The Merman and Fish Man are recurring enemies in the Castlevania series. They are aquatic monsters that live close to the shore and hunt prey near the water.
Origins[]
Gill-man from the 1954 film, Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Based on the Gill-man, the main antagonist from the 1954 Universal horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon (and its sequels).
The last known surviving member of a race of amphibious humanoids which flourished during the Devonian age, the Gill-man dwelled all this time in a lagoon located in a largely unexplored area of the Amazon rainforest. It possesses large, webbed hands with sharp claws on the tip of each finger. Its scaly skin is extremely tough, which combined with a fast-acting healing factor, allows it to survive wounds which would be fatal to humans, such as gunshots and full immolation. It also possesses superhuman strength.
The name itself is derived from male merpeople, which were legendary creatures dating back to antiquity that were known to have the upper halves being human based, while the lower halves ending in a fish-like tail. Depending on the legends, they can be deemed either ugly in appearance or beautiful.
Description[]
Mermen have been a thorn in the side of heroes whenever water is involved in their adventures. Mermen like to jump up from the water and begin to march toward the protagonist. After a while, they will stop and spew a fireball in the player's direction from their gaping mouths. After a while, they will normally hop back into the water or sometimes continue marching around looking for enemies to attack.
Mermen are closely related to the Fish Men (who are also sometimes called "Mermen" as well) but have more fish-like characteristics. However, Fish Men act similarly, if not exactly the same, to Mermen. In some situations, their names and/or likenesses are interchangeable. In some games, Fish Men are distinguished from Mermen with a lack of arms.
In all 3D and some 2D Castlevania games, Mermen also like to roll up into a ball with their sharp, pointy fins outstretched, and dash toward the player for extra damage.
In Castlevania Judgment, Mermen can be fought as random encounters or event rooms in Castle Mode. Mermen close in to the player by jumping. Their attack pattern is as follows:
- They quickly jump in front of the player and slash. If a character is hit by this attack while jumping, they will be knocked down.
- They spin once and use their tails as a weapon.
- They spew a fireball that has a long range radius.
When fighting Mermen, the stage spawns either: two Mermen, or Zombies and Mermen (usually being two Zombies and one Merman, but there are also times that a quartet of two Zombies and two Mermen spawn). The jump-slash attack of the monster can also harm its allies.
Mermen also like to use their clawed, webbed hands and slash at players as well, so it is wise that adventurers keep a good distance between them and the Mermen, but not enough so that the player can't attack them.
Lastly, Mermen are almost always found near water. Wherever there is water, Mermen are usually near. It is best for adventurers to be careful, as Mermen have a nasty habit of occupying platforms over water and sending a careless hero into a watery grave.
- Note: Any game where a Fish Man appears and is known as, or acts, as a Merman, is also credited as a "Merman" appearance.
Types[]
The typical Merman is red and spews a fireball from its mouth on occasion. Sometimes the fireballs are replaced with water or other projectiles, but that is usually done by creatures that are variations of the common Merman. Some variations include:
...and in one occasion, a Merman even appeared as a boss:
Appearances[]
Castlevania/Vampire Killer[]
First appearance of this enemy in the series, called Fish Man in this game. After making it across Stage 1, in Stage 2 the player's path will be obstructed by a tall wall, forcing them to take a staircase down which leads into a waterway below. While attempting to make it to the other side, Fish Men will suddenly start leaping out of the water and pace along the platforms, spewing fireballs every once in a while. Nevertheless, the main threat these enemies pose is that they may bump into the hero while he's attempting to jump over platforms and possibly send him plunging down into an instant watery grave. This section is notably short, however, and with just a little persistence the player will surely make it through.
Fish Men appear more prominently in the initial section of Stage 4, where the player has to make it across a flooded and lengthy underground cavern while riding on top of small moving platforms. To make matters worse, Bats will infinitely spawn in some areas and certain Fish Men will leap out from the water at fixed locations strategically designed to bump into the hero while they're riding a platform over a long body of water and send him into the water.
In Vampire Killer. the Fish Men in Block 1 are green and do not shoot fireballs. The ones in Block 4 are red and still attack with fireballs, although they actually take two hits from a leather whip. Sometimes, the red Fish Men will already be standing on a platform and attack with a fireball before moving.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest[]
The Fish Man in Simon's Quest pops out from the water and spews fireballs at the player, either straight ahead or diagonally. They are generally encountered while crossing a long bridge over a body of water or while being transported by the Ferryman over a lake.
Simon's Quest (LCD watch)[]
The Monster Fish appears in front of the player and spews fireballs. Takes one hit to destroy and is worth 5 points.
Simon's Quest (LCD handheld)[]
The Monster Fish is the only monster that can be found both in day (take two hits to destroy) or night (take four hits) and is present in all stages. They rise up in front of the player and spews fireballs. They block the player's path and cannot be jumped over. Being rather short creatures, these can only be damaged with low attacks. They are worth 20 points.
A variation of the Monster Fish is the Monster Dragon, which has wings.
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge[]
Nintendo Power calls this creature "Water Creep" and describes it as amphibian.
Castlevania: Bloodlines[]
Guarding the classic moat found in the Ruins of the Castle Dracula, the Mermen here look more draconian than their past gill-man-inspired versions. They are also able to spew long water streams at the player instead of fireballs.
Early prototype versions of this game show a completely different sprite for this enemy that more closely resembles their classic design (see the Gallery).
