Future winner of the, “Um, Why?” Award is news from 1.up.com that both Darth Vader and Yoda from Star Wars fame are going to be featured fighters in Soul Calibur IV. I’d like to say that this comes as shocking news, but how can I possibly say that when only a couple of years ago, I had Ivy facing off against Spawn on my black and green Xbox? Seriously, the stage of history might be set, but what the hell century are we fighting in in the first place? Because it doesn’t make much sense to me how a bushido blade could ever match clashes with a friggin’ light saber.

…and we’re back. After close examination of the screenshots found here on 1UP’s site, it’s pretty clear that the images are not Photoshopped and appear to be the real deal. While details are pretty scarce at the moment, it’s likely that Namco will offer the characters as downloadable content and not as unlockable characters given that the company must go through negotiations and acquire rights to use two of the most recognizable characters in the world in their game.

Does this mean more characters are on their way to the Soul Calibur universe? How incredible would it be to finally be able to take on a friend as Luke versus Darth Vader (barring that whole Teras Kasi incident…)? Or maybe Kit Fisto versus Darth Maul? Either way, Namco Bandai has a huge hit on their hands when the latest in their legendary series drops later this year.

Additional reporting by Rich Knight