Bubble

, also known as, are recurring NaN Enemies in. They are flying skulls that are usually seen engulfed in flames. They appear primarily in dungeons.

A Bubble is a spirit in the form of an animated skull with fire surrounding it, sometimes also depicted with bat-like wings that it uses for flight. In many games, the main threat behind the Bubble is the curse they inflict to those they touch, leaving the victim unable to wield a blade and sometimes other items for a brief period of time. This leaves the victim open to attack from any nearby enemies and monsters. While this is their most dangerous curse, the actual effects of touching a Bubble vary from game to game; sometimes they steal Magic, in others they will simply set Link on fire or merely cause damage. Depending on the game, Bubbles may either be completely invincible to all attack, can only be affected by certain items, or can simply be killed with the Sword. Their erratic and sometimes unpredictable flight patterns, however, can make them a tricky enemy to deal with.

In several games, Bubbles come in various shapes, types, and color of flame. These different variants often feature varying characteristics, ranging between movement and attack method. Some of the most common color variants include the Red Bubble and the Blue Bubble, which appear in several games. Fire Bubbles and Ice Bubbles are another common variant, which are fire and ice-based, respectively.

In, Bubbles appear as animated skulls with rapid flames surrounding them. They inhabit Dungeons, appearing in TLoZ:, TLoZ:, TLoZ:, TLoZ:, TLoZ:, and Level-9 of the First Quest and Second Quest, as well as TLoZ: and TLoZ: of the Second Quest. They often appear in swarms along with other enemies. They move in erratic patterns and are invincible to all attacks. Instead of inflicting damage to Link upon contact like other enemies, Bubbles curse Link, disabling his ability to use his TLoZ: for a short period of time. Link can use the Recorder to immediately dispel the curse.

Two special varieties of Bubble, the Blue Bubble and the Red Bubble, appear in the Second Quest. They can be found in Level-4, Level-5, Level-6, Level-7, Level-8, and Level-9. Red Bubbles curse Link permanently upon contact, while Blue Bubbles dispel the curse. Link must touch a Blue Bubble to end the curse, as the Recorder will not work. For this reason, Blue Bubbles are often found near Red Bubbles.

In, Bubbles inhabit several palaces as an enemy and a type of obstacle. As previously, Bubbles retain their erratic flight patterns, but differ as they now bounce off the walls, floor, and ceiling in diagonal paths as they move. Their quick movement makes them difficult to avoid, especially in tight corridors with little space. These Bubbles no longer curse Link when they collide, but instead drain a little of his Magic and inflict some damage. While Bubbles are not invincible in this game and can be attacked with the Sword, they are one of the most resilient enemies in the game, and take numerous hits of the Sword to defeat. When they are hit, however, they briefly stop in place, allowing Link to strike it repeatedly at a rapid rate until it is defeated or until he stops.

In, Bubbles appear as obstacle-like monsters that inhabit dungeons in both the Light World and the Dark World. They take on a slightly different appearance than before, as instead of a skull engulfed in flames, they resemble regular skulls with four fireballs orbiting around them. This incarnation of the Bubble behaves very much like the Bubbles of, as they bounce off the walls in a diagonal direction as they fly. They are typically located in enclosed rooms or narrow spaces where there is little room to dodge their movements. Anti-Fairies in also do not curse Link upon contact, instead draining some of Link's Magic in addition to inflicting some damage. Generally, Anti-Fairies are invincible to nearly all items; with the exception of Magic Powder. If Link manages to sprinkle them with Magic Powder, they are instantly transformed into Fairies. These Fairies can then be used immediately to heal Link's injuries or be captured and put into a Bottle for later use.

There also appears a congregation of four Anti-Fairies in the Eastern Palace, known as a. They swarm around a lone pot in the room housing the dungeon's Big Key. The pot sits atop a Switch that needs to be hit to get the Big Key, but the pot cannot be reached with the Anti-Fairies protecting it. To dispel the group, Link must defeat all other enemies in the room except for them, at which point the group will split and fly around the room as normal Anti-Fairies.

