Originally a human called Mathias Cronqvist, Dracula fell into madness after the death of his first wife, and became an immortal vampire thanks to the powers of the Crimson Stone. With his dark powers, he built his army of creatures and his fortress, Castlevania. Since the 11th Century, the Belmont Clan stood in opposition to Dracula, and legendary warriors confronted him each time he came back from the dead. He was eventually definitively destroyed in 1999 by the last descendant of the Belmonts.

Dracula serves as the final boss in almost all of the games, except the first and the last two games in the timeline's chronology (Lament of Innocence, Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow).

1094: Events of Lament of Innocence

For more information, see Mathias Cronqvist and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.

"By becoming a vampire, I obtained eternal life. That was my goal. It was my revenge against God!"

—Mathias to his friend Leon

The man later known as Dracula was originally born Mathias Cronqvist. Sometime during the mid to late 11th Century, he served in a company of knights alongside then Baron Leon Belmont. With Mathias's brilliant military strategies, and Leon's skill with a sword, their company was unstoppable. Little is known of Mathias's early life or his family, save that they seem to have been longtime practitioners of Alchemy and had advanced further into the study than most alchemists could have ever dreamed. Mathias was very well educated, and quite skilled in the art, though he never told Leon or any of his other compatriots of his knowledge, with the notable exception of Rinaldo Gandolfi, whom he had met at an unspecified time. Mathias married a woman named Elisabetha who he was deeply in love with. While away on a campaign against heathens in the east, Elisabetha died due to illness. Upon returning and learning of her death, Mathias was overtaken with despair so profound that he became bedridden, presumably worrying Leon considerably, as Mathias was the strategist and tactician of the company.

During that time, Mathias grew angry at God for allowing Elisabetha to die such an early death while he was away risking his life and fighting in God's name. He thought it was unjust and unfair for God to take away what mattered most to him, when he had given God so much, and when Elisabetha was such a pure and blameless woman who has not deserved to die. Mathias began searching for ways to become immortal and show God that He didn't have a final say in everything, and that he could defy God's decrees by existing outside them, and scorning God in his eternal life. He learned about the Crimson Stone, considered to be a treasure among vampires. Through some means, the stone came into Mathias's possession, and he planned to use it to ascend to immortality.

Through his acquiring the arcane relic, an evil deity known as Death bound himself in servitude to Mathias, as Death would only follow he who controlled the Crimson Stone. With the stone, Mathias could not only control the powerful spirit creature, but also absorb the souls of slain vampires and add their powers to his own. As an effect of this, humanity would be lost, and he would become a vampire himself. The young Knight then had all the resources he needed to plan his scheme to become an immortal. Mathias eventually came in contact with a powerful Vampire Lord named Walter Bernhard, who had somehow obtained the Ebony Stone, another vampiric treasure that locked his forested realm and castle in eternal night, thereby making him the most powerful vampire. The only thing of value that Walter desired was the Crimson Stone, which was believed to be lost for ages, but was secretly held by Mathias.

The vampire was bored due to his own immortality, and in order to distract himself from that, he enjoyed playing life and death games with brave humans. To raise the stakes of the game - to make the human more interested - he would steal that which is most precious from his target. Mathias suggested targeting Sara Trantoul to Walter, the fiancée of Leon Belmont. The knight would make an interesting player in Walter's game, because according to Mathias's stories, his combat prowess was second to none. Walter, who didn't realize he was being tricked, ordered his forces to invade Leon's domain in order to capture Sara.

All went according to Mathias's ingenious plan; Leon went to Walter's castle to save Sara, and due to a series of planned events, was able to defeat Walter. When Walter was dying, Death appeared and took his soul and granted the vampire's power to Mathias, who had materialized in the castle. It was only in his final moments that Walter realized what was happening, and what Mathias's true intentions were. Due to absorbing Walter's soul, Mathias became the most powerful vampire, though the Ebony Stone eluded him, as it was destroyed in Leon and Walter's battle.

Mathias then declared that he had never spent a better night, and gave Leon his gratitude. A confused Leon demanded an explanation, to which Mathias replied that he needed a powerful vampire's soul, and he knew that Leon had it in him to destroy Walter so that he could take the soul. Leon sensed a rage from the Vampire Killer, which he used to kill Walter, and asked in disbelief if his best friend had abandoned humanity. Mathias confirmed this and revealed his motive. He admitted that everyone involved in the ordeal were just pawns in his plan to become the most powerful vampire and curse God forevermore because of God's cruelty. Mathias then offered Leon eternal life as he too suffered over the death of his beloved. Leon refused, because eternity without the one he loved would be empty, and Mathias's twisted plan had cost Sara her life. Mathias believed that Leon out of all people would be the one to understand him, but when that wasn't the case, he became a bat and flew away, and the two would never meet again.

Mathias went in hiding in foreign lands and he continued to curse God. Eventually, he named himself Dracula, Lord of the Vampires and King of the Night.

1094-1476: Interlude

At some point during Mathias's unholy life, he built a magic castle in the province of Valachia where he would recruit humans and other beings who had turned their back on God, or were shunned by the light. Mathias granted some of them the forbidden knowledge of Devil Forgery and allowed them to practice their rites in his castle.

One day, he met a kind woman named Lisa, with whom he would eventually become romantically involved. She reminded Mathias very much of Elisabetha, which was mostly the reason why he had fallen in love with her. Lisa loved Mathias very dearly despite his views on life and they would eventually have a son together named Adrian Fahrenheit Ţepeş, who would be later known as Alucard.

Eventually, rumors started to spread that Lisa's medicinal practices were a form of witchcraft. This caused her to be arrested and sentenced to death by the authorities. Lisa was captured and crucified, an event Adrian witnessed but was prevented from intervening in. As the execution would have traditionally occurred during the daylight hours, Mathias would not even become aware of it until hours later, and when he learned of this, it drove him over the edge. Eventually, he changed his name to Dracula Vlad Ţepeş and plotted his revenge against mankind for ruthlessly taking away what mattered most to him.

1476: Events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

For more information, see Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

Dracula, angered at humanity for the loss of Lisa, sent his legions against the people of Europe. The church sent many armies in opposition, but none returned.

After several months, Dracula's forces had almost completely wiped out the armies sent by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and had conquered whole countries. One night, Isaac, a General in Dracula's army, reported the Belmont Clan had started an offense in the west. A vampire hunting descendant of Dracula's old friend, Leon, who went by the name Trevor C. Belmont, was planning to assault Dracula's Castle. Because Dracula was responsible for the death of Leon's betrothed, Sara, Leon committed his kinsmen to hunting down and destroying Dracula. Isaac requested the opportunity to face Trevor himself. Instead, he was sent to find Hector, another General who was previously ordered to assassinate Belmont, but had deserted. Dracula planned to meet his old friend's descendant himself and waited for the hunter in his throne room.

Dracula eventually faced the vampire hunter along with the rebel, Grant Danasty, the sorceress Sypha Belnades, and his own son, Alucard, who had chosen to oppose his father. With much effort, the Vampire Lord was finally slain. For the first time in hundreds of years, the immortal Dracula was at last dead, though his scheme to decimate humanity had not ended. With his final breath, he uttered a curse that left the land to rot while poisoning the minds of its inhabitants, who pillaged and scourged it without remorse.

1479: Events of Curse of Darkness

Main article: Dracula/Curse of Darkness

"The powerful always judge the weak. The humans made their judgment of me, as well. Thus I sentenced them... to extinction. Sympathy is merely a form of weakness. You betrayed me, Hector... And for that, the punishment is death."

—Dracula to his former general Hector

A few years later in 1479, Death sought to resurrect Dracula by using the Count's traitorous Devil Forgemaster General Hector as a vessel for Dracula. Because Devil Forgemasters were suffused within Dracula's magic, only they could make suitable hosts for the Count to inhabit. However, they would have to be fully enveloped within the curse that Dracula left behind that was plaguing the land and its people.

Though Hector was Death's (who disguised himself as Zead) ideal choice for a body for Dracula's reawakening, he rejected the Curse, causing Death to compromise and use Isaac for the vessel. Isaac was killed in cold blood by Hector, and Death used the corpse to resurrect the Count, causing the first reawakening of Dracula from the dead. Because the resurrection was only partially successful, Hector was able to thwart both Death and Dracula and send the Count back to the grave, as well as nullify his curse, finally freeing the land from its venomous grip.

1576-1591: The Legend of Dracula

For more information, see Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge.

A century later, Dracula rose again. It was at this time that Dracula's one hundred year regeneration cycle became manifest. Due to the power of Christ weakening every one hundred years, men's hearts grew black with chaos. They sought to resurrect Dracula so that he may cleanse the world. He was brought back in 1576, and because his powers were linked to his castle, his stronghold returned with him.

Strengthened from his slumber, the Count resumed his quest for revenge against humanity and began attacking Transylvania with his hordes. Once again, the only ones that could hope to stand against him and his throngs of followers were the Belmont Clan with their holy whip, Vampire Killer. Castlevania was invaded by Christopher Belmont, and the vampire hunter and Dracula engaged in a death duel. Christopher thought he had sent the Count to his grave, but Dracula turned into mist and feigned death. Though his castle was destroyed, and he was too weakened from the battle to assume his regular form, Dracula would bide his time, waiting for the right moment to strike back against the Belmont Clan that had caused him so much trouble.

