Skull Kid

are recurring creatures in . In their first appearance in Ocarina of Time, Skull Kids have black-skinned faces with large orange lips. Navi implies that children who wander into the Lost Woods become Skull Kids. One certain individual first interacts with Link in , and later plays a major villainous role in Majora's Mask. Skull Kids dress in a red cloak and hat covering an underlayer of clothing composed of a straw-like material, and play a flute, which they can also use as a weapon to shoot projectiles.
==Biography==
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A Skull Kid can be found in the Lost Woods in the area directly to the left of the entrance room in . Whenever Link approaches, the Skull Kid will disappear from the area. To circumvent this, Link can befriend the Skull Kid by playing "Saria's Song" while standing on top of the stump across from the Skull Kid's position. He will then receive a Piece of Heart as a gift. While Z Targeting, Navi mentions that the Skull Kid seems unhappy to have no face. Some of the Kokiri remember hearing him complaining about his face, as well. Upon first seeing Link wearing the Skull Mask, the Skull Kid comments that he would like it to make him appear a little tougher. Link is then able to sell him the Mask as part of the Mask Trading Sequence, but the Skull Kid pays just 10 Rupees when the wholesale price is 20, leaving Link to cover the difference. Another two Skull Kids can be found in the area directly to the right of the entrance, where Link can play a Musical Session with them on his Ocarina to win another Piece of Heart.
If Link encounters a Skull Kid as an adult, the creature becomes hostile and will attack with needles shot from the Skull Kid's flute, even if he befriended him as a child. Navi says that they are attacking because they do not like adults. They are also very agile, making landing hits with the Master Sword (or Biggoron's Sword) difficult. If hit by the Hookshot, the Skull Kid will disappear. If Link defeats him, the Skull Kid will collapse and disappear, leaving behind an Orange Rupee, which awards 200.
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A Skull Kid becomes a central character in . Under the influence of the titular , which he stole from the Happy Mask Salesman, the Skull Kid becomes a powerful sorcerer on-par with Ganondorf. Using this newfound magical might, he wreaks havoc on the land of Termina, ultimately attempting to destroy it by sending the Moon on a collision course with the land. He appears to be the main antagonist throughout most of the game, though in reality, he himself is not evil and is merely being controlled by the powers of Majora's Mask. Because of this, Skull Kid is self-centered and has an affinity for mischief. Due to his behavior and physical appearance, he is often called an imp. The Skull Kid is resented by most Terminians because of the tricks he plays on them, though he finds companionship in the Fairy siblings Tatl and Tael. He is strongly implied to be the same Skull Kid whom Link taught Saria's Song in the Lost Woods in , as he remembered the Hero of Time upon being freed from the Majora's Mask's evil, saying he has the same smell after sniffing the young hero.
====Background====
In the past, before the land of Termina was split into four regions, the Skull Kid befriended the Four Giants. On the day of the Carnival of Time, the guardian deities announced to the people of Termina that they would guard the land while lying dormant. With the world of Termina now split into four parts by the order of the Four Giants, each of the deities took one hundred steps towards their respective regions. They told their people that if trouble befell them, they could call the giants in a loud voice, declaring their plight. The Skull Kid, who had long been friends with the giants, was stricken by their departure. Feeling neglected and alone, he began to spread his anger and frustration throughout all of Termina. Fed up with the Skull Kid's misdeeds, the people of Termina called upon the Four Giants for aid. The giants answered with an infuriated roar. They ordered the Skull Kid to leave Termina, threatening to kill him if he disobeyed. Frightened by the giants' anger and saddened by the loss of his old friends, the Skull Kid returned to the heavens.
Whether the Skull Kid actually "returned to the heavens," or not is merely a hyperbole in this story told by Anju's Grandmother, Skull Kid somehow reappears in Termina prior to the events of . The two Fairy siblings, Tatl and Tael, stumble upon the Skull Kid taking shelter from a storm in a tree hollow in Termina Field. He tells the Fairies that he has been quarreling with his friends and that they have abandoned him. Shivering from the cold, Skull Kid and the Fairies huddle for warmth, and a bond between them is formed.
Later on, the Skull Kid encounters the travelling Happy Mask Salesman at the crossroads of Hyrule and Termina. After knocking the man out, he steals the wicked Majora's Mask, a powerful artifact once used by an ancient tribe for hexing rituals. Upon donning the Mask, a combination of the burdens in the Skull Kid's heart and the evil magic inside Majora's Mask transformed a world into the land of Termina, itself a parallel universe of Hyrule. The world created had a distinct culture influenced by Majora's ancient tribe and was inhabited by races and people constructed from Skull Kid's memories and imagination. The Four Giants central to Termina's legends were originally friends of Skull Kid who, like Termina itself, were recreated by the Mask. The series of events that stem from this seemingly random occurrence constitute the plot of .
