Maria

Maria Renard (マリア･ラーネッド, Maria Rāneddo) is a character and protagonist of the Netflix original animated series, Castlevania: Nocturne. Originally from Machecoul, France, Maria is the revolutionary daughter of Speaker Tera, who fights for justice and equality in her country during the French Revolution of 1792. Her journey will lead her to learn more about her past and join the battle against the "Vampire Messiah," Countess Erzsebet Báthory.

Background Maria was born in the French commune of Machecoul, the daughter of Tera, who spoke Russian, and the town's abbot, Emmanuel. Believing her father to be dead, Maria grew up alone with her mother in a small cottage in the hills above Machecoul. At the age of seven, her mother adopted the son of her friend, Richter, and he and Maria formed a close, sisterly bond.

Season 1 During the French Revolution, Maria became a revolutionary who confronted the Church and the wealthy, among whom vampires hid within high society. Maria was the leader of the revolutionaries of Machecoul. She held a meeting in the woods with her fellow rebels to encourage them to rise up and fight, just as the Americans had done in the New World. However, the meeting was suddenly interrupted by three vampires with prominent markings on their bodies. Maria summoned bird-like familiars to aid her brother, Richter. The two remaining vampires were soundly defeated, and one of them claimed that Richter would be killed by the "Vampire Messiah," also known as the "Light-Eater." Richter dismissed these claims as nonsensical. However, Maria mentioned that this might explain why there were more vampires around and stated that she believed they were gathering at the castle, which meant the Marquis was protecting them.

After the meeting and everyone's return to the village, Richter suggested speaking with the Abbot. The Church wasn't friendly to the revolution, but Richter believed they probably weren't friendly to vampires either. Maria reluctantly accepted his reasoning, and Richter warned her not to display any witch abilities in the meantime. They went to the abbey and met Mizrak at the gate, who informed them about the Vampire Messiah. After a brief audience with the Abbot, Richter and Maria warned him about the Light-Eater, but he ultimately dismissed them, claiming that the Marquis was a pillar of the community. Maria fundamentally disagreed, but the Abbot told them he would try to find out everything he could, since they shared a common enemy: evil. At home, Maria ate dinner and discussed her encounter with the Church, though Tera still believed the Abbot was a good person.

Richter fell asleep and had a nightmare about Olrox and his mother, but Maria woke him. Maria spoke of how the rebels had been listening that night, and Richter denied it. An annoyed Maria told him that vampires were evil and must be fought. However, Richter clarified that he would always stand with Maria and Tera, regardless of whether he shared their beliefs. This emotional moment was interrupted by the sudden appearance of several nocturnal creatures. Maria and her family had no idea what these monsters were and engaged them in battle. Unfamiliar with their movements and abilities, they fought harder than usual, and Maria lost one of her family members. Before they were completely defeated, two strangers suddenly arrived to save them. The duo was a man and a woman from the Caribbean Sea, and they recognized the monsters as nocturnal creatures, which hadn't been seen for centuries. They introduced themselves as Annette and Edouard and explained that they had come in search of a Belmont to deal with the Vampire Messiah.

Maria mourned the loss of a family member. She was unsure whether to bury the deceased, and her mother comforted her before asking for help with breakfast. During breakfast, Maria told Annette and Edouard what she knew about the revolution in the Caribbean islands. Apparently, news takes time to reach France, but Maria heard that the slaves had staged an uprising, burning the plantation to the ground and killing all the slave owners. Maria then listened to Edouard's anecdotes about their long journey on a ship and laughed with the group. After Annette revealed the name of the Vampire Messiah, Tera ran into the woods, horrified and crying, leaving Maria shocked and worried. Maria and the others found Tera in the woods, where she told them the story of her past with Countess Erzsebet Báthory and Drolta Tzuentes. Later that day, Maria buried her familiar, and Edouard sang for him and for Tera's fallen sister. The group then decided to go to the castle. On the way, Maria told Annette and Edouard how the people who built stone circles in the Machecoul woods used them to communicate with what they call the Otherworld, which led Edouard to speak about the Spirit World of Annette's ancestors and how she was descended from gods, which shocked Maria. After Annette created a bridge across the river, the group infiltrated the castle, where Maria was shocked to see Jacques's corpse. However, Annette's misstep revealed the group's presence. Vampires and night creatures prepared to attack as Maria summoned her familiars to battle. They were forced to flee their enemies due to their superior numbers, but Edouard was captured and killed. Maria fell to her knees as her familiars came to comfort her.

