Recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda series

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.

Armos
Armos are living statue enemies. 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 statues or suits of armor, but attack when approached. Some Armos statues do not attack and can be moved like blocks. There is another variety of Armos known as Armos Knights, which first appeared in A Link to the Past. which are larger and stronger than standard Armos. In Twilight Princess, they are hammer-wielding statues that can only be harmed from behind. There were also enemies called Titan Armos that were supposed to appear in the game but were cut in the final release. There was also a hovering variety of Armos in Majoras Mask which attacked by suddeny dropping to the floor. This particular type could be turned upside down using light arrows - similar to the effect light arrows had on Stone Tower where the armos dwell- which could cause them to damage their vulnerable top end with the proper timing.

Bats (a.k.a Keese)
Bats 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 and ice variants, which can respectively light Link on fire or encase him in a block of ice. There are also larger "Bad Bats" in Majora's Mask, and demonic "Vires" formed from two bats fused together.

IGN stated that they are really just bats, and commented on the different types encountered throughout the series. Another editor stated that "Although you might not recognize the name, you probably know this enemy better than any other in the series".

Beamos
Beamos are one of the more common enemies 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, and Twilight Princess, 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. In Ocarina of Time, Beamos can fire both a beam that knocks Link back and a beam that inflicts damage. Beamos in Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask are strange biological creatures which fire a laser out of the pupil opposed to those in Twilight Princess which are monolithic constructs which project a fiery beam from a vertical slot below the "eye".In addition, the organic beamos in Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask explode once defeated, while those in Twilight Princess merely become inactive stone pillars.

Beetle
Spiked Beetles have sword-repellent spiked carapaces on their top side to protect their vulnerable undersides. They appear in most handheld Zelda games.

Hardhat Beetles have elastic carapaces covering their body that they use to knock Link away.

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 are larger Biri that appear in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. In Ocarina of Time, it behaves similarly to the Biri.

Bubble
Bubbles (also known as Anti-Fairies or Wisps) are flaming skull enemies. If one touches Link, it will usually curse him by rendering him unable to use his sword for a certain amount of time. They can come in different colorations, with slight differences. In Twilight Princess, they come in 3 different forms, being ice, fire and normal. They resemble skulls while on the ground, and sprout wings when approached.

Buzz Blob
Buzz Blobs first appear in A Link to the Past, and have an appearance similar to a cactus. They electrify anyone who comes too close to them with a piece of steel, but wander around without a motive. 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.

Chilfos
Chilfos appear in Twilight Princess in Snowpeak Ruins. They appear as thin, icy, and imposing foes who throw dangerous but breakable ice spears. They can be defeated by excessive slashing, bomb arrows, or, most easily, by a ball and chain.

ChuChu
ChuChus (or Chus, in Twilight Princess) are creatures similar to Buzz Blobs that appear in Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks. In Majora's Mask, they appeared as slug-like creatures with squat, translucent bodies, stalk-eyes, and a permanently smiling mouth, while in The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, and Phantom Hourglass, their design was merged with that of the Buzz Blob, and they had upright, opaque bodies and vibrantly colored faces. In The Minish Cap two "giant" ChuChus(Link fights them while shrunk) appear as bosses (A green one as the first boss of that game and a blue one as a mini-boss later on). In Twilight Princess, their design was again changed. They no longer have faces, instead possessing larger, translucent, slug-like bodies, and can combine to form larger Chus.

They usually drop items upon their defeat, primarily Chu Jelly, which can be used as a restorative. They aggressively attack anything that invades their territory by tackling it, but will hide in puddles on the ground if no one is close. They mostly move by bouncing around, though some move around in their puddle forms until they can get close to an enemy. They also come in a wide variety of colors and types - Green ChuChus can move around as ooze, Gray ChuChus (also known as Spiny ChuChus) can project spikes, Dark ChuChus turn to stone when exposed to light but are otherwise impervious, and Yellow and Blue ChuChus are electrified. In Twilight Princess, there are Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Gold, and Green Chus. When two or more different-colored Chus combine, they become a Purple Chu, with the exception of a Blue-Yellow mix, which produces a green Chu.

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. Unlike Iron Knuckles, Darknuts sometimes wear capes and tend to be only vulnerable from the back. In The Legend of Zelda, Darknuts are heavily armored soldiers that usually appear in large groups. They are not very aggressive, but difficult to attack due to their armor and erratic movement. They can only be defeated by the sword, and usually take multiple hits to defeat. They can appear in blue and yellow; the blue ones take twice as many hits to defeat. In The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Darknuts are defeated by first removing all of their armor then counterattacking them while they attack in a fighting style loosely based on fencing.

Iron Knuckles are animated suits of armor that appear in The 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 axe-wielding juggernauts. 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 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 Skyward Sword shown during E3 2010. These Deku Babas' mouthes split either vertically or horizontally and the player can only defeat them by slicing their sword in the same direction.

Dodongo
Dodongos are carnivorous dinosaurs 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. 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 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 infant, worm-like creatures which explode when attacked, and Big Dodongos, which are larger versions of normal Dodongos.

IGN called it an "awesome lizard dude" and a "deadly, fire-breathing creature", commenting on how awesome the boss fight was.

