TOP TEN FAVORITE BELMONTS

TOP TEN FAVORITE CASTLEVANIA BELMONTS

From left to right: Trevor, Richter, Leon, Juste, and Simon

Castlevania is a franchise that has existed for over thirty years. It has gone through good times and bad times, prosperous times and troubled times. It has seen many transitions in the industry and gone through many incarnations itself. But just as Dracula is destined to return time and time again, so too does the Castlevania legacy endure. And while the video games may be in a state of dormancy, the arrival of the Netflix animated series has breathed new life into the franchise. Castlevania has become somewhat popular yet again, new merchandise for the property is on the rise, and in general there is renewed enthusiasm for Castlevania all around.

I myself have reaffirmed my love for the series, its many games, and many great characters. Castlevania was among my first video game obsessions alongside the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter. As a kid in the 90's and an adult today, I have spent countless hours playing the games and studying the stories. I love digging deep into the Castlevania lore, discovering the ties that bind characters and how everything fits into place. I even have a strange obsession with genealogy within the Castlevania franchise. Which brings me to one of Castlevania's most unique and enduring traits: Legacy.

Since 1989, with the fifth game in the series, Castlevania has continually shifted to different eras and explored different characters within the saga. Very few video game franchises (or even ongoing narratives such as movies, novels, and comic books) have successfully retired their starring characters and carried on with new heroes. The degrees of successes vary but such a feat usually proves problematic with audiences. Remember when Konami (Castlevania's own company) tried to replace Solid Snake with Raiden? Or how about when Street Fighter did away with EVERY character except Ryu and Ken for SFIII? Or again with Capcom when they tried to replace Dante with Nero in Devil May Cry? Have Riri Williams, Sam Alexander, Amadeus Cho, Jane Foster, Laura Kinney, Robbie Reyes, Avril Kincaid, Miles Morales, Carol Danvers, and more firmly replaced Tony Stark, Richard Rider, Bruce Banner, Thor, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Quasar, Peter Parker, and Captain Mar-Vell? Successes vary in degree but not really. Has Dick Grayson remained as Batman since Final Crisis? Nope.

Such a task is difficult, which makes what Castlevania has done all the more remarkable. Not only did they do it once, but they have continually done it time and time again. Yes, an argument can be made that certain characters will always be greater than others. But still they've managed to sideline key characters and replace them with all new characters to carry on the same story consistently. It is truly remarkable and rare. I'll even admit that I'm not the most accepting of "Legacy" characters, but even I come to expect a new hero with every new Castlevania now (as well as hope for my favorites to return again). I think a part of it is these new characters having earned their place and the right to carry on the legacy. Where as with other legacy attempts (not all mind you) feel forced and usurped rather than rightful.

As a result of this Legacy trend, and of the thirty plus years of existence, there are a lot of great (and not so great) characters in the Castlevania franchise. Chief among them are the heroic Belmonts, a long lineage spanning nearly thirty games and a nearly one-thousand year storyline. From Leon Belmont in 1094 A.D. to Julius Belmont in 2036 A.D.

Here is a list of my favorite Belmonts. There have been other heroes to take over in lieu of Belmonts such as the arguably most popular Castlevania character, Alucard, the youthful Soma Cruz, and the wickedly cool Shanoa. But we're leaving them for another list and choosing just to focus on the Belmont family here. I will be explaining why I like them and summarizing their respective stories.

Important Note: Konami is actually pretty terrible at connecting the dots between characters and games. There are a ton of missing pieces to the stories leaving much to be interpreted and filled in by our imaginations. To make sense of the greater plot and story, Konami has forced fans to draw their own conclusions regarding many characters. In many cases we'll be supplying a few of our own ideas here and there to fill in the blanks or make sense of certain plots. If you don't like or don't approve of our own conclusions we'd love to hear your own ideas on what these missing story elements could be.

So, without further adieu, here are our personal favorite members of the Belmont family!

Enjoy!

THE BONUSES





#12
REINHARDT SCHNEIDER

Debut Appearance: Castlevania 64 (1999)

Time Period Era: 1852 A.D.
I'm not going to lie to you, I have no love for this character. He's from the original Nintendo 64 Castlevania release, a game that has not aged well. I have played it and defeated it with both heroes, Reinhardt and Carrie Fernandez (Belnades). But I simply cannot bring myself to play this game again. The primitive 3D graphics are extremely hard to endure, while the classic 2D Castlevania games from the 80's and 90's still possess charm and playability (I'd sooner play the horrible Castlevania Adventure on Game Boy than this). Alas, I'm getting off subject here.

