Death
From Castlevania Wiki - Forbidden Library
| Death | |
|---|---|
| |
| Japanese name | Shinigami |
| Appearance(s) | Every game except Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge and Haunted Castle |
| Role(s) | Dracula's Confidant, God of Death |
| Weapon of Choice | Scythe, Sickles |
| Abilities | |
| Voice Actor(s) | |
| Seiyuu(s) | |
| Music Theme(s) | Evil's Symphonic Poem |
| Gender | Male |
Death (also known under his alias Zead) is a major villain in the Castlevania series and often cited as Dracula's confidant. He makes an appearance in almost every game, with the only exceptions being Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge and Haunted Castle. He usually doesn't appear until near the end of the game, often acting as the second-to-last boss. Despite having the appearance of the Grim Reaper used in Western culture, his Japanese name is Shinigami, which translates to God of Death. In Castlevania Judgment, he claims to be an actual god. He serves Dracula loyally, and shows great respect for opponents who show extraordinary courage and skill.
Powers and Abilities
Death is an immortal being holding the rank of a God who bows only to whoever wields the Crimson Stone. Death is able to take one's soul and claim it as his own. It is unknown what happens to souls after being collected by him.
Death has the ability to summon and control souls, command a vast array of divine magic, such as firing beams, and use various other powers. He often chooses to use his scythe and a multitude of smaller sickles in combat. He is also able to assume different forms, as shown in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, in which he takes the appearance of a missionary. In that game, Death is also seen to be able to travel between the mortal plane and another realm by creating a hole in reality.
Though Death is an embodiment of death itself, he is able to die, as confirmed by himself in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. This most likely results in him temporally being trapped in the afterlife before somehow being revived.
Depiction
Death has been depicted generally the same over the course of the series, with minor changes that vary from game to game. Since the earliest titles, Death has been portrayed according to the Western depiction of the Grim Reaper. In all of his appearances, he is a corpse with no flesh on his body, exposed bones, and a skull for a face. Most of the time, Death is dressed in a large hooded cloak that covers his body (the only exceptions being Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania Legends), except for his head and hands. He is often seen carrying a large scythe.
Takeshi Obata, the illustrator of Castlevania Judgment, greatly altered Death's appearance. He is less humanoid compared to his previous incarnations and his body is completely covered with white and black armour plates rather than a cloak. Death still wields his trademark weapon, but both his left arm and legs end in sharp needles.
In Castlevania Legends, he is portrayed with more casual clothing than his counterparts. He wears boots, trousers, a jacket with wide sleeves, and his head is covered by a hat; a trait he also shares with his appearance from Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.
During the events of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Death disguises himself as a human. He takes on the image of bald middle-aged man with extremely pale skin. He dresses like a missionary, wearing a long black robe, a bandage wrapped around his middle, and black gloves and boots that cover his hands and feet.
One notable addition to Death's regular appearance is a pair of black wings. He is portrayed this way in Castlevania 64 and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, which fits well with the idea that Death is a Fallen Angel, as told by some stories.
Story
1094: Events of Lament of Innocence
Death was summoned to the world by a knight who searched for a way to become immortal. This man, named Mathias, blamed God for the loss of his wife, and sought to scorn God by defying His decree of limited life. Mathias learned of an object that could grant him his wish - the Crimson Stone. Through some means, the stone came into Mathias' possession, and he planned to use it to ascend to immortality. Because Mathias owned the arcane relic, Death became bound in servitude to him. With the stone, Mathias could not only control the powerful spirit creature, but also absorb the souls of slain vampires and add their powers to his own. First, Death needed to reap the respective souls and grant them to his Master.
Following his Master's orders, Death took the soul of a powerful Vampire Lord named Walter Bernhard, who was near death after being defeated by a man named Leon Belmont. The event was planned out by Mathias, who had manipulated Walter into capturing Leon's fiancee, Sara Trantoul. Leon went to Walter's castle to save Sara, and due to a series of planned events, was able to defeat the Vampire Lord. When Walter was dying, Death appeared and took his soul and granted the vampire's power to Mathias. Mathias obtained Walter's power, and was transformed into an immortal vampire.
Mathias then revealed his motive to Leon and admitted that everyone involved in the ordeal were just pawns in his plan to become the most powerful vampire and curse God forevermore because of God's cruelty. After Leon refused to join Mathias in eternal life, Mathias ordered Death to kill Leon.
