershirt. He also wears white gloves and white blucher-styled shoes with a black vamp featuring the same ram head decoration as his belt. Claudio wears an undone gray tie and a gold chain necklace as accessories. His right arm is bound with black bandages and secured with a chain.

Story[]

Tekken 7[]

Official Website Profile (English) & Prologue
The Sirius Marksmen, a secret society of exorcists, has exerted a profound influence on European history for hundreds of years. The most powerful exorcist of the current generation is Claudio, who was visiting the Mishima Zaibatsu as their groups join forces to subdue a certain evil. After sharing information on the targets, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, Claudio left the control room only to be confronted by a young girl. He was about to call the guards when she demanded to be taken to Jin. A plan sprung to Claudio's mind. He led her to the roof, and with a grin prepared to face her in combat.[6]

Official Website Profile (Japanese)
The Archers of Sirius are a group of exorcists who have been banishing supernatural entities from this world since ancient times. A highly secretive organization, its existence is unknown to the public. Although it is not known how their existence was revealed, the Archers of Sirius were suddenly approached by the Mishima Zaibatsu. They were heavy-handedly requested by the Mishima Zaibatsu to join their conglomerate but naturally refused. This did not stop the persistent pressure from the Mishima Zaibatsu, however.

Eventually, the news of this approach from the Mishima Zaibatsu reached the de facto leader of the Archers of Sirius, Claudio Serafino. Determined to uncover the motives behind the Mishima Zaibatsu’s actions, Claudio begins to investigate the powerful conglomerate.[2]

TEKKEN_7_-_Claudio_Serafino_Ending_&_Intro_(TEKKEN_7_Character_Endings)

TEKKEN 7 - Claudio Serafino Ending & Intro (TEKKEN 7 Character Endings)

Ending Description
After defeating Xiaoyu, Claudio tells the unconscious girl that she will make wonderful bait for his prey, and activates his powers while ominous music is heard.

Story Mode[]

After Heihachi Mishima reclaimed the Mishima Zaibatsu, the Archers of Sirius had constantly declined his demands for an alliance. In light of their refusal, Heihachi Mishima himself, accompanied by Nina Williams, visited the Archers' base of operations in Duomo di Sirio, Italy. They fought numerous Marksmen of Sirius as they entered the building, defeating them and marching up to Claudio in his own base. Claudio again declined to join them, stating that the Archers will not bend to a corporation's whims. Heihachi defeated Claudio in battle, forcing him to reconsider, and tempting him with information on the Devil Gene. With little option but to accept, but also with an interest in sharing that goal of eliminating the devils in the Mishima Clan, Claudio joined Heihachi's cause and returned with him to the Zaibatsu headquarters in Tokyo.[4]

At the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters, Claudio stated he had heard that the devil inside Jin might be more powerful than that of Kazuya. He then shared with Nina and Heihachi that something "inhuman" has been witnessed in the Far East, believing it to be Jin. But his hunch was proven to be incorrect when Tekken Force discovered that Lars Alexandersson had saved Jin in the Middle East and that something different was still out there.[5]

After Heihachi exposed Kazuya's devil form and destroyed G Corporation's Millennium Tower via satellite, Claudio's services were dismissed, much to his disgust.[7] Heihachi expressed that his main goal had been to use the Archers' extensive information network, rather than to employ them for their exorcist abilities.

Tekken 8[]

TEKKEN_8_—_Claudio_Serafino_Reveal_&_Gameplay_Trailer

TEKKEN 8 — Claudio Serafino Reveal & Gameplay Trailer

Official Website Profile (EU English)
Leader of the Sirius Marksmen, a group of exorcists who had banished evil in various forms since ancient times, Claudio Serafino was one of the most powerful exorcists in his organization.

After learning from Heihachi Mishima six months earlier of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, and the power they command over the devil gene, Claudio decided to cooperate with Heihachi despite considerable opposition from within his own organization.

Also, Claudio learned of the existence of Ling Xiaoyu who was searching for Jin. He decided to get close to Xiaoyu in order to use her in his mission to locate and defeat Jin. Born in to the house of the "purifying blue flame", Claudio took pride in his lineage, and was determined to defeat Devil at all cost.[9]

Official Website Profile (Japanese; US English)
Leader of the Sirius Marksmen, a group of exorcists who had banished evil in various forms since ancient times, Claudio Serafino was one of the most powerful exorcists in his organization.

After learning from Heihachi Mishima six months earlier of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, and the power they command over the devil gene, Claudio decided to cooperate with Heihachi despite considerable opposition from within his own organization.

