Bloody Tears is a music theme originally composed by Kenichi Matsubara for Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It has since been redone several times across the game line and has become one of the Castlevania series' most well known tracks to date.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - Maria can attack her enemies with the skill Hymn and will also sing a part of the song at the same time. Additionally, to get the Secret Item Crown, the player needs to play a part of Bloody Tears on the piano on Chapter 2.
Trevor Morris arranged "Bloody Tears" for the Castlevania animated series. It is featured in season two's episode seven, "For Love".
In Haunted Castle, a large portrait of a woman (presumably of Selena) in Stage 3 will shed a tear of blood as the player passes by. This was probably the first time the concept appeared in the series.
Carmilla's mask is often seen crying tears of blood from its left eye (or eye socket) in many of its appearances throughout the series, starting from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which in some occasions are used as a form of attack.
In Castlevania Chronicles, a giant statue of the goddess Athena in Stage 4 constantly cries tears of blood; each time a drop touches the ground, it will transform into an indestructible Red Skeleton.
Appropriately, the background theme of this level is "Bloody Tears".
In a cutscene of Castlevania (N64) and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, the statue of an angel will start shedding copious tears of blood as the player approaches it. From the puddle that forms on the floor a new enemy will emerge: the Blood Jelly.
One of Wind's quests in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is called "The Statue's Tear" and consists in asking the player to find a statue of Virgin Mary in one of the portraits. When the player interacts with said statue, it will shed tears of blood and an item called the "Statue's Tear" will be obtained, which must then be brought back to Wind. The reward for completing this quest is Jonathan's Holy Water skill.
The Game Over screen for Sisters Mode displays an image of a woman (presumably Virgin Mary) crying tears of blood, possibly referencing this quest.
The concept of religious imagery weeping tears of blood or presenting stigmata —believed to originate from supernatural means— are widely-known phenomena often associated with divine miracles, especially in Catholic beliefs.
The name of this theme could be a reference to the classic Hammer "Dracula" horror films, where Count Dracula (portrayed by Christopher Lee) is sometimes seen crying tears of blood.
The introductory segment in Bloody Tears bears an uncanny resemblance to the 1985 song "Marching Out" by renown heavy metal guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. The song predates the release of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest by two years, making both products relatively contemporary. Konami is well known for making numerous references to rock music in their games.
There is a common misconception that the Perfect Selection Dracula Battle version of Bloody Tears was performed by Gothic Metal band Cradle of Filth; however, this is not true, as it was arranged by Naoto Shibata.
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