Tartnuck
A sturdy knight enemy clad in armor
An armored knight-type enemy character that appears in The Legend of Zelda (1986). It is characterized by its high defense that blocks all frontal attacks with its shield. Bomb-based tactics are effective, but it has no means of defense against attacks from behind. It has a behavior pattern of pursuing Link on the map.
Trivia
- All frontal attacks are blocked by the shield, producing a 'ching' sound.
- Only bombs can bypass the defense to deal damage.
- It engages in pursuit behavior, changing course toward Link when aligned on vertical or horizontal axes.
- Color variants exist, with the blue having higher attack power and durability than the red.
- Remains strongly in players' memories as one of the tough early Famicom enemies.
Alternate names
Tartnuck
Armored Knight
Tartnuck Knight
Profile
- Species
- Enemy Monster
Appearance
- Overall appearance
- Appearance of a knight wearing thick metal armor all over its body. There are two color variants: red or blue, with the blue having higher attack power and durability than the red. It deflects all frontal attacks with its shield, making it difficult to inflict damage with swords or arrows.
- Distinguishing features
-
- Heavy full-body armor
- Defends the front with a shield
- Red and blue color variants
- Iconic items
-
- Shield
- Sword
- Armor
- Bombs
Personality and abilities
- Core personality
- Defensive
- Detailed personality
- High durability and extremely high defense, blocking all frontal attacks with its shield, forcing players to struggle with direct assaults. It pursues Link and changes its direction to chase when aligned on the vertical or horizontal axis. It can be defeated by skillfully using bombs to attack from behind.
- Keywords
-
- High defense
- Hard armor
- Enemy
- Pursuit
- Bombs are a weakness
- Knight type
- Talents
-
- High defense
- Frontal attack resistance
- Enemy pursuit
- Skills
-
- Defense with shield
- Pursuit via direction changes
- Weakness to rear attacks
- Motivation
- To attack and hinder Link.
History
- Backstory
- A knight-type enemy belonging to the army of the great demon king Ganon, standing in Link's way across various places in Hyrule. Its powerful frontal defense demands strategic approaches from the player.
- Debut date
- February 21, 1986
- Work title
- The Legend of Zelda
- Media type
- Game
First Appearance
- Significant event
- First Appearance
- Description
- First appeared in the Famicom Disk System software The Legend of Zelda.
Role as an Enemy Character
- Significant event
- Role as an Enemy Character
- Description
- Blocks Link's progress with high defense that prevents all frontal attacks and pursuit behavior.
Relationships
Ganon
Minion
Blocks Link's path as one of the army forces
Ganon’s Army
Ganon’s Army: unknown
Media appearances
The Legend of Zelda
Game / Supporting
1986 Famicom Disk System
Voice cast and creators
Shigeru Miyamoto
- Creator name
- Shigeru Miyamoto
- Role
- Original author
Takashi Tezuka
- Creator name
- Takashi Tezuka
- Role
- Game Designer
Hiroshi Yamauchi
- Creator name
- Hiroshi Yamauchi
- Role
- Producer
Koji Kondo
- Creator name
- Koji Kondo
- Role
- Composer