Castlevania is one of the best animated shows on Netflix. The Netflix original may not qualify as a legitimate anime series in the eyes of anime stans, but the show has blessed viewers with some beautiful animation and character designs. When the show originally aired on Netflix with only four episodes, fans were so captivated that the series was immediately renewed for a lengthier second season.
Netflix put out the show's third season earlier this year and has already announced a fourth. The third season expanded on the story of Alucard, Sypha Belnades, and Trevor Belmont while introducing new characters that fans were quick to embrace. In either case, the designs of the characters are stellar and season 3 saw the show's artists and character designers at the top of their game.
10 Alucard
Alucard has and always will be one of the best character designs ever put on screen. Even before Castlevania made it to Netflix as an anime, when you could count the pixels that made up his character model in game, the half-human, half-vampire was still beautiful.
Alucard's beauty is as attractive as it is frightening, befitting of his vampire lineage. His beauty cannot be denied, but viewers conscious of the destructive nature of beauty standards may find his character design to be unsettling. Rarely do character designs work in tandem with a character's personality, morality, and backstory as well as Alucard's does.
9 Saint Germain
St. Germain proves throughout season 3 of Castlevania that he has a penchant for eccentricity. His flattering language and sense of fashion help him stand out from the other human characters that surround him.
His language, knowledge, and garb are all designed to draw attention, but they may actually be a simple parlor trick intended to hide St. Germain's true intentions. While viewers and characters are captivated by this character's stories of past adventures, colorful clothing, and knowledge of ancient symbols, St. Germain is already plotting his next adventure in time.
8 Trevor Belmont
After two seasons of watching Trevor Belmont hide from his family name, viewers are treated to a third season of Castlevania where Trevor is more than willing to toss his overcoat to the side and reveal his family crest to the world.
The Belmont crest is not particularly stunning or captivating when compared to other crests, but in a world as destitute as this, it is nice to see a hero that is well equipped for survival. Fans of the series know they are in for a treat whenever Trevor's character design shifts from overcoat to overprepared.
7 Carmilla
After Dracula met the end of his son's sword in Season 2 of Castlevania, the show was in dire need of a new vampire antagonist. Instead of using Season 3 to retrace the steps of prior seasons with a new vampire enemy though, Sala steps in as the main antagonist, leaving Carmilla and her sisters to start plotting the conflict that will haunt Belnades and Belmont in future seasons.
Carmilla's character design seems to match the description of the vampires of legend even better than Dracula's. Her pale skin and silver hair are all complimented perfectly by the red and gold accents she fashions herself with. Viewers will not easily forget Carmilla thanks to her incredible character design.
6 Lenore
Lenore may be the most beautiful character design ever introduced in Netflix's Castlevania. In three seasons, no vampire has appealed to viewers quite as much as the diplomat of the council of sisters.
Lenore's small stature and rosy cheeks make her appear more like a vampire cosplaying as a human than a true vampire. It is clear that Lenore respects humanity's definition of beauty, and adapts her appearance to match this definition. As the diplomat of the council of sisters, Lenore knows better than anyone that to receive respect and kindness from others, you first have to offer it up yourself.
5 Morana
Morana sits as the resident strategist and economist on the council of sisters. This is not the only thing that separates Morana from her sister either. While all three of her sisters are portrayed as the traditionally pale vampires of legend, Morana is proof that vampires can come in all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities.
On top of this distinction, Morana is always very well dressed in vibrant and colorful clothing. The fortune she must have spent to dye her wardrobe is proof of her skill as an economist and one of the main reasons she makes this list of best character designs.
4 Striga
Though all four members of the council of sisters are incredibly well animated, Striga stands above the quartet. Literally. Striga towers over her three sisters, perhaps the largest character in the series that isn't a hulking beast of some kind.
Her height is not the only part of her character design that stands out though. Striga is designed to look like the council's military leader. When first introduced she dons armor that distinguishes her from her well dressed sisters. Considering the base power of the vampire species, fans are surely curious what a vampire as physically intimidating as Striga is capable of.
3 Prior Sala
Prior Sala's character design is not beautiful. In fact it is not even enjoyable to look at. The drab grey cloak that hides his entire body is matched by a drab beard that hides his face. The only part of his outfit that stands out is the green patch marked with the alchemical sign for the devil.
What truly distinguishes Prior Sala from his followers are the large blue eyes that rest in the middle of his face. As soon as viewers were introduced to Sala, it was clear that the Prior had seen some version of hell and lived to tell the tale. After that, Sala's drab character design will give viewers the creeps until the final episode of season 3.
2 Taka
This vampire hunter from Japan will win fans over with his character design before he even opens his mouth in season 3 of Castlevania. His connection to the country that invented the art of anime and his mane of curly black hair is enough to lure viewers into the hunter's circle of trust.
His affinity with a bow also adds to the character's coolness factor. This vampire hunter is a beautifully designed character that will have viewers hitting the rewind button any time he lets his curly locks fall over his freckled face.
1 Sumi
Even though Sumi and Taka's character designs are so similar that they share the same slashed eyebrows, fans can recognize Sumi by the headband that holds back her straight black hair.
In a show that borrows from the Japanese anime art style, it is a shame that there are not more characters that hail from Japan. It is especially a shame when considering how beautiful the character designs for both Taka and Sumi are. The humans that roam the world of Castlevania are usually dressed in little more than rags, allowing both of these character designs to pop off the screen.