Skeleton warriors are a common fictional monster

Monster

A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...

 archetype common in western fantasy literature, television, and video games. They consist of animated human skeleton

Skeleton

The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...

s with human weapons and armor such as swords and shields. Because they are already dead, skeleton warriors can be very difficult to defeat. If they get smashed to pieces, often they can simply re-assemble.

A notable appearance of skeleton warriors was the stop motion

Stop motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...

 sequence in the classic films Jason and the Argonauts and Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness, also known as Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness or simply Evil Dead III, is a 1992 horror comedy fantasy action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the third and final installment in The Evil Dead trilogy. The film was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, produced by Robert Tapert,...

.Skeleton warriors

Skeleton warrior (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, skeleton warriors are a more powerful version of undead skeletons.-Publication history:Skeleton Warriors first appeared in the original Fiend Folio. The Fiend Folio was reviewed by Jamie Thomson in the British magazine White Dwarf #28...

 are monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

.