The following contains spoilers for Castlevania: Nocturne season 2, now streaming on NetflixCastlevania: Nocturnebrings back Alucard in an important role, raising the possibility that the show could also bring back Dracula. Set a few centuries after the events ofCastlevania,Castlevania: Nocturnecenters on a new generation of the Belmont family being tasked with facing down a vampire scourge. The shows share a lot of elements beyond the central family line, but thepassage of years in theCastlevaniatimelinemeans very few characters could easily appear between the two shows.
The exception to the rule is Alucard, the half-vampire son of Dracula. One of the main heroes ofCastlevania, Alucard returned in theending ofCastlevania: Nocturneseason 1to help save the heroes from almost certain death. Aucard plays a major role in the show’s second season, helping contribute in the fight against the vampire messiah. However, Dracula is also still potentially alive in this world, meaning his return during season 2 wasn’t out of the question.
Dracula Doesn’t Appear In Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 (But He Is Referenced)
Dracula’s Legacy Lives On, Even If He Doesn’t Appear InCastlevania: Nocturne
Dracula himself doesn’t actually appear inCastlevania: Nocturneseason 2, but his legacy is still felt within the show. Alucard’s return in the ending ofCastlevania: Nocturneseason 1 was a huge twist and a welcome connective tissue between the originalCastlevaniaanimated series and the subsequent sequel show. Due to his immortality, Alucard remains the only main character from the prior show to appear in a primary role inNocturne. However, Dracula does not appear, despite being revived after Death’s thwarted attempt to revive him as a cursed being inCastlevania’s ending.
That doesn’t mean that Dracula’s influence is completely gone. The other vampires of Europe are still aware of how powerful and deadly the vampire was in his prime. Alucard has come to see the good in him, speaking to Maria about the lingering humanity within the monster that led him to love Alucard’s mother.This makes Maria a thematic foil to Alucard, as she struggles throughout season 2 to reckon with her complicated feelings for her (now vampiric) mother, Tera. While Dracula’s memory may live on in the world ofCastlevania, the character himself remains deceased.
Why Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 Did Not Bring Dracula Back
Castlevania: NocturneSeason 2 Would Have Been Weaker With A Forced Dracula Return
Dracula’s arc reached a natural conclusion inCastlevania, with the character even largely absent for the last two seasons of the show. Even though the Dracula of the originalCastlevaniagames was resurrected frequently and returned after many apparent deaths, the TV adaptation version is a very different character. In the world of the animatedCastlevania, Dracula was restored to life alongside Lisa and got to live a peaceful life. While he was seemingly still a vampire and potentially still alive centuries later, Dracula seems to have settled well into his happy ending.
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Dracula had no natural place within the story ofCastlevania: Nocturneseason 2, so bringing him back would have felt forced. This means the season is able to remain focused on the established characters and arcs from season 1, bringing many of them to a fulfilling conclusion. Dracula would have been a distracting presence in the series. While it does feel weird to have aCastlevaniastory with no Dracula, it would have been a disservice to his arc in the prior show and to the story ofCastlevania: Nocturneto force him into the narrative unnecessarily.
Castlevania: Nocturne
Cast
Set in 1792 during the French Revolution, Castlevania: Nocturne focuses on Annette, a powerful sorceress who travels to find a descendant of a vampire-hunting family named Richter Belmont. At the same time, a counter-revolutionary aristocracy joins forces with Vampire Messiah. The series continues centuries after the events of the first Castlevania series, with Richter following in his ancestor’s footsteps to slay the hordes of the night.
