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* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The romaji of his given name has a long vowel via an extra "u"; the non-lazy way of writing/typing it is "Souma".
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* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: He can go down this route if the player chooses to do so in ''Dawn of Sorrow.''
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* DoNotCallMeSir: When they first meet, Soma calls Julius "Mr. J", to which Julius responds by asking to refer to him as "J".
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* HypocriticalHumor: Hammer says that "love is a young man's game", and yet he is hopelessly in love with Yoko.
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If Soma does become the Dark Lord he does not use his expanded holy weaponry, clothes are not enough you need some actual connection to light. Otherwise its Bright Is Not Good.
* BrightIsNotGood: He'll still be wearing his white and blue coat even if he ''does'' succumb to insanity.
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* LightIsNotGood: He'll still be wearing his white and blue coat even if he ''does'' succumb to insanity.
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dewicking Badass Baritone
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* BadassBaritone: All of his voice clips tend to give him a deep and somewhat gruff voice.
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* ScrewDestiny: The universe chose him as the next vessel for Dracula's reincarnation, but Soma wasn't having any of it. Just so happens the powers that be finally chose a vessel with a good enough heart to realize being Dracula is a bad idea and Soma spends his two games fighting against it.
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Merged.
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* ChristmasCake: An odd male example — he says stuff like "love is a young man's game" despite only being 34. Doubly strange since he's American.
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* OldMaid: An odd male example -- he says stuff like "love is a young man's game" despite only being 34.
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* DamselInDistress: Surprisingly averted, she only needs protection at the start of the first ''Sorrow'' game when unconscious, and remains safe after that. The one time she was "kidnapped" turned out to be an illusion, and the real Mina was safe and sound.
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* BigBadFriend: In the bad endings, Soma succumbs to his inner darkness and becomes this to him, and he takes it upon himself to kill him. Averted in the good endings.
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* BigBadFriend: In the bad endings, Soma succumbs to his inner darkness and becomes this to him, and he takes it upon himself to kill him. Averted in the good endings.
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* FragileSpeedster: Zig-zagged with [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruiser]] in his gameplay mode in ''Aria of Sorrow'' to some extent. While Julius does grow in overall power by defeating the games boss encounters, becoming quite a powerhouse if all save for his [[FinalBoss Final Boss]] are defeated, one thing that he will always have an edge over Soma on is his overall movement speed. Defensively, though, Soma has him beat. Painfully averted in his gameplay mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow,'' though.
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* FragileSpeedster: Zig-zagged with [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruiser]] in his gameplay mode in ''Aria of Sorrow'' to some extent. While Julius does grow in overall power by defeating the games boss encounters, becoming quite a powerhouse if all save for his [[FinalBoss Final Boss]] are defeated, one thing that he will always have an edge over Soma on is his overall movement speed. Defensively, though, Soma has him beat. Painfully averted in his gameplay mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow,'' though.
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! Beware of unmarked spoilers further down the page.
[[center: [- [[Characters/{{Castlevania}} Main Character Index]] > '''Aria of Sorrow'''-]]]
This page deals with the characters from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow''.
For the other characters, see below:
* ''Characters/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'': Genya Arikado (Alucard)
* Characters/CastlevaniaDracula: Dracula
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Soma Cruz]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soma_cruz.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/HikaruMidorikawa
->'''Voiced by (English):''' Eric Davies (''Harmony of Despair'')
->''"If I lose the battle, and become the reincarnation of evil... I want you to kill me."''
A seemingly OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent caught in an eclipse which brought him to Dracula's castle. Guided by Genya Arikado, he ventures through the castle and later discovers the horrible truth. However, he resists his fate as the Dark Lord and manages to come out safely as a normal human.\\\
Later, a cult confronts him, trying to create another Dark Lord, and chooses him as one of the candidates to become the new Dracula. Soma confronts them and eventually prevails in resisting to become the new Dark Lord (again).
----
* AloofAlly: He initially has trouble getting to know certain individuals in ''Aria of Sorrow''. Downplayed in later titles as he learns to open up to others more often.
* AlternateCharacterReading: How his last name is rendered; the kanji gives it the furigana reading of "Kurusu".
* AmbiguouslyHuman: After the events of ''Aria'', he ''may'' not be entirely human anymore, since he trails afterimages behind him when he's moving, similar to Alucard in ''Symphony''.
* AntiAntiChrist: Fated as the reincarnation of Dracula and to resume his reign of terror. He can fail to overcome the dark desires, or succeed. Canonically, he usually succeeds.
* ApologeticAttacker: In ''Dawn'', right before potentially murdering Celia in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, he asks the deceased[[note]](or so he thinks)[[/note]] Mina for her forgiveness.
* AxCrazy: By the time he's encountered at the end of Julius Mode in ''Dawn'', it's clear that he has gone absolutely ''nuts'', what with the [[EvilLaugh maniacal laughter]] and all. Bonus points for liberally using a giant axe in this state.
* BadassLongcoat: It was longer in ''Aria'', but the ''Dawn'' one is still awesome. It was shortened to be more practical.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Being the reincarnation of Dracula, Soma can absorb and the souls of demons and monsters, which allows him to control their powers. However, Soma is a genuinely nice person who attempts to use his powers for good without being overcome by them.
* BadassUnintentional: The only reason he goes into Castlevania is simply because he's looking for a way out and nothing more. Even moreso after he realizes he is Dracula and could presumably become the Dark Lord again with little effort, he rejects that, saying he does not want to give up his life.
* BagOfSpilling: He collects souls when he's in danger, fighting monsters. But when the danger has passed, over time, he eventually releases his control over those souls, losing all his powers.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Celia learns the hard way what happens if you screw with Soma's loved ones. Long story short, he turns into the Dark Lord and proceeds to brutally murder her for killing Mina. Even in ''Harmony Of Despair'', his dorky innocent self is mirrored by some pretty fierce quotes, reminding you that he is indeed the reincarnation of Dracula.
-->'''Soma:''' ''DIE!''
* BlessedWithSuck : He is Dracula's reincarnation and can become the Dark Lord if presumably corrupted by the castle or giving into utter hatred. He does get the Power of Dominance, which is pretty nifty, but the downside is he's one (really) bad day away from becoming the absolute enemy of humanity.
* CharacterDevelopment: Throughout most of ''Aria'', Soma is non-confrontational to a fault, always trying (and failing) to avoid whatever altercations may ensue. It's taken to such an extreme that when [[SinisterMinister Graham]], who had '''attempted to kill Soma's friend just a few screens ago''', tells Soma that he wants all the souls in Soma's possession, Soma's response is essentially "I'd hand them over if I could". After Soma defeats the source of Dracula's power inside of himself, he becomes more confident, and his willingness to take on his foes head-on rather than meekly avoiding conflict continues to build throughout most of ''Dawn of Sorrow''. By the time he reaches the final boss of ''Dawn'', the foe is a mindless creature who Soma decides to kill on the spot, despite it posing no direct threat to him, because he knows it's the right thing to do.
-->'''Soma:''' Letting this out would be a disaster... It must end here!
