Giant Bat

The Giant Bat is a recurring boss monster in the Castlevania series. It is a giant bat whose symbolic ties to vampires strikes fear in all. It is renowned for being the very first boss to appear in any of the games from the series.
==Description==
In most games, the Giant Bat is shown to be composed of a company of bats. In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, it was revealed that this monster was one of three integral parts that comprise Dracula's powers, the other two being the Flame Demon and the Succubus. Dracula even takes the form of a giant bat or a bat company during many of his encounters.
There have been several names and identities for the giant bats that have appeared along the games, including Phantom Bat, Zapf Bat (made out of treasure), Darkwing Bat (specializes in wind attacks), Bat Company (multitude of bats that move to form the shape of other things), Twin Bats (two giant bats in tandem), and many others.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania===
The original Phantom Bat is renown for being the very first boss to appear in any Castlevania game. It flies around the room and swoops down at Simon Belmont every once in a while. It can also spew fireballs on occasion, which are aimed at Simon.
Out of all the bosses, the Phantom Bat has the least amount of health and isn't very durable. The Axe, which can be obtained from a candle just before this fight, will prove very useful against it. The rightmost block at the base of the little staircase that leads to the upper door can be broken for a Double/Triple Shot. In addition, the space left behind after destroying it will provide a perfect place to toss vials of Holy Water, where the Phantom Bat will likely bump into, should the player prefer to carry this sub-weapon instead. The Phantom Bat is also one of two bosses that get affected by the Stopwatch.
Multiple Phantom Bats also appear in Stage 16, guarding the bridge. There are bottomless pits around, allowing their erratic patterns to easily knock Simon off. Because of this, is it best to ignore them, though every Phantom Bat has a fail-safe way to get past them without much trouble.
===Vampire Killer===
Called Phantom Vampire Bat in this game. It behaves similarly to the one in the original Castlevania, although it spews fireballs more often. The boss actually has a specific pattern that goes in a loop: moving to a set position, shooting a fireball while stationary, then swooping.
===Castlevania: The Adventure===
Dracula's second form in Adventure is a phantom bat called "Dracula Bat". It just flies at the top of the screen from side to side, stopping every once in a while to unleash three smaller bats in a spreading manner to inflict contact damage.
===Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (LCD handheld)===
Vampire Bats flutter above and in front of Simon and are indistinguishable from normal bats until they're right in front of him. Then they'll swoop down and attack when he's on the ground or in the air. They only appear during the night. They are destroyed with two whiplashes and are worth 20 points.
===Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse===
Unlike its previous incarnations, the Giant Bat in Dracula's Curse neither spews fireballs nor swoops down at the player, and instead its main attack simply consists in fluttering about in an attempt to hit the player in close quarters.
The monster is initially found hanging upside down while sleeping, which allows the player to deal the first attack. After sustaining enough damage, it will divide into two smaller bats which will then continue with the same behavior. Once these are destroyed, each will divide once again into two smaller bats. Once these take enough damage, each will divide a third and last time into two even smaller bats (these last ones only require one hit to be defeated). The boss is finally defeated only when all the bats have been destroyed.
The Battle Axe or Banshee Boomerang are two beneficial sub-weapons against this boss.
The Giant Bat can be encountered in two different locations: the first in Block 4 and the second in an alternate path of Block 7. In both locations it's possible to toss well placed vials of Holy Water (easier on the second location, where the upper platform is larger) which, depending on the boss's behavior, might destroy several of the resulting bats in a row, potentially allowing the player to finish the fight in a manner of seconds.
===Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge===
These are normal enemies in Belmont's Revenge. Like the Giant Bat from Dracula's Curse, they split into two smaller bats when attacked with insufficient power to destroy them. These small bats are destroyed with one hit.
===Super Castlevania IV===
Fought at the end of Dracula's Treasury. Called Zapf Bat in this game, this incarnation of the Giant Bat appears to be entirely made out of gold and jewels. At first, it attacks like any other Giant Bat, by flying around and swooping at Simon. Whenever it's hit, gold and jewels fall off from its body, which can damage Simon if they hit him. The Axe is a good sub-weapon against this boss.
