Bokoblin

Bokoblin
Artwork for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)
Latest appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Variant(s) Bomb Bokoblin Boss Bokoblin Cursed Bokoblin (Breath of the Wild) Cursed Bokoblin (Skyward Sword) Skull Bokoblin Stalkoblin Technoblin
Relative(s) Bulblin Miniblin Moblin
Comparable Hinox

Bokoblins are small and weak, yet versatile imp or goblin-like enemies. They are related to Moblins, which are usually depicted as being larger and stronger whenever they appear together. Due to their weakness, Bokoblins frequently appear in groups, and commonly exhibit crude social behaviors between each other.

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Bokoblins debut in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Here, they come in slate, green, and pink colors. They are small and skinny, wear pirate-like garb, and have short, pig-like noses with a prominent horn over them. Like many entities in the game, they are heavily stylized to be expressive, in their case having large mouths. They generally appear standing posted in specific spots, often yawning or even slightly napping. Sometimes, they can be found curled up in pots; while rare early on, this is the primary way they appear in most later dungeons, where they are otherwise replaced with stronger enemies.

Slate-colored Bokoblins typically wield Boko Sticks, or more rarely large machetes, and are quite weak. One is initially encountered in the Fairy Woods on Outset Island, with two more being dropped there by Kargarocs. Later, they man the giant searchlights in the Forsaken Fortress. Green ones wield machetes and wooden shields, and are slightly stronger, with more defensive ability from the shield. One is initially encountered as a mini-boss in the Forsaken Fortress, with two later appearing as a group mini-boss atop Dragon Roost Cavern before being replaced by a Moblin. Slate and green ones continue to appear as common dungeon enemies throughout the game, and can pick up and use other enemies' dropped weaponry. If no weapons are available, they instead attack Link with a flying kick. Pink ones carry telescopes that they peer through, and are found primarily on rafts and stacks on the Great Sea. This type can only carry weaponry if dropped by another type, though they only rarely appear near other colors. If this type picks up a weapon in the same hand as its telescope, the two objects will simply clip through one another. If a Bokoblin is hit with the Grappling Hook, it will revoke a Joy Pendant to Link, which otherwise occasionally drop from them upon defeat. If a Bokoblin is pushed off a ledged it is facing towards, it may grab on to pull itself back up.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Bokoblins reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Here, they are native to Faron province. They are purple with bat-like faces and white hair, and wield wooden club. They simply run at Link and attempt to hit him when they spot him. When not pursuing him, they walk around with their weapons slung over their shoulders, and sometimes two will stand still next to each other and seemingly talk between each other. They initially appear quite early in the game, where they take Talo hostage after he chases a monkey into Faron Woods. They later appear throughout the Forest Temple and the Faron, southern Eldin, and western (eastern in the Wii version) Lanayru sections of Hyrule Field. The latter two locations introduce stronger and tougher pink ones with metal weapons, which become common in Faron and Eldin following Midna's restoration from near-death midway through the game, and appear throughout the first half of Hyrule Castle. However, their role instead goes to the more aggressive Bulblins elsewhere.

An unused model depicts what potentially is a Twilight-corrupted version of Bokoblins, though it is not implemented into the final game.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Bokoblins' role is expanded greatly, now being the most common type of enemy. They are depicted as nomadic and social, having adopted many of the Bulblins' traits. They have large noses, sagging cheeks, floppy pierced ears, and tall, conical heads with a pair of black horns near the top. As noted by Fi in her comments on each variety, they all wear leopard-patterned undergarments. They primarily appear in red, and have a number of behaviors associated with them. Basic Bokoblins will simply attack and guard with machetes, but the archer Bokoblins, told apart by their face wraps and hats, fire arrows. Some Bokoblins in Eldin throw an endless supply of boulders down the mountainside. The leader Bokoblins, told apart from their bandanas, can call upon other Bokoblins by blowing into a horn. Bokoblins set up large camps, disturbing many of the local people and wildlife. They are seemingly terrified of certain flying insects, as if they see the Beetle, they will attempt to flee in a panic, even if that kills them in the process, such as falling off a tightrope or dropping a held boulder onto their own head. Archers will instead attempt to shoot it down. Bokoblins sometimes drop Ornamental Skulls, and rarely Golden Skulls. The Whip can also be used to take Small Keys and the summoning horns from them.