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance[]
This game features three variants of this enemy: the Merman, the Fish Man, and a Giant Merman boss. The only difference between Mermen and Fish Men in this game is their appearance.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia[]
There are two types of Mermen in this game. The first are the red colored ones from Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, and they appear in the Kalidus Channel. The second type are the yellow colored ones from Aria of Sorrow, Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance, and they appear in Somnus Reef. While they both jump out of the water to attack, the red ones use magical based attacks by spewing fireballs, and the yellow ones use physical-based attacks by diving into the player.
Castlevania Judgment[]
Mermen appear in this game as normal enemies. All must be defeated to summon the Iron Gladiator.
Enemy Data[]
- Main article: Merman/Enemy Data
Item Data[]
| Item Data: Merman | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
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| Sparkling ring [salable] | ATT + 1 (with Jewel Sword - Saturn only) Sell: $150 |
Find: Underground Caverns, Royal Chapel, Outer Wall, Reverse Keep, Reverse Caverns, Anti-Chapel, Reverse Entrance, Reverse Colosseum Drop: Merman, Blue Raven Create: Jewel Sword |
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| Summons merman ally [use] | Attrib: Hit |
ATT +40 (listed), ATT +0 (actual) |
Find: Starts with (Saturn only) Drop: Merman |
Effect: Summon Merman (3 Fireballs) (despite its listed ATT value, often its actual damage output is equal to Alucard's unarmed ATT, possibly due to a bug, although it occasionally unbugs for a while) | ||||
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| Increases attack power while equipped. | STR +15 |
Drop: Earth Armor, Hopper, Merman, Werewolf |
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| Recover 50 HP. | HP +50 |
Drop: Gorgon, Fox Hunter, Hipogriff, Merman, Werewolf, Were-Horse |
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| Restores some HP. | HP +70 |
Buy: 80G Find: Throughout castle (all) Common Drop: Peeping Eye, Fishman, Merman, Armor Knight, Bone archer, Bone Soldier, Lizard Man, Man-eater, Mimic, Rock Armor, Skeleton Spider, White Dragon Lv2 Rare Drop: Skeleton Blaze |
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| A helmet from a faraway land. | DEF +11 |
Buy: 1,050G Find: Merchant's shop (Clock Tower A and B, Castle Top Floor A and B) Rare Drop: Merman |
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| Gaudily decorated armor. Some people find it appealing. | DEF +26 |
Rare Drop: Fishman |
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| Fires a water pistol. | Attrib: Water Consume: 14 MP |
65 ATK |
Rarity: 7 Drop: Merman |
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| A little piece of meat on a bone. Recovers HP. | HP +29 Sell: $90 |
Drop: Fishman, Merman |
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| A first-rate dish, made with tuna from the neighboring seas. | HP +180 Sell: $1,000 |
Drop: Fishman, Merman |
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| Shoot a stream of water. | Attrib: Water Consume: 10 MP |
Rarity: * Drop: Merman |
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| A stone fragment with ancient memories engraved on it. Used for primitive weapons. | Sell: $30 |
Common Drop: Blaze Master Lv.14, Merman Lv.4/15/35, Fishman Lv.16/35/45, Sniper Orc Lv.24/30 |
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| Gold + 50 |
Find: Candelabras Steal: Executioner Lv.2/26/47, Ghost Lv.3/11, Merman Lv.4/15/35, Blood Skeleton Lv.5/75, Lizardman Lv.6/23, White Dragon Lv.10/38, Bone Soldier Lv.13/18/38, Ectoplasm Lv.16/22/37, Dark Warlock Lv.17/42, Gaibon Lv.17/34/45, Wolf Skeleton Lv.17/33, Frost Dragon Lv.19/39, Thunder Dragon Lv.20/40, Sniper Orc Lv.24/30 |
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| A blue ore as clear and deep as the sea. Appears moist to the touch. | Sell: $125 |
Find: Mortvia Aqueduct 1F, Forest of Jigramunt Steal: Fishman Lv.16/35/45 |
Evolve: Deck Brush, Trident, Frog Mouth Helm | |||||
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| A seafood dish flavored with curry powder. | HP +120 Sell: $250 |
Drop: Merman |
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| Restores 29 HP. Yummy! | HP +29 Sell: 72G |
Buy: 290G Find: Monastery, Wygol Villager, Ruvas Forest, Wygol Village (Jacob's shop) Drop: Merman, Armored Beast |
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| A beautiful yellow gemstone. | Find: Tristis Pass, Argila Swamp Drop: Merman |
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| Shoots streams of compressed water. | Attrib: Ice Consume: 15 MP |
ATK +4 |
Rarity: *** Bind: Merman First Obtained: Chapter 1 |
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| Shoot a stream of water. | Attrib: Ice Consume: 15 MP |
ATK +4 |
Rarity: * Steal: Merman (2.8%) |
Effect: Splash Needle | ||||
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| Flames once spat by an ancient creature. | Attrib: Fire Consume: 12 MP |
ATK +6 |
Rarity: * Bind: R. Fish Man, R. Dragon Cannon, R. Skele-Dragon, R. Phantom Bat First Obtained: Chapter 10 |
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| Summon an 8-bit fish man. | Attrib: Fire Consume: 12 MP |
ATK +6 |
Rarity: *** Steal: R. Fish Man (5.5%) First Obtained: Chapter 10 |
Effect: Summon Fish Man/R. Fireball | ||||
Gallery[]
- Main article: Merman/Gallery
See also[]
External links[]
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Bestiary by Darth Nemesis at GameFAQs
- Creature from the Black Lagoon at Wikipedia
- Merman at Wikipedia
- Fish-man at Wikipedia
- Mr. P's Castlevania Realm
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