Reinhardt Schneider was a descendant of the Belmonts and possessed the fabled Vampire Killer whip (none of this is explained in any detail, either how he is related to the Belmonts nor how he came into possession of the whip). Presumably trained by Nathan Graves, the previous holder of the Vampire Killer whip, fate calls upon Reinhardt when Death reincarnated Dracula within a new body. Reinhardt, along with a descendant of Sypha Belnades named Carrie, enter Castlevania, defeat Death, and prevent Dracula's resurgence.

There are some good moments in Castlevania 64, I'll admit. But overall it is a sad reminder of the early days of 3D gaming. This is an example of the franchise struggling, feeling it needed to change what it was in order to stay relevant in a changing video game climate. With Reinhardt Schneider not bearing the Belmont name, perhaps not even a direct descendant but an offshoot branch of the family, he gets a slot here in the bonuses. While I don't hate the character, he is simply a flat note to me.




 

#11

GABRIEL BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Lords of Shadow (2010)

Time Period Era: 1047 A.D. (alternate timeline)

My least favorite Belmont with a bullet. Gabriel Belmont exists in an alternate timeline in the Castlevania franchise, when Konami tried to reboot the franchise with the help of the great and powerful Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear is amazing, but it is vastly different from Castlevania. The production value and effort that went into this game was tremendous and incredible, but oh so misplaced. Given all of the talent and resources that Konami poured into this game, it should've went down in history as one of the greatest video games ever produced. Instead, it'll be remembered as the strongest anyone has ever tried to not be what it was trying to be... What I mean to say is that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the furthest from Castlevania that the series has ever been.

LOS is actually a very impressive game in itself, but as a Castlevania game it is an abomination... Okay, I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. Gabriel Belmont is my least favorite Belmont by default, being from the LOS reboot. I actually love his design and Robert Carlyle's characterization. And having Patrick Stewart as his partner and life-narrator is awesome. But...

SPOILER ALERT!!

Gabriel Belmont is the worst Belmont in history as he was completely manipulated by his enemies to kill his own wife. And by the end of it all he becomes Dracula himself. LOS is both the Belmonts and Dracula's origin story. Who knew? So, even if the game hadn't been the farthest thing from Castlevania in the entire series, Gabriel Belmont is not a hero, but in fact history's greatest villain. That's not good if you're from a bloodline of heroes.

In Simpson's Comic Book Guy's voice, "Worst. Belmont. Ever."





THE TOP TEN

#10

DESMOND BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Order of Shadows (2007)

Time Period Era: 17th Century (not clearly defined, presumably prior to Simon Belmont)

From the one Castlevania mobile phone game! What's to say about Desmond Belmont? I kinda like his design, even with the spikey anime hair. The red hair falls in line with Ayami Kojima's red-headed redesign for Simon Belmont too (and would make sense if Desmond is Simon's father). Other than that there isn't much else about him in this mobile phone game. The gameplay is just terrible (as you'd expect from a mobile phone game in the 2000's) so playing as Desmond isn't all that great.

Desmond's story is pretty interesting though as it delves deeper into Dracula's cult of worshippers, the Order of Shadows (well before the Lords of Shadow). In particular their leader, Rohan Krause, is trying to bring about Dracula's resurrection. Desmond, along with his two sisters Zoe and Dolores (strange names for women in 17th century Romania, yes?) set about to stop the Order of Shadows, who murdered their parents, and prevent Dracula's return. It isn't specifically stated when this game takes place in the timeline, only that it occurs in the 1600's, which would make Desmond either Soleiyu Belmont's son or grandson or Simon's father or grandfather. That is unless Simon is the son of either Zoe or Dolores (God, these names! It's like if Simon or Richter were named Doug or Trayden). Anyway, delving deeper into the cult that supports Dracula from the shadows is a great idea and worth further exploration, giving lesser known Belmonts something to do between Dracula's resurrections.

#9

SOLEIYU BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania II ~ Belmont's Revenge (1991)

Time Period Era: 1576 A.D. thru 1591 A.D.

There's not a whole lot to say about this Belmont as he never headlined his own game. There isn't even much official art for him either save for one or two pieces. There are a few pieces of fan art out there and even an officially licensed comic book from IDW which... depicts his conception? You have to see it to believe it but it's there. Designwise their isn't much to Soleiyu but it's in his story where the character becomes the most interesting. Soleiyu is the son of Christopher Belmont and was involved in one of Dracula's more sinister schemes.

