Death Sword

Evil-doer
Full Name	Unknown
Alias	Death Sword Sword of Gobera
Origin	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Occupation	Prisoner in the Arbiter's Grounds
Powers / Skills	Swordsmanship High strength Invisibility Levitation
Hobby	Unknown
Goals	Break free of its seal (succeeded). Kill Link and Midna (failed).
Crimes	Murder (heavily implied) Assault Malefic
Type of Villain	Enigmatic Demon

“	The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known…	„
	~ Auru describing the Arbiter's Grounds and alluding to Death Sword.

“	This thing just depresses me… Get him down here and introduce him to your blade!	„
	~ Midna on Death Sword.

Death Sword is a minor antagonist in the 2006 action-adventure game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

It is a malevolent spirit being held prisoner deep within the recesses of the Arbiter's Grounds. Upon Link accidentally setting it free, Death Sword engages him as the dungeon's mini-boss.

Biography

Little is known about Death Sword's past. It was likely a criminal or demon that terrorized the land of Hyrule, resulting in it being sent to the Arbiter's Grounds, a prison in the Desert Province that held Hyrule's worst criminals. There, it was presumably sentenced to death, only to come back by possessing its massive sword. The sword itself was then bound to the floor of its cell with ropes bearing ofuda, Buddhist talisman that ward off evil spirits. The ofuda kept Death Sword in place for an unknown amount of time.

During the Era of Twilight, Link and Midna explore the Arbiter's Grounds in search of the Mirror of Twilight. There, they come across Death Sword's cell. Link cuts through the ropes holding the sword, thus accidentally breaking the ofuda seal and releasing Death Sword.

Initially invisible, Death Sword strikes at Link with its sword. When Link transforms into a wolf, he is able to see Death Sword's true form and injure it until it takes on a corporeal form, at which point Link can turn back into a human and deal more damage. After doing this enough times, the defeated Death Sword explodes into a swarm of bats, granting Link access to the path to the Spinner.

Trivia

• Much like Dead Hand from Ocarina of Time, Death Sword is considered to be one of the creepiest enemies in the Zelda series, due to its unsettling design and mysterious backstory.
• Death Sword shares its battle music with Phantom Zant.