Juste Belmont
It's hard to talk about any games or heroes in the Castlevania series without eventually touching upon AlucardOne of three heroes recruited by Trevor Belmont on his quest to defeat Dracula, Alucard was the son of Dracula who turned from his fathers evil, battling against his cursed family line again and again. and Castlevania: Symphony of the NightReleased on the PlayStation in 1997, this game, while not hugely successful in the U.S. at the time, went on to become on the most beloved titles in the Castlevania series.. Once Symphony came out, every game after was compared to the seminal title, fairly or not. This was especially true once Konami doubled-down on the MetroidvaniaAt the intersection of Metroid and Castlevania lies the exploration platformer genre, the game style with heroes wandering expansive worlds, looking for items to expand their quest, known as Metroidvania. aspects of the series and began releasing (seemingly) nothing but Symphony-clones.
What does this have to do with Juste Belmont? His game, Castlevania: Harmony of DissonanceThe second Castlevania game for the Game Boy Advance, and third true Metroidvania, this title saw the return of Koji Igarashi to the director role, marking the full start of his tenure as the master of the series., was the second attempt at recapturing the magic of Symphony. The first attempt, the prior year's Castlevania: Circle of the MoonThe second Metroidvania-style game in the franchise, Circle of the Moon was developed by the KCET team within Konami, who had previously developed the much beloved Super Castlevania IV. Although not considered a perfect game by fans, this Game Boy Advance title did show that there was much that could be done with the Metroidvania mechanics in the series beyond Symphony of the Night., was about as different as a game could get from Symphony while still being a recognizable part of the sub-genre. The hero, Nathan GravesApprentice to the Morris Clan, one-time protectors of the famed Belmont whip, the Vampire Killer. When the followers of Dracula threaten to bring the vampire back, Nathan has to take up the whip and not only stop Dracula but also save his master from the vampire's clutches., was a whip wielder who explored a single, very difficult castle that wasn't, specifically, Dracula's castle. Plus the graphics were kind of dark and it didn't have Alucard in it. Many fans weren't that interested in what Circle had to offer.
Thus, the next year, Konami came out with what can only be viewed as a course correction. With series director IGA firmly in charge the series leaned hard into making the next game, Harmony, as much like Symphony as they could. Juste, heir to the Belmont and Belnades lineages, is sucked into an adventure at Dracula's castle (not some off-shoot) where he has to explore not just one version of the castle but two (much like Symphony) all while trying to free another vampire hunter (his friend, Maxim KischineRival and friend of hero Juste Belmont, Maxim ventures off on his own to prove himself a hero, but ends up returning with a dark secret right as Castle Dracula returns..., in shades of Alucard and Richter BelmontRevealed first in Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood in Japan, and then Castlevania: Dracula X in the West, Richter is the Belmont hero of the late 1700s who worked with Maria Renard to bring down Dracula. in Symphony) from the dark magics of the castle. Hell, just having the hero be heir to both the Belmonts and Belnades clans evokes Castlevania III: Dracula's CurseThe third, and final, NES entry for the series, Dracula's Curse returned the series to its roots with a more traditional adventure. But it also added in branching paths, multiple characters, and new hero Trevor Belmont. for another Alucard connection.
The gambit did seem to play off, though. With Harmony Konami got a game the fans embraced more fully (even if we at the Inverted Dungeon were only luke warm to it, but then Konami rarely ever asks for our opinion on matters) and the game settled into the genre that would define it for years to come.
Character History:
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
As a member of the Belmont clan Juste was raised from an early age knowing he would one day become a protector of Romania, a master of the legendary Vampire Killer whip. Gifted with natural prowess as a Belmont, Juste also inherited vast magical abilities from the Belnades clan (as passed down the line for generations when Sypha BelnadesOne of three heroes recruited by Trevor Belmont on his quest to defeat Dracula, Sypha is a powerful sorceress, and one of the most famous members of her clan. married Trevor BelmontThe third Belmont revealed in the release history of the franchise, Trevor's clout among fans has grown. Between love for his first game, and his starring role in the Castlevania anime, Trevor is perhaps even more popular now than even Simon. after their adventure together in Castlevania III, although for some reason Juste was the only hero to ever show these powers). Considered by many in the clan to be the most powerful Belmont warrior yet, Juste knew he'd be the one to handle any trouble that came out of the dark recesses of Dracula's lands.
