Daruk

is a recurring character in.

Personality
Courageous at heart, Daruk is extremely dedicated to defeating the Calamity Ganon and protecting his people. In battle, he is loud and ferocious, (although he does have a calm side to him as well during peaceful moments), such as telling the malevolent creature to "open wide" as he fired his Divine Beast's laser at Hyrule Castle. In life, Daruk was a fast friend to Link and it was the latter's strength and appetite that he demonstrated that won him over as the Goron Champion himself also had those traits.

Daruk is also revealed to suffer from cynophobia (fear of dogs), much due to having been attacked by them often as a child and still fears them to this day, and he seems to be embarrassed about having this trait.

Daruk was the warrior Goron Champion, one of the appointed members tasked with piloting the Divine Beasts in the war against Calamity Ganon 100 years ago. He was the pilot of the BotW:. He was described as being generally calm, but becomes wildly excitable in battle. He possessed the ability known as Daruk's Protection, a red crystal polyhedric barrier that can deflect any attack or incoming damage to the user. Daruk was ultimately killed when Calamity Ganon corrupted and seized control of the Divine Beasts, pitting him against a monstrosity known as Fireblight Ganon. His legacy is kept alive by the Goron people, who have a stone statue in his likeness overlooking Goron City.

During the "Champion Daruk's Song" EX Recovered Memory, Daruk immediately accepts Zelda proposition on him piloting Divine Beast Vah Rudania and adds that he is willing to lose his life for Hyrule's sake. Zelda thanks him and he goes on about the recent increase of monsters that have been appearing and wonders if it was Calamity Ganon's doing, and assures her that she should never leave the castle without a horde of Gorons standing by her. Zelda replies that he sounds like her father and he is appointing a very accomplished knight who will guard her wherever she goes. Daruk seems to know whom she's likely talking about and suddenly notices a group of Bokoblins gathering on one spot and realized they're attacking someone. Daruk tells her to stay back as he charges at them with the Boulder Breaker in hand and quickly defeats them in a few fell swoops and forcing them to flee. As Daruk laughs triumphantly, Zelda finds the victim, revealed to be a dog, who licks her face and quickly notices Daruk trembling in dread and yelps as the dog barks at him. He admits to Zelda that Dogs always chased him when he was younger and that he still panics when he sees one. Zelda is surprised by the revelation that Daruk has a weakness. Daruk then seeks assurance from Zelda the Calamity Ganon is not a dog monster. and they soon share a chuckle with one another.

During The Champions' Ballad Memory, Daruk, alongside Link, Mipha, Revali, and Urbosa, attend the Champion inauguration ceremony where they were bestowed blue cloths that represent their status and fates. King Rhoam officially appoints them Champions of the Divine Beasts. After the ceremony comes to an end, Daruk and the others hang out at the gazebo just outside the castle where Daruk admits that attending formal occasions tend to tire him out in the end. Revali takes interest in the Sheikah Slate and grabs it from Zelda's hands to look at it and she explains its uses while its secrets have yet to be revealed before he then passes it to Mipha. Once Urbosa states about the slate's capability of producing still-images, Mipha is intrigued and asks Zelda for a favor. Shortly, Purah had the Champions gathered on one spot and tells everyone to get into position until it was good enough and just as she takes a picture, Daruk suddenly pulls everyone in at the last moment, which created a funny photo as a result.

During Link's first Memory, "Subdued Ceremony," Daruk and the other Champions were gathered as Princess Zelda led a ceremony in appointing Link as her knight. Daruk remarks how discouraging the presentation sounds, prompting a quip from Revali that the ceremony was Daruk's idea.

During the fourth Memory, Daruk's Mettle, Daruk and Link were aboard the Divine Beast Vah Rudania as Daruk drove it over the mountains. Together they survey the mountains, which Daruk swears to protect with his life. A rock slide then suddenly interrupts them, and Daruk shields Link by using Daruk's Protection. The event causes some concern for Daruk about the state of Death Mountain.

