Moblin
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Moblins are a fictional breed of creatures in the Legend of Zelda series of videogames.
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Description
Moblins are pig- or bulldog-like monsters that often reside in forests. Few games break away from this generality. They most often carry Spears, but are known to carry Swords as well. There are few individual Moblins—the only Moblins that are part of their game's storyline are the Moblin King (Link's Awakening) and the Great Moblin (Oracle of Ages and Seasons).
Name confusion
Moblin was, at one point, believed to be Molblin (http://www.gannon-banned.com/images/site_images/gannon_banned_images/molbin.jpg), and sparking debates over the true title. It is generally accepted fact that Molblin was a mistranslation of Moblin by Nintendo of America. Nintendo of America is well known for their mistranslations, more well known for the infamous Gannon mistranslation, the Zola mistranslation and the Miyahon mistranslation.
Appearances
The appearances of Moblins vary slightly between games, but there is never one fixed style.
The Legend of Zelda
Moblins first appear in the original Legend of Zelda as spear-throwing pig monsters. They had two key varieties, orange and blue; blue are stronger than orange, as they require more hits to kill. They're most commonly found in forest areas. Their Spears can be blocked by Link's Shield. One orange Moblin hiding in a secret hideout gives you Rupees, and makes the infamous quote, "ITS A SECRET TO EVERYONE".
The Adventure of Link
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Later, in The Adventure of Link, Moblins come in many new forms. The top-down view of the original Zelda made them seem short and squat, while the sidescrolling view made them look tall and quite thin. The Moblins in this game are after Link, to use his blood to resurrect Ganon, who was previously vanquished by Link. Usually, they will come at Link with defenses up, throwing Spears, while others continue regenerating and coming at Link from both sides of the screen, stealing EXP whenever he touches him. Their Spears can be blocked by Link's Shield. Sometimes they appear as red Moblins, and sometimes as blue Moblins.
A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, Moblins can only be found in the Dark World, taking the place of the variously-colored soldiers in the Light World. While the Pig Soldiers appear to be Moblins, they are never referred to as such. The ones who are Moblins are the Spear-throwing ones, whose Spears can be blocked by Link's Shield. The ending added to the remake of this game implies that Moblins and Pig Soldiers are actually Ganon's only true Soldiers, and that the other enemies are not on his side. In its Satellaview direct sequel, BS Zelda: Kodai no Sekiban (The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tiles), there are no Moblins, on account of the fact that the Dark World is not present.
Link's Awakening
Link's Awakening marks the first time a Moblin ever used a sword. Moblins only appear in the Mysterious Forest and the Moblin Hideout, as Sword Moblins (always with shields as well). The Moblins with swords do not wander around aimlessly throwing spears like most of their race, but instead home in on the player like the guards in A Link to the Past. There is also a Boss named King Moblin, who kidnapped Madam Meow-Meow's Bow-Wow (a Chain Chomp from the Mario games).
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Moblins only appear in one area right before Saria's Hideout seven years after present time. All but one of them will charge at Link with a spear when they spot him; the last one guards the Forest Temple, and when Link approaches it, it will launch shockwaves from his club at Link. They are much bigger than any previous Moblins.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Moblins are one of the commonest enemies. They act exactly as they did in Link's Awakening. They come in red and blue variants; the variant Link sees is determined by either the current season (Seasons) or the current age (Ages). Red appear in the Present, and blue in the Past.
The Great Moblin
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The Great Moblin
The Great Moblin terrorizes the populace in Holodrum and Labrynna—however he is never in two places at once; he is always in the land of the game played first, and then when Link drives him out of that land he goes into the other land, where the player can further humiliate him if they follow him by playing a linked game using a password from the first. He will also recognise Link in that second land, whereas in the non-linked game he has never seen him before.
In Holodrum he builds his Moblin Keep (with warning signs all around it) and rules over the mountain and its inhabitants, preventing the Gorons from growing their famous Bomb Flowers—he makes the more traditional sort of bombs (by hand), so it is to be assumed that he wants to drive them out of business.
In Labrynna he builds another Moblin keep, but this one is very different and has cannons all around the walls. He stands on the wall shelling anyone who comes near. However his cannons fire bombs rather than cannonballs, so he is more an annoyance to Link rather than a real threat.
The Great Moblin and his henchmen are greedy, and always out to make a profit. In Labrynna (depending on the story strand) the player will find his minions surrounding Dimitri. They intend to sell him ("Bwee! I found somethin' weird! If we catch it and sell it, we'll be rich!!! And the Great Moblin will be very pleased!!!"). If Link wants to rescue Dimitri from this fate he has to pay them a total of 80 Rupees in exchange for him.