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: His clothes are mostly blue and white, but he wears [[{{Foreshadowing}} a black shirt]] underneath the white coat. His color scheme is also the inverse of Mathias Cronqvist's, and both wear [[PrettyInMink fur collars]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: He fights by absorbing the souls of his defeated enemies, yet stubbornly remains a fairly NiceGuy.
* {{Dracula}}: Formerly. In the bad endings, currently.
* DubNameChange: The "Kurusu" reading of his family name is kept in the Japanese versions with his nationality being Japanese; however, in the English versions, this becomes "Cruz", originally explained by him being a foreign transfer student.
* EndearinglyDorky: [[TheStoic Typically shows little but single-minded determination]] to do whatever he's set out to do, but as ''Dawn'' shows, bringing up his feelings for Mina [[NotSoStoic renders him a sputtering, stammering mess]] that's both hilarious and incredibly endearing for Julius, Yoko and Hammer alike.
* EvilLaugh: If Soma becomes the Dark Lord in ''Dawn'', he gains an epic EvilLaugh that would give the old Drac a run for his money!
* FaustianRebellion: Should he stay good in ''Aria of Sorrow'', he fights, and kills, Chaos, the dark god Dracula's power comes from.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Dawn of Sorrow'''s Julius Mode.
* FreudianExcuse: In Julius Mode, he started off as a fairly decent NiceGuy. [[TheLostLenore One dead Mina Hakuba]] later (or so what he's led to believe), he's an AxCrazy lunatic who must be killed to stop him from wreaking havoc.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Potentially, from OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent to aspiring [[KillAllHumans slaughterer of humanity]]. Thankfully ''potentially''.
* AGlassOfChianti: In the bad endings of both of his starring appearances, he rediscovers his irrational compulsion to destroy perfectly good wine glasses.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: Visually, his clothing (especially his long coat) resembles Dracula's, but with the color scheme inverted; Dracula primarily wears red and black whereas Soma wears [[BlueIsHeroic blue]] and [[GoodWearsWhite white.]]
* TheGunslinger: Soma has access to a variety to firearms, including standard pistols, [[GrenadeLauncher an RPG]], and a decidedly futuristic [[WaveMotionGun positron rifle]].
* HeroesPreferSwords: While he can use any combination of hammers, axes, spears, knives, even ''firearms'' besides, a vast majority of his weapons are swords of some kind, and his artwork typically shows him wielding one.
* HeelFaceReincarnation: Soma is Dracula reincarnated as a good guy.
* HeroicBSOD: He understandably experiences one near the tail end of ''Dawn''. If he doesn't have Mina's Talisman with him, it quickly escalates into a full-blown FreakOut.
* HistoryRepeats: In the bad ending of ''Dawn of Sorrow''. Like Dracula before him, Soma snaps and becomes evil after the death of a loved one, the only difference being that Mina's death was faked while Lisa was KilledOffForReal.
* IAmWho: He does not know that he is the reincarnation of Dracula until near the good end or the bad end of ''Aria of Sorrow''.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Soma just wants to live a normal life free of the Dark Lord role but unfortunately keeps getting dragged into efforts to either steal his power or awaken his dark nature.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: He's the reincarnation of Dracula. This is made explicit in the opening cutscenes of ''Dawn of Sorrow''.
* {{Leitmotif}}: In ''Aria'', he has "Ruined Castle Corridor", and in ''Dawn'' he has "Pitch Black Intrusion". Both of them also serve as his themes in ''Harmony of Despair''. And in Julius Mode, he regains his prior life's leitmotif, "Dance of Illusions".
* LightIsNotGood: He'll still be wearing his white and blue coat even if he ''does'' succumb to insanity.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: If Soma does not wear the amulet he was given as he confronts Celia in the center of the castle, he suffers the same fate he did in his past life and becomes evil to avenge the death of a loved one, or whatever Mina is to him.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: From Dracula's perspective, Soma, since he's now free of the endless cycle of death and resurrection, and can now live happily with Mina.
* MysticalWhiteHair: As long as he can prevent himself from becoming Dracula again.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: In the English version of ''Aria'', where he is stated to be a transfer student. Spanish? American? European? Nobody has any idea.
* NotSoStoic: Despite his usual composed demeanor, he is still prone to occasional dorky behavior, usually involving Mina. He also freaks out when he thinks he killed Dmitrii, and [[FreakOut absolutely loses it if Mina is killed.]]
* OneWingedAngel: In Julius Mode, he takes the same monstrous form Dracula used in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Rondo of Blood]]''.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Initially. All he really wants is to continue to ''be'' this: he has no interest in the Dark Lord, Dracula, Castlevania, or the demons or monsters that he fights. He just wants to be Soma Cruz.
* PastLifeMemories: After Dmitrii's soul leaves Soma's body, he mentioned that he scanned Soma's soul for memories of his past lives, including knowledge regarding his son, Alucard. Whether Soma fully recalled these memories or abandoned them is left unclear.
* PowerCopying: The Power of Dominance manifests as this: he can "collect" the souls of enemies he defeats to gain some aspect of their power, becoming ever more powerful the more he fights. Notably, it's not quite as refined as Dracula's ability, who used Dominance to control huge armies, but then, Soma doesn't actually ''want'' Dominance to begin with.
* PrettyInMink: His [=AoS=] coat has white fur along the collar of it which many fans have dubbed "The Pimp Coat". It's echoed by Mathias' [[FurAndLoathing fur collar]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'', which was released later that year. He trades it in for a more subdued white longcoat in ''Dawn of Sorrow''. (His outfit is a modernized take on Dracula's usual lordly apparel.)
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Whenever he is in danger of becoming the dark lord in ''Aria of Sorrow'', his eyes become red.
* ReincarnationRomance: Soma as Mathias/Dracula, and Mina as Elisabetha/Lisa. (This is not confirmed, but it's heavily implied.)
* RogueProtagonist: He can potentially become this in ''Dawn of Sorrow''.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Around Mina Hakuba, his VictoriousChildhoodFriend. It takes the sheer gravity of what he's been through (and HundredPercentCompletion) for him to even allow her to openly hold his hand at the end of ''Aria''. Yoko also has a fun time poking fun at Soma with this.
* SlasherSmile: Sports a magnificently terrifying one if Soma becomes the Dark Lord.
* SlouchOfVillainy: He ''is'' Dracula's reincarnation, after all.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Quotes his previous life before going True Dracula mode in the Japanese version of ''Dawn'''s Julius Mode.
-->'''Soma:''' Ware ni '''[[PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep chikara wo...]]'''[[note]]"Grant me power!"[[/note]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The romaji of his given name has a long vowel via an extra "u"; the non-lazy way of writing/typing it is "Souma".
* StraightMan: He sometimes ends up being this to characters such as Hammer.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: If the player is defeated while fighting the TrueFinalBoss in ''Aria of Sorrow'' or makes the wrong choice in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', this surfaces and Soma becomes Dracula.
* SuperpowerLottery: His Power of Dominance makes Soma ''the'' most powerful player character in the franchise. Only Alucard and Shanoa come close.
* SwordAndGun: While he can't wield them at the exact same time, ''Dawn'' allows Soma and only Soma to do some form of this by utilizing the Doppelganger soul to switch weapons on the fly.
* TechnicalPacifist: Although he has no qualms against killing hordes of demons, he is disturbed and shaken when it appears as though he's killed Dmitrii, and in the bad ending, is regretful that he had to put down Dario.
