Keese

The bat that phases through walls and swoops in to attack

A bat-like enemy that appears in the 'The Legend of Zelda' series. A small monster that performs surprise attacks by phasing through walls. Although it has low durability, it is fast and sometimes attacks in groups.

Trivia

  • Keese possess the special ability to phase through walls and attack, making them a threat within dungeons.
  • In addition to normal attacks, they can be defeated with a boomerang, making them a reliable enemy in the early game.
  • Defeating Vire causes it to split into multiple red Keese.
  • In Second Quest, color-variant black Keese also appear and can be identified by their color.
  • They drop no items whatsoever, and defeating them yields no rupees.

Alternate names

Keese Bat Small Bat

Tags

Profile

Species
Bat

Appearance

Overall appearance
A small bat primarily blue in color. It is characterized by flapping its wings and flying around. It can phase through walls and obstacles to move, so it can suddenly appear from any direction.
Eye color
Black
Distinguishing features
  • Small wings
  • Blue feathers
  • Body that phases through walls
Iconic items
  • None

Personality and abilities

Core personality
Aggressive
Detailed personality
Acts alone or in flocks, constantly targeting and attacking Link. It excels at surprise tactics with quick movements but has low attack and durability, making it poor at prolonged battles.
Keywords
  • Aggressive
  • Quick
  • Wall Phasing
  • Group Behavior
  • Low Durability
  • Ambush
Talents
  • Phases through walls
  • Flight
  • High mobility
Skills
  • Surprise attacks
  • Group assaults
  • Evasive maneuvers
Motivation
As an enemy, attack Link and hinder his progress.

History

Backstory
A species of enemy monster that inhabits the fields and dungeons of Hyrule. In complex dungeon structures, it phases through walls to appear and attack Link. While individual durability is low, it sometimes appears in large numbers as subordinates to powerful demons.
Debut date
February 21, 1986
Work title
The Legend of Zelda
Media type
Game

First Appearance

Significant event
First Appearance
Description
First appeared as a bat enemy character in 'The Legend of Zelda,' released in 1986.

Wall Phasing Ability

Significant event
Wall Phasing Ability
Description
Its characteristic attack method of phasing through walls to catch Link off guard brought a unique sense of tension to gameplay.

Red Keese (Vire's Split Bodies)

Significant event
Red Keese (Vire's Split Bodies)
Description
Red Keese that split from Vire upon its defeat appear, distinguished from the normal blue Keese.

Black Keese in Second Quest

Significant event
Black Keese in Second Quest
Description
In the high-difficulty mode 'Second Quest,' black Keese appear, differentiated by color.

Relationships

Vire

Rival

Vire is a demon that commands the Keese, and upon defeat, it splits into Keese.

Monster Horde

Monster Horde: grunt

Media appearances

The Legend of Zelda

Game / Supporting

1986 Family Computer Disk System

The Legend of Zelda Rich Man Version

Game / Supporting

2018 Family Computer Nintendo Switch Online

Family Computer Nintendo Switch Online

Game / Supporting

2018

Voice cast and creators

Shigeru Miyamoto

Creator name
Shigeru Miyamoto
Role
Original author

Takashi Tezuka

Creator name
Takashi Tezuka
Role
Character Designer

Toshihiko Nakago

Creator name
Toshihiko Nakago
Role
Programmer

Yasunari Soejima

Creator name
Yasunari Soejima
Role
Programmer

Koji Kondo

Creator name
Koji Kondo
Role
Music Composer

Hiroshi Yamauchi

Creator name
Hiroshi Yamauchi
Role
Producer

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