Dracula (Castlevania)

"What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!"

- Dracula's iconic quote (taken from the French writer André Malraux.)

Count Vlad Tepes Dracula is the primary antagonist of the Castlevania/Akumajo Dracula video game franchise. He is a former Holy Knight who renounced God following the Death of his wife and became the Lord of Darkness. The game Aria of Sorrow reveals that he is the personification of Chaos, the source of Evil. He is based on Bram Stoker's character, which was in turn based on the infamous Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The idea of Dracula becoming a vampire following the death of his beloved was inspired by the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola.

Dracula appears as a completely different character in the Lords of Shadow reboot series. He is once again a Holy Knight whose Start of Darkness was caused by the death of his wife, but the story focuses on his transition from hero to villain, then his final redemption in the second game.

Lament of Innocence
Dracula's origin is explained in the game Lament of Innocence, set in 1094. He was originally named Mathias Cronqvist, (a possible reference to Matthias Corvinus of Hungary) and was best friends with Leon Belmont. They formed an undefeatable company, Mathias being a tactical genius and Leon a warrior without peer.

However, Mathias eventually lost his wife Elisabetha and became bedridden with grief. One year later, he reveals to Leon that the Vampire Lord Walter Bernhard has kidnapped his own betrothed Sara Trantoul.

After Leon kills Walter, it is revealed that Mathias was behind the whole quest. Blaming God for the loss of his wife, Mathias gained the Crimson Stone: a highly powerful alchemical artifact that absorbs the soul of slain vampires, and became a vampire himself.

Mathias manipulated Walter into kidnapping Sarah and Leon into killing him, so that he would take his soul and powers with the Crimson Stone and take from him the Ebony Stone: an artifact that controls Darkness. Mathias expected that Leon, knowing the pain of losing his loved one, would side with him. However, Leon swore that the Belmont family would hunt him and the Night. Disappointed, Mathias turned into a bat and flew away, ordering Death to deal with him.

Aftermath
During the following centuries, Mathias renamed himself Count Dracula and built his Dark Castle, the Castlevania, in Transylvania.

Not much is known about what Dracula did back then. He had yet to become entirely evil though, since he had a relationship with a human woman called Lisa Fahrenheit (a possible reincarnation of Elisabetha). This union would bear a son, Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes who would be later known as Alucard. Lisa was later executed as her expertise in medicine was called out as "witchcraft", under her son's helpless watch. Enraged beyond belief, Dracula declared war against mankind, becoming irredeemably evil. He later became King of the Night, ruler of all Evil. Despite emulating his father early in his life, Alucard chose to follow his mother’s steps instead of his father’s. He chose the anagram "Alucard" ("Dracula" spelled backwards) for his new name as a symbol of his desire to oppose his father's designs.

Appearance
Dracula is portrayed as a classical Vampire Lord, with chalk-white skin and red eyes, clad in rich medieval clothing and a long black and red cape with a high collar. However, depictions vary from game to game. The early games depict Dracula looking like Bela Lugosi's portrayal in the 1931 Dracula film; clad in the "classical" tuxedo and cape, and occasionally with grey hair. Since Symphony of the Night, he is almost always depicted as a tall, elderly vampire with aristocratic support, long grey hair, a mustache and a goatee, clad in an ornate coat and the "classical" cape. He is sometimes represented with ornate robes, sometimes younger, sometimes as a mix of both aspects.

When fought as a boss, Dracula almost always transforms into a gigantic demon of variable aspect, who most often resembles a humanoid monster with horns and bat-like wings. His most common demon form appears as a dark blue demon, looking like a mix between a dragon and a gargoyle, with wings attached to his arms, which was also seen looking like a black, bat-like demon; but he has also been depicted resembling a Mesopotamian-looking idol, an insectoid dragon, or a purple devil.

In some cases, he has turned into a giant bat, an immense vampiric face, a gigantic and devilish goat head, or turned his cape into a repellent amalgamation of demonic figures with giant arms and wings.

Personality
"Freedom is always sacrificed to faith good hunter. Or are you truly here by choice?"

- Dracula to Richter Belmont

Dracula is awfully cruel, ruthless, hateful and contemptuous, yet poised and regal, with aristocratic demeanor and imposing presence. He is very courteous and well-spoken, usually greeting the heroes politely and discussing their motives, though he frequently laces it with sarcasm and dark humor. There are games however in which he displays nothing but scathing spite and arrogant taunts.

He is cordial to his high-ranking generals and generous to those who resurrect him, granting their wishes if they pledge obedience. Yet, he is unforgiving to traitors, manipulative of his servants, and not above killing people he dislikes on the spot. He is finally highly intelligent and cunning: manipulating unsuspecting people, acting through proxies, or scheming to confuse the heroes and plague them if they win.

