Richter (SSBU)

Richter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Castlevania
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Grand Cross
Tier	D- (74)

“	Richter Crosses Over!	”
—Introduction tagline

Richter (リヒター, Richter) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He is the third fighter from Konami after Snake and Simon. He was announced as a newcomer alongside Simon, Chrom, Dark Samus, and King K. Rool during a Nintendo Direct on August 8th, 2018. Richter and Simon take inspiration from each other's home series appearances, with Richter being labeled as the Echo Fighter of the two, thus being classified as Fighter #66^ε.

David Vincent, Richter's recurring voice actor as of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles and also the voice of Robin, reprises his role in the English version, with his role comfirmed by the actor. Kiyoyuki Yanada, his voice actor from Symphony of the Night onward, reprises his role in the Japanese version; it would be one of his last performances as the character before his passing on November 14th, 2022. In the Korean version of the game, Richter uses his English voice clips.

Richter, alongside his base fighter Simon, are ranked 74th out of 82 on the current tier list, placing the Belmonts in the D- tier. The Belmonts are well known for their strong zoning and keeping opponents away from them thanks to their arsenal of projectiles and their range thanks to their signature whip. They are good at harassing their opponents in neutral and keeping them in a disadvantage for long periods of time. Their strengths culminate in them at the ledge, with several tools for ledgetrapping, such as Holy Water and forward tilt. Uppercut is an effective out-of-shield option against aggressive players or those who can get in their defense. The Belmonts also have the unique property to angle some of their aerials, namely forward air and back air to hit opponents low to the ground or anti-air them. Overall, the Belmonts are effective at controlling the pace of the match.

However, the Belmonts are equipped with a multitude of crippling weaknesses. Their disadvantage state is among one of the worst in the game due to not having a single viable combo escape, with the exception of down air, which can be predictable. They also suffer from one of the worst recoveries in the game with Uppercut, providing very little horizontal distance and drift and their tether recoveries not having much reach, allowing any character in the game to edgeguard them consistently if sent offstage.

In conclusion, the Belmonts have some key strengths to consistently win neutral but should their defense be infiltrated, they have a lot of trouble getting back to that position. Thus, the Belmonts are difficult characters to be consistent with at a high level. They have seen some respectable tournament results and representation from players, such as T3 Dom and YoseFu, showing how capable the characters are.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Richter being the 35th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Link or any character in his unlock tree, being the 7th character unlocked after Young Link.
• Have Richter join the player's party in World of Light.

Richter must then be defeated on Dracula's Castle (the Ω form is used in World of Light).

Attributes

Richter is Simon's Echo Fighter, so his moveset, animations and attributes are directly derived from the latter, and his overall gameplan is also the same—he is a zoner with poor mobility (especially in the air) who utilizes his highly disjointed attacks courtesy of the Vampire Killer whip and his three projectiles to keep his opponents at a distance.

Like Simon, Richter's special moveset possesses decent utility. Firstly, Axe is a very strong projectile that can be thrown in three angles, which makes it effective at both edgeguarding and a threatening anti-air option, compounded by its ability to go through solid terrain. The axe can additionally lead into forward aerial, or, at higher percents, Uppercut for a KO. His side special, the Cross, functions like a boomerang, though unlike other boomerang projectiles, it does not follow Richter, instead going straight and then briefly going backwards on its own if not grabbed by Richter; in addition to this, it sends opponents vertically in the air with low knockback, which is favorable for setups into aerial attacks, the Axe or an up smash. His up special, Uppercut, is a very fast out of shield option with decent kill power that has multiple setups into it, such as the Cross, or more notably, down aerial.

However, the sole difference distinguishing Richter from Simon lies in his down special, Holy Water; it utilizes the same blue flame effect used by Lucario's aura-based attacks as opposed to a regular flame effect like Simon. Against Olimar, this is highly effective, as Olimar's Red Pikmin are immune to all flame-based attacks, such as Simon's Holy Water, giving Richter a better matchup against Olimar. That said, the projectile possesses similar utility; it is useful for ledge-trapping, combo setups or kill setups such as a forward smash, forward tilt, or Uppercut.

Another notable trait that Richter shares with Simon is his impressive range. His Vampire Killer whip offers the overall longest disjointed range out of any fighter in the roster, and it makes his overall kit well-rounded and versatile. In the air, despite his aerial mobility being sluggish, his aerials are effective in their own rights; his up, forward and back aerials all have impressive range and can be used as tether recoveries, along with the latter two having the unique ability to be angled. His down aerial, while lacking the disjoint of his other aerials, is a notoriously effective combo tool, as it functions much like Greninja's down aerial; it meteor smashes at the beginning, but what makes it versatile is its late hit. On the late hit, both Richter and the opponent will bounce back up at diagonal angles, which opens up many KO confirms, notably into his Uppercut. At low percentages, it can combo into itself multiple times, which can potentially make it a zero-to-death tool if the opponent reacts poorly.

