Castlevania is one of the rarest game-to-anime adaptations to have achieved success, and for good reason. From the storytelling to the animation and even the characters are all well-executed in the series. The story also uses different literary devices that make the plot even more intriguing.
There are an infinite number of ways to make a story good, and Castlevania has used some literary devices to develop its plot. So, let’s take a look at five storytelling tropes that helped Castlevania receive fame and popularity.
The found family trope
The Found Family is a literary trope in which a group of characters, unrelated by blood, find themselves in a family-like bond. This trope is best recreated by Alucard, Trevor and Sypha, the three main characters of the Castlevania anime. Alucard is an immortal vampire, yet he pairs up with two vampire hunters to reach his goal.
Despite having some conflicts in the beginning, the trio slowly understand each other. Alucard and Trevor learn to keep their differences aside to have an almost brotherly partnership, while Sypha ensures that they have a strong bond.
A larger-than-life threat
A larger-than-life threat works as a unifying factor for the characters in a story to act against. The bigger the threat, the more tension is built for the audience. In Castlevania, Dracula promises to wipe off the existence of humans, a threat that encapsulates a huge area.
Had Dracula or Carmilla targeted a specific region or a small portion of humanity, the stakes would not have been as high as they are in the series. But by portraying how cruel and torturous they can get, and with the clock ticking away, fans are able to feel the tension of the protagonists.
Chekov’s Gunman theory in action
According to Chekov’s Gunman theory, one must never introduce an element in a story if it isn’t going to be utilized later. Any prop or plot element introduced in a story should have its own relevance, or it should be left out.
Many fans think that Dracula’s promise at the beginning of Castlevania was unnecessary. However, that is not true at all. Had Dracula not given humans the time to reflect on their wrongdoings, the severity of the situation would have never been portrayed properly. Additionally, Dracula’s first demonstration of power left a lasting impact and showed why it was necessary to stop him.
A beautiful orange and blue contrast
The contrasting colors of orange and blue are used in posters to denote the emotional impact on the audience from a story that is both exhilarating and refreshing. In Castlevania, Trevor is the fiery orange, while Sypha is the refreshing and calm blue. Alucard, on the other hand, is a mix of orange and blue. He is both a calm and collected vampire as well as a dreadful warrior in battle.
Archetypical characters
The characters in Castlevania start out their journeys as certain archetypes, then evolve out of them as the story progresses. Alucard is supposed to be the cold and unfeeling vampire; however, he empathizes with humans, being half-human himself. Dracula, the big bad menace, is out to avenge his human wife, who he loved more than life itself. Similarly, other characters in the series also slowly develop outside of what they had been introduced as.
Castlevania anime is currently streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
