Few enemies exhibit the same level of variety and persistence as the Wizzrobes do. Since the inception of The Legend of Zelda series, these foes have played the role of mysterious and magical beings of unknown origin who faithfully serve whatever evil dominates Hyrule and its connected worlds.
The Wizzrobes are crafty and dangerous, and they are one of the few enemy types to consistently challenge and threaten Link during his adventures. Their skills with various forms of spells and magic attacks make each conflict with them memorable, usually by way of being frustrating or tense.
The Legend of Zelda
Wizzrobes lived exclusively in dungeons. They were humanoid beings that wore long robes that covered their bodies, save for their faces. They also came in two variants: the regular orange types and the stronger blue Wizzrobes.
Orange Wizzrobes had the ability to teleport around dungeon rooms. Blue Wizzrobes did not teleport, but they had more health than the orange ones and would move around the room and repeatedly fire magic blasts at Link whenever they saw him. To defeat the Wizzrobes, Link needed to either strike them with his sword or destroy them with bombs.
A Link to the Past
The Wizzrobes of A Link to the Past only appeared in the Misery Mire and Ganon’s Tower dungeons. They behaved much like the orange Wizzrobes from the first game, teleporting around dungeon rooms and shooting magic fireballs at Link.
Defeating them required the use of the same strategy from The Legend of Zelda. Once a Wizzrobe would disappear, Link needed to wait for them to reappear and then quickly attack them with either his sword, bombs, arrows, or any other damage-dealing weapon.
Link’s Awakening
Link’s Awakening included a version of the Wizzrobe that was nearly identical to the one from A Link to the Past. They attacked in the same manner, with their standard pattern of teleport and firing blasts at Link from a distance.
The only noteworthy change from the Wizzrobes in the previous games was that they were impervious to sword attacks. Link was required to use weapons such as arrows and bombs to destroy them.
Majora’s Mask
The Wizzrobes of Majora’s Mask was the series’s first radical redesign of the enemy. They were now large, blue, humanoid goblin creatures. They were also minibosses, rather than being common enemies.
Each battle with a Wizzrobe took place in a square room with four magic floor tiles in each corner. The Wizzrobes would teleport from tile to tile, and once they reappeared, they would do a bizarre dance before attacking Link with their magic. Link’s only chance to attack came whenever they would do their dance before charging their attacks.
Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
The Oracle duology borrowed multiple enemies from Link’s Awakening, with the Wizzrobes being among them. Again, these Wizzrobes were heavily inspired by the A Link to the Past version, with the attacks and strategies remaining a familiar threat to Link.
What made the Wizzrobes different was that they came in three colors, with each color having different abilities. Green Wizzrobes could not teleport, making them the weakest of the three. Red Wizzrobes could teleport, which meant they were most similar to the previous incarnations. Blue Wizzrobes could make themselves transparent so they could pass through objects, which made evading them more of a challenge than with the other two.
Four Swords
For their role in Four Swords, the Wizzrobes returned to a design reminiscent of their original one from The Legend of Zelda. They wore long robes and their faces were viewable under their large, brimmed hats.
They came in green, red, and blue versions, much like the ones in the Oracle games, but the red and blue ones had unique elemental attacks. The red Wizzrobes were able to use fire attacks, and the blue ones used corresponding ice attacks.
The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker had both common-enemy Wizzrobes and a single Wizzrobe miniboss. These Wizzrobes also introduced a new, unique appearance for the enemy. They had humanoid bodies, but their heads were large bird-like heads that resembled real-world toucans.
Wizzrobes would routinely teleport around whatever area they were in, leaving Link with minimal chances to attack them. Once they reappeared, Link would need to attack them quickly with any of his weapons. Otherwise, they would either attack him with a spread of fireballs or summon more enemies to attack him for them.
Four Swords Adventures
Wizzrobes in Four Swords Adventures were less deadly but more frustrating for Link. They returned to their more timid form inspired by the A Link to the Past version, but they were able to do attacks that the older version could not.
The worst of these attacks was their ability to siphon Force Gems from the Links. They would draw the Force Gems into a magic sphere that they summoned overtop themselves, and they could, in theory, steal every Force Gem the Links had. The Wizzrobes would also retreat whenever the Links approached, so it was important that the heroes quickly found a way to corner and defeat them.
The Minish Cap
Wizzrobes in The Minish Cap were nearly identical to the Wizzrobes in Four Swords. They returned to the design inspired by the very first Wizzrobes, and they also came in the regular, ice, and fire variants.
Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass‘ Wizzrobes were unique compared to the other versions. Appearing only in the Temple of the Ocean King, the Wizzrobes did not attack with projectiles or teleport but instead would turn invisible in order to approach Link. Once they were close, they would attack and steal the sands from the Phantom Hourglass.
If they were successful, Link would lose 15 seconds from his hourglass. Link was able to earn 30 seconds by defeating one though, so any lost time could be restored and doubled.
A Link Between Worlds
As expected from most enemies featured in A Link Between Worlds, the Wizzrobes again appeared in their A Link to the Past design. They came in blue and red color variants.
Defeating them required the now-familiar strategies, though these Wizzrobes had the ability to teleport mid-air, making it hard for Link to reach them. His best option was to attack them with the Fire Rod or the Ice Rod, which would strike them even when they were above Link.
Breath of the Wild
Wizzrobes of Breath of the Wild introduced multiple variants that use the ice, fire, and electricity elements. They would engage Link as soon as they spotted him, disappearing as they made their approach. Once they reappeared, the Wizzrobes would attack with an element weapon such as the Lightning Rod and the Fire Rod.
Link was able to defeat these sorcerers by whichever means he could think of, though the arrows were his most reliable and common option. And once they were defeated, Link could claim their now-discarded elemental weapons.
Very few enemies in the Zelda series have exhibited the Wizzrobe’s ability to remain a constant threat to Link. They have appeared in the majority of the franchise’s adventures and have kept the players alert, cautious, and often frustrated during each perilous altercation.
(For more information on the Wizzrobes and the other fascinating creatures of Hyrule, visit Zelda Wiki.)
