Zelda franchise strategy guide/Enemies/ReDead

ReDeads are zombie-like undead beings that proliferate Hyrule in the Legend of Zelda series. They were introduced in Ocarina of Time. ReDeads were notable for being one of the more horrific elements featured in games such as Legend of Zelda, adding an unexpectedly dark element to the game.

Attacking
In Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker, ReDeads will let out a paralyzing shriek at any enemies that they face toward. If a ReDead hears prey near to itself, it will jump at it, wrapping its limbs around it, and drain its life force through its mouth. If the player is caught in their deathly embrace, they can only escape by wildly moving the control stick around to throw the ReDead off.

ReDeads can be defeated by most weapons, though they usually display an extreme weakness to light. To be specific, they will be paralyzed if caught in a shaft of light, either by reflecting light at them or summoning it with the "Sun's Song", while shooting a magical Light Arrow at them will destroy them in one hit. In all incarnations, they will crumple and fall to the ground when defeated, taking time to dissipate, unlike most enemies which immediately evaporate in a puff of smoke.

Appearance
In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, ReDeads appeared as depicted in the above image. They also could only sense the player through sound, so if the player moved quietly, he could maneuver around the ReDead without calling attention to himself. A similar enemy known as the Gibdo appeared, which differed from ReDead only in appearance, having the visage of an Egyptian mummy. Both enemies made low moaning sounds if the player entered a room they were in, even if they weren't attacking.

In The Wind Waker, ReDeads were more skeletal than their previous incarnations, and appeared as depicted to the right. Their scream was somewhat higher, and they could operate on sight. In general, however, they behaved much as their counterparts in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

ReDead Knights appear in Twilight Princess, and are very similar to the earlier ReDeads. Unlike ReDeads, though, they are fleshier, are partially wrapped in bandages, much larger, and carry a large broadsword. They also attack differently - like ReDeads, they will shriek to paralyze an opponent, but instead of the usual deadly embrace, they will slowly swing their huge sword at Link for a fair amount of damage. They can also cross quicksand easily in order to attack the player. Like ReDeads, they can be damaged with most weapons, though as light was not manipulatable in Twilight Princess, it is unknown if they share that traditional weakness.

Gibdos
Gibdos, undead creatures bearing the appearance of Egyptian mummies, also serve as enemies in the series.

Gibdos behave the same as ReDeads in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. In A Link to the Past and The Minish Cap, Gibdos will attempt to grab Link but will not shriek at him, while in The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons], they can only attack by running into him. Gibdos are also known for taking many hits to kill, as well as not being thrown back by Link's attacks, like most enemies are.

In all of its appearances besides The Legend of Zelda and Ocarina of Time, the Gibdos bandages can be burned away with some kind of fiery attack, revealing a different enemy underneath. In Majora's Mask, this enemy is the ReDead, while in all other incarnations, it is the Stalfos. In Majora's Mask, it is revealed that the Gibdos are sentient, as the player must don disguise and trade with them to pass through a small dungeon they are guarding.

Masks
In Ocarina of Time, the Spooky Mask resembles the wooden mask of the ReDead. According to the scientist at the Lakeside Laboratory, it was made of wood from a coffin.

In Majora's Mask the Gibdo Mask resembles the face of a Gibdo, and is obtained by healing a scientist that is becoming a Gibdo due to being bitten by one. Majora's Mask also includes the Captain's Hat and the Garo's Mask, modeled after other undead enemies. Wearing any of these three masks will render ReDeads and Gibdos harmless, even if they are attacked. These masks also allow Link to talk to Gibdos, and coax ReDeads to dance. A Gossip Stone in the Ikana Canyon reveals that the ReDeads dance because they were once members of the King of Ikana's dancing troupe.

Cameos
In the game Super Smash Bros. Melee, ReDeads from Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask are found as one of the minor enemies in crates or in Adventure Mode. They are slightly faster and do not make a shrieking sound, instead rushing towards and biting any player character they see.

Trivia
A comic strip from the popular webcomic VGCats once humorously commented on the method that ReDeads use to damage the player.