Netflix’s anime adaptation of the famed video game series Castlevania is finally getting a fourth season, with its official release slated for May 13. The announcement followed an explosive trailer for the final season that teases many exciting moments as well as the return of an old foe.
As Season 4 will be arriving more than a year after Season 3's conclusion, here’s a recap of where Alucard, Trevor, Sypha and all the rest of your favorite Castlevania characters left off.
Alucard
After Alucard defeats his father Dracula with Trevor and Sypha's help, he agrees to serve as the guardian of Dracula's castle. With the stronghold now permanently situated atop Belmont Keep, the combined resources of both dynasties are a treasure trove of information. And who better to protect it from the elements and looters than the half-human son of Dracula?
However, spending his days in the castle alone takes a toll on Alucard. Desperate for company, he ends up taking in two students: Sumi and Taka. He instructs them in the ways of vampire hunting and the trio lives in harmony for a while. That peace is broken, however, when Sumi and Taka begin to suspect Alucard of keeping secrets from them. They try to murder him, and Alucard is forced to kill them in self-defense.
In his last appearance, Alucard stakes their corpses at the entrance to Dracula’s castle. It’s a warning -- inspired by his father -- for other travelers to stay away. Alucard seems resolved to this new life of loneliness and it’s unclear how well-received Trevor and Sypha will be when they finally meet him again.
Trevor and Sypha
Throughout Season 3, Trevor and Sypha attempt to thwart a cult at the village of Lindenfeld that's hell-bent on bringing Dracula back to life. The two heroes come face to face with Hell demons more terrifying and powerful than any Night Creature they’ve faced so far, but they prove up to the task.
Trevor’s combat skills are top-notch, as usual, even dual-wielding his trademark whips at one point. Sypha’s magical ability shines in that final battle as well. She’s polished her skills to reach a point where they can be applied in different ways during combat. By now, both are more powerful than they’ve ever been.
Though they manage to defeat the enemy, the circumstances of their victory and the town’s dark secrets leave them in a despondent mood at the end of Season 3. They leave Lindenfeld and continue their nomadic travels.
Hector and Lenore
Hector’s treatment at Styria was less stellar. Carmilla had hoped his terrible living conditions would break his spirit but it actually has the opposite effect. Hector stands firm in his decision not to use necromancy to create an army for her -- until Lenore shows up.
Lenore’s kind gestures and sweet words lower Hector's defenses around her, but that's a mistake. She succeeds in seducing him and places a cursed ring on his finger that binds him to her. The ring was made so every Night Creature Hector created will be loyal to Lenore and her sisters, effectively destroying any leverage he once had over Carmilla.
Lenore doesn't return Hector to his cell after enslaving him. Instead, she promises him the most comfortable living spaces. Her decision implies that she does care for Hector in some way, but more like a pet than a complete individual.
Isaac
When Trevor, Sypha and Alucard storm Dracula’s castle to kill him, the vampire king teleports Isaac to a desert for his protection. The forgemaster blamed Dracula’s demise on the vampires in his court who betrayed him. He swears revenge on Carmilla and sets off for Styria, gathering a growing squad of Night Creatures as he travels.
But Isaac’s forces aren't nearly enough to challenge Carmilla, and Styria is quite a distance from where Dracula transported him. As if by providence, he hears of a rogue magician who possesses a transmission mirror capable of teleporting large numbers of people. The magician had also enslaved several villages of people to build a city for himself. Isaac challenges him to an intense battle, defeating him but proving unable to save the villagers’ lives. Never one to waste, however, Isaac decides to turn them into Night Creatures for his army.
Now with a formidable army and the means to transport them to Styria or anywhere else immediately, Isaac is poised to become one of the most important players of Castlevania Season 4.
Dracula
Vlad Dracula Tepes was undoubtedly the most terrifying character in Castlevania until his death. However, when the cult at Lindenfeld succeeds in opening the Infinite Corridor in their attempt to revive him, it's revealed that Dracula is alive and well in Hell with his wife, Lisa.
Lisa’s death had pushed Dracula to plot humanity's genocide, so he’s decidedly pleased to be reunited with her at last. It’s unclear whether Dracula has any plans of returning to Earth but if he does, we might see a very different version of the character. His and Lisa's potential resurrection would make his primary motivation moot, and he might just return to his life as a recluse.
But even if Dracula chooses not to harm humans anymore, his mere presence is sure to ruffle a few feathers. All of Alucard, Isaac and Carmilla's plans are sure to change should he be revived.
Carmilla
Ever the schemer, Carmilla was the brain behind the vampires’ plot to overthrow Dracula. As soon as the vampire king was dead, she kidnapped General Hector and hatched a plan to take control of Dracula’s large domain.
Unlike most vampires, Carmilla does not even respect humans as sentient beings or creatures of intelligence. To her, they are more like cattle and she intends to treat them as such during her reign. Her plan is to kill about half of all humans and keep the rest as livestock in gigantic pens the size of villages. She hadn’t implemented her ideas sooner only because her sisters Morana, Striga and Lenore were yet to make it work.
By Season 3's end, all the plan’s obstacles have been removed. Morana and Striga have worked out all the administrative problems. Lenore, not to be outdone, secures them a constant stream of loyal Night Creatures by duping Hector. With Carmilla leading the way, the Council of Sisters will certainly have a large part to play in Castlevania Season 4.
