Bosses in The Legend of Zelda series
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This article lists more than 150 types of fictional enemy creatures encountered as bosses or sub-bosses in The Legend of Zelda series of video games, where the player battles them as the main protagonist Link. They are usually subordinates to the main boss of each specific game, though there are sometimes exceptions (i.e. Gohdan).
| Contents | Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
Aerolfos
Agahnim
Angler Fish
The Angler Fish is a boss that guards the Surf Harp in Link's Awakening. True to its name, it resembles a large blue anglerfish.
In Oracle of Ages, a smaller Angler Fish appears as a sub-boss inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly. This version has the ability to hop onto dry land and inflate itself like a pufferfish.
Aquamentus
Aquamentus is the boss of the Eagle, Demon, and E dungeons in The Legend of Zelda and the Gnarled Root Dungeon in Oracle of Seasons. It is a green dragon that attacks Link by spitting three fireballs at once, and its only vulnerability is its horn.
After it is defeated in The Legend of Zelda, Link obtains a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom, and in Oracle of Seasons, Link receives the Fertile Soil, the first Essence of Nature.
Aquamentus also appears as a recurring boss in all four stages of the non-canon Zelda wristwatch game by Nelsonic.
In the Zelda TV series, Aquamentus is a servant of Ganon, and resembles the mythological Hippocampus.
Argorok
Twilit Dragon: Argorok (Nordobrear in the Japanese version) is a massive red dragon clad in black armor in Twilight Princess, with the ability to breathe massive jets of flame. It terrorizes the Oocca in the City in the Sky, and is also that dungeon's boss. Argorok attempts to impede Link's progress through the city by shattering some of the bridges, which forces him to seek alternate routes, and is later faced on the top of the city. It attacks by dive-bombing Link and attempting to catch him in its fiery breath, but with the help of a number of Peahats, its weakness (a jewel embedded in its back) can be found and exploited. After Argorok's defeat, its body dissolves, leaving behind the fourth and final shard of the Mirror of Twilight.
Armogohma
Twilit Arachnid: Armogohma (Shelled Gohma in the Japanese version) is the boss of the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess. At first, Armogohma appears as a giant armored spider that crawls across the ceiling and is equipped with a large, beam-shooting eye on its back. After this form crumbles, the normal victory music cuts short and a distorted version of the boss music begins playing. The spider's true form is revealed as the eye, a smaller spider that quickly surrounds itself with Baby Gohmas. After Link vanquishes the creature in this form, it releases a Heart Container and dissolves to reveal the third shard of the Mirror of Twilight.
Armos Knight
Armos Warrior
Arrghus
Arrghus was a boss enemy that controlled the Swamp Palace of A Link to the Past. It is a large red octopus/jellyfish-like creature with a single large eye, surrounded by small blobs. Defeating Arrghus allows Link to rescue the second Maiden.
In the Game Boy Advance re-release of A Link to the Past, Arrghus makes a second appearance, surrounded by Biri, as a sub-boss in the Palace of Four Swords bonus dungeon.
B
Ball and Chain Soldier
Ball and Chain Soldiers are often depicted as cursed knights that will attack Link with a large ball and chain, spinning it around in circles above their heads. Some have the ability to create a ring of fire by swinging their ball and chain. This enemy's first appearance is in A Link to the Past, where it is first encountered guarding the key to Princess Zelda's prison cell in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle.
Ball and Chain Soldiers also appear as bosses in Link's Awakening and Four Swords Adventures, and as enemies in The Minish Cap, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.
Barinade
Bio-Electric Anemone: Barinade is a large, electrically charged sea anemone, and the boss of the dungeon Inside Jabu Jabu's Belly in Ocarina of Time. It appears to have a symbiotic relationship with several Bari, which form a shell of sorts around Barinade. Barinade is capable of firing beams of electricity from dish-like appendages. Barinade was placed by Ganondorf in Jabu-Jabu's belly — in like parasitic fashion to that of Queen Gohma's placement inside the Great Deku Tree—in his efforts to obtain the sacred jewel of the Zoras, the Zora's Sapphire.
Bellum
Bellum, Evil Phantom is a plant monster that absorbs life force and serves as the main antagonist of Phantom Hourglass. It is sealed away at the bottom of the Ocean King's Temple. It can only be defeated with the Phantom Sword. It has the ability to possess entities and drain the life force from them. It possesses Linebeck and turns him into a Darknut, which Link must defeat.
Big Dark Stalfos
Big Dodongo
- See: Dodongo
Big Octo
Big Octorok
Big Poe
This name is shared by more than one boss or sub-boss within the The Legend of Zelda series that are not directly related.
- See: Jalhalla
Blaaz
Blaaz, Master of Fire is the boss of the Fire Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. He is a flame sorcerer that is the cause of the volcano erupting. He attacks by forming fireballs, teleporting around, and creating rains of fireballs. When he splits into three mini-versions of himself, Link must use the Boomerang to pull the three back together at once. Defeating him earns Link the companionship of Leaf, the Spirit of Power.
Black Knight
Blaino
Blaino is a boxing penguin-like creature that appears inside Turtle Rock in Link's Awakening as a sub-boss. It has the ability to deliver an uppercut so powerful as to knock Link back to the dungeon entrance.
Blaino also appears in Oracle of Seasons, but as a sparring partner rather than an enemy.
Blind
Blind is the boss of Gargoyle's Lair (also known as Thieves' Town in the Game Boy Advance re-release) in A Link to the Past. He first appears as a maiden locked in a jail cell, until Link tricks him into walking into bright light in the boss chamber, revealing his true form — a large red demon with a white robe and a madly grinning face. His head is detachable and replaceable. His defeat allows Link to rescue the fourth Maiden.
In the Game Boy Advance re-release of A Link to the Past, Blind makes a second appearance as a sub-boss in the Palace of Four Swords bonus dungeon. This time he will temporarily disguise himself as Link's Uncle before the battle. During the battle Blind can grow more heads than before. These heads can be deflected into his body for damage.