Dracula resurfaced fifteen years later in 1591, magically influencing Christopher's son, Soleiyu Belmont, while still trapped in mist form. He planned on using the Belmont to become whole, and he cast a curse on the young vampire hunter that would cause Soleiyu to do his bidding. Christopher Belmont came to the aid of his son, and was forced to battle him. Christopher defeated Soleiyu, and expelled Dracula's presence from his mind. By that time, using the spirits of four elemental castles, Dracula had become whole, and he battled Christopher Belmont for the last time. Christopher was victorious and destroyed Dracula, sending the vampire to sleep for one hundred years.

1691-1698: Seal of the Curse

Dracula rose again in 1691 on an Easter night when his followers convened in a monastery to perform the unholy ritual to return him and his castle to the world and plunge mankind into darkness and despair. Dracula was defeated by Simon Belmont, but not without dealing a critical blow to Simon's back, and casting a curse on him. Similar to when he was defeated by Trevor Belmont in 1476, Dracula left a curse on the land before his passing.

Though Dracula was dead, he left both Transylvania and Simon Belmont in dire condition. The only way to expel his curse was to collect his remains, resurrect him at the ruins of Castlevania, and destroy him. Dracula's monstrous followers had free reign over many territories in the land while Transylvania was cursed, and they hid the Count's remains in heavily guarded mansions. The weakened Simon Belmont retrieved all of the remains in 1698 and took them back to Dracula's Castle, where he resurrected the Count and defeated him, lifting the curse from the land and from his own body.

1748: Events of Harmony of Dissonance

Dracula's remains would wreak havoc in the world again when a young vampire hunter named Maxim Kischine sought out Dracula's remains as a means of proving himself as a hunter. He was envious of the Belmont Clan's status, and wanted to confirm that he was stronger than them by finding the remains of Lord Dracula. Like Simon Belmont fifty years earlier, Maxim retrieved all pieces of the remains in 1748, but possession of Dracula's body parts caused Maxim's mind to split in two, birthing an evil spirit within Maxim.

Because Dracula was partially brought back in the world through Maxim, Castlevania reappeared. Because the evil spirit did not have full control of Maxim, the Castle wasn't whole. One half of the Castle was in the earthly realm, while the other half resided in a spiritual realm. The evil Maxim and the original Maxim wrestled for control of the body. Death aided the evil Maxim, because if the evil one took over completely, it would cause the Castles to unite.

Death saw Lydie Erlanger, a young maiden whom Maxim cared for, as a means to this. If the evil Maxim partook of the maiden's blood, her sacrifice would provide him the strength he needed to overcome the regular Maxim. Death's scheme was foiled by Juste Belmont, the grandson of Simon Belmont, who exorcised the evil spirit from Maxim by gathering and presenting Dracula's remains. The spirit was drawn to the remains and relinquished its hold of Maxim's body, and materialized as Dracula's phantom. Juste defeated the wraith, which mocked the Belmont Clan's quest as being futile, because Dracula would always return, and they were doomed to hunt him for all eternity.

1792-1797: The Dracula X Chronicles

"Do you still side with humanity? Have you forgotten what they did to your mother?"

—Dracula to his son Alucard

Dracula revived in 1792, one hundred years after his defeat by Simon Belmont. He was brought back by the zealous dark priest Shaft and his congregation, who sacrificed a maiden to resurrect the Count and his castle. When Dracula returned, he dispatched his forces to pillage the land. They kidnapped young women from a village, one being Annette, girlfriend of Richter Belmont. The Count sensed the connection she had with his mortal foes, and, moreover, was taken with her beauty. He offered her immortality so she could rule the world by his side, but she refused him, saying she would rather die. Richter eventually rescued all the maidens from Dracula's clutches, slew Shaft, and defeated the Count. At this time, Dracula had become amused by the never ending cycle he shared with the Belmonts. He knew he would return, so he wasn't dismayed by his defeat. Richter Belmont told him he had no place in the world, but Dracula said that it is not his choice that he continues to return. He comes back through the will of humans that call upon him. Because of that, Dracula asked Richter if he could truly be called evil. As he was disintegrating, he laughed at Richter in full confidence that he would return, and that the Belmont's hunt was vain.

Though defeated, Dracula returned five years later in 1797, due to the efforts of Shaft's ghost. This time, it was his son, Alucard, who confronted him. Dracula was somewhat shocked to see his son again and awkwardly tried to convince him to see things from his point of view. He was upset about Alucard constantly siding with the humans, despite everything they had done. He asked Alucard if he had forgotten what the humans did to his mother, Lisa. Alucard said that he would never forget such an atrocity, but unlike Dracula, he did not seek revenge against them, because that is not what his mother would have wanted.

Alucard told Dracula that he could not allow him to plague mankind yet again, and the two family members came to blows. Because Dracula's resurrection was not complete, he was defeated by his son. At the end of the battle, Dracula set everything aside and only wanted Alucard to tell him Lisa's final words. Alucard told his father that she said to not hate humans. That if he could not live with them, then at least do them no harm. She also told Alucard to tell his father that she would love him for all of eternity. For the first time in hundreds of years, Dracula was regretful for what he had done. He called out to Lisa to forgive him for his transgressions, and said his goodbyes to his son as he faded away in death.

19th Century: Events of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Because of Ecclesia's success, those in positions of power entrusted the organization with Dracula's bodily remains so that they may destroy the remains and hopefully end the scourge of Count Dracula for good. Barlowe developed the ultimate glyph, Dominus, from the remains of Count Dracula. Barlowe used the cover story that Dominus would be used to destroy the Dark Lord, but in truth, Ecclesia's true purpose was to fulfill the wish of mankind, which in Barlowe's mind was the resurrection of Count Dracula. Barlowe's plan was to use Dominus to destroy the seal on the remains that prevented Dracula's reemergence in the world. Barlowe needed someone to host the Dominus Glyphs, and he chose his disciple, Shanoa, who was unaware of the true intent of Ecclesia, and that using Dominus would end her life. Shanoa discovered the truth and defeated Barlowe. The remains of Dracula then surged large amounts of dark energy into Barlowe, which he was able to use to resurrect Dracula at the cost of his own life. After Barlowe sacrificed his life force to the bodily remains, the Dark Lord and his castle returned yet again.

Shanoa infiltrated Castlevania and made her way to the Throne Room where Dracula ruled over his castle and subjects. Initially, Dracula thought that Shanoa was the one that brought him back, and asked her if she wished for eternal life or a place at his side in return for her service. Shanoa told the Count that she had in fact gone there to destroy him. Dracula was amused by her response and welcomed her challenge, telling her that he had not danced in a while. Shanoa's own power was not enough to destroy Dracula, but when she used the Dominus Glyphs that she was hosting, to the Count's surprise; she was able to defeat Dracula with his own power, sending him to his death.

1917-1944: World Wars

Quincy's son, John Morris, confronted Dracula during World War I, alongside Eric Lecarde, when Dracula was resurrected through the efforts of his niece, Elizabeth Bartley, and her accomplice, Drolta Tzuentes. Elizabeth had the Crown Prince of Austria assassinated, which resulted in war breaking out across the world. She planned to use the souls of the millions that died as a result of the Great War to revive her uncle. The resurrection rite took the two women all across Europe, and they were chased every step of the way by two vampire hunters - John Morris, the son of Quincy Morris who carried the Belmont Clan's Vampire Killer, and Eric Lecarde, a revenge seeking Spaniard whose girlfriend was vampirized by Elizabeth. The hunt came to a head at Elizabeth's castle in England, where she and Drolta succeeded in resurrecting Dracula. The reawakening of the Dark Lord was short lived, however, as John and Eric scaled the castle and killed Elizabeth, Drolta, and Dracula himself. Though Dracula was slain, John paid the ultimate price as well, and died from his dependency on the Vampire Killer. Since he was not of the Belmont Clan, using the whip too much came at the cost of his life.

In 1944, Dracula was revived again by the vampire Brauner and as a result of the unprecedented state of despair the world was in during World War II. Brauner, having lost his daughters in the first World War, sought revenge on humanity and planned on using Dracula's power as a means to that. Brauner immediately sealed Dracula away, as he only desired Castlevania's power and legions of monsters for himself, and had no intention of serving Count Dracula.

1999: Demon Castle Wars

The final resurrection of Dracula took place in 1999, when he rose one last time, and began a vicious campaign to destroy all of mankind. He was defeated by Julius Belmont, a Hakuba priest, Alucard, and a Belnades, and his bodily remains destroyed. Furthermore, a ceremony was conducted in which his powers and castle were sealed away inside a solar eclipse, thus finally ending Dracula's regeneration cycle. Though the cycle of Mathias Cronqvist may have at last ended, the legacy of Dracula continued, as he was reincarnated as Soma Cruz.

Dracula has been depicted many different ways over the course of the series. His appearance changes in nearly every game he is in. In the earliest titles, Dracula has a rather ethereal appearance, presenting himself as a very decayed and aged man with a long red cloak in the original Castlevania on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This look was taken even further in Vampire Killer, where he has no flesh on his body and his bones are exposed. In Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, he greatly resembles Death. He is shrouded in a black mantle and his face is that of a skull.

