Simon Belmont

Simon initially kills Dracula in the year 1691, an event that is told in multiple games (Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles).[1][2] In Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, it is revealed that Dracula placed a curse on Simon and all of Transylvania after he was defeated by him. To break the curse, Simon must gather the remains of Dracula in order to burn them at the ruins of Dracula's castle – though the fact that this will cause Dracula to return is unknown to Simon (Dracula's Fang). In the best and canonical ending, Simon breaks the curse, and Transylvania recognizes his bravery, though it is hinted that Dracula will inevitably return, as his skinless hand rises from his grave. Simon is one of only two Belmonts to have faced Dracula twice in his lifetime, the other being his ancestor Christopher.[3][4]

In Haunted Castle, Simon is blue-haired and has a wife called Selena, who is kidnapped by Dracula directly after their marriage. It is actually unknown if this is Simon at all. The guide to the game calls him Simons, a descendant of the canonical Simon, while a newsletter by Konami itself names him William.[5]

Although Simon is the first Belmont to appear in a Castlevania game, in the Belmont lineage, Leon Belmont originates the direct bloodline of the clan. It can then be presumed that he is followed by Trevor, Christopher, Soleil, Simon, Juste, Richter, and then Julius. In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Simon is playable in the Boss Rush mode, looking exactly as he did in Castlevania. In Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Simon is an extra character purchased as downloadable content, the sprite from the original game also being reused here. A special stage that recreates the game's castle layout can also be purchased.[6]

Simon Belmont appears in the rebooted series Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, as the son of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, and grandson of Gabriel Belmont, later known as Dracula.[7] He seeks revenge for the murder of his parents and throughout the game is unaware that Dracula is his grandfather.[8] But, Konami shows the early design of young Simon as Gabriel Belmont a new protagonist at the game.[9]

Simon's Castlevania Judgment incarnation was designed by Death Note artist Takeshi Obata.[10] He has red-orange hair comparable to that of Light Yagami (the protagonist of Death Note), a jacket with many belts on it that exposes his muscular chest, and bandages on his forearms. The Bradygames Official Guide states that Simon is 23 years old and approximately 185 cm (6 ft 1 in). [11] Series director Koji Igarashi emphasized that these designs were different from what he envisioned, Simon in particular, but commented that this was how Obata envisioned them.[12] He added that while the design felt radically different, so did Kojima's.[13] Simon's design by Obata was criticized, which was perceived as too derivative of Obata's work on Death Note.[14]

CBR refers to Simon as the face of the Castlevania series, having been the protagonist of the original game, as well as multiple games overall.[16] This is also the view of TheGamer, who calls him "the face of the franchise and the Belmont who started it all, Simon had headlined more games than any other Belmont in the series."[23] In another discussion of the Castlevania characters, TheGamer celebrates Simon's multiple character designs, and decides that he is the most legendary vampire hunter of the Belmont clan.[24]

Nintendo Power listed Simon as their seventh favorite hero, stating that while they respect all of the vampire hunters in Castlevania, he was the first.[25] According to Nintendo Power, the worst cover for a Nintendo Power was one depicting Simon Belmont holding the decapitated head of Dracula (the scene was a depiction of Castlevania II). It is considered the worst cover because hundreds of parents called in to complain about the goriness of the cover. It was reported in the complaints that children suffered nightmares resulting from the image.[26] The use of a whip is considered one of the features that make Simon Belmont a memorable hero character,[27] which is echoed by CBR in saying "he's not Simon Belmont unless he cracks out his classic whip."[16] GamesRadar+ stated that Simon Belmont deserves his own movie,[28] while Kotaku expressed concern that in such a movie Simon might be armed with a sword instead of whip.[29] They also called Simon in Castlevania Judgement sexy as said that "Simon's Judgment apparel is a lot of belts and leather wrapped around an exposed torso".[30] Game Informer criticized the character design in Castlevania Judgement.[31]

Complex Networks listed Simon as a top 10 best vampire hunter in video games,[32] and top 2 among most drastic character makeovers in gaming.[33]

Simon Belmont inclusion to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received positive reviews. Before his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, multiple gaming websites called for his inclusion, including GameRadar,[34] Game Informer[35] and Complex.[36] He has been described as a fan favorite character.[37] USgamer praised the addition as he defines "old school Nintendo nostalgia".[38] VentureBeat also praised for giving a neglected character a chance.[39] While Destructoid praised and said "The axe, the cross, the holy water items, they're all here, and they work wonderfully within the confines of Smash".[40] Polygon ranked Simon as top 10 character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,[41] while Paste magazine ranked him as top 5.[42]