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Relax. My name is Graham. Let's just say… I'm a missionary.
~ Graham Jones introducing himself to Soma Cruz.
I was born on the very day that Dracula was destroyed… So, in short, that means that I AM Dracula!
~ Graham summing up his delusion.
The souls of MY demons are under YOUR control. Can I forgive such a crime? NO! NEVER! Even if you return them, you have still committed the crime of stealing. Don't you know that? It's only right that thieves receive the punishment they deserve. You are guilty of grand theft. Therefore, I sentence you to death! And as a special treat, I myself will deliver the punishment!
~ Graham's breakdown before his final battle with Soma.

Graham Jones is the main antagonist of the 2003 action role-playing game Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.

He is the charismatic, yet delusional leader of a popular religious cult, who believes himself to be Count Dracula's reincarnation and sets out to become his successor, only to be confronted by Dracula's real reincarnation, Soma Cruz.

History[]

In the year 2035, a new master will come to the castle, and he... will inherit ALL of Dracula's powers.
~ Graham Jones' self-serving prophecy.

Dracula was defeated for good by Julius Belmont in august of 1999, after an all-out conflict involving a coalition of armies and many priests during which the Castlevania was sealed in a solar eclipse, ending the Count's cycle of resurrections. However, Dracula was to reincarnate and a few people born the very day of his last defeat inherited some of his Dark Powers: Graham Jones, Dmitrii Blinov and Dario Bossi.

Graham used his power to establish a cult of personality, which gained not inconsiderable influence over the years. He preached about Dracula's last defeat and prophesized that during the first solar eclipse of the century, Dracula's reincarnation would rise as the new King of the Night.

Personality[]

Soma: That can't be right!? You've been so kind and friendly to me!
Graham: That is because I don't consider you a threat to my mission. But that being said, you have made it this far... I sense a power within you. Do tell me... what kind of power has awoken within you?
~ Graham revealing his true colors.

Graham appears at first glance as someone refined, courteous and friendly; yet ambitious, self-righteous and prone to murder anyone he regards as hindrances. Just like Dracula, he is very well-read and charismatic, earning the fanatical devotion of his followers. Yet, contrary to Dracula, he holds no hostility towards humanity, even though it is obvious that he seeks his throne for malevolent purposes, most likely world domination.

At second glance however, Graham comes out as a pathetic Big Bad Wannabe. He suffers from severe cases of delusions of grandeur and paranoia, as well as a twisted messiah complex; all linked to his obsession of being Dracula reborn. He is disturbingly selfish, immature and self-absorbed, looking down on everyone like a parent chiding ignorant children, but reacting extremely poorly to any setback, no matter how minor, and taking great offence for the smallest slight, or anything he perceives as such.

When he sees no obstacle in his way, Graham welcomes people within the Castlevania as his guests, showing-off a lot but still congenial. But as soon as he notices Soma's closer links to Dracula, he views him as a rival who must be dealt with at once. Despite Soma's repeated statements that he holds no interest whatsoever for Dracula's throne, like any paranoid people, he sees a threat where there is none and cannot stand any contradiction to his self-aggrandising vision, no matter the evidence.

Upon taking control of the Castle, he comforts himself in his delusion and reasons that Soma's power is but a coincidence. Yet he still regards Dracula's power belonging to anyone but him as an affront, resolving to kill Soma to prove his superiority.

Powers and Abilities[]

Graham inherited some of Dracula's power, but to what extent is never explained, since he only uses magic after taking power from the Castle. It could be guessed that he inherited his mastery of dark sorcery and demonic rituals.

After seizing control of the Castlevania, he becomes able to control its monsters, to float, to teleport and to use Dracula's signature attacks. He even becomes able to assume a mightier form, though he summons demons to fuse with rather than transforming into one like Dracula did.

In the Game[]

Intro[]

Aria of Sorrow art

Because of the day of his birth and his powers, Graham convinced himself that he was Dracula's reincarnation. Knowing about the Castlevania's location, he waited for a solar eclipse to enter it and claim what he regarded as his legacy. However, when that day arrived in 2035, the Castle which was seeking a new lord sensed Soma Cruz's connection with Dracula and transported him and his friend Mina Hakuba within its walls.

Since the Castle's demonic influence would eventually prove fatal to Mina, Soma set out to find an exit, and discovers in the process that he wields the Power of Dominance: one of Dracula's primary powers, which absorbs the soul and the powers of those whom he defeats.

