Small Key

Small Keys, sometimes formatted small keys and originally known as simply keys, are a type of key found in dungeons in every The Legend of Zelda game. They are mainly used to unlock a locked door, or sometimes a block with a keyhole. Link can only use each Small Key once, after which it is discarded. Small Keys are usually obtained by either completing a room's puzzle or by opening a Treasure Chest. In some cases, completing a room's challenge causes a Small Key to drop into the room.

Boss lairs usually have a lock that cannot be opened by a Small Key but instead require a Boss Key (or a Big Key in some games) to unlock. Some dungeons have optional locked rooms, so Link could end up not using a few Small Keys in that dungeon.

In The Legend of Zelda, Link can optionally take a key out of a labyrinth and use it elsewhere. Some merchants sell a key for 100 Rupies, although buying them is optional because each labyrinth has the same number of keys as locked doors. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, keys have a similar role as in the first game, but they are no longer sold by merchants. In both games, there is a Magical Key, which functions like a key but can be used an unlimited number of times.

In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, if Link has obtained a dungeon's compass, a short jingle plays whenever he enters a room with a Small Key.

The Legend of Zelda

 * Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "Opens locked doors." (Referred to as "Labyrinth Key")

Websites

 * The Legend of Zelda Online Guide: "Little keys used to open common dungeons and chests."