Gorons are a major non-human race in the Legend of Zelda series of games. First introduced in Ocarina of Time, Gorons have been featured in several recent Zelda games. They are one of two friendly (or at least not actively antagonistic) recurring non-human races, the other being the fish-like Zora.
Gorons are large, bulky creatures made of rock, often portrayed with short legs and nude, possibly except for a loincloth, and usually extensively decorated with what appear to be tattoos, including the Goron symbol which looks like a kite shape with three small triangles around the top. Older Gorons appear to have hair, or possibly crystal formations. They are much stronger and tougher than humans and Hylians (humans with pointy ears, like Link and Zelda) and pride themselves on their great strength. They eat rocks, and some rocks are apparently tastier than others to them (my guess is they prefer metal ores). Sometimes they have the ability to travel at great speeds by curling up into a ball and rolling. Their size can vary dramatically; although the typical adult Goron is a stocky 6-7 feet tall, some members of the tribe are much larger, about twice the height of human. A Goron the size of a mountain appears in The Minish Cap. Gorons appear to lack gender, or at least sexual dimorphism, as an identifiably female Goron has yet to be seen (there are, however, many Goron children of indeterminate origin).
In games that feature an entire Goron tribe, Gorons are typically a very proud race with their own, separate culture. They are often suspicious of outsiders and Link will usually have to prove his worth to their leader before Link will be accepted by the tribe and receive their help, by which I mean allow Link to help them. Once accepted into the tribe, they will call Link "Brother", like they do with each other. Their appearance and culture can change from game to game, however, since the Legend of Zelda series is not overly concerned with continuity. The rare Gorons seen away from their villages tend to be traveling merchants, carrying their wares in comically oversized backpacks.
Gorons are usually associated with fire or lava dungeons, dodongos, and bombs in the series.
Legend of Zelda games featuring Gorons:
- Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
- Rapscallion provides this description:
Gorons are encountered for the first time on Death Mountain while Link is a child. They live inside the mountain, in a place called Goron City, and can be seen rolling around outside. Link helps out the Gorons by clearing Dodongo Cavern (a lava dungeon) of monsters, thus earning the friendship of Goron leader Darunia and the valuable Goron's Ruby. As an adult, Link returns to the mountain to explore the Fire Temple, where the Gorons are beng held against their will by Ganondorf. As will become usual for the series, the Goron Chief considers his tribe's problem to not be the concern of outsiders and won't let Link help until he's gained their trust.
♦ In this game, Gorons are shown to roll at high speeds while curled into a ball.
- Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)
- CruelTutelage provides this description:
The Gorons live on a big snowy mountain and enjoy frequent high-speed rolling races. Link can assume Goron form using one of the game's masks. Goron-Link can roll around and punch or butt-slide as attacks instead of using his weapons, and plays a set of five pitched drums instead of an ocarina. The Gorons here don't appear to be overly suspicious of outsiders.
♦ In this game, Gorons are shown to roll at high speeds while curled into a ball. Majora's Mask, being a sort of bizarro-Hyrule, features an ice level rather than a fire level for the Gorons.
- Oracle of Seasons (Gameboy Color)
- I have not played this game.
- Oracle of Ages (Gameboy Color)
- I have not played this game.
- The Wind Waker (GameCube)
- Rapscallion provides this description:
Gorons appear to be nearly extinct in The Wind Waker, and many other familiar races like Zoras are not present either. Only three Gorons make an appearance as merchants on tiny rafts, wearing flowered shirts and low-brimmed hats. The three of them are the focus of an extensive side-quest involving a human shopkeeper and a lot of back-and-forth sailing.
- Four Swords Adventures (GameCube / Gameboy Advance)
- I have not played this game.
- The Minish Cap (Gameboy Advance)
- One Goron appears as a traveling merchant who sells Kinstones. Six others break through a series of walls in search of gourmet rocks, allowing Link to find a treasure at the end. Biggoron, who is the size of a mountain, gives Link a special weapon. Since the Gorons in this game are visiting Hyrule, rather than being visited by Link, they are more outgoing and friendly than usual.
♦ In this game, Gorons are shown bashing through solid rock with their fists.
- Twilight Princess (GameCube / Wii)
- A tribe of Gorons exists near Kakariko Village at Death Mountain. Due to the problems occurring lately, they are suspicious of outsiders and initially do not trust Link. Link must prove his strength, and therefore his worth, by using the Iron Boots to defeat their current leader in a sumo wrestling contest. Once accepted by the tribe, Link is allowed into their sacred mines (a lava level inhabited by dodongos) to save their chief. This accomplished, the Gorons re-open relations with Kakariko Village.
♦ In this game, Gorons are seen bashing through solid rock with their fists, rolling at high speed while curled up into balls, and spending long periods of time underwater without needing to breathe. They are also shown to enjoy lounging in hot springs.
- Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS)
- A tribe of Gorons live on Goron Island and the only human living there is a shopkeeper. Link must answer a series of trivia questions for their chief in order to be accepted by the tribe, and is then allowed into their sacred temple, but must still earn the respect of the Chief's son during his dungeon crawl. The young Goron then helps Link defeat the armored dodongo-like boss. Gorons also run a mini-game on Dee Ess Island.
♦ In this game, Gorons are shown rolling at high speed while curled up into balls. The Chief's son (whom you control for a short time) uses this as an attack, launching himself at enemies.
The list of Zelda games featuring Gorons was taken from The Zelda Wiki.