Characters in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the major fictional characters from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. All minor characters can be seen in a comprehensive walkthrough.
[edit] Link, Hero of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Link, also known as the Hero of Time, is a Hylian who is raised as a Kokiri in the Kokiri Forest. He has the ability to travel through time, and therefore to and from his adult and child bodies, using the power of the Master Sword. He still wears the classic default green (or "Kokiri") tunic and cap that appeared in earlier games, and has a familiar variety of weapons that are again used in later adventures. This is the same Link who appears in Majora's Mask. Link is left-handed.
For information on Link's relations with Navi, see "Navi" below
[edit] Princess Zelda
Princess Zelda is the Hylian princess of Hyrule. She has magical powers and she saw the destruction of Hyrule in a dream. She fled her castle with her Guardian, Impa, to escape Ganondorf and gives Link the Ocarina of Time. She disguises herself as Sheik and goes into hiding, appearing to Link frequently and helping him through his quest. She finally reveals her true identity later in the game, causing Ganondorf to kidnap her. Link fights Ganon to free her. She is quite proficient in the use of the Bow and Arrow; Sheik demonstrates a skill in the harp. It is widely debated among fans that there is a romantic link between them, as many of the other games give the impression that Link and Zelda have feelings for each other. Zelda is able to morph into Sheik, a Sheikah. It is highly debated whether or not Sheik is actually male or Zelda retains her female identity. The fact that Sheik has a different hair length and eye color than Zelda suggests that she magically morphs between forms, rather than just changing clothes. In addition to this, while shorter than Link and slim in appearance, Sheik's body is decidedly masculine in shape, even considering such things as chest-binding. The official comic of the series states that Sheik is actually male and he is also referred to as a "young man" by one of the characters, however, this topic is still debated amongst fans.
[edit] Ganondorf
Ganondorf is the principal antagonist in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. His initial goal in life is to locate and retrieve the Triforce from the Sacred Realm found within The Temple Of Time; his ultimate ambition is to take over Hyrule entirely and rule with an iron fist. Link, Princess Zelda, and Navi plan to stop him vowing that he shall never lay his hands upon the sacred triangles. After his seven-year slumber, Link conquers five major temples and awakens six Sages. After the long-awaited meeting with Crown Princess Zelda, now age seventeen, Link finally meets with Ganondorf on the top of Ganon's Castle for a final showdown. After you beat him as Ganondorf, he morphs into a monster called Ganon. Armed with the Master Sword, and guided by Princess Zelda, Navi, and the six sages (Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Princess Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru) Link banishes Ganondorf into the Evil Realm, an imprisoning stasis held within the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf may have been dethroned, but he still held the Triforce of Power. He proclaimed that Zelda and Link's descendants will suffer when someday the seal of his imprisonment is broken and unlocked.
[edit] Navi
Navi (probably from root navigate) is a fairy companion who is instructed to assist Link in his quest by the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest, and is one of the four main characters in the game. All Kokiri have companion fairies, but because Link is actually a Hylian, he never received one until Navi joined him near the beginning of the events in Ocarina of Time. From a gameplay perspective, Navi functions primarily as a software agent that points out cues in the environment and helps the player learn the controls and advance in the game, but in some areas of the game, she turns green and hovers near a suspicious spot, such as a puddle in a dungeon, yelling "Hey! Listen!" and it turns out to be nothing at all, except for possibly lost beta (usually, however, these spots produce a healing fairy when Link plays Zelda's Lullaby or the Song of Storms near them). Navi mostly gives her advice when the players use 'Z-targeting' on a potential enemy, and then press the yellow 'up' control button. Navi was Link's first fairy. If the idea is followed through between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, a Kokiri is granted only one fairy. Link is of Hylian descent and obviously unique and able to travel throughout the land without restriction unlike the Kokiri children. The fairies who live with the Kokiri are not to be confused with the faeries in dungeons and fountains throughout the lands. These faeries are of a different breed and simply heal Link, or can be captured in empty bottles for later use.