Training for years, Juste made friends with another would-be vampire hunter, Maxim Kishine. The two developed a friendly rivalry, each believing themselves to be the one that would save the land from Dracula (when he inevitably appeared next). They both also struck up a friendship with another young girl in their village, Lydie ErlangerGood friend, and potential love interest, of hero Juste Belmont, Lydie's mysterious disappearance, coinciding with the arrival of Dracula's Castle, is the event that kicks of Juste's adventure in the series., a fair maiden that Juste eventually developed some stronger feelings for.
Two years prior, Maxim took off to train by himself. Juste didn't hear from his friend in the intervening time until the vampire showed up, injured and barely remembering anything, ranting about how Lydie had been kidnapped by a dark fiend and taken to the resurrected Dracula's castle. The two ventured in only for Maxim to run off leaving Juste alone to explore the dark depths. What the young Belmont discovered was that Dracula's castle was dimensionally fractured -- there were two versions of it and, to fully rid the land of the evil infesting it, Juste had to explore both of them.
Still, even that discovery wasn't as startling as what had happened to his friend, Maxim. During the rogue vampire hunter's time abroad he attempted to resurrect and defeat Dracula by collecting Dracula's five body parts (as per Castlevania II: Simon's QuestThe first true sequel in the franchise, and one of the few direct sequels ever released. It was the first game in the series to introduce players to the concepts that would eventually become the Metroidvania genre.). Unfortunately for Maxim Dracula's dark magics infected him, splitting the vampire hunter's soul in two. The dark half kidnapped Lydie, dragging her to the castle while the light half was left half-coherent. Juste had to free his friend's soul from Dracula's magic but in the process he ended up resurrecting the soul of Dracula, a malevolent spectre that embodied all of the evil vampire terrifying power.
Thankfully Juste was more than up to the task (remember, he won the Most Power Belmont competition three years running). After a fiercely pitched battle Juste came out victorious. Fleeing the castle with his friends in tow, the three stood outside as the castle crumbled safe in the knowledge that it would be some time until Dracula came back from the grave again (you know, unless Maxim was an idiot).
With Harmony Konami really honed what made their Metroidvania games tick, including huge castles, bishonen girly-men (with long flowing hair, place skin, and a cool glow when they walked, all just like Alucard), multiple endings, and additional alternate modes of play after the main game was complete. Despite being a Belmont, Juste is one of the most Alucard-like heroes the series ever produced in style and form -- with his long white hair and flowing, cape-like coat, Juste doesn't resemble the Belmonts that came before him. Instead he just looks like an Alucard fanboy (which, let's be honest, we all are just a little). Considering later entries in the series (like Castlevania: Lament of InnocenceThe first title in the series for the Sony PlayStation 2, Lament of Innocence gave us the first glimpse of the earliest hero in the main series, Leon Belmont, he who first had to engage against the vampires by taking up a magical whip and knocking around the worst foes of the undead world. and Castlevania: Aria of SorrowThe third title for the Gameboy Advance, Aria of Sorrow married the Metroidvania gameplay of Symphony of the Night with refined gameplay and an engaging soul-collecting mechanic, creating what many consider one of the best games of the series., this was a trend Konami would never really escape.