Upon Dracula's resurrection in 1576, the vampire lord kidnapped Christopher Belmont's newly wed wife, Illyana. Christopher and Illyana had consumated the marriage and neither had realized that Illyana was already pregnant. But Dracula sensed the new life growing inside her and fed Illyana some of his blood. Dracula had yet to bite Illyana before Christopher rescued her. Dracula's blood didn't transform Illyana or Soleiyu but it left Soleiyu susceptible to the vampire lord's influence. When Christopher defeated Dracula, the count endured, biding his time and regrowing his power for 15 years. On Soleiyu's 14th birthday Dracula made his move. He used his influence over Soleiyu and placed the young Belmont under his control. This forced Christopher to once again battle Dracula but also his own son. This marked the first time a Belmont was pitted against another Belmont.

Luckily Soleiyu's story has a happy ending. Christopher freed his son from Dracula's influence and the two battled and defeated the dark lord for good. Soleiyu survived to carry on the legacy, likely with more conviction having witnessed Dracula's insidious powers for himself. It would be cool to see Soleiyu redesigned by Ayami Kojima and learn how his story ended (hunting down the Order of Shadows perhaps?).

#8

LEON BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Lament of Innocence (2003)

Time Period Era: 1094 A.D.

In the prime Castlevania timeline Leon Belmont is the first Belmont to fight the forces of the supernatural. The game itself isn't all that great and the story is fair, presenting a few problems to the saga as a whole. Leon is given an angry and headstrong personality which is appropriate given the circumstances, but personally I don't find his character all that compelling. It is also worthy of note that Leon is one of the only Belmonts NOT to battle Dracula (although they were friends at one time ((my least favorite part of the story))). Ayami Kojima once again knocks the design out of the park, which is probably the best aspect of Leon's character. What I like most about this game and Leon's story is that it tells the origin of the Vampire Killer whip.

Leon Belmont was a french knight of the crusades along with his friend Mathias Cronqvist. Mathias returned home to find his wife dead from illness and Leon's wife kidnapped by a powerful vampire by the name of Walter Bernhard. Leon leaves the Holy Order of knights to rescue his beloved Sara from the vampire. On his way to the vampire's castle he is stopped by a man named Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist, who bequeaths Leon with a mysterious whip. The whip is strong against the supernatural. With the whip in hand and his sword, Leon enters Walter's castle. After a long battle Leon rescues Sara but does not defeat Walter. They return to Rinaldo's and discover Sara has been turned into a vampire. Sara begs Leon to end her life. Using alchemy, Rinaldo takes Sara's spirit and infuses it into the whip, thereby making the whip lethal to vampires. Leon returns to Walter's castle and defeats him.

SPOILER ALERT!

Mathias, Leon's old friend, emerges from the shadows as Leon defeats Walter. Mathias reveals that it was he who orchestrated Sara's capture by Walter, all to have Leon defeat the vampire so Mathias could steal Walter's vampiric powers. After fighting God's holy wars and returning to find his wife dead, Mathias vowed to curse God and all of God's creations as vengeance. Using Walter's powers, Mathias transforms himself in the most powerful vampire the world has ever seen and eventually begins calling himself Dracula (although it is never revealed why). For this great betrayal, Leon vows to hunt Mathias and his ilk for all eternity until Mathias answers for his atrocities.

You know what, I'm cool with the Leon Belmont stuff and the origins of the Vampire Killer whip. I like that stuff, although Sara's fate is brutal and sad. And while Walter Bernhard is a weak villain and pale imitation of Dracula (with a terrible name too) I feel he fits well with this game and story. What really ruins this game for me is the Mathias Conqvist stuff, contradicting elements from Symphony of the Night as well as muddying the canon in general (the real life story of Vlad the Impaler is supposed to be a part of Castlevania's lore too and this makes that very difficult to reconcile). But this is a list about Belmonts. I'll save my big gripes about this game for another time.

#7

JULIUS BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Aria of Sorrow (2003)

Time Period Era: 1999 A.D. thru 2036 A.D.

Hero of the greatest Castlevania story NEVER told. Julius Belmont has never had a game of his own but he has been playable in two games, Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow (and a third if you count the online only release Harmony of Despair, which doesn't have a story or place in the timeline though). He's very fun to play as but mostly feels like mere window dressing (I mean, c'mon, those games are about Soma Cruz, not Julius Belmont).

Designwise he sports a silly beard/goatee thing, a scarf, a leopard-skin coat, and strange blue pants with weird black stripes over the crotch and inner thighs. He is one of the more "interesting" Belmont designs, for sure. There was a time when Japan thought this look was great as even Dante from Devil May Cry received a similar make-over in DMC2 (his alternate "Diesel" costume). I've never claimed to have any fashion sense or taste myself, but Dante's Diesel look, and subsequently Julius' design as well, are pretty laughable to me.

