Recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda

This article describes several types of fictional enemy creatures encountered in The Legend of Zelda series of video games.

While many enemies can be killed solely with Link's sword, others require the use of specific items to eliminate. In addition, starting with The Wind Waker, some enemies wield weapons such as swords or lit torches that can be used by Link after destroying the enemy. These items serve a single use and eliminate other obstacles by means such as smashing open a doorway or burning down a blocked passage. Specific enemies also hold key items that can be obtained by either killing the monster or using the grappling hook.

Creation and influence

Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series first appeared as basic, combatant obstacles in The Legend of Zelda. Although initially conveyed as two-dimensional sprites, in the newer games, starting with Ocarina of Time, they are rendered by 3D computer graphics.

Enemy types

Armos

Armos are living statue enemies that are often found in ancient ruins. According to The Minish Cap, they were created to guard the Wind Tribe, and there is a Minish-sized chamber inside them where they can be turned on or off. They typically pose as ordinary statues or suits of armor, but attack when touched. Some Armos statues are inanimate and can be moved like blocks. There is a larger, stronger variety of Armos known as Armos Knights, which first appeared as a collective boss in A Link to the Past. In The Wind Waker, both the standard Armos and the Armos Knights appear as common enemies. Majora's Mask featured another variety known as Death Armos, which hovered around and attacked by slamming into the floor.

Beamos

Beamos are a moderately common enemy or obstacle in The Legend of Zelda series. The Beamos is typically a type of pillar-mounted mechanical eye that rotates 360 degrees in search of intruders. If the Beamos spots an intruder it will fire a beam while the target is in view, and will either continue to rotate or track the target to keep it in view. In A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons, it is invulnerable, but in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword, it can be defeated by setting explosives or by firing an arrow into its "eye". The beam can generally be reflected with the Mirror Shield. The beamos in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Skyward Sword explode once defeated, while those in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess merely become inactive pillars.

Beetle

There are two different variations of the Beetle in the Zelda series. Spiked Beetles have sword-repellent spiked carapaces on their top side to protect their vulnerable undersides, though Link can flip them over by bumping them with his shield. They appear in most handheld Zelda games. Hardhat Beetles have elastic carapaces covering their body that they use to knock Link away. In Skyward Sword, the beetle is a type of item that the user can use to pick up and drop bombs, collect Rupees and hearts, flick switches, kill enemies, perform reconnaissance, and for several other purposes.

Biri

Biri are electrified jellyfish that can live in or out of water, and appear in A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Oracle of Ages. They often split into smaller Biri when attacked. In the Game Boy Advance remake of A Link to the Past, they guard Arrghus in the Palace of the Four Sword.

Bari

Bari are larger Biri that appear in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. In Ocarina of Time, it behaves similarly to Biri, and splits up into three Biri when defeated.

Bokoblin

Bokoblins are small imp or goblin-like creatures that appear in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild. Bokoblins tend to attack with clubs and knives, and are used as look-outs and sentries by stronger enemies. Although they vary between appearances, Bokoblins are always common and weak enemies in any game they appear in, relative to larger and more dangerous targets like Moblins, Lizalfos or Darknuts.

Bubble

Bubbles (also known as Anti-Fairies or Wisps) are floating or flying skull enemies, surrounded by magic smoke and fire. If one touches Link, it will usually cause a certain status effect depending on the colour of its aura. Red-Orange Bubbles set Link on fire, while Blue-White Bubbles are Icey and will freeze him instead. Majora's Mask and Wind Waker feature Blue-Purple "Cursed Bubble", which impede Link's activities on touch such as preventing him from using his items and sword or reversing his controls. In The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Bubbles of various sorts remain on the ground disguised among ordinary skulls in dungeons, then rise to ambush the player.

Bulblins

Bulblins are small green bandit-like goblins that appear in Twilight Princess. Bulblins ride huge boars called Bulbos, and patrol many areas of both the overworld and various dungeons. Bulblins are aggressive mercenaries used by Zant to raid areas and spread the influence of his Twilight magic. They are led by King Bulblin, who is much larger than his peers and attacks Link both by riding his personal Bulbo as well as by attacking with a great axe on foot.

