Belmont (Smash Plus)

Belmont is a playable character in Super Smash Brothers Plus for the Nintendo Switch Plus. Representing the Castlevania Universe, he is listed as Fighter #85 in Smash's modified numbering system and is classified as a Heavyweight Fighter. He is hidden at the start of the game, but can be unlocked through random encounters in Versus Mode or by defeating Dracula in the Boss Rush mode.
Belmont is an amalgamation of the various protagonists of the Castlevania series. Within Smash's universe, he replaces the characters of Simon and Richter (though he defaults to Simon as his primary costume), while also adding playable skins for Trevor Belmont from Castlevania III and Juste Belmont from Harmony of Dissonance. Collectively the Belmont character plays very similar to his Smash's Ultimate's counterparts, a pure zoning character that relies on projectile heavy gameplay and the long range of his whip for stage control. Belmont's weak vertical recovery has been greatly improved courtesy of the Demon Familiar attack he has gained. However his high falling speed and overall weak aerial game still plagues him, and his slow ground movement limits his ability to get away from sticky situations. However, if you can keep opponents at bay, Belmont's endurance means he is hard to knock away. Belmont has two normal jumps, a tether grab with his whip and can crawl.
==Moveset==
===Basic Attacks===
*Neutral Jab- Simon fires two swings from the Vampire Killer whip. From there, if the player holds down the attack button, then they can use the control stick to swing around the whip similar to Sheik's chain from previous Smash games, though this has little utility. Otherwise, Simon will launch into a multi-hitting rapid punching jab based on the Sacred Fist ability from Harmony of Dissonance, launching on the final hit.
*Side Tilt- Simon does a quick forward strike with his whip. Unlike his Smash Attacks, which use the Vampire Killer, Simon's tilt attacks use his less powerful Mystic Whip, which doesn't have as long of range and do less damage, but come out much faster than his Smash attacks and still are good for spacing attacks.
*Up Tilt- Simon twirls the Mystic Whip above his head in a lasso like motion briefly, hitting up to three times before launching on the final hit.
*Down Tilt- Simon performs a low end slide kick followed by a jumping kick from a crouching position. The first kick is one of the weakest non-pummel attacks in the game, while the second kick does decent damage and knockback.
*Dash Attack- Simon slides forward while hunched down, twirling the Vampire Killer while he does so, hitting opponents multiple times and launching on the final hit.
*Grab & Pummel- Simon will grab with one hand, though the grab is slow and short range. He pummels with a knee to the midsection.
*Forward Throw- Simon spins around once and then flings the opponent forward a short distance.
*Back Throw- Similar to his forward throw, Simon spins around and flings the opponent backwards with both arms. Has less power than his forward throw, though.
*Up Throw- Simon tosses the opponent straight up into the air and then whips them away with his Vampire Killer.
*Down Throw- Simon chokeslams the opponent onto the ground, popping them back up into the air to allow for followup attacks.
*Neutral Air- Simon swings the Vampire Killer in a circle around himself, hitting any close opponents multiple times. Despite having 360 degree coverage, its range is the least of any of Simon's aerial attacks.
*Forward Air- Simon whips the Vampire Killer forward, though the angle can be altered by directional input. Like all of his Vampire Killer attacks, the sweetspot is at the edge of the whip. This move can be used as a tether grab.
*Back Air- Simon whips the Vampire Killer behind himself, which can also be altered by directional input. Slightly less useful than the forward air though, due to difficulty aiming. This Move can be used as a tether grab.
*Up Air- Simon whips the Vampire Killer straight overhead. While the attack does the same amount of damage as the forward and back air, it cannot be angled in anyway. It can be used as a tether grab, though the range is somewhat reduced.
*Down Air- Simon stalls in the air and then performs a downward diagonal kick towards the ground. If Simon hits an opponent, he will bounce up and be able to follow up with attacks. It can meteor if it connects in the first three frames of the downward descent. Likely a kamikaze move over the blast zone.
===Smash Attacks===
*Side Smash- Simon pulls out the Vampire Killer and whips it forward straight ahead, though the angle can be altered slightly up or down depending on directional input. It goes much further than his tilt attack, and like all his VK attacks has a sweetspot at the edge of the Whip. However it has high startlag and, if used against crouching or smaller opponents, could miss them entirely.
*Up Smash- Simon whips his Vampire Killer straight up above his head in a powerful swing. The vertical range of the move is great, but its hit box is extremely narrow, only focusing directly above Simon, thus players must be precise when targeting aerial opponents with it. Combined with its overall lag makes this move situational only, despite its incredible launch power if it connects.
