Richter Belmont

Richter Belmont
Japanese name(s)	リヒター・ベルモンド Rihitā Berumondo (Richter Belmondo)
Role(s)	Vampire Hunter
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Date of birth	1773 (allegedly)
Date of death	19th Century
Age	19 in 1792 24 in 1797 25 in 1798
Blood type	B
Affiliation(s)	Belmont Clan
Weapon(s)	Vampire Killer, Sub-Weapons
Abilities	Item Crash, Somersault
Appearances	1792: Rondo of Blood / The Dracula X Chronicles 1797: Symphony of the Night 1798: Nocturne of Recollection 1944: Portrait of Ruin (as Whip's Memory) N/A: Harmony of Despair
Partnerships	Alucard (benefactor)
Dialogue	Dialogue page
English voice(s)	David Vincent (list of English voice actors)
Japanese voice(s)	Kiyoyuki Yanada (list of Japanese voice actors)
Music theme	Overture (RoB) Blood Relations (SotN) Bloodlines Requeathed (PoR) Divine Bloodlines (HD)

"Death to you! The world is not yours to exist in!"

— Richter Belmont

Richter Belmont (リヒター・ベルモンド, Rihitā Berumondo^?, Richter Belmondo) is a descendant of Simon Belmont and a renowned vampire hunter. He is the main protagonist of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and has reappeared frequently as the supporting character in later games. He has a strong sense of justice and unwavering will. Every generation of the Belmont Clan has produced tougher, more dedicated vampire hunters — yet Richter stands as one of the most powerful in the family. Brandishing the legendary sacred whip which so many of his predecessors wielded, this hot-headed youth pushed Dracula to the brink.

Character's history

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Dracula, resurrected by evil humans who sacrificed a young virgin female's blood and life, commanded his forces to kidnap Richter's girlfriend, Annette, from the village of Aljiba, alongside the villagers, Maria Renard, Tera, and Iris. On his way to the village via wagon, he is ambushed by Dracula's second in command, Death, with the latter also "testing" him by using various attacks on him. After Richter dispelled the attacks, the Death took his leave, although not before vowing that he won't go easy on the vampire hunter in their inevitable next encounter. Richter, obligated to battle the Dark Lord in every incarnation, single-handedly slayed the Count's massive army, including Shaft, and arrived in time to save the women — proving to himself that he was worthy of his vampire-hunting destiny.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Mesmerized by Shaft, who had somehow survived the earlier defeat, Richter betrayed his people and resurrected Dracula: "Dracula rises once a century. One chance for each Belmont to shine, and then we're finished, forgotten. If I bring him back now, the battle can last for eternity!". It was Alucard who arose from his slumber, braved the evil castle, and with Maria's help freed Richter from his delusion. Shaft later revealed that he brainwashed Richter because, due to his status as a Belmont, he was supreme among vampire hunters and thus could not be defeated in a straight up fight between various ones, effectively acting as a deterrent regarding anyone trying to stop Dracula's resurrection.

Castlevania: Nocturne of Recollection

Richter sends a letter to Maria, warning her about vampire attacks in the village that she and Alucard were staying in, he also tells her to be wary of the vampire.

It wasn't long before Richter tracks down the vampire attacks. There, he encounters Cyril and Alexis, the self-proclaimed vampire hunters. He rescues the two from a skeleton, making himself known.

Later on, Richter rescues Maria, who was hurt by the potion that Cyril made. He brings her back to Alucard, there he tells him that the ones closest to him will be sacrificed once he gives in to his vampiric urges. He advises Alucard to tell Maria why he is letting her stay with him.

On his journey to find the vampire responsible for the attacks, he meets Cyril again. He tells Richter that Alexis had been kidnapped by a black-winged demon. Richter immediately knew it was Magnus and sets out with Cyril to rescue Alexis.

Richter and Cyril finally meet up with Alucard for the final battle against Magnus.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

The Vampire Killer is under the ownership of Jonathan Morris, who is unable to use the whip effectively. After Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin cure Loretta and Stella from vampirism, the two sisters offer to aid Jonathan in learning to use the whip's full power.

This is an optional choice, up to the player, and if they choose to do so, the sisters accomplish this by sending Jonathan into another realm to fight the living memory of the last full Belmont to wield the whip — Richter Belmont. Richter fights the player using knives, boomerang crosses, holy water, axes, the Grand Cross item crash attack, a fast Dash strike and a fully powered version of the Vampire Killer. Once Richter's illusion is defeated, Jonathan's whip becomes one of the most powerful weapons in the game.

