Since the first title, released in 1986, the Castlevania series has been referenced in many forms of media, including video games, literature, music and TV series.
A card named Vampire Hunter depicts a warrior wielding a whip. Since the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game was developed by Konami, it's most likely that this character was designed to resemble a generic member of the Belmont clan. Furthermore, the original Japanese name of this card is Vanpaia Kirā (Vampire Killer).
Before Finn and Jake fight Marceline the Vampire Queen, the Ice King quotes Dracula's infamous line from Symphony of the Night: "But enough talk... Have at you!"
Soon after that, Jake calls the trash on the ground "a miserable little pile of trash", again referencing Dracula's original speech to Richter: "A miserable little pile of secrets."
The entire game is modeled after elements from classic Castlevania games such as Dracula's Curse and Rondo of Blood. These similarities include visual style, gameplay and much more.
This action role-playing game series, also by Konami, implements a few elements that appear to be inspired by the Castlevania franchise, such as an evil vampireCount, a character named Carmilla, who resembles Circle of the Moon's Camilla and whose true form resembles Medusa, and even a huge castle that can travel through space.
The fourth boss, Baron Vladmu, is a Dracula spoof that teleports in a similar manner and shoots fireballs from his crotch after opening his cape. In addition, the player can obtain weapons by breaking candles and a character called "Selena" throws scythes at the player just before they battle Vladmu, like Death guards Dracula.
As a reward for finishing a quest in the Castle of the Dead (which seems to be a reference in itself), the game rewards the player with a picture titled "Vampire Hunter", which seems to be a reference to Alucard or the Castlevania series in general.
An item in this game, called the "Mysterious Wall Chicken", can be found by destroying certain walls in a nod to how similar items are often found in the Castlevania series hidden behind breakable walls.
An item in this game, the Red Orb, is a direct reference to the Red Crystal in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The reference goes as far as having the same use: the orb must be taken to the topmost part of a cliff (itself being a reference to Deborah Cliff), and kneel and wait for a whirlwind spirit to carry the player to a secret area.
In the DLC story Episode Ardyn, when the main character, Ardyn Izunia, is ambushed by the Royal Guards of Lucis, the memory of his brother Somnus Lucis Caelum taunts him by saying "mankind ill needs a savior such as you", which had been Richter Belmont's retort to Dracula in the initial English localization for the prologue of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Coincidentally, Ardyn had a similar backstory and to a certain extent characterization to Dracula, being a former human who had become an immortal demon and tried to doom the world out of spite for loved ones being brutally murdered (Aera in the case of Ardyn, Elisabetha and Lisa in the case of Dracula regarding lost loves, as well as Somnus in the case of Ardyn and witch trials in the case of Dracula regarding how they were murdered), even going as far as to have a name change afterward (Dracula originally being known as Mathias Cronqvist and Ardyn Izunia originally being known as Ardyn Lucis Caelum). Both were even willing to turn against their duties to their deities to enact their revenge due to blaming the deities in part for their misfortune (the Celestials in the case of Ardyn, especially in the ending of Episode Ardyn, and God in the case of Mathias/Dracula). Both even opposed a family line dedicated to stopping them (Lucis Caelum line in the case of Ardyn, the Belmonts in Dracula's case).
Ardyn belonging to the same family line as that of Lucis Caelum also resembled Dracula's Lords of Shadow counterpart. In addition, Ardyn's Japanese voice actor, Keiji Fujiwara, also voiced Dracula from Lords of Shadows.
Count Blah, a vampire who appears in the platform video game Frogger: The Great Quest (also by Konami), is a reference to Count Dracula.
Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition, a game that commemorates the franchise's 30th anniversary, allows the player to customize the game board with a variety of different skins, including 8-bit sprites from other famous Konami franchises, such as Castlevania and Contra.
The boss Grimm resembles Dracula in both attack patterns and appearance. He is able to summon fireballs from his cape as well as spawn flame pillars form the ground.
The official Nintendo UK page for this game has a section titled "Symphony of the Knight".
Near the end of the game, when facing the main antagonist, Jeanne says: "Die, monster! You don't belong in this world!", referencing Richter Belmont's encounter with Dracula at the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
The character Jonathan Joestar can taunt by exclaiming "Your words are as empty as your soul!"
