While not every game in the series stars or even features a Belmont, Castlevania is first and foremost about the Belmont clan’s eternal struggle to fight back against Count Dracula. Between the 11th century and the advent of the 21st, the Belmont family did everything they could to fight Dracula – but there is still a strongest Belmont and ways to rank them.
Castlevania has essentially stated that each Belmont is stronger than the last, but there are exceptions to the rule. Even though each descendant is naturally stronger than their ancestor, that doesn’t mean much if they’re untrained. The Vampire Killer is always safe in the hands of a Belmont, but not everyone wields the whip with grace. It takes a little bit more analysis to figure out who the strongest Belmont is.
Updated by Stephen Morin on October 17, 2021: With the recent Castlevania Advanced Collection and the announcement of a new mobile Castlevania game, new players are getting a chance to experience the series. The Belmonts are massively important, even in games that star non-Belmonts. They have superhuman abilities and have the ability to wield the Vampire Killer whip. A few non-canon Belmonts have been added to the list along with some information on how they would affect the canonical series if the alternate timeline were official.
12 Zoe and Delores Belmont
There haven’t been many female Belmonts mentioned despite the series having some female leads. Zoe and Delores Belmont appeared in a mobile Castlevania game in 2007 called Castlevania: Order of Shadows — which is a side story and not a part of the canon timeline. They were the younger siblings of the main character, Desmond Belmont. It is hard to say just how powerful they are since they are NPCs. However, their bravery is admirable. Both of them rush into Dracula’s Castle at the beginning of the game, and Delores can supposedly wield the Vampire Killer.
In the game, they are both young and their powers are not fully realized. It doesn’t help that Order of Shadows is one of the most listless entries in the franchises’ history. They would need more screen time to even be in the running for being the strongest Belmont.
11 Leon Belmont
Canonically the first Belmont who’s relevant to the blood feud with Dracula, Leon neither fights nor defeats the Count. His connection with Dracula is more interesting. Rather than being a lifelong enemy, Dracula is Leon’s lifelong friend: Mathias Cronqvist. Leon’s strong enough to beat Death if nothing else, but he doesn’t even have the Vampire Killer until the end of Lament of Innocence.
This is an important detail to consider. The Vampire Killer isn’t the family’s ancestral weapon yet, so the Belmonts don’t have a natural affinity for it. Leon would logically be completely untrained in the whip and would only be able to develop skills and techniques after the fact. If nothing else, that he survives at all speaks volumes to his competence.
10 Sonia Belmont
Castlevania Legends’ Sonia Belmont is explicitly non-canon these days, but that wasn’t always the case. There was a brief period of time where Sonia was actually the first Belmont altogether, the matriarch who started it all. It’s an interesting approach to an origin story, but Legends muddies the canon up by making Trevor Alucard’s son.
Interestingly, Sonia was actually scheduled to make a reappearance in Castlevania Resurrection for the Dreamcast, getting involved in a time travel plot. Given she’d more than likely survive the events of the game, Sonia making it through a Dracula fight in 1666 would actually suggest she’s considerably more powerful. Alas, the game was canceled and not much else is known about it– or her.
9 Trevor Belmont
The first Belmont to fight Dracula and actually kill him in the video game canon, Trevor is a big deal that’s become less so over time. As characters like Leon, Sonia, and Gabriel enter & exit Castlevania’s revolving door of prologues, retcons, and reboots, Trevor being the first person to beat Dracula isn’t really that special.
But his game is one of the best in the series and the canon never did stop placing importance on Trevor’s feat. While the Netflix adaptation doesn’t let Trevor get the final hit in on Dracula, he redeems himself by defeating Death at the end of season 4 in a sequence that shows off just how skilled of a fighter Trevor actually is.
8 Soleil Belmont
One of the only Belmonts in the franchise to appear as a non-playable character, Soleil is Christopher Belmont’s son, the protagonist from Castlevania: The Adventure. Its sequel, Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge, involved Soleil being possessed by Dracula on the day he comes of age and inherits the Belmont clan’s power.
Logically, Soleil should be stronger than his father– and he puts up one hell of a fight– but Christopher actually manages to fight Soleil back, even saving his life in the process. Soleil would never get an opportunity to star in his own game (as Dracula had already been revived twice so close together), but he wouldn’t be the last Belmont to get possessed.
