Darknut

Darknuts (ダークナト, Dākunato) are recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda series, that debuted in the original The Legend of Zelda.

Characteristics
The Darknut resembles a large knight, equipped with heavy armor and a large sword, and a wide shield. Darknuts are notoriously difficult to defeat, and are considered by many fans as the hardest non-boss/non-miniboss enemy in games in which they appear. These foes share trite similarities to the Iron Knuckle, though there are few discernible differences, one being the Gothic appearance of Darknut's armor as opposed to the somewhat Eastern appearance of the Iron Knuckle's armor. Apart from that, the two have never appeared in a game together. Additionally, since Ocarina of Time, Iron Knuckles have wielded two-handed axes while Darknuts prefer swords or maces. Early Armos Knights also mimic the behavior of the Darknut.

These enemies, though sometimes denoted in strength by differences in coloration, are all masters of swordfighting, seen most vividly during battles fought with them in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, where the differences in size between Link and the Darknut in three dimensions further emphasizes this accurate behavior. Darknuts are known to charge at Link, as in Link's Awakening, parry and block his sword strikes, as in The Wind Waker, and even inhibit a highly motile second form, most notable in Twilight Princess.

Coloration and Weaponry Differences from The Legend of Zelda to Four Swords
In The Legend of Zelda and the Oracle titles, these enemies come in red and blue types, with blue being the stronger of the two. They move slowly and were only a danger when Link came in direct contact with them. Only attacking them from behind will hurt them, and touching them causes Link a lot of damage Link's Awakening and on into Four Swords reveals Darknuts that can be injured by striking their sides as well, the latter of which receiving a new sprite model in comparison to other comparable titles such as The Legend of Zelda and Oracle of Seasons. There is one exception in Oracle of Seasons: a Gold Darknut exists, and is twice as powerful as any other Darknut in the game (see: Golden Monsters).

In Link's Awakening and the Oracle titles as well, the Darknuts vary from carrying a shield and sword to a bow. The Darknuts with a bow are generally less aggressive than Darknuts that carry a sword and shield, as they will not charge Link like the sword-carriers do. Both types are more common in Labrynna than they are in Holodrum. However, only in the Oracle titles can Link use the Magnetic Glove to repel and attract Darknuts, the blue edge having an Northern charge and the red having a Southern charge.

The Redesign of The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap
In its first appearance in a 3D Zelda, The Wind Waker's Darknut's lethality increased tenfold. Wielding a long serrated blade, and wearing strong armor, they are one of the the most difficult non-boss enemies in the game. The Darknut is also resourceful. If it drops its sword, it can pick up fallen weapons, such as a Moblin's pole arm, or engage in hand-to-hand combat. They will also perform the great spin attack if they see Link charging said attack. Their martial arts skills are formidable; unarmed Darknuts attack with either a flurry of quick karate chops or a spinning jump kick that can send Link reeling. Underneath their helmet, they resemble a humanoid jackal. Finding a Darknut normally means the presence of the enemy scenario.

Its only weak point is the back, where a seam in its armor leaves it vulnerable. The best way to deal with these powerful enemies is the Parry Attack, which avoids the sword and allows easy removal of the helmet or armor. Depending on where the hit landed, either its body armor or helmet will fall off, leaving either their head vulnerable to a boomerang, or their body open to sword hits. Darknut armor can also be destroyed by repeated sword strikes, but this strategy is hazardous.

Darknuts in this game have varying armor, which may denote ranks. The armor colors are silver, gold, black and red. Most Darknuts use round bucklers, although there are some that don't. Highly ranked black and red armored Darknuts sometimes wear differently shaped helmets. It will also be revealed that they have a beard and jackal-like features if Link removes the helmet with a parry technique.

Darknuts are the only enemy to carry Knight's Crests with them. Once the main body armor is off, Link can use the Grappling Hook to steal them. Collecting ten crests and taking them to Orca on Outset Island will earn Link the right to learn the Hurricane Spin.

Mighty Darknut and the Black Knight
Mighty Darknuts are captains, and are essentially stronger, more heavily armored versions of lower-ranking Darknuts. They have a different appearance than the original, with shining red or black armor and a long red cape with a black tunic underneath. In The Minish Cap, Mighty Darknuts are called Red Dark Nuts and have an extra electrical attack that is capable of sending Link reeling.

It should be noted that although the Nintendo Gallery mentions that only "some" wear capes, only caped Darknuts are considered to be acceptable for a Mighty Darknut figurine. Other Darknut captains can be found in places such as the Savage Labyrinth, the Wind Temple and Ice Ring Isle, but they are not considered a Mighty Darknut unless they wear a cape.