Death transported both himself and Leon to a chaotic realm, where the two engaged in battle. Death was defeated. The divine being asked in disbelief how it was possible for Leon to defeat him. Leon declared that his whip had power to destroy all creatures of the night, and that the God of Death was no exception. Death then remarked that we would rise from death itself as long as his Master would survive. Leon then demanded that Death give Mathias a message, in which he said that the Belmont Clan would hunt Mathias and the night for eternity. Death then vanished, but would return to serve his Master throughout the ages.
1476 - 1479: Events of Dracula's Curse and Curse of Darkness
In 1476 a great war raged between Dracula and humanity. Dracula's legions seized the entire continent of Europe. The church sent many armies in opposition, but none returned. After several months, Dracula's forces had almost completely wiped out the armies sent by the Eastern Orthodox Church. One night, it was reported that the Belmont family had started an offense in the west. A vampire hunting descendant of Dracula's old friend, Leon, who went by the name Trevor Belmont, was planning to assault Dracula's castle. Death waited for him in the castle's halls and tried to stop him, but he was eventually defeated by the Vampire Hunter and his comrades. His Master also found his end but with his final breath, Dracula uttered a curse that left the land to rot while poisoning the minds of its inhabitants, who pillaged and scourged it without remorse.
Death returned to the mortal plane and took on the appearance of a missionary who went by the name of Zead, claiming to travel the land in search for something that could undo the curse. In reality, he wanted to revive his Master once again and schemed to make the former Devil Forgemaster, Hector, a vessel for Dracula's soul to inhabit. Hector had a past with another servant of Dracula, Isaac, and held a deep hatred against him for being responsibly for the death of his wife, Rosalee, an advantage Death gladly made use of.
Death first met Hector in the ruins of an abandoned castle, while taking on the form of his alter ego, Zead. There, he witnessed Hector summoning an Innocent Devil by using his Devil Forging powers. Zead approached Hector while complimenting him on his performance, and told of his intention to purify the land. Zead asked if Hector was pursuing the other Devil Forgemaster, and told Hecto that Isaac had went towards the chapel at the other end of the Baljhet Mountains. Hector asked why that was Zead's concern and the missionary explained that Isaac was the protector of the curse that had befallen the land; meaning the curse would be lifted if Isaac would be slain. The Devil Forgemaster thanked Zead for his help and the two parted.
Zead and Hector met again at an aqueduct. Zead said that he was pleased to find the Devil Forgemaster unharmed. He once again told Isaac's whereabouts, slowly leading Hector to a place where the next part of his plan would unfold. After saying that there was a matter he had to attend, the missionary hastily left.
In the Forest of Jigramunt, he had a meeting with the time traveler, Saint Germain, who had been interfering with his plan. Saint Germain had traveled into the past after he learned of a disruption in time, due to Death going beyond his bounds by interfering with earthly affairs rather than collecting souls. Saint Germain already pleaded with Hector to stop his hunt for Isaac two times. Zead accused Saint Germain of going outside his boundaries, but the time traveler pointed out that the same was also the case with Zead. Zead said that he was merely lending assistance to one who was seeking what he already desired. Zead realised that he had to get rid of the time traveler and tried to strike him, but Germain evaded his blows and said that he would keep return before finally teleporting away. Zead shouted that no one could escape from him and then left, as well.
Just after Isaac narrowly escaped from Trevor Belmont and Hector, Zead made his presence known to the Devil Forgemaster after Belmont took his leave. For the last time, he informed Hector where Isaac had gone off to; a hidden chamber underneath the castle ruins. That was exactly the place where Zead wanted Hector to be, as the seal preventing Dracula's castle from returning was located there. Zead had a plan set up that would eventually end in Hector accidentally breaking the seal, resulting in the resurrection of the castle, and eventually the revival of his Master. After Hector received the valuable information from the missionary, he gave him a message from Saint Germain, in which he said that the time traveler would no longer interfere in the matter. Zead was shocked, as that meant that Hector's fate (and the future) must have been changed in the favor of the time traveler, otherwise, Saint Germain would never have given up so easily. Zead had to change his plan, since Hector could no longer be used. He then told the Devil Forgemaster that he had to take care of the final touches (to his plan).
All went according to Death's scheme; Hector entered the secret room under the castle ruins (with the aid of the Vampire Hunter Trevor Belmont) and there battled a Dullahan who guarded the seal. He accidentally broke the seal due to producing demonic magic while battling the headless Knight. Dracula's castle rose from the depths and Hector was lured there by Isaac. The two Devil Forgemaster engaged in battle and Isaac was defeated by Hector who was about to land a final blow before snapping out from the influence of the Dracula's curse, which Hector just realized he was under. This event was what Saint Germain foresaw in the future and made Hector useless for Death, as he rejected Dracula's curse. Death then made his entrance and explained his plan to Hector. He regretted that Hector could no longer serve as a vessel for his Lord (and had to resort to Isaac) because he was of the best "material," as Death put it.
