Template:Character Daruk (pronounced /dəˈruːk/ də-ROOK)[1] is a character in Breath of the Wild.
Biography
Daruk was the warrior Goron Champion, one of the appointed members tasked with piloting the Divine Beasts in the war against Calamity Ganon 100 years ago. He was the pilot of the Divine Beast Vah Rudania.[2] He was described as being generally calm, but becomes wildly excitable in battle.[3] He possessed the ability known as Daruk's Protection, a red crystal sphere barrier that can deflect any attack or incoming damage to the user.[4] Daruk was ultimately killed when Calamity Ganon corrupted and seized control of the Divine Beasts, pitting him against a monstrosity known as Fireblight Ganon.[5] His legacy is kept alive by the Goron people, who have a stone statue in his likeness overlooking Goron City.[6]
In life, Daruk was a friend to Link. In Link's earliest Memory, Daruk and the other Champions were gathered as Princess Zelda led a ceremony in appointing Link as her knight. Daruk remarks how discouraging the presentation sounds,[7] prompting a quip from Revali that the ceremony was Daruk's idea.[8]
In another Memory, Daruk and Link were aboard the Divine Beast Vah Rudania as Daruk drove it over the mountains. Together they survey the mountains, which Daruk swears to protect with his life.[9] A rock slide then suddenly interrupts them, and Daruk shields Link by using Daruk's Protection. The event causes some concern for Daruk about the state of Death Mountain.[10]
Daruk was also present with the other Champions at the base of Mount Lanayru, as they waited for Zelda's and Link's return. Daruk asks Zelda if she had any luck with praying at the Spring there,[11] but is visibly disappointed to hear there were no answers. The group is then suddenly interrupted by the re-emergence of Calamity Ganon. Daruk then takes command as he tells the other Champions to return to their Divine Beasts, and for Link to head to Hyrule Castle.[12]
100 years later in the present, Link boards the Divine Beast Vah Rudania to free it from Ganon's influence, which he was able to reach with the help of Yunobo, the descendant of Daruk.[13] As Link activates the first Guidance Stone there, he hears the voice of Daruk's spirit guiding him to the next Terminal that will give him a Map of the Divine Beast.[14] Upon activating it, Daruk then instructs the hero to find the remaining five Terminals inside and on the Divine Beast,[15] before finally guiding him to its Main Control Unit.[16] As Link approaches the Unit, he engages with Fireblight Ganon, and Daruk helps guide him through the resulting battle.
After Link defeats Fireblight Ganon and regains control of Vah Rudania, Daruk appears before him as a spirit. He thanks the hero for setting his spirit free,[17] but apologizes as he feels responsible for Hyrule falling in ruin.[18] Daruk, however, is confident that with Vah Rudania under their control, they can finally resume their plan to defeat Calamity Ganon.[19] Daruk also gives Link the ability to use Daruk's Protection,[4] before bidding him farewell as Link is warped out. Daruk then drives Vah Rudania to the top of Death Mountain, where he takes aim at Hyrule Castle in preparation to attack Calamity Ganon.[20] There he surveys Hyrule and wonders how the Gorons have fared since the Great Calamity.[21] It is then that he notices Yunobo staring back at him, reassuring him of the well-being of his people.[22] The two Gorons then wave to each other.
Daruk's spirit again appears whenever Link uses Daruk's Protection, blocking any attack while active. His voice will also inform Link when the ability has finished recharging.
Daruk once wielded a heavy sword called the Boulder Breaker in life. This sword is now with Bludo, who entrusts it to Link in gratitude for stopping Vah Rudania's attack.[23]
Etymology
 Names in Other Regions 
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
  |
EnglishUK | Daruk | |
 |
Japanese | ダルケル (Darukeru) | |
 |
Dutch | Daruk | Same as English |
 |
Italian | Daruk | Same as English |
 |
SpanishLA | Daruk | Same as English |
Gallery
Daruk's introduction
Daruk with the other Champions and King Rhoam
- BotW Daruk's Protection Counter.jpg
Daruk's spirit countering an enemy hitting Link's Daruk's Protection
- BotW Daruk Concept Art.jpg
Concept art of Daruk
References
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ "The Divine Beast Vah Rudania, controlled by Daruk of the Gorons." — Impa (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "I wanna give you something. It's a special power of mine called Daruk's Protection. It's no good to me now that I'm a spirit... but it might be useful for you." — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Watch yourself now! That ugly pain in the crag is Ganon's handiwork. Thing got the best of me a hundred years ago." — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "See that statue up there? That's Daruk!" — Bludo (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Gee, this is uplifting... She's making it sound like we already lost." — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Wasn't this your idea? You're the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster!" — Revali (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Speaking of which, can you believe this view? Just look at all those delectable rocks sprinkled on those mountains... Mighty tasty. I may not know a whole lot about this Calamity Ganon thing... but mark my words, I'll protect this land of ours to the death!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "That was a little strange... As far as I know, Death Mountain has been quiet for decades. But if the mountain is shivering enough to send down a bunch of boulders that size, then— Never mind. Forget I said anything." — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Let's stop wasting time! We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down! Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault! Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDescendant - ↑ "Hey, little guy! Long time no see. I always knew you'd come back. Y'know, I never stopped believing in you! You're here to take control of ol' Rudania back from Ganon, eh? You're gonna need a map that shows the guts of this place. You can grab the info from the Guidance Stone over there. Now get a move on!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Nice job getting the map of the Divine Beast! The terminals that control Rudania are noted by the glowing points on your map. To take back Rudania, you'll need to activate all of the terminals. You got this, little guy!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Nice! That was the last terminal! Now go ahead and start up the main control unit! There should be a new glowing mark on your map. You're gonna need to make your way over to that. Stay focused, little guy!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "I owe you big for this. Because of you, my spirit is finally free. Can't thank you enough!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "I feel like I should apologize. I was doing all I could to protect Hyrule when that thing got the best of me. Sorry that me resting with the rubble caused such a mess." — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "The good news is, Rudania is now back under our control! That means that our century-old Ganon beat-down plan can finally go into effect!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Well, that oughta do it! We're set here, now we just gotta wait for the perfect shot. Once Link is in the castle, Rudania will unleash an epic blast. Ganon won't know what hit 'im!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hyrule looks pretty good from up here... even after a hundred years. The ol' rolling grounds sure are a sight for sore eyes. I wonder how the Gorons fared after the Great Calamity. I sure hope everyone down there is still going strong after every—" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hey! Well look at that! Still going strong, indeed!" — Daruk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "...Oh, right! I've still gotta thank you, brother! There's some treasure in my house. Grab it. Keep it. It's yours. It's a sharp blade that Daruk himself once wielded. I'm sure you'll be able to make good use out of it!" — Bludo (Breath of the Wild)