Richter (SSBU)

This article is about Richter's appearances in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the characters in other contexts, see Richter Belmont.

Richter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Castlevania
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Grand Cross

“	Richter Crosses Over!	”
—Introduction Tagline

“	Richter from the Castlevania series joins the battle as Simon's Echo Fighter! His basic attacks are the same as Simon's, but with subtle variations. In addition to that, his Holy Water is a different color.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Richter (リヒター, Richter) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was announced as a newcomer alongside Simon, Chrom, Dark Samus, and King K. Rool during a Nintendo Direct on August 8th, 2018. He is an Echo Fighter of Simon. Richter is classified as fighter #66ε.

David Vincent, Richter's voice actor from Portrait of Ruin, The Dracula X Chronicles, and Harmony of Despair, reprised his role as Richter in English versions of the game, initially confirmed on Twitter.

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 seventh character unlocked after Young Link.
• Have Richter join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Richter must then be defeated on Dracula's Castle.

Attributes

• Richter's design is based on his look from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Dracula X, with some adjustments inspired by Symphony of the Night, such as the design of his boots and how his pants are tucked into them, and in the buttons on his tunic.
• Much like how Simon borrows moves originally from Richter, Richter borrows moves from Simon, such as the ability to whip upwards and diagonally, as well as using his whip to hang from certain surfaces.

Differences from Simon

As with some Echo Fighters, Richter is virtually identical in function to his counterpart, down to his attributes such as walk and run speed, knockback angles, damage numbers, and sweetspots on his weapon, the Vampire Killer. As a result, he is essentially a cosmetic choice for players who prefer either of the Castlevania representatives.

Aesthetics

• Richter moves more than Simon in his idle animation.
• As will all Echo Fighters, Richter has different taunts and victory animations from Simon.
• Richter's Holy Water emits blue flames instead of red ones.
• Richter is more talkative than Simon.

Special Moves

• Richter's Holy Water does not use a flame hitbox, despite its appearance.

Moveset

• Alongside his forward smash, both Richter's forward aerial and back aerial can be angled up and down. This is based on Simon's directional whip mechanics from Super Castlevania IV.
• 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 it progress.

The following damage percentages were calculated without the damage multiplier that is active during one-on-one fights.

Full hop damage numbers are shown. Hover over the percentage numbers for short hop damage numbers (due to short hops having a 0.85% damage modifier). Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			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 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.
			2%
			1.5% (spiked ball), 1% (chain)
			0.5% (loop), 2.5% (end)
Forward tilt			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 neutral attack.
Up tilt			10% (whip), 2% (close)	A quick whip twirl in a lasso-like fashion that covers above his head. The earliest hitbox starts slightly above Richter's face, and moves left and right once. 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	5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2), 3.5% (hit 2, late)	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.
Dash attack			1.7% (hits 1-5), 3.5% (end)	A dashing attack while twirling the Vampire Killer beside himself. Based on Richter Belmont's 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.
Forward smash			18% (spiked ball), 16% (chain), 14% (chain, close)	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.
Up smash			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			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			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			12% (spiked ball), 10% (chain), 2% (body)	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			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			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 up 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			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; the sweetspot easily combos into several moves, including forward or back aerials at medium percents, or Uppercut at 100% or above as a KO combo.
Grab			—	Reaches with his left arm. Notably, while Richter can use his whip as a tether recovery, he does not use it to grab opponents.
Pummel			1.2%	Knees the opponent.
Forward throw			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			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			6% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)	Heaves the opponent into the air before lashing at them with the Vampire Killer. 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			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.
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. This is one of the only functionally different attacks Richter has compared to Simon's; Richter's version does not deal flame damage despite using blue "fire" particles. 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.
Final Smash		Grand Cross	3% (trapping hit), 10% (final hit)	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 magical crosses and sending the victims flying. Extremely powerful, able to KO as early as 25%.

Taunts

• 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!".
• Tightens his glove while saying "Prepare Yourself!".
• Pulls out his whip and straightens the chain, a reference to a piece of artwork shown in the official guide for Rondo of Blood.

Victory poses

• Poses similarly to his idle stance in Symphony of the Night and makes a parting gesture saying "Farewell" which is from the cutscene where he rescues Tera in Rondo of Blood.
• Jumps and whips the ground before making a pose saying similar to his official render.
• Swings the Vampire Killer around himself while saying “You don’t belong in this world!” before striking the ground with it and then pulling the chain taut.

Classic Mode: Smash Echoes

Both the English and Japanese names refer to Echo Fighters, which make up all of Richter's opponents of this route.

Round	Opponent	Stage
1	Dark Samus	Norfair
2	Daisy	Golden Plains
3	Lucina	Coliseum
4	Chrom	Arena Ferox
5	Dark Pit	Reset Bomb Forest
6	Ken	Suzaku Castle (Ω form)
Bonus Stage
Final	Dracula	?

Role 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.

Alternate costumes

Reveal trailer

<youtube>3VrbkoWUyIg</youtube>

Gallery

• 

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

• 

  Richter's splash art.

• 

  Richter's fighter card.

• 

  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.

• 

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

• 

  In his red alternate costume on Yoshi's Story.

• 

  Richter posing next to Simon on Coliseum.

Character Showcase Video

<youtube>ELrWbGScgwU</youtube>

Trivia

• Richter is one of the only three full clones in the series to have virtually identical functionality to their base characters. The others being Daisy, and Dark Samus.
• With the playable appearance of Richter and Simon, Castlevania was the first third-party franchise to have more than one playable representative.
• Richter is the first third-party Echo Fighter, and the first full clone to debut in the same game as their base character since Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, with the first being Luigi in Super Smash Bros.
• Richter's render is based on the boxart for Rondo of Blood, modified to face forward rather than straight up.
• His line in the English trailer delivered at Dracula, "Begone! You don't belong in this world, monster!", is a reference to the prologue of the original English release of Symphony of the Night, which became infamous for its over-the-top writing and poor voice acting. The first line Richter delivers is "Die monster. You don't belong in this world!".
• Richter's red outfit is a reference to a character that was cut from Rondo of Blood, often mistaken for appearing in a cancelled Castlevania project for the Sega 32X. Said character used a modified version of Richter's sprite from Rondo of Blood.
  • It also resembles Christopher Belmont as he appeared in the WiiWare title Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth.
• 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.
  • This is not the first time this misspelling has appeared. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin had a similar error whenever a save file is in Richter Mode.
• 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").
• Richter is the only playable character whose first game appeared on the TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine in Japan. He is also one of the only playable characters who made an appearance on the console, alongside Ryu, Ken, and Pac-Man.
• 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 Echo Fighter to be based off of a character introduced in Ultimate.
• When Richter is asleep, he will mutter "Dracula..." as he dozes. This makes him the only character to speak while asleep.
  • Unfortunately, because the clip loops before "Dracula..." is heard in-game, this can only be heard in the sound test.
• Richter is one of the few characters to speak during a KO: his alternate KO line has him yell "Why?!".
• 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.