Pols Voices are recurring Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series.[1]
Characteristics[]
The Legend of Zelda[]
In The Legend of Zelda, Pols Voices are ghosts with big ears, whiskers, and a tooth-filled maw underneath them, resembling a rabbit. They move and bounce around dungeon rooms and although they can be defeated by Sword attacks, they are vulnerable to Arrows, which will die from a single hit.[2] When defeated, Pols Voices may drop either a Heart, one Rupee, five Rupees or a Clock.[note 1]
The game's instruction manual states that Pols Voices hate loud noises.[4] This is a reference to the original Japanese version of the game, where they can only be defeated by talking into the second controller's microphone.[5] As the NES controllers do not feature a built-in microphone, their weakness was changed to Arrows; however, the manual's description was translated literally and not edited to reflect this.
In the Famicom/Famicom Disk System releases of The Legend of Zelda, all Pols Voices in the room are defeated if the Famicom's second controller's built-in microphone detects any sound. In the Japanese Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console release, all Pols Voice in the room will be defeated if the 3DS' microphone detects a loud noise while the second controller is selected.[6] In the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console release, all Pols Voices in the room will be defeated if the Wii U GamePad microphone detects a loud noise.[7] In the Japanese Game Boy Advance release, Pols Voices can be defeated by pressing Select four times.[6] In the Japanese Wii Virtual Console release, they can be defeated by rotating the right Control Stick of the Classic Controller or the C-Stick of the Nintendo GameCube Controller.[8][citation needed] In the Nintendo Switch Online release, they can be defeated by simultaneously pressing either the pair L and ZL or the pair R and ZR;[9] additionally, the Famicom Nintendo Switch controller includes a microphone, which can also be used to defeat Pols Voice (regardless of which player the controller is assigned to).[10] In the Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer release, the second controller has a sticker in place of the microphone, so Pols Voice do not have a weakness, meaning that Link can only defeat them using weapons.[11][12] In the the Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda release, since it doesn't have a microphone, similar to the Game Boy Advance release, they can be defeated by pressing and holding the Select button.[13] The Recorder does not affect them in any version of the game.
Link's Awakening[]
Pols Voices appear in Bottle Grotto and Face Shrine in Link's Awakening. They are primarily vulnerable to Arrows, though they take several shots to defeat. They can also be quickly defeated by throwing Pots at them or by using Bombs. Playing the Ballad of the Wind Fish on the Ocarina will defeat them instantly.
Pols Voices can be temporarily stunned with Magic Powder. After they have been stunned, they can be picked up and thrown using the Power Bracelet.
Oracle of Seasons[]
Pols voices appear in Snake's Remains, Poison Moth's Lair, and the Sword & Shield Maze in Oracle of Seasons. They also appear inside the Hero's Cave in a Linked Game. They can be destroyed with Pots and Bombs, and playing the Strange Flute and its variants (Dimitri's Flute, Ricky's Flute and Moosh's Flute) will cause them to explode.
Oracle of Ages[]
Pols Voices appear in Moonlit Grotto in Oracle of Ages. They can be destroyed with Pots and Bombs, and playing the Harp of Ages or the Strange Flute and its variants (Dimitri's Flute, Ricky's Flute and Moosh's Flute) will cause them to explode.
Phantom Hourglass[]
In Phantom Hourglass, Pols Voices only appear in the Temple of Courage. By blowing into the Nintendo DS microphone, they get stunned, leaving them open for an attack.[14] Pols Voices attack by flipping forward and attempting to attack Link with their large mouths hidden under their bodies, unlike earlier games. Their appearance in this game is much closer to the original The Legend of Zelda official art than their in-game 2D sprites up to this point.
Other Appearances[]
Zelda's Adventure[]
Pols Voice appears in Zelda's Adventure as a mini-boss in the Shrine of Illusion and has a much more sinister appearance than in the mainline games. The best method to defeat Pols Voice is to attack it with the Noise spell, although it is also possible to defeat it by attacking it with Zelda's Wand for two minutes in real time.
Echoes of Wisdom[]
A Pols Voice doll appears in a house Hyrule Castle town.
Trivia[]
- After selling the Bunny Hood to the Running Man in Ocarina of Time, he mentions that with its ears, he might hear the voices.[15] This might be a reference to Pols Voices.
