Moblin

Moblins are recurring enemies in. They are among some of the most common enemies throughout the series, having appeared in the majority of games, and are prolific in Ganon's army. Early in the series, Moblins originally resembled anthropomorphic bulldogs, but beginning in, have increasingly evolved more pig-like and features. In all of their appearances, Moblins are characteristically depicted as using spears or javelins as their main weapon. They are abundant in forests but also occasionally appear inside mountains and dungeons.

In the 2D Zelda games, Moblins are often depicted as common foot soldiers encountered early in the game. In the 3D console Zelda games, Moblins are instead depicted as elite enemies capable of performing powerful attacks who may engage in full combat with Link. These Moblins usually require more careful or percise attacks to defeat.

While Moblins have changed little aside from their visual appearance throughout the series, some variants of the standard Moblin have also appeared. These include the Club Moblin, exclusive to ; the Spear and Bow Moblins, which specialize in spears and Bows, respectively; and the Shield Moblin, which carry large Shields. In and the, both bulldog and pig-like Moblins appear. To differentiate between the two, the pig-like Moblins in those games are known as Pig Warriors. The King Moblin and Great Moblin are two notable Moblins that have appeared in the series. Other related species with similar names include the Bokoblin, Miniblin, Bulblin and Big Blin.

The Legend of Zelda
In, Moblins were originally called Molblins. They are common enemies found throughout Hyrule. They keep to the wooded areas, such as the Lost Woods, and throw spears to attack. These spears can be blocked with the most basic Shield. Like most enemies in this game, they come in two colors - red and blue; the blue being the stronger of the two, and able to withstand more hits from attacks. Blue Moblins drop Bombs more frequently than most other enemies.

Not all Moblins are enemies, however. Some friendly Moblins hide in secret caves across Hyrule and give Link Rupees when spoken to, uttering the iconic phrase "It's a secret to everybody" in the process.

The Adventure of Link
In, Moblins were also originally called Molblins. They appear leaner and more muscular, as opposed to their short, squat appearance in the first game. Although their master, Ganon, is deceased, they continue to serve him and patrol the overworld of Hyrule. Moblins are common to the wooded areas of Hyrule, although some can be found on bridges or caves. They attack by either jabbing or throwing their spears. Moblns appear in orange, red and blue, from weakest to strongest, respectively. The orange variety comes in two forms: a weaker variety that will simply charge at Link with their spears and yield no Experience when defeated, and one that will throw spears at him that will yield 10 Experience points upon defeat. Moblins are also capable of draining Link's Experience whenever he is attacked by one.

A Link to the Past
In, Moblins only appear in the Dark World. This appearance marks the first occasion that they had a pig-like face rather than that of a bulldog of previous games. They patrol the grounds in a quick fashion, and throw spears at Link from any distance within the screen. These projectiles can easily be blocked with the Shield. Although defensively weak, they can cause up to two Hearts of damage if they come in direct contact with Link. They commonly appear alongside Taros and Hinox.

Link's Awakening
In, Moblins appear in two forms. The common forest-dwelling Moblins only appear in the Mysterious Woods and the Moblin Hideout in Tal Tal Heights. Unlike the Moblins of A Link to the Past, these Moblins share their bulldog-like appearance of the Moblins of The Legend of Zelda. As with previous incarnations, these Moblins simply wander and throw spears to attack. Some Moblins are instead armed with Swords and Shields and are known as Sword Moblins. They will charge after Link when they see him, like the Soldiers from A Link to the Past. Their blades are also able to parry Link's Sword. Their leader, known as the King Moblin, lives with a small horde in the Moblin Hideout. After Link clears the Tail Cave, he will find that the Moblins have captured Madam MeowMeow's BowWow. The King Moblin and his personal guards will defend their prize to the death.

A second variety of the Moblin are known as Pig Warriors, which have a more porcine-like appearance akin to the Moblins of A Link to the Past. They live primarily in Tal Tal Heights and Ukuku Prairie. These Moblins behave in an identical manner to their forest-dwelling cousins, and also come in a Sword variant.

Ocarina of Time
In, Moblins only appear in the Sacred Forest Meadow when Link is an adult. They are much bigger than their previous appearances, and retain their original bulldog-like resemblance. They patrol the hedge maze of the Forest Meadow and proceed to powerfully charge at Link with their spears whenever they see him. They can be killed by the Hookshot or Arrows, but are generally best avoided by stealth. With good timing, death by Sword is also a possibility.