Buzz Blob

Buzz Blobs first appear in A Link to the Past, and have an appearance similar to a gelatinous cactus. They electrify Link if he strikes one with his steel sword, but otherwise wander around aimlessly. Buzz Blobs only appear in the overworld. Sprinkling Magic Powder onto a Buzz Blob transforms it into a creature called Cukeman. The Cukeman gives Link confusing advice about the game and various things in it. However, they are still electrified.

ChuChu

ChuChus (or Chus, in Twilight Princess) are gelatinus blob creatures that appear in Majora's Mask, Skyward Sword, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Breath of the Wild. In Majora's Mask, they appeared as watery bag-like creatures with squat, translucent bodies, stalk-eyes, and a permanently smiling mouth. ChuChus come in four colours, three of while have an item visible in their stomachs - Reds have Hearts, Greens have Magic Vials and Yellows have Arrows. ChuChus always drop the item visible in their stomach, and they always respawn shortly after dying, so players can endlessly harvest their associated item by defeating the ChuChus over and over. Blue ChuChus have no item in their stomachs - instead they exist to be frozen with Ice Arrows and used as a platform, which will regenerate if destroyed.

In The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, and Phantom Hourglass, ChuChus are greatly redesigned to resemble Buzz Blobs, with an upright opaque body shape and a foolish facial expression. Various ChuChu colours appear across these game, connoting differences in behaviour and properties as well as item drops. In The Wind Waker, Red Green and Blue ChuChus drop coloured Jellies, which can be collected and used to make potions. In The Minish Cap, Link fights two "giant" ChuChus as bosses - Link is shrunk down at the time, so the ChuChus are just regular enemies.

In Twilight Princess, Chus appear as completely amorphous slugs without faces or features. Chus can split up or separate into smaller or larger ones, and only the smallest size can be killed. Chus change colours and properties when mixing, and their jellies can be collected shortly after death as a potion; more mixed Chus generally drop weaker potions. ChuChus changed designs again in Skyward Sword, looking like an opaque blob with eyes and a huge mouth. Different coloured ChuChus again have different properties and behaviours, such as Blues appearing underwater and Yellows being electrified.

In Breath of the Wild, ChuChus appear as fat blobs with just eyes, and follow the elemental schema of designs across many enemies in the game. ChuChus come in a non-elemental (Blu) form, a Fiery (Red-Orange) form, an Icey (White) form and an Electrical (Yellow-Green) form. Each has the standard elemental properties of their type, and drops an elemental gel blob on death that can be used to set fire/freeze/electrify/moisten things or as a crafting ingredient.

Daira

Daira are humanoid alligators that appear in The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past. In The Adventure of Link, they wield axes that Link's shield can't block; orange Daira use hand-axes, while red Daira throw them from a distance. In A Link to the Past, one species can throw fireballs from its mouth.

Darknut and Iron Knuckle

Darknuts are large armored soldiers that are commonly found in dungeons. These warriors are armed with swords and often carry shields as well. In their appearance in the original game The Legend of Zelda, Darknuts usually appear in large groups. They are not very aggressive, but difficult to attack due to their armor and erratic movement. They are resilient and always take multiple hits to defeat, even from bombs. Blue variants are tougher than Red. Darknuts appeared in hand held titles outside of main Zelda games, namely Link's Awakening and the Oracles games. Like many enemies in these games, Darknuts are more intelligent and aggressive and will patrol until they spot Link, then will chase him and stab him until defeated. Darknuts in these games may appear without swords, and will instead shoot arrows in random directions.

Darknuts reappeared in the main series The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and were revamped. Darknuts duel Link, typically one on one but sometimes in groups. They start off wearing lots of armour, which must be removed by carefully exploiting openings and counterattacking them. In Wind Waker, Darknut's armour is very vulnerable from the back, but stronger variants wear capes as protection. They speed up their attack patterns once unarmoured. In Twilight Princess, Darknuts start off wielding a massive broadsword or mace and shield, but once disarmoured, they will throw their larger weapons at Link and draw a smaller arming sword with which to continue the fight.

