Power of Dominance

The Power of Dominance is the Dark Lord's ability to absorb and control the souls of creatures that he kills.
==Description and characteristics==
Known beings to possess the Power of Dominance ability have been Dracula, Soma Cruz and Dmitrii Blinov (only because he copied it from Soma). It is implied that the power itself is extremely dangerous to handle, as those not specifically prepared for its power aren't able to contain it (an example is Dmitrii, who ended up being killed after absorbing the souls of multiple demons). The Soul Steal attack is very closely related to this ability, except that it involves killing the victim by stealing its soul (instead of stealing its soul after killing it) and the captured souls are immediately consumed for healing purposes, rather than being retained so that the bearer may call upon their power.
In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, enemies must be killed in order for the soul to be stolen by Soma (since there are only a few souls available in the mobile version of the game, enemies that contain souls emit green sparks when hit to distinguish them from those who don't). Once a soul is obtained, it must be first equipped before its powers can be used. Souls come in four types, based on how they are used: Bullet Souls, Guardian Souls, Enchanted Souls and special Ability Souls.
Dracula has never been seen using this ability other than in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, where he absorbed Death's soul to transform into True Dracula; although it's worth noting that he actually calls out loud the name of this spell as: "Soul Steal". Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia developed a similar ability involving the Dominus glyphs, which are based upon Dracula's power.
This power is alluded to in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, as Gabriel Belmont can absorb enemy souls to convert them into either Light or Shadow Magic energy.
==Other appearances==
*Super Bomberman R Online (Stadia, PS4, XBO, Switch, PC): The new bomberman character Soma Cruz Bomber, based on Soma Cruz, will be added to the roster of playable characters in the September 2021 update. Like his traditional timeline counterpart, Soma Bomber's special ability is the "Power of Dominance", which allows him to seal and temporarily copy the special abilities of opponents who come into contact with his bats.
==Gallery==
Power of Dominance - 01.gif|Animation showcasing the Power of Dominance from the intro cutscene of Dawn of Sorrow.
DoS Library - The Power of Dominance.png|The Power of Dominance Library description from Dawn of Sorrow.
==Trivia==
*The very first monster that Soma Cruz encounters in both Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow is scripted to have its soul absorbed upon death, which in both cases happens in the introductory sequence.
*The mechanic in how the Power of Dominance works is similar to that appearing in the Mega Man franchise, where the title character possesses the ability to absorb the characteristic power of each defeated Robot Master (the end robot boss of each standard stage) and then become able to use it.
==See also==
*Dark Lord
*Dominus
*Dracula
*Soma Cruz
*Soul Steal
*Tactical Soul
de:Power of Dominance
Category:Abilities