Dracula's in-game depictions are very different from his appearance in the official art for those games, which display him as a more atrocious version of the Béla Lugosi vampire stereotype with a widow's peak hairstyle. He reflects this image in such games as Haunted Castle and Akumajō Dracula (X68000), in which he wears a tuxedo with a cape.

Sometimes Dracula sports a dark sorcerer like appearance with long flowing robes as seen in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and Castlevania: The Adventure. In Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Dracula appears as a young man with purple hair. Aside from displaying certain Japanese anime clichés, he still wears attire like he did in earlier games, like a tuxedo and a long dark cloak.

Dracula has shown a certain level of inconsistency regarding his personality, although common elements have been an outstanding malice regarding the human race and God, and a well defined superiority complex (he thinks every creature is inferior to him) when confronting his enemies. When facing his son, Alucard, Dracula shows a softer side, and a clear love for his son, and also expresses his eternal love for Alucard's mother as well. After his death in 1797, Dracula becomes much more consistent, and seems devoid of many emotions, though the hostility and superiority complex still remain.

Some of his most consistent traits however are his deep cruelty and indifference to all the destruction he brings with him, while somewhat taking pleasure on the suffering he inflicts on others. He also justifies his actions by claiming that it is not by his power that he comes back, but through the malice of humans that makes his return possible, going as far as questioning whether he is truly "evil" because of this.

Despite being challenged and defeated numerous times by the Belmont Clan, he always seems to play with them at first before using his full power, possibly underestimating them while at the same time enjoying his battles with the family, something he does mention from time to time as he even looks forward to his next encounter against the Belmonts after being defeated.

However during his defeat in 1797, he actually feels for the first time regretful of his actions after knowing of Lisa's wish for him, although during his subsequent revivals he seems to feel nothing of that. A possible reason for this could be that the evil of humanity ensures that Dracula remains constantly evil and as such an embodiment of malice. Whenever Dracula's background is explained he often becomes what he is as a result of the loss of his loved ones and thus he can be seen as a rather tragic villain.

Origins

Count Dracula is an immortal vampire holding the position of Dark Lord, who draws upon the power of Chaos and is looked upon as the King of the Night and the embodiment of evil. Many lesser creatures of darkness and obsessive humans are fanatically devoted to him, and subscribe to the belief that he will cleanse the world from its sullied state and bring about a new order. Their belief in this is so strong that until his regeneration cycle ended in 1999, Dracula was certain to return after death due to his servants yearning for him. Because of this, Richter Belmont accused Dracula of stealing the souls of men and their freedom. Dracula rebutted that freedom is always sacrificed to faith and asked Richter if he was truly before him by choice. Earlier in the same conversation Dracula said that the world invited him to return, with humanity calling him with praise and tribute.

The Crimson Stone

Dracula's power ultimately came from his possession of the Crimson Stone, which he never lost. With it, he absorbed the soul of a dominant vampire lord, Walter Bernhard, thus gaining his powers. Dracula came to resemble Walter by having his own magical castle, legions of monsters, as Walter did before him, and even using some of Walter's attacks. Furthermore, Dracula's ability to repeatedly return from the dead may have been inherited from Walter Bernhard, as after being defeated by Leon Belmont, Walter said that with his powers, he would surely come back to life.

The Demon Castle

The origin of Dracula's Castle, which is said to be the symbol of his demonic power in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, is not known, and it is also unknown if it has any link with Walter Bernhard's castle. Ideally, it seems more likely that Dracula gained ownership of the Bernhard estate when he claimed his soul in the Crimson stone, thus forming Walter's powers with Mathias's souls, along with a spiritual contract claiming the castle.

Historically though, it is also logical to believe that Dracula constructed his castle somewhere in between the events of Lament of Innocence (1094) and Dracula's Curse (1476), which is around the time when Vlad the Impaler (the real life Dracula) ruled. It is not stated entirely, but how Dracula is able to gain control over monsters is shown in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula, inherits his power of dominance over the creatures of the night. However, his influence over mankind is never fully stated, but can be logically debated and assumed. If one follows the original Bram Stoker novel and film, Dracula may have gained his legions of followers through hypnotic abilities; on the other hand it may be that he is merely a charismatic and highly persuasive individual. During his time as the Dark Lord, he may have tricked humans into believing that he would be its true savior, or perhaps is merely held in high esteem by satanic cults.

Summoning his Demon Castle: Wherever Dracula goes, his dominion of the Crimson Stone allows the ancestral Demon Castle (also known as "Castlevania") to appear anywhere, and anytime he desires. In short, as long as he lives, Castlevania will never be destroyed.

Immortality: Thanks to Walter's soul, Dracula is as good as immortal. Although he CAN be killed, he will simply be reincarnated, after either 100 years, although premature reincarnations are not uncommon.

Invulnerability: Dracula possesses superhuman endurance. Typical weapons would almost certainly not harm him, similarly to Walter or they would inflict minimal damage. However, certain weapons and measures, such as Shanoa's "Dominus" attack, the Vampire Killer, the Alucard Sword and Spear are capable of harming and killing him. Dracula is also (usually) invulnerable to attacks to any part of his body excluding his head. In his demon form, he seems to have lost this power. Dracula's resurrection also depends on the number of people in the world who desire his return and.between 1797 to 1999, he was resurrected more frequently.

Eternal Night: Thanks to the Ebony Stone, it is always nighttime in the area surrounding Dracula's castle.

Instant Army: Dracula's dark powers affect even the dead, and are able to create personal "golems" out of skeletons of various kinds, a variety of elemental golems, and can also animate inanimate objects, such as armor or furniture. However, this instant army is not as powerful as summoned demons from the netherworld or the underworld.

Chaotic Realm: The Chaotic Realm is the realm of the source of darkness, and only Dracula can enter this specific realm. Dracula and his reincarnation, Soma Cruz, is the only one recorded to ever enter the Chaotic Realm. This realm also sports demons of various kinds that will willingly support Dracula's cause.

Shapeshifting and Teleportation: Dracula favors confusing his enemies by teleporting to bats or black light to appear anywhere and catch his victims off guard. He also favors changing into multitudes of vampire bats with a large one as his main bat or into clouds of mist for long range teleportation. In Dracula X Chronicles, it's said he can transform into a bat, wolf or mist. For shorter movement, Dracula favors "walking" by floating on a runic circle that lets him move very slowly. He has been known to turn into:

Bat: He turns into many Bats and is his favored offensive transformations. It is called Bat Moon once and allows Dracula to slam all his bats at an enemy to kill them.

Wolf: For stealth or land based attacks, Dracula turns into a wolf and has the speed and power to match or even overpower a werewolf.

Mist: Dracula turns into a mist and evades detection. He sometimes favors turning into poison mist when he does so.

True Form: When facing a strong and dangerous opponent, Dracula can transform into his more powerful true form to try and even the odds. He uses this strategy when it is too risky to use Demonic Megiddo. He has used a huge variety of true forms over the centuries, that typically follow a "monster vampire" theme. Most forms of Dracula make him bigger and more frightening to taunt his victims. Dracula sometimes collects enough power to transform a third time, such times are when Dracula battled Trevor Belmont, Richter Belmont, and Christopher Belmont.

Teleporting: Dracula's favored strategy that confuses an enemy while he hits him with spells. Some versions of his teleporting has him blending to black lights, others turns him into many bats, but the function and strategy is one in same.

Demonic Wings: Dracula can turn his cape into wings that can allow flight in a one on one battle against an agile vampire hunter. His wings allow fast flight and can be use as a melee attack by swiping the cape in its wing form. Dracula rarely does this, however. Simon Belmont (Chronicles version), Richter Belmont (Dracula X Chronicles, Third Form), Hector (first form and transition between the two battles) and Shanoa are humans that have seen Dracula's wings.

Power of Dominance: Dracula's primary ability allows him to absorb defeated monster's souls and enslave them. This power was the one that Soma Cruz, Dracula's incarnate inherited at the year 1999 at his destruction. While Soma can only summon monsters for a short amount of time due to his low magical power, Dracula can fully utilise this ability with infinite power from the stream of Chaos he commands. It's also said that Death guards the souls Dracula absorbs for guarding the areas of Castlevania.

Obedient Animals: Some creature of the night are sensitive to the flow of darkness and attracted to its source. Those attracted will not hesitate to serve the controller of the darkness. Some of these creatures are bats, wolves, owls, slimes, ravens, crows, black panthers, worms, caterpillars, toads, frogs, and many other smaller but numerous creatures have entered and lived in Dracula's presence.

Power over Humans: Dracula's power has been shown to have an effect on human behavior. Dracula's Curse, in fact, drove many humans insane, and sent them into a murderous rage. Dracula has also shown abilities to control humans without possessing them, for example, in Harmony of Despair, his charm spell, when making contact with a female, would temporarily strip them of their will and put them under his control.

Blood Draining: Dracula, being a vampire, can bite and drink the blood of his victims. His spell Dark Metamorphosis can enhance his blood draining ability. He can also drain his victim's blood by mere touch of his victims.