Gameplay

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Richter can back flip by pressing jump twice in quick succession. His greatest ability is to be able to perform an Item Crash with all the sub-weapons in the game. If Richter performs Item Crash without a sub-weapon equipped, he will instead empower his whip with fire. There are very few opportunities to do this because Richter will spend the vast majority of the game with an active sub-weapon.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Main article: Richter Belmont/Symphony of the Night

In Symphony of The Night, Richter was controlled by Shaft, you need to equip the holy glasses and destroy the little ball. As defeating Richter, players who complete the game and get the best ending are able to play as Richter by entering his name as the name of a new save file. In Sega Saturn version, he is always available (as well as Maria) and has an alternate costume. Richter also gains many new abilities which are executed with a combination of directional arrows and the attack button. Unlike Alucard, Richter does not depend on MP, thus he can use these abilities indefinitely. Richter can also sprint.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

As his second appearance as a boss in Portrait of Ruin, Richter is the only memory of the Vampire Killer. He's an optional boss; if you defeat him, the whip becomes stronger and one of the best weapons in the game. Richter is also playable in the game's Alternate mode along with Maria Renard. The mode can be unlocked after completing a game where Whip's Memory has been defeated. Richter plays much as he did in Rondo of Blood, except that he lacks item crashes. His partner in this mode is Maria Renard. This mode has no story.

Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night

Main article: Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night/Arcade Mode

Richter appears as an opponent in story mode of Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night. He also is available as a playable character in Arcade Mode. He carries his Cross weapon into battle with him for his spells in Arcade Mode, which he can toss or crash.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

Main article: Richter Belmont/Harmony of Despair

File:Richter Harmony of Despair.jpg

"A descendant of the Belmont clan, the world's most powerful vampire hunters. Richter prefers the brute force approach, and excels at a wide variety of Martial Arts."

— Description

Richter appears as a downloadable character in the multiplayer game Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. He plays much as he did in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. He can use the Vampire Killer, several sub-weapons, and a variety of martial arts.

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Richter doing his iconic Rondo of Blood peace sign.

Richter was confirmed to appear in the upcoming fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch along with fellow vampire hunter Simon Belmont, with Richter being an Echo character from the latter. His tagline is "Richter crosses over", which is presumably a reference to how his debut on a Nintendo system, Castlevania: Dracula X, was originally a heavily modified port for the game Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. It is also likely a direct reference to the Grand Cross item crash, which Richter uses in all of his appearances throughout the series.

He also appears in the trailer Vampire Killer, where he saves his ancestor Simon from Dracula's attack, and yells "Begone! You don't belong in this world, monster!", a variation of his famous line from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Quotes

Portrait of Ruin

• I'm counting on you...

The Dracula X Chronicles

Events

• What?!
• Annette!

Battle

• Hydro Storm!
• Grand Cross!
• (attacked) What?
• (attacked) No!

Item data

Template:Rondo of Blood Item Data/FoodsTemplate:Rondo of Blood Item Data/FoodsTemplate:Rondo of Blood Item Data/Foods

Item Data: Richter Belmont
Image	Name - Game   Type - Users Description	Attributes / Consume	Statistics / Sell	Found	Notes
Weapons
	Belmont Family Whip - Rondo of Blood (unofficial name)   Weapon - Richter				[edit]
				Find: Starts out with
	Flame Whip - Rondo of Blood (unofficial name)   Weapon - Richter				[edit]
		Consume: 15 Hearts			Sequence: Item Crash with No Sub-Weapon
Sub-weapons
(RoB/DXC)	Dagger (jpn) - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Weak but quick, it flies in a straight path when thrown.	Consume: 1 Heart (10 by using his Item Crash)			Effect: Triple Dagger (spread)
(RoB/DXC)	Axe - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Hurls a powerful weapon through the air in an arc.	Consume: 1 Heart (10 by using his Item Crash)			Effect: Arc Throw Special: Double Shot at 20 Hearts, Triple at 50
(RoB/DXC)	Cross - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Flies forward a set distance, then returns like a boomerang.	Consume: 1 Heart (15 by using his Item Crash)			Special: Double Shot at 20 Hearts, Triple at 50
(RoB/DXC)	Pocket Watch - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Temporarily slows enemies' movements. Some enemies are immune.	Consume: 5 Hearts (30 by using his Item Crash)
(RoB/DXC)	Holy Water - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Though weak, it spreads a broad swath of fire along the ground.	Consume: 1 Hearts (20 by using his Item Crash)			Special: Double Shot at 20 Hearts, Triple at 50
(RoB/DXC)	Grimoire (jpn) - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - Richter				[edit]
	Flies out from the user in a spiral, defeating enemies.	Consume: 3 Hearts (10 by using his Item Crash)
(RoB/DXC)	Key - Rondo of Blood   Sub-Weapon - any				[edit]
	Opens normally sealed doors, but disappears after one use. Maria can also use keys by commanding her doves to carry it.	Consume: none		Find: 2. Entrance, 7. Clocktower
Items
(RoB/DXC)	Small Heart - Rondo of Blood   Item - any				[edit]
	Equivalent to 1 heart. Collect these for use with sub-weapon attacks.		Heart +1
(RoB/DXC)	Large Heart - Rondo of Blood   Item - any				[edit]
	Equivalent to 5 hearts. Collect these for use with sub-weapon attacks.		Heart +5
(RoB/DXC)	Extra Large Heart - Rondo of Blood   Item - any				[edit]
	Increases the number of times you can use the special items.		Heart +50	Find: 3'.Caves
(RoB/DXC)	Invisibility Potion (jpn) - Rondo of Blood   Item - any				[edit]
	Renders the player temporarily invincible.
(RoB/DXC)	1UP (Richter) - Rondo of Blood   Item - Richter				[edit]
	Increases the number of remaining lives by 1.			Drop: Great Armor (Stage 2')
(RoB/DXC)	Magic Jewel (jpn) - Rondo of Blood   Item - any				[edit]
	Collect these after defeating bosses to completely restore the life gauge and clear the current stage.			Drop: Bosses
Foods

