User:KrytenKoro/Zelda

This article lists types of fictional enemy creatures encountered as bosses or sub-bosses in The Legend of Zelda series of video games, specifying their role in each appearance, and focusing on those which have evolved throughout the series.

Reception

Timothy J. Seppala of MLive Entertainment wrote, "the Legend of Zelda series holds the crown for the best boss fights in gaming," mentioning specifically Infernal Dinosaur King Dodongo and Subterranean Lava Dragon, Volvagia. GameSpot has named Ganon from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 among the top ten video game boss fights of all time, stating, "The final battle of every Zelda game sees Link and Ganon locked in a clash of wills, and the fight at the end of Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 was by far the most dramatic and epic one in Zelda history." Ganon has also received an honorable mention on Impact Lab's similar list, once again praising the battle in Ocarina of Time, "Link's main adversary just missed the list, but that last fight with Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time (N64) still deserves a shout-out." Ganondorf was the runner-up in the GameFAQs battle of villains character contest, in which he was defeated by Sephiroth and was named the fourth best villain ever in an episode of G4's Filter. Nevertheless, Cracked has listed Ganondorf from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess among the six most disappointing video game end bosses, writing "We went into this battle expecting Darth Maul, and what we got was C-3PO."

Games

The Legend of Zelda

In The Legend of Zelda, Ganon attempts to conquer Hyrule by capturing Princess Zelda and obtaining her Triforce of Wisdom; however, before he can take it, Princess Zelda sends Impa for help and splits her Triforce of Wisdom into eight shards, which she hides in the eight dungeons. Impa finds Link and sends him to retrieve the shards from each dungeon, where it is guarded by a boss, before finally challenging Ganon and rescuing Zelda. The dungeons differ between the First and Second Quests, though the bosses remain the same.

The bosses set to guard the shards of the Triforce of Wisdom include:

• Aquamentus, boss of the Eagle and Demon dungeons in the First Quest and Level 1 in the Second Quest.
• Dodongo, boss of the Moon dungeon in the First Quest.
• Manhandla, boss of the Manji dungeon in the First Quest.
• Gleeok, boss of the Snake and Lion dungeons in the First Quest and Levels 2, 5, and 8 in the Second Quest.
• Digdogger, boss of the Lizard dungeon in the First Quest and Level 4 in the Second Quest.
• Gohma, boss of the Dragon dungeon in the First Quest and Level 6 in the Second Quest.

The game also includes sub-bosses which guard a specific room in a dungeon. Each dungeon boss reappears at least once as a sub-boss.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

In The Adventure of Link, Link learns of another Princess Zelda who was cursed into sleep long ago by a magician working for her brother, the prince, because she would not show them the location of the Triforce of Courage. To awaken her, Link must return six crystals to matching palace monuments to enter the Great Palace and retrieve the Triforce of Courage, while avoiding Ganon's minions, who seek to kill Link to revive Ganon.

Each of the six palaces is guarded by a boss, set there by the ancient king who hid the Triforce:

• Mazura (also known as Horsehead), boss of Parapa Palace. It is a giant knight with the head of a horse.
• Jermafenser (also known as Helmethead), boss of Midoro Palace. Also the boss of Sea Palace (exclusive to the Japanese version of the game). It resembles a knight with three heads, each situated on top of the other.
• Rebonack, boss of Island Palace. It is an Ironknuckle, riding an iron horse. In order to defeat him, Link must first use the Downward Thrust technique to force him to dismount.
• Carock, boss of Maze Palace. It resembles a wizard wearing a blood red cloak. Link can defeat Carock by casting Reflect and bouncing Carock's magic spells back at him.
• Gooma, boss of Sea Palace (exclusive to the US/PAL version of the game.) It resembles a giant barbarian wearing an impenetrable spiked helmet and wielding a massive ball and chain.
• Barba, boss of Three Eye Rock Palace. It resembles a snake-like dragon which lives in a vat of molten lava.

The Great Palace's two bosses, serve as the final trial for obtaining the Triforce from its wizard protector:

• Thunderbird, a giant falcon with the head of a man. He is the guardian of the Great Palace.
• Shadow Link, not a sentient incarnation of Link, but a "shadow" of whomever has defeated the Thunderbird and wishes to obtain the Triforce.

The game also includes sub-bosses which guard specific palace areas. Rebonack reappears twice as a sub-boss in all versions of the game. Mazura reappears once as a sub-boss exclusive to the Japanese version of the game.

