Hinox

Hinoxes,^{(ALttP | LA | FSA | PH | ALBW | TFH | BotW | TotK | CoH | HWAoC)}^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] also known as One-Eyed Giants^(FSA)^[7] and Forest Giants,^(BotW)^[8] are recurring Enemies and Sub-Bosses in The Legend of Zelda series. They are Cyclops-like ogres that have an affinity for Bombs, and commonly use them as weapons against Link. They typically appear as musclebound, light brown humanoids with a single eye and a ponytail. In most games, they are significantly weak to Bomb explosions.

Characteristics

A Link to the Past

Hinox
This super-strong monster is rumored to inhabit the Dark World. Although he is amazingly strong, he cannot withstand the very bombs he throws. Aim for the eye if you want to find his weak point.

Hinoxes are found in the Dark World of Hyrule in A Link to the Past. They are common to most locations, particularly near the Bomb Shop, and have a seemingly endless supply of Bombs to throw at Link. They are very powerful and are able to cause a lot of damage to Link if they come into contact with him. Despite their slow movements, they are extremely dangerous to Link when he first enters the Dark World and should be treated with caution. Striking them with a Fighter's Sword will defeat them, but it takes many hits and puts Link in danger, so it is easier for Link to throw his own Bombs at them or strike them with his Bow from afar.

Despite what the English game manual suggests, a Hinox's weak point is not usually its eye, unlike similar monsters with a prominent single eye, nor are they weak to their own Bombs; these are mistranslations of the original Japanese manual, which stated the phrase "目には目を (Me ni wa Me o)",^[9] or in English, "an eye for an eye". The true weakness of a Hinox are Link's own Bombs, which can destroy them with a single hit.

In the secret ending of A Link to the Past & Four Swords, obtained after completing the Palace of the Four Sword, Hinoxes are shown passing Bombs to one another, and one appears on top of the Pyramid of Power playing with a Super Bomb.

Link's Awakening

Hinox appear in certain dungeons of Koholint Island as mini-bosses in Link's Awakening. A yellow one first appears as the mini-boss of Bottle Grotto, and later a red and blue Hinox appear in Eagle's Tower and Turtle Rock, respectively. The blue Hinox of Turtle Rock is not the dungeon's "true" mini-boss, as it will respawn when Link leaves and later re-enters the room.

The Hinoxes are much larger than those in A Link to the Past. They attack Link by throwing Bombs at him, as well as charging at him to grab him. If grabbed, the Hinoxes will lift Link off the ground and throw him to the sides of the room, causing him damage and leaving him stunned. In the first and second battles, the boss rooms have cracked floors and holes, respectively. If Link is grabbed, the Hinoxes may throw Link down one of these holes, which will reset the battle and restore the Hinoxes to full health the next time Link enters their room. After being struck by Link's Sword, the Hinoxes will throw a Bomb in retaliation.

All three Hinoxes retain their weaknesses to Bombs, but now takes two explosions to destroy one. Once Link obtains the Magic Rod from Turtle Rock, he can make short work of them, like many other enemies in the game.

A Stone Hinox appears as a mini-boss of the Color Dungeon in Link's Awakening DX. While similar in form to a Hinox, its behavior is quite different, and it drops boulders as opposed to throwing Bombs.

Four Swords Adventures

Hinoxes appear in large numbers in the Death Mountain Foothills of Hyrule in Four Swords Adventures. They behave similarly to their previous incarnations but instead attack by throwing Boulders. They will also attack by attempting to grab one of the Links. If grabbed by one, it shakes the Link and makes him drop his Force Gems. Despite their lack of explosives, they are still weak to Bombs, so it is recommended that the Links find nearby Bomb Flowers to destroy them with. If defeated with the Four sword, they will leave behind a Big Green Force Gem. At some point in the Death Mountain Foothills, a Quake Medallion can also be found in a nearby cave, which can be used to turn them into weak Zols.

