A-Z Blogging Challenge: D is for Darkstalkers

D is for...Darkstalkers (Darkstalkers: Resurrection, 2013, artwork pictured)

Darkstalkers

Character selection screen of Darkstalkers 3, featuring Q-Bee. Screencap by Madame Luciel

Darkstalkers is a 2D game series, released by Capcom; technically, it was originally released as Vampire (with subsequent games in the series being titled things like Vampire Hunter, Vampire Savior, Vampire Resurrection, etc.) in Japan, but in Europe and the US it's known as Darkstalkers. Whilst the game play is quite similar to other games, such as Street Fighter, what makes Darkstalkers a favourite of mine are the themes: monsters, mythology & folklore. Vampires, werewolves, bee-women, ghosts, demons, mummies, zombie rockstars, yetis, and more - they're all in there! 

The above trailer is for the release Darkstalkers: Resurrection, which combines two games in the series (Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge [1995] and Darkstalkers 3 [1997]), updating the graphics to HD and including extra modes (such as online play) and new unlockables. The game was released in 2013 for PS3 and XBox 360. The video below features an online match between Jedah and Victor (the uploader was playing as Jedah). I decided to include this one because of the background, 'MONSTER!'s,  Victor being like Frankenstein's Monster, and Jedah's crazy laughing.

Links:
Capcom Offical Website (International)
Vampire: Resurrection Official Capcom Website (Japanese)
Darkstalkers on the Capcom Database
Darkstalkopedia

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

If you want to find out more about the characters in the series and also see pictures of them, click the cut below↓  (Screencaps from Darkstalkers 3 by Madame Luciel)




Characters:

Name: Anakaris
From: Egypt
Type: Mummy
Born: 2664 B.C.
Height: 270 cm
Weight: 500 g-500 kg (Varies)
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Pyron (after this alien appeared, Anakaris was revived)

Name: Baby Bonnie Hood / Bulleta (Japan)
From: Northern Europe
Type: Human / Darkhunter
Born: Unknown
Height: 142 cm
Weight: 37 kg
Appeared In: Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) & Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only)
Related Characters: La Malta, the creature who accompanies Lord Raptor, who is seen with hearts coming out of his eyes at the beginning of Raptor's fights with BB Hood and also during the taunts.




Name: Bishamon
From: Japan
Type: Tsukumogami (Artifact spirit - Samurai armor)
Born: 1673
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 60 kg (Armor only)
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Oboro Bishamon, a secret character in the series from Darkstalkers 3 onward. He is an alternate version of Bishamon, showing what he would have been like had he managed to conquer and master the evil within the armor, instead of being possessed by it.

Name: Demitri Maximoff
From: Romania
Type: Vampire
Born: 1483
Height: 197 cm
Weight: 101 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Morrigan Aensland (her father, Belial, was Demitri's nemesis)




Name: Donovan Baine
From: Unknown
Type: Dhampir (Child of a human & a vampire)
Born: Unknown
Height: 194 cm
Weight: 98 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games except Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (Vampire: The Night Warriors in Japan)
Related Characters: Anita, a young girl with supernatural powers who accompanies Donovan after he saves her from a monster; Dee, a more powerful version of Donovan, with some moves taken from Demitri (appears in Darkstalkers 3 "Arranged Version" (Vampire Savior in Japan) , Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only), & Vampire Hunter 2 (Japan only).

Name: Felicia
From: US
Type: Bakeneko (Cat demon)
Born: 1967
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: N/A




Name: Hsien-Ko / Lei-Lei (Japan)
From: China
Type: Jiang Shi (Chinese "hopping" vampire / zombie)
Born: 1730
Height: 155 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games, except Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (Vampire: The Night Warriors in Japan)
Related Characters: Mei-Ling (Lin-Lin in Japan), her twin who is responsible for many of Hsien-Ko's powers and inhabits the fu ("ward paper") on Hsien-Ko's hat; Pyron, who is the demon said to have killed the twins' mother; Lord Raptor, a zombie rock star who develops an unrequited romantic interest in Hsien-Ko.

