Hunchback

Hoppers
Alternate name(s)	Many names
Abilities	Hopping and/or leaping
Type(s)	Diverse (see below)
Appearances	Many games

Probably the most annoying of the original enemies from the Castlevania series, Hoppers (known by a variety of names) are a thorn in the side of heroes and players alike. They generally hop about in erratic patterns, forward and backward, with small and large hops. Hoppers are often carried by a "dropper" enemy that flies at a certain height in unlimited streams from one end of the screen to the other, pausing to drop a Hopper. Different types of droppers are associated with different types of Hoppers.

The first Hoppers were small balding men called Hunchbacks, patterned after Igor, who is found in the original Castlevania game. Igor himself was an invincible version who fought alongside Frankenstein's Monster. This variety recurred in Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, the parody game Konami Wai Wai World, the North American and European versions of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, and Castlevania Chronicles. Hunchbacks would sometimes be dropped by Eagles. Because Hunchbacks were not in the original Japanese version of Dracula's Curse, they are sometimes dropped by Harpies in that game outside of Japan.

The second type of Hoppers are known as Ghoul Rabbits in Japan, and Gremlins in North America. They were vicious hopping rabbits with long teeth. They appeared as a replacement for the Hunchback in the Japanese version of Dracula's Curse. In the North American and European versions, artwork for these rabbits was created for Nintendo Power and they were dubbed "Gremlins". This artwork was based on the gremlin-like art from the Japanese manual, but the sprite for the Gremlin was actually changed in the game itself to be the same as the sprites for the Hunchbacks. Ghoul Rabbits and Gremlins returned in Super Castlevania IV in all regions. They are sometimes dropped by Harpies in both games.

The third type of Hoppers are the Flea Men, which first appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. They were further deformed to have a small head and arms, and flea-like characteristics. Flea Men are the standard hoppers in the more recent games. These Flea Men are sometimes dropped by large Bats. Many other types of Flea Men exist.

The games created by KCEK have different type of droppers in them. A skinny green lizard-like Ghoul Hopper appears in Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. A relatively large cross between a Hunchback (has long arms) and a Flea Man (has a small head) simply called a Hopper appears in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

Gallery

C1 Hunchback.JPG

Hunchback from the Japanese Castlevania manual

VK Grim Man.JPG

"Grim Man" from the Japanese Vampire Killer manual

Gremlin from the Japanese Dracula's Curse manual

Gremlin from Nintendo Power Dracula's Curse Guide

"Goul Rabbit" from the All About Akumajō Dracula guide for Super Castlevania IV

A hunchback for the canceled Castlevania: Resurrection

Appearances

Castlevania: The Arcade

Flea Men leap over walls in order to get you in the Rampart section of Stage 4 in Castlevania: The Arcade.

Enemy Data

Enemy Data: Hoppers
Image	Name - Game Description	Statistics	Items	Location	Notes
(NES/C64/AMI/PC)	Hunchback (Hunchback/Fleaman) - Castlevania				[ edit ]
	Most of the time he stands perfectly still. But, if you get too close, he leaps at you and then clings to you. Strike him with you Whip just before or after he jumps.(*)	HP: 1 Exp: 500 Atk: 3		3. Outside, 4. Underground, 5. Main Building, 6. Clock Tower
	11. Hunchback  (Grim Man) - Vampire Killer				[ edit ]
	'	Exp: 200		3. Castle Ruins 4. Catacombs 5. Torture Laboratory 6. Castle Keep
	12. Hunchback (Pill Bug Beast Man) - Konami Wai Wai World				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 1 Atk: 1		Castle stage
	Dwarf (Small Man) - Haunted Castle				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 4 Exp: 400 Atk: 1	Drop: Cross (Stage 3)	3. Banquet Room 4. Basement 5. Clocktower
(NA/JPN)	6. Hunchback/Gremlin (Ghoul Rabbit) (Ghoul Rabbit) - Dracula's Curse				[ edit ]
	'	Atk: 3		1. Town, 3. Forest, 6A. Causeway, 7. Mountains, 7A. Courtyard, 9. Inner Tower	Allies: Harpy
	14. Ghoul Rabbit  - Super Castlevania IV				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 32 Exp: 100 Atk: 3		5. Castle Court	Allies: Harpie
	Hunchback  (Flea Man) - Chronicles				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 1 Exp: 500		1. Monastery, 3. Courtyard, 5. Clock Tower
(RoB/DXC)	Flea Man  - Rondo of Blood				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 1 Exp: 100		3. Cathedral, 4. Torture Chamber, 4'. River
	Gremlin  [alt] - Bloodlines				[ edit ]
	'			5. Versailles Palace
	Flea Man  - Dracula X				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 1		4. Dungeon, 5. Courtyard
	23. Flea Man (jpn) - Symphony of the Night				[ edit ]
	Strange human-like creature. Jumps like a flea. (...)	Level: 7 HP: 11 Exp: 17	Drop: Takemitsu, Cheese	Marble Gallery, Long Library
	65. Flea Armor (Armored Fleaman) - Symphony of the Night				[ edit ]
	Flea Man armed with axe and shield.	Level: 16 HP: 18 Exp: 40	Drop: High Potion, Iron Cuirass	Clock Tower, Long Library
	Josh  - Legends				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 3 Atk: 1		2. Inside, 3. Clock Tower, Hidden
	Ghoul  (Flea Man) - Legacy of Darkness				[ edit ]
	'	HP: 5		Forest, Castle Center, Tower of Ruins, Tower of Science, Clock Tower
	Fleaman (Flea Flicker Man) - Circle of the Moon				[ edit ]
	'	Strong: Darkness HP: 60 Exp: 29 Atk: 142 Def: 45	Common Drop: Cotton Clothes (5%) Rare Drop: Arm Guard (1.25%)	Catacomb (after defeating Cerberus), Audience Room, Triumph Hallway
	Hopper (jpn) - Circle of the Moon				[ edit ]
	'	Strong: Darkness HP: 40 Exp: 8 Atk: 87 Def: 35	Common Drop: Cotton Clothes (5%) Rare Drop: Gauntlet (1.5%)	Catacomb

This enemy article may have been created with information obtained from other sources. Please see the Enemy Bibliography page for a list of possible sources that may have been consulted for this article or the source of some of the images used on this page.

See more at Hoppers/Enemy Data 2