Simon Belmont

Simon Belmont (シモン・ベルモンド, Shimon Berumondo; Simon Belmondo) is a character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in Konami's Castlevania video game series. He appears in its namesake first installment, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Castlevania IV and Castlevania Chronicles, as well acting as a supporting character in Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. He also appeared as a playable character in DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Simon has received positive reviews from critics.

During development, Simon was originally named Peter Dante (a reference to Peter Cushing and Joe Dante), a vampire killer who was a grandson of Christopher Dante (a reference to Christopher Lee). Simon's being armed with a whip was because Akamatsu liked the mechanics of a weapon able to repel enemies, and also because Akamatsu was a fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. His character design on the packaging was directly drawn from a Frank Frazetta painting, The Norseman.

Simon was redesigned for the video games Castlevania Chronicles by Ayami Kojima and Castlevania Judgment by Takeshi Obata, artist of the manga Death Note. 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. He added that while the design felt radically different, so did Kojima's. Simon's design by Obata was criticized, which was perceived as too derivative of Obata's work on Death Note.

He was originally planned to be the lead character in the reboot, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, before development changed the story to be about Gabriel Belmont.

In 1691, Simon Belmont kills Count Dracula in an event that is retold in multiple games (Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles). By the events of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, the now deceased Dracula has placed a curse on Simon and all of Transylvania. Simon breaks the curse by gathering and incinerating Dracula's remains, though it is hinted that Dracula will return when 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.

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.

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.

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. He seeks revenge for the murder of his parents and throughout the game is unaware that Dracula is his grandfather.