Spiny

Spinies, also known as Spiked Beetles, are a turtle species that appear in several of the early handheld installments of The Legend of Zelda series, starting with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening up to The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Spinies are from the Mario franchise.

In the Mario franchise, Spinies usually wear a red shell, but in The Legend of Zelda series, the Spinies nearly always wear a blue shell. An exception is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, which depicts their sprites as green. Since their debut, the Spinies of The Legend of Zelda series were depicted as blue in their artwork, although their first depiction with a blue shell in-game was both The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.

Spinies have a spiked shell that makes them invulnerable to Link's attacks. They can be flipped over with a certain item, usually a shield, which exposes their weak underside. This allows Link to attack the Spiny, defeating it. In earlier games, they waddle around slowly until they are on the same x- or y-axis as Link, at which point they will charge into him.

In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, they withdraw in their shell and perform a spin attack towards Link from any direction. Additionally, they have only four spikes on their shells in earlier games and no visible head, while the Game Boy Advance games give them an additional, more prominent spike in the center and show their heads to be withdrawn into their shells with glowing eyes visible.

In the Nintendo Switch remake, a Spiny figure is a prize in the Trendy Game, and it can be placed on a stand in the northern household of Mabe Village.