Line #1 SelfDemonstrating/DraculaVladTepes


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-Dracula1_small_3021.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Me, as Mathias Cronqvist]] :https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_os9m8x9nzk1qmz9juo2_1280.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
3
4	''For Count Dracula from the novel, go [[SelfDemonstrating/CountDracula here.]]''
5
6	(The Lord of Vampires is beloved by the night. Especially when channeling Creator/NorioWakamoto, [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence Nobuhiko Kazama]], Creator/JojiNakata, and Creator/NaoyaUchida if speaking Japanese. For English, then it's [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Michael Guinn]], Creator/CrispinFreeman, Creator/PatrickSeitz, and Creator/GrahamMcTavish. For Spanish, its Creator/CarlosSegundo)
7
8	Mankind. [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters A cesspit of hatred and lies]]. I know of this first-hand. Is that why you're here, troper? You have come to me because you shun the light in favor of the darkness?
9
10	If so, then permit me to introduce myself. (''bows'') I am Dracula Vlad Ţepeş. And I do not get many visitors nowadays. I am the genuine article, not the Belmont who fancies himself as me.
11
12	It seems that I am the first vampire to be given his own page. [[ManOfWealthAndTaste I do set the standard, after all]].
13
14	I was not always the Lord of Vampires. My origins were a bit...humbler.
15
16	My birth name was Mathias Cronqvist. A name I haven't used in a long time. That was who I was before I shed it in favor for my current one. I was born in the year 1060, raised in an era in which for a knight, knowledge was just as valuable as gold. That was instrumental in my joining an order of knights alongside Leon Belmont, fighting for God and country.
17
18	Surprised? Long before his descendants became the bane of my existence, I considered Leon as a friend. I also married my sweetheart, Elizabetha. She was a frail woman, but I was devoted to her all the same.
19
20	Until God took her from me.
21
22	I was away with Leon on a military expedition when it happened. Elizabetha was alive when I left. When I returned, she was a corpse. I fought wars in God's name and this was my reward?! He took away which I loved the most!
23
24	No more. No more will I serve Him.
25
26	I came to the conclusion that if being mortal is God's decree, then I will defy it.
27
28	And let God and all His works tremble.
29
30	With that, I began to plan, all the while pretending to be bedridden from grief. To gain eternal life, I recreated the Crimson Stone. All I needed to complete it was the soul of a powerful vampire.
31
32	A shame that I had to use Leon and his betrothed in my scheme, but the end justified the means. [[TheChessmaster I was the puppet master and I made everyone dance to my tune]]; Leon, Sara, Walter, even Gandolfi.
33
34	It was my master stroke, if I can be so modest. I knew Leon would triumph, weakening Walter enough to allow Death to steal his soul and absorb it into the Crimson Stone.
35
36	Despite everything, Leon was still my friend. I'd rather not have Sara killed before she turned, but it served my purpose. I offered Leon the chance to become a vampire, but he refused my offer.
37
38	''Eternity without her would be nothing but emptiness.''
39
40	Looking back on it now...I understand what you meant by that, Leon.
41
42	Not even Death could stop Leon. When I met up with the Reaper of Souls, he had a message for me, from Leon:
43
44	''You have become a cursed being and I will never forgive you. This whip [[BadassFamily and my kinsmen will destroy you someday]]. From this day on... the Belmont Clan will hunt the night!''
45
46	So began the Belmont Clan's vendetta against me, one that would end with my death a little over 900 years from now.
47
48	I fled Transylvania and changed my name. Mathias Cronqvist was dead. Now, and forever, I was Count Dracula Vlad Ţepeş. Over the centuries, I built my power and influence, with Castlevania as my crowning achievement and symbol of my power.
49
50	Over four centuries would pass. Then, I met Lisa.
51
52	I was smitten. Lisa was a healer, creating medicines to care for the sick. She had that fire, that gentle strength that Elizabetha once had. Well, that and she could pass as my first wife, reincarnated.
53
54	We fell in love, and she warmed my black heart. We married and she bore me a son, Adrian Ţepeş. You know him as Alucard. (''smiles fondly as he looks at a family portrait of [[https://i.redd.it/5sq57lagi5431.jpg himself, Lisa and a young Adrian]]'') She made me...happy.
