The 10 Most OBSCURE Enemies in The Legend of Zelda
Rupee Wraith
“The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords” (2002)
This game introduced a host of new mechanics and enemies, and one that’s often overlooked is the Rupee Wraith. “Four Swords” as a whole often gets less attention than its console game counterparts, which contributes a lot to the Rupee Wraith’s obscurity. Once one appears, it’ll chase Link and attempt to steal his rupees. Outside of “Four Swords,” a single Rupee Wraith also appears in “The Minish Cap,” where it’s referred to as a ghost, and can be found haunting Gregal of the Wind Tribe. Because of its very few appearances in only two handheld games, the Rupee Wraith has been mostly forgotten.
Cukeman
“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1992)
While “A Link to the Past” is beloved for its classic enemies, there’s one particularly strange and easily forgotten foe: the Cukeman. Of course, these blob-like creatures weren’t naturally occurring; they were the unusual result of sprinkling Magic Powder on a Buzz Blob. Turning Buzz Blobs into Cukemen would enable them to speak to us, although mostly nonsense. They can also be found in “Link’s Awakening,” “Oracle of Seasons,” and “Oracle of Ages,” but their niche role and unique transformation gimmick probably contributed to them now being forgotten. It seems like a weird choice to leave them in the past, when they’re so cool conceptually.
Daira
“Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)
“Zelda II” has several enemies that only appear here, including the menacing Daira. These alligator-like soldiers wield axes that can easily chop through Link if he isn’t careful. There are two variations of them. The orange ones will charge you while wildly swinging their axes, and the red ones are more ranged and throw axes at you. The red ones are much more rare and considerably stronger - but both can only be found in and around Death Mountain. While even their primary appearances in “Zelda II” are pretty obscure, they have arguably even more obscure appearances in the CD-i titles, “Link: The Faces of Evil” and “Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.”
Keaton
“The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005)
“The Minish Cap” is one of the most charming of Link’s adventures, and introduced us to many new creatures. But one that might’ve slipped your mind is the Keaton. These tricky, fox-like enemies aren’t to be mistaken for cute. They’re clearly holding daggers of some kind. And if they spot you, they’ll charge at you like Spear Moblins. In terms of gameplay systems, they serve mostly to make you drop some of your rupees, relative to how many you’re carrying. This is an interesting evolution, seeing as how “Ocarina of Time” introduced the Keaton Mask, based on a popular, in-universe children's character, and Keaton appeared as a mythical creature in “Majora’s Mask.” But as far as the enemy goes, they’ve fallen into obscurity.
Anti-Kirby
“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” (1993)
“Link’s Awakening” is known for its quirky characters and unique enemies based on other Nintendo properties. Most of them are Mario-themed. But then there’s Anti-Kirby, being a complete stand out for its sheer oddity. This incredibly rare enemy is essentially a shadowy, darker version of classic Kirby. There’s only a single Anti-Kirby in the game, found in Eagle’s Tower, a late-game dungeon. While the classic version usually inhales enemies, Anti-Kirby will attempt to inhale Link to damage him. But outside of the various versions of “Link’s Awakening,” Anti-Kirby has no other appearances, making for an obscure cameo.
Fokka
“Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)
Undeniably one of the toughest enemies “Zelda II” has to offer is the Fokka. These bird-like humanoids can be found exclusively in the Great Palace, the game’s final dungeon. They’re strong, agile, and can feel pretty relentless to deal with. They leap around, shooting sword beams, making them both hard to hit and avoid. Much like many other enemies at this point, you’ve got both Red and Blue Fokkas, with blue ones having twice as much health. You’d think based on their difficulty and actual capabilities that they’d be a bit more memorable, but it looks like their ‘fire sword laser beams’ couldn’t save them from being completely forgotten outside of this single NES title.
Iron Knuckle
“Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)
Sticking with “Zelda II,” we’ve got one absolutely brutal enemy that stands out for at least being relatively tough in comparison to its peers. These heavily armored knights are incredibly slow but possess devastatingly powerful attacks. Not to mention, their thick armor makes them resistant to most of Link’s strikes, forcing you to master your dodging and learning how to find openings in their defenses. While they did TECHNICALLY appear again later, as more famous mini-bosses in “Ocarina of Time” and “Majora’s Mask,” those operate a bit differently and still haven’t been featured since. Nintendo has instead narrowed its focus to Darknuts, similar knight enemies that are much more commonly occurring.
Deku Toad
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)
“Twilight Princess” is especially full of memorable bosses and enemies. And many, if not most people, seem to have forgotten about the Deku Toad. Found within the Lakebed Temple as a mini-boss, this massive toad will try to crush Link from above with its impressive weight. Though, it will also summon a horde of smaller, tadpole-like forms called Toados, which attempt to swarm Link with damage. Interestingly, the Deku Toad is the thousand-year-old form of the Toadpoli, two-legged frogs with water and fire variants that, you guessed it, only appear in this game. Toados, Toadpoli, the Deku Toad; this whole family line seems to have escaped most people’s memories, including Nintendo’s.
Aquamentus
“The Legend of Zelda” (1987)
Hopping all the way back to the first installment, we have an early-game boss that often gets overshadowed - Aquamentus. This horned, dragon type creature was actually the very first “Zelda” boss, guarding the Triforce piece of the first dungeon and later reappearing in Level 7. Due to the technology at the time, he doesn’t do much other than walk back and forth while shooting fireballs at you. He did actually make a return as a boss in “Oracle of Seasons” on the Game Boy Color. But he’s a great example of a solid idea they could’ve taken further, only for it to be forgotten by not only the devs, but most of the players.
Vire
“The Legend of Zelda” (1987)
Many enemies from the first “Zelda” game, like Moblins, Octoroks, and Wizzrobes, have been brought along for multiple, more popular entries. But do you remember the Vires? These winged demons were pretty obnoxious, and defeating them would simply split them into two Keese, which could also be annoying. Vires also appeared in “Link’s Awakening,” “Oracle of Seasons,” and “Oracle of Ages,” and yet they seem to be one of the most easily forgotten enemies. This might be due to their relatively generic appearance and behavior. In comparison to most other enemies, Vires have been left behind in the “Zelda” history books.
Of course, there are plenty of other obscure enemies throughout the “Zelda” canon. Let us know what some of your favorite long-forgotten foes are in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!