After it takes enough damage, the Zapf Bat will split into three smaller bats, each of which that can be individually destroyed as they fly around and which constantly drop dangerous gold pieces. Each bat has its own HP, although only one needs to be destroyed in order to properly defeat the boss and end the fight. The boss's remaining HP bar indicates the life of this bat only and damaging the correct one is hinted by a different sound cue every time it's struck. Once dead, the other two bats will die as well, followed by strong magical phenomena taking over the chamber and a long staircase constructed by unknown forces, leading the hero to the next level.
===Castlevania Chronicles===
The Giant Bat replays its role as the boss of the game's first stage in this reinterpretation of the first level of the original Castlevania. Its form starts out as a company of bats which coalesce into a large bat. Just like in the original game, the creature will start flying around the room and swoop down on Simon Belmont every once in a while. It will also periodically spew fireballs at the player. After being struck, the resulting bats will scatter and become impervious to attack for a short time, only to re-coalesce a moment later and swoop down afterward.
Much like in the original game, Giant Bats are later encountered in the final stage as normal enemies that attempt to hinder the hero's path while they are crossing the bridge that leads to Dracula's tower. These Giant Bats are weaker; they have lower health and cannot split.
===Castlevania: Rondo of Blood/Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles===
The Giant Bat is one of four bosses from the original Castlevania which are summoned by Shaft and which partake in a gauntlet of miniboss fights prior to the proper encounter with the dark priest himself (the fifth boss would be Death, although he has his own boss fight).
Like most of the enemies in this entry to the series, the creature has been redesigned and now fashions a much more menacing appearance than previous incarnations, although it still retains some of its classic attack patterns. Like in the original Castlevania, it flies around the room and swoops down on the hero every now and then, and can also release fireballs from its mouth.
Attacks/Abilities:
Rob shaft summon Giant Bat.gif|Giant Bat's appearance in Rondo of Blood.
Rob shaft Giant Bat fire ball.gif|Spews fireballs
Rob shaft Giant Bat Curls up and launches itself at the player in a drilling-like manner.gif|Curls up and launches itself at the player in a drilling-like manner
Rob shaft Giant Bat defeated and medusa Summons.gif|Giant Bat defeated
Its form starts out as a company of bats which coalesce into a large bat. After being struck, the bats will scatter around and become impervious to attack for a short while, only to re-coalesce a moment later and swoop down afterward. The monster also turns up its swooping prowess a bit and instead of simply swooping down to hit its enemy, it curls itself up into a drill-like form and drills through the ground for a while, hurling debris around. The Giant Bat would retain this attack and variants of it in later games.
===Castlevania: Dracula X===
Called Myotia in the American instruction booklet of Dracula X. While this incarnation of the Giant Bat retains the same sprites of its Rondo of Blood counterpart, its behavior and attacking patterns are different.
After Myotia has been struck once, it will divide into a formation of smaller bats that will then slowly fly in a wave-like manner toward Richter's last location. After a determined amount of time, they'll return to the spot where they initially divided and coalesce into Myotia's main form again.
Unlike certain previous incarnations of this enemy, the smaller bats can be attacked and it's precisely in this state when the boss is most vulnerable. Unfortunately, it's also in this form when the boss is most dangerous, as due to the comprised space of the room, as well as Richter's limited maneuverability, the bats can easily block most escape routes for a while due to the considerable time they take to reform, potentially being able to harm the hero several times while they're attempting to get away from the company. This adds a bit of strategy to the fight, as the player should plan beforehand when and where to attack the boss, thus making the resulting smaller bats easier to attack and/or evade.
The Boomerang (Cross) is arguably the best sub-weapon to use against this boss, as due to its attack behavior, a few well placed crosses tossed will have the potential of hitting the formation several times, both on their way out and back, while also allowing the player to reposition themselves if necessary. In addition, its Item Crash can hit the bats several times wherever they are (as long as they're still onscreen), while also giving the player a brief moment of invincibility which could help them get out of a tight situation. Most other sub-weapons can either hit the boss just once per toss or leave the player vulnerable while performing their Item Crashes.