Lisa's death caused Dracula to loathe mankind, which he regards as petty, greedy and worthless. He states that everyone, including the heroes who confront him, has Darkness in their hearts and should stop denying their selfish desires. He also states that there is no freedom and that people are willing slaves to their religions; which he compares to his own harvest of human souls. Finally, he describes humanity's ambition and violence as the reason he keeps coming back.

Dracula often taunts his foes, telling them that they struggle in vain and that he will always return despite their best effort. He is very, though rightly, confident in his abilities and considers himself superior to any opponent. However, his softer side resurfaces when confronting his son or remembering his wives. Even in battle, he does not bear ill will towards Alucard, and he has once expressed regret over his evil ways after being reminded of Lisa's last wish.

Powers and Influence
"You should bear that in mind. God is unable to help the souls of those terminated by my hand!"

- Dracula

Dracula is frighteningly powerful. It has been speculated, but not confirmed, that the longer he is around, the younger and mightier he becomes. When he unleashes his full might, he becomes a huge demon and his power skyrockets. He wields the power of Dominance (to absorb the souls and powers of any being), Mimicry (to copy someone else's power), and Hellfire (to conjure and shape fire from Hell itself).

He can sense people's presence and connections to others; manifest himself where he is not physically present; create and transform immense locations like his Haunted Castle that he completely controls; cause disasters and rains of blood; cast an everlasting night on his domain; drag his foes into hellish planes; possess things and people; and cast a wide array of curses over entire countries, to the point of withering the land and corrupting the population even after his death.

Dracula has complete control over Evil and Hell. He draws power from the Chaotic Realm in which human malice gathers. All monsters and malevolent beings pledge loyalty to him; most regarding him as a "savior" able to cleanse the world anew. His mere presence is enough to drive normal people mad and to corrupt his surroundings. He is also able to increase the evil in people’s hearts, and to surround himself with evil energy or pure Darkness.

Dracula also masters the common vampiric powers to an unmatched extent. He can not only transform into a wolf, a bat or a cloud of mist but also into a gigantic swarm of countless bats, a cloud of poison and transform his cloak into bat-like wings or worse. He has incredible strength and he can compel hordes of animals into obedience, control the weather, and drain blood through mere contact.

Not only Dracula "lives" forever, but he can only be harmed when struck in the head or the chest with specific weapons. Even worse, he always resurrects 100 years after being killed, when enough human malice gathers. Not counting those who resurrect him through Dark Rituals.

1450: Castlevania Legends (non-canon)
Dracula's armies have been spreading destruction over Transylvania for years, eventually attacking the Belmont Mansion. The sole survivor, Sonia Belmont (who happens to be an acquaintance of Alucard) sets out to destroy the Count.

Dracula teleports and hurls lightning balls easier to dodge when away. He later transforms into an immense and very dangerous demon made of the souls of his victims. He does not move but his head separates itself, teleports much faster and attacks in all directions. Beware the two pits in the room.

1476: Dracula's Curse
Dracula has been waging war against mankind, wiping out the holy soldiers sent by the Church and taking over many countries, and the Transylvanian population is decreasing at an alarming rate. However, Trevor Belmont is leading an offence against him, defeating the legions he sends against him and storming the Castlevania. During his quest, Trevor sets free the sorceress Sypha Belnades, who was turned into stone, as well as the pirate Grant DaNasty, whom Dracula cursed into obedience, and Alucard. The four of them confront Dracula and manage to destroy him.

Dracula is considerably hard to defeat. He traps the heroes between two pillars of energy before conjuring a third one where they stand, then teleports next to them, making his attacks difficult to avoid. He later becomes a floating, multi-faced monster who spills drops of acidic blood. The heroes must strike each face until it rots into a skull, but he spills more blood with each wound. His final (and hardest) form is an immense demon looking like an Oriental idol. He fires beams that deal crippling damage, while two platforms break from the ground and circle around him. The protagonist must jump on the platforms to strike his head, while minding the pits left open.

1479: Curse of Darkness
Before dying, Dracula cast a curse upon the entire Transylvania, withering the land and corrupting its inhabitants. He wanted the curse to eliminate his enemies and lay waste on the world, enabling him to take it over when he would return. Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who deserted Dracula's ranks, claims back the powers he discarded to track down his fellow Devil Forgemaster Isaac. Hector then learns that they were both manipulated by Death, who needed a Devil Forgemaster to resurrect Dracula. Hector defeats Death and rushes to the Castle Keep, where Dracula has returned through Isaac's corpse. After defeating the King of the Night, Hector manages to dispel his curse.