Richter's range is also effective on the ground, as his sluggish frame data is compensated by his attacks having immense range and power at the spiked ball at the end of the whip, to the point where they can be considered safe on shield if spaced, despite their lag. All of his smash attacks are notable examples of this; his forward smash is very powerful when tippered, and when combined with its ability to be angled, this makes it a deadly edgeguarding and ledge-trapping tool. His up smash is very strong when tippered, making it a reliable anti-air tool and a combo finisher and KO confirm out of his Cross. His down smash hits on both sides like most others, and keeps his trademark range while possessing decent power when sweetspotted. His forward tilt possesses decent range and uncharacteristically low ending lag, his dash attack is relatively quick and effective for crossing up shielding opponents, and his down tilt, while not disjointed, is a unique two-hit move that causes him to pseudo-crawl, allowing him to cross up foes or effectively retreat from the corner. Due to Richter's excellent range and his three projectiles, he is very good at keeping the opponent at bay.

Yet another trait shared with Simon is a decent grab game. His grab has below-average range and possesses noticeable lag, but his dash grab gives him a lot of momentum due to his low traction. His throws also have great utility: his forward and back throws have good KO potential despite their rather quick speed, and can be used to set up edgeguards otherwise. His up throw is considered to be his most useful throw, as its decent damage is compounded with its great setup ability, being able to start juggles. His down throw is rather situational and is his least used throw, but nevertheless has combo potential thanks to Richter's range.

Likewise, Richter also shares the exact same crippling flaws that Simon possesses to counterbalance his strengths. Perhaps his most infamous shortcoming is his extremely poor recovery, being among the worst in the game, despite having three aerials function as tether recoveries; his very low air movement, combined with Uppercut offering very poor vertical and horizontal momentum, give him very poor offstage presence. As such, he is very easy to gimp, and overall has a slim chance to return to the ledge, making him easy to KO despite his good endurance due to his almost non-existent offstage game. This is further compounded with Richter's susceptibility to combos due to his heavyweight status, poor aerial attributes, and lack of effective combo breakers within his moveset, preventing him from easily getting out of combos or escaping pressure. Due to his very low traction and slow attacks, he also has a poor out of shield game outside of Uppercut.

Despite his zoning and spacing potential, it is overall burdened by his poor frame data, lackluster overall mobility, and narrow attacks. His slow movement makes him vulnerable to pressure and zoning. While he has his projectiles, they each have noticeable startup and are susceptible to being reflected back, which can be a huge turnabout, especially since the projectiles play a huge role in Richter's neutral game. An opponent can also catch Holy Water mid-flight and use it against Richter as he can only have one out at a time, allowing his opponents to perform combo setups or kill setups on him.

Richter's poor frame data also gives him a mediocre close-range game, as many of his attacks are unsafe if not spaced properly, which often leaves him heavily susceptible to punishment. While Richter's whip attacks have excellent range, they are also very narrow, and some attacks such as up tilt, up smash and up aerial only hit directly above Richter, giving him poor hitbox placements and creating big blindspots that can cause them to miss opponents even if they are directly touching him, which hampers his juggle ability and overall punish game, and gives him a hard time hitting smaller characters. Finally, his moves tend to be rather weak when sourspotted, making spacing crucial if the player plans to score an early KO. With his grab range being below-average and his kill power being noticeable with his tipper mechanic, he must keep his space and fish for tippered tilts and aerials for maximum effect, in a similar vein to Marth.

Despite not being very different from Simon outside of his down special, Richter has seen greater representation in direct comparison. In recent times, however, his popularity has noticeably diminished due to his and Simon's shared weaknesses becoming more apparent, with players such as Brood and Riddles dropping Richter in favor of other characters. Other players, such as Nitro, have relegated him to a secondary. As such, he may not have been as strong as originally thought, leaving his true placement debatable.

Differences from Simon

The only moveset difference between Richter and Simon is that Richter's Holy Water has an aura effect, as opposed to Simon's Holy Water which has a flame effect, as a result of the blue flames. Because of this, Richter has a slightly better matchup against Olimar (as he can deal damage to Olimar's Red Pikmin, who are immune to flame-based attacks, with Holy Water), while Simon is more favorable in the matchups against Link, Young Link, Toon Link and Steve, as he can cause the former three's explosives to forcibly detonate before reaching him using Holy Water, while his Holy Water's flame effect makes it easier to detonate Steve's TNT blocks. Simon can also use his version of the move to instantly detonate other items such as Blast Boxes or Bombers, or grow Hotheads at a faster rate.

