Iron Knuckle: Difference between revisions

|game = ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Adventure of Link]]''<br>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]''<br>''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]''

The '''Iron Knuckle''' is one of the largest, stockiest foes in [[The Legend of Zelda (Series)|''The Legend of Zelda'' franchise]]. However, they have only appeared in ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'', and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]''. [[Rebonack]] and [[Nabooru]] (after being brainwashed) are notable Iron Knuckles across the Zelda series.

The Iron Knuckle is a large heavily armored knight, equipped with a sword or axe capable of dealing immense damage. Though quite similar to [[Darknut]]s, Iron Knuckles are less common across the series, and usually play the role of stoic guardians as opposed to the more aggressive behavior of a Darknut. The main difference however is that they do not share a Darknut's traditional weakness to attacks from behind. These foes are dueling elites, incorporating much of the same swordplay technique [[Link]] does during battle to great effect. These creatures are also known for their unmatched defensive capabilities and long vitality. In their debut, ''[[The Adventure of Link]]'', these knights predominantly appear in the temple dungeons where it is said they were "iron warriors" chosen by the [[King of Hyrule (The Adventure of Link)|King of Hyrule]]. They fight with both sword and shield, and appear in three varieties of increasing strength: orange, red, and blue, with the Blue Iron Knuckles being capable of shooting [[Sword Beam]]s.

The Iron Knuckle appeared later as minibosses in ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask'', in the former appearing as a facet of the plot at the [[Spirit Temple]], and in the latter as guardians that appear predominantly under the [[Ikana Graveyard]], protecting tombs. They were distinguished from Darknuts of previous games by their use of huge axes, capable of taking four hearts from Link at every swing, making them the strongest recurring enemy in the games. Their grand size and armor coverage also meant they took many hits to defeat, but their slow attacks and recovery are their weakness.<ref>{{cite|You know about the Iron Knuckle, right? Stay away from its ax attack, then look for a chance to retaliate.|Tatl|Majora's Mask}}</ref> Like in ''Zelda II'', they also come in varying strengths and colors, with one in particular being larger and having more extravagant armor.

In ''The Adventure of Link'', a Blue Iron Knuckle called '''{{Exp|レボナック (Rebo Knuckle)|Rebonakku}}''' is the [[boss]] of the [[Island Palace]]. This boss is also known as "The Guardian Ironknuckle" or simply "Ironknuckle", but ''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'' refers to it as Rebonack, an alternate translation of its Japanese name. It rides a levitating steel horse and wields a lance, and charges at Link at a high speed. Seemingly on the back foot against a mounted opponent, Link must use the [[Down Thrust]] initially to damage it and the horse. After enough damage is done, it dismounts the horse, and can then be fought as a normal Blue Iron Knuckle. Two more Rebonacks appear as minibosses in the [[Three-Eye Rock Palace]], one of which guards the chamber containing the [[Cross]] and the second appearing before the pit that leads to the boss, [[Barba]].   

In ''Ocarina of Time'', [[Nabooru]] is captured and brainwashed by [[Twinrova|Koume and Kotake]], a pair of Gerudo witch sisters.<ref>{{cite|By the way... I really messed up... I was brainwashed by those old witches and used by Ganondorf to do his evil will...|Nabooru|Ocarina of Time}}</ref> Koume and Kotake then force the brainwashed Nabooru to protect the entrance to the final chamber in the [[Spirit Temple]] as an Iron Knuckle.<ref>{{cite|Something's strange... This is not an ordinary enemy!|Navi|Ocarina of Time}}</ref> Her armor is larger and more regal than any other Iron Knuckle. Nabooru is unique in that her armor falls away and harmlessly reveals her upon defeat, apparently releasing her of her hypnosis before being spirited away.

'''Iron Knuckle''' appears as the boss of [[Tykogi Tower]] in [[Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon]].

Based on the Iron Knuckle of ''The Adventure of Link'', he guards [[Characters in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon#Mayor Kravindish|Mayor Kravindish's]] prison chamber. He shouts that since [[Princess Zelda|Zelda]] walked past him, she defied him and must die. It has been noted his voice and appearance are uncannily similar to [[Militron (Boss)|Militron]] of [[Link: The Faces of Evil]]. He is struck down using the [[Power Glove]], breaking apart to reveal a [[Heart Container]]. Two [[Characters in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon#Armos|Armos]] arrive and quickly decide to leave before Zelda kills them, too.

The fact that other Iron Knuckles dissolve completely when defeated in ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask'' would lead to believe that they are animated by magic, much like those from ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]''. However, carefully positioning the game camera through them reveals a Gerudo with a vacant stare similar to Nabooru. This is likely because the scene that follows the defeat of Nabooru as a Iron Knuckle shows her armor falling off, with a stunned expression on her face, and all Iron Knuckles use the same body model with slightly different outer armor. Though this head was removed from ''Ocarina of Time 3D'', their body type is still present as it was in ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''. As a result, some believe that all Iron Knuckles are actually heavily-armored Gerudo. It is unknown if they were enchanted or if they retained their consciousness; their strange voice and movements may indicate the former, but they fight to the death rather than fight until their spell is broken (which is also reminiscent of [[Soldier (Enemy)|Soldiers]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]''). The fact that the character model was reused in ''Majora's Mask'' however indicates that it was possibly not intentional, and simply that multilayered character model for Nabooru was reused for all Iron Knuckles.

*[[Onox]], the main antagonist of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons|Oracle of Seasons]]'', highly resembles the appearance of an Iron Knuckle. The only real difference is that Onox wields a [[Ball and Chain]] while Iron Knuckles tend to use axes.

File:Ironknuckle Nabooru.png|Brainwashed [[Nabooru]] in ''Ocarina of Time''

File:Iron_knuckle_shop.jpg|Armor of an Iron Knuckle in the [[Curiosity Shop]] in ''Majora's Mask''

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