If you're saying you've read or heard something otherwise or there's a citation from Iga himself, would you please be so kind as to provide this.
I remember reading this a long time ago, for my fan work, as I needed a reason why they would not be able to use there whip
I seem to remember But I found him saying this
PM[6]One of the big series mysteries regards the Belmont family's loss of the legendary whip, the Vampire Killer. We finally saw a little bit of this hinted in Portrait... was Richter Belmont the last Belmont to wield it?
IGA: There's still a lot more to that story [laughs]. Yes, the last Belmont to own the Vampire Killer was Richter.
PM: Can we expect to find out why the Belmonts lost use of the whip in future games?
IGA: Well, the plot is already done in my mind [laughs]. However, whether or not that story gets told depends on the future performance of the series.
I will talk about this more.
I brought it up to explain an idea that the Belmonts acquire a significant power boost when the VK is at full power. The difference between Julius in AoS and DoS being a prime example. The narrative reason being that the VK was "powered down" after the ending of AoS.
I'm not focusing on context here, I'm focusing on the behaviour (power boost) of the fully powered VK with a true-to-the-throne Belmont wielding it.
In the games story he was no different, even doing something that soma thought should imposable, the only reason he lost was cos he was not the main character, sort like how Trevor took a back seat to hector. and if your going to blame anything for
losing, its his age, he blamed it after he broke the seal.
"Soma growing old is a horrible thing"
Julius to soma
No if only had the VK at full power, no age, as he is ageing. And even a year can make a diff a BIG diff.
And in terms of gameplay, he is weaker, but that's only cos it was far TOOO easy in Aos as I've played it so much now that I can't be hit, and as Julius mode was story driven this time. That makes the game FAR to easy. And by your own idea this clashes with your idea as you said
"
VK's power is fading, presumably because chaos has now subsided and Soma prevented himself from becoming Dark Lord."
But by this point soma is the dark load so chaos should be in full swing, so we should have fully powered VK. Do you have any proof for this idea of the VK to give them a power boost other then what you have just told me?
Are you saying this idea in bold is canon or is it your theory?
No we all know how may times this has happen, that's why in my idea it would make sense for them to after Richter got cursed, he would what to find away to make sure this never happened again and finding out that the count will rise in 1999. they needed to find cure as the last thing they what is this happing in 1999, but to get something as powerful as that there is often a trade off, hints the Belmont's losing the whip and the fact it being something they can get round,
not just training, as to me that sounds like they trying to built its power, and if in your idea they get a boost off the VK, would it not make sense to train with the whip.
Also, Simon worried that was it him or the whip, as he said this
Castlevania Judgment
"Finley I have my answer MY power is more then just this whip"
Simon after beating Trevor
So this whole Belmont's getting a power boost from the fully powered VK, as Simon must be using a fully power VK and you may be thinking but the whip in DoS is chain, but many times the art work shows the whip to be leather So we can't really use that as a guide.
And why stick Simons whole thing in there if it is a fact that the Belmont's get a boost from the whip, it really doesn't work.
The idea really falls down here as this game came out after DoS as well. Also could you be more Precise about the a Full Powered VK, as by the time Julius got the vk back in Aos it may not have been full power,
so no boost.
And in my book i always thought that the VK became fully powered When ever a Full blooded Belmont used it.
So again our idea seem to clash and i don't think we will ever agree, so lets just leave it here.