Dragon

:This page is about the spell. For the species, see Dragon (species).
Dragon, also known as Seiryuu or Qing Long, is a summoning magic spell ability first introduced in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and used as a sub-weapon by Maria Renard. This ability is one of her most powerful attacks and summons a roughly human-sized dragon which swoops across the screen in a low arc. The dragon is a miniature version of Qing Long, a guardian dragon from Chinese mythology. Its Item Crash unleashes the great Seiryuu himself, which has different incarnations depending on the game. It usually has the Ice element.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Rondo of Blood===
Seiryuu is arguably Maria's best sub-weapon in the game, due to both its attack power and the pattern it traces. When cast, a dragon of considerable size spawns slightly up and behind Maria and then flies in a straight line, dealing heavy damage to everything that crosses its path. It is useful for attacking flying or distant enemies from a safe distance, or to attack those which are positioned on higher platforms. It is quite costly, though, consuming 5 Hearts per use.
Its Item Crash is the most powerful in the game. Maria summons the dragon itself, then the beast's head and neck emerge from one side of the screen while the rest of its body rapidly and continuously lashes at everything in sight, dealing massive damage. Maria is also invulnerable (although unable to move) while this attack is in effect and most bosses die in a single cast. It is extremely costly, though, consuming 50 Hearts per use, usually allowing only one cast per boss fight, unless more sources of Hearts can be found in the same room.
Oddly enough, Seiryuu's sub-weapon icon is so big that it partially blocks the current Hearts counter on the screen's heads-up-display. This may have been done on purpose, though, as a little price the player has to pay in exchange for such destructive power.
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
The Dragon appears once more in Symphony of the Night, during Maria Mode. Its Item Crash is slightly altered.
The Dragon also appears in the PSP version of Symphony of the Night along with a redesigned Maria. The Dragon now appears with a more bluish and orange body and red eyes. The Dragon's behavior is roughly the same as its Rondo of Blood counterpart. If Maria summons the Dragon while her back is too close to the left or right of the screen, the Dragon may instantly vanish and will cause Maria to waste 5 Hearts. The Item Crash is also slightly different, now with Seiryuu encircling its summoned position while dealing multiple heavy hits of damage. Maria also uses the Dragon during the battle against her in the Castle Center, but she is able to summon up to three on-screen at one time, a trait the playable Maria never has. 
===Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles===
The Dragon's portrayal in The Dracula X Chronicles is a bit different from its original incarnation. It's still a devastatingly powerful Item Crash, but this time Maria calls the beast by its name, yelling: "Seiryuu!"; the dragon then appears and flies around for a few moments before heading directly toward the screen. Maria is invulnerable (although unable to move) while the summon is in effect.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
===Artworks===
Seiryuu.png|Dragon from the Japanese Rondo of Blood instruction booklet.
Maria Renard - Grimoire of Souls - 01.png|Maria and her four sacred beasts armor illustration from Grimoire of Souls.
VG Dragon.png|Reel art from Valiant Guardian.
===Screenshots===
Rondo of Blood - Dragon - 01.png|Seiryuu from Rondo of Blood.
Rondo of Blood - Dragon - 02.png|Seiryuu Item Crash from Rondo of Blood.
Maria in The Medal.JPG|From Akumajō Dracula: The Medal.
Maria - Dragon.jpg|Qing Long from Harmony of Despair.
Maria Dragon Symphony PSP.jpg|Seiryuu from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night(PSP)
===Animations===
====Sub-weapon====
POR Holy Dragon.gif|Holy Dragon from Portrait of Ruin.
SOTN Dragon.gif|Dragon from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
DXC Dragon.gif|Dragon from The Dracula X Chronicles.
J Seiryuu Call Maria.gif|Seiryuu Call from Judgment.
HD Quing Long.gif|Qing Long from Harmony of Despair.
====Item Crash====
Saturn Seiryuu.gif|Seiryuu from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
DXC Dragon 2.gif|Dragon Item Crash from The Dracula X Chronicles.
SOTN Dragon 2.gif|Dragon Item Crash from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
==Trivia==
*Maria's "dragon" sent when used as a sub-weapon in both Rondo of Blood and The Dracula X Chronicles is actually a wyvern, as it lacks frontal legs and can't breath fire.
*Same as with the Salamander, Seiryuu sometimes is portrayed as the blue colored Intruder enemy from Life Force (a Western port of Salamander).
*Although not a summon in the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow franchise, one of the first trailers for Lords of Shadow 2 featured Dracula resembling a dragon, referring to how his name was derived from "Dracul", which is old Romanian for "Son of the Dragon", referring to his father Vlad II and his ties to the Order of the Dragon.
**The incarnation of him in Castlevania 64 being part dragon was most likely done for the same reason as above.
*Seiryuu was originally a Chinese constellation known as Qing Long the Azure Dragon. It was one of the "Four Symbols" and represented the East and the Spring season.
==See also==
*Dragon Zombie
*Four Sacred Beasts
*Water Dragon
Category:Alter Art Weapon Skills
Category:Character Skills
Category:Chinese Lore
Category:Dragons
Category:Holy Spells
Category:Ice Spells
Category:Slash Damage
Category:Sub-Weapons
Category:Summoning Spells
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Items
Category:Grimoire of Souls Items
Category:Harmony of Despair Items
Category:Judgment Items
Category:Portrait of Ruin Items
Category:Rondo of Blood Items
Category:Symphony of the Night Items