The Black Knight appears exclusively in the Minish Cap, and only in Dark Hyrule Castle. This foe's endurance and strength exceeds all others, and it recovers from attacks and blocks much quicker than regular Dark Nuts, but it still features the same moves and attack patterns as the other Dark Nuts in the Minish Cap. The Black Knight also uses a powerful electricity attack. Link encounters the Black Knight twice, once as the sub-boss of Dark Hyrule Castle, and again, along with two Royal Darknuts, to attempt to stop Link from interrupting Vaati's ritual.

The Realistic Darknuts of Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Darknuts remain one of the most powerful enemies in the game, becoming even harder than their The Wind Waker counterparts. They still retain some of their characteristics like removable armor and high defense, but now have increased speed and more sword techniques. Its armor has become less bulky and more streamlined like a medieval knight. They still use a large sword and shield. Midna does not know how to beat them, but suggests to Link he try using all of his sword techniques.

Armored Phase
Darknuts come in two phases, the first being armored. The best strategy is for Link to draw it towards him, backflip when they plunge their sword down, and then land a Jump Strike. The Back Slice, Helm Splitter and Mortal Draw are also effective. Bomb arrows can be used to remove a Darknut's armor from afar (or Bomblings provided Link angles them so as to not hit the Darknut head-on), but the Darknut's shield will soak up any arrows aimed at it directly. Link must instead target the ground immediately next to or behind the Darknut. When Link lands a hit on it, some of its armor strips off, though not as quickly or in as large amounts as in ''The Wind Waker.

Chain Mail Phase
Eventually, when all its armor is off, revealing its under-armor chain mail, it will jump back and throw its weapon at Link. It then pulls out a smaller sword (a rapier), granting it different attacks, and becomes much more agile, having shed its bulky armor. An unarmored Darknut will attack with two cuts in succession, which give Link a split-second opening to counterattack, a thrust, or a kick which can briefly throw Link off balance. The Darknut will also become far more adept at blocking Link's attacks and will dodge explosions and arrows effortlessly. Jump attacks, jump strikes, and back slices can send a Darknut reeling just long enough to attack.

One Darknut with a different helmet, sword and shield is the mini-boss in the Temple of Time, while others commonly guard items such as keys or new areas.



Although the Darknuts were very few in Twilight Princess, some believe that the one final Darknut fought before entering the battle with Ganondorf was indeed a Mighty Darknut. Some reasons for this thought is because it had different patterns than the other two fought earlier. Also, his armor was blue unlike all other Darknuts in the game except for one fought in the Cave of Ordeals.

Another Darknut in Twilight Princess believed to be a Mighty Darknut is the first one fought in the Temple of Time. Unlike the other Darknuts in Twilight Princess, this one has a different style helmet, a round shield, a double-edged sword and unique gold and red markings. However, these differences could also be temporal, as the Temple of Time itself (the chamber before the dungeon) was shown obviously to be the Sacred Grove many years in the past, possibly the same era as the Hero of Time.

Link's Crossbow Training
In the spin-off title Link's Crossbow Training, a Darknut appears as the boss of stage 8-3. His appearance is identical to the Temple of Time Darknut in Twilight Princess, but he attacks by unleashing a swarm of bats in addition to sword swings. His shield is invulnerable, so Link must wait until the Darknut attacks to shoot his armor off with the crossbow. The armor appears to be enchanted, as each piece turns into a larger bat that attacks Link after it has been shot off the Darknut. When all of the Darknut's armor is gone, he will attack with his short-sword, similar to his attacks in Twilight Princess, but he also gains a teleportation move, in which he turns into a swarm of bats in order to move closer to Link and attack. When Link lands several consecutive hits on him, he will use this move, only with one or more white bats that are worth 100-300 points. By shooting these white bats, Link can whittle down Darknut's health and defeat him.

Valiant Comics
In the Valiant Comic series, there is an exceptionally strong type of Darknut known as Darknut Prime, as mentioned by Zelda. "I've no quarrel with you, Darknut Prime! I'm here to destroy Ganon!"

- Zelda

Other Appearances

 * A very similar looking enemy appears in The Adventure of Link, but is called an Iron Knuckle.
 * Some of the tougher Hylian Soldiers encountered in A Link to the Past retain shields and swords, but not the same level of difficulty.
 * The Zora Warriors in Phantom Hourglass are very similar to Darknuts in terms of appearance and fighting style, the biggest differences being their aquatic nature and lack of armor.
 * It is not stated nor are there any other obvious appearances, but the final stage of the boss in Phantom Hourglass, where Bellum takes control of Linebeck, has a very striking resemblance to the Darknuts in other games, mostly to those in Twilight Princess. The Phantom enemies also look similar to a Darknut.

Trivia

 * These enemies are called "soldiers" in the English version of Link's Awakening, but "Darknuts" in the Japanese version.
 * Interestingly, shooting Fire or Ice Arrows at a Darknut's back and/or cape in The Wind Waker is amongst the easiest, and most life-preserving ways to eliminate a Darknut.
 * The Darknut in the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess has a sword that resembles Ganondorf's sword.