Phantom

Phantom Guardians, commonly known simply as Phantoms, are recurring enemies in the The Legend of Zelda series. These heavily armored, massive enemies have near-impenetrable armor that cannot be overcome by traditional weapons. Until Link obtains the items required to defeat them outright, he must sneak around them, making sure to stay out of their field of view. If spotted, he must quickly run to the nearest Safe Zone, special areas that shield whatever is inside them from the eyes of Phantom Guardians. They may also be temporarily stunned with certain weapons, distracted by causing noise or disposed of by making them fall down trap doors. Interestingly, many of the Phantom's helmet has the same design as Phantom Ganon from ''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Guardians appear within the Temple of the Ocean King. If Link is hit by a Phantom Guardian, 30 seconds worth of Sand of Hours will be drained from his Phantom Hourglass and he will be returned to the entrance to the room he was in when attacked. Near the end of the game, Link obtains the Phantom Sword, the only known weapon powerful enough to kill them. Large boulders and pits are also effective against them. They can be stunned for a short period of time if Link uses the Bow to fire at the eyes on their backs, if he strikes at their weak points with a sword infused with the Spirit of Power, or if he strikes them with a charged Hammer.

There are a total of four types of Phantoms in the game, but only three types of Phantoms are found in Adventure Mode: the most common variety are blue Phantom Guardians, the slowest and most basic type. They are typically found in the earlier floors, or, in the later floors, standing in one spot guarding a switch or path. The red Swift Phantoms are more agile than blue Phantoms Guardian, and are therefore much more dangerous. Gold Phantoms are as slow as the blue Phantom Guardians, but if one spots Link, all Gold Phantoms on the current floor instantly teleport to Link's current location. These Phantoms carry axes instead of swords. The last type of Phantom in the game, Silver Phantoms, are found only in the game's Battle Mode. They are similar in appearance to blue Phantom Guardians, but have the agility of Swift Phantoms.

Interestingly, in the trailer for Phantom Hourglass, one can see a beta Phantom Guardian that is much skinnier than in the final release of the game. It is also a light yellow color, so these could possibly have been replaced by Gold Phantoms. They are also located where Blue Phantoms are found in the final release.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Phantom Guardians appear within the Tower of Spirits. There are three different varieties of Phantom Guardian in addition to the regular Phantom Guardians; Torch Phantoms, Warp Phantoms and Wrecker Phantoms. The normal variety of Phantom Guardian also appears in the 4-Player Battle Mode as a hindrance to other players. The spirit of Princess Zelda can possess the bodies of Phantom Guardians, allowing her to help Link while in the Tower of Spirits. When Link has gathered three Tears of Light, his sword is empowered, allowing him to hit a Phantom in the back, stunning it and allowing Zelda's spirit to control it. Phantom Guardians under the possession of Zelda feature pink eyes and a pink colored armor.

While in Phantom form, Zelda can aid Link in a multitude of ways; she can attack certain enemies, distracting them and allowing Link to slip by them and attack their weak points. While in Phantom form, Zelda is invulnerable to fire and can pass by flame traps without taking damage. Additionally, Phantom bodies can traverse lava pits, allowing Link to ride on their shields to safely cross the deadly lava, but only if he jumps onto Zelda from a platform. Phantom bodies are also invulnerable to electricity &mdash; at some points within the tower, Zelda must grab an electrified Boss Key and bring it to its lock while Link keeps Key Masters that seek to return the key to its pedestal, at bay. Zelda can also possess the bodies of Warp Phantoms, Torch Phantoms and Wrecker Phantoms, lending use of their powers along with the abilities of regular Phantom Guardians. Despite these formidable abilities, Zelda is paralyzed with fear whenever she comes close to rats, reflecting her fear of rats and other small creatures. Once they are defeated, she settles down and can be controlled again. She can also talk to and distract other Phantom Guardians, allowing Link to slip by unnoticed. Other Phantom Guardians may also reveal hints when talked to by Princess Zelda that aid Link with certain puzzles in the Tower of Spirits.