Characters / The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Triforce WieldersRecurring: Goddesses and Allies, Villains and Enemies, Races Main Series: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle games, Four Swords, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom Spin-Offs: Philips CD-i Games, Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Main Characters

Link

Link, the Hero of Time

Voiced by: Fujiko Takimoto (child), Nobuyuki Hiyama (adult)

"It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey...the youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth..."

— The Great Deku Tree

Orphaned during the violent Hyrulean Civil War, he was raised among the childlike Kokiri as one of their kind. After having a dream about Princess Zelda being attacked in front of the Castle Town, the fairy Navi and the Great Deku Tree send him on a quest to find Zelda and stop a great evil, on which he would earn the title of "Hero of Time."

He also appeared in Majora's Mask. See here for more information.

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• '90s Hair: His adult self was designed to look like a 90s Pretty Boy movie star (specifically Leonardo DiCaprio), and has the hair curtains to go with it.
• Adorably Precocious Child: Aside from a few sporadic childish animations, he remains a determined and mature hero at the ripe age of 9.
• All for Nothing: Downplayed, but still. His actions lead to Hyrule being sunken underwater in the Adult Timeline, while his retainment of the Triforce of Courage causes Ganondorf's empowerment in the Child Timeline. Worse, Link himself becomes filled with regret after dying, thus turning into a phantom-like being in Twilight Princess.
  • Official materials also explain that Termina and its inhabitants were "just a fantasy", meaning that Link's actions in Majora's Mask ultimately had no real bearing.
• Artificial Gill: The Zora Tunic lets Link breathe underwater when he wears it.
• Audience Surrogate: He is, literally, a Link between the player and the game.
• Badass Adorable: As a young boy. Even older Link tends to get a "d'aww" out of fans when he gets his cute on.
• Battle Boomerang: Link obtains a boomerang shortly before collecting all three Spiritual Stones. It doesn't require ammunition like his other ranged weapons, but only his younger self can use it.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: In the Yukawa Ming Manhua adaptation, after his ordeal with Ganondorf, he vows to grow up and become stronger, the moment he grabs the Master Sword, this results in him being placed in his seven-year sleep and becoming an adult.
• BFS: The Biggoron Sword is a more down to the earth example, being the size of a two handed sword.
• Blow You Away: Farore's Wind, which Link uses to create a single use warp point at doorways in dungeons.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Archery has a stronger focus than in previous Zelda titles, being Link's only way to fight when mounted on Epona and Light Arrows are needed to fight Ganondorf.
• But Now I Must Go: Link vanishes from Hyrule at the conclusion of Ocarina of Time to return to his childhood; the Adult timeline (consisting of The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks) takes place in the world he left behind.
• Chaste Hero: This Link never receives so much as a kiss despite all the women practically throwing themselves at him. Justified, since he is still just a kid on the inside. At some point though, he does sire a child between Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.
• Chick Magnet:
  • His childhood friend Saria has a crush on him, which makes Mido resent Link.
  • Ruto, after some pretty blatant flirting, gives him the royal engagement stone and would have likely expected Link to follow through on the "promise" as an adult if not for being a Sage.
  • Nabooru laments she can't keep her promise to reward a now adult Link. Especially since he's gotten so handsome.
  • Navi is also revealed by Shigeru Miyamoto to harbor romantic feelings for Link.
  • Malon and Zelda have also been interpreted as having feelings for Link. Navi was apparently jealous of the latter according to the creators.
• Childhood Marriage Promise: He has one with Ruto, albeit a byproduct to get the final stone for Zelda, and can jokingly ask for a second with Malon if Talon wasn't joking about it.
• The Chosen One: He is the Hero of Time (although apparently he isn't tall enough for the ride as a kid so he has to sleep for seven years in order to be eligible). Considering that just gave Ganondorf seven years to take over without opposition, the age requirement was axed for future child Links.
