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.
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.
Night 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.
Vampire 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.
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]