Hinox

Hinox are mysterious cyclops-like ogres that first appeared in A Link to the Past. They usually appear as giant musclebound, light brown humanoids with one eye, a ponytail and ears like a Hylian. They have an affinity for Bombs, and commonly use them as weapons against Link. Despite comments in the English Instruction Booklet for A Link to the Past, the Hinox's weak point is not usually its eye, unlike similar monsters such as Eyegore, nor are they weak to their own bombs; these are mistranslations of the original Japanese manual, which stated the phrase "", or in English, "an eye for an eye". The true weakness of a Hinox are Link's own bombs, which can destroy them with a single hit.

A Link to the Past
Hinox are commonly found in the Dark World of Hyrule in A Link to the Past. They are found in most locations, particularly near the Bomb Shop, and have a seemingly endlessly supply of Bombs to throw at Link. They are very powerful and able to cause a lot of damage to Link if they come into contact with him: up to four hearts. Despite their slow movements, they are extremely dangerous to Link when he first enters the Dark World and should be treated with caution. Striking them with a sword will defeat them but it takes many blows and puts Link in danger, so it is easier for Link to throw Bombs at them or strike them with his Bow from afar.

Link's Awakening
Hinox appear in certain dungeons of Koholint Island in Link's Awakening as mini-bosses. The first appears as the middle boss of the Bottle Grotto, and is a mighty adversary at this point in the game. It appears larger than those in A Link to the Past, and instead of actively throwing Bombs at Link it charges at him and uses its strength to simply lift him off the ground and throw him to the sides of the room to cause damage and leave him briefly stunned. To make the situation worse, cracks in the floor around the edges of the room will break if Link remains on them too long, dropping him into a bottomless pit and causing further damage. After being struck by Link's sword, the Hinox will throw a Bomb in retaliation. After defeating this mighty opponent, it will leave behind a Fairy and a Warp to the entrance of the dungeon.

Later in the game, a red and blue Hinox appear in Eagle's Tower and Turtle Rock respectively. Despite their changed appearance, their behavior and strength is identical, but they will now return after being destroyed if Link passes through the same rooms again. All three Hinox still retain their weakness to Bombs, but it now takes two explosions to destroy one. Once Link obtains the mighty Magic Rod, he can make short work of them, like many other enemies in the game.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, the Hinox make their first appearance in Hyrule and are found in huge numbers in the Death Mountain Foothills. They behave similar to their previous incarnations and attack by grabbing one of the four Links. Once a Hinox grabs one of the Links, he shakes him, causing him to drop his Force Gems. The other Links can then obtain these gems while their companion struggles to escape, or strike the Hinox while it is distracted. The Hinox no longer throws explosives instead it throws Boulders. Despite this, they are still weak to bombs, so it is recommended that Links find nearby Bomb Flowers to destroy these monsters, because they are extremely strong adversaries when fighting them with the sword alone, and often appear in pairs. Not only that, but in one location in the foothills the Links will run into a gigantic horde of Hinox: fighting all of them at once would be crazy, so instead it is best for the Links to obtain a Quake Medallion from a nearby cave and use it on the beasts, turning them all into weak Zols.

Phantom Hourglass
In Phantom Hourglass, Hinox are found either on Dee Ess Island or in the Goron Temple. They look significantly different to their previous incarnations; they are now blue and have a fuse-like ponytail, giving them a bomb-like appearance. Their eye is also more prominent and surrounded by a gold eyelid. They attack by throwing punches and Bombs; if Link throws a Bomb at them, they will throw it back. Because these creatures cannot be attacked from the front with the sword, it is better to use the Boomerang from behind or to shoot them in the eye with the Bow to stun them for a short time opening them up for attack.

Stone Hinox


A golem shaped like a Hinox, called Stone Hinox, is a middle boss in the bonus Color Dungeon exclusive to Link's Awakening DX.

A Link to the Past comic
Hinox appear several times throughout the A Link to the Past comic. Link is first confronted by a Hinox after just arriving to the Dark World; upon leaving a nearby shrine, Link comes across three thieves and a Hinox, who ask him about a fairy they are pursuing for her magic powers. When Link tells them he does not have the fairy, the Hinox begins to attack the young hero by throwing bombs at him. However, Link manages to catch one of them and throws them back at the foe's mouth, causing the Hinox to explode.

Another Hinox appears when Link visits the Palace of Darkness. After Link is discovered wandering around the palace by a Rocklops, the foe warns Link of what could happen if he set off the firecorns in the palace, but the young hero disregards his warning and takes a nearby Hinox's bomb belt that was wrapped around it. Link then stumbles into the imprisoned crystal, but is attacked by a Gleeock  that was called upon by the Rocklops. Although he defeats it easily  with the Master Sword, soon more Hinoxs riding Gleeocks begin to head   towards him. Link gives Epheremelda ones of the bombs from the Hinox's belt, which  eventually denotes the firecorn stockpile and destroys the entire   palace.

A Hinox is last seen inside Swamp Palace, where the foe, along with a Tarosu, shuts the entrance to the rest of the palace and impedes Link from rescuing the Maiden inside. As Sahasrahla's friend watches the battle between Link and the Tarosu from a fountain in the Light World, he accidentally activates the statues that cause water to pour into the  fountain. This leads to the Swamp Palace in the Dark World to get flooded, washing away both the Tarosu and the Hinox, who eventually end up sinking as they struggle with each other.

Trivia

 * As well as being based on the mythical Cyclops, Hinox also share similarity with Japanese Oni. Their loincloths and upturned fangs in particular are similar to the traditional appearance of an oni, and the red and blue colored Hinox in Link's Awakening may be a reference to the tradition of a red and blue oni pair.
 * Their long ears, shared only by Ku in the Dark World, may suggest a connection with Hylians. It is possible that due to their resemblance to Oni, they are meant to represent demons in the hellish Dark World.
 * In the secret ending in the Game Boy Advance remake of A Link to the Past, obtained after completing the Palace of the Four Sword, Hinox are shown passing Bombs to one another, and one appears at the top of the Pyramid of Power playing with a Super Bomb.
 * A master of the Hinox appears in the Link's Awakening manga. He goes by the name of Master Drona, and his title is well-earned.
 * Hinox is referred to as Eye Brute in the Prima strategy guide for Phantom Hourglass.
 * The boss Cragma from Spirit Tracks shares similarities in its appearance with Hinox and Stone Hinox.