- Not to be confused with Dark Lord or Prince of Darkness.
The Lord of the Castle is a title given to the one who controls any given Demon Castle. Dracula is the Lord of the Castle in most games, but there have been several different Lords of the Castle since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Original timeline[]
- Walter Bernhard (1094, Walter's Castle, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) — Walter owned a castle in the Forest of Eternal Night, where he would lure strong challengers for amusement. Whether this castle is the same as Dracula's Castle or not is disputable.
- Joachim Armster (1094? alternate ending, Walter's Castle, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) — Joachim challenged Walter and defeated him in an alternate timeline, becoming the master of Walter's castle.
- Maxim Kischine (1748, Fake Dracula's Castle,[1] Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance) — A new soul created inside of Maxim Kischine when he came in contact with Dracula's Relics created an incomplete castle that had two phased out layers to it.
- Richter Belmont (1797, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) — Manipulated into becoming the Lord of the Castle by Shaft.
- Elizabeth Bartley (1917, The Castle Proserpina, Castlevania: Bloodlines) — Elizabeth Bartley attempted to revive her uncle Dracula in her new castle in England and make it the new seat of Dracula's powers.
- Soma Cruz (2035, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow) — Soma was unknowingly the Lord of Dracula's Castle during 2035. He absorbed the castle's powers after he had defeated Graham Jones, who also attempted to claim the Castle as his own. He defeated Chaos in order to prevent himself from also becoming a Dark Lord.
- Celia Fortner (2036, Replica of Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow) — Celia created a replica of Dracula's Castle with the hopes of creating a new Dark Lord, who would gain possession of the castle she had created.
- Soma Cruz (2036 or later in alternate future, Replica of Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow) — In a bad ending, if Soma becomes the Dark Lord, he assumes mastery over the Castle that Celia had created and is defeated by his old comrades.
- Olrox (2037, Akumajō Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku) — Was the lord of a castle and sought to defeat both humanity and chaos.
There have been several attempts to become or set up a new Lord of a Castle which had ultimately failed. Such attempts include:
- Joachim Armster (1094 or earlier, Walter's Castle, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) — The vampire Joachim rebelled against his master Walter and challenged him for the throne of his castle. Because he lacked the Ebony Stone, which Walter possessed, he was defeated and imprisoned and became one of the foes that must be defeated in Walter's game.
- Alucard (1798, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Nocturne of Recollection) — The incubus Magnus attempted to goad Alucard into turning to evil by bringing back memories of his past and resurrecting Dracula's Castle. He had stated that Alucard's and Dracula's powers were one and the same. Alucard did not take the bait however, and Magnus was defeated.
- Brauner (1944, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin) — Because the castle's powers were in a weakened state, Brauner was able to harness much of its powers through the use of paintings. He was also able to prevent Dracula's return through these paintings. The Castle was still Dracula's, however, and when he was defeated by Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin, Dracula was able to return.
- Graham Jones (2035, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow) — Graham Jones entered Dracula's Castle and gained much of its powers. When he reached the throne room first, he had believed that he had succeeded in becoming its master, and thus that everything in it belonged to him. However, he was shocked to find out he was not Dracula's true successor when he was defeated by Soma Cruz.
- Soma Cruz, Dario Bossi, Dmitrii Blinov (2036, Replica of Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow) — Celia had created the Castle of Alchemy to give to the new Dark Lord. If either Dark Lord Candidate Dario Bossi or Dmitrii Blinov were able to kill Soma Cruz, they would be able to become the new Dark Lord and become the Lord of the Castle. Also, if Soma Cruz could be angered enough, then he could become the new lord. Neither Dario nor Dmitrii were up to the task of defeating Soma though, and ended being controlled by demons related to their powers, which were defeated by Soma. Soma was able to resist the rage that would have ensued after seeing a fake Mina killed by wearing Mina's Talisman.
There have been several of Dracula's servants who guarded and oversaw one of Dracula's castles during his absence. These include:
- Crazy Armor (1479, Abandoned Castle, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness) — This mechanical knight guarded the Abandoned Castle.
- Rohan Krause (16xx, Mansion, Castlevania: Order of Shadows) — Rohan Krause's Order used the mansion as a base of operations while they attempted to bring back Dracula and his castle.
- Gilles de Rais (1852, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania 64 (N64) / Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness) — Gilles de Rais masqueraded as his Lord Dracula while he was still unawakened in the body of the child Malus. He would defend the castle, but if he were defeated, it would allow Malus to continue to develop into Dracula without the hero's knowledge.
- Armor Battler (1719, Dracula's Castle, Castlevania: Bloodlines) — Armor Battler guarded Dracula's Castle, which kept John Morris and Eric Lecarde occupied while Elizabeth Bartley moved to a new location.
Alternate timeline[]
- Camilla (1830, Camilla's Castle, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon) — Attempted to revive Dracula in her castle in Austria.
Lords of Shadow timeline[]
- Bernhard Family (Unknown Time, Vampire Castle, prior to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) — The Bernhard family was evidenced to have owned the castle at the time that the Brotherhood of Light arrived, evidencing that they owned the castle alongside Friedrich von Frankenstein.
- Friedrich von Frankenstein (Unknown Time, Vampire Castle, prior to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) — Friedrich von Frankenstein owned the Vampire Castle at an unknown time, most likely after the Bernhard family and prior to the coming of the Brotherhood of Light.
- Carmilla (Lords of Shadow) (1047, Vampire Castle, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) — Carmilla and the Brotherhood of Light took the castle from Friedrich at an unknown point, sealing the Forgotten One within it. After the Brotherhood's founders' light sides were sent to heaven and split from their dark sides, Carmilla still resided at the castle, while the other Lords of Shadow went their separate ways.
- Gabriel Belmont (1047, Vampire Castle?, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and sequels) — Gabriel returned to the castle to fight the Forgotten One, forced to drink Laura's blood to progress and stealing the Forgotten One's power, transforming him into a powerful vampire. This eventually lead to Gabriel seizing the power of the same castle.