Mazura

Mazura,^{(SeriesThe Legend of Zelda Series | NWCNESNintendo World Championships: NES Edition)}^[2]^[3] also known as Horsehead,^{(TAoLThe Adventure of Link)}^[2] is the first Boss in The Adventure of Link. It is encountered in the penultimate chamber of the Parapa Palace, protecting the temple's statue. Mazura was created from a Horse by the King of Hyrule. ^[2]

Upon his defeat, like all bosses in the game, a key drops from above that allows Link to pass through into the final room that contains the Stone Statue to set the Crystal into.

In the Famicom Disk System version, a second Mazura appears as a miniboss in the Palace on the Sea, prior to a false wall. Defeating him gives Link a key, much like fighting him in Parapa Palace. In the NES version, he was replaced with a Blue Iron Knuckle, and the locked door after the false wall was removed.

Characteristics

The Adventure of Link

Mazura wields a mighty, spiked club and sports heavy armor around its entire body, except for the head. In this battle, Link must perform continuous jump slashes with his sword at the boss' weak skull; it is the only way to inflict damage. The boss' club is the most detrimental weapon Link encounters in the game thus far - in only a few blows, Link's health may be completely depleted. As such, Link is knocked back significantly harder and further when struck by Mazura's club, compared to distance Link is pushed away by other enemies' attacks. Mazura also attempts to slowly herd Link towards one side of the screen, giving Link little opportunity to escape while the boss bludgeons him with persistent blows. After a significant amount of hits, Mazura explodes and Link is provided 50 experience points.

Although it is not necessary to battle Mazura with anything other than the sword, use of the Shield magic will greatly reduce the damage dealt by Mazura's blows.

Other Appearances

Captain N: The Game Master

Non-Canon Information

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.

Horsehead appears in Captain N: The Game Master in the episode "Quest for the Potion of Power", under the name of Horsehead. He appears after Link takes the Golden Key in the Parapa Palace, revealing himself to be the guardian of the key.^[4] Link decides to fight Horsehead alone, but he is easily bested by the monster and loses his sword after one of the monster's attacks, leaving the young hero defenseless.^[5] Just as Horsehead is about to deliver a deadly blow to Link,^[6] Kevin rescues Link and defeats Horsehead instead by remembering his weakness: his head. Knowing so, Kevin shoots at the ceiling using his Zapper, causing the ceiling to collapse on top of Horsehead and thus dispose of the foe.^[7]

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition

Non-Canon Information

The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.

Mazura appears in the Speedrun Mode challenge "Neigh Slayer". He also appears in the pin for the "Neigh Slayer" challenge if it is completed at A Rank or higher.

Trivia

In the Japanese version of the game, Mazura roars during battle, similar to the bosses from The Legend of Zelda.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language	Names
Japanese	マズラ (Mazura)^[9]
French^EUEuropean	Horsehead^[10]
Italian	Horsehead^[8]
This table was generated from Zelda Wiki's translation data.

Gallery

Link facing Horsehead
Mazura attacking with his club
Horsehead from Captain N: The Game Master

References

↑ "He won't take any damage if he goes off the screen." — Nintendo Treehouse Plays Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition — Nintendo Switch, YouTube, Uploaded July 2, 2024
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 192
↑ Defeat Mazura. — Speedrun Mode (Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition)
↑ "Who dares to steal my Golden Key?" — Horsehead (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16)
↑ "You are too puny and weak for Horsehead." — Horsehead (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16)
↑ "Prepare to meet thy fate, intruder." — Horsehead (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16)
↑ "Sorry you had to eat dirt, pard, but I just remembered: Horsehead's only vulnerable in one spot - on his head." — Kevin (Captain N: The Game Master, Episode 16)
↑ Mira alla testa e sconfiggi Horsehead! (Aim for the head and defeat Horsehead!) — Level 5 (NES Remix 2, Italian version)
↑ Famicom Dojo of Victory 13—Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Kodansha, 1987, pg. 20
↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 186