====Majora's Influence====
In the prologue of , following the events of Ocarina of Time, Link appears riding on Epona in a mysterious forest, searching for his missing Fairy friend Navi. Along with Tatl and Tael, Skull Kid—now wearing Majora's Mask—ambushes the young Hero of Time in a similar way to that of the Happy Mask Salesman previously. Startled by their sudden appearance, Epona rears up and throws Link off to the ground, knocking him unconscious. While comatose, Skull Kid rummages through Link's belongings and finds the . Fascinated by the magical instrument given to the hero by Princess Zelda, he plays with the Ocarina until Link awakens. Once he realizes that Link is awake, he suddenly jumps on Epona and rides away with the Ocarina in hand. Link pursues him but fails to stop the Skull Kid and the Fairies, falling into the hollow tree trunk that serves as the passageway to Termina. In a brief confrontation inside the Portal, the Skull Kid informs Link that he "got rid of" Epona, claiming that the young hero's horse was disobedient and that he was doing Link a favor by doing so, causing Link himself to be filled with sadness and disgust. Using the powers of Majora's Mask, the Skull Kid traps Link within the body of a Deku Scrub, known as Deku Link. He then leaves with Tael while Tatl holds Link back. Tatl subsequently gets trapped with Link as a result. Link and Tatl forge an unlikely alliance and chase after the Skull Kid, crossing the threshold into Termina.
Deku Link finds the Skull Kid atop Clock Tower at the end of the Final Day. Tael tells Link and Tatl to summon the Four Giants to the Clock Tower, and the Skull Kid hits him aside in response, which angers Tatl. The Skull Kid then starts to bring the Moon down to Termina with a screech. Link makes the Skull Kid drop the Ocarina of Time by firing a Bubble Blast at him. With his Ocarina back in his hands, Link plays the Song of Time, turning back time to the First Day before the Moon can destroy Termina. Link is then returned to his normal self after learning the Song of Healing from the Happy Mask Salesman, who urges Link to retrieve the stolen Majora's Mask from the Skull Kid lest the world be destroyed by its influence.
Granted tremendous power by the evil Mask, the Skull Kid had imprisoned the Four Giants within their temples, likely as revenge for being forsaken by them. Without their guardian deities and their respective temples tainted with evil, each of the four regions of Termina succumbed to various disasters. The Skull Kid was also responsible for harming the four Great Fairies, turning Kafei into a child, and informing the Gerudo Pirates of the Zora Eggs. He also threatened to break Professor Shikashi's instruments. After following Tael's advice and releasing the Four Giants from their respective prisons in the swamp, mountains, ocean, and canyon, Link returns to the top of the Clock Tower at the end of the Final Day to confront the Skull Kid once again. Link summons the Four Giants using the Oath to Order song to stop the Moon. This knocks the Skull Kid unconscious, leaving Majora's Mask to detach itself from its puppet and rise into the Moon to possess it instead in order to make it push through the Giants' hold. Link and Tatl then follow it into the Moon to engage in one final battle, which they discover the being behind the Mask's evil, called Majora.
During the ending sequence of the game, following the defeat of Majora and the subsequent restoration of the Moon's original orbit (destruction in Majora's Mask 3D), the Skull Kid, Link, the Happy Mask Salesman, and the Four Giants come together on the outskirts of Termina Field. The giants reassure Skull Kid—now free of the Mask's evil influence—of their friendship with him. After the giants return to their resting places, the Skull Kid asks Link if they too could be friends, mentioning that he has the same smell as the "fairy kid" who taught him Saria's Song in the Lost Woods. This heavily suggests that the Skull Kid in this game is the one by the tree stump near the bridge in the Lost Woods in , to whom the young hero sells the Skull Mask. After saying their goodbyes, Link and Epona depart Termina while Tatl, Tael and the Skull Kid celebrate the Carnival of Time. The last scene shows a drawing on a tree trunk made by the Skull Kid showing him with Link, Tatl, Tael, and the Four Giants waving.
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In , a Skull Kid leads Link through the Lost Woods portion of the Sacred Grove until he is in the room next to the resting place of the Master Sword. Along the way, the Skull Kid plays a game of hide-and-seek with Link, as he must find him several times before he leads him to its destination. 
