The text on this page is taken from pages 38 to 40 of the Zelda Box guidebook, released in Japan in 2002. The design sketch is also from Zelda Box, now preserved in a gallery of official Wind Waker art maintained by History of Hyrule.

The Developers Discuss the Moblins

Aonuma: In early development, the field had nothing but Link and two Moblins. As we concentrated on the details related to the Moblins’ problem areas, the number of other characters gradually increased, and the world of The Wind Waker began to take shape. The ability to pick up and wield weapons that were dropped by enemies came from a discussion about how it would be fun if Link were able to use the Moblins’ weapons. The ability was then applied to other enemies as well.

Takizawa: That’s why Moblins have the most animations of all the enemies in the game. Even more than the boss characters.

The Developers Discuss the Chuchus

Takizawa: A Link to the Past had jelly-shaped enemies known as Buzz Blobs. I always liked how they moved, and the feel of how they recoiled if you slashed at them. I also remember being surprised at the shock you received for hitting them. I wanted people playing The Wind Waker to get a taste of that sensation, so I put electric enemies called Chuchus in the game. Chuchus originally made their debut in Majora’s Mask.

The Developers Discuss Bokoblins

Haruhana: The Bokoblin are named after their boko sticks. The boko sticks themselves are named for the sound they make when they hit something. They go “Boko! Boko!” [Laughs] Apparently they call babies and kids “boko” in the Nagano dialect, where Aonuma and Takizawa are from. So, we figured we could also say that Bokoblin means “goblin child”. [Laughs]

Takizawa: We also thought about using the prefix “Deku” that appeared in games like Ocarina of Time, but “Dekublin” just didn’t have a nice ring to it. [Laughs]