Editing Zora

'''Zoras''' are a recurring race from the ''[[Portal: The Legend of Zelda|The Legend of Zelda]]'' series. They are scaly, amphibious humanoids who are most adept in the water, and they sometimes have magical abilities. The Zoras are split into separate types of creatures: the hostile monsters present since the earliest games and the more peaceful mermen introduced in later games. The two types have only ever been seen together in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages]]'', where they are distinguished as being the River Zoras and Sea Zoras respectively. Though this choice of habitat is not accurate in other games, it is the only term used to distinguish them.

Sea Zoras are mostly benevolent inhabitants of the ocean. The ones most commonly seen have smooth-looking blue skin, but there have been ones with different colors and with appearances based on specific types of fish and other marine life, such as manta rays and whales. Some are built to be warriors, but others are portly and less mobile. The thinner Zoras are adept swimmers. Some can shoot out their fins as boomerang-like projectiles, and other Zoras can use magic power to surround themselves with a protective shield. These Zoras usually keep to themselves and are ashamed of the actions of the River Zoras, with whom they do not associate. They lay eggs when they reproduce, which hatch as tadpole-like creatures. Zora eggs hatch under very specific conditions within several days of being laid, as they are very temperature-sensitive and can only hatch with all the other eggs that were laid at the same time. Zoras have also been shown to have unusual rates of physical growth in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild]]'', as some Zoras do not receive their growth spurts until adulthood, which results in some Zoras resembling children while actually being adults. They seem to have long lifespans in general, with indications that they can live for hundreds of years.

The river Zoras are known for their violent and territorial natures. They have been found in the rivers and lakes of Hyrule, [[Koholint Island]], [[Labrynna]] and [[Holodrum]]. These Zoras simply popp out of their watery homes to spit fireballs at any passerby. In ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'', they are also found on the plains and caves where they crawl around on the ground on all fours. The River Zoras are hunched over and more menacing-looking then the elegant Sea Zoras. They are usually covered in green scales and have more fish-like faces. Some of them have a greedy nature, too, but in some games there have been shown to be less hostile Zoras among their ranks.

==Defeated Timeline==

In this timeline, Sea Zoras were absent from Hyrule-based games. Instead, it was River Zoras who were found throughout Hyrule in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|A Link Between Worlds]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' and ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]''. The River Zoras also had their own monarchy in some of these games and inhabited territory similar to where the Sea Zoras lived in other games.

In ''A Link to the Past'', the king of the River Zoras was found at a waterfall near the source of [[Zora's River]]. He sold [[Zora's flippers|flippers]] to Link and allowed him to use his waterways for 500 Rupees. However, he did nothing to dissuade any conflicts between Link and his subjects, who remained hostile towards the hero. River Zoras were also found at [[Koholint Island]] in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Link's Awakening]]'', and a non-hostile one was  hidden in a house in the Animal Village. That Zora could only be seen by using the Magnifying Lens. After the meeting, a picture was taken of the two to commemorate the event.

Both variations of Zoras have mostly been absent from games set in this timeline. That is because it was shown in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]'' that after the Great Flood, the Zoras evolved into a birdlike species known as the [[Rito]]. However, that game also showed that there had been a past Zora sage named [[Laruto]]. She hailed from Zora's Domain and became the Earth Sage, one of two sages whose prayers empowered the [[Master Sword]]. Although she was killed by Ganondorf, Laruto's ghost appeared at the Earth Temple seeking her successor, who turned out to be her Rito descendant [[Medli]].  

The Sea Zoras inhabited Zora's Domain in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild]]''. They were among Hyrule's races who were given one of the four [[Divine Beasts]], to be piloted by their own chosen [[Champions|Champion]]. The Zoras received the elephant-like [[Vah Ruta]]. During the game's timeframe, the Zoras were ruled by [[Dorephan|King Dorephan]], who had two children: [[Mipha]] and [[Sidon]]. Mipha was chosen to be the Zora Champion and piloted Vah Ruta, but she was killed after Ganon took control of Vah Ruta.

During the present time, most of the Zoras still mourned Mipha, and some of them blamed Link for her death. They faced trouble from the heavy rainfall caused by the corrupted Vah Ruta, which was based in the reservoir lake. However, Link was ultimately able to liberate Vah Ruta from Ganon's infection, and Mipha's spirit was able to regain control of it. In doing so, Link proved himself to the Zoras at the same time.

Ritos also notably appeared in ''Breath of the Wild''. However, they lived in a different part of Hyrule, and no indication was given as to there being any relation between the Zoras and the Ritos in this timeline.

* Following ''Wind Waker'''s example, Zoras were also absent from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|Phantom Hourglass]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|Spirit Tracks]]''. These games do have Ruto Crowns and (in the first game) Zora Scales as treasures, and there is also an enemy called the [[Geozard]] which is similar to a muscular version of the River Zora and is (most likely erroneously) referred to as a Zora Warrior by one of unofficial player's guides.

*While they do not appear in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes|Tri Force Heroes]]'', one of the available outfits is a Zora Costume which is based on the physical appearance of the River Zora. According to the Japanese website, the costume even contains the soul of a Zora. The Zora Scale also appears as a collectable material in the game.