Also, Claudio learned of the existence of Ling Xiaoyu who was searching for Jin. He decided to get close to Xiaoyu in order to use her in his mission to locate and defeat Jin. Born in to the house of the "purifying blue flame", Claudio took pride in his lineage, and was determined to defeat Devil at all cost.

However, Claudio lost all credibility due to a certain incident in which Heihachi betrayed him, and dissolved their cooperative alliance.

Many of the organization's members defected to save themselves, causing Claudio great distress. In this difficult time, Xiaoyu and her undying trust in Jin Kazama left a strong impression on him.

Claudio, embarrassed by his actions up to that point, confessed everything to Xiaoyu and apologized. He promised to aid her in her quest to find Jin.

However, if Jin were overcome by the influence of the Devil gene and betrayed Xiaoyu, Claudio would have no reservations about what he must do...

Determined to do what he must, Claudio released one of the seals on his right arm. It was the forbidden exorcism arts that had been forbidden by his those before him, as its power consumes the lifeforce of its practitioner.[10]

Tekken_8_-_Claudio_Character_Episode_Ending

Tekken 8 - Claudio Character Episode Ending

Character Episode Prologue
Claudio Serafino is the most powerful practitioner of an ancient exorcist group known as the Sirius Marksmen.

One day, he was visited by Zafina, a mysterious woman with an evil aura emanating from her left hand.

The young warrior beseeched Claudio to help her destroy the creature sealed within her arm: Azazel, the original devil.

Hearing that the devil gene's progenitor would soon resurrect, the exorcist vowed to defeat Azazel and the rest of his ilk.

"Hear me, demons... The light of Sirius shall end your reign of terror!"

Ending Description
Azazel, weakened after battle, roars before getting to his feet. The camera pans out to show Claudio, who says it is "A futile effort", raising his right arm and activating a blue flame, stating "O ancient evil... your malevolence shall threaten the world no longer.". Multiple glowing blue sigils appear around Azazel, restraining him in blue chains by his arms and legs in mid-air. Claudio rears back to shoot an arrow of golden light, exclaiming "This is the end!". The arrow pierces through Azazel's chest, destroying him as Claudio says "Surmount the insurmountable... and reach for the stars.". As Azazel's body disintegrates into dust, the skies which were once gray begin to clear and reveal a bright and sunny day. Claudio reaches his arm towards the sky. "The seed of calamity has been vanquished. Baleful creatures... Consign yourselves to the darkness, now and forevermore."

Summary of In-Game Events:
Initially Claudio intends to use Ling Xiaoyu as bait to get to Jin, but he was impressed by her devotion to him, and, when the credibility of his organization falls apart, he decides to reveal his previous ulterior motives to her, and instead help her. Some time later, he and Xiaoyu discover an unconscious Zafina in front of Sirius Sanctuary. After Claudio and Xiaoyu aid her, with Claudio strengthening the seal keeping Azazel within Zafina, they promised to continue assisting Zafina in her quest to stop Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama before Azazel's influence grew too powerful.[11][12]

Claudio learns from Zafina that Jin Kazama has lost the ability to utilize his Devil Gene, severely weakened after his battle with Kazuya. This leaves Kazuya as a threat with no other power great enough to stop him, and as such the two must find and assist Jin Kazama. Claudio, Zafina, Xiaoyu, and Panda all head to a coliseum where the The King of Iron Fist Tournament is being held, both to seek out Jin and due to Zafina foreseeing a "wave" striking the coliseum.

The four arrive just as Yggdrasil and United Nations forces are evacuating the coliseum, and Zafina is taken by Kazuya, and Azazel's power siphoned from her arm in order to strengthen his own Devil. Zafina tells Jin that he must return to "where it all began" in order to regain his abilities, and Jin, Xiaoyu, and Panda leave the coliseum along with Asuka Kazama and Lili. Claudio remains along with Lee Chaolan, Lars Alexandersson, Alisa Bosconovitch, Hwoarang, Victor Chevalier, and Reina in order to hold off Kazuya in his new form.

As the others keep Kazuya distracted, Claudio collects the energy he needs to release a power intended to stop Kazuya. Once the power is ready, Kazuya is chained in place mid-air by glowing sigils, allowing Claudio to fire a large arrow at him. The arrow appears to miss, and Claudio, drained of energy, drops to his knees. Kazuya retaliates with a laser that seems to strike Claudio directly. The arrow, however, turns back towards Kazuya and strikes him, weakening him, if only slightly.

In the good ending, Claudio is later seen along with Zafina, approaching the outside of a temple.

