List of Castlevania characters

Simon Belmont

Simon Belmont (シモン・ベルモンド, Shimon Berumondo; Simon Belmondo) is the first protagonist to appear in the series. He has appeared in Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania Chronicles, Castlevania Judgment, and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, as well as in other games, such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Christopher Belmont

Christopher Belmont (クリストファー・ベルモンド, Kurisutofā Berumondo; Christopher Belmondo) starred in three Castlevania games as a protagonist, two for the Game Boy and one for the Wii. He was a pre-existing character in the Castlevania universe even before the games he starred in were released, as he is mentioned by name in the Japanese manual for the first Famicom Castlevania title, as the last Belmont to have defeated Dracula, one hundred years before Simon. The two Game Boy games were Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge; in the former, Christopher sets out to defeat Dracula, while in the latter, he has to rescue his son, Soleil Belmont, after he is kidnapped by Count Dracula. He also appears in the Nintendo Wii game Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, which is a remake of The Adventure. He also was the protagonist in the limited Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy comic book series released by IDW Publishing.

Trevor Belmont

Trevor Belmont, known as Ralph C. Belmondo (ラルフ・C・ベルモンド, Rarufu Shī Berumondo) in Japan, appears in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Castlevania: Judgment, Akumajo Dracula Pachislot, and as a supporting character in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.

In Castlevania III, Trevor defeated Dracula with help from Grant Danasty, Sypha Belnades and Alucard. He later marries Sypha Belnades and has children with her, adding the prodigious magical powers of the Belnades line to the Belmont line, which would be most prominently seen in Juste Belmont.

He later plays a secondary role in Curse of Darkness, where he investigates the rise of Dracula in the region. He confronts the Devil Forgemaster Hector, and although he initially treats Hector with contempt, he aids him in his quest. After Isaac injures him, Julia LaForeze gets to him in time, but he is unable to help in the battle. Meanwhile, Hector succeeds in stopping Isaac and sending Dracula's castle back into the abyss, effectively lifting the curse placed three years prior. In the game, he is unlocked after beating the game with Hector.

He, along with Sypha Belnades and Grant Danasty, later makes a cameo appearance in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, when zombies impersonate them to antagonize Alucard. These zombies also appear in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, as Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin trek through the Nest of Evil.

As shown in Castlevania: Judgment, by the time of Simon Belmont's era, Trevor Belmont is looked up to by his future descendants, along with his wife Sypha, his ally Alucard, and his friend Grant, who are known as the "Greatest Three". This pushes Simon, who is trapped in the Time Rift, to seek them to prove his worthiness. According to the Bradygames Official Guide, Trevor is approximately 185 centimetres (6 ft 1 in) tall.

In the Lords of Shadow series, Trevor is the son of Gabriel and Marie Belmont. He debuts in Mirror of Fate, which reveals that, under orders from Pan, who foresaw Gabriel's turn to darkness, the Brotherhood of Light kept his existence secret from his father, and he was not told of his parentage until adulthood. Shamed by his lineage, he ventures to Dracula's castle to defeat his father and avenge his mother, but falls to Dracula and is impaled by his own combat cross. The Mirror of Fate reveals the truth of his father's circumstances to Trevor, leading him to pity Dracula and reveal his identity as he dies. Horrified, Dracula attempts to revive Trevor by making him drink his blood, but seemingly fails. Never knowing Trevor's true name, Dracula buries him within his castle in a coffin bearing the name "Alucard". Thirty years later, Trevor reawakens as a vampire and takes on the name Alucard, after what was engraved on the coffin. He returns in the sequel Lords of Shadow 2, where he plays an important part in his father's journey of redemption.

Trevor is voiced by Richard Madden in Mirror of Fate.

Sypha Belnades

Sypha Belnades, known in Japan as Sypha Vernandez (サイファ・ヴェルナンデス, Saifa Verunandesu), appears in Castlevania III and Castlevania: Judgment. She is a priestess, although she introduces herself as a vampire hunter to Trevor in Castlevania III's Japanese version, and witch of the church, who uses elemental magic in battle, Sypha hid her gender to become a vampire hunter, and fought for the church to destroy evil, despite her sister witches being hunted down by the church. In Judgement, she went on a journey to confront and destroy Dracula, but ended up in the Time Rift and took it upon herself to defeat those tainted by darkness, regardless of their alignment. After the Time Reaper is defeated, she is returned to her own era and continues her journey to destroy Dracula, but is defeated by his minion, the Cyclops, and imprisoned in stone. She is freed when Trevor Belmont kills the Cyclops, and aids him in his battle against Dracula. After Dracula's death, she and Trevor married, adding her magical aptitude to the Belmont bloodline.