As a character though his story is pretty cool and potentially epic. In 1999 humanity almost ended in what became known as THE DEMON CASTLE WARS. Dracula had returned more powerful than ever and plunged the entire world into darkness and chaos. Monsters spread across the globe like a plague nearly wiping humanity from the face of the Earth. It was then that Julius Belmont embraced his destiny and, along with a group of others, defeated Dracula, finally succeeding in ending the dark lord's reign of terror for good. Dracula was truly defeated once and for all and his demon castle was sealed away in an eclipse. In the aftermath though, Julius lost the Vampire Killer whip in the castle as well as losing his memory. Years later Dracula's soul was reincarnated in a child name Soma Cruz. Later still, in the year 2035, Castle Dracula emerged from the eclipse. Soma, now a young man, and Julius reentered the castle. Julius and Soma faced off, with Julius ultimately believing in Soma's goodness and willpower to contain Dracula's evil spirit.

Sadly, Julius' finest hour happens off screen, an important piece of exposition to be sure, but ultimately just a piece of background information informing the story of Aria of Sorrow. Julius shows up again in Dawn of Sorrow, once more as a supporting character (still mere window dressing). He has a lot of potential and I'd love to see his story properly told in a game all his own someday. And as for that design... it's not really representative of modern times, especially not 2035, as it is purely an early 2000s Japanese fashion statement. It just needs some tweaking.

#6

JUSTE BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania ~ Harmony of Dissonance (2002)

Time Period Era: 1748 A.D.

Juste Belmont (pronounced "Joost") is Simon's grandson and the next Belmont to step foot inside Dracula's castle after Simon (that we know of). Famed Castlevania artist, Ayami Kojima, lends her tremendous talents once again here and the results are breathtaking. Juste's design is simply incredible and the best aspect of his character, with an aristocratic wardrobe that Alucard would approve of. Juste is a french name, once again nodding to the Belmonts french heritage. In truth it seems Juste draws a lot from his heritage, having inherited magic manipulation from his ancestor Sypha Belnades. And maybe resembles his great great great great grandpa Alucard (depending on what Belmont lineage you believe). As a character he's fairly young and his hotheaded adolescent attitude reflects that. Juste is a great combination of traits from characters of the past that have strengthened the Belmont bloodline.

For his story, fifty years have passed since Simon lifted the curse and purged Dracula's evil from the countryside. Juste's girlfriend, Lydie, has disappeared and Juste's best friend, Maxim, leads them to where she's been taken. A great fog blankets the land, parting slightly to reveal a mysterious castle. Once inside the two friends split up to find Lydie. Finding various spellbooks allows Juste to combine new magic with the magic properties of his family's subweapons to create new devastating attacks. In the castle Juste encounters Death, learning that he is in fact within Dracula's castle. Death himself is surprised to see the castle appear. Death believes someone is manipulating events to use Dracula's castle for their own ends. Juste discovers an evil spirit has possessed his friend and is using Dracula's remains to steal the vampire lord's powers.

Juste makes for a fine protagonist in a solid "Metroidvania" style entry for the series. In many ways he's not the typical Belmont, looking like a vampire himself, using magic like Sypha, with a youthful spirit. It's just these qualities that make him distinct and unique among his fellow whip-wielding heroes.

#5

CHRISTOPHER BELMONT

Debut Appearance: The Castlevania Adventure (1989)

Time Period Era: 1576 A.D. thru 1591 A.D.

I used to not think much of Christopher Belmont. In fact I used to think he was the worst Belmont of them all. This feeling was based off of my feelings toward his debut game, The Castlevania Adventure. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed his second game, he wasn't given nearly as much characterization as his son, Soleiyu. Hell, I even dismissed the Castlevania comic book from IDW once I saw it was Christopher who starred in it.

My outlook on Christopher has changed recently upon finally defeating that brutal slog that is The Castlevania Adventure. I followed that up with the vastly superior sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge and finished it all off by rereading the comic books from IDW (which I hadn't read since they first saw release). I am pleased to say that my appreciation for this Belmont has grown tremendously. The Castlevania Adventure is still the brutal slog it always was, but it brought with it new elements to the series, elements that were refined and perfected in the sequel. While that increases my fondness for the games, it was the comics from IDW that changed my whole outlook on Christopher.

