Bubble

Bubble
Artwork of a Blue Bubble in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Latest appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch) (2019)
Variant(s) Fire Bubble Giant Bubble Ice Bubble Shūdan Bubble Wisp
Comparable Bombarossa Cursed Bokoblin (Breath of the Wild) Cursed Lizalfos Cursed Moblin Dark Keese Jack Podoboo Spark Stal Stalfos Usagi Beam

Bubbles are floating skulls that are often wreathed in fire. Their name likely refers to their circular shape in earlier titles. They were originally depicted mostly as an obstacle, though they have since been depicted as an enemy. In some games, contact with a Bubble can curse Link to be unable to use his sword. In some later games, their element and ability to fly can be removed, causing them to hop around defenselessly on the ground.

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda

Bubbles, described as "the Spirit of the dead," first appear in The Legend of Zelda, where they appear in several rooms starting with the third labyrinth, Manji. They rapidly flash between the game's four palettes and look slightly different in every labyrinth, as well as if Link has the Blue Ring or Red Ring. If Link touches a Bubble, he will lose the ability to use his sword until it wears off. Bubbles cannot be defeated.

In the Second Quest, Bubbles that appear solely as blue or red appear in some rooms. In the Second Quest, the red Bubbles curse Link permanently until he touches a blue Bubble or leaves the labyrinth.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Bubbles reappear in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, where they again appear as obstacles. They are only half Link's height and no longer curse him, but drain some of his Magic Meter instead. They ricochet around the rooms diagonally at varying speeds, but temporarily stop when Link attacks one with his Magical Sword. They can be defeated after being hit a large amount of times. Giant Bubbles also appear.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Bubbles, also known as Fire Faeries, Anti-Faeries, Anti-Fairies (or anti-fairies), or Spinners, reappear in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They are depicted as small skulls with red circles spinning around them, and are a common enemy in dungeons. They bounce around rooms diagonally and drain Link's magic and damage him, but if Magic Powder is sprinkled on one, it will turn into a fairy. A group of four appear in one part of the East Palace, guarding a pot over a switch, but can be scattered once all the other enemies in the room are defeated. Their original role of cursing Link is used by the Usagi Beam, which pursues Link and turns him temporarily into Bunny Link if it touches him.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Anti-Faeries reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, where they have a similar behavior and appearance to those in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but are less common, and only damage the player as the Magic Meter is not in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Magic Powder burns them, but does not change them into a fairy; this trait is given to Spark, which is more common in this game, and instead requires the Boomerang, which also dispels Anti-Faeries.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Bubbles, also named Fire bubbles, reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where they are depicted with wings. Their fire appears in a variety of colors that change their behavior.

Blue Bubbles are first found in the Forest Temple, and attempt to fly at Link to burn him. While flying, they occasionally make buzzing grunt-like sounds, though when pursuing they make a constant hoarse laughter-like noise. If deflected with the Hylian Shield or Mirror Shield, they will lose their flames and hop along the ground, at which point they can be defeated. They can also be defeated while in flight with an arrow. If a bomb or Bombchu is released near an active Blue Bubble, it will frantically chase it.

Green Bubbles are also first found in the Forest Temple. They follow a preset path, with their fire occasionally disappearing by itself. When the fire is out, they are vulnerable to any attack. Large ones also appear in the Bottom of the Well and Ganon's Castle, though the game makes no differentiation between them and the normal-sized ones.

Red Bubbles first appear in the Fire Temple, and normally only appear from lava. They jump around randomly while making the same laugh as the blue type when Link approaches, eventually going back to the lava. They can be deflected with a shield, but their speed and movement pattern makes this difficult. In Master Quest, they sometimes appear elsewhere, such as from the floor in a child-only room in the Spirit Temple, where most of Link's arsenal does nothing against them.

White Bubbles only appear in one room in the upper levels of the Spirit Temple, and are the only enemy absent from Master Quest (being replaced by giant-sized Green Bubbles). They act mostly like Green Bubbles but lack any fire at all, instead trailing a white blur. Every so often, they stop and spin in place. Despite being the final type introduced, they are the simplest to defeat.

In the original game, all Bubbles' eye colors are determined by Link's current tunic color, and is in turn overwritten by the flashing of bombs and Bombchu. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, they instead all have turquoise eyes.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Blue and Red Bubbles reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Blue Bubbles appear at night in Termina Field and Ikana Canyon, as well as a passageway in the Stone Tower Temple when it is inverted. They look and act as they do in Ocarina of Time, but no longer pursue Bombchu and are now capable of cursing Link. When cursed, Link turns slightly blue and cannot use his sword. The curse can be waited out or instantly dispelled with a Blue Potion or the Song of Storms. Red Bubbles appear at the bottom of the central room in the Snowhead Temple, and act exactly like they do in Ocarina of Time. If they are all defeated, a treasure chest appears. Deku Link is capable of ridding Bubbles of their fire with his spinning attack.

