Armors

Enemies appearing as moving suits of armor have appeared in most Castlevania games. The original Armor Knight in Castlevania wielded a spear and the Axe Armor threw axes in a boomerang-like fashion. Both of these armors have appeared in many forms throughout the series and many other kinds of armors of different sizes, natures, and weapons have appeared as well.

Poltergeist or Zombie?
One problem with the "Armor" monsters in the Castlevania game is whether they are considered poltergeists or zombies.

If the Knights were a type of poltergeist, then that would mean that there is nothing underneath the armor. It infers that a spirit has taken control over the suit of armor that makes up the Knight and is the cause of the animated monster. It might also explain why some suits of armor might move and others do not, and that when defeated, the armor would just fall to pieces.

However, if the Knights were a type of zombie, then that would mean that there is an undead corpse that is underneath the armor. This means that the armor itself is not enchanted, but rather being worn by a type of zombie using it to attack heroes in its path.

Some Castlevania games have stated that some armors are worn by zombies, while others are fully possessed suits of armor. The Poltergeist theory would seem most appropriate since, as when defeated, most suits of armors related to Knights fall apart, revealing nothing or nobody inside them. Yet, various in-game monster descriptions claim that certain suits of armor are being worn. One theory is that the corpse is completely burned up during the death sequence before the armor collapses. It is also possible that some knights may be humans wearing the armor, such as may be the case for the Order Knight.

Due to this uncertainty, Knights and their bretheren can not be classified as either poltergeists or zombies, leaving them in a classification of their own.

Types
The Knight, and his brother the Axe Knight have many armored monster cousins who will give the heroes a hard time:

Armed Knights
These armors carry various different weapons with which to attack passing heroes. These weapons are either usual melee weapons, such as swords, spears, and maces, or projectile weapons such as a crossbow. Some are almost 3 times as tall as the heroes.


 * Crossbow Armor (Crossbow Knight)
 * Final Guard
 * Great Armor
 * Corner Guard (Hill Guard)
 * Heavy Armor (Plate Lord / Mace Knight)

Elemental Armors
These 12 armors appeared only in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and each one was related to a different elemental aspect which was reflected in their attacks. Each armor carried swords, or came weaponless and used their elemental attributes only.

The only one of these armors that closely resembles any other armors that appear in any other Castlevania games is the Stone Armor.


 * Dark Armor
 * Devil Armor
 * Earth Armor
 * Flame Armor
 * Forest Armor
 * Holy Armor
 * Ice Armor
 * Poison Armor
 * Stone Armor
 * Thunder Armor
 * White Armor
 * Wind Armor

Magic Knights
These knights possess some kind of magical abilities that make them extremely deadly.


 * Cloaked Knight (Flying Armor)

Throwing Knights
These knights are usually carrying something with which to throw at passing heroes, whether they be inanimate or animate objects.


 * Bomb Knight
 * Owl Knight
 * Rock Knight