Topic: Is Barlowe supposed to be from the Belnades Clan?

[EstebanT]

He uses the three Belnades elements as well as using tomes just like Sypha,Charlotte, and Juste. All of them Belnades. Could Ecclesia be the church Yoko apparently worked for?

Barlowe does turn out to be the villain... but his enemy description says he was just driven mad by Draculas influence. So maybe he wasn't really a bastard.

[zangetsu468]

Barlowe does turn out to be the villain... but his enemy description says he was just driven mad by Draculas influence.

This is a highly debated and unresolved element about Barlowe's character. It doesn't specify when he was driven mad, though people have their own theories.

[theplottwist]

This is a highly debated and unresolved element about Barlowe's character. It doesn't specify when he was driven mad, though people have their own theories.

*derailing the thread just a little bit*

Why is this important, though? I mean, knowing the exact point in time where he got corrupted.

[zangetsu468]

*derailing the thread just a little bit*

Why is this important, though? I mean, knowing the exact point in time where he got corrupted.

Because it gives one premise to debate the intentions behind establishing Ecclesia (assuming it was established by Barlowe, which is likely, given his age, the knowledge he possess and all). If it was initially established for Dracula's resurrection , then it's unlikely that this was 'the church' that Yoko worked for.

My bad, I should have specified that in my previous post.   

[theplottwist]

Because it gives one premise to debate the intentions behind establishing Ecclesia (assuming it was established by Barlowe, which is likely, given his age, the knowledge he possess and all). If it was initially established for Dracula's resurrection , then it's unlikely that this was 'the church' that Yoko worked for.

My bad, I should have specified that in my previous post.

The only way Barlowe could come in contact with Dracula (his vessel, his remains, his spirit) was by proving Ecclesia's worth to the world. It was not until this point that he had access to him to engineer Dominus and try and destroy him with it. Ecclesia was already very established by then.

So, he got corrupted after Ecclesia was well on its feet. Which means that Ecclesia was not founded with the intention of reviving Dracula because, then, Barlowe being corrupted by him is a completelly superfluous information to give.

In other words, if Barlowe had the intention of reviving Dracula from the start, his being influenced by Dracula after Ecclesia is established is useless to the storytelling.

[zangetsu468]

In the interest of not detailing the thread, my opinion is that there's no direct link between Barlowe and the Belnades clan. I'm also going to assume that the end of Barlowe was in fact the end of Ecclesia, although this wasn't stated outright, we're not shown anyone who belongs to the organisation beyond Barlowe, Albus and Shanoa.

[DraculaCronqvist]

The only way Barlowe could come in contact with Dracula (his vessel, his remains, his spirit) was by proving Ecclesia's worth to the world. It was not until this point that he had access to him to engineer Dominus and try and destroy him with it. Ecclesia was already very established by then.

So, he got corrupted after Ecclesia was well on its feet. Which means that Ecclesia was not founded with the intention of reviving Dracula because, then, Barlowe being corrupted by him is a completelly superfluous information to give.

In other words, if Barlowe had the intention of reviving Dracula from the start, his being influenced by Dracula after Ecclesia is established is useless to the storytelling.

A very interesting point, but I think a new threat would be in order for that, as this doesn't pertain to the original question.

As for the original question... Nothing ever hints at Barlowe being in any way connected to the Belnades. I think it's highly unlikely, given that all Belnades family members we've ever seen, and thus were of importance, were female, much like all Belmondos of importance that we ever saw were male, with Legends being non-canon and all. It feeds much into the general storytelling of "A soul living on through the ages" that Castlevania does, with Leon's soul living through his descendants, Sara's soul living through the whip, Dracula's soul living through Soma and so on. I believe it is no different with the Belnades, living through the female descendants - and hence, I believe Barlowe is not connected to them, because it would seriously disrupt that whole theme the series has going on.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Just because someone uses Tomes and magic, doesn't make them necessarily Belnades descendants.
I didn't even know about Charlotte.  Where's the info that confirms this?  I thought it was just conjecture.  It's been a while, though.

I'm sure theplottwist can let me know.

[theplottwist]

Sorry for the derail, dudes. My bad there 

I agree with the previous opinions here and don't think Barlowe has a connection to the Belnades. I've discussed this with EstebanT elsewhere and made my case more accurately; There's not much to say beyond what has been said here.

Just because someone uses Tomes and magic, doesn't make them necessarily Belnades descendants.
I didn't even know about Charlotte.  Where's the info that confirms this?  I thought it was just conjecture.  It's been a while, though.

I'm sure theplottwist can let me know.

WELL

Charlotte ISN'T a Belnades, in fact. Her family is related to the Belnades family only. It's funny because she, a girl who is related to the Belnades, is the partner of Jonathan, a boy who is related to the Belmonts. Portrait of Ruin was like the "extended families strike back!" episode of Castlevania.

The information itself was given on an issue of Nintendo Power:

[Nagumo]

I wanted to bring this up earlier but isn't it possible to interpret IGA's comment about Charlotte's family  in several ways? I mean, "somehow related to the Belnades family" sounds kind of weird, making me think it might not necessary be a blood connection. For example, maybe Charlotte got tutored by a Belnades or something. Though I admit, I do have a bias against the idea of the Belnades family also having branch families.

[theplottwist]

I wanted to bring this up earlier but isn't it possible to interpret IGA's comment about Charlotte's family  in several ways? I mean, "somehow related to the Belnades family" sounds kind of weird, making me think it might not necessary be a blood connection. For example, maybe Charlotte got tutored by a Belnades or something. Though I admit, I do have a bias against the idea of the Belnades family also having branch families.

It's perfectly possible and valid to interpret it other ways, I think. But I also do think that he was implying a familial connection due to the game's theme ("we have a Belmont offshoot doing some whippin', why not have a Belnades offshoot doing some magickin' on a game where the "family is a more complex thing than direct relationships" theme is being explored??)

[zangetsu468]

It's perfectly possible and valid to interpret it other ways, I think. But I also do think that he was implying a familial connection

One may even say a family "portrait" as it were...

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Personally, I never once got the impression that Barlowe is related to any existing family tree that we know of.

I think he may have similar powers to the Belnades on account of studying the same or similar materials as they did since it was proven to be effective against the Creatures of the Night -- a "similar path leading to a similar result" sort of deal.

[X]

I never did get the feeling that Barlowe was related to the Belnades Clan or anyone in the CV universe for that matter. The spells that Sypha uses; Fire, Ice, and Lighting, are common elemental magics that anyone with a spark of power in them could learn to use.