Zelda franchise strategy guide/Races/Zora

A Zora is a species from The Legend of Zelda series, found in varying forms. Notably, in many games Zora are either friendly or hostile depending on the game, rather then categorically friendly like the Rito or the Hylians.

Ocarina of Time
The Zoras in Ocarina of Time take a drastic turn from the ones in the earlier games (in which they were called 'Zola', 'Zora's Spawn' or 'river zora', depending upon the game). In those games, they were more monstrous, and breathed fire, while in the 3D games, they were humanoid, blue and scaley, with a more gentle look, and a decidedly more amiable disposition. Zoras primarily reside in the Zora's Domain, while some may appear in Lake Hylia. They can exist both in and out of water, but they work best in water. There are two Zora scales obtainable in Ocarina of Time; the Silver Scale, from the Zora in Zora's Domain as a reward for winning the diving minigame, and the Golden Scale, a reward for catching a giant fish.

Princess Ruto
Princess Ruto is a young Zora whose job it is to feed Jabu-Jabu. When Link arrived at Zora's Domain, she had mysteriously disappeared. Link finds a Letter in a Bottle from her, and gains access to Jabu-Jabu's Domain. He enters Jabu-Jabu's Belly through the means of feeding him a Fish, causing Link to be eaten as well. Ruto is found in his stomach, and she demands that Link carry her around and help her find the Zora's Sapphire she lost. She eventually is trapped by Big Octo, saved, and later trapped again by Barinade, the boss of the dungeon. Upon defeating him, Link gets a scolding from Ruto, and they leave Jabu-Jabu's stomach. She gives him the Zora's Sapphire, which, in the Zora ways, makes them engaged. Later, in the future, Ruto has blossomed into a woman, and encounters Link in the Water Temple, and reminds him that they were to be wed. Once Link defeats the temple boss, Morpha, Ruto realizes she is a Sage, and thus cannot marry Link, letting him off the hook.

King Zora XVI
King Zora is the King of all of the Zoras in the Zora's Domain. He is a large, rotund Zora, differing in appearance from the sleek, thin appearance of Zoras in general. He is the father of Princess Ruto. In the future, Zora's Domain is frozen over, and King Zora is encased in ice.

Majora's Mask
The Zoras remain, for the most part, exactly the same as the Zoras in Ocarina of Time. The only unique Zoras are the members of the Indigo-Gos. The only location that Zoras live in that you can visit is Zora Hall, located in the Great Bay. Most Zoras are found further out in sea, although the player can not go there.

Indigo-Go's
The Indigo-Go's are a band consisting of six Zoras.


 * Lulu - The lead member of the Indigo-Go's, who has a beautiful singing voice. Unfortunately, when her eggs were stolen by the Gerudo Pirates, she lost her voice, and cannot regain it unless she hears a certain song played on Mikau's guitar. Her voice awakens the Giant Turtle, which takes Link to the Great Bay Temple. She was modelled after the adult Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time
 * Mikau - The lead guitarist in the Indigo-Go's. Mikau is covered in many tattoos, which no other Zora seems to have.  Link first encounters Mikau when he sees the guitarist floating lifelessly in the ocean.  When Link brings the wounded Mikau to shore, Mikau gets to his feet and in a rather humorous manner, he tells Link what happened by playing a song and singing.  Afterwards, he collapses.  Link then plays the Song of Healing, sending Mikau's spirit off, leaving a Zora Mask behind, which allows Link to become a Zora.
 * Evan - Evan is the band leader, and the keyboardist, of the Indigo-Go's. He looks very different from any Zora, featuring more golden colored scales. He sent Mikau to retrieve Lulu's missing Eggs. Evan writes the songs for the band, and dislikes it when others write songs without his input. His scales may not be one-of-a-kind, as the Golden Scale is similar to his scales.
 * Japas - Japas is the bassist in the Indigo-go's. He is friends with Mikau, and has fins stylized in 'punk rock' hair. Uses a piece of a giant crustacian for the body of his bass guitar.
 * Tijo - The drummer of the Indigo-go's. He is somewhat larger than the average Zora, and has a large drum set. Knows a little bit about what's troubling Lulu. His drums are made up of large, puffed up fish. He looks more like a manta then a Zora.


 * Toto - Toto is the manager of the Indigo-go's. He is found at the Mayor's Office, trying to arrange the concert in Clock Town. He somewhat resembles King Zora in shape, but has a different face and is much smaller.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In Oracle of Ages, Zoras live in an underwater city, which Link can access after he has acquired the Mermaid Suit. In Present time, King Zora has perished, and Jabu-Jabu is a large fish, but without King Zora's consent, Link cannot enter Jabu-Jabu. In the Past, the king is gravely ill, and requires a Potion in order to survive. Link can get one from Syrup, Maple or a Gasha Nut, and once the king is given it, his health improves. Link asks King Zora to allow him entrance into Jabu-Jabu to get an Essence of Time, but Jabu-Jabu is too small. But Link can go into the future, and gain access to the mature Jabu-Jabu. Zoras only appear in Oracle of Seasons through a linked game, and will give you an item. There is also an old Zora far away from the Zora City, who will give you the Broken Sword in exchange for a Sea Ukulele. The Oracle games are the only two games to feature both friendly and hostile Zoras.

