Aahana Swrup
‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ Netflix’s spin-off to its predecessor ‘Castlevania,’ is an animated dark fantasy show about a fight for freedom heralded by a young man descending from a long line of vampire hunters. As the French Revolution comes about in full force, an underground cult of vampires rises in power with the promise of a Vampire Messiah who will bring about the age of darkness. Amidst this monumental power shift, the heir to the Belmont cause, Richter, a vampire hunter with a haunted past, must step up and fight these bloodsucking monsters alongside his friends, Maria and Annette, to prevent the Messiah from devouring light from the world.
This show, embroiled in a tale about the never-ending power struggle of good vs. evil, brings a fascinating and rich narrative driven by camaraderie, hope, and legacy. Yet, the path that Richter and his friends chart leads them to an unexpected conclusion. If you’re curious to see what this finale looks like for our protagonists, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Castlevania: Nocturne.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Castlevania: Nocturne Recap
In 1783, Julia Belmont rushes to board her son, Richter, on a ship to France from Boston, Massachusetts, eager to get him away from the danger that lurks in the New World. Yet, before Richter departs, the danger seeks Julia out in the form of a powerful and ancient vampire, Olrox, who can turn into a ferocious dragon at a whim. Although Julia puts up a commendable fight against the vampire, Olrox ultimately lays waste to Julia as her son watches. Still, he spares Richter’s life with a promise to find him again.
Nine years later, in Machecoul, Western France, Richter lives with his distant aunt, Tera Renard, a Speaker sorcerer, and her daughter, Maria, a witch with a bone to pick with the aristocrats. During one of Maria’s revolutionary meetings, a team of vampires attack and meet their ends with mentions of a Vampire Messiah coming for Richter. Likewise, after Richter and Maria retire to their house, another coven attacks them. However, this time, two new faces come to their rescue: Annette and Edouard from Saint-Domingue.
Annette is a descendant of Ogun, the God of iron and war. Although the woman was born into a plantation as a slave, she was able to escape after discovering her powers. After leading a revolution in Saint-Domingue, Annette traveled across the ocean with Edouard due to her mentor, Priestess Cecile’s warning of a great evil brewing across Europe: Countless Erzsebet Bathory.
As a result, Annette decides to investigate the Marquis with Richter, Maria, and Edouard. However, the mission ends badly for the group after a swarm of Night Creatures attacks them, taking Edouard away. While Annette wails in her despair, the Church Abbot, Emmanuel, uses wicked magic on Edouard’s drained body, turning him into a Night Creature from Hell. Soon, Tera guides the younger warriors into the Abbey through a secret passageway to learn the truth behind the clergy’s allegiance.
The mission ends with Annette facing Edouard again and abandoning him all the same after Olrox makes a surprising appearance in the cellar, leading to Richter fleeing the abbey in fear. While Annette and the others recuperate from their recent mission and await Richter’s return, Erzsebet’s emissary, Drolta, oversees the vampire Messiah’s partnership of convenience with the Church. Meanwhile, Olrox, a perplexing piece in the puzzle, evaluates the situation after being invited to town by Erzsebet. As a result, when Annette tails the vampire, she overhears his conversation with Drolta, where the latter divulges Erzsebet’s godly blood and intention to take the world for the vampires.
Simultaneously, Richter has an unexpected encounter after he runs into his grandfather, Juste, in a local tavern. Given Juste’s abandonment, the meeting remains bitter for the young Belmont, but it teaches him something valuable about his found family. Consequently, when Erzsebet’s vampires catch up to him and promise a deadly future for him, Maria, and the others, Richter unlocks the magical powers he thought he had lost after his mother’s death.
In the end, Richter reunites with his friends-turned-family on the heels of Erzsebet’s arrival in town, which is met with considerable fanfare. By now, Annette also gains a new perspective after conversing with her ancestors in the Spirit World. As such, the team is prepared when they receive an unexpected tip from Olrox, sharing the key to defeating Emmanuel’s Forgemaster Machine to prevent more Nigh Creatures from appearing.
Yet, what seemed like an optimistic morning is ruined when Mizrak, Emmanuel’s second-in-command, who recently turned on him, arrives at Tera’s doorstep. The faithful Christian with a sharp blade informs the mother that the Abbot has Maria and intends to sacrifice her to Erzsebet.
Castlevania Nocturne Ending: Does Maria Die?
As the season nears its end, the narrative puts the central trio, Richter, Annette, and Maria, through respective storylines that help them connect with their ancestral roots. While it serves as an empowering tool for Richter and Annette, the same is not true for Maria. Shortly after their failed mission at the Abbey cellar, which reveals Abbot Emmanuel’s partnership with the vampires, the man arrives at Tera’s house. During their confrontation, Emmanuel lets slip the fact that he’s Maria’s father, something Tera has been keeping a secret from her daughter.
