Topic: Where did the specific years in the Castlevania timeline come from?

[Tuxedo Mark]

I have never been able to determine this. Just where, exactly, was the first mention of the specific years that each game occurs in?

[Chernabogue]

I have never been able to determine this. Just where, exactly, was the first mention of the specific years that each game occurs in?

I think they came from IGA interviews and maybe game manuals.

[PFG9000]

Hmm, that's a good question.  I assumed they would have come from the game manuals and the scrolling-text game intros, but I've just browsed a few of each and I can't find a single specific year mentioned.  There was the official timeline that came out a few years back, but we knew the years of various games before that.

[Nagumo]

Nothing concrete was ever mentioned in any of the games. The dates weren't mentioned until the first offical timeline, which was developed during Symphony of the Night. Before then, you had several small hints about when the games took place:

Castlevania III: The 15th century according to the opening prologue in the Japanese version.
Rondo of Blood: Interestingly, you can see several gravestones in the opening movie, and one of them says "1730" or something like that, which would place the game at least in the 18th century. That later turned out to be correct.

The date for Castlevania III was probably inspired by the death of the real Vlad Tepes (1476). It's easy from that point on: you just have to add up the amount of time that passes between each game.

1476 + 100 = 1576
1576 + 15 = 1591

Etc.       

[Tuxedo Mark]

The dates weren't mentioned until the first offical timeline, which was developed during Symphony of the Night.

Interesting. When was this timeline first released to the public (in Japan and in the U.S.) and in what form?

Rondo of Blood: Interestingly, you can see several gravestones in the opening movie, and one of them says "1730" or something like that, which would place the game at least in the 18th century. That later turned out to be correct.

I read the Dracula XX storyline that you posted in another thread on one of my podcasts, and it says "Hundreds of years have passed since the time of Simon Belmont". I'm guessing we should just ignore that?

[beingthehero]

Funnily enough, Vampire Killer's manual states that it takes place in the 11th century, which itself was retconned by CVIII.

[Nagumo]

Interesting. When was this timeline first released to the public (in Japan and in the U.S.) and in what form?

It was first released in Japan in 1997. It got published in Konami magazine. 

I read the Dracula XX storyline that you posted in another thread on one of my podcasts, and it says "Hundreds of years have passed since the time of Simon Belmont". I'm guessing we should just ignore that?

I recommend ignoring Dracula XX in it's entirely. It's sometimes listed on the offical timeline for some reason, but IGA treats it as a separate continuity. That "several hundred years since Simon Belmont" was defiantly an error since according to Rondo it's just one hundred years. Dracula XX is a bit weird in that regard. Anette and Maria are suddenly sisters in it too.

[Sumac]

Anette and Maria are suddenly sisters in it too.

They are not sisters? 

[darkwzrd4]

They are not sisters? 

Apparently not.  I thought so too though.  We know that Anette and Richter were in love at the time of RoB and it is assumed that they marry after the events of that game.  The reason why people think that she and Maria are sisters is that at least in the US version of the SotN manual, Maria is said to be Richter's sister-in-law.  So, people make the logical assumption: If Richter is in love with Anette in RoB, he marries her afterward. Maria is Richter's sister-in-law in SotN. Thus, Annette and Maria must be sisters.

As far as I know, it is never stated one way or the other.

[Sumac]

As far as I know, it is never stated one way or the other.

Interesting.
I've heard that they are sisters from Dracula X and, I think, it was in some fan-review for Rondo of Blood.

[Tuxedo Mark]

It was first released in Japan in 1997. It got published in Konami magazine. 

Thanks. Any way to get a translation of that (especially the part about Sonia)?

[Koutei]

Most things are understood if this is seen.

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania_Timeline
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Castlevania_Timeline/Archive_1
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Castlevania_Timeline

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Annette

Any way to get a translation of that (especially the part about Sonia)?

There is no special one there.

Transcript (Japanese)
なんと、今度の主人公は17歳の美少女だ！！
ソニア・ベルモンド（17歳：女性）
バンパイアハンターとして、ベルモンド家の名を後の世に残す先駆けとなった女性。
祖父に学んだムチ捌きと、物心ついた時より人には見えない存在と話す術を身につけていた彼女が、今回の主人公となる。
攻撃アイテムとしては、ムチしか所持していないが、ソウルウェポンやバーニングモードといわれる特殊攻撃を巧に利用し、さまざまな敵に立ち向かう！

Here is not the contents more than the game manual.

[Inccubus]

Concerning Maria's status as Richter's sister-in-law...

I copied this over to Anette's page on the wiki from Maria's and it should clear everything up:

...explaining how she became Richter's adopted sister.
**Note that the Japanese term "義妹" (''Gimai'') could refer both "sister-in-law" and "adopted sister".

So more likely than not, what was meant in SotN was that she's Richter's adoptive sister, not his sister-in-law. SO the English manual is a mistranslation as usual. This also jives with her not being Anette's sister in Japan.

[Nagumo]

They are not sisters? 

Yes. The reason why they are stated to be sisters in DXX is most likely because Maria calls Anette "onee-chan" in Rondo. This can mean "big sister" but also "miss". So Maria was actually calling her "Miss Anette", but this got misinterpreted. 

 

Most things are understood if this is seen.

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania_Timeline
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Castlevania_Timeline/Archive_1
http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Castlevania_Timeline

I'm the one who wrote that article, hehe. I made sure to have everything sourced so I think it's all very reliable. 

[Tuxedo Mark]

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania_Timeline

"At that time, the upcoming Castlevania Legends was intended to be the origin story of the series, however, the game was removed from the timeline during development, and this was made clear in the next issue of the magazine."

This is news to me. I'd like clarification regarding the timing and circumstances of the removal. Was Legends decanonized during its own development?!

I never heard about the decanonization until around 2005.