Castlevania (series)/References

:Note: Fan references should be added at the Castlevania Fan Wiki.
Since the first title, released in 1986, the Castlevania series has been referenced in many forms of media, including video games, literature, music, TV and web series.
==Games==
===Card games===
====Yu-Gi-Oh!====
*A card named Vampire Hunter depicts a warrior wielding a whip. Since the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game was developed by Konami, it's most likely that this character was designed to resemble a generic member of the Belmont clan. Furthermore, the original Japanese name of this card is Vanpaia Kirā (Vampire Killer).
*A character version of the aforementioned card later appeared in the mobile and PC game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links.
Yu-Gi-Oh! - Vampire Hunter - 01.png|Vampire Hunter card.
Yu-Gi-Oh! - Vampire Hunter - 02.png|Vampire Hunter character from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links.
===Video games===
====3D Dot Game Heroes====
*This game references many video games with its loading screens. The original Castlevania is referenced in this way.
3D Dot Game Heroes - 01.png
====Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!!====
*Before Finn and Jake fight Marceline the Vampire Queen, the Ice King quotes Dracula's infamous line from Symphony of the Night: "But enough talk... Have at you!"
*Soon after that, Jake calls the trash on the ground "a miserable little pile of trash", again referencing Dracula's original speech to Richter: "A miserable little pile of secrets."
Adventure Time - Hey Ice King! - 01.png
Adventure Time - Hey Ice King! - 02.png
====Astro's Playroom====
*A bot sleeping in a coffin that heavily resembles Alucard appears in the 2020 PlayStation 5 preinstalled platformer game Astro's Playroom.
*Costumes based on Richter Belmont and Alucard can be found in the 2024 sequel Astro Bot.
Alucard - Astro's Playroom - 01.jpg|Alucard (Astro's Playroom)
ASTRO's PLAYROOM - Castlevania Alucard Easter Egg PS5
Richter - Astro Bot - 01.png|Richter (Astro Bot)
Alucard - Astro Bot - 01.png|Alucard (Astro Bot)
====Bail or Jail====
Alucard and Leon Belmont are guest playable characters in this asymmetrical tag-battle game.
Alucard - Bail or Jail - 01.jpg|Alucard
Leon Belmont - Bail or Jail - 01.jpg|Leon Belmont
====Banjo-Tooie====
*The Mingy Jongo boss character's strategy of attack and weakness bears some resemblance to Dracula's attack pattern in several Castlevania games (and similar characters).
====Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night====
*The entire game seems to be a Castlevania tribute or parody. The protagonist is called Robert Belmart.
====Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon====
*The entire game is modeled after elements from classic Castlevania games such as Dracula's Curse and Rondo of Blood. These similarities include visual style, gameplay and much more.
====Boktai====
*This action role-playing game series, also by Konami, implements a few elements that appear to be inspired by the Castlevania franchise, such as an evil vampire Count, a character named Carmilla, who resembles Circle of the Moon's Camilla and whose true form resembles Medusa, and even a huge castle that can travel through space.
The Count of Groundsoaking Blood - Boktai - 01.png|The Count of Groundsoaking Blood
Carmilla - Boktai - 01.png|Carmilla's human form resembles Camilla from Circle of the Moon.
Carmilla - Boktai - 02.jpg|Carmilla's true form resembles Medusa.
Dark Castle - Boktai - 01.png|Dark Castle
====Bomberman====
*In the Virtual Boy version of Panic Bomber, as well as in Pocket Bomberman, there is a vampire bomberman named Bompire (initially localized as "Count Dracu-boom"), who seems to be inspired by Castlevania's Dracula.
**It's worth mentioning that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released in March of 1997 in Japan, and Pocket Bomberman in December of that same year, which could have influenced the inclusion of this character in the latter.
Count Dracu-Boom - 01.png|Bompire
*The final boss in Super Bomberman R, Buggler, has some dialogues that closely resemble certain well known phrases often delivered by Dracula in the Castlevania games. This was the first Bomberman game that was released by Konami after acquiring the property rights to the franchise from Hudson Soft in 2012.
Buggler - 01.png|Buggler
Buggler - 02.png
*Also in Super Bomberman R, three playable characters introduced as downloadable content are direct references to Castlevania: Simon Belmont Bomber, Dracula Bomber and Alucard Bomber.
**Super Bomberman R Online, a battle royale game released on most current platforms, introduced Richter Bomber to the roster of playable characters, and in 2021, Soma Cruz Bomber was added to the roster of playable characters.
