Yoko Belnades

is a descendant of the Belnades Clan and a powerful witch, similar to her ancestor Sypha Belnades. She is very close to Mina Hakuba, the daughter of the owner of the Hakuba Shrine, and is like an older sister to her. She performs tasks for the Church in their search for Count Dracula and the remainder of his powers.
==History==
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
Yoko provides some information to the protagonist, Soma Cruz, when he first encounters her. She is already present in the castle when Soma arrives, giving him occasional aid and assistance. She also warns Soma about Graham Jones' true nature, also sarcastically telling Soma she has "a bridge to sell him" when he infers he's not all that bad. Eventually, Soma informs her that Graham has revealed to him he's the one who will receive Dracula's power and that Soma will not rule over the castle, and his friendly demeanor was simply due to initially viewing Soma as not being a threat to his plans. After hearing this, Yoko heeds on in pursuit of Graham. However, the next time Soma meets her, she has just been stabbed by a furious Graham, who flees the scene at the sight of Soma. Yoko is treated by Genya Arikado and left in the front courtyard with Mina. She remains unconscious for the rest of the game until Soma is about to confront Chaos, at which point she and the rest of his friends speak to him telepathically to offer their moral support. After Soma destroys Chaos and warps everyone back, Yoko tells an unconscious Soma that she's headed for another job, and thanks him for saving her earlier.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
Soma first meets Yoko along with Julius Belmont, the famed vampire hunter, near an elevated bridge in the Lost Village. After Julius performs a jump across the chasm and manages to get inside the With Light headquarters, Yoko is forced to turn back with Soma. He escorts her to a safe place in the Lost Village where she teaches him how to use Magic Seals. She then creates a shop of sorts where Soma can change his weapons into more powerful forms by using the souls of the monsters he gains dominance over. Furthermore, she can release those same souls from Soma's dominance, allowing him to change their effects, decrease their power, and allowing him to gather new ones. At the end of the game, she jokingly laughs at an embarrassed Soma and Mina, along with the rest of the characters.
==Gameplay==
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
When Julius Mode is unlocked, Yoko is a playable character in the game, found in the very same shop that she is during a normal game with Soma. She wields a small staff that has slow attack, but the ability to regenerate health after every attack. Like most of the characters, she can jump, double jump, and has an impressive backflip that serves as her backslide. Furthermore, she can use three spells: Holy Flame that fires in front of her, a Blue Splash spell that sends five long spears of ice out in all directions, and a Holy Lightning assault that fires three charged balls of lightning at opponents.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
Yoko has been released as downloadable character. She uses her staff to attack and has the three spells she had in Dawn of Sorrow. She is the only character so far to not have a Personal Skill, and she has no jump-kick similarly to Charlotte. The life steal from Dawn of Sorrow has been removed as well.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
Yoko will be a playable character in Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody.
==Quotes==
===Aria of Sorrow===
*"You are yourself. There's no one else you can be. Don't second guess yourself. Be confident. That's what's important."
==Notes==
*Toward the end of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, when Soma enters The Pinnacle, many of the Succubi in the area disguise themselves as Yoko. They will kick Soma if he comes too close, only assuming their real form once he attacks them.
*By using the Gorgon glitch, it's possible for Soma to obtain 100% map discovery without Yoko being stabbed by Graham. By entering the room from the left, the event will not be triggered.
==Trivia==
*In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, the Succubus takes the guise of Yoko in order to lure in Soma Cruz and attack.
**Oddly, this also happens in Julius Mode even when playing as Yoko.
*A ninja-type character called "Yoko Felnades" was originally planned to appear in Castlevania: Bloodlines, but was scrapped.The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon, page 77.
==See also==
*Belnades Clan
==References==
es:Yoko Belnades
pt-br:Yoko Belnades
Category:Allies
Category:Belnades/Fernandez Clan
Category:Church
Category:Female Characters
Category:Humans
Category:NPC
Category:Playable Characters
Category:Supporting Cast
Category:Witches and Wizards
Category:Aria of Sorrow Characters
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Characters
Category:Harmony of Despair Characters
Category:Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku Characters
Category:Moonlight Rhapsody Characters