Ghost (Majora's Mask)


 * This article is for the enemy from . For other uses, see Ghost (Disambiguation).

The Ghosts, also known as "They", are enemies in. They invade Romani Ranch on the night of the First Day with the purpose of abducting the ranch's Cows.

They are based on various depictions of and other  in American folklore and media. The Majora's Mask guide by Nintendo Power also occasionally calls them "Aliens" as well as referring to them as Ghosts. Their ambiguous nature and origin mirrors real-life lore, but they do also bear a slight resemblance to Poes.

Characteristics
The Ghosts, according to Romani, are the rather strange spirits that come to invade the barn of Romani Ranch to abduct their rare, precious Romani-bred cows, which were inherited from her father. They resemble ghostly, glowing aliens, and are quite similar to Poes in appearance. According to Romani, they come at night every year when the Carnival of Time approaches. They disappear at first light, just before dawn. If Link fails to save the cows on the first night, they will abduct Romani and the cows, leaving Cremia, Romani's sister, saddened. On the Second Day, the Ghosts will return Romani with all her memories of their existence removed, with apparent side effects on her personality.

Link must defend the ranch from the Ghosts with the use of his Bow. The Ghosts will spawn from several locations as they slowly move towards the barn, with some approaching it from behind as well. They are defeated with a single Arrow shot, though many more will spawn until the night's end. The locations of the Ghosts will appear on Link's map if bought from Tingle, which are represented by moving white dots, allowing the map to function as a radar. In addition, a dog near the barn will also run towards and bark at whichever Ghost is the closest to the barn, making prioritizing targets fairly easy. Link can also fire Arrows at them while riding Epona as well.

As the Ghosts can only be killed with Arrows, there is a danger that Link may run out of Arrows and fail the quest. Link can obtain more Arrows dropped by smashing crates, breaking bushes (including running over them with Epona), defeating Ghosts, or using Bugs on the burrow on the wall. It is suggested to use the "Inverted Song of Time" to slow time and the Ghosts, as their movements are directly related to the current in-game time. However, by slowing time, the engagement also becomes longer, requiring more Arrows. Besides Epona, the Bunny Hood can also be used to increase mobility.

In, a small but accurate sketch of the creatures can be seen in a corner of Cremia and Romani's room, showing Romani's plan of attack.

Trivia

 * The design of the Ghosts closely resemble the description of the, an alleged extraterrestrial. It was described as a "luminous, three-and-a-half-foot-tall being with an oversized head, big, floppy, pointed ears, glowing eyes, and hands with talons at their ends. The figure, either made of or simply dressed in silvery metal, had its hands raised", which also fits the description of the Ghosts. The Flatwoods Monster is also a popular extraterrestrial subject in Japanese UFO culture, and has been depicted in other games and media, such as the NES game .
 * The Ghosts abducting Romani Ranch's cows is based on the stereotypical depiction of aliens abducting livestock to conduct experiments. The light used to carry the cows and Romani away also appears to be based on the s commonly depicted with UFOs.
 * It is possible to ride into the ranch while the invasion is underway and still save the ranch, but this can be quite difficult, and nearly impossible without Epona's or rolling Goron Link's speed. It is estimated that the latest time of arrival is 3 AM, if the ranch is still to be saved, and it is confirmed that 5 AM is too late.
 * Every part of the Ghosts that is not concealed by their robe or cowling emits a bright light, indicating that their species is.
 * Romani's training balloons bear a much stronger resemblance to traditional Poes than to the Ghosts themselves.