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PSA: Castlevania Nocturne is basically one giant nazi dogwhistle. Here's why and what to do about it.

Netflix recently released a trailer and some information on Castlevania Nocturne, and with it has come a lot of hype and excitement online. While I can understand why, there’s a huge stain on it all that I haven’t really seen anyone talk about outside of certain circles: rampant, undeniable, inseparable-from-the-plot, clearly intentional antisemitism. And in all fairness this isn’t something that’s immediately clear from just the trailer, so that’s why I’m making this post: To inform people who likely just aren’t aware. 

I ask that if possible, please don’t just tick off a box on a list of shows that are “problematic” and keep scrolling. Please read this post carefully, so you can understand what exactly the problems are and why they’re a problem. 

(As a small disclaimer, I’m not Jewish myself. I’m writing this post in support of and with some guidance from concerned Jewish Castlevania fans, who frankly have better things to do with their lives than stress themselves out trying to explain why antisemitism is bad for the billionth time.)

Now, many folks who are familiar with vampire literature already know that vampire media has an unfortunate history with antisemitism. This isn’t to say that all vampire media is inherently nazi stuff; Rather that without a certain awareness and care, it’s very easy for the writing to accidentally fall into antisemitic tropes. (Castlevania as a franchise isn’t exempt from this either- looking at you, Portrait of Ruin.) If YouTube is your speed, Kaz Rowe has an excellent video on this and some other issues with vampire history:

I also recommend the following two articles, which I’ll be referring to later on. 

Museum of the Jewish People

The Myth of the Vampire Jew and Blood Libels - Museum of the Jewish People

“For hours the black-haired Jew boy, diabolic joy in his face, waits in ambush for the unsuspecting girl whom he defiles with his blood and

Bookish Brews

Vampire Books: Deconstructing the Antisemitic History of Vampires With Deke Moulton – Bookish Brews

Deke Moulton and Amanda chat about vampire books and how we can deconstruct the antisemitic history of vampires.

The antisemitism present in Nocturne, however, seems to go beyond mere unfortunate ignorance. It is my strong believe that the antisemitism in Castlevania Nocturne is deliberate, fully aware, and written with intent to harm. So let’s talk about why and where I’m getting this information from.

The Plot, as Described by Netflix Themselves

On July 27th, Netflix released an article titled “‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ - Your First Look at the New Series”. This article goes into fairly extensive detail on the plot of the show’s first season. You can read it here:

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/castlevania-nocturne-news-release-date 

Within the first two paragraphs, we have our first extremely loud alarm bell. The article proclaims, “As the peasant class rises up against the aristocracy, an even darker threat emerges: a cabal of powerful vampires intent on taking over the world and blotting out the sun forever.” The concept of a vampire shadow government connected to the aristocracy already mirrors the antisemitic trope of secret ultra-rich Jews (often euphemistically referred to as “elites”) controlling the world, but when looking at the specific use of the word “cabal”, it becomes incredibly clear that the parallels here are not just an accident. “Cabal” is not a word ordinary people use casually. To quote the previously linked article “Vampire Books: Deconstructing the Antisemitic History of Vampires With Deke Moulton”:

There is also a common trope of vampires operating through a secret, worldwide council that often governs ‘vampire affairs’ but also may dabble in controlling other aspects of the world’s governments. While some people can see a similarity to the Catholic Church, often times this calls upon the antisemitic trope of the ‘cabal’—that Jews secretly run the entire world (which is another strange antisemitic trope, as Judaism doesn’t have any central religious figure like the Pope). The word ‘cabal’ itself is a bastardization of the word kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism. If you combine this with a trope of vampires hoarding large amounts of money (especially gold?), you’re using yet another antisemitic trope that says Jewish people control the world’s banks.

Let’s continue reading the Nocturne summary. The next paragraph claims, “By the time rumors spread of a “vampire messiah” who must be stopped at all costs, the stakes in the Castlevania universe have never been higher.” The mention of a “Messiah” is another overt parallel, as Jewish tradition holds that a Messiah will one day arrive to restore the temples and bring about an era of peace (no, “Judeo-Christian” Kevin, it’s not fucking Jesus so shut up). 

By the way, this is not the first example of parallels between Jewish people and vampires in Netflixvania. In season 2, episode 3, Alucard says of the Belmont hold, “It's like a museum dedicated to the extermination of my people.” This could be an innocent enough line on its own, poorly thought out but not necessarily malicious… But when combined with the themes of Nocturne, it paints a darker picture.