The Conflict[]

Graham and Soma eventually meet when roaming the Castlevania, both looking for the Throne Room. (Graham so that he could take over the Castle, Soma so that he could get out.) At first, Graham greets Soma amiably, telling him more about Dracula, the Castle and its upcoming heir. Later, Yoko Belnades (descendant of a clan of powerful magic-wielders) attempts to stop Graham's goals but he stabs her in a rage and departs when Soma enters the scene.

Graham meets Soma again a while later. He explains his beliefs about being Dracula, and suddenly notices that Soma wields the Power of Dominance and controls the souls of many monsters. Not believing this, he takes his leave, determined to take control of the Castle before Soma.

Graham eventually reaches the Throne Room and manages to absorb most of the Castlevania's dark power, increasing his own to an incredible extent. This comforts him in his delusion and he convinces himself that he has truly become the King of the Night. He later confronts Soma and attacks him under a futile pretext, but he stands no chance against the real reincarnation of Dracula and ends up killed.

Boss Battle[]

Graham is considerably powerful but he can be defeated without major problems if Soma proves cautious enough. Graham hovers over the ground and fights in the exact same fashion as Dracula, teleporting in and out and using the Count's two signature attacks: "Hellfire" (three fireballs that spreads outwards, that must be struck or jumped over) and "Dark Inferno" (several spheres of dark energy at variable height that must be jumped over or ducked under).

Graham can only be harmed when struck in the head, but Soma can strike him several times before he teleports away. Using weapons that strike diagonally enable Soma to wound him without jumping, and as such to score more hits. After a while, he starts appearing in the center of the room and using "Dark Inferno" to send three dark spheres rotating outwards around him. Soma must use long-range attacks or strike after he sends the spheres away.

Graham Demon

Graham's second form.

Graham later fuses with a gigantic figure, consisting in Siamese androgynous demons linked through their eyes and their innards, with eyes on the back of their large clawed hands. Graham attacks continuously with very damaging claw swipes, while a ring of skulls hovers over it and fires a devastating lightning blast.

Soma must target Graham's human body, located on the common heart of the Siamese demons. Once again, using weapons that strike diagonally is a better choice. It is advised to use a sword large enough to reach him while Soma is crouching, and keep this position to avoid the claw swipes, while gliding away whenever he unleashes his lightning blast.

Aftermath[]

If Soma defeats Graham normally, he will manage to exit the Castle without troubles and the game will end. If on the contrary he battles the deranged missionary with the Succubus, Fire Demon and Bat Souls equipped, (representing Dracula's powers to drain life, control Hellfire, and turn into a bat-like demon) the Castle will recognize Soma as its true heir and transfer all the powers absorbed by Graham to him, pushing him dangerously close to becoming the new King of the Night.

To avoid this gloomy fate, Soma must enter the Chaotic Realm, the demonic dimension where Evil and human malice gathers, that only Dracula can enter. There he has to fight Chaos, the core of all evil which was formerly personified by Dracula. If Soma loses to Chaos, he will become the new Evil Incarnate, if on the contrary he manages to defeat it, he will exit the Castlevania with Mina and his friends. With the Castlevania crumbling while still sealed and Chaos beaten, Soma is freed from the burden of his dark inheritance. But Chaos can never be destroyed for good and it is bound to find a new host... Sooner or later.

Trivia[]

  • Graham Jones' first name comes from the popular American televangelist Billy Graham. This is an allusion to the charismatic exterior he presents to the outside world.
  • Graham is based on Jim Jones, the creepy cult leader and mass murderer who founded a sect called the People's Temple, before leading all his followers to commit suicide together in the jungles of Guyana in 1978. This is an allusion to his true, twisted nature and his false promises of grandeur to his cultists.

External links[]

Navigation[]

             CastlevaniaLogo Villains

Dracula's Army
Leadership
Dracula | Death | Carmilla | Shaft | Elizabeth Bartley | Chaos
Minions
Actrise | Barlowe | Beelzebub | Gilles de Rais | Isaac | Legion | Magnus | Medusa | Olrox | Ortega

Dark Lords
Walter Bernhard | Dracula | Brauner | Graham Jones | Dmitrii Blinov | Dario Bossi

Others
Albus | Celia Fortner | The Forgotten One | Galamoth | Joachim Armster | Menace | Stella and Loretta | Succubus | Time Reaper

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