Castlevania Season 3 Recap And Review: The Anime Series Shows No Signs Of Slowing

A Castlevania season 3 recap is sorely needed after a jam-packed season. It’s quite possibly one the best seasons for the series thus far. Season 3 brings new characters, new stories and grows the world so much further than its initial concept. Castlevania is one of those rare shows that gets better and better each season. In addition to two already-great seasons before it. This third season finale leaves us wanting more and sets up stories for many more seasons to come. Hopefully. 

Spoilers Ahead for Castlevania Seasons 1 And 2

Image via Netflix.

In my Castlevania seasons 1 & 2 recaps, I break down why the original Netflix anime is so brilliant. Creator Warren Ellis adapts the video game sensation into one of the best stories I’ve seen, anime or otherwise. Castlevania season 1 focuses on the legendary Dracula himself. And how his human wife taught him to engage with the real world and relate to the human condition. Only for humans in the church to mistake her medicinal healing for Devil magic, and murder her.

Learning of his wife’s murder, Dracula vows revenge on the entire human race. He unleashes monsters to exterminate the Earth. Until there unlikely heroes stop him. Trevor Belmont is a former monster hunter with an impressive family history. Sypha is a priest-sorceress, tasked with knowledge about magic and a strict moral code. And Dracula’s own half-human son, Alucard. Casltlevania Season 2 expands the story even further. With his monsters plaguing the Earth, Dracula calls his War Court into session. He also takes into confidence the only humans among his generals, Hector and Isaac. Through Hector’s help, another vampire named Carmilla attempts to overthrow Dracula. Dracula saves Isaac, just before his defeat comes at the hands of the three heroes. 

Season 2 ends as Trevor and Sypha, newly in love, go off on their own adventures. Meanwhile, Alucard protects his father’s now empty castle. As well as the Belmont hold of monster-hunting knowledge underneath it. Hector is a prisoner of  Carmilla’s. And Isaac is on the other side of the world, looking to return while building his own monster army. 

Castlevania Season 3 Recap Begins Right After Season 2’s Ending

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So, our Castlevania season 3 recap begins a month after the season 2 ending. Alucard (James Callis) is all alone in his castle, seemingly going mad in isolation. His loneliness even forced him to make Trevor and Sypha dolls to keep him company. He even has fictional conversations with them, imitating their voices. It’s funny while tragic at the same time. 

On the other hand, Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Trevor (Richard Armitage) are off adventuring. Mostly cleaning up all Dracula’s night monsters that are roaming the country. They are also deeply in love, through their shared passion of monster killing. Hector (Theo James) is in the bowels of Carmila’s castle as a prisoner. She keeps him because she has plans for the Forgemaster. And his ability to make monsters out of the dead. The other Forgemaster, Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack), is trying to get back to Hector. Similar to Dracula, he wants to exact his own revenge for his master’s betrayal. Castlevania season 3 is mostly about the separate adventures of these characters. Along with the adventures of some new characters. 

The Separate Stories Of Everyone In Castlevania Season 3

Season 3 of Castlevania is more independent of its previous two seasons. Seasons 1 and 2 focused on a cohesive story that led to all the characters coming together in the third act. Season 3, however, is more about the separate adventures of these characters. Some stories connect, while others don’t. The individual stories do expand on the world of Castlevania. Their separate stories take them very far away from one another. Making their eventual reunion feel that much more amazing when it happens.

Note: From this point on, there will be severe spoilers in this Castlevania Season 3 recap and review. Check out the Season 3 trailer prior to watching the new season. 

Alucard’s Loneliness Puts Him On A Dark Path

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Alone in his castle, Alucard now has a mundane and boring existence. He goes about his day trying to figure out what to do with his life. But his routine is interrupted when two mysterious siblings arrive. Coming from far away, the siblings claim to be former human slaves of Cho, one of Dracula’s war generals. After Cho left for Dracula’s war court in season 2, the siblings escaped and freed the other slaves. 

Hearing about Dracula’s defeat at the hands of Alucard, they’ve come to learn from him. To fight vampires and protect their country. It’s the seemingly perfect solution to Alucard’s loneliness. Two young fighters to teach and impart his legacy to. But, the siblings are impatient. They end up resenting Alucard for not teaching them everything right away. They attempt to murder him, only for him to get the upper hand and kill them instead. 

Alucard’s story in season 3 of Castlevania is heartbreakingly tragic. The season starts with him as a shell of the man he used to be. The guilt of killing his father eating away at him. With the siblings’ arrival, he found purpose and meaning again. He took them in with an open heart, only for them to betray him. The end of Season 3 sees Alucard hardened and angry. He ends up displaying the siblings’ corpses on pikes in front of the castle. He does this as a warning to others, apparently following in his father’s footsteps. As a result, he almost mirrors Dracula by the end. Does Alucard become the next villain of Castlevania? Certainly, it wouldn’t be the first time a hero has turned villainous due to circumstances of loneliness and betrayal. 

