Job #14: Secondary Reps from Currently Represented Franchises
- Series: Mega Man (Mega Man X/Zero)
- First Appearance: Mega Man X (December 17th, 1993)
- Character Theme: Vs. Zero (Mega Man X2)
The deuteragonist of the Mega Man X series and later on, the titular main protagonist of the Mega Man Zero series, Zero was created by Doctor Wily as his greatest creation and successor of Bass, becoming a high-ranking elite Maverick Hunter who doesn't hesitate to take action as a legendary freedom fighter, often accompanying Mega Man X and fellow hunters in their missions on defeating Sigma's forces from exterminating humanity with the Maverick Virus, which caused the Reploids to go rogue.
A popular character and fan favorite on his own, Zero appeared in multiple games outside the Mega Man franchise like in the Vs. Capcom series as a sub-boss in his Mega Man Zero version on SNK vs. Capcom: SvC Chaos, hidden/unlockable character in Onimusha Blade Warriors and a playable character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Infinite, even appearing as a pair unit alongside X in the Project X Zone series and a Mii Costume/Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Zero himself is a rushdown fighter, who is capable of using both of his trademark weapons, the Z-Saber (beam sword weapon) and a Z-Buster arm cannon for
a wide variety of attacks and techniques he gained throughout the Mega Man X series like
Ryuenjin,
Hadangeki,
Hienkyaku,
Raikousen,
Rekkoha, etc.
Konami Fighter - Simon Belmont
(note: both classic/Smash and Chronicles designs can be used as customization options. Maybe even other Belmonts' outfits, as well?)
While I'm open for both Soma and Shanoa as the second Castlevania fighter, I think we should go for a more traditional character like
Simon freakin' Belmont himself to represent it's classic platforming origins, compared to Alucard's "Metroidvania" side since Symphony of the Night. Pretty much, he kick-started the legacy of a whole franchise.
The original protagonist of the first Castlevania game released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 and it's sequel,
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Simon is the fourth direct (and most well-known) descendant of the
Belmont Clan consisting of vampire hunters and heir of their renowned whip
Vampire Killer following his ancestor
Christopher, who was born in
Wallachia and fought against their eternal arch-enemy
Count Dracula twice in a lifetime, all on his own (solo/alone, unlike other protagonists), the first time in 1691 and a second time while he had a curse placed by him upon his death and gathered Dracula's remains to resurrect him in order to get rid of it seven years later.
Due to his status as the series' first playable hero/protagonist and how his story was retold a few times later (
Vampire Killer on MSX,
Haunted Castle on the arcades where he was married with
Selena,
Super Castlevania IV on Super NES,
Chronicles on Sharp X68000/PlayStation and Lords of Shadow's sequel,
Mirror of Fate) besides appearances throughout the franchise itself like
Harmony of Despair,
Judgment (where he looks like a goth Light Yagami) and
Grimoire of Souls, Simon himself is often considered one of Konami's most recognizable faces/mascots and iconic characters of Castlevania alongside Dracula and his son Alucard themselves, having made several appearances outside in other Konami-developed games such as
Hai no Majutsushi (a mahjong game released for the MSX2),
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2 as a
recruitable ally with his fellow 1986 Konami mascot,
his non-canon descendant in Wai Wai World and himself in it's sequel,
DreamMix TV: World Fighters (alongside Bomberman, Solid Snake, TwinBee, Moai from Gradius and famous Transformers, Optimus Prime & Megatron themselves),
New International Track & Field,
Super Bomberman R and finally, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate itself alongside his descendant
Richter Belmont.
And oh yes, this was a REAL thing:
For his moveset/playstyle, Simon clearly focuses on abilities such as using his Vampire Killer whip to attack the opponent by striking them or brandish it by spinning around in-front of him which even stops projectiles, having high mobility (like being able to
swing-kick by ring-grappling hence Super Castlevania IV and Spider-Man's web-swing move in the Marvel vs. Capcom series) and is able to perform good combos with
martial arts techniques borrowed from Richter like in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. He can also use the
sword from Haunted Castle,
Flame Whip for more powerful attacks and perform techniques/skills from
Grimoire of Souls and
Judgment such as:
- Twisting Arrow: A dive kick while spiraling like a tornado, hitting multiple times before landing.
- Binding Whip: Catches the opponent with his Vampire Killer whip and then drags them towards him.
- Whip Tornado/Valiant Sunder: Spins around to strike the opponent with his whip.
- Dancing Whip: Simon whips around himself quickly and then dashes forward with his Vampire Killer whip.
- Holy Ruin: A rushing punch with the whip wrapped around Simon's fist.
- Rising Whip: Charges up and then performs a vertical uppercut, which launches the opponent into the air.
- Crushing Strike/Sudden Impact: Charging up, Simon spins his whip around and then slams it in-front of him.
- Nimble Beat: Unleashes a quick flurry of whip attacks akin to Alucard's Crissaegrim.
- Vampire Killer: Simon's most powerful move which works for his Level 3 super. He starts by charging at the opponent, whipping them five times vertically and then finishes with a rapid barrage of whip strikes powered with holy energy which hits up to 99 times and engulfs the opponent with a light sphere-like explosion.
Simon can also make use of various
Sub-Weapons such as throwing
daggers,
axes,
cross boomerangs,
rebounding stones,
holy water bottles to summon flame pillars, the
bible/magic book that spirals around him, a
stopwatch to briefly freeze the opponent's movements for a short period of time, etc., even being able to unleash
Item Crashes for a super move depending on which sub-weapon he previously used like
Grand Cross (cross),
Hydro Storm (Holy Water),
Thousand Edge (dagger),
Spiral Axe (axe), etc.