Continuing on, the Netflix article describes the character of Annette as having “used her power and wits to escape vampire-enforced enslavement in the Caribbean”. (This does raise the question of why almost every single person of color in Netflixvania is or at some point was a slave, but that’s a topic for another day.) This, again, parallels the antisemitic idea that Jewish people were behind the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here’s an article from My Jewish Learning:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-and-the-african-slave-trade/

The article not only explains why this is a myth, but further points out that popular proponents of it include David Duke, former KKK grand wizard. In addition, this idea detracts from the reality that the slave trade was primarily orchestrated by and to the benefit of white Europeans and Americans.

So, just as a quick refresher, so far we have:

The aristocracy being controlled by a secret ring of vampires, with the specific word “cabal” being used as a descriptor, paralleling the “Jews control the world” antisemtic myth and pitting a cast of largely white, seemingly entirely non-Jewish protagonists in opposition to this group as the heroes

The specific use of the word “Messiah” calling to mind Jewish beliefs, and being presented as an ultimate evil which must be stopped at all costs

The Caribbean slave trade being run by vampires, paralleling a recently popular antisemitic myth that vampires controlled the trans-Atlantic slave trade

And that’s just what we know from an introductory summary. I do think it’s also possibly worth noting that the trailer puts a lot of visual focus on Richter’s blue eyes.

But Does This Make Them Nazis?

First of all, I will refer you to the old adage: “If it walks like a nazi and talks like a nazi, it’s a nazi.”

Secondly, the fact of the matter is, naziism is often subtle on purpose, and operates on a careful safety net of plausible deniability. While there are certainly those who wear their awful beliefs loud and proud, the vast majority of nazis are not going to shake your hand and say “Nice to meet you, I’m a nazi,” and they’re not going to put “he/him | 34 | nazi” in their Twitter bio. Instead, they’re going to put on their best nice guy impression, wrap their beliefs up in a cute little package of metaphor and ambiguity, and when you say “Hey, this seems antisemitic” they’ll hit you with “It’s not that deep!” and “Oh, it’s just a coincidence!” and “Why do you have to ruin everything by making it about race?”. That’s the entire point of a dogwhistle: to slide insidious beliefs in under the radar. You can’t just leave it at “well, he says he’s not a nazi” and let that be the end of it.

So while, no, I don’t have definitive proof that the writers are card-carrying nazis, the point is: Does it matter? Their work is still doing harm, still perpetuating extremely dangerous and cruel ideas. If I stab someone multiple times and then go “Oopsie!”, then I’ve still stabbed them, and they’re still probably going to tell their friends “Hey don’t hang out with that lady, she stabbed me like five times”. You get what I’m saying?

By the way, in my research for this post, I found a review for the first three seasons written by a Jewish woman, at Scoop’s Animation Corner:

https://scoopsanimationcorner.com/2020/08/17/netflixs-castlevania-is-a-near-masterpiece/

In this review, she points out how odd it is that Netflixvania includes characters from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds, there’s a conspicuous lack of any acknowledgement of Jewish people or Judaism whatsoever. When put together with the previously discussed issues of antisemitism… I mean, “the writers don’t hate Jewish people! They just refuse to acknowledge that they exist at all!” isn’t exactly a glowing defense.

Well That’s All Pretty Fucked Up. What Can I Do About It?

Unfortunately, what’s in the show is… In the show. We, as an audience, can’t exactly retroactively rewrite it. (And no, before you ask: writing fanfiction that pretends the problems don’t exist is not helpful.) However, if you want to avoid perpetuating the harm caused by the show, here are my suggestions:

Boycott the show. Completely. Don’t watch it on Netflix, don’t post on social media about how excited for it you are, don’t buy merchandise (official or fanmade), don’t eagerly pirate it and liveblog all about it. Let it die a brutal death.

Raise awareness. Talk about these issues online and in real life, and be relentless about it. Someone you know is excited for Nocturne? Let them know about its antisemitism problem. Unfollow and block people who continue to support the show once they’ve been informed of its issues. Bring up its problems continually on social media until it’s all anyone hears about it.

Educate yourself. Research antisemitic dogwhistles and the history of vampires and antisemitism, so you can learn what to watch out for and how to avoid it in your own writing and art.

Consider donating to Jewish charities or mutual aid funds for Jewish individuals.

Finally, if you’re interested in characters like Richter Belmont, Maria Renard, and Alucard, consider checking out the Castlevania games. The Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night duology details Richter’s initial rise to glory, his downfall beneath the pressure of destiny and generational trauma, and Maria and Alucard’s efforts to save him. They’re really thought-provoking stories packaged with fun gameplay, absolutely gorgeous graphics, and equally amazing soundtracks. Give them a try! 

Thank you for reading. Stay aware, listen to marginalized voices, use your critical thinking, and remember to support your Jewish friends and neighbors. Don’t let antisemitism in media slide just because it also has some hot guys or whatever.

Vincent van Gogh. Prisoners Exercising, 1890.

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