After Link is sent back to his own time, Navi flies away. When Navi disappears after Ocarina of Time, Link goes out to search for her (as is hinted at the beginning of Majora's Mask by a sound cue). Two similar fairies, Tatl and Tael (named after the word tattletale), are found in Majora's Mask. After facing some unusual obstacles, Tatl reluctantly becomes Link's new partner and serves a similar purpose in this game as Navi did in Ocarina of Time.
Navi's disappearance could be explained by the fact that her duty to the Deku Tree had expired after Link had left the forest and Ganon had been defeated. Seeing as Link was not of Kokiri descent, she did not have a permanent obligation to him. This also explains Link's fairy problem prior to Ocarina of Time. Despite the fact that Navi leaves Link, it is apparent Link and Navi had a good friendship.
Navi is also in Twilight Princess. She appears only in the Wii version, however, as a cursor for the Wii remote.
[edit] Darunia
King Darunia (dä'roo-nē'ä) is the leader of the Goron race and resides in Goron City. When Link first meets Darunia, he is upset because the cavern containing the Goron's food source is overrun by Dodongos and has been sealed off by Ganondorf as punishment for refusing to turn over the Goron Ruby (also known as the Spiritual Stone of Fire). Once he is cheered up by Link's rousing rendition of 'Saria's song', a song he continues to enjoy for the rest of the game, his demeanour softens. He gives Link the Goron's Bracelet, allowing him to use bombs, and asks him to clear the Dodongos from Dodongo's Cavern. If Link completes this task, Darunia rewards him with the Spiritual Stone of Fire (Goron Ruby) and makes him his "Sworn Brother". (After amusingly trying to pat Link's shoulder but instead slams him into the ground.) After Ganondorf conquers Hyrule he threatens to feed the Goron race to the dragon Volvagia, who was killed long ago by a Goron hero, but has been resurrected by Ganondorf. When Link completes the Fire Temple as an adult, Darunia is awakened as the Fire Sage, and gives Link the Fire Medallion. Darunia also named his son after Link. Darunia, like many of the characters in Ocarina of Time, takes his name from a town in Zelda II: Adventure of Link; as this game precedes that one in the Zelda timeline, it may be more accurate to say, in Zelda canon, that the town takes its name from him.
[edit] Epona
Epona (ě'pō-nä) is Link's horse. She was brought up by Malon & Talon at Lon Lon Ranch and can be summoned by Epona's Song. Link first meets her when he is a child and she a foal, but she is wild and runs away from him until Malon teaches Link Epona's Song. When Link returns to the ranch as an adult, it has been taken over by Ingo, and Epona once again runs away from him. Link, after taming Epona using Epona's Song, Link participates in two races with Ingo, and wins Epona. From that point on, he can summon the mare in most locations using the song and she provides him with fast transportation around Hyrule.
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, she is stolen by the mischievous Skull Kid and given to Romani Ranch. In the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a horse similar (but larger) in appearance to Epona is Link's horse. The player can name Link's horse, but its default name is "Epona". The name is taken from the Celtic goddess of horses, Epona.
[edit] Impa
Impa (ēm'pä) was the only true member of the Sheikah race seen in the game, and was the protector of Princess Zelda. She is known to have opened Kakariko Village, which was once a home to the Shiekah, to the public. Early in the game, she takes Zelda away from the castle to escape Ganondorf. During the seven year span in which Link was frozen by the Master Sword, she teaches Zelda the way of the Sheikah so that she can become a cloaked warrior named Sheik. When Link is an adult, she enters the Shadow Temple in order to seal the evil creature which has been loosed. Following Link's defeat of Bongo Bongo, she awakens as the Shadow Sage. Unlike the rest of the sages, she was not named after a town in The Adventure of Link, but has been present since the first Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda.
