There is no shortage of secrets in the kingdom of Hyrule, even those pertaining to seemingly mundane items, especially in Ocarina's best dialogue exchanges becoming completely missable, it also creates the opportunity for veteran players to feel a sense of surprise even years after their first time defeating Ganon. Both old-school adventurers and Hyrule newcomers might be shocked to learn that even the Deku Sticks hold magical secrets. Despite their rather mundane appearance, these sticks pack a punch, and could even save Link's life in the right circumstances.
Despite their rather underwhelming appearance, Deku Sticks can deal significant damage to enemies. In fact, Deku Sticks deal twice as much damage as the Kokiri Sword, and can deal four times as much damage as the Kokiri Sword while performing a jump attack. They might be as brittle as the degrading weapons in Breath of the Wild, but that doesn't mean they are weak. This level of power can be used to help Link make quick work of early bosses. Although the raw strength of the Deku Sticks is overwhelming for Link's foes, power alone does not confirm that these sticks are magic. The Deku Sticks' capacity to deplete life is impressive, but its ability to restore life is even more fascinating.
Deku Sticks Can Create Fairies To Heal Link
In addition to dealing serious damage to monsters, Deku Sticks hold the power to turn butterflies into Fairies. While this mechanic is rather difficult to trigger, if a butterfly lands on a Deku Stick while Link is holding it, it will transform into a Fairy, allowing players the chance to restore their health or replace a useless Zelda bottle item with perhaps the most useful.
Considering these sticks hold significant power and possess the capacity to create Fairies, it is very likely that they hold magic within them just like the Great Deku Tree. In addition to sharing the name "Deku," the Deku Tree and Deku Sticks both have heavy ties to Fairies and the Kokiri Forest. Just like how the forest keeps its inhabitants perpetually young, Deku Sticks make sure that Link is always healthy and protected.
Though Hyrule might be home to far more impactful and shocking secrets than this one, the magic of the Deku Sticks just goes to show how much thought went into every detail of Ocarina of Time's expansive world. Considering this amount of detail that went into a Zelda title from over two decades ago, players can only wonder how much detail will go into the story for Tears of the Kingdom. Even the most basic starting items like Ocarina of Time's Deku Sticks hold secrets waiting to be uncovered, and it is this very feeling of discovery that has cemented The Legend of Zelda franchise as one of the most noteworthy names in video game history.