The discovery holds life-altering ramifications due to Maria’s strong negative opinions about the clergy and their role in social oppression. Nevertheless, despite the same, Maria decides to extend a second chance to her biological father even when Tera gives up on him. As Richter plans to storm the Abbey and destroy the Forgemaster Machine, defeating the man himself in the process, Maria sneaks into the Church to warn Emmanuel about his coming doom.
However, when Maria tries to save her father, Emmanuel takes advantage of the situation and holds Maria hostage to be sacrificed as a symbol of his loyalty to Erzsebet. Emmanuel has done some wicked things, regardless of his insistence on his identity as a man of god. Therefore, after coming this far and losing so much of his morality, the man can’t give up and admit that it all has been for nothing. Consequently, he takes his sins a step further and prepares to offer his daughter up for slaughter.
Nonetheless, when Maria’s mother and friends arrive at the Abbey the next morning, Richter sets his sights on freeing his closest friend. While Richter, Maria, and Mizrak fight against the Night Creatures, Tera casts a spell to open a portal to hell, with Annette attempting to push the Forgemaster machine into the other realm. Nevertheless, their plan comes to a quick end when Erzsebet arrives with her vampires.
Using her powers, Erzsebet has cast an unnatural eclipse over the sun, ensuring maximum strength for her fanged followers. Furthermore, the ritual activates Goddess Sekhmet’s blood that runs through her veins, granting her more power than before. Erzsebet wants Emmanuel to sacrifice a loved one to prove his loyalty to her. As such, she targets Maria, which leads Tera to lose her focus, breaking her spell before Annette can succeed.
Although everyone tries to fight Erzsebet off, none are a match for her power. Consequently, when Erzsebet reveals she doesn’t plan to kill Maria and wants to turn her into a vampire instead, Tera offers herself as the sacrifice. She asserts Emmanuel loves her, and The Abbot confirms realizing Tera’s surrender can save her daughter. Ultimately, Tera saves Maria from a fate crueler than death but succumbs to it herself, allowing Erzsebet to turn her into a vampire.
Why Did Olrox Help Richter Belmont?
Olrox and Richter’s rivalry is one of the first things this story’s narrative establishes. After Olrox kills Julia, he tells Richter that the vampire-hunter took someone significant from him, which is why he had to kill her and will kill Richter one day, too. As such, the cyclic need for violence between Olrox and the Belmont name remains a fact from the start. Much of Richter’s character development relies on his innate fear of Olrox and how he overcomes it with his love for his family.
Therefore, Richter is reluctant to believe him when Olrox arrives at the Renard residence, offering the solution to their problems. Nonetheless, Tera confirms the validity of his tip after looking through the spellbook and realizing Olrox has given them a plan for defeating Emmanuel’s machine that churns out Night Creatures.
Olrox’s character remains an intriguing figure throughout the story. While the other antagonists are brutal and vicious, Olrox carries himself differently, speaking in philosophies. Furthermore, his relationship with Mizrak offers a much more nuanced dynamic than Erzsebet or Drolta’s relationship with anyone. During one such dalliance with Mizrak, Olrox divulges his past.
Despite his long years on Earth, Olrox has only ever fallen in love once. Nonetheless, the love of his life, a Mohican man from Massachusettes, met his end at Julia Belmont’s hands due to his vampirism. Although the backstory doesn’t divest Olrox of blame, it certainly brings a new perspective. As such, even though Olrox has a personal vendetta against the Belmont name, his hatred for Richter wanes in comparison to Erzsebet.
Having witnessed Erzsebet’s power firsthand, Olrox knows what she is capable of and does not wish to live a future serving under her power. Therefore, he needs someone to reign in her influence, much of which comes from Emmanuel’s supply of the Night Creatures. However, since forge-mastery is a craft of the mortals, Olrox cannot hinder Erzsebet’s plan herself. Hence, Olrox seeks out Richter, the enemy of his enemy, and lends him a helping hand.
Who is Alucard?
As the story ends on a pessimistic note, with our heroes defeated and fleeing for their lives, chased by Drolta and her bloodthirsty men, a knight in metaphorical white armor steps in to save the day. Drolta shrivels and dies after the man impales her with his sword. Following her death, the mysterious man announces himself as Alucard, the son of Dracula. As a result, the other measly vampires escape the scene, leaving Richter and the others alone.
While Alucard will be a familiar face for long-term fans of the franchise, many might not recognize him, especially if ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ is their first encounter with the ‘Castlevania’ universe. As he claims, Alucard is Dracula’s son and was a primary character in the parent show. Alternatively known as Adrian Țepeș, the vampire is a half-breed and posses vampirical powers while retaining his ability to stay in the sun without harm due to his humanity from his mother’s side.
Likewise, Alucard’s humanity sets him apart from his father, the villainous Dracula. Alucard was a close friend to Richter’s ancestors, Trevor and Sypha Belmont, and helped them take down their enemy. Centuries after fighting by the duo’s side, Alucard, long assumed to be a myth, has now come to Richter’s rescue. In that regard, Alucard’s presence promises a beacon of hope in the season’s otherwise hopeless ending.
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