Darknuts are recurring enemies and Sub-Bosses in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][3]

Characteristics

Darknuts resemble large knights equipped with heavy armor, a large sword, and a wide shield. These foes share trite similarities to the Iron Knuckle enemy and the Boss, though there are a few discernible differences, one being the Gothic appearance of Darknut's armor as opposed to the somewhat Eastern appearance of the Iron Knuckle's armor. Apart from that, the two have never appeared in a game together, aside from the non-canon The Wand of Gamelon, where Darknuts are a common enemy and an Iron Knuckle is a boss and Cadence of Hyrule, where they are enemies and sub bosses.

These enemies are masters of swordfighting, seen most vividly during battles fought with them in Twilight Princess, where the differences in size between Link and the Darknut further emphasizes this accurate behavior.

The Legend of Zelda

Link's Awakening

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Darknuts charge at Link in Link's Awakening. Like their Blue and Red counterparts in the The Legend of Zelda, they could only be harmed from the back or the sides. Some also throw spears, which is rare, since they attack with their swords.

Four Swords

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The Wind Waker

There are two types of Darknut in The Wind Waker, Darknuts and Mighty Darknuts. Darknuts themselves have shields along with their swords and appear as enemies from the Earth Temple onwards.

Four Swords Adventures

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The Minish Cap





Twilight Princess

Midna's Advice Darknut I have no idea what to do against these knight things! Just try using the sword techniques you know, Link!

Midna's Advice Darknut (asked again) The only thing to do is try all your sword techniques on it until you find one that works! Don't worry! You have what it takes to beat him, Link!

Darknut mini-boss in battle position in Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Darknuts remain one of the most powerful enemies in the game, even more formidable than their The Wind Waker counterparts. They still retain some of their characteristics like removable armor and high defense, but now have increased speed and more sword techniques. Their armor has become less bulky and more streamlined like a medieval knight. In terms of equipment, they use either a large Sword or a mace in conjunction with a Shield. Midna does not know how to beat them, but suggests that Link should try using all of his sword techniques.[4][5]

Darknuts come in two phases, the first being armored. The best strategy is for Link to draw it towards him, backflip when they plunge their sword down, and then land a Jump Strike. The Back Slice, Helm Splitter and Mortal Draw are also effective. Bomb Arrows can be used to remove a Darknut's armor from afar (or Bomblings provided Link angles them so as to not hit the Darknut head-on), but the Darknut's shield will soak up any arrows aimed at it directly. Link must instead target the ground immediately next to or behind the Darknut. When Link lands a hit on it, some of its armor strips off, though not as quickly or in as large amounts as in The Wind Waker.

Eventually, when all of its armor is off, revealing its chain mail under-armor, it proceeds to jump back and throw its weapon at Link. It then pulls out a smaller sword (a longsword), granting it different attacks, and becomes much more agile, having shed its bulky armor. An unarmored Darknut tends to attack with two cuts in succession (which gives Link a split-second opening to counterattack), a thrust, or a kick which can briefly throw Link off balance. The Darknut also becomes far more adept at blocking Link's attacks and can dodge explosions and arrows effortlessly. Jump attacks, jump strikes, and back slices can send a Darknut reeling just long enough to attack.

One Darknut with a different helmet, sword and shield is the mini-boss in the Temple of Time, while others commonly guard items such as keys or new areas. Red and blue variants of the Darknut are also found in the Cave of Ordeals. A gold armored Darknut is found in Hyrule Castle. However, the differently colored equipment does not denote any change in the Darknut's physical attributes.

