Alastor the Radio Demon
A smiling overlord who owns souls and seeks entertainment.
Alastor the Radio Demon is a fictional character from the American musical adult animated series Hazbin Hotel, created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. A constantly-smiling sinner and one of the overlords of Hell, he returns after a seven-year absence to help run the Hazbin Hotel, a halfway house meant to rehabilitate souls. He is notable as a prominent asexual character in media.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Hazbin Hotel
- First
- Hazbin Hotel:
- "That's Entertainment" (2019) (pilot debut)
- "Overture" (2024) (series debut)
- Creator
- Vivienne Medrano
- Voice
- Edward Bosco (2019)
- Gabriel C. Brown (2019; singing voice)
- Amir Talai (2024–present)
- Species
- Human (previously); Sinner
- Origin
- New Orleans (previously); Hell
Facts from the source article.
Conception and creation
Alastor was created by Medrano during her time at School of Visual Arts in New York City, appearing unnamed on her DeviantArt page around 2008. He was formally created in 2011 and planned for a supporting role in her webcomic ZooPhobia's Angels and Demons story arc, but the arc was cancelled in 2016 and redeveloped as Hazbin Hotel. In the unpublished arc, Alastor was a black-and-red demonic deer able to transform into a humanoid form, described as enjoying making deals and tricking mortals into service. He was a member of the "Demon Misfit Gang" and appeared in short comics where he tried to take the place of fellow deer-boy Autumn and convince Damian, the Prince of Hell, to make a deal, while being in love with an all-powerful being named KayCee. In the Hazbin Hotel pilot, Alastor was entirely human except for deer-like hooves and antlers, wore a red suitcoat, and had an eternal smile of sharp teeth. Medrano confirmed him as asexual on Twitter, and voice actor Amir Talai described him as embodying the "Tumblr sexyman" archetype. In life, Alastor was a radio show host who died in the 1930s; his voice carries a radio static effect and occasional sound effects from radio shows. Medrano described him as a mixed-race Creole from New Orleans and an only child.
Fictional character biography
Alastor first appears in the pilot episode "That's Entertainment", visiting the Happy Hotel after seeing Charlie Morningstar's televised interview. He offers to help run the hotel, stating he believes redemption is impossible and is there for his own entertainment. He summons Niffty and Husk to serve as maid and bartender, renovates the hotel in a musical number, and fends off an attack by Sir Pentious before renaming it the Hazbin Hotel. In the webcomic "A Day in the Afterlife", Alastor witnesses a butcher trying to kill a sinner, saves her, and consumes the butcher. In the series, one week after the pilot, Alastor notes it has been "some time" since he was active. After fending off another attack by Sir Pentious, rival Vox learns Alastor has been absent for seven years. Following a broadcast debate, Vox and the other Vees send Sir Pentious to spy on Alastor. Vaggie asks Alastor to look after Sir Pentious' egg minions, which he allows to accompany him to an overlord meeting. After Velvette insinuates that Carmilla Carmine killed an angel, Alastor orders an egg minion to spy on Carmilla, and the egg returns with confirmation.
Promotion and reception
Official clothing and merchandise based on Alastor have been available intermittently from Shark Robot LLC since 2018. In 2024, an emote titled "Reaper's Showtime" was added to Fortnite, depicting a player character dancing with a scythe matching Alastor's color scheme while playing the fan song "Insane", sung by Black Gryph0n. Alastor's character in the pilot was positively received; Esther Liberman described him as "caricaturesque, impossibly rotten and flatter", while Dan Short called him a "show-stealer" who is "charismatic and extravagant with smile-inducing flare". Sean Cubillas called him the embodiment of "dark humor at its quietest and best". In the series, Hope Mullinax praised him as "the most delightful enigma", and Mae Abdulbaki noted his "mysterious and seemingly dangerous, yet protective and snarky" attitude. The sound design behind Alastor and Vox was also praised.
Appearances in other media
Gabriel C. Brown, who sang as Alastor in the pilot, performed on fan-made tracks like "Insane," released in June 2021. One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda later called it his second-favorite song of 2023. Sam Haft, a songwriter for Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, put out "Alastor's Game" in 2020, voicing the character himself. From 2019 to 2023, Bosco and Brown played Alastor in skits on the livestreamed podcast HuniCast.
More in Fictional Characters Who Have Made Pacts with Devils
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