[edit] Ingo
Ingo (ēn'gō) is a tall, lanky man with a large black moustache who bears a striking resemblance to fellow Nintendo character Luigi. When Link first meets Ingo, he is working as a farmhand at Lon Lon Ranch. He is a hard worker but complains about how he must do all the work while Talon, the ranch's actual owner, just lies around and sleeps. When Link returns to Lon Lon Ranch seven years later as an adult, he finds that Ingo, with the assistance of Ganondorf, has taken over the ranch and kicked Talon out. Once Link wins Epona from Ingo and awakens Talon in Kakariko Village, Talon returns to the ranch and takes back ownership. Ingo, apparently regretful of his actions, and fearful of being punished by Ganondorf for losing Epona to Link, returns to working as a farmhand. Malon says "He must have been tempted by evil powers". There are Ingo-like characters all named Gorman in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (as three brothers) and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, although they take no major part in the latter story (in Majora's Mask, Link obtains an important mask from the two Gormans who live at the ranch).
[edit] King Zora
King Zora (zō-rä) XVI is the ruler of the Zora race. He is an obese, fish-like creature who values the loyalty of his people and demands respect for their patron deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu. When one visits the cavernous interior of Zora's Domain, King Zora is always seated in his throne, protecting the entrance to Zora's Fountain. When the King of Hyrule ended "a fierce war" decades earlier and reunited the Kingdom of Hyrule, he reaffirmed his friendship and association with the Zoran patriarch.[citation needed]
When Link first begins his quest, he meets King Zora during a time of sadness and anxiety for his daughter, Princess Ruto, who has gone missing. After Link shows him a message from Ruto stating that she has been swallowed by Lord Jabu-Jabu, King Zora instructs him to rescue her and grants him access to the sacred Zora's Fountain. If Link speaks to King Zora as a child while wearing the Zora Mask, he will become offended and say, "I don't find that funny at all. Are you mocking me?"
When Link returns to Zora's Domain as an adult, he finds King Zora frozen in a giant, crystal of red ice. As a reward for thawing him out with Blue Fire, King Zora bestows the Zora Tunic upon Link (If Link already owns a Zora tunic, the Zora King, disturbingly enough, offers a kiss). King Zora also partakes in the trading sequence sidequest after he is thawed.
In Twilight Princess, which takes place several decades after Ocarina of Time, it is revealed that King Zora has died. This is revealed by the ghost of the Queen, who was killed by the game's villain Zant.
[edit] Lord Jabu-Jabu
Lord Jabu-Jabu VII is the patron deity of the Zora race and as such is worshipped by them. He is a giant fish that resides in the corrie lake of Zora's Fountain. When going before Jabu-Jabu, it is customary to bring a fish as an offering. Link first encounters the Zoran leviathan as a child when he is sent by King Zora XVI to rescue Princess Ruto from inside his belly, as she was accidentally swallowed whole while carrying out her duties as his attendant. Jabu-Jabu disappears sometime in the seven years that Link's spirit is kept dormant in the Sacred Realm.
An interesting activity while inside Jabu-Jabu is to attack any walls, floors or ceilings. Jabu-Jabu will groan in response.
- Further information: Jabu-Jabu
[edit] Malon
Malon (マロン ma-ron?) is the daughter of Talon and works at Lon Lon Ranch with her father and Ingo. Malon is a nice and (unlike her father) hard-working girl. Link first meets her as a child in Hyrule castle town when she's looking for her father. She gives Link an egg that will hatch and wake up Talon (when Link finds him and uses the newly born Cucco). Later when Link meets her at the ranch she calls him 'Fairy boy'. Some say there is a relation with Malon and Link. The gossip stone in front of the Temple of Time says that Malon wishes for a knight to pick her up and take her away! Around the web are pictures of Adult Link and Malon riding on Epona, both of these descoverings might indicate that Adult Link was supposed to wisk Malon away when he jumped the fence to escape from Ingo.