Phantom Hourglass

Hinoxes can be found on Dee Ess Island and in the Goron Temple. They look significantly different to their previous incarnations; they are now blue and have a fuse-like ponytail, giving them a Bomb-like appearance. Their eyes are also more prominent on their featureless faces, surrounded by a gold eyelid. They attack by throwing punches and Bombs; if Link throws a Bomb at them, they will throw it back. Because these creatures cannot be attacked from the front with a Sword, it is better to use the Boomerang from behind or to shoot them in the eye with the Bow to stun them for a short time, opening them up for attack.

A Link Between Worlds

Hinoxes appear throughout Lorule in A Link Between Worlds in a similar role to those in A Link to the Past, although their Bombs now do more damage and they no longer have a weakness to Link's Bombs. A variety also appears in Lorule's snowy Death Mountain, which wear coats and throw Snowballs. The Snowballs are not as damaging as the standard variety's Bombs, but Link will be frozen briefly if hit, leaving him open to physical attacks. Both varieties of Hinoxes will also charge at Link, causing a large amount of damage. They can withstand many hits before being defeated.

A lone, friendly Hinox can also be found inside a cave behind a waterfall in eastern Lorule. It bribes Link with the offer of Rupees if he promises to leave it alone.

Tri Force Heroes

Hinoxes appear in Tri Force Heroes as strong, uncommon Enemies that are usually encountered as a group that must all be defeated in order for the Links to progress in a Level. They first appear in Blazing Trail, where the Links fight a group of them along with several Fire Keese on an island surrounded by fire spouts. They later appear in the second Stage of the Fire Temple, where one appears riding a Mine Cart and throwing Bombs at the Links. The Links must fight it by picking up its Bombs and throwing them back into its Mine Cart. Alternately, the Links can also use Bomb Flowers growing nearby as well. After it is defeated, two more Hinoxes appear and must be defeated using the same method. Hinoxes also appear in the final Stage of The Lady's Lair and in several Stages of the Den of Trials.

Three unique Hinoxes, the Hinox Brothers, appear as the Mini-Bosses of Hinox Mine and Bomb Storage. In Hinox Mine, the Links and one of the Hinox Brothers do battle while riding on parallel Mine Carts, where the Links must return the Bombs thrown by the Hinoxes. After he is defeated, he returns with another Hinox Brother continue the battle. In Bomb Storage, the Links first fight two of the Hinox Brothers, using the Gust Jar to propel their Bombs across a large gap and into balconies where the brothers appear. After the pair is defeated, the Links then face the third brother, who throws much bigger Bombs while summoning Hardhat Beetles. As these Bombs are too heavy to use the Gust Jar on, one Link must supply the other two with smaller Bombs to continue the strategy.

Breath of the Wild

145 (150) Hinox	Description The largest monster to make its home in Hyrule, the Hinox lives primarily in forested areas. A keen awareness of your surroundings is paramount when facing one, as Hinox are known for tearing entire trees from the ground and using them as weapons. A deft hand can steal weapons off the necklaces they wear.
	Common Locations East Necluda West Necluda
Recoverable Materials Hinox Toenail Hinox Tooth Hinox Guts Apple Wildberry Palm Fruit Voltfruit Mighty Bananas Fortified Pumpkin Hearty Durian

Hinoxes appear as Sub-Bosses found in different locations across Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, typically sleeping in a forest clearing.^[10] They come in three varieties: the default red Hinoxes, Blue Hinoxes, and Black Hinoxes, and they are the largest Monsters that can be found.^[10] A Stal version of Hinoxes, known as Stalnoxes, will become active at night. They are depicted as giant Bokoblin-like creatures with a single eye in their forehead, wearing a necklace strung with several Weapons as decoration. If Link sneaks up on Hinoxes, he can steal the equipment from their necklaces without being detected.^[10]

