Keese

Keese
Artwork of a Keese from The Legend of Zelda
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Appearances	The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time Majora's Mask Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons Four Swords The Wind Waker Four Swords Adventures The Minish Cap Twilight Princess Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks Skyward Sword Tri Force Heroes Breath of the Wild
Location(s)	Caves Dungeons
Effective weapon(s)	Sword Arrows Boomerang Hookshot Whip
Spoils	(Skyward Sword) Monster Claw Goddess Plume (Very Rare) (Breath of the Wild) Keese Wing Keese Eyeball (Rare)

Keese (キース, Kīsu^?) are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. They are bat-like creatures, usually black-skinned, that attack Link by flying toward him. Keese are nimble creatures that prove to be more of a nuisance than a feared enemy. They are most often found in caves and dungeons, but they can sometimes be found in the Overworld as well.

Variations of standard Keese, namely Fire Keese and Ice Keese, appear in several games. In some games, ordinary Keese can become Fire or Ice Keese by moving through fire or Blue Fire, respectively.

Appearances

The Legend of Zelda

Keese appear in every dungeon in the game, and are often found in large numbers in otherwise empty rooms. They fly around the screen randomly before stopping for a short amount of time. Keese can be defeated with any weapon in Link's arsenal. When a Vire is harmed with a weapon weaker than the Magical Sword, it will shatter into two red Keese.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Keese do not appear in Zelda II as they are replaced by the similar Ache enemy.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Similarly to Aches in Zelda II, Keese in this game only move when Link gets close. They stay dormant, and fly around when approached, stopping after a while. Keese mainly appear in the dark tunnels on Death Mountain.

Their Dark World counterparts are Chasupas.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Keese are heavily inspired by the original Keese from The Legend of Zelda. They are dark in color and move about randomly when approached. There are also larger, stronger Keese that only appear during the fight with the Grim Creeper, the mini-boss of Eagle's Tower. When defeated, the Vires in Turtle Rock break into two big Keese that fly toward Link and disappear once off-screen.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Keese return as black bats, found mostly in dungeons. The easiest way to kill one is to hit it with the Fairy Bow, which can penetrate multiple Keese, hitting targets beyond the first. Keese can also be defeated easily using the Hookshot. If there is a source of fire in the area, a Keese is able to fly through it, and turn itself into a Fire Keese. If an immolated Keese touches Link, he will be set on fire, and if he has a Deku Shield equipped, it will burn up. There are also Ice Keese, which are surrounded by Blue Fire found in icy areas. If one of these hits Link, he will be frozen for a short period of time. Either type of Keese may be created by Link through the use of Din's Fire, Fire Arrows or Ice Arrows. If hit by a Light Arrow, It will drop a Purple Rupee.

Navi's Note

“When you get close to it, use (Z) Targeting. Even if it flies away, you can still target it.”

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Keese remain largely the same as their Ocarina of Time counterparts. A good way to avoid an attack by a swarm of Keese is to wear the Stone Mask, which makes Link invisible to certain enemies. Both Fire and Ice Keese appear, in addition to very similar enemies called Bad Bats, which act the same as regular Keese but deal more damage.

Tatl's Note

“Use Z Targeting when it gets close. Even if it flies off, I'll follow it for you.”

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

The Keese in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are similar to the ones found in Link's Awakening. This is due to the fact that Flagship used certain data from Link's Awakening when programming these games. They do, however, move more erratically than those found in Link's Awakening. Fire Keese also appear in both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Big Keese sometimes accompany the Blue Stalfos located in the Ancient Tomb.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