A Link to the Past

In A Link to the Past, the wizard Agahnim enacts a plot to free his alter ego, Ganon, from the Dark World, that requires him to imprison the seven Shrine Maidens within crystals in the Dark World. Princess Zelda, the last of the Shrine Maidens, telepathically contacts Link to ask for rescue from her impending imprisonment.

The Ball & Chain Trooper guards Princess Zelda in the Castle Dungeon.

After hiding Zelda in the Sanctuary, Link learns that to stop Agahnim he needs the Master Sword. The first three bosses guard the Pendants needed to obtain it:

• The Armos Knights guard the Pendant of Courage in the East Palace.
• The Lanmolas guard the Pendant of Power in the Desert Palace.
• Moldorm guards the Pendant of Wisdom in the Mountain Tower.

Link defeats Agahnim, but not before he sends all seven Shrine Maidens to the Dark World. The next seven bosses guard the Shrine Maidens, whose power is needed to break into Ganon's Tower to prevent Ganon's release from the Dark World:

• Helmasaur King, who guards the first Maiden in the Dark Palace. It is a large scorpion-like monster that wears a mask over its face.
• Arrghus, who guards the second Maiden in the Swamp Palace.
• Mothula, who guards the third Maiden in Skull Woods.
• Blind, who guards the fourth Maiden in Thieves' Town. He takes on the guise of a beautiful maiden trapped in the dungeons of the town.
• Kholdstare, who guards the fifth Maiden in the Ice Palace. It is a giant cyclopean puff-ball encased within ice.
• Vitreous, who guards the sixth Maiden in Misery Mire. It is a giant eyeball surrounded by its smaller brethren, and it attacks by casting lightning bolts at Link.
• Trinexx, who guards Princess Zelda in Turtle Rock. It is a three-headed snake made of stones, though initially it is encased in a rocky shell that makes it resemble a turtle.

If both A Link to the Past and Four Swords are completed in the Game Boy Advance remake, Link may enter an optional dungeon to obtain those four aspects of the Four Sword. Link fights four bosses from A Link to the Past, and at the end of the dungeon, Link battles four Dark Links.

Link's Awakening/DX

In Link's Awakening, the Shadow Nightmares (also known as DethI) have taken over the Wind Fish's dream-world, Koholint Island, where Link finds himself a prisoner after becoming shipwrecked. In order to prevent intruders from possibly waking the Wind Fish and destroying their domain, the Shadow Nightmares hid the eight Instruments of the Sirens in dungeons.

The Nightmares that guard the Instruments of the Sirens are:

• Moldorm is a large, segmented snake who guards the Full Moon Cello in Tail Cave.
• Genie is a genie in a bottle who guards the Conch Horn in Bottle Grotto.
• Slime Eyes guards the Sea Lily Bell in Key Cavern.
• Angler Fish is a large fish who guards the Surf Harp in Angler's Tunnel.
• Slime Eel is a large slime ball who guards the Wind Marimba in Catfish's Maw.
• Facade is a face that appears on a floor who guards the Coral Triangle in the northern Face Shrine.
• Evil Eagle is a giant eagle who guards the Organ of Evening Calm in Eagle's Tower.
• Hot Head is a giant fireball who guards the Thunder Drum in Turtle Rock.

As a first in the series, these bosses speak to Link, warning him of the ephemeral nature of the island and decrying the loss of their world.

The DX version of Link's Awakening has an extra dungeon boss which takes advantage of the Game Boy Color's color.

Ocarina of Time/Master Quest

In Ocarina of Time, Great King of Evil Ganondorf enacts a plot to steal the Triforce that requires him to obtain the three Spiritual Stones held by the leaders of three races. Although Link manages to obtain the Spiritual Stones first, Ganondorf still manages to sneak into the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce, and soon conquers Hyrule. The dungeons differ between the original and Master Quest version of the game, though the bosses remain the same.

The first three bosses were created by Ganondorf to terrorize the three holders of the Spiritual Stones in order to force them to relinquish them:

• Parasitic Armored Arachnid Gohma, placed inside the Great Deku Tree to force it to relinquish the Kokiri's Emerald.
• Infernal Dinosaur King Dodongo, placed in Dodongo's Cavern, along with a huge boulder to block the entrance, to force Darunia to relinquish the Goron's Ruby.
• Bio-Electrical Anemone Barinade is a large, fleshy anemone covered in symbiotic jellyfish.