Name: Huitzil / Phobos (Japan)
From: Mexico
Type: Robot
Born: 520 A.D. (though originally created 65 million years ago)
Height: 222 cm
Weight: 2.27 tonnes
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Pyron, the alien who created Huitzil; Cecil, a young boy who Huitzil protects, following a malfunction.



Name: Jedah Dohma
From: Makai (demon world)
Type: Demon
Born: 4045 B.C.
Height: 216 cm
Weight: 12–1002 kg (varies)
Appeared In: Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) & Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only)
Related Characters: N/A (too many to mention here, but Lilith Aensland is released and given her current form by Jedah, so that he can use her to lure out Morrigan, her adoptive sister, of whom she is actually a part), Q-Bee, whose race lived on the Dohma family lands, until Jedah's initial death.



Name: Jon Talbain / Gallon (Japan, pronounced "Garou", like the Japanese word for a hungry wolf)
From: England
Type: Werewolf
Born: 1940
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games except for Vampire Savior 2
Related Characters: Dark Jon Talbain / Dark Gallon, who is a secret character in Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) & Vampire Hunter 2 (Japan only)



Name: Lilith Aensland
From: Makai (demon world)
Type: Succubus
Born: 1688
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Appeared In: Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) & Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only)
Related Characters: Morrigan Aensland, who is split into 3 parts by her father Belial, one of which becomes Lilith; Jedah Dohma, who gives releases her from the sealed space in which Belial had put her and gives her this form.

Name: Lord Raptor / Zabel Zarock (Japan)
From: Australia
Type: Zombie
Born: 1889
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 39 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Ozomu, a the demon who resurrects Lord Raptor as a zombie; La Malta, a one-eyed frog-like creature who is sent to spy on Raptor by Ozomu; Hsien-Ko, a Jiang Shi in whom Raptor has an unrequited romantic interest.



Name: Morrigan Aensland
From: Scotland
Type: Succubus
Born: 1678
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 57.6 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Lilith Aensland, who is one of the three parts into which Belial, their father, splits Morrigan's powers; Demitri Maximoff (Belial, was Demitri's nemesis and so he wants to kill her too, as she is Belial's heir); Jedah Dohma, who tries to use Lilith in order to kill Morrigan.

Name: Pyron
From: Planet Hellstorm
Type: Alien
Born: 1991
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Huitzil, one of the robots that he created; Hsien-Ko & Mei Ling, whose mother he is said to have killed; Anakaris, who was revived after Pyron returned to Earth; Rikuo Aulbath, whose empire was destroyed by Pyron.

Name: Q-Bee
From:  Makai (demon world)
Type: Insect demon (Soul Bee)
Born: Unknown
Height: 1250 mm (from head to abdomen)
Weight: 38200 g
Appeared In: Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) & Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only)
Related Characters: Jedah Dohma, as her race lived on the Dohma family lands.

Name: Rikuo / Aulbath (Japan)
From: Brazil
Type: Merman
Born: 1953
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games except for Vampire Savior 2
Related Characters: Keera Aqueria his wife & Ricky / Alba (Japan) one of his sons; Jedah Dohma, as he searches for his son Ricky in Jedah's realm, Majigen.

Name: Sasquatch
From: Canada
Type: Bigfoot
Born: 1903
Height: 166 cm (width: 208 cm / feet: 80 cm)
Weight: 180 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games except for Vampire Savior 2
Related Characters: Jedah, who befriends and leads Saquatch's tribe away by giving them lots of bananas.

Name: Shadow
From:  Majigen (Jedah's dimension)
Type: Phantom
Born: Unknown
Height: Varies
Weight: Weightless
Appeared In: Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan), Vampire Savior 2 (Japan only), & Vampire Hunter 2 (Japan only)
Related Characters: All, as he inhabits the body of his most recently defeated opponent; Marionette, whom he cursed by turning her into a puppet-like slave.

Marionette vs Q-Bee

Name: Victor von Gerdenheim
From: Germany
Type: Frankenstein's Monster
Born: 1830
Height: 249 cm
Weight: 230 kg
Appeared In: All Darkstalkers games
Related Characters: Emily, his sister who was also created by the same scientist as Victor.