Aquamentus

Aquamentus
Naming
Original	アクオメンタス
Romanization	Akuomentasu
Morphology
Body type	Draconic
Intelligence
Sentience	Sentient
Sapience	Non-Sapient
Aggressivity	Very High
Ecology
Place of origin	Hyrule, Holodrum
Habitat	Eagle Dungeon, Demon Dungeon, Level 1, Level 4, Gnarled Root Dungeon
Diet	Carnivorous
Locomotion	Quadrupedal
Status	Endangered
Behind the Scenes
Universe	The Legend of Zelda

The Aquamentus (アクオメンタス Akuomentasu) is a rare species of horned dragon indigenous to the kingdoms of Hyrule and Holodrum, which share similar ecology. It is sometimes mistaken for a unicorn by uninitiated Hylians due to the large horn growing out of its head. Given their overall size, they are likely apex predators of the regions they inhabit.

While their scales are impervious to conventional damage, their large horn is not and is often how an adventurer will seek to slay one of these giant creatures. This horn may be connected directly to their skull plate as destroying it will kill the creature outright. Although they are weak to arrows (which presumably pierce their skull plates), they can also be dealt with with a variety of other weapons, such as bombs, boomerangs, and swords—especially those with a sword beam technique.

Aquamentus wield a variety of attacks. Most often they will fire three energy balls, which can be blocked by a resourceful adventurer through the use of a Magical Shield or simply dodged by a resourceful adventurer. In some records, it is said that the horn will glow with energy before launching fireballs, but this is contradicted in other documentation, meaning it should not be used as a reliable source of defense. They are also known to directly charge towards threats. Despite the small size of their wings, they have shown an ability to fly using them, primarily to set themselves up for another charge.

Subspecies

Two different species of Aquamentus have been seen beyond the common one, both of which can be found within the confines of Hyrule.

An aquatic variant resides within the Black Falls of the Underworld, a subterranean area beneath the surface of the kingdom of Hyrule, as witnessed by Link during the Era of Decline. This breed was decidedly more equine than other variants of the species. They are likely the most distantly related of the three known types, as their three-toed paws have evolved into single-toed hoofs. Their wings are also covered in feather-like scales and they have fin-like ears extending from the sides of their head. Not only this but they are the smallest of the three, being roughly the same height as an average horse. Interestingly, unlike the other Aquamentuses, this type are actually amphibious and are thus the only one to be actually associated with water. In-universe, this may indicate that they are the holotype for the species as opposed to the more common variety, though this is conjecture.

Some years after Link defeated Ganon during the Era of Decline, a pair of new heroes recorded evidence of a new Aquamentus subspecies. This species is considerably pudgier and has a smaller horn than the more common species. They are multicolored, unique amongst the Aquamentuses. Although their body is predominantly green, they have splotches of blue covering their dorsal sections. White stripes cover their legs and the back of their neck, while their ventral side is also this same white hue. Their wings are white with the stretched membrane between the fingers being red, indicating that they likely are criss-crossed with blood vessels, possibly being used for thermoregulatory purposes. A unique feature seen in this species is a frill along the neck.

Background history

The Era of Light and Dark

Link encountered an Aquamentus while attempting to rescue Din from Onox, who was planning on aiding Twinrova to resurrect Ganon. Although it is defeated in the Gnarled Root Dungeon, another one is encountered under Twinrova's supervision to prevent them from arriving at Onox's Castle. Leading the charge, Aquamentus was able to defeat Ricky with its fire breath as he tried to protect Link. Luckily, Moosh woke up from his hibernation just in time to save both Ricky and Link from death, flying them away at high speed.

Notes

• Aquamentus is based on a unicorn and a dragon.
• Aquamentus is the first boss to appear in the history of the Zelda series. Despite this, he has only appeared in as many main series games as Digdogger and Patra and is the only boss not to have any related species.
• Despite being one of the rarest recurring bosses, across the entirety series, including non-canonical appearances, a grand total of twelve Aquamentuses are seen. Four appear in the original Legend of Zelda (in the Eagle and Demon dungeons of the First Quest and Levels 1 and 4 of the Second Quest), one appears in the cartoon, another four appear in Game Watch, two appear in BS LoZ, and one appears in Oracle of Seasons (in the Gnarled Root dungeon, guarding the Fertile Soil, an essence of nature) and its manga adaptation.
• In Oracle of Seasons, the Aquamentus boss is one of the only ones in the series to not be weak to the dungeon's treasure, in this case the Seed Satchel.

Appearances

• The Legend of Zelda: The Hyrule Fantasy (First appearance)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Animated Series
• The Legend of Zelda Game Watch
• BS The Legend of Zelda
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons