Sub-Weapons

From Castlevania Wiki - Forbidden Library

Sub-Weapons are one of Castlevania's most prominent and important features. They first appeared in Castlevania and have since been a main part of the series' gameplay. Sub-Weapons, as their name implies, are secondary weapons used for combat against enemies. They are usually triggered by holding up and pressing the attack button, though varieties exist (such as in Super Castlevania IV where the sub-weapon function is a different button). Each use takes away a certain amount of hearts, depending on which weapon is used. In Rondo of Blood, the Item Crash ability was introduced, which allowed players to use sub-weapons in a grander scale. Thus far, only Trevor Belmont, Richter Belmont, Maria Renard, Eric Lecarde and John Morris have demonstrated the ability to perform these.

Contents 1 The Classic Five 1.1 The Knife/Dagger 1.2 The Axe 1.3 The Cross 1.4 The Holy Water 1.5 The Stopwatch 2 Game Exclusive Sub-Weapons 2.1 Bible 2.2 Rebound Stone 2.3 Bibuti 2.4 Agunea 2.5 Holy Fist 3 Maria's Sub-Weapons 3.1 Bird/Phoenix 3.2 Cat/Tiger 3.3 Turtle 3.4 Dragon 3.5 Music Book 3.6 Egg

The Classic Five

The Knife/Dagger

The knife is, in every game it appears in, the weakest, but fastest, sub-weapon and it almost always uses up one heart. In Simon's Quest, the knife has to be bought from a merchant in the town of Veros. It has mid-screen range and low power and does not cost any hearts. The Silver Knife, which is an upgrade of the regular knife, is weaker but goes the whole screen and costs one heart. Later on, after defeating Death in Brahm Mansion, the Golden Knife becomes available which travels the whole screen and is the strongest sub-weapon in the game at the cost of only two hearts.

In Rondo of Blood, instead of one knife, Richter throws three simultaneously, increasing its width. The item crash has Richter rapidly throwing knives in one direction. The 3D games are the same, and for a Crash, Trevor summons a large "Dagger serpent" that attacks enemies.

Knife/Dagger Statistics

Game	Available	Damage	Heart Cost
Castlevania	Yes	Low	1
Vampire Killer	No	N/A	N/A
Simon's Quest	Yes	Moderate	0
Haunted Castle	No	N/A	N/A
The Adventure	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula's Curse	Yes	Low	1
Belmont's Revenge	No	N/A	N/A
Super Castlevania IV	Yes	Low	1
Castlevania Chronicles	Yes	Low	1
Rondo of Blood	Yes	Low	1
Castlevania Bloodlines	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula X	Yes	Low	1
Symphony of the Night	Yes	Low	1/1*
Castlevania Legends	No	N/A	N/A
Castlevania 64	Yes	Low	1
Legacy of Darkness	Yes	Low	1
Circle of the Moon	Yes	Low	1
Harmony of Dissonance	Yes	Low	1
Aria of Sorrow	No	N/A	N/A
Lament of Innocence	Yes	Low	1
Dawn of Sorrow	No	N/A	N/A
Curse of Darkness	Yes	Low	1
Portrait of Ruin	Yes	Low	N/A
Order of Ecclesia	Yes	Low	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

The Axe

The axe has moderate power and is thrown in an upwards arc, used mostly to injure flying enemies or enemies on higher ground or otherwise unreachable spots. With the item crash, Richter jumps into the air as several axes encircle him and are then thrown in the directions they are facing (this basically covers all eight directions). In Bloodlines, the item crash makes three axes rush forward. In Curse of Darkness, Leon/Trevor throw two axes horizontally, and for a crash, Trevor pulls out a massive Axe, and smashes it into the ground.

Axe Statistics

Game	Available	Damage	Heart Cost
Castlevania	Yes	Moderate	1
Vampire Killer	No	N/A	N/A
Simon's Quest	No	N/A	N/A
Haunted Castle	No	N/A	N/A
The Adventure	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula's Curse	Yes	Moderate	1
Belmont's Revenge	Yes	Moderate	1
Super Castlevania IV	Yes	Moderate	1
Castlevania Chronicles	Yes	Moderate	1
Rondo of Blood	Yes	Moderate	1
Castlevania Bloodlines	Yes	Moderate	1
Dracula X	Yes	Moderate	1
Symphony of the Night	Yes	Moderate	4/1*
Castlevania Legends	No	N/A	N/A
Castlevania 64	Yes	Moderate	2
Legacy of Darkness	Yes	Moderate	2
Circle of the Moon	Yes	Moderate	2
Harmony of Dissonance	Yes	Moderate	4
Aria of Sorrow	Yes	Moderate	N/A
Lament of Innocence	Yes	Moderate	4
Dawn of Sorrow	Yes	Moderate	N/A
Curse of Darkness	Yes	Moderate	5
Portrait of Ruin	Yes	Moderate	N/A
Order of Ecclesia	Yes	Moderate/High	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