Hinoxes spend most of their time sleeping, only engaging Link when woken.^[11] Once awake, they will use physical attacks such as swipes and punches, as well as pulling up nearby Trees in order to toss them at Link. If Link Climbs out of their reach, regular Hinoxes and Blue Hinoxes will throw small Boulders at him, while Black Hinoxes use Bomb Barrels. Shooting an Arrow at the eye will result in the monster being stunned and open to attacks until it recovers. After their health drops to half, they will cover their eye to block further Arrow shots. However, they can still be hit during some select actions, or by attacking them from above. Once defeated, Hinoxes will drop Hinox Toenails, Hinox Teeth, and Hinox Guts. The Weapons on their necklaces will also become available if they have not already been stolen. In addition, they will drop some variety of Roasted Food: regular Hinoxes drop Fruits, Blue Hinoxes drop Fish, and Black Hinoxes drop Meats.

Blue Hinoxes and Black Hinoxes wear crude greaves made from wood and metal, respectively, around their ankles to protect them from attacks.^[12]^[13] However, this armor can be used against them with the correct elemental attacks. Wooden greaves can be destroyed by setting them on Fire, while metal greaves conduct Electricity, resulting in Black Hinoxes being stunned if hit by Electric attacks.^[12]^[13]

After defeating Calamity Ganon for the first time, Link will be able to ask Kilton about Hinoxes.^[8] Kilton will request that Link kill all of the Hinoxes in Hyrule so he can examine the scents that they leave behind on them. Should Link accomplish this task, Kilton gives him the Medal of Honor: Hinox as a reward. From this research, Kilton is able to learn that the different types of Hinoxes have their own food preferences.^[14]

Drops

Hinox can drop 5 of:

Item	Percentage
Apple	30.0 %
Wildberry	10.0 %
Palm Fruit	20.0 %
Voltfruit	10.0 %
Mighty Bananas	10.0 %
Fortified Pumpkin	10.0 %
Hearty Durian	10.0 %

As well as 1 of:

Item	Percentage
Hinox Guts	20.0 %

As well as between 3 and 5 of:

Item	Percentage
Hinox Toenail	80.0 %
Hinox Tooth	20.0 %

Locations

Red

Blue

Black

Tears of the Kingdom

This section of the page is incomplete. You can help Zelda Wiki by expanding it.

Hinoxes can be found throughout Hyrule.

When pushed into deep bodies of Water, Hinoxes gasp for breath while treading Water. Though they are capable of swimming after Link, they eventually drown after some time.^[when?]

When slain, Hinoxes have a chance to drop various Fruits, including Apples, Fortified Pumpkins, Mighty Bananas, Palm Fruits, Voltfruits and Wildberries. They may also drop Hinox Guts, as well as Hinox Toenails and Hinox Teeth. They always drop one Hinox Horn.

Other Appearances

Non-Canon Information

A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)

Hinoxes appear several times throughout the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori. Link is first confronted by a Hinox after just arriving to the Dark World; upon leaving a nearby shrine, Link comes across three Thieves and a Hinox, who ask him about a Fairy they are pursuing for her magic powers.^[15] When Link tells them he does not have the Fairy, the Hinox begins to attack by throwing Bombs at him. However, Link manages to catch one of them and throws it back into its mouth, causing the Hinox to explode. His efforts manage to save the Fairy they were pursuing, Epheremelda.

Another Hinox appears when Link visits the Palace of Darkness in disguise. At first the Hinox does nothing, surmising Link for a fellow follower of Ganon. When Link is exposed by a Rocklops, the Hinox then is alerted and is ready to attack, only to be reprimanded by the Rocklops that that is a foolish move and the Hinox must be made aware of what could happen if he set off the firecorns in the palace,^[16] but the young hero disregards his warning and takes a nearby Hinox's Bomb belt that was wrapped around it.^[17] Link then stumbles upon the imprisoned crystal, but is attacked by a Gleeok that was called upon by the Rocklops. Although he defeats it easily with the Master Sword, soon more Hinoxes riding Gleeoks begin to head towards him.^[18] Link gives Epheremelda ones of the Bombs from the Hinox's belt, which eventually denotes the firecorn stockpile and destroys the entire palace.

