Giant Bat

The Giant Bat is a recurring boss monster from the Castlevania games, and is recognized for being the first boss monster to appear in the first Castlevania game. In almost all games, he is shown to be composed of a company of bats.

In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, it was shown that the Giant Bat is one of three integral parts of Dracula's powers, the other two being a Flame Demon and a Succubus. Dracula even takes the form of a giant bat or a bat company in many occasions.

There have been several names and identities for the giant bats that have appeared in various games, including "Phantom Bat", "Zapf Bat" (made out of treasure), "Darkwing Bat" (specializes on wind attacks), "Bat Company" (multitude of bats that move to form the shape of other things), "Twin Bats" (two giant bats in tandem), etc.

Castlevania
The original Phantom Bat. It flies around the room, swooping down on the hero every now and then. It can also release fireballs from its mouth.

Vampire Killer
Called Phantom Vampire Bat and is similar to the one in the original Castlevania.

Castlevania: The Adventure
Dracula's second form in Adventure is a phantom bat called Dracula Bat.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (LCD Handheld)
They flutter around above and in front of Simon, and are indistinguishable from normal bats until they are right in front of him. Then they will swoop down and attack when he's on the ground or in the air. They only appear during the night. They are destroyed with two whiplashes and are worth 20 points.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
The Giant Bat that appears in Dracula's Curse does not shoot fireballs or swoop, and its main attack is simply fluttering around, trying to hit you in close quarters. However, when it is struck it divides into two smaller bats which continue their attacks. When these are struck, they again divide into two smaller bats. The Giant Bat is finally defeated only when all bats have been destroyed.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
These are normal enemies in Belmont's Revenge. Like the Giant Bat in Dracula's Curse, they split into two smaller bats when attacked with insufficient power to destroy them. These small bats are destroyed with one hit.

Super Castlevania IV
Fought at the end of Dracula's Treasury in Super Castlevania IV. The Zapf Bat appears to be made entirely out of gold and jewels. It attacks at first like any other Giant Bat, by flying around and swooping at Simon. Whenever it is hit, gold and jewels fall off from its body, and can damage Simon if they hit him. After it takes enough damage, the Zapf Bat splits into several smaller bats, each of which must be individually destroyed as they fly around and constantly drop dangerous gold pieces.

The reason for the name is a mystery, although it may be related to Zapf Dingbats, a type of Wingdings font.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
Like the original, it flies around the room, swooping down on the hero every now and then. It can also release fireballs from its mouth. Its form starts out as a company of bats which coalesce into a large bat. They scatter and become impervious to attack after being struck, only to re-coalesce and swoop down later. It also turns up its swooping prowess a bit and, instead of simply swooping down to hit its enemy, it curls himself up into a drill-like form and drills through the ground for a while, hurling debris around.

Castlevania Chronicles
Like in the original, it flies around the room, swooping down on the hero every now and then. It can also release fireballs from its mouth. Its form starts out as a company of bats which coalesce into a large bat. They scatter and become impervious to attack after being struck, only to re-coalesce and swoop down later.

Castlevania: Dracula X
In the American manual it is called Myotia. A giant bat that breaks into a chain of bats when hit.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Perhaps one of the most simple bosses in the entire game. Found in the Reverse Clock Tower, the Darkwing Bat has wings many times the size of its actual body. It will flap its wings to create a gust of wind, sending you flying against the opposite wall. The bat also tries to smash into Alucard, and occasionally wraps its wings together and charges like a drill.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
The Giant Bat in Harmony of Dissonance is basically the same as the one found in Rondo of Blood.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
The Giant Bat from Aria of Sorrow has an impressive introduction, coalescing from a multitude of bats hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately, it is suddenly squashed in Balore's giant hand before it can attack Soma. After Soma defeats Balore, the Giant Bat's soul can be found in the next room, which endows him with the Bat Form ability.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
The Bat Company in Dawn of Sorrow may take three forms:
 * Giant Bat - The company of bats will start the fight in this form. They will lunge at Soma two times before scattering to take another form.
 * Giant Hand - They will take the form of a giant, open hand. If they make contact with Soma, the hand will close and hold him, dealing heavy and constant damage.
 * Moai - As a reference to the Gradius series, they will turn into a Moai head and shoot their characteristic ripple laser rings at Soma.
 * Note: The Bat Company can only be harmed when it has taken one of its three possible forms. When the bats are scattered, they are impervious to attack.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
The Phantom Bat returns as the mid-boss of the first stage. It will flutter around, only stopping to dash across the screen. This is its only attack, but when it is struck three times, it will scatter into smaller bats and reform somewhere else.

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Giant Bat