Zombie Soldier

:This enemy is sometimes referred to as "Crusader". Not to be confused with Dead Crusader.
The Zombie Soldier is an enemy in the Castlevania series. They are the animated corpses of soldiers who marched to their deaths.
==Description==
Zombie Soldiers wielding bladed weapons. These are soldiers who had been sent on missions into Dracula's Castle in a previous era, but were killed and turned into zombies.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
The zombie of a soldier of the Eastern Church who died in combat long ago. Making honor to his name, the Bloody Zombie can still be seen dripping blood from the parts of flesh visible under his armor. When he encounters an enemy, he quickly runs at them and starts swinging the blood-soaked dagger he carries.
Each time his body is cut with a sharp weapon, it lets out generous amounts of blood which Alucard can use to feed upon (Dark Metamorphosis, Muramasa), making him a viable option to replenish health in the early game.
His in-game description states this enemy died 300 years ago. Since Symphony of the Night takes place in 1797, this would set this date to be around the 15th century, when Trevor Belmont first defeated Dracula when he started his war against Humanity (1476), although the dates don't exactly match. Furthermore, it's everyone's guess how a 300 years old corpse can still carry fresh blood inside.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
There are two tiers of zombie soldiers in this game:
====Zombie Soldier====
The regular Zombie Soldier is found very early in the game, in the Castle Corridor. It advances very slowly and stabs with the knife he carries when an enemy is close enough. He has a secondary attack where he tosses a grenade to the ground which explodes after a set time, an attack that may take the player off-guard.
He has a very slight chance of dropping the Combat Knife, a very powerful weapon at the moment it can first be obtained, and which outclasses in both attack power and speed to most other weapons the player can get around that point in the game.
Gaining dominance over his soul grants Soma Cruz the Grenade ability, which allows him to throw the very same kind of grenades the Zombie Soldier uses, which inflict considerable damage. This soul is quite useful when fighting hulking bosses that use their resilient bodies to gain terrain on the battlefield, like the Great Armor and the Big Golem, as it lets the player to toss one and get out of the way while they wait for the device to explode.
====Zombie Officer====
The Zombie Officer is a taller and more muscular variant of zombie soldier, devoid of any clothing and dripping blood from his eye sockets, arms and torso. As usual, he advances slowly and makes frequent stops to stab with the massive sword he wields, which has a much longer range. These enemies are usually found in tight areas, which could take some effort getting to, giving them the opportunity to strike first before the player can get to them.
Gaining dominance over his soul grants Soma the Narrow Escape ability, which allows the player to regain balance by pressing JUMP whenever they get knocked back or take damage while in midair. Damage will still be taken, but Soma won't be sent flying back after taking the hit. The soul's description implies it causes health to be restored if the player takes damage while jumping, although this is incorrect.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
Due to catering to the Chinese market, where it is taboo to depict corpses, the Zombie Soldier does not appear as a zombie in Moonlight Rhapsody and is simply called a Crusader. It still wields its signature dagger.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
AoS 013.png|Zombie Soldier enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
AoS 033.png|Zombie Officer enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
Dxc 014.png|Bloody Zombie enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Crusader MR.jpg|Crusader artwork from Moonlight Rhapsody.
==Trivia==
*The descriptions for both the Zombie Soldier and Zombie Officer in Aria of Sorrow state they marched to their deaths 36 years ago. Since that game takes place in 2035, the date of these soldiers' demise coincide with the time when the Demon Castle War took place, back in 1999.
**Furthermore, the description of the Soldier Uniform, an armor that can also be obtained in that game, states it belonged to a soldier who fought in the Demon Castle War.
==See also==
*Demon Castle War
*Soldier Uniform
Category:Armored Enemies
Category:Church
Category:Military
Category:Fire Enemies
Category:Zombies
Category:Aria of Sorrow Enemies
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Enemies
Category:Moonlight Rhapsody Enemies
Category:Symphony of the Night Enemies