Octorok

An Octorok from Ocarina of Time.
Octorok
Type	Octopus
Debut	The Legend of Zelda

The Octorok is one of the most widely known of all Zelda enemies which is known for having appeared in some form as an enemy in every single Zelda game with the exception of Twilight Princess.

Information

The Octorok is a small, octopus-like creature that is known for firing rocks from its mouth. In Skyward Sword, they are said to have evolved from mollusks. They come in two major variants, although they are not officially distinguished. The most common is the 'Land' Octorok which, in appearance, is a very rugged-looking creature built for living in any sort of habitat. The less common 'Water Octorok' makes its home in bodies of water. It spends its time submerged until it detects danger, at which point it will emerge to attack.

The common denominator among the two is that both are capable of storing large rock-like objects in their body. These are stored and are propelled through their mouths, which are designed in such a way as if it was the barrel of a gun. Any good shield can deflect the attack, but this becomes difficult when dealing with multiple Octoroks. Though land Ocotoroks are easily killed by conventional means of close-range weapons, water Octoroks are very quick to submerge underwater when the threat draws too close. As such, the most effective way to defeat them is by deflecting their own 'rock' back at them by means of a shield. Alternatively most other methods of attack, such as arrows, are equally effective. Their habitat is perhaps the most varied of any species, as they will be found in swamps, rivers, deserts, forest, grasslands, mountains, caves, and just about anywhere else.

Although typically red, Octoroks have other color variations. In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask they are a pinkish color. In the 2D games, they are typically colored red. Blue Octoroks usually have higher defense (in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, a blue Octorok can take over ten hits). Also appearing in Four Swords Adventures is a purple variation which, while weak physically, are able to fire rocks out repeatedly at a rapid rate, making it extremely deadly if caught off guard. There is yet another variation in Link's Awakening, which is a winged Octorok that is able to jump into the air. Skyward Sword features a different take on the Octorok in which they hide under grasses or rocks (depending on the habitat) and will only attack Link from a safe distance, at which point they can be defeated only through the Water Octorok method of reflecting projectiles (although this attack pattern is more reminiscent of Deku Scrubs).

A red Octorok once acted as a boss in The Minish Cap for the Temple of Dewdrops. It was a normal-sized Octorok, but Link had to fight it at Minish size which made it a Big Octorok to the player's perspective. It was initially frozen, and the battle was triggered when Link thawed the ice. The Big Octorok was still hurt by reflecting its rocks at it, but it had the ability to re-freeze the area to cover itself in icy armor. The Big Octorok also had foliage on its back which Link could attack with the Flame Lantern in order to thaw the ice so that it could be battled normally.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• The Octoroks (as seen in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask) appear as enemies in several Adventure Mode levels of Super Smash Bros. Melee and have their own trophy. There is also a sticker for the Octorok in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Octoroks appear as enemies in the Smash Run mode. This time, their Skyward Sword design is used, and they follow the strategy of hiding when not attacking. When an Octorok is hidden in the ground, it cannot be hurt, but it can be instantly defeated by deflecting its projectiles back at it. Its appearance is accompanied by a trophy.

Trivia

• Until Twilight Princess, Octoroks had been the only Zelda enemy to be in every single Zelda game.
• In The Wind Waker, Manny has an 8-bit image of an Octorok emblazoned on his bag. This seems to be a nod to the Octorok having been in every game at the time.

See Also

• Big Octo