Other Appearances

Link's Crossbow Training Link's Crossbow Training Darknut from In Link's Crossbow Training, a Darknut appears as the boss of Stage 8-3. Its appearance is identical to its Twilight Princess incarnation, but now attacks by unleashing a swarm of insects in addition to sword combat. Its shield is invulnerable, requiring that Link wait until the Darknut attacks to shoot its armor off with the Crossbow. The armor appears to be enchanted, as each piece turns into a larger insect that attacks Link after it has been shot. When all of the Darknut's armor is destroyed, it then proceeds to attack Link with its smaller sword, but also gains a teleportation move, in which it turns into a swarm of insects to move around and attack. After landing several consecutive hits, the Darknut then turns itself into a swarm of white insects that are each worth 100-300 points. By shooting these white insects, Link can whittle down the Darknut's health and defeat it. Cadence of Hyrule Darknuts appear as Minibosses in Cadence of Hyrule where they move to the beat of the music. They move faster than most Minibosses as they move on every beat, making them speedy yet powerful enemies despite wearing bulky armor. They also carry a shield that protects them from frontal attacks and can push the heroes backwards as they move, making them dangerous in areas where they can pin the heroes against walls or push them into holes and other hazards. Every few beats, they will lower their shield which will temporarily expose them to attack. When their shield is down, they will only swing their sword if the hero is either standing still or tries to run to their sides. When the opportunity to strike the heroes arises, they will hold out their sword for one beat and 5 warning tiles will flash in a horseshoe formation before they swing their sword on the second beat, dealing damage to anything within 3 spaces in front of them and anything that was already standing at their sides. Equipping the Ring of Piercing, the Great Bow, or Fragarach will enable the heroes to attack them through their shields.

Trivia

These enemies are called Soldiers in the English guide for Link's Awakening , but were always known as Darknuts in the Japanese version.

, but were always known as Darknuts in the Japanese version. Shooting Fire or Ice Arrows at a Darknut's back and/or cape in The Wind Waker is amongst the easiest and most life-preserving ways to eliminate a Darknut.

is amongst the easiest and most life-preserving ways to eliminate a Darknut. Darknuts in The Minish Cap generally carry their shields with their left hands, but their shield-hand changes when they face east. This is because the Darknut's sprite is being horizontally flipped, mirroring the graphic. This may be so Link can constantly attack Darknuts from the top instead of having to alternate between top and bottom every time they turn left or right.

generally carry their shields with their left hands, but their shield-hand changes when they face east. This is because the Darknut's sprite is being horizontally flipped, mirroring the graphic. This may be so Link can constantly attack Darknuts from the top instead of having to alternate between top and bottom every time they turn left or right. Chief Soldiers are known as Darknuts in the Japanese version of Four Swords Adventures . In the English guide, Soldiers are sometimes erroneously called Darknuts.

. In the English guide, Soldiers are sometimes erroneously called Darknuts. The Darknut in the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess has a Sword that resembles Ganondorf's Sword from the SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo and Super Smash Bros. Melee .

has a Sword that resembles Ganondorf's Sword from the SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube Tech Demo and . The Japanese name for a Darknut can be translated as "Tart Knuckle", implying some relation between Darknuts and Iron Knuckles.

In Link's Crossbow Training, the Darknut's ability to separate itself into swarms of insects is similar to Gomess's own ability of turning into bats.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions Language Name Dutch Zwervende Ridder ( TLoZ )[16] French EU Darknut ( TLoZ )[17] German Nimbusgarde ( HWDE )[18] This table was generated using translation pages.

To request an addition, please a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

Darknut artwork from The Adventure of Link

A Darknut from Link's Awakening

A Darknut from Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch

A Darknut from Four Swords

Link facing two Darknuts artwork from Twilight Princess

A Darknut without armor as seen in-game from Twilight Princess

The Sword wielded by the Temple of Time's Darknut as seen in-game from Twilight Princess

The Sword wielded by normal Darknuts as seen in-game from Twilight Princess

The small Sword wielded by Darknuts as seen in-game from Twilight Princess

A Darknut without armor from Twilight Princess

A Darknut from BS The Legend of Zelda

A Darknut's armor spawning Insects from Link's Crossbow Training

A Darknut from The Legend of Zelda TV series

A Darknut from The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon

A Darknut from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Artwork of a Darknut from Hyrule Warriors

Darknut portrait from Hyrule Warriors

Dark Darknut portrait from Hyrule Warriors

Darknut Adventure Mode icon from Hyrule Warriors

Darknut Mini Map icon from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

Dark Darknut Mini Map icon from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

The Darknut Spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

A Darknut from Cadence of Hyrule

See Also

Notes