Like Like

The Like Like is a voracious and gelatinous tube-like creature that usually resides in wet and dark places, but can be occasionally found in dry areas. It is present in nearly every Legend of Zelda game. This creature will suck victims into its wide, round mouth, often robbing them of their Shields before it spits them out.

Characteristics
Like Likes range from being yellow to a pinkish color. Their bodies consist of circular, gelatinous layers. The most notable feature of these creatures is that they have a taste for Shields, a trait similar to that of the Pikit. Unique to, Like Likes may also steal Goron and Zora Tunics if Link happens to be wearing whichever one, though the young hero can still swap his equipment before he is spit out. To consume a shield or other equipment, Like Likes will suck in and engulf Link, constricting him inside of their gelatinous "mouths" until they can remove Link’s equipment, after which they'll spit him out without his equipment and avoid him until they finish eating. In some cases, Link must struggle to get free. Like Likes from and  will literally suck in Link like vacuums. Even if Link has no Shield, Like Likes will continue to attack Link, dealing minimal damage in the process. In fact, Like Likes will only cause physical harm to Link in the GBA re-release and their 3D appearances.

In and later games in the series, Like Likes cannot take certain Shields, especially if that Shield has only one of its type, for obvious reasons. These include Link’s original shield from The Legend of Zelda (which Link will revert to when his Magical Shield is eaten), some incarnations of the Mirror Shield, and the Shield of Antiquity. In some games, including The Legend of Zelda, the Oracle series, and the DS titles, once a Like Like swallows a Shield, the item is gone for good, necessitating the purchase a new one. Contrarily, in every other game, the same Like Like that swallows one of Link’s shields will drop it if slain quickly enough.

Like Likes seem to be one of the most versatile creatures in the Zelda universe. They have been known to appear in a number of places, from caves, to forests, to dungeons. In Majora’s Mask, they are even seen moving across the ocean floor. In their most recent appearances, from and on, they will even burrow underground, waiting for prey to be in close proximity. Some Like Likes in Spirit Track hide in barrels, jars, and chests, the perfect trap for unsuspecting adventurers. In the GBA A Link to the Past they even have the ability to fly away into the air after stealing a shield to escape.

Weaknesses
Link can always use his Sword, Bow, and other weapons when facing a Like Like, but he can also stun it with Boomerangs and the Hookshot. Like Likes can be defeated in a single strike with the Biggoron Sword. An effective method of dealing with these foes introduced in Phantom Hourglass and seen in Spirit Tracks was to toss a Bomb into the Like Like's mouth as it tried to vacuum Link in.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Like Likes appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee as both enemies in the Underground Maze level of Adventure Mode and as a trophy. Like in the Zelda games, they attack by swallowing a character that comes near them, and when the Like Like spits them out, the player takes damage. These enemies can be defeated by hitting it until it takes enough damage. For every Like Like the player defeats, 500 points are added to the Like Like KO bonus.

Trivia

 * Pikit is known as a Like Like in Japan, despite normal Like Likes appearing alongside Pikits in the GBA version.
 * The Like Like Ring from and  transforms Link into a Like Like when worn, but it serves no other purpose.
 * According to the Like Like trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the name "Like Like" is derived from an ancient Hylian proverb, "Shield-eaters and world leaders have many likes alike". In the Japanese version, it comes from the Japanese proverb, which roughly means "each to their own tastes". Since shield (たて) and (たで) are very similar in spelling, the Like Like is a reference to the saying, corrupting "water-pepper" to "shield".