Rosa

Rosa
Japanese name(s)	ローゼ Rōze
Role(s)	Supporting cast
Species	Vampire (cured)
Gender	Female
Date of birth	1832
Age	20
Hair	Blond
Weapon(s)	Rapier
Abilities	Attacks with a rapier Aura Blast Levitation Shoots homing and exploding roses
Firstappearance	Castlevania (N64)
Appearances	1852: Castlevania (N64) 1852: Legacy of Darkness
Partnerships	Reinhardt (presumed love interest)
Music theme	Rose Lamented Rose

Rosa (ローゼ, Rōze^?) is a supporting character in Castlevania and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness.

Official description

A beautiful, yet luckless woman who has recently been infected by a vampire. Once a servant girl in the castle's rose-garden, tending to many bouquets of white satin roses. Alas, since the bit infected her nervous system, she no longer feels like the Rosa of old, but continues to water her roses... although she has found a new liquid fertilizer. Despite her vampiric appearance, her soul has been fighting this state, and she has been known to shout "I curse my own rotting body" and "do not let my unsaved soul die!".

Somewhere deep in her thoughts lies the promise of salvation, she sees a brave man striding in to save her and the world from the terrible fate that awaits...

History

Rosa is a young woman who tends to the interior gardens of the Villa near Dracula's Castle. Some time prior to the beginning of the game, Rosa had been turned into a vampire and continues to inhabit this mansion. She encounters both Reinhardt and Carrie in the Villa's rose garden, where she can be seen tending the roses (by watering them with blood). Rosa advises the adventurers to leave, but otherwise makes no effort to impede their journey.

For Reinhardt's quest, Rosa becomes a pivotal character after their initial meeting; encountering him a second time when he prevents her from committing suicide by sunlight after his journey through the subterranean caves beneath the castle. Desperately wishing to be free of her vampirism, she begs Reinhardt to kill her, but leaves after he refuses.

Following his battle with the Behemoth in the Castle Center, Reinhardt encounters Rosa a third time when she is compelled by Death to fight him. She is beaten, but again Reinhardt refuses to kill her, considering her an innocent. Rosa is then spirited away by Death, who promises that in time her curse will take her over completely.

Later, at the top of the Clock Tower, Death lays a trap for Reinhardt and nearly succeeds in cutting him down, when Rosa appears out of nowhere and throws herself between Reinhardt and Death's scythes, taking the blow for herself. Mortally wounded, Rosa is comforted by Reinhardt in her final moments, as he prays for God to grant her forgiveness and promising salvation before she fades away. Rosa's sacrifice fuels Reinhardt's rage and, despite his opponent ridiculing the notion of a vampire hunter grieving for a vampire's death, promptly defeats Death before continuing on to the final battle with Dracula.

After Reinhardt destroys Dracula's true form, the castle crumbles to the ground and the evil recedes from the land. Through divine benevolence, Rosa is given a second chance at life and is resurrected in front of Reinhardt. The two share a moment on the cliffside overlooking the ruined castle before setting off, indicating a potential romance between to the two.

In Reinhardt's bad ending, she is not resurrected, with it being implied that she was condemned upon death.

Whether it is because she is only a recently turned vampire or she has incredible willpower, Rosa appears to be able to resist the darker impulses of the vampire curse. During her first encounter, she shows no aggression and could almost be considered friendly toward Reinhardt and Carrie. Only through direct compulsion by Death does she lose her self control and attacks Reinhardt. Further evidence of her willpower is indicated by her self sacrifice to save Reinhardt from Death's ambush, and also by her attempt at suicide by intentionally exposing herself to sunlight.

Boss battle

In combat, Rosa wields a rapier, which she will use to occasionally attempt to slice her opponent. She also has a variety of demonic related abilities, such as mid air hovering and summoning fire roses. She can also create a small shockwave centered around herself, which expands outward. If caught unprepared, Rosa can easily overwhelm an opponent. However, given her passive nature, it is unlikely Rosa has had any real combat training and is only acting under Death's compulsion when attacking Reinhardt. Her supernatural abilities were most likely due to her vampire state, so it is doubtful that she retains any of them after her resurrection.

Enemy Data

• Castlevania 64
• Legacy of Darkness

Name JPN HP Rosa 160 Location Castle Center (Reinhardt only)

Name JPN HP Rosa 160 Location Castle Center (Reinhardt only)

Gallery

For additional artworks, please visit Rosa Artwork.

Rosa sketch from Castlevania 64.

Trivia

• Rosa's boss theme is also used for Actrise and Malus (the latter in the first phase).
• It's implied that Rosa either was aware that Malus was actually Dracula, or at the very least was aware that he was a vampire, as after Reinhardt saves her from suicide, she chides him for being too soft and mentions he can't hope to stop Dracula if he hesitates to harm a vampire in the shape of a child (foreshadowing Malus's true nature as the reincarnation of Dracula).
• The word rosa is Spanish for "rose", and making honor to this name, Rosa is always accompanied by a rose motif, such as her tending the garden roses, throwing bloody rose petals around her during her area-of-effect attack, or even her dress itself, which resembles an abstract portrayal of a large rose.

External links

• Rosa at the Castlevania Fan Wiki
• Rosa, the Vampire - Konami of Europe's profile (archived: December 11, 2007)