Odolwa

Appearances

Odolwa has only appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. He is the boss of the Woodfall Temple, and is keeping the Giant of the Southern Swamps away. He is also keeping the Deku Princess hostage in a secret grotto (an innocent monkey had been charged with this offence prior to the defeat of Odolwa), and Link must save her. The reward for his defeat is Odolwa's Remains, as well as a heart container.

Attacks

Downstrike-

Odolwa will lean forward and strike downwards with his sword. His most common attack, and also one of his slowest. Opportune moment for Link to counter with a strike of his own, if he can avoid it.

Sideswipe-

A sideways swing of the sword. While not a huge threat, Odolwa cannot be approached reliably while doing this attack. This attack is sometimes strung together into combos of 2 or 3 swings.

Spin Attack-

Odolwa will spin around holding his blade out, much like Link's own Spin Attack. This is Odolwa's most effective move, as it is hard to avoid if Link is within close proximity to Odolwa.

Spiders-

Once enough damage has been dealt, Odolwa will do a dance that summons some spiders to drop from the ceiling. They are more of a nuisance than anything. One sword strike will kill them.

Moths-

Much like the spiders, the moths are summoned when Odolwa pauses to do a dance. The moths will surround Odolwa at first, and then swarm to you. To get rid of them, just pick up a bombflower and place it on the ground. They will be attracted to the flame, and will die in the explosion.

Circle of Fire-

Odolwa surrounds Link in a wall of flames. Usually, Odolwa is outside of the circle, allowing him to pick and choose when to attack. Be weary if you are using Deku Scrub Link, as he will have to start the battle over if he touches the fire.

Falling Rocks-

Late in the battle, Odolwa will begin to summon rocks to fall from the ceiling. Just avoid them, and you'll be fine.

Dodge-

While not technically an attack, Odolwa will leap into the air if you attempt to attack without stunning him. Any attempt to use a jump attack will be countered with a dodge, and possibly a downstrike while you are recovering.

Block-

Also not an attack, but still important to note. When in front of Odolwa, a simple sword strike will usually be blocked with his own sword.

Strategy

Odolwa has a huge sword. The most important thing to keep in mind while facing Odolwa is to keep out of range of his strikes. The safest way to defeat Odolwa is to stun him with arrows as Link, and then move in to strike with your own sword. If you run out of arrows, there are bombflowers scattered across the room which have a similar effect. The bombs are trickier to use, however, so use arrows if you can. If you choose to use the Deku Scrub form of Link, you can use your bubbles to stun Odolwa, and follow it up with a spin attack to injure him.

Odolwa is a unique boss in that he can be defeated without any help from outside weapons. A player that has studied Odolwa's methods can easily defeat him with just the Kokiri Sword. Many of Odolwa's attacks are punishable, so waiting patiently for Odolwa to strike is the best option here.