55
56	(''mood darkens'') But once again, my love was taken from me.
57
58	A mob accused my wife of witchcraft when all she did was tend to their ills. My beloved was no witch. But they crucified her.
59
60	When Lisa died, all that remained good within me also died. That was when my war against mankind began.
61
62	But mankind had its protectors, primarily those from Leon's bloodline. I still remember their names, their faces, even now. Trevor Belmont. Christopher and his son. Simon Belmont.
63
64	But what hurt the most was when my own son not only disowned me, but rebelled against me and sided with the humans! The same mindless fools that killed his mother! [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight He would later tell me why after we had fought]], that he was following Lisa's final wishes.
65
66	''Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm, for theirs is already a hard lot.''
67
68	Adrian also relayed a personal message from Lisa to me, that she would love me for eternity.
69
70	Oh, Lisa. Forgive me.
71
72	Adrian's revelations were not enough to stop my plans. If it wasn't a Belmont that challenged me, it was a distant relative, or an order of monster hunters. As long as man has hatred in their hearts and offer me tribute, I shall return.
73
74	Adrian finally figured that out. In 1999, in what would be known as the Demon Castle War, I died my final death. By severing my link with Chaos and by extension, Castlevania, I died not as Dracula, but as Mathias Cronqvist.
75
76	I would later be reincarnated as Soma Cruz, but that is another story. [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow Along with the one where]] [[spoiler: I seemed to have started out as a Belmont myself.]]
77
78	Aside from the standard fare of action games, I also [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment have a fighting game]] under my belt. It also has made the fighters here wary of my intentions. [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Dante}} the son of Sparda]] could be considered a threat should he comes after me. Better keep an eye on him for the time being. I was also invited by [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate the entity known as Dharkon to wage war against his antithesis, Galeem]]. In addition to being the end boss to both Belmonts in their Classic routes, I was the final boss [[VideoGame/PacMan to some strange yellow spherical creature that eats "ghosts"]] and [[VideoGame/MarioBros a human plumber]] that [[VideoGame/LuigisMansion hunts them]]. I am also the midboss to the [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Sephiroth}} so-called "One-Winged Angel"]] in his path to being "The Undisputed". I admit he was a formidable opponent and I had to yield.
79
80	But it is the [[WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}} animated adaptation]] that impresses me the most. It makes me into a more sympathetic villain, and brief as it may been, showed my relationship with Lisa. To the creators of the show, I raise my glass to you. A far better depiction of me than that [[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster asinine mediocrity that dares passes as myself!]] Or that ridiculous parody Alucard from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''.
81
82
83	!! What is a trope? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk. Have at them!
84
85	* AffablyEvil: Even a vampire of my standing have some class, even towards my enemies. Furthermore, despite the bad blood between us, I respect my son and for a time, was devoted to both Elizabetha and Lisa.
86	* AlasPoorVillain: When Alucard rose in rebellion and bested me, I made an appeal to Lisa for forgiveness.
87	* TheAntiChrist: I am merely the focus for the physical connection of the evil which dwells in mankind.
88	* ArchnemesisDad: (''fumes'') As much as I care for my son, Adrian just ''infuriates'' me for standing against me.
89	* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Up until the Demon Castle War, I could never truly die. So long as mankind have darkness in their hearts and their faith turns from God, [[ResurrectiveImmortality I will return]].
90	* AsTheGoodBookSays: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Matthew 16:26, I believe. I recited this verse to Adrian [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight following my defeat at his hands]].
91	* BackFromTheDead: [[KilledOffForReal Until my permanent demise in 1999]].
92	* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: [[GodOfEvil I am the counter to God on Earth]].
93	* BatmanGambit: [[TheChessmaster It's how I]] [[UnwittingPawn became a vampire]] [[TreacherousAdvisor in the first place]].
94	* BigBad: For the most part, I served as the primary adversary of the Belmont Clan. Other times, I'm relegated to being a GreaterScopeVillain.