Floormaster/Wallmaster
Floormasters and Wallmasters are ghostly or zombified manifestations of giant hands that drag Link back to the entrance of the dungeon. Floormasters roam around the room and are visible at all times, while Wallmasters hide on the ceiling, out of sight, and attempt to drop onto Link when he enters the area. Floormasters are usually shaded blue, while Wallmasters are red.

In Twilight Princess a similar enemy, known as a Zant's Hand, is found in the Palace of Twilight.

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.

Gel
Gels are simple Hershey kiss-like 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.

Goriya
Goriyas are armored humanoid creatures which appear in caves or dungeons and throw boomerangs at you.

Helmasaur
Helmasaurs are small, dinosaur-like enemies found in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, The Minish Cap, and Twilight Princess. They wear armor, which either must be removed or destroyed to attack it. Their name is Hiploop in the Japanese version. An insect-like monster called Hiploop appears in Majora's Mask. The insect Hiploop wear 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 the Twilight Princess large Helmasaurs called Helmasauruses appear. They have leathery shells which can be removed with the Clawshot.

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

Leever
Leevers are cactus-like monsters that have appeared in almost every Zelda game, excluding only The Wind Waker. They primarily live in sandy areas, such as deserts and beaches, and they live beneath the sand, burrowing to the top to attack in ambush. Leevers generally have a conical shape that tapers towards the top, and sharp leaves on top. They attack by spinning rapidly and slamming into whatever they're attacking.

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, bottles and shields, the latter 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.

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.

Lizard Man
Lizard Men are humanoid lizards that appear in The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Lizard Men in The Adventure of Link stand upright and wield a shield and either a spear or hammer. Lizard Men in later games are rapid-moving monsters that often attack in pairs or small groups. A monster called the Dinalfos is very similar to the Lizard Men, but is larger and tougher. Some Dinalfos can also breathe fire.

Lynel
Lynels are centaur-like monsters that hold a sword and shield who appear in red and blue. They shoot sword beams at Link that can only be blocked by the Magical Shield.

Moblin
Moblins (spelled molblins in the original games) are humanoid, bulldog-like monsters that usually reside in forests; their name is derived from "Forest" (森) and "Goblin". They are sometimes accompanied by Pig Warriors (known in Japan as "Butablin", derived from "Pig" (豕) and "Goblin"), monsters with the same basic form but more porcine characteristics. These two types of monster were separate up until Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, in which Pig Warriors were eliminated and Moblins were given their porcine characteristics. Moblin/Pig Warriors commonly wield spears, swords, or bows. They are one of the most common enemies in the games they appear, and are considered "mighty", but also "dumb". They are described as greedy, self-possessed creatures, and the major antagonist commonly uses them as mercenaries or summoned monsters. Moblins were originally going to appear in Twilight Princess, but didn't make the final cut.

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). Miniblins appear in The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. They resemble miniature Moblins, attack with tiny pitchforks, and often appear in unending swarms. Bokoblins are a common enemy in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. They are smaller than Moblins, at about the same height as a human, but have a larger, snout-like head. In the Wind Waker they are often found at sea in hideouts and are usually purple or green. In the Twilight Princess, Bokoblins are two main types, red and blue, red being the more dangerous. Bulblins are a common enemy in Twilight Princess. They are roughly the same as Bokoblins, but smaller and with a squashed face. They seem very militant, as they patrol several encampments across Hyrule, and are often seen riding large brown boars named Bullbos. Their king, King Bulblin, is a recurring boss in the game, and rides the blue Lord Bullbo.

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

Mini-Moldorm
A miniature form of Moldorm, a centipede-like monster, found as a common enemy in many Zelda games. They appear mainly in caves, crawling in a non-linear pattern.

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

Mummy (a.k.a Gibdo)
These 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, and The Minish Cap. Their mummy wrappings are flammable, and sometimes can be burned away to reveal a Stalfos skeleton or ReDead underneath.

Octorok
Octoroks are land-dwelling, octopus-like enemies that appear in every game except Twilight Princess. They attack by shooting rocks from their mouth, which can be blocked 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.

There is also a subspecies known as the Sea Octorok that appears in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. It has a different design, with a bony carapace, and dwells solely in the sea. They shoot bombs rather than rocks.

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. In Wind Waker there appeared a large, sea-faring version of this enemy called Sea Hats.

Poe
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. 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 whom 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 scent 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."

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.

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.

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.

Snake
These 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. Snakes came in two breeds: the regular which dies on one strike of the sword and a tougher, flickering one that appears in the second quest. It takes make hits to kill it.

Skulltula
Skulltulas are giant spiders, named for the white, bony plate in the shape of a human skull that forms its carapace. Skulltulas and giant Skulltulas hang upside down in an upright position, suspended by a strand of silk thread from a ceiling surface. Skulltulas appear in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

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 and Twilight Princess. 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 a larger than normal ones and have a 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 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.

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 counter-balance itself upon water. There are two different colorations for Tektites; red and blue, each with subtle differences, but blue usually being stronger.

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 and instead 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.

Zora
Zoras, also known 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 amphibious rather than fully aquatic. By A Link to the Past, the Zora had a king who was relatively benign, selling Link the flippers he needed to complete his mission, though his underlings were still aggressive and dangerous.

In Ocarina of Time, they acted as allies rather than enemies. 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".