Helmaroc King

This article is about the boss in The Wind Waker. For the enemy, see Kargarok.

Template:Boss The Helmaroc King is a recurring Boss in The Legend of Zelda series.^[1] His appearance is similar to a Kargarok.

Appearances

The Wind Waker

In The Wind Waker, the Helmaroc King resides in the Forsaken Fortress, and is a servant of Ganondorf.^[2] He is also the primary minion sent out by Ganondorf to search for Princess Zelda. He appears early on in the game, being shot out of the sky by Tetra's Pirate Crew while trying to capture their leader, Tetra. The Helmaroc King then drops Tetra and captures Link's sister, Aryll, mistaking her for the young pirate captain.^[3] It is later discovered that the Helmaroc King was bringing young girls with pointed ears to Ganondorf in an effort to find Princess Zelda,^[4] as Ganondorf wished to find the princess so that he could steal her piece of the Triforce.^[5] When Link travels to the Forsaken Fortress to save his sister, the Helmaroc King throws him into the sea at Ganondorf's command.

Later in the game, Link returns to the Fortress in an attempt to save Aryll once again. He successfully frees his sister and the other kidnapped girls while Tetra and her pirate crew distracts the giant bird.^[6] Link is then is attacked by the Helmaroc King once they have fled.

Characteristics

Helmarocbattle — The Helmaroc King chasing Link

At the beginning of the battle, the tower containing the prison cells is flooded. The Helmaroc King follows Link as he runs along the wall to avoid the rising water. While he does so, Link must avoid the bird and the enemies along the steps of the wall. Once he reached the top, the bird will swoop down and stand right in his way. Link must then use the Skull Hammer on his helm, making the Helmaroc King fall into the rising water, giving Link the chance to climb out of the flooding tower. At this point, the floor of the tower begins to close and the bird flies up out of the tower to challenge the hero. If Link falls off and into the water, he can get back up by using the Grappling Hook on the torches.

The Helmaroc King performs three attacks. During the first one, he lands on the ground, walks toward Link, and attempts to impale him with his beak. If he misses Link, his beak gets jammed in the floor. This gives Link the chance use the Hammer and drive it into the Helmaroc King's helm. This produces a large crack on the bird's helmet. The bird can also fly around the tower trying to run over Link by scratching his claws on the floor, as well as floating in the air and flapping his wings in an attempt to blow the hero into the spikes surrounding the arena.

After Link pounds the King's helm with the Hammer several times, it will crack and fall off. Once the bird's crest is exposed, he will become more frantic. The strategy is still the same, though, as Link must still wait until the bird tries to peck him with his beak. The main difference this time is that the Master Sword can be used to deal more damage. After repeating the pattern three times, the Helmaroc King flies up into the air and explodes into black and purple smoke, leaving a Heart Container.

Four Swords Adventures

In Four Swords Adventures, the Helmaroc King is a boss Link must face on The Mountain Path on Death Mountain. The Helmaroc King is designated to stop the Links from entering the Tower of Flames. This monstrous bird starts the battle by swooping down upon them two times, then attacking by dropping rocks upon the heroes. After that, the King repeats the process. In order to defeat him, the Links are required to daze the bird with their Bombs and then destroy the bird's mask. After the mask is destroyed, the Links can defeat him by using their Swords.

Non-Canon Appearances

Non-Canon Information

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Helmaroc King appears as a Trophy. Its description says that the Helmasaur King and the Helmaroc King are the same foe.

Trophy Information

#	Trophy	Significant Games	Description	How to unlock
219	Helmaroc King	The Wind Waker Four Swords Adventures	A monstrous bird that wears a mask. On orders from Ganondorf, he sets out in search of Zelda, capturing every pointy-eared little girl he can find. His weak point is the area directly under his mask. This fellow also appears in "A Link to the Past", but that version was more beastly and was called the Helmasaur King... He still wore a mask, of course.	Random

Hyrule Warriors Legends

In Hyrule Warriors Legends, the Helmaroc King appears as a Giant Boss in the Wind Waker Legend Mode Scenarios, "A New Disturbance" and "The Search for Cia". It also appears as a Giant Bosses in certain Adventure Mode maps that are exclusive to Hyrule Warriors Legends. Its weakness is the Hammer.