Magic Mastery: Dracula is a powerful magic user, easily capable of summoning fireballs, flaming meteors, beam attacks, and swarms of vampire bats and wolves to name a few. Even his extremely powerful "Demonic Megiddo" attack requires little effort on his part to perform. Added with the fact that he commands Chaos, no demons can match Dracula for his throne, but except for a chosen few, no vampire hunters can match his powers either. Some notable spells are:

Hellfire: Fires a wall of fireballs from his cape. Another version causes flames to erupt from the floor.

Dark Inferno: Fires magma fireballs from his cape. It cannot be destroyed due to its magma based texture.

Dark Metamorphosis: Boosts Dracula's Blood draining ability. He can bite an enemy or grasp them and drain their life. He rarely does the latter though.

Soul Steal: A spell that many fear. Soul Steal is used by Dracula to kill and absorb their energy for Dracula's use. One version of the spell has an area of effect around the caster. It can effect multiple victims multiple times in one cast. Another version drains the life out of Dracula's victims by a mere touch, which is why many fear this spell. It is also referred to as Life Steal.

Blood Hydro Storm: Perhaps as a way of mocking of the Belmont's powers, Dracula, when facing Richter Belmont, can make it rain blood shooting as faster than bullets, and all who is caught in its way will suffer certain death. It should also be noted that this spell is favored to Demonic Megiddo due to its faster casting time with less risk of interruption. Dracula is seemingly vulnerable to the spell too, as he keeps an area around him rain-free.

Meteor Shower: During the events in Circle of The Moon, Dracula displayed various powerful magic spells, one of which summons a barrage of flaming meteors to rain down from the sky onto his enemy.

Demonic Megiddo: This is the ultimate dark spell. Two version of this attack are in existence. The first, and more common version has a shorter charging time and allows Dracula to charge demonic runes that become a giant black fireball. Dracula can throw it to his victim and will incinerate his victims with demonic fire. The second version is a gigantic explosion, with Dracula as its nucleus. The explosion radiates from him, killing every being instantly upon touching it. However, the second version requires a longer time to charge, giving enough time to either escape or defeat him before he can use it while draining Dracula's health. A successful cast however, will ensure that it will be active for as long as Dracula desires. This is why using Dominus until he decides to use this attack would not actually kill him.

Power over Death: By the use of the Crimson Stone, Dracula gained dominion over the Grim Reaper Death, and with him his service and powers. Death can open the deepest of the gates of Hell to summon demons of various kinds for Dracula's army. He is very loyal to Dracula and is said to be Dracula's confidant and close friend. At a time when Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin faced him, Dracula has several combination attacks with Death.

Flame Sickle: Death summons many sickles, which Dracula turns into many Dark Infernos.

Demonic Megiddo (with Death): Dracula can have Death turn a scythe, where he can slam the scythe and create a smaller version of Demonic Megiddo.

True Dracula's Scythes: When Death or Dracula was defeated, Death offered his soul to be absorbed by Dracula. Dracula used Soul Steal and absorbed Death to become True Dracula. In his demon form, one of True Dracula's attacks was to summon Death's Scythe and toss it at either Johnathan Morris or Charlotte Aulin.

Early Life

Some years ago, a child was found on the door of one of the Brotherhood of Light convents. It is not known who his original parents were though some suspected he was an unwanted bastard from a local wealthy landowner, most likely the Cronqvist family, though this has never been proven.

The order gave the nameless boy the Christian name of one of the blessed archangels, Gabriel, and raised him as one of its own members. The precocious child quickly proved to be extremely talented, developing a mastery of the fighting arts unprecedented in the Brotherhood. However, he was also prone to dark moods and moments of brooding that only his beloved childhood sweetheart, Marie, could pacify.

The two youngsters were made for one another; they grew together and soon started to make promises of their future, promises that were always kept. One idyllic morning, with the blessing of both her family and the Brotherhood, the couple was married.

Gabriel took the surname of Belmont, after his love of mountains and the high places of the World.

Before Lords of Shadow

In 1046, Gabriel was sent by the order to capture a dangerous creature called the Daemon Lord. Injured by the beast, he used his blood and a magical device to lock it away.

While Gabriel was on this mission for the Brotherhood, Marie gave birth to his son named Trevor, but knowing of Gabriel's eventual descent into darkness, decided to leave the child in the hands of the Brotherhood and to hide the birth from Gabriel.

Events of Lords of Shadow

"I have done... questionable things..."

—Gabriel to Marie

Some time after Marie's death, the heavens were cut off from the earthly plane, thus leading the people to believe that God had abandoned them. The Brotherhood of Light knew otherwise. After receiving a message from the three founders of their order in heaven, the Brotherhood sent Gabriel to contact the dead and ask Marie if she knew of any means to save the world. Taking up the Vampire Killer and an amulet connected to the old gods, Gabriel begins his journey.

He met an old god, Pan, who allowed him to communicate with Marie who, throughout his journey, aided Gabriel in times of peril. Next he met a supposed comrade of the order, Zobek, who instructed Gabriel to destroy the Lords of Shadow, the rulers of the demonic forces now driving mankind into extinction. Both Pan and Zobek desired an end to their tyrannical rule, but for very different reasons.

His first great test came when he met Claudia, an innocent young psychic and her enchanted guardian, the Black Knight Golem, who briefly aided him in his journey. However, when they stopped to camp, Gabriel dreamed that he stabbed Claudia in the night, only to wake and discover her dead body, indicating that it was not a dream. Finding Claudia dead, the Black Knight became enraged with grief and attacked Gabriel, forcing him to destroy it in self defense. This act granted Gabriel the Knight's enchanted Dark Gauntlet, allowing him to launch flame based attacks as well as fight back mystical attacks from enemies.

The first Lord of Shadow he faced was Cornell, who revealed that the Brotherhood of Light was founded by three divinely empowered saints who led God's army. In doing so they were rewarded with monumental bounties, transcending human parameters and becoming divine beings in Heaven whose power was second only to God's, but at the cost of discarding all chaotic elements within themselves. The result of this transformation was that the leftover bodies of each of the three lords in Heaven now arose as their demonic counterparts on Earth, and thus the Lords of Shadow were born. This creates a poetic irony, since the Lords of Shadow were the ones who created the very demons now driving mankind to extinction. This revelation caused Gabriel to begin to lose faith in the Order. Killing Cornell granted him the Lord of the Lycans' Cyclone Boots, which granted him the speed of a beast.

After the Lycans he faced off against the vampires. Gabriel continued his journey killing their champions, Olrox and Brauner, and facing the puppets of Laura, second in command of the vampire race and the only enemy not killed in the entire game, until finally he reached Carmilla, queen of the vampires, and the second Lord of Shadow. In the dialogue with Carmilla, she hinted at Gabriel's future when she stated he indeed would be "one of us". Her death granted him the third of the enchanted gear granted to the Lords of Shadow by Heaven, her Seraph Shoulders, which grant him angelic wings and the ability to double jump.

Interestingly, it is revealed that a "King of Angels" has been helping Gabriel on his quest.

Before he headed of to the Land of the Necromancers, Gabriel faced Pan, his guide throughout his journey. Pan taught Gabriel how to battle against light and dark magic, knowing well the final battle Gabriel would be facing at the end of the his journey, and then sacrificed himself, as the death of a god was needed to proceed to the land of dead. Eventually Gabriel learned that, in fact, Zobek was the third Lord of Shadow all along.

Zobek had engineered his entire journey. Using the Devil Mask, Zobek made Gabriel kill Marie so that he would end up focused on revenge, and thus blind to the truth of the quest for the God Mask. He also had Gabriel kill Claudia so that the Black Knight would attack him, granting him the Dark Gauntlet, as Gabriel would be powerless against Zobek while wearing it. Zobek loathed how each of the Lords of Shadow harbored a piece of the God Mask, each possessing their share of the power and unwilling to compromise to actually make use of it. Thus Gabriel was the ideal pawn to eliminate them and reunite the pieces, which he did. After revealing all of this, Zobek electrocuted Gabriel, but was in turn burned alive as Satan materialized from the flames that consume him.

Satan revealed himself as the real mastermind behind the whole plot, implanting knowledge of all the dark arts into Zobek to aid him in his quest to set up the entire charade with Gabriel, and was the real power behind sealing off access to the heavens for all deceased pure spirits. Marie persuaded all the souls trapped in limbo to revive Gabriel. Satan offered Gabriel a place at his side, but Gabriel refused, telling Satan that his lust for power was what caused his fall from grace. Angered, Satan put on the God Mask and initiated the final battle.

At the climax of the duel, Gabriel grabbed Satan, and after opening himself to the light, invoked a divine ritual, possibly the same that gave birth to the Lords of Shadow, sending Satan back to Hell. After this, Gabriel met with Marie one final time, discovering that the God Mask did not hold the power to resurrect the dead as he had hoped. Giving her husband one last kiss, Marie departed for Heaven, taking the God Mask with her. Watching as she and all the other dead departed, including Claudia, who appears briefly to say goodbye, Gabriel was then left alone and on his knees, weeping for his beloved.

Events of Reverie and Resurrection

"I am the Dragon."

