- For other uses, see Simon Belmont (disambiguation).
- "The most renowned of vampire hunters."
- — Description
Simon Belmont (シモン・ベルモンド Shimon Berumondo?, Simon Belmondo) is the main protagonist of the original Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. He is a renowned vampire hunter from the 17th century, and also the first and one of the most recognized heroes from the Castlevania franchise. Simon also made appearances as a playable character in the spinoff games, Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and more recently he made a reappearance in the main timeline title, Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls.
Various incarnations and cameos of him have appeared in other games of the series. Besides these appearances, Simon has made several cameos in other games from Konami as well, being regarded as one of the company's most renowned mascots.
History
Background
Simon Belmont was a member of the ancestral Belmont Clan of vampire hunters and heir to the renowned Vampire Killer whip. He was born around the year 1669[6] and became the most famous vampire hunter of all.[7]
Simon grew up hearing stories of his great ancestors, who had defeated the Vampire Lord, Count Dracula, along with those who helped them. As he trained in the ways of the whip, he would often wonder how he compared to these legendary warriors.[8]
Castlevania
At the age of 22 in 1691, he would be given the opportunity to prove himself worthy of his family's legacy. On Easter Day, 100 years after he was defeated by Christopher Belmont, Count Dracula had returned. He was reawakened by a dark order of humans on Easter Day during a dark mass in an abandoned monastery.
Simon was determined to end the threat of a new reign of terror, and entered Dracula's Castle alone to face the Count. Simon slew Dracula's servants and then faced off against Dracula himself as his ancestors had. Unable to kill him in the battle and unbeknown to Simon at the time, Dracula had managed to place a curse on a wound he inflicted on Simon's back.[9][10]
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
The curse that Dracula had placed upon Simon 7 years ago slowly began to ravage his body. He began to think that his death was near. One night, six years after he returned from the time rift, he was contemplating his situation at his family's cemetery.[10]
Suddenly, a Mysterious Woman appeared behind Simon standing in the morning mist. She explained to him that this feeling he had was due to a curse that Dracula had placed on him and that his life was in real danger. In order to be free of this curse, he would have to collect Dracula's remains - his nail, heart, rib bone, eyeball, and ring, and burn them all in the ruins of Dracula's castle. While this would defeat him for the time being, she warned him that even this might not be enough to defeat Dracula forever. She then vanished within the mist as mysteriously as she had appeared.[10]
Simon resolved to take up this challenge and began his new quest. The land had once again become infested with monsters and the villagers would board up their houses at night and hide from the creatures that would take over their towns. Some villagers, perhaps grateful to be able to help the man who had saved their land from Dracula years earlier, assisted Simon on his quest by offering him advice on where to go next. Others did so for the money and items he would give them in exchange for their goods. Other villagers, perhaps fearful that Dracula's return would be hastened if Simon was successful in gathering his remains, would refuse to help him or offered him misleading information.
Simon was able to find each of the remains that had been gathered by Dracula's servants and placed in their strongholds in various mansions throughout the land. He returned to the site of the ruins of Dracula's castle, which was abandoned by humans and monsters alike, and placed his remains there. However, through the power of a sixth body piece, the fang, Dracula was revived. Simon managed to defeat him a second time. This time, he burned his remains and his curse was lifted. He buried what was left of Dracula in a graveyard. He was forever remembered for his bravery.[11][12]
After Simon's great effort fighting against Count Dracula, the long-hated Belmont family was reconciled with the residents. Simon was regarded as a life-saver, and people started to look upon him as a hero; little by little, the people started to gather around them. A village, therefore, was formed around the Belmonts. Juste Belmont would later grew up in this environment with his childhood friends Maxim Kischine and Lydie Erlanger.[13]
Appearance
Castlevania
Simon first debuted in Castlevania for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He wears a leather breast plate, tall boots, and a bandana. He is sometimes also depicted with a cape. Simon's hair color is brown on the cover art, contrary to the artwork from the Japanese instruction booklet, in which it is red. This hair color would later carry on to Ayami Kojima's redesign of the character.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
In Simon's Quest, Simon's barbaric design is dropped and he takes on a more knightly appearance. He wears red armor decorated with yellow engravings and pearls, shoulder plates and iron gloves. Furthermore, Simon also wears a belt with a pearl in the middle, black trousers, knee-guards, and long boots. His hair color is blond on the cover art and brown in the Japanese instruction booklet.
