The Castlevania Chronology

From the get-go the Castlevania series was released out of order. The first two games in the series both featured Simon Belmont, heir to the clan and the chosen one who would rid the world of Dracula. However, the third game concerned itself with Trevor Belmont, the 200-year-removed great-great-great-etc. grandfather of Simon.

Oh, and on the Game Boy we had The Castlevania Adventure (released in the U.S. right before Castlevania III), where we learned about Christoper Belmont, Simon's 100-year-removed great-grandfather.

Four games in and we already needed a timeline to figure who who came from where and when.

Of course, the next official installment in the series, Super Castlevania IV, goes back to Simon Belmont and may not even be an official part of continuity.

Needless to say, we here at The Inverted Dungeon felt it was time that someone made sense of all the spins and twirls of Castlevania continuity, and also referenced those games Konami has since removed from continuity and what plotlines they've managed to bungle.

The Basic Premise

But before we get into the series itself, there are some important details to point out.

First and foremost: Dracula comes back from the dead every 100 years. This was established in Super Castlevania IV, and even though that game holds a nebulous place in the series, that fact has been accepted as law.

Secondly: Dracula can be brought back from the dead by external forces, be it:

• By his own followers, who usually perform a "Black Mass Ritual", a ceremony where a young body is either sacrificed to reanimate the corpse of the dark lord, or where the young body becomes the host for the soul of Dracula (more on this in the games where it's a plot point).
• By his enemies, through extreme circumstances -- the most famous one is in Castlevania II where, to remove a curse laid upon him when he defeats Dracula, Simon has to bring the dark lord back to life.

Third: If Dracula is brought back from the dead before the 100 years are up, he can still rise up at the 100 year mark as well.

Now, all of that changes as of (in game) 1999 AD, where Dracula is finally defeated once and for all... except he isn't, not exactly.

The Castlevania Series

Be aware, the following discussion of the series will have plenty of spoilers. If you haven't played through the series yet and don't want to have some details spoiled, you may not want to read this page yet.

Also, some events are listed below that don't take place in the "main" series of games. These points in the timeline are important, and are included for their significance in the series.