The Wind Waker
Zoras are supposedly extinct in The Wind Waker, but the accepted theory is that the Ritos are evolutions of Zoras. This theory came to light on account of the fact that Medli is the descendant of an ancient Sage, Laruto, who is a Zora. Ritos are bird people, who gain their wings through acquiring a scale from Valoo.

Evolution
It is possible that the Zoras have evolved into a bird-like race in The Wind Waker. This half-bird, half-human race known as Ritos make multiple references to the Zoras. The most convincing is the fact that Medli shares the bloodline of the Zora Earth Sage Laruto. Also, we see the symbol of the Zora Sapphire (which is used as the Zora's royal family symbol) in multiple places on the Ritos' home of Dragon Roost Isle. It is unknown why this change would have occurred since the Zoras in Oracle of Ages have been shown to be able to live in the sea off the coast of the island of Labrynna; however, unlike the Great Sea, the Zoras seemed to be living in a controlled environment without interruption from other sea dwellers. Regardless, the name similarity between "Rito" and "Princess Ruto" indicates strong evidence for this possibility. Another piece of strong evidence is the fact that besides the Hylian Royal Family, there are no other races that use the title Prince/Princess other then the Zora, and in Wind Waker, the Rito are the only ones left who use that title.

On the other hand, it is also possible that the Great Sea, once sunken, reverted Ritos to an aquatic state once again. It is also implied that the home of the Zoras in The Wind Waker is actually at Great Fish Island which was the home of the Great Jabun (who speaks ancient Hylian and whose name is an obvious reference to Jabu Jabu) and was home to some race before the island was destroyed by Ganon. The dragon that lives atop Dragon Roost Isle, the volcano, the appearance of bomb rocks, and the red stone that the player acquires there is a bigger reference to the Goron area of Ocarina of Time than the Zora area. Yet it could have been that in desperation, after the great floods the Zora's nation was destroyed by Seahats and such, and that they used grappling hooks to get to new lands. The dragon on dragonroost island gave the zoras scales, meaning they were Magically transformed, not naturally evolved.

It must be taken into account however that Zoras still exist in The Legend of Zelda as enemies, although the game seems to take place after Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker; the manual, however, lists these enemies as Zolas, and it is unknown whether these two names truly denote two separate races or species or they are the same and the spelling is a result of confusion in the Japanese language of the l and r sounds in the Japanese phonology. An evolutionary offshoot or a hybrid is more likely than the prospect of an entire population taking this evolutionary course, especially considering that the Zoras in Oracle of Ages denote a difference between the "noble sea Zoras" and the "savage, vulgar river Zoras."

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Zoras appear as enemies, acting exactly as past Zoras. However, there are also Zoras that are similar to the ones in Ocarina of Time in Oracles of Ages. In that game, the more gentle Zoras make a distinction between them and the monstrous Zoras, claiming that they are river Zoras as opposed to noble sea Zoras.

The Legend of Zelda
In The Legend of Zelda, Zoras were mistranslated as Zolas, and even now, people interpret Zolas as different from Zoras. Zoras are water-dwelling fish monsters that shoot fireballs at Link. The fireballs are only blockable by a Magic Shield. They dive down into the water and come back up to attack passersby.

A Link to the Past
Zoras (called Zora's Spawn here) appear all over Hyrule. They act almost exactly as the Zoras in the original Zelda act, but look more advanced. This is the first Zelda to feature a unique Zora (the only creature in the game to actually go by the name 'Zora'), who lives beneath a waterfall. He offers to sell you Flippers for 500 Rupees. In BS The Legend of Zelda: Stone Tablets of Antiquity, he's actually called King Zora, and at certain times in a certain week, he will offer them to you for 300 Rupees. He also gives Link the ability to use the warping Whirlpools in both the Light World and Dark World. This is the first and only game to have the enemy Zoras able to jump high in the air and walk on land and shallow water. Often give Bombs. In the Dark World, Zoras take the shape of a strange, one-eyed fish.

Link's Awakening
Zoras only appear as enemies, with the exception of an invisible Zora, who is only viewable with a Magnifying Lens in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. Talking to him gets the Photographer Mouse to take a picture of Link and the Zora, which is printable with the Game Boy Printer.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Zoras appear as enemies, acting exactly as past Zoras. However, there are also Zoras that are similar to the ones in Ocarina of Time in Oracles of Ages. In that game, the more gentle Zoras make a distinction between them and the monstrous Zoras, claiming that they are river Zoras as opposed to noble sea Zoras.