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls
Simon's design in Grimoire of Souls is largely similar to his appearance in the original Castlevania, although he is depicted with blond hair instead of brown/red. This design was utilized in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well.
Personality
Due to his original debut games being 8-bit, much of Simon's personality wouldn't be known until later games expanded on the lore. Simon stands out from previous Belmonts like Leon, Trevor and Christopher due to being rather brash, very headstrong, and often inclined to force his way through situations. This is demonstrated when meeting Genya Arikado for the first time in Grimoire of Souls, where Simon attempted to attack the latter under the belief that he was one of Dracula's vampire minions due to the Vampire Killer whip reacting to his presence, although after learning from Arikado himself, as well as Lucy Westenra, that Arikado was in fact Alucard, with Simon apologizing for his earlier behavior.
By his time, his ancestors were celebrated heroes and all throughout his training with the Vampire Killer, Simon was eager for the opportunity to test his own strength against Dracula and take his place amongst the legends of his bloodline. What made Simon's strength particularly renowned, and even somewhat shocking by the standards of those born during the 20th century, was that unlike many future Belmonts who have enhanced magical powers, Simon wasn't very knowledgeable on magical practices by his own admission, and instead all of his power was naturally built from his extreme dedication to his training. This caused Jonathan Morris some horror when Simon eagerly accepted him to be his training partner.
Simon was an intense man who tended to take matters involving his clan very seriously. This is seen when he learns about the Belmont's disappearance by the time of the 19th century, taking this to heart and even feeling responsible for the clan's failure by that point. However, his brashness would change after his experience of being struck by a deadly curse in the immediate aftermath of his first victory over the Dark Lord. This curse ravaged his body and took away much of the physical strength he had dedicated himself so greatly to obtain. During his adventure in Simon's Quest, he would have to rely on more clever and thoughtful means of locating and defeating his enemies, and he even went as far as donning a suit of armor to simultaneously supplement his loss of strength and hide his unnatural condition from those around him. Ironically, it was the unexpected events of his daunting second quest and eventual second victory that truly solidified his place in the pantheon of the greatest vampire hunters.
Other appearances
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
- Main article: Simon Belmont/Harmony of Dissonance
The original NES Castlevania 8-bit version of Simon Belmont can be unlocked as a playable character in Boss Rush Mode. To play as him, the game must be completed once; this will unlock Boss Rush Mode. When the Konami logo shows up at the game's startup, the player has to quickly input the Konami Code: ↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, B, A. If done correctly, the main menu screen will turn to a blue scheme. Select Boss Rush Mode and the 8-bit version of Simon Belmont will be automatically selected.
Castlevania Judgment
- Main article: Simon Belmont/Judgment
Simon Belmont can only be unlocked in this game by purchasing his downloadable content package.
Galamoth plots to send the Time Reaper from 10,000 years in the future into the past to destroy his rival, Dracula, and change history. A time traveler named Aeon discovers this and pulls together champions from different eras of history into a dimensional rift in order to find a chosen one capable of destroying Galamoth's servant. Simon is one of these warriors.
Despite having already beaten Dracula a year ago, Simon remains troubled. He is uncertain if he was able to accomplish this with his own strength or with the strength provided by his whip.
Simon wears a black vest and pants with a silver lining and a golden symbol of a cross at his back. Following Ayami Kojima's artwork, Simon has red hair; he also wears slightly armored arm guards and boots with black and silver lining with small cross motives on some parts of the armor.