The next five bosses are curses placed upon the five temples by Ganondorf to transform Hyrule into a land of monsters and assist in its subjugation:

• Evil Spirit from Beyond, Phantom Ganon is responsible for plaguing the Lost Woods with monsters and preventing the Deku Tree from resprouting.
• Subterranean Lava Dragon, Volvagia was originally slain by a Goron hero, but was revived by Ganondorf in order to return Death Mountain to an active volcano, and to have it devour the Gorons as an example to the other races of Hyrule.
• Giant Aquatic Amoeba, Morpha is the source of the curse that froze Zora's Domain, draining Lake Hylia. It resembles a huge amoeba made from water.
• Phantom Shadow Beast, Bongo Bongo is responsible for raising the dead in Kakariko Village and using them to terrorize the populace. It is a huge cyclopean specter with detached hands, constantly beating a giant bongo.
• Sorceress Sisters, Koume & Kotake are responsible for brainwashing Nabooru to use the Gerudo race to terrorize Hyrule.

Majora's Mask

In Majora's Mask, the Majora-possessed Skull Kid becomes infuriated with the Four Giants for seemingly abandoning him, and begins wreaking havoc and casting curses upon the land of Termina. The most devastating of these is the awakening and impending collision of the Moon, and the magical imprisonment of the Four Giants, who could stop it. Due to the repeating nature of the game, Link can fight previously defeated bosses again each time he restarts the three-day cycle.

Each of the four main bosses is the cursed form of one of the Four Giants, whom Link must free and awaken to save Termina:

• Masked Jungle Warrior, Odolwa is a cursed Giant who resides in Woodfall Temple, poisoning the waters of Southern Swamp.
• Masked Mechanical Monster, Goht, is a cursed Giant who resides in Snowhead Temple, perpetuating the wintry cold in the Northern Mountain.
• Gargantuan Masked Fish, Gyorg, is a cursed Giant who resides in Great Bay Temple, polluting and heating the Western Ocean.
• Giant Masked Insect, Twinmold, is a cursed Giant who resides in Stone Tower Temple, agitating the dead to madness.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

In Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Twinrova, Gerudo Witches, enact a plot to revive Ganon, Evil Gerudo King, that requires kidnapping Princess Zelda, Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and Din, the Oracle of Seasons, while spreading sorrow, despair, and destruction across the lands. To this end, they send Veran, Sorceress of Shadows, to possess Nayru and erect the Black Tower, and Onox, General of Darkness, to imprison Din and submerge the Temple of Seasons. The bosses in each game are sent to guard the Eight Essences needed to restore the game's Maku Tree in order to defeat the main boss.

Veran sends her boss monsters to guard the Essences of Time which belong to the Maku Tree of Labrynna:

• Pumpkin Head is a cloaked specter with a jack-o'-lantern head who guards the Eternal Spirit in the Spirit's Grave.
• Head Thwomp is a floating multi-colored stone block who guards the Ancient Wood in the Wing Dungeon.
• Shadow Hag is a specter who guards the Echoing Howl in the Moonlit Grotto.
• Eyesoar is a large, flying eyeball who guards the Burning Flame in the Skull Dungeon.
• Smog is a living cloud of smog who guards the Sacred Soil in the Crown Dungeon.
• Octogon is a shelled octopus who guards the Bereft Peak in the Mermaid's Cave.
• Plasmarine is a large jellyfish who guards the Rolling Sea in Jabu-Jabu's Belly.
• Ramrock is a golem-like creature who guards the Falling Star in the Ancient Tomb.

Onox sends his boss monsters to guard the Essences of Nature which belong to the Maku Tree of Holodrum:

• Aquamentus is a large dragon who guards the Fertile Soil in the Gnarled Root Dungeon.
• Dodongo is a dinosaur who guards the Gift of Time in the Snake's Remains.
• Mothula is a giant moth who guards the Bright Sun in the Poison Moth's Lair.
• Gohma is a giant spider who guards the Soothing Rain in the Dancing Dragon Dungeon.
• Digdogger is a one-eyed creature who guards the Nurturing Warmth in the Unicorn's Cave.
• Manhandla is a large, plant-like creature with several mouths who guards the Blowing Wind in the Ancient Ruins.
• Gleeok is a multi-headed dragon who guards the Seed of Life in the Explorer's Crypt.
• Medusa Head is a floating head resembling Medusa who guards the Changing Seasons in the Sword and Shield Maze.

