Dark souls' onion armor: a hilarious design origin story
The iconic Siegmeyer of Catarina, with his eccentric personality and bulbous onion-shaped armor, is a beloved figure in the Dark Souls universe. But did you know his peculiar look stemmed from a design initially intended for a villain? The surprising story, revealed through interviews with FromSoftware developers, unveils an unexpected inspiration rooted in the brutal world of Berserk.
From villainous armor to quirky ally
According to director Hidetaka Miyazaki, speaking in an interview with Udon Entertainment featured in Dark Souls Design Works, Masanori Waragai's early armor designs predate the Dark Souls project itself. “We were thinking about what equipment to assign [to characters], and as a sort of compatibility test, we asked him to draw some fantasy armors,” Miyazaki explained. What emerged was a design strikingly similar to Bazuso, a hulking, heavily armored knight slain early in Kentaro Miura’s Berserk manga.
Bazuso, a formidable foe, is instantly recognizable by his grotesquely oversized and rounded armor. Waragai’s initial design echoed this aesthetic, prompting Miyazaki to remark, “There was something that reminded me of Bazuso’s thick, round armor.” Yet, despite the resemblance to the Berserk character, Miyazaki found the design surprisingly appealing, describing it as “a very cute, onion-shaped armor.”
The pivotal moment arrived when FromSoftware began conceptualizing the non-playable characters (NPCs) for Dark Souls. Miyazaki recognized the potential of Waragai’s design for Siegmeyer, a character whose jovial nature would stand in stark contrast to the game’s oppressive darkness. The artist himself elaborated, stating, “The armor holds a special place in my heart. I’d always liked the fantasy genre, but I hadn’t studied it. It was a starting point for me to research armor structure. As I learned about how armor worked, I wondered what kind of protection an overweight character would wear, and that’s how I came up with this design.”
The connection to Berserk, while evident, is more of an homage than a direct imitation. As Miyazaki pointed out, “Of course, in this case, the plumpness is attributed to the armor and not the person wearing it, but it’s all part of its charm.”
A missed feature and a familiar face
The development team also lamented a feature that ultimately didn’t make it into the game: the ability for Siegmeyer to remove his onion-shaped helmet.