In the manual included with the Japanese Dracula's Curse, it is stated she lost her parents when she was young and was found wandering near a monastery in Wallachia, where she was adopted by the monks there. Judgment elaborates that she belonged to a coven of witches who were executed as a result of Dracula's scheming. Judgment's storyline reveals that Grant had carried a torch for her since their first meeting in Castlevania, but lacked the resolve to confess to her his feelings and let her slip into Trevor Belmont's arms. Despite this, Sypha is said to have missed her friend when he chose to refuse his invitation to her marriage, patching up their friendship only after Grant's return from the Rift. Sypha, Grant and Trevor are known in Belmont history as The Greatest Three, supreme friends and warriors who are an example for their descendants to follow.

In Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, Sypha Belmont, née Belnades, is the wife of Trevor and the mother of Simon. She tries to comfort Trevor when he learns of his parents' fate, and sees him off as he ventures forth to battle Dracula. Following Trevor's death, Dracula's forces are unleashed and she is attacked, telling Simon to escape as she is killed by one of Dracula's werewolves. Years later, her soul is found by Simon beneath Dracula's castle, though he is unaware of her identity, and she joins him to protect him on his quest.

She is voiced by Charlotte Emerson in Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate.

Alucard

Alucard (アルカード, Arukādo) is Dracula's only child, the half-vampire son of him and a human woman named Lisa. He appears in Castlevania III, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Judgment, Legends, and stars in Symphony of the Night. As a reference to the movie Son of Dracula, Alucard is "Dracula" spelled backwards. This is a title Alucard seems to have adopted for himself, as his actual full name is Adrian Fahrenheit Ţepeş.

Alucard also appeared in Captain N: The Game Master, voiced by Ian James Corlett.

Alucard appears in Mirror of Fate, the second game in the Lords of Shadow series. It is revealed that this version of Alucard was originally Trevor Belmont, the son of Gabriel and Marie Belmont, before he was turned into a vampire. Trevor grew up not knowing of his true origin until the Brotherhood of Light reveals to him who his parents were. Believing that Dracula murdered his mother in cold blood, he decides to pursue him in hopes of destroying him and bringing peace. During the fight, Trevor is defeated and stabbed with his Combat Cross. As he is dying, through the Mirror of Fate he finally realizes the truth of what happened to Gabriel and feels sorry for him, calling him his father. Dracula learns who Trevor was through the Mirror of Fate, and feeling remorseful for killing his own son, tries to bring him back to life by making him drink his blood, which seemingly fails. After this, Dracula places Trevor in a coffin with the name Alucard, since he never learned his real name. Many years later, Alucard awakens, now with pale white skin, white hair, and glowing orange eyes. He meets up with Dracula and his own son, Simon, and tries to finish what he started, angry that he turned him into a vampire. Dracula asks Alucard to join him in remaking the world and destroying the Brotherhood, but Alucard refuses. Dracula proceeds to attack Simon for being a Belmont, wishing to end the Belmont bloodline due to his hatred of his past life. Alucard and Simon manage to defeat Dracula and part ways as Dracula's castle crumbles.

Alucard also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, playing an important role in his father's journey of redemption. He is playable in the DLC Revelations, which takes place shortly before the events of the main game. In the Lords of Shadow series Alucard is voiced by Richard Madden.

Richter Belmont

Richter Belmont (リヒター・ベルモンド, Rihitā Berumondo; Richter Belmondo) has starred as a protagonist in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (and its remakes), Symphony of the Night, and Akumajō Dracula: The Medal (an arcade medallion slot game). His first appearance is the main character in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. In Symphony of the Night, a direct sequel which takes place five years later, he became a brainwashed primary antagonist; however, completing the game unlocks an option to play the entire game as Richter. However, there is an alternate ending to Symphony of the Night that suggests that he was the cause of Dracula's return. He is also playable in an extra mode in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.

Hero of the Castlevania: Dracula X games and a major character in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Richter had to battle legions of Dracula's monsters to save his love interest Annette. In Symphony of the Night, Richter mysteriously disappears upon investigating Dracula's recently reconstructed castle. It is later revealed that he was brainwashed by Shaft, a dark priest and servant of Dracula. Players will end up facing Richter: physically defeating him will result in the game ending early, whereas freeing him from Shaft's control will continue the game.

