River Zora

The River Zora, also known as the Zola (only appearing as Zola in The Legend of Zelda), is a reappearing enemy in the Legend of Zelda series. The River Zoras are a subspecies of the Zora race. This strain of Zora does not communicate with other races, nor does it appear to have any sort of society, and will attack Link on sight. They attack by popping out of the water and spewing a ball of energy at Link.

The Legend of Zelda
In the original Legend of Zelda, River Zora appeared in lakes as random monsters. Not too much was known about this race other than they took a disliking to humans. They are, supposedly, a separate species of Zora which came to be in later games. The fireballs that are shot by these creatures can only be blocked by a Magic Shield.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
River Zoras in Zelda II behaved much differently than other Zoras. They were land-dwelling and heavily armored, although they still attacked by shooting energy balls at Link. They occurred all over eastern Hyrule; in caves, deserts, roadways, and bridges. Primarily quadruple, they could stand up on their hind legs to shoot at Link. Their armor was strong enough to withstand sword attacks; the Fire Spell was necessary to defeat them. Even then, they were extremely tough, requiring three sword attacks at Link's full strength.

Although they were called Zora in the Japanese release of Zelda II, they were never officially named in the North American version of Zelda II. They are frequently unofficially referred to as "Basalisks".

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
River Zora play their largest role in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, when Link has to visit the King of the River Zora at the waterfall in the heart of River Zora territory. Though the King does aid Link in his quest, the normal River Zora continue to harass Link in the usual manner throughout the rest of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The River Zora of Koholint play the same role as in the original, however one friendly Zora can be found in the Animal Village. He can only be seen using the Magnifying Lens, and when talked to acts surprised that Link can see him, and will take a picture with Link in the DX version.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
River Zoras perform their usual antagonistic function in this game. In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages a Zora in the Zora Village provides the first link between the civilized Zora and the enemy River Zora, saying "Don't think us noble sea Zora the same as those savage, vulgar river Zora! You're in the wrong place if you want to complain about being attacked by a river Zora."

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, a River Zora can be spotted in a water hole in Kakariko Village. He is friendly, unlike other River Zora, and asks you to help him catch ten fish and put them in his mouth in sixty seconds. Also, some River Zora appear as random monsters in the Coast levels.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass they stand on two legs and have a sword and a shield. They attack with their swords and shoot fireballs. A good way to beat them is to stun them by hitting them with your boomerang on the back, then attack their back with your sword.

Behind the scenes
The name "Zola" is actually a transliteration error. In Japanese, the "r" and "l" sound are combined. There is no way to distinguish between the "r" and "l" sound. The standard way to transliterate this sound into Romaji (roman letters that stand for Japanese syllables) is with the "r," not the "l." Thus, names like "Lara" and "Zelda" become "Rara" and "Zeruda." In the original Legend of Zelda the Japanese word was clearly "Zora." The translators however put in the nonstandard "l" in place of the "r." The name "Zola" appears in no source other than the manual for The Legend of Zelda.