Giant's Knives are recurring Items in the The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2]
Location and Uses[]
Ocarina of Time[]
In order to obtain the Giant's Knife in Ocarina of Time, Link must open Medigoron's shop with his Bombs as a child. When spoken to as a child, Medigoron tells the young hero that he is working on "something really cool," but that it will take five to six years to complete.[3] When Link returns as an adult, the Giant's Knife will be finished,[4] and it may be purchased, but it is very expensive - at the cost of 200 Rupees.[5]
The Giant's Knife being obtained in Ocarina of Time
The Giant's Knife is a very large sword that looks identical to the Biggoron's Sword and shares the same raw power with double the strength of the Master Sword. However, due to the horrifically slow and cheap construction by Medigoron, the blade is extremely fragile in complete contrast to the Biggoron's Sword, and will entirely break off after just 8 hits or immediately if Link strikes a solid wall,[6] turning it into the "Broken Giant's Knife." Unlike a broken Deku Stick, however, the Broken Giant's Knife can still be used in combat, but its strength is severely reduced to only 1/4 its normal amount, consequently the same as the Kokiri Sword, and its reach will be drastically shorter. While wielding the Broken Giant's Knife, the Spin Attack cannot be used. The Giant's Knife can be replaced but will cost another 200 Rupees with the same problems.
The Giant's Knife can only be used by Link as an adult and must be held with two hands, thereby precluding the use of a Shield, even when broken.
With all of the aforementioned downsides, although powerful, the Giant's Knife is one of the most unreliable weapons in The Legend of Zelda series.
Other Appearances[]
Hyrule Warriors[]
The Giant's Knife appears as Impa's starting weapon in Hyrule Warriors. It does not resemble the Giant's Knife from Ocarina of Time, instead more resembling an actual giant-sized knife. It was crafted by the finest Goron smithy and is strenuous for other Hyruleans to use, despite its raw power.[7] It is obtained after completing the first chapter.
By pressing the Strong Attack button, Impa can dash into enemies.[8]
Trivia[]
- The Giant's Knife is tied with the Biggoron's Sword as the strongest weapon in Ocarina of Time, though its durability is at a major disadvantage in comparison.
- Strangely, if Link were to avoid ever obtaining a Giant's Knife and then were to instead skip to getting the Biggoron's Sword, Medigoron will still talk to Link as if he has a working, non-broken Giant's Knife even though it is in fact the Biggoron's Sword. This is likely due to the fact both weapons share the same model.
- Although the Broken Goron's Sword looks identical to a broken Giant's Knife and likewise have a similar name, this item cannot be used for combat, as it is meant for trading to Biggoron for himself to obtain the Prescription during the Trading Quest.
- Considering most real-world swords in the medieval era take about 2 weeks on average to make (5 hours to a day today), while the Giant's Knife took a staggeringly long 5 or 6 years, it is quite clear Medigoron is not very skilled as a blacksmith, as explained by his older brother.
- Ocarina of Time contains unused text for the Giant's Knife, meant to be displayed when it is exchanged for the Biggoron's Sword, provided that Link possesses the Giant's Knife. The final version makes no mention of the replacement, and instead the Giant's Knife text is simply discarded.[9] This text is used in Ocarina of Time 3D, however.
- The Giant's Knife, alongside with the Deku Stick, are the first items in the series that will break or wear down after regular use. It is succeeded by the Razor Sword in Majora's Mask, and the items Link can obtain in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
- The Decayed Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom is very similar to the broken Giant's Knife in that the sacred weapon indeed has its blade broken off by the Gloom, and consequently had bare minimum damage of 1 and drastically reduced reach.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | Japanese | 巨人のナイフ (Kyojin no Naifu) (OoT)[10] | Same as English. |
 | FrenchEU | Lame des Géants (OoT3D)[11] | Blade of the Giants |
 | German | Langschwert (HWDE)[12] | Longsword |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
The Broken Giant's Knife
The Giant's Knife easily breaking apart
The Giant's Knife Badge from Hyrule Warriors
Artwork of the Giant's Knife from Hyrule Warriors
The Giant's Knife as seen in-game from Hyrule Warriors
The Giant's Knife used by Impa from Hyrule Warriors
Giant's Knife icon from Hyrule Warriors
See Also[]
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 124 (OoT)
- ↑ "Giant's Knife" — Smithy (Hyrule Warriors) (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)
- ↑ "I'm working on something really cool right now! But I think it's going to take a while... If you can wait five or six years, it should be ready. OK?" — Medigoron (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "I just completed a small weapon. How about it..." — Medigoron (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "How about buying this knife for 200 Rupees?" — Medigoron (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "It looks like there is a problem with its durability... But still..." — Medigoron (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "A sword created by the finest Goron smithy who ever lived. It slices deep but requires immense strength to wield." — N/A (Hyrule Warriors)
- ↑ "Press the Strong Attack button to quickly dash into enemies!" — N/A (Hyrule Warriors)
- ↑ "You traded the Giant's Knife for the Biggoron's Sword! This blade was forged by a master smith and won't break!" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Shogakukan) pg. 148
- ↑ Encyclopedia (Les Éditions Soleil) pg. 131
- ↑ "Langschwert" — Smithy (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)