Soma Cruz
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Soma Cruz (来須蒼真 Kurusu Sōma?, Soma Kurusu), is the protagonist from the games Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.
Soma possesses the "power of dominance", which in a sense is the ability to command and control monsters. When Soma defeats an enemy, he has a chance to absorb that monster's soul. After doing so, he can use his own magical energy to call on that soul and use its powers. There appears to be no limit to the amount of souls Soma can possess and control at one time (aside from those imposed by the game itself), and as such Soma can accrue a great number and variety of powers. In addition to his supernatural powers, Soma fights with a variety of weapons, including swords, spears, and axes. Many of his weapons are references to mythology and folklore, such as the Longinus[sic], Excalibur, or Claíomh Solais. The whip sword is a reference to the Castlevania series' tradition of whips as primary weapons, but is the only weapon in Aria of Sorrow that resembles a whip, other then by playing as Julius "J" Belmont, who uses the whip Vampire Killer. Soma can also use handguns, a RPG, and a laser gun called the Positron Rifle, in an interesting (and futuristic) departure from other games in the Castlevania series. His last name is somewhat of a pun, Cruz is the Spanish word for Cross, which is commonly used against Vampires in fiction. His Japanese surname, Kurusu, essentially means the same.
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[edit] In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Soma was studying in Japan in the year 2035, the year where the first solar eclipse of the twenty-first century was to occur. He and his childhood friend Mina Hakuba were on their way to see the astral event when fate stepped in. The two are transported into Dracula's castle, which was sealed in the eclipse. Immediately protective of Mina, Soma sets out into the castle to find an exit and save themselves from its demonic influence.
Soma encounters various other individuals that were drawn into the castle. He learns from them learns that Dracula is indeed dead, but that his castle seeks a new master. In battling the castle’s monsters he demonstrates an ability that he was not aware of possessing previously, the power of dominance, the ability to steal the souls of life forms and bend them to his will in various shapes and effects. This supernatural trait is a derivation of Dracula's primary power, the ability to command monsters. Through wielding this power and interacting with other characters, Soma soon comes to realize a shocking revelation - his powers and Dracula's soul are one and the same. Soma is the next incarnation of Dracula himself, and therefore may inherit Castlevania as its new lord and master.
Not content with the idea of becoming the new dark lord, Soma encounters a deranged missionary named Graham Jones who believes himself to be the incarnation of Dracula, not Soma, because he was born at the very moment Dracula was ultimately slain in the battle of 1999. But Soma, in demonstrating the power to rule over souls, becomes Graham’s target, as Graham cannot accept the fact that Soma wields powers so similar to Dracula. The two engage in a battle which Soma eventually wins, but in doing so, he absorbs a startling amount of the castle’s dark power and comes dangerously close to becoming Dracula himself. Soma then heeds the advice of Genya Arikado and travels to a chaotic realm where he must confront the core of Chaos, the source of Dracula’s dark power, if he hopes to escape from his bonds with the castle. Soma is then confronted by Julius Belmont, the most recent Belmont that Soma had previously met as the amnesia-ridden "J". Although Soma attempts to convince Julius that he is not the Dark Lord, Julius attacks him. After a short battle, Soma realizes that Julius is not fighting with his full strength, as he could sense Soma's soul struggling against the dark power threatening to engulf him. Before leaving, Soma makes Julius promise to slay him should he fail in stopping Dracula's power from overcoming him.
Soma receives encouraging words telepathically from Mina and his other friends which he had encountered over the course of his adventure in the castle, and is therefore able to defeat Chaos, retain his identity, resist Dracula's inheritance, and escape from Castlevania as it is drawn back into the eclipse. In conquering this personal challenge, Soma becomes more open and trusting to those around him, though his mysterious powers still reside within him.
[edit] In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
One year after this event, Soma Cruz is attacked in Hakuba city by the mysterious Celia Fortner, the priestess of a cult dedicated to the revival of Dracula. Celia disappears with the grim proclamation that Soma will be eliminated by any means necessary, so that she may take his power and revive the Lord of Darkness. Arikado assures Soma that he and his subordinates will handle the situation, but Soma is not willing to sit behind. He tracks Celia to her headquarters, a massive replica of Dracula's Castle, and once more wields the power of dominance to battle the summoned demons within.
Soma encounters Celia several times throughout his exploration, as well as two men, Dmitrii Blinov and Dario Bossi, who were born at the exact time of Dracula's 1999 destruction, similar to Graham Jones, and as such are candidates to receive the title and power of Dark Lord that Soma currently holds. Dmitrii and Dario attempt to kill him on separate occasions but are defeated. Notably, Dmitrii's soul is absorbed by Soma's power of dominance, although it grants him no additional abilities. With the removal of the two candidates, Celia plans to draw out Dracula’s influence within Soma and mold him into the Dark Lord by playing on his emotions. Soma witnesses the apparent death of a captive Mina on Celia’s account, and his rage and drive for vengeance explode to the point that he is about to become the new Dark Lord. However, Arikado saves him by revealing that it was Celia’s hoax - the "Mina" was a doppleganger.
Soma’s shift of emotions allows for the self-revival of Dmitrii, whose soul resided in Soma after he was first bested in battle by the former. He also reveals that he has copied Soma's power of dominance, which would allow him to become the new Dark Lord. He and Celia leave, claiming that they will kill Soma so that Dmitrii can take on the mantle of Dark Lord. Soma pursues them to the castle’s Abyss, where he witnesses Dmitrii sacrificing Celia to seal Arikado's power and absorbing the powers of a calamitous demon. The two are about to do battle when Dmitrii’s soul is overcome by the power of dominance, and his body explodes into the titanic, monstrous demon Menace, which Soma destroys after a large-scale battle.
The dark power and souls of Menace and Dmitrii suddenly rush into Soma’s body and nearly overwhelm him, once again causing him to come dangerously close to becoming the embodiment of the Dark Lord himself. However, through sheer will he resists the influence and escapes the collapsing castle. Soma relates to Arikado a certain feeling of guilt he holds for not accepting the role of the Dark Lord, the role that is theologically necessary to be fulfilled in order for God to be truly good. Arikado assures that though there may be need of a Dark Lord to fill that purpose in the future, there is no reason why it should only be him. Having conquered his final challenge, Soma is free to live his life as it is normally meant. He is reunited with his friends outside the castle, and shares a tender moment with Mina.
[edit] Alternate endings
In both games, alternate endings are present should Soma fail to control his dark power. In this scenario, Soma's identity becomes crushed under his dark power, and he becomes the new Dark Lord.
In Aria of Sorrow, if the player fails to defeat Chaos, the source of Dracula's power, Soma is overcome by his dark power, and assumes the title of Dark Lord. Julius then makes good on his promise, and confronts Soma.
In Dawn of Sorrow, should Soma accept Celia's temptation to become the Dark Lord and strike her down after she kills "Mina", he will become engulfed in his dark power and become the new Dark Lord. He then proceeds to kill Celia, claiming that her fate will be shared by the rest of humanity. Julius, Arikado, and Yoko must travel the castle and defeat Soma. Notably, Soma is actually fought in this version, acting as the final boss in Julius Mode. He utilizes attacks from various souls present in the game, and eventually morphs into a giant demonic creature, a homage to the form Dracula assumed in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
