History Characters / TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword

!!Protagonists

!!Antagonists
[[folder:Ghirahim]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ghirahim_Skyward_Sword_2814.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''[[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here to see his second form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghirahim_second_form.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here to see his final form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghirahim_final_form.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AnriKatsu
->''"Still... it hardly seems fair, being of my position, to take all my anger out on you. Which is why I promise up front not to murder you... No, I'll just beat you within [[BlatantLies an inch of your life!]]"''

The acting main antagonist most of the story, Ghirahim is a white-haired man who claims to be the ruler of the surface (interestingly, Fi has no idea who he is). He wishes to revive his master, and seeks out Zelda for that purpose.

[[folder:The Goddess]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hylia_statue.png]]

Hylia, the Goddess who sealed the Demon King away. [[AmnesiacGod Zelda is her reincarnation]], and [[BigBad Ghirahim]] wants to capture Zelda so his [[GreaterScopeVillain master Demise]] can gain ultimate power.

* ActionGirl: Implied to be this in the prologue due to her wielding a sword, most likely Fi. Even moreso by the fact that the three goddesses had her protect the Triforce.
* TheAtoner: By the game's end, speaking through Zelda, she acknowledges that it was nothing short of inhumane of her to manipulate Link and Zelda in the manner than she did, and seeks to make it right by using herself to bolster Demise's seal. [[spoiler:This carries on in ''Breath of the Wild'', as she began appearing to the struggling Zelda within her dreams, attempting to aid her and warn her of Ganon's immanent coming -- failed only in that Zelda's spiritual powers were too weak to make a stable connection. Beyond this, she also directly assists Link through the Goddess Statues, giving him greater vitality and stamina.]]
* BatmanGambit: Knowing her chosen hero would stop at nothing to save her, she orchestrates Zelda's descent to the surface.
* TheChessmaster: Sets up more or less the entire game, including most of the dungeons, with the intent for her destined hero to create the Master Sword and claim the Triforce.
* TheChooserOfTheOne: Though she (as Zelda) doesn't realize this at first, as she simply believes she's following the traditions.
* EthnicGoddess: Hylia is the patron goddess of the Skyloftians, protecting them from Demise by various measures.
* FantasyCounterpartReligion: As a benevolent goddess of light who is also the [[DivineParentage ancestor of Hyrule's Royal Family]], she's essentially [[UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} Amaterasu]] with a somewhat westernized aesthetic.
* GodInHumanForm: It's revealed through the last arc of the game that Zelda is Hylia [[AmnesiacGod reincarnated]].
* GodOfGood: Her duty is to protect the living ones from Demise, the GodOfEvil.
* GreaterScopeParagon: She's the biggest opponent to Demise, and uses her power to take humans, and secretly the Triforce, to a place that is out of reach for the hordes of demons. She also entrusts Levias and the guardian dragons the Song of the Hero so a worthy adventurer can prove his worth and get access to the Triforce to wish for the definitive eradication of Demise. And she doesn't mind giving up her divine form in the whole process.
* HotGod: In the special prequel manga in the back of the Hyrule Historia, she is shown to be this.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Downplayed, while she-as-Zelda acknowledges it was necessary to provide motivation for Link to throw himself into danger in order to awaken his HeroicSpirit so he could claim the Triforce, she admits that this wasn't right and apologizes to Link for it. She considers herself sealing herself away to strengthen the seal on Demise as part of her atonement for her actions.
* LoopholeAbuse: The fact that [[TopGod the golden goddesses]] decreed no deity can weld the Triforce didn't deter her in the least. She simply [[LongGame devised a plan]] that would ensure if a [[TheChosenOne chosen hero]] ever came forward, they would have to [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield pass her trials]] to get to the relic and make ''her wish'' upon it to destroy Demise.
* ManipulativeBitch: Given that Hylia's plans for her and Link never took into account their feelings on the matter, Zelda thinks so.
* MythologyGag: Hyrule and Lake Hylia, as seen in later games, are named for her. Also, a very specific and ''very'' subtle one that connects it to the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI original game]]: In the first game, the manual explains that the pointy-eared Hylian people are said to be ''descended from the gods''.
* {{Seers}}: She has the power to see into the future, as seen by preparing messages "from the edge of time" (from the past to the present) for Fi to translate for Link.
* TooAwesomeToUse: What she thinks of the Triforce given to mortals by [[TopGod the supreme golden Goddesses]], her frustration in being unable to use it as fellow-deity, hence her labors and efforts to seal it away from everyone (except for her chosen hero after passing grueling trials and challenges). It's not until she returns as [[spoiler:a mortal reincarnation, Zelda, and after meditating, does she surmise the old gods devised this deliberately to give mortals hope, and sealing it away wasn't her place or decision to make.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: The fact that she gave up her divine form and reincarnated as Zelda is one of the game's big twists.
* WhatTheHellHero: Her reincarnation Zelda has this opinion of her.
* WorthyOpponent: Is seen as this by [[GreaterScopeVillain Demise]]. He finds her human reincarnation, Zelda, to be rather underwhelming in comparison.

