ReDead

The ReDead's original appearance in Ocarina of Time.
ReDead
Type	Undead
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The ReDead is a recurring zombie-like enemy from the The Legend of Zelda series.

Traits

ReDeads are known for moving very slowly, but when they sight potential prey, they release a shriek that will temporarily paralyze the victim. The ReDeads then move closer and leap onto their prey, slowly draining their life away until they are knocked off. They are quite resilient and will take a number of blows before they are finally defeated. They usually have some sort of aversion to sunlight and thus are usually found in dark dungeons. In most games, shining light on them with the Mirror Shield will stun or kill them.

Game Information

The redesigned ReDead in The Wind Waker.

In Ocarina of Time, they were initially only found in underground areas beneath Kakariko Village, such as beneath the graveyard and in the dungeon under the well. After Hyrule Market was decimated during the seven year time skip, its only inhabitants were roaming ReDeads, who were possibly the zombies of some of the market's previous inhabitants. They were also found in the Shadow Temple, and one appeared as the final obstacle during the escape from Ganon's Tower at the end of the game. In this game, ReDeads could also be temporarily paralyzed if the Sun's Song was played.

In Majora's Mask, the ReDeads were found primarily in Ikana Castle, they were formerly the dancing tribe of the Ikana Kingdom. Due to this, if Link wore either the Captain's Hat, Garo's Mask or Gibdo's Mask, any nearby ReDeads would begin to dance instead of attacking. ReDeads also had an altered appearance in The Wind Waker, having blue skin and a large, bulbous head. Aside from their change in appearance, they were mostly similar in behavior to previous incarnations. They were found in the Earth Temple, the basement of Mrs. Marie's cabana, a Ghost Ship, Ganon's Castle and the Savage Labyrinth.

ReDeads appeared as ReDead Knights in Twilight Princess. The ReDead Knights differentiated themselves from traditional ReDeads by wielding a sword and shield in battle and attacking Link with their swords after paralyzing him instead of sucking his life away. These enemies were only found in the Arbiter's Grounds and the Cave of Ordeals. Swarms of ReDead Knights also appeared in a Target Practice session of Stage 7 in Link's Crossbow Training, set in the Arbiter's Grounds.

A new version of ReDeads appeared in Tri Force Heroes. These versions wore blue masks and had clay-like bodies that were half-melted into a puddle on the ground most of the time as they moved. Their habits were still the same, with their stunning scream now having a set radius. Attacking the ReDead with certain weapons would stun it, at which point the entirety of its body (which looks identical to its body in other games) would form, and only then could it be damaged. In that game, ReDeads were found within two areas of The Ruins: the Lone Labyrinth and the Grim Temple.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Super Smash Bros. Melee, ReDeads appear in Stage 2 of Adventure Mode as enemies in the underground catacombs, and they also appear as enemies in the Smash Run mode of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. ReDeads also appeared as a trophy in both Melee and the 3DS/Wii U installment, a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a Novice Primary Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with all of these instances using its Ocarina of Time design. Its Spirit came with the added effect of lowering the player character's jumping ability. When fought in a Spirit battle, the ReDead's Spirit would possess a team of Mewtwo duplicates who had super armor and focus on using the Disable ability, which can stun others. They are fought in a stamina battle.
• In Hyrule Warriors, the ReDead Knights appear as enemy captains. The normal varieties are referred to as Gibdos, while the fiery variants are called ReDead Knights.
• ReDeads appeared as enemies in Cadence of Hyrule, where they were designed to resemble their incarnations of Ocarina of Time. They did not have a paralyzing scream in this version, but they would still attempt to cling to the player character when close.

Trivia

• Its name seems to be a simple play on the term 'undead'.
• In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the Gibdo is simply a stronger version of the ReDead. Additionally, the ReDead Knights are called Gibdos in Japan.
• ReDeads are absent from Skyward Sword, but the game does have Cursed Bokoblins which are nearly identical in their undead status, attack patterns and vulnerability to reflected light.