Goron Patriarch (or Big Boss of the Gorons) is the title given to the supreme ruler of the local Goron tribe. Usually aided by a number of Goron Elders, the Goron Patriarch is usually a youthful Goron that can fulfill the combat duties of the tribe. When a Goron Patriarch gets too old to carry out these duties, he will often become a Goron Elder and hand the title of Patriarch to a younger Goron. However a Goron Elder may return to the position during emergencies such as his younger successor being incapacitated or in a condition where he is unable to lead like in Twilight Princess. Additionally a Goron Elder may retain his position until he finds a suitable candidate to replace him as shown by the elderly Goron Patriarchs in Majora's Mask and Breath of the Wild.
Appearances[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
Darunia is the Patriarch over the Gorons of Death Mountain. The Gorons refer to him as "Big Brother", and he does not seem to be aided by any Goron Elders. At some point in the past, Darunia became sworn brother to the King of Hyrule which cemented ties between the Gorons and the Royal Family of Hyrule.
Ganondorf seals off the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern because of Darunia's refusal to yield the Goron's Ruby. This sends Darunia into a deep depression. When Link appears in Goron City, he cheers Darunia up by playing "Saria's Song" on his Fairy Ocarina. Darunia gives Link the Goron's Bracelet and sends him off to clear the way through the cavern so the Gorons could eat again. After doing so, Link is declared Darunia's sworn brother and is given the Goron's Ruby. As a result, Link becomes a sworn brother of the Gorons and becomes known as the legendary Dodongo Busting Hero among the Gorons. Having earned the patriarch's respect, Darunia names his son after Link.
Seven years later, Darunia enters the Fire Temple in a failed attempt to defeat Volvagia and rescue his fellow Gorons. It is also revealed that Darunia is a descendant of the Hero of the Gorons who used the Megaton Hammer to defeat Volvagia in the past. Though it is unknown it is possible that the Hero of the Gorons may have also been patriarch at some point during his lifetime. It is also likely that Darunia's being descended from the Hero's bloodline was likely one of the reasons Darunia was chosen to be Patriarch.
After Link defeats the dragon, Darunia awakens as the Sage of Fire, and therefore cannot return to Goron City to be Patriarch. It is unknown who takes up this title, but it is possible his young son, Link of the Gorons, takes over.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
The unnamed Goron Elder serves as the Goron Patriarch when Link arrives at Snowhead. After Link defeats Goht in Snowhead Temple and brings the perpetual winter in the mountains to a close, however, the Goron Elder announces his plans to make Darmani the new patriarch. In turn, the Goron Elder will become a true Elder and act as Darmani's advisor. However given that the real Darmani is actually deceased (as he had been knocked off Snowhead by the blizzard caused by the invisible Biggoron) and Goron Link was simply acting in Darmani's place, it is unlikely that Darmani ever became patriarch, unless Majora's defeat somehow resurrected him.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages[]
The unnamed Goron Elder appears to not be a Goron Elder at all, but rather, the Patriarch of his tribe. The actual Patriarch, if there indeed is one, is never seen.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess[]
The powerful Darbus serves as the Goron Patriarch of Death Mountain. He is aided by four Goron Elders: Gor Coron, Gor Amoto, Gor Ebizo and Gor Liggs. Gor Coron reveals that he was once the Patriarch, but when he grew too old to fulfill his combat duties, handed over the title to Darbus.
When Darbus is under a curse and locked away in the Goron Mines, the Goron Elders take control of the tribe. To settle disputes, they challenge each other to matches of sumo wrestling. They order their fellow Gorons to drive off any humans trying to make it up the mountain, as they are too proud to let others know about what happened to Darbus. After Link uses the Iron Boots to help him fight his way past the Gorons, impressed by Link's Gor Coron stops his fellow Gorons from attacking Link and decides to test Link's skill as a hero via a Sumo match between himself and Link. Link manages to defeat Gor Coron, who asks Link to lend them his strength in freeing Darbus, granting him entry into the Goron Mines.
After Link frees Darbus of the influence of the Fused Shadow, realizing that Darbus has no memory of the time when he was cursed, Gor Coron decides not to disclosed the fact that Link, a "human", saved Darbus, fearing that their leader may be offended and/or that it would wound Darbus' pride.
However despite being unaware of Link's actions, Darbus eventually manages to return the favor by using his strength to destroy the pile of rocks preventing Link from entering the Hidden Village. He also warns Link their are at least 20 enemies in the Village and advises him to "get them before they see you".
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass[]
Biggoron serves as the Goron Patriarch of Goron Island. He is the largest Goron on the island (though not as large as those who share his name in other titles), and has a son named Gongoron. Link must answer Biggoron's questions in order to become an initiated member of the Gorons, and to gain access to the part of the island that holds the first of the three Pure Metals.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[]
The Goron Elder Bludo serves as the Big Boss of the Gorons in Goron City 100 years after the death of the Goron Champion Daruk during the Great Calamity. He is a proud and strong Goron who is apparently an experienced warrior as he is missing his right eye forcing him to wear an eyepatch. He is referred to as Boss of Goron City by Dorill the head of the Goron Group Mining Company who runs the company's day-to-day operations though Bludo has authority over their operations which are vital to Goron City's economic prosperity. He also has authority over the Goron Guards that protect Goron City and the Bridge of Eldin a drawbridge that controls access to Death Mountain. As a result, Bludo has authority over both Goron City and its mining operations. However he takes safety seriously and will close off areas to mining if they become dangerous such as abandoning the North Mine near Goron City or raising the drawbridge when Death Mountain is too dangerous generally when their is dangerous volcanic activity. Bludo also keeps the legendary Goron Hammer Sword the Boulder Breaker that was once wielded by Daruk himself as it had become a treasured relic of the Gorons following Daruk's heroic death during the Great Calamity.
