Who Is Olrox?

Olrox is a character from the animated TV Show ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’, a sequel to the show ‘Castlevania’ and based off the Castlevania video game series. He is named after the boss ‘Olrox’ from the video game ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’. While both characters are vampires and wear purple, they have very little in common in terms of their story.

Olrox (the animated show character) is an Aztec vampire, who grew up and lived in Mexico prior to and during it’s colonisation by the Spanish in the 1400-1500s and was turned into a vampire by one of the Spanish invaders. He later moved to North American during its colonisation, where he fell in love with a Mohican man. We do not know the circumstances of why, but Olrox turned the man into a vampire and the man was killed by monster-hunter Julia Belmont. In revenge, in 1783 Olrox killed her in front of her young son, Richer. At some point before the main events of Castlevania: Nocturne, he also met Alucard and saved his life at least once.

In 1792, he was summoned to France by Countess Erzsebet Báthory, the self-proclaimed ‘Vampire Messiah’ to become part of her council and army. While investing what she is up too, he happens across Mizrak, a monk soldier. Olrox takes a liking to him and pursues a romance with him over the course of the show.

Official Images

All these are official images made by the Castlevania: Nocturne team such as posters, reference sheets, merchandise and screenshots.

Concept Art

Posters

Storyboards and Key Art

Misc (other art made by the Castlevania team)

Merchandise

Season 1 Screenshots

Season 2 Screenshots

Cropped Screenshots

Graphics

All these graphic are made by myself as no one else has made any (at least I couldn't find any, but please let me know if you find any elsewhere).

These are free to use, credit is not necessary but is appriciated.

Stamps

Picmix

Misc

Why I Love Him

Olrox is an intelligent man, constantly wanting to figure out what people are really up too, get under their skin and figure out who they really are beneath their mask and bravado. Due to his own human life and his time spent with his past lover, Olrox despises oppressors and spends his time pretending to be on Erzsebet’s side while secretly working against her. Having witnessed his people slaughtered and then losing the man he loved, Olrox is bitter and nihilistic. He asks Mizrak to flee with him rather than try and fight because he believes there is no way to win, or that even if they make any victory that the cost will be too great.

He is afraid of losing anyone he loves, and he does genuinely fall in love with Mizrak. And despite his fear, during the end of season 2, Olrox ceases his plan to run away and comes back to fight against Eszerbet and protect Mizrak. Sadly, Mizrak is fatally wounded. He cries that he is afraid, but Olrox tells him there is no need. And while he does not ask, Mizrak does not protest, and Olrox turns him into a vampire at the end of season 2 to save his life.

Mizrak accuses Olrox of constantly being a monster, of not having a soul, but I think we can see clearly that he does. I love that the show isn’t afraid to show men crying, and Olrox has multiple scenes where he looks hurt and tears well in his eyes, while Mizrak has multiple scenes where he sobs while Olrox holds him. I love that these men are able to show vulnerability around each other and not feel ashamed. Olrox seems to always want to know more about others, find their weaknesses, get them to open up… but I wonder has he ever allowed himself to do that with anyone since his lover passed away? I don’t think so. And I would love to see him find ways to open up to Mizrak, to let Mizrak in, to show Mizrak his fear not just hjs love. While it may have been selfish for Olrox to turn his past lover and Mizrak into vampires, it is clearly done out of a place of love for them and fear of losing those he loves.

I also love the representation of Aztec mythology with him, especially his feathered serpent form which surely has to be a reference to Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl is an Aztec god of wind, the sun, Venus, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, leaning and Aztec priesthood who also had a form where he was a feathered serpent. Since all Gods from different religions seem to exist in the Castlevania world, as we see with Sekhmet (an Egyptian goddess) and Ogun (a West African god), it is interesting to think whether Olrox has some connections to Quetzalcoatl, or if he is just transforming into a form that is meaningful to him and represents his culture.

After everything Olrox has been through, and how disillusioned he is with the world and its leaders and its gods, he still keeps living and wants to live. Whether that be more through spite than hope, I find that interesting. I wonder if underneath everything, deep inside, there is a little hope in there. Even if it’s not hope that the world may get better, perhaps it’s hope that he will fall in love again.

