Skulltula

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Template:Enemy Skulltulas (pronounced /skʌltʃʌlə/ SKUL-chuh-lə)^[1] are recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda series.^[2]

Characteristics

File:Skulltula.png

Although the Skulltula's specific appearance varies from game to game, it is always depicted as a large spider with a skull-like abdomen. In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, these foes hang from the ceiling and surprise Link by dropping down and attacking him. If Link comes too close to them, they will spin around quickly, injuring him and tossing him backwards. Their hard, skull-shaped exoskeletons can deflect many attacks. They are however far from intelligent, and often leave their defenses open by exposing their soft underbellies when they briefly turn. The Bow can also pierce its armor instantly with an Arrow. A Hookshot can also be used to pierce their defenses, however it loses its efficiency in Majora's Mask. They are occasionally also invisible, and require the use of the Lens of Truth to be seen.

Twilight Princess incorporates larger Skulltulas that can crawl across the landscape, fighting Link one-to-one instead of keeping to their webs like in previous incarnations. White and orange varieties appear, with the orange kind only appearing in the Forest Temple. They are somewhat more intelligent than their previous incarnations, as they will actively block Link's frontal attacks and do not expose their underbellies. Link however can counterattack it when it rears back to attack; Link can slash back or dodge its bite attack and hit it while it recovers. Other strategies, such as using a Spin Attack followed by a Ending Blow, using a Shield Attack to knock the arachnid off balance, or use a Back Slice to circumvent its defenses entirely while attacking its abdomen, are also efficient.

Akin to the Ocarina of Time incarnation, the species seen in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks like to hang from a single strand of webbing, only after ambushing intruders. Other than that, these creatures do not have much offensive strategy. In the former, the spiders exist exclusively in dungeons, and in the latter, Link can encounter them only deep in the expanses of the Forest Realm while riding the Spirit Train. Only in Spirit Tracks do Skulltulas come in standardized colors: the rudimentary white form can be simply destroyed with one hit, while the stronger red version takes a couple strikes to dispel.

The variants seen in Skyward Sword will jump and hold onto Link if he is nearby and proceed to bite him until he breaks free. They also will constrict Link with silk shot from their mouths. While they are grounded, Link can swing upwards to flip them on their back. This exposes their underbelly, where they have a round, purple spot that Link can stab. They are often found clinging to webs or hanging on threads, which the Beetle can easily cut away, causing them to fall to the ground.

Varieties

Big Skulltula

Big Skulltulas are large species of the Skulltula. They are virtually the same as the normal variety, but are considerably larger and therefore have a wider range of attack. They are less common than their smaller varieties but can be defeated using the same tactics and can withstand and deal the same amount of damage. The primary difference between Big Skulltulas and regular Skulltulas is that the Big Skulltula descends from the ceiling to attack, while the regular Skulltula is constantly close to the ground.

Gold Skulltula

A special type of Skulltula that appears in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is the Gold Skulltula, which drop Gold Skulltula Tokens when defeated that can be traded for useful items. In Ocarina of Time, Link collects the Tokens to free a family from a curse. Once freed, the family will reward Link if he visits them in the House of Skulltula in Kakariko Village. In Majora's Mask, they can be found in both the Swamp Spider House and the Oceanside Spider House, which Link can also defeat to collect their Tokens for awards. They also appear in Hyrule Warriors, where they drop Illustration Pieces instead.

Walltula

A smaller version of the Skulltula, the Walltula, also exists. It usually clings to vines that Link must climb, and charges at him if it spots him. To advance, Link can either sneak past while their back is turned, or defeat them with any ranged weapon.

Other Appearances

Ambiguously Canon Information

Link's Crossbow Training

In Link's Crossbow Training, Skulltulas appear in the Skulltula Woods: Ranger level. They crawl on walls and hang on tree branches. Skulltulas attempt to attack Link when close by and can be taken out with two shots of the Crossbow.

Non-Canon Information

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Skulltulas appear as a Sticker.

Sticker	Artwork from	Effect in The Subspace Emissary	Usable by
Skulltula	Ocarina of Time	[Arm] - Attack +7	All

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, they appear as a Trophy.

#	Trophy		Appears in	Description	How to unlock
#			Appears in	Description	How to unlock
226		N/A	Ocarina of Time Ocarina of Time 3D	These spidery foes from The Legend of Zelda series have skull-like abdomens. In Ocarina of Time, there are 100 Gold Skulltulas to be found in Hyrule's towns and dungeons. Link can collect tokens by defeating them, and a man in Kakariko Village's House of Skulltula will happily trade rewards for the tokens.	Random
226	Skulltula		Ocarina of Time Ocarina of Time 3D		Random

Battle Quest

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Trivia

In Phantom Hourglass, the Cubus Sisters are deathly afraid of these spiders when walking with them on the Ghost Ship; their screams not only prevent them from progressing forward, but alert nearby Reaplings to Link's position.

Nomenclature

Skulltula is a portmanteau of "skull" and "tarantula."

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name
Language		Skulltula	Big Skulltula
	Japanese	スタルチュラ (Sutaruchura)	大スタルチュラ (Dai Sutaruchura)
	Chinese^SI	骷髅蜘蛛 (Kūlóu Zhīzhū)	大骷髅蜘蛛 (Dà Kūlóu Zhīzhū)
	French^CA	Skulltula	Grosse Skulltula
	German	Skulltula	Riesen-Skulltula
	Italian	Aracnula	Mega Aracnula
	Spanish^EU	Skulltula	Gran Skulltula
	Spanish^LA	Skulltula ^(OoT3D)	Superskulltula ^(OoT3D)