The Koroks are a race in The Legend of Zelda series.^[1][2] They are small, wooden people who wear leaf masks over their faces. Their personalities may differ greatly, and are often reflected in their masks.^[1] They are spirits who are watched over by the Great Deku Tree.^[3] They are protectors of the forest in which they live.^[1]

In The Wind Waker, the Koroks are the transformed forms of the Kokiri following the Great Flood.^[4][5]

Characteristics[]

The Koroks appear as little wooden people whose bodies resemble trees, and whose faces are concealed by leaf masks. The masks they wear take on various different shapes based on types of leaves, and have holes in them resembling eyes and a mouth, and occasionally a hole for their noses to fit through. Their bodies make a jingling sound whenever they move. Koroks are also able to fly through the use of propeller Deku Leaves that sprout from their bodies.^[6]

The Koroks in The Wind Waker are watched over by the Great Deku Tree in the Forest Haven. According to him, the Koroks originally took on human forms as Kokiri before changing their shape following the Great Flood.^[4] The Koroks are very shy, and do not normally appear to humans.^[7]

Korok Ceremony[]

The Korok Ceremony is an important event for the Koroks and Great Deku Tree in The Wind Waker.^[8] Once a year,^[9] the Great Deku Tree sprouts Forest Tree seeds which are then taken by the Koroks to plant throughout the Great Sea and watch over their growth, in the hopes that new forests will grow and more land will cover the Sea.^[10] It is the Great Deku Tree's hope that the islands will join as one land by planting these forests.^[11] A mysterious power dwells within the seeds, and they must all be planted simultaneously or they will wither.^[12] The Ceremony can only commence once the Korok Makar has played his Violin for the Great Deku Tree.^[13]

History[]

The Wind Waker[]

In The Wind Waker, the Kokiri had transformed into the Koroks following the Great Flood. They continue to live with the Great Deku Tree, on an island called the Forest Haven. Once every year, the Koroks hold the annual Korok Ceremony so that the Great Deku Tree can produce seeds that can be planted throughout the Great Sea, with the hope and dream of uniting the islands into one vast land by growing forests. A Korok named Makar plays his violin so the Great Deku Tree can produce his seeds. It appears, however, that the Great Deku Tree's and Koroks' efforts have been unsuccessful over the years as they do not seem to have made much progress.

Link encounters the Koroks after saving the Great Deku Tree from a swarm of ChuChus. By his reassurance, the Koroks emerge from their hiding to meet Link. The Great Deku Tree welcomes Link to the Ceremony they are about to hold, but is interrupted when Linder arrives in a panic saying that Makar had fallen into the Forbidden Forest.^[14] The Great Deku asks Link to go into the Forest to rescue Makar, giving him a Deku Leaf so he may reach the place.

After Link finds and rescues Makar from Kalle Demos, they return to the Forest Haven where the Koroks commence the annual Korok Ceremony. The Great Deku Tree produces several seeds that eight of the Koroks take and leave to plant throughout the Great Sea. Makar and Hollo, a Korok Potion-maker, stay behind in the Forest Haven.

Link can find the other Koroks in several isles across the Great Sea, having planted their seeds in their respective islands. Each of them, however, are in despair that the sprouts they have planted are withering, and will not be able to grow into forests.^[15] They ask that Link bring back some Forest Water from the Forest Haven and sprinkle it onto the trees so they may be revived.^[16] If Link manages to water every sprout before the Forest Water loses its potency, the Forest Trees will grow healthy and the Great Deku Tree's dream will finally be realized.

Later during his quest, Link encounters the spirit of Fado, the deceased Kokiri Sage of Wind. Fado was killed by Ganondorf's forces, causing the Master Sword to lose its power. Fado requests that Link finds the one destined to become the next Sage of Wind, who carries the same violin as he.^[17] Link locates Makar and, after playing the "Wind God's Aria", awakens him as the new Sage of Wind. Together they travel to the Wind Temple where after Link defeats its evil, Makar prays so that the Master Sword regains some of its power.

