The Red Skeleton, also known as Blood Skeleton, is a recurring enemy in the Castlevania series. Literally undead, these bloody bones always return to life. Red with the blood of countless victims.
Description[]
The Red Skeleton is a human skeleton stained in the blood of countless victims. It commonly walks forward steadily, and instead of dying, just collapses into a pile of bones. It will soon reassemble itself and can only be completely killed by using a special weapon or spell.
Appearances[]
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse[]
While Red Skeletons keep their regenerating feature, Sypha Belnades can cast Frozen Crystals to freeze them so that a single hit of her staff can shatter them into ice shards and never regenerate again.
Castlevania Chronicles[]
Red Skeletons first appear while climbing up a series of stairs in the Red-Brick Cathedral (Stage 11). A gigantic statue of the Greek goddess Athena decorates the background of this area. When the player finally makes it to the top, it is revealed that these skeletons are spawned from tears of blood dropping from the eyes of the statue. These Red Skeletons in particular don't collapse into a pile of bones when hit; instead, they liquefy into a puddle of blood only to regenerate a moment later.
They are encountered later in the Torture Chamber (Stage 19, 20 and 21). This time around, they collapse into a pile of bones when hit and reassemble themselves after a few seconds.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night[]
There are four varieties of this enemy in Symphony of the Night: red, yellow, green and white. They behave the same way as their predecessors. Red ones are found in various locations and will reassemble after three seconds, but yellow, green and white variations are only found in the Floating Catacombs and they can reassemble after only one second.
This is also the only enemy defined with a "zero" level (even the Stone Skulls have one level).
Castlevania (N64)[]
Red Skeletons are found in the Tower of Execution, where only Reinhardt Schneider can visit.
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness[]
Depending on the route the player takes in the Forest of Silence, Red Skeletons may not be encountered at all. If the player enters the crypt, they may spawn in the broken coffins, but they will become normal skeletons after taking some damage.
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance[]
Red Skeletons in Harmony of Dissonance are not much different than those appearing in other games; this time around, however, they are very slow and easy to be disabled temporarily. When struck, they also liquefy into a puddle of blood, like those appearing in Chronicles, and recreating the scene with the statue of Athena crying tears of blood which emerged as Red Skeletons in that game, there's also a giant statue of a crying maiden in a room of the Skeleton Cave (Castle A).
A stronger version, called Bone Liquid, appears in some areas of the game. It remains in hiding as a blob, emerging only to poison Juste Belmont as he passes by. Touching it while in liquid form does not inflict any damage whatsoever and it will only materialize after a short delay after the player walks over it. Unlike Red Skeletons, they can be killed normally.
They are common enemies throughout the Aqueduct of Dragons and later reappear at the Entrance, both in Castle B.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness[]
Called Blood Skeletons in this game, these enemies can only be defeated by special means that may not be evident the first time they're encountered.
The only known method to kill a Blood Skeleton is by breeding a Nautilus Rod Mage-Type Innocent Devil, which innately comes with the Purify ability, a spell that can permanently destroy undead creatures. The Mage-Type will cast this spell on foes, summoning a column of light that will vanish any undead enemy from existence should it get caught inside it. However, the casting is random and it can take some time before the I.D. decides to cast it, so the player will often be forced to evade and defend against enemy attacks until the spell is finally conjured.
In Trevor Mode, the only known method to kill a Blood Skeleton is by the use of the Holy Whip (found in the Infinite Corridor), which has a high chance of instantly killing enemies weak to the Holy element.
Two Blood Skeletons can be found in the Baljhet Mountains and defeating them will give the player access to a room with an HP Max Up. This can only be accomplished later in the game, however, as the first Mage-Type is obtained in Cordova Town and the Nautilus Rod is a third level evolution.
Blood Skeletons also appear in Garibaldi Temple, on the road that leads to Legion. Gaining access to this path requires the use of a Devil-Type I.D., however, so they can only be found in the late game.
They make a more prominently appearance in the Tower of Evermore, encountered on several floors on the way down. It's not necessary to defeat them in this location, though, and only defeating the regular enemies that spawn on each floor is required in order to gain access to the next floor, although getting rid of them first does help in clearing the room from the rest of the enemies.
How to steal[]
The Blood Skeleton will open its stealing window whenever it stands and throws its arms back before attacking. It will usually only do this at mid-range. Successfully stealing from it will award the player $50.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin[]
Red Skeletons appear in the Sandy Grave and in the Forgotten City. These enemies yield a good amount of EXP, but as usual, cannot be killed by ordinary means. The only two ways of disposing of them are by either using the Undead Killer or by casting the Sanctuary spell.
Normally, the Sanctuary spell will be the first method available to the player. It is found at the end of a tiny crawlspace in the first room with rolling boulders in the Sandy Grave, and the player must first find the Toad Morph at the end of the Forest of Doom in order to gain access. The Sanctuary spell takes a very long time to cast, so the player will have to consider taking proper positioning and timing to use it. It's also advisable to have Jonathan disabling the oncoming skeletons, lest they bump into Charlotte and interrupt her casting, while also trying to have them assembled when they finally receive the spell, as crumbled skeletons won't be affected by it.
Defeating Red Skeletons with the Undead Killer is far easier. However, this weapon can only be obtained as a reward of one of Wind's final quests, "S Rank Hunter", which means the player won't have access to it until much later in the game.
Red Axe Armors share the same crumbling and reassembling indestructibility trait as Red Skeletons, and likewise, can only be permanently defeated by using any of the two aforementioned methods.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles[]
Tera will present the player with her necklace if she is rescued in Stage 3'. This necklace will allow to permanently destroy Red Skeletons.