* TookALevelInBadass: Not that he wasn't a total badass before, being a mere high school student capable of wielding large swords and the powers of monsters with no training whatsoever, but ''Dawn'' sees him more assured of himself and his goals as he storms the cult's castle despite being told to remain at home. Not only, but it's particularly badass when he criticizes the other two Dark Lord Candidates for their abusive use of their powers and incompetency at them, something ''Aria'' Soma would never have done.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Certain souls will allow him to turn into specific monsters.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: If he becomes the next Dracula, which interestingly, creates a parallel with his original incarnation.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Whenever he is in danger of becoming the dark lord in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', his irises become little more than pinpricks. And he tops it off with [[SlasherSmile a grin a little too wide for his face]]...
* WildHair: As Dracula, he has uncombed hair, fitting for a Dark Lord.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: He believes that power isn't worth a thing if people don't know how to use it.
* YourSoulIsMine: Soma's speciality, called the Power of Dominance, an ability carried over from his previous lives.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mina Hakuba]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hakuba_mina.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Ao Takahashi
->"''At first we were shocked, but everyone believes you'll get through this.''"
Soma's classmate and best friend. Mina is the caretaker of the Hakuba Shrine. She is quite sociable, and makes friends easily. She and Soma are clearly romantically interested in each other, but [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend neither of them will admit it]]. In 2035, she was going to watch the solar eclipse with Soma, but the two ended up inside Castlevania, where it was discovered that Soma is the reincarnation of Dracula. In 2036, after she and Soma were attacked by a cult seeking to resurrect Dracula, she was placed in the protective custody of Arikado's colleagues while he and Soma were off fighting the cult.
----
* CrucifiedHeroShot: Apparently seen in this position in ''Dawn''. The key word being "apparently".
* DamselInDistress: Surprisingly averted, she only needs protection at the start of the first ''Sorrow'' game when unconscious, and remains safe after that. The one time she was "kidnapped" turned out to be an illusion, and the real Mina was safe and sound.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Soma. Julius, Yoko, and Hammer certainly see it.
* KillTheCutie: Subverted. It surely looked like it happened in ''Dawn'', but it turned out to be an illusion.
* MeaningfulName: Looks awfully similar to "Mina Harker", doesn't it?
* {{Miko}}: In ''Aria of Sorrow'', she's even wearing the uniform.
* MoralityChain: Serves as one to Soma.
* NiceGirl: A very sweet and compassionate young woman.
* ReincarnationRomance: Possibly. It's been speculated that she is Elisabetha, Lisa, or both, given that Soma is Mathias/Dracula. If this is true, it means that even ''Dracula '' gets a happy ending, finally reunited with his lover in his next life. Not bad for a game with “Sorrow” in the title.
* TargetedToHurtTheHero: Celia eventually figures out in ''Dawn'' that Mina's safety is a perfect way to manipulate Soma into doing what she wants. So she kills a doppelganger and passes it off as the real Mina to try and get Soma to become Dracula.
* YouAreNotAlone: She and the others to Soma, right before the final boss battle of ''Aria''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Julius Belmont]]
[[quoteright:228:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/456px-Juliusbelmont_6443.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Osamu Ryutani (''Aria of Sorrow''), Creator/TetsuInada (''Dawn of Sorrow'', ''Harmony of Despair'')
->'''Voiced by (English):''' [[Creator/DavidLodgeAmericanActor David Lodge]] (''Harmony of Despair'')
->"''Farewell, my friend. Don't let me use that whip again.''"
The next Belmont after Richter to wield the Vampire Killer. There was a prophecy that it wouldn't be wielded by the Belmonts again until a great battle in 1999, and when that magic time rolled around, Julius was the lucky one to be on Dracula duty. Julius has the honor of being the one who beat Dracula for good, sealing Castlevania in an eclipse (thereby denying Dracula's soul access to the stone that was keeping it out of the cycle of reincarnation long enough to resurrect), but the battle cost him his memory, and he lived as an amnesiac for over thirty years under the name [[OneLetterName "J"]].\\\
Since the name "Dracula" filled him with dread for reasons he couldn't explain, he headed to Castlevania during its return at the solar eclipse to hopefully restore his memory. He meets up with Soma, and is eventually asked to kill him should Soma ever fall to TheDarkSide.\\\
Julius reappears to assist Soma in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', and is the one to put him out of his misery in the [[NonstandardGameOver bad ending of both games]]. In ''[[VideoGame/{{Otomedius}} Otomedius Excellent]]'', Kokoro Belmont is apparently his (non-canonical) little sister.
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* AuthorAvatar: Visually. He's essentially IGA with lighter brown hair and blue eyes.
* BadassBaritone: All of his voice clips tend to give him a deep and somewhat gruff voice.
* BadassLongcoat: Just look at it! No wonder he killed Dracula for good!
* BadassesWearBandanas: He's never caught without a red bandana around his neck.
* BraidsOfBarbarism: He trades the Belmont's trademark [[BarbarianLongHair long hair]] for a neat combed braid. He can still kick your ass, though.
* BigBadFriend: In the bad endings, Soma succumbs to his inner darkness and becomes this to him, and he takes it upon himself to kill him. Averted in the good endings.
* BootstrappedLeitmotif: The remix/combination of "Heart of Fire"[=/=]"Don't Wait Until Night" became associated with him.
* CoolOldGuy: He's in his late fifties, and he is regarded even in-universe as one of the more awesome Belmonts.
* CrossAttack: He has his own distinct variation of the "Holy Cross" Item Crash that summons a giant cross of energy behind him that pulls enemies in.
* FeelingTheirAge: Julius moves much more slowly in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' than in ''Aria of Sorrow'', even though only a year has passed between the two games. Given that he complains about getting older in the former, it might be that his age is quickly catching up with him.
* FragileSpeedster: Zig-zagged with [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruiser]] in his gameplay mode in ''Aria of Sorrow'' to some extent. While Julius does grow in overall power by defeating the games boss encounters, becoming quite a powerhouse if all save for his [[FinalBoss Final Boss]] are defeated, one thing that he will always have an edge over Soma on is his overall movement speed. Defensively, though, Soma has him beat. Painfully averted in his gameplay mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow,'' though.
* GrowingUpSucks: Or so he says. The fact that most of his adult life has been spent as an amnesiac hobo has probably affected his judgement in this matter. And being that he says it in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', it may also be referencing his age starting to catch up to him. Need further proof? Play Julius Mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', and compare how Julius performs there to the same mode in ''Aria of Sorrow.''
* IWorkAlone: He initially invokes this when he enters the castle in ''Dawn of Sorrow''... then he ultimately decides to cooperate with Soma and Arikado when they enter as well.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: His battle against Dracula cost him his memory, though he gets it back during the events of ''Aria''.
* LastOfHisKind: Possibly. As he does not appear to have any surviving family or children of his own (Kokoro doesn't count), Julius may be the last surviving member of the Belmont clan.
* LightningBruiser: Like Richter before him, he is capable of performing dashes and uppercuts.
