Gerudo



The Gerudo are a race of darker skinned humans introduced in Ocarina of Time. They are named after Gerudo Desert, which was their home in said game. The race has an Arabic theme and seems to be based on the Amazons, a "real world" tribe of warrior women. The race consists of almost solely women, with a male being born only once every every hundred years. It should be noted that this is only stated and the exact nature of this phenomenon is never explained, leaving many questions unanswered. In order to reproduce, the Gerudo take boyfriends from other human races.

The Gerudo are a warrior race and have been shown to use weapons such as naginata, dual scimitar swords and bow and arrows. In Ocarina of Time, they are capable equestrians, while they prefer the use of boats in Majora's Mask, due to their role as pirates. Some members of the tribe possess magical skills, but these individuals are rare.

Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time introduced the Gerudo as a mainly female race of warriors and thieves. They live in the Gerudo Desert (more specifically Gerudo Valley), which is located in the northwest of Hyrule. The Gerudo pay a lot of attention to the security of their domain. In order to reach the valley, one first has to cross a bridge. In Link's younger years, it is guarded by several Gerudo and in Link's older years, they have simply decided to destroy it (possibly using horses to cross the gap, like Link did). After that comes Gerudo Fortress, in which the Gerudo supposedly live. There are guards everywhere and it contains a lot of cells used for imprisoning anyone who dares to enter their territory without permission. Gerudo Valley ends with a huge gate that the Gerudo use to make sure no one enters Gerudo Desert without their approval. Despite their reserved nature, they do accept outsiders within their ranks, provided that they first prove themself worthy.

Ganondorf, being the only male at that time, is their king and "god". His second-in-command is Nabooru, who is highly respected by the other Gerudo, but rebels against Ganondorf because she does not approve of his ways. Nabooru herself also has an unnamed second-in-command, who keeps watch over Gerudo Fortress while Ganondorf and Nabooru are gone.

Link's first encounter with a member of the Gerudo tribe was when Princess Zelda asked him to look through one of the windows of Hyrule Castle. It was then he and Ganondorf saw each other for the first time and Link's quest to stop Ganondorf started. As for meeting the rest of the tribe, in Link's younger years, he has no chance of entering the Gerudo Desert due to the tight security at the bridge. In Link's older years, the Gerudo have given up on guarding the bridge and simply destroyed it. With Epona's aid, Link managed to cross the gap. Mutoh, the head of the carpenters, asks Link to go find his workers, who have all gone to the Gerudo Fortress to join the ranks of the Gerudo. Accepting Mutoh's request, Link head into Gerudo territory. He managed to bypass the guards and find the first carpenter, now a prisoner in Gerudo Fortress. Before he could free him though, a Gerudo guard, armed with dual scimitar swords, challenged Link to a battle. Link managed to defeat her though and went on saving the remaing carpenters, battling another Gerudo guard each time. When he saved all carpenters, he was approached by Nabooru's second-in-command, who complimented him on his success and gave him the Gerudo Membership Card. From then on, Link didn't need to sneak through Gerudo Valley anymore and could participate in some of the Gerudo challenges like horseriding and the Gerudo Training Ground challenge. Link now was also allowed entrance to the Gerudo Desert and was finally able to reach the temple of the sixth Sage: the Spirit Temple, guarded by the Desert Colossus. There, he met Sheik again, who taught him the final song and gave him a hint how to use it. After going back to his younger years, Link used the song to warp back to the Spirit Temple, where he met Nabooru, the leader of the Gerudo, who asked him to help her stop Ganondorf's evil plans. Link managed to get the treasure she asked for, but was unable to give them to her because she was spotted by Koume and Kotake and taken away. Again, Link traveled through time, now able to enter the Spirit Temple with the Silver Gauntlets from the past. Deep inside the temple, he fought an Iron Knuckle, who turned out to be a brainwashed Nabooru. The temple's boss turned out to be a Gerudo as well, namely Twinrova. By defeating the two witches, Link awakened the Sage of Spirit: Nabooru, who was more than thrilled about the possibility of revenge this position offered.

Majora's Mask
The Gerudo reappeared in Majora's Mask, now taking on the role of pirates. Interestingly, they kept the name "Gerudo", even though this tribe did not live in Gerudo Desert or anything with a similar name. Instead, they live in Great Bay in a fortress called Pirates' Fortress. Their leader is named Aveil, who seems to be the Terminan counterpart of Nabooru's second-in-command.

Unlike their Hyrulean counterparts, Link never is able to win their respect or trust and as such, they only serve as enemies (albeit comical ones). When Link is able to travel to Great Bay, he meets a dying Zora named Mikau, who begs Link to finish the quest he started. The Gerudo have stolen the eggs of the Zora Lulu. Mikau dies trying to save the eggs, and Link must use his newly acquired Zora Mask to save the eggs, and return them to the Marine Research Laboratory. Their leader is named Aveil. As in Ocarina of Time, most of the Gerudo Link encounters are guards which patrol the Pirate's Fortress (either on foot or by boat), and can be temporarily stunned using the bow or the hookshot.

Also, in a parallel event to the Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time, Link will encounter four pirates as mini-bosses. They are warriors who defend themselves with cutlasses, sharper than razors. To kill them, simply block their attack and target them all the time, then attack them when their guard is down. Look out for them jumping over your head, as they can actually catch you with your guard down then!

Notable Gerudo

 * Ganondorf
 * Nabooru
 * Koume and Kotake
 * Aveil