sometimes

or, "Ichor and Nadir"

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Intelligent monsters in the Legend of Zelda

I'm talking the moblin who was writing love letters back and forth with that girl in Wind Waker, aka a moblin with a canon name, Moe, that can fall in love and give gifts and read and write

Batreaux in Skyward Sword, a talking monster that just wants to be human

The moblin disguised as a woman in Minish Cap who asks Link to keep her identity a secret

There's the friendly, talking dodongo in the oracle games

A hinox who bribed for his life in Lorule

King Bulblin in Twilight Princess can talk too

These aren't even all the examples!!

There are so many instances in these games of intelligence beyond just using weapons, making food, forming rudimentary patrol routes or camps, etc.

At least some of these guys can talk, read, write, form connections, have hopes and dreams, and so on. At least some of them, if not all of them, have names. They're not all just mindless "me see, me attack" brutes full of nothing but bloodlust.