On Friday, Netflix announced that the fourth season of Castlevania, premiering May 13, will be the animated series’ last. Deadline referred to the Konami video game adaption as “a key series in the evolution of Netflix’s original programming,” considering that it was the streamer’s first anime. With the popularity and critical acclaim Castlevania earned over its run on Netflix, it’s not all too surprising that the streamer announced plans to explore possible spin-offs in the same breath that they announced the flagship series’ end.

This is where it all started. The final season of Castlevania arrives May 13. pic.twitter.com/sLqWjJxjoA

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 16, 2021

The monster hunting animated series tackles the quest of killing Dracula, a goal the series’ protagonists actually achieve after the show’s second season. While that could have spelled the end for the series early on, Entertainment Weekly reports that “Castlevania bounced back in season 3 with its most exciting season yet.” The demise of Dracula “created an incredible power vacuum with all kinds of characters struggling for power,” a struggle that looks to culminate in Castlevania’s fourth-and-final season, via Entertainment Weekly.

When the series ends, fans may have more monstrous antics to look forward to from the Castlevania universe at Netflix in the future. Gizmodo asserts that Netflix’s exploration into spin-offs of the supernatural series is “a move that makes sense” considering that “the Castlevania games’ vast lore spans generation after generation of characters.” While a potential spin-off could go many directions, it still exists in development limbo at Netflix for the time being.

 

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Netflix’s news comes at an interesting time as Friday marked the season 5 premiere of SyFy series Van Helsing, a series which follows a descendant of famed Dracula-hunter Abraham Van Helsing. Much like Caslevania, this series builds on the fiction of Dracula and follows bloodlines with important destinies. As of Friday, the final stake has been put into both series, which will be ending with their current seasons.

For Castlevania fans, the ten-episode final season of the series will drop on Netflix on May 13, with the streamer hopefully bringing news of more Castlevania content down-the-line.