After the Devil Forgemaster asked of Zead's real identity, the missionary revealed his true form. Death declared that it was time for Hector to die and attacked without hesitation. Despite his efforts, he was defeated by Hector, who's regained powers were equal to his, and could no longer witness the revival of his Master.
1748: Events of Harmony of Dissonance
In 1748, a mysterious castle arose. Death ventured inside, but would soon find out that the power that caused it were not his Lord's. While wandering the castle's halls, he was surprised to find a powerful presence approaching him. The God of Death told the man to halt, and was instantly able to discern his heritage by reading the color of his soul; a descendant of the Belmont Clan named Juste. The Vampire Hunter, too, sensed an enormous amount of power coming from the Death God and asked if he was Death. He confirmed his identity, which led Juste to believe that the place they lingered was Dracula's castle. Death admitted that it could be, but then told the Vampire Hunter of an unusual power he had sensed, which was not like his Master's. Death decided to leave, warning the Vampire Hunter that they would meet again.
At the top of the castle's clock tower, Death met Juste again and asked if he knew a named Maxim Kischine. Juste inquired about the question and Death went on to tell him that he believed that Maxim had gotten something that contained the power of Dracula. Juste proclaimed that Maxim had obtained Dracula's bodily relics. Death was appreciative of that information, and he reasoned that Maxim had brought back the castle. The relics would grant him the ability to do so. He told Juste that two spirits dwelled within Maxim's body; one being that of his normal self, and another evil spirit born from possession of Dracula's remains. Juste was hesitant to believe that, but Death ignored his skepticism and went on to talk about two castles that were constructed as a result of Maxim's dual personalities.
Juste asked about the castles and Death was surprised that Juste didn't realize there were two. Death had nothing more to say to Juste. The castle was in a transient and divided state, which wouldn't suffice for him. Death went through a large dimensional portal that connected the castles. It was Death's goal to see the two castles united; which would result in the revival of Dracula's true castle.
Death eventually captured the maiden, Lydie Erlanger, in front of Juste, and disappeared to the Luminous Cavern beneath the castle, while Lydie called out for Juste to help. In the aquatic cave, he met up with the Vampire Hunter once again. The hunter demanded that Death return Lydie to him, but Death had given her to Maxim. Juste wondered why they pursued Lydie. Death answered that she was necessary for the revival of Dracula, and for the castles to merge together. Dracula's power existed within Maxim, and for the castles to unite, the evil spirit that possessed him would need to wholly overtake Maxim. What was keeping the castles apart was that a part of Maxim's regular self was still there. If Maxim partook of the blood of someone dear to him, it would augment the power of the evil spirit, allowing it to totally take control of Maxim.
Death decided to extinguish Juste's soul, as Juste couldn't allow that to happen and tried to stop the Death God. After a severe battle, it was the Belmont that came out victorious. In his last words, Death said Juste was already too late; the castles would soon become one.
1792 - 1797: Events of The Dracula X Chronicles
A hundred years after Dracula's defeat by Simon Belmont, the Count was once again brought back into the world with the aid of the Dark Priest Shaft. The current Belmont descendant who opposed was Richter Belmont, who was traveling to the town of Aljiba after he received news of evil beings attacking the village. While the Vampire Hunter raced to the village on his carriage, Death appeared and mocked him. He attacked Richter with a small display of his power to test his strength, but Richter held his own and Death returned to the castle.
At the Haunted Ship of Fools, Death and Richter had their next showdown. The Hunter proved to be more capable in battle than the Death God. But all was not lost, despite Richter having also put Shaft and Dracula to death. After the Dark Priest's defeat, his soul didn't pass on and eventually possessed the Vampire Hunter while taking advantage of his feelings. This resulted in the most supreme Vampire Hunter of that era joining Dracula's side.
All hope seemed lost for humanity, and Death returned to Dracula's Castle while planning to revive his master once again with Shaft. Within it's walls, he encountered Alucard, the son of Dracula who had awoken from a 300 year slumber. Death asked what his business at the castle was, and Alucard answered that he was going to end his scheme. Death warned him not to continue his quest and then used his magic to strip Alucard of his arsenal; putting him at a great disadvantage. After saying that the Dhampir would regret his words, he disappeared.