* ShoutOut: Like most ''Castlevania'' games since and including ''Symphony of the Night'', both ''Aria'' and ''Dawn'' featured a mode of play that allowed you to go through the game as if it were a classic ''Castlevania'', with ''Dawn'''s variety being modeled after ''Castlevania III''. The best part? If you get Soma's bad ending a little over halfway through the game, it still counts as beating the game and unlocks Julius Mode. Soma's bad ending is of course canon to Julius mode.
* SuperiorSuccessor: He's this to every preceding Belmont because, whereas every other one only temporarily killed Dracula, he killed him so thoroughly that when the vampire came back, it was as the good natured human Soma Cruz. He basically fulfilled his bloodline's destiny and permanently ended Dracula.
* WillfullyWeak: He has a habit of holding back his true strength, either for personal reasons or because of the amount of stamina it would deplete him of. So one can imagine how scary it must be to see that, despite having been confirmed to be holding back during his fight, Julius' Grand Cross damages the castle in the background!
* WorldsBestWarrior: The Belmont Clan gets more powerful with each generation, and Julius is the last known one. He is the only one of their line to permanently kill Dracula, although that was with the help of the Hakuba clan and the combined might of the Catholic Church alongside ''every'' countries military -- allies that none of Julius's predecessors had the benefit of meeting.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yoko Belnades]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoko_belnades.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Hiroko Takahashi (''Aria of Sorrow''; credited by her real name Ao Takahashi in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' and ''Harmony of Despair'')
->'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/KarenStrassman (''Harmony of Despair'')
->"''Ha ha ha. It's so much fun to tease you. But this is not the time to be fooling around.''"
A descendant of Sypha. Yoko is a powerful witch, and is very skilled in the use of magic spells. She is a member of the church, and was sent to the Hakuba Shrine in 2035 to investigate the return of Castlevania, along with Genya Arikado. She was injured in the incident, but later recovered. In 2036, she assisted Julius, Arikado, and Soma in fighting the cult that was seeking to resurrect the dark lord.
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* ActionGirl: She's playable in Julius Mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', where she can really unleash her abilities.
* CoolBigSis: To Mina Hakuba, whom she says is like a little sister to her, and the feeling is mutual.
* FireIceLightning: Her three spells she can cast when you play as her. Also meant as a ContinuityNod to Sypha's spells in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Dracula's Curse]]''.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Is taken out of the action in ''Aria'' by being stabbed, with an ordinary knife. No other character has been so easy to take down, and indeed, come ''Dawn'', she can take quite a few stabs from random mooks. Perhaps she trained, or better protected herself, so it doesn't happen again?
* HotWitch: Has magical power, and you can't help but wonder why the Succubi in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' copy her appearance?
* IneffectualLoner: In ''Aria of Sorrow'', she suspects Graham of wrongdoing and goes after him on her own. This gets her stabbed. She does a much better job when part of a team.
* LadyOfWar: Namely in ''Dawn of Sorrow'''s Julius Mode, as well as ''Harmony of Despair''.
* NosyNeighbor: Not a neighbor, but she's very nosy about Soma's love life...
* ObliviousToLove: She has no idea that Hammer has feelings for her, and even thinks he dislikes her, since she mistakes his LongingLook for a glare. Ironically, ''Hammer'' can also think that she is cold to him.
* PromotedToPlayable: In ''Dawn of Sorrow'', where she can be picked up in Julius Mode.
* SquishyWizard: Dishes out more damage than she can take herself.
* WhiteMage: A variation. Her primary attack in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' is to swing her MagicWand, and it doesn't do very much damage, but it heals Yoko for a little HP every time she hits something.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hammer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hammer_1.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TetsuInada
->"''You'll visit my shop again, won't ya? I'll be waitin' for ya.''"
Formerly a soldier in the U.S. Army, Hammer is one of Soma's friends and allies. He was sent by the army to investigate the Hakuba Shrine in 2035, and ended up inside Castlevania. After being transported to Castlevania and meeting Soma, he decided to quit the army and get into the shopkeeping business. In 2036, he helped Soma find the base of the cult that was trying to revive the dark lord, and then unexpectedly showed up there to help Soma out by opening a shop. Hammer has a crush on Yoko Belnades, but seems to be [[CannotSpitItOut too nervous to tell her]].
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* ChristmasCake: An odd male example — he says stuff like "love is a young man's game" despite only being 34. Doubly strange since he's American.
* GentleGiant: Despite being a big, tough guy, he's not really into fighting.
* IntrepidMerchant: It's implied that he gets his expanding inventory from exploring the castle.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's crotchety and rude, but is unquestionably on the side of the heroes and cares for his friends.
* KnowledgeBroker: In ''Dawn of Sorrow'', he sells information on rare monsters, but insists that Soma pay first, since reading his information without paying is like stealing.
* LongingLook: He does this to Yoko in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', according to Soma's chats with her. [[ObliviousToLove Yoko mistakes it for a glare]]. Hilariously, ''he'' will think that it is ''Yoko'' who is cold to him.
* NonActionGuy: Despite being a former US military soldier, he doesn't take up much of the action. Justified as he got tired of fighting and wanted to become a shop merchant.
* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: He decides to ditch his mission after suddenly arriving at Castlevania despite being told he was only going to investigate a shrine, commenting that it was a mean thing to do to him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Graham Jones]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TetsuInada
->"''I was born on the very day that Dracula was destroyed... So, in short, that means that I AM Dracula!''"
The founder and missionary of a religious group who appears in ''Aria of Sorrow''.
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* AffablyEvil: He's very polite and friendly to Soma... but only because he doesn't see him as a threat. Once Soma mentions his own powers, Graham starts [[FauxAffablyEvil going off the deep end.]]
* BackgroundBoss: His second form, taking cues from Dracula's final form in ''Symphony of the Night''.
* BigBad: For ''Aria of Sorrow''. He may not actually be the new Dark Lord, but that won't stop him from seeking his power.
* BodyHorror: He explodes into a fountain of blood when going OneWingedAngel and the result is no less pretty.
* DevilComplex: He wholly believes that he is the new Dark Lord.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The game ends with his defeat if you fail to equip the right souls before fighting him. However, if you do, the game continues after his death and onto the actual climax.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Doesn't care about anything besides claiming Dracula's power and the castle for himself.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: He believes himself to be Dracula's reincarnation, and is bent on his desire to gain all of his powers.
* LightIsNotGood: He has a light color scheme and his second form of his boss fight looks angelic, but he's anything ''but'' good.
* OneWingedAngel: His second form is akin to Dracula's form in ''Symphony of the Night'', save that instead of being dark and demonic, he's cushioned between two angelic-looking women whose internal organs are on display and a laser ring of death is shown above.
* {{Reincarnation}}: He possesses magical powers due to having been born at the exact moment of Dracula's death, and thus believes that he is the reincarnation of Dracula.
* SinisterMinister: He's the head of a religious cult that worships Dracula.
* VillainousBreakdown: He starts on one when he learns about Soma's power of dominance, and reaches its peak when you fight him.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He has white hair, but beneath his polite appearance lies a man who wants to become the Dark Lord. The biggest act that lead to him being pegged as evil is stabbing Yoko.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He's convinced that being born in the exact moment that Dracula died makes him Dracula reincarnated. Not only is he not Dracula's reincarnation, ''Dawn of Sorrow'' reveals that he wasn't even the only person born in that moment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chaos]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos.gif]]
The true root of Dracula's power, and the embodiment of the evil and darkness in humanity's souls. It gets destroyed by Soma at the end of ''Aria of Sorrow'', although its power still exists...
