Level 3 (First Quest)

This article is about Level 3, a dungeon of the First Quest. For the dungeon in the Second Quest, see Level 3.

Level 3
The entrance to Level 3
Game(s)	The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Location(s)	The western forest, near Lost Woods
Main Item	Raft
Boss(es)	Manhandla

Level 3, also known as "The Manji", is the third dungeon in The Legend of Zelda. It has a green theme and is located in the far south of the game's map, not far from the Lost Woods.

Dungeon

Level 3 introduces the enemy Darknut, which is regarded as one of the most difficult to kill in the game. Keese also appear frequently in this dungeon. The compass is found in a Keese room; the map is guarded by Zols.

The dungeon's item, the raft, is not needed to access or defeat the boss, so it is possible to reach the Triforce Shard piece without it; however, the raft is required to reach Level 4. The raft is found in a cellar in the southwest of the dungeon. The entrance to the cellar is in a room filled with Darknuts, but the cellar itself contains Keese.

There are five keys and four locked doors in Level 3. Three of these doors can be left locked, as there are other routes into the rooms behind them. The only treasure behind the other locked door (which blocks off the northern arm of the dungeon) is, ironically, another key, although the Old Man can also be found beyond this door, with the advice that another sword can obtained from the top of a waterfall.

Items

• Raft
• Heart Container
• Triforce Shard

Enemies

• Blade Trap
• Darknut (red)
• Keese (blue)
• Zol (blue)

Boss

• Manhandla

Map

Map of Level 3 during the First Quest

Controversy

Upon the game's release, some players, unfamiliar with the Hindu or Buddhist manji, mistakenly believed the shape of the dungeon was a reference to the Nazi swastika. This was not an issue in Nintendo's native Japan, where the image is more common, but caused some controversy after it was released in North America.