They encountered each other once again at the Abandoned Pit, where Death warned Alucard one final time to cease his foolish crusade. After he refused yet again, Death had no choice but to take his soul. Death was defeated, but that didn't stop him from returning in the future to bring back Dracula.
Events of Judgment
Note: The following events are from Castlevania Judgment and its canonical merits are uncertain.
After his Lord's defeat, Death eagerly awaited his Master's revival while sowing his wickedness far and wide in anticipation. But, the man who stood before him one day was no friend to immortals, but rather, a traveler of time. He introduced himself as Aeon and welcomed Death to a rift in time. Death already had an idea of what was going on, and asked if the era he was from was about to collapse. Aeon complimented the God for his insight and then explained that they needed soul keys obtained by passing a series of trials. His first test was to defeat the time traveler, in which he succeeded.
Death faced many of his old foes and other familiar faces, one of them being the werewolf, Cornell, who had refused to join the ranks of Dracula's legions several times. The man-beast said that he stood by his decision and would never join Dracula's servants, but Death said he was not there to ask; he was there to destroy him. The two battled and the Death God came out out victorious
Eventually, Death faced his old enemy, Simon Belmont, and was outraged that he dared to oppose him and his Master. Simon remarked that it was the destiny of his Clan and he wouldn't allow Death to escape. The God asked why he would ever want to escape, as revenge on the Vampire Hunter was all he wanted. Death was able to overpower the legendary warrior and continued on his journey.
His final opponent was Alucard who, as always, refused to come to his side. Death amusingly responded that he understood, but he should know that his place as Dracula's son would no longer earn him mercy. Death triumphed over him, and completed his trial.
Aeon gained another soul key and came a step closer to his goal, while Death returned to his own time period where he would pursue every possible means of reviving his fallen Lord.
1844 - 1852: Events of Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania 64
Note: The following events are from Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania 64 and their canonical merits are uncertain.
In 1844, Dracula's followers were plotting to revive him once again, and managed to do it by spilling the blood of a young maiden over their Lord's remains. The man-beast, Cornell, who stood against Dracula, was lured to the vampire's castle because his sister, Ada, was captured and brought there.
Death met him at the Clock Tower where they both found an unconscious Ada. The man-beast woke her up and was about to take her home when Death interfered and threw a flying sickle that separated them. He had been searching for Ada for a while because her absence almost ruined the timing needed for the ritual. After trapping Ada in a crystal, he faded way.
His Master was eventually defeated by the man-beast and the Vampire Lord tried to drag Cornell's sister with him as a last act of revenge. The man-beast harnessed all his strength, and sacrificed the spirit of his wolf form in order to smash the crystal and save his sister therein. The wolf's spirit was effectively substituted as her replacement, and Dracula and Death gladly made use of the power in order to plan their next scheme.
After Dracula's defeat, Death, along with the vampires Actrise and Gilles de Rais gathered in Dracula's Throne Room where they witnessed the captured essence of Cornell's wolf form. Death then started an incantation in which he used the wolf form to give the soul of his Lord a new body. The ritual was a success and Death commented that everything had proceeded just as his Master had calculated. Dracula had taken on the form a child and named himself Malus. Eight years later, two new vampire hunters named Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez traveled to Dracula's Castle, where Death awaited them.
He encountered a lone Reinhardt at the Castle Center where he was battling a vampire named Rosa. When she had fallen to her knees and begged Reinhardt to finish her, Death landed between them. He remarked that Rosa's vampiric side would deepen and take stronger hold. After saying that he was looking forward to his next encounter with the Vampire Hunter, he left and took Rosa with him.
In the Room of Clocks, Reinhardt and Death had their final showdown. Death was able to surprise the Hunter and attacked him with his sickles. One of them hit Reinhardt in the back, which left him temporarily stunned, allowing the Death God to let loose the final blow. He summoned a volley of sickles and threw them at the helpless warrior. Suddenly, Rosa jumped in, embraced Reinhardt, and was hit by Death's attack instead. He questioned Rosa, asking if she had forgotten the vampire blood that ran through her veins. She was on the brink of death and she passed on after Reinhardt had said a prayer that cleansed her of her sins committed during her life as a vampire. The Hunter then declared that Death could never be forgiven and attacked. After the fight, Reinhardt stood victorious and Death was sent back to his dark realm, commenting that he would reserve a warm spot for Reinhardt in the underworld.
