The story of Castlevania is a long and rather complex one spanning across centuries centering around the evil of Dracula. Told through sequels, prequels, and prequels to certain sequels, the Castlevania timeline features a vast collection of characters across the era both heroes and villains alike.
To battle Dracula and his forces of evil, a hero is always destined to rise and fight them. Whether it's the many members of the Belmont family or the generations of heroes that take up the mantle later on; the Castlevania games have featured many playable protagonists, but which ones are the best in terms of story and gameplay?
John Morris (Castlevania: Bloodlines)
Introduced in Castlevania: Bloodlines (one of several hidden gems for the Sega Genesis), John Morris is the son of Quincy Morris from the Bram Stoker Dracula novel. That attempt at tying the Castlevania canon with the iconic Dracula canon is enough to earn this character a boost.
After the Belmont family passed the Vampire Killer whip to the Morris family, they became the newest family to always take on Dracula. Unfortunately, John Morris does not have the same abilities as his predecessors: he can only whip in one direction except for a mid-air downward attack.
Hector (Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness & Netflix Series)
Rather than a hero who was born to hate and fight Dracula, Hector began as a servant of Dracula. However, he betrayed Dracula and began his quest to vanquish other servants of the evil vampire after his defeat in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.
In Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness, Hector plays nothing like a Belmont and is quite different from his anime counterpart. Instead, Hector can equip various weapons, including swords, spears, daggers, and more. Curse Of Darkness also took on a more 3D action-adventure style, mixing hack and slash elements with familiar puzzles and enemy gauntlets.
Soma Cruz (Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow & Dawn Of Sorrow)
As a concept, the idea of Dracula being reincarnated in the body of a new character who tries to defy his evil side is a good one. Unfortunately, Soma Cruz and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow are when the series started to feel the least like Castlevania, and Soma himself is not that interesting of a character.
In terms of gameplay, Soma did provide a similar style to Symphony Of The Night with a few extra bells and whistles. These included new abilities and a new system featuring souls that provided enough fun to make up for the more disappointing aspects of Soma.
Jonathan Morris/Charlotte Aulin (Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin)
The son of John Morris from Bloodlines, Jonathan is the next Morris to wield the Vampire Killer. Unfortunately due to the specifics of the whip, it gradually kills the user that is not a Belmont. So Morris needs to unlock the Vampire Killer for himself and his bloodline.
Jonathan and Charlotte work in unison in Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin, allowing the player to swap between both characters for different puzzles and fights. Charlotte focuses more on magic whereas Jonathan focuses more on melee attacks. As a bonus, these two characters help culminate years of Belmont and Morris history together for a payoff that can make any Castlevania fan smile.
Richter Belmont (Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood & Symphony Of The Night)
Richter was the main Belmont from Rondo Of Blood and Symphony Of The Night. From a gameplay perspective, he has his own unique abilities such as backflip jumps, being able to leap kick both high and low, as well as dashing. However, much like John Morris, he can only whip in one direction, a downgrade from the previous Belmont.
Also, Richter is probably the least interesting of the Belmont family since he feels more akin to a rehash of Simon in terms of design and is more about saving a damsel in distress than living up to the Belmont legacy. In Symphony Of The Night, he is only the protagonist for the opening chapter.
Simon Belmont (Castlevania, Castlevania II, & Super Castlevania IV)
The one that started it all, Simon was the hero that took on Dracula in the original Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and Super Castlevania IV. Simon was at his best in Super Castlevania IV, one of many classic SNES games that features many powerful monsters in the Castlevania series.
There isn't much to Simon when it comes to story and characterization, sadly. He's simply there to be the hero who takes on Dracula but he gets prestige for introducing many gamers to Castlevania. He also was the first Castlevania hero to be able to whip in all directions, providing gamers a more balanced experience while providing plenty of challenge.
Leon Belmont (Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence)
The first Belmont to fight Dracula; Leon was a great warrior and a happy man until vampires took his beloved. As a result, he hunts the vampires that kidnapped her until it is revealed that she has been infected to become a vampire herself. So she imbues herself into the whip, thus creating the Vampire Killer. Leon's own best friend Mathias turns out to be a vampire and becomes Dracula.
From a story perspective, seeing where the Belmonts' immortal hatred for Dracula started is fascinating, and Leon's tragic tale, having the soul of his own wife inside the famous Vampire Killer, elevates him. Even his gameplay is fun and provides a different style from anything prior, influencing future Castlevania titles.
Gabriel Belmont (Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow Duology)
Gabriel is the protagonist of the rebooted timeline of Castlevania games, In Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow, it takes the hack and slash gameplay style of Lament Of Innocence and polishes it, making the bosses even harder. In a way, it was a precursor to titles such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
Where Gabriel shines is his descent from a noble hero to becoming what he hates. In a surprise twist, this Belmont becomes Dracula. This leads to Dracula becoming the lead character in Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2, taking a route similar to Luke Evans' Dracula in Universal's failed Dark Universe.
Trevor Belmont (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse & Netflix Series)
Trevor is easily the most iconic Belmont who took on Dracula first in the original timeline in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. He did not have much characterization but he did team up with Sypha, Rembrandt, and Alucard to allow players to have different abilities and diverse attacks.
Where Trevor shines the most is in the Castlevania anime series on Netflix, with Richard Armitage playing Trevor as a smarmy rogue with a big attitude and a lot of funny quotes. In the end, he has a good heart and takes on Dracula and his lieutenants, but he's still going to give a sassy comment along the way.
Alucard (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Symphony Of The Night, & Netflix Series)
As beloved among fans as the Belmonts are, they became replaced after Symphony Of The Night reintroduced Dracula's son Alucard as the main character. With the ability to equip a wide variety of weapons, unlock many vampiric abilities, and be an interesting protagonist, Alucard set a new standard for the franchise.
Further Castlevania titles would try to replicate the gameplay style of Alucard, even for characters such as Jonathan Morris and Soma Cruz. That's is why this version of Alucard would be emulated for the Netflix series, focusing on the tragedy of hating his own father.