In, Bubbles share their appearance and behavior to the Anti-Fairies of , as skulls that bounce off the walls of dungeons. As before, they are nearly invincible enemies that tend to occupy narrow spaces. Due to the lack of a Magic Meter, these enemies do not drain Link of any vitals, and instead merely inflict damage when they fly into him. Anti-Faeries can be dispelled by Magic Powder and the Boomerang, both of which destroy it instantly. Sprinkling Magic Powder on them, however, does not turn them into a Faerie. Instead, this curious trait goes to the Spark, a similar kind of enemy, when hit by the Boomerang. In, however, magic power will turn Anti-Faeries into Faeries as before, except in Hero Mode.

In, Bubbles appear in four different varieties known as Red Bubbles, Blue Bubbles, NaN Green Bubbles, and White Bubbles. They take on a slightly different form as skulls surrounded in flames that fly using a pair of bat-like wings on the sides of their head. Bubbles behave much differently compared to earlier incarnations, as they no longer curse Link or drain Magic upon impact but instead burn him, and tend to fly in more predictable patterns based on the type. Bubbles come in various different colors, with each differing in their movement and approach. Bubbles can be killed with the Sword, though usually only when their flames vanish, which act as a protective barrier. They can be stunned with items such as the Boomerang to instantly extinguish their flames, making them vulnerable. They can otherwise also be killed with the Slingshot or Arrows as well. They mainly inhabit Dungeons.

Blue Bubbles can be found in the OoT3D:, hovering in place in certain rooms. If Link approaches them, they will aggressively fly toward him. Link can defend himself with a Shield to extinguish their flame and knock them to the ground. On the ground, they helplessly hop around and attempt to escape Link while vulnerable. If Link places a Bomb near a Blue Bubble, they will be attracted to it, circling around the Bomb until it explodes.

Red Bubbles leap out of pits or from the lava of the Death Mountain Crater and the OoT3D:, bouncing around in an attempt to hit Link and set him on fire. They often appear at ledges that Link must jump across in attempt to hit him as he jumps. Link can defend himself with a Shield to knock the Red Bubble back.

White Bubble
White Bubbles bear no flames of any color. They are simply the animated skull of a Bubble with no additional features, yet are still able to fly with their bat-like wings. White Bubbles swiftly glide through the air, stopping only midway to spin around before moving to another spot. They only appear in the Spirit Temple, where they appear as a pair. Since they have no flames to dispel, they can be easily destroyed with just the Sword. White Bubbles do not appear in, making them the only enemy from the original version to be excluded from it.

In, Red and Blue Bubbles based on their incarnation appear. Both types behave similarly as before: Red Bubbles will leap out from pits of lava, while Blue Bubbles chase after Link when he comes near. Blue Bubbles, however, now possess the ability to curse its victims by coming into contact with its blue flames. If Link becomes cursed, he will be unable to use his Sword for a short while, although the curse can be instantly removed by playing the "Song of Storms". The best method of dealing with both types is to defend with the Shield, which will knock out their flames and leave them vulnerable. Blue Bubbles appear throughout Termina at night, most commonly around the Ikana region, while Red Bubbles appear from the lava pits of Snowhead Temple.

Bubbles will drop different items depending on how they are defeated. They normally drop three Hearts. If defeated with a Fire Arrow, they drop a bundle of 20 Arrows. If defeated with a melee attack, they drop three Green Rupees. If defeated with a Light Arrow, they drop a Purple Rupee.

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In and, Bubbles appear as a skull with fireballs revolving around it. They bounce off of walls diagonally and merely damage Link when they come into contact with him. These enemies are invincible to most attacks, but can be removed by throwing the Boomerang at them. They can also be blown away with Gale Seeds as well.

Bubbles appear in the Death Mountain stage in. They leap out of certain pits of lava onto land and bounce around as they attack. Attacking Bubbles with the Sword will cause them to split into two smaller Bubbles that fly around at great speed. If the Links are touched by a Bubble, they will get burned and run around until another Link extinguishes the fire. Bubbles also appear in the Hero's Door stage of the Hero's Trial in.

In, Red Bubbles and Blue Bubbles appear as floating skulls surrounded by curling flames. They fly around at their own leisure, but immediately chase after Link when they spot him, attempting to catch him on their fire. They emit cackling laughter whenever they spy or attack him. The flames of a Bubble serve as a protective barrier that shields them from Link's attacks. These flames, however, can be blown away with the Deku Leaf, causing the Bubble to lose all power as it falls to the ground as a regular skull, where it can be attacked normally. They can also be shot down with the Hero's Bow as well.