Nearly one hundred years have passed since Trevor Belmont last fought the powers of darkness. All Christopher's life he's been told of the Belmont's legacy and the destiny that awaits him. And a destiny fighting against nightmarish creatures terrifies him. But it has been nearly one hundred years and the evil hasn't reared its head. Christopher begins to believe he may actually be spared his horrible destiny. On the night of Christopher's wedding Dracula is resurrected. The Belmont's family friends and fellow hunters ready themselves for battle, even Illyana, the new matriarch of the Belmonts. Everyone is ready... except Christopher. Christopher is hesitant and reluctant to accept his destined role.

Having been defeated by Sonia Belmont first and then again by her son, Trevor Belmont, the first thing on Dracula's mind upon his resurrection is to wipe out the Belmonts. Dracula taunts Christopher, desecrating the graves of Christopher's parents and kidnapping Illyana. Christopher and his close friends set out to rescue Illyana, not with anger burning in his chest, but with fear. Christopher sees Dracula for the truly terrifying figure that he is. Christopher is cautious when going into battle against the count, fearful for his wife and his friends beside him, and afraid that he will not be up to the task and fail his ancestors. Even amongst all his fears and doubts, the Belmont finds the strength of his bloodline within him and the courage to carry him onward.

Christopher has his first battle against Dracula and manages to save Illyana, but sadly loses some friends in the battle. Christopher wins the initial encounter, but Dracula regroups and raises his demon castle from ruin. With his family safe, and having discovered the truth of his legacy, Christopher sets out for Dracula's castle, making his way through, and ultimately defeating Dracula... or so he thought. Dracula was beaten but not vanquished. The vampire lord had tainted Christopher's unborn son when Illyana was captured. Biding his time until the boy was a young man, Dracula finally enacted his revenge, striking again at Christopher's loved ones. Christopher set out to fight Dracula once again, worry in his heart for his son, Soleiyu. With the power of light on his side, Soleiyu is freed from Dracula's influence and Christopher finally vanquished the dark lord.

I couldn't see how layered Christopher Belmont really was when I was younger. It was only recently with revisiting his games and the comics that I truly came to appreciate his character, his reservations, fears, and doubts making him far more three-dimensional and relatable. He is also surprisingly one of the more prolific Belmonts. If you count the digital only Wii game, Castlevania The Adventure Rebirth (2009), as its own game then Christopher stars in three games all his own plus a comic book series. Not too shabby for the Game Boy hero.

 

#4

TREVOR BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania III ~ Dracula's Curse (1989)

Time Period Era: 1476 A.D. thru 1479 A.D.

When I was younger and first played Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse I was disappointed that Simon was not in the game. Simon was my boy. I had no real fondness for Trevor. He needed the help from three others too. Simon didn't. It wasn't until later that I began to appreciate the greatness of Castlevania III, the alternate paths and multiple characters therein. Castlevania III also introduced the time jump into the series, exploring a different era in history, a story element that would become a staple of the series. Growing more obsessed with Castlevania lore and mythos, I liked how Trevor ended up with Sypha, their union resulting in the strengthening of the Belmont bloodline.

Also Trevor's ties to Alucard always kept him somewhat a part of the storyline moving forward. The fight with Trevor, Sypha, and Grant's dopplegangers in Symphony of the Night is one of my favorite parts of that game. And when I found out that Castlevania: Curse of Darkness took place in Trevor's time I was quite excited. I like Ayami Kojima's redesign of him for that game but the characterization within the game left a bit to be desired (he's kind of an arrogant douch, not how I envisioned him at all). And then there's the embarrassing Castlevania Judgement portrayal... ugh.

Needless to say, the Netflix Castlevania series is easily the best thing to happen to Trevor Belmont outside of his initial appearance. Richard Armitage is incredible as Trevor, so good in fact that the next Belmont to appear in the show (if the show decides to explore a different era in the Castlevania timeline) will have a steep climb ahead of them. I want the Netflix show to jump to other eras and explore other Belmonts, but the current cast is so good that I don't know if audiences would be accepting of a new cast of heroes.

Anyway, Trevor's story begins with his mother Sonia, the first Belmont to battle and defeat Dracula. After Sonia's victory over Dracula the people of Wallachia became fearful of her power and that of the Belmont family. During Trevor's childhood the Belmont house was burned and destroyed (either by fearful people or Dracula's remaining hordes. Konami wasn't clear on how exactly that happened). Sonia continued to raise Trevor to be a hero, teaching him how to fight the supernatural and wield the Vampire Killer whip. Twenty-six years after Sonia had defeated Dracula, the lord of darkness was resurrected by his followers. The vampire lord's first act was to kill Sonia Belmont.

note: the above paragraph is my own conclusion that bridges the gap between Sonia's game and Trevor's game. Konami never officially explained the story that occurred between games, leaving us fans to fill in the blanks ourselves.

