Galamoth, also referred to as King Garamoth among other name variants, is a boss character in the Castlevania & Kid Dracula series. He is a powerful magical being with a long-term goal of overthrowing the throne of the Netherworld, a plan spanning 10,000 years.
Originally serving as the primary antagonist in the Famicom game Kid Dracula, Garamoth was later introduced into the Castlevania series in the 1997 PlayStation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. In this game, he appears as an optional boss found in the Floating Catacombs. Garamoth possesses the ability to unleash powerful electric attacks from his scepter.
This dropdown contains the synopsis of Garamoth’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!
King Garamoth originally served as the main antagonist and final boss of the Famicom game Kid Dracula (as well as its Game Boy adaptation). His appearance in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night presents one of the toughest battles in the game. In this installment, he was renamed simply as Galamoth, which is the name most commonly recognized by Western audiences.
Galamoth also makes a cameo in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, appearing as an Ability Soul that grants the power to see through areas blocked by time.
In Castlevania Judgment, Galamoth plays a key role in the plot as the power behind the main antagonist, though he himself does not physically appear in the game. He seeks to claim the throne by eradicating the time period during which Dracula ruled, sending his minion, the Time Reaper, on what is presumed to be an assassination mission.
General Information
Name: Garamoth
Other Names:Garamos[1], Galamoth, Demon Lord Galamoth, Garamoth the Magnificent, King Galamoth
Scepter: A Scepter weapon Galamoth uses in Symphony of the Night for combat. It shoots out a variety of different lightning attacks.
Time Reaper: A servant of Galamoth, he is the main antagonist in Castlevania Judgment responsible for the time rift.
Notable Techniques
Black Orb Attack
Galamoth raises his scepter and fires eight black orbs toward his opponent. These orbs deal damage upon contact and have a high attack value (92 ATT).
Lightning Stream
While crouching, Galamoth uses his scepter to unleash a wide area of lightning, covering a broad range in front of him. This attack has an attack value of 98 ATT and is classified as a Thunder attack.
Crescent Lightning
Galamoth fires a crescent-shaped bolt of lightning from his scepter, dealing damage to any enemy it strikes. This attack has an attack value of 98 ATT and is also classified as a Thunder attack.
Kick Attack
Galamoth attempts to kick Alucard, dealing 85 ATT damage with heavy knockback on impact.
Scepter Pound
When Alucard is within range on the ground, Galamoth bends down and quickly pounds the ground with his scepter, dealing damage to any nearby targets.
Other
Standard Tactics
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: He wields his scepter to unleash a combination of Hit and Thunder attacks in his efforts to defeat Alucard. Galamoth's standard tactics consist of the following:
Raising his scepter to fire eight black orbs, dealing Hit damage (92 ATT).
Crouching to unleash a wide stream of lightning from his scepter, classified as a Thunder attack (98 ATT).
Firing a crescent-shaped lightning bolt from his scepter, also a Thunder attack (98 ATT).
Attempting a powerful kick that deals Hit damage (85 ATT) and causes heavy knockback.
Bending down to perform a swift ground-pound with his scepter when Alucard is within range.
Kid Dracula (NES): Garamoth flies around and shoots out lightning bolts between both of his hands to trap his opponent inward while breathing out fireballs at them.
In both Kid Dracula (NES) and Kid Dracula (Game Boy), after defeating King Garamoth, the player will be awarded a big coin with the face of Ebisumaru, from the Ganbare Goemon series, printed on it.
SobekGalamoth's depiction in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, having a dragon or crocodile-like head, holding a scepter and bearing an overall Egyptian motif, has some similarities with Sobek, an ancient Egyptian deity who also bears crocodile traits.
His name is possibly correctly translated as "Garamoth", with "Galamoth", the name with which he was introduced to western audiences in Symphony of the Night, likely being a case of Engrish, which oftentimes substitutes the letter "r" for "l".
This is further supported as his name appears as "King Garamoth" in the version of Kid Dracula that is included in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection from 2019, which was officially translated to English by Konami's own localization team.
He was still called "Galamoth" in Castlevania Judgment (2008), which can still be considered to be a relatively recent game, however the most recent version of the name would triumph it.
The time when Galamoth sent the Time Reaper that is mentioned in Castlevania Judgment –10,000 years in the future– coincides with how long Kid Dracula was asleep for in Kid Dracula, where Galamoth is originally from.
Upon defeat, one of three lines the Time Reaper can deliver is calling Galamoth's name, revealing who its lord is.
↑Akumajou Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku "I had come to destroy evil. A spectacled vampire hunter confirmed this as his duty. In front of him is a [grotesque creature] whose dreadful power can be felt. The creature appears human but the instant he looked at it, all of his body’s cells cried out in terror. “The timing is bad, church person.” Whilst listening to the words said by the [grotesque creature], the young hunter kept on reminding himself. -----I am …… I ought to be a vampire hunter."
↑Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls Chapter 9 Vessel for the Lord
↑Akumajo Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku "Ever since the Middle Ages, every 100 years, this legendary castle would rise together with its master Count Dracula ----- And whenever it happens, it is said that a clan of vampire hunters will seal it.
Several hundred years have passed with battles with the [dark lord] Dracula. When suddenly, an end to it all has been foretold.
1999----- Thanks to the power of a clan in Japan, Dracula’s castle was sealed inside a [solar eclipse] to disappear forever. However, in this world, there is no such thing as forever. [They] had understood that Dracula’s regeneration cycle ought to have ended. Indeed, people have prepared for this but will it still exist?
The castle is the symbol of the chaos within humans and as long as people exist, it will not be completely sealed.
↑Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Bestiary No. 064
↑Castlevania Judgment True Story Mode, Aeon: Aeon vs. Alucard