Belmont Bomber - 04.png|Simon Belmont Bomber
Richter Bomber - 01.png|Richter Bomber
Dracula Bomber - 01.png|Dracula Bomber
Alucard Bomber - 02.png|Alucard Bomber
Soma Cruz Bomber - 02.png|Soma Cruz Bomber
*In Bombergirl, Sepia Belmont, an original character representative of the Castlevania franchise, was revealed as a playable character in the game. In addition, a few well known music tracks from the series were added in, such as The Lost Portrait, Dance of Gold, Divine Bloodlines and Beginning.
Sepia Belmont - 01.png|Sepia Belmont
====Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the Seven Devils====
*The fourth boss, Baron Vladmu, is a Dracula spoof that teleports in a similar manner and shoots fireballs from his crotch after opening his cape. In addition, the player can obtain weapons by breaking candles and a character named "Selena" throws scythes at the player just before they battle Vladmu, similar to how Death guards Dracula.
Vladmu.png|Baron Vladmu waiting for the player.
====Cat Quest III====
*The game features a dungeon called Eight Bit Dungeon that has a boss named Dratula. Before he fights the player, one of the lines in his speech is a pirate and cat themed take on Dracula's most memorable line in Symphony of the Night: "What is a cat? A miserable pile o' whiskers. But enough gabbin', have at ye."
====Contra====
=====Contra: Hard Corps=====
*The game features a miniboss called Simondo Belmont, who resembles and behaves similar to Simon Belmont.
*The theme "SIMON 1994RD", played in the background, is a remix of "Vampire Killer".
Simondo Belmont - 01.png|Simondo Belmont
=====Contra: Operation Galuga=====
*This game features alternative soundtracks that can be unlocked if the system contains save data of any of Konami's "Anniversary Collection" compilation titles from 2019. The Castlevania Anniversary Collection unlocks the "Vania Mix", which includes themes from Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.
*In Stage 1 and with "Vania Mix" playing, when the jungle is set on fire, Bill Rizer –one of the series' two main protagonists– will say, "Hell of a night for a curse", a nod to the iconic phrase "What a horrible night to have a curse" from Castlevania II, and the background theme "Bloody Tears" will then switch to "Monster Dance" instead.
====Dead Cells====
*The game counts with an option for selecting from a series of visual styles for health drops. One of these options makes those items to appear like those in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.Easter Eggs and References at IGN.
*Additionally, some other items also resemble those from Symphony of the Night, such as the Cudgel shield which resembles Castlevania's Knight Shield, and the Rampart shield which resembles the Alucard Shield.
*There is a melee weapon in the game called "Valmont's Whip", which is a nod to the Belmont's Vampire Killer.
*In High Peak Castle, there is a hall with portraits of various popular game characters. One of these portraits is of Alucard.
Alucard - Dead Cells - 01.jpg
====Dragon's Crown====
*As a reward for finishing a quest in the Castle of the Dead (which seems to be a reference in itself), the game rewards the player with a picture titled "Vampire Hunter", which seems to be a reference to Alucard or the Castlevania series in general.
Dragon's Crown - Vampire Hunter - 01.jpg|Vampire Hunter
====Dust: An Elysian Tail====
*An item in this game, called the "Mysterious Wall Chicken", can be found by destroying certain walls in a nod to how similar items are often found in the Castlevania series hidden behind breakable walls.
*The Red Orb is a direct reference to the Red Crystal from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The reference goes as far as having the same use: the orb must be taken to the topmost part of a cliff (itself being a reference to Deborah Cliff) and then kneel and wait for a whirlwind spirit to carry the player to a secret area.
Dust - An Elysian Tail - 01.png
====Etrian Odyssey: Nexus====
*The Vampire class in this dungeon crawler game bares a striking resemblance to Alucard.
Etrian Odyssey Nexus - 01.jpg|Vampire class.
====EverQuest II====
*In this multiplayer role-playing game, the zone Loping Plains is beset by a curse every night and the message "What a horrible night to have a curse", originally from Simon's Quest, appears in the player's chat window. When day breaks, the message "The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night" is also displayed in the chat window.
====Final Fantasy XV====
*In the DLC story, Episode Ardyn, when the main character, Ardyn Izunia, is ambushed by the Royal Guards of Lucis, the memory of his brother, Somnus Lucis Caelum, taunts him by saying "mankind ill needs a savior such as you", which was Richter Belmont's retort to Dracula in the original English localization of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Coincidentally, Ardyn has a similar backstory as Dracula, being a former human who had become an immortal demon and who tried to doom the world out of spite for loved ones being brutally murdered (Aera in the case of Ardyn, and Elisabetha and Lisa in the case of Dracula), even going as far as to have a name change afterward (Ardyn Izunia originally being known as Ardyn Lucis Caelum, and Dracula originally being known as Mathias Cronqvist). Both were even willing to turn against their duties to their deities to enact their revenge due to blaming them for their misfortunes (the Celestials in the case of Ardyn, and God in the case of Mathias/Dracula). Both even opposed a family line dedicated to stopping them (Lucis Caelum line in the case of Ardyn, and the Belmonts in Dracula's case).
