#ulua

Appearing in Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave, the ulua (real good eatin’) is the most valuable fish you can catch. It’s worth 4 big island bucks.

During my recent reread of the original 56 Nancy Drew books, I was surprised to find the ulua mentioned. In the 36th book in the series, The Secret of the Golden Pavilion (chapter xiii), Ned and the boys catch an ulua and can’t wait to show it off.

As seen by the description above, the ulua, also called the giant trevally, is actually an enormous fish, far bigger than the ones caught by the Hardy Boys.

It is also a catchable fish in Animal Crossing (seen below in New Horizons, modeled by Ranger Jeff Akers himself).

Blathers shares some fun facts about it:

For more information on this crazy fish, the Wikipedia page has some cool information and is a good place to start:

The Giant Trevally

Bowl with Cormorants

Date: 700-800

Origin: Honduras, Ulua Valley

Provenience unknown, possibly looted

Maya painted dish, Late Classic period, painted on the exterior in reddish-brown, black and shades of orange, with a frieze of stylized storks.

Ulua Character Sheet! and notes

>> Right click and open link to new tab to see larger image

In terms of Ulua’s fighting style, think Void Magic + Stalker/assassin. He prefers using daggers/knives, which he uses to create magical sigils by calling upon Void magic. Took some creative liberties on how Ulua uses magic from the void, making contracts from beastly creatures to call upon (which in his case is rare and hard to do) during battle. But typically, just fighting by himself, he uses air/lighting element to give that fighting edge.

Water you lookin’ at?! This giant trevally is facing divers head on at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument! 

(Photo: John Burns/NOAA)