A similar enemy to the Darknuts are Iron Knuckles, heavily armoured warriors which appear inThe Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. In The Adventure of Link, Iron Knuckles wield a sword and a shield, and can maneuver both of them. In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Iron Knuckles are enemies of Gerudo origin wielding gigantic axes. Though strong, these Iron Knuckles are initially very slow. However, they become swifter as Link damages them and pieces of their armor fall off.

IGN called Darknuts an "infamous Zelda bad guy", describing it as "annoyingly relentless". They further stated that "There are few fights I anticipate more in a Zelda game than the inevitable clash with a Darknut", describing battling with them as "a thrill".

Deku Baba

Deku Babas are carnivorous plants, each with a Venus flytrap-like mouth. In some games, their cut stems can be used as Deku Sticks, and they may also yield deku nuts or seeds upon dying. Several different types of these enemies exist in the games. The Wind Waker contains a more colorful variety, known as a Boko Baba. Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess feature Bio Deku Babas and Deku Serpents, respectively, which will attempt to chase after and attack Link if their stems are severed. Twilight Princess also features Big Deku Babas and Deku Likes, the latter of which has a toothy mouth growing directly out of a leafy base without any stem. Spirit Tracks has Fire Babas which, as their name implies, breathe fire. Deku Baba were also seen in the short demo for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword shown during E3 2010. These Deku Babas' mouths split either vertically or horizontally and the player can only defeat them by slicing their sword in the same direction, similar enemies can be found in Skyward Sword named Quadro Babas, which can change the opening of their mouth, making them somewhat harder to defeat, but are encountered after Deku Babas.

Dodongo

Dodongos are carnivorous saurian beasts that appear in Zelda games in several different forms. According to Nintendo of America, they resemble gigantic iguanas, move slowly and can breathe powerful blasts of flame. In many games in which they appear, the main way to defeat Dodongos is to feed them Bombs by dropping or throwing them into their open mouths. They first appeared as both bosses and normal enemies in The Legend of Zelda, then reappeared in different forms in A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Four Swords Adventures and Twilight Princess.

In A Link to the Past, Dodongos do not have armor. Dodongos in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are two-legged (while King Dodongo in Ocarina of Time had four legs), fire-breathing creatures. The Gorons in Ocarina of Time use Dodongo hides to make the heat-resistant Goron Tunics, and mine within Dodongo's Cavern, once a Dodongo nest, until it is overrun by Dodongos led by King Dodongo. In Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Dimitri is a friendly Dodongo character. In Twilight Princess, Dodongos are gecko-like creatures that breathe fire but must be defeated by attacking their tail or shooting them in the mouth with an arrow.

Other types of Dodongos include Baby Dodongos, which are infantile legless larvae which explode when attacked, and Big Dodongos, which are larger versions of normal Dodongos. In Link's Awakening, a creature called the Dodongo Snake is encountered in certain dungeons. Though it bears little resemblance to its namesake, it share the species' trademark weakness of being force-fed Bombs

IGN referred to the King Dodongo boss fight as an "awesome lizard dude" and a "deadly, fire-breathing creature", commenting on how awesome the boss fight was.

Gargoyle

Gargoyles are statues found throughout the underworld levels in The Legend of Zelda. The gargoyles that bear resemblance to demons face right, and ones that resemble dragons face left. They emit beams at Link and can only be repelled by a large shield.

Gel

Gels are simple blob enemies with two eyes. They often hide between the tiles of dungeon floors, waiting to pop out and jump at Link. Gels first appear in The Legend of Zelda, and appear again in Link's Awakening. Similar enemies called "Bit" and "Bot" appear in The Adventure of Link. A gel-like creature called "Zol" appears in The Legend of Zelda; it splits into two Gels when attacked, like Purple Chus in "Twilight Princess," which split into two smaller Chus when attacked.