*Ardyn belonging to the same family line as that of Lucis Caelum also resembled Dracula's Lords of Shadow counterpart. In addition, Ardyn's Japanese voice actor, Keiji Fujiwara, also voiced Dracula from Lords of Shadow.
====Frogger====
*Count Blah, a vampire who appears in the platform video game Frogger: The Great Quest (also by Konami), is a reference to Count Dracula, and Mr. D (Mr. Death) is a reference to Death.
Count Blah - 01.jpg|Count Blah
Mr. D - 01.png|Mr. D
*Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition, a game that commemorates the franchise's 30th anniversary, allows the player to customize the game board with a variety of different skins, including 8-bit sprites from other famous Konami franchises, such as Castlevania and Contra.
====Guacamelee!====
*A mosaic of Simon Belmont fighting a Skeleton can be found in one of the levels.
Guacamelee! - 01.jpg
====Gungage====
*Posters depicting the cover artwork of Akumajō Densetsu (the original Japanese title of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) can be seen in one of the stage's backgrounds of the game, with the misspelled title, "Densetu".
Gungage - Dracula's Curse cameo.png
Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse - (JP) - 01.jpg
====Hollow Knight====
*The boss Grimm resembles Dracula in both attack patterns and appearance. He is able to summon fireballs from his cape as well as spawn flame pillars from the ground.
*The official Nintendo UK page for this game has a section titled "Symphony of the Knight".
Grimm - 01.png|Grimm
====I Wanna Be The Guy====
*The game features references to various well-known series, including the Castlevania series. Dracula, Dracula's Castle, Witchy and Medusa Head are among the elements represented in it. Some of the sprites featured are directly rip-offs of those featured in the Castlevania games.
Dracula's Castle - I Wanna Be The Guy - 01.jpg|Dracula's Castle
Dracula - I Wanna Be The Guy - 01.png|Dracula
Dracula - I Wanna Be The Guy - 02.png|Dracula's true form
Witchy - I Wanna Be The Guy - 01.png|Witchy
Medusa Head - I Wanna Be The Guy - 01.png|Medusa Head
Eight Units - I Wanna Be The Guy - 01.png|The Eight Units are a reference to the Magic Crystal.
====Jazz Jackrabbit====
*One of the levels in Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files is named "Hauntedvania". Its musical theme is also named "" and is written in a style reminiscent of Castlevania music.
====Jeanne d'Arc====
*Near the end of the game, when facing the main antagonist, Jeanne says: "Die, monster! You don't belong in this world!", referencing Richter Belmont's famous quote during his encounter with Dracula at the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Jeanne d'Arc - 01.png
====JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle====
*The character Jonathan Joestar can taunt by exclaiming "Your words are as empty as your soul!", which is another reference to Richter Belmont's initial dialogue with Dracula in Symphony of the Night.
====Magical Cat Adventure====
*This 1993 platformer game by WinTechno released only for arcades apparently pays homage to some classic bosses from the Castlevania series:
**The boss of the first level is a Grim Reaper that somewhat resembles Death.
**The boss of the second level is remarkably similar to the Skull Knight from Castlevania III, a reanimated skeleton of a humanoid beast that wields a sword and a shield.
**The third level, "Castle of Ghosts", follows the typical thematic of haunted castle often seen in the Castlevania games, portraying old Medieval architecture, floating platforms, spike traps, as well as a heavy emphasis on platforming.
**In addition, the boss of this level is a vampire cat that looks and attacks similarly to most depictions of Dracula in the Castlevania series. He opens his cape and sends forth three bats, much like some variations of Dracula's Hellfire spell, and when hit, he transforms into a colony of bats, attempting to coalesce a few seconds later on the player's position, much like Dracula and the Giant Bat do in some Castlevania games.
Magical Cat Adventure - 01.png|This hooded enemy boss might be a reference to Death.
Magical Cat Adventure - 02.png|This sword and shield wielding skeleton boss is quite similar to the Skull Knight from Castlevania III.
Magical Cat Adventure - 03.png|The vampire cat boss behaves and attacks almost identically to most depictions of Dracula.
====Metal Gear Solid====
*During the battle against Psycho Mantis, he will display his mental powers by reading the system's memory card. If he finds a Symphony of the Night file data, he will comment: "You like Castlevania, don't you?"
Psycho Mantis - Metal Gear Solid - 01.png|Psycho Mantis reading the memory card.
====Noitu Love 2====
*This indie game features two characters named O2-JOY and his servant the Grin Reaper, whose design is based on both Dracula and Death. Their stage is also a tribute to various Castlevania games.
====Odallus: The Dark Call====
*Scenes from the game's opening bare a heavy resemblance to the openings to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania Chronicles.