Vire is a servant of Veran and Onox who guards the Mermaid Suit in the Mermaid's Cave, the Magic Boomerang in the Ancient Ruins, and imprisons Princess Zelda in the Black Tower (during a linked Seasons-to-Ages playthrough). The Great Moblin is a local tyrant who terrorizes the Rolling Ridge Gorons, forces travelers to Sunken City to pay a toll, and attempts to kidnap Princess Zelda (during a linked Ages-to-Seasons playthrough). If the player fulfills certain requirements, his Moblins will attack Moosh in Spool Swamp, forcing Link to intervene.

Four Swords

In Four Swords, Vaati breaks the magical seal imprisoning him within the Four Sword and kidnaps Zelda; forcing Link to draw the Four Sword to save her. Because of the level-based setup of the game, the bosses don't technically guard dungeons: the boss of each area guards a Great Fairy who possesses a key to Vaati's Palace of Winds. Each key will cost Link a certain amount of rupees to purchase and, depending on the difficulty setting, the cost amount and the type of key he obtains (Silver Key, Gold Key, or Hero's Key), will vary. Furthermore, because the game is multi-player, a boss's attacks and the method for defeating it may change depending on how many players are fighting it.

The area bosses who guard the Great Fairies are:

• Sea of Trees Guardian is a large, aggressive plant who guards the Great Fairy of the Sea of Trees.
• Talus Cave Guardian is a large slug who guards the Great Fairy of Talus Cave.
• Death Mountain Guardian is a large bat-like creature who guards the Great Fairy of Death Mountain.

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker, Ganondorf has been revived and attacks the Great Sea. He has begun to search for the Triforce in order to remove the sea which covers Hyrule, as well as endeavoring to weaken the Master Sword and its seal on him.

The first two bosses are curses cast against the three spirits who hold the Goddess Pearls, keys to the Tower of the Gods and the Master Sword:

• Gohma is a large, fiery spider who resides in the Dragon Roost Cavern beneath the Sky Spirit, Valoo.
• Kalle Demos is a carnivorous plant who has imprisoned Makar in the Forbidden Woods, thus preventing the annual ceremony which raises new forests and rejuvenates the Earth Spirit, The Deku Tree.

Gohdan, The Great Arbiter is a mechanical creation of the gods that exists to test the hero and guards the entrance into Hyrule hidden at The Tower of the Gods.

The Monstrous Helmaroc King is a large bird sent by Ganondorf to kidnap blond, pointy-eared girls that may hold the Triforce of Wisdom. It imprisons them at the Forsaken Fortress, and its kidnapping of Aryll, Link's sister, is what begins the plot of the game.

The next two bosses are curses cast against the two sages who pray to the gods to bless the Master Sword:

• Jalhalla, Protector of the Seal is a large specter which stole the soul of the Earth sage, Laruto, who prayed in the Earth Temple.
• Molgera, Protector of the Seal is a large sandworm which stole the soul of the Wind sage, Fado, who prayed in the Wind Temple.

The last two bosses are guardians of Ganon's Castle:

• Phantom Ganon is a phantom version of Ganondorf who guards the catacombs which contain the Light Arrows. He also helps guard the Forsaken Fortress while Ganondorf is still there.
• Puppet Ganon is a puppet of Ganondorf's which can take different forms, and who guards the tower leading to Ganondorf.

Four Swords Adventures

In Four Swords Adventures, Ganon steals the Magic Trident and the Dark Mirror, which he uses to summon Shadow Link in order to imprison the seven Shrine Maidens and force Link to draw the Four Sword, releasing Vaati, all to distract Link while he steals the power of the Shrine Maidens. Because of the level-based setup of the game, not all bosses guard a dungeon: the first two bosses of each area guard the magical barrier to the next level, while the last boss of an area guards one of the imprisoned Shrine Maidens. In order to move on to the next level, Link must destroy each magic barrier blocking his path or imprisoning a Shrine Maiden in addition to defeating that area's boss. To do this Link must obtain a certain amount of force gems to temporarily restore the Four Sword's power to full strength. Furthermore, because the game can be played single- or multi-player, a boss's attacks and the method for defeating it may change depending on how many players are fighting it.