Along the way, the player will come across some walls constructed with Red Skeletons' bones. If struck, they will crumble to the ground but reform themselves immediately, making further progress impossible. However, with the aid of Tera's necklace they can be destroyed for good, thus allowing the player to claim any rewards they were protecting.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia[]
Called Blood Skeletons in this game, these enemies appear in Dracula's Castle. Interestingly enough, they can be vaporized by performing the Dominus Glyph Union, although Shanoa will also die.
Haunted Castle Revisited[]
While absent in the original arcade game, Red Skeletons are added in this version. In Hard Mode, one of them spawns in the elevator in the Clocktower, but it is highly suggested to lure it away from the elevator before going up; otherwise, it will stay in the elevator and cause much trouble.
Enemy Data[]
- ↑ Name from the Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance debug menu.
| Enemy Data: Red Skeleton | |||||
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| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
    (NES/C64/AMI/PC) |
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| Japanese Description: (*) No matter how many times you defeat it, it keeps reviving. |
HP: 4 Exp: 400 |
5. Main Hall |
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| Japanese Description: (*) A monster in the shape of a skeleton. There are white skeletons of the dead type and red skeletons of the undead (true) type. Generally difficult to deal with due to their attacking behavior. |
5. Torture Laboratory |
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| ' | 3. Forest, 4A. Ghost Ship, 5. Underground Passage, 8. Main Hall |
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| Japanese Description: (*) A skeleton of blood red. Blood symbolizes life; perhaps for this reason, it always revives after a certain period of time, even if destroyed. |
HP: 48 Exp: 100 Atk: 3 |
6. Grand Hall, 7. Storeroom, A. Clocktower |
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| ' | HP: 0 Exp: 400 |
4. Cathedral, 7. Torture Chamber/Lab |
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  (RoB/DXC) |
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| ' | HP: 1 Exp: 0 |
4. Inner Passage |
(Strategy) | ||
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| ' | 5. Versailles Palace |
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| ' | HP: 1 |
4. Dungeon, 5'. Sunken City, 6. Clock Tower |
(Strategy) | ||
   
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| Revives due to blood soaked bones. | Level: 0 HP: 9 Exp: 0 |
Alchemy Laboratory, Catacombs, Floating Catacombs |
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| ' | HP: 20 (regenerates) |
Tower of Execution, Clock Tower (Hard) |
Abil: Stationary, bones reassemble when destroyed. | ||
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| ' | HP: 10 (day), 12 (night) |
Forest |
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| ' | Strong: Fire Level: 11 HP: 6 Exp: 0 |
Castle A: Skeleton Cave Castle B: Skeleton Cave |
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| ' | Weak: Thunder Level: 25 HP: 38 Exp: 179 |
Common Drop: Anti-Venom Rare Drop: Velvet Cloak |
Castle B: Aqueduct of Dragons, Entrance |
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| A blood red skeleton. Always returns to life. | Strong: Knife Weak: Fire, Holy Water, Cross HP: 50 |
Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab, Garden Forgotten by Time, House of Sacred Remains, Dark Palace of Waterfalls |
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| Literally undead, these bloody bones always return to life. Red with the blood of countless victims. | Strong: Dark Weak: Fire Level: 5 HP: 0 Exp: 1 |
Steal: $50 |
Baljhet Mountains |
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| Literally undead, these bloody bones always return to life. Red with the blood of countless victims. | Strong: Dark Weak: Fire Level: 75 HP: 0 Exp: 167 |
Steal: $50 |
Garibaldi Temple, Tower of Evermore |
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| A skeleton warrior that has absorbed blood. It can regenerate. | Strong: Dark Weak: Strike, Whip, Fire, Holy HP: 1 Exp: 127 Skill Pt: 5 |
Sandy Grave, Forgotten City |
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| The blood they absorb regenerates all wounds. | Strong: Ice, Darkness Weak: Strike, Flame, Light HP: 99 Exp: n/a Skill Pt: n/a Atk: 60 |
Castle Entrance, Library |
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| A human skeleton, stained in blood. It regenerates upon death, endlessly.(*) | 3. Dungeon, 4. Chapel, 5. Clock Tower |
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| A skeleton warrior that has absorbed blood. It can regenerate. | Strong: Slash, Pierce, Ice, Darkness Weak: Strike, Fire, Holy Exp: 0 |
Soul: (none) |
Chapter 10 |
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Item Data[]
| Item Data: Red Skeleton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
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| Counteracts the effects of poison. | Buy: 20G Find: Marble Corridor, Sky Walkway, Chapel of Dissonance (Castle A) Common Drop: Slime, Bone Thrower, Bone Liquid, Witch |
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| A cloak made of velvet. | DEF +3 |
Buy: 1,350G Find: Merchant's shop (Clock Tower A and B, Castle Treasury (Castle A), Castle Top Floor (Castle A), Luminous Cavern (Castle A)) Rare Drop: Bone Liquid |
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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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Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A special variant of the Axe Armor, called Red Axe Armor, was introduced in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, which behaves almost identically as Red Skeletons. If struck, they will disassemble and crumble to the ground, only to reform a moment later and continue the battle. Much like the Red Skeletons in that game, they can only be destroyed by having Charlotte Aulin cast the Sanctuary spell or by attacking them with the Undead Killer whip.
- This is the only enemy in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair that doesn't drop its soul.
- The Castlevania: Lords of Shadow equivalent of Red Skeletons are the Bloody Skeletons and Bloody Lancers.