Darknut

Darknuts are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. They premièred in the first The Legend of Zelda. They resemble a large knight, equipped with heavy armor and a large sword. Darknuts are notoriously difficult to defeat, and are considered the hardest non-boss/non-miniboss enemy in the game. Darknut may be a mistranslation of "Dark Knight".

They are very similar to the Iron Knuckle. The only discernible difference is the name, and that the two have never appeared in a game together. Additionally, since Ocarina of Time, Iron Knuckles have wielded two-handed axes while Darknuts prefer swords or maces. Early Armos Knights also mimic the behavior of the Darknut.

The Legend of Zelda
In the Legend of Zelda, these enemies looked like knights with a cape and a horned helmet. They come in red and blue types, with blue being the stronger of the two. They move slowly and were only a danger when Link came in direct contact with them. They are considered one of the most difficult enemies in the game, especially when in groups. Only attacking them from behind could hurt them, and touching them caused a lot of damage. A good way to hurt them was to position yourself where one would walk by you, and then fight when they walked near you. In the instruction manual, the description was: "The knight who lives in the labyrinths. He has lots of attacking power. He repels Link's attacks from the front with his shield."

Link's Awakening
Called "soldiers" in the English version of Link's Awakening, but "Darknuts" in the Japanese version. They retain much of their original appearance, and reside in Kanalet Castle. Their shields make a frontal assault difficult, but some carry an unseen bow instead of a sword and shield. They act exactly the same as moblins and stalfos knights from the same game. In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX they are all blue. It is implied that they were once servants of Richard who went berserk and drove him away from the castle.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
Darknuts reappeared in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. They act the same as in Link's Awakening. Like the first game, they come in red or blue, with one exception in Oracle of Seasons. Red is the weakest color, while blue is twice as strong in defense as red. The one exception in Oracle of Seasons is gold, and is twice as powerful as any other Darknut in the game. Like in Link's Awakening, the Darknuts vary from carrying a shield and sword to a bow.

The Darknuts with a bow are generally less aggressive than Darknuts that carry a sword and shield, as they will not charge Link like the sword-carriers do. Both types are more common in Labrynna than they are in Holodrum.

Four Swords
The Darknut received a new model in Four Swords, obtaining a color that lived up to its name far more than previous colors. Like its early predecessors, the Darknut is only vulnerable on its side or back. Frontal assaults are completely useless against it.

The Wind Waker
In its first appearance in a 3D Zelda, The Wind Waker's Darknut's lethality increased tenfold. Wielding a long serrated blade, and wearing strong armor, they are one of the the most difficult non-boss enemies in the game. The Darknut is also resourceful. If it drops its sword, it can pick up fallen weapons, such as a Moblin's polearm, or engage in hand-to-hand combat. They will also perform the great spin attack if they see you charging said attack. Their martial arts skills are formidable; unarmed Darknuts attack with either a flurry of quick karate chops or a spinning jump kick that can send Link reeling. Underneath their helmet, the resemble a humanoid jackal. Finding a Darknut normally means the presence of the enemy scenario.

Its only vulnerable spot is the back, where a seam in its armor leaves it vulnerable. The best way to deal with these powerful enemies is the Parry Attack, which avoids the sword, and allows easy removal of the helmet or armor. Depending on where the hit landed, either its body armor or helmet will fall off, leaving either their head vulnerable to a boomerang, or their body open to sword hits. Darknut armor can also be destroyed by repeated sword strikes, but this strategy is time-consuming and hazardous.

They first appear in the Tower of Gods, after it has been unsealed. Darknuts start off appearing singularly, or far apart from each other. Later they appear in groups, culminating in a pack of four in the Savage Labyrinth on Outset Island.

Darknuts in this game have varying armor, which may denote ranks. The armor colors are silver, gold, black and red. Most Darknuts use round bucklers, although there are some that don't. Highly ranked black and red armored Darknuts sometimes wear differently shaped helmets. It will also be revealed that they have a beard if Link removes the helmet with a parry technique.

There is a variety of Darknut in this game called a Mighty Darknut. According to the Nintendo Gallery, they are Darknut captains. They wear capes that must be cut off or burned.

Darknuts are the only enemy to carry Knights Crests with them. Once the main body armor is off, Link can use the Grappling Hook to steal them. Collecting 10 and taking them to Orca on Outset Island will earn Link the right to learn the Hurricane Spin.

