Isaac (Castlevania)

Isaac Laforeze (whose family name is never used) is a major villain in the Castlevania game Curse of Darkness. He is a Devil Forgemaster who pledged loyalty to Count Dracula and becomes hell-bent to avenge his fall, for which he blames his former comrade Hector, the game's primary protagonist. It is eventually revealed that he lost every bit of sanity he had left due to Dracula's Curse and that he was but a pawn in Death's schemes.

About Isaac
Isaac is a very disturbed and disturbing character, sporting extravagant clothing and having an equally extravagant demeanour, mixing flamboyance and bloodlust. He acts in a falsely dignified and theatrical way, which hardly veils his strong sadism. He is particularly violent, ruthless and revengeful, obsessed with paying back Hector for his betrayal. He clearly enjoys serving under Dracula and slaughtering humans, a lust for violence which he shares with his Familiars.

It is hinted that Isaac revels in slaughters due to the rejection he and his sister faced because of their supernatural powers. It is also made clear that although he willingly sold his soul to Dracula, hinting that he has never been a benevolent person, it is Dracula's influence that made him so twisted, making him in some ways as much as a victim as Hector. His sister states that he was once much more level-headed and used to genuinely respect Hector.

Isaac is an immensely powerful Devil Forgemaster: an alchemist able to create magical weapons and to grant life to familiars of various kinds called "Innocent Devils", able to stay by his side to shield him from harm and assist him in battle. He uses the same type of Innocent Devils than Hector (also a Devil Forgemaster), but his own reflect his personality. His very favourite Innocent Devil is a variation of the mightiest kind of Devil Type called Abel, who is always by his side. Moreover, he is a highly skilled fighter who wields some of the most powerful weapons in the game: the "Chauve-Souris" spear (French for "bat") and the "Laser Blade", a whip-like sword of energy. In the Pachislot spin-off games, he is seen wielding a huge spiked flail.

Background
Isaac and Hector entered Dracula's service around 1470, likely having nowhere else to go, and were eventually appointed as his high-ranking generals. Isaac looked up to Hector, whom he regarded as a role model and possibly as a big brother figure. However, contrary to Isaac, Hector did not enjoy following Dracula's orders.

At this time, Dracula was waging war against the whole central Europe; wiping out both opposing armies and the many holy soldiers sent by the Church, conquering many countries and slaughtering countless people, causing the population of Transylvania to decrease at an alarming rate. Hector and Isaac were frequently sent to lead the Count's armies of monsters. Upon learning that Trevor Belmont was leading an offence against him, the Count sent Hector to deal with him, but the Devil Forgemaster had enough with the pointless slaughters and defected from his service, relinquishing his powers to leave in peace among humans.

No longer sensing Hector's power, Dracula sent Isaac to look for him, or kill him if he defected. However, during Isaac's quest Trevor Belmont stormed the Castlevania and allied himself with Dracula's son Alucard, the witch Sypha Belnades and the pirate Grant DaNasty, whom he freed from Dracula's spells, and the four were able to destroy the King of the Night. Isaac was furious to learn this, and even more furious to see that Hector had settled down and married a young woman named Rosaly. He came to blame Hector for his lord's fall, reasoning that if he had not defected, they would have intercepted and killed Trevor Belmont and his allies.

However, with his dying breath, the Count cast a curse upon Transylvania: withering the country, swarming it with monsters and corrupting its people's hearts' with hatred and violence. Dracula was hoping that the curse would wipe out his enemies and would spread to the whole world, so that he could rule it unopposed after his eventual resurrection. As such, the Count's demise brought no peace to the country and even worsened then situation. Isaac fell victim of the Curse and sought spread it as much as possible, along with other followers of the Count under his command. He took profit of this gloomy context to frame Rosaly as a witch, and manipulated her trial from behind the scenes to have her executed. Enraged, Hector begins tracking down Isaac to get his revenge, leading to the events of the game.

Role in the story
In the game, Hector pursues Isaac and catches up with him, but Isaac merely laughs off his threats, stating that he is no match for him in his current state. He then leads Hector towards a grave where he can create Innocent Devils, tricking him into regaining his powers and exposing himself to the curse.

During his travels, Hector meets with Trevor Belmont (who tries to kill him at first believing that he works for Dracula), with a young witch called Julia Laforeze, a mysterious time-traveler named Saint Germain and a wise itinerant priest named Zead (who gives him useful advices and seems to have a feud with Saint Germain). Hector will have to fight both Trevor and Saint Germain, who prove to be considerably powerful and dangerous.

The two Devil Forgemasters eventually do battle in Cordova Town. Isaac intends to test his nemesis, but he teleports away when Julia (who is then revealed to be his younger sister) interrupts the battle. Julia reveals that she wishes that Hector could stop her brother but states that he is not ready to face him yet.
 * Isaac attacks with the spear "Chauve-Souris" and his familiar Abel. He is very fast and spry and attacks with many combos with the spear, a fire-infused jumping attack, and a tornado which he creates by spinning his spear. Hector must concentrate on him while dodging Abel; who often shields his master and attacks by charging towards Hector engulfed in flames, or by disappearing underground to track him down and erupt under his feet in a fiery explosion.

At some point of the game, Isaac confronts Trevor Belmont without being able to defeat him, and flees when Hector arrives. He later tricks Hector into resurrecting the Castlevania, and takes profit of this distraction to stab Trevor from behind, severely wounding him and removing him as a threat. With Trevor under Julia's care, Hector then enters Dracula's Demon Castle and confronts Isaac for a last battle.
 * The demented forgemaster is much faster, swifter and more powerful than ever, and attacks with dangerous combos with the "Laser Blade". He will also summon three Innocent Devils one after another: a Black Dragon who dives towards Hector and attacks with fireballs or a long stream of fire, a Golem whose jumps cause shockwaves, and a Samurai-like Warrior who strikes with a sword and attacks with a rain of knives or energy beams. Hector must strike the Innocent Devil until it disappears, for as long as it exists Isaac cannot be harmed. As for Isaac, he is very vulnerable to Ice attacks.

As Isaac lies defeated, Hector grabs his "Laser Blade" and rushes for the kill in a rage, before holding back at the very last second. Horrified, Hector understands that his thirst for revenge was influenced by Dracula's curse and manages to fight it back.

Zead then appears and reveals that he was the true responsible of the plot, who directed each of Isaac's action. Zead needed a Devil Forgemaster completely corrupted by the curse as a vessel to resurrect Dracula; and although he had set his choice upon Hector, Isaac would do nicely. He then reveals his true identity, none other than Death himself and attempts to get rid of the now useless Hector. However, Hector manages to defeat both Death and the resurrected Dracula, and to harness the essence of the curse to neutralize it once and for all.