Keese appear in most areas, especially Talus Cave. They will persistently attempt to attack Link by flying into him. They are easily defeated by a slash from the Four Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Keese take on a more Goblinesque form in this game and fly faster than most of their other incarnations. Usually found in cave like places, they will not head straight to their enemy, but will wait and strike once Link is within range. They appear in normal and fire varieties. Yellow Wizzrobes can also spawn Keese sometimes.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Keese attempt to attack the Four Links by flying into them. Link can easily kill them using any weapon.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Keese slowly fly around dark caves and dungeons, with no real strategy. They are easily defeated and pose little threat. They can be killed by many items, including the Boomerang and the Gust Jar, which sucks them in like it would an item.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Keese abide in all dark places in this game, especially places where the Lantern is required. Without proper lighting, the only thing visible is their glowing eyes. They swoop from out of the darkness and attack Link without warning, but are only dangerous in large groups. Both Fire and Ice Keese appear in addition to the standard variety. Fire Keese will burn Link's Ordon Shield or Wooden Shield if it is equipped, and Ice Keese will freeze him in place for several seconds. Fire and Ice Keese are generally not found outside of obvious habitats (volcanoes and snowy mountains, respectively), although all forms of Keese are found in the Cave of Ordeals. They are among the most common enemies in the game, being found in all dungeons but Arbiter's Grounds.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The Keese in Phantom Hourglass are similar in appearance to those from The Wind Waker, but they cannot fly above Link due to the game's lack of a real third dimension, making them easier to defeat. They are also easily blocked by Link's shield. Fire and Ice Keese again appear, but without power-ups to the sword, they can only be defeated with the Boomerang or the Grappling Hook. Regular Keese appear in many dungeons and tunnels throughout the game, while Fire and Ice Keese can only be found in their respective temples.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Keese are identical to their Phantom Hourglass counterparts. As in Phantom Hourglass, Fire and Ice Keese also appear.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Keese act similar to past games. However, their eyes are larger than those of their Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask counterparts, and require two hits from the starting sword to defeat, a first for their kind. They are very common, but not as commonly found as Bokoblins. Keese can be found at Skyloft, Skyview Temple, and Lanayru Desert. They also sometimes drop Monster Claws when they are killed and in extremely rare cases, they may even drop Goddess Plumes. The best way to take out these pests is with the Whip, while the Slingshot, Beetle and Clawshots are also capable of defeating them. A Keese not only attacks by swooping at Link, but they may also ram into Link if he runs away enough. In addition to that, they are able to dodge sword attacks by backing away or flying upward. The dodging also gives Keese a counterattack sometimes. Fire Keese appear in the Eldin Volcano region of the game and dodge more frequntly than normal Keese. Like in other games, Fire Keese burn up the Wooden Shield. Thunder Keese appear in the Lanayru Desert region. When they strike Link's Iron Shield, it shatters. Dark Keese, which have the ability to curse Link, start to appear in some areas by the later parts of the game and are first encountered on Eldin Volcano while defending LD-301S Scrapper as it carries the Water Dragon's Basin, so Link must be careful to avoid being cursed by them, as it can leave Scrapper open to attack. Fortunately they mainly appear in volcano's tunnels and caverns, meaning they can if possible be avoided by using different route. Like most enemies that curse, Dark Keese sometimes drop Evil Crystals when defeated.

A well-timed Shield Bash stun Keese so that Link can use the Fatal Blow. Its eyes will glow red (green for Fire Keese) when they are about to attack, which can be used as a visual cue for Link to prepare to Shield Bash them.

Keese can also be stunned using the Gust Bellows, rendering them vulnerable to Link's sword. With good aim, the Scattershot can take out groups of roosting Keese from afar. Keese, like most enemies, drown in water, dying even when they touch the surface of water. Later in the game, Keese are found outside of Faron Woods. After when Link get all the Gratitude Crystals and returning them to Batreaux, Keese stop spawning in Skyloft. Interestingly, a drawing of a Keese appears on the Defense Training Log (used for practicing Shield Bash) in the Sparring Hall.

Fi's Note

“Found in many locations, these winged monsters are attracted to dark places, such as caves. They often gather in colonies, are active at night, and sleep in the day. Those who come too close and awaken them often fall victim to attack.”

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Keese return, acting the same way as they do in A Link to the Past.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Keese once again appear as enemies. There is also a material item known as Keese Wings which according to its in-game description can be used to brew an invigorating tea or grounded into a purple dye. It should however be noted that Keese do not actually drop Keese Wings when defeated.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

"The unpredictable flight pattern of this nocturnal bat-like species can make fighting them a nuisance, but they're weak enough to fell with a single strike. Sometimes they'll attack in packs, but even then, a pack can be sent packing with a single attack."

— Hyrule Compendium

A swarm of Keese attacking Link in Breath of the Wild

Keese are encountered throughout Hyrule. Unlike past depictions, the Keese from Breath of the Wind have a single eye, giving them an appearance similar to Chasupas. Fire, Ice and Electric Keese appear as well with one eye. Keese drop specifically Keese Wings, Fire Keese Wings, Ice Keese Wings and Electric Keese Wings when defeated. Rarely they may all drop a Keese Eyeball as well. These monster parts can be used as cooking ingredients to create elixirs and as dye ingredients, showing that Keese can indeed be hunted for food and used in dyes as implied in Tri Force Heroes. Many non-elemental Keese can appear in open areas in swarms, occasionally diving in unison toward Link. Link can drive these Keese swarms away by killing several members of the swarm.

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.

Link's Crossbow Training

In Link's Crossbow Training, Keese appear as enemy targets in Temple of Time: Ranger. In the stage Darknut Battle, whenever Link strikes the Darknut, Keese fly out.

Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.

Non-canonical appearances

Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.

The Legend of Zelda animated series

In the episode "The Ringer", Ganon sends a bat-like creature, presumably a Keese, to see if the Triforce of Wisdom is being guarded. This Keese, capable of speech, returns to to Ganon and tells him, "It's guarded by Link."

Mario Kart 8

Keese take the place of Swoopers on Hyrule Circuit, and will flutter down in a swarm to block racers.

Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.

Etymology

The name "Keese" may come from the word Keres, she-monsters from Greek mythology that resembled bats.

See also

• Ache
• Bad Bat
• Chasupa
• Dark Keese
• Fire Keese
• Ice Keese
• Keese Swarm
• Thunder Keese
• Twilit Keese