In his first two appearances, as well as the prologue for the third, Richter wears a headband and a blue uniform. In Symphony of the Night, only in the Saturn version following the prologue, his hair is noticeably longer and his attire appears more regal, matching Ayami Kojima's redesign of the character (the PlayStation version reuses the Rondo of Blood sprites). He also gains a few new abilities, notably a dash, a slide attack, and a super jump that doubles as an uppercut.

In Portrait of Ruin, Jonathan Morris fights a recreation of Richter (called "Whip's Memory") in a test created by Stella and Loretta Lecarde to unlock the Vampire Killer's full power, as he is the last known Belmont to wield the whip before Julius Belmont killed Dracula in 1999. Richter also appears in the game as one of the Five Greatest. Richter appears in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character alongside his ancestor Simon, to whom he has a similar set of moves, being labelled as an "echo fighter".^[1] Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania features Richter Belmont as a playable character.^[2]

In Japanese, Richter is voiced by Jin Horikawa in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and by Kiyoyuki Yanada in all subsequent appearances with the exception of the 2008 audio drama Akumajō Dracula X: Tsuioku no Yasōkyoku, where he is voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki. In English, Richter is voiced by Scott McCulloch in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, by David Vincent in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (including the Symphony of the Night redub), and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, by Bérenger Dupré in Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, and by SungWon Cho in Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania.

Maria Renard

Maria Renard (マリア･ラーネッド, Maria Rāneddo) is a local village girl with the power to control the Four Symbols of Chinese mythology. She appears in the PC Engine video game Akumajō Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (and its remakes Dracula X Chronicles for PSP and Castlevania Dracula X for Super NES), as well as in Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Judgment, and Akumajō Dracula: The Medal. She is a distant blood relative of the Belmont clan^[3][4] (no mention of that connection is to be found in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, where she is instead said to be the daughter of a local lord). In the Super NES version of Castlevania: Dracula X, she's also said to be the sister of Richter's beloved Annette, a detail that's not alluded to in the other games. She was later adopted by the Belmont family in Castlevania Judgment.

In 1792, Maria's parents were killed, and she was captured, along with several other young women, and taken to Dracula's castle. Richter Belmont saved Maria from Shaft, one of Dracula's servants, who was attempting to cast a spell on her. Once Maria is rescued, she becomes playable and uses various magically enhanced animal attacks for combat. There exists an ending in which, instead of Richter doing it, Maria confronts and defeats the Count. In the introduction sequence to Symphony of the Night (a retelling of the final boss battle in Rondo of Blood), if Richter's health completely runs out, a 12-year-old Maria will appear and amplify Richter with her magic in his effort to defeat Dracula. Judgment further explains that she fought alongside Richter in defeating Dracula and has power that rivals the Belmonts. Unlike Annette, if you fail to save her in Rondo of Blood, you will not face her at the end.

Four years after the defeat of Dracula, Richter vanished. Maria immediately set out to find him. After a year of searching, in 1797, she finally found Castlevania. In the castle she learned that Richter was working in concert with the dark forces. With Maria's help, the half-vampire Alucard was able to break Shaft's hold on Richter and defeat Dracula. Depending on certain player actions in Symphony, the player will receive different endings. In one, Maria will admit to not being able to live without Alucard and go after him. In another, she will resign herself due to the fact that she cannot ease his torment and returns home with Richter.

Maria also appears in Judgment with a more bratty personality. She constantly trips and miscalculates her powerful magics, for comedic effect, and she acts mostly unaware of the Time Rift's nature, for example believing that Simon and Trevor merely stole the Vampire Killer from her friend Richter. She is also seemingly obsessed with her young age and diminutive body, going so far to openly complain against Carmilla and Shanoa for their developed bodies, and claim that Sypha's large breasts are a "gift from God", lashing out to her for suggesting that her beauty may pose a liability in combat.

Sonia Belmont

Sonia Belmont (ソニア・ベルモンド, Sonia Berumondo; Sonia Belmondo) is the protagonist of Castlevania Legends. At the age of seventeen she lived in a remote part of Transylvania.^[5] She was born with special abilities that allowed her to sense the presence of physical and spiritual beings, and was taught how to use a whip by her grandfather.^[6] It is not explicitly stated whether the whip she uses is the Vampire Killer or not.

