Phantasmal Species

Phantasmal Species (幻想種) is the common term used to refer to all non-human creatures that are found in legends and fantasy. Rather than a classification for a separate ranking for beasts, it encompasses everything from demi-humans, such as fairies and giants, to monsters, such as dragons and oni. They differ from the imaginary Demons, as they are active creatures rather than passive existences. Similarly to how magi gain power through the accumulation of knowledge, those of the Phantasmal Species become stronger through the accumulation of time. Modern Magecraft is the sum of five hundred years of study, while the Phantasmal Species date back to the Age of Gods. Magi that only have a mystical lineage that spans five hundred years cannot hope to match or reproduce mysteries that have accumulated thousands of years and have an existence that is on par with the five modern Magics. They embody mysteries simply by existing and it is said to be a miracle if one is simply observed.

Magical Beasts
Many of the Phantasmal Species fall into the category of Magical Beasts (魔獣), which is the common denomination for all creatures that do not fit in the ordinary biological classification for living beings and those that do not fall within the normal ecosystem. The term "beast" is a thaumaturgical term, and it does not necessarily mean quadrupedal mammals. They are true deviations from biology that cannot be explained by immature research or sudden mutations. They can be ranked into three categories, which change as the creatures age and increase in power towards becoming higher existences. The lowest rank is Monstrous Beasts, which then change into Phantasmal Beasts, and finally become classified as Divine Beasts.

Phantasmal Beasts of the Millennium-Rank (千年クラスの幻獣・聖獣) and Divine Beasts are equal to Magic, making them unable to even be harmed by mysteries on the level of magecraft. Rider's Pegasus, which has grown from a Monstrous Beast to a Phantasmal Beast, has even greater resistance than Saber, who can easily negate Caster's magecraft from the Age of Gods. The longer the creatures live, the further away they grow from the rest of the world. Out of the current creatures that still exist in the present era, only those whose ages are measured in centuries, rather than millennia, still remain. Most remaining Magical Beasts are Chimeras formed from mixing different species that have existed since the Age of Gods. They live on currently undeveloped lands that cannot be reached by mankind. Those on the level of Phantasmal Beasts that existed in the past have almost all migrated to a different world presented as the “Inside of the World”. Divine Beasts such as Moby Dick and Typhon are more on the level of "super weapons" than actual living creatures. Members of the The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, like Primate Murder, a white dog born with the sole purpose of killing humans, and the Forest of Einnashe, a sentient forest that matured to the level of a phantasm specie by absorbing the blood of a Dead Apostle, also count among the Magical Beasts.

Blood-sucking species
Blood-sucking species (吸血種) is the general term for creatures that drink the blood of others and organisms that consume the blood of their own kind. Most of the Blood-sucking species is weak against sunlight, Dead Apostles being representatives derived from mankind. The Forest of Einnashe is a special exception as a subspecies of the Blood-sucking species. People like Akiha are also classified as members of the blood-sucking species.

The term was originally synonymous with Vampires, but it has changed due to the Church's involvement. While both Dead Apostles and True Ancestors are considered blood-sucking creatures like the blood drinking animals of South America or disembodied vampiric heads from the continent, the Church only sees those they classify as vampires as enemies. They will actively hunt vampires, but do not care about other members of the blood-sucking species. Due to the large number of blood-sucking creatures found all over the world, this term is utilized when referring to those not classified as vampires.

Blood Worms
Blood Worms (吸血虫) are the creatures that have come to make up the body of Zouken Matou in his attempt to prolong his life. His existence is essentially a conglomerate of Crest Worms with a special appetite for human flesh and blood that combine themselves to take a human form. Despite the blood-sucking habits, he is not considered to be an actual vampire that the Church would hunt.

Chimera
Chimera (キメラ) are creatures of the Monstrous Beast rank that make up the majority of the Magical Beasts still left within the world. They are formed from mixing different species that have existed since the Age of Gods, and they live on currently undeveloped lands that cannot be reached by mankind.

Divine Bull
Divine Bull (神牛), also called God Bull: Air-walking Thunder Bull, is the name for the creatures of the Divine Beast rank that pull Gordius Wheel. Before the seduction of Europa, the supreme god of thunder, Zeus, changed his shape into that of a bull. Due to that, what manifested as the driving force of the chariot dedicated to Zeus were Divine Beasts with a connection to him. Due to the chariot being claimed by Rider before it could be offered to Zeus, they became part of his Noble Phantasm, and he refers to them as the "Children of Zeus."

Gorgon
The Gorgon (ゴルゴン) is Medusa's form as the legendary one-eyed man-eating monster after she started to kill and devour humans. Becoming an icon of terror, her appearance was distorted, and as wishes initially formed the Gorgon sisters, they also turned her into the atrocious Gorgon of legend. Even as a Heroic Spirit and Divine Spirit, she still has the rank of "Monster ∙ Magical Beast", making her existence that of “an anti-hero closer to a monster.” As a result, the rank of her Divinity decreased to the lowest value of E-. As compensation, she received the ability of Monsters and Magical Beasts, Monstrous Strength, which would bring her closer to the form of the Gorgon the more it was used. After her death, her role as a Gorgon would be decreasing mankind's numbers.

