Aesthetics, parrying shots, big freaky wolf things, blood stuff. The 2001 French film Brotherhood of the wolf influenced bloodborne in these ways and many more, so come with me as I take you on a guided tour of all the ways Hidetaka Miyazaki integrated themes, and more specific facets, from Brotherhood of the Wolf into the fan favorite Fromsoft game Bloodborne.​

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          Please be aware of MASSIVE spoilers for Brotherhood of the Wolf, and somewhat less massive spoilers for Bloodborne as well.  

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          First, let’s go over the overarching influences you see through the whole movie.

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Aesthetics

          First and most obvious, the aesthetics of Brootherhood are worn on Bloodborne’s literal sleeves. The tricorn hats, the French aristocratic ruffles and layers in black and red colorways, robust high collars and leather trench coats. Much of Bloodborne’s environments and dialogue are clearly influenced by Victorian London, but the clothing is on point Brotherhood of the Wolf.

 

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Canids

          It’s right there in the title, “wolf.” The native North American character, Manny’s spirit totem is the wolf, the creature he and his compatriot are hunting is a big dog-like beast with a couple extra tricks up its sleeve, and there are dozens of actual wolves throughout the film.

          I don’t have to tell you just how canid-heavy the beginning stages of Bloodborne are. You’ve got bestial men, three canid bosses, full on werewolves and gone-wrong dogs. You’ve also got some symbolism on the connection between man and wolf, which brings me to…

 

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Hunting and Man’s Bestial Nature

          Throughout Brotherhood, the theme of hunting being a calling and obsession are brought up. In Bloodborne, “the hunt” is something NPCs just won’t stop nattering on about. Being a hunter is a definition of being in the world of Yharnam. One character in particular, the one played by Vincent Cassel, is not only obsessed with the hunt, but also the control of beasts he conquers.

          In the Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne, the hunters nightmare is where hunters who have become drunk on blood go, their minds shattered by the obsession. They become no better than the beasts they formerly defined themselves by hunting.

          In Brotherhood, there are quite a few displays of feral behavior and, in one case, even convergence between beast and man.

Which brings us to the more specific facets from the film which made it into Bloodborne, starting with…

 

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One Long, Weird Arm

          Did you ever notice in Bloodborne how all the human villager characters have one creepy, animalistic arm that is a little longer than the other? Well, thank Vincent Cassel’s character for that. And if you didn’t notice that, I’m sorry, but it’s the only thing you’re going to be able to notice from now on while playing.

          Cassel lost his arm to a lion while on one of his African hunting trips and, while it’s not fully gone into in the film, appears to have crafted a new one from bestial flesh to support his obsession.

          Speaking of Cassel’s character…

 

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Trick Weapons

          I know just there in the title card I used the plural trick weapons, but really there is only one. However, it clearly is a direct influence on the threaded cane and beast cutter weapons in Bloodborne, as well as the fact that literally ALL weapons in the game have a “trick” quality to them, transforming in one way or another.

          Cassel’s weapon is a bone sword that turns into a serrated whip of sorts. Maybe it inspired that one Prince of Persia game as well?

          Monica Bellucci’s character also has a fan with sharpened spines, but technically that’s not a trick weapon… it’s more a weapon concealed as something else, not a weapon with two distinct functions.

 

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The Parry Shot

          I think maybe Miazaki REALLY liked Vincent Cassel’s character because in one scene of Brotherhood, Cassel uses a fancy, custom pistol loaded with silver bullets, to stop a man mid-melee attack.

Liked it SO MUCH he made it a key combat mechanic in Bloodborne, silver bullets and all.

 

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That One Kind of Trap

          Do you remember the bastard spiked log traps in the forests of Bloodborne fairly early on in the game?

          While it doesn’t have MUCH screen time in the film, but there is a scene in Brotherhood where the two male leads set up a number of traps to be activated in a specific order at specific times, and one of those log traps has a fairly prominent, if not brief showing in the film

          On to the FINAL very specific thing which may be intentional or may just be coincidental but…

 

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The Hospital Cry

          Early on in Brotherhood, the hunter duo visits a ward to speak with one of the victims of the beast they are hunting. There is a haunting cry echoing through the stone hall as the medical personnel bustle about.

          This cry sounds nearly identical to the crying patients in Lady Maria's wards beneath the Astral Clocktower in Bloodborne. Something about that haunting, almost dual vocal chord chorus of agony sounded familiar the SECOND it hit my ears. Again, it may not have been intentional, but it's hard not to notice every little thing when Miyazaki cites something as an influence.