Otherwise, Richter plays and acts identically to Simon, with his only different animations being his idle stance, taunts and victory animations. Aside from the aforementioned matchups and situations, choosing between the Belmonts is entirely a matter of personal preference.

Aesthetics

• As with all Echo Fighters, Richter has different taunts and victory animations.
• Richter has a slightly different idle animation (though his periodic idle poses are identical) where he moves more, appearing more impatient while standing. This does not apply when he is holding a light item.

Aerial attacks

• The visual effects for down aerial are different, starting earlier and having a different routine.

Throws/other attacks

• The foot trail for Richter's edge attack and floor attacks is pink instead of grey.

Special moves

• Richter's Holy Water emits blue flames, and is an aura attack unlike Simon's flame-based version. However, its strength does not scale with Richter's damage percentage, unlike Lucario's aura attacks.
  • This allows Richter to inflict damage to Olimar's Red Pikmin with his Holy Water.
  • However, Richter cannot forcibly detonate certain explosives (such as Remote Bombs, Young Link and Toon Link's Bombs and TNT) with his attack.
  • Richter's Holy Water does not grow the Hothead item as quickly as Simon's.

Misc.

• Richter launches out of barrel cannons slightly closer to the opening, leading to slightly different trajectories (e.g. slightly higher vertical distance when pointing up or hitting walls slightly earlier when horizontal).

Update history

Richter received a mix of buffs, a single nerf and a single glitch fix via game updates, but was buffed slightly overall. Initially, he received only inconsequential changes from updates 3.0.0 and 4.0.0. After being absent from updates for a whole year, however, Richter received a few quality of life buffs from update 9.0.0. Neutral infinite received transcendent priority as part of a near-universal buff, which prevents it from being canceled by weak attacks. Dash attack's looping hits had their damage outputs increased, although its last hit's knockback was altered slightly to compensate. Up tilt's knockback was also altered, which makes it safer on hit at low percentages at the cost of worsening its KO potential. Up and down smashes received more knockback, with the former also having its start-up and ending lag decreased slightly. Lastly, Uppercut's vertical range was increased.

Overall, Richter fares mildly better than he did at Ultimate's launch. Due to his strengths and weaknesses being largely kept intact so far, his standing relative to the cast remains largely the same.

3.0.0

• Edge attack has more range.
• Cross deals less shield damage (0 → -3/-2.5 (throw/return)).
• Specific Grand Cross parameters have been adjusted, making them identical to Simon's variant.
• Audio glitch where charging forward smash did not produce a sound effect has been fixed.

4.0.0

• Down aerial descends immediately when using the move after being launched.

9.0.0

• Rapid jab and its finisher have transcendent priority, preventing them from being canceled out by weak attacks.
• Dash attack:
  • The looping hits deal more damage (1.7% → 2%; 12% total → 13.5%).
  • The last hit has more base knockback (70 → 80), but less knockback scaling (115 → 105). This improves its KO potential near the edge, but reduces it from across the stage.
• Up tilt has more base knockback (60 → 88), but less knockback scaling (75/100 → 57/82). This increases its safety on hit at low percents, but slightly reduces its KO potential.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less startup (frame 18 → 16), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 56 → 54).
  • It deals more knockback (61/60 base/88/82 scaling → 64/63/91/85).
• Down smash has more knockback scaling (77 → 82 (front), 82 → 87 (back)).
• Uppercut's hitbox stretches farther vertically (Y offset: 23u—6u → 26u—6u), increasing its range above Richter.

Moveset

• Richter's whip, the Vampire Killer, possesses a sweetspot at the tip of the chain where the spiked ball is.
• Richter's forward aerial, back aerial, and up aerial all act as tether recoveries, allowing them to be used for recovery but also cancels the attacking part of the move while it is in progress.
• Unlike other disjointed weapons, the Vampire Killer's hitboxes cannot pass through solid terrain; hitting an obstacle will cause the move to deal no damage. This applies to every whip move except neutral attack, up tilt, down smash and neutral aerial.
• Richter can crawl.

