Maria Renard

Maria Renard (ja. マリア･ラーネッド Maria Learned) is a heroine from Konami's Castlevania series. She appears as a playable character in Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and Demon Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight (the Sega Saturn port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) and all three games in the Dracula X Chronicles. She also appears as a non-playable character in Castlevania: Dracula X and the aforementioned Symphony of the Night.

Character history
In 1792 Maria, a twelve year old girl of distant kinship to the Belmont clan, 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 the girl. Once Maria is rescued in Rondo, she is unlocked as a playable character. Thus, there is an ending in which Maria confronts and defeats the Count instead of Richter. The reworking of this game on the Super Nintendo, Dracula X, made Richter's girlfriend Annette Maria's older sister.

Four years after the defeat of Dracula, Richter vanished. Maria immediately set out to find her brother-in-law. 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 variables in Symphony, the player will receive different endings: In one Maria will profess her love for Alucard and go after him. In another she will resign herself to the fact that she cannot ease his torment and return home with Richter.

Maria is also playable in "Ritchter mode" in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin partnered with Richter Belmont. There is a glitch that allows the player to play the game with Maria on her own but that would make the game unbeatable becuase Ritchter is required to gain entry to certain areas.

Boss battle
Alucard must battle Maria in Demon Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight before she helps him see past Shaft's deceptions. In the Dracula X Chronicles, Alucard fight with Maria in order to obtain the Holy Glasses.

Trivia
Name origin: Voice actors: Blood Type:
 * Maria's Japanese surname was borrowed from the Learned Memorial Library, a building on the Doshisha University campus in Kyoto, Japan. The building was named after Dwight Whitney Learned (1848-1943), the first president of the University.
 * Maria's English surname is the French word for "fox."
 * Yoko Teppotsuka in Rondo of Blood.
 * Chisa Yokoyama in Nocturne in the Moonlight.
 * Kimberly Forsythe in Symphony of the Night.
 * Michelle Ruff in Dracula X Chronicles.
 * Maria's blood type is AB.

Maria Renard in Fan Fiction

 * Castlevania Tales: 20th Anniversary Special (major role) - Time has shattered. While searching for Richter Belmont, Maria has a very scary encounter with a younger and more angry Alucard than the one she has gotten to know.
 * Because of You (secondary role) - Vulnerable after recently given birth, Maria and her husband entrust their daughter to Alucard.