Rinaldo Gandolfi

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	“	It was five years ago... A cold night with a full moon. I returned home from picking herbs necessary for the secret arts and what greeted me was a sea of steaming blood. And at the center of it were the bodies of my wife and son... I could not believe my eyes... My daughter was there, laughing, blood dripping from her mouth...	„
		~ Rinaldo to Leon Belmont about his daughter

Background

Rinaldo Gandolfi is a support character introduced in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. An alchemist by trade, Rinaldo's life was forever altered when his daughter was captured and turned into a vampire by Walter Bernhard. Now residing in a modest hut within the Forest of Eternal Night, Rinaldo dedicates himself to aiding others in their battles against the forces of darkness.

Rinaldo is responsible for crafting the Whip of Alchemy, a powerful weapon he bestows upon Leon Belmont to aid in his quest. This whip later undergoes a tragic transformation, becoming the legendary Vampire Killer after being fused with the life essence of Leon's fiancée, Sara Trantoul. It ultimately becomes the iconic weapon of the Belmont Clan.

This dropdown contains the synopsis of Rinaldo Gandolfi’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!

Five years prior to the events of Lament of Innocence Rinaldo experienced a devastating tragedy when his daughter, Justine, who had been turned into a vampire, took the lives of his wife and son. Determined to put an end to her suffering, Rinaldo created the Whip of Alchemy and used it to destroy Justine. Fueled by grief and a desire for justice, he later confronted Walter Bernhard. However, the whip proved ineffective against the vampire lord, and their battle ended inconclusively. Amused by Rinaldo's defiance, Walter allowed him to live and even encouraged him to set up shop in the Forest of Eternal Night, where he could aid others seeking revenge against Walter. Walter found this added a layer of "fun" to his twisted games. Despite his failures, Rinaldo remained hopeful that someone else would eventually succeed where he had failed. At one point, he encountered a Succubus who served Walter but ultimately spared her. She later suggested that Rinaldo hesitated because she had transformed into an image of Justine, causing him to falter. Following Leon Belmont's defeat of Walter, Rinaldo's fate and whereabouts are left unknown.

Personality

• Grief and Determination: Rinaldo Gandolfi is defined by the deep grief stemming from the loss of his family and the burden of having to destroy his own daughter, Justine, after she was turned into a vampire. This tragedy drives his determination to aid others in their struggles against darkness, as he channels his pain into a steadfast commitment to fighting evil.

• Selflessness and Resolve: Despite his personal losses, Rinaldo dedicates his life to helping others, creating tools and weapons to empower those who fight the forces of darkness. His selflessness is evident in his decision to remain in the Forest of Eternal Night, enduring its dangers so he can provide aid to anyone challenging Walter Bernhard.

• Hope and Perseverance: Although he was unable to defeat Walter himself, Rinaldo remains hopeful that someone else will succeed where he failed. This unshakable hope fuels his perseverance, as he continues to craft alchemical weapons and assist those who share his mission, believing in the potential of others to bring justice to the forces of evil.

• Inner Conflict and Vulnerability: Rinaldo's encounter with the Succubus reveals his vulnerability, as he hesitated when confronted with the image of his daughter, Justine. This moment underscores the lingering emotional scars he bears and the conflict between his sense of duty and the memories of his lost family.

• Mentorship and Support: Rinaldo takes on the role of a mentor, guiding Leon Belmont in his quest to defeat Walter. His wisdom, experience, and willingness to share his knowledge highlight his supportive nature, as he seeks to empower others to achieve what he could not.

General Information

Name: Rinaldo Gandolfi

Origin: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

First Appearance: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Company: Konami

Creator: Koji Igarashi

Actor

• Japanese Voice Actor: Hidekatsu Shibata
• English Voice Actor: Michael McConnohie

Sex: Male

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Age: 48 years old

Birth Year: 1046 (The events of Lament of Innocence take place in 1094, with Rinaldo Gandolfi being 48 years old)