Dracula is hard to defeat. He teleports or turns into a swarm of bats, and he can bite Hector to heal himself, launch a wave of icicles or a blazing beam that track down Hector, or conjure a powerful fire whirlwind, among others. Dracula’s demonic form is considerably more dangerous. He causes a huge black hole that relegates Hector on a very small area, hindering his movements. Dracula hammers Hector with blows that leave a poisonous tray behind, and flies away for a devastating attack, among which a giant, long-lasting ray and a barrage of projectiles. Dracula can only be harmed at close range, but Hector will need a powerful Familiar by his side to assist him.

1576: Castlevania the Adventure
Dracula reappears and resumes his reign of terror but Christopher Belmont, Trevor's descendant, rises against him. The non-canon comics Castlevania: the Belmont Legacy expands his story. Dracula is helped by the Bartley Clan (likely related to Elizabeth Bartley) and abducts Christopher's beloved Illyana, before turning Christopher's allies into vampires. After his defeat, Dracula's spirit enter Illyana's womb to possess her first-born child.

Dracula poses little to no threat in this game, if not for Christopher’s very slow movements and the two spike chasms in the room. He teleports and hurls four fireballs around him in an X or + pattern. Dracula's second form is that of a giant bat who spawns three smaller ones downwards.

Castlevania: the Adventure ReBirth
Dracula is much harder to defeat in this remake. He fights in the usual way, by teleporting and launching three fireballs that can prove tricky to dodge. Christopher must jump to strike him. Dracula later turns into a bat-like variation of his common demon form, which can put up a challenge. He tries to trap Christopher into a corner and attacks by breathing fire and by jumping to crush Christopher, while releasing four green rays on the sides. In easy mode the battle ends here.

Dracula's last and hardest form is a demonic head who conjures lightning bolts and fiery blasts through pentagrams, forcing Christopher to find a safe spot. Christopher must strike his lower jaw until it breaks. Then things get really dangerous

Dracula will overwhelm Christopher with attacks from all directions; including homing lightning spheres, blue bubbles and rolling eyeballs that must be destroyed, a circle of lightning bolts and a chain of pentagram releasing fiery blasts. Christopher must use the rising platforms to strike Dracula’s eyes, but he is increasingly resilient to damage and his attacks make him hard to reach.

1591: Belmont's Revenge
Foreseeing his defeat, Dracula turned into mist and feigned death. He was too weakened to assume a physical form, but still alive. He waited for the coming of age of Christopher's son Soleiyu (Soleil) Belmont to capture and corrupt him. He then raises four Elemental Castles as obstacles, and prepares to make Soleiyu his vessel. Christopher is forced to storm the castles and fight his son.
 * Soleiyu is very hard to defeat. He jumps, strikes with his whip, launches three daggers one after another and throws a flurry of daggers. Christopher must avoid contact, which is easier said than done since Soleiyu his fast, powerful and moves unpredictably.

After freeing his son, Christopher must defeat Dracula who has regained his physical form and engages a hard battle. He teleports and fires a cluster of rotating energy balls that are very hard to dodge. Christopher must always be out of Dracula’s reach and away from the spike chasms. It is highly advised to learn Dracula's moving pattern before trying to defeat him, and to attack at long range.

16??: Order of Shadows (non-canon)
In this mobile phone game, which takes place in the late 17th century, Dracula gets resurrected by Rohan Krause, leader of the eponymous Order of Shadows.

Dracula is very easy to defeat, since his entire body is vulnerable. He teleports and hurls five spheres of dark energy at variable heights, forcing Desmond Belmont to duck under or jump over. Dracula can also conjure bolts from the sky.

1691: Castlevania (and its remakes)
The first game of the franchise, which was remade several times due to the popularity of its hero Simon Belmont; it sets the classical scenario, with the hero storming the Castlevania to end Dracula's reign of terror. In Haunted Castle, Dracula starts the conflict, by abducting Simon's betrothed the day of their wedding.

Castlevania
This game sets the Count's fighting style: He teleports (twice ahead of Simon’s position and then where Simon is standing), casts "Hellfire" (his signature triple fireball) and Simon must jump to strike his head. Dracula later assumes what would become his most common demon form, who is highly dangerous. He jumps, breathes fireballs downwards, and Simon must avoid getting trapped into the corners. The holy water is useful to slow him down.

Vampire Killer
Dracula fights in the same way but Simon cannot jump over his fireballs, making them harder to escape. When defeated, Dracula possesses the huge painting in his likeness on the wall, and the battle becomes very difficult. Simon must dodge the Count’s waves of bats then climb the platforms on the sides of the room to jump and strike the jewel on the Count's forehead, as many times as needed.

