Deku Tree

The Deku Tree in Ocarina of Time.
The Great Deku Tree
Species	Tree Deity
Base	Kokiri Forest (OoT) Forest Haven (TWW) Korok Forest (BotW/TotK)
Voiced by	Sean Chiplock (2017-2023)
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Great Deku Tree is a sentient tree who has appeared in several The Legend of Zelda games as a supporting character. The inside of his body also doubled a a dungeon in his first appearance. He is an earth spirit who usually functions as a type of guardian deity for the forest.

Background

Ocarina of Time

The Deku Tree was rooted within a grove of the Kokiri Forest. The forest was inhabited by the Kokiri children, whom the Deku Tree created and watched over. Although they were detached from the rest of Hyrule and did not usually accept outsiders, the Deku Tree did accept the responsibility of watching over the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, which was the Kokiri's Emerald. This was one of the three keys to the Sacred Realm. He was wise and very familiar with Hyrulian lore on the subject. His main problem was that, being a tree rooted to the ground, he could not move and was defenseless particularly towards parasitic attacks. The Deku Tree's body was hollow, and the interior had a dungeon-like structure. When a dying woman sought haven in the Kokiri Forest, the Deku Tree accepted her request to take her newborn son in and raise him as a Kokiri, as he was able to tell that the baby was a child of destiny whose fate would affect the whole world. This Hylian orphan was Link, who would grow up to become the Hero of Time.

One day, the Deku Tree was visited by a man from the desert known as Ganondorf who sought the Kokiri's Emerald. When the tree refused, Ganondorf cursed him and infected his body with monsters: Skulltullas, Deku Scrubs, Deku Babas and parasitic Gohmas led by Queen Gohma. The Great Deku Tree decided to call for Link and assigned him a fairy named Navi as his guide. The time had come to test Link's courage and wisdom, so the Deku Tree asked Link to destroy the evil within him. With Navi's help, Link succeeded in destroying Queen Gohma, which freed the Deku Tree from the curse. It was still too late for the Deku Tree, but he still passed on a lesson about the Triforce. In the Deku Tree's dying moments, he granted Link the Kokiri's Emerald and sent him to meet Princess Zelda. His body proceeded to wither.

Although that shell of the tree died, his spirit carried over to a sapling of the Great Deku Tree. Dark forces around Hyrule prevented it from sprouting until seven years later, when Link extinguished the evil from the Forest Temple. This sprout was presumably also born in the other two timelines connected to Ocarina of Time, although the Deku Tree has not appeared in any form within games set in those timelines.

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker

Over the years many things changed. As Hyrule was flooded after the Hero of Time's disappearance, the Great Deku Tree and Kokiri were forced to move to a mountain that became an island, known as the Forest Haven. The Great Deku Tree was also given Farore's Pearl, a treasure of one of the Golden Goddesses. The Deku Tree now had a new dream- every year he held a ceremony in which he sprouted seeds, and the Kokiri, who had changed into Koroks, went and planted those seeds across the Great Sea. These would produce new Deku Trees, and maybe one day all the islands would be connected by the trees into one continent again.

In The Wind Waker Ganondorf struck at the Deku Tree again with a swarm of Chuchus. A boy in green named Link arrived to stop them and was able to save the Deku Tree. The Great Deku Tree was stunned by Link's appearance and begun speaking to the hero in the old language until he realized that this was not the same Link- this was a new one, discovered by the King of Red Lions. He had come for the pearl. The Great Deku Tree granted it to Link only after he saved Makar from the Forbidden Woods. The Great Deku Tree then resumed his peaceful existence in the Forest Haven, patiently awaiting the day his vision comes true.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom

In Breath of the Wild, the Deku Tree resided in the Korok Forest with the Korok tribe and claimed to have looked after Hyrule "since time immemorial". He specifically watched after the Master Sword, with its pedestal being located on the ground directly in front of him. Link had claimed the Master Sword and originally met the Deku Tree during the first conflict with Calamity Ganon. However, that battle ultimately ended in failure, at which point Princess Zelda came to the forest to restore the Master Sword to its pedestal, where it could rest until Link was restored and ready to reclaim it. The Deku Tree asked Zelda about what she planned to do next and commended the dedication that he sensed in her. Zelda tried to give him a message to relay to Link upon his return, but the Deku Tree cut her off before she could verbalize it, because he felt that any message for Link would sound better coming directly from her. This expressed his belief that Zelda and Link would be reunited, and it brought a smile to Zelda's face.

The Deku Tree and the Koroks awaited the eventual return of the hero, and some of the Koroks went as far as to set up shops and services within hollowed out parts of the Deku Tree's stomach that the Hero could use upon his return. Link did eventually return one hundred years later, although the Deku Tree soon realized that he had lost his memories and grown weaker. The Deku Tree urged the hero only to try to claim the Master Sword when he was stronger (a strength measured by his heart meter), and he would also cut off any first attempt in which Link was on the brink of draining his heart meter to pull out the sword. If Link ultimately succeeded in reclaiming the Master Sword, the Deku Tree would proceed to advise Link about its proper usage. He also mentioned his hope to see the lost princess's smile once again.