For a gallery of Richter's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Short Bash (ショートバッシュ / Second Bash (セカンドバッシュ) / Whip Rush (ウィップラッシュ) / Whip Finish (ウィップフィニッシュ)	2%	Swings the Vampire Killer twice while holding it lengthwise, with his left hand holding its chain. Mashing the attack button quickly will cause Richter to rapidly spin the whip to damage opponents, with a final uppercut that sends opponents away. If not done quickly enough, Richter will cancel the first two hits, ending the attack and leaving him vulnerable. This move is Richter's fastest option up close. If the attack button is held down instead, Richter will hold out the Vampire Killer, and it can then be manually twirled around. This attack is based on Simon's Whip Twirl from Super Castlevania IV (and was also used by Richter himself in Symphony of the Night), and it is functionally similar to Sheik's Chain in Melee and Brawl. The chain deals minor damage in this way, but can cancel very weak projectiles that collide with it. The spiked ball of the chain is its sweetspot, which deals more damage and sends opponents away. If pushed off a platform by a windbox while doing this, Richter will continue dangling the whip, and can be moved left and right through the air while simultaneously controlling it.
			2%
			1.5% (spiked ball), 1% (chain)
			0.5% (loop), 2.5% (end)
Forward tilt		Level Swing (レベルスイング)	12% (spiked ball), 10% (chain)	The iconic whip strike from the original Castlevania. It has high range for its speed, and low ending lag. This makes it useful for general spacing. However, only the initial whip lash deals damage, and opponents can crouch under it. The tip of the chain deals more damage, and can KO at around 120% at the edge of Final Destination. If the attack button is held, Richter will transition into the Whip Twirl, identical to his held neutral attack.
Up tilt		Wide Shake (ワイドシェイク)	10% (whip), 2% (close)	A quick whip twirl in a lasso-like fashion that covers above his head. Its hitbox is wide and covers above Richter's head, along with his arm. Provides excellent coverage above Richter, granting it good pressuring capabilities against aerial opponents. It can also potentially chain into itself more than once at low percents. However, it has no grounded hitboxes beside him whatsoever, making it risky against grounded opponents. The move also has a very weak hitbox when the chain first comes out, though it has no typical use.
Down tilt		Sliding (スライディング) / Sliding Kick (スライディングキック)	5%	A slide kick based on his Slide and Jumping Slide abilities from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The first hit is incapable of KOing even at 999%, but if the button is pressed again, Richter does a jumping kick that carries his momentum, comboing from the first hit. The jump deals less damage late, and is capable of jumping off platforms and edges. The first hit allows Richter to slide under projectiles or high hitboxes. The second hit can KO beginning at 140% from the edge of Final Destination.
			7% (clean), 3.5% (late)
Dash attack		Tackle (タックル)	1.7% (hits 1-5), 3.5% (end)	A dashing attack while twirling the Vampire Killer beside himself. Based on his Blade Dash from Symphony of the Night. The dash covers half of Final Destination. Capable of destroying weak projectiles, but extremely damaged opponents may be knocked out before the final hit. The move is also one of the few attacks that can still cross-up in Ultimate.
Forward smash		Full Swing (フルスイング)	18% (spiked ball), 16% (chain), 14% (chain, close)	The iconic whip strike from the original Castlevania. Rears back before performing a long-ranged whip crack while taking a step forward. Can be angled. Has tremendous reach, being the longest non-projectile forward smash in the game (outperforming Corrin, Mii Gunner, and Shulk). Deals the most damage at the tip of the chain, and less when up close. The sweetspot can KO as early as 57% from the edge of Final Destination, is safe on shield due to its sheer distance, and deals respectable damage to shields. The rest of the move is punishable on shield, and opponents can crouch under the chain. If angled down, the sweetspot can hit ledge hanging opponents.
Up smash		Bat Killer (バットキラー)	16% (spiked ball), 14% (chain)	A vertical whip crack. It has immense vertical range, but its hitbox is incapable of hitting anyone directly beside Richter or the chain. Due to its high ending lag, this makes the move suited solely for aerial targets. While hard to hit, the sweetspot can KO as early as 67% on Final Destination. It can combo from up throw at 0-30%, though opponents can DI away from this.
Down smash		Whirlwind (ワールウインド)	16% (spiked ball), 14% (chain), 12% (chain, close)	Drags the Vampire Killer across the ground from forward to back. Impressive overall range like his other smash attacks, and also deals less damage up close in a similar fashion. Both hits do the same amount of damage, with the first hit being rather fast. The sweetspot KOs as early as 85% from the edge of Final Destination. If not sweetspotted, the move is punishable.
Neutral aerial		Round Guard (ラウンドガード)	1% (hits 1-6), 4% (end)	Twirls the Vampire Killer around his body. Lacks the range of his usual moves, but deals multiple hits and can protect Richter from being pursued aerially. Has slightly deceptive range due to the twirling graphic, and only covers one character length around him. The looping hits send at the autolink angle, allowing a falling neutral aerial to combo into a grab, neutral attack, or other moves.
Forward aerial		Aerial Swing (エアリアルスイング)	12% (spiked ball), 10% (chain), 2% (body)	The aerial whip strike. Rears back and performs a long-ranged whip crack. It can be angled slightly upward and downward at roughly a 20 degree angle; if angled down, the move can hit grounded opponents. Excellent range, allowing it to hit distant targets easily. However, the hitboxes are slim and have a short duration, while the move has some startup, requiring precise use. Has low ending lag, allowing Richter to double jump and perform another aerial if done from a short hop. Also can be used as a tether recovery, which is useful as Richter has no horizontal recovery options otherwise. The sweetspot can KO from 125% at the edge of Final Destination.