Gibdo

Gibdos are undead creatures similar in appearance to Egyptian mummies. They appear in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess , and The Minish Cap. Their mummy wrappings are flammable, and sometimes can be burned away to reveal a Stalfos skeleton or ReDead underneath.

Goriya

Goriyas are rat or fox-like humanoid creatures which appear in caves or dungeons and throw boomerangs. Most are antagonistic, though a friendly one with a dog-like head can be found in Link's Awakening and will trade a Boomerang for one of Link's items.

Helmasaur

Helmasaurs (also known as Iron Masks) are small enemies found in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Four Swords, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, The Minish Cap, and Twilight Princess. They are recognized by their metal masks which protect them from frontal attacks, requiring Link to either attack them from behind or remove the mask to make them vulnerable. An insect-like monster called Hiploop appears in Majora's Mask and wears the same face protectors that Helmasaurs wore. In A Link to the Past, a larger version called the Helmasaur King appears as a boss in the Palace of Darkness dungeon. In Twilight Princess, regular Helmasaurs are common enemies first appearing in the Lakebed Temple. Initially Link has to bait them into exposing their unprotected rears, but once he gains the Clawshot he can remove their armour plating and attack them freely. Later in the game, large Helmasaurs called Helmasauruses appear and have leathery shells which cannot be removed with the Clawshot. In the Four Swords and Minish Cap Helmasur's have a bird-like appearance and wear a steel faceplate resembling a spike, which can be removed with the Magnetic Glove.

IGN called the Helmasaurs "cute little Pokemon look-a-likes", while describing the Helmasaur King as a "brutish beast".

Keese

Keese are simple bats and bat-like monsters (including simple winged eyeballs) that appear in almost every Zelda game. They often lurk in caves and dungeons, where they will fly around erratically, and occasionally stop to rest. There are fire, ice and electricity variants, which can respectively light Link on fire, encase him in a block of ice or shock him with electricity. There are also larger "Bad Bats" in Majora's Mask, and demonic "Vires" formed from two bats fused together. In The Adventure of Link, there are bat-like enemies called Aches that serve as the bats of the game. There are also stronger, bipedal Achemen. Skyward Sword introduces a dark variant that can curse Link if it strikes him.

Leever

Leevers are cactus-like monsters commonly encountered in sandy areas, such as deserts and beaches. Leevers generally have a conical shape that tapers towards the top, and sharp leaves on top. They hide beneath the sand and when they sense the footsteps of an intruder, burrow to the top to attack by spinning rapidly and slamming their thorn covered bodies into their target.

Like Like

Like Likes are cylindrical monsters similar to gelatinous cubes that can suck in creatures as large as humans and consume items they carry, such as tunics, rupees, bottles and shields, the last of which are considered a delicacy. They are present in nearly every Zelda game. The name "Like Like" is derived from an ancient Hylian proverb, "Shield-eaters and world leaders have many likes alike". If killed quickly enough, they will drop the shield, although in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, it is permanently eaten. Like Likes are yellowish in color and dissolve into a puddle when killed, although sometimes they disappear when killed.

In some Zelda games such as The Minish Cap and A Link Between Worlds, a variant called the Rupee Like appears. It hides underground by using a Rupee attached to its body as bait, then pops out and sucks Rupees from greedy heroes who try to take it.

Like Likes appear in the adventure mode of Super Smash Bros. Melee. They also appear as a trophy in Melee, in which they have the title of "Most Aggravating Enemies Ever", barely beating Wallmasters for the title.

Lizalfos

Lizalfos are humanoid lizards that appear in The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild. Lizalfos in The Adventure of Link wield a shield and either a spear or hammer and possess a similar fighting style to Iron Knuckles, while those in later games are rapid-moving monsters that often attack in pairs or small groups, wielding a range of knives, swords, throwing blades and spears. In Skyward Sword, there are dark versions of Lizalfos that prevent the player from using their sword when they attack the player.

