Castlevania fans got some bittersweet news this week when Netflix unveiled the long-awaited ten-episode fourth season of the show, which will arrive on the service on May 13th. The animated series is regarded as one of the best video game adaptations to date, expanding the narrative of the 1989 NES game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse and heading into a new arc about a quartet of female vampires seeking to dominate the entire world.
But with the announcement came some sadness, as Netflix also confirmed that the next batch of episodes will be the last, meaning the tale of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades is coming to an end. And here’s how it went down with fans…
https://twitter.com/jortiful/status/1383287257109389321?s=20
https://twitter.com/bitchryll/status/1383287219956240387?s=20
https://twitter.com/hellblzrs/status/1383191713418772488?s=20
hmmm a final season of castlevania? interesting. season 3 was so brutal with all those things happening to the main characters.
— •MM• (@onnanoXX) April 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/pearly_hates/status/1383166337996951557?s=20
Ahh Castlevania… it’ll be a heartbreak to see it go 🙁 Hopefully the final season rocks! But they have so many threads open after the last season… it’ll be a tough nut not to rush it all
Plus, maybe we’ll get Devil May Cry next… pretty please 🤩— XALIS 🎃 (@unanimous_alice) April 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/valyrianelves/status/1383171192626966528?s=20
aaand suddenly the next (and upsettingly final) season of Castlevania is less than a month away. Thats just neat! pic.twitter.com/BlW16cxxXb
— Grogu’s Godfather (@theabbsman) April 16, 2021
God fucking damn it Castlevania is cancelled after the next season. We never got motherfuckers Symphony of the Goddamn Night son of a BITCH…
— Magix-JENK (Org. XIII) (@GenkiJAM) April 17, 2021
NETFLIX CANCELLED CASTLEVANIA. pic.twitter.com/cIPKju5XJx
— brady @ REYNATIS stan account (@bradyonetta) April 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/hannah_vox/status/1383197878949011458
Wait Netflix cancelled Castlevania? What the actual fuck
— dacien (@canadacien) April 16, 2021
Final season? Why is it the final season? Castlevania has so much more story, I was hopping to see the following generations of Beaumont like Simon. Did it get cancelled?
— Deus Ex Machina 🤖 (@NamekianProphet) April 17, 2021
But there’s a hopeful twist, as Deadline is also reporting that though Castlevania is ending, the franchise is set to expand with “a new series set in the same Castlevania universe with an entirely new cast of characters.” This is very much in line with the games, too. As Dracula can never truly be killed, he tends to pop up throughout history, with a Belmont descendant usually jumping into action and whipping him back into hell. Immortal characters like Alucard should also stick around, so perhaps we could get that Symphony of the Night adaptation that everyone’s been craving for so long.
If Netflix is indeed looking to the games for the inspiration, they have a lot of material to work with. Obvious starting points are Trevor’s descendent Simon Belmont (arguably the most famous hero in the series), the possessed Richter Belmont, and even the story of Soma Cruz, which takes place in the mid-2030s.
I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that the next animated Castlevania is Symphony of the Night (potentially kicking off with a Rondo of Blood retelling). But enough talk for now, as we still have one more instalment of Trevor, Sypha and Alucard’s adventures to enjoy.