Flying Skeleton

For the skull head, see Ghost.

Flying Skeleton
Flying Skeleton artwork from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide.
Japanese name(s)	フライングスケルトン Furaingu Sukeruton
Alternate name(s)	Flying Beast Flying Bone Flying Gargoyle Gargoyle Skeleton Winged Guard Winged Skeleton
Abilities	Flies through walls in a wave-like pattern in endless waves
Type(s)	Skeletal monster
Origins	Original Castlevania lore
Appearances	Dracula's Curse Super Castlevania IV Chronicles Bloodlines Symphony of the Night Harmony of Dissonance Aria of Sorrow Order of Ecclesia Encore of the Night Moonlight Rhapsody

The Flying Skeleton is an enemy in the Castlevania series. It is a skeleton warrior that has been given wings of bone to soar through the night sky.

Description

Unlike regular skeletons, Flying Skeletons appear to be the remains of some kind of winged demon. They slowly fly up and down from one side of the screen to the other in endless waves. They have bat-like wings, carry a shield, and in later games they are armed with spears.

Depending on the game, they can traverse the screen in different manners, although the most common is to appear from one side of the screen flying in a wave-like pattern –not unlike a Medusa Head– although the arc they trace can grow larger if the player moves from their main line of flight, not to mention that their size is considerably larger.

Because the player usually has to fight these enemies in narrow towers, maneuverability to fight them can sometimes be compromised. However, receiving a hit while climbing a set of stairs in earlier games will usually prevent the hero from being knocked down and possibly falling to their death.

During the introductory cutscene of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the protagonist of the story, Soma Cruz, learns about his inherited Power of Dominance in a scripted event where he absorbs the soul of a Winged Skeleton, gaining with this its abilities.

Due to local censorship, this enemy was replaced with the Flying Beast in Chinese mobile game Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody. This enemy tends to hover around its target, occasionally taking a swipe at them with its spear.

Enemy Data

Enemy Data: Flying Skeleton
Image	Name - Game Description	Statistics	Items	Location	Notes
	19. Flying Gargoyle (Flying Skeleton) - Dracula's Curse				[ edit ]
	'	Atk: 3/4(block 8 and later)		5A. Tower, 7. Mountains, 9. Inner Halls
	5. Gargoyle Skeleton (Flying Skeleton) - Super Castlevania IV				[ edit ]
	Japanese Description: (*) A skeleton that floats while holding a shield.	HP: 48 Exp: 150 Atk: 3		7. Storeroom
	Flying Skeleton  - Chronicles				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 3 Exp: 300		6. Floating Corridor
	Flying Skeleton  [alt] - Bloodlines				[ edit ]
	'			3. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, 5. Versailles Palace
	41. Winged Guard (Flying Skeleton) - Symphony of the Night				[ edit ]
	Slow-flying skeleton warrior.	Level: 10 HP: 15 Exp: 30	Drop: Iron Shield, Javelin	Royal Chapel
	22. Flying Bone (Flying Skeleton) - Harmony of Dissonance				[ edit ]
	'	Strong: Wind Level: 7 HP: 12 Exp: 13	Common Drop: $5 Rare Drop: Crimson Cloak	Castle A: Sky Walkway, Chapel of Dissonance Castle B: Skeleton Cave, Sky Walkway
	21. Winged Skeleton (Wing Skeleton) - Aria of Sorrow				[ edit ]
	A skeleton that has been given wings of bone.	Weak: Holy HP: 20 MP: 10 Exp: 3 Atk: 14 Def: 1	Common Drop: Spear Soul: Spear Throw	Chapel, Study, Dance Hall
	28. Winged Guard (Flying Skeleton) - Order of Ecclesia				[ edit ]
	A skeleton given wings and made to fly.	Strong: Ice, Darkness Weak: Strike, Flame, Light HP: 10 Exp: 1 Skill Pt: n/a Atk: 26		Minera Prison Island, Tymeo Mountains, Forsaken Cloister, Ruvas Forest (Hard Mode), Skeleton Cave (Hard Mode)
	102. Winged Skeleton (jpn) - Order of Ecclesia				[ edit ]
	An image of death given wings to soar through the night sky.	Strong: Ice, Darkness Weak: Strike, Flame, Light HP: 30 Exp: 1 Skill Pt: n/a Atk: 87	Drop: Fidelis Alate (1%)	Final Approach
	Winged Guard  - Encore of the Night				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 465 Exp: ~825	Drop: Turkey, Potion; Holy Sword Steal: ~8S, 20C	Royal Chapel
	Flying Skeleton  - Grimoire of Souls				[ edit ]
	A skeleton that is able to fly. Its spear attacks and shield blocks make it hard to best when airborne.
	10-3. Flying Beast  (飞兽) - Moonlight Rhapsody				[ edit ]
	'			Royal Chapel, Castle Keep	Videos: Bestiary, 1st