The Minish Cap
The Dark Nuts (as the name is spelled in this game) and Red Dark Nut return from The Wind Waker. Its only vulnerable spot is the cape on its back, which much be struck while it recovers from a sword swing (the Red Dark Nut also has a powerful sword thrust attack). They can also be stunned by a bomb. You cannot remove their armor, but it is not necessary to defeat them. Quote from The Minish Cap Dark Nut figurine: "Appears in Dark Hyrule Castle. These armor-clad soldiers are tough. Use your shield and rolling skills to find an opening in their defenses!" Quote from The Minish Cap Red Dark Nut figurine: "Appears in Dark Hyrule Castle. These Dark Nut commanders are strong but if you relax and find an opening you can still defeat them."

Black Knight
The Black Knight appears exclusively in the Minish Cap, and only in Dark Hyrule Castle. Its endurance and strength exceed any other's, and it recovers from attacks and blocks much quicker than regular Dark Nuts, but it still features the same moves and attack patterns as the other Dark Nuts in the Minish Cap. Link encounters the Black Knight twice, once as the sub-boss of Dark Hyrule Castle, and again, along with two Royal Darknuts, to attempt to stop Link from interrupting Vaati's ritual. (This is the only noted appearance of Royal Dark Nuts.) After completing the game, Link can receive a figurine for the Black Knight.

Quote from The Minish Cap Black Knight figurine: "Appears in Dark Hyrule Castle. This is the strongest Dark Nut, with a good balance of attack and defense. They will do anything to stop you."

Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Darknuts remain one of the most powerful enemies in the game, becoming even harder than their The Wind Waker counterparts. They still retain some of their characteristics like removable armor and high defense, but now have increased speed and more sword techniques. Its armor has become less bulky and more streamlined like a medieval knight. They still use a large sword and shield.

Darknuts come in two phases, the first being armored. The best strategy is to draw it toward you, backflip when they plunge their sword down, and then land a jump strike. The back slice, helm splitter and mortal draw are also effective. Bomb arrows can be used to remove a Darknut's armor from afar, but the Darknut's shield will soak up any arrows aimed at it directly; one must instead target the ground immediately next to or behind the Darknut. When Link lands a hit on it, some of its armor strips off, though not as quickly or in as large amounts as in Wind Waker.

Eventually, when all its armor is off, revealing its under-armor chain mail, it will jump back and throw its weapon at you. It then pulls out a smaller sword (a rapier), granting it different attacks, and becomes much more agile, having shed its bulky armor. An unarmored Darknut will attack with two cuts in succession, which give Link a split-second opening to counterattack, a thrust, or a kick which can briefly throw Link off balance. The Darknut will also become far more adept at blocking Link's attacks and will dodge explosions effortlessly. Jump attacks, jump strikes, and back slices can send a Darknut reeling just long enough to attack.

One Darknut with a different helmet, sword and shield is the mini-boss in the Temple of Time, while others commonly guard items such as keys or new areas. They appear either solo or with another in the main game, and as a trio in the final level of the Cave of Ordeals (4 if you've already completed it once). Darknuts come in several different colors, but have no discernible differences in behavior or difficulty, although some believe that Gold Darknuts are slight stronger.

Link's Crossbow Training
In the spin-off title Link's Crossbow Training, a Darknut appears as the boss of stage 8-3. His appearance is identical to the Temple of Time Darknut in Twilight Princess, but he attacks by unleashing a swarm of bats in addition to sword swings. His shield is invulnerable, so Link must wait until the Darknut attacks to shoot his armor off with the crossbow. The armor appears to be enchanted, as each piece turns into a larger bat that attacks Link after it has been shot off the Darknut. When all of the Darknut's armor is gone, he will attack with his shortsword, similar to his attacks in Twilight Princess, but he also gains a teleportation move, in which he turns into a swarm of bats in order to move closer to Link and attack. When Link lands several consecutive hits on him, he will use this move, only with one or more white bats that are worth 100-300 points. By shooting these white bats, Link can whittle down Darknut's health and defeat him.

Other Appearances

 * A very similar looking enemy appears in The Adventure of Link, but is called an Iron Knuckle.
 * Some of the tougher Hylian Soldiers encountered in A Link to the Past retain shields and swords, but not the same level of difficulty.
 * The Zora Warriors in Phantom Hourglass are very similar to Darknuts in terms of appearance and fighting style, the biggest differences being their aquatic nature and lack of armor.
 * It is not stated nor are there any other obvious appearances, but the final stage of the boss in Phantom Hourglass, where Bellum takes control of Linebeck, has a very striking resemblance to the Darknuts in other games, mostly to those in Twilight Princess. The Phantom enemies also look similar to a Darknut.
 * The Gomess enemy from Majora's Mask shares an affinity for bats with the Darknut from Link's Crossbow Training.