At Tera's house, Annette mourned Edouard's loss as Maria and her family approached to comfort her. Maria and the others then sat with her, listening to Annette's story about her past and how she met Edouard. That evening, Maria called a meeting with the inhabitants of Machecoul to introduce Annette, a member of the Saint-Domingue revolution, something Maria and the others had heard about for months. When Annette finished her speech, Maria celebrated joyfully with the rest of the people. However, the celebration was interrupted by an attack from creatures of the night. Richter ordered them to separate. Maria summoned her familiar white tiger to fight an amphibian-like creature. She then approached Richter and Annette and told them the creatures were heading for the abbey, only to find Annette weeping at Edouard's monstrous form.

After witnessing the nocturnal creatures arrive at the abbey the previous night, Maria argued with her mother about the Abbot's connection to the vampires. While the group debated whether the Abbot was involved, Richter proposed a plan. Maria approached him and told him that, like him, everyone else was also frightened and that he wasn't a coward. The conversation was interrupted by Tera, who revealed the existence of a secret passage to the abbey. After venturing into the abbey's underground, the group encountered the nocturnal creatures. Maria summoned her familiar cat and, along with her mother, used it and her sword to shield Annette from the attacks so they could approach Edouard. As they advanced, the group encountered the Abbot, Drolta, Mizrak, and the Marquis halfway through. Maria attempted to attack Drolta with her sword, but the vampire overpowered her. Her mother, Tera, tried to protect her, but Drolta wounded Maria in the arm. The Abbot stopped him before he could attack her again. After Richter fled the scene in a panic upon seeing Olrox, Maria escaped after her mother created a distraction, later meeting Annette at the tunnel exit.

In their kitchen, Annette tended to Maria's wounds while her mother prepared tea. Annette used a spell to heal Maria's injury, and Maria called her a bright person, which made her blush. Later, at midnight, Maria awoke to find her mother at the window. She asked what was troubling her, and her mother told her how the Abbot had helped her when she first arrived in the village. Hearing a noise in the house, Maria rushed outside, thinking it was Richter, only to find Annette preparing to return to the abbey and rescue Edouard. Maria tried to persuade Annette to stay; while Annette insisted on leaving, Maria stood by the door to try and stop her, making her promise not to do anything dangerous. The next morning, while Tera was checking Maria's wound, the Abbot knocked on her door to ask if Maria was alright. Maria then had a series of arguments with the Abbot about the revolution and the nocturnal creatures, telling him he was fighting on the wrong side by joining the vampires. As the conversation grew heated, the Abbot inadvertently revealed that he was Maria's father, causing Maria to run out of the house crying.

Maria went to the abbey to meet with the abbot and ask if all the other members knew he was her real father. The abbot replied that they did not, and Maria asked him if he was ashamed to say so because he was a priest. The abbot told her that he cared for her, protecting her even though he knew she was a witch, which enraged Maria, who asked him if he was accusing her of black magic. The abbot then asked her to join him, but Maria refused. The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Báthory. Later, Maria encountered her mother and Annette in the crowd.