Castlevania Netflix History:
Castlevania: Nocturne
Juste was Richter’s grandfather, although the boy didn’t know him. Sometime early in the boy’s life, Just had a falling out with his daughter, Julia BelmontMother of Richter Belmont, Julia is shown to be the heir to the family power, and its famed whip. Working in the New World, Julia is caught up in a battle with Count Olrox before she is killed at the hands of the master vampire. Her death protecting her son sends the boy on his own journey to find some way, eventually, to make his mother proud.. This came after she’d trained to be the next Belmont vampire hunter, learning to use the family’s whip, the Vampire KillerThe legendary whip charged with holy magic and created for the Belmont clan to aid in their fight against the forces of darkness. It has been the constant, reliable weapon of the clan through the many generations of their battles. Strong against vampires., and the Belnades magic. She was strong and fierce while Juste, by that point, was a hard, cold, and broken man. He’d lost his wife, Lydie, and best friend, Maxim, to an evil vampire, Lord Ruthven, and since then he’d found that his magic, the gift that made him one of the most powerful vampire hunters in the family’s lineage, had abandoned him. He couldn’t cast, he couldn’t fight, and he barely had the will anymore.
Julia left for the new world with young Richter in tow. It was sometime later that Richter returned, his mother dead at the hands of a vampire, Count OlroxA master vampire who, we assume, was from Germany, with powers and abilities comparable to that of Dracula himself. Olrox is likely based on the fictional character of Count Orlock from Nosferatu, with his name accidentally (or maybe purposefully) changed during translation.. Not thinking himself a fit guardian for the boy, Juste arranged to have TeraOne of four girls that can be rescued in Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. Tera was a young nun who lived in the village in the original game, although her role was greatly expanded in Castlevania: Nocturne, turning her into Maria's mother. take care of the boy. He’d pass money along as he could, and keep an eye out, from a distance, to make sure the boy was safe and protected, but he didn’t want to be directly involved otherwise.
It was sometime later that, after reaching adulthood, Richter found himself at a small village near Paris. He’d had an encounter with vampires in the city, vampires in league with the local AbbotHead of the Paris church in the time of the French Revolution. He's initially presented as a helpful ally, but secretly he's working with the vampires to ensure the rise of their coming Messiah., who were working on an evil plan to raise up a vampire Messiah. Olrox was among their ranks, and Richter had fled the battle, scared, feeling the kind of fear that hadn’t touched him in some time. He found the local tavern, sat for a drink, and ended up having a meal paid for by an old man: Juste.
Juste was pissed off because he’d told Tera never to mention his existence to Richter, but his grandson revealed that he didn’t even know Juste was there. He’d just been running until he couldn’t run anymore. After a random vampire strays into the tavern, which Juste then kills, grandfather and grandson walk over to his shack to talk, with Juste’s anger fading. He felt bad he hadn’t kept in touch with Julia, hadn’t gone with her to the New World, and he felt like he had to stay away from Richter lest he ruin the boy as well. The two were able to bond over shared grief and anger, and really connect for once in their lives.
But the family reunion was ruined when a group of vampires, led by a Russian warrior vampire named NikolaiA vampire in the service of Drolta Tzuentes. He is assigned the task of capturing and killing Richter to end the Belmont line, a task he fails to deliver on., arrived to kill Richter. They easily captured Juste, chaining him up so they could deal with him later, before battling Richter. In a four-on-one battle, Richter is no match for the vampires. They grab him, force him to his knees, and prepare to kill him. But after Nikolai taunts Richter, promising to not only kill him and Juste but to then go after Tera and her daughter Maria Renard (who was like a sister to Richter), it ignites something within Richter. His Belnades magic flares, and Juste watches as his grandson quickly and handily dispatches all of the vampires without mercy.
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Playing as Juste:
Like most Belmonts, Juste's primary attacks are via his trusty whip, the Vampire Killer, and the usual assortment of sub-weapons. What sets Juste apart from your average whip-wielder, though, is his ability to infuse the sub-weapon he's carrying with the magic of one of five tomes. Four of these books (Fire, Ice, Bolt, and Wind) can create powerful fusion attacks that act, in form and substance, not unlike the item crashes Richter Belmont and Nathan Graves could perform (the later of which required magic cards to enable while the former just used sheer manliness). The final tome, Summoning, allowed Juste to summon (of course) spirit animals to aid (again, not unlike Nathan). While the system as a whole was interesting, the fewer combinations and specificity of focus made the Spell Fusion system (as the game called it) feel like a pale imitation of Nathan's vastly more versatile Dual-Setup System.
But, hey, at least Juste looked and moved like Alucard. He had that going for him, right?