Summary
Because of its longevity,The Legend of Zeldahas a huge cast of characters, and some are remembered more often than others. While everyone is acquainted with the likes of Link, Zelda, or Ganondorf, many other great characters are unfairly ignored, andThe Great Deku Treeis one of them.
Introduced inOcarina of Time, The Great Deku Tree is a wise guardian who protects both the forests of Hyrule and its inhabitants. And while this endearing sentient tree eventually became one of the biggest icons in the franchise, there’s also a fair share of fascinating facts about him that most longtime fans may not be entirely aware of.
Interestingly enough,Ocarina of Timeintroduced the word “Deku” to theLegend ofZeldalexicon,with some prominent examples being Deku Scrubs, Deku Babas, and, of course, The Great Deku Tree himself. So inevitably, a lot of players kept wondering what this word meant and why it was used so frequently throughout the game.
“Deku” is a Japanese word that can have a lot of different meanings and applications but, in this particular case, it refers to a plain wooden doll. So, not only does it make sense to include “Deku” in the names of various wood-related creatures in Hyrule, but it also means The Great Deku Tree is the biggest and most important of them all.
2The Deku Tree Sprout Appears In The Wind Waker
It’s The Same Tree In Both Games
The first appearance of The Great Deku Tree was filled with tragedy, as he died at the beginning ofOcarina of Timebecause of the curse put on him by Ganondorf. However, later in the game, Link finds out that his successor, the Deku Tree Sprout, is already growing in the same ground in Kokiri Forest, which is quite a bittersweet conclusion.
The Wind Wakertakes place hundreds of years after the events ofOcarina of Time, and the incarnation of The Great Deku Tree from that game is actually the same little sprout that players had previously met inOcarina of Time. This used to be a popular fan theory for years, untilThe Legend of Zelda: Encyclopediaconfirmed that they are, in fact, the same character. And that’s quite endearing because it means that he managed to outlive his predecessor by a lot.
3His Underlings Have Completely Changed
The Switch From Kokiri To Koroks
In his initial introduction, The Great Deku Tree watched over Kokiri Forest and the Kokiri,a race of child-like beings that lived there, which was a big part of his identity. However, in every subsequent appearance, fromThe Wind WakertoBreath of the Wild, the Kokiri completely disappeared in favor of the Koroks, small wooden creatures with leaves on their faces.
At first, it seemed somewhat odd to replace The Great Deku Tree’s signature protégés, but this was explained inThe Wind Waker: The Kokiri transformed into the Koroks after the Great Flood, so they’re basically a different incarnation of the same race.Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomseem to be part of an entirely different timeline,but it can be theorized that the Koroks in those gameshave some sort of relation to the Kokiri as well.
Because of his immediate popularity, The Great Deku Tree would reappear inThe Wind Waker, a few years later. But after that, he completely disappeared from the mainline entries of the franchise, and it seemed like he was doomed to become one of manyLegend of Zeldacharacters who are relegated to appearing once or twice before fading into obscurity.
ButBreath of the Wildwas a sort of“soft reboot” that reused many characters and themes from previous installments, and The Great Deku Tree was fortunately one of them. This wise sentient tree and his Koroks had a very prominent role in this game, and they were also brought back for its sequel,Tears of the Kingdom. So The Great Deku Tree is now fondly remembered by modern audiences.
BeforeBreath of the Wild, the only other major appearance of The Great Deku Tree was in the 2014 action spin-off,Hyrule Warriors.This game is a love letter to the entire seriesand, as a result, features many playable characters from almost every single previous game. But sadly, the Great Deku Tree was relegated to being a part of one of the weapons.
When the new character Lana wields the Deku Spear, a bunch of Deku Tree Sprouts will assist her in battle. But, on top of that, she can also summon The Great Deku Tree himself for a devastating attack that can defeat a lot of enemies. While it may not seem like much, this was a fun cameo and the best use of this iconic character in over a decade.
The jump from 2D to 3D completely changedThe Legend of Zeldaseries, and it let Nintendo design a lot of new and interesting characters that would’ve been almost impossible to create in 2D. Unbeknownst to most fans, The Great Deku Tree is one of them, and he has mostly appeared in 3D adventures with full camera control, while he has barely appeared in the top-down style of games.
The only big, but fascinating, exception to this rule wasCadence of Hyrule, the rhythmic spin-off developed by the creators ofCrypt of the NecroDancer. However,the recent reveal trailer of the upcomingEchoes of Wisdomconfirmed that The Great Deku Tree will be featured in that game, meaning that he’ll finally appear in a top-downLegend of Zeldagame that was developed by Nintendo.
7He Will Have His Own LEGO Set
He’s Both A Character And A Location
Over the past few years, Nintendo has delved into the world of LEGObuilding sets that are based on their many IPs. As expected, they began withMario, but it was recently announced that they are collaborating with LEGO once again to release an officialLegend of Zeldaset,and The Great Deku Tree is the very first one they revealed.
Since he’s both a character and a location at the same time, it was a clever idea to use The Great Deku Tree as the basis for this upcoming LEGO set, especially because it will come with two of its most iconic iterations: from bothOcarina of TimeandBreath of the Wild. Not to mention that it features a lot of adorable easter eggs and nods that longtimeLegend of Zeldafans will certainly appreciate.
8The Weirdest Version Of The Great Deku Tree
He Also Appeared In One Of Tingle’s Bizarre Spin-Off Games
The Great Deku Tree is an old and wise figure who usually has the role of guardian and mentor for Link and many other characters. So it makes some sense as to why he has been used somewhat sparely throughout the series, as his archetype may not work in every singleLegend of Zeldatitle. However, this explanation is completely ruined by the fact thathe also popped up in one of the franchise’s craziest games.
The Great Deku Tree (and his heir) not only appears prominently inFreshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeelandalongside his offspring, but he also functions as one of the game’s dungeons, and he even dies afterward, parodying his initial role inOcarina of Time.He even has a brand-new design that is nothing like any of his previous incarnations, since he looks buff and intimidating this time around, instead of being old and wise.
