Iron Knuckle

Iron Knuckles (アイアンナック) are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. They are depicted as knights clad in thick, heavy armor wielding huge axes or other large weapons. They are among the strongest of enemies in the series, possessing a high tolerance to attacks and doling out large amounts of damage when fighting. Due to their strength, Iron Knuckles are typically very rare at a game's outset, and become more common only as Link's journey progresses substantially through the game.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Iron Knuckles are among the strongest and most skilled foes encountered in Palaces, similar to their overworld counterparts, the Lizalfos. All Iron Knuckles in this game wield swords and shields, testing Link's skill at close-range swordfighting. They also block Link's attacks in turn with their own shields, before counter-attacking with high or low sword strikes which can be blocked with Link's shield, but do harsh damage if they hit. They appear in the colors orange, red, and blue armor, each going up in difficulty in that order. The blue Iron Knuckle can fire Sword Beams, making them deadly even at a distance. Link gains 50 experience points for defeating an orange Iron Knuckle, 100 for defeating a red, and 150 for defeating a blue. Interestingly, they do not notice Link when he is in an elevator if it is higher than the ground. This can be used as an easier way to defeat Iron Knuckles.

In the Island Palace, a blue Iron Knuckle named Rebonack appears as the area's boss. He rides atop a mechanical, armored horse and utilizes a lance to attack. After being hit a few times, he drops to the ground and continues his assault on foot as a normal Iron Knuckle only slightly harder due to the layout of the room. Rebonack also appears as a mini-boss in the Hidden Palace.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Iron Knuckles are generally regarded as the deadliest regular enemies in the game. They deal four hearts of damage should they hit Link with their large axes while sending him flying backwards a great distance, and their attacks cannot be blocked by a shield, only dodged. As Iron Knuckles take damage, more and more of their armor falls off. This increases their dexterity but leaves them more vulnerable to attacks. Interestingly, Link can pull himself towards an Iron Knuckle using the Hookshot or Longshot, transporting Link into its attack range, making both opponents vulnerable. Iron Knuckles generally start battles sitting down and not noticing Link's presence. When Link strikes one with his sword, however, it stands up and starts attacking.

Iron Knuckles appear several times, including three separate fights in the Spirit Temple. In the room before the battle with Twinrova, Link encounters a strange orange-hued Iron Knuckle. This Iron Knuckle has stronger armor than the two encountered previously. After defeating it, the plates of armor fall off the Iron Knuckle, revealing Nabooru as the one inside. Nabooru had been brainwashed by the witches, and thus forced to attack Link.

The final appearance of the Iron Knuckle is in Ganon's Castle. After Link destroys the Six Evil Barriers and enters the main tower inside the Castle, he comes across two Iron Knuckles, one black and one white. These can be battled separately if Link is careful to awaken only one at a time.

In Master Quest, Iron Knuckles appear as early as the Fire Temple, and are encountered in larger numbers throughout the dungeons where they originally appeared in Ocarina of Time.

Interestingly, if Link positions himself such that the camera moves just through an Iron Knuckle's helmet (and certain other pieces of armor), a Gerudo can be seen inside. These Gerudo are likely possessed by Koume and Kotake, just like Nabooru was. This theory is supported by their vacant, wide-eyed stare, shared by Nabooru when seen behind her Iron Knuckle helmet. It also is possible that the game designers used existing Gerudo 3D models as a template around which to base the Iron Knuckle design simply for convenience, and did not intend for Iron Knuckles to be seen as Gerudo. However, this seems unlikely, as the under-the-helmet appearance of regular Iron Knuckles is noticeably different from the mini-boss Iron Knuckle, Nabooru. If the game designers were opting for convenience, all Iron Knuckles would likely bear Nabooru's character model inside them.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Iron Knuckles are identical to those found in Ocarina of Time, although Link has a few new methods for combating them thanks to new items such as the masks. Their armor can only be damaged by sword strikes, Goron Link's punches and pounds, bombs or other explosives, and Light Arrows. After the first layer of armor is removed and the enemy picks up speed, it will be open to all forms of attack, though it is immune to the stunning effects of Deku Link's spin attack, Zora Link's electrical shield, and Deku Nuts.

Only three Iron Knuckles appear in the game, two of which can be found beneath Ikana Graveyard; a black one guards the stone where the "Song of Storms" is inscribed, while another, white-armored one, guards a Piece of Heart. The game's final Iron Knuckle, a gold one, can be found in the Hylian Moon Dungeon in the Moon. Only the first of these three must be defeated to complete the game.

Interestingly, a suit of golden Iron Knuckle armor is on display in the Curiosity Shop. Kafei, who lives in the Backroom of the Curiosity Shop, utilizes the armor's eye hole to spy on the shop in hopes of finding Sakon, who had stolen his Sun's Mask.

Like with Iron Knuckles in Ocarina of Time, a Gerudo can be seen inside the armor if the camera is positioned correctly. This is likely just a result of re-using the model from Ocarina of Time, and the Iron Knuckles in Majora's Mask may not be intended to be actual Gerudo.

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
An Iron Knuckle appears as a boss in Tykogi Tower. His stone minions appear to be the same ones controlled by Militron in Link: The Faces of Evil.