Stronger variants of Lizalfos called Dinalfos, or Dynalfos appear in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. All Lizalfos in Majora's Mask are called Dynalfos, but they are no stronger than regular Lizalfos except that they can uniquely breathe fire.

Lynel

Lynels are centaur-like lion monsters featured in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, A Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild. In most games come equipped with two swords, and attack by rapidly approaching at close range or spitting fire. Lynels in The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages appear in red and blue colours and often dwell in mountainous regions. In A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds , Lynels are unarmed and maintain a distance from Link while attacking with fireballs. Lynels are extremely dangerous in Breath of the Wild, wielding a range of powerful weapons in conjunction with fire breath. They are master archers that can hit the player with indirect shots at any distance.

Miniblin

Miniblins are diminutive goat-like imps that appear in The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. These child-sized creatures appear in great swarms and attack with tiny pitchforks.

Moblin

Moblins (spelled molblins in the original games) are bulky humanoid monsters with a pig or bulldog-like head. Typically armed with spears, Moblins form common burly soldiers in almost every game appearance. They are characterised as "mighty but dumb". They are described as greedy, self-possessed creatures, and the major antagonist commonly uses them as mercenaries or summoned monsters.

In The Legend of Zelda, Moblins appear chiefly in forests in the overworld. Their original name "Molblin" is itself derived from "Forest" (森, Mori) and "Goblin". Moblins throw spears and move around randomly like many enemies in this game. In Ocarina of Time, Moblins appear in a single maze area encountered as an adult. They are massively strong warriors that charge Link down and ram him into ditches, but are also easily defeated with a single hit. A single giant Moblin appears with a mace, and challenges Link to bypass him by smashing the ground and creating tremors. In Link's Awakening and the Oracles games, Moblins appear in archer and warrior versions, with warriors wielding a sword and chasing after Link. Regular Moblins have a bulldog head, while similar Pig Warriors (known in Japan as "Butablin", derived from "Pig" (豕, Buta) and "Goblin") also appear elsewhere in these games.

These two types of monster were combined together in The Wind Waker, in which Moblins appeared with pig heads. Moblins are made hunched but muscular in this game, and serve as patrolling guards and shock troopers. Moblins were originally going to appear in Twilight Princess, but didn't make the final cut. They return in Skyward Sword, with a non-animalian appearance and a vast size increase. They carry large shields: wooden ones are highly resilient, and metal ones outright impervious to sword blows, but both kinds can be climbed over. In Breath of the Wild, Moblins are initially rare but later increasingly common enemies of a superhuman size. They are simple-minded carnivores, but are easily enraged and will fiercely attack with any weapon. They cannot be knocked over by bombs.

Some Moblins are identified as characters in the series, such as the Moblin King (Link's Awakening), the Great Moblin (Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons), Moe (The Wind Waker), and the Monster Lady (The Minish Cap). Moblins are related to a large family of other enemies created in later games, all ending with the suffix -blin. These include Bokoblins, Miniblins, Bulblins and Bigblins.

IGN called Moblins "some of the most iconic and creative looking enemies in the series".

Moldorm

A centipede-like monster, found as a common enemy in many Zelda games. The normal-sized Moldorms (usually called Mini-Moldorms) mainly appear in caves, crawling in a non-linear pattern which makes them hard to strike. Giant Moldorms also appear in some dungeons and bear thick armor that protects them from damage, though the tips of their tails are vulnerable.

IGN called them rude, citing their "unpredictable, kamikaze style of attack".

Octorok

Octoroks are amphibious octopus-like creatures that have appeared in every Zelda game except Twilight Princess. They attack by shooting rocks from their mouth, which can be blocked or bounced back with Link's shield. In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, they are aquatic and attack similarly to River Zoras from other games. Octoroks appeared in the adventure mode of Super Smash Bros. Melee. In the Adventure of Link, they attack the same way the Snifits do in the NES game Super Mario Bros 2.

Larger Sea Octoroks appear in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, which have a boney carapce and spew bombs at Link and the King of Red Lions. Another version of Octorok appears in Spirit Tracks that shoots ink instead. There is also a more benign Octorok in A Link Between Worlds who plays a mini game with Link.

