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 from the Castlevania video game series created by Konami. A vampire and a sorcerer, he is the main antagonist of the series, the archenemy of the Belmont clan, and the final boss of almost every installment. 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, fall into darkness, and journey of redemption.

The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character in the novel of the same name, who was in turn likely named for Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Castlevania Dracula draws some history from both, but instead of only preying on maidens, this version threatens whole realms with his armies at the least, and at worst is presented as the very embodiment of evil. 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. His continuous appearance in the franchise led to producer Koji Igarashi come up with new tactics to properly use him as a villain starting with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Meanwhile, the reboot by Mercury Steam was meant to show the character in a more sympathetic and his downfall into madness as he goes from his transformation from a vampire hunter to Dracula.

Critical response to Dracula was positive, becoming one of the most popular video game villains. His characterization in the Lords of Shadow trilogy led to mixed commentary by game journalists for emphasizing a tragic story in the first two games though his Dracula persona was often criticized for coming across as temporary angered protagonist who comes across as a forced hero in this continuity. Meanwhile, his Netflix persona was often praised for coming across as more human despite reprising his role as a villain.