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while the Game Boy Advance games give them an additional, more prominent spike in the center and show their heads to be withdrawn into their shells with glowing eyes visible.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.
Profiles
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)
- Figure bio: "It's a Spiny figure. If only you had armor this hard and this sharp."
Gallery
Names in other languages
Language
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Name
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Meaning
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Japanese |
トゲゾー Togezō |
From toge (spine) and zō, an obsolete suffix for a masculine name.
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The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (DX) (Nintendo Switch)
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Characters
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Main and supporting
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Link • Marin • Tarin • BowWow • Owl • Flying Rooster • Wind Fish
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Other
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Bear Cub • Chef Bear • Christine • CiaoCiao • Crazy Tracy • Dampé*** • Fairy Queen* • Fisherman • Gar and Dion* • Ghost • Grandma Yahoo • Goriya • Great Fairies • Henhouse Keeper • Hippo Model • Kiki the Monkey • Li'l Devil • Madam MeowMeow • Mamasha • Mamu • Manbo • Mermaid • Mr. Write • Old Man Ulrira • Papahl • Photographer** • Quadruplets • Raccoon • Richard • Sale • Schule Donavitch • Shopkeeper • Toucan • Trendy Gamester • Walrus • Witch
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Species
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Bee • Bird • Chicken • Fairy • Fish • Fox • Frog • Mini Bow-Wow • Monkey • Mouse • Rabbit • Seagull
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Enemies
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Normal enemies
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Armos • Ball and Chain Trooper • Ballereen • Beetle • Birky • Blooper • Boarblin • Bomb Trooper • Bombite • Bonewing* • Boo • Buzz Blob • Cheep Cheep • Crow • Cukeman • Dacto • Darknut • Firebat • Ghini • Giant Ghini • Gibdo • Giant Goponga Flower • Goo Specter • Goomba • Goponga Flower • Hardhat Beetle • Helmasaur • Hollow Mimic • Hue Ball* • K.K. Sniper • Keese • Leever • Like Like • Mini Angler • Mini-Moldorm • Mini Zol • Moblin • Octorok • Pairodd • Peahat • Pincer • Piranha • Piranha Plant • Pokey • Pols Voice • Rope • Sand Crab • Sea Urchin • Shrouded Stalfos • Shy Guy • Spark • Spiny • Spiny Beetle • Stalfos • Sword Moblin • Sword Stalfos • Tektite • Three-of-a-Kind • Vire • Voidmaster • Water Tektite • Winged Octorok • Wizzrobe • Zirro • Zol • Zombie • Zora
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Traps and obstacles
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Anti-Faery • Blade Trap • Boulder • Eye Guard • Face Lamp • Flame Fountain • Flying Tile • Giant Bubble • Laser • Lava • Mega Thwomp • Podoboo • Quick Sand • Shadow Link*** • Spiked Thwomp • Stone Elevator • Thwomp • Wallmaster***
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Minibosses
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Armos Knight • Avalaunch* • Blaino • Dodongo Snake • Giant Buzz Blob* • Gohma • Grim Creeper and Creeps • Hinox • Hydrosoar • Lanmola • Master Stalfos • Moblin Chief • Rover • Spike Roller • Turtle Rock
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Bosses
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Moldorm • Genie • Slime Eye • Angler Fish • Slime Eel • Facade • Evil Eagle • Hot Head • Shadow Nightmares (Giant Zol Shadow • Agahnim Shadow • Moldorm Shadow • Ganon Shadow • Lanmola Shadow • Death Shadow) • Hardhit Beetle*
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Equipment
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Weapons
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Bomb • Boomerang • Bow and Arrows • Hookshot • Magic Rod • Pegasus Boots • Power Bracelet (Powerful Bracelet) • Shield (Mirror Shield) • Sword (Koholint Sword)
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Items
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Blue Clothes* • Compass • Dungeon Map • Fairy • Flippers • Golden Leaf • Guardian Acorn • Heart • Heart Container • Magnifying Lens • Nightmare Key • Piece of Heart • Piece of Power • Red Clothes* • Rupee • Secret medicine • Secret Seashell • Small Key • Stone beak • Toadstool • Trading sequence items (Yoshi Doll, Ribbon, Canned food, Bananas, Stick, Honeycomb, Pineapple, Hibiscus, Goat's letter, Broom, Fishing hook, Necklace/Bra, Mermaid's Scale)
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Dungeon Keys
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Tail Key • Slime Key • Angler Key • Face Key • Bird Key
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Instruments of the Sirens
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Full Moon Cello • Conch Horn • Sea Lily's Bell • Surf Harp • Wind Marimba • Coral Triangle • Organ of Evening Calm • Thunder Drum
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Locations
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Koholint Island
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Animal Village • Cemetery • East of the Bay • Goponga Swamp • Koholint Prairie • Mabe Village • Martha's Bay • Mt. Tamaranch • Mysterious Forest • Pothole Field • Rapids Ride • Shrine Waterfall • Signpost Maze • South of the Village • Tabahl Wasteland • Tal Tal Heights • Tal Tal Mountain Range • Toronbo Shores • Ukuku Prairie • Yarna Desert
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Dungeons
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Level 1 - Tail Cave • Level 2 - Bottle Grotto • Level 3 - Key Cavern • Level 4 - Angler's Tunnel • Level 5 - Catfish's Maw • Level 6 - Face Shrine • Level 7 - Eagle's Tower • Level 8 - Turtle Rock • Wind Fish's Egg • Color Dungeon*
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Buildings
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Crazy Tracy's Health Spa • Henhouse • House by the Bay • Manbo's Pond • Madam MeowMeow's House • Marin and Tarin's House • Old Man Ulrira's House • Quadruplets House • Raft Shop • Richard's Villa • Sale's House o' Bananas • Seashell Mansion • Telephone Booth • Town Tool Shop • Trendy Game • Under the bridge • Village Library • Weird Mr. Write • Witch's Hut
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Other
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Ancient Ruins • Camera Shop** • Chamber Dungeon*** • Dampé's Shack*** • Dream Shrine • Faerie Spring • Fishing Pond • Kanalet Castle • Mermaid Statue • Moblin Cave • Warp point • Weathervane • Well
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* Not in the original version ** Exclusive to Link's Awakening DX *** Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch remake
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