Adrian Fahrenheit Țepeș(Japanese:アドリアン・ファーレンハイツ・ツェペシュ,Hepburn:Adorian Fārenhaitsu Tsepeshu),better known asAlucard(Japanese:アルカード,Hepburn:Arukādo),is a character inKonami'sCastlevaniaseriesof video games. His first appearance in the series was in the 1989 gameCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse,but he is best known for his role in the critically acclaimedCastlevania: Symphony of the Night,released in 1997. His design inSymphony of the Nightwas created byAyami Kojima,marking her first contribution to theCastlevaniafranchise.

Alucard
Castlevaniacharacter
First gameCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse(1989)[1]
Designed byT. Fujimoto and I. Urata (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse)[1]Ayami Kojima[2](Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
Voiced by
In-universe information
SpeciesDhampir
GenderMale

In the series, Alucard is the son ofDracula,the antagonist of theCastlevaniaseries. Due to his human mother,Lisa,Alucard is adhampir,a half-human, half-vampire. His mother's death and admonition not to hate humanity caused him to take up arms against his father. InDracula's CurseandCastlevania Legends,he fights against his father alongside the vampire hunters of theBelmont clan,and he is featured as the protagonist ofSymphony of the Night.Alucard additionally is present inCastlevania: Aria of Sorrowand the follow-up sequelCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow,where he interacts with the protagonist of both games,Soma Cruz,as the Japanese government agentGenya Arikado(Hữu giác huyễn dã,Arikado Gen'ya).TheLords of Shadowreboot series, starting with the character's introduction inCastlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate,introduces a reimagined Alucard with a new backstory, revealing him asTrevor Belmont,once a mortal who was transformed into a vampire after his death at the hands of his biological father, the remorseful Dracula.

Severalvideo game publicationshave provided praise and criticism on Alucard's character. While Alucard debuted inDracula's Curse,his characterization stood out more inSymphony of the Nightfor being a different type of protagonist from his predecessors. InAria of SorrowandDawn of Sorrow,where Alucard was present as Genya Arikado, reviewers noted that although he fell into a stereotypical character mold, the greater concentration on supporting characters was a welcomed change from previousCastlevaniagames. Alucard's portrayal in theLords of Shadowand Netflix series also led to positive response by the media.

Conception and development

Alucard was intended to be a mirror image of his father, as evidenced by his name, his father's name spelled backwards.[1]The originalCastlevaniagames for theNintendo Entertainment System(NES) contained references to theUniversal Horrorfilms, with Alucard being a tribute toLon Chaney Jr.'s role as Count Alucard from the 1943 film,Son Of Dracula.[6]

The idea of using Alucard as a protagonist inSymphony of the Nightcame from Konami's idea for a character whose abilities could grow and change, and also a character who could transform into other things. Given those two points, and the need to connect the protagonist to the history ofCastlevania,they chose Alucard. The original design was not found appealing by the staff, and they redesigned him. While the game does not explain it, Alucard can use holy weapons thanks to his human heritage.[7]

Game designer Koji Igarashi oversaw several changes for Alucard for his role inSymphony of the Nightonwards.

The ending ofSymphony of the Nightwhere Maria chases after Alucard was left to the player's interpretation. Though the idea about a romantic interaction was planned, the team did not want Alucard to turn Maria into another vampire. Another idea Igarashi had was that Alucard defeated Dracula in the original plotline by Bram Stoker, instead of Quincy Morris.[7]Despite pressure for the change of protagonist, Alucard was highly popular to the fanbase with the staff members thinking it was due to him being cool.[8]

When it came to the rebootCastlevania: Lords of Shadow,Mercury Steam told the audience the spin-offMirror of Fatewould include Trevor Belmont and Alucard as different playable characters, before later revealing them to be the same character but transformed. WithMirror of Fate,Mercury Steam wanted to explain the story that connects the Belmont Clan with Dracula.[9]Alcuard plays a major in the sequel due to his connection with Dracula.[10]For the DLC of the next game, Alucard became playable with the plot being focused more on his relationship with Dracula before the events ofLords of Shadow 2.[11]

