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Stalchildren are recurring Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series.[3][note 1]

Characteristics[]

Ocarina of Time[]

Navi's Comment
Navi says:

Stalchild
Don't be afraid of the Stalchild! Just attack it repeatedly!

Stalchildren appear in Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time. They spawn only at night while Link is a child and disappear at sunrise. They will not appear if Link is wearing the Bunny Hood or if he walks on the Road. Stalchildren attack in pairs, and if one falls before the other, another Stalchild may spawn in its place if Link takes too long to destroy the other. Each time 10 Stalchildren are defeated, a larger one will spawn alongside a regular sized Stalchild. Stalchildren can be defeated with two hits, regardless of size. If Link attacks a Stalchild from the front, it will lose its head and begin wandering around blindly.

Majora's Mask[]

Tatl's Comment
Tatl says:

It's a Stalchild. They were the cursed soldiers of the Kingdom of Ikana...What are you gonna do?

MM3D Stalchild Notebook Portrait

Stalchildren are of the Ikana race in Majora's Mask. They haunt the Ikana Graveyard and are the fallen soldiers of the Ikana Kingdom.[5] Their general is Captain Keeta, but they will mistake anyone that wears the Captain's Hat for their leader.[6] By wearing the Captain's Hat, the Stalchildren will ask Link whether they should open or guard the grave, mentioning that they already had an order from Captain Keeta to guard it.[7] In the Oceanside Spider House, Stalchildren will reveal the solution to the house's puzzle, ultimately leading to a Piece of Heart.[8]

Four Swords[]

Stalchildren act similarly to Stalfos in Oracle of Seasons and have four distinct behaviors, albeit without color variations to differentiate between them. Stalchildren may simply walk around like Blue Stalfos, throw bones like Red Stalfos, throw bones and dodge attacks like Orange Stalfos, or attempt to crush the Links like Green Stalfos.

Purple Stalchildren appear in the Hero's Trial as part of the silver door levels. While they may have any of the behavior patterns of normal Stalchildren, they cannot be outright defeated. When hit, they will instead crumble into a pile of bones and revive a short time later.

Twilight Princess[]

Stalchildren appear in the Arbiter's Grounds and the Cave of Ordeals in Twilight Princess. They emerge from the ground in large groups and attack with small spears. They can be destroyed with almost any weapon, though Link's Sword is the most effective, especially when the Spin Attack is utilized.

Other Appearances[]

Link's Crossbow Training[]

Stalchildren appear in the "Gerudo Stalfos: Defender" Stage of Level 1 and "Hyrule Castle: Defender" Stage of Level 4 in Link's Crossbow Training. They rise from the ground to attack Link with their spears, along with Stalfos. Stalchildren can be taken out with one hit, but will swarm in massive numbers as time runs out.

Ocarina of Time (Himekawa)[]

A Stalchild makes a brief appearance in the Ocarina of Time manga by Akira Himekawa, being burned to a crisp by a young Volvagia before it became a follower of Ganondorf.

Sonic Lost World[]

Stalchildren appear in The Legend of Zelda Zone, attacking Sonic by slowly wandering toward him. They can easily be defeated by any of his moves, such as the Homing Attack.

Hyrule Warriors[]

Stalchildren appear as foot soldiers that group in large numbers in Hyrule Warriors. In Legend Mode, they appear in the Scenarios "The Sheikah Tribesman", "The Water Temple", "Liberation of the Triforce", and "Darkness Falls".

Helmeted Stalchildren with broken armor appear in occupied Keeps and Outposts. Summoner Stalchildren also appear as a variant that summons reinforcements, and wear purple hoods and carry staves. Unit troops are led by Stalchild Captains, which are actually Stalfos in appearance. The same type of Captain also appears as a Keep Boss variant that guards Keeps and Outposts. Stalchild Captains occasionally drop the Monster Tooth Bronze Material when defeated.

Trivia[]

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapaneseスタルベビー (Sutarubebī) (OoT)[10]Stalbaby
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

Notes

  1. They are referred to as Stalkins in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess — PRIMA Official Game Guide by Prima Games.[4] However, as the enemy's name was officially stated in Encyclopedia, it is not considered Canon.

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 102
  2. "Link lunged at the Stalchilds with a series of quick cuts, but they had him surrounded now." (Link and the Portal of Doom, Scholastic, pg. 14-15)
  3. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 206 (OoT | OoT3D | MM | MM3D | FS | TP | TPHD)
  4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess — PRIMA Official Game Guide, Prima Games, pg. 20
  5. "It's a Stalchild. They were the cursed soldiers of the Kingdom of Ikana...What are you gonna do?" — Tatl (Majora's Mask)
  6. "Huh? Oh, Captain! E-excuse me, sir!" — Stalchild (Majora's Mask)
  7. "Aah! Captain, sir!!! Excuse me, sir! Everyone, give the captain your attention! We haven't seen you in some time, captain, sir! As per your orders, sir, we've been guarding these graves closely. We have all been expecting your next order, sir." — Stalchild (Majora's Mask)
  8. "Ah! Captain, sir! It's been a long time since we've seen you! As you have ordered, sir, we are investigating the secrets of this place." — Stalchild (Majora's Mask)
  9. SavestateYT, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Stalchild Laugh Slowed Down, Youtube (Video), published August 14, 2013, retrieved November 28, 2018.
  10. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Shogakukan) pg. 144
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