—Gabriel, before facing the Forgotten One

Soon after, Gabriel was summoned by Laura to the Bernhard castle. There he learned that by killing the three Lords of Shadow, Gabriel has unleashed a new menace: the Forgotten One, an incredibly powerful demon whom the founders of the Brotherhood had imprisoned deep in the center of the castle. Laura and Gabriel decided they must find the entrance to the ancient fortress of the Brotherhood.

After opening the gate to the Brotherhood fortress, Gabriel and Laura traveled through the ancient castle and gathered the blood of the three founders in order to open the gate to the Forgotten One's chamber. However, only dark beings could enter into the dimension where the Forgotten One was kept. To bypass this, Laura asked Gabriel to drink all of her blood and release her from her immortal torment. With reluctance, Gabriel did as she asked, killing Laura while he himself became a creature of the night. He stepped through the gate alone to confront what awaited him.

Gabriel entered the Dimensional Prison to seek the demon. He showed signs of darkness, including renouncing his humanity, hunger for violence, and partial insanity. After unlocking the doors, he found The Forgotten One emerging from lava, climbing the rocks to open the portals to the original realm, despite the demon being in a weakened state. The two fought and came to a draw, causing The Forgotten One to retake his power and move on to the Underworld, the final plane before entering the mortal realm.

Gabriel followed The Forgotten One, and showed more signs of darkness. He claimed that he was darker and more terrible than The Forgotten One, and that the creature would beg for mercy before the end. He confronted the demon again, and after the battle, The Forgotten One finally opened the portal, mocking Gabriel that the portal was open and that he would let him live to watch the world's destruction and claimed that he had failed his mission. However, just when the Forgotten One was about to reclaim the part of his power he had sent to unlock the seal, Gabriel intervened and absorbed the Forgotten One's demonic power. While the Forgotten One begged for mercy, Gabriel used his new-found power to destroy the demon once and for all. Just before leaving the Underworld, Gabriel destroyed the Vampire Killer, leaving the pieces lying broken and forgotten within the dark dimension.

Events of Mirror of Fate

"You fight well. Worthy of the name... Belmont!"

—Dracula to Simon

Gabriel became an immortal vampire and took on the name of Dracul, but the people knew him as Dracula. He made Carmilla's castle his own fortress, and grew to master new forms of magic, such as the Void and Chaos, as well as command new legions of monsters. The Brotherhood of Light sought to kill Dracula, being partially responsible for his fate and for being a vampire, and sent many knights to the castle to slay him, all of whom failed. At the same time, Dracula sought to take his revenge on the Brotherhood and remake the world as he saw fit. When he came of age, Gabriel's son, Trevor, was finally informed by the Elders of the truth of his parentage, and started a journey to defeat his demonic father and avenge his mother.

Dracula was confronted by Trevor at the top of his castle, in the chamber of the Mirror of Fate where years ago Gabriel fought Carmilla. He saw that he carried a copy of the Combat Cross, and asked for the name of it's user. Trevor did not tell his name but did tell him he knew who and what his father was and that he was there to remove the stain upon his family name and avenge the death of his mother. Dracula was amused by Trevor's personal motives and the dark lord took a moment to explain his nihilistic views of life and death, believing he sent his victims to a better place before making it clear he had no intentions of knowing them and that he did not know his mother.

Trevor vehemently told his unknowing father that he did know her, and he swore to tell him her name when he killed him. Angered by the boy's arrogance, Dracula summoned his Void Sword an intense battle began between father and son. During combat, Dracula switched between his Void Sword and Chaos Claws, using his new powers to their fullest extent against Trevor, but the younger warrior countered with his own combat skills and Light and Shadow magic to match Dracula's weapons.

Dracula took the fight into the air but was knocked back down to the chamber below, with Trevor falling after him and roaring he would know his mother's name. Infuriated, Dracula swore he would never be defeated and met Trevor's final attack head on. With a violent burst of blood, Trevor was defeated, stabbed with his own weapon.

As Trevor lay dying, he looked into the Mirror of Fate and, realized the truth of Gabriel's fall into darkness, told him that they were opposites. Gabriel had accepted his fate even when he was betrayed at every turn while Trevor had fought against his fate even though it was in vain. He told Dracula that he pitied him and revealed himself as his son.

Confused by this revelation, Trevor only pointed to the mirror behind him. Looking into the Mirror of Fate himself, Dracula saw the truth of Trevor's words and was filled with outrage, horror and regret. Remorseful, Dracula desperately attempted to revive Trevor by feeding him his blood, weeping to his son to live.

As it did not seem have any effect, Dracula placed his son's body in a coffin, on which he wrote the name Alucard, since he never learned his son's real name but possibly remembered what Trevor had said about them being opposites. Dracula would also place Trevor's clothes and Combat Cross in a secret chamber in the library, as a sort of memorial shrine to him. Blaming the Brotherhood for his son's demise, he sent his werewolves to attack the Brotherhood's sanctuary, killing all who lived there, save Trevor's son Simon, who escaped to the mountains at the cost of his mother's life.

Years later, Dracula witnessed the meeting of Simon and Alucard, smiling, before he teleported away. Soon after, Simon confronted Dracula in his throne at the top of his castle. Though impressed by Simon's skills, he made it clear that he was no match for him, and as he prepared to attack him, Alucard entered the room. Dracula had hoped Alucard would side with him, but when his son refused, he decided to kill Simon despite Alucard's protests that it was their battle. Dracula had come to despise the Belmont name and refused to allow the bloodline to continue.

Dracula fought both of them at the same time, but refrained from using his full power as he had against Trevor, only making use of his Shadow Whip and fireballs. He knocked Simon out and dueled Alucard for a while before teleporting back to his throne and seizing control of Simon, forcing Alucard to fight his own son. Dracula mocked Alucard for holding back and refusing to harm Simon and became disgusted when Alucard successfully freed Simon from his control. He nearly strangled Alucard to death with his whip, but Simon saved him at the last moment.

Dracula managed to knock Simon down again with an intense burst of dark magic, but Alucard finally managed to get his father in a hold and keep him in place, allowing Simon to stake him with Trevor's Combat Cross. Dracula was finally defeated for the first time and disappeared into a mysterious red light, melting into a pile of ash. Alucard remarked that Dracula's "death" was atypical of a vampire, suggesting that he survived the encounter. His castle collapsed shortly after his supposed demise.

Lords of Shadow 2

"What is a man... But a miserable pile of secrets!"

—Dracula, as he observes the Brotherhood's siege

Dracula managed to survive his supposed "death" by the hands of Simon and Alucard and remained in his reconstructed castle, his rule going unchallenged for over five hundred years as he continued to hunt down humanity and strike at them with his legion of monsters, though he began to long for a true death, despairing of his immortal life. The Brotherhood of Light wished to finally be rid of him, and so launched a massive invasion of his castle in the 1400s. Dracula resided at the top of his throne during the siege, simply drinking blood from a goblet, though he became annoyed when the knights finally breached his throne room and surrounded him. Listening to their hopeful words as they believed they could kill him, Dracula only smiled and raised his empty goblet, stating, "What a timely coincidence. I'm dying for a little drop of blood!"

Dracula then engaged the large group of knights single-handedly using his Shadow Whip, Void Sword and Chaos Claws to their full extent, wiping out the knights in short order. He then exited his throne room and stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the entire castle, watching the massive legions of knights invading his home. Disgusted, he mused to himself for a moment before noticing the advancing Siege Titan and dodged its punch that shattered the balcony, forcing him onto a lower one. The Brotherhood Paladin, Roland de Ronceval, then emerged from the Titan to confront Dracula directly, declaring God to be with him.

Dracula merely sneered, "That will be your ruin!" and engaged the Paladin in a fierce duel, matching the golden warrior's blades with his own. Before their fight could finish, the Siege Titan struck again, and the Paladin retreated with Dracula in close pursuit, leaping onto the Titan to follow after him. Dracula then scaled the mechanical monstrosity, easily surviving the legions of knights pouring out from inside it, the Paladin's flaming arrows and the Titan's own attempts to shake him off by attacking the castle.

Dracula reached the top of the Titan and corrupted its power source, a holy crystal, by vomiting his tainted blood onto it. The Titan fell, killing hundreds of soldiers and greatly damaging Dracula's castle. Dracula easily survived and emerged from the wreckage to confront the Paladin once again. Dracula emerged victorious, shattering Roland's helmet, wings and blades. Desperate, the fallen Paladin pulled out a battle cross and began reciting in Latin, calling on the power of the seven archangels to destroy Dracula.

Dracula, however, merely pitied the Paladin before explaining that the power of God would never harm him, as he was still His chosen one. To prove his point, he joined Roland in his chant but turned the holy power against him, and the explosion wiped out the entire army of Brotherhood Knights and Dracula's own castle. Dracula stood alone in the aftermath, surrounded by bodies and holding the ruined battle cross before discarding it.