For theNetflixseries ofCastlevania,the art team were given directions from Konami staff members. One of those factors was Alucard's ambidextrous talents, or lack thereof. In the original animation for the show's fourth and final episode of its first season, animation director Spencer Wan had drawn Alucard holding a sword in his left hand. It was only after revisiting notes from Konami that Wan remembered the video game publisher had reminded the art team at Powerhouse Animation that Alucard had to be drawn as right-handed. This led to several changes in the making of the series in order to make Netflix's Alucard fit Konami's ideas.[12]The first encounter between Alucard and Trevor was one of the most challenging fights to animate but the staff found that Alucard being shirtless made it easier.[13]Despite the narrative focusing too much on tragedy, the staff made sure to give Alucard and Trevor Belmont a friendly relationship that often comes across as childish to balance the tone.[14]For the fourth season, the team promised the emotionally destroyed Alucard would recover his humanity in this new arc.[15]

The writers always planned to bring back Alucard forNocturneeven if he only appeared in the last scene from its first season. They wanted to make it a surprise return as well as make it as beautiful as possible.[16]In retrospective, Producer Adi Shankar said thatSymphony of the Nightstood out for deviating from the franchise's common narrative elements of the Belmont clan and instead focused on Alucard who is too different from previous protagonists. He further compared the story with how different theMarvel Universefilms are as they go fromCaptain America: The First Avenger(2011) toCaptain America: Civil War(2016).[17]This version of Alucard was later confirmed as bisexual on Twitter by Sam Deats, one of the series directors.[18]Alucard also appears inCastlevania: Nocturne.

Design

Alucard debuted inCastlevania III: Dracula's Cursefor theNintendo Entertainment System,where he was designed by T. Fujimoto and I. Urata.[1][19]Much of the original artwork for the game was lost during theGreat Hanshin earthquake.[20]Alucard's subsequent appearances would largely be designed byAyami Kojima,who managed the character designs forCastlevania: Symphony of the NightandCastlevania: Aria of Sorrow.[2]

Kojima's work inSymphony of the Nightwas her first breakthrough into the gaming industry, and her dark, gothic style borrows heavily frombishōnen-style art.[2]From a visual perspective, Toshiharu Furukawa found it appealing to have a stylish man as the lead for this installment. Along with the change in lead, there was also a switch in visual style from an anime-esque look to one inspired by Baroque art. Kojima was inspired by the novelsVampire Hunter Dillustrated byYoshitaka Amanowhen working in the game, with Alucard being highly influenced by its title and main character.[6]

InAria of Sorrow,Kojima's designs followed the new theme that producerKoji Igarashiwas attempting to pursue by placing it in a futuristic setting.[21]Following this theme, Alucard's appearance as Genya Arikado was made much more contemporary, featuring modern attire compared the historical appearances of previousCastlevaniacharacters.[21]Kojima was not present in the design team forCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow,and Arikado, along with the rest of the cast, were drawn in an anime style. Igarashi, also the producer ofDawn of Sorrow,wished to utilize the anime style as a marketing technique due to his belief that theNintendo DStargeted a younger audience than previous systems had.[22][23]The anime style would also serve as a litmus test as to whether futureCastlevaniagames would incorporate the style.[24]For the Netflix series, Alucard's design was inspired bySymphony of the Nightwith the director noting it was "deep" for the character despite Trevor and other characters being influenced by other games.[25]

ForLords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate,Alucard's human form, Trevor Belmont, was created as a parallel to Dracula's former self, Gabriel Belmont.MercurySteamhad more freedom with this game resulting in connections between the Belmont and Dracula. Despite being Dracula's child, Alucard was designed with the idea of being his opposite as shown with how he is attached to the light.[26]The staff wanted Trevor to stand out and not look identical to Gabriel. Meanwhile, there were less hints about Simon Belmont being Trevor's son.[27]The themes of fate and the parallels involving Alucard and Dracula was inspired byChristopher Nolan's film,Memento(2000).[28]The powers Alucard has access to in theLords of Shadowreboot were loosely based onSymphony of the Night.[29]

Voice actors

Ryōtarō Okiayu (left) is Alucard's first Japanese voice actor. Robert Belgrade(second)and Yuri Lowenthal (third) voiced him in the two English localizations. Meanwhile, Richard Madden (fourth) voiced him theLords of Shadowseries and James Callis (fifth) in the Netflix series.

