King Bulblin

"Enough. I follow the strongest side! ...that is all I have ever known."

- King Bulblin

King Bulblin is a tertiary antagonist and mini-boss that appears in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As his name suggests, King Bulblin is the leader of the Bulblins. He is frequently seen riding his mount, Lord Bullbo, an oversized Bullbo. He carries a special horn that can summon Bulblins as well as Shadow Beasts.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link first encounters King Bulblin shortly after sneaking back into Ordon Spring to meet up with Ilia and Epona. King Bulblin and a few Bulblins are riding on Bullbos, and they break through a gate. After Link and Ilia are knocked unconscious, a close-up of King Bulblin is shown. He blows his horn to summon a Twilight Portal. King Bulblin and his minions proceed to kidnap the children of Ordon Village. Link pursues them, only to be pulled into the twilight surrounding Faron Woods by a Twilit Messenger.

Later in Kakariko Village, King Bulblin and his minions kidnap Colin again. Link pursues them to Hyrule Field while riding Epona. There, Link chases after King Bulblin while being chased by Bulblins riding Bullbos. Link manages to slash off King Bulblin's armor, eventually causing King Bulblin to drop his horn. King Bulblin retreats to the Bridge of Eldin, where he and Link engage in a jousting match. With Epona, Link must charge toward King Bulblin and strike him just before passing by. If Link does this a few times, King Bulblin is knocked off Lord Bullbo, and he falls into Zora River below. Link then rescues Colin.

King Bulblin is revealed to have survived the fall, when Link encounters him again at the Great Hylian Bridge. This time, King Bulblin has equipped himself with shields to defend himself against sword attacks. Link instead uses the Hero's Bow to shoot arrows at King Bulblin. Like the previous encounter, King Bulblin falls off the bridge again, and another one of his horns is broken. He also survives this fall.

When Link infiltrates the Bulblin camp, he encounters King Bulblin at the end in a small, empty square room surrounded by constructions. Unlike previous fights, both of them do not fight on their steeds; rather, King Bulblin attacks using a massive stone-bladed axe which he swings and chops. He can block Link's attacks using it, but it is so heavy that he moves very slowly and is left open after each attack. After being defeated again, King Bulblin limps away and sets the camp on fire. Link manages to escape by ramming a Bullbo through a flimsy wooden wall blocking his exit.

Link encounters the King Bulblin a fifth and final time in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle. Before they fight, King Bulblin says, "I have come to play!" After being defeated once more, King Bulblin concedes to Link and gives him the Small Key. Before departing, King Bulblin says that all he has ever known is to serve the strongest side. Midna is surprised upon realizing that King Bulblin can talk.

In the end credits, King Bulblin is in Hyrule Field, freely riding around on Lord Bullbo. Bulblins are also seen alongside him, each riding a Bullbo of their own. Both of King Bulblin's horns have been regrown.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, King Bulblin occasionally appears on the Bridge of Eldin stage. Before appearing on screen, King Bulblin can be heard blowing his horn. When appearing on the stage, King Bulblin rides Lord Bullbo and plants a bomb to blow off the center of the bridge. King Bulblin never makes use of bombs in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Some time later, a Twilight Portal appears to repair the bridge. It is possible for fighters to repeatedly attack King Bulblin to stop him from planting a bomb. In some cases, King Bulblin manages to throw a bomb. When hit, King Bulblin sprawls on his mount.

There is both a sticker and a trophy of King Bulblin, both of which show him mounted atop Lord Bullbo. His sticker grants a +19 bonus to leg attacks.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, King Bulblin retains his role on the Bridge of Eldin stage.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a spirit of King Bulblin. He returns again on the Bridge of Eldin stage.

Hyrule Warriors
In Hyrule Warriors, although King Bulblin does not appear in the base game, his model from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been reused to represent Bulblin Captains in the Bulblin army units. They are significantly weaker than King Bulblin, and are encountered in large groups. Visually, they are also much smaller and have a slightly different necklace design.

In the Twilight Princess Pack DLC, King Bulblin appears as a speaking character and mini-boss. King Bulblin is essentially a larger and stronger version of the Bulblin Captains. Like Captain Keeta, King Bulblin sometimes joins the player's faction if the warriors manage to deal enough damage to him before he reaches his destination. King Bulblin even retains his "I follow the strongest side" line from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

In Hyrule Warriors Legends and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition. King Bulblin appears in the Twilight Princess Adventure Mode map and the Master Wind Waker Pack DLC map.