[edit] Mido
Mido (mē'dō) likes to think he is the boss of the Kokiri and refers to himself as "The Great Mido". It is very likely that the Kokiri do look up to him, or at least feel he is stronger and more dominant than they are (except for Saria and Link, who see through him). When Link wears a scary mask from the Mask Shop, some will say that he is going to scare Mido with it and the girl on top of the platform only accessible by a bridge will say that she will tell Mido. The male Kokiri with hair covering their eyes also succumb to performing many labours for him.
Mido does not like Link, and he will not accept him as one of the Kokiri because he does not have his own guardian fairy. Mido and the other Kokiri might have known about Link's true race (Hylian), in which case his prejudice could also be a form of racism. He may also feel that Link is a threat to his self-imposed role as alpha male of the Kokiri. He does not see why Link has become the respected favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree.
Part of Mido's dislike for Link is that he is jealous of the attention Link receives from Saria. This may be more than valuing her respect, as he could have a romantic attraction towards her. He made one Kokiri clear out the rocks in front of his house and another one clear the grass outside Saria's house, though he told her he was going to do it, just to impress her.
When Link is summoned to see the Great Deku Tree he is shocked, especially as Link now has a fairy, Navi. He tries to stop Link from entering by saying he must go and get a sword and shield, but reluctantly lets Link in once he has the items. He blames Link when the Deku Tree withers up and dies, and starts sulking.
When Link returns seven years later as an adult, Mido (who is still a child because the Kokiri never grow up) does not recognize Link, refuses to let him go to the Forest Temple. After Link plays Saria's Song for him, however, he realizes that Link must be one of Saria's friends and lets him pass. After Link beats the Forest Temple, awakening Saria as a Sage, Mido learns that Saria will not come back for some time, if ever. He starts to say that she liked Link, and then asks Adult Link (whom he still does not recognize) to keep a look out for Link (young Link, whom he knew), and if he sees him, to tell him that Mido is sorry.
While Mido is initially a very shallow, angry, and insecure person, during the seven years and the resulting stresses of the world of ruin and losing Saria, he becomes a more brooding character, tired of anger and war, who apologizes for his misdeeds and would probably want to go back on them if he could, to have the old world of peace and Saria back with him.
Mido is named after the two syllables in Solfege Mi and Do. Also, in The Adventure of Link, there is a town of Mido, whom this character is named after. Mido is the only town in Adventure of Link that shares a name with an Ocarina of Time character who is not a Sage.
In the credits, he is seen sitting alone with the Zora King, while everyone else is celebrating at Lon Lon Ranch. This in itself is impossible, as if the Kokiris left their native forest they would turn into Skull Kids. But this could have been shown not to be true, and merely a hoax, in that it was constantly spread around.
[edit] Nabooru
Nabooru (nä-bōō'roo) is the attractive second-in-command and reclusive lone wolf thief of the Gerudo. Like most Gerudo, she has red hair and gold eyes. Link, as a child, first meets her inside the Spirit Temple. It is here she reveals that though she serves under Ganondorf, she wants nothing to do with his dark ambitions. She confesses her belief that Ganondorf is truly an evil king. She promises Link a great reward if he can successfully retrieve the Silver Gauntlets for her. She herself, once equipped with the gauntlets, plans to explore the temple ever further to locate and steal Ganondorf's treasure (which he has hoarded from his followers). Nabooru, however, is captured by Koume and Kotake before she can receive the gauntlets, and is subjected to the practices of brainwashing that Ganondorf has been intensely researching.
Seven years later, Link encounters her again within the second half of the explored Spirit Temple, but this time she is in the guise of an Iron Knuckle. As a brainwashed, loyal servant to the evil witches, Nabooru protects the final entrance to Twinrova's chambers and Link must defeat her to finally conquer the temple. When he destroys Twinrova, Nabooru is awakened as the Sage of Spirit and Link receives the Spirit Medallion from her. It is never revealed what it was she intended to reward Link with upon giving her the gauntlets; however, her final words in the Chamber of Sages to him are: "If only I knew you would become such a handsome young man, I would have kept my promise."
