An aggressive and tenacious breed of monster, the Deku Baba is a plant-like beast that Link commonly encounters throughout multiple versions of Hyrule and its connected lands.
This monster could be seen as the Legend of Zelda‘s answer to Super Mario’s Piranha Plant enemies. Both take inspiration from the real-life Venus flytraps, and their functions in the games are to impede progress and provide an unignorable yet easily manageable threat.
Ocarina of Time
The Deku Baba’s first appearance was in 1998’s Ocarina of Time. In this game, Deku Babas served as common enemies that would try to attack Link whenever possible. They could be found in various forested sections of the overworld and in multiple dungeons.
Being rooted in the ground, the Deku Baba’s only option for attack was to wait for Link to draw close and then use its powerful jaws to quickly snap at Link and bite him. To defeat a Deku Baba, Link could use nearly any item at his disposal, though blocking its attack with the shield and then countering with a sword strike was the most reliable method.
Majora’s Mask
The Deku Babas, along with many other enemy types, returned in Ocarina of Time’s sequel, Majora’s Mask. This version was identical in form and function to their Ocarina of Time counterpart, serving as a mild threat and hindrance for Link. Again, these monsters could be found in the grassy and vegetation-rich portions of the world.
Twilight Princess
The first redesign of the Deku Baba came in 2006 for Twilight Princess. These Deku Babas were more vicious in appearance, and their mouths were lined with sharp fangs. Despite the cosmetic changes, they still attacked Link in the same manner as the previous iterations, and they could still be destroyed in similar ways.
The only significant update to this version of the enemy is that they had a Twilight-infected version, the Shadow Deku Baba. These Babas behaved the same as the regular ones, albeit while being altered physically by the magical effects of the Twilight Realm’s influence.
Skyward Sword
As of the date of this publication, the latest version of the Deku Baba came in 2011’s Skyward Sword. This version of the beast had the expected visual redesigns, but it also came paired with a more involved process for defeating it.
These Deku Babas came in two forms: ones with mouths that open horizontally and ones with mouths that open vertically. To defeat a Deku Baba, Link needed to slash at it with his sword with either vertical or horizontal strikes, whichever would cut through the opening in its mouth. This would slice the beast’s head in half, killing it instantly.
The Wind Waker*
*It is important to note that, though many fans believe they are the same species of monster, the plant beasts found in The Wind Waker are actually the Boko Babas. They are technically a distinct species and categorized separately from the Deku Baba.
The Deku Baba has not appeared in a Zelda game in nearly 10 years, but its nature as the staple plant enemy has made it memorable for many fans. With its theme being useful in a variety of settings and its visual design being so recognizable, there is a high likelihood that the species will return in future games.