Once defeated, Myotia will explode into nine smaller bats that will spread out toward the bottom half of the screen in a final attempt to harm Richter. In addition, if the boss's HP bar is completely depleted while in its smaller bats form, it will still have to coalesce into its main form one last time before it finally dies.
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
Perhaps one of the simplest boss fights in the entire game. Found in the Reverse Clock Tower, the Darkwing Bat has wings about double the size of its actual body.
It has three main moves:
#Flaps its gigantic wings to create a gust of wind, sending the player flying against the opposite wall while dealing 1 damage. This can be avoided either by crouching, activating the Form of Mist, or by getting behind the boss.
#Flies toward the player and bites him three times (45 ATT).
#Wraps its wings together and charges forward like a drill (65 ATT, Hit).
Being an incarnation of one of the five bosses from the original Castlevania, beating the Darkwing Bat will grant Alucard the Ring of Vlad, one of the five relics that are required to open the entrance to Shaft's lair in the ceremonial room in the Black Marble Gallery and thus have the means to finally reach and put and end to Dracula once and for all.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance===
The Giant Bat in Harmony of Dissonance is similar to some extent to the one from Rondo of Blood, being that it retains its curling and ground-drilling ability and spews fireballs every once in a while. Its introduction is quite interesting too: Upon entering the boss room, Juste Belmont will suddenly find himself enshrouded in darkness; however, this "darkness" is soon revealed to actually be a plethora of bats that form it with their bodies, and shortly after entering the room, they'll scatter and coalesce into the boss itself.
In this incarnation, each time the Giant Bat is struck a third time, it will split into a company of smaller bats and relocate on another part of the room. These smaller bats are harmless, though, and just serve as an aesthetic for when the boss is changing positions. Since due to the speed and attack patterns of the monster, this boss fight can be considered to pose little threat, the encounter can become a bit tedious for having to hit the creature with normal-powered whip strikes three times and then waiting for it to reform elsewhere (although, depending on the power of the player's attacks, the Giant Bat may split into the smaller bats from the second or even the first hit).
A strategy to deal with this boss more effectively is to strike it twice with the whip and then wait until it performs its drilling attack, at which point it will get temporarily stuck in the ground and not be able to split in the meantime. The player can then attack it repeatedly (the standard attack of the Sacred Fist is especially effective, as it unleashes a flurry of powerful punches in quick succession). Once the creature has finished its drilling animation, the player can then perform their most powerful attack currently available to deal the "third" hit (like the Icicle Knuckle, which is the fusion of the Sacred Fist + Ice Book), which will finally make the monster to split and relocate.
It's worth mentioning that this boss fight is completely optional, as the player can instead take the upper route and reach the other side of this boss room as well. Nonetheless, it's recommended to fight it anyway, due to the lack of difficulty of the encounter and the possibility of gaining a good and easy amount of EXP. Defeating the Giant Bat will also make the drawbridge at the Entrance to lower again, giving access to the outside area of the castle once more. Defeating the Giant Bat is mandatory to obtaining the game's true ending, as secretly this will also lower the drawbridge in Castle B, which leads to one of Dracula's Relics.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
The Giant Bat from Aria of Sorrow has an impressive introduction, coalescing from a multitude of bats hanging from the ceiling of The Arena's boss room. However, and most unexpectedly, the monster is suddenly squashed in Balore's giant hand before it can attack Soma Cruz.
After Soma defeats Balore, the Giant Bat's soul can be found in the next room, which endows him with the Bat Form ability.
It is later revealed (hinted in the Ancient Book 2) that the Giant Bat is one of the three spirits that comprise Dracula's power (the other two being the Succubus and the Flame Demon). The soul itself is required to continue with the storyline and make it past Graham Jones (not to mention it's actually mandatory to be able to reach the Top Floor, where Graham dwells), and eventually reach and defeat Chaos, the source of Dracula's power, thus allowing the player to obtain the true ending of the game.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
Called Bat Company in this game, and making honor to this name and unlike its previous incarnations, this time the monster only appears as a company of tiny bats which can gather around and temporarily adopt one of three possible forms and attack accordingly.
