Dracula (Castlevania)

Dracula Vlad Țepeș (Japanese: ドラキュラ・ヴラド・ツェペシュ, Hepburn: Dorakyura Vurado Tsepeshu) or simply known as Dracula (Japanese: ドラキュラ, Hepburn: Dorakyura), real name Mathias Cronqvist, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Konami's Castlevania video game series. A vampire and sorcerer, he is the archenemy of the Belmont clan and the final boss of many installments. In the series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dracula is reimagined as an 11th-century holy knight named Gabriel Belmont and serves as the central character of the game and its two sequels. The Lords of Shadow series tells the story of Gabriel's quest to save the world, vampirism and redemption. The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character from the novel of the same name, who was in turn likely named for Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Dracula of the Castlevania series draws inspiration from both, but instead of only preying on victims, this version threatens the whole world and humankind as a dark lord (Demon King in Japanese). Nevertheless, further games explore a sign of humanity in the form of his love towards his wife, who had a child named Alucard with him. Dracula was created by game director Hitoshi Akamatsu, who was fond of horror films when creating the Castlevania franchise. Koji Igarashi further expanded on his character, starting with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Meanwhile, the reboot by MercurySteam was meant to show the character as more sympathetic in his transformation from a vampire hunter to Dracula. Critical response to Dracula has been largely positive, establishing him as one of the most iconic video game villains. His portrayal in the Lords of Shadow trilogy received mixed reviews from game journalists, who praised the tragic elements of his story in the first two games, but criticized his characterization as Dracula...