Pols Voice
From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
- This article is about the enemy. For the HORSE the Band song, see Pol's Voice (song).
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| Game(s) | The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons Phantom Hourglass |
| Non-canon Appearances | Zelda's Adventure |
| Habitat(s) | Dungeons |
| Effective Weapons | Sword Sound Arrows Bombs Jars |
Pols Voice is the name given to a species of rabbit-like monsters that hop along the ground in their native habitat, often a dungeon. With their debut in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Pols Voice is one of the few common enemies with a distinct, unique weakness.
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Characteristics and Weaknesses
Pols Voice's head boasts two floppy ears and whiskers like that of a rabbit or hare, but the similarities end there. They have evil, black, beady eyes and a lower torso that spreads out into short "legs" or simply opens up to a wide, tooth-filled maw underneath. For unknown reasons, the ears of a Pols Voice are hyper-sensitive to loud sound and territorial intrusion.[1][2] In the original Japanese release of The Legend of Zelda, they could be destroyed with sword blows but took many hits and were hard to defeat without knowing their true weakness: they were sensitive to player-provided sound from the Famicom's built-in microphone. This weakness was only exploited in Japan, as the NES lacked the mic. In the NES version of the title, they were given a vulnerability to Arrows; Link can easily eradicate several at once with one arrow if they are aligned. Pol's Voice in Link's Awakening also shared this weakness but take a few more shots to defeat, and were now invulnerable to sword blows. However, they could also be destroyed quickly by throwing Jars at them or using Bombs, a weakness that is also shared in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. In a reference to their original weakness, playing a melody from an instrument such as the Ocarina or the Harp of Ages in the Game Boy games will cause these foes to spontaneously explode.
Phantom Hourglass and Player Interactivity
Pols Voices also appear in Phantom Hourglass; they are much larger than their contemporaries, and similar to previous concept art. As a nod to the built-in microphone on the Famicom, the only way to expose their weakness is to sound into the Nintendo DS Mic; this action stuns them and provides a window of time in which Link has the opportunity to attack. However, without knowledge of their weakness, these enemies may prove to be amongst the toughest in the game. In Phantom Hourglass, they attack by flipping forward and attempting to hit Link with their large mouths, hidden under their bodies.
Trivia
- The Bunny Hood bears a slight resemblance to the Pols Voice enemy, and when Link sells the mask to the wandering Running Man in Ocarina of Time, he says upon seeing the mask: "I bet with those long ears you can hear the voices..."
- The Toppo is another hopping rabbit-like enemy who appears in A Link to the Past.
- The American metalcore band HORSE the Band released a song entitled Pol's Voice on their 2003 album R. Borlax. The song's title and lyrics refer to the enemy as it appears in the original The Legend of Zelda game.
Gallery
The Oracle version of the Pols Voice
Million Publishing guide artwork of a Pol's Voice in The Legend of Zelda
A Pols Voice attacking Link in Phantom Hourglass
References
- ↑ "A ghost with big ears and a weak point - he hates loud noise" (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 36)
- ↑ "Creatures that are sensitive to sound dwell in the sands ahead. So, walk without sound and bring as little attention to yourself as possible." — Ciela (Phantom Hourglass)
 Names in Other Regions 
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| Language | Name | Meaning | |
| Japanese | 
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ポルスボイス (Porusu Boisu) | Pols Voice |
| German | 
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Pols Voice | |
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