Hardhat Beetle

Hardhat Beetles, also known as Octopods, are a recurring enemy in the The Legend of Zelda franchise, appearing exclusively in fixed-camera games. Despite their English name, they more closely resemble turtles or jellyfish than beetles, and are likely based at least in part by the similar-looking Buzzy Beetle from the Mario franchise. Attacking them directly results in a large amount of recoil, and as such they are common around pits. In some appearances, pits are the only way of dealing with them.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Hardhat Beetles come in indigo and red, both of which are first found in the Tower of Hera. They can be defeated with sufficient sword strikes, though knocking them into pits is generally quicker, particularly for the latter. With the Fighter's Sword, indigo ones take four hits and red ones take sixteen hits.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Hardhat Beetles are now black with a pair of large eyes peering out of the shadows beneath, a design that persists in all rereleases. They are encountered as early as the first dungeon, the Tail Cave. The sword can no longer defeat them, making it so that only pits can be used at first. In the reissues' Color Dungeon, the main boss is a giant Hardhat Beetle capable of speech called Hardhit Beetle (formerly D. Poon). Unlike the normal ones, it looks like the ones from A Link to the Past, and can only be defeated through quickly and repeatedly attacking it. Additionally, it has large pincers, giving it a more arthropod-like appearance.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages
In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Hardhat Beetles look and act the same as in Link's Awakening. In the former game, they first appear in Snake's Remains, and in the latter game they first appear in the Skull Dungeon. In the former game, heavy magnetic balls can be used to crush them. Additionally, mauve-tinted ones appear during Patch's minigame in the latter.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Hardhat Beetles look like they do in A Link to the Past, but are only found in blue. Like in the Game Boy games, they are generally invulnerable beyond knocking them around. However, stunning them with the boomerang allows them to be damaged and defeated normally. They first appear in the Tower of Flames.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Hardhat Beetles only come in blue and have black limbs. They are first found in the Temple of Courage. Once again, they can only be defeated through knocking them into a pit.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
In The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Hardhat Beetles look and act as they do in A Link to the Past, coming in both blue and red, with both being able to be defeated through sword strikes. The blue ones debut in the Tower of Hera, while the red ones do not appear until the Ice Ruins. Both appear in the Treacherous Tower.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
In The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Hardhat Beetles appear in the Volcano in blue and red and are mostly the same as the ones in A Link Between Worlds, with the added catch that the red ones are on fire and must be extinguished by being stunned. Curse-bearing "dark" ones are also present in the Den of Trials.