The Deku Tree reappeared in Tears of the Kingdom. In a flashack set between the two games, it was shown that Link had returned the Master Sword to the Korok Forest at one point to heal its power. Link and Zelda visited the Deku Tree when Link came to reclaim it. The tree was pleased to see the both of them again, and when Zelda marveled at the sword's power to heal, the Deku Tree elaborated that the Master Sword not only healed but became stronger when resting while bathed in sacred power. This indirectly influenced a decision Zelda would later make to restore the Master Sword. After the Upheaval occurred, gloom formed at the bottom of the chasm within the Deku Tree. This made the Deku Tree feel sick and lethargic, and it made all of the Koroks within the forest fall silent. After Link destroyed the Gloom Spawn and Phantom Ganon at the bottom of the chasm, the Deku Tree was cured and restored to his normal self. If Link had not found the Master Sword at that point, the Deku Tree would provide Link with the ability to track the sword's movements on the map.

In Other Zelda Games

Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

As depicted in Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

In Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, the Great Deku Tree existed in the Deku Forest on a small self-contained island. Although he was strong and healthy, his child sapling had become ill from the pollution by humans. He was approached by Tingle who was busy on his quest to get enough rupees to reach Rupeeland. With the assistance of the resident hero, Junglo, he has traversed the forest maze to reach the Deku Tree's location.

The Deku Tree bid Tingle to enter and go to his roots and retrieve a bottle of Life Dew, which would cure the Deku Sprout. Tingle had difficulty entering and had to pay a fine to open the way in (an amount of no specific value, which the Deku Tree transferred to his chest as his entire 'savings' to fight pollution). Inside Tingle found that three poisonous plants were blocking the way to the Life Dew and he had to defeat the three of them.

At the bottom of the Deku Tree was a vat full of Life Dew, but it had been polluted beyond use. Tingle discovered that a monster in possession of a Super Rupee had been polluting the Life Dew. Tingle defeated the monster and in doing so, purified the Dew Water and healed the Deku Sprout. But in doing so, the Great Deku Tree wilted, allowing the sprout to succeed him as it had been done with previous trees.

Hyrule Warriors

In Hyrule Warriors, the Deku Tree is part of the Faron Woods map, and its hollow inside acts as a fortress. Unlike other incarnations of the Deku Tree, this one shows no signs of being sentient. Additionally, some of Lana's spear attacks involve making a Deku Tree grow around the enemy or summoning the Deku Tree Sprout to help attack, and her Focus Spirit special move involves riding the sprout.

Age of Calamity

Age of Calamity takes place in an alternate timeline of Breath of the Wild's backstory. The Deku Tree appeared when the Hyrulean forces ended up reaching the Korok Forest at the end of Chapter 3. Link had just gained the Master Sword, and the Deku Tree remarked on the significance of that accomplishment. He also attempted to help Zelda feel better about her own ability and assured her that they had everything they need to face whatever fate awaited them. The Deku Tree then excused himself, as he felt himself falling into a deep slumber.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Nintendo Land, a non-speaking recreation of the Deku Tree appears as part of the scenery in the "The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest" game. The Deku Tree can also be won as a prize in the game.
• In Cadence of Hyrule, the Deku Tree appeared in the "Symphony of the Night" DLC campaign, which was set in the game's dark future. The Deku Tree was shown as the guardian of the Deku Village and kept the Skull Mask hidden in the Deku Hollow beneath him. He took in the Skull Kid when he wandered into the village, and he joined some of the other Deku Scrubs in referring to the Deku Tree as his grandfather. During the game's story, the Deku Tree was shown to be lethargic and slowly dying, but he tasked the Skull Kid with retrieving the Skull Mask. After he did so, the Deku Tree stated his belief that the Skull Kid could defeat Ganon. The tree then proceeded to wither and die.

Canceled Appearances

• In The Minish Cap, there are unused files of stained glass windows, including one depicting the Deku Tree.

Other Media

• The Great Deku Tree also appears in the Ocarina of Time manga. This version follows the game's story, but with some changes such as Link carving his Deku Shield from the Deku Tree's remains, and the Deku Tree sprout not being seen until the end of the last chapter. The Deku Tree also appeared in a two-part side chapter starring the Kokiri characters which was set before the events of the manga. This depicted the Bagu Tree as the dark rival of the Deku Tree.

Trivia

• "Deku" is Japanese for "wooden figure or doll/puppet", and within the series the term is used to refer to various other creatures or items associated with the forest such as Deku Scrubs and Deku Babas..
• There appears to have been a succession of at least two or three (if counting Rosy Rupeeland) Deku Trees. If each appearance is considered to be a separate incarnation, there could have been as many as four or six (again, if counting Rosy Rupeeland).
• In Ocarina of Time, the Deku Tree is shown to speak in a form of Old English. The Deku Tree sprout instead speaks standard English and is more upbeat.
• Oracle of Ages and Seasons, Link meets the Maku Trees (one male and the other female), who are similar to the Deku Tree.