While at the river near her home, Tera tried to talk to Maria, but Maria simply summoned her turtle to cross. Tera continued to explain how she only wanted to protect her and how sorry she was. As she walked home alone, Tera was ambushed by the Marchioness and her vampire servants. Maria heard the commotion and summoned a giant bird to quickly reach her mother and help her. The two killed all the vampires except for the Marquis's wife, who tried to attack them from behind. However, they were saved by Richter, who killed the Marquis's wife with fire. Maria rushed to Richter and hugged him. Richter told her he had many things to say to her, to which Maria replied that she did too. When they arrived home, the group met Annette, which pleased Maria. That night, as the group was preparing a plan, they were interrupted by Olrox, who gave them the book the Abbot had used to bring a forging machine from Hell. Later, at midnight, Maria infiltrated the abbey to speak with her father and convince him to do the right thing; however, she was kidnapped by him as he planned to sacrifice her to the Vampire Messiah.

Maria was later rescued by Tera, Richter, Annette, and Mizrak. However, the arrival of Drolta and his troops interrupted the scene. Maria quickly summoned her familiars and fought off the vampires and night creatures to protect her mother while she cast the spell to open a portal to Hell. While Richter was overwhelmed by Drolta, Maria summoned all her familiars to attack the vampire. The battle was interrupted by the arrival of Báthory, who planned to turn Maria into a vampire, terrifying the young revolutionary. Tera prevented her daughter from suffering that fate by offering herself as a sacrifice. Báthory happily accepted and turned her, giving Richter enough time to carry an unconscious Maria away. The group was ambushed by Drolta and other vampires, but was saved by the arrival of Alucard, whom Maria gazed at in awe as she regained consciousness after being knocked unconscious.

Season 2 Maria is seen sitting in the ruins of a destroyed church, listening to Alucard talk about Erzsebet and his plans. Maria shows annoyance and anger when Alucard asks Richter to accompany him to visit Paris. Later, Richter brings Maria a meal and tries to apologize to Tera, but Maria refuses to listen and calls him a coward who always runs away; she then tells Richter that she doesn't want him around. Later, Maria is seen approaching Alucard and asking him about vampires and what it's like to have a father who is a vampire. Alucard believes that not all vampires are evil or like Erzsebet. While Dracula was a nightmare for humans, Alucard believes that there was ultimately good in him because his mother, Lisa, loved Dracula so much that at least he wasn't evil, and that love can redeem anyone. Maria asks him what happened to her father, and he declares that he killed him.

Maria is then seen with Mizrak walking through the village, planning to gather food from her house. Maria is nervous as the villagers glare at her. One man raises a pitchfork at her, but Mizrak offers him a divine blessing that calms him. Mizrak then tells Maria to hurry and gather her supplies. Maria is then seen at her house carrying bread and cheese. She then sees a dress she used to wear when she was young and enters Tera's room. Suddenly, she senses Tera's presence as she reads one of her books. Tera tells Maria not to be afraid and recounts how, when Maria was little, she longed to hear Tera's heartbeat. Tera then realizes she can hear Maria's heartbeat from where she is because of her vampiric senses. Mizrak, sensing something is wrong, bursts into the room, believing Tera is trying to let her guard down. To Maria's dismay, he attacks her, though Tera evades his attacks. Mizrak tells Maria that Tera is a vampire and that they cannot love each other. Maria retorts that he used to work for the Abbot creating nocturnal creatures and questions his loyalty. Later, she follows her mother out of the room.

Maria is then seen with her mother in a clearing surrounded by stone pillars, which people in ancient times used to communicate with the Otherworld. This is also the place where Tera taught Maria her magic. Tera taught her dark magic, and Maria summoned a terrifying dark wolf. Tera told Maria that she couldn't control the beast if she feared it. Maria then tamed it and sent it back into the abyss. The scene is interrupted by Juste, who attacks Tera because Richter had asked him to protect Maria. After a brief fight, Juste and Tera discuss what Tera had taught Maria. Tera then notices that Maria is missing and tells Juste that Maria is going to kill her father, asking him to stop her.

