Cornell

Cornell (コーネル) -- whose tribal name is Blue Crescent Moon (蒼き三日月 - aoki mikaduki) -- is the main playable character and protagonist of Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness on the Nintendo 64. He is also a playable character in Castlevania: Judgment on the Wii.

At first glance, he gives off a typical anime appearance, having a rather frail complexion and platinum-colored hair. However, within this warrior lurks a fearsome power: the ability to transform into an anthropomorphic wolf, making him far stronger and faster than in his human guise. Though this doesn't make him any less capable as a full-blooded man, as he is capable of throwing blades of energy from his fists in either form, as well as raking his claws over enemies' bodies.

When the game begins, Cornell's sister Ada, has been captured by demons to be used as a sacrifice in Count Dracula's honor. Little does the wolf-man know what they truly have in mind.

Official background: A magical and powerful man-beast. Cornell has the ability to transform into a werewolf. Destined to uncover the disappearance of his sister Ada, he tracks down Ada's scent to Dracula's castle.

Before Castlevania: Judgment
In ancient times, a curse once befell a tribe of warriors, turning all of its people into man-beasts. The ancient man-beasts had an incredible power, but preferring to live harmoniously with humans, decided to seal away this power. While they were able to seal away some of their raw energy, they were not, however, able to control their transformations or lift the Curse of the Man Beast that had befallen them.

Cornell was born into this tribe in 1821. He grew up along with his best friend and rival, Ortega. They trained in the martial arts and became soldiers for their village, but Ortega was often frustrated because whatever he did, Cornell was able to do better.

One day, Cornell's people, and probably Cornell himself, attacked a village of humans, perhaps after being overtaken by the curse and changed into their beast forms. Every human in the village was killed, except for one very young girl named Ada. Overcome with guilt and sadness over what had happened, Cornell adopted her as his sister and raised her as a man beast. He had given her a pendant which granted her protection from beasts, which may have enabled her to grow up in a place where any of the villagers could turn into a raving beast at any time.

His desire to keep Ada safe may have been what caused him to try to break free from the curse. Through severe ascetic training, he became the only man beast to gain mastery over his transformation. He also became the only one of his village to be able to break the seal on the Man Beast power that the ancients had created. This distinction earned him the name "Blue Crescent Moon". His newfound power soon attracted the attention of the forces of Dracula, however. Time and time again, Dracula's servants came to him, attempting to lure him into the Dark Lord's service. He most likely had to defeat them in battle in order to get rid of them.

His friend Ortega became jealous of Cornell's power and challenged him. Cornell saw in him a weaker opponent and looked on him with cold eyes. He defeated him with ease. After the battle, Cornell left the village and Ada on a training mission, where he would endure more aesthetic training and hoped to find a way to cure his village of the curse. Dracula's forces, meanwhile, had found a use for Ortega, and promised him that Dracula would be able to lift the seal on his power so that he would be able to compete with Cornell.

Events of Castlevania: Judgment
After training for about a year, Cornell's power ran amok, trapping him in beast form. When he came to, a man calling himself Aeon stood before him. He explained that he was in a time rift and Cornell realized that was why he was unable to change back to his human form. He also explained that this place held an answer he sought - how to lift the curse. He had to fight many other warriors from other time periods. He came across Sypha and, noticing that she seemed to be a member of the clergy, asked her if her holy arts could cure his affliction. She told him that nothing could be done and that death was his only salvation, which she tried to grant him. He could not allow himself to be defeated though and she was beaten. Disillusioned, Cornell continued his quest. Meanwhile, Carmilla and Death had also come to the time rift. Death had explained to Carmilla a new way in which Cornell could be of use to Dracula, even against his will. All they needed to do was to defeat Cornell and take his man beast power and give it to Dracula to ensure that he was reborn in a new and proper body. When he met up with Carmilla, he was weary of being hassled to join Dracula's forces again. She teased him that she had heard from Death something about his condition and then attacked him. He defeated her, but then realized that Death might know something about how he could be cured. He eventually caught up with Death and asked him what he knew. He explained that with their dark arts his condition could be remedied and asked that he come with him. After being convinced of the truth behind Death's words, Cornell was relieved to know there was a way. But he did not trust Death's intentions and fought him. He would find the way on his own.

Events of Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
After leaving the time rift, Cornell could once again control his power and return to human form. However, having come no closer to finding a true cure, he headed home in despair. He returned home to find his village abandoned, in flames, and overrun by demons. He rushed in and found his house empty, with Ada having been abducted and her pendant lying on the ground. He followed her scent to Dracula's Castle.