1944: Events of Portrait of Ruin
During the Second World War the world once again fell into chaos and millions of people lost their lives as the war progressed. The agony and hatred which resided in these souls brought forth Dracula's Castle once again. Death returned and started to search for his Master, but to his surprise, Dracula hadn't been revived yet. While searching for answers, he encountered two young Vampire Hunters named Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin who had come to investigate the castle. He commented that he already thought the likes of them would eventually appear. One of the hunters asked why the God was there, as Dracula was no longer the castle's Lord. Death responded by saying that was an odd thing to say, since the castle belonged to the Dark Lord and no one else. Charlotte suspected that he was working with Brauner in order to revive Dracula, but Death had never heard of Brauner. Jonathan informed him that Brauner had become the new Lord of the castle. Death was shocked that he hadn't sensed that before, saying that he had been dormant far too long. He swooped away after mocking the two heroes and started to search for Brauner instead.
Within a tower of the castle, Death awaited the arrival of the two warriors. When they arrived, Jonathan shouted that Death wouldn't escape that time. The God questioned why they were planning to battle him, as he had no connection with Brauner. Charlotte asked if he had a strong desire to see Dracula revived, and Jonathan further declared that to be was the reason why he still had to be defeated. The Death God found it absurd that the duo dared to challenge him while Jonathan didn't posses the full power of the Vampire Killer whip, but was still willing to play around with them for a while. After the battle, he could only wonder how Jonathan was still able to defeat him, and commented that he had underestimated the two, though he still had his reasons for holding back. He left once again while saying that they still had a task to perform.
This task was to eliminate Brauner and to destroy the seal that was placed on the Throne Room, which he informed the heroes before setting off to meet his Lord once more.
After Dracula had been revived, Jonathan and Charlotte tried to stop him. Just as the Vampire Hunter was about to strike the Vampire Lord, Death pushed him back. Dracula turned around to meet the hunters face to face and suggested that he and Death show them their combined power. During the battle, Death was eventually struck down, and as a final act, he sacrificed his powers to the Count to make Dracula even stronger.
Other Appearances
THE-BishiBashi
THE-BishiBashi is an arcade game which is played through a wide variety of competitive mini-games against other players. Those who own a Konami E-Amusement Pass (a special card that grants customers access to the company's online service for the purpose of recording scores, viewing ranking data, and downloading music) and recorded data from Castlevania: The Arcade, can unlock Death.
Cameos
Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun
Akumajo Special: Boku Dracula-kun is a comical gothic-themed platform game released for the Famicom in 1990 and later ported to the Game Boy in 1993, in which Death plays a small role. He appears briefly during the beginning and the ending of the game and informs the protagonist, Kid Dracula (speculated to be Alucard), of Galamoth's return, and then explains how to perform a special move. After the player defeats the final boss, he compliments Kid Dracula on his accomplishment.
KeyboardMania 2nd Mix
KeyboardMania 2nd Mix is a rhythm game that features a song called 'Akumajo Dracula Medley', which is a mix of several songs from Haunted Castle. While it's playing, a Castlevania video plays on the side in which Death makes a small appearance in the background.
Image Gallery
 Death from the Japanese manual of Castlevania (1986) |
 Death from the manual of Vampire Killer (1986) |
 Death from Akumajo Dracula: Kojyo no Shitou (1986) |
 Death from the Japanese manual of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) |
 Death from the Simon's Quest Nintendo Power Guide (1988) |
 Death from the Simon's Quest trading card series (1988) |
 Death (behind text) from the Japanese manual of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989) |
 Death from the Tokuma-syoten Akumajo Densetsu Guide Book (1990) |
 Death from Akumajou Densetsu: Shinsei Vampire Hunter (1990) |
 Death from a pack-in manga that came with Akumajo Special: Boku Dracula-kun (1990) |
 Death from the Japanese manual of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993) |
 Death from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) |
 Death from Castlevania: Legends (1997) |
 Death from Castlevania 64 (1998) |
 Death from Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2001) |
 Death from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003) |
 Zead (Death) from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005) |
 Zead (Death) from the Curse of Darkness manga (2005 - 2006) |
 Death from the Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Orginal Soundtrack poster (2007) |
 Death from Castlevania: Order of Shadows (2007) |
 Death from Castlevania Judgment (2008) |
 Death from the Ultimate Judge Guide Book (2009) |
Trivia
- Death has had the most appearance changes out of Castlevania characters (not counting Dracula and Simon).
- In Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, several statues of Death can be seen in the background while walking across the bridge that leads to Dracula.
- Death's voice actors are Dennis Falt (Symphony), Tom Wayner (Lament and Curse), and Travis Willingham (Judgment).
- The Time Reaper from Castlevania Judgment is not the same individual as Death but rather a different Death God.