List of Castlevania characters

Listed below are characters from all of the Castlevania video games and related media adaptations, in the order of their introduction and the work's release.

The main antagonist of the Castlevania series is Dracula (ドラキュラ, Dorakyura), based on the original character by Bram Stoker and his depiction in film. His real name is Dracula Vlad Tepes, and he is estimated to be over 800 years old by the time of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). With a few exceptions, he has starred in every title. The series mainly takes place in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, which resurrects every hundred years to take over the world. Players often assume the role of the Belmonts, a family of vampire hunters who have opposed Dracula and his forces for centuries using the Vampire Killer, a legendary whip.

Dracula debuts in Castlevania (1986), as a vampire who was once defeated by Christopher Belmont one hundred years ago in Transylvania. He rises from the dead after his followers hold a black mass. Christopher's descendant, Simon Belmont, enters Dracula's castle and defeats him. Later titles introduce Dracula's son, the dhampir Alucard, who sided with Trevor Belmont against his father. Symphony of the Night reveals Alucard's mother to be Lisa, a human Dracula fell in love with. Her execution for false charges of witchcraft left him griefstricken.

The 2010 reboot, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, reintroduces Dracula as Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light who fights the Lords of Shadow to obtain the God Mask, which he believes can bring back his deceased wife, Marie. Gabriel eventually becomes a vampire and stars as Dracula in the sequels Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (2013) and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014), where he searches for a way to end his immortality.

Death (死神, Shinigami; lit. "god of death") is present in all Castlevania games, except for Haunted Castle, Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge. He is considered Dracula's second-in-command and most trusted minion, and is often a boss fought toward the end of the game. As well, he has sometimes played an important role in the storyline, such as in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. He is a playable character as the skeletal knight in Castlevania Judgment.

In most appearances, Death closely resembles the cultural personification of the Grim Reaper, being a legless skeleton who wears a hooded cloak and wields a scythe. Like Dracula, he can change into a second form upon being defeated, although this ability is not used as often.

Death also appears in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a background character on the Dracula's Castle stage. Simon and Richter's reveal trailer features Death claiming the soul of a panicked Luigi before Simon intervenes.

The character of Zobek, Lord of the Dead (voiced by Patrick Stewart) in the reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has been speculated to be the version of Death in this universe, due to his relationship with Dracula. Additionally, the Lord of the Necromancers is at one point referred to as "Death itself". In the game's sequel, when Gabriel Belmont is forced into a confrontation with Zobek, he sheds his human form and takes on an appearance resembling a more traditional depiction of Death, including wielding a large scythe.