Sheikah Cadre
Never trust a Sheikah.note
The Cadre is the ruling body of Hyrule's seven Sheikah Clans. Composed of the elders of each clan, the Cadre forms a council that is moderated by the high Maz Koshia, or eldest Monk. While each clan has their own laws and acts with a degree of autonomy, the rule and order of the council can and will dictate what the Sheikah as a whole do.
The Sheikah as a people are ancient, dating back to the times of Akkala. While records of their deeds are few, many legends surrounding the Sheikah placed them as mediators between Hyrule and the Oocca. The Divine Oocca would use the dark arts of the Sheikah as an instrument, rooting out corruption and demons. This role seems to survive into modern day despite the absence of their Oocca masters.
The Cadre's goals are not explicit to outsiders, though it seems in general they wish to direct history and avoid cataclysmic disaster and change. To accomplish this the Sheikah have adopted extremely subversive and secretive methods: Spying, bribing, black mailing, and assassination to change the course of events rather than military or diplomatic might. If there is a great and powerful monarch in Hyrule, odds are the Sheikah are responsible for putting them there and keeping them alive.
General
- Adaptational Villainy: Downplayed. They aren't exactly saints in the original games, but there seems to have been a push to make them less villainous and push their bad deeds onto the Yiga. Here, all clans are capable and responsible for some kind of atrocity.
- Albinos Are Freaks: Hylian influence aside, the majority of Sheikah exhibit albinism.
- Beast of Battle: They make use of Ghoul Rats and crows in their army.
- Canon Foreigner: While the Sheikah themselves have had several appearances throughout the series, their ruling body, the Cadre itself, is an invention of Hyrule Conquest.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Sheikah are often fairly inbred as a consequence of their refusal to breed with Hylians and divided clans.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Their armies, which consist of mostly Super Soldiers, tend to be very small compared to other forces.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Not always, at least. Their loyalty to the Kingdom of Hyrule is dubious at best, with some loyal and others who would want nothing less than the entire Kingdom for themselves.
- Devious Daggers: Knives are the weapon of choice for many Sheikah.
- Fragile Speedster: They are good at hiding and hit-and-run attacks, but don't expect them to survive in a prolonged melee.
- Glass Cannon: A whole army of lightly-armoured units that can kill very quickly.
- Technicolor Ninjas: A lot of the clans have somewhat gaudy and distinct colors, making it a miracle that they're able to stay Hidden in Plain Sight.
- Planet of Hats: The clans each have their distinct role and personality. Also quite literally as they wear distinct headwear.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: See Albinos Are Freaks above.
- Really 700 Years Old: The Sheikah age slower than most other races.
- Right Under Their Noses: Sheikah tactics revolve around this.
- Stealth Expert: Every Sheikah unit is capable of hiding anywhere - essentially becoming invisible when they stand still.
- Stock Ninja Weaponry: Wakizashis, katanas, ninjatos, scythes, and kunai.
- Super Breeding Program: The Sheikah are crazy about eugenics and forbid any member of their race to conceive with others and spoil the pure Sheikah blood.
- Super-Soldier: From a young age the Sheikah are indoctrinated into intense training, and their bodies forced against their natural growth to instead allow maximum flexibility.
- Suspiciously Small Army: Sheikah units are very small but able to hide anywhere, outmaneuver enemies and gain a massive bonus in flanking.
- The Clan: The Sheikah are split into seven clans, though there were allegedly more.
- Two Girls to a Team: Inverted. The Sheikah Cadre only has two male members, those being Kohga and Maz Koshia.
Dojo Units
Trainee, Protector, Hawkeye, Sidewinder, Blademaster
Clockwise from top right: Protector, Sidewinder, Blademaster, Hawkeye, Trainee.
- Note: For the Demon Carver, see its section in Kohga's entry below.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: The Hawkeyes have a 100% accuracy rate, meaning they'll consistently be hitting whatever targets you set them to.
- Katanas Are Just Better: While the Trainees and other units may vary in weapons depending on the clan, all Blademasters have a Katana.
- Master Swordsman: Blademasters have trained their skill for at least a century.
- One-Steve Limit: There is actually a Zora unit called the Blademaster, though it predates Breath of the Wild by a couple years.
- Stealthy Colossus: Downplayed with the Sidewinder. It is by no means a big unit by the game's standards, but it might just be the only cavalry unit in the game with stealth.
Cistern Units
Ghoul Rat, Wallmaster, Floormaster, Crowling, Moa, Devoured
Clockwise from top right: Wallmaster, Crowling, Devoured, Moa, Floormaster, Ghoul Rat.