While at first, I didn’t like Mizrak. I didn’t hate him, but I struggled to like him as he is a devoted Christian monk and I have religious trauma to do with Christianity. Especially the cruel things he calls Olrox. But, the more I spent time thinking about them (and the more I watched Mystery Animators beautiful Olrox/Mizrak animations and animatics) the more I came around to him.

He’s got religious trauma of his own, probably raised in the Church his entire life, and while he never says specifically why he feels ashamed of his attraction and growing love for Olrox and there is no homophobic language towards him or Olrox used in the show, we can imagine that Mizrak feels internalised homophobia for falling for Olrox. Even if that isn’t the case and his conflict is that Olrox is a vampire and not human, a character being non-human has often been used as a metaphor for queerness. He wishes for Olrox’s soul to find peace in the end, and I hope that Mizrak can find peace with himself. That he can understand he isn’t a horrible monster for wanting love, for experience attraction and lust, for being scared of dying. As mentioned earlier, it’s refreshing to see such a stereotypically masculine character be allowed to cry so much, and not just an odd tear down the cheek, Mizrak sobs on multiple occasions and often into Olrox’s arms. He understands the wrong he has done, and that horrible acts cannot be justified by claiming they’re being done in the name of God, and is trying to do better. I think Mizrak’s want to do the right thing to the point of going against his own Church as he realises what they’re doing is wrong, and desire to help people draws Olrox in and probably reminds him at least a little of his past lover.

I also love the portrayal of a character that can fall in love again. Olrox can still love his past lover, and love Mizrak. There doesn’t have to be a competition, he doesn’t have to erase the memory of his previous love, he can have loved and lost someone and be allowed to love again while still carrying the memory of his previous partner. I think too often there is this idea of a ‘one true love’ and that if you found a partner who is perfect for you, that anyone else you get with after they die or after you break up will always have to be compared to them or will always be second-best. But Olrox is allowed to talk about his past love, and still love Mizrak, and there’s never been any conflict in the show where Mizrak is angry about Olrox still loving his previous lover, and I really like that. I don’t think that’s a conflict that needs to be had.

"It's a struggle Olrox has embodied throughout both seasons: How do you honor yourself and the people you love when faced with injustice and impossible odds? Where does one draw the line between cowardice and survival? How many times can you compromise parts of yourself before you no longer recognize the person you've become? To what extent can this process be considered 'survival' at all?" (x)

I also really love shipping Olrox and Alucard. I think there’s something so interesting about them together. How Adrian could use someone who’s more selfish than him, someone to tell him he needs to take care of himself and put himself first sometimes. And how Olrox could use someone who will allow him to be vulnerable without shame, who won’t force him to accept help but is there to help if Olrox ever wants to ask for it, not because he thinks Olrox needs it, but because he loves him. Maybe Adrian can learn to learn how to live with himself, and maybe Olrox can learn how to let someone else in again. I love ifishuoldvanish’s writings about them and I want to quote a couple of their writings about Alucard and Olrox here:

“And maybe, in that time, a little bit of that ego can start to rub off on Alucard. Maybe he can learn to live for himself without apology, without feeling like he has to atone for the sins of his father. Maybe, just maybe, he can learn to exist outside of the role of the mythical saviour. […] Who better to restore [Olrox’s] faith in the world than the guy who has his mother’s conviction that all of this mess is worth saving so deeply ingrained in him that it’s been the primary source of his identity for centuries?” (x)

“But imagine The Myth growing fangs and claws. Sinking them into flesh and leaving a tangible mark on the world: I am here, and your hope is made up of my scar tissue. Lay your hands upon it and never again forget my pain.

Imagine The Dragon rising to its full, legendary potential. Punishing the wicked and becoming a symbol of hope for the persecuted: I am here, and my thirst for justice is my power. Try to tame it and you will only ever face your reckoning.

Imagine them being each other’s apotheosis. The Dragon telling the Myth, it is you who sees Quetzalcoatl, the resplendent serpent, and makes him beloved. The Myth telling the Dragon, it is you who sees Adrian Ţepeş, the man, and makes him real.” (x)

I like to write Olrox/Reader stuff that is of course with myself in mind, but also write and draw Olrox/Alucard, Olrox/Mizrak/Alucard and Olrox/Mizrak/Reader. SFW content for them is on my emptymasks Tumblr and Bluesky, and NSFW 18+ content is on my dervampireprince Tumblr and Bluesky.

a picrew image of olrox and me