Helmaroc King

The Helmaroc King in The Wind Waker
Helmaroc King
Species	Kargaroc
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Helmaroc King is a massive bird of prey whom has served Ganon on several occasions. Despite his fierce appearance, his face is quite soft and vulnerable to attack. So he hides it behind a thick steel mask.

Background

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker, the Helmaroc King was cooped in the Forsaken Fortress. Ganondorf deployed the Helmaroc King to search across the Great Sea for young Hylian girls, as Ganondorf suspected that one of them could be the descendant of Princess Zelda. The Helmaroc King almost captured Tetra, who was Zelda's actual descendant, but he wound up snatching Link's sister Aryll instead. This caused Link to go on a voyage to the Forsaken Fortress in order to save her.

During their first confrontation, the Helmaroc King simply snatched Link up and, after presenting him to Ganondorf, flung him into the sea to die. But Link returned for a rematch later on, this time armed with a Skull Hammer and experience. Link and the bird battled fiercely atop the Forsaken Fortress until Link shattered the bird's mask with his hammer. Link then finished the bird off with his sword, causing the Helmaroc King to fly up and then explode above its former home.

Other Games

The Helmaroc King also appeared as a boss in Four Swords Adventures, in which he terrorized Death Mountain and the Gorons living there. The Links knocked the bird out of the sky with bombs, then attacked his mask with hammers while his head was stuck in a hut. After the mask was destroyed, they use their swords to finish off the bird, who once again combusted upon defeat.

Trivia

• Its name is similar to A Link to the Past's Helmasaur King- another giant monster protected by a steel mask that can only be shattered with a hammer.