"ALUCARD Conjures a Spell!" Smash Speculation Corner

"ALUCARD Conjures a Spell" Smash Speculation Corner

Castlevania is a series developed by Konami back in 1986. It debuted in Japan on the Famicom Disk System and then internationally on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. The game featured the vampire hunter family, the Belmont clan, on their quest to destroy Dracula and his horde for good. The series continued with sequels like Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest and Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. The Belmont clan remained front and center in the Castlevania games but they aren’t alone. There’s another protagonist, the son of Dracula, Alucard.

Alucard first appeared in Castlevania III where he aided Trevor C. Belmont in defeating his father, Dracula. He grieved as a result of committing patricide so he put himself into a deep slumber, only to be awakened in Symphony of the Night due to the return of Dracula's Castle. Alucard had constantly been at odds with his father and this is primarily due to the efforts of his now-deceased mother, Lisa. Experiencing the full terror of his father's armies firsthand, he pledged to seek and destroy them wherever they may be. Upon awakening, he decided to set off to remove Dracula's influence from the world as there wasn’t an existing member of the Belmont clan. It was thanks to the combined efforts of Alucard and a distant Belmont relative named Maria that they were able to free Richter Belmont, destroy the castle, and finally defeat Dracula.

Alucard was featured in Ultimate not only as an assist trophy where he used many attacks and spells from Castlevania but also as a part of Palutena's Guidance when fighting Richter. In the guidance, he explained a bit about his history and talked about Richter and his role in Smash. Sakurai intended to include Alucard at some point before settling on the Belmonts.

Gameplay Attributes

Model by Emma Tinembart on ArtStation
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Alucard has a tall-medium frame and average weight. Alucard's movements emphasize both power and grace. His attack animations are fittingly dramatic to showcase the power backing them up. That being said, Alucard can also be seen as a glass cannon due to having subpar defense. While he can survive long, his tall frame and slow fall speed make him vulnerable to juggling. In addition, many of his attacks, while strong in their own right, suffer from significant start-up lag. This is especially true for his Specials as they need a good amount of time to get going before they do damage. Alucard's best attribute lies in his tenacity. Alucard’s strength is the ability to survive. This is because of his MP Gauge gimmick which is detailed more in-depth below. To summarize, Alucard can generate MP or Mind Points by dishing and taking damage so, the more that Alucard is beaten up, the more MP he gains. Additionally, Alucard has various visual aspects taken from Symphony of the Night. For example, when he jumps there’s an after-figure of him like in the games. And, if Alucard double jumps it results in him growing red bat wings.

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	Height​	Weight​	Dash​	Walk​	Jump​	Fall Speed​	Airspeed​
Stat Number	Similar to ​	114​	2.9​	9.3​	27​	1.69​	1.31​
Place on the roster	x​	Between &​	Tied w/ ​	Between &​	Tied w/​	Between &​	Between &​

Gimmick: MP (Mind Point) Gauge
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Much like Hero, Alucard has access to an MP Gauge which allows him to use his Special Attacks. Each attack has its own MP cost so keeping track of MP usage is essential. Alucard can get more MP by dealing damage and also while taking damage, meaning it's risky. To get MP, Alucard must either constantly be on the attack or moving out of the way of danger. Alucard doesn't collect magical power over time like Joker or Hero. He must earn this magical power and prove his mettle. The gauge is located next to his HUD icon as per usual which is based on the Symphony of Night version.

Specials​

Please keep in mind that this series only covers Specials plus the Final Smash unless stated otherwise. While there are tons of great items to utilize as Smashes and such, Alucard's build is focusing solely on the Specials and how they function in battle.

