The Soul Calibur 5 roster continues to grow, with confirmation that Raphael, Leixia, and Nightmare are all returning for the latest iteration of Namco Bandai's popular fighter. But wait, a new challenger appears! Confirming previous leaks, Namco Bandai and Ubisoft have announced that Assassin's Creed's Ezio Auditore will be a guest character.

Unlike previous guest characters, which included Star Wars' Darth Vader and Yoda, God of War's Kratos, and Legend of Zelda's Link, Ezio will be available on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

As Ezio, you'll be able to use a variety of weapons, including a Roman longsword, stiletto, crossbow, hidden gun, and his hidden blades.

"Ezio has captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world, and it will be very exciting to see how his lightning fast moves stand up to the mighty swordplay of Soulcalibur’s finest," Namco Bandai Partners VP Olivier Comte said in a press release.

"We are thrilled to see Ezio enter the world of Soulcalibur, as we believe the values of both brands fit together," Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at Ubisoft, added. "We think that this partnership will bring a great new gameplay experience to both Soulcalibur and Assassin’s Creed fans."

In addition to Ezio, Namco Bandai also announced one additional guest character. Dampierre, from Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny will also be a playable character--but only as a pre-order bonus. Expect more information on that in the future.

Soul Calibur 5 will be available on PS3 and Xbox 360 on January 31, 2012.