During the fifteenth Memory, Return of Calamity Ganon, Daruk was also present with the other Champions at the base of Mount Lanayru, as they waited for Zelda's and Link's return. Daruk asks Zelda if she had any luck with praying at the Spring there, but is visibly disappointed to hear there were no answers. The group is then suddenly interrupted by the re-emergence of Calamity Ganon. Daruk then takes command as he tells the other Champions to return to their Divine Beasts, and for Link to head to Hyrule Castle. Unfortunately, Daruk met his end at the hands of Fireblight Ganon and his spirit becomes trapped for the next hundred years while the monster took control of Vah Rudania.

100 years later in the present, Link boards the Divine Beast Vah Rudania to free it from Ganon's influence, which he was able to reach with the help of Yunobo, the descendant of Daruk. As Link activates the first Guidance Stone there, he hears the voice of Daruk's spirit guiding him to the next Terminal that will give him a Map of the Divine Beast. Upon activating it, Daruk then instructs the hero to find the remaining five Terminals inside and on the Divine Beast, before finally guiding him to its Main Control Unit. As Link approaches the Unit, he engages with Fireblight Ganon, and Daruk helps guide him through the resulting battle.

After Link defeats Fireblight Ganon and regains control of Vah Rudania, Daruk appears before him as a spirit. He thanks the hero for setting his spirit free, but apologizes as he feels responsible for Hyrule falling in ruin. Daruk, however, is confident that with Vah Rudania under their control, they can finally resume their plan to defeat Calamity Ganon. Daruk also gives Link the ability to use Daruk's Protection, before bidding him farewell as Link is warped out. Daruk then drives Vah Rudania to the top of Death Mountain, where he takes aim at Hyrule Castle in preparation to attack Calamity Ganon. There he surveys Hyrule and wonders how the Gorons have fared since the Great Calamity. It is then that he notices Yunobo staring back at him, reassuring him of the well-being of his people. The two Gorons then wave to each other.

Daruk's spirit again appears whenever Link uses Daruk's Protection, blocking any attack while active. His voice will also inform Link when the ability has finished recharging.

Daruk once wielded a heavy sword called the Boulder Breaker in life. This sword is now with Bludo, who entrusts it to Link in gratitude for stopping Vah Rudania's attack.

During the battle against Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle, Daruk unleashes his Divine Beast's attack upon Calamity Ganon, provided the Divine Beast Vah Rudania has been freed. On its own, the attack inflicts 12.5% of damage upon Calamity Ganon. When combined with the other freed Divine Beasts' attack, the assault inflicts 50% of damage total.

Following Dark Beast Ganon's defeat, as Link and Princess Zelda leave the ruined Hyrule Castle behind, Daruk's spirit along with the other Champions' and King Rhoam's spirits watch them from the sky before quietly disappearing.

In, Daruk appears as a Spirit with the ability, Weight 🠅, which makes a Fighter weigh more so it is harder for them to be launched, but at the same time reduces their jump height and movement speed.

Upon learning of Hyrule's dark future from the Diminutive Guardian Terrako, she travels to the four corners of Hyrule for potential Champions who will pilot the Divine Beasts in their respective regions. Among one of them is Daruk, who lives in Goron City with the rest of his fellow kin.

In the Daruk, the Goron Hero Scenario, when asked to pilot Divine Beast Vah Rudania, Daruk assures them that he will always be willing to support his allies in any way he can especially to a sincere one. He does bring up a problem with Rudania being located in a difficult spot at the moment, Death Mountain's crater, not helped that there's a monster infestation there. He then insists that they must climb the mountain to reach it and rallies them up as he heads there. However, the path is full of monsters that are disrupting the work at the Goron Southern Mines, so they had to secure the area first and make sure they don't try to attack it again. After the defeat of the Igneo Talus, Daruk takes a liking to Link for his strength as well as his appetite for various foods, which Daruk also has those traits and dubs him a sworn brother of the Gorons. The group arrives at the top of the mountain with the Divine Beast at the crator, Daruk gets excited at getting Vah Rudania up and running again as he boards it to launch a counterstrike against the monsters that are attacking the mines; despite having some difficulty controlling it, Daruk eventually got the hang of it. Once the dusts settled, Daruk states that they've pulled through despite that they did a battle they did not expect to take part in, and he brings up the subject about him piloting Rudania, he eagerly accepts his role and wishes to pummel Calamity Ganon to ensure Hyrule remains peaceful. Daruk notes that they might be starving after what they've gone through and gives Link his favorite meal: Prime Rock Roast. Link bites into it and Impa and Princess Zelda are shocked at what he just did, which Daruk thought he forgot to give them some Rock Roast, when in reality, its not part of the Hylian diet at all, yet he promises to bring some next time.