Move​	Name​	Description​	Damage​
Neutral Special​	Spell​ ​ ​	He has access to several Spells that are lifted directly from the Castlevania series. While some of them are used by other protagonists, they are mainly used by Alucard. Unlike Hero, these Spells are not randomized but available from the start. Alucard’s MP Gauge is tied to his spells with each spell requiring a set amount of MP to cast. Name​ Description​ MP​ Summon Spirit​ Alucard summons a spiritual projectile with a light-homing ability that locks on to damage the opponent. 5​ Tetra Spirit​ Instead of summoning just one spirit, Alucard summons four that surround him. They disperse after a certain amount of time and hone in on the opponent. If an opponent hits one of the spirits, it will detonate. 10​ Crescent Cutter​ Alucard releases a barrage of moon-shaped projectiles which hang back at first. Then, they’ll shoot forward while spanning out in a fan shape. The start-up is capable of juggling the opponent. 25​ Hellfire​ Alucard unfurls his cape, launching three fireballs, with one moving upwards, one center, and one downwards. The fireballs will detonate upon contact and do continuous damage. 15​ Soul Steal​ This uses all of his MP as long as it’s 50% and above. It will unleash a powerful energy field that deals damage depending on how close the opponents are close to Alucard. 50% of the damage will then be converted to health for Alucard; thus healing him. For example, if the attack hits four of them and they all take 30% due to being equal distances to Alucard, it dealt 120 damage in total and Alucard will recover 60%. Unlike its source material, it doesn't OHKO opponents. The damage dealt is dependent on how close they are to Alucard during the attack sequence. 50​ Sword Brothers​ A large sword appears around Alucard and spins three times. The spell is notable for covering a wide area and can cancel out many projectiles. It also remains active and will follow Alucard by surrounding him as he moves. Once it finishes, it releases a final burst of infernal magic that surrounds him and deals damage. Thankfully, this version doesn't have glitches. 30​ Dark Lightning​ Summons a quick, nearly invisible thunderbolt that flies forward with a limited distance. Once it makes contact, it does minimal damage. However, inputting the Neutral Special button causes the opponent additional damage. It is hard to time correctly but the attack is great for mix-ups and setups due to its unpredictable nature. 10​	Summon Spirit: 6-12% (whiff, clean) Tetra Spirit: 2-6% (whiff, clean) Hellfire: 10, 15, 10% (top, middle, bottom) Soul Steal: 10-30% (max close to far max) Sword Brothers: 8.5% (per hit) Dark Lightning: 3% (initial), 14.5% (shock)
Side Special​	Attack From Behind Strike​	Alucard vanishes and teleports behind the closest opponent for a forward thrust attack using his sword. The attack is great in that it can catch opponents unaware and launch them into a combo. That being said, it can be used for mind games as well. However, this can lead to repercussions due to the attack being very telegraphed if not used correctly. After hitting or missing the opponent, he will return to the spot he was when he originally used the move. It is easy to deduce where he will reappear should the attack miss or be blocked. So, it is a high-risk and high-reward attack. Alucard also says “Here I come” before initiating the attack as an audio cue. It also does not require any MP to cast.	First Stab: 7% (point), 10% Full) Second Stab: 12% (point), 16.5% (full)
Up Special​	Wing Smash​	Alucard can transform into a bat and launch himself depending on where the player inputs the control stick. The attack does moderate damage but will only launch the opponent once the bat passes through. This means Alucard won't stop the attack as he passes by opponents. It requires 5 MP to cast. If there is no MP left, Alucard will propel himself slightly using his own power but with a reduced distance.	7.5% per hit
Down Special​	Power of Sire​	When used, it releases a bat made of energy that flies above Alucard and detonates into six projectiles. These all fire in different directions. When one of these projectiles makes contact with an opponent, it detonates. Once the energy bat detonates and releases the projectiles, it will create an image of Dracula. It doesn’t require MP but using it too much weakens the attack. There is a visual cue where the size of Dracula’s picture indicates how weak the attack currently is. In Castlevania, an image of Vlad the Impaler is shown but Dracula was replaced due to… issues. We couldn't get the correct licensure for Vlad the Impaler.	Initial Blast: 7% Continued Hits: 1.3% per hit (capable of 6 hits) Last Blast: 18.3%
Final Smash​	Infernal Blade​	While most of Alucard's Specials were pulled from the main Castlevania series, his Final Smash went down the spinoff route. This was because I found a lack of attacks that fit the limitations placed on Final Smashes. I had considered "Stopwatch" which would freeze time but Final Smashes are quick and to the point now. There’s a reason Install-type Final Smashes such as "Landmaster" and "Super Sonic" was removed in Ultimate. Alucard's Final Smash was based on his ultimate attack in the fighting game Castlevania Judgement, with a few creative liberties to make the attack feel unique to Smash. Alucard wreaths his sword in flames and stabs the ground. This creates a fissure of fire to spring up in a straight line half the length of Final Destination. Once it connects, it traps any opponents within a cinematic Final Smash. Alucard sprouts his bat wings and rushes forward with fire trailing behind him. He then slashes upwards and knocks the opponent into the air. This is followed by an initial powerful slash with a flurry of quicker slashes following after. Alucard flips backward and then uses a magical spell in midair to launch himself into the opponent before landing. Upon landing, it creates a powerful explosion.	Initial Start-up: 2% First Strike: 8% Subsequent Strikes: 12% (2% for 6 strikes) Final Strike: 20% Explosion: 28% Total: 70%