Simon's theme in Judgment is Vampire Killer.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
- Main article: Simon Belmont/Harmony of Despair
The Grimoire is a magical book that records the history of Dracula's castle. A memory of Simon is recorded in this book. Certain individuals find themselves trapped in the Grimoire and borrow the powers of the heroes which are recorded in the book in order to find a way out.
Simon appears, in his 8-bit version, as a bonus downloadable character. He uses the Vampire Killer and sub-weapons to fight his enemies.
Non-Castlevania appearances
- See also: Cameo Games
Captain N: The Game Master
- Main article: Simon Belmont (Captain N)
A reimagined version of Simon Belmont appeared in the '80s-'90s animated TV series Captain N: The Game Master. This portrayal of the character differed greatly from that of the video game series, both in his physical appearance as well as behavior, giving him a more vain and self-centered demeanor, although at the same time having a strong sense of justice; always making sure to never let down the family name and carry on his responsibility to always stop the Count from accomplishing his evil plans no matter what.
Hai no Majutsushi
Hai no Majutsushi is a mahjong game that was released only in Japan for the MSX2 in which eight Konami mascots are included. While Simon is not playable in this game, he can be picked as one of the three opponents against whom to play. It is said in the game that after Simon defeated Dracula, he became a pervert.
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihō
In this action role-playing game on the Famicom, Simon Belmont is a recruitable character. He is met by the party when it arrives in Europe. In combat, he can use a Holy Water ability.
Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle
Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle is the sequel to Konami Wai Wai World. The main character is a robot named Rickle who has to rescue Princess Herb of Konami World. Unlike the previous game, Rickle does not rescue other characters; instead, he has the ability to transform into three other Konami heroes via power-ups, determined at random at the beginning of the game. One of these heroes is Simon, who controls like he did in the original game, although without his Cross. Simon is nearly invincible, but can only be played as for a limited amount of time before reverting to Rickle.
Contra: Hard Corps
- Main article: Simondo Belmont
A parody of Simon makes an appearance as a secret boss in this entry of Konami's Contra series. In it, if the player climbs the wall before the door to the boss of Stage 3, they will be invited to participate in the Battle Arena. The first opponent is Simondo Belmont, entering by first destroying a candle in the middle and grabbing the sub-weapon that drops from it. He sports sunglasses and a large afro with a guitar on his back. He uses a chain morning star whip which extends from the inside of his arm, and also throws a fish as a sub-weapon, which functions in the same way as the Cross. Once the player damages him enough, his head will explode and expose wires, revealing him to be an android. After he has been defeated, a large amount of the fish sub-weapons will gush out from his neck and he'll finally explode. The theme song used for this battle is a techno version of Vampire Killer called "SIMON 1994RD".
The Simon portrayed in this game is a mixture of Simon Belmont and Masato Shimon, a Japanese musician, and the fish sub-weapon is an allusion to one of Masato's famous song "Oyoge Taiyaki-kun", with taiyaki being a fish-shaped Japanese confection.
Battle Tryst
Battle Tryst is a rare arcade game released in 1997. It was intended to have cameo roles for Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont, but these were canceled. They are still playable, although they are known as Shemon and Rehter.
DreamMix TV: World Fighters
DreamMix TV: World Fighters is also one of Konami's mascot-themed games, but characters from other companies (Hudson Soft, Takara and Red Entertainment) are also included. One of these characters is Simon (his appearance is based on how he is portrayed in Castlevania Chronicles) and he fights with his traditional whip and cross sub-weapon. Simon can use his whip for basic attacks and combos, while his cross is used for three different special attacks (he can throw it forward, upward, or in a circle). This game also includes two Castlevania themed stages (based on a typical main hall). In both stages, "Bloody Tears" plays in the background.
