- "People are disgusting. My own father and mother are disgusting. You must be disgusting, too!"
- — Grog
Grog is a recurring character in the Legend of Zelda series. His most distinguishing physical features are his pupil-less white eyes, and his gaunt physique. He is always seen sitting next to several small sacks, the contents of which are never disclosed.
Appearances[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
Grog can be found sitting under a tree in Kakariko Village at night, when Link is a child. He is the brother of Anju, the son of Mutoh and either the son or grandson of Granny. If spoken to, he lets Link know that he finds his own mother and father disgusting, indeed he does most people, and concludes Link must be as well. However, if Link speaks to him while wearing the Bunny Hood, Gerudo Mask, or Keaton Mask, Grog claims to really be a good man.
When Link returns to Kakariko Village as an adult, he proves his ability as a Cucco keeper to Anju by waking Talon with the Pocket Cucco. As a reward, Anju gives Link Cojiro, a blue Cucco that once belonged to Grog; Anju explains that Grog left the village some time ago, and Cojiro has not crowed since. In the Lost Woods, Cojiro spontaneously starts crowing again, and Link eventually comes across a napping Grog, who is awakened by Cojiro's crowing. Grog is taken back at the sight of his old Cucco, and is impressed with Link's ability to tame it, which he claims is something that can be done only by "nice guys."
Convinced that Link is a "nice guy," Grog gives him an Odd Mushroom, and asks him to deliver it to Granny in the Kakariko Potion Shop. Grog then sends him on his way without much in the way of further explanation. If Link manages to deliver it before the passing of three minutes, at which point the mushroom will spoil, Granny is able to use the mushroom to create an Odd Potion, but she remarks that the potion will have no effect on a monster.
When Link returns to Grog's previous location in the Lost Woods, he finds Fado standing in the exact same spot he sat, with Grog nowhere to be seen. She claims that Grog has gotten lost inside the forest and has become a Stalfos, implying that Granny's cryptic remark earlier may have been the result of foreknowledge. Fado asks Link to return the Odd Potion, made from forest materials, back to her; in exchange, she gives him the Poacher's Saw Grog left behind. Later, Link returns this saw to its rightful owner, Mutoh. It is implied that Grog may have stolen the saw from Granny, with whom Mutoh left the saw behind.
Notably, Grog is conspicuously absent during the victory celebration at Lon Lon Ranch that occurs during the end credits sequence, being one of the only minor characters not to appear. This is probably because he is wandering around Hyrule as a Stalfos, or was slain by Link.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
Grog is one of the twenty people listed in the Bombers' Notebook. He diverges from his Ocarina of Time counterpart in several ways: he has a distinct mohawk hairstyle, is not shown to possess a misanthropic attitude, and his only relation is an unnamed grandfather, who is mentioned only in passing, and is never confirmed to be shown in-game.
Grog resides in the Cucco Shack at Romani Ranch, where he raises Cucco Chicks. Unlike most inhabitants of Termina, Grog displays something akin to resignation regarding the impending cataclysm. His sole regret is not living to see the day his Cucco Chicks become full-grown adults. If Link dons the Bremen Mask and rounds up all ten Cucco Chicks, they transform into roosters, one by one. His utmost wish now come true, Grog is perfectly content with his life; as a reward, he presents Link with the Bunny Hood. Grog is later seen playing with his Cuccos during the end credits.
He also mentions that he used to be a runner in his younger days (which he mentions when he gives Link he Bunny Hood and explains why he has it in his possession due to its ability to increase its wearers running speed), but says he can't run like he used to when talking to Link about his reasons for staying put (indicating that even the power of the Bunny Hood no longer works for him).
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Etymology[]
It is possible that Grog's name is derived from the alcoholic beverage grog, which is watered-down rum. Another possibly derivation is the word "groggy," meaning sleepy; it is possible this is a reference to his state of sleep in Ocarina of Time.
Theories[]
Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.
Grog Committed Suicide[]
Some think the Lost Woods are Zelda's version of the Aokigahara Suicide Forest of Japan. Considering how Grog is severely depressed and hates his life and stole the Poacher's Saw and asks Link to bring him back "strong medicine", it can be implied Grog killed himself with the Poacher's Saw before reanimating as a Stalfos and the Kokiri saying "people who become lost" actually means suicide, and the Skull Kids and Stalfos are reanimated corpses of people who killed themselves.
Theory warning: Theories end here.