Thief


 * Not to be confused with the term "Thief" used in Link's Awakening.

Thieves are characters in A Link to the Past and Four Swords Adventures, which steal from Link but cannot be killed.

A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, there are thieves in the game that can steal rupees, bombs and arrows from Link whenever they touch him. However, they do not cause harm. Once they glance at Link they chase him until he is a considerable distance away.

They can be found in a human-imp shape in the Lost Woods or a fox-like form in the Village of Outcasts. They can be stunned with Link's sword or a long range item (such the boomerang) for a short time, but unfortunately they are virtually invincible. Thieves found inside caves or underground stumps typically offer rupees. A former thief assists Link by opening a locked chest containing an Empty Bottle.

Four Swords Adventures
The thieves in Four Swords Adventures do not cause damage to the Links, but steal their Force Gems. Link must trap 10 thieves, 7 of which wear red bandanas while the remaining appear to be normal villagers, in Kakariko Village by throwing them into a fenced in area. The thieves cannot be killed, but can momentarily be stunned by a variety of weapons, including swords, bombs and pots.

Trivia

 * Comically, the thieves in Four Swords Adventures are carried upside down and can be used to break pots.
 * Once all the thieves are captured in Four Swords Adventures, they will disappear upon revisiting their "prison".