Deku Link

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Deku Link is one of the forms Link turns into in Majora's Mask.[1] Link is transformed into this form at the beginning of the game, and he can later transform at will by wearing the Deku Mask. It is one of four mask transformations in the game.

Transformation

Deku Link seeing his reflection

After stumbling through the Lost Woods in pursuit of the Skull Kid, Link falls through a large hole leading to the parallel world of Termina. At the end of the hole, Link finds Skull Kid wearing the Majora's Mask. He eerily laughs and transforms Link into a Deku Scrub.[2]Link tries to chase after the Skull Kid but is stopped by Tatl. He then leaves through the door along with Tatl catching up to him. She agrees to be his partner until they catch the Skull Kid. The Happy Mask Salesman later finds Link and informs him that he can be returned to his original form if the instrument stolen from him, the Ocarina of Time, is retrieved. Link accepts the quest and explores Clock Town over the course of three days and, after interacting with various townsfolk, manages to confront the Skull Kid atop the Clock Tower. He quickly uses a Bubble Blast to knock the Ocarina out of Skull Kid's hands, scoops it up, and begins to play. Link's Deku form causes the Ocarina of Time to appear as the Deku Pipes.[3] Undeterred, Link plays the "Song of Time" to travel back in time to the first day.

He then presents the recovered instrument to the Happy Mask Salesman, who teaches Link the "Song of Healing." The magical properties of this song ease Link's soul, and he returns to his human form. The eradication of the curse causes the Deku Mask to materialize, granting Link the ability to transform into a Deku Scrub at will when worn. Link then starts his quest to find a way to retrieve the Majora's Mask that is manipulating the Moon to crash into Termina.

Link's new form is required while he is exploring the Southern Swamp. With it, he can hop across the Poison Pool, infiltrate the Deku Palace, reveal the entrance to Woodfall Temple, and explore and conquer the temple itself.

Deku Link is the incarnation of the Deku Butler's Son, who was turned into a tree while hunting for mushrooms in the forest,[4] possibly as a curse by the possessed Skull Kid.[5][6]

Abilities

While in Deku Link form, Link gains many unique abilities which can be used to fight enemies and to solve puzzles. These abilities prove invaluable in several locations throughout Termina.

Water Hopping

Deku Link is incapable of swimming, and thus instead travels on the surface of bodies of water through a series of hops. He can bounce up to five times on a water's surface, with the fifth bounce significantly higher than the previous four. If Deku Link falls into the water after the fifth bounce, he will sink and reemerge back onto the ground. This ability prevents Deku Link from being damaged by Toxic Water or from being affected by the speed or direction of the current. This ability is primarily employed in areas with Toxic Water, such as the Southern Swamp and the Woodfall Temple. In Majora's Mask 3D, Deku Link requires extra speed to hop farther before performing a Spin Attack.

Unlike Link's normal form, Deku Link can stand on Link-Eating Plants.

Deku Flower flight

Deku Link using a Deku Flower

By burrowing into a Deku Flower, Deku Link can launch himself into the air in brief flight and drop Deku Nuts onto enemies.[7] The elevation and duration of the flight varies from flower to flower, though any flight can be extended if Deku Link passes through a powerful air stream. As well as granting Link access to previously inaccessible areas, launching from a Deku Flower is also a powerful attack move. This is necessary to defeat enemies such as Snappers, and can also be used to defeat the boss of the Woodfall Temple, Odolwa.

Bubble Blast

Main article: Bubble Blast

This power is granted to Deku Link after he restores the body of the Great Fairy in North Clock Town. It allows Link to release powerful bubbles at the expense of draining the Magic Meter.[8] This attack is useful in breaking airborne objects and defeating flying enemies. The disadvantage is that the range is inefficient compared to that of Arrows. In Majora's Mask 3D, a sight was added when going into first-person perspective. Also, the bubble does not burst if charged for too long, its charging time is decreased, and it travels faster in a straight line, making it more reliable to defeat some enemies.

Deku Link spinning

Spin Attack

By tapping the A-Button while moving, Deku Link will twirl on one foot at an accelerated pace. This spin can stun enemies and break weak objects such as pots, although it is rarely powerful enough to defeat an enemy. In Majora's Mask 3D, the tip of Deku Link's hat transforms into a root when using the Spin Attack.

