Julius Belmont

Julius Belmont
Japanese name(s)	ユリウス・ベルモンド Yuriusu Berumondo (Julius Belmondo)
Alternate name(s)	"J"
Role(s)	Vampire Hunter
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Date of birth	1980
Age	55 in 2035 (Aria of Sorrow) 56 in 2036 (Dawn of Sorrow) 57 in 2037 (Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku novel)
Status	Alive
Affiliation(s)	Belmont Clan
Weapon(s)	Vampire Killer, Sub-Weapons
Abilities	Grand Cross Martial Arts (Uppercut, Comet Kick, Slide Kick, Omnia Vanitas)
Firstappearance	Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Appearances	2035: Aria of Sorrow 2036: Dawn of Sorrow 2037: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku N/A: Harmony of Despair
Partnerships	Curtis Lang (apprentice)
Dialogue	Dialogue page
English voice(s)	David Lodge[citation needed] (HD)
Japanese voice(s)	Osamu Ryutani (AoS) Tetsu Inada (DoS, HD)
Music theme	Can't Wait Until the Night / Heart of Fire (AoS, HD) Beginning (DoS)

"I must destroy Dracula at any cost. That is my destiny."

— Julius Belmont, in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Julius Belmont (ユリウス・ベルモンド, Yuriusu Berumondo^?, Julius Belmondo) is the last known warrior from the Belmont Clan. He has the fairly high honor of being responsible for the final defeat of Count Dracula during 1999, previous to the events of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, although as consequence this caused him to have amnesia. Only remembering that his name started with a "J", he wandered the lands and eventually found himself in Dracula's Castle. He also makes an appearance in Aria's direct sequel, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, where he joins Yoko Belnades and Genya Arikado in an attempt to stop Celia Fortner and her cult from reviving the Dark Lord once more.

Appearances

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

During the events of Aria of Sorrow, Julius has had amnesia ever since his battle with Dracula in 1999. Through some hidden intuition, he arrives at Dracula's castle and begins searching it for clues of his identity. He later regains his memory and grows to suspect that it was in fact Soma Cruz, not Graham Jones, who was the reincarnation of Dracula, and goes off to find the Vampire Killer whip of his lineage — used by him to help seal Dracula and his castle in the eclipse — to prepare for the inevitable conflict between him and Soma, should Soma succeed in defeating Graham and regaining Dracula's power.

Just as he predicts, Soma does indeed regain Dracula's power and the two engage in battle right before Soma enters the Chaotic Realm to sever Dracula's ties with the Chaos that fed him. Despite being at full strength, Julius was defeated by Soma, who realized Julius had intentionally held back. This was because Julius could sense Soma's pure soul fighting back the dark influence of Dracula's power and desired to help him fulfill his quest to rid himself of that influence. Before they parted, Soma made Julius promise to finish the job their fight had started, should he fail. Should the player fail in defeating the final boss, Chaos, then Soma sits upon the throne in the castle, drinking from a goblet containing a liquid of blood red color. Julius enters and says that he will make good on his promise. Soma rises and it is assumed that the two do battle. The canonical ending, however, is that Soma defeats Chaos and preserves his humanity. Julius is one of the three enemies in the game that does not give any souls, along with Graham and Chaos.

As an enemy, all of Julius's sub-weapons don't have Holy element. Possibly, this is because Julius doesn't attack Soma seriously, as stated by Soma right after the battle.

Julius Mode

Main article: Julius Mode

Once the player has completed Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, if a new game is started with the file name "JULIUS", they can play through the game as the vampire hunter, with all the classic Castlevania abilities, including the High Jump (which he also mixes with an Uppercut attack) and a new ability, the Omnia Vanitas, which lets him become intangible whilst sliding behind the enemy.

However, Julius cannot acquire souls or new weapons, and in Aria of Sorrow he never levels up, making the first parts of the game very easy, and the latter parts extremely difficult (that is, if the player chooses not to fight some of the bosses that could be skipped as a result of Julius's inherent ability to double jump, high jump, and slide from the beginning, since collecting the reward orb increases Julius's STR, INT, and CON).

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Main article: Julius Belmont/Dawn of Sorrow

In Dawn of Sorrow, Julius comes to the reflection of Dracula's castle along with Genya Arikado and Yoko Belnades in order to stop Celia Fortner, the leader of a shadow cult known as With Light, from reviving the Dark Lord. Soma's first encounter with Julius is at The Lost Village, as Julius and Yoko are standing at the edge of a chasm. Julius encourages Soma to leave the castle, due to the fact he may succumb to his dark nature. Soma refuses and Julius accepts his determination. He then makes a massive leap across the chasm and continues down the bridge on the other side.