Item Data

Item Data: Flying Skeleton
Image	Name - Game   Type - Users Description	Attributes / Consume	Statistics / Sell	Found	Notes
	Iron Shield (jpn) - Symphony of the Night   Shield - Alucard				[edit]
	Hard iron shield		DEF +2	Buy: $3,980 Drop: Winged Guard	Effect: Projectile block that grants temporary invulnerability Special: Shield Rod or Mablung Sword spell (20 MP): Giant Sword Attack (ATT +40, Attrib: Hit)
	Javelin (jpn) - Symphony of the Night   Projectile - Alucard				[edit]
	Throwing spear [use]	Attrib: Cut	ATT +50	Buy: $800 (later) Find: Anti-Chapel Drop: Bone Halberd, Scarecrow, Spectral Sword, Spear Guard, Winged Guard
	$5 - Harmony of Dissonance   Pick-Up (Money) - Juste Belmont				[edit]
			Gold + 5	Common Drop: Skeleton, Large Ghost, White Dragon, Flying Bone, Scarecrow, Bomber Armor, Balloon Rare Drop: Fleaman, Bone Pillar
	Crimson Cloak (Crimson Mantle) - Harmony of Dissonance   Goods - Juste Belmont				[edit]
	A cloak that is red as blood.		DEF +12, LCK +3	Rare Drop: Flying Bone	Effect: Creates a red aura around the user.
	Spear (jpn) - Aria of Sorrow   Weapon - Soma				[edit]
	Standard spear.	Attrib: Sword	ATK +17 Sell: $750	Buy: $1,500 Find: Hammer's shop Common Drop: Winged Skeleton
	Winged Skeleton - Spear Throw - Aria of Sorrow   Bullet Soul - Soma				[edit]
	Throws spears.	Attrib: Sword Consume: 12 MP	45 ATK	Rarity: 12 Drop: Winged Skeleton (starting soul)
	Fidelis Alate (Fide Wing) - Order of Ecclesia   Back Glyph - Shanoa				[edit]
	Summon guardians to glide down from above.	Attrib: Slash Consume: 80 MP	ATK +3	Drop: Winged Skeleton	Effect: Summons Winged Skeletons.

Gallery

Flying Gargoyle from the Nintendo Power - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse guide.

Flying Skeleton from the Japanese Super Castlevania IV instruction booklet.

Flying Skeleton from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide for Super Castlevania IV.

Flying Bone enemy list entry from Harmony of Dissonance.

Winged Skeleton enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.

Winged Guard enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.

Flying Beast artwork from Moonlight Rhapsody.

Trivia

• In some games, they are referred as "Gargoyles", so they are probably the skeletal remains from the main Gargoyle enemies which have also appeared in the series. However, Flying Skeletons have always been portrayed having a pair of horns on their foreheads, hinting that they may actually be the remains of a different creature.

See also

• Fidelis Alate (summons Flying Skeleton familiar)
• Gargoyle