Is Castlevania: Nocturne a sequel? Netflix's new anime explained
Things may not be as clear as they seem.
When Netflix released Castlevania onto the service back in 2017, it made waves throughout both the anime and gaming communities.
Based on the popular games Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, the anime was widely acclaimed for its rich visual style, dipping heavily into the Gothic overtones of the original games, alongside its willingness to lean into some pretty gnarly violence with a beautiful score as the cherry on top of what was already quite an accomplished vision.
The show went on to have three equally successful seasons, although it stumbled a little in the final season, generating a somewhat divisive reception based on the pacing as it reached its final episodes. However, that hasn't stopped Netflix from seeing the value in keeping the Castlevania train going, as Castlevania: Nocturne is right around the corner.
This has led many fans to wonder though - is Castlevania: Nocturne a sequel series, or is it something else entirely?
Read on to find out everything we know about the show, including whether or not you need to have watched Castlevania first.
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Is Castlevania: Nocturne a sequel to Castlevania?
Yes and no.
The original Castlevania series wrapped up relatively nice compared to a lot of other anime series - most of the bad guys got 'fixed', most of the good guys lived to see another day and it was as close to a 'happy ever after' tale that you could get from a Castlevania-related TV show.
It's also worth noting that the events in Castlevania are set in the mid 1470s, whereas Castlevania: Nocturne is set to take place during the French Revolution, which is round about 300 years later, give or take. While we are talking about near-immortal beings like vampires here, given that most of the vamps that popped up in Castlevania were vanquished, leaving the (very mortal) humans left as possible returning characters, it seems quite unlikely that we'll be seeing anyone from Castlevania - though, there might be one or two.
However, on the other hand, Castlevania is known for its remarkably expansive lore, and although it's unlikely to be a direct series, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you felt like brushing up on Castlevania to make sure you were primed and ready, just in case any unexpected faces pop up here or there (looking at you, Richard Armitage and Alejandra Reynoso). There have been rumours that Juste Belmont may make some form of appearance, who canonically is understood to have inherited the magical talent of their ancestor Sypha Belnades, which is a great example of how Castlevania: Nocturne could end up being vaguely linked to the original series.
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What is Castlevania: Nocturne about?
Billed as the sequel series to Castlevania, Castlevania: Nocturne follows Richter Belmont, a descendent of main protagonists Trevor and Sypha from Castlevania, as he reluctantly teams up with a rag-tag group of misfits during the French Revolution to stop the apocalypse. Never a dull day if you're a Belmont.
Nocturne's story takes from both Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, somewhat polarising as twins given the former's critical acclaim and the latter being an initial flop financially, later becoming redefined as a sleeper hit due to its cult popularity.
Where can I watch Castlevania: Nocturne?
The show was initially announced to be in development on Deadline on April 16th 2021, with reports stating that the show would be set during the French Revolution and feature new characters rather than continuing with the original troupe from Castlevania. Almost a full year later, at Netflix's 2022 Geeked Week, the title was unveiled: Castlevania Nocturne.
Another year later, we had the official cast announcement on July 27th 2023, and finally, Castlevania: Nocturne will be released onto Netflix on Thursday 28th September 2023. Here's the trailer to tide you over in the meantime.
Castlevania: Nocturne is set to hit Netflix on Thursday 28th September. You can sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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