In The Yiga Clan Attacks! Scenario, after the Champions are gathered, Daruk travels with the soldiers through Castle Town as Princess Zelda calibrate the Divine Beasts to make it easier for the Champions to control. During their travels, he bonds with the Zora Princess, Mipha when she asked him if he wants to train with her since she desired to be better prepared to handle stronger foes and fend for herself. Daruk accepts her request and adds that they still haven't found a knight who wields the darkness sealing sword who can stand against Calamity Ganon, which Mipha agrees, and looks over at Link and saw potential in him in fulfilling this role and his chuckle implies that he possibly knew of her crush on Link but doesn't say anything about it. Soon, they are ambushed by the Yiga Clan led by Sooga who sought to take Zelda's life as Mipha, Daruk, and the rest of the soldiers take on a fighting stance. Princess Zelda and Link withdraw for safety as the Champions and other soldiers engage in battle with the cult that worships Ganon, but it turned out to be a diversion bent on separating everyone from the princess and a fire forced Link and Zelda into the open. Sooga throws three kunai at Zelda when she was left seemingly defenseless, only for Link to block the sharp projectiles. Sooga then calls for a retreat and he and the Yiga Clan leave the area.

In the Freeing Korok Forest Scenario, Daruk joins the Champions as they head to Korok Forest which was overrun by monsters. Revali is honored to take on the important task of defending Hyrule, but he soon decides to have a little fun poking at Link and questioning his leadership and Daruk defends the Hylian and reminds him that they're dealing with the threat together, but Revali dismisses him before he goes back to hurling insults at Link until Urbosa scolds him. Revali stops as he decides to prove his worth as he summons Divine Beast Vah Medoh and destroys the monsters as well as their outposts that surround the area before allowing them to go into the forest. During their expedition, Mipha notes on the forest's foggy state which Revali makes a complaint about their progress, which Daruk insisted that he should fly and scout the area. which an annoyed Revali snaps back at him. They soon meet Hestu, who was trying to get their attention, to Daruk's surprise. Hestu introduces himself and has knowledge of the correct paths, and Daruk asks him to guide them to the clearing, but Hestu grew afraid of dealing with the monsters that infest the woods. Revali makes a remark that he can get around safely if he didn't have his maracas with him and Urbosa tells Hestu to pay no heed to him and offers to protect him from the monsters in exchange for his help in reaching the forest clearing. Hestu happily complies as he leads the way. They notice odd appearances of Malice and four evil doppelgangers of the Champions including Daruk called Hollows created by the mysterious seer, Astor. With the Champions separated from Link and Zelda, Astor has the duo overwhelmed and orders them to kill the princess, but Link pulls the Master Sword, and its light dispels the Hollows before they can reach her and Astor is forced into withdrawal as he knew he wouldn't stand a chance at this point. Daruk and the Champions arrive at the clearing to listen to the Great Deku Tree's words of wisdom. It was there that Princess Zelda starts feeling anxious about her unfulfilled duty to unlock her power needed to defeat Calamity Ganon.

In The Road Home, Besieged Scenario, On their journey back to Hyrule Castle, everyone including Daruk stops as Zelda voices her doubts about awakening her power, but she is calmed when Terrako plays her lullaby which she recalls, but they are interrupted by the monsters that surround the castle. After that, Daruk can be seen cheering Link on with the Hylian Soldiers as he was eating various foods as Urbosa was giving the princess a pep talk. Eventually, Daruk and the Champions are promoted and bestowed blue cloths that signify their status; Daruk replaces his left Goron chain for the new blue sash with Divine Beast Vah Rudania embedded on it. After the inauguration ceremony, Daruk and the others hang out outside and as Impa and Terrako begin arguing, Mipha reminds Daruk about their earlier conversation, and he happily decides to get down to it. Mipha is grateful but finds herself in an embarrassing situation when she noticed Link listening to her reasons why she wants to get stronger, and Revali is caught in the fight that does not want to be involved in and becomes aggravated by their behavior enough for him to leave the area in disgust. After that, Daruk and the Champions head home to prepare for the inevitable. King Rhoam begins evacuating the civilians to keep the casualties to a minimum and the soldiers are transferred to the garrisons to defend two significant strongholds, Akkala Citadel and Fort Hateno, as far as he is concerned, if any of the strongholds fall, Hyrule's doom is certain.