Homeworld: Earth

Residence: Cottage right outside from Walter's Castle

Story Role: Supporting Protagonist, Shop Keeper

Classification: Alchemist, Mentor

Species: Human

State of Being: Regular

Physiology: Humanoid Physiology

In-Universe Creator: God

Occupation: Vampire Hunter

Affiliations: Leon Belmont (Helps him in his quest to take out Walter Bernhard), Mathias Cronqvist (Has known Mathias for longer then Leon has)

Enemies: Walter Bernhard (Has unfinished business with him, with him wanting revenge on Walter for turning his daughter into a vampire)

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Status

• During his Time: Alive
• Modern Times: Deceased (The events of Lament of Innocence take place in 1094, while modern times are 10,000 years later)

Date of Death: Unknown

Alignment: Neutral Good (Helps hunters on their journey to take out Walter Bernhard, offers Leon his wares if he ever has troubles)

Codex Statistics

Grade: A

Tier: 7-C

Cardinality: Finite

Dimensionality: 3-D

Attack Potency: Town level (Potency) (Built the Whip of Alchemy and used it to kill his daughter who was turned into a vampire, where vampires are considered far larger threats than standard creature of the night monsters, which would put her above creatures such as Golem, from Castlevania Judgement, as he died to a random unknown hunter after his return from the time rift. Golem with his ultimate can shoot out a mouth blast that vaporizes everything it touches as far as the eye can see getting these results)

Durability: Town level

Striking Strength: Town Class (Potency)

Lifting Strength: Unknown: True Class

Travel Speed: Unknown: True level

Attack Speed: At most Faster Than Light (Built the Whip of Alchemy and used it to kill his daughter who was turned into a vampire, Vampires are loved by the night, beyond even the typical Creature of the Night, making her faster then enemies such as the Sky Fish who moves so fast that it appears as a beam of light and is only slowed down when time is stopped and the White Demon, who can move at the speed of light at short distances. Vampires can move so fast that the light itself cannot keep up with them, leaving an afterimage behind)

Reaction Speed: At most Faster Than Light

Stamina: Unknown

Range: Standard Melee, Extended Melee with Whip of Alchemy (The typical whip is around 90 centimeters)

Intelligence: Supergenius Intelligence (Rinaldo made the Whip of Alchemy with alchemy, where magic comes from alchemy, a field that experiments with the principles of God's creation of the world, along with being said to be as great a task as recreating God's creation of the Earth. Alchemy and Magic are one and the same, where magic requires one to have a deep understanding of Quantum Physics to utilize it to its fullest, requiring understandings of theories such as "Curse Amplification")

Knowledge: Grandmaster level (Despite not being as wise as Mathias in alchemy, Rinaldo made the Whip of Alchemy with alchemy, and can use alchemy to enchant Leon's gauntlet, allowing Leon to gather the power from blocked enemy attacks and use magical relics)

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Powers and Techniques

Non-Standard Interaction (Extra-Planar Interaction; Magic is able to interact with beings such as Camilla Fernandez, Physical attacks are difficult to land as Camilla lives in the Astral plane, and her earthly body is completely ethereal), Limited Immersion & Dimensional Travel (Magic users can align their magic with the magic of another to enter into painting worlds), Summoning (Magic can be used in order to summon weapons and items inscribed in grimoires)

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weapon Mastery (Whip Mastery; Rinaldo was the originally wielder of the Whip of Alchemy), Bestowal (Used alchemy to bestow Leon with a gauntlet that allows Leon to gather the power from blocked enemy attacks and use magical relics), Magic & Principle Manipulation (Rinaldo made the Whip of Alchemy with alchemy, where magic comes from alchemy, a field that experiments with the principles of God's creation of the world, along with being said to be as great a task as recreating God's creation of the Earth).

