Lizalfos

The Lizalfos race, as their name suggests, resemble bipedal Lizards with a long tail and a green hue to their skin. Their tongues are forked, and their mouths are filled with sharp teeth. They wear few if any clothes, usually only a loincloth and a few pieces of armor. They are about the same size and strength as an adult Hylian, and are considered an even match for one in a fair fight. Due to the fact that they are cold-blooded, and depend on their environment for heat, Lizalfos are known for their love of hot climates, and are therefore most commonly found either on the fiery slopes of Death Mountain, or scattered around in the region of the Gerudo Desert, as well as more temperate forests.

Lizalfos are remarkably nimble and swift, and very strong as well. However their exact strength varies between games. They are also easily known for their aggressiveness and brutality, making them perfect candidates for Ganon's forces. Most of them group together in small numbers, or even form small clans. They are considered a barbarian species, and not widely welcomed into settlements of other races.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
In Zelda II, Lizalfos came in three forms: Orange, Red, and Blue. All three carried a shield that they could move to parry Link's sword. Orange Lizalfos attacked with a spear similar to the Iron Knuckles, but a bit faster. Red Lizalfos attacked with a mace that could only hit high, but was unblockable by Link's shield, unless Link has cast the Reflect spell. Blue Lizalfos could throw their maces, and were arguably Link's most dangerous non-boss foe. They also wore black armor over their torsos.

In this game they showed to be the most organized forces in Ganon's arsenal, building several large wooden walls in choke points where Link would be forced to pass. Many of them would hide on the scaffolding behind this wall, and hurl down rocks upon the hero, safe from his blade while ground troops diverted his focus.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


In Ocarina of Time Lizolfos appeared in a few spots to harass Link. The hero fist encountered four of them as a child in Dodongo's Cavern, and two more later as an adult in the Spirit Temple. They appear much like they did in their first game, only they wore armor with a single shoulder pad, and armored loincloths. They each brandished a sword as well, and made high-pitched yips and cries.

They attacked in pairs and would "tag" out when one became too injured. They used their agility to leap over the hero's head, hoping to get a surprise attack off, or just slashing and stabbing at him. The also occasionally parry Link's attacks. The Lizalfos in this game were thin-skinned and could not take too much punishment before being killed.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
They returned in Twilight Princess and were notably different than their Ocarina of Time counterparts. They were slightly bulkier and darker scaled, and were often clad with thin leather armor and various tribal jewelry. They were typically armed with scimitar-like swords, squared bucklers, and axe-heads attached to the end of their tails. Some variants wore goat skull helmets and bone jewelry. The most dangerous were larger and wore heavy armor to protect them, being all but invulnerable save from the back.

They were persistent foes and appeared in a large variety of dungeons and overworld areas. They also were capable of taking much more damage than the OoT versions. They were light on their feet and used their swords and axes to damage Link, and their bucklers were often put to good use. Save for the armored varieties, they were still very susceptible to Link's special sword skills.

One particularly large Lizalfos appeared as a mini-boss in the surprisingly cold Snowpeak Ruins, called Darkhammer. It wielded the Ball and Chain as a weapon and was covered in protective armor.

Other species
The Lizalfos are probably related to a variety of other, similar, reptillian species. Lizalfos are commonly identified as being related to the Dinolfos, although this is easily debatable due to the lack of information between the two species. Dairas are also a likely relative, due to the similar appearance and their use of primitive weaponry.