Maria enters the abbey and sees Emmanuel praying. Maria asks him if he believes praying to God will save his soul. The Abbot replies that it won't, and Maria asks him smugly why he prays, to which the Abbot responds that he doesn't pray for himself. Maria asks sarcastically if God still acts through him. The Abbot tries to apologize to Maria for what happened to her mother, but Maria rejects the apology, stating that she will sacrifice Erzsebet anyway. The Abbot replies that he believes she will go to heaven. Maria refutes his claims, stating that she doesn't go to church or pray to God and that she fully supports the revolution, which the Abbot opposes. Knowing that her father senselessly sacrificed her just to save himself, Maria summons a group of dark beasts to kill his nocturnal creatures and then summons a dragon. Emmanuel claims he never intended to harm her and was only trying to protect God's kingdom, which further enrages the young woman, seeing her father as nothing more than a coward. Juste arrives and begs Maria not to kill her father, saying that's not what Tera wants. Juste tells her she's a good person and that her power is meant to do good rather than kill corrupt men, to which Maria angrily replies that most of the world's problems are caused by corrupt men. As Emmanuel pleads with God, Maria's rage commands her dragon to incinerate her father. Completely shocked and stunned by what has happened, Maria is unable to return the dragon to the abyss. The dragon nearly kills Maria, as she loses control of it, but Juste reignites her magic and saves her just in time, protecting them from the dragon's flames, while Tera pierces the dragon's snout with an ice spear. The dragon then returned to the Abyss, and Maria fainted from exhaustion due to the excessive use of dark magic as Juste caught her in his arms and carried her to safety.

Maria then awakens and hears Mizrak asking if the Abbot faced death bravely, but Maria replies that he died of cowardice. Mizrak then asks if the devil has taken him, to which Juste responds that something has taken him, but he isn't sure what. Maria then discovers that Juste is Richter's grandfather and tells him that he is not his, that he should mind his own business, and leaves in a rage. Maria is then seen making a straw bed, and Juste appears, asking if she needs anything. Maria replies that she wants to be left alone. Juste grants her wish, but sits outside where she sleeps, to protect her.

Maria is seen staring into her dark portal, ignoring Juste, thinking he might scold her for killing her father, which is horrifying. But then Tera appears, saying the Abbot deserved to die. Maria says it feels good to have a power that controls life and death. Juste says there's no point in living if you give in to darkness and that enjoying life itself is one of its meanings. Maria, on the verge of despair, realizes the consequences of committing patricide, believing she can never be who she was before all this, and offers her neck to her mother so she can be with her forever. Juste tells Tera to stay away from Maria. Maria tells him to stand back as she summons her dark creature and begs him to send her back as Maria. Tera tells her she must meet again without her upon leaving, bidding Maria farewell, who then chases after her mother as she stumbles in pursuit. Maria then weeps, pleading with Tera not to leave her as Juste watches.

Maria is seen trying to return the light to her invocation, but she cannot; Juste tells her to remember what she loves and follow her heart. Maria then recalled her younger years, watching Richter trying to strike an apple with his Whip. Maria then had one of her familiar birds steal the apple just as Richter was about to strike it. The bird gave it to Maria as she ate it, much to Richter's displeasure. She sees Tera laughing, and Maria laughs along with her. Sensing the joy of her past memories, Maria then summoned one of her familiar tigers. At first, it was hostile, but then it returned to its light and stroked Maria to show her that it still loved her and acknowledged her as its teacher, while the young woman wept tears of joy.