In the original, Bubbles' eyes vary depending on Link's form, being black for normal Link, yellow for Deku Link, dark green for Goron Link, and red for Zora Link, though in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, they are always turquoise, like in Ocarina of Time 3D.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

Anti-Faeries reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. They look and act as they do in Link's Awakening, and can be defeated with the boomerang. An alternate version called Whisps appear as well, looking and acting like the Bubbles from The Legend of Zelda, but with a static red palette. In the latter game, it is shown in Mermaid Suit segments they can exist underwater.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Bubbles reappear in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, where they lack wings and are surrounded by colored smoke-like fire. They are also much larger than before and occasionally produce an airy cackle. The smoke can be removed with the Deku Leaf or the hookshot, both of which which also knock them lifelessly to the ground. The Red Bubbles first appear in the Tower of the Gods and set Link on fire if touched. They can be defeated without putting out the fire with the sword, arrows, or boomerang. The Blue Bubbles first appear in the Earth Temple and curse Link, which now causes him to not be able to use any items at all for a short period or until he touches light, an effect shared with the temple's blue mist. Additionally, while covered with fire, Blue Bubbles are immune to weapons that can defeat Red Bubbles instantly. In gameplay, the fire is simply a collection of flat textures, though their figurine has it fully modeled.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Bubbles reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, where they resemble their appearance in A Link to the Past, though their fire is heart-shaped. They are invincible, and attack either by bouncing around diagonally as normal or by circling objects or walls. They are sometimes also found in the Dark World, with harmless shadows marking their respective location in the Light World. During the battle with the Big Poe in the Swamp, two Bubbles with a unique behavior appear one at a time after the boss sustains a certain amount of damage. These ones travel in a wide circle over the battlefield without responding to walls at all, traveling over the four switches used to keep the torches lit. If one hits a Link, it starts circling the other direction.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Bubbles reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, where they first appear in the Arbiter's Grounds. They sit dormant amongst the generic liftable skulls, but when approached, sprout wings and begin flying. They can be recognized from far away by their distinct inhuman shape, however, and attacked using arrows before they can start flying. Normal Bubbles do not have fire; Bubbles with fire are now differentiated as Fire Bubbles, which also appear in the Arbiter's Grounds, while Ice Bubbles appear in Snowpeak Ruins. All three can appear sooner in an optional dig cavern south of the Great Bridge of Hylia. When a Bubble has been grounded, it becomes susceptible to the Ending Blow, though their erratic flopping can make it hard to land.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Bubbles reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, where they are found in the Forest Temple and are each surrounded by a purple cloud. They bounce around in various directions instead of just diagonally, and occasionally stop to clatter around as though they are laughing. The cloud can be removed with the Whirlwind, rendering them flightless and vulnerable. They are also used as projectiles by Mothulas.

BS Zelda no Densetsu

In BS Zelda no Densetsu, Bubbles appear in their normal, red, and blue variants from the first game.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Bubbles reappear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, where Red and Blue Bubbles appear with their Ocarina of Time design as enemies in the Smash Run mode. Red Bubbles burn the player when they touch them while Blue Bubbles freeze the player. A mistake in their trophy description claims they also appeared in "Brawl," though this is not the case, and as such was likely intended to say "Zelda" or a particular game in the franchise.

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, Bubbles again bounce diagonally around dungeon walls, their fire slowly changing between different colors. They can be defeated if attacked enough with powerful weapons or caught in an explosion, but unlike most enemies lack a health meter. If touched, the effect on the player character varies depending on the color; for example they may become confused, with the movement controls temporarily inverting. This can also affect enemies, causing them to move the wrong way.

Gallery

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  The Legend of Zelda (red)

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  The Legend of Zelda (blue)

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  Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

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  Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

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  BS Zelda no Densetsu

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  BS Zelda no Densetsu

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  The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

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  The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

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  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

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  The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	バブル Baburu	Bubble
Spanish	Bubble	-
French	Tetdoss	From "tête d'os" (bone head)
German	Knochenfratze (Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask) Tod	Bone Grimace Death
Italian	Nembo
Chinese	泡泡 Pàopào	Bubble