Peahat

Peahats are plant-like enemies that hover using their petals. They have appeared in both 2D and 3D Zelda games. They are described in the manual of The Legend of Zelda as the "ghosts of flowers". In Twilight Princess, they are not enemies but actually help Link, especially in the boss battle against Twilit Dragon Argorok, in the City in the Sky. They are basically objects that Link can grapple onto with a Clawshot. They have the same role in Skyward Sword, where Link is able to use the whip to pull them out of the ground. In Wind Waker there appeared a large, seafaring version of this enemy called Sea Hats.

Poe and Ghini

Poes are ghost enemies, omens of concentrated hatred toward the world that freely roam graveyards and other haunted locales, as well as the overworld and dark places. They always carry their signature lanterns. A similar ghost enemy called Ghini (recognized by their single eye and long tongues) is also known to appear in the 2D games, such as The Legend of Zelda and Link's Awakening.

In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, defeated Poes can be captured in a bottle and traded for Rupees and other benefits. It is revealed in The Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventures that Poes are ruled by Jalhalla, a Poe embodied by a skull-like mask.

In Twilight Princess, Poes are creatures that appear in certain dungeons, caves, and other areas of Hyrule at night. They appear in two varieties: the small, scythe-wielding Imp Poes and the larger, cloaked, standard Poes. About midway through the game, Link meets Jovani, a man who is cursed by Poe Souls, and, by killing Poes, Link can get rewards from him -their role in Twilight Princess being similar to the Gold Skulltulas from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. They are also invisible to Link unless he uses his wolf form's 'sense' ability, but can still be noticed by a lamp they each carry.

IGN commented that as they are "Becoming more and more frightening with every game, it is exciting to imagine how these characters will look in future Zelda games." Game Informer editor Tim Turi listed Poes among the top 10 ghosts, and suggested that the fact Poes become invisible while targeted in Ocarina of Time is a homage to Boos from the Mario series.

Pols Voice

Pols Voice is a breed of rabbit-like monster, described in the manual of The Legend of Zelda as "a ghost with big ears", that appear in many 2D games of The Legend of Zelda series. They hop around rooms in an erratic pattern.

A passage in the manual for The Legend of Zelda states that Pols Voices hate loud noises, referring to a feature only present in the Japanese version of the game which involved the microphone built into the Famicom controller. As such, it was replaced with different weaknesses in other versions of the game, namely shooting an arrow will defeat it instantly. This feature was brought back when the monster appeared in Phantom Hourglass, and is referenced in its appearances in the Game Boy Color games by being vulnerable to the use of musical instruments.

HORSE the band, which often references Nintendo in their songs, has written a song titled "Pol's Voice" (2003) which features a fight against a Pols Voice.

Rats

Rats are enemies in the Zelda series that lurk in dark places such as tombs and sewers. Rats first appeared in A Link To The Past below Hyrule Castle and have appeared in Link's Awakening, but could not be interacted with, In The Wind Waker, Rats appear to be a lot more intelligent than in other Zelda games, trying to steal Link's Rupees when attacked and sending Link to the beginning of a maze if he takes a wrong turn. Some can also sell Link items like bombs, Hyoi Pears, red Potions, Blue Potions, and All-Purpose Bait when tempted with All-Purpose Bait.

In Four Swords: Adventures, Link will drop Force Gems if hit by a rat. In Twilight Princess, Rats will appear to be gnawing on skulls and when provoked, attack Link in the twilight. Some Rats will also transform into Twilit Vermin, and appear in Arbiter's Grounds as ghosts, latching onto Link and slowing him down as if he were wearing Iron Boots. In Phantom Hourglass, Rats carry small keys in dungeons and will elude Link by running in and out of holes that must be blocked off. In Spirit Tracks, Rats will scare Princess Zelda and must be defeated to progress.