Symphony of the Nightis the secondCastlevaniagame to employ voice actors for the characters (the first being theAkumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondofor thePC Engine Super CD-ROM²).[30]The Japanese voice actor for Alucard wasRyōtarō Okiayu,[4]and the English voice actor wasRobert Belgrade.[31]Igarashi especially liked the final scene, when Alucard says "Trouble the soul of my mother no more!" as it emphasizes the character's humanity, in contrast to his quiet and emotionless lines earlier in the game.[7]The English actor, Robert Belgrade, grew fond on the game and noticed he received favorable feedback from the fans. Belgrade lamented he was not called by Konami for later works which he attributes due to the localization team being moved.[32]

Igarashi noted that due to fan complaints over the voice acting inSymphony of the Night,a new script for the game as well as a set of new voice actors were used inThe Dracula X Chronicles.[33][34]Yuri Lowenthalreplaced Belgrade for this version.[35]

In theLords of Shadowseries, Alucard is voiced byRichard Madden.[4][36]Producer Dave Cox claimed Madden was chosen due to his popularity and talent in order to fit with other famous actors likeRobert CarlyleandPatrick Stewart.[37]

James Callisvoices Alucard in the 2017 Netflix seriesCastlevaniaand its 2023 sequel,Castlevania: Nocturne.[36][38]Callis originally auditioned for Trevor. However, the way he did his Trevor audition was exactly how he voices Alucard, which the staff found funny. This led to Callis taking the role of Alucard. The team enjoyed recording several lines due to how violent and humorous some interactions were.[39]

Caliis recalls being a fan of vampire stories in his youth but played fewCastlevaniagames during that time. As a result, he had no knowledge of the franchise when being cast for the role. He was impressed by Netflix'sCastlevania.In describing his character, he considers it fair to say that he plays his Alucard's very close to himself. He added that the character "has lived, loved, experienced humanity in all its glory and its despair" and manages to become more human when interacting with the human race. He felt that if he had one word to describe his tragic heritage, it would be a "torn". Callis further claimed Alucard "as having the visage and demeanor of a placid lake", repressing his human instincts.[40]

Appearances

In video games

In the 1989Castlevania III: Dracula's Cursefor theNES,Alucard is initially abossencountered by the primary protagonist,Trevor Belmont.If the player defeats Alucard, he can be utilized as a playable character in the game.[41]

Alucard's following appearance in the series is in the 1997 game,Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,where he is featured as the game's protagonist and primary playable character.[20]Due to the brainwashing of the current member of the Belmont clan,Richter Belmont,Alucard heads to his father's castle to find Richter and ensure that Dracula does not return.[30]He encounters Richter, who has been controlled by the dark priest Shaft into believing he is the lord of Dracula's castle, and Alucard manages to free him from the spell controlling him.[42]In response, Shaft creates an inverted version of Dracula's castle for Alucard to travel through, and Alucard defeats him, and ultimately, Dracula as well.[43][44]Symphony of the Nightalso expands on Alucard's background, revealing how his human mother, Lisa, was hunted down and executed by humans who believed her to be a witch.[45]Despite this, Lisa admonished Alucard to respect humans and not hate them as his father did.[46]In an alternative ending, the young Maria either chases Alucard in the hope of helping him, or resigns herself to Alucard's fate and leaves with Richter.

The 1997Castlevania Legendswas Alucard's third appearance in the series. Similar to his initial appearance inDracula's Curse,he is a boss challenging the skills of the game's protagonist,Sonia Belmont.After she defeats him, he accepts her strength and decides to submerge his powers by entering a deep sleep, believing that she will defeat Dracula in his stead.[47][48]

In the 2003Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow,Alucard is disguised as the enigmatic Japanese government agent Genya Arikado in order to prevent the powers of his father, who was finally killed byJulius Belmont,from ending up in the wrong hands.[49][50][51]He meets the game's protagonist,Soma Cruz,and explains his "power of dominance," or his ability to absorb the souls of the monsters he defeats and use their abilities.[52]He instructs him to seek out the castle's throne room, where Soma realizes that he is Dracula'sreincarnation.[53]Arikado subsequently advises Soma to destroy the flow of chaos in the castle to free himself from his fate, which Soma succeeds in doing.[54]

Alucard reprises his role as Arikado in the sequel toAria of Sorrow,Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow(2005), where he works to stop the machinations of a cult headed byCelia Fortnerto create a new dark lord by killing Soma.[55]Arikado initially requests that Soma does not become involved, but gives him a letter and talisman from Mina when he encounters him later in the game.[56]After both of Celia's "dark lord's candidates,"Dmitrii BlinovandDario Bossi,are defeated, Arikado stops Celia's attempt to force Soma to awaken as the new dark lord, but inadvertently allows Dmitrii to revive himself.[57][58]He confronts him, but is stopped when Dmitrii uses Celia as a sacrifice to seal his powers.[59]Following Soma's battle with Menace, a giant demon that sprouts from Dmitrii, Arikado explains to Soma that he is not destined to become the dark lord, nor does he need to.[60]In the game'sJulius Mode,Arikado is playable as Alucard after he is found in the castle.[61]Alucard was one of the playable characters inCastlevania Judgmentfor theNintendo Wii,a fighting game based on the series.[62]

