or simply known as , real name Mathias Cronqvist, is a fictional character from the Castlevania video game series. A vampire and a sorcerer, he is the main antagonist of the series and the final boss of almost every installment. He is the overall protagonist in the rebooted Castlevania trilogy Lords of Shadow—though he takes on his classical antagonistic role in the game Mirror of Fate—where his origin is heavily altered, as he is reimagined as being part of a holy order who eventually falls from grace and becomes the vampire Dracula, making him the king and ruler of darkness. The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character in the novel of the same name, who was in turn likely named for Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Castlevania Dracula draws some history from both, but instead of only preying on maidens, this version threatens whole realms with his armies at the least, and at worst is presented as the very embodiment of evil. He is, however, capable of loving relationships (his evil nature is partly fuelled by the loss of two women he loved) and, despite their differences, he loves his son Alucard. In the series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dracula is reimagined as an 11th-century holy knight named Gabriel Belmont and serves as the central character of the game and its two sequels. The Lords of Shadow series tells the story of Gabriel's quest to save the world, fall into darkness, and journey of redemption. Conception and design Dracula's appearance is inconsistent throughout the series' history. His face resembles that of Bela Lugosi's Dracula in the first few games and in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. In Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, he resembles an anime character with medium length, purple hair. He has a more demonic look in Castlevania: Dracula X and Castlevania: Bloodlines. Symphony of the Night gives him a beard or goatee and longer hair. His hair color changes between a dark brown or black and gray color. He has a very heavyset and muscular looking face in the Nintendo 64 Castlevania games, whereas he has a more thin and elegant face in Symphony of the Night and the first two handheld games. In Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Dracula wears a long robe, with a more realistic version of the Symphony of the Night face.