Eric Lecarde

Eric Lecarde
Japanese name(s)	エリック・リカード Erikku Rikādo
Alternate name(s)	Wind
Role(s)	Vampire Hunter, mentor
Species	Human, ghost (PoR)
Gender	Male
Date of birth	May 3, 1892
Date of death	1942 (physical body) 1944 (ghost)
Age	15 (Judgment), 25 (Bloodlines) 50/52 (Portrait of Ruin)
Status	Deceased
Affiliation(s)	Lecarde Clan
Weapon(s)	Alucard Spear, Tomb of Arms, Knife, Axe, Holy Water, Cross/Grand Cross, Bible, Stopwatch, Thunderbolt Spear
Abilities	Very adept in Magic Spells and Martial Arts, ritual to unlock the true power of the Vampire Killer
Firstappearance	Castlevania: Bloodlines
Appearances	1907: Judgment 1917: Bloodlines 1944: Portrait of Ruin
Partnerships	John Morris (childhood friend)
English voice(s)	List of English voice actors
Japanese voice(s)	List of Japanese voice actors
Music theme	Iron Blue Intention (Bloodlines, Judgment) Operation "VK" (PoR)

"Eric Lecarde, master lanceman, has volunteered to take his friend's place in the hunt. (However, he hasn't told John the real reason behind his appetite for vengeace: the Countess turned the love of his life, Gwendolyn, into a vampire.)"

— Official background

Eric Lecarde (エリック・リカード, Erikku Rikādo^?, Eric Ricardo) is a character in the Castlevania series. His first and primary appearance takes place in Castlevania: Bloodlines, where he is one of the two playable characters in the game, the other being John Morris. He later appeared as a support character in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, as well as one of the combatants in the 3D versus game Castlevania Judgment.

Character's history

Before Castlevania Judgment

Eric Lecarde was born on May 3rd, 1892 in Segovia, Spain to an aristocratic family who were related to the Belmonts by blood. Alucard had entrusted the Lecardes with a magical spear he had created to complement and assist the Vampire Killer in an era of no Belmonts, the Alucard Spear (also known as the Witches' Spear). Their destiny was thus entwined with that of the Morris Clan, who were the temporary heirs to the Vampire Killer. The Lecarde family were the custodians of the ritual key to enabling a Morris to use the full power of the whip.

In 1897, while he was only five years old, Eric spent time in England with his childhood friend John Morris, the son of Quincy Morris and a fellow descendant of the Belmont clan. Eric and John both witnessed Quincy's defeat of Dracula, along with his subsequent death. Even forty-seven years later, Eric remembered Quincy as "exceptionally strong, but kind" (it is possible that Eric's father wielded the Alucard Spear and enabled Quincy to be able to use the full power of the Vampire Killer during their long struggle against Count Dracula). As Eric and John grew older, they both decided to rid the world of evil just as Quincy had.

Events of Castlevania Judgment

While still a youth, Eric was entrusted with the Alucard Spear. Alucard had taken notice of Eric's potential and may have had a role in determining that he should be the spear's successor, but it is uncertain if Eric himself was aware of this. Eric trained diligently with the spear, and mastered many spells. Over time, he grew to resent that the Vampire Killer was held in higher regard than the spear, believing that at least in his hands the spear was superior to the whip and could be used without it. He grew arrogant and started to consider himself as an adult, and would come and go from his home as he pleased. On one such trip, when Eric was fifteen years old, he entered a time rift and there met Aeon, who told him that place was where he would find what he desired - provided he could pass certain tests. Glad to finally have a chance to prove himself better than any legendary Belmont, Eric readily agreed. On his journey, he met Alucard, who reiterated that the spear was not meant to be used beyond supporting the whip. Eric defeated him to prove him wrong. He also faced Trevor Belmont, and believed that defeating him proved the spear to be superior to the whip. He faced Maria Renard, who was famous in her time for having a power that rivaled or surpassed that of a Belmont, and upon defeating her believed he was more than ready to defeat Dracula on his own. He then returned to his normal place in time... however, this story is not considered canon.

Events of Castlevania: Bloodlines

Sometime before 1917, Eric's love interest, Gwendolyn, was transformed into a vampire by a mysterious Countess named Elizabeth Bartley. Despite his great skill in magic, Eric was unable to master the Sanctuary spell, and was thus unable to cure Gwendolyn of her vampirism. The Countess who turned her was the niece of Count Dracula, and had set into motion the events causing World War I in an effort to resurrect her uncle. His friend, John Morris, set out to stop Bartley's ambitions, but Eric offered to go in his place. He did not, however, tell his friend that he did so out of a desire for revenge. In the end, they set out together, and Eric performed the ritual necessary to allow John to be able fully utilize the Vampire Killer whip. Armed with the mighty Vampire Killer and the Alucard Spear, they were first drawn to the ruins of Castle Dracula. The castle was only a ruse, however, and they subsequently followed the Countess through most of Europe, chasing behind as she enlisted help from "all the powers of darkness". In the end, they managed to catch up to her in England, at Castle Proserpina , summoned off of the coast at Whitby. While Dracula was successfully resurrected, both he and his niece were defeated.