- Note: For the Dead Hand, see its section in Sheik's entry below.
- A Mischief of Mice: They're called Ghoul Rats after all.
- Anti-Structure: The Wallmaster is a siege unit which bashes down enemy walls.
- Asteroids Monster: The Floormaster split into smaller Floormasters when slain.
- Attack Animal: The Crowling.
- Degraded Boss: The Devoured is essentially a smaller, weaker version of Bongo Bongo, though they notably aren't missing their hands of legs.
- Evil Counterpart: The Crowling can be considered one to the Ordona Hawk.
- Evil Hand: The Wallmaster and Floormaster are disembodied hands that attack enemies.
- Feathered Fiend: The Crowling is a demonic bird with red eyes.
- It Can Think: The Devoured is assumed to be mindless, but according to its description, the Sheikah know that some unseen dark intellect guides it.
- Monstrous Humanoid: The Devoured, beasts of the darkness that have taken residence in the corpses of executed convicts.
- Named by the Adaptation. Maybe. The tentacled monsters used by Wizzro in Hyrule Warriors were never directly called Moas, but match the old art from Adventure of Link pretty close.
- Our Demons Are Different: Cisterns are used by the Sheikah to ritually wash their sins. When the sins accumulate down in the waters, they spawn into demons.
- Rodents of Unusual Size: The Ghoul Rat is pretty damn big.
- The Blank: The Devoured, whose head is only a large eye wrapped in a hood.
Hideout Units
Spy, Needler, Smoke Screener, Saboteur, Assassin
Clockwise from top right: Needler, Saboteur, Assassin, Smoke Screener, Spy.
- Note: For the Executioner, see its section in Impa's entry below.
- Anti-Structure: The Saboteur's purpose is to blow things up.
- Smoke Out: Smoke Screeners throw Deku Nuts that create smoke clouds, reducing enemy sight.
Sheikah Clans
Clan Kakari
Clan Kakari
The Kakari Clan hails from the Old Kakariko region, near the shadow of Death Mountain. One of the oldest groups of Sheikah and one of the few surviving, Kakari have made information their clan's product: both gathering and selling. Many Kakari become professional Spies, uncovering just about any secret and burying others that should never be found. The Kakari are perhaps most well known for being the builders and maintainers of the Shadow Temple; once one of the Sheikah's most important ritual and religious grounds.- Decomposite Character: They are based on the Sheikah (really, just Impa and Sheik) from Ocarina of Time, which centered around the Kakariko village. Their Spy model is based on a Sheikah spy suit from Breath of the Wild, however, as it resembles the ones from Ocarina of Time.
- The Spymaster: They are among the more accomplished ones.
Clan Naldari
Clan Naldari
The Naldari Clan hails from the west of Hyrule, near the border of the Gerudo Desert. They founded the city of Naldariko, though it is now mostly in Hylian hands. Because of their position in the west the Naldari were active fighters during the ancient Gerudo Wars. More than any other Clan they have a military and warrior culture, using the Sheikah's traditions for martial prowess. During times of war the Naldari would assemble armies, and during times of peace they served as bodyguards without equal.- Decomposite Character: They are based on the appearances of Impa in Skyward Sword and Hyrule Warriors, right down to the giant swords carried by the Executioners.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: They are a clan of warriors.
Clan Necluda
Clan Necluda
A Clan of Sheikah hailing from Necluda Province, of which their name is also derived. As with Sheikah tradition, the Necluda keep a low profile. Unlike their brethren, they do so not by hiding but by living in mundane conditions and keeping their secrets in far away places. Many Necluda live as farmers, traders, and craftsmen, but as with any true Sheikah they are trained in martial arts, gathering information, and assassination.- Decomposite Character: Based on the Sheikah in Breath of the Wild, which are the most numerous and least secretive, and mostly live as farmers.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: They pretend to be farmers and live ordinary lives in Necluda.
Clan Linetha
Clan Linetha
A nearly extinct clan of Sheikah hailing from north of the Death Mountain region. Little trace of this clan is left, and what few villages remain are hidden in secret places from the world. Even amongst the other clans the Linetha remain isolated. When Linetha Sheikah do interact with the outside world, they often appear as traders and merchants.- Decomposite Character: Somewhat based on Impaz and the Hidden Village from Twilight Princess, though they take some design clues from Wizzro from Hyrule Warriors, who also resides in Eldin.
- Dying Race: Are nearly extinct at the point the story takes place.
- Hidden Elf Village: They don't appear on any maps.
- Intrepid Merchant: How they make their money.
- Mountain Man: They live somewhere in north Eldin, although where that may be is never specified.