[[folder:Gaepora]]
[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaepora.png]]

Zelda's father, and the headmaster of the Knight Academy.

* AmbiguouslyRelated: His name and appearance strongly implies him to be an ancestor of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Rauru]], but this has never been explicitly confirmed.
* AsYouKnow: Said word for word when he explains about the connection between Skyloftians and their Loftwings.
* BigOlUnibrow: It's in a V-shape.
* CoolOldGuy: Even when he's very worried about the situation of his daughter, he never loses his cool.
* EccentricMentor: His looks and manners of speech are unorthodox, but he's still a wise person.
* MrExposition: Mainly when it comes to Skyloft's history.
* MythologyGag: His name is explicitly a reference to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Kaepora Gaebora]]. He also bears a resemblance to Rauru, who was eventually confirmed to be the original form of the aforementioned owl. His eyebrows also somewhat resemble the horns of an owl, and the intense glare of his neutral facial expression resembles an owl's eyes.
* ShipperOnDeck: He seems to be aware of Zelda's feelings for Link, as he muses how she was jealous of Link's relationship with his Loftwing when they were younger.
* UnusualEyebrows: He has the full UnusualEyebrows trifecta: huge, fluffy, white BigOlEyebrows connected in a straight line across his face in a BigOlUnibrow, and to each side they fly up to and then ''off of'' his temples to become DisembodiedEyebrows that until closely examined look more like a hairdo. Combined with his wide-open eyes and bolstered by the allusion of his name, he looks quite owl-like.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Owlan and Horwell]]
Two instructors that assist Gaepora and the students in the academy.
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* CuteKitten: Horwell always takes care of Gaepora's Remlit, Mia, so much that he feels he wants one. Because of the Remlits turning into vicious little things at night, he puts Mia out.

** Owlan is called Owl in the original Japanese, and further renamed Arfan in French ("harfang" means "snowy owl", Otus ("owl" in Latin) in German and Italian, and Buhel in Spanish.
** Horwell is Hornell in the original, Hulul in French, Tytor in German, Cornelio in Italian, and Asteus in Spanish.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Instructor Horwell. There's also Rupin, the gear shop owner, during the daytime. However, [[StepfordSmiler it's only a facade to help with sales]].
* ForScience: Owlan has a fascination with plant research and he wishes to find new species. And that includes fetching him a Kikwi, which is both a fauna and flora example (much to his delight).
* ThemeNaming: Like most of the residents of Skyloft, they are named after birds or, more specifically, owls in order to coincide with Gaeopora.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cawlin and Strich]]
Groose's lackeys.
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* BeetleManiac: Strich has a fascination with bugs and can give Link ridiculous amounts of money if he collects some for him.
* DubNameChange:

[[caption-width-right:320:''[[Cthulhumanoid Abyssal Leviathan]]'']]

* SuaveSabre: Subverted. He's a stylish, classy-acting demon who carries a sabre as his main weapon, but he turns out to be very AxCrazy and as the game goes on, stays just a hair away from completely losing it. In the final battle, he ditches his sabre for a two-handed claymore to hack with.

The main antagonist of Skyward Sword, Ghirahim is a white-haired man who claims to be the ruler of the surface (interestingly, Fi has no idea who he is). He wishes to revive his master, and seeks out Zelda for that purpose.

* MirrorCharacter: As noted in TheHerosJourney above, Ghirahim's arc heavily parallels Link's. Both of them are searching for Zelda and have to explore and solve dungeons in order to find her as part of a divine prophecy to reawaken someone they are loyal to. The difference is that, while Link is primarily motivated out of love and altruism, Ghirahim is motivated by hatred and sadism, with his loyalty to the satanic Demise reflecting his own destructive desires.

