In a world overrun by Japanese anime, the reception for animated stuff in general is also increasing. Thanks to that we have had some incredible American animated series as well including Prime Video’s Invincible, Netflix’ Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Legend of Korra. One such top notch animated series which is also my personal favourite is Castlevania. Although the show is based on a Japanese video game, it is has been produced in America and originally performed in English. Castlevania debuted in 2017 and gained immense popularity and a huge fan base by presenting a dark fantasy tale full of complex characters, engaging subplots, and a lot of bloodshed. The show ended its 4 season run in 2021 and now 2 years later, we are getting a spin-off sequel called Castlevania: Nocturne which is all set to debut this month. Before its release, let us quickly talk the very best characters in Netflix’ Castlevania ranked by likeability, complexity, and badassery.
10. Saint Germain
Saint Germain is a character who made into our top 10 list purely due to his charisma and persona. Although, he turned out to be scheming against our leads and ended up being manipulated by Death, his character brought another unique perspective to the show. His motivations were highly personal and since his appearance, the plot of the series became quite complex. Terrifically voiced by Bill Nighty, Saint Germain was a witty, curious, and a decent character who ultimately ended up doing some good by saving Trevor Belmont when he nearly committed suicide defeating Death.
9. Hector
Poor Hector went through a lot during the entire run of Castlevania making audiences around the globe empathise with him. The talented Forgemaster was basically the Theon Greyjoy of Castlevania but unlike Theon fans never once disliked him. He was greatly manipulated and betrayed by Carmilla and Lenore throughout the run of the series and even though he did Dracula ugly by betraying him, he never deserved to go through so much. To fans’ delight, his character was finally redeemed in the final season as he successfully aided in the fall of Carmilla, got back at Lenore for her betrayal, and reconciled with Isaac.
8. Lenore
Lenore is the textbook example of why you shouldn’t be deceived by one’s looks. The most innocent looking face in Castlevania turned out to be the most untrustworthy, manipulative, and cold characters on the show. Aside from misleading, betraying, and literally enslaving Hector, she never quite fit well in the council of sisters as well. Even though she became a fan favourite, her entire character arc revolved around getting Hector to forge an army for Carmilla and served no other purpose. And when she failed at her only purpose in the final season, she committed suicide appreciating the beauty of sunrise that Hector always wanted to show her.
7. Lisa Tepes
Lisa may not have enjoyed as much screentime as other characters on this list, but it won’t be overstating it to say that she was the reason Castlevania exists. Her character was an instrumental one as her death kicked off the events of the series. The kind-hearted, passionate, and fearless doctor won the heart of the most fearsome being in Castlevania (Dracula), and her absence turned Dracula to a lonely and depressed being. Aside from showing Dracula the good in humanity, she also managed to imbibe passion and kindness in her son Alucard, who even after being Dracula’s son went against him for what was right.
6. Alucard
A stark fan favourite, Alucard was definitely one of the best and most powerful characters on Castlevania and you might be wondering why he didn’t land in our top 5. The reason is that after killing his father Dracula, he didn’t have much to do and spent most of his time lurking in his castle trying to fill the void left by Belnades and Belmont. He also proved to be easy to manipulate and the entire Taki and Sumi debacle hurt his character arc a lot. But every time he was with Belnades and Belmont, Alucard was at his absolute best and most badass, providing us many unforgettable and power-fuelled moments in Castlevania. In fact, if Castlevania lasted only 2 seasons, Alucard would have been in our top 3.
5. Carmilla
The Queen of Styna was one of the most ambitious and fearless characters in Castlevania. She never hesitated from standing against her foes and is probably the only character to have ever directly questioned Dracula in front of his entire court. She meant business from her very first appearance and her exploits throughout the series are endless. From betraying and going up against Dracula to enslaving Hector, she has quite a resume, but she was at her absolute best when she single handedly went up against Isaac and his army, before blowing herself up. It was in this moment that she earned the respect of the fans and became one of the best Castlevania characters.
4. Isaac
Isaac, unlike Hector, is a forgemaster with a mission, vision, and the most complex character arc in the entire series. His character growth made Castlevania an unforgettable experience, as through him, we all pondered on the concepts of morality, humanity, and redemption. Even though he created monsters and spent most of his time with them, he turned out to be the most redeemed and self-aware character in the series. That aside, he was one of the only few people to earn even Dracula’s respect! His undying loyalty made him Dracula’s confidant and Dracula chose to save Isaac instead of letting him die for him. If that ain’t enough, he also proved to be a really powerful character as he took down The Magician in season 3 and Carmilla in the final season.
3. Trevor Belmont
Coming from the dynasty of vampire hunters, the main protagonist of the series, Trevor Belmont has more exploits throughout these 4 seasons than one can count. Trevor Belmont turned out to be an all round character as he was the right mix of power, decency, wits, humor, honestly, and loyalty. Unlike Alucard, there was never a dull moment with Trevor on screen, as he always knew what he wanted and was a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will XD. His relationship dynamics with Belnades, Alucard, as well as his Morning Star whip made him a character to root for. As for his power and badassery, the guy literally defeated Death.
2. Sypha Belnades
Sypha Belnades is undoubtedly the most likeable character on Castlevania. You just can’t hate this innocent and pure soul who can also be the most badass person to fight alongside in a battle. Sypha’s character is a perfect blend of Lisa Tepes and Trevor Belmont’s characters and that is literally the best you can ask for. Her battle sequences were a sheer joy to watch and by the end of Castlevania she was one of the most powerful characters on the show. Her use of fire, ice, and lightening elements made up for some of the most creative and delightful action sequences ever made. Aside from that, she was also a people’s person as just like fans, even characters on the show couldn’t get themselves to dislike her.
Honorable Mention – The Captain
The Captain voiced by Lance Riddick only appeared for barely 15 minutes in the entire show but his impact on Isaac defined the future of Castlevania for the final seasons. He singlehandedly managed to show Isaac the good in humanity which needed to be preserved and changed the worldview of Isaac within the course of a short sail. O’ Captain, My Captain!
1. Vlad Dracula Tepes
Was there even a doubt about Dracula being on the top of the list? Vlad Dracula Tepes turned out to be not just Castlevania’s best character but also one of the best interpretation of Dracula in any media. After Hector, Dracula was the most complex character in the series with a fearsome gravitas and a looming presence throughout the first two seasons. The distraught and lonely King of Vampires went on to write “the biggest suicide note in the history”, not because he hated humanity but because he didn’t want to suffer in this cruel world alone anymore. His death left a huge hole in the series and the show was never fully able to let go of Dracula as other characters kept scheming to bring him back from the dead. Well, somehow to fans delight, Dracula managed to get a happy ending at the end of Castlevania season 4. Good for you Vlad!
And that concludes our list! Hope you enjoyed it. Castlevania: Nocturne is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 28, 2023 and you can read all about it here.
If you have any questions regarding Castlevania, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
