Nagas are enemies that appear in every Shantae game.
These creatures are lady up top and snake down below. They have appeared in every Shantae entry up to Seven Sirens. In the first game, Nagas could attack Shantae by unleashing long ranged scream attacks, or by simply bumping into her. In Risky's Revenge, and The Pirate's Curse, they can only attack Shantae via hitting her directly. However, as of Half-Genie Hero, Nagas can shoot Shantae with energy blasts thanks to their red tinted armor enhancements. Appearance-wise, aside from the first game, Nagas possess tan skin, with a purple colored lamia lower-half, and sport hair of a similar purple hue.
Nagas come from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. And although males are stated to exist, only females have been seen thus far.
Appearance
In Shantae, Nagas are entirely two shades of green with lighter eyes, torso, nails and stripes on their tail. They also have long black hair.
In Risky's Revenge, Nagas have a completely new appearance with light orange skin, messy purple hair and purple eyes with yellow sclera. They have a matching bright yellow bra top, choker, belt and nails with a purple and blue striped tail with a green coloured tip like a rattlesnake.
In Half-Genie Hero they share a similar appearance to the previous game yet sport a different outfit. They now wear red and silver armour on their body and tail with a silver bra, red and silver spiked pauldrons and a segmented red tail piece with spikes at the front. Their armour has matching pink gems on the top and belt. Their tail is similar to in Risky's Revenge but it now has a white bottom part.
Behaviour
Shantae
Nagas reside in Naga Wasteland, directly west of Scuttle Town. They are particularly tough in Shantae being able to leap quite far and send out homing attacks.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge
Nagas reside once again west of Scuttle Town in Pumpkin fields. They are far easier than their previous counterparts and are a good choice for harvesting gems. When a Naga is defeated they burst into bones.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Nagas are now found in the Village of Lost Souls. They have higher health than in Risky's Revenge, but their attack patterns are much the same.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Nagas can now fire balls of energy in a rapid fire succession at Shantae. They are adapted to fire projectiles from both their shoulders and the bottom of their armor. Should the player decide to crouch to avoid attacks from their shoulders, they will switch to attacking from the bottom to harm the player. When defeated they have a high chance of dropping monster eggs.
In Mermaid Falls, Nagas replace Mermaids as the dominant enemies in the area once the chapter has been cleared, as the mermaids befriend Shantae once she rescues their queen and no longer see a reason to attack her.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens
The Nagas' behavior and attacks are the same as in Half-Genie Hero. In this game, they are occasionally found guarding smaller dens of snakes.
Their Monster Card reduces the cost of Fireball spells when equipped.