Gameplay[]

Claudio uses a solid moveset based on his Sirius abilities. He's relatively fast and has a decent amount of safe moves. He excels in the mid-range, with strong whiff punishes and approach tools.

A mechanic unique to Claudio is Starburst. After hitting the opponent with specific moves, Claudio enters Starburst, granting him access to an array of powerful moves. The attacks MUST hit in order for Claudio to gain Starburst, and performing a Starburst move will consume the powerup and it has to be activated again. It also resets upon a new round.

Claudio's offense is highly effective. He has two fast counter hit moves that lead to a full combo. He has strong pressure tools, especially in Starburst. He has good defense as well, with a handful of his moves (like his hopkick) going under highs, and a Power Crush move that hits mid. Finally, he has a great sidestep game. He has effective tracking moves to deter sidestepping, and his combo out of a hopkick still hits consistently even when off-axis on either side.

Claudio's hopkick deserves further elaboration. It has a high range and Claudio ducks slightly while performing it, making it go under many high attacks and some mid attacks as well. Additionally, despite its high range, Claudio barely moves forward, making it safer compared to other hopkicks which move the character forward.

However, Claudio also has distinct weaknesses. His lows do decent damage, but have specific drawbacks. For example, his sidestep 4 low kick does good damage and is relatively safe on block, but is slow and leaves him standing, thus making it easy to interrupt. His d/b+3 low makes him duck under highs, has good tracking, and launches on Counter Hit, but is very unsafe when blocked at close range and does not give frame advantage even on hit. He also has d+2,2, a low that leads to a full combo and is relatively safe on block, but he needs to consume Starburst and it can be blocked by perceptive players. In addition to that, his grabs, wall game, combo strings, and options when the opponent is on the ground are mediocre. 

One thing to note is that he has the smallest movelist in Tekken 7. While most of his moves are effective, Claudio players need to be creative as to not be predictable.

In conclusion, his style is solid and provides good damage and effectiveness on both offense and defense as well as having good range but he suffers from mediocre low attacks, grabs, combo strings, and okizeme. His moveset, in general, is effective but limited. Despite this, he stands out as a pretty good, solid character that is relatively easy to pick up and use without much trouble.

Fighting Style[]

Claudio utilizes a discipline called Sirius-Style Purification Sorcery (シリウス流祓魔術 Shiriusu-ryū Harai Majutsu?) which conjures the holy power of Sirius within him to overwhelm his enemies in battle. The style includes punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes, and shoulder tackles, done in a showy and flamboyant manner.

Moves[]

Character Relationships[]

  • Heihachi Mishima - Claudio was defeated by him and forced to work for him in Tekken 7.
  • Nina Williams - Claudio briefly works alongside her in Tekken 7.
  • Ling Xiaoyu - His Character Episode opponent in Tekken 7. Claudio originally planed to use her as "bait" to lure in Jin Kazama. He later confessed everything to Xiaoyu and apologized, promising to aid her in her quest to find Jin.
  • Eliza - Eliza seeks his blood in order to renew her vampiric abilities. The Marksmen of Sirius hunted her hundreds of years ago.[13]
  • Jin Kazama - One of his main targets. He later briefly assists Jin during the events of Tekken 8 in order for Jin to regain his abilities and become strong enough to defeat Kazuya.
  • Kazuya Mishima - One of his main targets. Claudio finally faces Kazuya during the events of the Tekken 8 Story Mode, in his True Devil form.
  • Akuma - Claudio's organization had received information about something "inhuman" in the Far East, which Claudio and Heihachi first presumed to be Jin Kazama. However, the source of this power was later revealed to be Akuma.
  • Zafina - Zafina seeks to obtain the services of his group of exorcists in order to help her deal with Azazel and to hunt for Kazuya and Jin. She later comes to the marksmen as Azazel continues to battle for control over her body and soul, and after helping her strengthen the seal keeping Azazel within her arm, Claudio promises to aid her.

Quotes[]

Claudio Serafino/Quotes

Etymology[]

  • Claudio is the Italian and Spanish form of the Latin name "Claudius", likely derived from the Latin "claudus" meaning "lame, crippled". The Latin name dates back to the at least the Roman Republic era. It was most famously the name of the fourth Roman Emperor and subsequently became a common name in Roman imperial dynasties afterwards.
  • Serafino is the Italian word for "Seraph", a celestial being in Abrahamic religions. In Christian angelology, seraphim are the highest rank of angel. The word "seraphim" is of Hebrew origin, and related to the word "saraph", meaning "burning".

