Eliza

Overview

Along with the microphone-adorned Staff of Ra, Eliza harnesses blood as her primary means of offense by transforming it into a variety of Egyptian creatures and symbols. She also takes advantage of her loyal bodyguards Albus and Horus, who aid her by knocking enemies back with great force.

Her general lack of speed is balanced out by a second form of attack that allows Sekhmet to act alone, and make use of several perks that drain Eliza's meter over time. Sekhmet moves much faster in addition to having the ability to lunge, and posses an armor that prevents flinching while under attack for a certain number of hits. She will retreat when grabbed by the opponent or if Eliza's meter is empty, but can also be called back manually. Sehkmet is also unable to perform a Blockbuster alone if Eliza hasn't used her taunt move first.

Eliza is one of the many characters that were revealed to be up for a fan vote to be made into a DLC character. With a strong fan showing, Eliza made it through the first 3 rounds of voting, placing her in the final round to become the next DLC character. On April 28, 2013, it was revealed that Eliza had received the most votes, officially making her the 3rd DLC character for Skullgirls.

Eliza is voiced by Michelle Ruff, Sehkmet is voiced by Wendee Lee, Horace is voiced by Sean Schemmel, and Albus is voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.

Story

Eliza has been the host to the skeletal Parasite Sekhmet for ages. Sekhmet is entirely internal and cannot be seen. However, that doesn't mean it still doesn't need to be fed. For years Eliza has always held charity blood drives, but what nobody knows is that the blood is to feed Sekhmet and preserve her beauty. Once the Medicis found out about all this, though, they blackmailed her into using her unusual, and bloody talents to retrieve the Skull Heart for them.

Eliza is forced into cooperation with Cerebella, who repeatedly criticizes the singer's unwillingness to follow their plan. The pair first runs into Squigly (after an aparent fight with Parasoul), who is excited to meet a singer that she admires until it becomes clear that Sehkmet and Leviathan know each other. Sehkmet attempts to convince Leviathan to join her in becoming a Theon once more, but he refuses and both Eliza and Cerebella proceed to fight Squigly. The pair wins, forcing Leviathan to insist to Squigly that they retreat for the time being.

The scent of unusual blood leads Eliza to Little Innsmouth, where she discovers Ms. Fortune. She quickly realizes that feline has consumed the power of the Life Gem, and captures her upon defeat with the intention of using Nadia as a "drinking fountain". Cerebella is enraged by this betrayal since Lorenzo Medici was desperate to reclaim the Life Gem for him, but she is killed in her attack against Eliza, who is beginning to dislike the fact that no one treats her with the same fear and respected that they used to.

Deciding to continue her betrayal of the Medicis, Eliza encounters Filia on her way to retrieve the Skull Heart for herself. She gives the same offer to Samson that she gave Leviathan, saying that he could join her and together they could find a more suitable host for him. Samson refuses, claiming that he believes Eliza to be partially responsible for the death of one of his previous and most cherished hosts, Delilah. Unable to come to an agreement, they fight and Filia is forced to retreat.

Eliza is suspicious at the lack of blood as she reaches the catacombs, and a brief conversation ends with Marie saying that she won't forgive Eliza's alliance with the Medicis, no matter how it ended. After defeating the Skullgirl, Eliza is disappointed that she was all bone; no blood.

Just as she is about to take the Skull Heart, a furious Double reveals herself to Eliza. Apparently containing some parts of an individual named "Queen Lamia", Double insists that Eliza was responsible for the deaths of her daughters, Aeon and Venus. The pair fight in he Gehenna stage, and Eliza destroys the Skull Heart after winning.

Eliza returns to to the Bath of Tefnut to relax, but is interrupted by the arrival of Filia and Squigly who are desperate to defeat her before Squigly is forced to sleep until the next Skullgirl awakens. They're beaten and taken hostage -- Filia being bound until a new host can be found for Samson and Squigly kept in a tomb so they'll have a way to tell when the Skull Heart resurfaces.

The story ends as Eliza floods her hall with blood that forms a giant lion-like figure, setting it out on the city to destroy the Medicis while they were still vulnerable. This is interrupted by a giant, glowing figure made of statue pieces being piloted by Marie, who says that their battle isn't over.

Trivia

• Eliza was originally going to have an additional character trait that directly involved the blood she lost from being attacked. Lab Zero called her the "ultimate attack-from-disadvantage character", spending much of her development implementing a way to use the blood left on the stage in certain special and super attacks. This idea was abandoned after a while due to the difficulty in making it work, but also because it was beginning to feel like Eliza was becoming two entirely different types of characters.
• Eliza's likes include: Beer, kushari, dolma, Old Fashioneds, board games (especially Senet), bathing, dressing up, cats, sunny weather, dancing, singing, being in the spotlight, blood, conquest, Samson
• Eliza's dislikes include: Human arrogance, prejudice against Parasites, plebians, missed opportunities, philanthropy, X-rays, living small, Trinitism, historical inaccuracies, unhealthy blood, losing her nose, Samson
• Eliza's fondness of cats is likely inspired by their idolized status in Ancient Egypt.
• Alex Ahad has mentioned that while Albus and Horus are capable fighters, they rank against the current lineup of playable fighters in a very specific way. He suggested that they were more experienced than Filia but not as strong as Samson, and that the two of them could provide even Beowulf with an interesting fight.