Tokay are a recurring species of short, reptilian creatures in The Legend of Zelda series.[1] Tokay go unnamed in the Oracle of Ages manga by Akira Himekawa.
Characteristics[]
Oracle of Ages[]
The Tokay have angular heads, gangly limbs, catlike appearances, clawed hands and feet, and orange crests. They are very strong swimmers. Tokay live in the caves of Crescent Island,[2] a large isle off the coast of Labrynna; their secretive lifestyle have made this species quite the topic of conversation on the Labrynna mainland.[3] In Oracle of Ages, a group of Tokay find Link's items washed up on their island and he must get them back using a barter economy the Tokay have established.[4][5][6] In terms of spirituality, the Tokay pray to and spread legends about their "Guardian", a large statue that sits at the center of the island.[7][8]
Unlike the buy-and-sell method of shopping, the Tokay have set up a barter economy; although they still do sell in the conventional sense, the price is not Rupees, but items, such as Mystery Seeds or Scent Seeds.[9][10] In the event that the prospective buyer cannot afford these items, a compromise can sometimes be met, where the buyer will exchange one of their items for the seller's.[11] However, the buyer cannot get anything new from the seller after this, and must trade back the item they took for their old item before getting anything new.[12]
Besides having set up this fairly elaborate economy, the Tokay are fairly simple, almost to the point of being stupid. Some Tokay have indicated they think three is a huge number.[13]
Other Appearances[]
Oracle of Ages (Himekawa)[]
A single Tokay briefly appears in Oracle of Ages (Himekawa). They are an older Tokay, distinguished by a beard and monocle, who runs a sort of antique shop in a city. It is here that Ralph finally finds the lost Harp of Ages that Link misplaced in the past, allowing him to rejoin Link and assist in freeing Nayru from Veran's influence.[14]
Trivia[]
- Like the Gorons, the Tokay's way of speaking in the Japanese version is decorated with part of the species' name, in this case トカ, added to their sentences.
- While the Tokay appear to be reptiles, one is depicted with hair in Oracle of Ages (Himekawa).
Nomenclature[]
The Japanese name for the Tokay race is トカゲ, or "Lizards". The Western name, "Tokay", is taken from the tokay gecko.
Names in Other Regions | |||
---|---|---|---|
Language | Name | Meaning | |
Japanese | トカゲ人 (Tokagejin) | Lizard Person |
Gallery[]
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 55
- ↑ "This is Crescent Island. I've never seen a Tokay like you. You have long ears. Are you a long-eared Tokay?" — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Do you know of the Tokay? I hear there's an island full of them across the sea!" — Man (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Hey! You're the one who I... Um, I'm glad you came. I was thinking maybe I should hide-- I mean maybe I should go give this back to you. Here!" — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "I found this by the sea. It was next to a Tokay with no tail. Hey! You don't have a tail, either. ...Ohh. Is this... Um, take this. I... I don't need it." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "First give me my hoop back. Then you get your Shovel." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Our guardian is at the center of the island. When the sun climbs high into the sky, the sea comes in and you can't get to him." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "It's said that long ago, a Tokay with no tail opened our guardian's mouth." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "I found that feather. You can have it for 10 Mystery Seeds." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "That's the hoop I found. I'll trade it for 10 Scent Seeds." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "You don't have Mystery Seeds? Then I'll trade you for your Shovel." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "I'll give you your Shovel back if you give me my hoop back." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "One, two, three! Is that a lot? I need to learn my numbers." — Tokay (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ Oracle of Ages (Himekawa) (Legendary Edition), VIZ Media, pg. 274