Trivia[]

General:

  • The character debut trailer which introduced both him and Katarina gave him the title of "Nova Exorcist" (新星のエクソシスト Shinsei no Ekusoshisuto?).[14]
  • Location test footage of Tekken 7 also featured Claudio and Katarina's character portraits on the "Thanks for Playing" screen.[15]
  • Claudio's 'devil'-like tattoo,[16] the motif of chains on his right arm that seal away more tattoos and from which the power for his Sirius-Style Exorcism Sorcery emanates, along with some of his voice lines where he notes that he may have "gone too far" could suggest that his power is demonic in origin. It is possible that the Archers of Sirius harness the power of the demons they exorcise and use these powers against the demons themselves. The English and Japanese for this fighting style ("sorcery"/"Ma-jutsu ", 魔術) have connotations of evil magic.
    • Chains first appeared as important in devil-related lore in Tekken 4 where Heihachi Mishima claimed that particular chains could suppress the Devil Gene.[17] Since then, chains have been a repeated motif in Devil Jin's outfits.
    • The swirling black tattoo pattern that Claudio gains bears a resemblance to Devil Jin's tattoos, and to a tattoo in the Duomo library in Tekken Pachislot 4 which is modeled on Azazel's skull.[18] It also has some resemblance to Shin Kamiya's arm tattoo in the non-canonical film Tekken: Blood Vengeance.
      • In game, Claudio's tattoos only appear when he is using his powers.
    • A devil connection is further reiterated by the presence of a statue resembling the Roman goddess Diana in Duomo di Sirio, patron of archers, and, in Medieval Italian folklore, Queen of Witches and consort to devils.[19]
    • Claudio's design overwhelmingly features demonic skull designs, such as on his belt buckle, on his back, on his shoes, and in the embroidery of his coat sleeves (as can be seen in his concept art).
    • He carries a key attached to his jacket, and there is a lock over the wraps on his arm, suggesting the power therein must be restrained and locked away.
  • Claudio's white-clad appearance and the light arrow projectiles he fires are both reminiscent of Quincy, a type of character from the manga and anime series Bleach.
  • Claudio's voice actor, Diego Baldoin, later voiced Paul Phoenix in the Italian dub of Tekken: Bloodline.

Tekken 7:

  • Seven of Claudio's moves are named after the Seven Deadly Sins in Latin, namely: Superbia (スペルビア Superubia, Pride), Ira (イラ Ira, Wrath), Luxuria (ルクスリア Rakusuria, Lust), Gula (グラ Gura, Gluttony), Avaritia (アワリティア Awaritia, Avarice), Invidia (インヴィディア Invidia, Envy) and Acedia (アケディア Akedia, Sloth).
    • As well as this, many of Claudio's moves are named in reference to astrological terms such as Roche Limit (ロッシュリミット Rosshu Rimitto) and Lagrange Needle (ラグランジュニードル Raguranjyu Nīdoru).
  • Changing Claudio's hit effects (except the comic effects and Taiko no Tatsujin effects) will change the color of his Starburst energy. This is best seen during his Rage Art.
  • Claudio has a few moves similar to those used by Anna Williams. His d/b+3 is very similar to Anna's Mudslide, though Claudio's is weaker since it will only knock down on counter hit. His sidestep 4, Luxuria, is also quite similar to Anna's d/f+4 Wine Opener move.
  • Claudio has the shortest movelist in the game with a total of 57 moves, not including sample combos.
  • Claudio stands as "ITA" ("Italian") in the game files.
  • Claudio is Ling Xiaoyu's Character Episode partner. He is also Eliza's opponent in her Character Episode.

Tekken 8:

  • Claudio was first revealed in the Closed Network Test announcement on June 9th 2023.[20]
  • Claudio has special intro animations with Devil Jin and Zafina.
    • Claudio will exclaim "Perish, demon!", shooting an arrow of light at Devil Jin, who is hovering in the air above the stage. Devil Jin will capture the arrow in his hand and laugh, brushing the attack off.
  • Claudio has a cameo in Ling Xiaoyu's Character Episode ending.

Other

  • A direct continuation of Claudio's ending with Xiaoyu can be found in the non-canonical Tekken Pachislot 4. In the game, Claudio attempts to purify Jin Kazama of his devil with Ling Xiaoyu's help.
  • In Tekken Pachislot 4, Claudio speaks in Japanese, despite only speaking Italian in Tekken 7. It is likely that this is because the Pachislot machines are Japanese-release only though, rather than this being a language Claudio can speak.
  • In the Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown collaboration event with Tekken, Brad Burns can be dressed up as Claudio.[21]

Gallery[]

Main article: Claudio Serafino/Gallery

References[]

Navigation[]

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