Blizzeta
Twilit Ice Mass: Blizzeta (Freezernya in the Japanese version) is the boss of Snowpeak Ruins in Twilight Princess. She is actually the yeti Yeta, possessed by a shard of the Mirror of Twilight. As Blizzeta, she appears as her Yeta form encased in a giant crystalline block of ice. After the battle, her husband Yeto appears, knocks Link out of the way, and romantically embraces Yeta, humorously creating a shower of many small Recovery Hearts and a Heart Container.
Blue Stalfos
Bongo Bongo
Phantom Shadow Beast: Bongo Bongo is the boss of the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time. Though invisible to the naked eye, the Lens of Truth allows Link to see that it is, in fact, a giant monocular beast whose red eye is centered between two giant disembodied hands. It fights Link on a giant drum, which may be the basis for its name. Bongo Bongo was originally sealed in the bottom of Kakariko Village's well, but it breaks out and slams Link and Sheik to the ground, knocking Link unconscious. In this first encounter, it appears as a dark, roaming cloud of static electricity (a thick red substance, possibly blood, in the GameCube version), and after initial contact with Link and Sheik, it makes its way deep into the Shadow Temple.
C
Calamareye
Calamareye are the sub-boss found in Oracle of Seasons Poison Moth's Lair. Calamareye is actually a trio of squids. Before Link can injure them with his sword he has to first pick them up and then toss them out from their submerged pits to expose their soft bodies.
Carock
Carock is the guardian of the crystal statue in the Maze Palace in The Adventure of Link. He is essentially a large Wizzrobe, and attacks Link with magical blasts.
Chief Soldier
Chief Soldier is a large armored knight responsible for commanding massive battalions of normal cursed soldiers in Four Swords Adventures. At first, his army bursts into the arena, swarming the party, but eventually the Chief Soldier appears and attacks by lunging at the party with his sword. The Chief Soldier is only vulnerable on his front and sides, and frequently turns to keep the party away from them.
Crayk
Crayk, Bane of Courage (Leyard in the original Japanese version) is a gigantic lobster-like monster that appears as the boss of the Temple of Courage in Phantom Hourglass. During the first part of the battle, it emits gas from its large pink shell to become invisible, and can only be made visible by hitting it in the eyes with Link's bow (by watching its first person view on the top screen). After its shell breaks it remains visible and attacks with its claws and mini-crabs. Defeating it frees Ciela's clone, revealing her true identity as the Spirit of Courage.
Cubus Sisters
Diabolical Cubus Sisters are the boss of the Ghost Ship in Phantom Hourglass. After reuniting the four Cubus daughters, the four Sisters reveal their true forms and turn into four hideous flying ghosts.
Cyclok
Cyclok, Stirrer of Winds is the guardian of the Wind Temple in Phantom Hourglass. He resembles a large white and blue Octorok that rides on a tornado, well above the battlefield. The creature has the ability to control the wind, and frequently sends tornadoes after Link. Links defeats it by tossing bombs into the tornadoes on the ground, which catapults them into the air, blasting Cyclok and causing him to fall to ground level, where he is vulnerable to Link's sword, similar in manner to Vaati from Four Swords Adventures. Defeating him frees Neri, the Spirit of Wisdom.
D
Dangoro
Dangoro is a large Goron encountered within Goron Mines in Twilight Princess. Dangoro is the designated guardian of the Hero's Bow, and attacks Link when it appears Link is trying to steal it. He wears a helmet and a small amount of armor. After his defeat, Dangoro realizes that Link is not a thief, and grants him entrance to the Hero's Bow. After Link completes the dungeon, Dangoro disappears and is never heard from again.
Dark Link
Dark Nut
Darkhammer
Darkhammer appears as a sub-boss in the Snowpeak Ruins of Twilight Princess. It wears a large suit of armor that completely covers its head and torso, but its reptilian tail and legs are also visible. Because the armor that Darkhammer wears is the same as the other suits of armor in the area, Link does not suspect anything until it attacks with the Ball and Chain. Once it is defeated, Link can obtain its dropped weapon.
Dead Hand
The Dead Hand is a monster that appears in Ocarina of Time. Link encounters it once in the Bottom of the Well in Kakariko Village to acquire the Lens of Truth and twice in the Shadow Temple. It consists of four to six long arms protruding from the ground and an apparent main body that emerges from underground if one of the arms catches prey. Its arms and body are white with blue and red markings and are frail and corpse-like. It seems to have the ability to unhinge its jaw like a snake and will bite Link in a manner similar to that of ReDeads. It seems to have vestigial or severed arms on its main body and no legs, and it is possible that the rest of its body somehow connects it to its arms underground. Its arms are also capable of regenerating if destroyed.
In the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time, there is an additional Dead Hand in the Shadow Temple that requires the Lens of Truth to see.
Death Mountain Guardian
The Death Mountain Guardian is the boss of the Death Mountain level in Four Swords. It is a flaming ball of fire that shoots large, colored fireballs. To defeat the Guardian, each Link must deflect with his sword the fireballs that are the same color as their tunics back at it. The Guardian will then split into small pillars of fire that can be damaged by all the Links' swords.
Death Sword
Death Sword is the sub-boss of the Arbiter's Grounds in Twilight Princess. It is an evil fairy sword wielded by a demonic, robed figure with a goat-like skull. It is invisible to normal human perception, but when Link is in his wolf form, he can use the "Sense" ability to see it. At first it is bound to the floor by talisman-adorned ropes, but when one of these are cut, Death Sword begins to attack. Defeating Death Sword allows Link to obtain the Spinner.
Deep Pythons
Deep Pythons are large eel-like sea snakes that inhabit the deepest depths of Pinnacle Rock in Majora's Mask. Only the electrical shock or dual boomerang fins of a Zora can penetrate their skins. They guard the Zora eggs that the Gerudo pirates could not obtain and a captured legendary Sea Horse.
