Phantom

The Phantom is a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda series, first appearing in Phantom Hourglass, and returning in its sequel, Spirit Tracks.

Phantom Hourglass
In Phantom Hourglass, the Phantom is an enemy that patrols the Temple of the Ocean King. Although similar in shape to a Darknut, it is an extremely powerful enemy, able to defeat Link with only one swipe of its sword (stealing 30 seconds worth of Sand of Hours from him in the process), forcing him to return to the beginning of the floor on which he was attacked. It is invincible to all weapons barring the Phantom Sword, although it can be stunned by attacking its exposed back side or hitting it with a charged Hammer. There are only two ways to defeat a Phantom without using the Phantom Sword - the first is to push a rolling boulder into the path of a Phantom and crush it, and the second is to continuously stun it in order to push it into a pit. Phantoms follow preset paths, although if they detect Link they will relentlessly track him down. The Phantom is able to track Link by sound or sight, although it cannot enter or see into "Safe Zones"; if Link escapes into one, the Phantom will forget he is even there, and will leave. Because they follow sound, they can also be tricked into following Bombs or Bombchu. Certain Phantoms are also able to pick up Small Keys and Force Gems, thus requiring Link to stun or slay them to obtain the treasure. The Phantoms are also playable within Phantom Hourglass's multiplayer Battle Mode. Here, players will take turn playing offense (Link) and defense (Phantoms), in a game of trying to collect Force Gems. After the Ghost Ship is cleared, it is revealed that Phantoms are emanations of Bellum created to protect itself as well as obtain more Force.

Types of Phantoms

 * Phantom: The least dangerous Phantom, which wears blue armor.
 * Swift Phantom: A red-armored Phantom which can run faster than Link, as well as pick up dropped items. It also wears a slightly different helmet. It first appears after the Ghost Ship dungeon is complete, and replaces several normal Phantoms.
 * Gold Phantom: A gold-armored Phantom which initially moves slowly, but can teleport to follow Link if he is spotted by a Phantom or Phantom Eye. It wields an axe, unlike other Phantoms.
 * Phantom Trio: Three Phantoms that only appear in the multiplayer Battle Mode. They are basically a normal Phantom in gray armor, though they can pick up power-ups to activate obstacles on the field or empower themselves. However, they cannot pick up Force Gems. They can always see Link (with the exception of when he is in a safe zone).

Spirit Tracks
In Spirit Tracks, Princess Zelda is murdered by Chancellor Cole, who plans to use Zelda's body to release the Demon King. Zelda's spirit is unable to return to her physical state, and thus helps Link on his quest by taking control of a Phantom. This allows offensive backup for Link, as well as helping him solve many puzzles throughout the game.

Phantoms are the guardians of the Tower of Spirits, corrupted by evil spirits due to the power of Malladus at the peak of the tower. Because of this, they attack Link, thinking he is an intruder. In order for Zelda to take control of one, three Tears of Light in the area must be collected beforehand. Link is then required to strike the back of the Phantom with his sword, allowing the princess to take control. After she does so, the eyes of the Phantom glow and its armor turns pink. Once the Lokomo Sword is acquired, the Tears of Light are not necessary to power the sword, as it already contains the power to stun the Phantoms.

Phantom Zelda
While possessing a Phantom, Zelda has varying functions depending on Link's actions - for instance, she is able to carry him upon her shield if he leaps onto her from a height. She can also easily cross through fire, spiked floors, walk through lava, or warp to the locations of Phantom Eyes if she is possessing a Warp Phantom. If a Phantom spots Link, Phantom Zelda will block the Phantom's attack at the young hero, and she will urge Link to run away quickly as she tries to keep blocking the Phantom's attacks. Due to her great strength as a Phantom, Zelda is also vital to some of Link's battles, such as helping him in the fights against Geozard Chiefs, Byrne, and Malladus.

Zelda is also capable of distracting Phantoms by speaking with them, resulting in some humorous dialogue from them. Evidently, they treat their job like a normal person would treat any other, mentioning things from their day-to-day life like how "Bob quit last week," or how the "break room is a broom closet." They speak in robotic voices, using capital letters for words and only periods for punctuation, denoting a lack of emotion.

If Link attacks Zelda while she is possessing a Phantom too many times, Zelda will, in an act simmilar to a Cucco, attack Link back. The difference between Phantom Zelda and a normal Phantom is that Zelda can enter safe zones, and Link cannot leave the floor without Zelda accompanying him, however when she is close he may be able to leave the floor just before Zelda gets close enough to attack. Her attacks also do not cause Link to return to the beginning of the room, unlike the regular Phantoms.

Types of Phantoms
There are four types of Phantoms in Spirit Tracks, some of them returning from Phantom Hourglass. When Zelda possesses a Phantom, she will also inherit all of the abilities that the specific Phantom has.
 * Phantom: The standard Phantom, this green-armored enemy can walk across spiked floors and across lava.
 * Torch Phantom: The standard Phantom equipped with red armor and a flame engulfed sword. Its sword is great for illuminating dark rooms.
 * Warp Phantom: A blue-armored Phantom with a slight helmet redesign and the same abilities as the original Phantom. It has the added ability to warp anywhere across the room. Under Zelda's control, the Warp Phantom is limited to only warping to the locations of Phantom Eyes.
 * Wrecker Phantom: A black-armored Phantom with a helmet redesign and a grin on its face, it has the power to transform into a boulder at will, stun other Phantoms by rolling into them, and push giant black blocks. Because of the Phantom's new abilities it cannot distract other Phantoms by speaking with them. Under Zelda's control, the Wrecker Phantom is able to go through lava, but cannot carry Link. Link may stand on the shield, so long as Zelda does not move, as upon movement, she takes on the boulder form and Link drop.

Theory
The final boss of Phantom Hourglass resembles a giant Phantom after Bellum possesses Linebeck. This suggests that the bodies of the Phantoms are separate beings possessed by Bellum, as each Phantom has an eye on its back. The Phantoms in Spirit Tracks lack eyes on their back and were good before they were corrupted, but Zelda can possess them. It is possible that "Phantom" only refers to the eye, as it was stated that the Phantoms are Bellum's alter egos. Their bodies may simply be Darknuts.

Trivia

 * Phantoms bear striking resemblance to Darknuts from both The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap.
 * In Spirit Tracks, Phantoms no longer have eyes on their backs, but skulls instead.