The Cross

The Cross is one of the more powerful sub-weapons in the series. It is thrown straight ahead and it goes a certain distance, spinning in-place for a split-second and returning to the hero, similar to a boomerang. Because of this, it can hit an enemy several times, thus amplifying its power. In Bloodlines, it takes the actual shape of a boomerang instead of the usual cross and it even acts more like a boomerang, going forward and swirling back in a horizontal arc (which makes it go above the hero). Richter's item crash in Rondo of Blood makes several spinning crucifixes emerge from the bottom of the screen and go to the top. In Symphony of the Night, this was changed to Richter jumping in the air with a pillar of light engulfing him and the crucifixes spinning upwards around him, ending in the light engulfing the whole screen; however, this is Alucard's normal usage of the weapon, as he does not use it in the conventional "boomerang" way. This item crash was dubbed "Grand Cross" from Symphony of the Night and onwards. The item crash in Bloodlines makes three of the boomerangs spin around in a circle, closing in to each other ever few seconds, while going forward. In the SNES version of Rondo of Blood, Dracula X, the crash makes a large amount of crosses fly all over the screen.

In the PS2 games, there are two versions of the Cross. Lament of Innocence summons two rotating crosses around Leon, while Curse of Darkness has Trevor throwing a cross in the standard method. However, this cross is on the side, rather than vertical. Trevor's crash is a 3D version of the Grand Cross

Cross Statistics

Game	Available	Damage	Heart Cost
Castlevania	Yes	Medium-High	1
Vampire Killer	No	N/A	N/A
Simon's Quest	No	N/A	N/A
Haunted Castle	Yes	Moderate	N/A
The Adventure	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula's Curse	Yes	Medium-High	1
Belmont's Revenge	Yes	Medium-High	1
Super Castlevania IV	Yes	Medium-High	1
Castlevania Chronicles	Yes	Medium-High	1
Rondo of Blood	Yes	Medium-High	1
Castlevania Bloodlines	Yes	Medium-High	1
Dracula X	Yes	Medium-High	1
Symphony of the Night	Yes	Medium-High	100/1*
Castlevania Legends	No	N/A	N/A
Castlevania 64	Yes	Medium-High	2
Legacy of Darkness	Yes	Medium-High	2
Circle of the Moon	Yes	Medium-High	6
Harmony of Dissonance	Yes	Medium-High	5
Aria of Sorrow	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Lament of Innocence	Yes	Medium-High	4
Dawn of Sorrow	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Curse of Darkness	Yes	Medium-High	5
Portrait of Ruin	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Order of Ecclesia	No	N/A	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

The Holy Water

The holy water is the most powerful sub-weapon in many of the games. It is a vial that is thrown in a low arc towards the ground, which then erupts in flames. The flame color was orange/red (natural flame's color) in early games but later on, in Rondo of Blood it turned to green and in Bloodlines, to a ghastly blue. In Symphony of the Night's Richter mode, the flames are a transparent, light blue. At first, the holy water's flame was stationary, but after Rondo of Blood, it moved a short distance before getting extinguished. Richter's item crash, the famous "Hydro Storm", makes a rain of holy water which is most powerful in Symphony of the Night. In Bloodlines, the item crash creates a "sentient" flame that spins around while going forward.

Holy Water Statistics

Game	Available	Damage	Heart Cost
Castlevania	Yes	High	1
Vampire Killer	Yes	High	5
Simon's Quest	Yes	Low	0
Haunted Castle	No	N/A	N/A
The Adventure	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula's Curse	Yes	High	1
Belmont's Revenge	Yes	High	1
Super Castlevania IV	Yes	High	1
Castlevania Chronicles	Yes	High	1
Rondo of Blood	Yes	Medium-High	1
Castlevania Bloodlines	Yes	Medium-High	1
Dracula X	Yes	Medium-High	1
Symphony of the Night	Yes	Medium-High	3/1*
Castlevania Legends	No	N/A	N/A
Castlevania 64	Yes	High	2
Legacy of Darkness	Yes	High	2
Circle of the Moon	Yes	High	4
Harmony of Dissonance	Yes	Medium-High	3
Aria of Sorrow	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Lament of Innocence	Yes	High	4
Dawn of Sorrow	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Curse of Darkness	Yes	High	3
Portrait of Ruin	Yes	Medium-High	N/A
Order of Ecclesia	No	N/A	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

The Stopwatch

The stopwatch, unlike the other sub-weapons, does not inflict damage upon enemies (save for Richter's item crash). It merely stops, or slows down, the movement of enemies for five seconds. Some enemies (most bosses) remain unaffected and can still move freely. Richter's item crash in Rondo of Blood makes nine hexagrams that attack enemies. In Symphony of the Night, it makes the time-stop last for longer, with the watch releasing a bolt of lightning when it finishes counting.