Deku Toad
Deku Toad is a large toad that serves as the sub-boss of the Lakebed Temple in Twilight Princess, and is "too disgusting" to describe, according to Midna. It attacks by tackling Link or by shaking off the eggs on its back, causing them to hatch into Toados. When it dies, it vomits out the chest containing the Clawshot.
Dethl
Dethl is the true form of the Nightmares responsible for trapping Link on Koholint Island and corrupting the island itself. Dethl appears only in Link's Awakening, but does not reveal its true form until Link has defeated it in the guises of Giant Gel, Lanmola, Moldorm, Agahnim and Ganon. Once Link has destroyed it, the Wind Fish awakes and Link can escape Koholint Island.
Diababa
Twilit Parasite: Diababa (Babarant in the Japanese version) is found in the Forest Temple in Twilight Princess. This creature resembles an extremely large Deku Baba plant with three heads, two of which resemble the average Deku Baba encountered within the game.
Digdogger
Digdogger first appeared as a sea urchin boss in The Legend of Zelda, where its weakness is the music of the recorder. Upon hearing that sound, it splits into either one or three smaller Digdoggers which can then be killed with the sword.
In Oracle of Seasons, Digdogger returns as the boss of the Unicorn's Cave. Link uses the Magnetic Gloves to attack Digdogger with a spiked metal ball. After a few hits it splits into smaller Digdoggers that can be defeated in the same manner.
Dinofols
Dinofols appear as sub-bosses in the Woodfall Temple in Majora's Mask. They are reminiscent of Ocarina of Time's Lizalfos, but are more dinosaur-like instead of lizard-like, and are more heavily armored. They also carry longer knives and can breathe fire. While generally tougher than a Lizalfos, they still cannot block Link's attacks, and therefore don't pose much of a threat.
Link can later fight a pair of Dinofols in the Secret Shrine.
The same creature first appeared as a rare enemy in Ocarina of Time, where it is named "Dinolfos", and is somewhat stronger. It is differently armed and cannot breathe fire. According to the NOA website for the series, the correct name is Dinalfos.
Dodongo
Dodongos are a race of normally four-legged Archosauromorphic creatures that appear in The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Four Swords Adventures, and Twilight Princess. They often serve as sub-bosses, and usually require the player to feed them bombs to defeat them[1], though they can sometimes be defeated by using conventional attacks on their tail, which they vigorously guard. They are also known to explode when defeated, and can sometimes be used in place of bombs.
Dodongos are usually found in mountainous or lava-filled areas[2], and can grow to be very large, attaining a size similar to that of the Goron race.[3] Dodongos are apparently hunted by Gorons, as many Dodongo skins are found inside the Elders' rooms in the Goron Mines in Twilight Princess. Bomb Bags are sometimes made from Dodongo stomachs.
Dodongos sometimes differ greatly from their most common form — in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, all Dodongos except King Dodongo only have two legs, in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Dimitri is an amphibious Dodongo that helps Link, and in Twilight Princess, Dodongos resemble alligator-sized geckos. The series also includes Dodongos in different stages of their growth, as well as a few related species.
- Baby Dodongos, minor enemies in Ocarina of Time, are small, legless Dodongos that burrow into and out of the ground, wriggling towards their prey to attack. If struck, they jump around spastically and ultimately explode.
- Infernal Dinosaur: King Dodongo, the boss of Dodongo's Cavern in Ocarina of Time, is the giant king of all Dodongos. It resides in a chamber dominated by a lava pit, but it is unable to survive in the lava. Its scales act as heavy armor, so Link can only damage it by forcing it to ingest bombs. It attacks by spitting fire and by attempting to roll over Link. King Dodongo was placed in the Dodongo's Cavern by Ganondorf in order to intimidate the Gorons into surrendering the Goron's Ruby, but Link foils his plans and slays the overgrown Dodongo.
- Big Dodongo, the boss of the Realm of the Heavens in Four Swords Adventures, is nearly identical to normal Dodongos, except it is twice as large and requires larger bombs to be defeated.
- Dodongo Snakes, sub-bosses in Link's Awakening, are large black snakes that crawl around the room. Like most Dodongos, they are vulnerable to ingested bombs.
Dodongo Snakes
- See: Dodongo
Dongorongo
Dongorongo, Armored Lizard is a large fire-breathing Dodongo in Phantom Hourglass who serves as the boss of the Goron temple. In his first encounter with Dongorongo, Link must work together with Gongoron to beat the creature with Bombchus; the second time around, Link faces the monster alone. Defeating Dongorongo earns Link the pure metal Crimsonine.
Dragon
The recurring boss in all eight stages of the non-canon Zelda Game & Watch by Nintendo. The creature is a large flying dragon.
E
Eox
Eox, Ancient Stone Warrior is a massive stone creature that acts as the boss of Mutoh's Pyramid in Phantom Hourglass. Upon defeating it, Link obtains the pure metal Aquanine.
Evil Eagle
Evil Eagle is an eagle that appears in Link's Awakening. It guards the Eagle's Tower, and with it the Organ of Evening Calm. Though it is an eagle, it more closely resembles a vulture, and is ridden by the Grim Creeper. It attacks by swooping at Link with bared talons and firing sharp feathers.
Evil Orb
Exclusive to the DX version of Link's Awakening, Evil Orb is the boss of the bonus Color Dungeon, and is a giant version of a Hardhat Beetle from A Link to the Past. It changes color every time Link slashes it, and is only defeated if slashed when red. However, its color slowly regresses back to its immunity phase, and every time Link hits it he is knocked quite far back, so it can be difficult to attack the boss rapidly enough to overcome the regression. Once Link defeats it, he can gain access to the Queen Fairy that grants Link the Red and Blue Tunics.