In the Calamity Strikes Scenario, Daruk is seen appearing via teleportation on Eldin Tower when he notices something wrong and when he gets a closer look, he is horrified to see Calamity Ganon surrounding Hyrule Castle and the Sheikah Towers across the kingdom are powered down by Ganon's influence, leaving Daruk without any choice but to board Divine Beast Vah Rudania to launch a counterstrike. Because Ganon came earlier than expected, Link and Zelda were just leaving for Mt Lanayru so the latter can train at the Spring of Wisdom, and they returned to the castle to save the king. However, Rhoam orders them to leave and sacrifices himself to the corrupted Guardians to ensure their safety, to Zelda's horror. Zelda is despondent over the terrible situation and her tears hit Terrako's eye screw and it summons time portals which head for the Divine Beasts and Impa realized that hope is not yet lost, but they only have a short amount of time to save the Champions and the Divine Beasts form their fates.

In the Water and Fire Scenario, Daruk is in a tough battle with Fireblight Ganon and resorted to using Daruk's Protection to shield against its attacks, being as defiant as he could. Eventually, Fireblight managed to shatter Daruk's forcefield, rendering him tired and defenseless and it tosses a ball of fire at him. Daruk braces himself for impact but before he could meet his end, a time portal appears and Yunobo lands in front of him and raises his similar forcefield, leaving Daruk flabbergasted by another Goron sharing the same power as him. Yunobo shields another attack and assures Daruk that he will help him. After Mipha and Sidon are saved from Waterblight Ganon, the former cools the lava flow that blocks the path to Rudania once Igneo Talus is destroyed. Yunobo becomes apprehensive of Fireblight and Daruk returns the favor and tells him to remain calm, and Yunobo shifts back into focus, stating that there isn't a point in needing to be saved when they just saved someone's life, putting Daruk in a good mood as help arrives and Daruk chuckles and restarts the fight. After Fireblight is vanquished, Daruk takes a moment to thank Link for coming to his aid and Yunobo for saving his life in his most dire moment. When Sidon explains to Mipha that he somehow came to the future, but Daruk laughs it off as it didn't make sense before turning his attention to Zelda and asks what became of Hyrule Castle. After that, Daruk takes Yunobo as they prepare to protect eastern Hyrule from the Guardians and monsters that invade it. Yunobo gushes at him, calling him the "Great Daruk", but the annoyed Goron Champion tells him not to call him by any formalities and the sheepish Yunobo replies that he can't make any promises and Daruk laughs as he turns his focus on protecting their allies. They move to defend the Hyrulean Army's defensive line until they can destroy the bridges and cut off enemy reinforcements before taking out the enemy's main stronghold to stem the flow of attacks on the defensive line, especially from the corrupted Guardians.

In the Relentless as a Waterfall Scenario, Daruk and Yunobo back up Mipha and Sidon as Vah Ruta is losing steam while Mipha is busy healing the Hylian Soldiers of their wounds. With the help of Daruk and Yunobo, they hold off the line until the soldiers destroy the bridge with a cannonball just as the Malice Guardians cross it and they jump down to destroy them.

In the Each Step Like Thunder Scenario, Daruk returns to his Divine Beast and with Mipha and Revali, they assist Urbosa and Riju when they were outnumbered by another wave of monsters. Several events happen after that, Princess Zelda had awakened her power to save Link from Astor and the Blight Ganons, the latter creatures were revived by the spirits of the Yiga Clan the treachrous prophet had reaped. Because of this, Master Kohga and the surviving members (minus Sooga as his fate is uncertain), defect to Zelda's side and Purah activates a failsafe that wiped out the majority of the Guardian Stalkers that made up Ganon's main army, giving Hyrule an advantage over Ganon. King Rhoam is revealed to have survived thanks to the device, known as the Ancient Guardian Shield, given by his daughter earlier.