7 Desmond Belmont
The main character from the oft-forgotten phone game, Order of Shadows, Desmond Belmont was designed to be a composite character of both Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont, taking both of their best elements and merging them into one character. At least as far as his actual appearance goes.
In terms of gameplay, Desmond is on the clunky side, but so is his game. Order of Shadows taking place in 1660 should indicate that he’s stronger than all the Belmonts before him, but while he is certainly more powerful than Soleil, it seems highly unlikely he’d be able to compete with Christopher’s sheer power.
6 Christopher Belmont
Soleil’s aforementioned father, Christopher Belmont is simultaneously the main character of one of the worst Castlevania games and one of the best. Castlevania: The Adventure is a boring slog that really adds nothing of value to the series, whereas Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge is one of the most accessible games in the franchise, with a mix of great level design and boss fights.
Christopher is notable for being one of the two Belmonts to defeat Dracula twice, and the first to actually succeed in doing so (Trevor being the first to actually encounter Dracula two times). Since Soleil’s possession would cast a cloud on the Belmont family, however, the events of Belmont’s Revenge were expunged from the Belmont records.
5 Sid Belmont
One of the more obscure Belmonts, Sid starred in the 1990 choose your own novel, “The Legend of Satanic Castle: The Vampire Hunters.” He exists in the same timeline as other Belmonts such as Zoe, Delores, and Desmond. His existence as one of Trevor Belmont’s descendants causes some interesting alterations to certain characters such as Alucard having children and Trevor not marrying Sypha.
Sid has comparable strength and speed to Trevor, and he can also wield the legendary Vampire Killer. Since each reincarnation of Dracula is more powerful than the last, Sid would have defeated a stronger version of Dracula than Trevor. Sid Belmont has been outdone by more modern Belmonts, but he is still incredibly powerful, and it would be amazing to see him get his own game.
4 Simon Belmont
The face of the franchise and the Belmont who started it all, Simon has headlined more games than any other character in the series. His feats also go far above most Belmonts despite the fact that he’s more or less just a really strong barbarian. He manages not only to defeat Dracula at one of his most powerful points but revives the Count just to kill him again.
Simon is a certified hero in every sense. Defeating Dracula not only clears the Belmont name completely, an entire villages forms around the clan because of Simon’s actions. If Super Castlevania IV is taken as canon, Simon has one of the most advanced whipping techniques in the entire franchise, making him one of the strongest Belmonts.
3 Juste Belmont
Either Simon’s son or grandson, Juste is notable for being one of the few Belmonts to not only be a master whispman, but also adept at magic. Stemming from his Belnades lineage, Juste can tap into some actual magic that few other Belmonts can. That alone makes him considerably stronger than those who came before him.
But (and this is an important “but”) Juste never actually fights Dracula, so it’s not possible to tell how strong he is with the whip. Unlike Simon who fought Dracula twice, Juste only ends up fighting a twisted, Dracula-esque demon instead. Nevertheless, the combination of whipsmanship and magic makes him one of the strongest Belmonts.
2 Richter Belmont
Given that Richter is known for being the “Strongest Belmont,” it perhaps goes without saying that he’s one of the strongest. He isn’t the strongest, but only one other Belmont outdoes him. As far as tackling Dracula goes, Richter is one of the most competent Belmonts, taking out Dracula and saving his girlfriend in the process.
By the time Symphony of the Night kicks around, Richter is strong enough to give Alucard an incredibly tough fight should the tragic prince fail to lift Shaft’s curse on Richter. From there, Richter ends up losing the Vampire Killer, but there’s nothing to suggest his raw talent and strength went with it.
1 Julius Belmont
The man who killed Dracula for good in 1999, Julius may very well be the single strongest Belmont in the series. He ends up losing his memory following the Battle of 1999, but he regains his memories during the events of Aria of Sorrow and is even strong enough to fight Soma Cruz to a stalemate.
By Dawn of Sorrow, Julius is strong enough where he can kill Soma in his own exclusive (albeit non-canon) mode that follows up on the game’s bad ending. Julius can even make use of Simon’s omni-directional whipping in Harmony of Despair, making him the most mechanically complex Belmont there is.
NEXT: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Castlevania Season 4 On Netflix