Alucard appears inCastlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate,the second installment in theLords of Shadowreboot series. In the first half, Alucard assists the protagonist, his son Simon Belmont, into defeating Dracula.[63]The second half reveals that Alucard's human life as Trevor Belmont who goes on a journey to kill his father.[64]However, Trevor is defeated by Dracula who learns in his last moments he is his son. Shocked, Dracula passes Trevor his blood, reviving him as the vampire Alucard.[65]Alucard later appears in the sequelCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2as a supporting character... His human persona appears to Dracula requesting him to reform the Mirror of Fate. In the climax, it is revealed that the real Alucard had sent his father into a comatose state in order to make their enemies Zobek prepare for Satan's return and end the world. When Alucard remembers this, it is revealed Alucard has been taking the form of Zobek's bodyguard. Both Dracula and Alucard join forces to defeat Zobek but Satan returns and possesses the young vampire. Dracula manages to kill Satan while saving Alucard at the same time. Alucard then asks his father what will they do as the father breaks the Mirror of Fate.[66]MercurySteam also released adownloadable contentchapterRevelations,where Alucard is the playable character as he protects his father in preparations for the events ofLords of Shadow 2,while also defeating one of Zobek's guardians to take his armor and remain hidden.[67]

Alucard makes a cameo appearance as an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.[68]He also debuted as a playable fighter inBrawlhallaon October 19, 2022.[69]

Alucard appears as a Legendary skin forTrevor BelmontinDead by Daylight,released alongside him with theCastlevaniaexpansion in August 2024.

In other media

A version of Alucard makes a minor appearance inCaptain N: The Game Master.Here, he is depicted as a rebellious teenager who enjoys skateboarding and music, much to his father's chagrin. He appears in the Season 3 episode "Return to Castlevania", initially posing as an ally to the heroes before revealing himself to be in league with the Count.[70]

Alucard, voiced byJames Callis,appears as a major character in the 2017Castlevaniaanimated series, which is primarily based on the 1989 video gameCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse.[71]In the first season, Alucard meets and engages Trevor and Sypha. Alucard reveals that the myth of the "sleeping soldier" was actually himself, and that he was testing their abilities.[72]The three prepare to challenge Dracula and end the conflict for good. For the second season, the trio go to locate Dracula's castle, as it can teleport from place to place. Trevor fights off the demons as Alucard uses the distance mirror to locate Dracula's castle. Eventually, Alucard reaches the study and attacks Dracula. Dracula is overcome by remorse before allowing Alucard to stake him through the heart, killing him. Alucard is upset about having killed his father, eventually being overcome by grief and breaks down crying.[73]

In the third season, a month after Dracula's death, Alucard tries to adjust to his loneliness, but he misses Trevor and Sypha and fears he is going insane.[74]At the Belmont Hold, Alucard is visited by a pair of vampire hunters from Japan, Sumi and Taka, who wish to be trained by him in order to defend their people, which he accepts.[75]During the night, Sumi and Taka enter Alucard's room to have sex with him in an attempt to trap him. They accuse Alucard of withholding his knowledge of magic from them and not teaching them how to operate the castle.[74]Before they can stake him, he uses his sword to slit their throats. A grieving Alucard leaves Sumi and Taka's impaled bodies outside of Dracula's castle as a warning to future visitors, just as Dracula had before him. During season four, Alucard accepts the village leader Greta's request to act as its protector. Alucard also meets Saint Germain who request to protect their people. Alucard and Greta lead the refugees in a desperate fight against the vampire Dragan's forces, but are eventually forced back into Dracula's castle. Trevor and Sypha arrive through the mirror at Dracula's castle, where they reunite with Alucard and fight through the invaders. After defeating Death, the three reflect on all they survived together and look forward to a brighter future. Alucard also makes a cameo in the spin-offCastlevania: Nocturne.[76]

Reception

Alucard's gothic design by Ayami Kojima has stood out within the fandom, inspiring several cosplays.

