Shanoa

Shanoa is a fictional character in the Castlevania series of video games. She first appeared in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia in 2008 for the Nintendo DS.

Shanoa
Shanoa, as she appears in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.
First gameCastlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Created byKoji Igarashi
Voiced byHouko Kuwashima[1]
In-universe information
OccupationNun, vampire hunter

Concept and creation

Shanoa was created by game designer Koji Igarashi. She was modeled after his wife.[2] Her design in Castlevania Judgment was created by Takeshi Obata.

Appearances

Shanoa first appears in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the Nintendo DS in 2008. She later appears in the 2008 Wii fighting game Castlevania Judgment, featuring a modified character design.

Reception
Shanoa as she appears in Castlevania Judgment. This design, created by Takeshi Obata, received mixed reception.

Shanoa has received generally positive reception following her appearance in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. She was included in Complex's list of the 50 greatest heroines in video games.[3] The Mary Sue writer Jonathan Ore wrote an article praising Shanoa as an example of a female lead in a video game done well. He also praised her design, noting that she lacks overt sexualization while still being an attractive character. He notes that her backless dress feels racy without feeling vulgar, adding that while she at first may seem like a "superfluous, flimsy character disguised as a strong female character," she has agency in the story. He particularly finds her to be better than other Castlevania female characters such as Maria Renard, Sypha Belnades, and Charlotte Aulin, all of whom are secondary to the protagonist of their respective games.[4] Writer Zachary Miller similarly felt that Shanoa was the first strong female lead in the series, excepting for Sonia Belmont, who was made non-canon by Igarashi.[4][5] Destructoid's Jonathan Holmes called her a "woman with depth and purpose," praising her abilities while calling her "one of the most, if not the most, interesting Castlevania protagonists ever."[6] GamesRadar awarded Shanoa with "sexiest new heroine" of 2008, praising her for being attractive without "shedding every last scrap of clothing." She was also praised as a rare example of a female Castlevania lead.[7] Joystiq writer Candace Savino expressed excitement for her during the pre-release of Order of Ecclesia, calling her a "pretty badass character."[8] Escapist Magazine writer Keane Ng however felt that she would not "spark a gender revolution in the ranks of videogame protagonists," but still felt that she was a unique protagonist in the series.[9] Writer Phillip Willis felt that her amnesia made her stereotypical of other similar role-playing game characters.[10] Game Revolution was more critical of this plot point, similarly criticizing it for being stereotypical while feeling that it makes Shanoa "completely unempathetic" and "cold and lifeless."[11] The design and abilities of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night protagonist Miriam has been compared to Shanoa's by outlets such as Hardcore Gamer.[12]

Shanoa's design in Castlevania Judgment has been criticized for being too different from her traditional one by sources such as GamePro and Engadget.[13][14] Zachary Miller however notes that Shanoa stands out to him as one of the few characters in Judgment whose design was at all comparable to the original.[15]

gollark: As I said, we control one probe (maybe KAL would let us manage the one fork too), collaboratively.
gollark: No, we all control one probe.
gollark: Also, before repowering the reactor, make sure to make/update a backup of the AI which the other probe (the asteroid mining one) can read.
gollark: We should probably look at shielding against debris better.
gollark: I guess just have an automatic repair system fix those, assuming that's possible.

References
  1. "Shanoa Voice - Castlevania franchise | Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019. A green check mark indicates that the role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of the title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  2. Holmes, Jonathan (August 16, 2015). "Odallus dev on the Amazon, Konami classics, and more". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. Rougeau, Michael (March 4, 2013). "The 50 Greatest Heroines In Video Game History". Complex. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  4. Ore, Jonathan (October 20, 2014). "Revisiting the Kick-Ass Female Lead Of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. Miller, Zachary (October 26, 2008). "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  6. Holmes, Jonathan (October 27, 2008). "Destructoid review: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Destructoid. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  7. "GamesRadar's Officially Annual Platinum Chalice Awards 2008". GamesRadar. December 20, 2008. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  8. Savino, Candace (July 18, 2008). "E308: Castlevania (aka Shanoa the vampire slayer)". Joystiq. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  9. Ng, Keane (November 18, 2008). "Review: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia". Escapist Magazine. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  10. Willis, Phillip. "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Staff Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  11. "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Review". Game Revolution. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  12. Jahanzeb Khan (May 20, 2015). "Bloodstained is the Triumphant Return of Castlevania". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  13. Noble, McKinley (December 9, 2008). "Castlevania Judgment". GamePro. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  14. Fletcher, JC (December 17, 2008). "Wii Fanboy Review: Castlevania Judgment". Joystiq. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  15. Miller, Zachary (March 9, 2009). "Castlevania Judgment". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
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