Zora (Enemy)


 * This article is about the hostile Zora race. For the friendly variety, see Zora.

The river Zoras, most commonly simply named Zoras, are a hostile aquatic race introduced in The Legend of Zelda. They were originally the only water-based enemies and although later games have changed that, to this day Zoras remain the most prominent ones, receiving appearances and shout-outs in nearly every entry to the series. The big exception to their popularity are the 3D console games, in which they have yet to appear. This situation is partly to be explained by the introduction of another Zora race in the first 3D game. It is not unlikely that they were originally meant to be a reinterpretation of the classical Zoras, but Oracle of Ages eventually established the two as separate beings, designating the hostile race as river Zoras and the friendly race as sea Zoras. Nonetheless, Ocarina of Time has gone on to be the template of the 3D game structure to which sea Zora are native and lay claim on most of the waters, leaving not much room for the river Zoras.

When The Legend of Zelda was released, the game's manual spelled "Zora" as "Zola", taking its cue from the Japanese manual. The Japanese language does not distinguish between the letters "L" and "R" and the Japanese people are somewhat known for confusing one for the other when translating their letters to Latin ones. With the exception of the Nintendo Player's Guide for Link's Awakening, every instance that mentioned the Zoras after the The Legend of Zelda manual has spelled the name with an "r", confirming that "Zola" was a mistake. Despite this, the Western fan community has created a tradition to use "Zola" and "Zora" to distinguish between the hostile and the friendly race, a development likely instigated by Zelda.com's encyclopedia.

Traits
River Zoras are primarily hostile creatures who make their home wherever there is a large body of water. All potential intruders of their domain are bound to find themselves on the receiving end of their trademark spit attack, which generally can't be blocked. Typically, a Zora hides just below the surface of the water until it deems the moment right to attack, at which point they stick their head out and launch a ball of unspecified energy or fire towards the intended target. They only stay above surface for a short time, whereupon they repeat their strategy. Any counterattack thus has to be performed with long-range equipment from the shore at the time of their attack, which can prove to be quite tricky.

Alternatively, if the water is not deep enough to accomodate this strategy, Zoras are known to emerge fully and give chase on foot. They are sufficiently agile on land, but the lack of water to hide in makes them an easy target. However, some Zora specialize in this form of attack. Those are called Geozards and rather than barehanded, they approach their target armed with shield and sword. They still utilize their spit attack, but mix it up with considerable skill in sword fighting.

Zora prey on smaller fish for nourishment. The skin of Zoras is scaly and green, rarely red, and their huge, prominently colored maws hold sharp fangs. When not in deep water, they stand upright. One variety is known to switch between standing on two legs and on four legs, but this is not common Zora behaviour. Those Zoras also occasionally inhabit desert areas, which again is not common to Zoras. Zoras enjoy their environment damp, sometimes opting to leave the safety of the waters to stroll around on land if it the weather is rainy.

The Legend of Zelda
Zoras occupy all of the three bodies of water around Death Mountain, which consist of a spring-waterfall-river-lake-river course that splits the region in half, a small lake east of it and a much larger lake/sea covering the eastward region. With a handful of exceptions, there is at least one Zora per area. A Zora's spit attack takes away half a heart and can only be blocked by a Magical Shield. Zoras can withstand one blow from a Wooden Sword, and if they can dive before being hit again, they recover from the attack. Otherwise, another hit will do them in, as do single hits with better weaponry.

The Adventure of Link
The behaviour of Zoras is rather different from their other appearances. A few turn up on crossings over rivers, but most inhabit caves, deserts and Maze Island on the Eastern continent, far from their usual watery habitats. Zoras have a quadrupedal structure, though they can and will stand on their hind legs. This they combine with their traditional spit attack, mimicking their below~above water strategy with their quadrupedal~bipedal position. Zoras are particularly tough fighters, dealing damage ranging from three bars of a health meter to three-fourth of it depending on the level of their opponent. In adddition to having access to equally strong long-range and close combat moves, they themselves can only be harmed through the use of the Fire Spell. Upon defeat, they yield 50 experience points and once in a while a Red Potion or a 200 Treasure Bag.

A Link to the Past
Zoras inhabit the Light World and have made their homes in the east of Hyrule, divided over Lake Hylia and Zora's Lake. Zora's River connects the two, allowing the water to flow from Zora's Lake to Lake Hylia. Zoras are impossible to find within the river if not close to either of the lakes. This seems to be because they have a more sufficient system of travel: Zoras are capable of utilizing Whirlpool Waterways, magic portals that link all of Hyrule's waters.

Zoras reside below the water's surface unless they detect an intruder. As usual, their spit attack is their primary offense. It takes away half a heart standard and cannot not be blocked by the Fighter's Shield. If, however, the water is too shallow, the Zoras opt to emerge fully and attack physically, dealing another standard half a heart worth of damage. If they are defeated, they leave one or more bombs behind.

Yet, not all Zoras treat outsiders with hostility. A Zora twice the usual size, King Zora, the leader of the Zoras, makes a business out of selling non-Zoras Zora's Flippers for 500 Rupees per set. When Link buys flippers, King Zora is pleased enough to throw in a bonus with the purchase, allowing Link to make use of the Zoras' many Whirlpool Waterways.

River Zoras' counterparts in the Dark World are the Cyclops Fishes. King Zora himself may have his counterpart in the Giant Catfish.

Link's Awakening
The Zoras live primarily in Martha's Bay, but some can be found in the Bay's upper river and the actual bays of Koholint. Zoras remain submerged until they detect an intruder, whom they exclusively try to attack with their spit attack. It takes away half a heart normally and a quarter of a heart if the intruder is equipped with a Guardian Acorn or the Blue Clothes. It can only be blocked with a Mirror Shield. If anyone is to swim into them, they also deal half a heart worth of damage.

