Iron Knuckle (Boss)

Iron Knuckles are recurring Sub-Bosses in The Legend of Zelda series.^[1]

Characteristics[]

Iron Knuckles are large, heavily armored Gerudo warriors, armed with powerful, huge axes capable of inflicting four Hearts of damage to Link, making them among the most dangerous enemies in The Legend of Zelda series. Iron Knuckles wear a cloth tunic bearing Gerudo symbols in both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Though quite similar to Darknuts, Iron Knuckles are much less common across the series, and usually play the role of stoic guardians as opposed to the more aggressive behavior of a Darknut. The main difference, however, is that they do not share the Darknut's traditional weakness to attacks from behind. Like Armos, they first appear as harmless statues, but come to life upon being struck. These rare foes are dueling elites, incorporating some of the same swordplay techniques that Link does during battle to great effect. The deadly knights are also known for their unmatched defensive capabilities and long vitality, having the same amount of health as Shadow Temple's boss, Bongo Bongo. Their armor allows them to take many hits, but their slow movement leave them wide open to retaliation.^[2] The armor of Iron Knuckles can be damaged and removed with Sword swings, Bombs, Bombchus, or the Megaton Hammer. Once part of their armor is removed, they become enraged and start to run, but are then weak to Arrows, opening up the opportunity of long-range attacks.

Ocarina of Time[]

Navi's Comments

Iron Knuckle
Watch out for its axe attack! It hurts a lot! Strike when it drops its guard!

When fighting Nabooru as an Iron Knuckle

Iron Knuckle
Something's strange... This is not an ordinary enemy!

Iron Knuckles appear in the Spirit Temple and Ganon's Castle in Ocarina of Time, with five in total. They are Gerudo warriors covered in armor.^[3] The first one that Link encounters is found at the end of the Spirit Temple when Link is a child. After defeating this Iron Knuckle, Link can proceed outside to receive the Silver Gauntlets from a Treasure Chest. Once Link returns to the Spirit Temple as an adult, he will again encounter another Iron Knuckle in a mirrored room on the opposite side of the Spirit Temple. Once defeated, Link can proceed outside to receive the Mirror Shield from a Treasure Chest. A special Iron Knuckle also appears directly before the fight against Twinrova. However, this Iron Knuckle is actually Nabooru brainwashed by Twinrova to fight Link in Iron Knuckle armor.^[4] It has the ability to instantly counterattack in the event Link hits it from behind. After defeating Nabooru as an Iron Knuckle, Link can walk directly into the boss room. Link also encounters a pair of Iron Knuckles while ascending the tower of Ganon's Castle.

Two extra Iron Knuckles also appear in the Fire Temple, the Gerudo's Training Ground, and Ganon's Castle in Master Quest.

Majora's Mask[]

Tatl's Comments

Majora's Mask 3D

It's an Iron Knuckle. Stay away from its axe attack, then look for a chance to retaliate.

Majora's Mask

You know about the Iron Knuckle, right? Stay away from its ax attack, then look for a chance to retaliate.

Three Iron Knuckles appear in Majora's Mask. Two of them are found within the tombs of the Ikana Graveyard, with one on the First Day and one on the Second Day. One is guarding the resting place of Flat and the other is guarding a Piece of Heart. The third Iron Knuckle can be found in the Link Dungeon inside the Moon during the hide-and-seek game played by the Moon Child while Link is in his normal form. They are more aggressive than in Ocarina of Time, delivering faster ax swings and immediately counterattack whenever Link is behind the enemy (especially when their armor is removed), making them even more dangerous than before and giving the player little time to dodge their deadly attacks. Unlike in the game's prequel, Light Arrows are able to damage Iron Knuckles in full armor.

In addition, a golden suit of Iron Knuckle armor can be seen on display in the Curiosity Shop. It is used as a peep hole from the back room where Kafei spies on the Curiosity Shop's dealings. This empty Iron Knuckle suit uniquely wields a sword instead of an ax.

