Newcomers to the Nocturne franchise might not be fully aware that it's a direct sequel to Netflix's original Castlevania series.
The original Castlevania series from Netflix adapted several games, including Dracula's Curse, Symphony of the Night elements, and even Curse of Darkness, over its four seasons. Debuting in 2017, the series follows Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard's journey to kill Dracula and save humanity.
Conversely, Nocturne loosely adapted two entries from the Castlevania video game franchise, Rondo of Blood and Sprinkles of Symphony of the Night. It told the tale of Richter Belmont, Maria Renard, and Annette in their quest to vanquish the Vampire Messiah and stop her eternal night.
Is Castlevania Nocturne a Sequel?
Castlevania, one of Netflix's best anime shows, ended on May 13, 2022 but officially announced a sequel series the same month, Castlevania: Nocturne. This new series focuses on Trevor's distant descendant instead, 300 years later, at the height of the French Revolution.
Except for one, no plot points from the original series carry over, allowing it to act as a standalone series. New viewers can jump on without seeing four seasons of the original Castlevania.
While Trevor was the last of the Belmonts in 2017's Castlevania, Sypha became pregnant with his child in the final season, continuing his bloodline. In Nocturne, audiences would (briefly) meet one of his descendants, Julia Belmont, who had inherited not only Trevor's skills with a whip but Sypha's incredible magic.
Julia also had a son, Richter, who sadly witnessed her death at the hands of Olrox, an Aztec vampire. This traumatic experience caused him to repress his magical abilities, the same way that his grandfather, Juste Belmont, eventually would upon learning of his daughter's death.
However, by the end of Nocturne's first season, Richter reawakened his magic, becoming more powerful than his ancestor, Sypha Belnades. Sadly, that wasn't enough against the Vampire Messiah, Erzsebet Báthory.
How Else Does Nocturne Connect to the Original Series?
Since Nocturne takes place 300 years after the original, none of the Castlevania cast returns, except one: James Callis' Alucard, who continued to watch over the Belmont family long after his dearest friends' deaths.
He made his heroic return in the final episode of Nocturne's last season when he saved the new heroic trio from Drolta. Alucard becomes a regular cast member in Season 2, as he helps the group kill Báthory and stop her from becoming a god.
Another connection to the original show is the importance of Forgemasters, mortals who can create Night Creatures from corpses. In this new century, Abbot Emmanuel takes the place of Isaac and Hector from the original series, under the orders of the Vampire Messiah, to make her an army.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 is streaming on Netflix.