====Otomedius Excellent====
*Otomedius Excellent features a playable Belmont character named Kokoro Belmont, who is the guardian of the Belmont Clan in 2011.
*The main antagonist of the game, Dark Force, can be seen sitting on a throne similar to the one Dracula sits on in many Castlevania games. 
Kokoro Belmont.jpg|Kokoro Belmont
Kokoro Belmont - 09.jpg|Kokoro's ending pays homage to the original Castlevania by recreating its .
Dark Force - Otomedius Excellent - 01.png|Dark Force sitting on a throne similar to Dracula's.
====Professional Baseball Spirits A====
*This Konami baseball game features many cameo characters from several Konami franchises. It features three characters from the Castlevania series, Alucard, Simon and Richter, who appear as supportive characters.
Alucard - Pro Baseball Spirits A - 01.png|Alucard
Simon - Pro Baseball Spirits A - 01.png|Simon
Richter - Pro Baseball Spirits A - 01.png|Richter
====Pyū to Fuku! Jaguar: Byō to Deru! Megane-kun====
*This game made by Konami, features a parody stage, Dracula's Castle, directly based on the Castlevania series. It also features a similar gameplay, a few of its enemies, and the music used for the stage contains arranged sections of "Beginning".
====Robotrek====
*A vampire character in the Super NES role-playing game Robotrek (Enix, 1994) is called "Count John Paul Belmont Prinky".
*In addition, one of the areas in the mansion is a clocktower, and like in the Castlevania games, it's inhabited by monsters based on classic horror films, such as mummies and Frankenstein monsters.
Robotrek - 01.jpg|Count John Paul Belmont Prinky
Robotrek - 02.png|A clocktower stage filled with monsters based on classic horror films.
====Rock of Ages====
*The Wallachia stage features the famous Castlevania entrance bridge, an unnamed Belmont-like character and a bat-transforming Vlad Ţepeş.
Rock of Ages - 01.png|Wallachia stage Castlevania-like intro cutscene.
====Saints Row 2====
*In The Krunch 106.66 radio station, when someone calls in to request The Black Dahlia Murder's "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", she reveals that her name is "Belmont", referencing Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, from where the song's title was inspired.
====Scribblenauts====
*Alucard can be summoned to protect Maxwell in the Japanese version of the game.
Flash Puzzle - Maxwell's Mysterious Notebook - 02.gif|"ALUCARD"
====Sea of Thieves====
*The Crimson Crypt Tankard, part of the Crimson Crypt cosmetic set, contains a reference to Dracula's famous speech in its flavor text: "Drink too much and you'll be asking yourself - what is a pirate? A miserable little pile of sea quests!"
Sea of Thieves Crimson Crypt Tankard.png|The Crimson Crypt Tankard.
====Skullgirls====
*The character Double quotes Dracula multiple times, "What is a man?" and "A miserable little pile of secrets" included.
*The main antagonist and boss, Marie Korbel, may be a nod to Persephone, being that she's dressed in maid's attire and is in possession of a demonic vacuum.
Skullgirls - Marie - 01.jpg|Marie resembles Castlevania's Persephone.
====Suikoden====
*A vampire antagonist character called Neclord appears in the two fantasy role-playing games Suikoden and Suikoden II (also by Konami) for the PlayStation. While never officially stated, it's widely believed that he's based on Dracula, the main antagonist of the Castlevania series.
**Additionally, Neclord, much like Dracula, possesses his own castle.
**In this castle, instead of inns the player has access to coffins where they can rest in and heal up. This concept is similar to the coffins Alucard uses to rest in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and the mechanic could probably have been inspired from Suikoden, although this is mere speculation.
Neclord - 01.png|Neclord
Neclord's Castle - Suikoden - 02.jpg|The player can rest in coffins, much like Alucard does in Symphony of the Night.
====Super Meat Boy====
*"Chapter 2: The Hospital" starts out with a short intro in which Dr. Fetus flies into the night with Bandage Girl outside the gates of the hospital, which resembles Dracula's Castle. Meat Boy looks upward while a theme very similar to "Prologue" plays. This is a reference to the intro from Castlevania for the NES.
Super Meat Boy.jpg|Castlevania-like intro.
====Super Smash Bros. Ultimate====
*Simon and Richter Belmont appear as playable characters in this versus fighting game.
*Dracula appears as a boss and many of his minions, such as Death, Carmilla, Medusa, The Creature and Flea Man, the Werewolf, the Mummy and even Kid Dracula himself, appear either as environmental hazards or simply as aesthetics for the stages.
*Dracula's Castle appears as a playable stage, with its layout modeled after the original Castlevania.
