Graham Jones

is the main antagonist of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. He was the founder and the chief missionary of a religious sect with hordes of devout followers, and he preached that the prophecies of apocalyptic events that were popular at the end of the 20th century will come to pass in 2035. The events in question he would attempt to execute, in a sense: He was born in 1999, the same day Dracula was destroyed, and therefore possessed magical powers, and in turn this led him to believe that he was the reincarnation of Dracula. When the solar eclipse of 2035 occurred and Dracula's castle showed itself, he entered it intending to take it over as the Dark Lord he believed himself to be.
==History==
Graham encounters Soma Cruz several times and he initially does not consider him to be of any threat, so he acts quite friendly. However, when Soma reveals that his special power is the Power of Dominance, Graham suddenly changes his attitude; he is disturbed that someone possesses a power closer to those of Dracula than his own powers and he runs to the top of the castle, stabbing Yoko Belnades along the way because she tries to stop him from taking over the castle's dark influence. His reaction upon seeing Soma nearby indicates he planned to outright kill her, but was forced to merely leave her wounded instead due to Soma's arrival. Soma confronts Graham at the castle keep and the two wage battle. Although Graham admits that he could help Soma escape the castle with his powers, he intends to execute Soma for "stealing" his ability to dominate demon souls and made clear he does not care if Soma knew how to give the ability back to him, causing Soma to decry him as "one selfish bastard" and insane. After an initial fight, he noticed that Soma possessed three powers that were unmistakably Dracula's and wonders where he got them before denying Soma to be "the one". Graham then uses the dark powers he gained in the keep to transform into a massive, unholy entity to destroy Soma, but he is ultimately killed by him, expressing shock at this meaning that he wasn't the true Dracula after all. Soma demonstrated the true powers of Dracula during this fight, and that causes the dark powers Graham absorbed to appear and enter Soma's body. Soma is suddenly very close to becoming one with Dracula's evil influence and he must confront the core of Dracula's powers of chaos to cut himself off from that influence and save himself.
Technically, Graham is considered to be the final boss of the game. However, if the player has the Flame Demon, Giant Bat and Succubus souls equipped when dealing the final blow to him at the end of the first phase of the fight, all of Graham's powers will transfer into Soma and he will realize he is the reincarnation of Dracula. This unlocks the Black Panther soul and also unlocks the Chaotic Realm level. It's also required to have the Ancient Books; otherwise, the post-Graham ending will play instead and the true final section of the castle will be unavailable.
Despite him not actually being Dracula, Graham Jones' unique birth nonetheless inspired the creation of the Dark Lord candidates to take over the position of Dracula a year later after Soma refused to become him.
==Appearance==
Graham Jones in his human form has gray hair, gray eyes and a handsome appearance, although with a slight smirk. He also wears a white suit with a purple tie and ceremonial scarf.
Upon transforming using the demons inside Dracula's castle, he becomes a grotesque entity resembling a pair of conjoined, pale, white-haired females severed below the waist, with a halo entering through their eye sockets, four arms (two on each side, the front pair possessing eyes on the back of the hand and red fingernails), and having their insides exposed, showing a rib cage, a pulsating intestinal tract hanging below the body, and various internal organs. Graham Jones himself is found in the pulsating "heart" at the center of the demon. He also summons a "halo" made of skulls and four crucifixes which fire a ray of light on his opponents from above.
===Aria of Sorrow (mobile)===
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Graham features prominently in the mobile version of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow as well. He stabs Yoko as he did in the Game Boy Advance version. Graham is the final boss in this game and is also only the second boss in the game, after the Creaking Skull. In order to enter the throne room to face him, the player must collect all three Ancient Books; and upon fighting him, only his transformed form is confronted. Entering the battle equipped with the three souls of Dracula's power will not lead to a second ending, and the fact that Soma is actually Dracula's true successor is never revealed.
==Strategy==
Graham's boss fight has three different phases:
;First phase
The first phase is very similar to Dracula in previous installments. He will teleport himself continuously and use Hellfire or Dark Inferno. He will always be floating and only his head can be hit. In this phase, it is recommended to use a weapon with long reach and massive size such as the Balmung, since it can hit him while eliminating the Hellfires. In this phase, he has 1,500 HP, 100 ATK and 60 DEF.
;Second phase
In the second phase, Graham teleports to the center of the room and starts spawning Dark Infernos in a spiral movement. He comes back with the same stats as the first phase. Depleting his HP will force him to enter the third phase, although this will only happen if Soma has equipped the Flame Demon, Giant Bat and Succubus's souls when dealing the last blow to him at the end of this phase. The dialogue he speaks at this point is different as well.
;Third phase
In the third phase, Graham changes his form into his final form. In this phase, he has 2,000 HP, 100 ATK and 110 DEF. A halo is formed above him with 4,000 HP, 100 ATK, and 73 DEF. The halo will continuously follow the player and cast a lightning bolt on a vertical line which deals Sword damage. Destroying the halo won't affect Graham's stats at all, so it's up to the player whether to destroy it or not (especially in Boss Rush Mode). His other attack is closing his hands, which cannot hit a crouching target. The hands will glow before attempting to attack; therefore, it is recommended to use massive overhead weapon such as the Final Sword or the Claimh Solais while crouching and sliding to avoid getting hit by his hands and lightning. The same strategy can be applied when playing as Julius, although he needs to jump in order to hit Graham.
==Enemy Data==
==Notes==
*If the player does not equip the Flame Demon, Giant Bat and Succubus souls during the first phase of the fight, Graham will initially express shock that Soma is putting up a fight against him, although this will soon change to relief for not having to confront Dracula's powers before proceeding to transform into his ultimate form. When killed, he will express disbelief that he was defeated by Soma before fading away while the castle starts to collapse.
*Graham is one of the three bosses in the game that doesn't drop any items or souls, along with Julius and Chaos. He does, however, end up transforming Soma into Dracula's likeness upon his death.
==Gallery==
Graham Jones - Aria of Sorrow - 02.jpg
Graham bio.jpg|Graham's official character bio.
AoS Poster Graham.JPG|Graham from Aria of Sorrow.
Julius, Mina, Graham & Hammer - Aria of Sorrow - 01.jpg|Julius, Mina, Graham and Hammer concept sketches from Aria of Sorrow.
AoS 112.png|Graham's enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
AoS Glu Graham.JPG|Graham from Aria of Sorrow.(mobile)
==Trivia==
*His name is possibly inspired by two real life religious preachers and leaders: "Graham" may come from Billy Graham, the popular American televangelist; this would allude to the charismatic side of Graham Jones, which he projects to the public. "Jones" may come from Jim Jones, the founder and leader of the religious organization known as the People's Temple who led his followers to a mass suicide within the jungles of Guyana in 1978; this hints at his concealed dark side, considering that he is also a crazed cult leader.
*Similar to Dracula in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, his dialogue box during the final battle was slightly modified from its . In particular, his right eye was modified to be obscured in shadow.
==See also==
*Dark Lord Candidate
*Dracula-like enemies
==External links==
*
*Graham Jones at the Villains Wiki
es:Graham Jones
pt-br:Graham Jones
tr:Graham Jones
Category:Antagonists
Category:Dark Lord Candidates
Category:Deceased Characters
Category:Dracula Relatives
Category:Fire Bosses
Category:Flying Bosses
Category:Graham's Cult
Category:Humans
Category:Male Characters
Category:Real Life Based Characters
Category:Witches and Wizards
Category:Aria of Sorrow Bosses
Category:Aria of Sorrow Characters