In the manga, she was sent by the Twinrova sisters (while under the influence of mind control) to make sure Sheik would not betray Ganondorf. She interrogated Link when he came to prison. He fought her, and in the process, cracked the gem on her forehead that served as the Twinrova sisters' means of controlling her. She then fought her comrades, eventually freeing them from the sisters' spell as well, while Link took Sheik out of harm's way. Nabooru then gave Link the Mirror Shield to defeat the Twinrova sisters. Nabooru then helped Link get into Ganon's Tower once she awakened as the Sage of Spirit.
Like several other characters, Nabooru has a town named after her in Zelda II: Adventure of Link.
[edit] Princess Ruto
Princess Ruto (roo'tō) is the beautiful daughter of King Zora and the princess of the Zora race. After the events of Ocarina of Time, her name is given to the mountain town of Ruto in The Adventure of Link. As a child, she has a rather bossy and spoiled attitude possibly founded in her royal upbringing, and is also somewhat of a tomboy similarly to Princess Zelda. Link first meets her in the belly of Lord Jabu-Jabu, the Zora's guardian for whom she dutifully tends, who had accidentally swallowed her and the Spiritual Stone of Water — the Zora's Sapphire — while being fed. The Zora's Sapphire is Ruto's most treasured possession, as it once was her mother's, and she thus demands that Link carry her around Lord Jabu-Jabu's innards and help her find it. Ruto's mother requested that she give it to the man who would be her husband, and so, after Link rescues her, she happily hands it over to him and considers them both engaged.
After Ganondorf takes over Hyrule, Zora's Domain freezes over and traps the Zoras under the ice. Fortunately for Ruto, she is rescued by Sheik and immediately heads to the Water Temple to find the cause for this curse. When Link comes upon her in the temple, she scolds him for keeping her waiting seven years to marry him, saying, "I have not forgotten the vows we made to each other". When Link completes the Water Temple, Ruto is awakened as the Water Sage, and gives Link the Water Medallion. She thereafter states that while she would love nothing more than to offer her eternal love to him, they cannot be together.
During the childhood chapters in the Ocarina of Time manga, Ruto aims to be swallowed by Jabu-Jabu on purpose because she disapproves of the husband her father arranged for her to marry. She gives Link the Zora's Sapphire out of her new-found feeling for him after he saved her life. She has a huge crush on Link and truly believes that they are meant for each other.
Ruto's counterpart in Termina is Lulu, the lead singer of The Indigo-Go's, a Zora band. The primary difference between them visually is that Lulu wears a dress while Ruto wears no clothing. This is supposedly because there were complaints about Ruto being naked, especially since she is represented both as a well-developed child and as a buxom young woman [citation needed]. Interestingly, Ruto is the only one of the sages to have a counterpart in Termina, although Darmani could be considered a counterpart of Darunia.
In Twilight Princess, the six sages make a return, this time appearing as masked figures that are identical, save for six corresponding elemental medallions that appear on their robes. In the middle portion of the game, it is revealed that the sages had previously attempted to execute Ganondorf in the Mirror Chamber atop Arbiter's Grounds. The Water Sage, acting as executioner, stabbed Ganondorf in the stomach with a sword. Ganondorf survived, however, and used the power granted to him by the Triforce of Power to free himself from his chains. He attacked the Water Sage and destroyed it, shortly before the remaining five sages used the Mirror of Twilight to send him to the Twilight Realm. Therefore, it appears that Ruto, or the being that was once Ruto, meets its end at some point prior to the beginning of Twilight Princess.