Razor Trap

Razor Traps are indestructible metallic devices armed with spikes. They have appeared in every Zelda game except The Adventure of Link. Some sense intruders and fly towards them, while others move in a set pattern. In The Wind Waker, Razor Traps are simply called "Traps". In Twilight Princess, Razor Traps are confined to tracks.

ReDead

ReDeads are undead creatures similar to Gibdos. They paralyze Link by screaming, and then slowly move towards him to attack, usually while clinging on to him. ReDeads first appeared in Ocarina of Time and later in Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker. They are the basis of one of the masks in Ocarina of Time, and in Majora's Mask it is revealed that they used to be court dancers. They also appear in the adventure mode of Super Smash Bros. Melee. In Majora's Mask, by burning the bandages of Gibdos they are revealed to be ReDeads underneath. A similar enemy called the ReDead Knight appears in Twilight Princess, and uses a large sword to attack Link after screaming to paralyze him.

Rope

Ropes are a species of snake that appear in several Zelda games. In The Legend of Zelda, they appear in several Underworld dungeons. Their attacking style was to charge at Link at full speed whenever he got within their line of sight. Ropes came in two breeds: the regular who dies on one strike of the sword and a tougher, flickering one that appears in the second quest. It generally does not take much effort to kill a Rope.

Skulltula

Skulltulas are giant spiders with a white, bony, carapace in the shape of a human skull on their back. This skull-like shell protects the Skulltula from frontal attack as it hangs from ceilings suspended by a strand of silk. Skulltulas prefer to live in dark locations such as forests, caves, dungeons and old buildings but at night they may come out of hiding and appear on the overworld as well. Skulltulas appear in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Skyward Sword.

A relative of the Skulltula, the Skullwalltula is smaller and is usually found on scalable walls. They make a constant scratching sound as they rotate. Skullwalltulas appear in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. Gold Skulltulas resemble Skullwalltulas and are roughly the same size, but with a metallic gold faceplate. They produce a distinctive rasping sound, different from other Skulltulas, that can be used to locate them. In Ocarina of Time, Gold Skulltulas become tokens which can be exchanged for prizes at the Skulltula house. In Spirit Tracks, a new type of Skulltula is found, i.e., Big Skulltula. These Skulltulas are larger than normal ones and have an orange-colored abdomen.

Stalfos

Stalfos are animated skeletons mostly from the remains of dead warriors who still have a strong will to fight, and serve evil powers such as Ganon or Vaati, though there are beasts such as Stalhounds and Stallord (which appeared in Twilight Princess as a boss, "Twilit Fossil Stallord"). According to a Kokiri in Ocarina of Time, all Hylians who become lost in the Lost Woods become Stalfos.

The standard Stalfos appear in all games excluding Majora's Mask and Breath of the Wild, and attack by shooting arrows, jumping on Link, or throwing their own bones at him. Stalfos Knights appear in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. They carry armor, swords, and a shield. Shrouded Stalfos appear in Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons. They use swords, shields, and bows to attack Link. Stalchilds appear in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. They are child-sized, and attack by swiping at Link. In Majora's Mask, they are led by the giant Skull Keeta, and his master Igos du Ikana. Similar enemies named Stalkin appear in Twilight Princess, wielding small spears.

In Skyward Sword, a Stalfos is found in the Skyview Temple; it must be defeated in order to obtain the Beetle. They fight by wielding 2 swords. A similar enemy that wields 4 swords, Stalmaster, is an elite member of the Stalfos, where can be found in the Ancient Cistern and Sky Keep. IGN cited Stalfos as an example of "spooky and frightening enemies".

Tektite

A Tektite is a human-sized four-legged insectoid creature that appears in many Zelda games. The Tektite attempts to use its powerful legs to leap upon and attack its prey. In some Zelda games, the Tektite is able to use its limbs to counterbalance itself upon water. In The Adventure Of Link Tektites shoot fire balls and are invulnerable to Link's sword, though Link can damage them by using the Fire spell to launch his own fireballs at them. There are two different colorations for Tektites; red and blue, each with subtle differences, but blue usually being stronger.