*Many other Castlevania references appear in the game, such as weapons and music tracks, as well as unlockable Spirits (support entities) of several characters from the entire franchise.
====Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters====
*In Wing Nut's profile screen, on his "Favorite Activities" section it reads he likes "Castlevania 2095". Furthermore, Wing Nut himself is a bat-like mutant.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Tournament Fighters - 01.png|Wing Nut's profile screen.
====Terraria====
This sandbox video game with building, metroidvania and role-playing elements features a number of references to classic Castlevania games:
*Most Flail type weapons resemble the Vampire Killer, being that they are whips made of chains which end with a spiked metal ball on their tips.
*The Arkhalis sword is a reference to the Crissaegrim from Symphony of the Night; it behaves similarly, has an almost identical icon and its description says: "I didn't get this off of a Schmoo", in reference to how the Crissaegrim is obtained from Schmoos in Symphony of the Night.
*Likewise, the Terragrim is also a reference to the Crissaegrim, behaving similarly, sharing a similar icon and even being phonetically similar.
*The Bloody Tear is a reference to "Bloody Tears", one of the most well known music themes in the Castlevania series.
**Its tooltip reads: "What a horrible night to have a curse.", the same text that appears in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest whenever night befalls.
**Its appearance in item form could be a reference to the Tear of Blood from the Castlevania series - a red gem in the shape of a teardrop.
*The Death Sickle is a reference to Death's Scythe. It looks very similar to Death's trademark weapon and is swung in a similar fashion.
**When swung, it flings out spinning energy scythes; these are most likely a reference to the Deathscythe ability.
*The Demon Eye, one of the most common enemies in the game (including many variants and even boss versions), bears a striking resemblance to the Ghostly Eyeball from Simon's Quest.
*The Demon is apparently a reference to the Tiny Devil from the Castlevania series.
**This enemy attacks with an energy projectile called the Demon Scythe, which apparently is another reference to the Deathscythe ability.
*The Holy Water is a reference to the classic Holy Water sub-weapon from the Castlevania series.
Arkhalis - Terraria - 01.png|Arkhalis
Terragrim - Terraria - 01.png|Terragrim
Bloody Tear - Terraria - 01.png|Bloody Tear
Death Sickle - Terraria - 01.png|Death Sickle
Demon - Terraria - 01.png|Demon
Demon Eye - Terraria - 01.png|Demon Eye
Flail - Terraria - 01.png|Flail
Holy Water - Terraria - 01.png|Holy Water
Arkhalis - Terraria - 02.gif|Arkhalis in action.
Terragrim - Terraria - 02.gif|Terragrim in action.
Death Sickle - Terraria - 02.gif|Death Sickle in action.
:Terraria Wiki - Source of all images.
====The Angry Video Game Nerd====
*The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, the official video game based on the popular internet character of the same name, features a level called "Assholevania", which is a parody of most common stages in the Castlevania series.
*In The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2, there is a boss based on Dracula, called Sir Werepire. He uses the same moves as the original one, such as teleportations and fireballs, and replicates some of his famous quotes.
The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures - 01.png|The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures
Sir Werepire - AVGN II - 01.png|The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2
====The Binding of Isaac====
*When Eve's health is down to half a heart, she transforms into the "Whore of Babylon" and a screen will appear saying: "What a horrible night to have a curse...", a reference to Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.
*Death's summoning of whirling scythes is a reference to the Castlevania series' Death and his iconic Deathscythe attack.
*The design of the Holy Water item is based on the Holy Water sub-weapon appearing in most Castlevania games.
*The Nail, which among other effects allows to break rocks, could also be a reference to Simon's Quest, where one of the items needed to progress is Dracula's Nail, which also allows the character to break blocks when equipped.
*The Slipped Rib item may be a reference to Dracula's Rib, as they both protect the playable character from projectiles.
*Globins are a reference to Red/Blood Skeletons.
*Edmund McMillen, the creator of the series, revealed on his Formspring account that the Mask of Infamy is a reference to Carmilla's appearance in Simon's Quest.
*The green variant of the Brain enemy is called Poison Mind, like the boss theme of the same name from the original Castlevania.
*The Homunculus may be a reference to the enemy of the same name from Dawn of Sorrow; both are initially attached to a wall and appear to be asleep, but when the player comes too close, they wake up and rush at them.
Holy Water - The Binding of Isaac - 01.png|Holy Water
Mask of Infamy - The Binding of Isaac - 01.png|Mask of Infamy
Eve - The Binding of Isaac - 01.png
====The Elder Scrolls====
*In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in the Vilverin ruins, an undelivered letter mentions a certain "Aluc Cardius"; this is most likely a reference to Alucard (although it could also refer to the eponymous character from Hellsing).
*In the extension Dawnguard for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in the first room on the left in Castle Volkihar there's a display case with a ring, a nail, a heart, an eye and a rib cage. This is a reference to Dracula's relics.
