Juste Belmont (animated series)

is a character in the Netflix original animated series, Castlevania: Nocturne. He is Richter Belmont's grandfather, who became estranged from his family after the death of his loved ones and continued living his life at the margin of society.
He is voiced by Iain Glen.
==History==
Juste is a member of the Belmont family of vampire hunters and was a powerful magician in his youth, like his ancestress Sypha Belnades. He claims to have killed thousands of vampires in his prime. He then married Lydie and had Julia. When his wife Lydie and friend Maxim were murdered, he lost the will to fight and his magic left him. He also refused to leave with his daughter to hunt vampires in the New World. When Julia was killed by Olrox, Juste watched over Richter from a distance, sending money to Tera to help support him.
Years later, Juste is found eating in a tavern and saw his grandson at the bar attempting to get a meal, and he told the bartender to put it on his own tab. When Richter thanked him, Juste told him not to expect another one. A vampire then enters the tavern and demands Juste to show himself, as Juste had promised to kill the vampire prior if they showed themselves in town. Richter was about to grab his whip, but it was gone, as Juste had taken it and used it to kill the vampire. He then returned the whip to Richter, but the latter followed him, demanding to tell him who he was. The old man then revealed that he was Juste Belmont, his grandfather, and left with Richter following him looking for answers from the stranger.
Walking with Richter, Juste joked he was going to kill Tera, assuming she told Richter of him and where to find him, although he takes back his mild cursing of her when he learns Richter found him simply by chance. Arriving at Juste's cottage, the younger Belmont is ashamed at the state of the lodging, noting that as a Belmont Juste shouldn't be hiding in a tiny hovel in the woods.
Juste then tells his past life story to Richter, including the brutal slaying of Richter's grandmother and Juste's best friend, and then asks if Julia died quickly. Sadly, Richter tells him she suffered greatly at the hands of Olrox. Juste then asks why Richter was there, and Richter then breaks down crying. Juste makes as though he will embrace his grandson in his sorrow, but hesitates and ends up sitting in silence.
Later, as Juste walks away to relieve himself, Richter senses vampires approaching. Unfortunately for him, he was overpowered by Nikolai and his goons and restrained along with Juste. Nikolai taunts Richter of his failings to save his new family as Juste watches, unable to do anything. Just as Richter is about to be killed, he turned to Juste to find the old man staring at him in the exact same way his mother did before she died. This awakened his latent magic and he kills the vampire goons. Juste frees himself, takes the whip, and helps Richter kill Nikolai.
==Appearance==
Juste is an older man with long white hair, a scruffy beard that follows his jaw line and a mustache. He wears a black shirt and brown pants with boots.
==Personality==
Juste appears to be a depressed old man, weighed down by the heartbreaking death of his wife, Lydie, and the butchering of his best friend, Maxim, at the hands of the vampire Lord Ruthven some years prior. However, he still has some humor in him, as he uses clever comebacks and somewhat witty responses when conversing with Richter. Despite becoming a distant and reclusive man, Juste still possesses a caring side toward his grandson Richter, as it is demonstrated on how he has financially supported him, Tera and Maria for years with money he gains killing the vampires of the province, and how he buys dinner for Richter when he could not afford it himself. Furthermore, he is visibly worried about him when they are threatened by Báthory's hunters.
==Powers and abilities==
*Magic: As a descendant of Sypha Belnades, Juste was a very powerful mage with control over the elements. His magical power and skill allowed him to defeat many vampires in his youth. Years ago, in his own words, he "could roast a whole nest of them with a burst of flame." Possibly the most powerful sorcerer the Belmont line ever produced, but lost his power after losing his wife and best friend.
**Pyrokinesis: Juste could project powerful fire beams from his fingers. He stated that his flames were so powerful that he didn't even need his whip at times.
*Master martial artist: Juste is a master martial artist and warrior, but no longer has the magic abilities of his youth. He is still incredibly proficient with a whip, however, using it deftly to dispatch a vampire in the pub he met Richter in, and later again when Richter was fighting Nikolai.
==Appearances==
==Quotes==
*Well, you know what they say about a free dinner. [...] They say, "Go back to where you came from and don't expect another one." (to Richter)
*Please, call me anything but granddad. (to Richter)
*I was a hero... once. I lost count of how many vampires I killed... "heroically". The whip was mine, then, of course. But I had other powers. One of our ancestors 300 years ago was a great sorceress.
*I had a wife. Your grandmother, Lydie. And a friend too, if you can believe that. His name was Maxim. A vampire killed them both. Lord Ruthven.
*"I held her in my arms, pleading with her to come back to me. 'Come back to me.' Holding her. So limp. So cold. So cold. And across the hall, Maxim, my friend, butchered. And for a while, not quite dead. All because of me. The magic left me. I had nothing. Nothing left." (Describing the death of Lydie and Maxim and how he lost his ability to use magic to Richter in "Guilty Men to be Judged")
*"Evil will always win, Richter. Whatever it is, evil. And it's everywhere. It will always be stronger than us. And you can kill this or that devil. A Lord Ruthven, a Dracula, maybe even an Olrox. But there'll always be more, more and worse. And they'll murder the people you love. No one around you are safe. Evil will always win." ("Guilty Men to be Judged")
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*During the episode "Guilty Men to be Judged", while Juste is talking about his past to Richter in his hut, the fireplace illuminates his shirt and acquires a reddish tone, making a reference to his signature red coat from the games.
*In the game Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Juste is able to collect pieces of furniture from all over the castle to decorate a special room he can access, creating a lavish abode. In Nocturne, Juste's tiny cottage barely has any furniture and he even looks to be sleeping on the floor, hinting as to how far into depression he's fallen since losing his loved ones.
==See also==
*Juste Belmont
Category:Belmont Clan (animated series)
Category:Humans
Category:Male Characters
Category:Vampire Hunters and Huntresses
Category:Nocturne Characters
Category:Nocturne Season 1 Characters