Eyesoar
Eyesoar is the boss of Skull Dungeon in Oracle of Ages. It is similar in design to Patra.
F
Facade
Facade is a personified face emblazoned on the floor of its arena. It first appears as the guardian of the Face Shrine in Link's Awakening, where it guards the Coral Triangle, and tries to convince Link not to wake the Wind Fish. Facade also appears as a sub-boss of both the Snake Remains and Onox's Castle in Oracle of Seasons.
Flare Dancer
Flare Dancer is a sub-boss that is fought twice in the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time. It appears to be a dancing humanoid flame, but after it is damaged enough, it is revealed that it is actually a black orb roughly the size of a bomb.
Frostare
Frostare is the boss of the Tower of Winds in Four Swords Adventures. It is similar in appearance to Kholdstare, but is even more eyeball-like. It starts off hanging from the ceiling, but once the party severs its root-like tendril, it sprouts wings of ice and begins to fly around. It attacks by throwing icicles at the party, as well as producing miniature replicas of itself that dive at the party. Defeating Frostare frees Princess Zelda, allowing access to the Realm of the Heavens.
Frypolar
Frypolar is the sub-boss for the Sword & Shield Maze in Oracle of Seasons. It is a vaporous entity that switches between being made of flame and being made of frozen mist.
Fyrus
Twilit Igniter: Fyrus (Magdoflamoth in the Japanese version) is the boss of the Goron Mines in Twilight Princess. It is actually the Goron Patriarch, Darbus (Dalboss in the Japanese version), but when he touched the Fused Shadow he was turned into an enormous, mindless lava-monster, where it was then chained and confined in the depths of the Goron Mines by the Elders.
At first, Fyrus is chained, but breaks loose, covering itself in flames and attacking with its large limbs or a wall of fire. To defeat it, the player must shoot it in the jewel on its forehead with an arrow to stun it, causing Fyrus to walk around blindly. During this time, Link must grab the chains attached to its feet, equip the Iron Boots and pull to make Fyrus fall. The jewel on the head must be then repeatedly attacked. An alternative method is to shoot the eye multiple times to make him fall and be vulnerable. After he is separated from the corrupting influence of the Fused Shadow, Darbus reverts to his original form and returns to his position as Patriarch, though he does not remember anything that happened.
G
Ganon
Garo Master
Garo Master is a stronger version of a regular Garo. Three of them appear in different areas throughout the Stone Tower Temple in Majora's Mask to battle Link. Unlike the standard Garos it does not respond to the Garo's Mask. After Link defeats the first one, it reveals the way to turn the Stone Tower Temple upside down and endows Link with the Light Arrows. When fought subsequent times as challenges in the Secret Shrine Behind the Waterfall, and in the Twinmold Mask-wearing child's Hide-and-Seek game at the end of the game, it breaks the pattern of all other Garos and offers no dialogue whatsoever.
The Garo Master attacks with flaming swords and can attack from the ceiling of the room. Whenever a Garo Master dies, it pulls out a bomb that disintegrates its body when it explodes, its own personal method to "die without leaving a corpse" as it says upon its initial defeat.
Gekko
Two different Gekkos serve as sub-bosses in Majora's Mask, one in the Woodfall Temple and one in the Great Bay Temple. They are short, orange, humanoid frogs with sharp teeth.
The Gekko in the Woodfall Temple rides upon a Snapper, while the Gekko in the Great Bay Temple surrounds itself with Mad Jelly. When defeated, each Gekko regresses into a normal frog that Link can talk to with the Don Gero's Mask. More importantly, defeating either sub-boss allows Link to access the Big Key for that dungeon.
Genie
Genie is the boss of Bottle Grotto in Link's Awakening. It is a clown-like genie in a bottle that throws fireballs at Link. It guards the Conch Horn.
Gerudo Guards
Gerudo Guards are the elite female warriors of the Gerudo. They have been well trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat with a pair of swords. In Ocarina of Time they are put in charge of guarding the Hylian carpenters who become prisoners after expressing their desire to join the all-female group, having run away from their boss because they think carpentry is too much work.
Gerudo Guards also appear in Majora's Mask with Aviel and the Gerudo pirates. They are in charge of guarding the aquariums that hold the stolen Zora eggs.
Giant ChuChu
Link faces two Giant ChuChus in The Minish Cap. They are actually normal ChuChus, but Link is a fraction of his normal size during these battles, making the ChuChus appear humongous. The first ChuChu is green, and is fought in the Deepwood Shrine as the game's first boss. The second one is a blue ChuChu, and appears as a sub-boss in the Temple of Droplets. They both fight by jumping at Link to crush him, and the blue one can create an electric shield around itself to prevent Link from damaging it. They can only be harmed by using the "Gust Jar" weapon to suck up some slime from their base to cause them to topple over, making their head vulnerable to attacks. Defeating the Green and Blue ChuChus rewards Link with the Earth Element and the Flame Lantern, respectively.
Giant Gel
Exclusive to the DX version of Link's Awakening, Giant Gel is a sub-boss in the bonus Color Dungeon, and is a giant version of a Gel from The Legend of Zelda. To damage it Link must sprinkle it with magic powder.
Giant Ghini
Giant Ghini is the sub-boss of Spirit's Grave, the first dungeon of Oracle of Ages. It attacks by summoning baby Ghinis. Link defeats it by attacking with his sword.
Gleeok
Gleeok are a major boss monster in the original The Legend of Zelda. They appear as a dragon with two, three or four heads. Gleeoks attack Link by spitting out beams that he cannot block. A Gleeok's only vulnerability is its head(s). Heads that are cut off by Link become red and invulnerable, flying around the room to attack Link. The Gleeok does not appear in BS Zelda.
A two-headed Gleeok makes an appearance in Oracle of Seasons as the boss of level 7, the Explorer's Crypt. This particular Gleeok had the ability to reattach a head if the other was not cut off soon after. In addition, when both heads were decapitated, the body itself (now skeletonized) would remain active. To destroy Gleeok's body Link would also have to attack it with his sword.