Aside from Red Bokoblins, Green Bokoblins appear in underground areas, with their complexion apparently being due to the lack of sun exposure. They tend to wear skulls on their heads. Blue Bokoblins are the strongest coloration, and appear outside and in dungeons in later parts of the game. Other varieties include the ancient electricity-using Technoblin and the zombified Cursed Bokoblin.

In one late return trip to Eldin, Link is caught in severe weather from an eruption, and is then raided by Bokoblins before being locked up. At this point, his inventory items are all replaced by icons of Bokoblin heads. With help from a Mogma named Plats, Link needs to sneak around the mountain to get his items back while avoiding the Bokoblins and their newly-fortified security measures, lest they catapult boulders onto him, killing him instantly.

An enormous horde of Bokoblins with a few scattered other monsters is summoned by Ghirahim in the Sealed Grounds in a last ditch effort to stall Link. This horde contains several hundred Bokoblins of various types, though they do not attempt to guard like they normally would. Some with summoning horns here run extremely fast, and play the tune the Flute plays in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Bokoblins are once again the most common enemy. They are also the first enemy Link will meet after leaving the Shrine of Resurrection. Bokoblins have long ears and short heads with a single small horn on top. Bokoblins have a variety of weapons associated with them, such as clubs, bats, spears, and bows. They also sometimes will wield Moblin weapons or long-dropped Hylian weapons. Most of their gear is wooden, and as such catches fire easily. Bokoblins are commonly found milling around, sometimes dancing in their encampments. They also sometimes are seen hunting, either by running around looking for food, hiding in grass to ambush, or even riding on the backs of horses or even bears on occasion. Generally, they have poor eyesight, but when on horseback, they can see extremely far. If weaponless, Bokoblins will fight with their fists, throwing rocks when Link is unable to be reached. In some encampments, some Bokoblins will be stationed upon high platforms, and will blow into a horn if they see Link to alert their comrades. If a Bokoblin sees a bomb, it will usually investigate it before whacking it away. If they see a swarm of bees, they will run away in a panic. Defeated Bokoblins, depending on their color, may leave behind their horns, fangs, or various internal organs. Link can also purchase a Bokoblin Mask from Kilton, which causes them to instead react to Link with curiosity rather than aggression.

Aside from the normal red Bokoblins, stronger blue and black ones appear quickly as well. After Link has defeated an extremely large amount of enemies, silver-colored ones will start appearing, having an extremely large amount of strength and health. DLC modes include an even stronger gold-colored variety. At night, Bokoblins will usually be asleep, aside from the horn-wielding and mounted ones. At this time, the skeletal Stalkoblins may come out of the ground. Additionally, Cursed Bokoblins appear, being a floating skull spawned by a malice eye.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Bokoblins use a variation of their design from Breath of the Wild, with longer and more jagged horns. They are shown to be led by colossal, obese chieftains.

Hyrule Warriors series

Hyrule Warriors

In Hyrule Warriors, Bokoblins use their design from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and appear as basic troops. Bokoblin captains and archers look like their respective counterparts from Skyward Sword as well, though the former are far larger. Bokoblin summoners have large antelope-like skulls on their heads.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Bokoblins in their Breath of the Wild design appear as the most basic enemy troop. They can use a number of different weapons, primarily Boko weapons from said game. Slightly large ones sometimes lead small groups of them and may command them to attack in tandem by blowing a horn. Additionally, giant ones occasionally defend outposts. Very often, they assist a Moblin acting as their captain. Red and blue ones appear throughout the game, black ones start appearing in chapter 4, while silver ones start appearing in chapter 5.

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, Bokoblins appear in green, red, black, and purple, using their design from Breath of the Wild, but with clothes like the ones in Skyward Sword. They are basic enemies that move toward the player character on every other beat. When not moving, they dance. Their behavior is based on the Skeleton enemy in the original Crypt of the NecroDancer.

In the future Hyrule included in updated versions of the original release and the base version of the physical release, a stronger teal type was added, along with the masked Skull Bokoblins and bomb-carrying Bomb Bokoblins. Both types can be of any of the aforementioned colors.

Gallery

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  The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker artwork

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  The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker data render

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  The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess artwork

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  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword artwork (archer)

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  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword artwork (leader)

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  Hyrule Warriors artwork

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

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

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

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

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  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild artwork

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ボコブリン Bokoburin	Bokoblin
Spanish	Bokoblin	-
French	Bokoblin	-
German	Bokblin	-
Italian	Boblin	-