• Clothes Make the Legend: Here, it's the standard outfit for the Kokiri. His green tunic is so intrinsic to his legend that it directly inspires the outfits for two later Links (and indirectly inspires a third).
• Contrasting Sequel Protagonist: Chronologically, he is the fourth incarnation of Link. The Links of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords were well-adjusted, adorkable childhood friends of Princess Zelda. This one is a stoic boy who was orphaned in the Kokiri Forest and didn't meet Zelda until he was sent on his quest. He is also the first Link to suffer a long-term loss, seeing as how he was put to sleep in the Sacred Realm for seven years while Ganondorf ruined Hyrule. In one of the Alternate Timelines he's also the only hero who ultimately failed in his quest, dying at the hands of Ganon during their final battle.
• Cool Sword: It's called the friggin' Master Sword. Though Link can get an even bigger and heavier-hitting one in the form of the Biggoron Sword.
• Crazy-Prepared: Link has a weapon in his arsenal for everything. His Slingshot and Bow serve as projectiles, his bombs can clear breakable rocks and weak walls, his Boomerang can stun enemies and reach distant objects, his Hookshot can help him clear gaps, his Megaton Hammer can pound in certain objects, his Iron Boots allow him to walk underwater, his Lens of Truth can see past illusions, his Hover Boots can clear short gaps that the Hookshot won't work on, his Silver Gauntlets gives him greater lifting strength, and his Mirror Shield can reflect light for puzzles.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Implied and subverted. Being as the Hero of Twilight is his direct descendant and not part of Hyrule's royal family, it's very likely that the Hero of Time never ended up with Princess Zelda. By the same token, however, having direct descendants does indicate that he did eventually get a girl.
• Determinator: It's tradition for Link to never give up and this incarnation is no different.
• Doorstop Baby: His dying mother left him in the care of the Deku Tree.
• Famed In-Story:
  • According to the intro of Majora's Mask, he eventually becomes famed in Hyrule for warning the royal family about Ganondorf in the child timeline. At least until being forgotten by the Twilight Era. Adult Link is also this in The Wind Waker.
  • Averted in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: the opening scroll only mentions the loss of the Knights of Hyrule, completely forgetting about the dead Hero of Time.
  • Per the official timeline revealed in Hyrule Historia, the Ocarina-Majora era is formally known as the Era of the Hero of Time. It's also referred to as such in Hyrule Warriors, when Impa arrives in Ocarina's Death Mountain, as she makes a note of being in the world of the "famed Hero of Time". In contrast, other Eras are named for more realm-spanning events, such as the Sky Era, Twilight Era, or the Era of the Great Sea.
  • In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Hero of Time is remembered via a stone monument on the road to Zora's Domain, and Princess Mipha references Ruto having fallen in love with him, in hopes she could develop a romantic relationship with the Hero of the Wild.
• Greater-Scope Paragon: His legacy looms large over the Distant Sequels to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. In Wind Waker, he serves as a folk hero and inspiration to the Great Sea inhabitants descended from the destroyed Hyrule. In Twilight Princess, he manages to derail Ganondorf's plans to take the Triforce and conquer the world, and his ghost also serves as a mentor to his descendant.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: In the Downfall timeline, due to failing in his quest to defeat Ganondorf, he is ultimately reduced to a footnote in history, forgotten and unmourned.
• Ground Punch: Does one whenever he uses one of the three magic spells.^note Nayru's Love, Din's Fire, or Farore's Wind.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He is the Hero of Time, noble, courageous, and chaste. And of course, he has blond hair.
• He Is All Grown Up: Goes from a young kid to a handsome young adult. Nabooru lampshades by saying she would really have kept her promise had she known this is what Link would look like in seven years.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Though canonically known as Link, the player can name him anything they want... including Zelda.
• The Hero Dies: One of the Alternate Timelines in the series begins when Link is defeated in the final battle with Ganon. This is referred to as the "Downfall" timeline and includes the original game, Zelda II, and A Link to the Past.
• Heroic Build: Adult Link has a fairly toned body, though it isn't shown off to the extent of his Twilight Princess successor.
