Stalchild - Enemy Types - Darknut and Iron Knuckle

Darknut and Iron Knuckle

Darknuts are large armored soldiers that are commonly found in dungeons. These warriors are armed with swords and often carry shields as well. Unlike Iron Knuckles, Darknuts sometimes wear capes and tend to be only vulnerable from the back. In The Legend of Zelda, Darknuts are heavily armored soldiers that usually appear in large groups. They are not very aggressive, but difficult to attack due to their armor and erratic movement. They can be defeated by the sword or with bombs, and take multiple hits to defeat. They appear in blue and red; the blue ones take twice as many hits to defeat. In The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Darknuts are defeated by counterattacking and removing their armor. Their behavior then becomes much more aggressive. In Twilight Princess, they will throw their broadsword and draw a rapier with which to continue the fight.

Iron Knuckles are animated suits of armor that appear in The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. In The Adventure of Link, Iron Knuckles wield a sword and a shield, and can maneuver both of them. In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Iron Knuckles are axe-wielding juggernauts. Though strong, these Iron Knuckles are initially very slow. However, they become swifter as Link damages them and pieces of their armor fall off.

IGN called Darknuts an "infamous Zelda bad guy", describing it as "annoyingly relentless". They further stated that "There are few fights I anticipate more in a Zelda game than the inevitable clash with a Darknut", describing battling with them as "a thrill".