One peaceful Zora has taken up residence in Animal Village in secret. They live in the northeastward house, invisible from others. When Link acquires the Magnifying Lens, he investigates the house once more and is able to see the Zora living there. The Zora assures him they mean no harm, at which point the Photographer enters and insists he snaps a picture to commemorate the discovery. Once the Photographer leaves, the Zora gives Link information on "someone like [him]" at Toronbo Shores in return for keeping quiet about his existence.

Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons
While they were no more than regular overworld enemies like they have always been, the River Zoras' appearance in Oracle of Ages is special because it was the first and as of yet, only time both Zora species appeared in the same game. As such, this was the first game in which there was a need to distinguish the two species and give them each their own name. The friendly Zoras were dubbed Sea Zoras and the hostile kind River Zoras. It was also made clear that the two Zora species were not exactly fond of each other.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, the friendly River Zora are similar to the Zora in A Link to the Past and the less friendly kind of River Zoras, encountered at Lake Hylia and the The Coast, resemble both their The Legend of Zelda counterpart, more by being blue in color, and Cyclops Fish, by having a single eye.

Link also met a friendly River Zora in the castle of Hyrule in Four Swords Adventures, who begged him to bring her to her counterpart who was locked up in another part of the castle. When Link reunited the two, they fused, revealing to be in fact the Queen of Fairies who had been split and both her parts changed into River Zoras. Another friendly Zora, who is really a River Zora this time, lives in the pond north of Kakariko Village. He requires the four Links help to feed him in an optional mini game.

Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks
River Zoras return as Zora warriors, called Geozards, in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. This time around they always come out of the water and are armed with swords and shields. They still have their well-known spitting attack, but attack with a sword as well and block Link's attacks with a shield, similar to the Darknuts in earlier games. Unlike other Zoras, they are not average enemies. In Spirit Tracks, there is also a red variety known as Geozard Chief which breathes fireballs, much like the River Zora's older appearances. In this variation, Link is now required to use the aid of his Phantom partner to distract the Zora while he attacks from behind.

Ancient Stone Tablets
Only a short time has passed since the events of A Link to the Past, hence the Zoras can be found in the same environments as before, near Zora's Lake and in Lake Hylia and treat the new hero no different than they did Link. While the regular Zoras attack on sight, King Zora offers to sell Zora's Flippers on the first day of the new hero's quest, for a price of 300 Rupees.

During the first two days of the quest, rainstorms occur. The rain on day one arrives at 18:23 and dissipates at 18:30, whereas the rain lasts from 18:12 to 18:17 on day two. During these conditions, land-based life takes shelter while the Zoras leave the rivers and lakes to walk around on land. Partly during the rain of the first day, from 18:25 - 18:35, King Zora lowers the price of the Zora's Flippers to 150 Rupees.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland
River Zoras do not personally make an appearance, but they evidently are or have been around until recently. A fountain close to the entrance of Port Town is decorated with the shape of four river Zora heads. Coincidentally, two statues representing sea Zoras are located on nearby islands, making this the only other location next to Labrynna in which both races "are around".

Valiant Comics comics
During the events of "Missing in Action", a huge Zora feels obliged to attack Link and Zelda when they try to cross a body of water by raft.

"A Link to the Past" comic
Zora was a resident of the Dark World, where he lived at a waterfall along with his Fairy buddy Epheremelda.

Trivia

 * The Zoras from The Adventure of Link are also known among fans as Basilisks. Where this designation comes from is unknown, as at least the Japanese guides do refer to them as Zoras.
 * The normal Zoras from A Link to the Past are named Zora's Spawn in the Nintendo Player's Guide for the SNES version, whereas their leader is referred to as if his name is Zora - a name he also goes by in the translation of the comic. While the Zora's Spawn are referred to as just Zoras within the game itself, most of the ingame text that should be about "Zoras" is about "Zora", a singular entity. Chances are this is a misinterpretation of the Japanese text, because in Japanese, there is no singular and plural. For instance, a phrase like can translate to Zora's Flippers, Zoras' Flippers or Zora Flippers depending on the context. For the GBA re-release, most of the singular "Zora" were corrected to be about "Zoras" as a group.
 * Also, one piece of artwork found in the Nintendo Player's Guide depicts King Zora with a caudal fin instead of legs. Other depictions of him as well as the general build of Zoras contradicts this.
 * Bombs dropped by Zoras in the original release of A Link to the Past sink into the water. This was changed for the GBA re-release, in which they float so they can be collected.
 * Zelda.com describes the river Zoras (under the name Zola) as female Zoras who turned against the Hylians and chose a life of violence. Like many entries in the encyclopedia, this assertion finds no support from the games. The only individual Zora who was a confirmed female was actually a cursed Fairy Queen, Zelda.com's usage of the terms Zola and Zora does not coincide with actual game appearances, and the term Zola is, as already explained, a faulty romanization on Japan's behalf that was corrected at the very next opportunity. The idea that river Zora are exclusively female comes from the description in the English manual of The Legend of Zelda, which in fact is a faulty translation of the Japanese text. translates roughly as "half fish with human", not "half-fish, half-woman". Why the localization team chose to specify a gender is unknown, but it could be that they tried to connect the Zora enemy more to the real world mythological merfolk, which is most known for its female half, than it already was ( is Japanese for "merfolk"). Either way, this was a one time localization decision that had no impact on the Japanese developers, and thus has found no corroboration in any game thereafter.