Haunted Castle
Fitting the entire game, the battle against Dracula is nightmarishly hard. He hovers in the air and throws daggers, before turning into a swarm of bats to fly away. Striking him before he flies away is very difficult, yet nothing compared to the Count's second form: a giant head who breathes an endless onslaught of bats. The only way to win is to have enough energy left and strike like a maniac, to try and kill the Count before getting overwhelmed.

Super Castlevania IV
Dracula is very tough. He teleports and attacks with energy balls which split into four, flying energy balls which provides Simon a healing chicken when struck, and flaming faces that track down Simon. When Dracula's face becomes that of a skeleton, the battle gets highly dangerous. He attacks by conjuring four bolts of purple lighting, which deal crippling damage and make him harder to reach.

Castlevania Chronicles
This game itself is adapted from the home computer game Dracula X68000. (In this game, Dracula looks like a tall vampire in a suit, while in Chronicles he sports robes.) He teleports and casts "Hellfire" following Simon's position. When defeated, he transforms into a demon similar to the one in Castlevania, who jumps, breathes fire and tries to corner Simon or to strike him with his claws.

1698: Simon's Quest
Once again, Dracula cast a curse upon the land when defeated, cursing Simon as well this time. The curse eats away the life-force of both Simon and Transylvania and threatens the Belmont’s bloodline. Dracula had his followers guard his remains in haunted mansions to prevent the curse from being lifted. Simon must collect the remains and burn them to summon Dracula's spirit, then battle the Vampire Wraith to the death.

Without golden daggers (which kill him in one blow) or holy water (which holds him in place) the battle proves very dangerous. Dracula hovers in the air leaving little space for Simon to move, and fires scythe-like projectiles which deal crippling damage and are pretty hard to dodge. Simon must distinguish the real Dracula from his afterimages.

1748: Harmony of Dissonance
A warrior named Maxim Kischine gathers the remnants of Dracula's body to destroy them, hoping to prove his worth and to relieve his friend Juste Belmont of his fate as a Vampire Killer. However, he gets corrupted by Dracula's spirit and partially resurrects the Castlevania, making a reflection of the Castle appear in a spiritual realm. Dracula's spirit attempts to take full control of his host, by drinking the blood of Maxim’s and Juste's childhood friend Lydie Erlanger whom he abducted. Fortunately, Maxim is able to escape his control and he hides Lydie away before warning Juste, who steps into action.

Juste fights his way throughout both Castles to gather Dracula's remains, and eventually has to battle Maxim possessed by Dracula. To save both of his friends, Juste must find a way to force Dracula’s spirit out of Maxim’s body.
 * Maxim is highly powerful and dangerous. He is very fast and swift, and attacks with sword strikes, high kicks and shuriken throws. He can also duplicate himself to overwhelm Juste (only the real one is vulnerable).

Dracula Wraith is quite easy to defeat. He teleports and casts either "Hellfire" or a wave of seven spheres of dark energy at different heights. His second form is a conglomerate of his remains which attacks with his clawed tentacle and a huge beam from his eye. If Juste gets behind Dracula, the Count will not be able to reach him.

1792: Rondo of Blood (and its remakes)
Dracula, once again given flesh by Shaft, spends some time laying low and learning about Richter Belmont, before launching a preventive attack on his hometown, but fortunately, the young man was training away. Dracula then abducts four village maiden, including Richter's girlfriend Annette, whom he plans to turn into a vampire, and her sister Maria. Richter eventually saves Maria who fights by his side. They defeat Dracula, who deems their effort futile and knows that he is bound to return.

Defeating Dracula is quite easy. The Count teleports and casts "Hellfire" or his second signature attack "Dark Inferno": two pulsating spheres of dark energy. (Duck then jump.) Dracula then turns into the most famous depiction of his recurring demon form. He jumps, breathes three successive fireballs and hurls a devastating ring of energy that must be ducked under.

Dracula X
In this remake, if Richter fails to save the three captive girls, Annette falls victim to Dracula's curse and is fought as a boss.

Despite having different vampire and demon forms, the Count fights in the same way. However, the battle is much harder since it takes place on many pillars of different height, greatly hindering Richter's movements and punishing mistakes with instant death. It is better to be at one corner of the Throne Room when he transforms, and to stand on a lower pillar to pass under him.

The Dracula X Chronicles
Like in Dracula X, if Richter and Maria fail to save the captives, Dracula's curse turns Annette into a vampire and she is fought as a boss. If that happens, Shaft will barge in after Dracula's second form is defeated and take the Count to safety, leading to the bad ending.

