Castlevania has been out of the spotlight for a number of years now, much to the dismay of long time fans like myself. Hope has blossomed once again when it comes to the veteran franchise with the October 2018 release of Castlevania Requiem – a collection of sorts, followed by the inclusion of Simon and Richter in Super Smash Bro’s: Ultimate. With all this excitement reaching feverish levels of jubilation (for me at least…) I thought I would look back at the weapon that made Castlevania so memorable – the Vampire Killer.
Forged by the legendary alchemist Ronaldo Gandolfi the Vampire Killer started it’s life known simply as the Whip of Alchemy. With little skill in ways of combat, Gandolfi passed his creation onto Leon Belmont who sought to slay Dracula. The power of the whip only manifested fully when Leon was forced to slay his lover turned vampire – and so the Vampire Killer was born.
Leon may have been the first Belmont to use the Vampire Killer, but he was far from the last. In fact, a total of 18 people have possessed the Vampire Killer, most notably fellow Belmont’s Simon and Richter.
The Vampire Killer has taken many forms over the centuries, however its most common form is that of a simple leather whip that transforms overtime into metal, or chain adorned at the tip with a morning star. If this was not enough, the Vampire Killer is also infused with magic, likely due to being forged with alchemy in its previous incarnation. This is often shown as radiant energy encompassing the whip.
A limp glow stick this is not however. The Vampire Killer imbues the wielder with powers beyond that of any mortal man. It is able to conjure various elemental magics – fire being the most common. It has the power to slay demons, the Dark Lord Dracula and in a pinch, it can slay gods. Add to this that Death himself is vulnerable to its enchantments, and you have a weapon that is escalated into the upper echelons of video game armaments. These powers all pale in comparison to its uncanny ability to convert masonry into poultry. A Belmont can never go hungry.
Unfortunately Richter, in his endless wisdom, sealed away most of the Vampire Killers powers forcing all future wielders to prove their worth in a fight to the death against his spirit. Add to this if you are not apart of the Belmont clan, the Vampire Killer will literally drain your life force and kill you. In fact, several non-Belmont’s have possessed the whip, and have either died, or been forced to only use it in the direst of circumstance to avoid…well death obviously.
That being said, a couple “people” outside the Belmont Clan have been able to harness its power without falling prey to its curse. Firstly we have a sentient pumpkin. That’s right, if you manage to breath life into a squash you will have a vessel capable of wielding unimaginable god-slaying, architecture-converting power. The second is Kirby. Before you start bashing on the pink puff ball, let me remind you that Kirby is a Star Warrior who can survive the vaccum of space, has a stomach that is a fully functioning blackhole and generates his power from dreams, the sun and the blood of his enemies. Yeah, Kirby is awesome. Kirby with the Vampire Killer is simply beyond compare I imagine.
That more or less concludes this History on Toast. Now you have a more or less (mostly less…) complete knowledge of the Vampire Killer. Go forth, and tell everyone what you have learned. Trust me, when you get to the part with Kirby, you will woo all the ladies I’m sure.
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