Within the castle, she encounters Alucard, the half-vampire son of Dracula. She had met him some time before and it can be inferred from their dialogue that the two had formed a romantic relationship.^[7] Alucard was intent on dissuading Sonia from her goal, planning to stop his father alone. When Sonia would not yield, he challenged her to a battle to test her abilities. After she defeated him, Alucard was confident that Sonia could overcome Dracula and he went into a self-imposed sleep. Sonia defeated Dracula, and spared Europe from his evil influence for a time. Sometime after Dracula's defeat, Sonia bore a child who "would carry on the fate and tragedy of the Belmont family, and the bloodline of dark ways."^[8] The child would grow up to fight Dracula again and become a hero.^[9]

Sonia was one of the confirmed leads in the Dreamcast game Castlevania: Resurrection, up until that game's cancellation.^[10][11][12]

Sonia appears as a playable character for the Ode to Castlevania DLC in Vampire Survivors.^[13]

A reimagined version of her will appear as the main protagonist of the upcoming game Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (2026), establishing the character as part of the series' primary canon, and depicting her as the daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades as opposed to preceding the former.^[14][15]

Eric Lecarde

Eric Lecarde (エリック・リカード, Erikku Rikādo) appears in Bloodlines, Portrait of Ruin, and Judgment. Born on May 3, 1892, in Segovia, Spain, he uses the Alucard Spear (mistranslated as "Alcarde Spear" in Bloodlines). The spear was created by Alucard to complement the power of the Vampire Killer, and fight alongside the Morris line. When Elizabeth Bartley attempted to revive Dracula, Eric volunteered to fight alongside his friend John Morris in the hunt. However, he had not told John the real reason behind his appetite for vengeance: the Countess turned the love of his life, Gwendolyn, into a vampire.

Years later, Eric set out towards Dracula's Castle to investigate its reappearance, but was slain by the vampire Brauner. Unbeknownst to him, Eric's daughters had followed him into the castle and bore witness to his death, but both were then bitten by Brauner and turned into vampires. Unable to cross into the afterlife, Eric's ghost remained in the castle and was later met by Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin. Initially calling himself "Wind", Eric tested the pair's abilities with various side-quests. After being confronted by Jonathan following a skirmish with Stella, in which a locket holding a photo of him and his daughters was recovered, Eric disclosed his true identity and the full story behind himself, his daughters, and Jonathan's father. Once his daughters are rescued and Brauner and Dracula are both destroyed, Eric appears before his friends and family and gives them one last heartfelt moment together before crossing over into the afterlife.

In Judgment, Eric believed that the spear's potential was greater than the whip, and sought to prove that. While training he found himself in a time rift, having been brought there by Aeon. Eric believed the rift would give him a chance to prove the spear's potential against the Vampire Killer. After the defeat of Galamoth he was returned to his own time (Judgment).

Cornell

Cornell (コーネル, Kōneru), also known as "Blue Crescent Moon", is a werewolf seen in both Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania Judgment. He is a member of a warrior clan cursed to turn into beastmen. He is the only member of his clan who had the ability to control his change. He was the only one of his brethren who refused to join the forces of Dracula. He honed his skills in the hopes of finding a cure for his clan and to protect his sister Ada. One day while out training he found himself unable to control his powers and was stuck in beast form (Castlevania Judgement). He encountered Aeon, a time traveler, who told him he had entered a time rift. Aeon challenged him, and told him the time rift would let him learn more about the nature of the curse. After encountering several champions from different eras, he learns from Camilla and Death that they still need him, and is told that there is a possibility of a cure for him (though he doesn't trust them). After the defeat of the Time Reaper, Cornell was returned to his own era, 1844. He returned to find his village in flame, and his sister Ada kidnapped. He then journeyed after the kidnappers to save his sister. He discovered that Dracula's castle had risen again, and that his fellow man-beast Ortega had kidnapped his sister. During his battles he saves the young Henry Oldrey, and later defeats Ortega. He learned from Ortega, that Death, Gilles De Rais, and Actrise had plotted the kidnapping of Ada to empower a newly raised Dracula. Dracula later reveals to the audience that his sister is not a blood relative. Cornell fights Dracula to save her causing Dracula to be pulled into a vortex of energy. Dracula traps Cornell with his last power and tries to take Ada with him. The beast within Cornell freed itself from his body and saves Ada, but is captured and pulled into the vortex by Dracula. Cornell had become fully human, and was able to live the rest of a normal life with Ada (Legacy of Darkness).

