Duke Serkol to the rescue!
Nope! Unlike Moblins and Zoras, Darknuts have always been restricted to the role of non-talkative enemies.
So what do we know? Here's what:
In the first Zelda game, Darknuts were underworld enemies. Only in the BS Zelda remake they could be encountered on the overworld and only when Ganon shrouded the world in darkness.
Not counting LA (since it's just a dream), the Darknuts made their second appearence in the Oracle games. This time around, besides the standard sword and shield, some Darknuts would use nothing but javelins to attack you. A ball and chain guy also seems to have joined their ranks (but was never officially confirmed as being a Darknut himself... really though, what else would he be then?
He's also with them in FS and TMC).
Interestingly, the Oracle games are the only ones in which Darknuts can regularly be found in the wild, specifically on Talus Peak and around the Temple of Season's Ruins (together with Lynels, which has led some, myself included to think that it would be good to give them Lynel cavalry).
Mostly though, in every game they show up in, Darknuts seem to tendencially dwell within ruins left behind by other civilizations. Perhaps this could be the reason why in TWW, when we can finally unmask them, they are revealed to be jackal-like canines?
In Capcom's Oracles, they could be found within the Tarm Ruins and in the Sea of No Return (again with Lynels). This is interesting because the dungeon within the Sea of No Return has this boss guarding it:
Why is it interesting? Because in the later Capcom game The Minish Cap, the Darknuts could be found in the Wind Ruins, the boss of which was this guy:
That, together with the stylistic similarities between Tarm Ruins and the Wind Ruins (check the statues at the entrance of both), makes me think Capcom intended all these places to be related to the Wind Tribe... and by extension the Darknuts dwelling in them (having perhaps fought against the Wind Tribe until they flew to the sky?).
This Wind Tribe connection is of course speculation on my part, but there seems to be a solid connection between Darknuts and the Wind Sorcerer Vaati. Darknuts have appeared both in Four Swords and in the Dark Hyrule Castle conquered by Vaati (including the unique Black Knight).
In fact, the Dark Hyrule Castle even features Darknut statues! (Based on their FS sprite)
TWW also gave us some more lore about the Darknuts. Besides the aforementioned first look at their faces, we encounter Darknuts both in the conquered Hyrule Castle and within the Tower of the Gods (infiltrators sent to get in the hero's way?).
Most interestingly though, TWW heavily implies that the Darknuts are the primary responsible for the extermination of the Knights of Hyrule. It does this by having the Darknuts wear the insigna of defeated Hylian Knights as trophies (which Link collects as proof of his abilities).
And it of course introduced the Mighty Darknut rank.
Finally in TP we see the Darknuts without helmet again, but not completely unmasked. Their faces here seem to not have the big snout from TWW, but it could still be possible that they are dogs (until evidence of the contrary, right?).
A unique looking Darknut is encountered in the Temple of Time, while in other locations (again the conquered Hyrule Castle and the pit of trials or whatever it was called) we find for the first time ones that sport clubs.
That unique one in the Temple of Time is also fought in Link's Crossbow Training where it displays the uncanny ability to turn into bats. Odd.
Darknut symbology seems to incorporate snakes... make of that what you will (snakes have been present in the imagery of Gerudo, Twili and within the Water Temple as well as Lanayru's room in TP), and the unique one in TP has a sword that resembles the one shown off by Ganondorf in Smash Bros Melee.
And that's pretty much all!
Storyline discussion
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Attaxer
