Bat Form

Alucard and Soma Cruz can take the form of a Bat in many games. Alucard naturally possesses this ability, being a vampire, and he was able to do so in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse at any time by pressing down and jump at the same time. Flying around as a bat allowed him to pass obstacles, but consumed hearts at a steady rate. Being hit by an enemy while in bat form causes him to revert to human form.

In Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, he is able to turn into a bat once he has found the Soul of Bat relic. The bat normally flies along at a slow speed while consuming Mind Points. The powerful Wing Smash, which causes his bat form to dash across the screen at high velocity while dealing out damage, could be pulled off if you knew the button combination (up, roll 270 degrees back-down-forwards and attack). He could gain additional abilities by gaining additional relics, including the Fire of Bat relic which caused him to shoot fireballs, Echo of Bat which gave him bat-sonar which could allow him to see what's ahead in dark areas, and Force of Echo which caused his sonar to deal damage. If the Bat Familiar was out while in bat form, several additional bats would join Alucard, each which could shoot fireballs whenever Alucard did. The color settings of Joseph's Cloak affected the color scheme that Alucard's bat form would take when equipped. Alucard could later take the form of Bat in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow by selecting it as a "sub-weapon". In Castlevania: Judgment, Alucard is not seen actually taking the form of a Bat. However, bat wings sprout on him while he performs the Wing Smash dashing-slash move and during his Infernal Blade finishing move.

Soma Cruz could also take the form of a Bat in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. In Aria of Sorrow, he could utilize the Giant Bat Soul to take the form of a bat, while in Dawn of Sorrow it was the Bat Company soul. In both games, also equipping the Flame Demon Soul would allow him to shoot fireballs while in Bat form. In Aria of Sorrow, there are three ancient books that give a hint of a soul combination that should be used at the keep. Ancient Book 2 says that "The second spirit is the King of Bats." When all three souls are used at the Keep (which constitute the three basic portions of Dracula's power, the others being a Flame Demon and a Succubus soul), Soma realizes that he is truly Dracula and you can get the good ending. In Dawn of Sorrow, Soma is able to summon fleamen while in bat form using the Fleaman Soul.

Instead of a Bat, Charlotte Aulin in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin could change into the Form of Owl to fly around, which is essentially the same thing.