[edit] Rauru
Rauru (räoo'roo) is an old Hylian man who is the Sage of Light and the architect of the Temple of Time. Link first meets him when he awakens from his seven-year-long slumber in the Chamber of the Sages within the Temple of Light inside the Sacred Realm. It is Rauru who explains to Link where he is and what has happened in the past seven years. From Rauru, Link receives his first Medallion—the Light Medallion.
It is not concretely proven in the game, but many fans believe Rauru's reincarnation or physical manifestation in Hyrule may be in the form of the owl Kaepora Gaebora. This is evidenced by the fact that one gossip stone in the game says that Kaepora Gaebora is the reincarnation of an ancient sage, but the word reincarnation was a mistranslation. In the Gamecube version of Ocarina Of Time, another gossip stone in the same area (the Sacred Forest Meadow) tells Link that Kaepora Gaebora "may look big and heavy, but its character is rather lighthearted." Some believe this is a pun on the meaning of the word 'light" thus slyly confirming an essential connection between the "strange owl" and Rauru, the Sage of Light.
In the manga, it appeared that Rauru was only a spirit who lived on in the Chamber of the Sages.
It is unexplained if Rauru is thousands of years old when the Ancient Sages built the Temple of Time when the Triforce was created.
The town of Rauru in Zelda II: Adventure of Link was named after Rauru.
There are also certain similarities between Rauru, Sasharahla from ALTTP and the Old Man in LOZ. For example, they have a similar appearance, all being old men with grey hair in red robes. The three characters are considered 'wise men', who give Link advice. It is unknown whether there is any connection between the three in the storyline, or whether one influenced the creation of the other. The similarities may simply be coincidence.
[edit] Saria
Saria (Sä'rē-ä) is a pretty, talented, and admired Kokiri girl who befriended Link while he was growing up in Kokiri Forest. Like all Kokiri, she is unable to physically leave the boundaries of the forest, so she gives Link the Fairy Ocarina when he leaves for Hyrule Castle. She later teaches him Saria's Song, the magical powers of which enable Link to communicate with her from afar. When Link returns as an adult, he contacts Saria via ocarina. She explained that the forest spirits were calling out to her from the Forest Temple. When she went to investigate, evil spirits and monsters imprisoned her. Link rescues her after defeating the four Poe Sisters and Phantom Ganon. Saria is awakened as the Forest Sage and gives Link the Forest Medallion.
In the game, Saria is one of only four Kokiri to ever enter the Lost Woods. It is known that if the Kokiri wander too deep into the forest and remain there for too long, they will eventually become skull kids. If wandering Hylians do so, they will become Stalfos. The Kokiri children admired Saria for her kindness and for being the only one of her people to thoroughly navigate the Lost Woods. The Kokiri did not know she was a Sage, which may have guarded her from danger while traveling alone in the woods. Saria's favorite place in the entire forest was the Sacred Forest Meadow.
Because of her close relationship with Link, Saria is sometimes considered to be a mother or sister figure to him, possibly having raised him after his biological mother died in Kokiri Forest when he was just an infant. There is no evidence for or against the idea. Some believe Saria might have a love interest in Link because of two events in the game.
- The moment they had on the bridge out of Kokiri Village where Saria gives Link her ocarina.
- In the Kokiri Forest, Mido begins to comment that Saria likes Link, though he does not finish his thought.
Some argue that because Kokiri do not age, they cannot fall in love. Others counter that even if that's true, it cannot be denied that there is an underlying implication of love towards Link from Saria. The idea is commonly being debated among fans.
The water town of Saria in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, receives its name in honor of Saria.
The famed Saria's Song is played in the background on the way to the former Temple of Time in Faron Woods in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, as well as a mysterious skull kid who is also playing Saria's Song on his flute. Enemies are summoned whenever he plays it incorrectly.