Back aerial		Aerial Back Swing (エアリアルバックスイング)	12% (spiked ball), 10% (chain), 2% (body)	Rears back and performs a long-ranged whip crack behind himself. Identical damage, properties and usage as forward aerial, and can also be aimed up and down. Like forward aerial, Richter can double jump and perform another aerial if done from a short hop, and it also acts as a tether recovery. Has more knockback growth despite the similar damage, with the sweetspot KOing from 110% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up aerial		Aerial Top Swing (エアリアルトップスイング)	12% (spiked ball), 10% (chain), 2% (body)	Rears back and performs a long-ranged whip crack directly above him. Functionally identical to forward and back aerials in all aspects apart from attack direction and the inability to be angled. Like forward and back aerials, Richter can double jump and perform another aerial if done from a short hop, and it also acts as a tether recovery, covering around the same distance as Uppercut. The sweetspot KOs from 100% while in the air.
Down aerial		Jump Kick (ジャンプキック)	12%, 7% (late)	A stall-then-fall divekick, based on the ability both Simon and Richter can obtain in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Goes downward at a diagonal angle, with the early frames being a meteor smash. If hit, Richter will bounce back with a flourish, which can combo into other attacks: the early hit easily combos into forward or back aerials at medium percents, Uppercut at 100% or above as a KO combo, or even into itself at low percents.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with his left arm. Notably, while Richter can use his whip as a tether recovery, he does not use it to grab opponents; despite this, his grabs are fairly slow for a non-tether grab, additionally hampered by below-average range. These traits make it a poor choice in most situations, especially when considering Richter's already slow mobility.
Pummel		Grab Kneebutt (つかみニーバット)	1.3%	A knee strike. Average power and speed.
Forward throw		Swing Throw (スイングスルー)	7%	Spins once and flings the opponent forward. If the opponent misses a tech, it can be followed up with forward smash, forward tilt or dash attack at 0%. Tech rolls can be caught with Axe. Richter's strongest throw, capable of KO'ing from 125% at the edge of Final Destination.
Back throw		Swing Back Throw (スイングバックスルー)	7%	Flings the opponent backwards with both arms. Has the same combos as forward throw, but it is weaker for KOing, as it does so from 145% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up throw		Toss & Beat (トス＆ビート)	6% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)	Heaves the opponent into the air before lashing at them with the Vampire Killer. One of Richter's most useful throws due to its setup ability and damage, being the most damaging throw in his moveset. Can initiate combos at 0% such as into up smash, or start aerial juggles. At higher percents, it can set up into up aerial for a KO.
Down throw		Slapdown (スラップダウン)	8%	A chokeslam. Like forward and back throws, it can follow up with forward smash or forward tilt at 0%, or cover tech rolls with Axe.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks behind, then in front of himself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Kicks behind, then in front of himself.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kicks behind, then in front of himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Kicks forward while getting up.
Neutral special		Axe	15%	Throws an axe projectile that travels at a high parabolic arc. The angle can be changed by holding forward or back before throwing. Richter's aerial momentum is stopped once he throws the axe. Extremely high startup lag, with the axe's angle making it ineffective to use conventionally. However, it deals high damage and knockback while also going through solid terrain, giving it powerful edgeguarding capabilities. Its high freeze frames also give it very limited followup ability. The axe can KO grounded opponents from 140% on Final Destination.
Side special		Cross	6%, 8% (smash thrown), 5% (returning)	Flings a silver cross projectile that functions similarly to Boomerang, including the ability to be smash-thrown to fly further and deal more damage. Unlike Boomerang, the Cross makes no attempt to return to Richter, and only flies straight forward and back. The Cross reaches the edge of Final Destination if thrown from the middle, and will travel to the other edge if left uncaught. Only one Cross can be out, and Richter can catch it upon returning. This is generally Richter's main stage-control tool to interrupt approaches and initiate combos. Richter may say "Go!" when performing the attack.
Up special		Uppercut	2% (hit 1), 1.5% (hit 2-5), 6% (hit 6)	A rising uppercut with the Vampire Killer in hand. Richter's main recovery move, though its poor height and Richter's limited air mobility makes it difficult to use as a recovery. Functions better as an attack, as it starts up quickly, can punish aerial opponents, and combos reliably from down aerial. KOs rather late on the ground, though it can KO much earlier as an aerial combo finisher as early as 120%. However, it has significantly lower range compared to Richter's other attacks.
Down special		Holy Water	2.9% (flask), 1.3% (flames, hits 1-8)	Drops a flask of Holy Water diagonally downwards. Once it hits the ground or an opponent, the flask bursts and unleashes a pillar of blue flames. Only one flask or pillar of flame can exist at one time. If the flask is caught, it will become an item that opponents can use against Richter. It can also be reflected or perfect shielded to affect the Richter who threw it. Has similar functionality as PK Fire, keeping opponents trapped within the projectile and in position for a followup, and lacks a final stronger hit. Richter will say "Take this!" when performing the move unlike Simon who simply grunts. This is the only functionally different attack Richter has compared to Simon's; Richter's version does not deal flame damage, which is due to it using blue "fire" particles as opposed to Simon's red ones. Instead, it deals aura damage, but its damage output does not scale with Richter's damage percentage unlike any of Lucario's aura-based moves.
Final Smash		Grand Cross	3% (coffin), 35% (crosses), 10% (ending)	Summons a large coffin in front of him, which traps opponents that touch it the moment it appears. If successful, Richter grabs the coffin with the Vampire Killer's chain, swings it in a wide arc and hauls it skywards, then unleashes the devastating Grand Cross technique while flexing, blasting the coffin with crosses made of light, and sending the victims flying. Extremely powerful, able to KO as early as 25%.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height	Empty landing Lag
Value	107	1.73 – Initial dash 1.52 – Run	0.76	0.085	0.02	0.94	0.01 – Base 0.02 – Additional	0.085	1.85 – Base 2.96 – Fast-fall	3	30 - Base 18 - Short hop	29	4

