- "That's a Gekko. And it's pretty angry! It's pretty weak, too. It really shouldn't be making a fool of you."
- — Tatl
Gekkos are mini-bosses from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. These monsters are encountered twice; once in Woodfall Temple and another in Great Bay Temple. Gekkos are fast and agile; able to leap high and cling to walls. Link must combine his sword skills and timing in order to reliably strike them. When in battle, Gekkos will call in reinforcements after taking enough damage. When Gekkos are defeated, they turn into normal frogs that are members of the Frog Choir.
Snapper[]
A Gekko is the second mini-boss of Woodfall Temple. It will briefly fight Link in hand to hand combat. After taking enough damage, it will call in a Snapper to be its mount. The Snapper will extend its spikes and charge spinning in Link's direction. If Link attempts to shoot the Gekko at this point, it will jump over the projectile. To defeat the two, Link must flip the Snapper over, knocking the Gekko off. Link can do this with Bombs, using the Blast Mask, by jumping out from a Deku Flower when the Snapper passes over it, or with his Goron form's pound ability. The Deku Flower method is the safest and most reliable. Once the two are separated, the Gekko will climb the walls and ceiling of the room, and Link must use the Hero's Bow or another projectile to shoot it down from the ceiling. After the process has been repeated enough times, the Snapper will vanish, and the defeated Gekko will turn back into a frog.
Mad Jelly[]
Another Gekko is encountered as the second mini-boss of Great Bay Temple. At the beginning of the battle, the Gekko calls down large spheres of Mad Jelly from the ceiling. It will hop around the jelly balls and occasionally throw one at Link. After the Gekko has taken a hit, it will call the Mad Jelly together, and it will form one large mass with the Gekko at its center. The Mad Jelly will repeatedly move to the ceiling and detach itself in an attempt to crush Link. If hit by any part of the Mad Jelly, Link will be sucked in to the center and attacked several times by the Gekko before being knocked back out. To attack the Gekko, Link must freeze the Mad Jelly with an Ice Arrow and move out from under its shadow. The frozen Mad Jelly will fall to the ground and shatter, allowing Link to attack the Gekko directly. After the Gekko is defeated, it will turn back into a frog, and the Mad Jelly will vaporize.
Etymology[]
The name "Gekko" is derived from geko, the Japanese word for frog onomatopoeia. Some variant of the word turns up in the names of many frog-related characters in Japanese media. It is often mistaken by Western fans for having something to do with the gecko, a type of lizard.