95	* BigBadFriend: As Mathias, [[TheTrickster I was this to Leon]], [[TheDogWasTheMastermind manipulating him and several others in order to achieve my goal of becoming a vampire]]. [[TheBadGuyWins And everyone played their parts beautifully]].
96	* BoomerangBigot: While I am guilty of the crimes I had done when I was mortal, the humans I targeted are much, much worse than I.
97	* [[BattleThemeMusic Boss]] {{Leitmotif}}: ''Dance of Illusions''. So majestic, as it reflects my personality perfectly.
98	* CasanovaWannabe: I have a sharp eye for beauty. So when a woman that suits my fancy enters my home, I always give her the chance to join me by my side, to rule for eternity. They refuse, of course. Either way, none could match the caliber of Elizabetha or Lisa.
99	* ChaosArchitecture Castlevania is a creation of Chaos. You can try and map it, but the interior always changes with each incarnation.
100	* TheChessmaster: Both as Mathias and as Dracula. As Mathias, I manipulated Leon and Walter in coming to blows, all to gain Walter's soul to fully power the Crimson Stone. As Dracula, I can rely on either Death or any of my loyal minions to revive me once every century.
101	* DependingOnTheWriter: Just how evil and depraved I can be? (''shrugs'') To be honest, it varies with each of my appearances.
102	* {{Determinator}}: You can kill me, even sic my own son after me, [[JokerImmunity but I will always return and resume my war on humanity]].
103	* DimensionLord: My station as the Dark Lord is what maintains the [[{{Hell}} Abyss]]; a realm that contains six separate hells that contain the souls of the damned, of which makes up the monsters that guard Castlevania. My home is also a dimension unto itself, being a symbol of not only my will, but the chaos found within mankind.
104	* {{Dracula}}: [[PublicDomainCharacter The most prominent example]] that is not Bram Stoker's version.
105	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Yes, even I can love. I remember Elizabetha and Lisa with fondness, as I had good memories with both my wives. And Adrian... he was such an inquisitive and sweet boy growing up before he turned against me. Deep down, I'm actually proud of my boy.
106	* EvilLaugh: I'm fond of this particularly when I teleport.
107	* EvilOverlord: Dark Lord, to be precise, and I set the standard for all Dark Lords after me.
108	* EvilSoundsDeep: When I was Mathias, it was more of a deep baritone. Nowadays, it's as what one would expect.
109	* FaithHeelTurn: God took away what I loved the most in the form of my first wife. [[FallenHero So I turned my]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens back on Him]].
110	* FinalBoss: Honestly, it would be easier to count the times I'm ''not'' this.
111	* {{Foil}}: To Leon Belmont and his descendants. Leon lost his betrothed, yet refused to join me. The people shun them, yet they continue to defend those who fear them.
112	* FreudianExcuse: [[LoveMakesYouEvil Can you really fault me for being what I am]]? I lost two wives due in part to mankind and their tyrannical God, the first to illness while I was away fighting the Church's enemies, and the second when she was accused of being a witch.
113	* GenreBlind: (''sigh'') I admit that I have placed my hopes on the Belmont clan dying out over the years, or letting humanity's fear do that job for me. I knew I should have killed Trevor when he was a child...
114	* [[AGlassOfChianti A Glass Of Blood]]: You can find me relaxing with a goblet of blood if you come storming into my throne room looking for a fight. Once I finish off my drink, I toss the goblet to the ground and rise to the challenge.
115	* GoodHairEvilHair: I prefer it slicked back. But I can get away with it [[MessyHair being messy]] on occasion.
116	* [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By Dracula]]: It happens, with the most famous example being [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight my reunion with Adrian]].
117	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
118	** I underestimated Leon's resolve. I should have killed him myself when he refused my offer of eternal life. Now I find out that cursed whip the Belmonts used is partially my fault that it was made.
119	** That pawn Barlowe probably had enough time to tune Dominus to be as dangerous to me as it was to the seal that kept me locked up. I should have taken him and his, to paraphrase, "stupid disciples" more seriously.
120	* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Just look what they did to my second wife! Lisa was no witch! She was a woman of medicine, who healed the sick!