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* AmbiguousSituation: While It can be assumed both the Crimson Stone and the Power of Dominance are involved, how exactly Dracula gained access to Chaos’ powers is left unsaid.
* TheAntiGod: Since it's the reason Dracula has been able to do much of anything and can choose other Dark Lords, it's probably safe to assume that Chaos is the real anti-God.
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: According to the novel ''Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku'', as long as humans continue to exist, Chaos will still be able to take form and have its power manipulated.
* BackgroundBoss: Second form. Its weakspot is the core of the Chaotic Realm seen in the center of the screen during the fight.
* ChaosIsEvil: Very much so considering it's the source of Dracula's power.
* FaustianRebellion: It's the source of Dracula's power, and Soma, the reincarnation of Dracula, kills him.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: Being more of a force than it is a character, it has no motivation of its own.
* GodOfEvil: Once again, Drac would be nowhere without Chaos.
* GreaterScopeVillain: It's this for the series, since it's the ultimate source of Dracula's power.
* NonStandardGameOver: Failure against this boss results in a cutscene where Soma becomes the new Dracula, prompting Julius to hunt him.
* TrueFinalBoss: Of ''Aria''.
[[/folder]]
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[[center: [- [[Characters/{{Castlevania}} Main Character Index]] > '''Aria of Sorrow'''-]]]
This page deals with the characters from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow''.
For the other characters, see below:
* ''Characters/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'': Genya Arikado (Alucard)
* Characters/CastlevaniaDracula: Dracula
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Soma Cruz]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soma_cruz.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/HikaruMidorikawa
->'''Voiced by (English):''' Eric Davies (''Harmony of Despair'')
->''"If I lose the battle, and become the reincarnation of evil... I want you to kill me."''
A seemingly OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent caught in an eclipse which brought him to Dracula's castle. Guided by Genya Arikado, he ventures through the castle and later discovers the horrible truth. However, he resists his fate as the Dark Lord and manages to come out safely as a normal human.\\\
Later, a cult confronts him, trying to create another Dark Lord, and chooses him as one of the candidates to become the new Dracula. Soma confronts them and eventually prevails in resisting to become the new Dark Lord (again).
----
* AloofAlly: He initially has trouble getting to know certain individuals in ''Aria of Sorrow''. Downplayed in later titles as he learns to open up to others more often.
* AlternateCharacterReading: How his last name is rendered; the kanji gives it the furigana reading of "Kurusu".
* AmbiguouslyHuman: After the events of ''Aria'', he ''may'' not be entirely human anymore, since he trails afterimages behind him when he's moving, similar to Alucard in ''Symphony''.
* AntiAntiChrist: Fated as the reincarnation of Dracula and to resume his reign of terror. He can fail to overcome the dark desires, or succeed. Canonically, he usually succeeds.
* ApologeticAttacker: In ''Dawn'', right before potentially murdering Celia in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, he asks the deceased[[note]](or so he thinks)[[/note]] Mina for her forgiveness.
* AxCrazy: By the time he's encountered at the end of Julius Mode in ''Dawn'', it's clear that he has gone absolutely ''nuts'', what with the [[EvilLaugh maniacal laughter]] and all. Bonus points for liberally using a giant axe in this state.
* BadassLongcoat: It was longer in ''Aria'', but the ''Dawn'' one is still awesome. It was shortened to be more practical.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Being the reincarnation of Dracula, Soma can absorb and the souls of demons and monsters, which allows him to control their powers. However, Soma is a genuinely nice person who attempts to use his powers for good without being overcome by them.
* BadassUnintentional: The only reason he goes into Castlevania is simply because he's looking for a way out and nothing more. Even moreso after he realizes he is Dracula and could presumably become the Dark Lord again with little effort, he rejects that, saying he does not want to give up his life.
* BagOfSpilling: He collects souls when he's in danger, fighting monsters. But when the danger has passed, over time, he eventually releases his control over those souls, losing all his powers.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Celia learns the hard way what happens if you screw with Soma's loved ones. Long story short, he turns into the Dark Lord and proceeds to brutally murder her for killing Mina. Even in ''Harmony Of Despair'', his dorky innocent self is mirrored by some pretty fierce quotes, reminding you that he is indeed the reincarnation of Dracula.
-->'''Soma:''' ''DIE!''
* BlessedWithSuck : He is Dracula's reincarnation and can become the Dark Lord if presumably corrupted by the castle or giving into utter hatred. He does get the Power of Dominance, which is pretty nifty, but the downside is he's one (really) bad day away from becoming the absolute enemy of humanity.
* CharacterDevelopment: Throughout most of ''Aria'', Soma is non-confrontational to a fault, always trying (and failing) to avoid whatever altercations may ensue. It's taken to such an extreme that when [[SinisterMinister Graham]], who had '''attempted to kill Soma's friend just a few screens ago''', tells Soma that he wants all the souls in Soma's possession, Soma's response is essentially "I'd hand them over if I could". After Soma defeats the source of Dracula's power inside of himself, he becomes more confident, and his willingness to take on his foes head-on rather than meekly avoiding conflict continues to build throughout most of ''Dawn of Sorrow''. By the time he reaches the final boss of ''Dawn'', the foe is a mindless creature who Soma decides to kill on the spot, despite it posing no direct threat to him, because he knows it's the right thing to do.
-->'''Soma:''' Letting this out would be a disaster... It must end here!
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: His clothes are mostly blue and white, but he wears [[{{Foreshadowing}} a black shirt]] underneath the white coat. His color scheme is also the inverse of Mathias Cronqvist's, and both wear [[PrettyInMink fur collars]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: He fights by absorbing the souls of his defeated enemies, yet stubbornly remains a fairly NiceGuy.
* {{Dracula}}: Formerly. In the bad endings, currently.
* DubNameChange: The "Kurusu" reading of his family name is kept in the Japanese versions with his nationality being Japanese; however, in the English versions, this becomes "Cruz", originally explained by him being a foreign transfer student.
* EndearinglyDorky: [[TheStoic Typically shows little but single-minded determination]] to do whatever he's set out to do, but as ''Dawn'' shows, bringing up his feelings for Mina [[NotSoStoic renders him a sputtering, stammering mess]] that's both hilarious and incredibly endearing for Julius, Yoko and Hammer alike.
* EvilLaugh: If Soma becomes the Dark Lord in ''Dawn'', he gains an epic EvilLaugh that would give the old Drac a run for his money!
* FaustianRebellion: Should he stay good in ''Aria of Sorrow'', he fights, and kills, Chaos, the dark god Dracula's power comes from.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Dawn of Sorrow'''s Julius Mode.
* FreudianExcuse: In Julius Mode, he started off as a fairly decent NiceGuy. [[TheLostLenore One dead Mina Hakuba]] later (or so what he's led to believe), he's an AxCrazy lunatic who must be killed to stop him from wreaking havoc.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Potentially, from OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent to aspiring [[KillAllHumans slaughterer of humanity]]. Thankfully ''potentially''.