A bigger and stronger variation of the Moblin, the Club Moblin, guards the entrance of the Forest Temple with a giant club. This giant Moblin carries an enormous club it slams on the ground when it sees Link, causing a shock wave which can prevent forward progress.

Neither type of Moblin can be Z-targeted, so Navi cannot comment on them.

Oracle Series
In and, both the bulldog-like Moblins and Pig Warriors of Link's Awakening appear. They act the same as in the previous game, even coming in Sword-wielding variants, but now also come in colored varieties. Red Moblins are the most common, while the blue Moblins are rarer and stronger. In certain dungeons, red Moblins that throw Boomerangs also appear, similarly to Goriyas. In Oracle of Ages, blue Moblins often appear in the past while red ones are placed in the same region in the present. Similarly, blue Moblins tend to appear during winter in Oracle of Seasons.

In Oracle of Seasons, a Golden Moblin also appears, which shows up after Link has spoken to an Old Man wearing a golden robe. The Moblin can be found in the Woods of Winter in the autumn. This variety is much more aggressive and far stronger than the ordinary varieties.

In both games, the Great Moblin is the boss of a gang of Moblins in the lands of Labrynna and Holodrum. They operate a keep in both lands, where the Great Moblin is fought as a mini-boss. After his defeat, the Moblins are driven away to the other land in a Linked Game.

The Moblin Ring can be worn to transform Link into the appearance of a green Moblin.

The Wind Waker
In, Moblins are once again Ganon's primary soldiers. Similarly to the Moblins of A Link to the Past, their appearance is distinctively more porcine-like. They are often seen patrolling Ganon's territories, such as Submarines, temples, and notably the Forsaken Fortress. Bokoblins and Miniblins often accompany them, and one Moblin in particular serves as the mini-boss of Dragon Roost Cavern. They are sometimes carried into battle on Kargarocs. There are two kinds of Moblins in The Wind Waker: brown and blue. The brown Moblins appear in the Forsaken Fortress, the Earth Temple, and the Fairy Woods at night time, as well as sevral Submarines and Caves. This variety can take more hits and carry Lanterns which they throw at Link when they spot him, acting as a smokescreen of sorts as well as to hurt him with fire. The blue Moblins cannot take as many hits and do not carry Lanterns.

Moblins are big and powerful, but not particularly intelligent. They carry spears, which can be picked up and wielded by Link when dropped. Moblins attack by swiping, stabbing, or crushing Link with their spears, which can inflict varying amounts of damage depending on the attack. These attacks also lowers the Moblin's defense, provided if Link can find a safe opening to strike back. Moblins have immense reach with their spears, but their wide swings mean that two or more Moblins in proximity are likely to injure or even kill each other or other enemies. If disarmed, a Moblin proceeds to unleash mighty, lightning-fast punches until it gets its spear back. These attacks send Link flying as he is hit. Moblins may also punch Link in certain instances followed by a spear attack, such as when Link raises his Shield. Link, however, will not sustain any damage from this punch. Moblins are also adept at handling a frontal assault by defending with their spears, so attacking from the sides or back is recommended. If Link strikes the rear-end, the Moblin will comically cry out and briefly hop around, due to the pain inflicted in a delicate place. Notably, Moblins are afraid of explosives, and will flee in terror if Link takes out a Bomb while engaged with a Moblin. They will return to the fight once the Bomb explodes.

While infiltrating the Forsaken Fortress to find and rescue his kidnapped sister, Link will encounter Moblins patrolling the fortress and will have to avoid them, on account that he had lost his Sword and is unable to fight them. Link can sneak past the Moblins by moving past them as they are facing away, or by picking up Barrels and hiding in them when a Moblin is nearby. If Link is caught by a Moblin, he will be thrown into an empty prison cell and will have to escape and reattempt. Once Link retrieves his Sword and revisits the Forsaken Fortress, he can fight the Moblins normally. Moblins also appear to have a keen sense of smell, as they appear to be sniffing out Link as he is sneaking through Forsaken Fortress.

Valuable Skull Necklaces can be stolen by using the Grappling Hook or won as spoils by defeating Moblins,which can be sold to Dampa near the Bomb Shop, Beedle, or to Maggie's Father in the House of Wealth after the second Forsaken Fortress mission.

Maggie from Windfall Island maintains a long-distance relationship with a Moblin named Moe who lives in the Forsaken Fortress. They communicate through letters, and Moe indicates a disturbing "hunger" to see Maggie. Maggie takes this to mean that he wants to marry her. It is apparent through Maggie's actions that she is in love with him, much to her father's disapproval.

