This is a list of characters from Capcom's Darkstalkers fighting game series and animated-media franchise, who are either based on various iconic literary and cinematic monsters, or inspired by international mythology and fairy tales. The greatest of these supernatural creatures, and the greatest among those who hunt them, will engage in combat to determine who will own the night, while participating in a tournament held on Earth in order to decide the new ruler of the otherworldly dimension of Makai.
| Darkstalkers series | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (1994) |
| Last appearance | Darkstalkers Resurrection (2013) |
| Created by | Capcom |
The games are set in a pastiche gothic horror universe, as is the 1997 Japanese anime miniseries Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, which was based on the first two titles and was faithful to the characters' in-game personalities. The 1995 American-produced animated series, simply titled Darkstalkers, ignored the games' and characters' backstories in favor of a standard good-versus-evil plot.
Overview
edit| Character | Race | Appears in | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darkstalkers | Night Warriors (Vampire Hunter) |
Vampire Hunter 2 | Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior) |
Vampire Savior 2 | ||||
| Anakaris | Mummy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Baby Bonnie Hood | Serial Killer Human | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Bishamon | Demon Cursed Samurai | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Demitri Maximoff | Vampire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Donovan Baine/Dee & Anita | Dhampir & Human | No | Yes | Yes | Console ports only | Yes | ||
| Felicia | Werecat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Hsien-Ko | Jiangshi | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Huitzil | Robot | CPU only | Yes | Yes | Console ports only | Yes | ||
| Jedah Dohma | Shapeshifting Blood Demon | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Jon Talbain | Werewolf | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Lilith Aensland | Demon (Succubus) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Lord Raptor | Zombie | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Morrigan Aensland | Demon (Succubus) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Pyron | Alien | CPU only | Yes | Yes | Console ports only | Yes | ||
| Q-Bee | Soul Bee | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Rikuo | Merman | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Sasquatch | Bigfoot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Victor von Gerdenheim | Reanimated Human Construct | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Totals | 12 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 15 | |||
Development
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2023) |
Introduced in Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
edit| Name | Voiced by | Description | Other major appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anakaris | Kan Tokumaru | Anakaris (アナカリス, Anakarisu) was once the pharaoh of a powerful empire. After being revived by Pyron as a mummy, he seeks to regain his rule. At the end of Darkstalkers, he travels back in time to restore his empire, and later after he learns its destruction is unavoidable, he transports his kingdom to a new dimension to keep it safe. | Marvel vs Capcom 2 Capcom Fighting Evolution |
| Bishamon | Kan Tokumaru | Bishamon (ビシャモン, Bishamon) is a ghostly samurai inhabiting a cursed suit of armor called "Hannya", which drives him into a blood frenzy. After Pyron's defeat, the curse is broken, and the freed Bishamon and his wife become priests. Later in Vampire Savior, the armor revives itself by gathering souls, but is sealed again by Bishamon. An alternate version of Bishamon, "Oboro Bishamon", is a playable secret character in certain iterations of Vampire Savior. | |
| Demitri | Nobuyuki Hiyama | Demitri Maximoff (デミトリ・マキシモフ, Demitori Makishimofu) is often considered the series' protagonist,[1][2] and organized the first fighting tournament between the character. A vampire lord formerly living in the demon world Makai, he was banished after attempting a coup.[2] After defeating and consuming Pyron, he seeks to subjugate his rival Morrigan. | Capcom Fighting Evolution |
| Felicia | Kae Araki (1994–2008) Kana Asumi (2009–present) |
The catgirl Felicia (フェリシア, Ferishia) dreams of being a famous singer and dancer in Las Vegas. She eventually runs an orphanage, as a nun. She has since appeared in a multitude of games developed by Capcom. Felicia was originally envisioned by Alex Jimenez to be a woman from Africa with short hair that could transform into a panther.[3] | |
| Huitzil | Juurouta Kosugi | Huitzil, called Phobos (フォボス, Fobosu) in Japan, are a series of robots meant to serve Pyron. After causing the extinction of the dinosaurs, they remained dormant until unearthed by Mayans who utilized them as guardians. When Pyron returns to conquer earth centuries later, he revives them to serve him again, where they act as an unplayable boss in the first Darkstalkers game. In Darkstalker 3, a Huitzil becomes the guardian of a young boy, Cecil, after he falls into the ruins where they lie dormant. | |