* DubPersonalityChange: Demise's DyingCurse in the Japanese text is more vague and mentions various concepts of karma from [[UsefulNotes/Buddhism Buddhist beliefs]], essentially saying the conflict between Hylians and the demon tribe will continue on after his death. In the english version, Demise more bluntly states he'll rise again and that his hatred will follow the descendants of Link and Zelda.

* DarkIsEvil: The king of demons himself with all the dark and unholy powers you'd expect from sone of his positionf.

* DeaderThanDead: Link destroyed him so badly that he's unable to ever reincarnate himself ever again as either the Imprisoned or as Demise. His DyingCurse is but a final resort, but if the land he obsesses over perishes (as with ''The Wind Waker'') even the manifestation of his hatred cannot even hope to return.

* EvilWeapon: Your weapon doesn't get much more ObviouslyEvil in the ''Zelda'' franchise than a [[BlackAndRedAndEvilAllOver black]], [[SerratedBladeOfPain serrated]] version of the Master Sword.

* GracefulLoser: Zig-Zagged. He's certainly more graceful than Ghirahim, and compliments Link for beating him, being genuinely impressed with the fight that Link puts up given that Link is a mortal, stating that he fights "like no man or demon I have ever seen", and he refers to him as "a paragon of your kind." However, he also vows that his hatred will curse him and his descendants to have to fight for eternity as well.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Considering that the Sheikah are generally associated with shadows. This is especially apparent when you first hear about her: a Mogma notes that a person of apparently the same race as Link but dressed in black clothes was seen around the area, which might lead you to believe that he's talking about Ghirahim or one of his minions. Then said dark-clothed person shows up to help you get across a bridge to find Zelda.

* DarkIsEvil: His sword has been seen to have a dark glow around it. Also, he gets black markings on his body during his meeting with Link in the Fire Sanctuary. His [[OneWingedAngel final form]] is black all over with silver markings.

* LightIsNotGood: He's a very pale guy wearing white clothes who is also a sadistic demon. It also makes him the opposite of [[DarkIsNotEvil Impa]]. Averted when he transforms at the climax, where his skin is predominantly dark brown instead.

* TheAntiGod: As the Demon King he is the opposite of the Goddess Hylia, and eventually parallels her final actions by incarnating his hatred into a mortal form. He also wields an evil version of her sword.

* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: He curses Link and Zelda so that a form of his hatred is reborn with them.

* DarkIsEvil: The king of demons has a black motif.

* DiabolusExMachina: Just as Demise is finally about to be defeated, he curses the reincarnations of Link and descendants of Zelda to fight his incarnation of hatred for all eternity, thus subjecting them to a never ending war of sorts. There is no foreshadowing or hints that he can do this beforehand.

* DieLaughing: As Demise damns the future incarnations of Link and Zelda to be eternally plagued by an incarnation of his own hatred, he gets in one last EvilLaugh before he dissipates into nothing and gets absorbed by the Master Sword.

* MotherOfAThousandYoung: He is the origin of all monsters.

* SealedEvilInACan: The Imprisoned is sealed within the Sealed Grounds. It breaks free from its weakening seal several times and has to be resealed until Ghirahim forces his release, at which point Link has to kill him; he gets vengeance via Ganon, the embodiment of his hatred for Link, Zelda and Hylia.

* LightIsNotGood: This artistically designed golden robot in a beautiful pillared room is definitely out to kill you.

* DarkIsNotEvil: He may have a demonic face, but is otherwise a nice and considerate being.
* FaceOfAThug: Unless you help him.

[[hardline]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakashiNagasako

* BondVillainStupidity: Ghirahim spends most of his fights with Link simply screwing around and toying with him, which allows him to repeatedly interfere with and foil his plans. By the time of their final showdown, he's aware of this, and very much regrets not simply killing Link when he had the chance.
-->'''Ghirahim''': If only I'd put you in your place from the very beginning! Show a human a little mercy, and the next thing you know, he thinks himself your equal!

* FatalFlaw: Single-mindedness. Despite recognizing that Link may be a potential threat, Ghirahim [[BondVillainStupidity always puts off ending him on the spot]] since his first priority is capturing Zelda and unsealing the Demon King. [[spoiler:While he ultimately succeeds in his goal thanks to his devotion, he and Demise are unable to enjoy the fruits of his labors since he has allowed Link to grow strong enough to end the Demon King himself.]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: An incredibly tall, large-framed, muscular man with red hair who is a little bit too smug for his own good and has a strong sense of entitlement. That's a description that fits Ganondorf, but he's not present in this game. Instead, Groose seems to take his place as a more heroic (and vaguely ridiculous) take on that character archetype.

* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Although the game is a prequel, Ghirahim was designed with this mindset, making him a contrast to Ganondorf.

* Really700YearsOld: According to Aonuma, he was designed to look around the same age as Link.
* RecurringBoss: He's fought no less than three times, plus one more as part of the FinalBoss if you count him being as a sword for the Demise encounter..

* NotQuiteDead: Played with. He technically lives on in Ganon and all of his alternate selves, but it's unclear whether he and Ganon are the same entity or if Ganon is someone who he created with the power of his hatred to forever torment the heroes who defeated him. ''Hyrule Warriors'' and ''Hyrule Historia'' go with the former, outright stating Ganon to be Demise's reincarnation; and ''Breath of the Wild'' does so implicitly by stating Ganon to be the incarnation of an ancient evil that took on the form of a Gerudo.

* {{Bishonen}}: This is pretty much a given from long line of heroes in the Zelda universe. He's a young, thin man, contrasting the more muscular Groose.

* {{Bishonen}}: Very much so. In fact, ''Game Informer'' magazine mistook him for female. Creator/EijiAonuma said he was designed with a "unisex-like, genderless feel". If that sounds familiar, he also describes Fi the same way. This is [[EvilCounterpart not a coincidence]].

* {{Bishonen}}: Not as much as Link, but still very handsome.

* SwallowedWhole: If you fail to stop the Imprisoned from reaching the Sealed Temple, he will absorb her soul very literally.

* {{Tsundere}}: With emphasis on the ''dere''. She's generally sweet, but doesn't hesitate to chastise Link for not training for the Wing Ceremony, even pushing him off the edge of Skyloft when he says he can't sense his Loftwing (which leads to a massive OhCrap moment when she realizes he's not just making excuses).

* BrokenAce: Pipit is a senior class student, winner of the previous year's Wing Ceremony, crushed on by Karane, and is constantly upbeat and happy to help Link out. As it turns out, he's barely able to pay the Knight Academy tuition fees due to his mother constantly squandering their money, causing him to stay up all night patrolling the grounds to cover the costs. What makes it worse is that it's one of the few problems that Link can't help with -- in fact, he can potentially actively harm the issue by playing the cleaning minigame repeatedly.

* TheMentor: To Link, to an extent, but arguably mostly to Groose, of all people. She helps him come to terms with not being TheChosenOne and shows him how he can help anyway - [[FridgeBrilliance which makes sense]], because [[spoiler:she used to be Impa, in a very similar supporting role]].

* MrExposition: She fills in a lot of the gaps for Link, though she does hold a few things back. [[spoiler:Such as her true identity]].
* NotSoAboveItAll: Though she's rather demure and focused on what's ahead, the old woman does seem to enjoy some of Groose's antics after his CharacterDevelopment.

* {{Bishonen}}: Very much so. In fact, ''Game Informer'' magazine mistook him for female. [[WordOfGod Aonuma]] said he was designed with a "unisex-like, genderless feel". If that sounds familiar, he also describes Fi the same way. This is [[EvilCounterpart not a coincidence]].

** [[WordOfGod Aonuma]] has said Ghirahim was designed to contrast with Ganondorf's "very masculine, powerful, evil" characteristics. As a result, this makes Ghirahim also somewhat resemble [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap Vaati]], who is somewhere in the middle of the effeminate/masculine spectrum. This also makes him contrast his master Demise, who is ''[[ExaggeratedTrope exceedingly]]'' masculine.

** Lastly, he's one to Link. Both are expert swordsmen with {{Bishonen}} looks who are chasing after Zelda for different reasons. Both are also servants of polar opposite divine beings. WordOfGod says that he was designed to be similar to Dark Link from ''Ocarina of Time'' in that he also reads Link's attacks and forces the player to fight more strategically.

* Really700YearsOld: According to WordOfGod, he was designed to look around the same age as Link.

* MythologyGag: His name is explicitly a reference to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Kaepora Gaebora]]. He also bears a resemblance to Rauru, who was [[WordOfGod eventually confirmed]] to be the original form of the aforementioned owl. His eyebrows also somewhat resemble the horns of an owl, and the intense glare of his neutral facial expression resembles an owl's eyes.