In the All Hyrule United Scenario, Daruk, along with the Champions, Divine Beasts, as well as the soldiers of all races are summoned by Purah when she reactivates and supercharges the Sheikah Towers to unite them into a single army. Daruk and Yunobo are hyped for the battle of a lifetime. With her father's blessing, Zelda takes command of the united army in a full-scale assault against Calamity Ganon. The dark beast made attempts at keeping its defenses up, the warriors brought down the monsters that maintain it so Zelda can dispel it with her power. Daruk and the other Champions take the opportunity to open fire as the Divine Beasts lasers weaken Ganon,   but the Blood Moon rises, and revives the fallen monsters. the armies persevere as they charge into Hyrule Castle to take it back and confront Astor and Harbinger Ganon.

In The Future of Hyrule Scenario, Princess Zelda leads the ground army and Revali, alongside Teba, leading the Rito forces from the air. The Blight Ganons attempt to hold them back but are ultimately destroyed forever and they defeated Astor and the Harbinger as well. Astor is completely unstable as he orders Ganon to destroy the warriors that stand against him, but he is absorbed by Ganon's Malice to take on a new form and some of its Malice takes control of Terrako, forcing Link and Zelda to duel it. With Terrako damaged, Daruk and the others join her as they mourn for it. The now angered Zelda becomes determined to stop Ganon by any means possible as they head upstairs into the Sanctum where Ganon awaited them. The dark beast proved to be too powerful for them and their attacks don't work against it and Zelda used her power to try and seal it, but it indirectly powers up Terrako, who uses the last of its strength to run upstairs and jump between them, sacrificing itself in the process to shatter Ganon's invincibility. Because of Terrako's actions, the warriors managed to weaken it enough for Link to charge at it. Daruk and Revali root for him as Link jumps and, with the Blade of Evil's Bane, cleaves Ganon to weaken it further and Princess Zelda uses her power to finally seal Ganon away and restore peace to the land of Hyrule. With their purposes in the past fulfilled, Terrako's screw sends the adult Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju back to their timelines. Daruk bids farewell to Yunobo and promises that he will always cherish their time together, despite it being so short and Yunobo praises him back. Zelda then tells the future counterparts that their efforts will never be forgotten as they vanish and wishes them a brighter future than ever before.

In the Terrako's Return Quest, with Hyrule at peace, the warriors decide to repay Terrako for its miracles that significantly changed their fates for the better and Daruk takes part in finding fifty of its components and brings them to the Lab where Terrako is being rebuilt. Terrako isn't working right, and they became worried. Revali insists that it's likely still waking up, and Impa tries to wake it up herself, before Zelda stops her and stands in front of it. Within a full minute, Terrako became responsive, much to their relief and reunites with the princess once more. During the end credits following these events, Terrako visits each of its allies and even paid Daruk a visit and he jumps for joy in greetings as it moved on. Daruk is seen with everyone and pulls the Champions and Terrako in for a group hug.

In the Guardian of Remembrance DLC, EX Battle for Kakariko Village Scenario, Daruk and Yunobo take Rudania to Kakariko Village where they battle the Yiga Clan and the monsters. They are successful and the Sheikah civilians cheer for them. Yunobo saw how Daruk was so brave and since the Goron youth wasn't very brave himself in the beginning, he is hesitant to take credit, to Daruk's concern. Yunobo explains that he used to be cowardly and practically afraid of everything, until he met a certain friend who helped him find his courage that he needed that led to him saving Daruk from death, before the Goron Champion grabs his hand and holds it high as they receive another round of applause from the crowd of people below them. Daruk expresses pride in Yunobo regardless and dubs him the Champion of the future. Yunobo was flattered, and Daruk asks him to tell that friend of his to give him his regards, making Yunobo feel better.

During the DLC ending, Daruk and Yunobo sit at a cliff as they enjoy their Prime Rock Roasts together. In another scene, Daruk and Yunobo are then seen with the present and future Champions as they talk among themselves and smile at Terrako. After that, Daruk and the Champions are at the Sheikah Tower, having already returned to their original attires, and they watched as Princess Zelda floats away on a paraglider with Terrako coming along. The princess of Hyrule saw how beautiful the land of Hyrule was and appears to be recovering nicely after the second Great Calamity and notes how it was all worth saving.

Trivia

 * An amiibo based on Daruk released on November 10th. This amiibo is compatible with 's DLC packs.

Gallery
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