Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula (悪魔城ドラキュラ Akumajō Dorakyura?, lit. "Devil's Castle Dracula") is the first game in the series of the same name. It depicts the exploits of a vampire hunter named Simon Belmont, who inherited a whip brimming with holy power from his father.

Because of an ancient blood feud between Simon's ancestors and the vampire, Count Dracula, it was Simon's calling to enter Dracula's castle and slay its landlord in order to stop him from drinking all of humanity's blood.

Castlevania was first released in Japan in September 1986 for the Family Computer Disk System. In May 1987, it was released on cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and then Europe in 1988. It was released again, this time on cartridge, in Japan in 1993 for the Family Computer. Despite this, it was initially designed as a cartridge game in the first place before switching in the middle of development.