Castlevania III opens with Trevor kneeling before Sonia's grave at the ruins of their old home, the Belmont Mansion. He rises, his mother's whip and sacred weapons in hand, and sets out to fulfill his destiny. Along the way he encounters three others who were effected by Dracula's evil, Sypha Belnades, Grant Danasty, and Alucard. The four heroes join forces and lay siege to Dracula's castle. Together their combined might is enough to defeat Dracula and his creatures of the night. But the victory is short-lived as only three years later the Devil Forgemaster Isaac attempts to raise the master of darkness from the grave. Trevor, along with another of Dracula's forgemasters named Hector, manage to put an end to these dark machinations and keep Dracula rotting in the ground for nearly a century to come.

While Simon may be the first and most prolific hero of the Castlevania franchise, Trevor's contribution has been perhaps more influential, being referenced in several other games and informing events and characters of other games as well, such as Symphony of the Night, Curse of Darkness, Castlevania Legends, and even Castlevania Judgement. I find what makes Trevor so memorable and unique are the characters that surround him. He has the best supporting cast of all of the Belmonts. And thanks to the Netflix show, Trevor Belmont may be remembered by most as the greatest Belmont of them all.

#3

SONIA BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania Legends ~ Dark Night Prelude (1997)

Time Period Era: 1450

The matriarch of the Belmont family. Leon Belmont may have been the first in the bloodline to wield the whip and battle the supernatural, but it was Sonia Belmont who first embraced destiny, who first fought and defeated the prince of darkness, and set the bar for all Belmonts after. At least according to the in-game story and lore.

Women in Castlevania as a whole are usually supporting characters. The heroines' abilities (if they have any) are almost exclusively magic based in nature, not physical like the male characters. The villainesses are pretty varied however, ranging from the monstrous to the seductive. Sonia Belmont too possesses magical characteristics, having "holy" powers of a sort, so she also fits the traditional Castlevania female archetype. Her design is a bit scantily and showing off some skin, but it's cool too. The design is actually in keeping with Simon, Trevor, and Christopher's original designs (also showing lots of skin. Simon may be less clothed in fact!), even sporting the same blonde hair as them.

Obviously being a woman makes her distinct among the other Belmonts. But what sets her apart from any other woman of Castlevania is her physicality. Despite obtaining magical items (something which nearly all Belmonts tend to do), Sonia is still a whip wielding badass like the other Belmonts. She's every bit the warrior that her kinsmen are. According to the game's story she is the first of the Belmonts to take on Dracula and defeat him. This began the Belmonts eternal feud with Dracula. Sonia fulfilled Leon Belmont's promise and passed on her training to her descendants.

Vlad Tepes Dracul's first reign over Wallachia occurred in 1448 A.D. He unleashed his nightmarish creatures upon the land and gained total dominion over Wallachia. In 1450 a mansion along the Wallachian countryside was attacked by Dracula's hordes. The mansion belonged to the aristocratic Belmont family. The youngest member of the Belmonts, 17 year old Sonia, was the lone survivor of the attack. She had been trained by her grandfather since childhood to be a warrior and vampire hunter, the legacy set down by her ancestor Leon Belmont. Destiny set its sights upon Sonia the day she was born, holy powers strongly aligning with her. The day Dracula's monsters slaughtered her family, she learned why the holy powers had chosen her.

Sometime before this, while hunting monsters in the wilderness, Sonia encountered the son of Dracula. Alucard was taken with the young woman and her he. The two fell in love and began seeing each other in secret. As Dracula's reign of terror continued, and Alucard's love for humanity grew, the son could no longer stand idly by. Each on their own, Sonia and Alucard set about to stop Dracula. Word began spreading among Dracula's minions of a human battling their way through the castle. Upon nearing the throne room Sonia again encountered Alucard. He was stunned to learn that she was the human who had filled the creatures of the castle with dread. Worried for her life, Alucard pleaded with Sonia to turn back. Sonia refused to yield, assuring him that she had the power to stop Dracula.

Alucard needed to see this power for himself. The two lovers battled, Sonia emerging the victor. Alucard was convinced and wished her luck. Sonia bid her lover farewell and continued on to Dracula's keep. The vampire and the vampire hunter were locked in a battle to the death. After fighting Dracula in his humanoid form and then in his true demonic form, Sonia triumphed. Sonia rid the land of Dracula's nightmarish plague and brought peace to Wallachia. Sometime later she bore a son whom she would pass on all she knew and train as her grandfather had trained her.