*Down Smash- Simon drags the Vampire Killer across the ground from front to back in a circle around himself. The move is the quickest to come out of all his smash attacks and does decent damage as well, making it his most reliable KO option from among these attacks, despite its overall lack of range compared to his side and up smash attacks.
===Special Moves===
*Neutral Special: Axe- Simon hurls an axe forward at an arcing angle. The projectile is slow to come out, but it travels through platforms and does good damage and knockback, scaling particularly high at higher percentages. Holding the special button will also cause the axe to travel farther slightly, allowing for some mixup options against opponents anticipating it. Despite its power, its arced trajectory and endlag keep it from being a good pressure tool, limiting its usefulness somewhat.
*Side Special: Cross & Dagger- Simon will toss a silver cross projectile straight ahead a good amount of distance, with it going further if the attack is input as a Smash Attack. The cross does decent damage on the way forward, and once it reaches the apex of its journey will boomerang back to Simon, potentially hitting opponents a second time, though with less power on the return trip. While the cross is out, however, Simon can press the Side Special again. This will cause Simon to throw a dagger forward along the same trajectory as the cross, though at a slightly higher plane. The dagger also does decent damage, but has next to no knockback. It can catch foes off guard, allowing for followups with the Vampire Killer. Only one dagger can be fired per cross thrown, though.
*Up Special: Demon Familiar- Using the Summoning Tome from Harmony of Dissonance, Simon will temporarily transformed into a winged demon and fling himself upward at a steep angle before transforming back. The attack goes farther than Simon's Uppercut did in Ultimate, making it a much better recovery move overall. In addition, he will halt falling while he transforms, and won't begin again until he transforms back at the end of the move. Since Simon doesn't enter freefall immediately after the move, players have a chance to use the Demon Familiar and then immediately use the whip to tether grab to safety, if they are quick enough. Despite its improvements, it still offers slightly less horizontal recovery than the Uppercut did overall.
*Down Special: Holy Water- Simon will throw a flask of Holy Water to the ground. When it explodes on the ground or on a player, a blue aura flame will appear on the ground, damaging anyone it touches multiple times. This move reflects Richter's version of the move, meaning it will affect any characters or players who are immune to fire based attacks (such as Olimar's Red Pikmin). However, the projectile can be caught in midair by opponents and then used against Simon. The Holy Water will automatically explode after 5 seconds though, so players can't hold onto it indefinitely.
*Final Smash: Grand Cross- Simon will cause a coffin to appear directly in front of himself, sucking opponents into it. Any player trapped in the coffin will be sent to a cinematic, where Simon uses the Vampire Killer to toss the coffin into the air, summoning several large crosses that fly into it, damaging foes and sending them flying after the Final Smash ends.
===Miscellaneous===
*Entry Animation- Simon appears on stage bathed in holy light before cracking his whip and then coiling it up.
*Idle Animation 1- Simon stands upright with his hand placed on his hip.
*Idle Animation 2- Simon thrusts his hand downward briefly before resuming normal pose.
*Side Taunt- Simon holds the Vampire Killer lengthwise and spins it around himself twice.
*Up Taunt- Simon raises his fist in the air, the Vampire Killer coiled around his raised arm.
*Down Taunt- Simon cracks the whip next to himself, yelling "Come!"
*Victory Animation 1- Simon whips the ground around himself twice with the Vampire Killer, before holding it taut and then saying "I Vanquish the Darkness!"
*Victory Animation 2- Simon holds the coiled Vampire Killer in the air before spinning around and cracking it right in front of the camera, finishing on a pose.
*Victory Animation 3- Simon grabs a Magic Crystal and then proceeds to jump up and down while repeatedly whipping the Vampire Killer forward.
==Playable Skin==
Belmont has 4 playable skins, each with two different color schemes. His default (with the moves described above) is that of Simon Belmont. His alternate skins are based on Richter Belmont, Trevor C. Belmont, and Juste Belmont. Aside from voice acting and aesthetic differences, the only change made is in Victory animation 1.
*Richter will say "You Don't Belong In This World!"
*Trevor will say "This Is The Hour!"
*Juste will say "Do Not Underestimate the Power of Belmont!"
==How to Unlock==
Belmont can be unlocked any of the following ways:
*Playing versus matches until he randomly shows up as a "Challenger Approaching" fight. Defeat him to unlock him.
*Defeat the boss Dracula in Boss Rush Mode (specifically in Boss Rush mode, World of Light doesn't count.)
*Unlock him in the Finale of World of Light by defeating him.
*Pay 1,000 gold in a shop where he can randomly appear (though rarely.)
Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters
Category:Super Smash Bros. (series)
Category:Smash Plus Characters