Lizard Man

Lizard Men are enemies in the Castlevania series. They are a half-man, half-lizard sub-human species, stronger than an average man and with a hide made of hard scales said to be thicker than armor.

They tend to move around in groups and are skilled at hunting in packs. They are relatively intelligent, and are usually armed with battle axes and shields.

Origins


Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons &amp; Dragons fantasy role-playing games, having appeared in every version of the game to date.

Lizard men first officially appeared as part of the original D&D game in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement booklet. The lizardman artwork that appeared on the inside front cover of that supplement was used as part of the official TSR, Inc. logo from 1975 through 1978.

They are described as aquatic monsters with a rude intelligence, that are fond of eating human flesh.

Description
Lizard Men are one of the few enemies which were more prominently introduced in Castlevania (N64) (along with several other types of beast-men) which later became staples of the Castlevania series. They are intelligent beings who usually wield a weapon and a shield.

One of these creatures' common traits is the ability to become completely impervious to attack when hiding behind their shields, forcing the player to wait or attack constantly until they let their guard down.

Due to their similarities, Lizard Men have been often confused with Mermen, and in fact their names have been interchanged between each other in both Japanese and western releases in some occasions.

In most games these enemies appear in, three variants are usually featured, although there could be more depending on the game. These include:
 * Lizard Man: The most basic variant and the ones usually encountered first. They are generally green-skinned and don't portray any particular abilities.
 * Poison Lizard Man: This variant is capable of spitting a poisonous liquid that inflicts this status ailment on contact. They are generally blue-skinned and sometimes come equipped with armor.
 * Lizard Man Knight: Also known with a variety of other names, these are the Lizard Men's elite forces, usually displaying more advanced combat techniques and being more resilient to attack.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
First appearance of Lizard Men in the series. They are encountered in various stages throughout the game and function as a miniboss battle of sorts. They start jumping high in the air continuously whilst tossing a pair of daggers downward.

In this particular case, it is not very clear if this enemy is in fact a Lizard Man or a Merman. It was originally called "Lizard" in the Japanese version of the game, although artwork in the instruction booklet clearly shows it with fish-like features, including fins. Perhaps because of this, it was renamed as "Merman" on the western release. Adding to the confusion, another enemy in that game, the Fish Man, who physically seems to have more in common with a lizard man, was renamed as "Water Creep" in the western release.

Castlevania (N64) / Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Lizard Men were more prominently featured in both Nintendo 64 games, becoming one of Dracula's main forces in certain levels.

In Castlevania, they start appearing in great numbers once the player reaches the Underground Waterway. They attack by suddenly jumping out of the water, armed with either a falchion or hatchet and wielding a small shield, and engaging in combat with different techniques depending on the color of their skin: More Lizard Men can be encountered later in the Castle Center, where they continuously emerge from some strange-looking machine pods, making one wonder if they are teleported from their world into this plane, or if they are the result of some weird scientific experiments.
 * Lizard Man: The most basic infantry units. They use their shields to block attacks but can be disarmed with constant strikes or by hitting them in unprotected areas.
 * Poison Lizard Man: In addition to their melee combat skills, they also have the ability to spit squirts of poison at their foes.
 * Fire Lizard Man: These warriors have the ability to breath long streams of fire. They are often positioned in strategic locations, where their long reaching flames may make the hero fall from a platform.
 * Heavy Lizard Man: A more skilled and resilient version of the normal Lizard Man. There's also a boss version of this variant holding guard on one of the waterway's key areas.

In Legacy of Darkness, Lizard Men make an even more prominent appearance, being the very first enemies the player encounters in the game. It shall be noted, though, that these particular enemies are in fact Gill Men (Mermen) and that only their names were changed in the western release of the game.

Once reaching the Underground Waterway, the real Lizard Men start appearing. Their role is pretty much the same as in the original game, although their design and color schemes have been given an overhaul, making them look more detailed this time around. They can also be encountered in a couple more stages in this game.

Both games feature a unique Lizard Man who had been changed from a human by a machine. His name is Heinrich Meyer, and for some unknown reason he was able to maintain his intellect and ability to speak. He gives Reinhardt and Carrie hints on how to use the magic elevator.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
In Circle of the Moon, Lizardmen start appearing in the Underground Gallery, and more prominently in the Underground Waterway, with great numbers holding guard near Camilla's boss room.

They are extremely slow, although they tend to raise their shields frequently, thus becoming completely impervious to attack and allowing other enemies to gather on their position. A good strategy to avoid this, is by jumping first and striking them with the whip on the way down, as attacks performed directly in front of them are what triggers them raising their shields.

They come armed with spears and will stab with them for a mid-ranged attack, although not very frequently.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Three variants of Lizard Men appear in Harmony of Dissonance:
 * Lizard Man: A Lizard Man with a green-colored hide. It lunges forward with its sword in an attack that may last a few of seconds.
 * Poison Lizard: A Lizard Man with a blue-colored hide. In addition to lunging forward with its sword as its lower ranked counterpart, it also has the ability to suddenly spew a long, poisonous spray, immediately inflicting this status ailment on contact.
 * Master Lizard: A Lizard Man with a yellow-colored hide and wielding a shield. This variant is more prone to attack than the previous ones, although it will automatically raise its shield and become invulnerable if attacked first. In some instances, it's just better to jump over it and continue onward.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Three variants of Lizardmen appear in Curse of Darkness, each one with different attack techniques:
 * Lizardman: The first Lizardmen appear very early in the game, as soon as one sets foot in Baljhet Mountains. Its special attack consists in jumping high in the air and then attempting to plunge its spear on the hero, time at which their stealing window also opens. They commonly drop the Jet Black material, allowing Hector to effectively upgrade his weapon and armor for the journey ahead. He may combine a Short Sword with a Jet Black to craft a Broad Sword (ATK +20), among other possible, yet less effective combinations; and a Soft Leather Armor with a Jet Black to craft a Hard Leather Armor (DEF +8).
 * White Gravial: A white-skinned version of the normal Lizardman, this time wearing armor over its already hard hide. It comes armed with a halberd and has the ability to spew purple squirts of a poisonous liquid.
 * Lizard Shaman: An agile Lizard Man wearing the skull of an unknown creature on its head and wielding a lance with another skull affixed to one of its ends, holding a crystal ball in its mouth. Every once in a while, it will stop for a moment and unleash a large stream of flames from its lance and spread it out in front of him. It opens its stealing window whilst doing this, however, allowing Hector to get his hands on a fine sample of valuable Ether.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Two variants of Lizard Men appear in Order of Ecclesia:
 * Sword and shield: A green-skinned Lizard Man that will rarely attack and instead resort in raising its shield frequently to buy time for other enemies to gather around. Attack constantly until it lowers its guard to defeat it; a glyph that can hit continuously, like Weapon + Vol Fulgur, may be used for this effect. This variant drops the Vol Scutum glyph.
 * Great sword: A purple-skinned Lizard Man. This variant is much more dangerous; once one sees Shanoa, it will wait a couple of seconds and then rush forward into a berserk attack whilst slashing with its great sword twice, potentially inflicting heavy damage. It does not wield a shield, though, so attack it quickly before giving it a chance to retaliate.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
The Lizard in ReBirth is similar to its incarnation in Belmont's Revenge (called Merman in the US), which is different from his more recent appearances. Instead of walking back and forth, and attacking when the player gets near, it will immediately jump into the air and toss three swords. It repeats this until killed.