Sypha And Trevor’s Cheerful Love Story And Violent Adventures

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Sypha and Trevor’s story in Castlevania season 3 is the most fun. The two are very much in love, and it’s a relief for that to be openly acknowledged. Especially after the ambiguity of their season 2 ending. The season opens with the two monster hunting. Shortly afterwards, they arrive in a town where mysterious things are happening. They meet Saint Germain (Bill Nighy). Who is a magician attempting to find his loved one through an Infinite Corridor. A former church priory is worshipping one of Dracula’s night monsters. And, unknowingly doing its bidding. The church’s followers are part of an attempt to bring Dracula back from Hell, using the same Corridor. 

Together, the three-stop their evil plan. Their story is the best and most interesting. It features monsters, constant action and a small-town conspiracy. Not to mention teasing the return of Dracula himself. It’s also a delight to see Sypha and Trevor find happiness in each other. Especially given their weary fighting, uncompromising ideals and past sacrifices. The fact that season 3 never uses their relationship for conflict is a refreshing change. They’re a couple fighting monsters whose relationship never causes problems. Which is a wonderful change of pace from other stories that dither about with breaking up or keeping apart obvious love interests. 

Will Saint Germain Be Responsible For Pushing Castlevania Into Many New Seasons? 

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Saint Germain is the newest character introduced in Castlevania season 3. Germain is a well-spoken magician, who has his own reasons for being in the town. He is looking for a loved one whom he lost in the Infinite Corridor. Helping Trevor and Sypha, he finds her then closes the Corridor behind him. But, his story does not seem to be over. Before the rescue, Germain had a vision. One that raises a lot of questions about the future of Castlevania. During a magic-induced nightmare, Germain sees himself falling through the Infinite Corridor. As each gateway in the corridor closes, we witness the other realities within. Each is more interesting than the last. In one reality, there is a CGI animated Mech-droid walking towards him. Another saw characters with capes and colorful outfits running in a giant pyramid. While another reality had a futurist spaceship flying away. 

These sequences were essentially visuals from different iterations of the Castlevania video game franchise. And it’s evolution throughout the decades. With years of gaming stories, Germain’s vision brings a few of them together. Possibly teasing future appearances in other seasons. Or, this was just an Easter Egg done for the hell of it. How it factors into everything else is still unknown. 

Hector Experiences Vampire Culture

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Hector’s story in Castlevania season 3 is one of suffering. Through Hector we actually witness Carmila’s story, and that of the larger Vampire culture of Casltevania. We get to see the 4 Vampire sisters of Styria. Carmila (Jaime Murray) is the leader with her “schemes.” Morana (Yasmine Al Massri) is the administrator, and her lover Striga (Ivana Milicevic) the warrior. Lastly, there is Lenore (Jessica Brown Findlay), the diplomat. Carmila unveils plans of expanding their kingdom into an Empire. But she’ll need Hector’s Forgemastery to raise monsters from the dead. Since they’ll only be loyal to him, they can’t force him to do so. He needs convincing. Enter Lenore. 

Through slow talks and niceties, Lenore earns Hector’s trust. She then tricks him into sex, during which she binds his loyalty to hers using a ring made with Vampire magic. Hector was always the meeker of the two Forgemasters. But Castlevania season 3 drives it home. He gets chummy with one of his captors, in a great example of Stockholm syndrome. And then ends up getting become manipulated. Yet again. It’s a great story about victimhood and trust. Hector has been the victim of manipulation and betrayal many times. Yet still maintains his innocence. So far. Maybe the next season will see a colder and more vengeful Hector?

Isaac’s Identity Crisis

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On the other hand, Isaac is already on a more aggressively vengeful journey of his own. Realizing Hector betrayed him and Dracula, Isaac is on his way to Styria. Meanwhile, he amasses an army of night creatures on his way, as he meets various others on his journey. From old merchants to sailors and even a decrepit magician. Each provides Isaac with questions of who he is, and why he’s allowing Dracula’s defeat to define him. Castlevania season 3 ends with Isaac taking down a magician who was controlling a city. As a result, he now controls all those bodies in his army, as he embarks to find Hector. 

The Castlevania Season 3 Recap Is Dense, But The Series Leave Us Wanting More

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The biggest takeaway from Castlevania Season 3 is how it makes us want more. Despite providing a satisfying story. Season 3 introduced concepts that could be more awe-inspiring in future seasons. We learned Dracula is together with his wife in Hell. As a result, that a doorway to Hell is possible in the first place, allowing for Dracula’s return. The Infinite Corridor is a narrative device that opens many storytelling possibilities. Alucard’s journey seemingly only begins as his tragedy makes him darker. On the other hand, could Isaac’s significance in the story ever allow him to join the good side? Will their violent adventures ever impact Trevor and Sypha’s blissful relationship? Despite Castlevania season 3 just ending, I cannot wait for these stories to continue. It’s one of the best TV series on television right now, and I’m not even including the qualifier of it being an anime. 

Castlevania Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. 

What was your favorite moment of Castlevania’s third season? Let us know on our social media handles. 

Castlevania Season 3 Recap And Review: The Anime Series Shows No Signs Of Slowing
Shah Shahid