Skyrim - Dawnguard - 01.png
====The End is Nigh====
*One of the tracks of this game is titled "Catastrovania".
The End is Nigh - Catastrovania - 01.jpg
====The Wonderful 101====
*Wonder-Pink's trademark weapon is the "Beautiful Whip", which is revealed to be made of "Belmont Alloy". She hails from Transylvania and her last name is Kretzulesco, which allegedly derives from Dracula in Romanian origin.
Wonder-Pink - 01.png
====Tokimeki Memorial====
*In Tokimeki Memorial, one of the selectable cursors is based on Maria Renard.
*Tokimeki Idol features arranged themes from Castlevania.
Tokimeki Idol - Akumajō Dracula Medley
Tokimeki Idol - Vampire Killer
====ULTRAKILL====
*The boss Flesh Prison is aesthetically designed after Legion, and Minos Prime on Nuculais, both from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.Asked: "Not sure if this was already answered, but is the fight with Flesh Prison/Minos Prime a reference to Legion/Nuculais from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness or is that just a happy accident?
@ULTRAKILLGame Answered: "It's on purpose"
Flesh Prison - ULTRAKILL - 01.png|Flesh Prison
Minos Prime - ULTRAKILL - 01.png|Minos Prime
====Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines====
*In one of the test chambers of the Fu Syndicate, an organization dedicated to hunt vampires, a special tactics squad referred to as the "Belmont Team" is deployed to attack the vampire player character.
Fu Syndicate - Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines - 01.png
====Vampire Survivors====
*Several of the designs for the characters and weapons in the game resemble those of Castlevania characters.
Antonio Belpaese - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Antonio Belpaese
Arca Ladonna - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Arca Ladonna
Giovanna Grana - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Giovanna Grana
Mortaccio - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Mortaccio
Gains Boros - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Gains Boros
Mask of the Red Death - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Mask of the Red Death
Merdusa - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Merdusa
Sneaky Head - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Sneaky Head
Merman - Vampire Survivors - 01.png|Merman
====Van Helsing====
*In the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game, Van Helsing, one of the libraries Gabriel Van Helsing walks through contains a book about an ancient clan of vampire hunters called "The Belmonts".
Vanhelsing-ref2.jpg|A book titled "The Belmonts".
====Wallachia: Reign of Dracula====
*The overall design for the game was explicitly modeled after various classic video games, with Castlevania being noted as an example.Wallachia: Reign of Dracula for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo official website. The overall artstyle also resembles Ayami Kojima's artstyle.
====Yandere Simulator====
*While in the Bedroom, the player is able to play a minigame called Yanvania: Senpai of the Night which parodies the prologue sequence of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Final Stage: Bloodlines.
**The title artwork is a parody of by Ayami Kojima for Symphony of the Night.
**The stage is a close rendition to that appearing in Symphony of the Night, featuring a very similar stage title screen, the long staircase and large banquet table of the castle keep, and a similar throne room.
**The dialogue that ensues between the two characters, Beldere-chan and Dracula-chan, is almost identically phrased as the one between Richter Belmont and Dracula in Symphony of the Night, saying iconic sentences such as "Die monster! You don't belong in this school!" and "What is a senpai? A miserable little pile of heartbreak!", just to name a few.
**The ending of the battle is also almost identical, with Dracula-chan parodying Dracula's last words and scream of pain upon being defeated, the entire screen receding and leaning to a side as if it was a photograph, and a subsequent long text scroll elaborating on the lore behind these events.
Yanvania - Senpai of the Night - 01.jpg|Title screen.
Yanvania - Senpai of the Night|Gameplay video.
====Ys Seven====
*In the English version of Ys Seven, a maid in the Altago royal palace says "Die, dust! You don't belong in this world! HAVE AT YOU!", referencing Richter Belmont's famous quote during his encounter with Dracula at the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Ys Seven maid.jpg
====Zombies Ate My Neighbors====
*In the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis game, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, also published by Konami, the vampire enemy's name is "Vlad Belmont".
Vlad Belmont - 01.png|Vlad Belmont
==Literature==
===Magazines===
====GamePro====
*GamePro was a popular gaming magazine published from 1989 to 2011. Early in its lifespan, it included a mini-comic book among its pages called "The Adventures of GamePro", which was about a superhero named GamePro who was brought into a dimension where video games were real and had to save it from the Evil Darklings. On Issue #6 (January 1990), GamePro enters the world of Castlevania and defeats Dracula.
GamePro - January 1990 - 01.jpg
GamePro - January 1990 - 02.jpg
GamePro - January 1990 - 03.jpg
GamePro - January 1990 - 04.jpg
===Comics and manga===
====Hellsing====
*The last chapter of Volume 8 is titled Castle Vania 1.