Upon reaching the Castle gates, he found his old friend Ortega. He was relieved to find that he was spared, but soon found out that it was Ortega who had burned the village in the first place. All of the other villagers had been killed or taken to Dracula's Castle and put under his dark power. Ortega had taken Ada to the Castle to be used as a sacrifice to grant Dracula greater power and as payment for having the seal on Ortega's power lifted.

While trying to find a way into the main part of the Castle, Cornell encountered a family of humans who were living in the annex of Dracula's castle, presumably since before the Castle had returned. He found that the wife Mary had barricaded herself into a room to protect herself from her husband, Master Oldrey, who had insisted that he only needed a drink. Cornell soon found that he was not referring to alcohol, but that he was wanted some of her blood, for he had been turned into a vampire by Gilles de Rais. He defeated the vampire and the wife requested that he save her son, Henry. Henry had run away from his father and was hiding in the hedge maze. Even after his father was defeated, he was still in danger though, and Cornell saved him from an immortal beast, The Gardener. Once he was safe, he gave him Ada's pendent and told him that the wolves would protect him if he had it, and Henry made it safely outside of the castle. Also, while in the Annex, Cornell stumbled across a contract that summoned a demon named Renon, who offered to sell him useful items, "because one needs money even in Hell these days".

Upon finding an underground entrance to the Castle proper, Cornell had to face one of Dracula's highest ranking servants, the vampire Gilles de Rais. He demonstrated his power and beat Gilles pretty badly. Another of Dracula's servants Actrise appeared and they agreed that Cornell was more than just a mere man beast and would be able to put up a good fight against their master. Cornell's trials would help them gauge how much power he had and in turn how much use they could be to Dracula. They vanished, leaving Cornell unsure of their intentions.

Cornell eventually found a tower filled with his fellow beast men, who had fallen under the control of Dracula's dark power. He had to defeat them and eventually encountered Ortega for a second time. He showed him another of his fellow villagers, but one whose seal had been broken by Dracula. This was Ortega's warning to Cornell, and he did it to show him how powerful Dracula was and what kind of power Cornell would have to obtain. He left him with the beast, fully expecting Cornell to defeat it (which he did), and told him he would be waiting for him. Cornell encountered Ortega again in the Room of Clocks. Ortega had disobeyed Dracula in order to fight Cornell with his new powers. He used the powers Dracula had granted him and changed into a three headed chimera. After being defeated, Ortega found that even with these powers, he was still no match for Cornell. He regretted what he had done to the villagers but not what he had done for this battle to have taken place. He explained that Ada was not sacrificed yet and that she was in the clock tower. He then threw himself off the side of the tower, where his powers went amok and he exploded.

Cornell finds Ada unconscious in the clock tower, where Ortega had likely hidden her. Cornell wakes her up and is about to take her home when Death intervenes. Death had been searching for Ada for a while now and her absense almost upset the timing needed for the ritual. He had witnessed what transpired between Cornell and Ortega and likely had followed Cornell. He encases Ada in a red crystal and takes her to Dracula's keep. Cornell goes after her.

When Cornell finally arrives at Dracula's lair just before Ada is about to be sacrificed, he confronts the vampire and defeats his first form. Dracula, however, attempts to make him use his full power by rattling Cornell. He reveals that he knew that Ada was not related to him by blood and that his raising her as his sister was a deception on his part and then he enveloped the crystal Ada was trapped in and changed to his demon form. Cornell must defeat this powerful form to free Ada and Dracula attempts to defeat Cornell in order to take his man-beast power. Cornell is successful and Ada appears trapped in her crystal hovering above Dracula. Cornell tries to reach her, but cannot break through a force field in his human form. While pressed against the field, his beast form separates from Cornell's body and enters the force field, smashing the crystal and saving Ada, who falls into Cornell's human form's arms. The beast form is in Dracula's clutches and he thanks him for allowing him to achieve his true objective. Cornell gains what was most valuable to him, Ada, and also achieves his long time goal of being freed from the curse.

After leaving the castle, they meet up with Henry, who had escaped from the castle unharmed. He thanks Cornell and then Ada for the protection her pendant brought her. As Cornell was about to confess that they were not really siblings, Ada reveals that she already knew that her parents had died when she was very little. With no village left, they resolve to live together and start over again. As the darkness has lifted, they left the pendant behind.

After Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Cornell was still able to live as a normal human with his sister and perhaps with a new "brother", Henry, who became a knight for the church armed with a gun. While Cornell was able to lead a normal life, the powers of darkness were able to use his sacrificed wolf power to cause Dracula to be reborn in a child. Eight years later, Dracula's forces seized seven children in attempt to locate the child who Dracula had been reborn in. While no further mention of Cornell was made, Henry set off to rescue these children from Dracula's Castle while new heroes Reinhardt Schneider, the heir to the Vampire Killer whip, and Carrie Fernandez, who inherited some powers of the Belnades Clan, set off to destroy Dracula himself.

Other information
Cornell was originally slated to appear in Castlevania 64 as a prisoner of Dracula's, with the same powers he has in his game. However, time constraints necessitated releasing CV64 as is with only Reinhart and Carrie as characters, further backing up the notion that CV:LoD is a "director's cut", what CV64 was supposed to have been in the first place. In fact, Cornell's alternate costume is what his primary costume was to be in his original incarnation.

Powers and abilities
Mystic Weapon Mastery: Although berated as children of the night, Cornell mastered the Mystic Weapons that only the best of the Vampire Hunter's have in their arsenal. Such weapons like the Boomerang Cross, the Holy Water, the Flame Dagger, Electric Axe and Jagged Earth.
 * Werewolf transformation: Cornell was from a clan of warriors that was cursed to become were beasts. Cornell himself took the form of a wolf and with it the abilities and strengths of one. Unfortunately he also gained the violent rage of one. His clan sealed their raw power to live in coexistence with humans but sometimes their power leaked and made them violent. After the massacre on Ada's village, Cornell swore to control his powers for Ada's sake. His vigorous and harsh training finally paid off as he could at the very least control his transformation and his violence. Cornell broke the seal and was given the title of "Blue Crescent Moon" by his people. His transformation was special as he does not need the full moon and can even transform in broad daylight. The form wears on his spirit however. During the time in Judgement, the time rift locks him in werewolf mode.
 * Werewolf Claws: Cornell's claws slash hard even in human form. His claws are enhanced with the werewolf's powers and mixed with his martial arts becomes nearly unbeatable.
 * Werewolf Howl: In his werewolf form, Cornell can use his voice to howl loudly and pierce the hearts and heads of his victims with supersonic waves.
 * Speed: Cornell's martial arts and werewolf form gives Cornell more speed and power. He can even break the sound barrier and teleport himself a few meters further.
 * Rampage mode: Initially before breaking the seal, Cornell went insane with the curse and supposedly rampaged Ada's village with his friends and slaughtered everyone. Ridden with guilt, Cornell rescued Ada, the sole survivor and raised her as his own sister, who he swore to protect and care. After controlling his transformation, Cornell can release his beast form's violent nature at any given time to cause a massacre to his victims, though continuous use of it wears on Cornell's spirit.
 * Martial Arts skill: Even before Cornell released the seal, Cornell was a master of unarmed combat. His attacks are enhanced by his werewolf claws and powers.
 * Energy Blade: By the training he endured, Cornell mastered the ability to use Energy Blade, fired like light blades from his hands. These Blades can be enhanced to prove fatal to even Dracula himself.
 * Mystic Pendant: The mystic pendant that summons the aid of the wolves. Cornell initially gave this pendant to Ada to ensure her safety among the beast clan should they enter Rampage mode. After Ada was captured, Cornell kept the pendant and gave it to young Henry to ensure his safety while escaping Dracula's castle.

Castlevania Judgment
$Judgment$ Cornell appears in his werewolf form in Castlevania: Judgment for the Wii.

Due to being trapped in the Time Rift, he is stuck as a Werewolf at all times. However, a person named Aeon explains his situation and requests a fight (and loses), Cornell tries to find a way out (as well as the cure to his curse), but is forced to fight his way through a wide array of opponents in order to do so. He meets Sypha and asks if she can cure him, but is forced to go through her as she tried to kill him. After that, Carmilla appears to antagonize Cornell, while mentioning that Death knows a way to fix his problem. However, Cornell wins this battle with the vampire and seeks Death's tracks. Upon finding him, Death did say that it was true that Cornell's affliction could be remedied if the Werewolf would side with him. Cornell denies his offer, saying that he trusts the curse can be removed, but doesn't trust Death. He battles him and wins again.

When Cornell defeats the Time Reaper and finally manages to escape the Time Rift, he is able to revert back to human form, and the events of Legacy of Darkness begin to unfold.