Gleeok, Two-Headed Dragon returns again in Phantom Hourglass as the boss of the Ice Temple. This incarnation has one head that spits fire and another that spits ice. Link must make use of the grappling hook to form tightropes, directing projectiles from one head to hit the other. Upon defeating Gleeok, Link receives the pure metal Azurnine.
Gleerok
Gleerok is the guardian of the Fire Element within the Cave of Flames in The Minish Cap. It appears as a subterranean lava dragon with an igneous rock shell. Gleerok's only vulnerabilty is the center of its soft torso which can be exposed to attack only by first removing its rock shell with the Cane of Pacci. According to its figurine in The Minish Cap, Gleerok is actually a new species of Gleeok.
Gohdan
The Great Arbiter Gohdan is the boss of the Tower of the Gods in The Wind Waker. Gohdan is the only boss in the game that is not a servant of Ganon, claiming instead to be a "test from the gods". As such, it will supply Link with projectiles if he runs out. Link can defeat Gohdan by shooting its hands with arrows and throwing bombs in its mouth. Once vanquished, Gohdan will allow Link access to sunken Hyrule.
Gohma
Goht
Masked Mechanical Monster: Goht is the boss of the Snowhead Temple in Majora's Mask. It is originally frozen in ice inside of a ringed track, but is freed by Link when he melts the ice with a Fire Arrow, and begins to run around the track. Defeating Goht releases the Snowhead Guardian and brings Spring back to the Northern Mountains.
Gomess
Gooma
Gooma is the boss of the Palace on the Sea (level 5) in The Adventure of Link. He is a giant with a spike helmet that swings a morning star at Link. Wearing no armor, his body is vulnerable, but not his head. Gooma also is not the guardian of the Palace on the Sea (level 5) in the Japanese version, and is replaced by Jermafenser.
Goriya
Goriyas are a dog-like or porcine race that are natural experts in the art of boomerangs, and thus boomerangs are their weapon of choice. They have appeared in The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Link's Awakening and Oracle of Seasons. While normally portrayed as standard enemies in most of their appearances they have sometimes filled boss roles. In the Second Quest of The Legend of Zelda, a group of red Goriyas share the boss role by guarding a Triforce shard in the L Dungeon while a group of three Dodongos in a different room in the dungeon guard the Heart Container, both of which are usually obtained by defeating a standard boss.
In Oracle of Seasons, two Goriyas known as the Goriya Bros. serve as a sub-boss, attacking by passing a boomerang back and forth. Defeating either one will defeat the pair together.
Great Moblin
Grim Creeper
The Grim Creeper is a sub-boss found in the Eagle's Tower of Link's Awakening. It controls six Keese-like enemies called "Battle Bats". He is later seen riding on the back of the Evil Eagle.
Gyorg
Gargantuan Masked Fish: Gyorg is the boss of Great Bay Temple in Majora's Mask. It resides within a large tank of water with a central pedastal. It will ram the pedestal if Link is on it, knocking him into the water, as well as spawning a small swarm of miniature copies. Defeating Gyorg releases the Great Bay Guardian and cools Great Bay's waters.
Gyorg returns in The Wind Waker, but as a smaller shark that attacks Link as he sails across the Great Sea.
Two Gyorgs appear in The Minish Cap as the Gyorg Pair, the bosses of the Palace of Winds. This time, they are giant manta rays, capable of flight. The pair consists of the larger, red, female Gyorg and a smaller, blue, male Gyorg, as well as many tiny green Gyorgs. The female does very little to defend itself beyond spawning baby Gyorgs that fly past Link, but its mate will divebomb Link, as well as swiping at him with its barbed tail.
H
Head Thwomp
Head Thwomp is the boss for the Wing Dungeon in Oracle of Ages. He resembles a Thwomp from the Mario series, except that the top of his head resembles a flower. Its four sides each have a stone face of a different color: green, red, blue, and violet. The boss rotates and spits out fireballs, and can only be defeated if Link tricks it into damaging itself.
Helmaroc King
The Monstrous Helmaroc King is the boss of the Forsaken Fortress in The Wind Waker. It is an enormous Kargaroc that wears a sturdy mask. Ganondorf, the main antagonist of the game, calls it his pet.
The Helmaroc King appears at the beginning of The Wind Waker, attempting to kidnap Tetra while dodging cannon balls being fired from her ship. In the firefight, it drops Tetra, and picks up Aryll by mistake. It is later revealed that Ganondorf ordered the Helmaroc King to bring him pointy-eared girls in an effort to find Princess Zelda. Link and Tetra follow the bird to the Forsaken Fortress, but when Link finally reaches his sister's cell, the bird throws him into open sea.
Link eventually returns to the Fortress in another attempt to save Aryll. He successfully rescues his sister and the other kidnapped girls, but is attacked by the Helmaroc King, and flees to the top of the tower. There, the two fight, with Link emerging victorious.
The Helmaroc King also appears as the boss of the Mountain Pass in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. It has the same design as its Wind Waker incarnation, but a different battle pattern.
Helmasaur King
Helmasaur King is a boss in A Link to the Past, appearing in the Palace of Darkness. Its appearance is a giant orange Helmasaur with a flail-like tail and it wears a violet mask to protect the vulnerable jewel on its forehead. The mask must be broken using the hammer or bombs. It attacks by breathing fireballs that split off in many directions and sweeping the bottom of the screen with its tail. Killing it frees the first crystal maiden.
In the GBA re-release of A Link to the Past the Helmasaur King makes a second appearance as a sub-boss in the Palace of Four Swords bonus dungeon. The appearance of this Helmasaur King is near identical to the first one, except it is green and it wears an orange mask. It also has the ability to regenerate its mask when it is destroyed.