Hydra
Hydra are serpents with nine heads. Heracles is said to have battled an immortal hydra which would grow back its heads no matter how many times they were cut down. He utilized Nine Lives to simultaneously annihilate one hundred heads with a bow in order to slay it. Their poison is great enough to affect even a Divine Spirit like Chiron.

Rocco Belfaban owns a juvenile Hydra preserved in formalin, a small snake with its head split in nine. It is a one of a kind item in the entire world according to Kairi Sisigou, and even one third of its selling price would surpass his house's combined estate.

Hippogriff
Hippogriff (ヒポグリフ) are born between a griffin and a mare with a eagle upper body and a lower body of a horse. It is Rider's favourite mount and it has the ability to fly.

Pegasus
Pegasus (天馬) are winged horses that usually are part of the Monstrous Beast rank. They are docile creatures that do not like to fight. The Pegasus summoned by Rider is a special case that has advanced to the Phantasmal Beast rank due to its age. It has been alive since the Age of Gods, and now possesses a defensive power on the same level as a dragon and Magic Resistance far greater than that of Saber. The buffets from a Pegasus's wings are capable of generating massive shock waves, which raze infrastructure and lacerate the bodies of living beings. Due to its naturally kind nature, Rider has to use Bellerophon to force it to fight.

Unicorn
Unicorns (一角馬) are creatures with the power to purify human souls. The Seventh Holy Scripture was made from the horn of a dead unicorn, of the Divine Beast rank, that had turned into a nature spirit. Nrvnqsr Chaos has one stored inside of his Reality Marble as one of his stronger creatures.

Demi-Human
Demi-Human (亜人) is the general term used for the likes of fairies, dwarves, and giants.

Fairies
Fairies (妖精) are extensions of the planet, nature's sense of touch, that cannot be seen by normal humans, and they lack any sort of human values. There are some fairies born wearing humans' imagination as shells. There are various different types, including those that have the power to interfere with people’s memories, and others that are known to be able of crafting Noble Phantasm-level artifacts, with Arondight, Avalon, Excalibur serving as examples. Such artifacts are engraved with Fairy letters (妖精文字), one of the lost languages, to show they were not crafted by human hands and belong to those of another world.

Fairies are usually entities that cannot be seen by normal humans, however those who evolve into a magnitude where they can be perceived by people become Elementals and elemental-class incarnation becomes possible. True Ancestors who are, classified as a type of large fairy, would fall into the category of an incarnated elemental. The Foundation of fairies and Elementals are of a Mystery that cannot be reached through magecraft. The fairies in Kara no Kyoukai are not true fairies, but rather lower-class spirits shaped after the image of woodland fairies. They are much weaker in terms of raw power, but wield a portion of the original fairies' powers due to wearing fairy-like shells.

Succubus
Succubus (サキュバス) are female demons who can drain a males semen in order to increase their magical energy and to retain their eternal youth. They also have the abilities to regenerate themselves, to manipulate dreams and to enhance their strength. Len who was originally a familiar acquired the ability of an succubus to drain people of their magical energy by manipuliating their dreams. Her more selfish and outspoken TATARI version, White Len also possesses this ability. There are also descendants like Natalia Kaminski from the original succubi species.

Werewolf
Werewolves are introduced in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru. They are descended from a golden werewolf, and their society has been declining ever since. The golden werewolf represented the peak of their strength, but not one has been born since then. The current highest rank is silver-fur, and they generally act as the leaders. The live in the mountains away from civilization, and it is rare for their females to get pregnant. One village came upon Lugh Beowulf in the eighteenth century, and became extremely excited that he would bring about their revival. It eventually turned out that he was not a normal werewolf because he never aged and had the ability to transform into anything he wishes. When they found he has no desire to breed, they eventually sold him to Touko Aozaki.

Transcendent Kind
Transcendent Kind (超越種) refers specifically to terminals separated and given form from out of the World itself as a defense against the resource-plundering actions of humans. Examples of such include Elementals, Divine Spirits, Oni Kind, True Ancestors, and Dragon Kind. Despite being anti-human in origin, the Counter Force of Alaya does not target these supernatural entities, as they are extensions of the world and mediators of nature before being enemies of humanity.

In a broader meaning, Transcendent Kind refers to sentient species whose very existence occurs on a different scale from humanity. The Dead Apostles qualify as "Transcendent Kind" under this definition. Strictly speaking, however, the narrow definition explained above is more accurate; and per its criterion, Dead Apostles would merely be "self-described" as Trancendents.