Cucco

Cucco
Artwork of a Cucco from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)
Latest appearance	Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020)
Notable member(s) Cojiro Cucco Leader Flying Rooster
Variant(s) Cucco Chick Golden Cucco Silver Cucco Super Cucco
Comparable Fox Moink Ordon Sheep Pig Remlit

Cuccos, also known as chickens, are animals that appear in many The Legend of Zelda games, starting with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They are very similar to normal domesticated chickens except they are native to Hyrule. Cuccos make the sounds of a rooster and often appear in grassy areas such villages and ranches.

In most games, if Link attacks a Cucco a number of times, several more Cuccos appear. Altogether the Cuccos chase after Link endlessly, attempting to damage him until he loses all of his health. If Cuccos are in large groups, they cannot be defeated, and Link can only avoid them by leaving the area. In certain games, this can even occur indoors.

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Cuccos appear in the Light World, particularly around Kakariko Village. In one house, sprinkling Magic Powder on a Cucco will turn it into a woman, who will chide Link for bullying Cuccos before wishing she were one again. In the Dark World, Cuccos have a skeletal appearance, but act the same.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, chickens appear in Mabe Village. In this game, they can be defeated completely with the Magic Powder and Fire Rod, though this is no longer possible in the remake. During the portion of the game where Marin follows Link, attacking one will cause her to scold him for it, though if he does it a large amount of times, she may occasionally laugh and encourage him before pretending she did not. Additionally, a blue one capable of flight aptly named the Flying Rooster exists.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link can pick up a Cucco and carry it around. By doing so, the Cucco quickly flaps its wings, trying to escape. Link can also jump off a ledge while holding the Cucco, allowing him to glide across. Early in the game, one can be found in the Market, being chased around by a little girl. In Lon Lon Ranch while Link is a child, Talon operates a minigame in his house involving finding three Super Cuccos in a group of normal Cuccos. A woman in Kakariko Village also farms Cuccos, but is allergic to them, so she asks Link to round them up, giving him an Empty Bottle if he succeeds. There are two items relating to Cucco; one is the Pocket Egg, which hatches into a Pocket Cucco, and Link must use to awaken Talon at Hyrule Castle. The other is Cojiro, the third item of the trading sequence.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, a Cucco first appears in Clock Town, being held by one of the Bombers during their hide-and-seek game in order to glide. Later, a Cucco appears in a cage at the observatory. Some Cuccos appear in the barn at Romani Ranch, and can only summon other Cuccos when the roof has been removed. Several Cucco Chicks appear in the Cucco Shack, and using the Bremen Mask to march all of them around causes all to grow up quickly.

In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, the Cucco in Clock Town was removed in favor of the Bomber hiding under a small crate.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

In both The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle off Ages, Cuccos only appear indoors, but can still summon more if Link attacks enough. In the former game, Cuccos appear in Malon and Talon's house, in the latter game, in a shack on the present Crescent Island, and in both games, inside Syrup's Potion Shop, though as Link cannot attack in this location it cannot be made to call for help. The former game also has two Flying Cuccos on Mt. Cucco.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Cuccos appear in Castle Town. Anju operates a minigame involving retrieving them. Sometimes Golden Cuccos can be found among them.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Cuccos first appear in Ordon Village. Instead of summoning other Cuccos when attacked several times, the player will temporarily take control of the Cucco. This does not occur with the game's sole Golden Cucco, who is better at flying than the others. Cucco gliding is used in Falbi's minigame. Cuccos can be spoken to by Wolf Link.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, cuccos appear with their typical behavior, first appearing on Mercay Island, where Link can throw them into a pen for Rupees. Additionally, Ciela uses it as an insult to Linebeck, a la the word "chicken" being used for "coward." On Molida Island, an optional puzzle involves attaching a barrel with a cucco in it to a post across a gap via the grappling hook, and then using the cucco to cross the gap.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

In The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Cuccos appear with their appearance and role from Phantom Hourglass, first appearing in Castle Town. Once Link has obtained a freight car, a man there will sell groups of five to him. A man in Aboda Village plans on raising them, getting bored with just the local doves. He wants Link to deliver ten to him, thus necessitating a minimum of two trips. Additionally, Rael of the Sand Sanctuary wants to do a study on them and requests five be delivered. This delivery is needed to access the sanctuary's Stamp Station. Playing the Song of Birds near Cuccos will prompt them to follow him in a single-file line, similar to the effects of the Bremen Mask.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Cuccos appear around Kakariko Village once again. A pen of them to the south features a minigame involving dodging them in various sizes, with prizes given based on the difficulty. If the "endless" difficulty (actually 999 seconds, or 16 minutes and 39 seconds) is completed, a giant Cucco is awarded that restores Link's health if spoken to. Cuccos also appear in one of the many caves visited by the Treasure Hunter. In Lorule, Cuccos resemble turkeys, and can be found in Thieves' Town and near the counterpart to Rosso's house.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Cuccos have a much more colorful appearance than normal, and appear in towns and stables. In this game, bringing a Cucco near an enemy can trick the enemy into attacking it, thus causing the Cucco group to attack them instead. In Kakariko Village, the Sheikah Cado keeps them, and in the sidequest Flown the Coop, Link must find them all and bring them back to their pen as a call-back to Ocarina of Time.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