If the player is in Labrynna while playing a linked game, the Great Moblin kidnaps Princess Zelda, once again hoping to make a profit ("Such fine clothes... You must be a high-class girl! Rupees, jewels, everything! Give me your valuables!"). After a brief skirmish he flees back to the Moblin Keep.
After Link destroys the Labrynna Moblin Keep, he will not leave the land (like he does when his Keep in Holodrum is destroyed) but will instead move into an abandoned house in the south-eastern corner of Sunken City. There he and his minions make bombs, apparently to sell to get the funds to rebuild his Keep once more. If Link drops a bomb or an Ember Seed on this pile and then runs out the door, the house explodes, and the Great Moblin and his henchmen flee the smouldering ruins. However they soon return and rebuild the house (in a much shabbier state), and continue making bombs once more. Link can blow up this second house too, and they will flee yet again. The next time they rebuild, however, the moment Link ignites their pile of bombs the Great Moblin says, "Bwee-hee! So it was you! You'll pay!!! An eye for an eye!". They throw Link into the house and run away, and it explodes with him in it, killing him (and giving the player the save/continue menu as with any death).
Moblin Ring
In both games, the player can acquire a magical Ring that transforms Link into a Moblin. He cannot use any attacks in this form, but he is ignored by any Moblins (with the exception of the Great Moblin), and also cannot be eaten by Like Likes. Can only be found in the possession of Maple, or inside of a Gasha Nut.
The Wind Waker
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In The Wind Waker, Moblins are large, grey pig monsters who carry spears. They do not appear as often as they do in past games, on account of them being much more powerful than most types of Moblins. If they catch Link inside the Forsaken Fortress they will set him alight with their lanterns and throw him in a cell. They were the first enemies shown for this game, and upset many fans because of their comical nature, such as the floating in the air scene, after Link swung from a chandelier over a pit. The spears that the Moblins wield can be stolen from them by Link and wielded as a weapon, albeit a rather cumbersome one.
Bokoblins
Relatives of Moblins are Bokoblins, little pig imp creatures who are often found in Dungeons and all over the Great Seas, often on Rafts and Lookout Towers and in Submarines. Come in blue, green and pink. Often carry Telescopes, Swords and Wooden Staffs. Their attack style is to go straight-on, moving left and right waiting for a good time to strike, and often do jump attacks.
Miniblins
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Even smaller than Bokoblins, Miniblins are a sort of pygmy side species. They continue spawning until you leave the area. They're mostly found in Submarines and the Forsaken Fortress, but sometimes appear in the Overworld.
Nintendo Gallery
The Nintendo Gallery is a room on a tall island near Forest Haven. You have to take a colorized picture of a character or enemy and show it to the Figurine creator, and after a day passes in-game (skip to the next day with the Song of Passing), it will be made.
- Moblin (Forsaken Fortress): "These mighty enemies swing their long spears with the greatest of ease. They've knocked Link around with that attack countless times."
- Bokoblin (Forsaken Fortress): "These little imps wield sharp machetes and Boko sticks when attacking. If they have no weapon, they'll atempt to fight hand-to-hand."
- Miniblin (Forsaken Fortress): "These little beasts are quick and agile. They scurry along walls and gather in great numbers. You should deal with them individually so they don't surround you."
The Minish Cap
Moblins in The Minish Cap are virtually identical in appearance and actions to their The Wind Waker counterparts, although they never carry torches. They are equipped with either bows or spears. The bowmen will shoot Link on sight, while the spearmen charge at him in a straight line (they have no slashing attack whatsoever). They come in "flesh" and grey varieties, and often drop large amounts of Rupees when slain.
Figurines
Two Moblin Figurines appear in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
- Spear Moblin - Appears in Minish Woods, etc. They rush you on sight. They also block head-on attacks with their spears, so circle around to attack.
- Bow Moblin - Appears in various areas. They fire arrows at you on sight. Block these with your shield and then close in to attack.
Moblins in the cartoon series
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The Moblins in the DiC cartoon series had red eyes (like those in the original Zelda game) and a bulldog-like appearance. Their trademark stupidity led them to constantly foul up their master Ganon's plans. However they could still think for themselves, and at one point decided Ganon was so hopeless (Link always thwarted his schemes) that they were better off without him; they overthrew him and formed "The Brotherhood of Underworld Monsters", but in the end they weren't much more effective without their leader.
Moblins in the comics
As in the animated series, the comic-book Moblins are not intelligent, but even so have personalities (and can speak) that has not as a rule carried across to the games, although Moblins in The Wind Waker are known to speak and understand Hylian.