Magical Cat Adventure
This 1993 platformer game by WinTechno released only for arcades apparently pays homage to some classic bosses from the Castlevania series:
The boss of the first level is a Grim Reaper that resembles Death.
The boss of the second level is remarkably similar to the Skull Knight from Castlevania III, a reanimated skeleton of a humanoid beast which wields a sword and a shield.
The boss of the third level is a vampire cat that looks and attacks practically identical to most depictions of Dracula in the Castlevania series. He opens his cape and sends forth three bats forward, much like Dracula's Hellfire spell; and when hit he transforms into a colony of bats, attempting to coalesce a few seconds later on the player's position, much like Dracula and the Giant Bat do in some Castlevania games.
The character Zero has a transformation called "Absolute Zero" in the game that has a strong resemblance to some of Dracula's true forms in various games. Coincidentally, Zero's Japanese voice actor, Ryōtarō Okiayu, also voiced Alucard, who had some similarities to each other in terms of overall demeanor, as well as being tied to the main antagonists (Alucard being the son of Dracula, while Zero was the ultimate and final creation of Dr. Wily).
During the battle against Psycho Mantis, he will display his mental powers by reading the system's memory card. If he finds a Symphony of the Night file data, he will say: "You like Castlevania, don't you?"
This indie game features two characters named O2-JOY and his servant the Grin Reaper, whose design is based on both Dracula and Death. Their stage is also a tribute to various Castlevania games.
Otomedius Excellent features a Belmont character playable in this game; her name is Kokoro Belmont and she's the actual guardian of the Belmont Clan in 2011.
In Krunch 106.66, when someone calls in to request The Black Dahlia Murder's "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", she reveals that her name is "Belmont", referencing Simon's Quest, from where the song's title was inspired.
A vampire antagonist character called Neclord appears in the two fantasy role-playing games Suikoden and Suikoden II (also by Konami) for the PlayStation. While never officially stated, it's widely believed that he's based on Dracula, the main antagonist of the Castlevania series.
"Chapter 2: The Hospital" starts out with a short intro in which Dr. Fetus flies into the night with Bandage Girl outside the gates of the hospital, which resembles Dracula's Castle. Meat Boy looks upward while a theme very similar to Prologue plays. This is a reference to the intro from Castlevania for the NES.
Dracula's Castle appears as a playable stage, with its layout modeled after the original Castlevania.
Many other Castlevania references appear in the game, such as weapons and music tracks, as well as unlockable Spirits (support entities) of several characters from the entire franchise.
In Wing Nut's profile screen, on his "Favorite Activities" section it reads he likes "Castlevania 2095". Furthermore, Wing Nut himself is a bat-like mutant.
This sandbox video game with building, metroidvania and role-playing elements features a number of references to classic Castlevania games:
The Arkhalis sword is a reference to the Crissaegrim from Symphony of the Night; it behaves similarly, has an almost identical icon and its description says: "I didn't get this off of a Schmoo", in reference to how the Crissaegrim can only be obtained by the Schmoos in the Forbidden Library.
Likewise, the Terragrim is also a reference to the Crissaegrim, behaving similarly, sharing a similar icon, and even being phonetically similar.
The Bloody Tear is a reference to "Bloody Tears", one of the most well known music themes in the Castlevania series.
Its tooltip reads: "What a horrible night to have a curse.", the same text that appears in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest whenever night befalls.
Its appearance in item form could be a reference to the Tear of Blood from the Castlevania series - a red gem in the shape of a teardrop.
The Death Sickle is a reference to Death's Scythe. It looks very similar to Death's trademark weapon and is swung in a similar fashion.
When swung, it flings out spinning energy scythes; these are most likely a reference to the Deathscythe ability.
The Demon is apparently a reference to the Tiny Devil from the Castlevania series.
This enemy attacks with an energy projectile called the Demon Scythe, which apparently is another reference to the Deathscythe ability.
The Holy Water is a reference to the classic Holy Water sub-weapon from the Castlevania series.
This official video game based on the popular internet character of the same name features a level called "Assholevania", which is a parody of most common stages in the Castlevania series.
When Eve's health is down to half a heart, she transforms into the "Whore of Babylon" and a screen will appear saying: "What a horrible night to have a curse...", a reference to Simon's Quest.