Dracula fights like in the two other games, but after defeating his Demon form, he grows six wings and the battle gets considerably harder. Dracula flies, teleports and uses very dangerous attacks which he can combine: among which a wave of bats, a transformation into a wolf, many huge fireballs, several space-ripping slashes that can kill in one blow, and “Blood Hydro Storm”: a long-lasting rain of acidic blood that can only be dodged by standing below him. After a while, he conjures floating orbs to distract the hero and turns into a swarm of bats for a deadly dive.

1797: Symphony of the Night
Shaft, who survived his battles against Richter and Maria, brainwashes Richter and uses him as a puppet-king of the Castlevania. He then creates a Reverse Castle, where he attempts to bring back Dracula once again. Since no Belmont can handle the threat, Alucard awakes from his three hundred-year slumber. With Maria's help, Alucard manages to free Richter and storms the Reverse Castle, killing Shaft and confronting his father. Dracula tries to talk his son back into his side, but Alucard refuses.

When defeated Dracula asks what where Lisa's last words and, upon hearing that she wished him not to harm mankind, expresses genuine regret for his actions.

Dracula does not exactly transform during the final battle, but turns his cloak into a conglomerate of monsters to fight for him. He attacks in a defined order; swiping his giant claws, summoning a fallen boss and healing himself with its blood, flying to the background to launch a gigantic energy ball, and sending a wave of triangle-shaped energy blasts. Dracula’s attacks deals huge damage but he is not that hard to defeat.

18??: Order of Ecclesia
In the early 18th century, the Belmont clan mysteriously vanished. Orders of mages assembled to fill the void, and prepared to face Dracula when the time would come. Barlowe, founder of the powerful Order of Ecclesia, was entrusted with Dracula's remains, sealed to prevent his resurrection. However, Barlowe (who might have been corrupted by Dracula’s leaking energy) desired to bring the Count back. He harnessed his Dark Power into the "Dominus" Glyph, hiding its origins and presenting it as a way to destroy the Count for good. Barlowe's disciple Shanoa eventually sees through her mentor's deceit and fights him. Dracula then uses Barlowe as a vessel to break the seal. Shanoa challenges the Count but cannot destroy him without "Dominus", surviving its use thanks to the sacrifice of her brother figure Albus.

Dracula poses a considerable challenge. He teleports and attacks with "Hellfire" (a barrage of fireballs), "Dark Inferno" (four dark spheres) and "Fatal Ray" (green beams falling from above). When damaged enough, the battle becomes much harder. He starts chasing Shanoa to kick her or grab her to drain her life, and uses dangerous attacks including waves of shadow bats on either side, hordes of Hellhounds that must be destroyed, and "Destruction Ray" (purple beams falling in succession). When the battle is over, Shanoa must combine the three "Dominus" Glyphs, and use them before Dracula obliterates her with his mightiest attack: "Demonic Megiddo", a tremendous explosion of dark energy.

1830: Circle of the Moon (non-canon)
Dracula rose again in 1820 but was sealed back by Master Morris Baldwin and the Graves family, at the cost of the Graves' life. Ten year later, Carmilla resurrects Dracula in her Dark Castle.

Morris Baldwin, his son Hugh and Nathan Graves barge in to challenge them. Dracula, who recognizes Morris, captures him to sacrifice him under the full moon and regain his full power; before casting Nathan and Hugh into the depths of the Castle. Hugh reaches Dracula first but the Count uses his jealousy to corrupt him, sending him to battle Nathan.
 * Hugh is very powerful and dangerous. He attacks with his sword and the dagger, axe, cross and holy water sub-weapons. Using an elemental shield is advised. When wounded enough, Hugh becomes even faster and mightier; now launching two sub-weapons at the same time and summoning Sword Spirits.

Nathan saves Hugh and defeats Dracula, who retreats to the chaotic planes where he can use his full power. As Hugh is taking his father to safety, Nathan chases after Dracula and manages to destroy him.

Dracula's first form poses very little threat and his whole body is vulnerable. He attacks with fire bats, ice bats, and a swarm of lightning bats in all directions.

Dracula's demon form however is nightmarish. He fires beams setting the ground ablaze, clouds of poison (whirl the whip) and a rain of meteors. His attacks are devastating and his weak point is the eye on his belly that opens when he teleports. After a while, Dracula starts using energy-infused dashes that can kill in one hit, before turning into a flying eye protected by bats and becoming vulnerable for a short while. Using powerful combinations of the magic DSS Cards for defence and offence is mandatory.