- Due to the hardware limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System, if Link were to obtain the Blue or Red Ring in The Legend of Zelda, the whiskers of a Pol Voice will become a very light blue or red, respectively. This is due to them sharing the same color palette as the hero's tunic (alongside certain characters and items).
- Although Pols Voices are in fact ghosts but closely resemble a rabbit, ironically, in the Switch remake of Link's Awakening, they are known as "Hase" in the German release, which translates to Bunny.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | Japanese | ポルスボイス (Porusu Boisu) (TLoZ)[16] | Same as English. |
 | Dutch | Vlieg-Muizen (TLoZ)[17] | |
 | FrenchEU | Pols Voice (TLoZ)[18] | |
 | German | Hase (LANS) | Bunny |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
Pols Voice Legend of Zelda sprite, as seen in certain levels
A Pols Voice when the Blue Ring is equipped
A Pols Voice when the Red Ring is equipped
A Pols Voice as seen in BS The Legend of Zelda
A Pols Voice from Zelda's Adventure
A Pols Voice attacking Link from Phantom Hourglass
Notes
- ↑ If Link defeats 10 enemies without getting hit or teleporting with the Flute, then the 10th enemy defeated will drop five Rupees. However, if the 10th enemy is defeated with a Bomb, then it will drop four Bombs. If Link defeats 16 enemies without getting hit or teleporting, then the 16th enemy will drop a Fairy. After the 16th enemy, Link must get hit and reset the counter to zero in order to achieve this effect again. Defeating Armos, Like Likes, Keese, or Gels will not be counted.[3]
References
- ↑ Art & Artifacts, Dark Horse Books, pg. 120
- ↑ The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 11
- ↑ n.a., Forced Drops, redcandle.us, published n.d., retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ↑ "A ghost with big ears and a weak point - he hates loud noise." (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 36)
- ↑ Cinemassacre, The Legend of Zelda (Famicom) James & Mike Mondays, YouTube (Video), published June 7, 2015, retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Legend of Zelda: Gameplay, Legends of Localization, retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ "あとポルスボイスの倒し方（マイクに叫ぶやつ）の受けがよかったです。Wii Uゲームパッドのマイクも対応してたんですね～。" — 変わったことと、変わらないこと, CHARA PIT, published January 8, 2015, retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ↑ "Wii VC版の場合右スティックを回す" — ゼルダの伝説1 周回用フローチャート, 丸望三角, retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ ファミリーコンピュータ Nintendo Switch Onlineのマイク入力について, クーソーしてから寝てください, published May 23, 2019, retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ↑ "「ポルスボイス」普通に戦うと体力が多く厄介な敵なのですが、マイクに向かってしゃべりかけてみると、なんと簡単に倒すことができます。" — 編集部 Ike, 『光神話 パルテナの鏡』でも！「ファミリーコンピュータ Nintendo Switch Online」にはマイクが使えるソフトがあるんです。, Nintendo, published March 13, 2019, retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ↑ "「ポルスボイス」という耳が大きな敵
普通に戦うとかなり体力がある厄介な相手なのですが、マイクに叫ぶと一撃で全滅させる事ができる" — ａｒｉｋｏ, ［レビュー］ニンテンドークラシックミニ ファミリーコンピュータ開封！小さいけどコントローラーの操作性は悪くない！, おとんメディア, published November 11, 2016, retrieved February 15, 2017. - ↑ "A few things to note as well are that the Famicom originally had a microphone on controller 2, but this is NOT included on the mini version, so no killing Pols Voice the fun way[...]" — K.J. McClain, Video: Unboxing the Famicom Mini, Nintendo Life, published November 10, 2016, retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ↑ "As there’s no microphone to be found on this system, rumor has it that pressing and holding a certain button while playing the Japanese version of the game will topple Pols Voice in the same way. “Just what button exactly?” you may be wondering. I’m afraid you’ll have to figure that out for yourself!" — Nintendo, Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda – Secrets Series, Nintendo.com, published November 12, 20212, retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ↑ "Creatures that are sensitive to sound dwell in the sands ahead. So, walk without sound and bring as little attention to yourself as possible." — Ciela (Phantom Hourglass)
- ↑ "I bet with those long ears you can hear the voices..." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ Hyrule Encyclopedia, Ambit Ltd., pg. 205
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 36
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 36