121	* {{Hypocrite}}: People tend to call me out on this flaw, even more so than my son. Humans cause nothing but death and destruction... and here I am, doing exactly the same. Damn it, Adrian...
122	* IgnoredEpiphany: Even after Adrian relayed Lisa's words to me... I just couldn't let go of my hatred. It would consume me completely until my final defeat.
123	* KillItWithFire: [[EvilIsBurningHot Two techniques of which are considered to be my signature attacks]]: {{Hellfire}}, which is my triple fireball attack, and [[FlamingMeteor Dark Inferno]], where I fling two small meteors at the opponent. And there is my ultimate technique, the [[UnholyHolySword Holy Megiddo]], in which I bathe the opponent in holy flames.
124	* KilledOffForReal: After nearly a millennium living as a vampire, I finally met my end at the hands of Julius Belmont during the Demon Castle War. It would not be the end, as I would be reincarnated as Soma Cruz.
125	* LargeHam: (''laughs'') Sometimes, it's the little things that counts. I speak with great emotion, even more so with [[Creator/NorioWakamoto my Japanese avatar]].
126	* LoadBearingBoss: As Castlevania is connected to me, once I am defeated, the castle will collapse onto itself.
127	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: See my likeness when I was Mathias Cronqvist.
128	* ManipulativeBastard: You flatter me with your praise, troper.
129	* MisanthropeSupreme: [[CynicismCatalyst After Lisa was murdered]], all bets were off.
130	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Despite denying Lisa's final wish to spare mankind, it was not enough for me to stop. Lisa... I'm sorry.
131	* NotMeThisTime: I don't appear [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDissonance when Juste Belmont stormed my castle]], but rather, my power does, taking on my appearance of a wraith.
132	* NumberOfTheBeast: Quite fitting, as my HP rounds out to 6,666.
133	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: If anything else, I am the antithesis to God.
134	* PointyEars: Does that bother you? Lisa thought they looked rather cute.
135	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: My reasoning in becoming a vampire. If limited life is God's decree, then I shall defy it. And it worked... for about 900 years.
136	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: I look good in red and black, don't I?
137	* ReincarnationRomance: I believe that Lisa was the reincarnation of my first wife. And quite possibly, Mina Hakuba being the reincarnation of the first two alongside my own reincarnation as Soma Cruz.
138	* SlouchOfVillainy: Immortality can be boring. Which is why I'm usually slouched on my throne whenever a Belmont or my son shows up to challenge me.
139	* TallDarkAndHandsome: It was how I was able to woo both Elizabetha and Lisa in the first place.
140	* TeleportSpam: Be it in a pillar of light or [[OneToMillionToOne as a flock of bats]]. [[VillainTeleportation I follow through]] with either Inferno or Hellfire.
141	* ThisCannotBe: Many a time when beaten in battle.
142	* TrueFinalBoss: In some games, I am this.
143	* VampiresAreSexGods: Be that as it may, I am a one woman vampire. Lisa was the only one [[FreakinessShame who saw the goodness in me]].
144	* [[ManOfWealthAndTaste Vampire Of Wealth And Taste]]: Why, thank you. Even a Lord of Darkness such as myself must make an impression when I grace these foolish mortals with my presence. The best example of this is my appearance in ''Symphony of the Night''.
145	* WickedCultured: Something that I carried over from my days as Mathias Cronqvist. Knowledge can just be as dangerous and just as valuable in the right hands.
146	* TragicVillain: One of the most famous in video game history.
147	* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny:
148	** [[WebAnimation/DeathBattle A pair of mortal men that host a series of life or death battles]] had set me against [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda a fellow ruler that also forgone his humanity for greater power]]. [[spoiler: I butchered him and feasted on his blood afterwards.]]
149	** There was also that one occurrence when I, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the aforementioned ruler]], and [[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} a small jester-like monster]] served under the command of that [[EldritchAbomination cosmic entity]] known as [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Dharkon]]. Most of the Belmont clan and their allies had been reduced to bodiless souls by an eldritch being named Galeem, but two of them survived, those two being [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Simon]] and his descendant [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Richter]].

Context SelfDemonstrating / DraculaVladTepes