The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a game overflowing with heart and personality. The art style was the subject of controversy upon reveal, as many The Legend of Zelda fans were hoping Nintendo would continue the visual style of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Since then, however, Wind Waker has become one of the most beloved Zelda titles in the series.
Wind Waker tells the story of a Link living peacefully on Onset Island with his sister, Aryll, and their grandmother. After Aryll is kidnapped, Link must traverse the flooded world to save not only his sister but the world itself from the malicious Ganondorf. Standing in Link's way are imposing bosses that await him at the end of each of Wind Waker's seven dungeons. These bosses have an array of visual styles and gimmicks that are sure to test Link's mettle.
8 Being The First Boss Fight, Gohma Is Naturally Simple
Gohma is fought at the end of Dragon Roost Cavern and is the first boss of Wind Waker. Gohma may look very intimidating, even with Wind Waker's colorful art style, but the strategy to beat it is simple. The Gohma fight is separated into two phases. The first phase requires Link to use his Grappling Hook on Sky Spirit Valoo's tail, which can be seen at the ceiling of the boss arena.
Grappling across causes Valoo to drop a stone slab onto Gohma, breaking down its armor. This process must be repeated twice more to advance to the second phase. In the second phase, Gohma will slam down both of its claws and lean forward. A few swipes at Gohma's eye will be enough to end this easy boss fight.
7 Kalle Demos Can Actually Be Killed In One Hit
Kalle Demos is fought at the end of the Forbidden Woods and is the second boss of Wind Waker. Kalle Demos is a giant flower Link must beat to save the last missing child of the forest, Makar. Kalle Demos is similar to Barinade from Ocarina of Time in that the objective is to use the boomerang on its tentacles while avoiding attacks.
Once all the tentacles are cut, Kalle Demos will fall and its petals will open up, becoming vulnerable to damage. Link only has a limited about of time to do damage before the petals close, which can trap him and cause damage. Alternatively, if Link has Forest Water, simply pouring that on a grounded Kalle Demos will kill it in one hit. This, however, requires careful planning and awareness of this alternative method.
6 Jalhalla Is Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts
Jalhalla is fought at the end of the Earth Temple and is the fifth boss of Wind Waker. Jahalla is a large Poe made up of smaller Poes. Scattered across the boss area are lights that shine down from above. Link will need to reflect that light with his Mirror Shield to stun Jalhalla. Once Jalhalla is stunned, Link must pick Jalhalla up and throw it into one of the spiked pillars along the walls of the boss area.
Once Jalhalla hits one of those spiked pillars, it will split up into a group of smaller Poes. These Poes won't attack Link, but will instead run around in a panic. Jalhalla is defeated once Link defeats the last of the smaller Poes.
5 Link Can Finally Save His Sister By Defeating The Helmaroc King
The Helmaroc King is fought at the end of the Forsaken Fortress and is the fourth boss of Wind Waker. The fight against the Helmaroc King begins at the bottom of the fortress' central tower with water beginning to rise. For this portion, Link will need to ignore the Helmaroc King and any enemy in his path to scale to the top of the tower. The Helmaroc King will try to break wooden bridges along Link's path, and if Link falls he'll need to grapple his way back up. At the end of this winding ascent, the Helmaroc King will be waiting. Link will need to smack it in the face with the Skull Hammer to progress the fight.
For the second phase, the Helmaroc King will fly around the area. When it lands, Link needs to bait out a peck attack. When the attack misses the Helmaroc King will get stuck, allowing Link to hit it in the face again with the Skull Hammer. After a few hits like this, the Helmaroc King's mask will break. Now, when it's vulnerable after a peck attack, Link can hit it with the Master Sword to finish it off.
4 The Gohdan Fight Can Quickly Get Out Of Hand
Gohdan is fought at the end of the Tower of the Gods and is the third boss of Wind Waker. Gohdan is an ancient stone guardian and takes the form of a floating head and two floating hands. Each hand has an eye that serves as a weak point, and they can grab Link as well as push him off the boss platform. Gohdan's head will shoot bombs out of its mouth.
Link must shoot each of Gohdan's hands with his arrow to incapacitate them. This will lead Gohdan's head to open up its red eyes, which Link must also shoot. Once vulnerable, Link will need to throw a bomb in Gohdan's mouth to damage it. This process will need to be repeated twice more to finally defeat Gohdan.
3 Molgera Should've Kept Its Head Buried In The Sand
Molgera is fought at the end of the Wind Temple and is the sixth boss of Wind Waker. Molgera is a large sand snake boss that will occasionally fly across the boss area. Hitting Molgera is incredibly similar to damaging Morpha in Ocarina of Time. Molgera will partially emerge from the sands, exposing its mouth and tongue. Link must draw the tongue to him using the Hookshot then slash it with his sword.
The tricky aspect of this fight is that Molgera will summon enemies, which can be a nuisance. Eliminating those enemies, or drawing them away from Molgera, will provide Link an opening to continue damaging Molgera.
2 While An Easy Final Boss Fight, Ganondorf Is Still More Difficult Than Most Bosses In Wind Waker
The iconic villain Ganondorf is the final boss of Wind Waker. For the first phase of the fight, Link will need to stay on the defensive until Zelda hits Ganondorf with a Light Arrow, allowing Link to land a few strikes. Ganondorf will eventually knock Zelda out, leaving Link to fend for himself in the second phase. Ganondorf will perform a three-step move that ends with a leaping strike. A parry prompt will appear, allowing Link to parry the move and land a few strikes himself.
In the final phase, Zelda recovers and directs Link to deflect her Light Arrows with his shield into Ganondorf. Once Ganondorf is stunned, Link must run up and press the prompt to finish off Ganondorf and Wind Waker itself.
1 Puppet Ganon Ensures Link Cannot Have His Final Confrontation With Ganondorf With No Strings Attached
Puppet Ganon is fought at the end of Ganon's Tower and is the penultimate boss of Wind Waker. This boss is broken down into three phases, and each phase requires Link to hit the crystal ball at the end of its tail three times with Light Arrows. The first phase requires Link to cut Puppet Ganon's strings with the boomerang to access the crystal ball. In the second phase, Puppet Ganon becomes a spider-like creature that is lifted high up before being dropped onto the ground. Link will need to use the reflection from the floor to see where Puppet Ganon will land, and position himself right where the crystal ball will be.
In the final phase, Puppet Ganon harkens back to the infamous Moldorm boss fight from past Zelda titles by scurrying quickly around the boss area. Puppet Ganon will start to speed up every time it is hit. To make matters worse, Link will be chased by enemies throughout the fight. However, these can be killed to recharge magic.