Merman

Mermen (also frequently called Fish Men) are a common recurring enemy in the Castlevania series and they have appeared in almost every game to date. While called "Mermen" in the games, their appearance is based more on the monster from the classic film, Creature from the Black Lagoon, which was popular in the Universal Monsters series of horror films. Therefore, a more fitting name for Mermen would be "gill-men".

In some games, Fish Men are distinguished from Mermen with a lack of arms.

General Information
Mermen have been a thorn in the side of heroes whenever water is involved in their adventures. Mermen like to jump up from the water and begin to march toward the protagonist. After a while, they will stop and shoot a fireball in the hero's direction from their gaping mouths. After a while, they will normally hop back into the water, or sometimes continue marching around looking for enemies to attack.

Mermen are closely related to the Fish Men (who are also sometimes called "Mermen" as well) but have more fish-like characteristics. However, Fish Men act similarly, if not exactly, to Mermen. In some situations, their names and/or likenesses are interchangeable.

In all 3-D and some 2-D Castlevania games, Mermen also like to roll up into a ball with their sharp, pointy fins outstretched, and dash toward the protagonist for extra damage.

In Castlevania: Judgment, Mermen can be fought as random encounters or event rooms in Castle Mode. Mermen close in to the player by jumping. Their attack pattern is as follows:
 * 1) They quickly jump in front of the hero and slash. If a character is hit by this attack while jumping, he or she will be knocked down.
 * 2) They spin once and use their tails as a weapon.
 * 3) They shoot a fireball that has a long range radius.

When fighting Mermen, the stage spawns either: two Mermen, or zombies and Mermen (usually being two zombies and one Merman, but there are also times that a quartet of two zombies and two Mermen spawn). The jump slash attack of the monster can also hurt its allies.

Mermen also like to use their clawed, webbed hands and slash at heroes as well, so it is wise that adventurers keep a good distance between them and the Mermen, but not enough so that the hero can't attack them.

Lastly, Mermen are almost always found near water. Wherever there is water, Mermen are usually near. It is best for adventurers to be careful, as Mermen have a nasty habit of occupying platforms over water and sending a careless hero into a watery grave.


 * Note: Any game where a Fish Man appears and is known as, or acts, as a Merman, is also credited as a "Merman" appearance.

Types
The typical Merman is red and shoots fire from its mouth on occasion. Sometimes the fireballs are replaced with water or other projectiles, but that is usually done by creatures that are variations of the common Merman. Some variations include: ...and in one occasion, a Merman even appeared as a boss:
 * Fish Head
 * Triton
 * Giant Merman

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
The Fish Man in Simon's Quest pops out of the water like most Mermen, and shoots fireballs at the hero, either straight or diagonally.

Simon's Quest (LCD Watch)
The Monster Fish appears in front of you and shoots fireballs. Takes one hit to destroy and is worth 5 points.

Simon's Quest (LCD Handheld)
Monster Fishes are the only monsters that can be found in day (take two hits to destroy) or night (take four hits). These are present in all stages. They rise up in front of you and shoot fireballs. They block your path and cannot be jumped over. Being rather short creatures, these can only be damaged with low attacks. They are worth 20 points.

A variation of the Monster Fish in this game is the Monster Dragon, which has wings.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Nintendo Power calls these creatures "Water Creeps" and describes them as amphibians.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Mermen, Fish Men and a Giant Merman can be found in Harmony of Dissonance. The only difference between Mermen and Fish Men in this game is their appearance.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
In Order of Ecclesia, there are two types of Mermen. The first are the red colored ones from Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, and they appear in the Kalidus Channel. The second type are the yellow colored ones from Aria of Sorrow, Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance, and they appear in Somnus Reef. While they both jump out of the water to attack, the red ones use magical based attacks by spitting fireballs, and the yellow ones use physical based attacks by diving into Shanoa.

Castlevania: Judgment
Mermen appear in Judgment as normal enemies. All must be defeated to summon the Iron Gladiator.