It is alluded to, but never explicitly said, that Alucard is the father of Sonia's child, making Alucard Trevor's dad. This is a source of contention among some fans of the series. To me it makes perfect sense. I always wondered how mere humans, like the Belmonts, could single handedly battle and defeat Dracula, let alone all his hordes especially when this interpretation of Dracula is so vastly powerful compared to most others. The answer lies within their bloodline. Alucard was half vampire. He possessed a vampire's strength, but much of his vampiric traits were recessive. Trevor likely inherited his father's strength, but most of the vampiric traits were absent, being only a fourth vampire. Then of course with Trevor falling in love with Sypha also further strengthened the bloodline. Alucard was in his coffin when Sonia had Trevor, never knowing Trevor was his son. This would also explain why certain Belmonts resemble Alucard (Juste Belmont for sure).

At the time of the game's release in the late 90's, anime was just starting to become really popular. I was discovering strong female characters like Motoko Kusanagi and Iria and others. Sonia came in at this same time when I couldn't get enough of characters like this. Doubtlessly this is a part of why Sonia appealed to me so much. To quote Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, "I love a woman who can kick my ass." 😍

#2

RICHTER BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Dracula X ~ Rondo of Blood (1993)

Time Period Era: 1792 A.D. thru 1797 A.D.

There are a few kinds of Castlevania games, the best of which being those games produced in 2D. Among the 2D Castlevania games there two kinds: Classic Castlevania and what are commonly referred to as "Metroidvania." The classic type that most agree upon as the best is Rondo of Blood. The Metroidvania type that most agree on as the best is Symphony of the Night. Both games feature Richter Belmont. Coincidence? I think not.

Richter Belmont was perhaps the first protagonist in the franchise to introduce style and attitude to the series. Designwise Richter's striking blue uniform, ripped off sleeves, and white headband were beyond anything the series had produced before. The anime art style made the game feel more modern and cool. Then there's his dexterity and power beyond any of his previous kinsmen. Richter has an awesome backflip move which is quite handy. In SoTN he has a killer slid-kick, epic shoulder-ram, and super-human high-jump/uppercut punch. And to top it all off he has a super-move that would change the game forever: the Item Crash. Looking at the story as a whole it appears as if the Belmont bloodline has grown more powerful with every generation, the Holy powers that first manifested in Sonia now reappearing in Richter.

Nearly one hundred years have passed since Simon Belmont last put Dracula in the grave. Dracula's devote follower, the dark priest named Shaft, resurrected the vampire lord and set about restoring his full power. Dracula's forces once again overran the countryside, sacking villages and slaughtering the inhabitants. Upon arriving at Richter's village Shaft abducted four women to be sacrificed in rituals to bring about Dracula's full strength. Among the four women were Richter's girlfriend, Annette, and a young mystic named Maria Renard. It seemed Dracula had plans in motion to ensure his ultimate victory. But neither Dracula nor his followers could've anticipated the sheer power of Richter Belmont. With the help of Maria Renard and her magic, Richter rescued all of the captives and struck down the count.

There was no chance Dracula could stand against the overwhelming power of Richter Belmont. If the young Belmont couldn't be defeated then the master of darkness would find another way. Once more the evil priest Shaft enacted Dracula's next plan, placing a dark spell upon Richter. With Richter under their evil influence, they manipulated him into raising the ruins of Castle Dracula and assuming the role as lord of the castle. Sensing the massive shift in power, Alucard once more awakened after a three hundred year sleep. The son of Dracula allied with Maria Renard, entered the castle, and together they freed Richter from the evil enchantment. Weakened, Richter had no choice but to stand aside and watch as Alucard faced down his father one final time.

I first came to know Richter in the Super Nintendo game Castlevania: Dracula X, a largely unique port of Rondo of Blood (it's basically a different game altogether). The SNES Dracula X was a much harder game than Rondo, but at that time there was no other way to play Dracula X. Something about Dracula X called to me. After renting the game I bought it and played it endlessly. Not since Simon Belmont had I embraced a Castlevania hero like Richter. We were like brothers in arms, Richter and I, battling for hours upon hours through the game, until together we were at last able to beat the game without losing a single life. That was probably my proudest moment (or near the top at least) in my Castlevania excursions.

I know Richter disgraced the Belmont legacy in Symphony, but he is still nearly my favorite Belmont. After Rondo of Blood the whole franchise changed, both in terms of design and layout. Likely it was the arrival of Koji Igarashi to the Castlevania development team. But I like to think Richter had something to do with it too. And for the record, while Ayami Kojima's redesign of Richter is awesome, I still prefer Richter's original design by far.