Additional Content

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Entrance Animation

• A coffin rises as a reference to the save points in Symphony of the Night. Alucard emerges from the coffin and readies his sword.

Taunts

• Up: Alucard will randomly summon a spirit from Konami franchises in his hand like Pac-Man’s Namco Roulette. All links are to appropriate sound effects. They are:
  • Gradius Gear (Gradius)
  • Bomberman (Bomberman)
  • Bill Rizer and Lance Bean (Contra) <- Separate but share the same sound file
  • Goemon Sprite (Ganbare Goemon)
  • White Car (Lethal Enforcers)
  • X in Circle (Coded Arms)
  • Red Robopon (Robopon)
  • Tako (Parodius)
  • Pyramid Head (Silent Hill)
  • Frog (Frogger)
  • Upa (Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa)
  • Twinbee and Winbee (TwinBee)
• Side: Alucard takes a Karma Coin, flips it, and catches it. Unlike its source material, it doesn't damage players based on whether it is heads of tails. If you pause and zoom in at the moment Alucard catches it, you can see which side it lands on. There is a 50% chance it will land on either side
  
• Down: Maria appears next to Alucard much like Rex does for Pyra and Alucard bows while saying "My lady". She then vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Idle Poses

• Alucard brushes his hair away.
• Alucard pushes out his cape slightly.

Victory Animations

• Alucard holds out his hand engulfed in dark magic as a foul wind blows out and billows out his cape. He then crushes the dark magic and says "Forgive me. For this too is fate."
  • If facing Richter, he says "I will save you, I promise."
• Alucard slashes through a skeleton, raises his sword and pierces upwards while saying "Foul evil begone!".
• Maria appears along with Alucard with her saying "Good job, Alucard!" followed by Alucard saying "The battle isn't over...".

Kirby Hat

• Alucard's hair and the upper part of his cape collar.

Boxing Ring Title

• Son of Dracula

Palutena Guidance

Alucard is no stranger to Pit, Palutena, and Viridi having appeared in Simon's Palutena's Guidance in a way that was extremely well-received.

• Palutena: It seems Alucard finally made it! He wasn't sleeping after all!
• Pit: Oh, that one creepy guy from before? The one who wants to suck my blood
• Viridi: I guess he couldn't pass up a fight, huh?
• Pit: Wait… is he here to finally finish the deed?!
• Palutena: It certainly wouldn’t go against his character...
• Maria: That's right. Alucard left his violent parentage behind.
• Pit: GAH! Another vampire! Back you!! Lady Palutena, get behind me! I'll protect you!
• Viridi: Geez thanks for forgetting me, Pit.
• Palutena: Calm down, Pit. You are looking at one of the Belmont's clan's descendants, Maria Renard.
• Maria: Yes, I am not a vampire but I have a long history of fighting them.
• Pit: Wow! I can't believe you are a vampire hunter! That is so cool!
• Maria: Long ago; in another universe, Alucard and I teamed up to take down Dracula's Castle. I can't believe he has shown up here...
• Palutena: We met him some time ago when Pit faced Richter as well. He has a penchant for showing up without notice.
• Maria: That is true but he means well. His father may be Dracula but that connection stops there.
• Viridi: That's fortunate. Pit's father was a rock but he sadly took the rock's worse traits.
• Pit: .....huh?
• Viridi: Thank you, Pit.
• Palutena: Miss Maria, can you give us any helpful hints on how to fight against Alucard.
• Maria: I love Alucard very much so....
• Pit: You… you… love a vampire?!
• Viridi: Dhampir, Pit. Half-vampire.
• Maria: It may be hard to imagine but yes, I have loved him for a long time. Still, Alucard seems more determined now. I hope his father hasn't led him down a new path. Alucard possesses many magical abilities and spells and is a tactile genius. Just when you think you have a plan, he has a counter plan.
• Pit: So he is like a magician?
• Maria: Beyond his magical powers, he is an expert swordsman and has fought against countless demons - even besting his own father.
• Pit: Gulp… well… at least I know he is a stand-up kind of guy.
• Maria: Please try to break whatever spell laid onto Alucard so he can return and be at peace. His soul has suffered enough.
• Palutena: We will do our best, Miss Maria.