1844: Legacy of Darkness (Alternate timeline/non-canon)
Dracula is brought back by Death, Actrise and Gilles de Rais. (Whether this is Dracula or an avatar of some sort is unclear. He seems to be a decoy set to get the protagonist's power, but the game refers to him as "Dracula".) He unlocks Ortega's beast-man power in exchange of Ada, the adopted sister of his former friend Cornell, as a sacrifice complete his return.

Cornell sets out to rescue his sister and eventually defeats Dracula (?), who attempts to grab the crystal holding Ada captive, forcing Cornell to sacrifice his wolf power to save her. This leads Dracula (?) to seize it instead. Death, Actrise and Gilles de Rais later sacrifice the wolf power to ensure Dracula's real resurrection.

Dracula (?) is not that dangerous and striking him stops his attacks. He teleports a lot, he can capture lightning to attack and vacuums Cornell to drink his blood, which heals him and causes the Vampire status. Striking his fireballs can provide supplies.

When he turns into a faceless demon the battle becomes much harder. His only weak point is the head inside his chest which appears when he attacks, and Cornell has very little space to move. He uses highly powerful attacks in a defined order, alternating between close-range moves and waves of projectiles from afar that must be destroyed. If he punches or grabs Cornell, he sends him flying and bombards him with energy blasts. Cornell must strike him before he launches his last attack: a devastating exploding beam that can kill him outright.

1852: Castlevania 64 (Alternate timeline/non-canon)
Dracula was resurrected within the soul of a child named Malus, prompting his followers to raze villages and abduct children looking for him. Dracula overwhelms his host when he turns 8 and has Gilles de Rais playing his role, while he pretends to be an innocent boy, who gets slowly corrupted by evil.

If the heroes take too long to confront Gilles de Rais, he would have turned the arrogant vampire hunter Charlie Vincent into a vampire. Then, upon killing what they believe to be Dracula, the heroes take Malus to safety, not knowing that they fell right into his trap. If the heroes reach Gilles first, Dracula breaks his charade and attacks them. When defeated, he turns back into Malus and pretends to have been possessed. This would have worked without Vincent, who saw through his deceit and douses him in holy water to reveal who he is. Enraged, Dracula unleashes his demon form, but he is destroyed.

When Dracula teleports, several lights appear to confuse the heroes about where he appears. His fireballs might provide supplies when struck but they mess with long-range attacks.

While his vampire form poses some challenge, his demon form is considerably harder. He conjures spheres causing a tremendous atomic explosion when struck, making long range attacks very dangerous, and he attacks with fireballs and waves of dirt. The heroes must strike him at close range and flee before he retaliates with flaming breathes or damaging shock waves of dirt. After a while, he summons two fire dragons to assist him. The dragons erupt from the ground endlessly. They can be destroyed but Dracula summons them back after a while so it is best to keep only one alive.

1917: Castlevania Bloodlines
The events of Bram Stoker's novel were adapted to fit the Castlevania universe, making Quincy Morris, the man who killed Dracula in 1897, a relative of the Belmonts. The witch Drolta Tzuentes later resurrects Elizabeth Bartley, who in turn brings back Dracula. The Count settles in Proserpina Castle in England and spreads his evil influence throughout Europe, but Quincy's son John Morris and Eric Lecarde manage to defeat him.

Dracula is not a big threat. His first form attacks with several types of fireballs, but is very easy to track when he teleports. He first transforms into a flying, wizard-like vampire, whose most dangerous attacks conjures afterimages of himself to blast the room with pillars of energy. The heroes must get under the real one who does not attack. (Many fans believe that this form is the witch Drolta Tzuentes sent as a distraction, due to it looking like her artwork.) Dracula's last form is a huge and dangerous demon who jumps to crush the heroes. He changes his colour and his attack when wounded: pink (exploding projectiles), red (fire breath), and grey (waves of bones). The best way to deal with him safely is to keep away from him and attack at long-range.

1944: Portrait of Ruin
The Vampire Lord Brauner uses the souls of the victims of World War II to resurrect the Castlevania, and takes it over with his bewitched paintings. Brauner prevents Dracula's return and plans to overthrow him but he is defeated by Jonathan Morris and Charlotte and Dracula returns.

Dracula fights alongside Death in a very difficult battle. Dracula teleports and casts "Hellfire" and "Dark Inferno" in waves, while Death attacks from above, and they can combine their powers for devastating attacks, including a wave of scythes turning into a barrage of "Dark Inferno" spheres, a transformation into a swarm of bats, and Dracula turning Death into a giant scythe and striking the ground to unleash "Demonic Megiddo". Striking one foe harms both.

Dracula then takes Death's soul and transforms into a formidable demon. He flies around and lands punches, but is vulnerable in the aftermath. When he tries to trap the heroes between his wings, they must strike each one repeatedly to repel them. He also attacks with Death's scythe and a rain of fireballs.