A Hinox is last seen inside the Swamp Palace, where the foe, along with a Taros, shuts the entrance to the rest of the palace and impedes Link from rescuing the Maiden inside. As Sahasrahla's Grandson watches the battle between Link and the Taros from a fountain in the Light World, he accidentally activates the statues that cause water to pour into the fountain. This leads to the Swamp Palace in the Dark World to become flooded, washing away both the Taros and the Hinox, who eventually end up sinking as they struggle with each other.^[19]

Link's Awakening (Cagiva)

In the Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva, while fighting some Stalfos inside Bottle Grotto, Link is attacked by a Hinox. After distracting it with a Bomb and blocking its attack with his Shield, Link manages to defeat the Hinox with a Sword slash.

Four Swords (Himekawa)

Hinoxes make an appearance in the Four Swords manga, partying with Shadow Link and a seemingly traitorous Purple, while the former tells him about Ganon, saying that Vaati is not the only one who wants darkness to reign supreme in Hyrule. When Purple is revealed to have faked friendship with him for information, Shadow Link orders the Hinoxes to throw him into the lava, saying he has betrayed him.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Hinoxes reappear in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, first appearing in The Yiga Clan Attacks! Scenario as part of a trap Sooga devised for the Champions while he tried to assassinate Zelda. Similar to Breath of the Wild, they attack by slamming down their fists, using a tree trunk for additional attacking, throwing a metal crate, and/or bellyflopping enemies, the latter three of which can be countered with the Stasis, Magnesis, and Cryonis Runes. In addition to the Blue Hinoxes, Black Hinoxes, and Stalnoxes reappearing in the game, new variants are introduced in the game, being the Fire Hinox, Ice Hinox, Electric Hinox, and the Malice Hinox.

Cadence of Hyrule

Ambiguously Canon Information

Hinoxes appear as Minibosses in Cadence of Hyrule. They possess five Hearts and can throw Bombs. If they have sustained enough damage, their hair will ignite, turning them red. When this happens, they will barrel towards their opponents, exploding a short while afterwards.

Trivia

In addition to being based on the mythical Cyclops, Hinox also share similarities with Japanese Oni. Their loincloths and upturned fangs in particular are similar to the traditional appearance of an Oni, and the red and blue colored Hinox in Link's Awakening may be a reference to the tradition of a red and blue Oni pair.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language	Names
Japanese	ヒノックス (Hinokkusu) ^{(ALttP \| LA \| BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27]
Chinese^TR	西諾克斯 (Xīnuòkèsī) ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[30]
Chinese^SI	西诺克斯 (Xīnuòkèsī) ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[29]
Dutch	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[34]^[35]
French^CA	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[38]
French^EU	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[28]
German	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[32]
Italian	Hinox ^{(ALttP \| LA \| LADX \| FSA \| ALBW \| BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]
Korean	히녹스 (Hinokseu) ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[33]
Russian	Хинокс (Hinoks) ^(BotW)^[31]
Spanish^LA	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[36]^[37]
Spanish^EU	Hinox ^{(BotW \| TotK \| HWAoC)}^[39]^[40]
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Other Names

Name	Eye Brute^[41]
Applies to	Phantom Hourglass
Source	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass—Prima Official Game Guide by Prima Games
Superseded by	Encyclopedia

Name	Applies to	Source	Superseded by
Eye Brute^[41]	Phantom Hourglass	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass—Prima Official Game Guide by Prima Games	Encyclopedia