Snake Codec

• Colonel: Snake, come in, Snake.
• Snake: Yes, Colonel.
• Colonel: Do you know the enemy you are facing now?
• Snake: How could I not know the son of Dracula?
• Colonel: It seems our universes are more connected than we thought. Snake, you have fought against many enemies but this one uses magic and spells so be only our guard.
• Snake: You are telling me. He has been firing, well, fire at me left and right.
• Colonel: Alucard might detest his father's violence and villainy but he has his father's powers so watch out.
• Snake: I see. It seems Alucard and I have a lot in common.
• Colonel: That's true, Snake. But don't show this Dhampir any mercy!
• Snake: Trading blows with him showed me a bit about his life. I can't feel like I am a kindred of him. I don't want to fight him, really.
• Colonel: Look alive, Snake. He may be a kindred soul but he's out for blood… not literally though as he detests blood.
• Snake: I feel like we could hang out and be friends. I don't really want to fight him.
• Colonel: Do your best, Snake.

Classic Mode Route: Family Quarrel
All opponents are based on characters who fought against their fathers or creators. Stages are based on locations that would be fitting for a Castlevania game. And the music is chosen to represent each character based on their title and characteristics. The Tragic Prince plays during the credits.
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Round​	Opponent​	Stage​	Music​	References​
1​	​	Castle Siege	Divine Bloodlines​	Corrin’s adopted father Garon is a primary antagonist for most of the routes. And, he’s even the final boss in Birthright. However, it turned out that Anankos was the primary enemy and controlled him. Hence this opponent is the first as the connection is less close.
2​	​	Luigi's Castle	Jet Black Wings​	Sephiroth was created by the SHINRA corporation when they injected a fetus with an alien’s cells. Once he learned the truth, he rebelled against both his creators and his "family" members being from SOLDIER. He is the second battle since, unlike Corrin and the other fighters, he didn't have an actual family.
3​	​	Unova Pokemon League	Lament of Innocence​	Mewtwo, much like Sephiroth, was created to be the strongest Pokémon in existence as a clone of Mew. Created on Cinnabar Island, it broke out and rebelled against its creators and Mew.
4​	​	Bridge of Eldin	Out of Time​	Snake is a clone of the elite mercenary Big Boss, aka Naked Snake. Both Solid and Naked Snake had a very tumultuous relationship. It ended with Solid Snake eventually killing Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 4.
5​	​	Find Mii	The Tragic Prince​	No other bad fatherly relationship in Smash is as infamous as Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima. When Kazuya was just a child, Heihachi threw him off a cliff to to test if he inherited his mother’s Devil Genes. The two have constantly butted heads to control the Mishima Zaibatsu resulting in Kazuya eventually killing Heihachi in Tekken 7.
6​	​	Dracula's Castle	Iron-Blue Intention​	Bayonetta might not have as strong a bond of hatred as Kazuya and Heihachi but was chosen as the penultimate fighter due to her "horror" aspects. Bayonetta has an affinity for bats, witches, and magic. In the first game, her father Balder tried to kill her while being affected by an evil force. In the second game, a time-traveling Balder costumed as the Lumen Sage attempted to aid his grown-up daughter after a stint as an enemy.
Final​	Dracula​	Dracula's Throne Room	Dracula's Castle​	Pretty obvious here. Alucard hates his father for what he did to his mother who he loved.

Palette Swap
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Black Default​	Brown Based on Simon Belmont​	Blue Based on Richter Belmont​	Green Based on Maria Renard​
Red Based on the sprite from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse​	Grey Based on his father, Dracula​	Purple Based on Alucard's appearance in Castlevania Judgement​	White Based on Soma Cruz from Aria of Sorrow ​

Reveal Trailer

The CGI trailer that I had envisioned for Alucard would continue the "Simon and Richter Trailer" for Ultimate. It picks up right where Simon and Richter teamed up to defeat Dracula. Here is a general synopsis for the trailer...