Death's summoning of whirling scythes is a reference to the Castlevania series' Death and his iconic Deathscythe attack.
The Nail, which among other effects allows to break rocks, could also be a reference to Simon's Quest, where one of the items needed to progress is Dracula's Nail, which allows the character to break blocks when equipped.
Edmund McMillen, the creator of the game, revealed on his Formspring account that the Mask of Infamy is a reference to Carmilla's appearance in Simon's Quest.
The Homunculus may be a reference to the enemy of the same name from Dawn of Sorrow; both initially appear to be asleep, but when the player comes too close, they detach from the walls they're attached to and rush toward the player.
The Slipped Rib item may be a reference to Dracula's Rib, as they both protect the playable character from projectiles.
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in the Vilverin ruins, an undelivered letter mentions a certain "Aluc Cardius"; this is most likely a reference to Alucard (although it could also refer to the eponymous character from Hellsing).
In the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game, Van Helsing, one of the libraries Gabriel Van Helsing walks through contains a book about an ancient clan of vampire hunters called "The Belmonts".
While in the Bedroom, the player is able to play a minigame called Yanvania: Senpai of the Night. It parodies the prologue sequence of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
GamePro was a popular gaming magazine published from 1989 to 2011. Early in its lifespan, it included a mini-comic book among its pages called "The Adventures of GamePro", which was about a superhero named GamePro who was brought into a dimension where video games were real and had to save it from the Evil Darklings. On Issue #6 (January 1990), GamePro enters the world of Castlevania and defeats Dracula.
In the Rosario + Vampire II manga series, the main character, Tsukune Aono, learns to control his vampire powers through the use of a magical whip that dispels demon power, called "Belmont". This is clearly a reference to the Vampire Killer whip and the Belmont Clan.
The manga series Zatch Bell!, called in Japan Golden Gash!! (金色のガッシュ!!,Konjiki no Gasshu!!?), featured a character named Sherry Belmont (シェリー・ベルモンド,Sherī Berumondo?). She assists her partner Brago (who has a slight resemblance to a vampire) and her main-weapon is a flail.
This hip hop group has a track named "Bloody Tears" which samples the classic Castlevaniatheme.
Dignity
This European metal band covered the Dracula's Curse track Beginning in their debut album, Project Destiny. The track is called "Inner Demons" and features lyrics about the inner fight of a man.
This popular Japanese visual kei band has a song named "Gekka no Yasoukyoku", which is the Japanese name for Symphony of the Night.
Pryapisme
This band references Castlevania, among many other video games, in their music video for the song "Un Druide est Giboyeux Lorsqu'il se Prend Pour un Neutrino".
Gaming music band, Starbomb, composed of American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party and Flash animator and internet personality Egoraptor, released their first and eponymous album in 2013, which included a song called "Crasher-Vania". The song is reminiscent of Bobby Pickett's 1962 novelty hit, Monster Mash, and talks about Simon Belmont crashing a party Dracula made for his friends. The chorus of this song gave birth to the now iconic phrase: "Never fear, Simon Belmont is here!"
Simon Belmont appears as one of the title characters and a member of the N Team in this American-Canadian animated series which ran from 1989 to 1991. Instead of the barbarian vampire hunter determined to stop Dracula at all costs, he's portrayed as an arrogant and vain individual who enjoys tending to his appearance more than fighting evil. Likewise, Dracula, known in the series as the Count, plays a major role as a recurrent villain and outright antagonist, commanding a roster of minions conformed primarily on enemies from Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse.
One of the fictional languages created for the show by linguist David J. Peterson makes a reference to Castlevania, where the word for chain is "belmon"; "that's clearly a shout-out to Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.", he said.
The promotional poster for this upcoming Netflix original series bears a striking resemblance to the cover artwork of the original Castlevania, and could probably be intended to attract the audience of the animated series toward it.
The Hasbro cartoon series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, pays homage to Castlevania by naming the third episode of the fourth season after it: Castle Mane-ia. This reference was confirmed by episode writer Josh Haber of Hasbro Studios via his Twitter account.[1]
In episode 31, the vampire Camula (a homonym of "Dracula") summons a castle with a card named Infernalvania. While the name could just be a reference to Transylvania, Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Konami property and has referenced Castlevania in the past.