The area bosses who guard the Shrine Maidens are:

• Phantom Ganon is a phantom version of Ganondorf who guards the Blue Maiden in Hyrule Castle and the Red Maiden in the Temple of Darkness.
• Stone Arrghus is a floating cyclops-like creature surrounded by stones who guards the Yellow Maiden in the Eastern Temple.
• Dodongos is a large dinosaur who guard the Green Maiden in the Tower of Flames.
• Big Poe is a large ghost who guards the White Maiden in Hyrule Castle.
• Big Moldorm is a large, segmented snake who guards the Purple Maiden in the Pyramid.
• Frostare is a large, ice-encased creature who guards Princess Zelda in the Tower of Winds.

The Minish Cap

In The Minish Cap, Vaati has turned Princess Zelda to stone while searching for the Light Force, and the only way for Link to reverse the curse is to reforge the Picori Blade into the Four Sword by recovering the four Elements.

Each Element is hidden in a dungeon and guarded by a boss:

• Big Green ChuChu is a blob-like creature who guards the Earth Element in the Deepwood Shrine. It is the same size as a regular ChuChu, but Link battles it while he has shrunk.
• Gleerok is a fire-breathing turtle-like dragon who guards the Fire Element in the Cave of Flames.

Mazaal is a golden mechanical creation who guards the Ocarina of Wind in the Fortress of Winds.

• Big Octorok is an Octorok who guards the Water Element in the Temple of Droplets. Like the Big ChuChu, this boss is merely a regular Octorok that Link fights while miniaturized.
• Gyorg Pair are a pair of creatures resembling manta rays who guard the Wind Element in the Palace of Winds.

Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Dark Lord, Ganondorf enacts a plot to return to the "World of Light" that requires spreading the twilight of the Twilight Realm to make darkness. To this end, he assists Usurper King, Zant in overthrowing the titular Twilight Princess and attacking Hyrule. In his attack, he fractures the Fused Shadows and Twilight Mirror each into four pieces, which are scattered around Hyrule. To save Hyrule, Link and Midna search for the three missing pieces of the Fused Shadows in a bid to rival Zant's power.

The first three bosses were created when the Fused Shadows infected Hyrulian beings with their darkness, reshaping them into twisted, evil forms:

• Twilit Parasite, Diababa is a large carnivorous plant who resides in the Forest Temple. It is a giant Deku Baba with 3 heads that attacks Link by spewing polluted water at him and trying to grab him with its fronds.
• Twilit Igniter, Fyrus is a possessed Goron by the name of Darbus, imprisoned in the Goron Mines after being transformed by the Fused Shadows.
• Twilit Aquatic, Morpheel, is a giant eel who resides in the Lakebed Temple.

Twilit Fossil, Stallord is a dragon skull that guards the Mirror Chamber in the Arbiter's Grounds.

The next three bosses were created when the Mirror Shards infected Hyrulian beings with their malice, reshaping them into twisted, evil forms:

• Twilit Ice Mass, Blizzeta is a frozen creature who possesses a Yeti named Yeta using the mirror shard in Snowpeak Ruins.
• Twilit Arachnid, Armogohma is a large spider who resides in the Temple of Time.
• Twilit Dragon, Argorok is a black-armored wyvern who has been attacking the City in the Sky.

In a review for Twilight Princess, the Jamaica Observer said the bosses were scary, which worked together with the monuments and backgrounds of the game to create graphics that were "to die for". N-Philes noted that the mid-bosses were also "challenging", and that the dungeon bosses were much larger than in other The Legend of Zelda games.

Phantom Hourglass

In Phantom Hourglass, the life-eating Bellum, Evil Phantom has imprisoned the Ocean King and the three Spirits who serve him, created the Ghost Ship to search out more lives to devour, and transformed much of the captured life-force into the monsters and bosses of the game. After each boss is defeated, the life-force they stole is relinquished to Link in the form of two minutes worth of "Sand of Hours", which temporarily allows Link to explore the Temple of the Ocean King without being affected by its curse.

The first three bosses of the game guard the captured Spirits:

• Blaaz, Master of Fire is a wizard who guards Leaf in the Temple of Fire. It is a demonic wizard that attacks by spitting fireballs. It is responsible for causing the Isle of Ember volcano to continuously erupt.
• Cyclok, Stirrer of Winds is a large octopus riding a tornado who guards Neri in the Temple of Wind.
• Crayk, Bane of Courage is a large shelled lobster who guards Ciela's split self in the Temple of Courage.