Announcer call

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• English

• Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance

• Appears onstage surrounded by rays of light, and cracks the Vampire Killer before coiling it.

• 

  Richter's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: Raises his hand in the air with an open palm, referencing his Grand Cross in the opening of Rondo of Blood, leading into the pose from his render while saying "It's time!"
• Side taunt: Pulls out the Vampire Killer and straightens the chain, a reference to a piece of artwork shown in the official guide for Rondo of Blood. This pose is also used as Juste Belmont's official artwork for Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance.
• Down taunt: Tightens his glove while saying "Prepare yourself!". Based on the opening cutscene of Rondo of Blood.

• 

  Richter's up taunt.

• 

  Richter's side taunt.

• 

  Richter's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Stands upright with his right hand on his hip. Based on his conversation stance in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
• Thrusts his hand downwards.

Richter's idle stance is based on his idle from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, as well as every preceding Belmont since the original Castlevania.

• 

  Richter's first idle pose.

• 

  Richter's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Rich - ter Bel - mont!	Rihita! *clap 3 times*	Rich - ter! *claps 3 times*	Rich - ter!	Tous avec Rich - ter!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description		Riiiich - ter!	Rich - ter! Rich - ter!	Rich - ter!

Victory poses

• Left: Whilst spinning, Richter swings the Vampire Killer around himself while saying "You don't belong in this world!" ("ここはお前の住む世界ではない！", This world is not yours to live in!) before striking the ground with an overhead swing and pulling the chain taut. This line is taken from the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
• Up: Jumps and whips the ground. Just before he lands, he spins in a brief clockwise manner. Upon landing, he assumes a pose identical to his official render.
• Right: While facing away from the camera, he pulls back and rolls up the Vampire Killer, putting it on his side. He then, with his back still facing the camera, turns around, similarly to his idle stance in Symphony of the Night, and makes a parting gesture saying "Farewell!" ("じゃあな", See you.). This is from the cutscene where he rescues Tera in Rondo of Blood.

A remix of the "Stage Clear" theme from the original Castlevania.

