Moa

From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia

Moas are recurring Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][3][4][name references needed]

Characteristics

The Adventure of Link

Descriptionshide ▲
The Adventure of Link instruction booklet
Moa
A ghost that flies over the graveyard. You can't see all of them unless you have a cross.

Their movement pattern is similar to that of other ghost enemies such as Ghini and Poes, floating from left to right and swooping erratically to close in on Link. Every time a Moa collides with Link, he loses not only a moderately large amount of health, but also a few experience points.[5] Moas attempt to swarm Link in large numbers. The best way to defeat these flying spirits is to use either the Jump or Down Thrust.

The Red Moa found in Western Hyrule is slightly weaker and can be seen by anybody, but the Blue Moa found in Eastern Hyrule is stronger and invisible to Link unless he has the Cross.[6] These invisible Moa also appear in Old Kasuto with a purple coloration, but are the same strength as the standard blue variety.

Echoes of Wisdom

Descriptionshide ▲
Moa
Fiercely protective of its allies, this floating monster fires eyebeams at foes. With no one to protect, it calms down.


Moas are small blue floating Monsters with large Eyes. Wild Moas only attack when other Monsters are nearby, and Moa Echoes only attack when Princess Zelda is nearby. Dark versions of Moas appear in the Still World. When summoned as an Echo, they have an Echo cost of three.

Other Appearances

Captain N: The Game Master

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.

Moas appear in the "Quest for the Potion of Power" episode of Captain N: The Game Master. While Link, Princess Zelda, and Kevin are in a graveyard, a large group of Moas suddenly appear. Although the heroes are successful in defeating various Moas, they decide to run away as they cannot hope to defeat all of them, and they leave the Moa-infested graveyard via a tunnel that leads to the Island Palace.[7]

The Faces of Evil

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.


The Wand of Gamelon

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.


Cadence of Hyrule

The following section has content which has neither been confirmed nor denied as canonical by Nintendo.


Moas were added in the Symphony of the Mask DLC Pack for Cadence of Hyrule. They rotate clockwise every beat, and if they face a player character they dash forward a beat later to attack. They can only be hurt when facing the player unless a Ring of Piercing is equipped.

Trivia

  • Moa are based on the concept of a Hitodama, a ghostly ball of flame that represents a deceased human soul in Japanese folklore.
  • The Girubokku enemies from the same game greatly resemble Moas in being giant floating eyeballs. However, they fight rather differently, traveling around the screen for a short distance before opening their single great eye, which is Link's only opening to attack, and do not appear to be ghosts.
  • The Graveyard found in the Death Mountain Area, which was home to Ghini in The Legend of Zelda, is instead home to red Moa by the time of The Adventure of Link.
  • In the Famicom Disk System version of the game, Moa do not steal experience points.

Nomenclature

  Names in Other Regions  
LanguageNamesMeanings
Japanese
モア (Moa) (TAoLThe Adventure of Link | EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[10][11] 
ChineseTRTraditional
  • 摩亞 (EoWEchoes of Wisdom)
  • 摩阿 (Móā) (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[15]
  •  
  •  
ChineseSISimplified
  • 莫阿 (mò ā) (TAoLThe Adventure of Link)[14]
  • 摩亚 (EoWEchoes of Wisdom)
  • 摩阿 (Móā) (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[13]
  • Moa
  •  
  •  
Dutch
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom) 
FrenchEUEuropean
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[12] 
FrenchCACanadian
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[19] 
German
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[18] 
Italian
Moa (TAoLThe Adventure of Link | EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[8][9] 
Korean
  • 모아 (EoWEchoes of Wisdom)
  • 모아 (Moa) (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[17]
  •  
  •  
PortugueseBRBrazilian
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom) 
SpanishLALatin American
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[16] 
SpanishEUEuropean
Moa (EoWEchoes of Wisdom | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[20] 
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

See Also

References

  1. Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 130 (TAoLThe Adventure of Link)
  2. Moa
    Fiercely protective of its allies, this floating monster fires eyebeams at foes. With no one to protect, it calms down.
    — Notebook (Echoes of Wisdom)
  3. "That sounds like a Moa! There it is!"Link (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16, Quest for the Potion of Power)
  4. Defeated By: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule)
  5. "Moa are large disconnected eyeballs who are mysteriously able to fly through the air. They have no mouths or claws, but the lubrication which coats their external membranes is toxic to the touch."The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia , .
  6. A ghost that flies over the graveyard. You can't see all of them unless you have a cross. (The Adventure of Link manual, pg. 29)
  7. "Hurry! The tunnel entrance is right around here someplace!" — Link (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16)
  8. L'arte di una leggenda, Magazzini Salani, pg. 130
  9. Causa della sconfitta: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Italian version)
  10. The Adventure of Link manual, pg. 30
  11. 敗因: モア — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Japanese version)
  12. Défaite causée par: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, European French version)
  13. 败因: 摩阿 — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Simplified Chinese version)
  14. 塞尔达传说:百科全书, New Star Press, pg. 197
  15. 敗因: 摩阿 — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Traditional Chinese version)
  16. ¡Fin de la partida! Causa: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Latin American Spanish version)
  17. 사인: 모아 — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Korean version)
  18. Besiegt von: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, German version)
  19. Défaite causée par: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Canadian French version)
  20. ¡Fin de la partida! Causa: Moa — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, European Spanish version)