Summary
- Castlevania: Nocturne introduces a mix of original and game characters, making it hard to distinguish which are "real" or original.
- Richter Belmont and Annette play major roles in the series, and their characters differ from their game counterparts.
- Alucard makes a late appearance in season one but is expected to have a larger role in season two.
In its eight episodes, Castlevania: Nocturne introduces a wealth of characters. Most of them are original, and some of them are from the games. With so many to look at, it can be hard to tell who is a “real” character and who is an original.
This list will be a handy breakdown of the game characters that appear in Castlevania: Nocturne. The Abbot almost made the list as his servitude toward a certain allegiance resembles that of Shaft from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. However, Shaft is a certified villain, whereas The Abbot’s lore is more complicated in the anime. With that fact aside, there will be spoilers for the anime along with the games Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
Warning: This list contains spoilers for the anime and the games listed above!
6 Richter Belmont and Annette
Richter is the easiest character to scratch off of the list as he is this series’ main Belmont hero. The Belmont family, of course, are somewhat cursed to fight Dracula until the end of time. Richter first appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which was a 1993 PC Engine game released only in Japan. The West would receive a paired-down version via Castlevania: Dracula X for the SNES in 1995.
The game took place in the late 1700s, and Richter’s task was to not only stop Dracula but to rescue his girlfriend, Annette, who was kidnapped by the aforementioned Shaft. She was a stereotypical damsel in distress in the game and not like the anime version of Annette at all. Besides her skin and hair color differing, Annette plays an active role in vanquishing evil in Castlevania: Nocturne. Her powers are kind of like an Earth Bender’s from the Avatar series. Also of note in the game, there is a chance Annette can become a vampire and a boss based on choices.
5 Maria Renard and Tera
Maria Renard also first appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Along with Annette, she was another captured victim of Shaft. Once players rescued her, Maria could be playable. Unlike Richter, Maria fought with magical creatures, which is well represented in the anime.
Metroidvania: 5 Things Metroid Does Better Than Castlevania (& 5 That Castlevania Is Superior At)
Metroidvanias are getting increasingly popular among the indie crowd of creators — but which is better? Metroid or Castlevania?
Now, in Castlevania: Nocturne, Maria is the daughter of The Abbot and her mother, Tera. Tera is a sorceress in the anime, while her game counterpart is a nun. She played a minimal role in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and suffered a worse fate in the anime, which Annette sidestepped. Tera makes the ultimate sacrifice and turns into a vampire to save Maria.
4 Alucard
Alucard was one of those characters that fans were eagerly anticipating to see in Castlevania: Nocturne. Unfortunately, he didn’t arrive until the last few minutes of the finale, but this, thankfully, also means he should play a bigger role in season two. Now, for those unaware, Alucard is the son of Dracula. He first appeared in Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse on the NES in 1990 in North America.
The game took place in the late 1400s, and this was also the game that the first Netflix adaptation focused on. Alucard aided Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades in the anime and now he has returned to fight alongside Trevor’s decedent, Richter. Alucard was one of four playable characters in the game, but he got a leading role in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which takes place soon after the events of Richter’s quest.
3 Olrox
Olrox is one of the three main vampire villains in the anime. Castlevania: Nocturne begins with Richter’s mom, Julia, fighting Olrox while making time for the young Richter to escape. Julia is not from the games, and there are very few female Belmonts represented in the core series. Belmonts aside, Olrox’s goals are mysterious in the anime as he appears to be on his own side.
He is originally from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, along with Alucard, but he has a minor role. Olrox appears as a boss and is wearing a suit of armor before he transforms into a lizard man. In the anime, he takes on a lizard-like form, too, but it is a lot more epic via a dragon transformation. Alucard has yet to face him in the anime, but it is almost assured that they know each other.
2 Juste Belmont
Juste Belmont is the hero of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, which was released in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance. The plot is set approximately in the mid-1700s, with Juste setting out to face Dracula like so many before him. In the core series, this was his only game, but he appeared in the anime as Richter’s grandfather.
10 Games To Play If You Miss CastleVania: Symphony Of The Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a hugely well-remembered and well-loved game that many more modern games have copied in a variety of ways.
Like most Castlevania games, Juste’s adventure had multiple outcomes. Castlevania: Nocturne chose the worst ending for Juste, where he loses two friends in his fight against Dracula. Although, in the anime, it’s not said Dracula was the culprit. Whomever he faced, it broke Juste, thus leading to his abandonment of the Belmont name.
1 Drolta Tzuentes and Erzsebet Bathory
The inclusion of these two characters is perhaps the most baffling thing about this latest season of the Netflix adaptation. First, Drolta Tzuentes is a female vampire in Castlevania: Nocturne and the direct servant under Erzsebet Bathory. She appeared in Castlevania: Bloodlines, which was a Sega Genesis exclusive in 1994. Drolta was not a vampire in that game but was instead an old witch who was trying to resurrect her master, Elizabeth Bartley.
Names aside, Elizabeth Bartley and Erzsebet Bathory are the same characters, and they are both inspired by the serial killer Erzsebet Bathory. In the game, Erzsebet is the niece of Dracula, but that hasn’t been revealed in the anime yet. Also, Castlevania: Bloodlines takes place in the 1900s, so it was weird to include it in Castlevania: Nocturne’s timeline, given that it is the late 1700s. Maybe some other characters from Castlevania: Bloodlines will show up in season two, like John Morris and Eric Lecarde, the two protagonists.