The Minish Cap
Spear and Bow Moblins appear as variants in. They are identical to those in Four Swords; Spear Moblins charge at Link, while Bow Moblins shoot Arrows.

According to the Royal Hyrule Library's weekly top titles, the book Married to the Moblin is the top seller. However, Link cannot read the book in-game.

Skyward Sword
Shield Moblins appear as variants in SS undefined. They appear as obese red monsters with grotesque features, somewhat resembling the common, smaller Bokoblin. Shield Moblins in Skyward Sword come in two varieties: a Wooden Shield variant and a Metal Shield variant. Both types carry large, square-shaped Shields they use to defend with, and are equipped with spears for offense. Their Shields are highly durable; while it is possible to destroy a Moblin's Wooden Shield, the same cannot be done against the Metal Shield variety. Along with their superb defenses, their attacking power makes them elite enemies.

A Link Between Worlds
In, Moblins are based on those from A Link to the Past. They appear throughout Lorule as common enemies. They come in two varieties: a spear-wielding type, and an armored sword and shield type. The spear-wielding Moblins have an identical appearance to those from A Link to the Past, but with a slightly different attack strategy. These Moblins now back away and try to maintain a distance away from Link as they aim their javelins at him, identically to the Spear Soldiers of Hyrule. The sword and shield Moblins are an armored variety that carry blades, or alternately a pitchfork, and a shield. They charge directly at Link when they see him, akin to the Sword Soldiers. Their shields are able to block Link's Sword, so it is advised to attack their unprotected backsides. Both Moblin varieties act as a slightly stronger version of their Hyrulean counterparts.

Tri Force Heroes
Spear Throwing Moblins are a named variant in. They are identical to the spear-wielding Moblins of A Link Between Worlds, sharing the same attack strategy and pattern. Spear Throwing Moblins may also sometimes appear riding Totem Armos, requiring that the Links form a Totem to reach the Moblin's height to attack. A "dark" version of this Moblin also appears in the Den of Trials.

Game & Watch Zelda
In, Moblins are instead referred to as Goblins. A Goblin appears in each chamber (except for the boss chamber). They must be defeated to progress to the next floor. Goblins can step back out of range of Link's Sword (although they can still be hit with Sword Beams). Goblins attack by throwing their spears at Link, which can be blocked with the Shield by not attacking. Once the floor's Goblin is defeated, Link picks up whatever item was on the floor automatically, the other monsters disappear, and one or two staircases to proceed appear.

Animated series
In the Zelda animated series, the Moblins greatly resemble their first appearance in the original The Legend of Zelda. They are loyal to their master, Ganon, and they are always willing to follow his every command. As such, Ganon mostly resorts to using these foes to carry out his plans to steal the Triforce; unfortunately, his schemes are always ruined by the ineptitude of the Moblins, as he is always berating and punishing them for their failure. In "The Moblins are Revolting", however, a Moblin convinces the other monsters to overthrow Ganon and form an alliance known as the Brotherhood of Underworld Monsters, but they realize they pose no real threat due to the disorganization within the group, and the Moblins as well as the rest of the monsters end up crawling back to Ganon.

Like the rest of Ganon's minions, the Moblins are capable of speech, with the only difference being that the Moblins speak with poor grammar. These foes also wield a wide variety of weapons when fighting against Link:, , , , , , and. Despite their impressive arsenal, the Moblins are rather clumsy and simple-minded who are always bumping and tripping over each other, and this in turn usually causes for them to defeat themselves in the process, much to Ganon's dismay.

Captain N: The Game Master
Moblins appear in three episodes in Captain N: The Game Master, where they are first introduced in "Quest for the Potion of Power". Here, a group of Moblins raid the town of Rauru in hopes of trying to find out the location of the Potion of Power and thus revive their master, Ganon. After Link, Princess Zelda and Kevin defeat all of the Moblins and save a woman's son from the grasp of the Moblin leader, the woman rewards the heroes with a map that helps them on their quest of retrieving the Potion of Power before Ganon's minions get to it. Although a Moblin also appears in "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "The Trojan Dragon" episodes, it only plays a minor role. In both of these episodes, Simon Belmont of the Castlevania series bumps into this foe while walking through the woods in Hyrule. These Moblins do not seem to be as clumsy as the ones portrayed in the Zelda animated series.