Clan Salari
Clan Salari
A reclusive Clan of Sheikah that is believed extinct by many. They are indeed few in number, and their secretive nature even amongst their own kind does not help the perception. At one time the Salari were renown for their skill in assassination. They were teachers of the art to the other Sheikah Clans, but kept the mastery of murder to themselves. In service to the Royal family they served as assassins of the King. Those outside the jurisdiction of the Royal Family often offered their services as mercenaries, though their skills were only affordable by the highest of nobles.- Decomposite Character: They are primarily based on Zelda's black cloak from Twilight Princess, with some design cues from Sheik in Hyrule Warriors.
- Dying Race: Many doubt they even still exists because there are so little of them left.
- In the Hood: All of them wear black hoods which conceal their faces.
- The Artifact: They were included in the game to serve as the clan of Azrily before she was
Exiled from Continuity. - Professional Killer: Even more so than the other Sheikah, their entire identity is centered around assassination.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: With some grey linings to spice things up.
- Sinister Scythe: They carry the same ones the Yiga do.
Clan Nirvata
Clan Nirvata
A clan composed entirely of Monks. Nirvata do not own land, nor do they live in communities. Nirvata Monks dedicated themselves to a lifetime of study, uncovering the dark secrets of the world, and enacting the Sheikah religion. Some may act as a priestly figure amongst a community of another Sheikah Clan, but a vast majority live in total isolation. Nirvata Monks periodically come out of seclusion and will host discussions with others in their clan, sharing secrets with other Sheikah. If the Sheikah Cadre is threatened on any large scale, Nirvata Monks will begin gathering into armies.- Adaptational Mundanity: They do not possess any of the Guardian technology they do in the source material, and are much more like real-life Buddhist monks.
- Decomposite Character: Based on the Sheikah monks from Breath of the Wild, but without their ancient technology.
- All Monks Know Kung-Fu: Averted, they fight with weapons.
- Body Horror: They are horribly emaciated and kept alive only through magic.
- Corrupt Church: Things have been brewing under the earth for a while.
- Enlightenment Superpowers: Countless years of meditation have given them knowledge above most mortals.
- Knight Templar: They will do anything to meet their ends.
- Warrior Monk: Need we say more?
Clan Yiga
Clan Yiga
The Yiga hail from the northwest of Hyrule, near the colder highlands of the Gerudo desert. This Clan has a long tradition of living on the frontier as nomads, preferring to never build and hide their power in settled locations like many other Sheikah Clans. Because of their reach into foreign lands the Yiga were often hired as scouts and usually held lore of long lost and distant locations. Yiga are trained from a young age to survive in the wild; many are proficient hunters, horse riders, and warriors.- Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed. While they clearly have their own agenda, their betrayal is instead recontextualized as a full on ritual war. It is implied that many of these have happened in the past.
- Mountain Man: They live in the mountains of the Gerudo Province on the edge of civilization.
- Red Is Violent: They wear nearly full red with the exception of their masks.
- Sinister Scythe: They use sickles instead of kunais or ninjatos like the other clans.
- White and Red and Eerie All Over: They have white masks which conceal their identity.
Sheikah Heroes
Paya
Paya
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Adaptational Badass: Paya in Breath of the Wild is a Non-Action Gal Ditz. In Hyrule Conquest, this is largely a ruse for her missions.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Never trust a Paya.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: She is much smarter than she makes herself out to be.
Purah
Purah
Who wants to live forever?
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Adaptational Weapon Swap: Used a sort of whip in Age of Calamity, though this is swapped for a phrenic bow and Hawkeye mask.
- Age Lift: Zig-zagged. In Breath of the Wild, Purah's discovery of eternal life constrains her to a child-like form despite being over a century old. While Hyrule Conquest retains this plot point, it uses her adult design from the prequel, before she discovered eternal life in the first place (while Purah regained her adult body in Tears of the Kingdom, it was released after she appeared in Hyrule Conquest and had no impact on Ice Cream Man's decision).
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The fooling to Impa's responsible.
- Immortal Immaturity: Unlike her sister Impa, Purah hasn't matured much over the years.
- Really 700 Years Old: Or at the very least twice as old as the average Hylian.
Kohga
Kohga, Master of the Yiga Clan
Will kill for bananas.
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Adaptational Curves: He was rather corpulent in Breath of the Wild. Here, he has Stout Strength.
- Adaptational Wimp: He was essentially a wizard in the original; flying around, lobbing magical bombs, summoning stuff out of thin air. Since Conquest is a more realistic game, he is put on his feet and turned into a Boisterous Bruiser that actually uses his sickles.
- Malevolent Masked Men: He's the leader of an evil ninja clan and wears a mask.
