Legolas’ Kill Count in LOTR and The Hobbit Is Higher Than Expected

Legolas’ kill count in the movies exceeds that in J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings for several reasons. Firstly, the Elven prince appears in the “Hobbit” films, despite not being named in the book. Secondly, Tolkien doesn’t provide much detail about individual kills, with one notable exception, which serves as the inspiration for all this kill-counting enthusiasm.

In the “Two Towers” book, during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Legolas and Gimli engage in a friendly contest to see who can kill more enemies. It begins when Gimli kills two enemies, prompting Legolas to say, “I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least. But that is only a few leaves in a forest.” When Gimli reports that he’s reached 21 kills, Legolas updates his count to 24, thanks to his knives. When they reunite after the battle, Gimli boasts a tally of 42 foes, while Legolas admits to killing 41. Legolas doesn’t mind Gimli’s victory; he’s just glad his friend is alive.

Peter Jackson and his team infused this friendly competition into “The Two Towers,” which made for delightful entertainment. They ramped up the rivalry in “The Return of the King,” where Legolas single-handedly takes down an entire Oliphaunt. In the “Hobbit” films, the Elven warrior’s skill for landing killer blows is taken to new extremes, as he eliminates dozens of foes in mere seconds. While this doesn’t quite capture the original low-key aspect of the characters’ friendly challenge, it certainly results in a high kill count for one of the Fellowship of the Ring’s most formidable members.

Source: J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Two Towers,” “The Return of the King”, Peter Jackson