The boss is only vulnerable when it has taken one of its three possible forms. When the bats are scattered, they'll be completely impervious to attack, although they can still harm the player while in this state.
The three forms the Bat Company can adopt are:
:;1. Giant Bat
:The company of bats will always start the battle in this form, which behaves similarly to previous incarnations of the Giant Bat in other games, although considerably larger. They will lunge at the player two times before scattering to take another form.
:Due to its large size, the player should plan their moves beforehand and consider baiting the monster first and attack afterward. A basic strategy is to remain in one corner of the room and wait until the boss lunges to that location; double jump over it as it does so and then take that opportunity to attack it from the other side.
:;2. Giant Hand
:The bats will take the form of a giant, open hand and slowly float through the room directly toward the player. If the hand makes contact with them, it will close and grab them, dealing constant damage for a brief time, which in conjunction adds to one of the boss's most damaging attacks (if not the most damaging).
:While large in size, this shape still gives enough space to double jump over it, although barely and only if it's near the ground. As such, it's also advisable to lure it near a corner of the room and double jump over it at the right time.
:;3. Moai
:As a reference to the Gradius series, the company of bats will turn into a giant Moai head and start floating up and down on one side of the room while spewing a myriad of their characteristic ripple laser rings in a spreading manner. The rings can be destroyed, so using a weapon that traces a wide arc over the player (such as a great sword) or casting (explosive) spells that generate a wide area-of-effect are recommended.
===Castlevania: Order of Shadows===
===Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth===
The Giant Bat returns as the mid-boss of the first stage. It will flutter around, only stopping to dash across the screen. This is its only attack, but when it is struck three times, it will scatter into smaller bats and reform somewhere else.
===Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night===
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
The Giant Bat appears as the first boss in Grimoire of Souls. It can attack players by splitting into several smaller bats. Aside from this, a variant of the enemy, called the Giant Lightning Bat, appears in the Cursed Castle Den area of Duel Hunt.
==Enemy Data==
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*The Giant Bat is the very first boss to appear in any Castlevania game.
*The English instruction booklet of Castlevania confounded and switched the artworks between the Bat enemy and the Phantom Bat boss as they appear in the original Japanese Famicom Disk System version of the game.
*In Super Castlevania IV, this monster is called "Zapf Bat". The reason for this name is a mystery, although it could be related to Zapf Dingbats, a type of Wingdings font.
*In Castlevania: Dracula X, this monster is called "Myotia". Myotis are a diverse and widespread genus of bats within the family Vespertilionidae, which are colloquially known as "mouse-eared bats".
**The Myotis myotis is a European species of these types of bats, colloquially known as the "greater mouse-eared bat".
*In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, this monster is called "Bat Company". This is probably a reference to English rock band Bad Company, which was prominent during the 1970s and early 1980s. This is further supported as many characters from several other classic Konami franchises are also named after famous rock musicians and bands.
**The name could also be a reference to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part IV: Diamond is Unbreakable, where the character Keicho Nijimura has a Stand called "Bad Company", which is comprised of multiple military units that act as and are considered to be a single entity. And just like Bad Company, Bat Company is comprised of many small bats working together as a single unit to deal damage and only take damage when they're combined into a single form.
==See also==
*Bat
==References==
de:Giant Bat
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Bats
Category:Film Based Monsters
Category:Flying Bosses
Category:Flying Enemies
Category:The Adventure Bosses
Category:The Adventure ReBirth Bosses
Category:Castlevania Bosses
Category:Chronicles Bosses
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Bosses
Category:Dracula X Bosses
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Bosses
Category:Dracula's Curse Bosses
Category:Encore of the Night Bosses
Category:Grimoire of Souls Bosses
Category:Harmony of Despair Bosses
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Bosses
Category:Order of Shadows Bosses
Category:Rondo of Blood Bosses
Zapf Bat
Category:Symphony of the Night Bosses
Category:Vampire Killer Bosses