| Jon Talbain | Yūji Ueda | Jon Talbain, called Gallon (ガロン, Garon) in Japan, is a British werewolf and karate master seeking to escape his curse. He utilizes nunchuk-based martial arts. An alternate version of Talbain, "Dark Talbain", is a playable secret character in certain iterations of Vampire Savior. Talbain proved significantly more popular in the West than in Japan.[2] | |
| Lord Raptor | Yūji Ueda | Lord Raptor, called Zabel Zarock (ザベル・ザロック, Zaberu Zarokku) in Japan, is an Australian rock and roll musician revived as a zombie by his lord Ozumu after sacrificing himself and his audience. He travels with La Malta, a creature assigned by Ozumu to spy on the overly-ambitious Raptor. | Namco × Capcom |
| Morrigan | Yayoi Jinguji (1994–2010) Rie Tanaka (2011–present) |
Morrigan Aensland (モリガン・アーンスランド, Morigan Ānsurando), considered the most popular Darkstalkers character amongst fans of the series, is Demitri Maximoff's rival. A powerful succubus, she is the adopted daughter of Belial Aensland, ruler of the demon world Makai. She has little interest in assuming responsibility however, and is instead a carefree layabout. She merges with her sister self, Lilith, at the end of Vampire Savior and gains more power.[2] Morrigan has since gone on to appear in many Capcom titles. | |
| Pyron | Nobuyuki Hiyama | Pyron (パイロン, Pairon) is an alien that resembles living fire, seeking to conquer Earth as a prize. He acts as the main antagonist, and is an unplayable boss in the first Darkstalkers title. | Capcom Fighting Evolution |
| Rikuo | Yūji Ueda | Rikuo, called Aulbath (オルバス, Orubasu) in Japan, is a merman who believes himself the sole survivor of his race after an Earthquake in the Amazon caused by Pyron devastates his kingdom. After discovering survivors, he has a son, who he rescues in Vampire Savior only to discover another race of merfolk. The name Rikuo is derived from actor Ricou Browning, who played the titular creature in The Creature from the Black Lagoon.[3] | |
| Sasquatch | Kan Tokumaru | Sasquatch (サスカッチ, Sasukatchi) is a rotund Yeti who travels from Canada to investigate Pyron after the alien's arrival. Upon returning home in Vampire Savior, he discovers his people have been kidnapped, and tries to rescue them. | |
| Victor | Kan Tokumaru | Victor von Gerdenheim (ビクトル・フォン・ゲルデンハイム, Bikutoru fon Gerudenhaimu) is a large German humanoid modeled after Frankenstein's Monster. Seeking to fight Pyron to prove to his creator that he's the strongest in the world, he returns home, where he is informed by his "sister", a homonculus named Emily, that their creator was already dead. Later, in Vampire Savior, after Emily starts to malfunction, he sacrifices himself to revive her. |
Introduced in Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
editNight Warriors is an upgraded version of the previous game, with the same story and returning cast. In addition, several new characters were added to the game, and the boss characters Pyron and Huitzil were made playable.
| Name | Voiced by | Description | Other major appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anita | Kyoko Hikami | Anita (アニタ, Anita) is a small, young girl that travels with Donovan, emotionless and mute after a tragedy befell her family. After Donovan is consumed by the evil of those he's killed, she recovers, and as an adult wonders what became of him. | Marvel Super Heroes |
| Donovan | Nobuyuki Hiyama Jurota Kosugi (Darkstalkers 3) |
Donovan Baine (ドノヴァン・バイン, Donovan Bain) is a dhampir monster hunter with a massive sword with a curved end. Acting as a buddhist monk, he does so to atone for his own "cursed" blood. However the evil of those he kills infects him and drives him insane. | |
| Hsien-Ko | Expand
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Hsien-Ko, called Lei-Lei (レイレイ, Rei-Rei) in Japan, is a jiangshi, with her sister Mei-Ling (known in Japan as Lin-Lin (リンリン, Rin-Rin)) acting as a seal to help keep her powers in check. Seeking to free their mother's soul from a powerful curse, they succeed, and are reincarnated as a pair of young girls. They are later pulled into Jedah's domain during the events of Vampire Savior, where they can assume their previous forms, and eventually return home. | Expand |
Introduced in Vampire Savior
editVampire Savior was the first actual sequel title, introducing several new characters and a new storyline. While originally Pyron, Donovan and Huitzil did not return, variations of the game were released that did including Vampire Hunter 2 and Vampire Savior 2. A PlayStation port called Darkstalkers 3 later included the cast as a whole, with new story mode endings provided for the originally cut trio. Years later Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection included a special version of Vampire Savior with one more additional character, Dee.
