Vlad Dracula Tepes is the central antagonist of Konami's Castlevania series, which began in 1986 and draws on Bram Stoker's Dracula and the historical Vlad the Impaler. In the games and the later Netflix animated series, he is portrayed as a grieving, immensely powerful vampire lord at war with humanity and the Belmont family. Clips of his voice circulate widely in edits and soundboards because the character became a shorthand for gothic horror, tragic villains and over the top dramatic entrances online.