Count Olrox
It's hard to think of Olrox's inclusion in the series as anything but a joke, at least at the start. Thrown into Castlevania: Symphony of the NightReleased on the PlayStation in 1997, this game, while not hugely successful in the U.S. at the time, went on to become on the most beloved titles in the Castlevania series. as a boss without any real explanation (beyond, "hey, here are the Olrox's Quarters and this is Olrox"), the vampire lord was put in, seemingly, simply as a reference to the fact that all the Castlevania games feature DraculaThe lead antagonist of the Castlevania series and most famous vampire character in all media, all thanks to Bram Stoker. Based on the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, a vicious ruler of Wallachia in the mid-1500s., and there was this other guy, Count Orlock, who starred in the off-brand Dracula movie, NosferatuPredating even the first official adaptation of Bram Stoker’s work, this German silent film was not authorized by the Stoker estate and was quickly sued over upon its release. It’s also considered one of the great classics of the silent horror era.. Despite being in the most popular game in the series, that was the end of Olrox's real appearances.
And yet, at least in the fandom, the character lived on. With his vampiric powers, and his amusingly mistranslated name, Olrox grew to be a beloved villain in the community. Of course, this was aided by Konami at least sticking one sly reference to the character in a later game, Castlevania: Aria of SorrowThe third title for the Gameboy Advance, Aria of Sorrow married the Metroidvania gameplay of Symphony of the Night with refined gameplay and an engaging soul-collecting mechanic, creating what many consider one of the best games of the series., with the collectible "Olrox Suit" that Soma CruzA young exchange student on a trip to a Japanese shrine, Soma is sucked into an adventure he never could have anticipated when Dracula's Castle, sealed within the magic of an eclipse, pulls him into its dark and foreboding grasp. could collect (itself a sly reference to the fact that since he could equip it, hey, you know what, Soma is Dracula).
It wasn't until the Castlevania: Lords of ShadowThe first game in Konami's reboot continuity, it introduced Gabriel Belmont taking on a new (but somehow familiar) fight against the forces of darkness. reboot that Olrox was given more to do. Sadly, even then, he served as second banana to CarmillaMaster vampiress and one of Dracula's lieutenants. She's aided in many of his evil schemes, working to ensure his rebirth again and again after the many times the Belmonts have taken down the Lord of Vampires.. Seriously, Konami, when are we going to get The Evil Adventures of Olrox? The fans demand it! Well, okay, we at the Inverted Dungeon demand it, and that's more or less the same thing, right?
Character History:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Editor's Note: Olrox has no real story in his first and only appearance in the main series. As such, we're going to extrapolate a story out for him based on his knock-off movie. Fans of webcomic, and sister site, CVRPG will recognize elements of this story from his tales over on that site.
Count Olrox was a German lord, a noble of some power and sway who ruled over his citizens with an iron fist. Every lusting for more power, Orlox heard tales of the vampire. Wanting the power of the vampire, and the immortality that came with it, for himself, Olrox went in search of the dark magics to turn himself into a vampire. Soon his searching had brought him the power he lusted, turning him into a damned creature of darkness. His power grew, and so did his ego, and the people trembled before him.
Well, all but one person. The one being willing to stand against Olrox was Count Dracula, another vampire lord from a neighboring region (although all were parts of the Holy Roman Empire, of course). Soon it was that Dracula and Olrox came to blows, each craving the power the other had, and both willing to fight to the death to defeat their enemy. In the eternal struggle between the two, Dracula came out the victor, forcing Olrox to be his vassal.
Taking over Olrox's lands, and placing the vampire lord within his own demon castle, Dracula gained a powerful minion he could command. The German count, though, had other plans. He longed for a way to gain the upper hand over Dracula dn once again reclaim his true power. He spent long hours searching through the Long Library for spells he could use to turn the tables. He might even have found a way, except yet another vampire lord came calling to the castle: Dracula's misfit son, AlucardOne of three heroes recruited by Trevor Belmont on his quest to defeat Dracula, Alucard was the son of Dracula who turned from his fathers evil, battling against his cursed family line again and again..
Soon enough, Alucard had invaded deep into the castle, eventually encountering Olrox within his own chambers. Although the Count put up a good fight, Alucard was more powerful. In the end, Olrox was defeated, his body reduced to little more than dust, while Alucard went off in search of more evil to cleanse from the land.
It's worth noting that while Symphony of the Night is the only game in the series in which Olrox appears, he is also a prominent character in the Japan-only novel Akumajo Dorakyura: Kabuchi no Tsuisokyoku. While we at the Inverted Dungeon do not consider this work a part of official continuity, as it was never released outside Japan, you can read the story via it's English fan-translation, Castlevania: Ricordanza of the Gods AbyssThis Japanese-only novel was never released outside its home shores. It acts as a functional sequel to the Sorrow games, following Soma's continuing adventures with Soma Cruz, Julius Belmonts, and the rest of the cast., graciously donated to the site by Shiroi Koumori.