• Heroic Mime: The reason Link says so little, per Word of God, is to further his role as Audience Surrogate. However, when he appears in another game as the Spirit Advisor to the next Link, it's averted as he speaks quite a bit.
• Heroic Spirit: As usual with the Links, nothing can get him down. Not even missing out on seven years of his life while Ganondorf ran amok in the kingdom.
• Horse Archer: The only thing that he can use while riding Epona is his bow.
• Hot-Blooded: Have you heard his war cries? Being voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama is a sure way to tell the player that Link is eager for battle... and often jumping into action without thinking.
• Human All Along: After he grows up, it's revealed that Link is not a member of the elf-like Kokiri race, but of the Hylian race. Played with, since Hylians also possess magical powers.
• An Ice Person: Ice Arrows which freeze enemies. Useful, but he doesn't need them to clear the game.
• I Just Want to Be Badass: There's a chalk doodle of a stick figure with a sword and shield facing off against a giant monster at the base of Link's house. It's implied to be his own drawing.
• Immune to Fire: While wearing the Goron Tunic, Link will not be harmed by fire-based traps or attacks and can walk safely over lava.
• Implied Love Interest: See Chick Magnet above. This is apparently a biproduct of the fact that Nintendo planned at one point to add Dating Sim mechanics in the game with multiple girls, but it was scrapped fairly early on. However, the final product only tease potential love interest without fully committing to anyone in particular.
• Instant Expert: Link masters bombs, the bow, the slingshot, and the ocarina, among other items, the moment he picks them up.
• It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: This is ultimately the entire point of his character. Link's status as The Chosen One causes him to be forced to give up on his childhood; when he returns to said childhood, he's both too mature to stay in Kokiri Forest and too young to become a knight and live amongst the Hylians (on top of him not really knowing their culture). Majora's Mask ends up exploring the effects this has on Link in the months after, and Twilight Princess reveals the tragic results.
• Kid Hero: Even "Adult" Link still counts as a kid hero, in a way, since he's still 9-10 mentally.
• Lady and Knight: The White Knight to Zelda's Bright Lady.
• Legacy Character: Future Links are considered successors to this one. Also, according to Hyrule Historia, this Link himself is a successor to the Links from Four Swords, The Minish Cap and Skyward Sword.
• Legendary in the Sequel:
  • In the timeline leading to The Wind Waker, the Hero of Time is hailed as a legendary figure even into the time of the Great Sea, where boys of Outset Island are dressed up as him when they come of age.
  • In the timeline leading to Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, this is downplayed, as because Ganondorf was arrested prematurely, while he does get some recognition and later hones his skills into a true Master Swordsman, he is eventually largely forgotten by the Era of Twilight, and his ghost regrets never passing down his skills.
  • In the timeline leading to A Link to the Past, this is subverted, as centuries after Ganon killed him, the Hero of Time was reduced to a mere footnote in history, unmourned and completely forgotten about.
• Light 'em Up: Light Arrows, which from this point in the series replace the Silver Arrows from the older games.
• Lightning Bruiser: This is probably the most invincible the Hero of Hyrule has ever and will ever be. He can swing any weapon with complete ease regardless of size, hits like a truck, an incredibly versatile kit of items and spells, and the strength to lift marble columns that eclipse him in size.
• Magic Knight: This Link in particular has an arsenal of magic arrows and spells to help him through dungeons, and can later use a magic-enhanced Spin Attack that increases its range and power.
• Magic Music: From the Fairy Ocarina, and later the Ocarina of Time, he can play a variety of songs for different purposes such as signifying his permissions from Zelda to access royal areas, summon rainstorms, speed the passage of time, and warp between the various elemental temples.
• Manchild: His gestures and mannerisms are still child-like when older, although it's not really his fault, since his mindset was not given time or the opportunity to age due to being asleep for seven years.
• Missing Mom: Link's relatives are not mentioned at all until the completion of the Forest Temple where the new Deku Tree reveals the truth to him. When Hyrule was going through a bloody civil war, Link's mother was gravely injured and she entrusted Link to the Great Deku Tree before passing away.