[edit] Talon
Talon (tä'lōn) is a fat, rather lazy man who bears a striking resemblance to fellow Nintendo character Mario (he also wears a pendant that resembles Bowser, Mario's arch-enemy), as well as Tarin of Link's Awakening. He is the father of Malon and the owner and operator of Lon Lon Ranch. When Link first encounters Talon, he is asleep beside a shipment of milk he had been delivering to Hyrule Castle. After Link awakens him, he returns to Lon Lon Ranch. At some point during the seven years Link spends asleep in the Sacred Realm, Ingo, the Lon Lon Ranch farmhand, takes over the ranch and kicks Talon out. Once again, Link can find him asleep, this time in Kakariko Village. If Link participates in the "Pocket Cucco" side-quest, he can also be awakened by the sound of Link presenting the Pocket Cucco to him. When he discovers that Ingo turns over a new leaf, after Link ruins his business, he does so as well. He has a counterpart in Majora's Mask as Mr. Barten, who works at the milk bar and serves the milk. In the ending festival of Ocarina of Time, Talon and Ingo have apparently become best friends and are seen shambling in a drunken state.
[edit] Boss Characters
[edit] Parasitic Armored Arachnid, Queen Gohma
Described as the "Parasitic Armored Arachnid", Queen Gohma is a large insectoid creature that possesses large forelimbs and is described as a parasite. It was used as the curse placed on the Deku Tree by Ganondorf by using it to infest the wooded being and kill it. The Deku Scrubs within the Great Deku Tree seemed to harbor some loyalty to her, one calling her "queenie" and begging for forgiveness after it revealed to Link her weakness. After searching throughout the Deku tree and killing the Gohma's various offspring, Link destroyed it by attacking its vulnerable eye.
Gohma is a "classic" Zelda boss that appeared in the first game. It makes other appearances in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons as the boss of the Dragon Dance Grotto and again in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as the boss of Dragon Roost Cavern. It also appears in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening as a pair of mini-bosses in the Catfish's Maw. The eye is vulnerable in each incarnation. Armogohma, a spider with one eye on its back, is a similar boss in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
[edit] Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo
An "Infernal Dinosaur", King Dodongo is the largest of the Dodongo species of monsters. It was presumably summoned by Ganondorf in his plan to gain the sacred stone of the Gorons by making the "Dodongo's cave" saturated with monsters and preventing the Gorons from accessing their food source within. Link entered the cave and encountered King Dodongo in the depths of a lava pit, destroying it. King Dondongo's skin is armored and the only way to harm it is by throwing bombs into its mouth while it inhales to prepare a fire breath attack.
Dodongos have been bosses and minibosses in many Zelda games, dating back to The Legend of Zelda on the NES.
[edit] Bio-Electric Anemone, Barinade
A "Bio-Electric Anemone", Barinade was placed in Lord Jabu Jabu's belly in a similar parasitic fashion to The Great Deku Tree, in order to gain the sacred jewel of the Zoras. It absorbed energy from the large fish and occupied its internal organs until Link destroyed it. It used powerful electricity and a symbiotic relationship with Bari.
Also, the boss of the Forbidden Woods, Kalle Demos, from The Wind Waker, appears as Barinade's plant-like form, looking similar in appearance and is destroyed the same way Barinade is. He is also similar to the jellyfish boss from A Link to the Past
[edit] Evil Spirit from Beyond, Phantom Ganon
An "Evil Spirit from Beyond", Phantom Ganon is a clone of Ganondorf encountered by Link in the Forest Temple. It rides a demonic steed and mimics attack patterns used by the real Ganondorf whilst using teleportation and energy techniques. It was defeated by Link through use of his ranged projectile attacks. He rode his horse through the paintings on the walls of the boss lair. When Link defeated it, Ganondorf banished it into the gap between dimensions.
Phantom Ganon also makes an appearance in The Wind Waker as a mini-boss in both the Forsaken Fortress and Ganon's Tower, though with a rather different appearance.