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Simon players (SSBU); Category:Richter players (SSBU)

•  Noxumbra  - The best Belmont player in Europe. His 4th place at Ultimate WANTED 3 is considered one of the best tournament runs of the character, defeating some of Europe's best players at that time including eMass and Homika. He has seen moderate success since then, including placing 5th at RCADIA SMASH 2 and 25th at Ultimate WANTED 4.
•  Riddles  - Although more widely known today for being the best Terry and Kazuya player of all-time, Riddles was first known for his Richter, playing the character until around September 2019, and was considered the best Richter player in the early metagame. With Richter, he is best known for placing 13th at Super Smash Con 2019 where he eliminated Dabuz. This performance alongside his 13th-place finish at Get On My Level 2019 is tied for the best major placement for a Belmont player. He was eventually ranked 47th on the Fall 2019 PGRU; although primarily ranked with Terry, it remains the only time a Belmont main was ranked in the top 50.
•  T3 DOM  - The best Belmont player in the world since Riddles dropped them and the only other Belmont player with comparable results to Riddles, having placed 13th at Glitch - Infinite, tied for the best major placement for a Belmont player; and 17th at Double Down 2022, in addition to defeating Dabuz at Smash Ultimate Summit 5. He is the only other Belmont player ranked globally, ranking 60th on the UltRank 2022.
•  TRIGGER  - The best Belmont player in Japan and one of the longest-active players who uses Simon instead of Richter. He was first known for defeating T to place 33rd at EVO Japan 2020, and has since placed around the same at several other majors such as 33rd at both Kagaribi 5 and Umebura SP 10, defeating alice and Ryuoh in the latter event. At smaller events, he has notably placed 5th at DELTA 3 over Noi and defeated KEN at WINNER! 10.
•  YoseFu  - The best Belmont player in North America who uses Simon over Richter, with some of the best offline wins out of all the Belmont players, defeating KEN to place 25th at Mainstage 2022 and MuteAce to place 9th at CEO 2023. In addition, he was the most active Belmont player during the online metagame, having placing 7th at the S-tier Rev It Up: 2020 Series.

Tier placement and history

When the game was released in December 2018, Simon and Richter attracted interest due to their unique attributes, including extremely long reach, an array of powerful projectiles, and ledge trapping potential; many players initially viewed the Belmonts as a high tier, or potentially a top tier character because of their spacing and zoning ability allowing them to play an effective defensive game. Simon and Richter were also notable counterpicks against certain characters, such as Olimar, that struggled with their range and keep away game. During the early stages of the metagame, the Belmonts were relatively popular characters, with Riddles being their highest level representative. However, their weaknesses were soon discovered to be perhaps too significant to overcome, most notably a notoriously poor recovery due to short-distance recovery moves with mediocre protection that left them severely vulnerable to gimping, but they also suffered from significant KOing inconsistency, mediocre frame data, vast difficulty in hitting agile small characters with their attacks predominantly having thin hitboxes, and very poor all-around mobility. Thus, most of their playerbase, including Riddles, eventually dropped them for other characters and their results fell off as a result. Because of this, the consensus about the Belmonts shifted, with most players viewing them as mid tier or low tier characters.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Belmont playerbase experienced a small resurgence, with players such as T3 DOM, Noxumbra and TRIGGER rising to prominence with decent results both online and offline. The Belmonts have also received buffs in update 9.0.0. However, these buffs made little to no impact in fixing the main weaknesses of the characters, ultimately leaving them placing 68th on the first tier list and falling to 74th on the second and current tier list.

Classic Mode: Smash Echoes

Richter's congratulations screen.

Richter's opponents, like him, are Echo Fighters, which he fights in numerical order. However, instead of Crazy Hand, who can be considered an echo of Master Hand, he faces Dracula as his final boss, like Simon.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music
1	Dark Samus	Norfair	Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
2	Daisy	Golden Plains	Mario Tennis / Mario Golf
3	Lucina	Coliseum (Ω form)	Destiny (Ablaze)
4	Chrom	Arena Ferox	Id (Purpose) (Remix)
5	Dark Pit	Reset Bomb Forest	Dark Pit's Theme
6	Ken	Suzaku Castle (Ω form)	Ken Stage
Bonus Stage
Final	Dracula	Dracula's Castle	Dance of Illusions

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Richter has Dracula's Castle accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Richter in World of Light

Although Richter does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Richter was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is in the Dracula's Castle sub-area, but only makes an appearance if the player manages to destroy all the purple evil ghosts that teleport the player if touched with the use of cannonballs. If the player manages to do so, he'll appear in between the spaces for Alucard and Dracula.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
66ε		Richter	Grab	11,800	Dracula's Castle (Ω form)	Divine Bloodlines

Spirit

Richter's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode as Richter. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Richter has been unlocked. Unlocking Richter in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.

