Hinox

Hinox are cyclopean beasts that appear in A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening.

A Link to the Past
Hinox are commonly found in the Dark World of Hyrule in A Link to the Past. They are a brutal and strong race, and over the years have been able to construct explosives such as bombs to use against prey and potential danger. Their skin is an orange color, their single eye is perched in the middle of their head, and they tower over a normal Hylian by several feet. Being a tribal creature, the most a Hinox has ever been seen wearing is a loin-cloth made out of some sort of beast-hide. Link encountered this evil race in his quest to save Princess Zelda and managed to kill the beasts with his sword after several hits, as the Hinox were naturally superior in strength and endurance. But they have a weakness to a certain projectile.

Link's Awakening
A few Hinox found their way onto Koholint Island in Link's Awakening as mini-bosses. Their appearance and method of throwing bombs at enemies remained about the same, but they had a little more strength than their earlier incarnations. A stone version of the Hinox, called Stone Hinox, is a mini-boss in the bonus Color Dungeon exclusive to Link's Awakening DX. It has the same abilities as the Hinox mini-boss, but it can also cause boulders to rain from the ceiling.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, the Hinox found in Death Mountain Foothills attack either by throwing boulders or grabbing the Links. Once a Hinox grabs one of the Links, he shakes him, causing the Link to loose his Force Gems.

Phantom Hourglass
In Phantom Hourglass, blue Hinox are found either on Dee Ess Island or in the Goron Temple. They attack by throwing punches and bombs; if Link throws a bomb at them, they will throw it back. Because these creatures cannot be attacked from the front with the sword, it is better to use the Boomerang from behind or to shoot them in the eye with the Bow to stun them for a short time opening them up for attack.

Trivia

 * In the secret ending of A Link to the Past, obtained when the game is completed without dying, a Hinox at the top of the Pyramid of Power playing with a Super Bomb.
 * A master of the Hinox appears in the Link's Awakening manga. He goes by the name of Master Drona, and his title is well-earned.
 * The Stone Hinox is called Dekudon in the Prima strategy guide for Link's Awakening DX, and Hinox is refered to as Eye Brute in the Prima strategy guide for Phantom Hourglass.
 * The boss Cragma from Spirit Tracks shares similarities in its appearance with Hinox.