[edit] Subterranean Lava Dragon, Volvagia
A "Subterranean Lava Dragon", Volvagia is a giant dragon/serpent being that is feared for its taste for Gorons. According to Darunia's son, (who was named after the player) Volvagia was destroyed by a great hero among the Gorons using the Megaton Hammer, and that he and Darunia are descendants of the hero. Ganondorf revived Volvagia and planned to feed the Goron race to it as an example to all other races in Hyrule not to oppose him. In Ocarina Of Time, Volvagia resided in a magma chamber deep inside the Fire Temple. The chamber consists of a thin sheet of rock, on which Link stood. The sheet has multiple lava pits allowing Volvagia to emerge and submerge at random. Link used the Megaton Hammer to stun Volvagia, then slashed it with his sword and killed it.
In the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga, Volvagia was originally a baby dragon Link bought in Hyrule Castle Town and befriended. Sometime after Link went into his seven year sleep, Ganondorf found and cursed the dragon, turning it evil and forcing it to even try to kill Link. Link, sadly, was forced to kill Volvagia by beheading it.
[edit] Giant Aquatic Amoeba, Morpha
A "Giant Aquatic Amoeba", Morpha is the master of the Water Temple. It consists of a jelly-like form of "unholy water" and a nucleus which could manipulate the water surrounding it to grab and constrict prey. Link defeated it by using the longshot item to grab the nucleus from the main body and destroy it. Unlike the other bosses, Morpha did not have a lot of story in the game. However, it appears to have been the cause of Lake Hylia being drained, as the lake refills once Morpha is destroyed.
A similar boss, named Morpheel, appears in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Morpheel is a giant anenome whose one eye moves through its tentacles. Like Morpha, Morpheel is damaged by pulling to Link with the Clawshot (hookshot). In its second stage, Morpheel erupts out of the ground, revealing itself to be an enourmous eel.
[edit] Phantom Shadow Beast, Bongo Bongo
A "Phantom Shadow Beast" and master of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo is a large creature that has a red eye in its center and two giant hands that appear to be severed from its arms, revealing bone. Its ability to turn its main body invisible made it a challenging foe. It first appeared in Kakariko village, after being freed from its prison at the bottom of the well. It set fire to the village, and was confronted by Link and Sheik. Some believe that Bongo-Bongo was originally "the man with the eye of truth whose house stood where the well was" ,explained by the old man in Kariko Village as an adult, who transformed into Bongo-Bongo. Since neither of them had the Lens of Truth needed to see Bongo Bongo, and he also appeared as a dark sand, they were easily defeated. Link later fights it on top of a giant drum, which Bongo Bongo (hence the name) alternately played, causing Link to bounce up and down in the air. Link defeated it by stunning the hands, which forced it to reveal its body. Link shot his arrows at the exposed eye, then cut at its eye to kill it.
Gohdan, the Tower of the Gods boss in The Wind Waker, is very similar in appearance and fighting style to Bongo Bongo, only Gohdan was created by the gods, so he's technically not evil, nor is he one of Ganon's minions, and Gohdan has two eyes, while Bongo Bongo only has one. Mazaal, the boss of the Fortress of Winds from the Minish Cap and Ramrock, the boss of the Ancient Tomb from Oracle of Ages are also similar.
[edit] Sorceress Sisters, Twinrova
The twin witches Kotake and Koume, who later become Twinrova, are the bosses of the Spirit Temple. Twinrova consists of two witches, Koume and Kotake, that use the elements of fire and ice, respectively. After a short battle with the twin witches separately, Kotake and Koume combine to form Twinrova (much to Link's surprise), who resembles an attractive young gerudo woman. Using the Mirror Shield is the only way Link can defeat Twinrova effectively. They are also the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf. Defeating Twinrova means that Link has finally freed all the Sages from their temples, and can now prepare for the final battle with Ganondorf.
In Majora's Mask, both Kotake and Koume's counterparts are good and reside in the Southern Swamp where Koume has been attacked by the Skull Kid and requires Link's help.