- Sinister Scythe: Not just one, but two of them.
Unique Unit: Demon Carver
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Kohga's unique unit available if he is chosen as a Hero.
- Adaptation Name Change: In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it's their weapons that bear the name Demon Carver, whereas it's their wielders that bear the name in Conquest.
- Ax-Crazy: Quite so; they become violent and blood-obsessed due to fighting forces beyond their comprehension.
- Blood Bath: Did we mention they bathe in blood?
- Bloodlust: Taken to quite a literal level; they often drink the blood of their enemies.
- Demon Slaying: Their job is to seek out and kill demons which have slipped into Hyrule.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: Exposure to demons causes them to go insane, which is the reason for their blood-related escapades.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Apparently becomes quite crazy and just as dangerous.
- Meaningful Name: The job of the Demon Carvers is to hunt down demon to kill them.
Sheik
Sheik
It's just exema.
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Adaptational Abomination: In case the half-rotten face and milky eye didn't give it away, this Sheik is undead and very, very old.
- Decomposite Character: Naturally, as she's clearly not the same person as Zelda.
- Facial Horror: Half of her face seems to be decayed, and her eye is milky white.
- Two-Faced: Or at least two and one thirds faced.
Unique Unit: Dead Hand
Say cheese!
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Dismemberment Is Cheap: Even if the enemy manages to kill one of its Dead Arms, they just regenerate them by assimilating dead enemies.
- Forced Transformation: Any enemy killed by the Dead Hand becomes a new Dead Arm.
- Revenant Zombie: Its description theorizes that they are the result of people wrongly executed by the Cadre.
- Sand Is Water: In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Dead Hand is locked to a room seemingly made of sand and bones, explaining how it could move about despite being half-buried in the ground. In Conquest, however, it can move through any kind of surface, including grass, rough ground,
rock, stone tiles, bridges, and several others. - The Dividual: In-game, the Dead Hand is actually a battalion of monsters composed of itself and Dead Arms, which die if the Dead Hand does.
Impa
Impa, Sage of Shadow
Sheikah by day, Kiss backup member by night.
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda (enclosed instruction manual)
- Action Girl: She's definitely capable of fighting in the thick of a melee.
- Ambiguous Situation: Allegedly the leader of both Kakari and Naldari clans, but how she came to be one or how it's even possible is not made clear.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible to Purah's foolish.
- In the Hood: She's rarely seen without her iconic violet hood.
- Katanas Are Just Better: She wields a custom one in melee.
- Master Swordsman: Impa's skill as a swordsman is unmatched in Hyrule.
- Older Than They Look: She looks like a woman in her 30's, but her true age is around two times that number.
Unique Unit: Executioner
- First Appearance: Hyrule Conquest
- Anti-Armor: The Executioner's purpose is to break down the armor of opponents, opening them up for attack.
- BFS: A more realistic take on Impa's one, based on executioner swords
from medieval Europe. - Canon Foreigner: Have not appeared in any of the canon games, but are inspired by Impa.
- Mythology Gag: Their swords and general aesthetic are an obvious call-back to Impa in Hyrule Warriors.
- The Executioner: Well, yeah.
Maz Koshia
Maz Koshia, Elder Monk
Cardio will really do a number on you.
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Adaptational Weapon Swap: Well, he didn't really use any weapons in his original appearances. Conquest gives him a blue-tinted katana, perhaps harking back to Guardian technology.
- Adaptational Wimp: Maz Koshia in the original games was an extremely powerful mage capable of flying around, summoning objects and lobbing bombs. To account for the more realistic style of the game, he's given a katana and put on his feet.
- Body Horror: Like all Nirvata monks, he has become a mummy kept alive by magic.
- Facial Horror: Under his veil, his face has decayed into nearly a skull.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Wields a blue one in battle.
Unique Unit: Nirvata Monk
Just meditate on it.
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Adaptational Badass: With the exception of Maz Koshia himself, the monks in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were quite passive and never took up the fight themselves. In Conquest, they're very much fighters.
- Body Horror: Are quite emaciated due to their time spent underground. Considering their faces, they are more likely undead.
- Facial Horror: If one looks closely at their model, they can see their skull-like faces.
- Levitating Lotus Position: Are shown this way on their unit card.
- Warrior Monk: As implied by their name, they are Sheikah monks which have taken up weapons.
Bongo Bongo
Bongo Bongo
Hijacking Cthulhu? What could go wrong?
- First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Eldritch Abomination: The most potent fragment of Dethl in existence.
- Fluffy the Terrible: Bongo Bongo isn't exactly a threatening name.