While behind him his wayward son, Alucard approached. Dracula asks what Alucard wants with him since he knows that he cannot be killed. Alucard agrees saying that "only his father, Gabriel Belmont can destroy Dracula". Dracula says it is to late for him, explaining that the roots of evil are deep and using himself as an example, how he was the most devoted warrior of God once, but that even he, fell into darkness becoming "The Prince of Darkness", saying that both Satan and Zobek are afraid of him, and even if Dracula was gone, they would replace him, therefore evil would prevail one way or the other. Alucard however proposed a way to truly eliminate evil and explained his plan to lure Zobek and Satan out of hiding. His sword the Crissaegrim will put his father into a deep sleep that will lead Satan to believe that Earth is safe to conquer, and Zobek, out of fear of Satan, will desperately seek out and revive Dracula knowing that he doesn't stand a chance against Satan by himself.

On the brink of Satan's return Alucard will remove the sword from his body, reviving the vampire lord but also with his mind and body broken so that Zobek cannot read his mind. Zobek will forge a alliance with Dracula with the promise of the one thing he truly wants, a permanent death through the use of the reforged Vampire Killer. Then after Dracula regains his power they will kill Zobek, Satan, and finally themselves ridding the world of evil.

Reluctantly agreeing to the plan, Dracula impales himself on the sword and Alucard proceeds to hide his body.

Lords of Shadow Epilogue

"Don't you dare call me that! Eu sunt Dracul!"

—Dracula to Zobek

Dracula found himself awakening in his old castle in the approximate year of 2057 with no memory of how he got there or of who he was. However, the famed Belmont Clan still seeks his ultimate destruction.

Over the centuries, Gabriel eventually became weakened and yearned for release from his immortal bonds, and went into hiding in an old church. Years later in modern times, he met Zobek again who predicts that Satan's return to the Earthly realm is not far off. His "old friend" urges Gabriel to prevent the resurrection. The two engage in a short fight after which Zobek reveals it is Gabriel's only chance to be freed from his immortality. Gabriel disappears at the end of the conversation, transforming into a flock of bats or possibly mist.

Events of Lords of Shadow 2

See also: Gabriel Belmont/Missions

"After centuries of sleep, of nothingness, I have returned."

—Dracula, awakened in Modern Times

After leaving the cathedral, Dracula is subdued by one of Satan's Soldiers but rescued by Zobek's Lieutenant. After regaining his strength by feasting on a family, Zobek explains to the vampire lord that Satan's Acolytes are preparing his return, and unless they are stopped, Satan's return is guaranteed. To this end, Zobek believes he has located the first of the Acolytes are in the Bioquimek Corporation though he doesn't know who it is.

Without his full powers Gabriel is forced to rely on stealth during the trek into the locked down building. Once inside the building, Dracula is lured back inside his Castle by a hallucination of his son, Trevor, as a child. Dracula soon learns that his castle has turned against him: if Dracula succeeds in his quest to die, then the castle and its inhabitants, which have come to rely on the vampire lord to live, will also die.

To this end in order to regain his Void Sword, Dracula must fight the Stone Golem, and successfully defeats the portion of possessed castle. Now back in the corporation Dracula fights Bioquimek's CEO, Raisa Volkova, turned demon via a demonic plague and defeats her. He brings her back to Zobek for questioning.

Before being able to reach Zobek, Dracula is stopped by Trevor who brings him inside the castle once again. Dracula must reclaim his Chaos Claws from the Gorgon sisters. After encountering Euryale and Stheno, Dracula understands Medusa has the Chaos power he seeks. On his way, he frees the Chupacabras from its prison, so the little spirit can tell him where to find Medusa, the last sister. The last Gorgon is corrupted by the castle's blood, and Dracula has to fight a gigantic creature before getting back his full Chaos power.

Back in the present, Dracula confronts Raisa Volkova. Zobek explains her brain is full of confusion and that an antidote could help her becoming human again. Dracula then leaves and reaches the train station where a soldier from Satan's army attacks him. After an intense fight on the train, Dracula jumps right before the train crashes into the next station, killing many of Satan's minions.

There, Zobek's Lieutenant gives Dracula a hand to continue his search, but soon departs, as Zobek needs him. Alone, Dracula is soon called by Trevor who says Marie is in danger. Dracula goes back to the castle, and encounters Carmilla, reborn. After biting Carmilla, who presented herself as a servant of the vampire lord, Dracula realizes her blood was cursed, and that it could make him Carmilla's slave. Enraged, he prepares to confront Carmilla, but when the next door opens, Marie appears to the surprise and happiness of Dracula.

Dracula wonders if Marie is real, or just an apparition. He expresses regret regarding what happened to them a millennium ago. She explains the Brotherhood of Light prevented her to tell everything to him, and that Gabriel will soon be with her. Dracula then angrily states that Gabriel disappeared a long time ago, and that he is and will forever be Dracula. Marie then asks to help him slowing Carmilla's curse: Dracula bites and drinks Marie's blood. Dracula then escapes the library after fooling Carmilla. He confronts her at the top of a tower taking her Mist Form powers in the process. After a rude fight, Dracula kills Carmilla and rescues Marie.

Dracula returns to the present and continues his search for the antidote. After infiltrating another Bioquimek lab, Dracula obtains the antidote and brings it back to Raisa. However, the demon reveals to be an Acolyte of Satan, and Dracula confronts her. After a tense battle, he slices her in two.

Dracula falls from Zobek's tower, but lands in his castle. There, Trevor asks him to find the pieces of the Mirror of Fate. Dracula has to fight Pan's brother, Agreus, and the Toy Maker and his inventions to recover two pieces from the Mirror. Trevor tells him the last piece isn't in the castle.

Back in the present, Dracula is then sent by Zobek to the cathedral where he woke up, as he sensed a powerful presence there. Upon arriving, Dracula witnesses a hooded man leaving the cathedral. When he approaches him, a powerful demon appears, and the hooded man leaves. After a long chase around the city, Dracula is attacked by the man in the city's library. However, Dracula needs to fight the huge demon that followed them, while the man flees again. Dracula eventually destroys the demon and follows the man's trace to a church. Inside he finds his Void and Chaos powers disabled as the church is under magic and then realizes that the man before him belongs to the Brotherhood of Light. The two engage in a fierce battle, breaking the ground, and Dracula emerges victorious.

When the two fall into the caves under the church, Dracula realizes people are watching them, and spares the man's life. The hooded man presents himself as Victor Belmont, protector of humanity. Dracula gives him the antidote to protect non-infected people, and Victor offers his help. The two exit the caves, and meet Zobek's Lieutenant on Victory Plaza. There, after Victor sacrifices his life to fool the second Acolyte, Dracula recovers the last piece of the Mirror of Fate.

Dracula returns to the castle and meets Trevor. But when the father and son try to rebuild the Mirror, the castle's blood corrupts the boy, and Dracula has to fight his inner self, representing his evil nature. Dracula frees Trevor, and reunites with his family. He then leaves the castle. In the city, Dracula infiltrates the second acolyte, Nergal Meslamstea's building and confronts him in his office. However, Nergal is way too powerful, and Dracula has to lure him into the castle to fight him. There, after an epic fight with the Riders of the Storm, Dracula crushes Nergal's skull. Before leaving the castle, he makes a promise to Trevor: when all is over, he will choose his family saying he "already did".

With the help of the Lieutenant, Dracula reaches the final acolyte. There, he finally remembers everything thanks to Marie and Trevor: everything was written in his travel book, and the Lieutenant reveals to be Alucard in disguise. The two celebrate their reunion, but Zobek, sensing the treachery, appears. Dracula decides to confront Death alone, and after a long battle, kills Zobek and reclaims the Vampire Killer, his old weapon. Dracula parts ways Alucard to find the last Acolyte, who vanished before the fight with Zobek.

The two vampires find the Acolyte in Dracula's cathedral, but it is too late: Satan returns and summons the Leviathan. With the help of Alucard, Dracula is capable of climbing on the Leviathan and destroying the huge demon by having it swallow its own energy. During the fall, Dracula fights in duel with Satan who possessed Alucard's body. After the battle, Satan taunts Dracula stating that he cannot kill his son, but Dracula claims otherwise and prepares to stab Alucard's body with the Vampire Killer. Seeing this Satan flees before the strike and Dracula in the nick of time stops his blow and rushes towards Satan impaling him with the Vampire Killer, killing him. Dracula awakens his son by feeding his blood, and breaks the Mirror of Fate, stating that he should be the master of his own destiny. As the sun rises, Dracula leaves for his cathedral.

Appearance

Gabriel is tall with a muscular build. His hair is brown and sometimes depicted as curly and long. Though in the actual game, it appears be straight and is about shoulder length (however in the epilogue of the first game, and in Lords of Shadow 2, his hair is shown to have grown past his shoulders).

The armor he wears is based on Simon's from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest but with notable differences. It is emblazoned with a skull, and consists of thick plates that covers all of his upper body. His legs are covered with ironclad boots. In addition, Gabriel's armor also contained a hood which he could wear to conceal his face should the need arise.

Originally, Gabriel's design resembled a classic barbarian, before Kojima then advised the staff to refine him into a character that was more relatable for the player. David Cox mentioned that Robert Carlyle, who provides the voice for Gabriel is a bit similar to the character.

