Dodongo

"DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE"

- Old Man

Dodongos (ドドンゴ) are large, lizard-like enemies that are usually found in caves and mountainous environments, in several, sporadic titles spanning The Legend of Zelda to Twilight Princess, known for their consistent vulnerability to Bombs.

Characteristics
The Dodongo has changed much in terms of appearance and little in behavior over subsequent titles, going from a Triceratops/rhinoceros-like look in The Legend of Zelda to that of a bipedic lizard in the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask era to more of a gecko-like visual in Twilight Princess. Physically, these creatures have very tough hides, ribbed with scales that serve two purposes: as protectants from any type of attack, and as hard covers that insulate the animal from the harsh, volcanic climate in which it resides. In that same vein, Dodongos also have very large mouths in proportion to their body. These grand cavities, while vital for scavenging and eating, also function as the species' primary vulnerable site, as the rest of their body is covered in thick, impregnable scales. However, in titles such as Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, but not exclusively, the tail of the Dodongo functions as a secondary weak spot - Link must strike the tail with his sword in order to vanquish the being, causing the foe to explode in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, respectively. Titles such as Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, and Four Swords Adventures focus on the mouth as the only site of attack, in comparison, while The Legend of Zelda incorporates a Dodongo with a weak underbelly. After using the Bomb as the primary weapon against these foes, often a single stab at the injured Dodongo body would be sufficient enough to defeat it.

While these enemies are often hard to defeat, they are quite slow moving creatures, easily avoided or confunded into showing their weak backside or revealing their mouth. Dodongos have been known to leap small distances and breathe fire as well, pausing for a beat with their mouths open wide before unleashing a bellow of lava.

As a Boss
Dodongos seem to make quite the popular boss, appearing in several titles to date as such, the most prevalent being Ocarina of Time, where the massive King Dodongo makes an appearance at the end of the Dodongo's Cavern. A Dodongo makes a boss appearance in The Legend of Zelda as well, and as such in Four Swords Adventures, in the Oracle titles and in BS The Legend of Zelda, where they all fall victim to the popular strategy used to defeat them in most other games: through use of the Bomb. Unlike Dodongos of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, more than one Bomb must be used to vanquish these foes, and rightly so, as they are not only bigger, but stronger than their commonplace counterparts. Exclusively in Oracle of Seasons, Link must equip the Power Bracelets to hoist the boss into a spiked floor after assaulting it with a Bomb. Like in all Zelda games, the Dodongo boss, and all bosses in general, will drop a plot-specific item upon defeat that must be obtained to continue the game's story.

Baby Dodongo
The Baby Dodongo (ベビードドンゴ, Bebii Dodongo) is a fairly harmless but annoying foe which can be easily defeated by simply using the sword, found in Dodongo's Cavern in Ocarina of Time. These enemies will burrow up underground, moving quickly and directly as Link whenever he is in close proximity. Once defeated, it will explode. This explosion can be used strategically against soft or rock walls in the place of Bombs. There is also a Majora's Mask version of the Baby Dodongo that is considerably smaller, taking fewer hits to kill.

Size Variation
In Majora's Mask, not only are Dodongos larger and stronger than their Ocarina of Time counterparts, there are two types of Dodongos in the area: there are smaller versions of Dodongos in the North-East area of Clock Town that grow to larger sizes as they migrate to the North-West section of the town.

Weaknesses
Across the series, the primary weakness exploited in this species is in the use of explosives. Link has two options: he can throw Bombs into their mouths, and can even leave the Bomb near the creature, exploding to deal external damage, and sometimes to stun. In the case of external explosion, this method often stuns the Dodongo, leaving it up to Link to go in with his trusty sword to finish off the foe. However, the most successful way to annihilate these enemies lies in the internal digestion of such Bombs, where damage infliction is certain. Interestingly, in Twilight Princess, shooting an arrow directly aimed into the mouth of a Dodongo will kill them instantly, without even touching it with the sword or Bomb.

Trivia

 * The Dodongos in Twilight Princess are the only Dodongos that can walk on ceilings.
 * In The Legend of Zelda, Link can also fell the dodongo with only one bomb. This comes in especially handy when Link is short on bombs, battling multiple Dodongos later in the game or both. It takes a bit of precision, but Link can lay a single bomb near the foe, as close to its path as possible without causing it to swallow the explosive.  If placed correctly, the bomb will stun the creature, freezing it in place. Sometimes Link can even stun multiple Dodongos with one bomb.
 * The Dodongo variants of Majora's Mask are the foes used to measure the strength of the manyweapons in Majora's Mask, due primarly to their unparalleled vitality. This species is also affected by every single weapon in the game, save for the Deku Spin Attack, making them perfect for comparing weapon strengths.
 * A friendly Dodongo named Dimitri appears in both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.