Original artwork, not a still
Old man's hint
Dodongo dislikes smoke.
— The Legend of Zelda · 1986
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a hint so cryptic that it became a joke about NES-era game advice. Players remember being stumped as kids, then learning the smoke was a bomb. Fans use it for any clue that is accurate but unhelpful, and the Ocarina of Time boss fight turned the line into a nod to the original for anyone who remembered it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Legend of ZeldaShow the scene
The warning comes from an old man hidden inside Level 2 of the original Legend of Zelda, the dungeon whose boss is a single Dodongo and whose main treasure is the Magical Boomerang. He tells Link the line and nothing more, leaving the player to work out what smoke has to do with a giant horned beast. The answer is bombs: Dodongos are vulnerable to them, and the blast is the smoke. Ocarina of Time later echoes the hint, since its boss King Dodongo has the same weakness.
Sources (2)
- Zelda Wiki (Fandom): Level 2DescriptionReference checked
- Zelda Wiki (Fandom): Iconic quotes in The Legend of Zelda seriesDodongo Dislikes Smoke sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
