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River Zora

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River Zora
Artwork of a River Zora from The Legend of Zelda
Artwork of a River Zora from The Legend of Zelda
First appearance The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Appearances The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Oracle of Ages
Oracle of Seasons
Four Swords Adventures
Location(s) Bodies of water
Weapon(s) Energy ball
Effective weapon(s) Sword
Bow

River Zoras, also known as the Zola in The Legend of Zelda, are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. They are a subspecies of the Zora race. Except for the Zora King in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, this strain of Zora does not communicate with other races, nor do they appear to have any sort of society. They will attack Link on sight. They attack by popping out of the water and spewing a ball of energy at Link.

Contents

[edit] Appearances

[edit] The Legend of Zelda

In the original Legend of Zelda, River Zora appear in lakes as random monsters. Little is known about this race other than they take a disliking to humans. They are, supposedly, a separate species of Zora which came to be in later games. The fireballs that are shot by these creatures can only be blocked by a Magic Shield.

[edit] Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

A River Zora as seen in The Adventure of LinkRiver Zoras in Zelda II behave much differently than other Zoras. They are land-dwelling and heavily armored, although they still attack by shooting energy balls at Link. They can be found in eastern Hyrule in caves, deserts, roadways, and bridges. Though they are primarily quadrupedal, they are capable of standing up on their hind legs to shoot fireballs at Link. Their armor is strong enough to withstand sword attacks; the Fire Spell is necessary to defeat them. Even then, they are extremely tough, requiring three sword attacks at Link's full strength.

Although they are called Zora in the Japanese release of Zelda II, they are never officially named in the North American version of Zelda II. They are frequently unofficially referred to as "Basilisks".

[edit] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

A River Zora from A Link to the Past River Zora pop up from the water and shoot fireballs at Link, which can be blocked with the Red Shield or Mirror Shield. They play their largest role when Link visits the Zora King at the waterfall at the end of Zora's River. Although the King aids Link in his quest, the normal River Zora continue to harass Link throughout the rest of the game. They can also be found in various streams and in Lake Hylia. They can be destroyed with a wide variety of weapons, including the Bombos Medallion and other long-range weapons.

[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The River Zora of Koholint play the same role as in the original. However, one friendly Zora can be found in the Animal Village. He can only be seen using the Magnifying Lens, and when talked to acts surprised that Link can see him, and will take a picture with Link in the DX version.

[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

A River Zora from Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

River Zoras perform their usual antagonistic function in this game. In Oracle of Ages, a Zora in the Zora Village provides the first link between the civilized Zora and the enemy River Zora, saying "Don't think us noble sea Zora the same as those savage, vulgar river Zora! You're in the wrong place if you want to complain about being attacked by a river Zora."

Notably, if Link wears the Blue Holy Ring, he will not take any damage from a River Zora's attacks.

[edit] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

In Four Swords Adventures, a River Zora can be spotted in a water hole in Kakariko Village. He is friendly, unlike other River Zora, and asks you to help him catch ten fish and put them in his mouth in sixty seconds. Also, some River Zora appear as random monsters in the Coast levels.


[edit] Behind the scenes

The name "Zola" is actually a transliteration error. In Japanese, the "R" and "L" phonemes are indistinguishable and as such only register as one phoneme. The standard way to transliterate this phoneme into Romaji (roman letters that stand for Japanese syllables) is with the "R", not the "L". Thus, names like "Lara" and "Zelda" become "Rara" and "Zeruda" respectively. In the original Legend of Zelda the Japanese word was clearly "Zora". The translators, however, put in the nonstandard "L" in place of the "R". The name "Zola" appears in no source other than the manual for The Legend of Zelda.

The official English web site explains the discrepencies between Zoras and River Zoras by defining a Zola as a female Zora that left society behind and turned to a life of violence. This is contradicted by Oracle of Ages, however, and is thus not considered canon.

[edit] See also

Retrieved from "http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/River_Zora"