According to IGA, "I believe many people did not expect to see Cornell. I really wanted to include a beast man type character, so I picked him."^[16]

He is voiced by John Nuzzo (Legacy of Darkness).^[17]

A new version of Cornell appears in Lords of Shadow, voiced by Richard Ridings. He is the Dark Lord of the Lycans and the first Lords of Shadow that Gabriel encounters.

Dracula

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.^[18][19] 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).^[20] With a few exceptions, he has starred in every title.^[19] The series mainly takes place in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula,^[18] which resurrects every hundred years to take over the world.^[21] 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.^[22]

Dracula debuts in Castlevania (1986), as a vampire who was once defeated by Christopher Belmont one hundred years ago in Transylvania.^[23] He rises from the dead after his followers hold a black mass.^[23] Christopher's descendant, Simon Belmont, enters Dracula's castle^[23] and defeats him.^[24] Later titles introduce Dracula's son, the dhampir Alucard, who sided with Trevor Belmont against his father.^[25] Symphony of the Night reveals Alucard's mother to be Lisa, a human Dracula fell in love with.^[20] Her execution for false charges of witchcraft left him griefstricken.^[20]

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.^[26] 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.^[27]

Death

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.^[1]

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.

Carmilla

Carmilla (カーミラ, Kāmira) is a devoted worshipper of chaos and Dracula. Her name is a reference to the title character of the 1872 novel Carmilla, which predated Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. Her first appearance was as an antagonist in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.^[28] She later reappeared in Castlevania: Dracula X, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (styled as Camilla, non-canon), and Castlevania Judgment.

Carmilla's appearances and names have differed. In Simon's Quest, she was originally known as Vampira (女吸血鬼, Jo Kyūketsuki; lit. "Female Vampire") in the instruction manual, though the in-game hidden clue refers to her as Camilla. The Camilla spelling is also used in Circle of the Moon, while all other appearances favor the Carmilla spelling. Her initial appearance in Simon's Quest was interpreted as a mask that leaked tears of blood, while later appearances give her a humanoid form.

In Circle of the Moon, she successfully resurrects Dracula in her Austrian castle in 1830. However, he had not regained his full power, so to restore it they plan to sacrifice the vampire hunter Morris Baldwin, father to Hugh Baldwin and mentor to Nathan Graves, during a lunar eclipse of the full moon. As Nathan makes headway in his efforts to rescue his master, Camilla brainwashes Hugh and challenges Nathan to a battle in the Underground Waterway. Despite dying, Camilla revels in the fact the rite to restore Dracula's power is nearly complete.

In Rondo of Blood, Carmilla has a blue-haired companion called Laura (ローラ, Rōra), named after the central protagonist and narrator from Carmilla. She is a non-boss enemy in Portrait of Ruin, but is referred to as "Carmilla's eternal servant" in her bestiary entry. In the reboot Lords of Shadow, Laura is Carmilla's daughter, who challenges the main character Gabriel with dangerous games.

In the reboot Lords of Shadow, Carmilla is played by Sally Knyvette. She is one of the titular Lords, ruling over the vampires and is the second lord faced by the protagonist, Gabriel Belmont. She has a vampire "daughter" named Laura. Before sacrificing her soul to heaven, she was known to be a kind woman who loved all of Earth's creatures, and became the opposite as a Lord of Shadow. This is a marked departure from the description of her in life in the original novel. However, the explicit sexuality sometimes attributed to her, most prominently in Castlevania: Judgment, is a reference to her characterization in the novel. She reappears in the sequel, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, with a different appearance.

She appears in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a background character on the Dracula's Castle stage, based on her appearance in Simon's Quest. She also appears at the end of Simon and Richter's reveal trailer, frightening Luigi as his soul is about to re-enter his body.^[1]

Shaft

Shaft (シャフト, Shafuto) is a dark priest that appears as the secondary antagonist of Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. In 1792, Shaft aids Dracula in his plans to kidnap several young women. He is defeated by Richter after conjuring several monsters in an attempt to defeat him. Later in the game, Shaft's ghost makes a final attempt to stop the hero.

In 1797, Dracula's monsters kidnap Richter and brainwash him. Shaft is instrumental in using his evil powers to control Richter, turning him against anyone who seeks to defy Dracula. Maria guesses that he is under their influence and helps Alucard to see past Shaft's deception. Alucard is able to save Richter instead of killing him, and goes on to defeat Shaft, although not before Shaft successfully revives Dracula just before being stopped for good.