When the Castlevania series started in 1986, it was one dude against Dracula. But rather than continue with that protagonist, the series switched gears in its lore in 1989’s Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It presented the idea that Simon Belmont was just the latest in the line of a clan of vampire hunters. Once that was established, each new team that took on a Castlevania title often added their own Belmont to the mix until an entire lineage was hashed out.
Sometime around the turn of the millennium, Konami elected to have Koji Igarashi steer the series. While he was responsible for the series trajectory, he also firmly established the lore. He ejected some characters, kept others, and shuffled some things around until it made some semblance of sense. It’s still a bit of a mess, but, like myself, it’s a functional mess.
With Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne shifting focus from Trevor Belmont to his descendent, Richter Belmont, you may wonder about all the in-between. Well, wonder no longer because here is a comprehensive list of all the known Belmont family members.
Leon Belmont
Leon is canonically the progenitor of the Belmont clan and had a hand in the creation of the Vampire Killer whip. He appeared in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, which takes place in 1093AD. He attempted to save his fiancee, Sara Trantoul, from his old friend Mathias Cronqvist. Mathias would eventually become Dracula, setting the stage for his feud with the Belmonts.
While Leon is the Belmont with the nicest hair, Lament of Innocence was pretty shaky groundwork for a backstory. Castlevania Legends attempted to tell an origin story as well, using Sonia Belmont as the clan’s progenitor. But since Igarashi had developed Lament of Darkness at around the same time, he chose his own work as the canon backstory.
Trevor Belmont
Formerly the first of the Belmont Clan, Trevor is the main protagonist of Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse and the Castlevania Netflix series. Trevor would team up with Sypha Belnades, Grant Danasty, and Alucard to put a stop to Dracula’s invasion of Wallachia in 1476.
Trevor would appear again in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, which takes place in 1479. In that game, however, he is not the main protagonist. He also appeared in Castlevania: Judgment, but we try not to discuss that game.
Christopher Belmont
Christopher was the first Belmont to fit in your pocket. He was the star of Castlevania: The Adventure and Castlevania: Belmont’s Revenge, both for the Gameboy. These took place in 1576 and 1591, respectively.
In The Adventure, Christopher sets out to do what a Belmont does and put down Dracula. Meanwhile, in 1591, things got a little bit personal when Dracula abducted his son, Soleil. Christopher had to fight his way through four element-themed castles before once again having to climb Dracula’s home for a rematch.
Finally, Christopher once again appeared in Castlevania ReBirth for WiiWare, which was something of a remake of Castlevania: The Adventure.
Soleil Belmont
A damsel in distress, Soleil is the son of Christopher Belmon. In 1591, he was kidnapped by Dracula, which sets up the narrative of Castlevania: Belmont’s Revenge. We don’t get to see much of Soleil, but we learn that he had just come of age and was ready to take on the whip before he was spirited away by the King of Darkness.
Simon Belmont
The original Belmont, Simon was the first Belmont we got to see. He appeared in Castlevania, which takes place in 1691. In that game, he had the typical task of putting Dracula back to sleep with violence.
Simon would then reappear in 1698 during the vents of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. After his fight with Dracula, he was cursed. As his health declines, he sets out to gather up all the scattered body parts of Dracula, so he can fight him again and break the curse.
Simon is the archetypical Belmont, and the one that comes to mind first for most fans when they think of the series. He appeared again in Super Castlevania IV, which was a remake of the first title. He made cameos in some other games and was a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Castlevania: Judgment. He also appeared in the cartoon, Captain N: The Game Master, but the creators took some, uh, liberties with the character.
Juste Belmont
Here’s a Belmont who doesn’t get much love, Juste was the star of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. When one of his friends, Maxim, became possessed by Dracula’s power in 1748, Juste had to make things right. Technically, he didn’t fight Dracula himself, which makes sense since a century hadn’t passed since his last rowdy episode.
Richter Belmont
One of the more popular of the bloodline, Richter first appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1792) as the protagonist, and then showed up again in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1797) in more of a supporting role. First, he had to save his girlfriend from Dracula’s clutches. Afterward, he had to be saved by Alucard.
Richter will be appearing in the Netflix Castlevania: Nocturne series as a principal protagonist. He made a cameo in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and was a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Michael Belmont
According to the timeline, the Belmont blood thinned out after Richter to the point where there was none to face him in the proceeding century. In 1917, during the events of Castlevania: Bloodlines, Michael Belmont appeared to push Eric LeCarde into action in the family’s stead. John Morris, son of the Dracula novel’s Quincy Morris, wielded the Vampire Killer whip, which came at the expense of his lifespan.
Michael never appears in a Castlevania title. His existence is only really mentioned in an obscure fax that was sent to EGM outlining the series’ backstory. He might not even be considered canon anymore since this was before Igarashi firmly established the series’ timeline. However, I figured I should include him in order to outline the detour the legacy took in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Julius Belmont
The Belmont family would resurface later in the century for the biggest battle yet. Julius’ greatest accomplishment took place offscreen in the Castlevania series. In 1999, he was able to defeat Dracula for good by sealing his castle in a solar eclipse. However, the event caused him to lose his memory.
He first appears in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2035), where he aids Soma in trying to resist the power of Chaos. In that game Julius is a supporting character, but can be unlocked for play. He was also in the follow-up Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2036) to stop a cult from resurrecting Dracula. Once again, he played the role of supporting character.
Published: Oct 2, 2023 09:04 am