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  1,051. Richter Belmont

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
916		Geo Stelar & Omega-Xis	Mega Man Star Force Series	•Richter •Wolf		3,900	Moray Towers	•Hazard: Zap Floor	•The floor is electrified	Shooting Star	Geo Stelar
1,000		Cody	Street Fighter Series	•Richter (120 HP)		1,700	New Donk City Hall (hazards off)	•Jump Power ↓ •Item: Battering Types	•Stamina battle •The enemy's battering items have increased power •All fighters have reduced jump power	Zangief Stage Type B
1,057		Nathan Graves	Castlevania Series	•Richter		3,700	Find Mii (hazards off)	•Item: Timer	•The enemy has an extra midair jump •The enemy has increased jump power	Awake
1,059		Juste Belmont	Castlevania Series	•Richter		4,200	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •The enemy has increased move speed	Awake
1,061		Leon Belmont	Castlevania Series	•Richter		3,800	Unova Pokémon League (hazards off)	•Strengthen Weapon	•The enemy can heal by shielding attacks •All fighters' melee weapons have increased power	Lament of Innocence
1,064		Jonathan Morris	Castlevania Series	•Richter •Robin		9,300	Dracula's Castle	N/A	•The enemy's throwing-type items have increased power	Jail of Jewel
1,268		Specter Knight	Shovel Knight Series	•Richter		3,900	Bridge of Eldin (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Death's Scythe •The enemy has increased move speed	Flash in the Dark (Dr. Wily Stage 1)
1,464		Malos	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Richter •Giant Ridley x3		13,600	Gaur Plain	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Incoming!

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
1,065		Charlotte Aulin	Castlevania Series	•Zelda •Richter		3,700	Bridge of Eldin (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •The enemy favors side specials •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Hail from the Past	Jonathan Morris
1,118		Tamagon	Devil World	•Tiny Ridley •Clear Richter		1,500	Mario Bros.	•Item: Throwing Types	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy favors neutral specials •The enemy is invisible	Clu Clu Land	Cross
1,366		Athena Asamiya	Psycho Soldier	•Palutena •Richter		9,400	Mushroomy Kingdom (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy favors special moves •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Psycho Soldier Theme (Overseas Version)	Sie Kensou
1,374		Chris	Resident Evil Series	•Snake •Richter		3,900	Fourside (Battlefield form)	•Item: Shooting Types	•The enemy starts the battle with a Franklin Badge •The enemy's ranged weapons have increased power •The enemy favors special moves	Battle in the Base	Piers

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Richter's splash art.

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  Richter's amiibo.

• 

  Richter's fighter card.

• 

  Richter's unlock notice.

• 

  Simon and Richter artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Konami Twitter account.

• 

  Richter on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Richter straightening his whip on the Bridge of Eldin.

• 

  Performing his down tilt on Kalos Pokémon League.

• 

  Richter pummeling Lucas on Skyloft.

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  Holding a Lip's Stick next to a Red Pikmin on Distant Planet.

• 

  In his red alternate costume on Yoshi's Story.

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  Richter posing next to Simon on Coliseum.

• 

  Richter using Grand Cross.

Trivia

• Richter is the only Echo Fighter whose position in the fighter numbers would be unchanged if Echo Fighters were numbered in the same way as regular fighters, as he was revealed directly after Simon, before any other characters.
• Richter's render is based on the boxart for Rondo of Blood, but modified to face forward rather than straight up.
• When Richter's Smash Blog article was uploaded on August 12th, 2018, Richter's name was erroneously labeled as "RICHITER" in English variants of his fighter page. The typo was later corrected.
  • Interestingly, Richter's name is also misspelt as "RICHITER" in Portrait of Ruin's character select screen, which was only corrected in the European version.
• Like King Dedede, Lucina, King K. Rool, and Simon, Richter's name is pronounced differently between the different international versions of Ultimate. It is pronounced with a short i, hard k, and r in English ("Richter"), while using a long e, h, and a in Japanese ("Reehtah"), closer to the original German pronunciation of the name.
• Richter and Ken are the only Echo Fighter newcomers with a CGI trailer, as well as the only ones with CGI footage for their splash art. Daisy did not have either, while Chrom and Dark Samus had only gameplay footage for their trailers and their official artwork for their splash arts.
• Richter is the only character that isn't Lucario to utilize the aura effect in any of his moves, doing so in his version of Holy Water. Its power, however, is not affected by Richter's damage percent.
• When Richter is asleep, he will mutter "Dracula..." as he dozes. This makes him the only character to speak while asleep. Like Pit and Byleth's Star KO voice clips, this easter egg is not present in the Japanese version.
  • However, because the clip loops before "Dracula..." is heard in-game, this can only be heard in the sound test.
• Richter's fighter spirit is based off of his Dracula X Chronicles design, as opposed to his Rondo of Blood design used for his actual character model.