* AGlassOfChianti: In the bad endings of both of his starring appearances, he rediscovers his irrational compulsion to destroy perfectly good wine glasses.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: Visually, his clothing (especially his long coat) resembles Dracula's, but with the color scheme inverted; Dracula primarily wears red and black whereas Soma wears [[BlueIsHeroic blue]] and [[GoodWearsWhite white.]]
* TheGunslinger: Soma has access to a variety to firearms, including standard pistols, [[GrenadeLauncher an RPG]], and a decidedly futuristic [[WaveMotionGun positron rifle]].
* HeroesPreferSwords: While he can use any combination of hammers, axes, spears, knives, even ''firearms'' besides, a vast majority of his weapons are swords of some kind, and his artwork typically shows him wielding one.
* HeelFaceReincarnation: Soma is Dracula reincarnated as a good guy.
* HeroicBSOD: He understandably experiences one near the tail end of ''Dawn''. If he doesn't have Mina's Talisman with him, it quickly escalates into a full-blown FreakOut.
* HistoryRepeats: In the bad ending of ''Dawn of Sorrow''. Like Dracula before him, Soma snaps and becomes evil after the death of a loved one, the only difference being that Mina's death was faked while Lisa was KilledOffForReal.
* IAmWho: He does not know that he is the reincarnation of Dracula until near the good end or the bad end of ''Aria of Sorrow''.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Soma just wants to live a normal life free of the Dark Lord role but unfortunately keeps getting dragged into efforts to either steal his power or awaken his dark nature.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: He's the reincarnation of Dracula. This is made explicit in the opening cutscenes of ''Dawn of Sorrow''.
* {{Leitmotif}}: In ''Aria'', he has "Ruined Castle Corridor", and in ''Dawn'' he has "Pitch Black Intrusion". Both of them also serve as his themes in ''Harmony of Despair''. And in Julius Mode, he regains his prior life's leitmotif, "Dance of Illusions".
* LightIsNotGood: He'll still be wearing his white and blue coat even if he ''does'' succumb to insanity.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: If Soma does not wear the amulet he was given as he confronts Celia in the center of the castle, he suffers the same fate he did in his past life and becomes evil to avenge the death of a loved one, or whatever Mina is to him.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: From Dracula's perspective, Soma, since he's now free of the endless cycle of death and resurrection, and can now live happily with Mina.
* MysticalWhiteHair: As long as he can prevent himself from becoming Dracula again.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: In the English version of ''Aria'', where he is stated to be a transfer student. Spanish? American? European? Nobody has any idea.
* NotSoStoic: Despite his usual composed demeanor, he is still prone to occasional dorky behavior, usually involving Mina. He also freaks out when he thinks he killed Dmitrii, and [[FreakOut absolutely loses it if Mina is killed.]]
* OneWingedAngel: In Julius Mode, he takes the same monstrous form Dracula used in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Rondo of Blood]]''.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Initially. All he really wants is to continue to ''be'' this: he has no interest in the Dark Lord, Dracula, Castlevania, or the demons or monsters that he fights. He just wants to be Soma Cruz.
* PastLifeMemories: After Dmitrii's soul leaves Soma's body, he mentioned that he scanned Soma's soul for memories of his past lives, including knowledge regarding his son, Alucard. Whether Soma fully recalled these memories or abandoned them is left unclear.
* PowerCopying: The Power of Dominance manifests as this: he can "collect" the souls of enemies he defeats to gain some aspect of their power, becoming ever more powerful the more he fights. Notably, it's not quite as refined as Dracula's ability, who used Dominance to control huge armies, but then, Soma doesn't actually ''want'' Dominance to begin with.
* PrettyInMink: His [=AoS=] coat has white fur along the collar of it which many fans have dubbed "The Pimp Coat". It's echoed by Mathias' [[FurAndLoathing fur collar]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'', which was released later that year. He trades it in for a more subdued white longcoat in ''Dawn of Sorrow''. (His outfit is a modernized take on Dracula's usual lordly apparel.)
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Whenever he is in danger of becoming the dark lord in ''Aria of Sorrow'', his eyes become red.
* ReincarnationRomance: Soma as Mathias/Dracula, and Mina as Elisabetha/Lisa. (This is not confirmed, but it's heavily implied.)
* RogueProtagonist: He can potentially become this in ''Dawn of Sorrow''.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Around Mina Hakuba, his VictoriousChildhoodFriend. It takes the sheer gravity of what he's been through (and HundredPercentCompletion) for him to even allow her to openly hold his hand at the end of ''Aria''. Yoko also has a fun time poking fun at Soma with this.
* SlasherSmile: Sports a magnificently terrifying one if Soma becomes the Dark Lord.
* SlouchOfVillainy: He ''is'' Dracula's reincarnation, after all.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Quotes his previous life before going True Dracula mode in the Japanese version of ''Dawn'''s Julius Mode.
-->'''Soma:''' Ware ni '''[[PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep chikara wo...]]'''[[note]]"Grant me power!"[[/note]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The romaji of his given name has a long vowel via an extra "u"; the non-lazy way of writing/typing it is "Souma".
* StraightMan: He sometimes ends up being this to characters such as Hammer.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: If the player is defeated while fighting the TrueFinalBoss in ''Aria of Sorrow'' or makes the wrong choice in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', this surfaces and Soma becomes Dracula.
* SuperpowerLottery: His Power of Dominance makes Soma ''the'' most powerful player character in the franchise. Only Alucard and Shanoa come close.
* SwordAndGun: While he can't wield them at the exact same time, ''Dawn'' allows Soma and only Soma to do some form of this by utilizing the Doppelganger soul to switch weapons on the fly.
* TechnicalPacifist: Although he has no qualms against killing hordes of demons, he is disturbed and shaken when it appears as though he's killed Dmitrii, and in the bad ending, is regretful that he had to put down Dario.
* TookALevelInBadass: Not that he wasn't a total badass before, being a mere high school student capable of wielding large swords and the powers of monsters with no training whatsoever, but ''Dawn'' sees him more assured of himself and his goals as he storms the cult's castle despite being told to remain at home. Not only, but it's particularly badass when he criticizes the other two Dark Lord Candidates for their abusive use of their powers and incompetency at them, something ''Aria'' Soma would never have done.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Certain souls will allow him to turn into specific monsters.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: If he becomes the next Dracula, which interestingly, creates a parallel with his original incarnation.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Whenever he is in danger of becoming the dark lord in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', his irises become little more than pinpricks. And he tops it off with [[SlasherSmile a grin a little too wide for his face]]...
* WildHair: As Dracula, he has uncombed hair, fitting for a Dark Lord.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: He believes that power isn't worth a thing if people don't know how to use it.
* YourSoulIsMine: Soma's speciality, called the Power of Dominance, an ability carried over from his previous lives.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mina Hakuba]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hakuba_mina.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Ao Takahashi
->"''At first we were shocked, but everyone believes you'll get through this.''"
Soma's classmate and best friend. Mina is the caretaker of the Hakuba Shrine. She is quite sociable, and makes friends easily. She and Soma are clearly romantically interested in each other, but [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend neither of them will admit it]]. In 2035, she was going to watch the solar eclipse with Soma, but the two ended up inside Castlevania, where it was discovered that Soma is the reincarnation of Dracula. In 2036, after she and Soma were attacked by a cult seeking to resurrect Dracula, she was placed in the protective custody of Arikado's colleagues while he and Soma were off fighting the cult.