#1

SIMON BELMONT

Debut Appearance: Castlevania (1986)

Time Period Era: 1691 A.D. thru 1698 A.D.

My preferences of Castlevania's heroes should be well known by now and this should come as no surprise. The original hero of the franchise, Simon Belmont was the first hero I came to know in the series, playing games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Super Castlevania IV. Simon was who I cut my teeth with and forged my life long love of the series with. He's the one character (outside of the badguys) who has appeared in the most games (many of them pseudo remakes of the original game though) including the first four games Konami produced: Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Simon's Quest, and Haunted Castle. Simon was the hero when Castlevania debuted on Super Nintendo and next on the obscure Japanese system Sharp X68000 (later released in the US on Playstation as Castlevania Chronicles). And finally he headlined the grotesque Castlevania Judgement.

In terms of character the details are somewhat vague as to exactly what kind of person he is. Simon has typically been characterized as barbarian-like yet his parents (presumably Desmond Belmont or one of his sisters) were not at all. And there is a return to the Belmonts being somewhat well-off and aristocratic after him. Also, Desmond and Juste, the surrounding Belmonts, had friends and family but Simon seemed to have no one. So what happened to Simon? Since Konami hasn't explained any of this in great detail, here's Simon according to me:

SIMON'S STORY

Born in a prosperous period for the Belmonts, Simon spent his initial years being raised by his parents, told of his destiny to battle the darkness, and shown the sacred weapons that he would one day inherit. One day while Simon was still young Dracula's followers laid siege to the Belmont's home, killing Simon's family. The boy only just escaped with his life. The horror of watching his family brutally murdered in front of him galvanized him. He became the last Belmont. From that moment it ceased to be destiny and instead became sheer revenge.

Simon escaped to the north, hunted and hounded by Dracula's night creatures. There, in the wild, he met a nomadic tribe of barbarians who took him in. Spending years with them Simon trained his body and discovered the great strength of his bloodline. Growing into a strong man, Simon returned to his birth home, retrieved his family's weapons, and set out alone to destroy Dracula. Over the centuries the Belmont bloodline had grown very powerful, Simon being the most powerful Belmont yet to be with seemingly super human strength and endurance. Motivated purely by revenge, his great power was focused. After a brutal and intense trek through Dracula's lands, into Castle Dracula, and up to Dracula's throne room, Simon defeated the lord of darkness.

Simon returned to the ruins of his home and began picking up the pieces of his old life, learning more about his family and their heritage. As the years passed Simon rebuilt his home. But each year Simon felt a weight bearing down upon him and a shadow growing over the land. Seven years later Simon felt his lifeforce about to be snuffed out by an invisible hand. And Dracula's monsters were once again roaming the countryside. Meeting with a mystic it was revealed to him that a death curse had been placed upon him by Dracula. In order to lift the curse and save himself from death he had to find Dracula's remains and burn them. Dracula's followers had scattered the remains about the land. Simon quested across the countryside, gathered Dracula's body parts, returned to Castlevania, and burned them. The curse was lifted, but Simon had inadvertently resurrected the vampire lord. Now having all of his family's sacred weapons and a deeper knowledge of Dracula, Simon was able to truly defeat Dracula.

Now, depending on what you believe, Super Castlevania IV is a continuation of Simon's story, the third and final chapter of his epic. Or SC4 is merely a retelling of the original game, only more elaborate. Well, the "best" ending in Simon's Quest does show Dracula's hand rising out of the grave and that's exactly how SC4 begins so maybe...

Anyway, I've always looked at Simon as one of the strongest Belmonts, his barbarian design lending to a belief that he is a strong silent type loner hero, kind of like Guts' Black Swordsman persona in BERSERK. Guts is another of my favorite pop-culture characters and Simon having a similar personality and intensity to Guts just sounds awesome to me. It also makes Simon distinctive among the Belmonts. Anyway, a lot of my love for this character has to do with Simon being the first hero in the series I encountered and, through playing as him, I came to love the series. It was also my formative years so I was already quite impressionable.

Oh, and while I prefer Simon's original design, I actually really enjoy Ayami Kojima's redesign of him, red hair and all!

And there you have it! My favorites of the Belmont clan!

From left to right: Leon, Sonia, Trevor, Christopher, Simon, Juste, Richter, Reinhardt, and Julius

Who are your favorite Belmonts?

Let's discuss! Leave a comment below and lets gush some more over Castlevania!

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