Gerudo

The Gerudo are a race of humans introduced in Ocarina of Time. They are named after Gerudo Desert, which was their home in said game. Typical Gerudo traits are round ears, a prominent nose, tanned skin and red hair. 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 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.

The Gerudo as a tribe have only appeared in three games, but since the main villain of the series, Ganondorf, is a Gerudo, it is possible to say they appeared in nearly every game. Twinrova also made an appearance outside the context of a Gerudo tribe in the Oracle games.

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 a gate. 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 themselves 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 remaining 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 horseback archery 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. Like in Ocarina of Time, their territory is heavily guarded. 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 (although comical ones). When Link is able to travel to Great Bay, he meets a dying Zora named Mikau. The latter tells Link that he was on a mission to retrieve the eggs of a Zora named Lulu, which were stolen by the Gerudo. Now dying, he begs Link to finish what he had started and return the eggs to the Marine Research Laboratory. Link accepted and headed to the Pirates' Fortress. Using his newly acquired Zora Mask, he found an underwater entrance into the fortress and managed to bypass the first group of guards. Making use of the - unguarded, but filled with traps - sewer system, he found his way deep into the fortress. After bypassing some more guards, Link managed to overhear a conversation between Aveil and one of her underlings. It was revealed that the Skull Kid had told them that the Zora eggs were a key element in obtaining a treasure that would be lying in the Great Bay Temple. It was also stated that they had lost three of the eggs when they were attacked by sea snakes. By shooting a beehive hanging from the ceiling, Link scared Aveil and her underlings away and stole a Zora egg and the Hookshot from them (which they had stolen from the fisherman near the entrance of Great Bay earlier). Making use of his new tool, Link explored the rest of the fortress in search for the remaining three eggs. Link came face to face with three guards similar to the ones he had to fight in order to free the carpenters in Ocarina of Time. Each of them turned out to guard a Zora egg, similar to how each of them guarded one of the carpenters in the previous game.

Link was later informed that the Gerudo were looking for a Zora in green clothing During the end of the game, they were also seen heading somewhere (possibly the sea snakes' lair) on a boat, only to be heading the other way immediately thereafter.

Apart from the Gerudo pirates, Koume and Kotake made an appearance as well. They are more commonly thought to be the Terminan counterparts from the ones met in Ocarina of Time and do not seem to be connected to the Gerudo pirates of Great Bay. They live in Southern Swamp, where they have a potion shop.

Four Swords Adventures
The Gerudo tribe made an unexpected return in Four Swords Adventures. Unlike in the other two games, they are not hostile to outsiders. They live in the Desert of Doubt in the southwest corner of Hyrule. This time however, they do not live in a fortress, but rather in tents. Together with a quote that specifically calls the nomads, it seems that the Gerudo in Four Swords Adventures have no set territory. However, like in Ocarina of Time, they guard the entrance to the desert, which suggests that they do live in a set territory. They have a good reputation in Hyrule, not being thieves or pirates this time.

Ganondorf assumes the role of king/guardian of the Gerudo once more. While he is referred to by the Gerudo, he is not seen in his Gerudo form within the game. The leader of the Gerudo is unnamed. When Link enters their territory, he is denied access to the desert. Ganondorf had entered the desert prior to the events of Four Swords Adventures in search of the fabled pyramid, which is a violation of the laws of the Gerudo. This pyramid, which is located in the desert, is sacred to the Gerudo and is rumored to contain enormous power. The Gerudo are aware of Ganondorf's lust for power and realize what his intentions are. However, they assume that he will not make it that far and will perish in the desert. Because of Ganondorf's actions, they had blocked the road to the desert. Upon learning of Link's quest though, they reopen the gate again so that he can pass.