The Diabolical Cubus Sisters are four ghostly sisters who guard the Ghost Ship, and with it, a captured Tetra.

The next three bosses guard the three Pure Metals, which can be forged into the Phantom Sword, able to defeat Bellum:

• Dongorongo, Armored Lizard is an armored dinosaur who guards the Goron's Crimsonine in the Goron Temple.
• Gleeok, Two-headed Dragon is a large, multi-headed dragon who guards the Anouki's Azurine in the Temple of Ice.
• Eox, Ancient Stone Soldier is a large, mechanical soldier who guards the Cobble Kingdom's Aquanine in Mutoh's Temple.

In a review for Phantom Hourglass, Business Week found the boss fights thrilling, and said that they had the memorability which makes a Zelda game enjoyable.

Spin-off games

Zelda wristwatch game

Aquamentus appears as a recurring boss in all four stages of the non-canon Zelda wristwatch game by Nelsonic. Each Aquamentus guards a Triforce fragment.

Zelda Game & Watch

Dragon is the recurring boss of all eight stages of Nintendo's LCD Zelda Game & Watch. Each Dragon guards a Triforce fragment. The final Dragon also holds Zelda hostage.

Phillips CD-i

Ganon is the primary antagonist and the final boss of Phillips CD-i's Link: Faces of Evil, Zelda: Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. He holds Zelda hostage in Faces of Evil, both King Harkinian and Link hostage in Wand of Gamelon, and Link hostage in Zelda's Adventure. Zelda: Wand of Gamelon and Link: Faces of Evil share the bosses Gleeok and Ganon.

Link: Faces of Evil features both bosses and enemies unique to the game, with Ganon being the only boss to appear in any other title in the series. Several of the bosses from Link: Faces of Evil are faced after their initial defeat as sub-bosses in later areas of Koridai. The bosses themselves are not centered around a particular primary objective (such as pieces of the Triforce), but instead appear in areas of interest in Koridai. The bosses encountered include:

• Gleeok, boss of Spearfish Falls.
• Goronu, boss of Fortress Centrum.
• Harlequin, boss of the Harlequin Bazaar.
• Militron, boss of Militron.
• Glutko, boss of the Shrine of Koridai.
• Lupay, boss of Hermit Flat.

Zelda: Wand of Gamelon features bosses that are mainstays of the franchise, although three of them appear as regular enemies in other entries of the series. As with the first CD-i title, the bosses do not guard related items of interest, but instead stand as barriers to progressing to different areas of Gamelon. The bosses encountered include:

• Gibdo, mummy boss of Sakado.
• Ironknuckle, knight boss of Tykogi Tower.
• Gleeok, dragon boss of Dordung Cave.
• Wizzrobe, wizard boss of Shutoy Lake.
• Hectan, boss of Dodomai Palace.
• Onfac, werewolf boss of the Shrine of Gamelon.

Zelda's Adventure has a more traditional boss layout with each acting as a guardian for a different shrine Zelda must enter in order to obtain the seven celestial signs needed to restore the kingdom of Tolemac to an "Age of Light". The bosses for this entry are:

• Lort is a large stone golem and the guardian of the Shrine of Earth.
• Pasquinade is a wolf-like creature and the guardian of the Shrine of Illusion.
• Aviana is a bird-like creature and the guardian of the Shrine of Air.
• Moldorm is a female sorceress and the guardian of the Shrine of Destiny.
• Agwanda is a large gelatinous blob and the guardian of the Shrine of Water.
• Ursala is a bear-like creature and the guardian of the Shrine of Strength.
• Warbane is a dragon and the guardian of the Shrine of Fire.

Link's Crossbow Training

Link's Crossbow Training is a title bundled with the Wii Zapper in the vein of a light gun shooter. Two bosses appear:

• A Darknut, a knight, appears as a boss.
• Twilit Fossil, Stallord, appears as the final boss.

Recurring bosses

Aquamentus

Aquamentus is a green, draconic unicorn that attacks by spitting three fireballs at once.

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.