Spinoff appearances[]

The Wand of Gamelon[]

Non-Canon Information

An Iron Knuckle is the second boss in The Wand of Gamelon. He is located in Tykogi Tower, where he had imprisoned the residents of Sakado, including Mayor Cravendish and Harbanno the baker.^[5] After freeing Harbanno, Zelda confronts the Iron Knuckle atop the Tower. Upon his defeat, he breaks apart and reveals a beating Life Heart. Two Armos witness his death and quickly decide to leave. Zelda then rescues Mayor Cravendish shortly after. The Iron Knuckle's sole weakness is to the Power Glove, which defeats him in a single strike.

In other media[]

Ocarina of Time (Himekawa)[]

Non-Canon Information

An Iron Knuckle appears as one of Ganondorf's minions after Stallord reports to the King of Evil that Link has the Master Sword. Later, it tries to execute Ingo for failing to hand over Epona, but he is brainwashed by the Twinrova witches instead.

Trivia[]

Iron Knuckle Gerudo Face — The hidden Gerudo head inside an Iron Knuckle's helmet

If one clips the camera into any of the standard Iron Knuckles models' helmets in both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the head of a seemingly shocked Gerudo can be seen. This is actually a leftover of what was the head of Nabooru until it was changed later in development. This head was removed in the 3DS remakes in-game, but still exists in their model data files. Normally, with the exception of Nabooru as such in Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo head is never shown, as Iron Knuckles vanish upon being defeated. It is possible that Iron Knuckles were originally intended to be Gerudo Thieves brainwashed by Ganon or Twinrova against their will, similar to Nabooru herself.
A design from beta builds of Ocarina of Time suggests Iron Knuckles were originally going to be as how they first appeared in The Adventure of Link.
Strangely, despite Iron Knuckles are supposedly female Gerudos under the armor, they share the same deep masculine voice as Ganondorf (who himself ironically is such race). This also applies to Nabooru as such.
Although easily missed by some players, when Iron Knuckles take damage in full armor, despite continuing to move seemingly unaffected by the impact, the powerful foes can be heard grunting in pain.
A known strategy to defeat Iron Knuckles quickly, due to their normally slow movement, is to Jump Attack and then immediately backflip as the enemy swings its axe down to the ground, especially with stronger Swords such as the Biggoron's Sword or Great Fairy Sword. Some fans, however, have discouraged this tactic and view it as a cheap move, as it often takes away the challenge these rare foes provide.

Nomenclature[]

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	アイアンナック (Aian Nakku)	Iron Nakku
	Chinese^SI	铁甲武士 (Tiějiǎ Wǔshì)	Armored Warrior
	French	Hache-Viande	Meat Grinder
	French^CA	Poing de fer ^{(OoT3D \| MM3D)}
	German	Eisenprinz ^{(OoT \| MM)}	Iron Prince
	Italian	Guerriero d'acciaio ^{(OoT \| OoT3D \| MM \| MM3D)}	Iron Warrior
	Spanish	Nudillo de Hierro
	Spanish^LA	Nudillo de hierro ^{(OoT3D \| MM3D)}

Gallery[]

Artwork of Nabooru as an Iron Knuckle from Ocarina of Time
Nabooru as an Iron Knuckle
An early design of an Iron Knuckle from Ocarina of Time
The Iron Knuckle from the Link Dungeon after losing its first layer of armor from Majora's Mask 3D
An Iron Knuckle inside the first tomb of the Ikana Graveyard from Majora's Mask
An Iron Knuckle defeated by Link from Majora's Mask
The armor of an Iron Knuckle in the Curiosity Shop from Majora's Mask
An Iron Knuckle about to execute Ingo for his failure to give Epona to Ganondorf in the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Himekawa)

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 186 ^{(OoT | MM)}
↑ "You know about the Iron Knuckle, right? Stay away from its ax attack, then look for a chance to retaliate." — Tatl (Majora's Mask)
↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 214
↑ "By the way... I really messed up... I was brainwashed by those old witches and used by Ganondorf to do his evil will..." — Nabooru (Ocarina of Time)
↑ "Oh dear! It looks like everyone has been taken to Tykogi Tower!" — Impa (The Wand of Gamelon)