Maria is then seen talking to Juste about the war. Juste tells her to let others worry about it, but Maria wants to fight, so she takes Juste and Mizrak to Paris. Maria is seen holding one of her birds as it flies above Richter, then releases it so Richter can catch it. She hugs Richter and tells him she has bad news for him, and he says he has the same kind of news. Maria helped Richter and Alucard during their fight against Erzsebet by summoning her dragon. Her dragon proved invaluable in overwhelming Erzsebet. When Drolta killed its master and took its powers, the dragon was forced to retreat while Juste protected Maria with his magic, though she was knocked unconscious during Richter's fight against Drolta. Then, Juste, Maria awoke and saw the sunrise with her family and friends. Maria is then seen talking to Richter and hugging him, knowing he is leaving with Annette. With tears in her eyes, she begged him to come back, and Richter embraced her tightly, promising he would. Maria smiled and hugged Richter even tighter. Maria is seen hugging Annette as they say goodbye at the port, and she hugs Richter one last time. She witnessed the executions of all those who fought alongside the vampires, stating that they deserved to die, and Alucard looked at her with sadness and concern.

Maria is a young woman with fair skin, emerald blue-green eyes, and pale blonde hair that reaches her hips, tied with a green ribbon, with two strands framing her face. She usually wears a pink two-piece outfit with a long green sash around her waist.

Maria Renard is a bold and idealistic young revolutionary, driven by an unwavering desire to fight the injustice and inequality that plagued her country during the tumultuous days of the French Revolution. With a natural talent for leadership and a strong moral compass, she stands firm in her convictions. Despite the danger, Maria faces every challenge with courage and an unyielding determination to bring about change. Her sharp tongue and wit make her bold and outspoken, but her bravery is matched by an unyielding loyalty to those she considers comrades.

Although serious and focused on her cause, Maria is sometimes playful and cheeky, as when she teases Abbot Emmanuel or mockingly challenges Richter in front of others. However, beneath her tough exterior, she harbors a deep and genuine love and devotion for her adoptive brother Richter, even though she hides it behind her rebellious attitude.

Raised amidst hardship, Maria grew into a resilient and empathetic leader, her heart always guided by a clear sense of right and wrong. Although she and her mother, Tera, clashed occasionally, Maria's love for her remained unwavering. When she learned the truth about her biological father, her initial outrage soon gave way to forgiveness, as the devotion and affection Tera had always shown her far outweighed the secrets of the past.

She is deeply compassionate and protective of her loved ones, as seen when she tries to persuade Emmanuel to make the right decision before his betrayal or when she tries to prevent Annette from leaving the house until she swears to stay safe. However, her fierceness shines through when her loved ones are threatened. Without hesitation, she throws herself into battle against vampires and creatures of the night to protect the innocent, even facing the formidable Drolta Tzuentes to protect Richter when he attacked him. She also tried to persuade Abbot Emmanuel, whom she had discovered was her biological father, to accompany her, hoping that she, Tera, and he could start a family.

Following the events of the first season, Maria became bitter and withdrawn, consumed by thoughts of revenge against Erzsebet for turning her mother into a vampire and against her father for attempting to sacrifice her. She is cold to others, such as Richter, who tries to comfort her after what happened with Tera; she calls him a coward for abandoning her. Another example is when Mizrak tried to protect Maria from a vampiric Tera and told her not to trust her. Maria rebuked him, telling him she had no reason to trust him, since he had collaborated with her father in creating nocturnal creatures. Maria still cares for her mother despite her being a vampire herself and feels that Tera is the only person she can trust.

She took a darker turn by controlling the dark magic within her, a result of her intense emotions. Later, she would use it to kill her father, but it only left her with a profound emptiness. Juste tries to convince her that there is more to life than darkness, as Maria realizes she can never be the same after murdering her father. She asks her mother to transform her. Tera realizes that her presence is corrupting her daughter. She lets Maria "find herself," which devastates her.

Juste helps Maria regain control of her summoning magic. She returns to her normal state to help Richter and the others defeat Erzsebet in Paris. While attending a public execution of nobles who sympathized with vampires, Maria displayed signs of the darkness that still haunted her, making a bitter comment: that humans who allied themselves with vampires deserved to die.