====Rosario + Vampire====
*In the Rosario + Vampire II manga series, the main character, Tsukune Aono, learns to control his vampire powers through the use of a magical whip that dispels demon power, called "Belmont". This is clearly a reference to the Vampire Killer whip and the Belmont Clan.
Rosario + Vampire - 02.jpg
Rosario + Vampire - 01.jpg
Rosario + Vampire - 03.jpg
Rosario + Vampire - 04.jpg
Rosario + Vampire - 05.jpg
====Stuff of Nightmares====
*Volume 4 of this horror comic by Boom! Studios pays homage to the of the NES version of Castlevania.
Stuff of Nightmares - 01.jpg
====Zatch Bell!====
*The manga series Zatch Bell! (called Golden Gash!! in Japan) featured a character named . She assists her partner Brago (who has a slight resemblance to a vampire) and her main weapon is a flail.
==Music==
===Army of the Pharaohs===
*This hip hop group has a track named "Bloody Tears" which samples the classic Castlevania theme.
===Dignity===
*This European metal band covered the Dracula's Curse track "Beginning" in their debut album, Project Destiny. The track is called "Inner Demons" and features lyrics about the inner fight of a man.
===DragonForce===
*The band's 2014 album, Maximum Overload, features a song titled "Symphony of the Night", which appears to be sung from Alucard's perspective.
*Likewise, a song from their 2017 album, Reaching into Infinity, called "Curse of Darkness", appears to be sung from Hector's perspective.
===Malice Mizer===
*This popular Japanese visual kei band has a song named "Gekka no Yasoukyoku", which is the Japanese name for Symphony of the Night.
===Pryapisme===
*This band references Castlevania, among many other video games, in their music video for the song "Un Druide est Giboyeux Lorsqu'il se Prend Pour un Neutrino".
===Starbomb===
*Gaming music band Starbomb, composed of American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party and Flash animator and internet personality Egoraptor, released a song called "Crasher-Vania" on their first and eponymous album from 2013. The song is reminiscent of Bobby Pickett's 1962 novelty hit, "Monster Mash", and talks about Simon Belmont crashing a party Dracula made for his friends. The chorus of this song gave birth to the now iconic phrase "Never fear, Simon Belmont is here!".
Starbomb - Crasher-Vania - 01
===The Black Dahlia Murder===
*This American death metal band released a demo album in 2001 titled What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, derived from the NES game Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, where the phrase appears in a text box during the in-game transition from day to night.
*An eponymous song was later recorded for the band's 2007 album Nocturnal.
===The Megas===
*In September 2016, the band released a three song EP under the name The Belmonts, featuring covers of "Bloody Tears", "Heart of Fire" and "Out of Time" from the Castlevania series.
*On October 31, 2018, the band debuted a surprise Halloween-themed EP as a collaboration between The Megas and The Belmonts, titled Skulls, which among other songs includes covers of "Wicked Child" and "Vampire Killer" from Castlevania, the latter of which features guest vocals by Amanda Lepre of Andrew W.K.
*On March 2, 2020, the band released a second Megas/Belmonts collaboration EP, titled Snakes, featuring a cover of "Stalker" from Castlevania, among other songs.
==TV and web series==
===Blood of Zeus===
*The promotional poster for this Netflix original series (formerly known as "Gods & Heroes") bears a striking resemblance to the of the original Castlevania and could probably be intended to attract the audience of the animated series toward it.
Gods & Heroes - 01.jpg
===Captain N: The Game Master===
*Simon Belmont appears as one of the title characters and a member of the N Team in this American-Canadian animated series which ran from 1989 to 1991. Instead of the barbarian vampire hunter determined to stop Dracula at all costs, he's portrayed as an arrogant and vain individual who enjoys tending to his appearance more than fighting evil. Likewise, Dracula, known in the series as the Count, plays a major role as a recurrent villain and outright antagonist, commanding a roster of minions comprised primarily on enemies from Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse.
Simon-belmont-captain-n.jpg
===DEATH BATTLE!===
*Some characters from the Castlevania franchise have been featured in this popular and long running web series, originally hosted by ScrewAttack, in which two pop culture icons that share certain similarities are pit against each other in a fight to the death, where the winner is determined based on extensive research of the characters.
**Alucard was put against Demitri the vampire, from Capcom's Darkstalkers series of fighting games fame, in the October 28, 2017 episode, with Alucard winning the encounter.
**Dracula was put against Ganondorf, the main antagonist from Nintendo's popular The Legend of Zelda series of action role-playing games, in the October 16, 2019 episode, with Dracula winning the encounter.