Breath of the Wild[]

In Breath of the Wild, Koroks can be found all over Hyrule hidden throughout the land.^[18] Link must solve a wide array of puzzles in order to make a Korok appear.^[19] The first time Link finds a Korok, it will be surprised that Link can see him.^[20] Their arrival is followed by the gift of a Korok Seed, which can then be traded to Hestu,^[21] a very large Korok first encountered on the path to Kakariko Village. Trading Korok Seeds expands Link's equipment slots, allowing him to carry more weapons, shields and bows. The price of expansion increases after every trade. After a few trades, Hestu will strike out for his home in Korok Forest. He can be encountered one final time at the Woodland Stable, Riverside Stable, or Wetland Stable, where one can upgrade Link's Inventory again. After a few more trades, Hestu will once again go on his way back home.

Koroks are by far the most varied race in this game, with over 913 different Koroks overall. This includes the 900 hidden Koroks, the 13 NPCs, all of whom can be found in or around the Korok forest at some point, and other Koroks in the forest who hide when Link approaches; these last ones can't be interacted with and are purely cosmetic, but they show just how many exist.

In the center of the Lost Woods, the Great Deku Tree resides over the Korok Forest, the home of the Koroks. Many Koroks can be found here, though most will hide when Link gets close. A few, such as Chio and Kula, will converse with Link. After collecting all 900 Korok Seeds, Hestu will tell Link that all the Koroks have returned to the Korok Forest,^[22] though the Koroks can still be found in their original locations.

It is stated that most people cannot see Koroks, which is why some are confused as to how Link can see them. It is implied though that Link is not the only one, as the Hateno-born merchant Agus says he was spooked by a big tree ghost by Lake Siela; this is where the oversized Korok Hestu can originally be found, meaning that is likely what Agus saw. He didn't interact with the "tree ghost" though, meaning Link was the first; this caused Hestu to be taken aback when Link talks to him as he did not expect it.

Tears of the Kingdom[]

Similar to Breath of the Wild, Koroks can be found all over Hyrule, offering Korok Seeds to Link for discovering them. As before, Korok Seeds can be exchanged with Hestu to expand Link's equipment slots.

In addition to hidden Koroks, traveling Koroks with rucksacks can be encountered. They are usually stuck and struggling due to the size of their rucksack. When spoken to, a smoke signal will be displayed at a distant location. By helping these traveling Koroks reach their destination, their friend will reward Link with multiple Korok Seeds. The traveling Koroks are often situated near convenient items that may assist helping the Korok reach their destinations.

After Ganondorf's awakening, Gloom infects the Korok Forest and Gloom Spawn infects the Deku Tree, paralyzing all of the Koroks within. As a result, the Lost Woods are impossible to traverse, even when trying to follow the path from Breath of the Wild. The fortunate Koroks who were outside the forest during this time remain unaffected,^[23] and some even venture to penetrate the forest by traversing The Depths, in hopes of discovering an entrance below.^{[citation needed]}

Link can reach Korok Forest via a chasm in Minshi Woods, which leads to The Depths. After finding an Ascend pillar underneath Korok Forest, Link can ascend to the infected forest. If Link dives into a chasm within the Deku Tree and defeats the Gloom Spawn in the chamber below, Korok Forest will be return to normal. The Deku Tree can now converse with Link and give the location of the Master Sword, but to his astonishment, it appears to be moving. Additionally, Hestu will return to the forest once the Gloom is cleared.

Other Appearances[]

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[]

Trivia[]

• Being plant-based creatures, Koroks fear vegetarians.^[24]

Nomenclature[]

The Koroks in The Wind Waker are named after types of trees. The name "Korok" is derived from Koropokkuru, little creatures that hide in Butterbur plants in Japanese folklore.^{[citation needed]}

Names in other regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	EnglishBR	Korok
	Japanese	コログ (korogu)[25]	korok
	Dutch	Korok
	FrenchCA	Korogu
	FrenchEU	Korogu
	German	Krog
	Italian	Korogu
	SpanishEU	Kolog
	SpanishLA	Kolog
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

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  Artwork of Koroks from The Wind Waker

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  Artwork of Makar, a Korok from The Wind Waker

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  Koroks singing during the Korok Ceremony in The Wind Waker

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  A cluster of Koroks from Breath of the Wild

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  Korok concept art from Breath of the Wild

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  The visual effect that marks the location of certain hidden Koroks in Breath of the Wild

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  Artwork thanking attendees of The Art of The Legend of Zelda Series Masterclass featuring Koroks

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  A Korok, as seen in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

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  Promotional artwork for "The Legend of Zelda Korok" merchandise series from Nintendo TOKYO featuring Koroks from Breath of the Wild

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  A plant resembling a Korok from Among Us

References