The Legend of Zelda comic
The Moblins in the Legend of Zelda comic appear to be modeled after their artwork depiction in The Adventure of Link. Unlike the cartoons, these foes play a very minor role in all of the comic's issues. A Moblin makes an appearance in "Assault" with a slightly more significant role. In this story, a Moblin goes to inform Ganon that Link managed to defeat a pack of his fellow fiends to get past his outpost. Ganon punishes the Moblin for failing to capture the young hero and says that only he is allowed to destroy Link. They are also briefly seen in "Missing in Action", To the First Power, and Queen of Hearts.

The Crystal Trap
In The Crystal Trap, Moblins continue to serve under Ganon's orders and try to eliminate Princess Zelda on her quest to obtain the three items necessary to free Link from the Crystal. They always appear in groups, right behind Ganon, willing to attack as soon as the evil wizard commands them. At one point in the book, if Zelda enters Madame Grusha's fortune-telling hut, she will discover that the fortune-teller is actually a Wizzrobe in disguise who commands the Moblins to attack and kill the princess. However, Zelda easily defeats both the Moblin and the Wizzrobe with the use of her Bow.

Once Link and Zelda find the Spear stuck in one of the trees of the forest, Ganon and his gang of Moblin begin to quickly approach the heroes, but with the help of Zelda's friend Greenbeard, they are able to obtain the Spear and stop the Moblin right on their path. With the defeat of Ganon at the hands of Link, the Moblins disappear as well.

The Shadow Prince

 * See also: Moblin Boss and Nilbom the Tailor

The Moblins in The Shadow Prince not only serve Ganon, but also a Moblin Boss who commands them to destroy Link in order to satisfy their master. These creatures play a much bigger role in this book, being capable of disguising themselves as humans and thus trick Link into thinking that they are there to help him. Both Princess Zelda and Link are first attacked by a gang of Moblins as they are walking through the woods. Although they defeat the first few monsters quite easily, Zelda runs out of Arrows for her Bow and ultimately gets knocked out by a rock thrown at her by one of the Moblins. Link goes after her but trips and tumbles to the ground, and just as he is about to be killed by a Moblin, a tall, dark man known as Charles saves him by commanding the Moblin to leave.

Later on in the book, if Link chooses to go through the Midoro Swamp on his way to the Town of Ruto, he will once again get ambushed by a group of Moblins; however, with the help of the Golden Whistle, he is able to weaken them with its high-piercing sound. One of the Moblins then offers Link a Magic Potion in exchange that the young hero stops whistling.

Once Charles of Moria runs away to the Midoro Swamp with the Triforce of Wisdom in hand, Link will follow him there only to find that Charles, who is actually Ganon in disguise, has an army of Moblins that quickly surround Link. Just as the Moblins are drawing in to attack the young hero, Link uses his Sword to slash Charles's Necklace in two, thus defeating the false Morian knight. The Moblins, now with their leader gone, all suddenly scatter away into the clearing.

Philips CD-i Games
In and, Moblins are known as Moblin Spearthrowers. They are common soldiers of Ganon's army and appear throughout the lands of Koridai and Gamelon. In The Faces of Evil, Lupay enslaves Koridians and turns them into Moblins by replacing their souls with Rubies.

In, Moblins appear as large orge-like monsters carrying large spears. They do not throw their spears when they see Princess Zelda and instead walk in a random path. They are described as being "stupid and slow." They are encountered in the Forest of Ogbam and its surrounding areas.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Moblins appear as a Sticker in.

Hyrule Warriors
In and, Moblins appear as medium-strong enemies, closely based on the Wooden Shield and Metal Shield Moblins of Skyward Sword. Wooden Shield Moblins are simply referred to as Moblins, whereas the Metal Shield variant are called Shield Moblins. Both types are equipped with spears that they use to powerfully attack their opponents. They often try to belly flop onto their enemies, either by charging their spear and furiously spinning forward, or by simply jumping towards them. Their fall creates a small shock wave which interrupts any actions currently being done by Warriors if they are unable to dodge it. Aside from the design of Shield, the two variants are otherwise identical with little difference between them.

Trivia

 * In The Minish Cap, Moblins appear in two color palettes, which in this series normally implies that one is stronger in some way than the other (most often by having more health). But in this case the two palettes are functionally identical, having the same amount of health, inflicting the same amount of damage to Link, and exhibiting the same behaviors.

Etymology
Moblins in The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link were known as "Molblins", a more exact transliteration of their Japanese name,. Moriburin is a portmanteau of, in reference to their common habitat, and "." In later titles, the initial "L" was omitted.