Lords of Shadow History:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadows
A vampire of demonic origin, Olrox, along with his brother BraunerAn evil master vampire, but one not working for Dracula. Instead he steals Dracula's castle and sets up shop within, treating himself as the new Dark Lord and ruler of the lands... a position not everyone is going to be happy with., hailed from Hell itself. When the three Lords of Light ascended to Heaven, leaving their mortal bodies behind, each was taken over by a demon. In the case of Carmilla, she became the Queen of the Vampires, taking over Bernhard castle and ruling from there with her two lieutenants, Olrox and Brauner, who she summoned from Hell.
As commanders of Carmilla's demon army, it was the job of Olrox and Brauner to defend their mistress from all outside forces. Brauner was the first to take on the warrior of light and vampire hunter, Gabriel Belmont. When he fell, that responsibility fell to his older brother, Olrox, who took on Gabriel in the castle itself. This battle, though impressive, ended for Olrox much as it did for Brauner, with the vampire dead and his soul cast back to Hell itself. He died trying to defend his mistress, but in the end Gabriel mowed a path through all the vampires.
Castlevania Netflix History:
Castlevania: Nocturne
When first we see Count Olrox he’s a dark and dangerous figure stalking our heroes, Julia BelmontMother of Richter Belmont, Julia is shown to be the heir to the family power, and its famed whip. Working in the New World, Julia is caught up in a battle with Count Olrox before she is killed at the hands of the master vampire. Her death protecting her son sends the boy on his own journey to find some way, eventually, to make his mother proud. and her young son Richter BelmontRevealed first in Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood in Japan, and then Castlevania: Dracula X in the West, Richter is the Belmont hero of the late 1700s who worked with Maria Renard to bring down Dracula.. Julia had, some time earlier, killed Olrox’s lover, a Mohican warrior that had gained the vampire favor to the point where Olrox had turned him, hoping for an everlasting life together. Being a vampire, though, that warrior was a target for Julia, she being the current Belmont upholding the family’s quest to defeat the undead. Finding out his lover was dead, Olrox swore revenge on the woman who killed him, stalking her across the New World (where she had been operating).
Chasing the woman all the way to the docks of Boston, the vampire catches up with her just before she’s able to put her son on a boat for France. He battles her, a pitched fight that seems like it could have gone either way. However when an attack aimed at Richter (who had, just moments earlier, tries to use some of his growing magic to defend his mother) instead is caught by Julia (to spare her son), the blow ends up killing her. Satisfied that his revenge is complete, Olrox lets the boy live, although he acknowledges that one day the boy might become a man bent on revenge for his mother.
Years later, Olrox was seen coming into Paris, France, on his own, seemingly to join up with the cult of the new vampire Messiah. But he didn't immediately join with the vampires. Instead he’s seen investigating the workings of the AbbotHead of the Paris church in the time of the French Revolution. He's initially presented as a helpful ally, but secretly he's working with the vampires to ensure the rise of their coming Messiah. and his church, where the religious order was creating night creatures from a devil forge. His curiosity was piqued. He knew something bigger was going on between the vampires and the Church.
Investigating around, Orlox came up MizrakThe right hand man of Abbot Emmanuel, he later turns against the Abbot when he sees the results of the deal the Abbot struck with the vampires. He wants to be on the side of good, even when it's hard to see where that line lies., the Abbot’s right hand man. The two had a testy exchange at first, but there was a spark between them that led to the two meeting at an inn for more extracurricular activities. Afterwards, Olrox spoke to the man about what the Abbot was planning. The religious leader worried about his people, how they had seemingly turned away from God and embraced “reason” instead. Mizrak was a man of faith and he believed in the Abbot. If the Abbot said that the vampires were the cure for the Revolution, that they would end this “madness”, the Mizrak was behind the plan. Olrox simply warned that the vampires couldn’t be trusted and that once they had what they wanted they would turn on the Church next.
Days later, as the vampires met with the Abbot and Mizrak at the Church, Olrox drifted into the crypts once more to see what all was being done. He saw the dark magical books the Abbot was studying, the night creatures he was making. Olrox came across a confrontation between the vampires, Drolta TzuentesA minor character in Castlevania: Nocturne. The captain and his men stop Drolta Tzuentes and her entourage from entering the city. For this "mistake", he and his men are quickly dispatched. and the Marquis (see: Marquis and MarchionessIn the time of Revolutionary France, the nobility is under siege by the pesantry. It just so happens that the nobility, led by the Marquis and Marchionesse, are vampires, and they fear the loss of power. So they join with the coming vampire Messiah to ensure their own rule.) and various vampire hunters, Richter Belmont, Maria RenardA young heroine, and cousin to Richter Belmont, with the blood of the Belmont clan in her veins, Maria teams with Richter to fight back Dracula and the forces of darkness in the late 1700s., her mother TeraOne of four girls that can be rescued in Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. Tera was a young nun who lived in the village in the original game, although her role was greatly expanded in Castlevania: Nocturne, turning her into Maria's mother., and AnnetteThe sister (well, "sister") of Maria Renard. Her exact familial connection to other characters is confused by bad translations across the Western games. She was then reinvented completely for the Netflix series..
