Darknut

Originally appearing in the original Legend of Zelda game, the armoured Darknuts are part of Ganon's elite fighting corps. They were some of the toughest enemies around, being equipped with shields that repelled all frontal attacks, doing a decent bit of damage, having plenty of stamina, and having a unpredictable movement pattern. They appeared in most dungeons, and nearly always in quite the numbers, increasing their threat even further.

These armoured knights reappeared in The Wind Waker, where their strong armour and massive blades proved a formidable match for Link. The Darknuts were also extremely rescourceful and would engage in close quarters combat without a weapon or take advantage of fallen enemy's weapons if it had lost its own.Weak when attacked from behind, where their armour was strapped, Darknuts in this game had relatively few other weaknesses. Link soon discovered that the best way to deal with these powerful enemies was the Parry Attack, which would allow him to easily remove the Darknut's armour and avoid it's sword.

Darknuts seemed to have been ranked by Ganon, and different ranks wore different amour and carried different weapons. Regular Darknuts wore grayish armor, sported a Viking-like helmet, and carried only a sword. Red Darknuts, otherwise known as Mighty Darknut, showed their higher rank via crimson armor, a crimson cape, a helmet that covered the entire face, and a crimson and yellow shield with their serrated swords.

In The Minish Cap, Darknuts returned again, this time with a Darknut who was even stronger than the Mighty Darknuts. This one was known as the Black Knight, a Darknut resembling a regular Darknut, only instead with a shield and cape. Everything about it was black as midnight, and it challenged Link as the mini-boss of the final dungeon in the game, Dark Hyrule Castle.

Quote from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Dark Nut figurine:

"Appears in Dark Hyrule Castle. These armor-clad soldiers are tough. Use your shield and rolling skills to find an opening in their defenses!"