Earlier this month, we got our first look at the new Netflix Castlevania series entitled, Castlevania: Nocturne. There is no better time than now, therefore, to discuss the previous Castlevania series and fabulous portrayals of its female characters, from Sypha to Lisa to Carmilla. In this post, we will take a look at these three female characters who played important roles in the development of the story.
Quick background: The Netflix animated series is based upon the Japanese video game of the same name produced by Konami studios. This dark fantasy series follows the story of Alucard, Trevor Belmont, and Sypha Belnades as they try to vanquish the evil that was unleashed in the wake of Dracula's grief and eventual death.
Lisa Tepes.
Wife of Dracula and frankly, the love of his life, Lisa's death is the catalyst that sets off Dracula's rage and thirst for vengeance. Lisa could be considered the epitome of femineity, being a wife and mother, and the strength of her character is admirable. While there is a bit of a cliche in her story as the one to have "tamed the beast" that is Dracula, she does it while being firm, strong, and having independent convictions. There is much to be admired in the thought that the writers of the show put into her character. She is not a simpering or weak female who uses only her looks to woo Dracula. In fact, Dracula falls in love with her genius mind as much as her goodness and beauty, if not more so.
Sypha Belnades.
Sypha is one of the lead characters in the show. She is a sorceress who has control over the elements and fought alongside Trevor and Alucard against many monsters, often saving the day with her magic. Sypha is another strong female character. She does not cower in the face of confrontation or fights, be it against demons, humans, or even her teammates. At the beginning of their partnership, Sypha was the glue that held the team together, often telling Alucard and Trevor to stop behaving like children when they had disagreements. Apart from her powers, Sypha is also quite accomplished in languages, often able to translate texts and figure out the importance of certain artifacts. She eventually becomes a wife and mother like Lisa, upholding the imagery of femineity.
Carmilla of Styria.
Unlike Sypha who is a protagonist and Lisa who was kindhearted and good, Carmilla is one of the villains of this story. She is the vampire queen of Styria and a force to behold. Unlike many of the other vampires in the story, Carmilla never particularly feared or cowered in the presence of Dracula. She spent most of her time in Dracula's castle plotting against him and striving to gain control of the whole of Wallachia. Carmilla is power-hungry and smart enough to go after the power that she craves. Being the second major antagonist of the Castlevania series portrays the extent of her sway and cunning. She uses all the resources available to her (and stole some that were not), to gain influence and power. While she is backed by other vampires she refers to as sisters, Carmilla was often the brain behind many of their machinations.
Finally, if you are a fan of dark fantasies and have not seen this series, it is available to stream on Netflix. The series comes highly rated and will surely be worth the time spent watching it. Also, be careful to pay attention to parental guidelines as this series contains a lot of violence, gore, and foul language.
All images are gotten from fandom.com