However due to his age, he suffers from back problems which flare up when he exerts himself forcing him to rely on painkillers. He acts as a mentor to Daruk's descendant Yunobo who unlike his ancestor, has a far more timid personality. The sudden reappearance of the Divine Beast Vah Rudania which had been corrupted by the phantom scourge Fireblight Ganon created by Ganon and taken control of it after killing Daruk and imprisoning his spirit. Working together with Yunobo, Bludo manage to drive the Divine Beast off by using a cannon to fire Yunobo at it while protected by Daruk's Protection which he inherited from his ancestor which was the only thing capable of effecting the beast as normal cannonballs proved ineffective. Bludo ordered the drawbridge raised to trap Vah Rudania on Death Mountain with the Goron Group Mining Company being ordered to focus on the remaining Southern Mine though the company had to cut its workforce and as a result some miner's like Pyle got laid off though Bludo's hands were tied as Goron City's safety was paramount though he and Yunobo could only drive off Vah Rudania and were at a loss as how to calm the Divine Beast as they were unaware of Fireblight Ganon's corruption and the imprisonment of Daruk's spirit that granted Fireblight Ganon control of Vah Rudania as he required Daruk's power to control it effectively. However Bludo's back pains began to worsen, forcing Yunobo to retrieve painkillers from a old supply room at the Abandoned North Mine, only to become trapped inside by some boulders. Link is directed by Impa to speak to the leader of the Gorons to learn more about Vah Rudania in order to free it along with the other Divine Beasts. Bludo explains to Link about Yunobo's going to get the painkillers. Link finds and frees Yunobo who returns to Bludo to give him the painkillers so they can fight off Rudania once more. Bludo thanks Link by giving him three Fireproof Elixirs and points out a Daruk's statue when he asks about Daruk due to his amnesia, causing Link to remember his former comrade, sworn brother, and fellow Champion. However as Bludo is about to meet up with Yunobo, his back gives out and asks Link to tell Yunobo he will have to cancel. Link saves Yunobo from two Moblins and convinces Daruk's descendant to help him get inside the Divine Beast. Link manages to make it inside with Yunobo's help and defeats Fireblight Ganon, freeing Vah Rudania and Daruk's spirit, restoring peace to Death Mountain and Goron City. Bludo thanks Link by entrusting him with Daruk's legendary hammer sword, the Boulder Breaker which can be reforged by the elderly Goron Blacksmith Rohan if it breaks. Though it is unknown, it is likely that Bludo eventually handed over his position of Patriarch to Yunobo after having proven himself worthy of the position by overcoming his timid nature in order to assist Link in pacifying Vah Rudania and ultimately freeing Daruk's spirit allowing him to command Vah Rudania to fire a laser along with the other freed Divine Beasts at Calamity Ganon to weaken him, which proved vital in Link's epic battle with Ganon. Presumably he and Yunobo assisted Link and Princess Zelda in their efforts to rebuild Hyrule as Goron strength and ingenuity would be useful during the kingdom's reconstruction.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Other appearances[]
Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Hyrule Warriors/Legends[]
During the Era of the Hero of Time, Darunia is once again Goron Patriarch (known as Goron Chief in the series) and leader of the Goron Forces. However after an encounter with Fake Zelda, Darunia is brainwashed and controlled by several Big Poe into serving the Dark Forces. As a result, the Gorons become hostile under the brainwashed Darunia's leadership and kidnap Princess Ruto. After the Big Poes and Darunia are defeated by Impa and Sheik, Darunia returns to normal and frees Ruto, before joining the Hyrulean Forces to atone for his actions and defeat Fake Zelda. After Fake Zelda is defeated and Sheik is revealed to be the real Princess Zelda, Darunia and Ruto join her and Impa's forces in the fight against Cia and later Ganondorf. The Goron Patriarch in the modern era of Hyrule Warriors is never revealed.
Recolor outfits of Darbus (Twilight DLC) and Biggoron from Phantom Hourglass (Hyrule Warriors Legends) appear as alternate outfits for Darunia.
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.
| Characters | ||
| Bellum · Ciela · Linebeck · Link · Ocean King · Oshus · Tetra —Full list of characters | ||
| Bosses | ||
| Blaaz · Cyclok · Crayk · Diabolical Cubus Sisters · Dongorongo · Gleeok · Eox · Bellum · Ghost Ship · Bellumbeck | ||
| Locations | ||
| Bannan Island · Cannon Island · Goron Island · Harrow Island · Isle of Ember · Isle of Frost · Isle of Gust · Isle of Ruins · Isle of the Dead · Mercay Island · Molida Island · Zauz's Island —Full list of locations | ||
| Dungeons | ||
| Temple of Fire · Temple of Wind · Temple of Courage · Ghost Ship · Goron Temple · Temple of Ice · Mutoh's Temple · Temple of the Ocean King | ||
| Equipment | ||
| Weapons | ||
| Oshus's Sword · Wooden Shield · Boomerang · Bombs · Bow · Bombchus · Grappling Hook · Hammer · Phantom Sword · Shovel · Fishing Rod | ||
| Quest Items | ||
| Leaf · Neri · Ciela · Pure Metals · Phantom Hourglass · Spirit Gem | ||
| Races | ||
| Anouki · Deity · Fairy · Gerudo · Goron · Human · Hylian · Yook | ||