In the epilogue of Lords of Shadow, Gabriel appears to have aged rather significantly and his appearance has changed drastically. He is now bare-chested and only wears a sort of cloak/skirt about his waist held up by a sash with a large face as a clasp. Instead of his old gauntlets, he now wears bits of two steel gauntlets held on by scraps of fabric. He is less muscular than he was in the past, but proves to still be formidable (as seen when he survived the fall from his lair onto a paved street.) His hair is now longer and white, and he now has sickly pale skin. His eyes glow a deep orange and he now has the ability to grow fangs at will.

In Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2, Gabriel appears as sort of a fusion/combination of his original human form and his later vampiric form. His hair is still long and brown -if anything it is darker than before-, but he now wears shoulder coverings similar to his old armor with the chest exposed with a large skeletal face set in a belt. He has abandoned the Dark Gauntlet and now wears a red cloak. He has also abandoned the Cyclone Boots in favor of simple leather ones.

Personality

As Gabriel

As a child, Gabriel sometimes fell into dark moods, and had a tendency to brood, which could only be broken with the aid of Marie, whom he came to love deeply. As a man, Gabriel was still morose and moody at times, but he was also incredibly tenacious, noble and faithful, having been raised by the Brotherhood to believe in God and put his faith in Him.

Following the death of Marie, Gabriel was heartbroken and when he discovered a chance to revive her, he was willing to go anywhere and do anything to resurrect her. During his quest he learned that the founders of the Brotherhood were the cause of the troubles of the world, and his faith began to waiver. He was also plagued with nightmares of Marie's death, which prevented him from sleeping, and as the stress grew he ceased sleeping, and soon stopped eating. The death of Claudia, an innocent, made him even more bitter and angry.

At the end of Gabriel's quest he no longer cared for the suffering of others and held his grief and sorrow in place with anger, consumed by his wish to revive Marie. He even consigned a disgraced holy man, albeit a selfish and cowardly one on the brink of insanity, to death by taking a holy relic which had protected him.

When he faced the Lord of the Necromancers, Gabriel learned that Zobek had influenced him with the Devil Mask to make him pursue the powers of the Lords of Shadow to fulfill the prophecy by killing everything in his way, including his Marie. This was the plan, but the Lord of the Dead had not foreseen the darkness within Gabriel, and how terrible he would become, earning him the nickname "Prince of Darkness". He said that Gabriel was a beast, and a cold-blooded murderer.

Following the final battle, Gabriel saw Marie again, but was ashamed of himself and what he had done during his quest. Marie forgave him, saying that while he was flawed, he was as God intended, and she still loved him. The revelation that the God Mask Gabriel had reclaimed could not resurrect the dead was the final blow to Gabriel and, his spirit broken, he wept as Marie left for Heaven.

When Laura called him to her, asking for help defeating the Forgotten One, Gabriel claimed not to care for the fate of the world, and only agreed to help the vampire so he would not be plagued by more guilt for having failed humanity. After drinking Laura's blood Gabriel relinquished most of his humanity, and claimed that he was now darker and more terrible than the demon he hunted, which became true when he claimed the demon's power and killed him. He then renamed himself Dracul, and returned to the human world.

As Dracula

Dracula's feelings of pain and emptiness became manifest in the Void Sword and Chaos Claws which replaced for him the Light and Shadow magic he had wielded as the Brotherhood's chosen one.

Dracul (known to the people as Dracula) hungered for revenge on the Brotherhood, and wished to remake the world as he saw fit, in revenge for his betrayal. During this time he formed a sort of philosophy on killing based on his nihilistic view of the world; he felt that he had sent his victims to a better place, and he did not care to learn more about them. Thus he denied knowing Trevor's mother when he first confronted his son.

In spite of how dark he had become, he still retained a measure of his old humanity. When he learned of the true identity of Trevor, he was horrified and remorseful for having killed his and Marie's son to the point of crying. He attempted to revive him, but when it seemed to fail, he gave his son a respectful burial. Now even more angry at the Brotherhood's latest betrayal -sending his own son to kill him-, he sent his werewolves to their sanctuary to kill all who live there, and resumed his old plans.

Dracula's voice actor Robert Carlyle admitted that Dracula doesn't relish who he is, and would prefer a more normal life and a better relationship with his son. Also, it was shown that Dracula is fond of his grandson Simon, as he complimented him when they met face to face, stating that he fought well and was worthy of carrying the Belmont name. However, despite being fond of him, he was not beyond trying to kill him, but was visibly shown to be holding back while doing so.

While conversing with Alucard, Dracula further elaborated on his nihilistic and apathetic viewpoint, using his own fall as an example of the darkness that resides in the heart of all of humanity, that even if he were to die now others would simply take his place, and that ultimately evil would prevail, proving itself the natural order of everything. Snapping a disfigured cross he demonstrated his belief that the world was thus, irrevocably broken.

In modern times, Dracula still lived, but had withdrawn from the world out of disgust and weariness, becoming a shadow of his former self, despairing of his undead existence and longing for death. To this end he entered into a pact with Zobek to defeat Satan in exchange for a true death.

On his final quest, he encountered specters of his wife Marie and Trevor as a boy. These apparitions caused a change in Dracula, awakening vestiges of the man he once was. Such was his love for his son that Dracula fought and killed his own servants to keep the boy safe, and searched his entire castle for fragments of the Mirror of Fate, simply because Trevor wished to have it to play with.

When Dracula encountered the spectre of Marie, he espoused much of his feelings for the world. He demanded to know if the Brotherhood had told her of how he would slay her, or of how he and their son would become mortal enemies. He also revealed his bitter feeling towards God for the lot he had been dealt in life and resolved to forever be a thorn in his side. Marie's response was that their suffering had meaning and that she had been sent back to help Dracula, who could not believe that she was real. He also confessed that he wished to leave the castle, and that it was no place for their son.

At his final meting with his son, Dracula promised that when the adventure was over, he would choose his family, and he did so. This kindness was shown when he confronted Victor, the last Belmont. Rather than killing him on principle -as he had tried to do with Simon- Dracula immediately ceased his attack after hearing an infant's cry and then handed over the cure for the demonic plague to Victor. More of his human nature is seen after he faced the Toy Maker, as he was going to kill the man after being possessed to take the piece of the Mirror of Fate, but spared him after he regained his senses and merely requested the piece, all the while telling him to now keep his heart safe, in reference to the Toy Maker's past tragedy.

Dracula's reformation proved to run so deep that it forced the blood of his castle to physically manifest as a grotesque monster called Inner Dracula, and try to kill the apparition of Trevor, because Dracula's love for his son was the only force strong enough to threaten his monstrous side. Dracula defeated his demons and killed Satan himself by bluffing the Devil into thinking that he would sacrifice his own son to kill his oldest enemy.

In the end, Dracula looked one last time into the Mirror of Fate before crushing it, resolving to make his own destiny and live with his son Alucard after all.

As Gabriel Belmont (Lords of Shadow)Edit

Gabriel was trained in the arts of combat from a very young age, though he has showcased incredible powers of strength, stamina and agility far beyond human ability as well. His standard arsenal consists of the Combat Cross and other supplementary weapons such as Silver Daggers, bottles of Holy Water Flasks, and rare Dark Crystals.

The Combat Cross, also known as the Vampire Killer is a multifunctional weapon invented by Rinaldo Gandolfi. Gabriel upgrades his combat cross throughout his journey. It consists of an iron crucifix with a retractable chain quenched with Holy Water hidden inside the main body of the weapon. Hence, the Combat Cross is a very effective weapon against the undead and also allows the wielder to channel either their light or shadow magic into it.

On his left hand Gabriel wears the Dark Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is an ancient relic forged in the pits of Hell. It grants him tremendous superhuman strength, able to move heavy obstacles by punching them, conjure Hellfire from his fist to incinerate all enemies, and overpower Satan with ease. In addition, it also grants him the ability to defend and counter magical attacks.

Additional relics acquired by Gabriel are the Cyclone Boots and Seraph Shoulders which allow him to sprint with amazing speed and double jump respectively. Gabriel has the ability to utilize magic in combat as well. Light Magic and Shadow Magic are both at his disposal and are used for healing his wounds or boosting his offensive power. Combining magic with his combat allows Gabriel to use new and devastating moves on his foes as well.

While an incredibly competent warrior, his fall to darkness and defeat of the Forgotten One was only a prelude to his true potential.

As Dracula (Mirror of Fate, Lords of Shadow 2)Edit

"My power has grown infinite. Now only fools dare oppose me."

—Dracula ruminating during the siege on his castle

As Dracula, he has all the common powers of a vampire combined with the immense power of the ancient demon known as the Forgotten One, who was the sovereign of the elemental plane of darkness. He also possesses great holy powers, surpassing even that of the Paladin Roland de Ronceval. This he attributes to being God's Chosen One after acquiring the God Mask. This makes Dracula one of the most powerful beings the Castlevania world has seen to date, if not the most powerful, second only to God Himself. It is even admitted that Satan and Zobek fear his power.

In the Lords of Shadow 2 trailer, he is seen to possess even greater physical strength as well as telekinesis and the ability to transform into magical smoke and manipulate the smoke to a variety of effects; such as flying through the air and landing with enough force to stagger a battalion of knights, creating magical whip of red energy that slices enemies with great speed and force, and instantaneous teleportation.