Gallery

Artwork of a Hinox from Link's Awakening
A red Hinox from Link's Awakening DX
A Blue Hinox lifting Link from Link's Awakening DX
A Snowball Hinox from A Link Between Worlds
The friendly Hinox from A Link Between Worlds about to rage
A Hinox riding a Mine Cart from Tri Force Heroes
A dark Hinox from Tri Force Heroes
A Hinox from Breath of the Wild
The red Hinox fought in Eagle's Tower in Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch
The Blue Hinox fought in Turtle Rock in Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch
A Hinox chasing Link in the February 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer for Tears of the Kingdom
A Hinox from the Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva
A Hinox and other Monsters from A Link to the Past (Cagiva)
A Hinox from Cadence of Hyrule

References

↑ The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening—Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 37
↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 185 ^{(ALttP | LADX | FSA | PH | ALBW | TFH)}
↑ "Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Tears of the Kingdom)
↑ "Defeated By: Hinox" — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
↑ "There's an area near the one-eyed giants called Hebra's Hill." — Old Man (Four Swords Adventures)
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 "[About monsters...] Dya DYAAAAAAAH! You want to know about monsters? I just LOOOOOVE talking about monsters! Ooh. OOOOOOOH! Let's talk about the huge ones! The stone colossus? The forest giant? The giant sand beast?! Which monster do you want to hear about?" — Kilton (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "闇の世界の地上をうろつく怪カモンスターです。体力があるうえ、爆弾も放う投げてきます。弱点は「目には目を…」です。 (Mysterious monsters prowl the earth in the World of Darkness. They have lots of stamina, and will also throw bombs. Their weakness is "An eye for an eye...")" (A Link to the Past manual, Japanese version, pg. 51)
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 "The largest monster to make its home in Hyrule, the Hinox lives primarily in forested areas. A keen awareness of your surroundings is paramount when facing one, as Hinox are known for tearing entire trees from the ground and using them as weapons. A deft hand can steal weapons off the necklaces they wear." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 152
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 "The largest monster to make its home in Hyrule, the Hinox lives primarily in forested areas. A keen awareness of your surroundings is paramount when facing one, as Hinox are known for tearing entire trees from the ground and using them as weapons. Blue Hinox wear greaves that can be burnt away to expose their feet. A deft hand can steal weapons off the necklaces they wear." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 "The largest monster to make its home in Hyrule, the Hinox lives primarily in forested areas. A keen awareness of your surroundings is paramount when facing one, as Hinox are known for tearing entire trees from the ground and using them as weapons. Black Hinox wear metal greaves that conduct electricity rather well. A deft hand can steal weapons off the necklaces they wear." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "I knew there were four types of Hinoxes, but I just recently learned that each type has different food preferences. Not me, though. I'll eat anything!" — Kilton (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "All right, kid! Did you see a faerie fly through here? Which way did she go? [...] Yer lyin'!! Don't hide her! We want her magic powers and we want them now!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 12)
↑ "You fool! you know what will happen if you use the firecorn here?!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 10)
↑ "We'll all go up in smoke! But if you guys are going to get me...we'll all go together!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 10)
↑ "Link!! There's more on the way!" (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 12)
↑ "GLUB! Let me g-g-go! Your armor...too heavy..." (A Link to the Past manga, VIZ Media, pg. 2)
↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 185
↑ "Hinox" — N/A (A Link Between Worlds, Italian localization)
↑ "147 Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Italian localization)
↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 1, Shogakukan, pg. 127A Link to the Past manual, pg. 51Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords, Shogakukan, pg. 21
↑ The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Certain Victory Strategy Guide (1993), Futabasha, pg. 25
↑ "147 ヒノックス" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "ヒノックス" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Japanese localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, European French localization)
↑ "西诺克斯" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Simplified Chinese localization)
↑ "西諾克斯" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Traditional Chinese localization)
↑ "147 Хинокс" — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, German localization)
↑ "히녹스" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Korean localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Tears of the Kingdom)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Dutch localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Tears of the Kingdom, Latin American Spanish localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Latin American Spanish localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Canadian French localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Hyrule Compendium (Tears of the Kingdom, European Spanish localization)
↑ "Hinox" — Game Screen (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, European Spanish localization)
↑ The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass—Prima Official Game Guide, Prima Games, pg. 26