A Cucco in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Cuccos appear as items. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Cuccos appear as enemies in Smash Run. During a fight, once they are spawned on the stage, they walk around harmlessly until a fighter attacks one, a stage hazard disrupts it, or one is thrown at another fighter, regardless if they are invincible or shielded. Once this happens, a flock of Cuccos flies in and attack the fighter that triggered the flock, similar to their appearances in The Legend of Zelda. Any other player that comes in contact with the flock will also be damaged. If the Cucco was triggered without fighter involvement, it randomly targets players. Cuccos that attack from a downward motion have a weak meteor smash effect on players.

As an item, Cuccos are designed after their appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, although the Cucco enemies in Smash Run appear in their original sprite form from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. There is a trophy of Cucco in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and another exclusive to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS because it is a trophy of Cucco as a Smash Run enemy. Unlike in Smash Run, the corresponding trophy depicts them using their model from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. In British English versions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the trophies are distinctly named Cucco (Item) and Cucco (Enemy) respectively. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the Cucco trophy is exclusive to Trophy Rush.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Cuccos return as an item. One also makes an appearance as a spirit.

Hyrule Warriors series

Hyrule Warriors

In Hyrule Warriors, Cuccos are common as allies and enemies in Adventure Mode, having many different possible behaviors. They can be defeated, after which they will fly straight up, leaving behind a non-collectible egg. One type appears immediately on the player's side, and summons more and more Cucco allies the more and more enemies are defeated. Another type appears as a "rogue" force and follows the player around the map. If this type is attacked a few tinea, it runs to another portion of the battlefield for a brief period before returning. If it gets caught up in too many attacks consecutively, however, it gets angry and summons three waves of strong enemy Cuccos, with the third group having a gold one. Sometimes, Golden and Silver Cuccos appear in pairs, with either a "mother and child" needing reunited (after which they will join the Allied Forces and call reinforcements) or two fighting over a random keep. Occasionally, a Golden Cucco will appear alone, and pick a random keep to feed in and grow stronger at, eventually becoming strong enough to start attacking both sides as a rogue force. A giant Cucco is also among the summons of Lana's Summoning Gate.

In DLC, a giant Cucco is unlockable for the Ganon's Fury mode.

Hyrule Warriors Legends

In Hyrule Warriors Legends, aside from their Adventure Mode roles, Cuccos appear in Linkle's storyline, with Brown Cuccos appearing as captains. They are heavily associated with her character due to her farming them.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a Cucco makes a cameo, occasionally replacing Link's paraglider as he leaps off the Sheikah Tower to a stage.

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, Cuccos appear occasionally in the grassland area as well as in Kakariko Village. They move around the location slowly, occasionally stopping to peck at the ground, and primarily serve to block the player or enemies. Once again, attacking them enough causes invincible ones to fly in from off-screen.

Profiles

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophy

Name	3DS image	Wii U image	Category	Appears in	Trophy Box	Description
Cucco (Item)			Item	SNES The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (04/1992) Nintendo 64 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)	-	"Why exactly a Cucco flees is anyone's guess. Maybe it knows what will happen when it is attacked and is trying to save you from that boundless rage. Once angered, it will call its flock and attack the last player to hit it. If thrown, whoever it hits will suffer its flock's wrath." "These chicken-like birds don't seem to be aware that there's a fight going on, and if they get hit too often, they'll explode with rage! They'll call in a bunch of their mates to relentlessly peck whoever touched them last. Of course, that could be the person they were thrown at - not just the thrower!"

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS exclusive trophy

Name	Image	Category	Description
Cucco (Enemy)		Enemy	"Now here's a creature that's just poultry in motion. It usually minds its own business, but if you attack it, the chickens will come home to roost—by body-slamming you over and over...and over... A pretty fowl tactic if you ask us. It's almost futile to fight back, and eventually they'll lose interest and stop driving you Cucco." "Now here's a creature that's just poultry in motion. It usually minds its own business, but if you attack it, it'll call on all its little bird friends for help - a pretty fowl tactic if you ask us. However, just let them get on with body-slamming you and don't fight back, and eventually they'll lose interest and stop driving you Cucco."

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit

No	Image	Series / game	Type	Class	Strength / Effect(s)	Obtain	Opponents	Conditions	Stage	Song
186		The Legend of Zelda Series	Support (1)	Novice	Floaty Jumps	Timmy and Tommy's; Spirit Board	Tiny Falco ×5	Rule: Item: Cucco The enemy favors neutral air attacks Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd The enemy is easily distracted by items	Skyloft	Village of the Blue Maiden

Gallery

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

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  The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ニワトリ Niwatori コッコ Kokko	Chicken Cucco
German	Huhn	Chicken
Russian	Кокко Kokko	Cucco
Chinese (Simplified)	咕咕鸡 Gūgū Jī	Cucco Chicken
Chinese (Traditional)	咕咕雞 Gūgū Jī	Cucco Chicken