Deku Baba
Deku Baba is an enemy in Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 with 2 or 4 or 1 health.
Navi's advice
Hit it when it lunges at you, and it will stand upright. Cut it quickly to get a Deku Stick!
Though it looks withered, it will hurt you if you touch it!
| Kind | Enemy |
|---|---|
| Health | 2, 4, 1 |
| Places | Inside the Deku Tree, Forest Temple, Well of Three Features, Kokiri Forest, Dodongo's Cavern |
| English | Deku Baba |
| Français | Mojo Baba |
| Deutsch | Dekuranha |
| 日本語 | デクババ |
Damage
How many points of health each attack takes off Deku Baba. 0 means the attack does no damage, though it may still stun or knock it back.
| Attack | Damage 1 | Damage 2 | Damage 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Master Sword | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| Master Sword (spin attack) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| Master Sword (jump attack) | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 0 |
Damage to Link
Health Link loses when an attack of Deku Baba hits him, one line per attack strength, 16 points to a heart. Once a Great Fairy strengthens Link's defensive power, the damage is halved, rounded up.
| Damage | Hearts | Double Defense | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | ½ | ¼ | Plain hit |
Drops
When Deku Baba is defeated, the game picks one of 16 slots at random, so each slot is a 1 in 16 chance. Some slots hold nothing.
| Item | Count | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 in 16 | |
| 1 | 2 in 16 | |
| 1 | 2 in 16 | |
| 1 | 2 in 16 | |
| What Link needs most | 1 | 1 in 16 |
| Nothing | 4 in 16 | |
| Nothing | 2 in 16 |
It also leaves this every time:
What Link needs most is checked in this order: a fairy at one heart or less, three recovery hearts at three hearts or less, one at five hearts or less, a large magic jar when the magic meter is empty, a small one when it is half empty, Deku Seeds or arrows when Link has fewer than 6, bombs when he has fewer than 6, and a red Rupee when he has fewer than 11 Rupees. If he has enough of everything, nothing drops.
Young Link gets Deku Seeds where adult Link gets arrows, and the other way round, and an adult's Deku Stick turns into a green Rupee. Bombs, arrows, seeds, and magic only drop once Link has the bomb bag, the bow, the slingshot, or magic, and a recovery heart at full health turns into a green Rupee.
In the official guides

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Official Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo of America, 1998), p. 28
A carnivorous plant that bites anyone who comes near. Attack when it stretches out to bite by stepping to the side, or use the Slingshot from range.
食いつこうとして伸びをしたときが攻撃のチャンス。ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ 完全攻略ガイドブック (NTT出版, 1999), p. 174, Translated by 101Leafy
Snapping plant in and around the Deku Tree; a cut stem drops Deku Sticks.
Under evil influence, seeds that fell far from the Tree blossomed not into colorful flowers but into menacing tendrils.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Official Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo of America, 1998), p. 28
Comes in moving and stationary types. A stationary one always drops a Deku Stick; a chomping one drops a Deku Stick only if it is killed while it stands straight up.
When you slice them with your sword or stun them with a Deku Nut, they'll stand straight up, and if you kill them in this position, they'll yield a Deku Stick.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Prima's Official Strategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1998), p. 7