Yoko Belnades

For the canceled Castlevania: Bloodlines character, see Yoko Felnades.

Yoko Belnades
Japanese name(s)	ヨーコ・ヴェルナンデス Yōko Verunandesu
Role(s)	Witch
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Date of birth	2011 (allegedly)
Age	24 in 2035 (Aria of Sorrow) 25 in 2036 (Dawn of Sorrow) 26 in 2037 (Kabuchi no Tsuisōkyoku)
Status	Alive
Hair	Blond
Eyes	Light green
Affiliation(s)	Belnades Clan, Church
Weapon(s)	Belnades Staff
Abilities	Magic Spells, Magic Seals, Weapon Synthesis
Firstappearance	Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Appearances	2035: Aria of Sorrow 2036: Dawn of Sorrow 2037: Kabuchi no Tsuisōkyoku N/A: Harmony of Despair
Relatives	Sypha Belnades (ancestress)
Partnerships	Genya Arikado (acquaintance) Soma Cruz (friend) Mina Hakuba (friend) Julius Belmont (contact)
Dialogue	Dialogue page
English voice(s)	Karen Strassman (HD)
Japanese voice(s)	Ao Takahashi
Music theme	A Fleeting Respite (DoS) Aquarius (HD) Dracula's Tears (Vampire Survivors)

"Be who you are..."

— Yoko to Soma Cruz in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Yoko Belnades (ヨーコ・ヴェルナンデス, Yōko Verunandesu^?) is a descendant of the Belnades Clan and a powerful witch, similar to her ancestor Sypha Belnades. She is very close to Mina Hakuba, the daughter of the owner of the Hakuba Shrine, and is like an older sister to her. She performs tasks for the Church in their search for Count Dracula and the remainder of his powers.

History

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Yoko provides some information to the protagonist, Soma Cruz, when he first encounters her. She is already present in the castle when Soma arrives, giving him occasional aid and assistance. She also warns Soma about Graham Jones' true nature, also sarcastically telling Soma she has "a bridge to sell him" when he infers he's not all that bad. Eventually, Soma informs her that Graham has revealed to him he's the one who will receive Dracula's power and that Soma will not rule over the castle, and his friendly demeanor was simply due to initially viewing Soma as not being a threat to his plans. After hearing this, Yoko heeds on in pursuit of Graham. However, the next time Soma meets her, she has just been stabbed by a furious Graham, who flees the scene at the sight of Soma. Yoko is treated by Genya Arikado and left in the front courtyard with Mina. She remains unconscious for the rest of the game until Soma is about to confront Chaos, at which point she and the rest of his friends speak to him telepathically to offer their moral support. After Soma destroys Chaos and warps everyone back, Yoko tells an unconscious Soma that she's headed for another job, and thanks him for saving her earlier.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Soma first meets Yoko along with Julius Belmont, the famed vampire hunter, near an elevated bridge in the Lost Village. After Julius performs a jump across the chasm and manages to get inside the With Light headquarters, Yoko is forced to turn back with Soma. He escorts her to a safe place in the Lost Village where she teaches him how to use Magic Seals. She then creates a shop of sorts where Soma can change his weapons into more powerful forms by using the souls of the monsters he gains dominance over. Furthermore, she can release those same souls from Soma's dominance, allowing him to change their effects, decrease their power, and allowing him to gather new ones. At the end of the game, she jokingly laughs at an embarrassed Soma and Mina, along with the rest of the characters.

Gameplay

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Main article: Yoko Belnades/Dawn of Sorrow

When Julius Mode is unlocked, Yoko is a playable character in the game, found in the very same shop that she is during a normal game with Soma. She wields a small staff that has a slow swing, but it also has the ability to regenerate health each time it strikes an enemy. Like most of the characters, she can jump, double jump, and has an impressive backflip that serves as her backslide. Furthermore, she can use three spells: Holy Flame that fires in front of her, a Blue Splash spell that sends five long spears of ice out in all directions, and a Holy Lightning assault that fires three charged balls of lightning at opponents.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

Main article: Yoko Belnades/Harmony of Despair

Yoko has been released as downloadable character. She uses her staff to attack and has the three spells she had in Dawn of Sorrow. She is the only character so far to not have a Personal Skill and she has no jump kick, much like Charlotte. The life steal feature of her staff from Dawn of Sorrow has been removed as well.

Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody

Main article: Yoko Belnades/Moonlight Rhapsody

Yoko will be a playable character in Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody.

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Yoko appears as an Advanced-ranked one slot support spirit, which increases battering items power.

In order to obtain a Yoko spirit, she first must be unlocked and obtained by completing a Challenge as Simon Belmont, in which he must use his Final Smash. After this, she can be obtained on the Spirit Board. She appears as a Pink Robin with increased power for her magic attacks and her special moves. The battle takes place in the Battlefield Form of Spear Pillar with Lost Painting playing in the background. She can also be purchased from the Vault Shop for 1000G after she has been unlocked.

Vampire Survivors

Yoko's select profile in Vampire Survivors.

Yoko appears as a character in the Ode To Castlevania DLC.

She is unlocked by defeating Abaddon with Soma Cruz, alluding to their debut in the same game, Aria of Sorrow.

Her starting weapon is Fulgur.

Quotes

Aria of Sorrow

• "Hello!" - When meeting Soma in the Clock Tower.
• (gasp) - When stabbed by Graham in the Underground Caverns.
• "You are yourself. There's no one else you can be. Don't second guess yourself. Be confident. That's what's important."

Trivia

• A ninja-type character called "Yoko Felnades" was originally planned to appear in Castlevania: Bloodlines, but was scrapped.
• In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, by using the Gorgon glitch, it's possible to obtain 100% map discovery without Yoko being stabbed by Graham Jones; by entering the room from the left, the event will not be triggered.
• In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, many Succubi in The Pinnacle disguise themselves as Yoko. They will kick Soma if he comes too close, only assuming their real form once he attacks them.
  • Oddly, this also happens in Julius Mode even when playing as Yoko.
• In Julius Mode, Yoko continues to address Alucard as "Arikado" when switching characters. This sets her apart from Julius Belmont, who uses Alucard's true name (though Julius's corresponding voice line can only be heard if Yoko has not been recruited).

See also

• Belnades Clan

External links

• Yoko Belnades at the Castlevania Fanon Wiki
• Yoko Belnades at the Vampire Survivors Wiki
• Smash Wiki: Yoko Belnades, Robin, List of Challenges, Spear Pillar