Helmethead
- See: Jermafenser
Hinox
Hinox is a giant muscular cyclops. While it is usually a common enemy in most of its appearances, the Hinox in Link's Awakening appears as a sub-boss. It is capable of generating earthquakes with its jumps to temporarily paralyze Link. It also has the ability to throw rocks and Link if he gets too close.
Hot Head
Hot Head was the boss that guarded Turtle Rock dungeon in Link's Awakening. It was a large burning mask-like creature that dwelled in a pit of lava.
Horsehead
- See: Mazura
I
Igos du Ikana
Iron Knuckle
J
Jalhalla
Jalhalla, Protector of the Seal is the boss of the Earth Temple in The Wind Waker. It is a haunted mask infused with many Poes. As a Poe, it is vulnerable to light, and will split into its component poes when struck. After all of the mask's Poes are destroyed, the mask attempts to flee the arena, but is hit by a beam of light and evaporates.
Jalhalla (also known as Big Poe) returns as the boss of The Swamp and Infiltration of Hyrule Castle in Four Swords Adventures. During the party's first encounter with it, it appears to be similar in design to its The Wind Waker incarnation, but instead of separating the Poes from the mask, Link must destroy the mask itself (revealing its inner ghost). During its second appearance Link must enter the body of the Big Poe itself and attack the inner ghost that previously escaped.
Jermafenser
Jermafenser (also known as Helmethead) was the second dungeon boss in The Adventure of Link. Jermafenser was a giant knight in blue armor. Its only vulnerability was its head. After Link attacked the head a few times, its helmet would fly off and attack Link by firing projectiles at him, which could be blocked with the shield. The body would sprout another, different helmet in its place, which would react similarly when attacked. After both helmets were removed, Jermafenser's real head would emerge and could be attacked. It guarded the crystal statue at the end of the Midoro Palace (level 2). Jermafenser also appears as the boss guarding the crystal statue in the Palace on the Sea (level 5) in the Japanese version.
K
Kalle Demos
Kalle Demos is the boss of the Forbidden Woods in The Wind Waker. A large carnivorous plant, it uses its various roots and vines to attack and ensare its prey. When encountered, the plant swallows Makar, and Link attacks it in order to save him. To defeat Kalle Demos, Link must use the Boomerang to slice its vines that keep its mouth closed and its body attached to the ceiling. When Kalle Demos drops down, it opens up and Link must slice its head in the middle. If the player doesn't do this fast enough, Kalle Demos will close, devour Link, chew him up, and spit him out.
Kholdstare
Kholdstare is a boss monster in A Link to the Past. Kholdstare is the master of the ice fortress dungeon and is a giant eyeball encased in ice. It attacks by dropping large ice boulders from the ceiling and using the frozen floor to try and get Link to slide into it, where he will freeze. After thawing it with the fire rod, Kholdstare splits into three eyes made of pink smoke and each tries to ram into Link, who must kill them with his sword. Killing him frees the fifth crystal maiden.
King Bulblin
King Dodongo
- See Dodongo
L
Lanmolas
Lanmolas are segmented centipede or worm-like creatures much like Moldorms, but the two types of monsters were differentiated from each other as early as the first game. In The Legend of Zelda, Lanmolas appeared only in the final dungeon of each quest as very quick one-eyed centipedes that would crawl along the floor in random directions. Like the Moldorms in the same game, their individual segments could be destroyed to gradually reduce the creatures to only their heads before finally finishing them off. They came in red and blue varieties, with the blue ones being much speedier than the red ones.
A total of six Lanmolas appear in A Link to the Past. Link encounters the first trio as boss creatures in the Desert Temple, and the second as a sub-boss in Ganon's Tower. The Lanmolas here move quickly, popping up from under the sand (sending dirt clods flying in all directions) and make a large jump across the room, where they burrow back underground on impact. Only the head of the Lanmola is vulnerable to attack. Aside from its sole weak point, the Lanmolas in A Link to the Past behave exactly like the Moldorm in the first game. This is due in part to a translation error in which "Moldorm" from the Japanese version of the game was dubbed "Lanmola" in the English translation (the Moldorm in the English version is known as a "Tail" in the Japanese version). Given their fundamental differences, it seems both Moldorms and Lanmolas have easily-interchangeable roles from game to game. A creature similar in name and appearance called the "Swamola" appears in the Misery Mire dungeon in A Link to the Past. This is also a result of the error in translating "Tails" as "Moldorms" in the English version. In the Japanese version of the game, the Swamola is called Lanmola.
M
Madderpillar
Madderpillar is a bright blue caterpillar sub-boss that is first encountered in the Deepwood Shrine of The Minish Cap. It has the ability to create silk strands that stick to the walls similar to a spider's web. These webs have the ability to bounce Link around, but they can be easily destroyed with either the gust jar or the lantern. To defeat Madderpillar, Link must hit it on its big nose to stun it and turn it white and make a heart appear on the tip of its tail. This heart must be attacked to destroy the Madderpillar, a victory which will earn Link the Gust Jar. Two Madderpillars later appear as enemies in the Temple of Droplets.
Majora's Mask
Manhandla
Manhandla is a boss enemy in the original The Legend of Zelda. It is a giant flower with four maws that spit out beams, against which Link cannot defend. As Link destroys its heads, Manhandla moves faster and faster. It serves as the boss of the Manji dungeon, and appears as a sub-boss in other parts of the game.
Manhandla returned in the "Ancient Ruins" level of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. Its attack behavior is generally the same as in the first Zelda game. Its main body resembles ChuChus, and it has appendages that resemble pirana plants. To destroy this particular Manhandla, Link not only must eliminate the four maws to expose the body, but he must destroy the plant's central core as well.
A variant of the creature appears in Four Swords Adventures, with four different colored heads. The player(s) must attack each head with the corresponding colored Link to damage it. If the wrong color Link attacks it, it will regrow all of its lost heads.
