Hinox

Hinox
Artwork of a Hinox for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Latest appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)
Notable member(s) Hinox Brothers
Variant(s) Stalnox
Comparable Avalaunch

Hinoxes are large oni-like cyclopses. Typically, they specialize in using bombs, but are often weak to them as well.

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Hinoxes are found throughout the Dark World, alongside enemies like Moblins, Taros, and Snap Dragons. Due to one appearing right in front of the Pyramid of Power, they can be one of the first Dark World enemies Link meets. They throw green bombs at Link when they see him. Link can use his own bombs to deal large amounts of damage to them. Otherwise, they are extremely durable.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Hinoxes are larger and found as mid-bosses in various dungeons, first appearing in Bottle Grotto. While they still throw bombs, they now more commonly will charge at Link, pick him up, and throw him. Additionally, they are still weak to bombs, but take a bit more hits to defeat than before regardless. In DX, they appear in varying colors depending on location. The one in Bottle Grotto is orange, the one in Eagle's Tower is red, and the one in Turtle Rock is blue. The one in Turtle Rock can respawn, much like the other degraded mid-bosses found throughout the dungeon. The Nintendo Switch version keeps these colors, and adds black overalls to each.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

They are found in Death Mountain Foothills and now throw rocks. However, they are still weak to bombs.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Hinoxes, referred to as Eye Brutes in the Prima Games guide, appear on a few islands, and often appear in great numbers. They are now dark blue and their eye takes up their entire face. Instead of bombs, they are weak to arrows shot into their eyes. However, they do throw bombs.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

They appear as they do in A Link to the Past, where they can now be damaged by their own bombs. However, they are no longer weak to bombs, and may charge into Link as well. Additionally, there are blue-garbed ones in Lorule's Death Mountain that throw snowballs. A passive one can be found behind a waterfall. If Link visits him, he will be scared of Link, and bribe him to leave with Rupees. Taking advantage of this too much will cause him to become hostile, however.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Hinoxes appear as uncommon enemies in the Volcano. They act mostly like they do in A Link Between Worlds, though they are weaker and they charge more often. Dark-colored ones also appear in the Den of Trials, which are stronger and have bombs that curse the Links into being unable to use their gear. Additionally, a group known as the Hinox Brothers appear as mid-bosses on two occasions, first as a duo, then a trio.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Hinoxes are revised in this game in both appearance and behavior. They are now fat, hunchbacked giants that have a vertically-opening eye on a face otherwise resembling a Bokoblin's. They come in three colors, being red, blue, and black, each one getting progressively stronger. A mission involving three Hinox brothers implies that this may change with age. There is also a skeletal type known as a Stalnox. Hinoxes appear as mini-bosses across the overworld, and are always found fast asleep. They carry equipment and sometimes shrine orbs on a necklace. If Link is sneaky enough, he can softly land on a Hinox's belly and take the items without waking it. Like other enemies in the game, established Hinox colors sometimes change the more enemies the player has defeated.

If awoken, Hinoxes will pursue Link and attack directly. Aside from just using their fists, they can uproot trees to use as weapons and use their own weight to create a shockwave. Similar to Bokoblins and Moblins, they can pull rocks out of the ground to throw at Link if he is too high up, with the rocks being substantially larger. Instead of rocks, Black Hinoxes pull up powder kegs, likely as a stand-in for bombs. Due to their large size, Link can hind under or inside structures such as short bridges and abandoned houses, and they will be unable to effectively attack him and may lose track of him entirely. In this game, their weakness is arrows being shot in their large eye; doing so will cause them to fall down and rub their eye for a bit, giving Link time to attack them without danger. After being hit in the eye enough, they will sometimes use a hand to cover their eye as they run. Black Hinoxes may do this almost immediately. Blue Hinoxes wear a wooden greave on one ankle that is weak to fire, while black ones have a metal one weak to electricity. When defeated, they will drop all the equipment on their necklaces, as well as food depending on their color. Red Hinoxes drop fruit, blue ones drop fish, and black ones drop roasted meat cuts.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (comic)

In the comic adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past by Shotaro Ishinomori, a Hinox appears at the end of Chapter 6, where it leads a group of smaller monsters. It is mostly true to its artwork, though it is a light blue color and its bombs are replaced with two rows of hand grenades. Its group is looking for a faerie that had just zoomed by Link, and incorrectly assume he was lying and hiding her when he told them he did not know where she was. They start to attack, with the Hinox throwing a barrage of grenades, though Link manages to throw one back into its mouth, exploding the creature.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda

In Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, Hinoxes appear as enemies and minibosses. They resemble their traditional 2D design except blue, and use bombs. In addition to the standard blue Hinox, there is a Black Hinox variant.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ヒノックス Hinokkusu	Hinox