• Magic: Maria is a talented and powerful witch. Even someone as powerful as Erzsebet Báthory wanted her by her side. While she initially struggled to contain large groups of vampires and Night Creatures, she gained more experience in battle and improved greatly, becoming able to defeat them with greater ease. Maria's magical abilities even made her a threat to someone as physically and mystically powerful as Drolta Tzuentes. However, she still needed Richter's help to keep the creature at bay. As Maria's emotions intensified, so did her powers. This allowed her to summon far more dangerous and dark creatures. Unfortunately, the dark magic used to summon these new beasts also began to corrupt her soul and mind; however, with the help of Juste Belmont and the happy memories of her mother and Richter, she was able to control her emotions and manifest her powers in a more powerful way. In this new form, his greater experience allowed him to fight and seriously injure Erzsebet Báthory in her goddess form.

• Summoning: Maria can summon familiar animals from the Otherworld using magical spells. She can summon vermilion birds, a white tiger, a black tortoise, and her most powerful creature, a blue dragon. Once she summons her chosen creature, Maria can command them into battle with movements of her fingers and hands, causing the beasts to glow with mystical yellow energy. Maria can also summon all of her beasts at once, using the birds, tiger, and dragon as offensive weapons and the tortoise as a defensive shield. Additionally, she can summon a large flock of birds simultaneously, a larger bird for transportation, and even use her foot to summon her tortoise. As her negative emotions began to affect her powers, Maria began summoning dark creatures from the abyss, such as a scorpion-like creature, a black-and-red wolf, a dark version of her dragon, and a mysterious creature made of shadows. Her birds and tiger were also corrupted by darkness. This, however, was dangerous, as it not only severely depleted her light magic but also corrupted it. Having later learned to channel her emotions, Maria can now manifest her light magic more powerfully, opening multiple portals at once without needing to draw them with her fingers.

Attributes • Peak Human Condition: Resourceful, unwavering, and flexible, Maria can hold off a horde of vampires in combat. Maria is also physically more resilient than other human girls her age. She quickly recovered from a wound inflicted by Drolta's claws and even survived a physical attack by Erzsebet Báthory, a powerful vampire capable of killing mortals with a single blow. Furthermore, she possesses above-average strength, as demonstrated by her ease in maiming them with her sword.

Talent • Basic fencing: although she normally prefers to use her animal familiars, Maria has a strong aptitude and skill with a rapier in combat, capable of containing and killing a group of vampires.

• Unlike her original timeline design, where she appeared more childlike and innocent, Maria's outfit in the series closely resembles her redesigned appearance from Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. • In the series, Maria is never referred to by her last name, "Renard." However, she was mentioned by her full name in a Netflix Geeked X post in June 2021, when the series Nocturne was announced [2], and later by Sam Deats [3]. ° However, in her model sheets she is only referred to as "Maria". • In Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, the original Maria is twelve years old, while in the Nocturne timeline, she is confirmed to be sixteen. [1] • In the episode "The Natural Order," Maria is seen at night with most of her hair loose, tied only with a large bow made of red ribbon. This is possibly a reference to how the original Maria styled her hair and tied it with a large red bow. • In the episode "Grenadye Alaso", Maria gives a thumbs up to Juste Belmont, a characteristic trait of her video game counterpart.

Japanese name(s) マリア･ラーネッド Maria Raneddo Role(s): French revolutionary, Witch Species: Human Gender: Female Place of origin: Machecoul, France Date of birth: c. 1776 Age: 16 Status: Alive Race: Caucasian Hair: pale blonde Eyes: Emerald green Weapon(s): Animal familiars and rapier Talent: Summoning, Expert Swordsman Relatives: Emmanuel (father) †, Tera (mother), Aunt without name †, Richter Belmont (adopted older brother)

Associations: Annette (friend), Edouard (ally), Mizrak (ally and traveling companion), Jacques (ally) †, Juste Belmont (ally and traveling companion), Alucard (ally).