In "A New Disturbance", under the name Great Bird, the Helmaroc King leads the Great Bird's Forces, of which it is the only member. The Monster Forces, led by the Boss Blin, manage to drive it from its roost in the Forsaken Fortress, causing it to attack the Hyrulean Forces led by Link and Tetra in Windfall. Link and Tetra can force it to retreat by attacking it. The Helmaroc King acts as little more than a distraction, and it cannot be defeated as the main objective is to defeat the Boss Blin and the Monster Forces instead. After the defeat of Boss Blin and its Forces, Link spots the Helmaroc King in the sky and notices that it is carrying Tetra in its talons. Link rushes after the bird to save Tetra.

In "The Search for Cia", the Helmaroc King then roosts in the Gerudo Desert. While it is resting, Tetra manages to sneak away and seeks the aid of Lana and the Hyrulean Forces, who had entered the desert to close the Gate of Souls that opened there. Eventually, the Helmaroc King awakes and tries to recaptures Tetra. She calls Lana and the recently arrived Link to save her. Together they manage to destroy the Helmaroc King's mask, forcing it to retreat momentarily. However the bird soon returns, only to be killed by the combined might of Lana, Link and Tetra.

When defeated in battle, the Helmaroc King may occasionally drop its Plume as a silver Material, and rarely its Mask as a gold Material.

Trivia

The Helmaroc King and the Helmasaur King have the same name in Japanese, but they have different English names and official romanizations: the official Japanese website romanizes the Helmaroc King's Japanese name as "Zeeklock"^[7] whereas the Japanese ending of A Link to the Past romanizes the Helmasaur King's Japanese name as "Jeakrock".^{[citation needed]}
The Helmaroc Plume Treasure from Phantom Hourglass is a reference to the Helmaroc King, as the bird itself does not appear in this game.^[8]
The Helmaroc King, in the way that he kidnaps young girls with pointed ears, could be a reference to the mythical Thunderbird, a bird that is about the size of the Helmaroc King and who also kidnaps children.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	大怪鳥ジークロック	Great Monstrous Bird: Zeeklock
	French	Roi Cuirasse	Armor King
	German	Maskenkönig	Mask King
	Italian	Re Elmaroc, il rapace regale	Elmaroc King, the Royal Bird of Prey
	Spanish	Kranos	Helmet (Greek)

Gallery

The Helmaroc King from The Wind Waker
Helmaroc King Model.png

The Helmaroc King from The Wind Waker
Stained glass of Link fighting the Helmaroc King in The Wind Waker
The Helmaroc King flying by Outset Island in The Wind Waker
The Helmaroc King presenting Link to Ganondorf in The Wind Waker
The Helmaroc King throwing Link into the Great Sea in The Wind Waker
Link destroying the Helmaroc King's mask in The Wind Waker
The Helmaroc King unmasked in The Wind Waker
The Helmaroc King's image on the Sliding Puzzle from The Wind Waker
Link battling the Helmaroc King in The Wind Waker HD
FSA Helmaroc King.png

The Helmaroc King from Four Swords Adventures
The Helmaroc King attacking the Links in Four Swords Adventures
HWL Helmaroc King Artwork.png

Artwork of the Helmaroc King from Hyrule Warriors Legends
Helmaroc King Portrait from Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition
Helmaroc King Mini Map icon from Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition

References

↑ Template:Cite book
↑ "I suppose you saw him... The shadow that commands that monstrous bird... His name is...Ganon..." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
↑ "My point is that the bird mistook that poor girl for you, and that's why it grabbed her!" — Quill (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Haven't any of you heard word that young girls have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea? [...] Young girls with long ears like yours have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again." — Quill (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Ha! At long last, I have found you... Princess Zelda! [...] Tell me... If you are not Zelda, then why do you have this fragment of the Triforce?" — Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Do you even realize that we had to draw that monster bird off for you? It was about to come flying in here after you again!" — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ Template:Cite web
↑ "You got a Helmaroc Plume! It was dropped by the mythical Helmaroc!" — N/A (Phantom Hourglass)