Vire

Vire
Artwork of Vire in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda
Latest appearance	Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda (update/physical release)
Variant of	Keese
Comparable Acheman

“I'm amazed you've come so far. I thought you a harmless turtle, but I miscalculated. ...At any rate, I'll finish this soon!!!”

– Vire, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

Vires are uncommon winged demons that split into Keese when attacked. Their name comes from "vampire."

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda

Vires debut in The Legend of Zelda, described by the manual as "a devil that controls the Keeses." They appear as pudgy blue demons with four white pots on their faces (treated as eyes by the artwork, but as eyes and teeth by concept documents), first appearing in the fourth labyrinth, Snake, where they are the primary type of enemy. They commonly appear in dark rooms. They move smoothly when going up or down, but hop when they move to the side. If hit with an attack not strong enough to defeat them, they split into two red Keeses, which act the same as normal Keeses, and will respawn once the room is left. However, attacks strong enough to defeat them in one hit cause them not to respawn.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Vires, alternatively known as Winged Demons, appear in Turtle Rock in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, where they more actively attack Link and appear to only have two eyes. They now fly slowly towards Link from the edges of the screen, breathing pairs of fireballs at him. If he gets too close, they will quickly dart back offscreen temporarily. Once a Vire has launched several shots at Link, it will quickly swoop at him, allowing him to attack it with his sword. Alternatively, he can shoot arrows or the hookshot at it to damage it, though the latter is slow enough the Vire might fly away before being hit. Well-placed bombs can also work. Once a Vire has taken three points of damage, it splits into two skull-headed Keese that also swoop at him, but can be defeated in one hit. Once the Magic Rod is obtained, Link can use it to destroy Vires in one hit.

In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Vires are colored red, while their split form has green shading. In the remake, they are again red, and the shine on top of their heads is reinterpreted as a light-colored crest.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

In both The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Vire appears as a miniboss working for the respective game's villain, being Onox or Veran. In the former game, he appears in the Ancient Ruins, and in the latter game, the present version of Mermaid's Cave. In both fights, he acts exactly the same, though in a linked game, he recognizes Link on the second fight. In both appearance and behavior, he is based off Vires' appearance in Link's Awakening DX, though his artwork seems to give him four squinting eyes. Additionally, a linked game features an extra appearance of Vire in the second game prior to that game's battle with him.

When his battlefield is entered, he introduces himself as the loyal henchman of the game's villain, though if he has been beaten before in a linked game he will instead be shocked in Oracle of Seasons or impressed in Oracle of Ages. He then teleports to the edge of the room and begins flying while shooting fireballs, just like the ones in Link's Awakening, albeit less cautiously about letting Link get close. At first, he can breath dark blue fireballs which act like the ones from before, coming in pairs and moving slowly in straight lines, and an orange type of fireball that splits into six. He most commonly flies in a slow circle around Link, swooping at him after three shots. Once Vire is hit, he gets annoyed and begins deliberately keeping distance between him and Link, swooping away when Link gets even remotely close to him. Additionally, he retaliates with two consecutive red fireballs that home in on Link whenever he darts away. After another hit, Vire calls Link a bully and stops holding back, now moving faster, shooting the red fireballs at any time. He also tends to fake out during his swoops by instead diving the other way if Link is facing him, occasionally shooting a single quick blue fireball. Once he is hit again, Vire tells him goodbye and splits into two red-winged, skull-faced Keese, which continue to swoop at Link. Once they are defeated, Vire re-merges and says he was overconfident, but will report Link's progress to his master. If on the second game, Vire instead bemoans failing both masters and apologizes to them before exploding.

If Oracle of Seasons is played through first, Vire has an additional appearance in Oracle of Ages, where he kidnaps Princess Zelda and takes her into the Black Tower, which Link must then climb in a side-scrolling segment based heavily off the arcade game Donkey Kong.

If Oracle of Ages is played through first instead, Vire has another appearance in Oracle of Seasons, where he appears in the Treasure Chest at Sunken Falls that normally contains a Gasha Seed. It now contains the Pyramid Jewel (whose previous location has gone to 30 Rupees), which Vire puts on a ledge in the cave that can be accessed from Sunken City.

CD-i games

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

A single Vire appears early in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, in the dark barn of Kobitan, a starting location. It is tall and thin with a gargoyle-like face, a green toga, and purple, cape-like wings. It simply walks back and forth, occasionally casting a magic projectile at her. Despite its sinister appearance, the Vire is defeated in just one hit, granting Zelda the key to Makoto's house.

Zelda's Adventure

In Zelda's Adventure, Vires appear as gray, gargoyle-like creatures that fly around in the Shrine of Illusion, occasionally making a low chirping sound. One guards a small key, and the other guards the Dungeon Map.

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, Vires appear as one of the new enemies in the future Hyrule found in updated versions of the digital release and the base version of the physical release. They resemble a stylized version of their original art with yellow eyes. They are primarily found in dungeons and beach areas, where they slowly fly around, laughing fiendishly between movements. When defeated, they now split into four Keese.

Gallery

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  The Legend of Zelda

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  BS Zelda no Densetsu

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	バイア Baia	Vire; from 「バンパイア」 (banpaia, vampire)
Spanish	vire	-
French	Vire	-
Dutch	Vire	-
German	Beißer	Biter
Italian	vire	-
Russian	вир vir	vire
Korean	바이어 Baieo	Vire
Chinese (Simplified)	拜尔 Bàiěr	Vire
Chinese (Traditional)	拜爾 Bàiěr	Vire