New International Track & Field
New International Track & Field is an Olympic Games sports title released for the Nintendo DS. The game puts normal competitors, as well as Konami icons, against each other in certain events (100-meter dash, the 110-meter hurdle, bicycling, long-jumping, swimming, archery, the shot put, pole-vaulting, sprinting, gymnastics, javelin-throwing, high-jumping, etc.). There's also an archery event known as "Belmont's challenge", where the player must shoot bats to gain points and a chance to destroy the planks that cover the windows, in order to let sunlight in and destroy Dracula. The music that plays is yet another version of "Vampire Killer".
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Simon appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate alongside Richter Belmont as a playable character. He uses his Vampire Killer whip and sub-weapons (Axe, Holy Water, Cross), as well as martial arts to fight his opponents. Some of his moves are inspired by Richter, who is an Echo Fighter (clone character) based on Simon. Simon is the first third party character to have an Echo Fighter based on him to appear in a Smash Bros. game.
Simon's theme in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Vampire Killer.
Brawlhalla
Simon Belmont and Alucard were included as guest playable fighters in this free-to-play fighting game on the October 19, 2022 update.
Dead Cells
It is possible to make the playable Beheaded appear like Simon by equipping the Simon Outfit that can be found in the Return to Castlevania expansion.
Vampire Survivors
Simon appears as a character in the Ode To Castlevania DLC.
He is unlocked by evolving the Jet Black Whip, which is the starting weapon of Christopher, alluding to the passage of the Vampire Killer within the Belmont Clan.
His starting weapon is the Wind Whip.
Quotes
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls
- Main article: Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls/Script
- I am shocked that Dracula's castle exists this far into the future. Have none been able to destroy it?
- Calm yourself, Charlotte. I sympathize, but we must be careful.
- In Dracula's castle, one misstep could decide our fate.
- Another young woman... Times indeed have changed. Let us strike a decisive blow for humanity, Shanoa!
- To arms!
- That was some good exercise.
Gameplay
Castlevania
Sub-weapons
| Name | Heart consumption | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Dagger | 1 | 
|
| Axe | 1 | 
|
| Boomerang | 1 | 
|
| Fire Bomb | 1 | 
|
| Watch | 5 | 
|
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Sub-weapons
| Name | Heart consumption | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Dagger | None | 
|
| Silver Knife | 1 | 
|
| Gold Knife | 2 | 
|
| Flame | 1 | 
|
| Oak Stake | 50 (buying price) | 
|
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls
- Main article: Simon Belmont/Grimoire of Souls
Simon is the first hero to be summoned from the grimoires. He uses Whip weapons, as well as Axe and Knife sub-weapons.
Gallery
- Main article: Simon Belmont/Gallery
Trivia
- According to a statement made by the head director of the three Famicom Castlevania games, Hitoshi Akamatsu, the inclusion of the whip as Simon's weapon of choice is a reference to Indiana Jones.
- Simon was originally planned to be named "Peter Dante".[1]
- Castlevania Judgment, for Nintendo's Wii, marks Simon's third appearance in a 3D fighting game, after his bouts in Battle Tryst and DreamMix TV: World Fighters. Like many of the other playable characters, Simon is also able to use his traditional sub-weapons in the game.
- Keith Silverstein, Simon's English voice actor, also did the voice of Albus in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.
- The original concept behind the 2010 series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was to remake the original Castlevania starring Simon. While this idea was ultimately not followed through, Lords of Shadow's protagonist, Gabriel Belmont, wears armor which is reminiscent of Simon's artwork and sprite from Simon's Quest (confirmed in an interview by developer David Cox). This is presumably a reference to Gabriel being the first main character of a new Castlevania series, as Simon was of the original franchise.
- Simon Belmont's sprite also appears in Lords of Shadow after enabling Cheat mode. The sprite copies Gabriel's movements.
- Simon Belmont was the initial protagonist of Paul Anderson's original script for Castlevania: The Movie. Several rewrites of this script took place and it's not known if he was still planned to make an appearance in the final cut. The project was ultimately canceled.
