Four Sacred Beasts

Maria Renard is able to call upon the power of the Four Sacred Beasts (also known as the Four Symbols), which were awakened after she was captured by Shaft in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. These beasts represent the four points of the compass; they are Genbu (Xuan Wu, the ebon tortoise), Byakko (Bai Hu, the white tiger), Seiryuu (Qing Long, the azure dragon) and Suzaku (Zhu Que, the vermilion bird).
These creatures can be used as sub-weapons (which sometimes can item crash), summoning spells or special attacks, depending on the game. When used as sub-weapons, these beasts appear as small animals which may have an associated elemental attack (Byakko is an electric cat, Seiryuu is an ice dragon, Suzaku is a fire cardinal, and Genbu offers a protective turtle shell). When used as an Item Crash, these animals can be quite large.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Rondo of Blood===
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
In the PlayStation and XBLA version of Symphony of the Night, Maria can be seen in the prologue stage calling upon the four beast spirits to aid Richter and grant him strength in case his health meter runs out during his battle against Dracula. In the Sega Saturn version of the game, she's able to use this spell to grant herself temporary invincibility, contact damage, and an increase in the damage output of some of her physical attacks and all of her sub-weapons. She also has a summoning spell for each Holy Beast; summoning Byakko produces a massive flame attack. Summoning Suzaku calls forth an Owl Familiar. Summoning Seiryuu calls forth a massive dragon which can be controlled. Summoning Genbu heals a quarter of her health.
Maria plays completely differently in The Dracula X Chronicles version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night than she did in the Saturn version. In this version, she uses the Holy Beasts as sub-weapons, just like in Rondo of Blood (Cat, Cardinals, Dragon and Turtle). She equips two of these beasts and switches between them at any time. The beasts can also be Item Crashed for a more powerful attack.
===Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin===
===Castlevania Judgment===
The Four Sacred Beasts do not manifest themselves physically in Castlevania Judgment, but they can lend their power and may "possess" Maria's Owl, Osca.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
The sacred beasts appear as elemental animal sub-weapons in this game, but cannot be item crashed.
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
Horror Beyond Nightmares - Nocturne - 56.png|Maria with her familiars in the Nocturne animated series.
===Animations===
====Cardinal====
Saturn Suzaku.gif|Suzaku from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
POR Phoenix.gif|Phoenix from Portrait of Ruin.
SOTN Cardinal.gif|Cardinal from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
SOTN Cardinal 2.gif|Cardinal Item Crash from the The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
====Cat====
Saturn Byakko.gif|Byakko from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
POR Byakko.gif|Byakko from Portrait of Ruin.
SOTN Cat.gif|Cat from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
SOTN Cat 2.gif|Cat Item Crash from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
====Dragon====
Saturn Seiryuu.gif|Seiryuu from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
POR Holy Dragon.gif|Holy Dragon from Portrait of Ruin.
SOTN Dragon.gif|Dragon from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
SOTN Dragon 2.gif|Dragon Item Crash from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
====Turtle====
Saturn Genbu.gif|Genbu from the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.
POR Genbu.gif|Genbu from Portrait of Ruin.
SOTN Turtle.gif|Turtle from from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
SOTN Turtle 2.gif|Turtle Item Crash from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
==See also==
*Summon Four Holy Beasts
==External links==
*Four Symbols at Wikipedia
Category:Sub-Weapons