Julia Belmont
Introduced in the Netflix Castlevania sequel, Castlevania: Nocturne, Julia is the mother of Richter. While parts of the Belmont family tree had been explored before this series, with connections drawn between the various known members (Juste BelmontGrandson of Simon Belont, and grandfather to Richter, Juste wields both the power of the Belmont clan and the magic of the Belnades family. Juste has to put his considerable power to the test when Dracula’s castle reappears, all on a quest to help his friend Maxim find their missing companion, Lydie. is known to be the grandson of Simon BelmontThe first hero of the Castlevania series (by release date), he's been featured in more games, and referenced more times, than almost any other character in the series., Soliel BelmontThe son of Christopher Belmont. Soliel goes missing at the time of his fifteenth birthday, right as four mysterious castles rise from the mists of Wallachia. This sets the events of Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge into motion. being the son of Christopher BelmontThe second ever Belmont, and second hero, revealed in the series, Christopher predated Simon by 100 years within the series Chronology, even if American sources struggled to get the lineage straight.), many of these lines on the Belmont family tree had simple “mother” and “father” left as a vague, sketched figure (and that’s to say nothing of when family connections were then removed from continuity, as was the case for Sonia BelmontHeroine of Castlevania Legends and, at one point, mother of Trevor Belmont before Igarashi removed her from continuity. and 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.). However, while those figures were left open to interpretation, they never showed any relevance to the story.
While it’s likely you could find a father or mother of a major hero in the series getting added in via extended media, Julia is one of the first new figures added in such a major, seemingly official way. While it is true that some fans don’t consider the Netflix shows to be “official” works, as they deviate at times from the continuity of the games, it’s also fair to say that the anime is the only current works being added to Castlevania, and they’re prominent works to boot.
Plus Julia draws a direct connection between members, being the daughter of Juste, the keeper of the family whip (well, one of them anyway, although it was likely the famed Vampire KillerThe Vampire Killer, the legendary whip charged with holy magic and created for the Belmont clan to aid in their fight against the forces of darkness.) as well as the mother of Richter Belmont (star of many of his own games, and also one of the two lead heroes of Nocturne). This gives us a very prominent, very important figure in the Belmont lineage, as well as one of the few female Belmonts to actually act as an active hero in any kind of official continuity (sorry, Sonia).
Character History:
Castlevania: Nocturne
Working as a vampire hunter in the New World, Julia (with her young son, Richter) tracked down a Mohican warrior who had recently been turned into a vampire by 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.. The vampire (who the show doesn’t name) was a lover of Olrox and, when that vampire was killed in Massachusetts, Olrox went on a quest for revenge, wanting to seek out and kill the person who killed his love. Suspecting that they were in some danger, and not thinking she was capable of taking out a vampire as powerful as Olrox on her own, Julia elected to flee with Richter, seeking a boat in Boston Bay.
Unfortunately for Julia, Olrox got to them first. A wicked fight occurred between vampire and Belmont, with the tide of the battle going back and forth until, eventually, Olrox wore the woman down. She might have managed a killing blow but Richter (with the power of the Belnades clan in him) tried to assist. Olrox threw a wicked attack his way, and Julia dived in front, taking the brunt of the attack, ensuring her own death to save her son. Olrox didn’t then finish off the young boy, instead saying that one day Richter would want to come for his revenge and, on that day, Olrox would welcome the fight.
Following his mother’s instructions, and ticket in hand, Richter got on the boat to France. There he would come under the care of Julia’s friend, TeraOne of four girls that can be rescued in Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. Tera was a young nun you lived in the village in the original game, although her role was greatly expanded in Castlevania: Nocturne, turning her into Maria's mother., and would become like a brother to Tera’s own daughter, Maria RenardA young heroine, and cousin to Richter Belmont, with the blood of the Belmont clan in her veins, Maria teams with Richter to fight back Dracula and the forces of darkness in the late 1700s.. But the memory of what happened to Julia would hang in Richter’s mind for years, blocking him from the powers of the Belnades clan, the guilt over her death causing a deep scar to his psyche.