Simon and Richter land the defeating blow on Dracula and pause a moment to survey the damage when Dracula unveils his Demon Form. Dracula jumps into the air and slams into the ground; separating the two Belmonts. He then unleashes his Tracking Shot, two fireballs that home onto the Belmonts. They are both ready for impact when the fireballs are neutralized by two nearly identical but smaller fireballs. Looking up, they see a white wolf rush past and jump onto Dracula; grabbing him by its jaws and crunching down. Dracula grabs the wolf and throws it into the air only for it to transform into a flock of bats which launch back into Dracula. He covers himself with a magical force field that forces the bats to divert their aim. Dracula then fires multiple homing fireballs which follow the bats; striking each one until it nears the least one. The last bat flies high into the air before getting hit by the magical fireball.

From the smoke emerges Alucard who dives down and plunges his sword into his father. He then jumps off after grabbing his sword and unleashes a blast of magical energy at Dracula. Alucard readies his sword as the two Belmonts group up behind him. Dracula roars and launches himself forward while Alucard and the Belmonts do likewise. This then ques into a montage of game footage displaying Alucard's gameplay.

The final trailer teaser shows Luigi emerging, having gained his body despite the ghastly Camilla which is shown presumably defeated (perhaps by Alucard). He stumbles upon Alucard and the Belmonts being forced back by Dracula’s power. Luigi tries to run away but accidentally activates his Poltergust G-00. Dracula is comically sucked up much to Alucard and the Belmont's utter and complete surprise. Luigi rubs his nose in a (finally) triumphant manner.[/I]

Conclusion
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Some might argue that Castlevania doesn’t deserve another representative. However, Alucard is certainly a noteworthy character to consider for inclusion based on merit alone. He helped change a series that had been stagnating before his game debuted in 1997. He notably does face some competition from other Konami characters. But, this article isn’t to argue why he shouldn’t be included but, rather, what it would look like IF he got included. Alucard has everything going for him: tons of amazing moves, spells, weapons, and abilities. Plus, he already has an established Smash pedigree that some characters lack. Players know who is he thanks to his role in Ultimate and familiarity with him. I for one would welcome this dhampir with open arms!

Credits:
Writing: Venus of the Desert Bloom
Editing: @Sari. @Zerp
Thumbnail Graphic: @Zerp
Social Media: @Zerp

Author's Note: I am not the biggest Castlevania fan but I have enjoyed one or two of the games in the series - one being Symphony of the Night. In fact, this was one of the first games I played on the Playstation with my cousins WAAAAAY back in the day. He may not be the hugest hype-inducing character but Castlevania fans would be pretty ecstatic and it would be good to see an Assist Trophy get that promotion. What do you think? Let us know below!

 

This is pretty well put together! My one complaint is that I'm not sure about giving Alucard a Namco Roulette-type taunt; it feels kind of incongruous with the rest of how he feels. But other than that, looking good!

 

This is pretty well put together! My one complaint is that I'm not sure about giving Alucard a Namco Roulette-type taunt; it feels kind of incongruous with the rest of how he feels. But other than that, looking good!

Thanks! Honestly, that was more so just for fun rather than a full-on serious idea as a way to represent Konami's arcade history.

 

Personally the MP and neutral special seems a little bit much but still I respect the effort and genuine passion put into this

 

Sakurai intended to include Alucard at some point

Can you cite this? The twitter thread you linked doesn't say this.

 

Can you cite this? The twitter thread you linked doesn't say this.

While it's not an explicit "Sakurai was going to include Alucard"-type statement, he did consider it based on the wording in both the Japanese and translated versions of the Famitsu article. It considered it but instead went the Belmont route.

 

Interesting Choice but IMO The Next Third Party Franchise Addition should be for a second Sonic Character!
Either Eggman or Tails!
Still the fact that alucard already has moves is in his favour!

 

I honestly don't know why they didn't just make Richter the first fighter and Alucard the second. Like 70% of Simon's moves are Richter's anyways.