Skullfish are recurring Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][3][4] They are skeletal fish that are similar in behavior to piranhas.
Skullfish live in the seas around Great Bay Region, as well as in the water just outside of the Goron Village after defeating Goht in Majora's Mask. They spawn at certain intervals within the Bay and swim towards Link, biting him if he does not raise his defenses. Zora Link's electrical shield attack can be used to defeat them. In Majora's Mask 3D, they can also be caught in the Ocean Fishing Hole by wearing the Captain's Hat.
Skullfish appear in the Lakebed Temple, as well as several secret Caves around Hyrule Field in Twilight Princess. They can be caught with the Fishing Rod, and will even drop a Heart when released, although they are forbidden fish and will not be recorded in the Fish Journal.[5]
Skullfish are found exclusively in the Water Temple in Tri Force Heroes. They viciously attack any Link they find swimming near them, and will leap out of the water to get to Links standing on raised platforms. To defeat them, they can be slashed with the Sword while they leap over a Link, or dredged from the water with the Water Rod. They can then be attacked as a normal enemy. In this appearance, they are green rather than bone-colored.
There is also a desert variant of this enemy called the Sandfish, which instead inhabits the sand of The Dunes, but behaves identically.
In Hyrule Warriors Legends, Skullfish appear as Weird-type Food that are imbued with the Darkness Element. They are dropped by Darknuts and Phantom Ganon. When consumed by a Companion Fairy in the Dining Room of the My Fairy mode, Skullfish can increase the Fairy's Trust level and personality traits.
Skullfish can be found swimming in deep pools of water in Cadence of Hyrule. They move to the beat of the music and move every two beats, always crouching within the water for one beat before moving to an adjacent tile on the next beat. They will typically try to attack Cadence, Link, Yves, or Zelda at close range. They can be lured into shallow water, where they will beach themselves and flop around helplessly for seven beats before they jump back into the water. Occasionally, they will leap into the air before diving back into the water again.
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | スカルギョ (Sukarugyo) (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[9] | From スカル (SukaruSkull) and 魚 (GyoFish). |
 FrenchEUEuropean | Poisscrâne (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[11] | Same as English; portmanteau of poisson (fish) and crâne (skull). |
 FrenchCACanadian |
|
|
 German | Knochenfisch (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[10] | Bone Fish; from knochen (bone) and fisch (fish). |
 Italian |
| |
 SpanishLALatin American | Pez cráneo (MM3DMajora's Mask 3D | CoHCadence of Hyrule)[12] | Same as English. |
 SpanishEUEuropean | Pez cráneo (CoHCadence of Hyrule)[14] | Same as English. |
| This table was generated from Zelda Wiki's translation data. | ||
Skullfish icon from Hyrule Warriors Legends
Skullfish— Dining Room (Hyrule Warriors Legends)
Skullfish— Dining Room (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)
Defeated By: Skullfish— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule)
You caught a skullfish! It looks stronger than it is... This fish is forbidden, so it won't be added to your fish journal.— N/A (Twilight Princess)
Questo è un pesce teschio.— Tatl (Majora's Mask 3D, Italian version)
Causa della sconfitta: Pesce teschio— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Italian version)
敗因： スカルギョ— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Japanese version)
Besiegt von: Knochenfisch— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, German version)
Défaite causée par: Poisscrâne— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, European French version)
¡Fin de la partida! Causa: Pez cráneo— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Latin American Spanish version)
Défaite causée par: Poisscrâne— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Canadian French version)
¡Fin de la partida! Causa: Pez cráneo— Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, European Spanish version)