| Name | Voiced by | Description | Other major appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Bonnie Hood | Miyuki Matsushita | Baby Bonnie Hood, known as Bulleta (バレッタ, Baretta) in Japan, is a young European girl armed with an uzi and several explosives. Dressed similarly to Little Red Riding Hood, she travels with her dog Harry and hunts monsters for money. She is intended to personify everything dark and self-obsessed humanity.[1] | |
| Dee | Jurota Kosugi | A corrupted version of Donovan, wearing an outfit that resembles Dimitri's while using his original sword. Originally intended to appear in Vampire Savior, Dee suffers from short-term memory loss, and will rapidly forget events as they transpire. In his ending, he is put to rest finally by a now-adult Anita. | |
| Jedah Dohma | Isshin Chiba[4] David Kaye (MvC Infinite)[5] |
Jedah Dohma (ジェダ・ドーマ, Jeda Dōma) is the main antagonist of Vampire Savior. A nobleman demon in Makai, he was originally destroyed, but was later resurrected. Finding that Makai has devolved into chaos, he seeks to combine all the souls into one singular being, luring the other character to his domain.[6] Jedah's body is able to shapeshift and recover quickly from self-maiming, allowing him to weaponize his own blood.[7] In early drafts of the game, he was originally intended to be Morrigan's brother.[8] | Capcom Fighting Evolution Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite Cross Edge |
| Lilith | Expand
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Lilith (リリス, Ririsu) is a fragment of Morrigan's soul separated from her as an infant to keep her power in check. Jedah later discovers this fragment, and after giving it a form resembling a younger Morrigan with pink short hair, tasks her with luring worthy souls to his domain. Meanwhile, Lilith seeks to reunite and take control of Morrigan's body, which she sees as rightfully hers. Lilith was originally designed to be androgynous, with her gender officially listed as "Unknown".[9] | |
| Marionette | None | A secret character, Marionette can be played in some versions of Vampire Savior by inputting a special code at the character select screen. When chosen, it will take the form of its opponent, causing a mirror match. | |
| Q-Bee | Miyuki Matsushita Arisa Nishiguchi (Project X Zone) |
Q-Bee (キュービィ, Kyū Bī), short for "Queen Bee", is from a race of humanoid insects called Soul Bees that at one time served Jedah. Driven near extinction after his initial death, they now seek to consume and breed rapidly. | Project X Zone Project X Zone 2 |
| Shadow | None | A secret character, Shadow can be played in some versions of Vampire Savior by inputting a special code at the character select screen. When chosen, the player will be assigned a random character, and will play as the character they last defeated as they progress through the game's story mode. |
Reception
edit
The cast of characters for the franchise has been credited with making the games "a standout among the fighting games of the era", as instead of "conventional cast of martial artists with the occasional odd creature, Darkstalkers was a gallery of monsters".[10] Hardcore Gaming 101 stated that the game's colorful cast earned the game a cult following, despite its relative lack of recognition.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Goulter, Tom (2012-10-12). "Darkstalkers Resurrection roster - Meet all 18 characters". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b c d e R., Pat (2008-11-26). "Darkstalkers (Introduction / Characters)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b GameTrailers (2016-07-05). Darkstalkers: Movie Monsters - Pop Facts – via YouTube.
- ^ "Voice of Jedah Dohma". BehindTheVoiceActors.com. 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ Capcom. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. Capcom. Scene: Credits, "Cast".
- ^ Jody Seltzer, et al. Darkstalkers: Jedah's Damnation Strategy Guide (p. 96). GameFan Books (1997), ASIN B000CPSCBW
- ^ Vampire Resurrection: Jedah Archived 2019-12-05 at the Wayback Machine—capcom.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Capcom, Darkstalkers Graphic File. Udon Entertainment Corp, 2008, p. 112.
- ^ "CAPCOM：カプコン ゲームズ – カプコン伝説 第六回 妖魔のタイマン勝負格ゲー（後編）". capcom.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
- ^ Ciolek, Todd (2022-06-13). "What's The Deal With Darkstalkers?". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-19.