Vjaya

Vjaya, also known as Thunderbrand, is a sword created from one of Indra's thunderbolts. Indra is the chief deity of the Rigveda, god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism.
==Vjaya in Castlevania==
The Vjaya appears in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. It is noticeably absent from Dawn of Sorrow. Unlike the Firebrand and Icebrand, which have different lores in the English and Japanese versions of Symphony of the Night, this is always described as the sword of Indra.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
Thunderbrand is one of a series of swords with similar properties, three with names containing the suffix "-brand"; these typically have around +25 attack, an elemental ability, and a 5 MP quarter-circle "elemental burst" command move which grants an ATK bonus. The main members of this series are Thunderbrand (Thunder element), Icebrand (ice element), Firebrand (fire element) and Holy Sword (Holy element with +26 ATK and a weaker command move). Outliers in this group are Mormegil, a Dark element sword with no elemental burst, and Gurthang, a blood-healing sword with no element, no MP cost for its command move, and an additional double damage boost during Dark Metamorphosis.
The Thunderbrand is one of the three "brand" swords that can be purchased from the Master Librarian once $10,000 is accumulated. Its base strength is in between the vanilla Luminus and Sword of Hador swords. It is identical in every way to the Icebrand and Firebrand except that it deals thunder damage, and is one of only two weapons in the entire game that does this kind of damage (the other is the sub-weapon Agunea). The only major enemies weak to thunder in the game are Scylla and the Hippogryph, making it rather situational. Its special attack is a thunder burst that is nearly twice as powerful as a normal swing.
Unlike the other "brand" swords, the Thunderbrand can only be obtained by purchasing it from the Master Librarian. It is a useful weapon, but among the "brand" swords it is less useful than the Holy Sword and Firebrand (since far more monsters are weak to holy and fire) and far less potent than Gurthang.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
The Vjaya makes a return in Aria of Sorrow. It loses the thunder burst ability it had in Symphony of the Night, but this time its normal attack is very long and consists of criss-crossing currents of electricity attacking anything directly in front of Soma. It has the third longest range for forward attacking swords after the Whip Sword and Balmung. It also has the third fastest hit interval after the Handgun and Silver Gun (practically the shortest hit interval, since both guns can only hit an enemy once per shot).
This sword is one of the hardest items to find in the game. It is suspended between the two watch towers near the entrance to the castle, above the "classic" zombie corridor. You will first see it when you obtain the double jump ability and explore those towers. However, it is too high up and cannot be reached by just double jumping. The entire region of the map that it is located in may be "filled in" when first explored, however. By the time you are able to fly using the Giant Bat Soul obtained after defeating Balore in the Arena, you may not remember where the weapon was or that it even existed since there is no "blank" area of the map to point the way. There is also no other reason for exploring those two towers at this stage in the game, so you are unlikely to "bump" into it. Just make it a point to collect it the next time you visit Mina and the gang once you can fly.
===Castlevania: Order of Shadows===
This sword is used as a sub-weapon in this game. Desmond swings the sword with a burst of purple lightning. Its range is shorter than that of the whip, but it is faster and more powerful.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
===Animations===
SOTN Thunderbrand.gif|Thunderbrand from Symphony of the Night.
SOTN Thunderbrand 2.gif|Thunderbrand Special Attack from Symphony of the Night.
AoS Vjaya.gif|Vjaya from Aria of Sorrow.
OoS Vjaya.gif|Vjaya from Order of Shadows.
==See also==
*Vajra - Another lightning weapon of Indra.
*Agni's Flame - A sword called "Firebrand" in the English version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
*Rahab's Frost - A sword called "Icebrand" in the English version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Category:Lightning Assets
Category:South Asian Lore
Category:Sub-Weapons
Category:Swords
Category:Aria of Sorrow Items
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Items
Category:Encore of the Night Items
Category:Harmony of Despair Items
Category:Order of Shadows Items
Category:Symphony of the Night Items