1999: The Demon Castle Wars
As predicted by Nostradamus, the last battle between Dracula and the Belmonts took place in the last year of the millennium. Julius Belmont led a coalition of the world's armies helped by the Church and Alucard. They defeated Dracula and his forces, and a Japanese priest sealed the Castlevania in a solar eclipse. Dracula was destroyed once and for all, but several men born this day inherited some of his powers and he would eventually reincarnate...

2035: Aria of Sorrow
Dracula was reincarnated as a young man named Soma Cruz, who wields his power of Dominance. While Soma is his own character, he must struggle to avoid his dark legacy. During a solar eclipse, he and his friend Mina Hakuba are dragged within the Castlevania, which seeks a new lord and sensed Soma's connection with Dracula.

After learning the truth, Soma defeats Graham Jones and unwillingly absorbs most of the Castlevania's powers. To avoid becoming the new King of the Night, he ventures into the Chaotic Realm and confronts Chaos: the core of all Evil which was previously personified as Dracula, and seeks a new physical existence.

Chaos first appears closed like a shell of some sort, sporting three statues who steal Soma's power. Soma must destroy the statues to get his power back. When Chaos reveals itself, Soma must first strike the four eyes in the corners to destroy the Core's defence, but it is protected by a skeletal Dragon and attacks of its own, mostly with a circular wave of needles.

2036: Dawn of Sorrow
One year after defeating Chaos, Soma is involved in Celia Fortner's plan to awake the new King of the Night. In the bad ending, Soma suffers the same fate as Mathias Cronqvist when Celia pretends to kill Mina, and takes Dracula's throne (swiftly killing Celia whom he dislikes). This triggers the "Julius Mode", in which Julius Belmont and Soma's friends fight against Soma, now the King of the Night.

Dark Lord Soma fights almost the same way as Dracula and is very hard to defeat. He is assisted by the Familiar Gaibon who cannot be harmed. Soma teleports and uses "Giga Twister" the final form of the Great Axe Armour's Bullet-type soul: a giant axe rotating around him. When defeated, he turns into a bluish demon (reminiscent of the Rondo and Symphony games), who combines his attacks (Aguni’s Bullet Soul: a flaming wave, and Abbadon’s Bullet-Soul: a swarm of locusts) with that of the invincible Harpy familiar he summoned.

Harmony of Despair
Dracula is fought at the end of the medley game Harmony of Despair. The Grimoire in which the games’ story is recorded is struck by a curse and several heroes from different eras must battle throughout its chapters, featuring monsters, bosses and locations from every game.

Dracula first appears under the Vampire and Demon forms from Rondo of Blood, then as the Demonic Cloak form from Symphony of the Night, but he is considerably harder to defeat than in these games. Vampire Dracula casts "Hellfire" or "Dark Inferno" and conjures many flame pillars. Demon Dracula sends green, poisonous beams downwards when he jumps, spits tormented souls and a flaming wave along the ground, and fires a devastating giant beam. The heroes must avoid getting cornered and dodge the beam at all cost.

Final Dracula is immune to certain types of attack when he glows blue and casts a spell that turns the female heroes against their allies. He also unleashes an onslaught of attacks, including pillars of fire which he can combine with lightning onslaughts, and a dangerous array of beams. When he casts "Demonic Megiddo" the heroes must rush to the corners to avoid the blast or risk instant death.

Dracula is also fought at the end of the chapter "Origins", consisting of the first Castlevania game in its entirety, where he goes by the name of R. The Count. Dracula looks exactly the same but is way harder to defeat. He fires more fireballs (three waves in different directions in Hard Mode) that are quite difficult to dodge. His demon form is very fast, resilient and dangerous. He attacks by breathing a triple stream of fireballs and by dashing forwards, and must be struck in-between his attacks. Should some of the heroes leave the throne room, a star-shaped array of fireballs appears and deals huge damage.

Castlevania the Arcade (non-canon)
Dracula is the final boss of this arcade game and needless to say, he poses a considerable challenge. He hovers in the air and tries to strike the heroes from behind while calling forth Demonic Knights that must be destroyed. He later transforms into a winged vampire and becomes much faster and mightier. He starts turning into a wolf or a swarm of bats to attack, and casts "Hellfire" (a barrage of fireballs) and "Demonic Megiddo" (an explosive sphere of destruction). It is very important to keep away from him and attack without end.

