“My First Death Was to Fried Chicken!”: IShowSpeed and New Ocarina of Time Players Fall for Kakariko Village's Oldest Trap
Following its November 5, 2026 launch, the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has already claimed the number one spot on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop charts, bringing in a massive wave of newcomers experiencing the 1998 classic for the very first time. Among them is popular streamer IShowSpeed, who booted up his debut playthrough live on YouTube dressed in Link's iconic green tunic and cap. Long before facing Ganondorf, however, the creator walked straight into the oldest unwritten rule in Kakariko Village: never attack a Cucco.
Four Sword Slashes Too Many in Kakariko Village: IShowSpeed's First Game Over
Upon reaching Kakariko Village as Young Link, IShowSpeed spotted one of the peaceful white chickens pecking at the dirt near the village steps. Giving in to curiosity, he drew his Kokiri Sword and called out to his audience: "Alright, chat, let me see if I can hit this thing. Chat, you can't hit the chicken!"
Noticing that the bird simply flapped its wings and let out a squawk without taking fatal damage, Speed chased the Cucco across the village and unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes. On the fourth consecutive hit, the camera suddenly locked in place for the classic warning cutscene: the chicken froze, threw its head back, and let out a piercing crow.
Seconds later, an endless flock of furious Cuccos dive-bombed Link from every edge of the screen. Caught completely off guard as his three starting hearts vanished with no way to block or fight back, Speed watched helplessly as Link collapsed onto the Kakariko cobblestones and triggered a Game Over screen.
Staring at the screen in disbelief that his very first death of the playthrough came at the beaks of farmyard poultry rather than a dungeon boss, Speed shouted at his camera: "What the hell, KFC, man, what the hell? Hey bird! Bro, my first death was to a chicken! A chicken! Fried chicken. Say on god I just died to a chicken!"
From 1991's A Link to the Past to Switch 2: How the Cucco Revenge Squad Works
For series veterans watching the clip circulate across social media, the moment served as a universal rite of passage. Longtime players quickly pointed out an unspoken pact within the fanbase: never warn first-time players about what happens when you strike a Cucco, ensuring every new generation learns the lesson the hard way.
First introduced on the Super Nintendo in 1991's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where it took 35 sword strikes to summon an angry flock, the mechanic was made far more unforgiving in 1998's Ocarina of Time. Nintendo EPD kept that exact behavior intact in the Switch 2 remake: just three to four hits will summon the invincible Cucco Revenge Squad. As long as Link stays outdoors, the birds spawn continuously from off-screen and bypass his shield entirely. The only way to call off the assault is to duck inside a nearby Kakariko building or exit the area completely.
When treated kindly instead of slashed with a blade, Kakariko's poultry are actually among Young Link's most helpful early-game allies. Picking one up overhead lets Link glide across gaps and wooden fences, while helping Anju round up all seven Kakariko Cuccos to unlock an Empty Bottle remains one of the most valuable side quests before heading up Death Mountain Trail.
My Take
Watching a whole new generation of players and streamers walk right into the Kakariko Cucco trap in 2026 shows just how timeless Nintendo's sense of humor really is. Back in 1998, every single one of us swung our sword one too many times out of pure curiosity before sprinting in panic toward the nearest door. The fact that veteran fans still keep quiet in chat so newcomers can experience that exact same baptism by feathers 28 years later is easily one of gaming's best traditions.
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Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