Resistance to Walter's Castle (Rinaldo Gandolfi can not only live near Walter's Castle and has fought in the castle before) The Castle Abilities Include:

Reality Warping (The Castle does not work on standard logic, where changing rooms can have one view a completely different background, such as room with a blue sky that is reflecting up and downwards and having the clouds rotate at a fast speed), Transmutation (Beings that come near are subject to the castle's influence, such as a local barnyard owl which was mutated just from flying near it), Possession (The castle possesses objects with its magic, such as a ouija table), Sealing (Dracula's magic captured Aguni, a primitive god of fire. The Castle has doors sealed off without solving puzzles. This can extend to walls being sealed off where explosions will not affect it until the seal is gone), Mind Manipulation (Everything that enters the castle is under the control by the power of Dracula's castle, the ghost of Eric Lecarde needed to cast a magic barrier to bind himself so he could be free from the control of the castle. The Castle corrupts the minds of those who enter it, such as making Maxim Kischine feel strange ever since coming to it. It also corrupted the mind of Hugh turning him against Nathan with Nathan noting he's being controlled by Dracula. The castle increases one's dark desires, allowing Dracula to easily control them. The magic of Dracula's power that empowers the owl enemy also spurs it to violence), Madness Manipulation (The Castle warped Gergoth, a once-gentle beast and drove it mad), Size Manipulation (Magically enlarged a toad through the use of demonic baptism), Fear Manipulation (Even while far away, Curtis and Michelle felt malicious intent from the castle where their bodies seemed to squeal "run away". Michelle even being at the entrance to the castle had her body telling her to not go in and her leg muscles being petrified like stone), Curse Manipulation (The Curse status that spirits inflict comes from them absorbing the magic power around the castle. The Castle cursed a human to turn into a lizard man), Life Manipulation (The castle can bring inanimate statues to life to attack. Can cause the glass murals to come to life and attack), Soul Manipulation (Those that die in the castle become one of the floating spirits that wander the halls of the castle for eternity), Abstract Manipulation & Hell Manipulation (The castle can create a core of evil made from hatred, envy, anger and other dark emotions)

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Non-Standard Interaction (Metaphysical Interaction; The Whip of Alchemy can interact with ghost. Elemental Interaction; The Whip of Alchemy can interact with enemies that are the mist itself), Air Manipulation (The Alchemy whip can create a large gust of wind with its finishing attack in a combo. The Alchemy whip can create wind blades around its user to protect them from all directions), Light Manipulation (The Alechemy whip can bring down holy light to attack the enemy), Holy Manipulation (Holy Whips cannot be touched by people weak to holy magic or else it will burn their hands and cause them to disentergrate).

Resistance to Mimicry (The Castle is unable to perfectly mimic Leon's weapons)

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Equipment

• Whip of Alchemy: A whip forged by and wielded by Rinaldo Gandolfi, using alchemy learned from the Cronqvist Family's alchemic books.

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Other

Standard Tactics: Rinaldo has not been directly shown to fight, though allegedly in the lost media Lament of Innocence manga, he fought with his Whip of Alchemy against the Succubus who used his own daughter against him.

Weaknesses: Nothing notable.

Note

• Contrary to popular belief, holy attacks and the whips in Castlevania can affect and harm people that aren't apart of the creatures of the night. Leon's doppelganger can use holy water and holy attacks against him in this fight along with the alchemy whip despite Leon being a pure and noble warrior. Simon's doppelganger can harm him with the vampire killer, despite Simon being a noble hero. Holy Water even works and harms enemies such as the "Holy Armor", a knight who has natural holy powers. Corrupted enemies such as Charlie Vincent, use holy water attacks on Carrie and Reinhardt.

Trivia

• His name implies he is of Italian heritage.
• Chronologically, Rinaldo is the first merchant to appear in the Castlevania series; Hammer from Aria of Sorrow is the last.
• Rinaldo shares his last name with Barbara Gandolfi, one of the partners of Jean-Paul Belmondo, the man whose name inspired that of the Belmonts, whose Leon Belmont is the first representative. However, this is only a coincidence, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Barbara Gandolfi started living together in 2008, while Castlevania: Lament of Innocence was released in 2003.
• Giovanni, a mentioned character in the 2007 cell phone game Castlevania: Order of Shadows, is stated to be a descendant of Rinaldo, and even gives to the heroes the Magic Gauntlet Leon Belmont used.

Battle Records

1 - 1 - 0

• Justine Gandolfi - Explanation of the Fight
  • Conditions: None.
  • Location: Walter's Castle

• Walter Bernhard - Explanation of the Fight
  • Conditions: None.
  • Location: Walter's Castle
  • Note: Rinaldo noted he challenged Walter but nothing came of it, basically saying he lost.

None.