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* CrucifiedHeroShot: Apparently seen in this position in ''Dawn''. The key word being "apparently".
* DamselInDistress: Surprisingly averted, she only needs protection at the start of the first ''Sorrow'' game when unconscious, and remains safe after that. The one time she was "kidnapped" turned out to be an illusion, and the real Mina was safe and sound.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Soma. Julius, Yoko, and Hammer certainly see it.
* KillTheCutie: Subverted. It surely looked like it happened in ''Dawn'', but it turned out to be an illusion.
* MeaningfulName: Looks awfully similar to "Mina Harker", doesn't it?
* {{Miko}}: In ''Aria of Sorrow'', she's even wearing the uniform.
* MoralityChain: Serves as one to Soma.
* NiceGirl: A very sweet and compassionate young woman.
* ReincarnationRomance: Possibly. It's been speculated that she is Elisabetha, Lisa, or both, given that Soma is Mathias/Dracula. If this is true, it means that even ''Dracula '' gets a happy ending, finally reunited with his lover in his next life. Not bad for a game with “Sorrow” in the title.
* TargetedToHurtTheHero: Celia eventually figures out in ''Dawn'' that Mina's safety is a perfect way to manipulate Soma into doing what she wants. So she kills a doppelganger and passes it off as the real Mina to try and get Soma to become Dracula.
* YouAreNotAlone: She and the others to Soma, right before the final boss battle of ''Aria''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Julius Belmont]]
[[quoteright:228:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/456px-Juliusbelmont_6443.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Osamu Ryutani (''Aria of Sorrow''), Creator/TetsuInada (''Dawn of Sorrow'', ''Harmony of Despair'')
->'''Voiced by (English):''' [[Creator/DavidLodgeAmericanActor David Lodge]] (''Harmony of Despair'')
->"''Farewell, my friend. Don't let me use that whip again.''"
The next Belmont after Richter to wield the Vampire Killer. There was a prophecy that it wouldn't be wielded by the Belmonts again until a great battle in 1999, and when that magic time rolled around, Julius was the lucky one to be on Dracula duty. Julius has the honor of being the one who beat Dracula for good, sealing Castlevania in an eclipse (thereby denying Dracula's soul access to the stone that was keeping it out of the cycle of reincarnation long enough to resurrect), but the battle cost him his memory, and he lived as an amnesiac for over thirty years under the name [[OneLetterName "J"]].\\\
Since the name "Dracula" filled him with dread for reasons he couldn't explain, he headed to Castlevania during its return at the solar eclipse to hopefully restore his memory. He meets up with Soma, and is eventually asked to kill him should Soma ever fall to TheDarkSide.\\\
Julius reappears to assist Soma in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', and is the one to put him out of his misery in the [[NonstandardGameOver bad ending of both games]]. In ''[[VideoGame/{{Otomedius}} Otomedius Excellent]]'', Kokoro Belmont is apparently his (non-canonical) little sister.
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* AuthorAvatar: Visually. He's essentially IGA with lighter brown hair and blue eyes.
* BadassBaritone: All of his voice clips tend to give him a deep and somewhat gruff voice.
* BadassLongcoat: Just look at it! No wonder he killed Dracula for good!
* BadassesWearBandanas: He's never caught without a red bandana around his neck.
* BraidsOfBarbarism: He trades the Belmont's trademark [[BarbarianLongHair long hair]] for a neat combed braid. He can still kick your ass, though.
* BigBadFriend: In the bad endings, Soma succumbs to his inner darkness and becomes this to him, and he takes it upon himself to kill him. Averted in the good endings.
* BootstrappedLeitmotif: The remix/combination of "Heart of Fire"[=/=]"Don't Wait Until Night" became associated with him.
* CoolOldGuy: He's in his late fifties, and he is regarded even in-universe as one of the more awesome Belmonts.
* CrossAttack: He has his own distinct variation of the "Holy Cross" Item Crash that summons a giant cross of energy behind him that pulls enemies in.
* FeelingTheirAge: Julius moves much more slowly in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' than in ''Aria of Sorrow'', even though only a year has passed between the two games. Given that he complains about getting older in the former, it might be that his age is quickly catching up with him.
* FragileSpeedster: Zig-zagged with [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruiser]] in his gameplay mode in ''Aria of Sorrow'' to some extent. While Julius does grow in overall power by defeating the games boss encounters, becoming quite a powerhouse if all save for his [[FinalBoss Final Boss]] are defeated, one thing that he will always have an edge over Soma on is his overall movement speed. Defensively, though, Soma has him beat. Painfully averted in his gameplay mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow,'' though.
* GrowingUpSucks: Or so he says. The fact that most of his adult life has been spent as an amnesiac hobo has probably affected his judgement in this matter. And being that he says it in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', it may also be referencing his age starting to catch up to him. Need further proof? Play Julius Mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', and compare how Julius performs there to the same mode in ''Aria of Sorrow.''
* IWorkAlone: He initially invokes this when he enters the castle in ''Dawn of Sorrow''... then he ultimately decides to cooperate with Soma and Arikado when they enter as well.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: His battle against Dracula cost him his memory, though he gets it back during the events of ''Aria''.
* LastOfHisKind: Possibly. As he does not appear to have any surviving family or children of his own (Kokoro doesn't count), Julius may be the last surviving member of the Belmont clan.
* LightningBruiser: Like Richter before him, he is capable of performing dashes and uppercuts.
* ShoutOut: Like most ''Castlevania'' games since and including ''Symphony of the Night'', both ''Aria'' and ''Dawn'' featured a mode of play that allowed you to go through the game as if it were a classic ''Castlevania'', with ''Dawn'''s variety being modeled after ''Castlevania III''. The best part? If you get Soma's bad ending a little over halfway through the game, it still counts as beating the game and unlocks Julius Mode. Soma's bad ending is of course canon to Julius mode.
* SuperiorSuccessor: He's this to every preceding Belmont because, whereas every other one only temporarily killed Dracula, he killed him so thoroughly that when the vampire came back, it was as the good natured human Soma Cruz. He basically fulfilled his bloodline's destiny and permanently ended Dracula.
* WillfullyWeak: He has a habit of holding back his true strength, either for personal reasons or because of the amount of stamina it would deplete him of. So one can imagine how scary it must be to see that, despite having been confirmed to be holding back during his fight, Julius' Grand Cross damages the castle in the background!
* WorldsBestWarrior: The Belmont Clan gets more powerful with each generation, and Julius is the last known one. He is the only one of their line to permanently kill Dracula, although that was with the help of the Hakuba clan and the combined might of the Catholic Church alongside ''every'' countries military -- allies that none of Julius's predecessors had the benefit of meeting.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yoko Belnades]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoko_belnades.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Hiroko Takahashi (''Aria of Sorrow''; credited by her real name Ao Takahashi in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' and ''Harmony of Despair'')
->'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/KarenStrassman (''Harmony of Despair'')
->"''Ha ha ha. It's so much fun to tease you. But this is not the time to be fooling around.''"