Stopwatch Statistics

Game	Available	Damage	Heart Cost
Castlevania	Yes	N/A	5
Vampire Killer	Yes	N/A	5
Simon's Quest	No	N/A	N/A
Haunted Castle	Yes	N/A	2
The Adventure	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula's Curse	Yes	N/A	5
Belmont's Revenge	No	N/A	N/A
Super Castlevania IV	Yes	N/A	5
Castlevania Chronicles	Yes	N/A	5
Rondo of Blood	Yes	N/A	5
Castlevania Bloodlines	No	N/A	N/A
Dracula X	Yes	N/A	5
Symphony of the Night	Yes	N/A	20/10*
Castlevania Legends	No	N/A	N/A
Castlevania 64	No	N/A	N/A
Legacy of Darkness	No	N/A	N/A
Circle of the Moon	Yes	N/A	20
Harmony of Dissonance	No	N/A	N/A
Aria of Sorrow	No	N/A	N/A
Lament of Innocence	No	N/A	N/A
Dawn of Sorrow	No	N/A	N/A
Curse of Darkness	Yes	N/A	20
Portrait of Ruin	No	N/A	N/A
Order of Ecclesia	No	N/A	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

Game Exclusive Sub-Weapons

Bible

First appearing in Rondo of Blood, the Bible is thrown and then spins outwards in a circle from the spot the hero is standing. In Symphony of the Night, the function changes and the Bible spins around the hero, acting as a more defensive weapon, instead of being offensive like in Rondo of Blood. The item crash in Rondo of Blood makes the pages create a circle and go forwards. In Symphony of the Night, it causes the pages from the Bible to create a giant ray of energy. The Bible returns to its original, offensive function in Harmony of Dissonance.

Bible Statistics

Game	Damage	Heart Cost
Rondo of Blood	Medium-High	3
Symphony of the Night	Medium-High	5/5*
Harmony of Dissonance	Medium-High	3
Portrait of Ruin	Medium-High	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

Rebound Stone

Similar to the "Diamond" from Simon's Quest, the rebound stone is a very small stone that can only be seen by the trail of light it leaves. As its name suggests, it rebounds off solid surfaces and can damage enemies several times while it goes through them, but it has low power. The item crash generates a large explosion at the top of the screen. The enemies who are nearer to the explosion's source are damaged more and those that are further away, damaged less.

Rebound Stone Statistics

Game	Damage	Heart Cost
Symphony of the Night	Low	2/1*
Portrait of Ruin	Low	N/A

*Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

Bibuti

A weapon that is similar to, but weaker than, the holy water, bibuti are supposedly holy ashes from India. They are spread on the ground and if an enemy hits them, it gets damaged. The item crash creates a storm directly above Richter. This sub-weapon is exclusive to Symphony of the Night.

Bibuti Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Moderate	2/1

Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

Agunea

A unique weapon in Symphony of the Night, the Agunea is a small item that when thrown onto an enemy, strikes it with lightning. The item crash fills the whole screen with lightning. This sub-weapon is, by far, the most heart consuming one.

Agunea Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Medium-High	5/10 (Per bolt)

Note: The first cost is Alucard's, the second is Richter's.

Holy Fist

The Holy Fist, when used, makes Juste do a flurry of rapid punches straight forward.

Holy Fist Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Medium-High	8

Maria's Sub-Weapons

Maria has her own unique sub-weapons, different from that of other characters. Four of them are based on the four ancient Chinese gods.

Bird/Phoenix

Maria sends two red birds flying diagonally above, returning back after they're reached a certain distance. The item crash summons a phoenix that fills the screen with fiery projectiles.

Bird Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Low	1

Cat/Tiger

Maria throws a white striped cat that runs across the screen, damaging any enemy it comes into contact with. The item crash summons a white tiger. Maria rides on its back and the tiger damages all on-screen enemies.

Cat Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Moderate	3

Turtle

This sub-weapon is defensive when normally used, as Maria hides under a turtle shell that protects her from all attacks. The item crash summons a giant turtle shell that attacks all enemies in its path.

Turtle Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
N/A	3

Dragon

Maria throws the dragon directly above her head and it rushes forward at a high speed. The item crash summons a giant dragon to attack all on-screen enemies.

Dragon Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
High	5

Music Book

Maria sings and four notes are generated which travel forward and damage all they come into contact with. The item crash generates a large amount of these notes which stay for a while and damage all that come into contact with it.

Music Book Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Low	3

Egg

Maria throws an egg that hatches and reveals four chicks. They fly straight up after hatched. The item crash makes a ring of birds appear, surrounding a phoenix. Enemies that come into contact with either take damage.

Egg Statistics

Damage	Heart Cost
Low	3