DEATH BATTLE! - Alucard VS Demitri
DEATH BATTLE! - Ganondorf VS Dracula
===Game of Thrones===
*One of the fictional languages created for the show by linguist David J. Peterson makes a reference to Castlevania, where the word for chain is "belmon" - "That's clearly a shout out to Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.", he said.
===Glitch Techs===
*The episode "Castle Crawl" has many references to the Castlevania games.
===My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic===
*The Hasbro cartoon series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, pays homage to Castlevania by naming the third episode of the fourth season "Castle Mane-ia". This reference was confirmed by episode writer Josh Haber of Hasbro Studios via his X account.Josh Haber at X.
MLP FiM - Castle Mane-ia.png|The Castle of the Two Sisters from Castle Mane-ia.
===Robot Chicken===
*In the episode "Maurice Was Caught", there's a segment called "Is that a whip?" which pokes fun at the Castlevania series.
*The sketch "Castlevania Aftermath" parodies the Netflix Castlevania animated series, where Alucard grieves the recent death of his father. Sypha Belnades bakes him a sugar free vegan cake to cheer him up, while Trevor Belmont accompanies him in his pain.
Robot Chicken - Is that a Whip?
Robot Chicken - Castlevania Aftermath
===Sailor Moon===
*In various episodes of the first season of the original anime adaptation of the series, the girls can be seen playing the new Sailor V video game at the local arcade (and a home version in later episodes). The background of this game is remarkably similar to the first level of the original Castlevania, featuring a big white wall, large red curtains hanging over it and tall marble columns (another background is shown in other episodes which apparently is a generic rendition to levels from the Mega Man series).
*In one of the later episodes of the second season, Sailor Moon R, Prince Demande is seen sitting on his throne and holding a glass of wine in a very similar pose to Dracula in Akumajō Dracula (X68000). However, it's also possible that this is just a common trope used for portraying evil rulers in anime.
Sailor Moon - S01E08.png|The background of the Sailor V video game resembles the first level of Castlevania.
Sailor Moon R - S02E081.png|Prince Demande sitting in a similar pose as Dracula does in Akumajō Dracula (X68000).
===Something About===
Something About is a popular and long-going animated web series created by Jeremey Chinshue, whose main productions consist on parodies, memes, gags and running jokes about pop culture media. On November 9, 2018, the episode "Something About Castlevania" was released, which parodies Simon Belmont's adventures inside Dracula's Castle in the original NES Castlevania.
Something About Castlevania
===Vlad Love===
*In episode 6 of the 2021 anime Vlad Love, the cast makes a school play adapting the story of the classic video game (a pun probably to avoid trademark infringement). The students cosplay as characters from the game (mainly the bosses), including Simon Belmont (wearing a Richter like longcoat), the supposed wife of Dracula, Miss Dracula Mai, Medusa, a Mummy Woman, Franken, the Reaper, and miscellaneous skeletons.
*This also involves a scene with Bambam (as Simon) collecting Hearts dropped from the top of the stage, and a giant Stopwatch announcing the play's halfway intermission.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 01.png|In the first shot, the school resembles Dracula's Castle.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 02.png|The episode is titled "Castle of Vania".
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 04.png|Simon, Reaper, Medusa, a Skeleton, Franken, Flea Man...
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 03.png|...another Skeleton and the Mummy.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 05.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 06.png|Bambam as Simon Belmont.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 07.png|Nami as Medusa.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 08.png|Hearts used to power-up Simon's weapons.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 09.png|The Reaper with his scythe and throwing little scythes.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 10.png|A Vampire Killer like whip.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 11.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 12.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 13.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 14.png|A giant stopwatch announcing the play's halfway intermission.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 16.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 15.png
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 18.png|Nami as Medusa.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 19.png|Kaoru as the Reaper.
Vlad Love - Castle of Vania - 20.png
===Yu-Gi-Oh! GX===
*In episode 31, the vampire Camula (a homonym of "Dracula") summons a castle with a card named Infernalvania. While the name could just be a reference to Transylvania, Konami is a co-producer of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise and also manufactures various of its products among diverse media, and has referenced Castlevania (and other of their classic franchises) along this series in the past.
**It's worth noting that most depictions of Infernalvania share a very similar style to how Dracula's Castle is portrayed in Castlevania products, such as the particular style of both the artwork and the building itself, to the point of even portraying it standing atop a distant cliff with only a rickety and narrow path leading to it.
Infernalvania - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - 01.png|Raw artwork of Infernalvania.
==See also==
*Cameo games - Games mainly published by Konami which feature guest characters or themes from the Castlevania series.
*Konami mascot games - A series of crossover games of varied genres which feature characters representative of several popular Konami franchises, including Castlevania.
*Related games - Third party games which are heavily inspired by the Castlevania series.
==References==
==External links==
*Castlevania at the Crossover Wiki
Category:Cameo