WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the Castlevania video game seriesLong gone are the days when the most feared name among vampires was Van Helsing. Thanks to the success of the Castlevania video game franchise, and the animated Netflix shows adapting the lore, Belmont has now become the family name hot on the heels of bloodsuckers.
With a rich family tree to reference, members of the Belmont clan are said to become more powerful down the ancestral line, which is a detail we’ve included in our quest to find the strongest Belmont vampire hunter. Here are 10 of the most powerful Belmont characters, ranked.
10 Sonia Belmont
Sonia Belmont is technically the first member of the Belmont clan (even though canonically Leon is at the top of the tree) who worked as a vampire huntress during the 15th century and starred as the protagonist of the 1997 Game Boy title, Castlevania Legends.
Despite the narrative of Castlevania Legends being wiped from canon, the existence of Sonia still deserves a mention on this list since she was once the head of the clan. Sonia was actually meant to appear in the Dreamcast game Castlevania Resurrection, where she would have fought Dracula, and even though the game was scraped, the intended battle still proves her power.
9 Leon Belmont
Serving as a European knight during the 11th century, the top of the canon Belmont family tree, and the protagonist of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Leon Belmont technically began the clan’s vampire-hunting legacy when he faced his best friend, Mathias Cronqvist, who evolved to become Dracula.
Despite lacking the traditional vampire-hunting weapons that fans have become accustomed to, like the Vampire Killer, Leon still utilized the tools he had and even possessed a magical gauntlet, and as the ancestor who started it all, Leon rightfully ignites this list alongside Sonia.
8 Trevor Belmont
Arguably, everyone’s favorite vampire hunter has become Trevor Belmont because of the acclaimed Netflix series and the character’s sarcastic nature. However, Trevor is also the first Belmont to actually defeat Dracula, which earns him a slightly higher entry in the ranks.
Using the handed-down Vampire Killer whip, Trevor is one of the most charismatic Belmont characters on this list, but his overall power pales in comparison to many of his ancestors, especially since the hunter needed the help of his allies, Sypha Belnades and Alucard, to complete his mission.
7 Sid Belmont
A slightly more underrated Belmont character is Sid Belmont, who is a descendant of Trevor Belmont and a character present in the game book The Legend of Satanic Castle: The Vampire Hunters—one of those nostalgic “choose your own adventure” novels.
Since every Belmont descendant gets stronger, so does the main antagonist Dracula, and the foe Sid faced in the novel proves that he would have beaten a more powerful version of the villain than his ancestors, which logically puts him higher on the list.
6 Soleil Belmont
Soleil Belmont is an NPC (one of the few Belmonts to appear as one) in Castlevania: The Adventure and the sequel Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge, and he’s the son of Christopher Belmont who taught him the art of being a vampire hunter.
Despite his appearance being fleeting and his power sitting middle of the road when it comes to some of the stronger Belmont characters, Soleil is still more powerful than his descendants, despite becoming possessed by Dracula and playing a major antagonist in Belmont’s Revenge.
5 Christopher Belmont
If each Belmont descendant gets stronger, Christopher Belmont should technically be weaker than his son Soleil, however, Christopher was able to defeat Soleil while he was possessed in Belmont’s Revenge, which makes him slightly stronger than his son.
Appearing in the same games as his son, Christopher was successful in killing Dracula one hundred years after Trevor and one hundred years before the popular Castlevania protagonist, Simon Belmont. Christopher also managed to wield the Vampire Killer whip as well as Sub-Weapons.
4 Simon Belmont
Up next in the family tree is Simon Belmont, the main character in the first Castlevania game and its sequel Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, where he served as a prolific vampire hunter during the 17th century who wielded the Vampire Killer and managed to slay Dracula.
In addition to having increased physical strength, Simon also carries the accolade of defeating Dracula twice, similar to his descendant Christopher, but the combination of his physical power and his courage makes him one of the most feared Belmont hunters in the line and a worthy fourth place on this list.
3 Juste Belmont
Standing as the third most powerful Belmont character is Juste Belmont, who is said to be Richter Belmont’s father in some narratives. Juste appeared as the protagonist in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and he’s also the grandson of Simon Belmont, which automatically makes him slightly more powerful than his grandfather.
Even though Juste never fought Dracula like his ancestors, he wields magic that his predecessors never had, thanks to his lineage with Sypha Belnades and the Belnades clan, giving him extra brownie points in the most powerful list.
2 Richter Belmont
Taking second place is Richter Belmont, star of the recently released Netflix spin-off Castlevania: Nocturne, and the protagonist of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Richter is without a doubt one of the most powerful Belmont hunters, blending traditional vampire hunting with powers and contesting Trevor Belmont, the star of the Netflix parent series.
Dracula’s servant, Shaft, used Richter’s strength to his advantage in the 1997 video game Symphony of the Night, when he possessed Richter under a spell and manipulated him to become the new master of Dracula’s castle which gave Alucard a run for his money during the conclusive fight.
1 Julius Belmont
Taking first place as the most powerful Belmont character in Castlevania history is Julius Belmont, known to be the last known descendant of the Belmont clan and the vampire hunter responsible for the final death of Dracula during the Demon Castle War arc, set before the events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.
While successfully manning Vampire Killer, fans agree that Julius is without a doubt the strongest Belmont, who suffered amnesia following his battle with Dracula, but came back stronger than ever to defeat Soma Cruz—the reincarnation of Dracula—with multi-directional whipping handed down from Simon Belmont.