He taunted Richter, putting the fear into the man when the Belmont realized the vampire that had haunted him for years was back. Richter fled, soon followed by his companions, leaving just the vampires once more in the crypt with the Abbot and Mizrak. Olrox made his greeting to Drolta then, introducing himself and letting her know he was there to aid in the vampires’ master plan. But… was he? Was that really what he wanted in the end?
Olrox later has a conversation with Mizrak about Richter Belmont. Olrox recounts to Mizrak about how the boy’s mother killed someone Olrox loved, how Olrox has intended to spend the rest of his life with that vampire and, with his death at the hands of Julia Belmont, it was a blood debt that had to be repaid. Mizrak wonders if Olrox would feel the same if the heroes killed him, to which Olrox laughs because, no, he wouldn’t. He doesn’t love Mizrak.
Later that night, Olrox finds a noble and feasts on them, getting his fill during his evening hunt. Drolta spots this and comments that the vampires are supposed to be feeding on the peasantry, not the gentry, as per their agreement with the Abbot. Olrox concedes he made a mistake, although he does prefer his blood “bluer”, when he feasts.
They then have a conversation about the vampire Messiah. She will be a reborn goddess, Sekhmet, who in ancient Egypt was the goddess of war. She will rise before striking out against her father, Amen-Ra, and with her power ascendant she will rule, blocking out the sun. This will create a paradise for vampires where they can walk freely without fear of the sun’s rays. Olrox nods along with this but doesn’t seem entirely on board with the plan, seeming preferring the current order of things to this planned “paradise.” But he’s still loyal, at this point, and agrees to go along with the plan.
This article is currently incomplete. More information will be added shortly.
Fighting Olrox:
In Symphony, Olrox is not a terribly difficult boss. Teleporting in at the beginning of the battle, Olrox will summon bats and skulls to his aid, having them attack Alucard while he floats around the room. He will also summon dark, spectral pillars that will rise up from the ground to damage Alucard. FInally, he'll shoot out waves of force from his claws that shoot across the screen. Keeping him pinned down is difficult, but overall it's pretty easy to manage his attacks.
Once damaged enough, Olrox will transform into a demon (which honestly just looks like a lizard beast). In this form he breathes out fire to the ground, in balls and bursts, and will also claw at Alucard, keeping the vampire hero pinned down as much as possible. His attacks aren't terribly powerful, but he can get pretty spammy with them, making it hard to get damage against him. He'll soon fall, though, so just keep up with it and win the day.
Olrox is much less of a pushover in Lords of Shadow, though. After an initial cut-scene establishing the fight, Olrox will begin teleporting around the room, attempting to attack you with his claws, wings, and sword. He'll also pull back and whip out his swords, which he can then throw out in a short, boomerang fashion. The initial part of this fight will feel similar to the battle with Brauner earlier in the game, so you should be well prepared for Olrox's basic tricks. Occasionally, Olrox will lunge at you and take you in his claws, trying to suck the life out of you. To escape you'll have to endure a quick-time-event, repeatedly pushing buttons to break free.
When near death, Olrox will break open one of the iron maidens nearby, feeding on the corpse inside to regain some health. He will do this five times, each time drawing out the fight longer. Make sure to attack him when you can during these phases to scare him off his feast, and then destroy the body so he can't use it again (otherwise he'll recoverall the way back to full if allowed).
Once you've finally worn him out of all his health (and obnoxious refills), you can finally take him down. As with all fights in this game, that means another quick-time event. Press the buttons wrong and Olrox will regain a good bit of health. Do it right, though, and you'll be treated to a sequence where the two foes trade blows back and forth before Grabiel shoves his Combat Cross down the vampire's throat. Pinned and bleeding, Olrox will die, his body crumbling into shadowy dust.
Olrox in Popular Culture:
As noted, Olrox is a mistranslation of the name "Orlock", the character from the 1922 German silent film, Nosferatu. That film was, itself, a knock-off of Bram Stoker's novel, DraculaBram Stoker's famous novel, which launched a character that has been famous ever since. The lead character, Dracula, was based on the real historical figure Vlad Tepes.. The author sued the makers of the film almost as soon as the film was released, and the rights to the film were transferred to the Stoker estate once the case was finished.
Notable for their much uglier look than "normal" vampires, Nosferatu vampire went onto inspire a number of further films and shows, not only a 1979 remake of the German film, but also a darkly humorous retelling of the filming of the original movie, Shadow of the VampireThis humorous retelling of the filming of Nosferatu asks the question: what if the vampire in the 1922 classic were actually a real vampire?. These creatures can also be seen in a number of other productions, whether acknowledged as vampires or not. Certainly the Master from Buffy the Vampire SlayerThe second version of this story, taking Joss Whedon's idea for a blond girl that, instead of getting eaten by monsters is the one to defeat them, becoming a smash hit series for the WB when it first debuted. was very nosferatu-like, as were the later uber-vampires from Season 7 of that show.
Of course, outside of movies and TV, the Nosferatu live on. THe most notable example is, of course, in the RPG series Vampire: the Masquerade, where the tragic creatures are one of many types of vampires in the game. These poor beasts are cursed to be horribly ugly, disgusting wretches who wallow in their own filth and misery. Needless to say, when played straight Vampire is not the most upbeat of games.