Level 3: The Manji

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Level 3: The Manji is the third dungeon in The Legend of Zelda. Link travels here directly after he has acquired the second Triforce fragment from the second dungeon, The Moon. The Manji can be reached by traveling one screen up, four screens left, one screen down, and finally one screen right from the Starting Screen. The Boss of this dungeon is called Manhandla, and it guards the third Triforce fragment from Link. After defeating Manhandla, Link can collect the piece of the Triforce of Wisdom and leave the dungeon.

Item

There is only one obtainable item in the entire dungeon, and is strangely completely unused in the entire dungeon. It is called the Raft. It allows Link to float across large pools of water, in order to gain access to previous unaccessible areas. To be specific, there are two primary locations that the Raft is required to reach. The first is in the top-right corner of the overworld, and holds a Heart Container. The second is located towards the middle of the Overworld, and leads to the fourth dungeon of the game, The Snake. The Raft can be found in the only side-scrolling area of the dungeon. The entrance to this area is found in the bottom-left corner room of the dungeon.

Enemies

Manhandla

Main article: Manhandla (The Legend of Zelda)
Manhandla-Sprite-LoZ.png

The Boss of The Manji is known as Manhandla. Manhandla is a giant plant-like monster, with a main body and four circle heads sticking out on each side of its body. It is very vulnearable to Bombs and can possibly be killed in one Bomb blast if placed exactly underneath the core. Each head on each side of its body is destroyed if it gets hit by a Bomb. Each hit Manhandla takes it starts to move around the room faster, making it a lot more difficult to place a Bomb. However, it is recommended to use a Sword for more chances of attack. After Manhandla has been defeated, Link can collect the Heart Container and head into the next room, where he finds the third Triforce fragment.

Old Man Location

Once again, the Old Man makes an appearance inside this dungeon, similarly to the first two dungeons. He can be found in the room that is one room left and four rooms north from the entrance. He says, "DID YOU GET THE SWORD FROM THE OLD MAN ON TOP OF THE WATERFALL?".[1][2] This is a reference to the cave on top of the waterfall to the left of the Lost Hills, where the another, or possibly the same, Old Man gives Link the White Sword if he has accumulated five Heart Containers. Oddly, in this quote, he talks as if he is not the only Old Man in Hyrule and there are two at least. It is very unclear as to if there is only one Old Man or multiple throughout the game.

Dungeon Map & Compass

The Dungeon Map and Compass predictably make an appearance in this dungeon.

Compass

The Compass is used to show Link the location of the Triforce fragment on his map via a flashing circle. This indicates its location, and helps Link create a pathway to the end of the dungeon. The Compass is located in the room that's one room left, two rooms up and one room left from the entrance. It is on the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by Keese and Blade Traps. Link can simply avoid the enemies and grab the Compass.

Dungeon Map

The Dungeon Map is also found in this dungeon, and it shows Link the layout of this particular dungeon. It helps Link find and visit any rooms he has not yet entered. It is found in the room that is one room left, three rooms up, and one room right from the entrance. Inside this room, there are Blade Traps and Zols, with the Dungeon Map lying on the floor right in the middle.

Keys & Locked Doors

As with every dungeon in The Legend of Zelda, there are multiple Small Keys and Locked Doors featured throughout the dungeon. The keys are used to unlock the Locked Doors, and thus are required to complete the dungeon. In total, there are five Small Keys available to be collected in this dungeon. Most are found by defeating all the enemies in a specific room, at which time a key appears. Along with these five keys, there are only four Locked Doors. This means that Link has an extra key for use in future dungeons. Alternatively, if Link knows where to go already, he can avoid opening certain Locked Doors by bombing through particular walls, using only one of the four keys he can access (or two of the five keys, as one is behind a Locked Door).

Controversy

There is a large amount of controversy surrounding the shape of this dungeon. It is in the shape of a left-facing swastika. However, the term manji is actually a Japanese character and is quite common in Japanese culture, likely how it was allowed in the game. The swastika is considered offensive in the west due to its relationship to Nazism.

Gallery

References

  1. "DID YOU GET THE SWORD FROM THE OLD MAN ?" — Old Man, The Legend of Zelda.
  2. "TOP OF THE WATERFALL" — Old Man, The Legend of Zelda.