A descendant of Sypha. Yoko is a powerful witch, and is very skilled in the use of magic spells. She is a member of the church, and was sent to the Hakuba Shrine in 2035 to investigate the return of Castlevania, along with Genya Arikado. She was injured in the incident, but later recovered. In 2036, she assisted Julius, Arikado, and Soma in fighting the cult that was seeking to resurrect the dark lord.
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* ActionGirl: She's playable in Julius Mode in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', where she can really unleash her abilities.
* CoolBigSis: To Mina Hakuba, whom she says is like a little sister to her, and the feeling is mutual.
* FireIceLightning: Her three spells she can cast when you play as her. Also meant as a ContinuityNod to Sypha's spells in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Dracula's Curse]]''.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Is taken out of the action in ''Aria'' by being stabbed, with an ordinary knife. No other character has been so easy to take down, and indeed, come ''Dawn'', she can take quite a few stabs from random mooks. Perhaps she trained, or better protected herself, so it doesn't happen again?
* HotWitch: Has magical power, and you can't help but wonder why the Succubi in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' copy her appearance?
* IneffectualLoner: In ''Aria of Sorrow'', she suspects Graham of wrongdoing and goes after him on her own. This gets her stabbed. She does a much better job when part of a team.
* LadyOfWar: Namely in ''Dawn of Sorrow'''s Julius Mode, as well as ''Harmony of Despair''.
* NosyNeighbor: Not a neighbor, but she's very nosy about Soma's love life...
* ObliviousToLove: She has no idea that Hammer has feelings for her, and even thinks he dislikes her, since she mistakes his LongingLook for a glare. Ironically, ''Hammer'' can also think that she is cold to him.
* PromotedToPlayable: In ''Dawn of Sorrow'', where she can be picked up in Julius Mode.
* SquishyWizard: Dishes out more damage than she can take herself.
* WhiteMage: A variation. Her primary attack in ''Dawn of Sorrow'' is to swing her MagicWand, and it doesn't do very much damage, but it heals Yoko for a little HP every time she hits something.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hammer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hammer_1.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TetsuInada
->"''You'll visit my shop again, won't ya? I'll be waitin' for ya.''"
Formerly a soldier in the U.S. Army, Hammer is one of Soma's friends and allies. He was sent by the army to investigate the Hakuba Shrine in 2035, and ended up inside Castlevania. After being transported to Castlevania and meeting Soma, he decided to quit the army and get into the shopkeeping business. In 2036, he helped Soma find the base of the cult that was trying to revive the dark lord, and then unexpectedly showed up there to help Soma out by opening a shop. Hammer has a crush on Yoko Belnades, but seems to be [[CannotSpitItOut too nervous to tell her]].
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* ChristmasCake: An odd male example — he says stuff like "love is a young man's game" despite only being 34. Doubly strange since he's American.
* GentleGiant: Despite being a big, tough guy, he's not really into fighting.
* IntrepidMerchant: It's implied that he gets his expanding inventory from exploring the castle.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's crotchety and rude, but is unquestionably on the side of the heroes and cares for his friends.
* KnowledgeBroker: In ''Dawn of Sorrow'', he sells information on rare monsters, but insists that Soma pay first, since reading his information without paying is like stealing.
* LongingLook: He does this to Yoko in ''Dawn of Sorrow'', according to Soma's chats with her. [[ObliviousToLove Yoko mistakes it for a glare]]. Hilariously, ''he'' will think that it is ''Yoko'' who is cold to him.
* NonActionGuy: Despite being a former US military soldier, he doesn't take up much of the action. Justified as he got tired of fighting and wanted to become a shop merchant.
* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: He decides to ditch his mission after suddenly arriving at Castlevania despite being told he was only going to investigate a shrine, commenting that it was a mean thing to do to him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Graham Jones]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TetsuInada
->"''I was born on the very day that Dracula was destroyed... So, in short, that means that I AM Dracula!''"
The founder and missionary of a religious group who appears in ''Aria of Sorrow''.
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* AffablyEvil: He's very polite and friendly to Soma... but only because he doesn't see him as a threat. Once Soma mentions his own powers, Graham starts [[FauxAffablyEvil going off the deep end.]]
* BackgroundBoss: His second form, taking cues from Dracula's final form in ''Symphony of the Night''.
* BigBad: For ''Aria of Sorrow''. He may not actually be the new Dark Lord, but that won't stop him from seeking his power.
* BodyHorror: He explodes into a fountain of blood when going OneWingedAngel and the result is no less pretty.
* DevilComplex: He wholly believes that he is the new Dark Lord.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The game ends with his defeat if you fail to equip the right souls before fighting him. However, if you do, the game continues after his death and onto the actual climax.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Doesn't care about anything besides claiming Dracula's power and the castle for himself.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: He believes himself to be Dracula's reincarnation, and is bent on his desire to gain all of his powers.
* LightIsNotGood: He has a light color scheme and his second form of his boss fight looks angelic, but he's anything ''but'' good.
* OneWingedAngel: His second form is akin to Dracula's form in ''Symphony of the Night'', save that instead of being dark and demonic, he's cushioned between two angelic-looking women whose internal organs are on display and a laser ring of death is shown above.
* {{Reincarnation}}: He possesses magical powers due to having been born at the exact moment of Dracula's death, and thus believes that he is the reincarnation of Dracula.
* SinisterMinister: He's the head of a religious cult that worships Dracula.
* VillainousBreakdown: He starts on one when he learns about Soma's power of dominance, and reaches its peak when you fight him.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He has white hair, but beneath his polite appearance lies a man who wants to become the Dark Lord. The biggest act that lead to him being pegged as evil is stabbing Yoko.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He's convinced that being born in the exact moment that Dracula died makes him Dracula reincarnated. Not only is he not Dracula's reincarnation, ''Dawn of Sorrow'' reveals that he wasn't even the only person born in that moment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chaos]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos.gif]]
The true root of Dracula's power, and the embodiment of the evil and darkness in humanity's souls. It gets destroyed by Soma at the end of ''Aria of Sorrow'', although its power still exists...
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* AmbiguousSituation: While It can be assumed both the Crimson Stone and the Power of Dominance are involved, how exactly Dracula gained access to Chaos’ powers is left unsaid.
* TheAntiGod: Since it's the reason Dracula has been able to do much of anything and can choose other Dark Lords, it's probably safe to assume that Chaos is the real anti-God.
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: According to the novel ''Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku'', as long as humans continue to exist, Chaos will still be able to take form and have its power manipulated.
* BackgroundBoss: Second form. Its weakspot is the core of the Chaotic Realm seen in the center of the screen during the fight.
* ChaosIsEvil: Very much so considering it's the source of Dracula's power.
* FaustianRebellion: It's the source of Dracula's power, and Soma, the reincarnation of Dracula, kills him.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: Being more of a force than it is a character, it has no motivation of its own.
* GodOfEvil: Once again, Drac would be nowhere without Chaos.
* GreaterScopeVillain: It's this for the series, since it's the ultimate source of Dracula's power.
* NonStandardGameOver: Failure against this boss results in a cutscene where Soma becomes the new Dracula, prompting Julius to hunt him.
* TrueFinalBoss: Of ''Aria''.
[[/folder]]
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