Master Stalfos
Mazaal
Mazaal is a giant floating head with a pair of floating hands, similar to Gohdan. Appearing solely in The Minish Cap, Mazaal was built by the Wind Tribe to protect the Fortress of Winds, but is destroyed by Link in his quest to seal Vaati away for good and restore peace to Hyrule. The head is invulnerable, so Link must incapacitate it by shooting arrows at the orbs in its hands, and then shrinking via Ezlo and walking into Mazaal's mouth to attack an eye-like structure. Mazaal fights back by swiping at Link with its hands and firing laser beams from its forehead.
Mazura
Mazura (also known as Horsehead) is the first major boss in The Adventure of Link. Mazura is a giant humanoid in red armor with a white horse's head. It guards the crystal statue in Parapa Palace (level 1). Mazura's only vulnerability is his head; unpiercable armor covers the rest of his body. Mazura attacks Link with a two-handed spiked mace. Mazura also appears as a sub-boss guarding a false wall in the Palace on the Sea (level 5) in the Japanese version.
Medusa Head
Medusa Head (Medelock in Japan) is the boss of the Sword & Shield Maze in Oracle of Seasons. It resembles a green Medusa's head and is about twice the size of Link. It can be easily injured with sword attacks to the face.
Mighty Wizzrobe
Moblin King
Moldorm
Moldorm is a regular enemy (known as Mini-Moldorm) throughout the Zelda series, but a Giant Moldorm appears as a boss in the Tower of Hera and as a sub-boss in Ganon's Tower in A Link to the Past, and makes additional boss appearances in the first dungeon of Link's Awakening and in Four Swords Adventures. Moldorms are generally depicted as segmented worm-like creatures which often inhabit deserts. They are very similar to the Lanmolas which are often found in the same game.
Moldorms first appeared in The Legend of Zelda as a sub-boss creature. The individual segments could be attacked and destroyed, gradually reducing the creature in size, finally killing it by attacking the head.
Moldorms next appeared in A Link to the Past, although the form it takes depends on the translation. In the English version, Mini-Moldorms are segmented worm-like enemies with large heads and gradually smaller body-segments reaching back to their small tails. They are mostly encountered on Death Mountain. These Mini-Moldorms do not travel in straight lines, but travel in arcs, switching directions often. A rare large Moldorm appears as a boss in the Tower of Hera (and as a sub-boss in Ganon's Tower) in A Link to the Past, in the Tail Cave of Link's Awakening, and in the Pyramid of Four Swords Adventures. In the Japanese version, these large-headed worms are instead known as "Tails", and three Moldorms serve as a sand-dwelling worm boss that dives in and out of the sand in the second dungeon (and again, as a sub-boss in Ganon's Tower). In the English version that monster is called "Lanmola".
Only the tail segment is vulnerable on the large "Tail" version of Moldorms (unlike the Lanmola, whose vulnerability is its head). The small size of the tail segment, combined with its erratic movement and the fact that Link fights the monster on a platform surrounded by pits, make the Moldorm a very challenging enemy. The boss behaves this way in all incarnations, though in Four Swords Adventures there is an added twist: only the Link whose tunic matches the tail segment's changing color can damage it.
Moldorms also make an appearance in Twilight Princess, where they lunge at Link out of the sand of the Gerudo Desert. These variants do not have any armor, and are vulnerable to attack anywhere on their body. If ten of the smaller ones are destroyed, then bigger versions of the creatures lunge at Link, and these take twice the amount of damage to kill. The larger variants can be found in Arbiter's Grounds as well. They are smaller, less worm-like, and resemble the Triclops in Metroid Prime.
Molgera
Molgera, Protector of the Seal (Mold Gera in Japan) is a giant, flying, worm-like creature and the boss of the Wind Temple in The Wind Waker. During the battle, it either flies around in the air and dives at Link to devour him, or digs underground, occasionally popping its head up to open its jaws wide for Link to fall into. It can also summon its considerably smaller offspring to attack Link. Link defeats it by targeting its tongue with the Hookshot to pull it toward him, so that he can slash it with his sword. At the end of the battle, Molgera turns into sand and explodes.
Morpha
In Ocarina of Time, Giant Aquatic Amoeba: Morpha is the boss of the Water Temple. It is disguised as a pool of water at first, only attacking once Link jumps onto one of the four central pillars. It can manipulate the water surrounding it to grab and constrict prey. Link can defeat Morpha by using the Longshot to grab the nucleus from the main body and slashing it with his sword. Unlike other bosses, Morpha does not have a lot of story in the game. However, it appears to be the cause of Lake Hylia being drained, as the lake refills once Morpha is destroyed. Morpha's defeat also awakens Princess Ruto as the Water Sage, and she gives Link the Water Medallion.
Morpheel
Twilit Aquatic: Morpheel (Octoeel in the Japanese version) is the boss of the Lakebed Temple in Twilight Princess. At first, it appears to be an anemone-like creature with an eyeball that constantly moves through the tentacles and must be extracted with the Clawshot, but after it has been sufficiently damaged, its full body erupts out of the ground, revealing a huge, lamprey-like body, with its vulnerable eyeball now embedded in its head. To defeat it, Link must grapple to the eye using the Clawshot, and stab it with his sword. After the boss's defeat, it rams itself into a wall of the arena, cracking it and draining the room. Morpheel's detached eyeball then releases a Heart Container while the rest of its body dissolves to reveal the third Fused Shadow.
Mothula
Mothula's first appearance is as a boss in A Link to the Past. It is the boss of the Skull Woods dungeon in the Dark World. It attacks by moving around firing triple blasts of large energy rings; the floor of the chamber floor moves around and blade traps are constantly shooting around. It was vulnerable to several weapons but could be most easily defeated by using the Fire Rod. Killing it frees the third crystal maiden.
In the GBA re-release of A Link to the Past Mothula makes a second appearance as a sub-boss in the Palace of Four Swords bonus dungeon. This Mothula has the ability to create weak clones of itself.