Dodongo

Dodongos are a race of Archosauromorphic creatures, normally four-legged and red or green, 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, Twilight Princess, and Phantom Hourglass. They often serve as sub-bosses, and usually require the player to feed them bombs to defeat them, 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, and can grow to be very large, attaining a size similar to that of the Goron race. 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 related sub-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.
• Big Dodongo is a Dodongo that is twice as large as normal Dodongos, and requires larger bombs to be defeated.
• Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo 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, but it can be addled if it ingests bombs. It attacks by spitting fire and by attempting to roll over Link.
• Dodongo Snakes are large black snakes that crawl around the room. Like most Dodongos, they are vulnerable to ingested bombs.
• Dongorongo, Armored Lizard, is a Dodongo that has a large crystalline growth to protect a weak point on its back.

Gleeok

Gleeok first appear in The Legend of Zelda, but do not appear in its remake, BS Zelda. It is a multi-headed dragon, and is usually four-legged. Gleeok are usually found deep in subterranean environments, though its exact nature may greatly differ. Gleeok attack by spitting out balls of fire or ice, and usually require attacks to their head to be defeated. If a head is severed, it will continue to attack while floating around, and may reattach if given long enough.

The series also includes two subspecies of Gleeok:

• Gleerok is a lava-dwelling Gleeok with a shell of igneous rock which hides a vulnerable spike on its back. It tends to hide in its lava pool, but if it sees something it will spew fire at it.
• Gleeok, Two-headed Dragon is a sea Gleeok wearing bony masks. Its red-shaded head spits fire, while the blue spits ice.

Gohma

Gohma is a species of cyclopean arthropod whose exact form varies greatly between appearances. It is described as an arachnid in Ocarina of Time, though its appearance throughout the games more commonly resembles a giant crab. It rarely appears alone, and in most games it spawns young that attack Link during the boss battle, and sometimes during his trek through the dungeon itself.

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 pedestal. 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 and Phantom Hourglass, but as a smaller shark that attacks Link as he sails across the Great Sea.

Two Gyorg appear in The Minish Cap as the Gyorg Pair, the bosses of the Palace of Winds and the guardians of the Wind Element. 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. The female does very little to defend itself beyond spawning baby Gyorg that fly past Link, but its mate will divebomb Link and swipe at him with its barbed tail.

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.

Jalhalla (also known as Big Poe) returns as the boss of the Swamp and the Infiltration of Hyrule Castle in Four Swords Adventures. It appears to be similar in design to its The Wind Waker incarnation.

Lanmola

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. They came in red and blue varieties, with the blue ones being much speedier than the red ones.

In A Link to the Past, three Lanmolas appear as the boss of the Desert Palace, and another three as a sub-boss in Ganon's Tower. They attack by popping up from under the sand.

Manhandla

Manhandla first appears in The Legend of Zelda. It resembles a large Buzz Blob with four Piranha Plant-like maws that spit out beams. If a maw is severed, the whole body moves faster.

Very similar Manhandlas appear in Oracle of Seasons and four Sword Adventures. In Oracle of Seasons, its only variation is that it will electrocute anything that touches it, and it cannot fully die until not only its maws but its central pit is destroyed. In Four Swords Adventures, each of its four maws is shaded to correspond with one of the four Links, and if the incorrect Link attacks it, any severed maws will grow back.

Moldorm

Moldorm is a regular enemy (known as Mini-Moldorm), but a giant Moldorm appears as bosses in several games. They are generally depicted as segmented worm-like creatures large heads and gradually smaller body-segments reaching back to their small tails, and often inhabit deserts. They are very similar to Lanmolas which are often found in the same games.

Moldorm first appears in The Legend of Zelda.

Another slightly different incarnation of Moldorm appears as a boss in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and Four Swords Adventures. It attacks by moving around erratically on a platform surrounded by pits. In the Japanese version of those games listed above these large-headed worms are known as "Tails".

In Zelda's Adventure Moldorm is a female sorceress capable of shape-shifting who is the guardian of the Shrine of Destiny.

Mothula

Mothula first appeared as the boss of the Skull Woods dungeon in the Dark World in A Link to the Past. She attacks by firing triple blasts of large energy rings. Killing her frees the third crystal maiden.

In the Game Boy Advance 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 reincarnation has the ability to create weak clones of herself.

Mothula also appears as the boss of the Poison Moth's Lair in Oracle of Seasons. She attacks by shooting fireballs and has the ability to spawn smaller moths to attack Link. Defeating this boss gives link the third Essence of Nature, the Bright Sun.

A winged Mothula 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.

See also

• Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series

External links

• "List of bosses in The Legend of Zelda series," Zeldapedia