Red Bubbles appear in the Tower of the Gods and Ganon's Castle. When they come into contact with Link, they burn and set him on fire. They can also sometimes be summoned by Wizzrobes. Blue Bubbles instead curse Link when they collide into him. This sets Link on blue-colored fire and prevents him from using any items so long as the flames remain. These flames can be instantly removed by stepping into a light source. Blue Bubbles appear in the Earth Temple. The temple's Blue Fog has an identical effect.

In, Bubbles are closely based on those from. They are invincible enemies that bounce off of walls as a type of obstacle. Bubbles appear in the FSA:, which is accessed through Moon Gates. In the Light World, Bubbles inhabiting the relative area simply appear as shadows that will pass through the Links harmlessly. Since they cannot be harmed or dispelled, they must simply be avoided.

Bubbles in closely resemble their counterparts from  and, appearing as skulls with bat-like wings they use to fly with. They at first appear as regular skulls on the ground, but then grow wings and take to the air when Link approaches. Regular Bubbles do not have any flames and as such can be attacked normally with the Sword or alternately with projectile weapons, but two newer varieties, the Fire Bubble and Ice Bubble, are surrounded by flames of their element. These forms are more dangerous as they can set Link on fire and freeze him on the spot, respectively. Their flames can be extinguished with the Gale Boomerang, allowing Link to slash back with the Sword. Regular and Fire Bubbles appear in Arbiter's Grounds, while Ice Bubbles appear in Snowpeak Ruins. All three types appear in the Cave of Ordeals.

In, Bubbles appear similarly to those in. They come in Fire and Ice varieties, which have red flames and icy mist, respectively. If they collide into Link, they will set him on fire or freeze him. If Link is frozen, the screen will have to be rubbed with the stylus to thaw him out. Like the Bubbles of, they are completely invulnerable to direct attacks while they are on fire or covered in ice mist. They can be defeated by stunning them with the Boomerang, removing their flames and rendering them as hopping skulls. They can then be attacked in any manner. The Bubbles can also be shot down with a single Arrow as well.

In, only one kind of Bubble appears, which inhabits the ST:. This Bubble closely resembles those from, but is covered in a purple mist that is local to the temple. They simply fly about in no particular path. If they collide with Link, they simply inflict minor damage onto him. Like the rest of the purple fog in the temple, the Bubble's mist is impenetrable and protects them from being attacked directly. Their mist can be blown away by using the Whirlwind on them, stunning them and turning them into regular skulls.

In, NaN Bubbles appear in a ALBW: and ALBW: variety. They behave and look similar to the NaN Anti-Fairies of, as hovering skulls with flames of their element circling around them. They bounce off of the walls in a diagonal path as they move. NaN Fire Bubbles appear in the ALBW:, where ALBW: must defeat them to obtain a ALBW:, while NaN Ice Bubbles appear in the ALBW:. Unlike the NaN Anti-Fairies of, these NaN Bubbles are susceptible to some weapons and can be defeated. NaN Fire Bubbles can have their flames put out with the ALBW:, rendering them as hopping skulls that can be attacked normally. They will try to hop away from ALBW: until their flames return. NaN Ice Bubbles are unaffected by the ALBW:, but can have their icy mists dispelled with the ALBW:, which will also turn them into regular skulls.

In, Bubbles appear as enemies in the mode and as a Trophy.


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Trivia

 * NaN Bubbles appear as unused enemies in the code of ; they are programmed to split into smaller versions when struck.
 * Skullropes in are referred to as "Bubble Ropes" in their internal file name.
 * While the original Bubble sprite and program behavior return in and, they are called Wisps instead.
 * In the NTSC version of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Bubble's trophy claims that it appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl despite not appearing in any capacity in Brawl (they do not even have unused data within the game). This stems from a mistranslation of the original Japanese line, which actually referred to their role in the original The Legend of Zelda: 原作では、触れると剣が抜けなくなる等、呪われたような状態になる., meaning "In the original game, when you touched them, you'd be placed under a curse where you couldn't take your sword out." The reference to Brawl is changed to refer to the Zelda series in the PAL version.
 * The trophy also shows green and white Bubbles, which do not appear in the game's Smash Run.