Deku Shield

Deku Link possesses a unique Shield in the form of a large Deku Nut husk. It is similar to Goron Link's shield in that it renders Link immobile, but is also impervious to most attacks from any direction (excluding fire-based attacks). This defense is reminiscent of Young Link's attempt to use the Hylian Shield in Ocarina of Time.

Other Abilities

Due to Deku Link's small size, he is able to stand on Lily Pads without them sinking below him. This ability makes the exploration of Poison Pool in the Southern Swamp possible. However, this ability also makes it impossible for Deku Link to press down most Floor Switches. His small size also makes him too short to grab and climb onto most ledges.

As Deku Link is made of wood, he is especially vulnerable to fire-based attacks. Mere contact with a flame of any sort will typically be enough to instantly knock him out, and he reemerges from where he last entered the area.

Instrument

While in Deku form, Link's Ocarina of Time takes the form of the Deku Pipes. This instrument is known for its high volume.[9] It is required to play the "Sonata of Awakening" with maximum effect.

The Deku Pipes are primarily used to raise the Woodfall Temple from the swamp, granting access to it.

Other Appearances

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.

Deku Link appears as a Sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Sticker Artwork from Effect in The Subspace Emissary Usable by

Deku Link
Majora's Mask [Electric] - Resistance +5 All

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Deku Link appears as a Spirit with the ability, Fire Weakness, which makes a Fighter take more damage from Fire attacks..

Trivia

  • Toward the beginning of Majora's Mask, Deku Link briefly breaks the fourth wall when, incredulous at Tatl's sudden change of heart, he turns toward the player, shakes his head and shrugs.
  • Despite Link being left-handed, when Deku Link opens Treasure Chests, he lifts their contents with his right hand.
  • Deku Link is the only one of Link's transformations in the game (excluding the Fierce Deity Link) that cannot press down a floor switch, making his "Elegy of Emptiness" statue useless.
  • While thinking in an event for the Deku, Eiji Aonuma had a dream about being chased by one. The next day, Takumi Kawagoe showed him a movie he created for the Deku which was exactly as Aouma's dream.[10] This scene was later used when Link is transformed into a Deku by Skull Kid.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
LanguageNamesMeanings
Japan
Japanese
デクリンク (Deku Rinku) (SSBUSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate) 
The Republic of ChinaThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaThe Macao Special Administrative Region of China
ChineseTRTraditional
德庫林克 (Dékù Línkè) (SSBUSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate) 
The People's Republic of China
ChineseSISimplified
德库林克 (Dékù Línkè) (SSBUSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate) 
The Italian Republic
Italian
Link Deku (MMMajora's Mask)[11]Deku Link
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

References

  1. Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 187 (MMMajora's Mask)
  2. Hee, hee! Now, that's a good look for you! You'll stay here looking that way forever! — Skull Kid (Majora's Mask)
  3. Huh? When did you get that instrument?!? — Tatl (Majora's Mask)
  4. My son often used that mask to find mushrooms in the forest. — Deku Butler (Majora's Mask)
  5. It's strange, but the way you look right now sort of looks like this tree... — Tatl (Majora's Mask)
  6. Link's transformation into a Deku Scrub is caused by the spirit of a member of the Deku tribe that died in the forest connecting Hyrule and Termina. (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 112)
  7. All right, listen up! If you press and hold A Button as a Deku Scrub while standing on a Deku Flower, you can dive into it. If you wait a bit before releasing A Button, you'll launch out of the flower. Press A Button while flying to descend. — Tatl (Majora's Mask 3D)
  8. You've been granted Magic Power! In your current form, press (B) to shoot bubble blasts. Press and hold (B) to blow a big bubble. Release (B) to shoot it. Your Magic Power decreases when you shoot. Replenish it with Magic Jars and Potions. — N/A (Majora's Mask)
  9. Wait...You don't happen to have something that can make a lot of noise...like a loud instrument with sound that carries a long way? — Monkey (Majora's Mask)
  10. "I was thinking about an event for the Deku, and have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I thought of it at home, and Dekus appeared in my dream. I woke up screaming! I went to work the next day and that's when (Takumi) Kawagoe-san told me that he finished making a movie for the Dekus, so I had him show it to me....and that movie was exactly like my dream!" —Eiji Aonuma (Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.)
  11. L'arte di una leggenda, Magazzini Salani, pg. 187
    #207 - Link Deku — Primary Spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Italian version)