Summary
- The Great Deku Tree is a significant but often overlooked character in the Legend of Zelda franchise.
- His name "Deku" refers to a plain wooden doll in Japanese, tying into his identity as a guardian.
- From appearing in Hyrule Warriors to getting his own LEGO set, the Great Deku Tree stays relevant.
Because of its longevity, The Legend of Zelda has 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, and The Great Deku Tree is one of them.
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Introduced in Ocarina 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.
1 The Meaning Behind His Name
Why Is He The Great “Deku” Tree?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Released
- November 21, 1998
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 64, GameCube
Interestingly enough, Ocarina of Time introduced the word “Deku” to the Legend of Zelda lexicon, 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.
2 The Deku Tree Sprout Appears In The Wind Waker
It’s The Same Tree In Both Games
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The first appearance of The Great Deku Tree was filled with tragedy, as he died at the beginning of Ocarina of Time because 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 Waker takes place hundreds of years after the events of Ocarina of Time, and the incarnation of The Great Deku Tree from that game is actually the same little sprout that players had previously met in Ocarina of Time. This used to be a popular fan theory for years, until The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia confirmed 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.
3 His 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, from The Wind Waker to Breath of the Wild, the Kokiri completely disappeared in favor of the Koroks, small wooden creatures with leaves on their faces.
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At first, it seemed somewhat odd to replace The Great Deku Tree’s signature protégés, but this was explained in The 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 Wild and Tears of the Kingdom seem to be part of an entirely different timeline, but it can be theorized that the Koroks in those games have some sort of relation to the Kokiri as well.
4 Breath Of The Wild Marked His Long-awaited Comeback
He Didn’t Appear In Over 14 Years
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
Because of his immediate popularity, The Great Deku Tree would reappear in The 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 many Legend of Zelda characters who are relegated to appearing once or twice before fading into obscurity.
But Breath of the Wild was 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.
5 He Is A Weapon In Hyrule Warriors
He Was A Big Part Of Lana’s Arsenal
Hyrule Warriors
- Released
- September 26, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja, Omega Force
- Platform(s)
- Switch, Nintendo Wii U
- Genre(s)
- Action
Before Breath 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 series and, 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.
6 His Few Appearances In Top-Down Legend Of Zelda Games
A 3D Character That Was Brought Into The 2D Realm
Cadence of Hyrule
The jump from 2D to 3D completely changed The Legend of Zelda series, 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 was Cadence of Hyrule, the rhythmic spin-off developed by the creators of Crypt of the NecroDancer. However, the recent reveal trailer of the upcoming Echoes of Wisdom confirmed that The Great Deku Tree will be featured in that game, meaning that he’ll finally appear in a top-down Legend of Zelda game that was developed by Nintendo.
7 He 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 LEGO building sets that are based on their many IPs. As expected, they began with Mario, but it was recently announced that they are collaborating with LEGO once again to release an official Legend of Zelda set, 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 both Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild. Not to mention that it features a lot of adorable easter eggs and nods that longtime Legend of Zelda fans will certainly appreciate.
8 The 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 single Legend of Zelda title. However, this explanation is completely ruined by the fact that he also popped up in one of the franchise’s craziest games.
The Great Deku Tree (and his heir) not only appears prominently in Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland alongside his offspring, but he also functions as one of the game’s dungeons, and he even dies afterward, parodying his initial role in Ocarina 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.
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