When Link returns to the Sacred Grove area later in the game, the Skull Kid will help him navigate the Lost Woods a second time. This time he leads him through different areas in order to reach the Temple of Time. However, two factors give away his location: the light of his lantern and the sound of his horn playing "Saria's Song." Although the Skull Kid never physically attacks Link, he will summon Puppets to do the job. Every time he is hit in battle, he will summon more puppets, but he can be beaten quickly with the use of the Bow. After defeating him the second time, he will tell Link that their little game was fun and vanish. On future visits to the Sacred Grove, lights similar to Skull Kid's lantern can be seen in tunnels, but will vanish if Link enters the tunnel.
There is no confirmed relation between the Skull Kid from and the one from /. However, the fact that it knows Saria's Song, which Link taught to the Skull Kid in , suggests that there is indeed a connection.
==Spinoff appearances==
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In and , Skull Kid appears as part of Young Link's Mask moveset, during his Focus Spirit attack. Skull Kid pulls the Moon towards the Fierce Deity Link, followed by him slicing the Moon in half and creating a massive shockwave. One of Lana's Costumes in the DLC pack is also based on Skull Kid's outfit.
Skull Kid also appears as a playable Warrior in both and . He uses the Ocarina as his primary Weapon, and is accompanied by Tatl and Tael as his helpers. When Skull Kid plays the Ocarina, its music instructs Tatl and Tael for coordinated group attacks involving all three of them. While based on the incarnation, Skull Kid's Strong Attack references the Skull Kid from , as it summons a single Puppet to attack in his stead. Skull Kid can be transferred to the Wii U version via a code included in , or by purchasing the Legends Character Pack DLC.
Skull Kid appears in the Linkle's Tale Scenario, "The Girl in the Green Tunic", in Legend Mode, having stolen Linkle's Compass to play with. Linkle attempts to take it back by force, but the Skull Kid simply teleports away whenever she gets near and summons a horde of monsters to further impede her path. Suddenly the Compass begins to glow, releasing a powerful magical force that impairs Skull Kid, preventing him from teleporting anymore and allowing Linkle to confront him directly. In spite of his powerful dark magic, he is defeated by the hooded youth and forced to surrender the Compass. Though Linkle takes back her coveted possession, Skull Kid teases her by saying he will think about taking it again before leaving to parts unknown.
When defeated in battle as an opponent, Skull Kid may either drop his Hat as a silver Material, or Majora's Mask as a gold Material.
==Crossover appearances==
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In , Skull Kids appear as two Stickers, based on his appearance in wearing the Skull Mask and his appearance in wearing the titular Mask.
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In , Skull Kid in his appearance appears as an Assist Trophy. When summoned, he flips the stage upside-down, inverting the direction of the players' movements. He also appears as a Trophy.
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The Skull Kid from returns as an Assist Trophy in . Two Skull Kids, one from and one from respectively, also appear as Primary Spirits. The Skull Kid Spirit can be enhanced into Skull Kid & Majora's Mask, which bears the ability, Lifesteal, which heals a Fighter when the deal damage. The Skull Kid's Hat and the Skull Kid's Outfit appear as Mii Headgear for all Mii Fighters and a Mii Outfit for Mii Brawlers respectively.
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The twenty-third puzzle in the Picross series and the thirty-sixth puzzle in the Mega Picross series depict a Skull Kid.
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The Skull Kid is a playable character in , and is the main character of Symphony of the Mask. He starts with a , though he's limited to a head bonk for an attack until obtaining the and Mask Magic from the Deku King. During his adventure, Skull Kid believes the voice he occasionally hears to possibly be from the Great Deku Tree, when in truth it is coming from the Skull Mask in his possession. After obtaining the Synth and Bongos, the barrier in front of Hyrule Castle can be taken down and Ganon can be challenged, taking the form Skull Ganon due to being enhanced by the Skull Mask. Skull Kid returns to Deku Village after defeating Ganon, and is seen celebrating with two other Deku Scrubs. 
==Design changes==
In all versions of , the Japanese Nintendo 64 versions of , and official artwork, Skull Kid has a plain black face. In and international versions of , his head appears wooden, due to controversy. Moreover, has a beak in , unlike his counterpart in who simply has orange lips; were given beaks in , accentuating their avian appearance and making it consistent across the games.
==Trivia==
*In the Japanese version of Majora's Mask, in the cutscene of when the Skull Kid cries violently to have the moon collapse just before the Sub-Boss fight against him for the first time, the cry is emitted from Skull Kid himself, which makes it quieter the further the camera moves away. This was changed to a global sound in the international version, which does not have this effect.
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
==See Also==
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