Alucard has received praise and criticism from several video game publications, primarily concentrating on his role inSymphony of the Night.GameSpotfeatured him in their article "All Time Greatest Game Hero".[77]Magazines have also described him as one of the best and greatest video game character.[78][79]In a review ofSymphony of the Night,RPGFancelebrated the fact that Alucard was not a member of theBelmont clan,the protagonists of mostCastlevaniagames, and that the fact he was Dracula's son added "an element of depth to the plot" due to the varied reactions he would receive from the inhabitants of Dracula's castle.[80]RPGamerdisagreed with this assessment, noting that the plot and Alucard's role "isn't very deep" and secondary to the concentration on gameplay.[81]James Paul Gee noted that "even though Alucard is avampire hunter,he has no distinctive skills associated with this profession ".[82]In the bookA New Literacies Sampler,the writer expressed a favoritism in Alucard though he did not find his skills and moves were unique for a vampire hunter or soldier when compared withFull Spectrum Warrior,and wrote that instead his moves feel more similar toMario.[83]In contrast to Ritcher, Alucard's encounter with the villain was seen as more personal as the game explores the father and son relationship with heavy emphasis on Alucard's mental state as the dialogue he shares with Dracula embodies the theme of grief and identity. Another major area the two vampires share is the fate of Lisa, Alucard's mother and Dracula's wife, who none of the characters managed to surpass.[84]

Kojima's design of Alucard fromSymphony of the Nightwas noted to be highly popular within the audience to the pointPolygonnoticed it popularized the "vampire skin," which appeared as a full-blown trend in 2022. Writer Kazuma Hashimoto from the same website dressed as Alucard too, praising the design the character has.[85]Artist Brock Otterbacher was fond of Kojima's designs, claiming "I had always come across and looked at her art, especially from the game. And this one image in particular that always kind of stuck out to me, which was an image of Alucard. His cape is part-bat, part-wolf, and that direct image is the inspiration for this. This was made years ago, I was like, 'Wow, I would love to someday get the opportunity to do the statue of this.'"[86]Game Informerwas in particular shocked by an Alucard cosplayer who managed to look nearly identical to his later incarnations.[87]

Alucard's appearance inAria of SorrowandDawn of Sorrowas Genya Arikado was also noted by reviewers.RPGamercelebrated how the greater concentration on supporting characters, including Arikado, were a welcome change from previousCastlevaniagames.[88]RPGFanderided Arikado's "cool and impassive personality" as stereotypical, but praised the game's character development as setting him apart from previous supporting characters in the series.[89]The switch to an anime style for the character designs inDawn of Sorrowwas notably criticized, as many reviewers preferred the designs made by Ayami Kojima.GameSpydeplored the "shallow, lifeless anime images" andIGNcalled the images "down to the level of 'generic Saturday morning Anime' quality."[90][91]While noting his role inSymphony,James Paul Gee praised the handling of Alucard for coming across as one unique character due to how different he was from previous playable characters.[92]

Comic Book Resourcespraised the handling of Alucard's characterization in theLords of Shadowseries for how he handles his relationship with his father even if the ending might come across as too tragic as both father and son appeared to hate their own nature and wanted to end the Belmont bloodline with their own lives.[93]GameSpotsaid there was a major confusion about the identity of Alucard inLords of Shadowdue to him being first known as the hunter Trevor Belmont who dies fighting Dracula and later being revealed to have revived as Alucard inMirror of Fate.[94]In retrospect,GameSpotpraised the handling of Alucard in theLords of Shadowtrilogy as the twist of Trevor being future Alucard subverted their expectations due to its emotional value. However, they criticized Dracula's and Alucard's final showdown inLords of Shadow 2as the both father and son fail to conquer their inner demons.[95]Alucard's DLCRevelationswas praised by the media for how different are Alucard's abilities from Dracula's as well as more entertaining.[96][97][98]

The animated version of Alucard's characterization inNetflix'sCastlevaniaseries earned mixed responses, as he and his allies were overshadowed by Dracula's underlings, who were seen as more fleshed out cast members than Alucard.[99]GameSpotagreed that the trio's appearances in the first episodes were underwhelming and that their relationship gets uninteresting quickly, as the cast spends most of their time interacting in a library.[100]On the other hand, Blasting News felt that the second season ofCastlevaniagave more screen time to develop the chemistry between Alucard and his friends, in contrast to his brief role in the first season.[101]A review fromDestructoidexpressed similar sentiments, largely due to the way Alucard and Trevor push aside their differences to defeat Dracula while insulting each other across the story, leaving good comic relief in the process.[102]IGNfelt that the relationship between Alucard and his father was one of the best aspects of the second season due to the performance of their voice actors.[103]In an analysis from the franchise, E. Charlotte Stevens fromBirmingham City Universityclaimed that Alucard's gaming appearance make him noticeably androgynous, stylish and glammorised. Paul Martin noticed the character often shows signs of humanity despite the idea that he is a monster whereas the Netflix anime makes him look more sympathetic and lonely as a result of his father's death.[104]

See also

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