Whip Skeleton

Whip Skeletons have appeared in many Castlevania games. They carry around a whip, like the members of the Belmont clan, and do great amounts of damage almost all of the time. Red Whip Skeleton also appear that are soaked in blood and will reassemble after being destroyed, just like normal Red Skeletons.

Overview
Whip Skeletons are similar to the average, run-of-the-mill Skeletons except for the fact that they are armed with a long-reaching whip. They usually take a couple of hits before they go down, so heroes have to stay on their toes and be very careful.

What's in a name?
In Japan, the Whip Skeletons have always been called "Shimon". This is a VERY peculiar name for a number of reasons, as it has led to some of the most difficult translations in any of the Castlevania games.

When the Whip Skeleton first appeared in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the English instruction manual called him "The Gates of Death". This is an odd name since the Whip-Toting Skeleton does not look like any kind of "gate" let alone "The Gates of Death".

The reason for that name is because when Shimon is spelled in Kanji, the Japanese character set based off the hiroglyphic Chinese character set, the kanji used represent "Gate" (Mon) and "Death" (Shi). Together, they make Shimon.

However, this name is another blatant pun that could only be pulled off in Japan. The name is ALSO a direct reference to the original whip-wielding Belmont: Simon Belmont.

Shimon is also the name "Simon" in Japanese. The difference is that "Simon" is written with Katakana, an original Japanese character set used to write foreign words. In Katakana, "Simon" is spelled "Shi-"Mo"-"N", which makes "Shimon". Ironically, the japanese word for death is "shi" so the name is a portmantau of death and simon, even more ironically, they're skeletons....

This use of the name was first PROPERLY translated when Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance came out. In the English translation, the "Shimon" was called "Simon Wraith". This Whip-Toting Skeleton was a MUCH more obvious joke on Simon Belmont as the "Simon Wraith" moved, dressed, and acted a lot more like Simon Belmont. It even died the same way the original 8-bit Simon Belmont did on the NES once it takes enough damage.

Since "The Gates of Death" and "Simon Wraith" all refer to a creature that has had the same in Japan since Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, and since the exact name translation can not easily be agreed upon, all Whip Skeletons will be described here under Whip Skeletons.