Mothula also appears as the boss of the Poison Moth's Lair in Oracle of Seasons. This Mothula has fire-based attacks and the ability to summon smaller moths to attack Link.
A winged Mothula also appears as a sub-boss in The Wind Waker, guarding the Boomerang, but later Mothulas in the game (both with and without wings) appear as regular enemies.
O
Octagon
Octagon is the boss at the end of the Mermaid's Cave in Oracle of Ages. Octagon resembles a squid and it can be injured by being hit in the face. If Octagon submerges itself underwater Link will have to dive underwater by use of the mermaid's tail to attack its face.
Odolwa
Masked Jungle Warrior: Odolwa is the boss of the Woodfall Temple in Majora's Mask. It is the first major boss that Link encounters in the game and the one who is guarding the Deku Princess. Odolwa resembles a giant, dancing, African-tribal warrior armed with a proportionally large sword and shield. It uses the giant blade as its main form of attack, but it can also summon various insect-like creatures. Defeating Odolwa releases the Woodfall Guardian and cleanses the waters of the Southern Swamp.
Onox
Ook
Ook is the sub-boss of the Forest Temple in Twilight Princess. He appears at first to be an evil monkey, but is actually being controlled by a large mite-like creature attached to his head. During the second part of Link's battle with Diababa, Ook carries Bomblings to allow Link to hit the boss.
P
Patra
Patra is a sub-boss enemy that only appears in the final labyrinth of the original Legend of Zelda. Patra is a giant flying eyeball surrounded by a swarm of smaller flying eyeballs. They fly in two formations. In the first formation the ring of smaller flying eyeballs expands and contracts. In the second formation the ring of smaller flying eyeballs revolves in a 3-D looping pattern.
Phantom Ganon
Evil Spirit From Beyond: Phantom Ganon is the boss of the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time. He fights Link in a foyer that contains four identical paintings that depict a dirt path in the middle of a dark forest, and a castle in the distance. Phantom Ganon enters the arena on a magic horse from one of these paintings, and it appears at first to actually be Ganondorf; however, Phantom Ganon reveals his "true identity": a monstrous, skeletal visage under the guise of Ganon. While Link can see Phantom Ganon approaching from the far-off castle in one of the paintings, a faux Phantom, albeit slightly distinguishable from the real one, will also ride toward Link. After Link strikes him with several arrows, Phantom Ganon will abandon the horse and the paintings, and will instead hover around the arena, firing magic fireballs at Link. These bursts are to be deflected by hitting them with a sword (or humorously, an empty bottle), sending them back at Phantom Ganon. Phantom Ganon will volley each of these back and forth with Link, but eventually he will fail to hit it, and it will stun him, causing him to descend to the floor and allowing Link to approach and attack with his sword. He will also attempt to divebomb Link for severe damage. It is therefore advisable to stay across the arena from him. After Link defeats his Phantom, Ganondorf banishes it to the "gap between dimensions".
Phantom Ganon reappears in The Wind Waker, though without his horse. He is also far more ghost-like, appearing just as a shadowy being with the general shape of Ganondorf, as well as a large broadsword bearing the inscription "Zabora Gabora" in Hylian. His first appearance is as the sub-boss of the Forsaken Fortress, where he fights the same way he did in Ocarina of Time (without the horse), and his eventual demise allows Link to acquire the Skull Hammer. In Ganon's Tower, he has a whole maze devoted to him; in each room, he and three illusional copies surround Link, and if Link attacks the real one, he drops his blade so that it points towards the correct exit to take. This eventually leads to the Light Arrows, which are used to destroy Phantom Ganon completely, allowing Link to escape from the maze.
Phantom Ganon makes a third appearance in Four Swords Adventures, as the boss of both Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Darkness. In this game, he fights and appears the same as he did in The Wind Waker, with the added twist that at the end of the fight, his balls of magic assume a color, which only the Link with the matching tunic can deflect. Defeating him the first time frees the Blue Maiden, while defeating him the second time frees the Red Maiden.
Phantom Zant
Phantom Zant is a green-colored hologram of Twilight Princess's main antagonist, Zant. Despite its holographic appearance, Phantom Zant seems to be solid enough in form, because Link can attack (and must ultimately defeat) it. Link encounters Phantom Zant twice as a sub-boss in the Palace of Twilight. It is unknown if the two are the same Phantom Zant or if they are two completely different beings. In each case, Phantom Zant is guarding one of the Sols. In battle, Phantom Zant behaves similarly to the real Zant. Phantom Zant starts by summoning a swarm of Shadow Keese, Shadow Deku Babas, Shadow Baba Serpents, and Shadow Vermin to attack Link. It uses these enemies to distract Link, so it is not necessary to defeat them, and it's a waste of time and energy (unless Link is running low on life). These minor enemies will disappear when Phantom Zant attempts to summon more. Phantom Zant is most vulnerable when conjuring a warp portal to bring forth more ememies, but if Link gets too close before it begins conjuring the portal, Phantom Zant will quickly teleport to another point in the room. It is possible to hit Phantom Zant when it is not creating a portal, but this is very difficult because it usually teleports very quickly. When defeated, Phantom Zant explodes into a large cloud of Shadow Crystals that obscure the floor switch that allows Link to exit the room.
Plasmarine
Plasmarine is the boss encountered in Jabu-Jabu's Belly in Oracle of Ages. Plasmarine resembles a giant Bari, and it has the ability to shoot energy orbs and can alternate colors from blue to brown when hit by Link. Plasmarine can only be injured if it is hit with its own energy orb while the orb being deflected and Plamarine are opposite colors (i.e. the orb is blue and Plasmarine is red, or vice versa), which is something that can only be accomplished by using the long switch.
Poe Sisters
Possessed Zelda
Pumpkin Head
Pumpkin Head is the boss of the Spirit's Grave in Oracle of Ages. It is a ghostly, robed humanoid figure with a