Filia

Filia (JP: フィリア) was once a normal school girl, until one night, her hair was possessed by the Parasite named Samson, resulting in amnesia.

She is the daughter of Amelia and Marcus, making her Lorenzo's granddaughter and Vitale's niece.

Filia is one of the playable characters in Skullgirls. She was the first character made playable in a demo of Skullgirls when the game was being made. Her home stage is Maplecrest.

She was named the "protagonist/main character" of Skullgirls, although other characters such as Marie, Parasoul, Valentine, Double, Peacock, and Painwheel all have more major roles than Filia herself. This is possibly because she has been used in most of the game's advertisements and cover artworks.

The original design for Filia was as a puppet upon Samson's back. This design corresponded with a different plotline from the now canon version of Filia, in which Samson had eaten her parents, presumably using her body to achieve an unrevealed goal. It is unknown if this is still canon, though an alternate version of Samson having a design resembling features of another, related concept was optioned as a possible DLC character during the Skullgirls Indiegogo fundraising campaign.

Other early concepts have shown Filia wearing glasses and wielding two swords that resemble hairpins. While the glasses were removed, the hairpin swords are apparently still a part of Filia's arsenal, although they have yet to appear in-game. It should be noted however that Alex Ahad posted an image during Eliza's development of Samson's old host, Delilah, who is seen wielding identical hairpin blades to that of Filia in the concept art.

Personality
Prior to meeting Samson, Filia had a good relationship with her parents, sharing their dislike for the criminal acts conducted by the rest of the Medici family. She was best friends with Carol, prior to them being possessed by Samson and becoming Painwheel respectively. She is seen as a kind girl who cared for her parents and Carol very much, and later befriends Samson after the Parasite helped protect her family from Marie and Vitale. Filia wasn't without her faults, prior to Samson she is depicted as an arrogant rich girl. Her first meeting with Samson had Filia compare Samson to a haircut her father once had which she disliked immensely. When Amelia tried to tell her the responsibility of owning a dog named Dog, Samson's host at the time, Filia immediately disregards her advice and goes to her room, telling her that she may or may not have dinner with the family.

The "post-Samson" Filia maintains a similar personality, often giving people a benefit of the doubt and being friendly towards them. But Filia can be rather naïve, as she struggles to identify hostile persons without being explicitly told so and even then hesitates to fight back. In the end, Filia's wish upon the Skull Heart to return Painwheel/Carol to normalcy was out of pity for the horrid state Carol came to be in and out of guilt for wrong-doings Filia may have committed in the past.

Origin
Samson's location on Filia's head gives her the appearance of a futakuchi-onna, a monster from Japanese folklore with a second mouth on the back of its head.

Name
Filia is based on fiber and the Latin word for "daughter". Coincidentally, it can also be a reference to protein filaments, which are long chains of proteins found in hair.

Design
Filia's most apparent physical feature is Samson, who takes the form of Filia's dark hair, with several short bangs slightly covering her forehead and multiple tentacle-like locks of hair propagating outward from the back. Samson's eyes and teeth are situated opposite of Filia's face but are still visible when viewing Filia from the front. Curiously, Samson's shape bears a striking resemblance to Amelia's haircut.

The look and color of her hair is a result of Samson's possession, as are her red eyes. She has a curvy figure, although it's implied that she is slightly overweight due to Samson's eating habits. Her school uniform consists of a white button-down collared shirt, black tie, a short pleated mini-skirt with thigh-high leggings, and dark brown loafers. Her bra and panties are white. She occasionally wears a white mushroom hat that has a black ribbon and bow.

As a Skullgirl, her hair becomes a brighter purple and her eyes gain the characteristic half-skull pupils.

Prior to being possessed by Samson, she is shown in flashbacks to have a slighter figure, with blonde and slightly wavy hair that she kept back with a headband.