The next encounter with Julius occurs in the Condemned Tower, where Julius is examining a barrier that has been formed in that location. When Soma asks Julius whether he can break the barrier, Julius says that he can, but it would drain his powers immensely. He then asks Soma about his current investigation through the castle and Soma reveals Celia's plan to revive the Dark Lord via defeating Soma with one of the Dark Lord's candidates, Dmitrii Blinov or Dario Bossi. Julius leaves to search for Arikado, with whom he will confer on this matter.

Shortly after Soma enters the Cursed Clock Tower, Julius enters along with Arikado to confront Celia. Celia is overconfident, as she has finished bonding the soul of a powerful flame demon to Dario's soul, granting him vastly increased powers. Arikado instructs Julius to follow Dario and he will pursue Celia.

Evidently, Julius did battle Dario, but was defeated due to his inability to use a Magic Seal. Because he could not use a Magic Seal, Dario simply gathered more dark energy from the gates of darkness in the castle and renewed his health, something he could do indefinitely. Soma arrives to save Julius and Dario retreats, but reveals to Soma the location of their final battle at The Pinnacle. Julius explains to Soma why he lost, but Soma asks him whether he had faced enemies that regenerated before; Julius revealed he had, but he had destroyed them before they could regenerate. Due to Dario's powers and the gates of darkness, however, this tactic was impossible. Julius then sends Soma off to stop Dario, saying his flame powers are immense, but Soma should have the necessary power to stop him.

Near the end of the game, Julius converses with Arikado next to the barrier he originally claimed he could break while Soma enters. Although Julius is reluctant to use so much power, as it will leave him unable to continue the fight, Arikado convinces him that his power is the only way to pierce the barrier. Julius relents and uses his full power to break the barrier, and following the ordeal, ends up exhausted. He then tells Soma the pains of age and asks him to pursue Celia and Dmitrii through the newly opened passageway.

Julius's last scene in the game takes place after Soma has defeated the final opponent, Menace, and escaped the castle along with Arikado. He laughs with the other characters as they poke fun at Soma and Mina as if they were together.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

Main article: Julius Belmont/Harmony of Despair

Julius was released as a downloadable character in Harmony of Despair. He uses the Vampire Killer as his primary and only weapon. Despite sharing the main weapon and some sub-weapons with Jonathan Morris, Julius has a different playstyle. He can whip in all eight directions, similarly to Simon Belmont in Super Castlevania IV; in addition, his whip range is longer and his attack speed is greater than Jonathan's. He only has six sub-weapons: Knife, Axe, Ricochet Rock, Holy Water, Cross, and Bible. If the player found a copy with Jonathan already, Julius has access to that as well.

Julius has access to two martial arts, Uppercut and Omnia Vanitas. Again, if the player found a copy of the Uppercut with Jonathan, it already can be used with Julius. The Belmont's uppercut deals less damage and hits only directly above Julius. His second martial art is based off of the teleport move used in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Julius can also use Shanoa's Magnes points to swing off of them, again a reference to Simon's abilities in Super Castlevania IV. Julius, in terms of raw damage, is able to do more than Jonathan both with whip and sub-weapons.

Other appearances

Otomedius Excellent

In Otomedius Excellent (set in 2011), Julius has a sister called Kokoro Belmont, who wants to become a vampire hunter after she graduates from St. Gradius Academy and High School in Japan. She is in the first year of high school there, putting her around 15 years of age. Kokoro journeys along with Gesshi Hanafuuma and the other members of the Angel Squadron to prevent the invasion of the Bacterians from dooming the Earth; it is possible that this journey also brings her to Transylvania.^{[citation needed]} With no indication of Julius's parents and their ages, it is thus assumed that they are young enough where, after around fifteen years of waiting, they would have Kokoro as their second child.

Notes on Julius's age

• Julius may be the eldest of the Belmonts to be called into active battle. In Dawn of Sorrow, he is 56 according to the instruction booklet, which indicates he was born in 1980. This would place him at age 19, the exact same age as his ancestor Richter at the time of Rondo of Blood, in the battle of 1999. This last fact should be kept in mind because, like the other Belmonts, he was at his prime during his biggest adventure, but the battle of 1999, referred to as the Demon Castle War, has not yet been made into a game.
• In Castlevania: Bloodlines, Belmont descendant John Morris took up the Vampire Killer to take on Dracula. Although John was originally slated to make an appearance in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, it was re-written so that he had died, having passed the whip, and role of hero, to his son Jonathan.^{[citation needed]} It is likely that Julius would have done the same thing, but the amnesia he received after the battle of 1999 made him forget the importance of having a child to continue the Belmont legacy. Thus, when the cult threatened the world, he was forced to go back into battle himself.
• As Richter is noted as "Master Vampire Hunter" on Symphony of the Night, Julius's description in Aria of Sorrow also specifically states that he is the most powerful vampire hunter. This most likely means that Julius is the strongest of his time (1999~2035), while Richter was the strongest of his time (1792~1797).