- At the end of the original Castlevania, the name listed in the credits under "The Hero" is Simon Belmondo, while in Simon's Quest it is consistently Simon Belmont.
- His interaction with Genya Arikado in Grimoire of Souls is technically the only time that he and Alucard directly interacted with each other canonically, as Simon and Alucard had previously interacted in Captain N: The Game Master.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon, page 77.
- ↑ BradyGames Order of Ecclesia Official Strategy Guide p. 142.
- ↑ Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth official website. (archived: February 10, 2012)
- ↑ Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Konami. 2002.
- ↑ Keith Silverstein - IMDb
- ↑ Castlevania Judgment. Press release bio.
- ↑ Castlevania Judgment instruction booklet. Konami. 2009. p. 21.
- ↑ Castlevania Judgment. Konami. 2009. Story Mode. Simon Belmont. Opening prologue.
- ↑ Akumajō Dracula instruction booklet. Konami. 1986. p.4, 5, 6, 7. KDS-AKM.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin instruction booklet. Konami. 1987. p. 4. 5. 6. 7. KDS-DRK.
- ↑ Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin Kanzen Hisshōbon.
- ↑ Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Konami. 1988. Ending.
- ↑ Interview: Konami's vampire Harmony at CVG. (archived: April 2, 2009)
External links
- Simon Belmont at the Castlevania Fan Wiki
- Simon Belmont at the Castlevania Fanon Wiki
- Simon Belmont at the Heroes Wiki
- Simon Belmondo at the pop'n music Wiki
- Simon Belmont at Smashpedia
- Simon Belmont at the official Super Smash Bros Ultimate website.
- Simon Belmont at the Vampire Survivors Wiki
- Castlevania Collection, which features Simon's cosmetics, at the Dead by Daylight Wiki
| This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Simon Belmont. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the Castlevania Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
| Castlevania | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Simon Belmont · Dracula | |
| Bosses | |
| Phantom Bat · Queen Medusa · Mummy Man · Frankenstein & Igor · Grim Reaper · Count Dracula · Spirit of Dracula | |
| Stages | |
| The Castle Entrance · The Chapel · The Castle Ruins The Catacombs · The Dungeons · The Clock Tower and the Castle Keep | |
| Music | |
| Underground · Vampire Killer · Stalker · Wicked Child · Walking on the Edge · Heart of Fire · Out of Time Nothing to Lose · Poison Mind · Black Night · Voyager · Akumajō Dracula Famicom Best | |
| Guides | |
| Akumajō Dracula Perfect · The Official Nintendo Player's Guide · NES Game Atlas | |
| Archives | |
| Bestiary · Inventory | |
| Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls |
|---|
| Characters |
| Playable Characters |
| Genya Arikado/Alucard · Simon Belmont · Maria Renard (RoB) · Charlotte Aulin · Shanoa |
| Assist Characters |
| Soma Cruz/Dark King Soma · Jonathan Morris · Richter Belmont · Maria Renard (SoN) · Albus · Trevor Belmont |
| Supporting cast |
| Lucy Westenra · Hermina Lecarde · Annette |
| Antagonists |
| Dracula · Seward/Death |
| Bosses |
| Giant Bat · Dullahan · Wyvern · Legion · Eligor · Carmilla · Lesser Vampire · Balore · Gergos |
| Locations |
| Elgos Building |
| Grimoires |
| Ch I. Dracula's Castle · Ch II. A City of Fog · Ch III. Ash Banquet · Ch IV. That Witch Writhes · Ch V. Dark Laughter Ch VI. Accursed Cranium · Ch VII. Death's Reign · Ch VIII. Demonic Visions · Ch IX. A Vessel for the Lord · Ch X. Dracula's Curse |
| Optional |
| Whip's Memory |
| Multiplay areas |
| Dracula's Castle Abyss · Cursed Castle Den |
| Archives |
| Inventory · Bestiary · Missions |