Enemy Data

See also: Belmont-Like Enemies

Enemy Data: Richter Belmont and Similar Enemies
Image	Name - Game Description	Statistics	Items	Location	Notes
(PSX/Saturn)	140. Richter Belmont (jpn) - Symphony of the Night				[ edit ]
	It is the strongest vampire hunter. It's been a year since he disappeared. (...)	Strong: Holy, Stone (both immune) Weak: Dark Level: 48 HP: 400 Exp: n/a		Castle Keep (Alucard only)	Weapons: Vampire Killer (Standard Attack, Flame Whip), Cross (Cross Boomerang, Grand Cross), Holy Water (normal attack, Hydro Storm), Axe (Arc Throw, Spiral Axe), Agunea (Lightning Bolt), Holy Book (Item Crash)
	135. Doppelganger [Richter]  - Portrait of Ruin				[ edit ]
	A demon who assumes the form of its intended victims before killing them.	Weak: Slash HP: 2000 Exp: 2000 Skill Pt: 99	Guard: Greatest Five	Nest of Evil	Weapons: Any equipped by the player when first entering the boss room
	153. Whip's Memory (jpn) - Portrait of Ruin				[ edit ]
	A memory of the last Belmont to wield the Vampire Killer.	Strong: Holy Weak: Dark HP: 5,000 Exp: 0 Skill Pt: 0		Master's Keep	Weapons: Vampire Killer, Axe (Arc Throw), Cross (Cross Boomerang, Grand Cross), Holy Water (Normal Attack), Dagger (Double Knife Throw)
	Richter  - Encore of the Night				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 2550 Exp: +1 level	Steal: ~75S	Castle Keep	Weapons: Cross (Cross Boomerang) Abil: Cross Toss - The opponent instantly does 20 damage to the player.

Notes

• Richter is likely Juste Belmont's grandson, as Juste's battle takes place in 1748 while Richter's takes place in 1792. This would give the 18 year old Juste plenty of time to have a grandson.
• Despite his lapse during Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Richter is said to be the most powerful Belmont, and is described by the game as "Master Vampire Hunter". As Alucard stated in the game: "...Richter's powers are supreme among vampire hunters. None other can defeat him." However, he may have been surpassed by his descendant Julius Belmont, as he is explicitly stated to be the most powerful vampire hunter in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and also he was the only Belmont capable to completely destroy Dracula in 1999.
• Even though Richter has a different character design in Symphony of the Night, his in-game sprite is the same one from Rondo of Blood, except in the Saturn version, which gives him the coat but neither the long hair nor the white shirt and pants underneath.
• Richter has been portrayed using the Cross more than any other sub-weapon. It is seen in artwork for Rondo of Blood, the Dracula X Chronicles intro, as well as in Encore of the Night.
• Richter can extend the Vampire Killer by pressing forward just as the whip reaches its maximum length.
• It seems that Richter's sprite from the canceled game "Castlevania: The Bloodletting" might have been modified into Fake Trevor in Symphony of the Night.

Richter's sprite from the canceled game "Castlevania: The Bloodletting"

Fake Trevor's sprite from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Gallery

See: Richter Belmont/Gallery

Trivia

• Richter's given name is a German word, which literally means "judge" when translated.
• The original Rondo of Blood version of Richter closely resembles Ryu from the Street Fighter series by Capcom. Even though this could had been merely coincidental, this design was neither reused in his following appearances in Symphony of the Night nor in The Dracula X Chronicles, probably to avoid lawsuits.
  • Despite this, Richter returned with his original design once more in the 2018 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Richter's English voice actor, David Vincent, also provided the voice of Eric Lecarde / Wind in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.
• When Richter is encountered in the Colosseum area of Symphony of the Night, he says "Open, Hell's Gate! Come forth, my servants! Crush this flea who invades my castle!", which foreshadows who was controlling him.

External links

• Richter Belmont at the Castlevania Fan Wiki