Castlevania Judgment
Dracula is a playable character in the fighting game Castlevania Judgment. He also serves as the final boss of the "Castle Mode", which emulates a normal Castlevania game, in which he is fought in the Throne Room stage. Contrary to the other characters, Dracula was not adapted for close-range melee. He is extremely slow but he can teleport and uses powerful attacks that can prove deadly when used in succession, in between teleports:
 * Dark Void: Teleport.
 * Dark Psychic Blast: Telekinetic wave that blasts his foe away.
 * Demonic Cleansing: Column of dark energy under his foe.
 * Hellfire: Three fireballs.
 * Dark Inferno: Homing spheres of dark energy.
 * Dark Blaze: Powerful flaming pillar around him.
 * (Hyper Attack) Demonic Megiddo: A giant sphere of destruction causing a tremendous dark blast.

Castlevania Netflix Series
"One Year. I gave you one year to make your peace with your god. And what do you do? Celebrate the day you killed my wife! One year I gave you while I assembled my armies, and now... I bring your death! You had your chance."

- Dracula, to the people of Wallachia he is about to slaughter

"Go now and kill! Kill, for my love! Kill, for the only true love I've ever knew! Kill for the endless lifetime of hate before me!"

- Dracula, to his armies of demons

Count Vlad Tepes Dracula is the main villain of the Netflix cartoon adaptation of the game Dracula's Curse. The story is set in XV Century Romania, where Dracula is established. It closely follows the games' background, while hinting that Dracula might have been the infamous Prince Vlad III of Wallachia instead of Mathias Cronqvist, or both.

Season One
The story begins in 1455, with Dracula being an extremely powerful Vampire Lord expert in many forms of science and sorcery, much like his original novel counterpart, yet brooding, solitary and misanthropic, but not yet fully evil. He lives in his immense castle, which he can make travel everywhere, which he filled with all sort of modern technology replicated from what he saw when viewing into the future; a nod to the many anachronisms and to the Castlevania's ever-changing location in the games.

A young woman named Lisa Fahrenheit, training in science and medicine, comes to his castle surrounded by hundreds of impaled skeletons to ask for his tutelage, while resisting his intimidation attempts and offering to teach him to reconcile with the world in exchange. Impressed by her resolve and bravery, Dracula gives her access to all his considerable resources. As time goes by, they grow close and fall in love, giving birth to their son Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, who would later be known as Alucard. She even inspires Dracula to travel and see the world.

Alas, while Dracula was away, Lisa was taken by a fanatical, corrupt, power-hungry and retrograde bishop and burned at the stake for witchcraft. When Dracula comes back to her house and find it in ruins, it is already too late to save her.

Maddened with grief, Dracula laments that he could have been on time to save her, had he used magic instead of travelling like a man, and swears bloody revenge. He disappears in a pillar of fire and manifests in the pyre flames as a giant, fiery head, cursing the townspeople for burning an innocent physician. Rebuked by the Bishop who dismisses him as a myth, he gives the Vallachian population one year to put their business in order or flee, before he wipes them from the map. As an enraged Dracula prepares to raise an army of monsters from Hell itself by next year, Alucard attempts to talk him out of it, as innocents like Lisa would suffer. Dracula retorts that there are no innocents for they would have stood for her, attacking him in blind rage and grievously wounding him with a claw swipe.

One year later, as the Archbishop of Targoviste foolishly brags that the promises of Doom by "the devil" were but lies, blood starts raining over the city and the stained-glass windows of the cathedral shatter, with the shards impaling the Archbishop and his attendants.

The cathedral suddenly sets itself ablaze and Dracula manifests in the fire, cursing the crowd for celebrating instead of heeding his warning, swarming the city with winged monsters and horribly slaughtering everyone around. As the Castlevania rises over the city, Dracula orders his forces to destroy the entire country, town by town. However, a man named Trevor Belmont, armed with the holy Vampire Killer whip sets out to defeat the vampire, engaging both the monsters and the corrupt agents of the Bishop who killed Lisa.

Trevor protects a group of scholars called the Speakers from the Bishop, who excommunicated the Belmont Clan and burned their mansion, and is now using the chaos to take control of the country, scapegoating anyone opposing him for the monsters' invasion. Trevor saves the Chief Speaker's granddaughter, the magician Sypha Belnades who was turned into stone by a Cyclops.

Later, as the Bishop is killed by a powerful demon who gleefully reveals that his actions disgust God so much that he no longer protects him and ironically thanks him for enabling their rise on Earth, Trevor reveals the Bishop's corruption and lies, and helped by a pure hearted priest and the Speakers, organizes the population of the city of Gresit to successfully fight back against Dracula's hordes.

Then, Trevor and Sypha venture in the crypt and meet Alucard, who just recovered. Together, they form an alliance to stop his father and save Wallachia before it is too late.