Events of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Eric would later find a new love and she bore him twin daughters in 1923. Stella, the firstborn, would inherit Eric's physical prowess, while Loretta would inherit his magical gifts. Though neither took up the Alucard Spear, they were trained in the ways of the Lecarde family and learned the ritual that was needed to unlock the full power of the Vampire Killer. Even knowing that they would be well-trained as warriors, Eric could be somewhat overprotective of them.

After the battle against Dracula in 1917, John Morris had taken an unusual amount of time to recover. Using magic, he and Eric were able to discover that it was Vampire Killer itself that interfered in his healing. If the wielder was not a direct male-line descendant of the Belmont Clan, the whip used up some of the life force of its user in exchange for using its full power. Even knowing the cost, John continued to use the whip, but prior to his death he made Eric promise never to tell his son Jonathan how to awaken its full power.

In 1942, after the vampire Brauner had assumed control of Dracula's Castle (resurrected by the fury and anguish of those killed during World War II), Eric went to investigate the castle's reappearance. Brauner captured him, believing that Eric's daughters were the reincarnation of his own, and knowing that they would come seeking him. They were able to sense he had come to the castle, and went after him despite his strict instructions not to follow him there. When they reached Brauner, they found their father badly injured, and were then turned into vampires and put under a spell to love Brauner as their father. Brauner then killed Eric before their eyes. However, Eric was able to bind his spirit to the castle as he died; his will being strong enough to avoid being controlled or warped by its power, he then waited for someone new to come to the castle, someone who could carry out vengeance against Brauner with his aid.

Two years later, Jonathan and his childhood friend Charlotte Aulin (a spellcaster descended from the Belnades Clan) came to the castle to investigate its reappearance and to put a stop to any potential revival of Dracula. Initially demurring when asked for a name, he settled on the alias "Wind". He lent them his aid by teaching Jonathan new fighting techniques and Charlotte new spells, occasionally providing new equipment, and by providing information about Brauner. After the young hunters discovered a locket containing a picture of Stella, Loretta and Eric himself, he admitted that they were in fact his daughters, and that he was, in fact, the same man who had fought alongside Jonathan's father in 1917. He explained to Jonathan the true nature of his father's death, and why John had not trained him completely. He also eventually gave him the spear that Alucard had given to him. His daughters were eventually restored to human form by Charlotte, who was able to perform the Sanctuary spell - a purification spell that even Eric was unable to learn in life. His daughters then enabled Jonathan to unlock the power of the whip via a battle with the memory of the last Belmont who wielded it: Richter Belmont. After Brauner and Dracula were defeated, he bid his daughters farewell and departed to the afterlife.

Appearances

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Eric appears as an alternate selectable player at the beginning of the game, in contrast to the more traditional whip-wielding John Morris. He uses the Alucard Spear (called the Alcarde Spear in the English instruction booklet), which can power up like the whip and allows him to pole vault to great heights.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Main article: Eric Lecarde/Portrait of Ruin

Eric is a non-playable character in this game. He appears under the pseudonym of "Wind" and his primary role is to assign Jonathan and Charlotte various quests and give them new items and abilities upon completing them.

Castlevania Judgment

Main article: Eric Lecarde/Judgment

Eric appears as a young effeminate boy with blond hair in a ponytail, dressed in a formal outfit in this 3D Wii fighter game. He is armed with his traditional Alucard Spear. Oddly enough, he is the only character to not have any metal on his outfit whatsoever. His theme is "Iron Blue Intention".

Trivia

• There is a possibility Lecarde may be a mistranslation. As Eric was born in Spain, his true surname may have intended to be "Ricardo"; a semi-common Spanish surname.
• The name Eric and its variations have never seen regular use in the Iberian peninsula. Originally a Scandinavian name, it is mostly found in Germanic-, Finnic- or French-speaking countries, and is scarce outside them.
• Eric's hair color is never the same according to his appearances : blond in Castlevania: Bloodlines (yet greenish blue in his game sprite), they become black in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin before becoming light auburn in Castlevania Judgment.
• Eric's English voice actor, David Vincent, has also provided the voice of Richter Belmont in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.
• Eric's character profile from the Japanese magazine Beep! MegaDrive stated that he, after learning that his lover had been turned into a vampire, was told about his destiny as a vampire hunter by a mysterious old man. This information was also included in the European manual of the game.
• Both Beep! MegaDrive and the European manual mention Eric wanting to become a sculptor before he accepted his destiny as a vampire hunter. This fits with information provided in the Japanese manual, stating Eric has a passion for art.
• Eric Lecarde's "Wind" characterization from Portrait of Ruin resembles the character Gary Murray/William L. Flemming from Metal Gear Ac!d in both physical appearance and being motivated in their actions regarding at least one daughter being abducted by the main villains, as well as using an alias for part of the game. The main difference between the two, however, is that Eric Lecarde is an ally to the protagonist, while Flemming was one of the main antagonists. As Konami was responsible for both games, Eric's design and to a certain extent characterization being derived from Flemming was likely deliberate.
• In Romanian, his family name, Lecarde, taken apart in reverse reads: E drac el, which translates to "He is devil".
• Eric Lecarde's Judgment characterization was allegedly not well-received by fans of the franchise due to not only appearing as a child in that game, but also coming across as smug and arrogant as well.

See also

• Lecarde Clan

External links

• Eric Lecarde at the Castlevania Fan Wiki
• Game infowire — Contains Judgment's biography on Eric.