His powers and weapons as Dracula are first seen in-depth in Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. When battling Alucard and Simon, he can transform his hand into a red gauntlet, which allows him to produce a magical red whip similar to his old Combat Cross. When fighting Trevor, he is shown retaining his ability to use light and shadow magic, and uses both a light magic-empowered sword and a pair of shadow-magic empowered orange gauntlets, which allow him to perform an array of magical attacks. With the sword he is able to send out waves of energy, and with the gauntlets he summons bursts of fire similar to the Gauntlet's tremor attacks. Also, in parallel with his classic counterpart, he is able to fire a stream of fireballs and commands legions of monsters, such as werewolves, undead knights and the Succubus.

The release of Lords of Shadow 2 revealed the nature of Dracula's powers. Rather than using Light and Shadow magic he uses the Void and Chaos, and each is tied to a weapon. The orange gauntlets are named Chaos Claws, and are slower but powerful. The sword is the Void Sword, which is light and fast, granting Dracula an increase in health with every attack, and able to blast void power to freeze enemies. His neutral weapon is the Shadow Whip. In addition to these changes Dracula does not absorb neutral magic from enemies, but rather orbs of blood. If Dracula is in need of quick health, he can easily drain the blood from enemies.

Shadow Whip: A supernatural whip-like weapon, which Dracula creates from his own vampiric blood. It retains many of the moves and attacks of the Vampire Killer and serves as his main weapon. The Shadow Whip manifests as an eldritch red gauntlet on Dracula's right arm.

Chaos Claws: Dracula's Chaos Claws are burning red gauntlets and are use similar to Shadow Magic. They inflict extra damage and can channel powerful flame eruptions from the ground. After acquiring the Primordial Chaos gem, Dracula is able to fire Chaos Bombs. The description of the Fire Cover attack indicates that the Chaos Claws' energy projections allows Dracula to burn enemy souls.

Void Sword: This mystical blue sword can be spawned by Dracula, capable of stealing life and healing him. Works similar to

Light Magic. The sword can use adaptable powers like wave blasts, slashes of Void magic and a freezing power as well as a swirling vortex of wind during which the sword gives off electric blasts. When he recovers the Primordial Void Gem, he can fire Void Projections.

Immortality: After Gabriel became a vampire and gained the power of the Forgotten One, he became the immortal Prince of Darkness and took up the moniker Dracul. At the same time, he also maintains his position as God's chosen one, and is thus immune to the divine and holy magic that would typically harm those of his kind. As the new master of the castle, Dracula remained in the world for over nine hundred and sixty six years. Also as an elder vampire, Dracula can take on different appearances such as a withering old man, his young self and through the downloadable content he can take on a physical appearance strikingly similar to Vlad III Drăculea, the Impaler with a mustache and a beard. Nothing in the castlevania universe can kill Dracula, except the Vampire killer though never proven.

Blood Draining: As a vampire, Dracula can drink his enemies' blood to heal himself. By draining the blood of vampires such as Carmilla, Dracula can gain access to their innate powers like Carmilla's mist form.

Mist Form: Dracula can become an elusive black and red mist to reach new locations, phase through enemies without taking damage, instantly appear near enemies, and create large shock waves of smoke as seen in the E3 trailer.

Plague of Rats: In the shadows, Dracula can transform into a small pack of rats in order to get passed enemies that are unaware of this form and reach small locations with ease. Interestingly, Dracula has all of the bestial transformations of a common vampire except possibly wolf form, which his son Alucard possesses.

Dragon Form: Dracula's true form is his dragon form. It is similar to the original Dracula's different forms he would take during a battle with a Belmont (except the original Dracula had a variety of true forms). In this form Dracula has partial Pyrokenesis, able to breathe fire upon his enemies. With the right amount of collected scales for his talisman, Dracula can transform into a dragon and obliterate his enemies. This power's process works similar to the Dark Crystals from the first game. He is also able to partially manifest this form even without a dragon talisman, as shown by how he finishes off the Gorgon. It can also be assumed that like his original counterpart, Dracula can maintain this form for a long period of time if he chooses, though it may place a tremendous strain on his power.

Bat Swarm: Enemies can be stunned or distracted by a cloud of bats summoned by Dracula.

Shadow Daggers: Like the Shadow Whip, Dracula can create projectile daggers from his blood magic. This power refills on its own from Dracula's blood reservoir.

Stolas' Clock: The demon prince Stolas enclosed the ashes of a thousand dead bodies in these twisted hourglasses. These clocks slow time when shattered by Dracula. Enemies must be hit in order to be slowed down in time.

Seal of Alastor: A relic that can be shattered to unleash the soul of a legendary warrior. Once activated, Seal of Alastor unlocks all of Dracula's weapon skills regardless of his progress.

Chaos Eruptions: In Mirror of Fate, Dracula can create eruptions of fire from the ground when fighting Trevor Belmont. In Lords of Shadow 2, these pillars of flame explode much quicker using the Explosive Earthquake skill that emulate the Dark Gauntlet's Exploding Quake ability.

Void Slashes: When fighting Trevor in Mirror of Fate, Dracula can swipe at the air with the Void Sword, causing slashes of Void magic to travel towards Trevor. The slashes can also be created in mid air.

Void and Chaos Shockwaves: In Mirror of Fate during his fight against Trevor, Dracula can leap into the air and unleash shockwaves of either Void or Chaos magic (depending on which weapon he is wielding) that can encompas the entire room. During his fight against Simon and Alucard, Dracula uses a "neutral" shockwave reminiscent of the Shadow Whip's magic.

Hellfire: While facing Simon and Alucard in Mirror of Fate, Dracula can lift his cloak to shoot a barrage of fireballs. This is strikingly similar to how the original Dracula attacked while fighting. Dracula also uses fireballs against Trevor near the conclusion of their fight. If hit, Trevor will completely disintegrate leaving no traces behind. This effect is similar to the Forgotten One's blast if he detects Gabriel during the Resurrection DLC's stealth sections.

Legions: As the Prince of Darkness, Dracula has command over the creatures of the night. Terrorizing the world from his powerful castle, Inner Dracula later turns the loyal creatures against their Lord in its attempt to stop him from going through with his goal to achieve eternal rest.

Teleportation: As seen in Mirror of Fate, Dracula can teleport to different locations in an instant while leaving behind traces of his infamous black mist. He does this while eavesdropping on Simon and Alucard and during the final battle with the latter two in which he teleports around his throne while being chased by Alucard. This ability may very well be linked to his Mist Form. In Lords of Shadow 2, Dracula is notably seen to use teleportation against Raisa Volkova and Nergal Meslamstea.

Electrokenesis: Since he was turned by Laura who was of Carmilla's vampiric breed and could manipulate lightning, it can be assumed that as Dracula, Gabriel will have this power. In the Void Sword trailer, Dracula is briefly shown able to emit lightning from the sword as a swirling vortex surrounds him.

Acidic Blood: During Dracula's battle with the Brotherhood, he vomits a great amount of vampire blood into the power source of the Siege Titan. This was powerfully toxic enough to corrupt and destroy the mechanized giant.

Super Strength: As a vampire, Gabriel's above-normal strength was increased dramatically. Dracula is able to push a large battering ram with little effort, peel off metal parts of a Siege Titan and effortlessly pick up fully armoured soldiers and throw them around like rag-dolls.

Super Speed : Dracula can move inhumanly fast and can easily outmaneuver humans and outrun them.

Super Agility: As Dracula, Gabriel is extremely nimble. Able to leap a great distance onto the Siege Titan's hand to confront the Golden Paladin and he can frequently dodge unblockable attacks from enemies with relative ease.

Possession: Dracula can use his blood to possess his enemies and force them to fight one another or to take control of them to a limited degree. He can only inhabit a body temporarily, as the power of his blood will quickly kill the host. In Mirror of Fate, he uses a different type of possession is able to take control of Simon without directly inhabiting his body. This form of possession uses some type of black smoke and allows Dracula to manipulate his victims far more efficiently as evidenced by Simon still being fully combat-capable, as opposed to targets in the modern day who are barely able to walk. This form of possession is not seen in Lords of Shadow 2.

Flight/Levitation: Like Carmilla, Dracula was able to shortly levitate high off the ground after he gained his powers and before killing the Forgotten One. He also levitates during,his confrontations against Simon, Trevor, and Alucard, using a combination of levitation and mist to maneuver in battle and avoid getting hit. In Lords of Shadow 2, he levitates an instant before possessing a target.

Resistance To Holy Artifacts: A regular knight of the Brotherhood of Light would believe that crucifixes and other holy artifacts can weaken and kill all vampires. However, they have no effect against Dracula as he was once a knight of the brotherhood and God's chosen one. In some instances he can even reflect holy magic back against the caster due to this reason. This is also similar to how Dracula from the famous novel written by Bram Stoker couldn't be affected by crucifixes because he himself served God as Vlad Țepeș.

Demonic Wings: Similar to the Seraph Shoulders, Dracula can summon wings via his blood magic to double jump. This is due to Dracula imitating the effects of the holy artifacts he had in the previous game, before abandoning their use altogether.

White Wolf Medallion: When at an altar, this relic will summon Dracula's spirit guide, the White Wolf, who can lead Dracula between the castle of his past and the modern city.