Boss battle

"Nothing you can say will stop me! Prepare to die!"

— Julius Belmont, before engaging Soma Cruz in battle

If the player defeats Graham with the correct souls equipped, Soma will awaken as the true reincarnation of Dracula and the door in the Floating Garden, which had been previously blocked by a wall of dark energy, will be unlocked. Upon entering, the player will encounter Julius. After a brief conversation, he will initiate the battle.

Julius Belmont is one of the most powerful and difficult bosses in Aria of Sorrow. He has high HP and MP, his attack and defense are well balanced, and his speed is quite fast. Notably, he is also resistant to many elements. In particular, his resistance against the Holy element will render the Claimh Solais, which is one of the best weapons in the game, almost useless; but likewise, significantly weak against the Balmung. Compared to other bosses in the game, Julius has a lot of characteristic moves in his arsenal, making the battle quite tricky.

The music that plays during this battle is Heart of Fire from the original Castlevania, mixed with Can't Wait Until the Night from Haunted Castle.

First phase

During the first phase of the battle, Julius will attack with moves listed below:

• Whip Attack: Julius swings the Vampire Killer directly in front of him. It deals heavy damage and reaches far. He can perform this attack while standing, crouching, or jumping. All of these traits make this move very deadly, although it is just a regular attack.
• Slide Kick: Julius hops back a short distance and then performs a slide kick.
• Comet Kick: Julius jumps up high in the air and kicks downward diagonally.
• Omnia Vanitas: Julius dashes forward quickly, eventually turning around at the end. During this move, he is completely incorporeal and thus cannot be damaged in any way.

Grand Cross

When Julius takes enough damage, he will move to the central portion of the room. He will slowly rise up in the air while pulling Soma toward him. The castle in the background starts to shake and it gradually falls apart piece by piece. Julius then unleashes Grand Cross in a gigantic blast of divine energy, inflicting severe damage on Soma for a total of seven consecutive hits. Because Soma flinches when damaged, and he is constantly pulled toward Julius, it is highly likely that once Soma is hit, he will receive all the remaining hits. Julius then comes back to the floor, starting the second phase of the battle.

Second phase

During the second phase of the battle, Julius uses all of the moves in the first phase. In addition, he gains three more moves, all of which are sub-weapons of a vampire hunter. Another notable thing is that the background changes slightly: bits and pieces of the castle destroyed by the Grand Cross fall endlessly in the back, until the battle is over.

• Cross: Julius raises his hand and a spark of blue energy flashes. He then throws a cross that travels forward, stops for a moment and then travels back. If Julius catches it, it will disappear. If he doesn't, it will travel to the end of the screen. Keep in mind that one cannot dodge the cross by crouching.
• Axe: Julius raises his hand and a spark of red energy flashes. He then throws a red axe in a large arc. It deals harsh damage, but strikes only once.
• Holy Water: Julius raises his hand and a spark of green energy flashes. He then throws a vial of holy water that causes holy flames to erupt on the spot. It covers a wide area and it strikes multiple times.

Enemy Data

No. Name JPN HP MP EXP 111 Belmont ベルモンド Berumondo (Belmondo) 6,000 9,999 0 Attack Defense Tolerance Weakness Time Stop 95 80 Light, Poison, Curse, Stone - Unaffected Location Common Drop Rare Drop Soul Floating Garden (after the battle with Graham) - - - Description "The most powerful Vampire Hunter. Recently regained his memory."

Trivia

• In Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, Julius never uses the weak Dagger, and instead uses the powerful Grand Cross.
• In Aria of Sorrow, even though Soma can stand on the shoulder of a Catoblepas or a Gorgon safely, Julius cannot.
• It is possible to fight Julius in Aria of Sorrow at some very low levels: level 17 if the player does not use glitches and level 4 (432 EXP) if the player uses them.
• Julius is one of the two Belmonts not to star in his own game, alongside Soleil Belmont (not taking into account characters from different timelines).
• Even though Julius was incapable of using Magic Seals, he nonetheless managed to defeat several monsters that utilized them. Julius implied that he was able to do so due to destroying them before they could reconstitute (with Soma believing this to be impossible).
• Julius's artwork for Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow by Ayami Kojima is apparently based on Koji Igarashi, former Castlevania director and producer, although this is mere speculation.