Who Became Dracula in Castlevania?

First, to clearly answer the question up front – according to extensive official Castlevania lore across games, manga, and guides, the character who ultimately transformed into Dracula is Mathias Cronqvist.

As a huge Castlevania superfan myself, I was captivated by the complex, tragic story of how a gifted tactician named Mathias Cronqvist fell from grace to become gaming‘s legendary vampire. In this article, I‘ll analyze the dramatic events that led Mathias to embrace undeath as Dracula in detail any fellow fan can appreciate!

Mathias Cronqvist‘s Haunting Past Drives His Fall

Mathias Cronqvist was once a revered crusader tactician in 11th century Wallachia. But his chilling first quote in the series reveals a soul haunted by grief from losing his wife, Elisabetha:

"Death is but another journey one must take… My life has been full of grief and bitterness since that day."

This profound mourning drives Mathias to pursue dark pursuits to preserve his life and defiance of mortality.

When paired with friend Leon Belmont to defeat Walter Bernhard‘s vampiric legion, Mathias seizes this as a Trojan horse to obtain Walter‘s Crimson Stone and its reality-altering powers by any cost.

His ingenious orchestration of Wallachia‘s salvation is ultimately a mask that culminates in sacrificing Leon‘s fiancee Sara Trantoul to unlock the Stone‘s magic. Mathias forsakes love and fellowship to fuel profound hunger that echoes through eternity – living on as an undying vampiric personification of despair itself.

Driven to Become the King of the Night – Dracula

Using the Crimson Stone‘s unfathomable energy, Mathias submits himself to the swirling chaos of its undead core, becoming an ageless vampire lord. Though slain in mortal eyes, he secretly rises again, awaiting the perfect moment to re-emerge anew.

Nearly a century later, 9205 CC, Wallachia finds itself choked by endless night. Announcing his return is Vlad Tepes Dracula – meaning "son of dragon" – echoing Mathias own words:

"It was I who broke the eternal seal! One day, someone will come forth and strike me down. If fate permits, I may be able to die human again."

Such lyrical longing for his own end at the hand of a prophesized mortal grants this resurrected Mathias mythic staying power as gaming‘s iconic Dracula – as legendary lands and heroes rise to continually meet his challenge again through the ages.

Mathias‘ grief was but a seed – his rebirth as Dracula the omen heralding a tireless tide of chaos and sorrow threatening to swallow Eastern Europe under cloak of night if left unchecked.

Dracula‘s Legacy Reigns Over Generations

Mathias serves as the pivotal crux all Castlevania lore revolves around, spanning medieval mayhem to Gothic sci-fi futures. Let‘s analyze key milestones in Dracula‘s legacy across the fractures of Castlevania‘s convoluted timeline.

Esteemed Heavenly Title Undermined by Lust for Power

While early entries emphasized Dracula as irredeemable demonic representation of chaos itself, later games added nuance by introducing Lisa – a gifted human scholar whose execution spurs Dracula to near-succeed in eliminating mankind before being sealed by Christopher. Dracula‘s characterization evolves to echo Mathias‘s roots – love twisted into apocalyptic hate.

Phoenix Resurrections Across Generations

No matter how completely Wallachia drives stakes into Dracula‘s heart, he always revives, persisting as recurring nemesis spanning the ages:

Castlevania endures as Konami‘s gothic darling for the very cyclical nature of Count Dracula‘s resurrections every 100 years – destined to draw tireless Belmont clan heir and allies to storm the halls of Castlevania anew. Slaying Dracula serves as bloody rite of passage, consequence of Mathias‘ unholy pact to persist evermore as Eternal King of the Night.

Even in far flung futures, Mathias leaves his vampiric mark – 1999‘s demon castle draws dark lord wannabe Soma Cruz to be sacrificed, inadvertently absorbing Dracula‘s power to become rekindled lord of shadow and chaos.

More Than a Man…An Enduring, Evolving Symbol

So in 35 years spanning video game history…who became Dracula in Castlevania?

The answer is eternal: Mathias Cronqvist‘s fall from holy crusader to undying evil sparked a legacy that keeps resurrecting itself in Count Vlad Tepes Dracula. Whatever steadfast mortal avatar lays waste to Dracula‘s physical form, the undying corruption of Mathias Cronqvist persists – his sheer malice too powerful now to ever truly banish.

From the early pixelated confrontation between Simon Belmont and Castlevania‘s vampire in 1986 to the melancholic Tales of Symphonia allies centuries later, Mathias Cronqvist‘s decision to embrace grief-stricken immortality as Dracula injects ambition, creativity and emotional resonance still inspiring Konami‘s franchise after 35 years and over 30 million games sold.

As evidenced in Netflix‘s Castlevania series and explosive sales of recent series successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Cronqvist‘s brutal betrayal and fall from light continues captivating fans and defining video game storytelling today. Mathias serves not just fictional vehicle of villainy and chaos, but speechless metaphor for the boundless human capacity to destructive when forsaking all other virtues to escape own inner pain.

That limitless ambition and resonance is why any pixel, bone or drop of blood that inherits the dark dream Equation that is Dracula ensures Mathias Cronqvist‘s watchdog reign over Wallachia and place as gaming‘s immortal wellspring of villainy remains, in the dire words of Death himself…

Eternal.