Where does ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ fall on the ‘Castlevania’ timeline?

Warning: this article might contain spoilers for the Castlevania: Rondo of Blood video game and Castlevania: Nocturne series.

Trevor Belmont, Alucard, and Sypha Belnades might not return to fight Dracula and his evil henchmen again, but their descendants are! The much-anticipated sequel spin-off to 2017’s popular TV series Castlevania is here adapting another video game in the franchise and putting a new generation of heroes in the spotlight to take on the enduring vampire threat.

Castlevania: Nocturne is set long after Dracula first set out to take revenge on the land of Wallachia, but the stories are inter-connected. The timeline of the Castlevania animated universe involves and utilizes dozens of games released in the last 30 years. The original 4-season series adapted its first two seasons from the 1989 game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, followed by 2005’s Castlevania: Curse of Darkness in the second season, and 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for Alucard’s backstory.

In the original series, we saw Dracula rising in revenge for the persecution and execution of his human wife, and Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard teaming up to bring him down. The vampire uprising is resurrected in Castlevania: Nocturne, 300 years and 1,400 miles away from where Dracula first appeared. So, where then does the impending spin-off series sit in the chronology?

When does Castlevania: Nocturne take place?

Castlevania: Nocturne takes place at the end of the 18th century during the historic French Revolution, more than 300 years after the original series. It will be based and inspired, by the Castlevania: Rondo of Blood video game, first released in 1993. There will be a huge shift in the series’ setting, entering the streets of France in place of the English monarchy.

Drawing from the video game timeline, the original Castlevania was set in 1476 A.D. (Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse), and the upcoming sequel, Castlevania: Nocturne, will be set in 1792 A.D. (Rondo of Blood), as confirmed by Netflix during the Geeked Week 2022. This sets the exact time shift to 316 years after the original series.

Fans will most likely witness the establishment of the French Republic on September 22, 1792, in the upcoming series. With neoclassical architecture seen in the buildings and characters sporting revolutionary Frannch clothing, such as ruffled jabot collars and double-breasted jackets, the series trailer has already hinted at the new setting.

Castlevania: Nocturne characters: Is Richter Trevor’s son?

Given the significant time shift, a direct descendant of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, Richter Belmont will take center stage as our valiant hero in Castlevania: Nocturne, charged with the harrowing mission — to thwart the approaching vampire apocalypse that hangs over the entire world. Unlike the popular rumor, Richter is not the son of Trevor, but he can be anywhere from 4 to 10 generations down the Belmont family tree.

Richter will be joined by Maria Renard, a French revolutionary, and Annette, a young sorceress and ex-slave from the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Erzsebet Báthory, a vampire queen modeled after the real-life Hungarian noblewoman, will serve the antagonist side as she sends vampires on a mission to conquer the world and carry out the prophecy.

Castlevania: Nocturne plot: What happens in the video game vs. series?

Despite the fact that Castlevania: Nocturne is undoubtedly a sequel spin-off, it decided against picking up where the fourth season left off. Instead, it forges ahead into unexplored terrain, promising a narrative that is both thrilling and unpredictable. Though the exact deets of the series plot are still shrouded in mystery, the series might derive from its immersive video game source plot.

In the Rondo of Blood, Dark Priest Shaft reanimates the Dark Lord, who subsequently assaults ladies from the nearby village, one of whom was Richter Belmont’s fiancée Annette. Richter swiftly finds and saves her, but has a bigger responsibility now. In order to prevent the vampires from bringing about the end of the world in France, the descendant of the Belmont family continues to fight them with the assistance of the enigmatic Maria Renard.

The involvement of Maria and Annette is confirmed by the series’ official cast list. Yet, in a surprising twist, Castlevania: Nocturne appears to be steering away from the traditional revival of Dracula. Instead, it hints at Erzsebet Báthory taking center stage as the central antagonist, adding an intriguing layer of complexity to the story.

Catch Castlevania: Nocturne on Netflix, starting Sept. 28, 2023!