Wallmaster and Floormaster

Wallmasters are ghostly or zombified manifestations of giant hands. In The Legend of Zelda, Wallmasters emerge from the walls of certain rooms to grab Link, while the Wallmasters in A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask hide on the ceiling and attempt to drop onto Link when he enters the area. Should they grab Link, they will drag him back to the entrance of the dungeon. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages uses both variations of Wallmaster, respectively colored red and blue to signify their attack strategy.

Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask also introduces a new variation of the creature: the Floormasters. In these games, Floormasters do not send Link to the dungeon entrance: instead, they simply charge at Link, becoming invulnerable during the charge, and split in three once Link has hit them enough times. Each of these smaller Floormasters can be destroyed with only one sword hit each, but the player will need to be quick and kill them all before the full size one appears again. A general rule that applies to Floormasters is that they are usually visible, though there is an invisible Floormaster in Ocarina of Time's Spirit Temple.

In Twilight Princess a similar enemy, known as Zant's Hand, is found in the Palace of Twilight. Another variant of Wallmasters exist in Spirit Tracks called Keymasters, large purple hands with an eye where their palm is. When Link finds a Boss Key, a large amount of Keymasters will appear and attempt to steal the key, forcing Link to be stealthy.

The Wallmasters of A Link Between Worlds behave in a similar manner to the ones in A Link to the Past but their presence is required to solve some puzzles. There is also a boss version of the creature.

The Wallmaster was ranked the 10th most terrifying video game enemy of all time by Cracked, due to their ability to effectively erase most of the players' progress through the dungeon.

Wizzrobe

Wizzrobes are magic-using enemies. They attack Link with different magical attacks, including ice and fire, and can sometimes suck Link's Rupees out of his wallet. In The Wind Waker, they resemble robed, anthropomorphic toucans, and are able to summon other monsters to fight for them, although only the Mighty Wizzrobe can summon stronger creatures.

Wizzrobes appear in Phantom Hourglass, but use no magical attacks, instead wielding a scythe that steals 15 seconds of Link's "sand of hours". If they are defeated, however, they relinquish a 30-second item of sand of hours which is not permanent. In Hyrule Warriors, a unique character based on the Wizzrobes called Wizzro appears as a recurring enemy general under the command of the sorceress Cia.

Wolfos

A Wolfos is a large, demonic wolf that made its debut in the Ocarina of Time, but went on to make several other appearances. Sometimes portrayed as anthropomorphic, they are generally difficult enemies. The best method to destroy it is to repeatedly use the shield until it drops its guard.

The White Wolfos is a snowy variant of the traditional Wolfos that makes a more recent appearance in Twilight Princess, where they appear more like a traditional Arctic wolf.

Zora

Zoras (sometimes identified as River Zoras) are fish-like humanoids that appear in the earlier 2D Zelda games. They attack by spitting beams or fireballs at Link and may submerge under water. In A Link to the Past, Zoras are portrayed as amphibious rather than fully aquatic and will leap out of the water to chase Link when he enters their domain in northeastern Hyrule. A giant Zora also lives in their region, who does not fight Link but instead sells him a pair of flippers for a steep 500 Rupees.

In Ocarina of Time, the Zoras were redesigned into a race of peaceful fish people, which they have been portrayed as in all Zelda games since. To differentiate between the two species, the violent Zoras are known as River Zoras in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, and it is mentioned in Ages that the peaceful Ocean Zoras despise their "vulgar" counterparts.

In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Zoras reappeared with a sword and shield, though they still had their ability to shoot fireballs. The player can use the boomerang to stun them for a brief amount of time. River Zoras also appear in A Link Between Worlds. In this game, they are ruled over by their queen, Oren. While Oren is peaceful, she is exasperated by how her fellow Zora continue to attack humans despite her efforts to get them to stop.

IGN called them "an iconic part of the Zelda franchise", stating the "enemy [they] hated more than all others was the River Zora". They also commented on how much they have changed over the years, calling it "remarkable".

See also

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• The Legend of Zelda series
• Characters in The Legend of Zelda series

References

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