• Modesty Shorts: Only the keenest of eyes will notice, but as a child Link actually wears a pair of green shorts hidden beneath the skirt of his tunic.
• Moses in the Bulrushes: His mother left him in the care of the Deku Tree to save him from the war.
• Mr. Fanservice: Adult Link, by design. Early in development, Link's appearance was going to be closer to how he looked in A Link to the Past, but Yoshiaki Koizumi deliberately changed it to be more physically attractive after a comment from his wife, in which she asked if Nintendo didn't have any handsome male characters after seeing Link's first character model. The result was a complete success, in and out of universe.
• Never Grew Up: Subverted. While he does start as a child in the Kokiri Forest, not only does he grow up, but he's revealed to be the only inhabitant who can do so given that he's actually a Hylian.
• Nice Guy: As quiet as he is, Link is still an extremely helpful and well-meaning boy who will throw himself into danger save others.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • Whoops, you and Zelda actually aided Ganondorf rather than thwarting him with that Spiritual Stone plan.
  • And releasing Bongo Bongo from the Kakariko well, putting the village in danger.
  • Hyrule Historia reveals that Link being sent back in time with the Triforce of Courage at the end of the game resulted in Ganondorf receiving the Triforce of Power during his execution.
• Not So Stoic:
  • He's shown with a completely horrified expression once he sees what Ganondorf has replaced Hyrule Castle with.
  • He flinches every time Ruto brings up his "promise" to marry her.
  • He's left slackjawed by Twinrova's transformation.
• Oblivious to Love: If the text box that talks about Zora's Sapphire is any indication, Link doesn't understand that he basically accepted a Childhood Marriage Promise from Ruto. Justified of course, since Link is still a child and lived his entire life in Kokiri Forest prior to the events of this game.
• Oh, Crap!: When he meets Ruto in the Water Temple seven years in the future and realizes she still wants to marry him. In a much more serious case, he shows a similar reaction when he arrives the area surrounding Ganon's Tower for the first time, realizing how twisted that area has become and that the once peaceful Hyrule Castle doesn't exist anymore.
• Peter Pan Parody: This Link is a green-clad hero who lived in a forest of immortal children, and has a fairy as his closest friend.
• The Paragon: This incarnation of Link sets the standard for those who appear in the Adult and Child Timelines.
• Parental Abandonment: He was left in the Great Deku Tree's care as a young child, which the Great Deku Sprout explains as being due to his mother having been left fatally injured during a civil war and being forced to leave him with the Kokiri before she passed on.
  Sprout: Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest. The mother was gravely injured... Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the baby was raised as a Kokiri.
• Playing with Fire: Din's Fire, which creates a huge fireball around him, the magic he'll be using for most of the game, and the only one he needs to get. Also has this in the form of the Fire Arrows.
• Plot-Relevant Age-Up: He is the chosen owner of the Master Sword but was not old enough to wield it. So he's kept sealed away in the Sacred Realm for seven years until he is old/strong enough to do so.
• Rewarding Vandalism: Link's primary source of income is smashing random objects, especially pottery.
• Screaming Warrior: Every attack he makes is accompanied by a loud yell, and he's never quiet about it. This is especially true when comparing to his successors (and predecessors) who are more restrained in their fighting grunts.
• Sealed Good in a Can: When he withdraws the Master Sword, he turns out to be too young to be the chosen hero. Thus his spirit is sealed away for seven years while his body matures to be old and strong enough to fight Ganondorf the way he needs to.
• Shared Family Quirks: 3D makes it so that Link occasionally does the same sword twirl as his descendant in Twilight Princess.
• Signature Headgear: The green floppy cap is iconic for Link, so it's a given. In this universe, it's part of the standard male attire for the Kokiri tribe.
• Spin Attack: His signature move since The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. With a magical ring created by the blade for good measure. Just hold down on the sword button to charge up the spinning.
• Spirit Advisor: Hyrule Historia confirms that this Link will go on to become the Hero's Shade in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
• The Stoic: He rarely changes his expression from a straight face.
• Storm the Castle: He goes through eight dungeons (five of which are temples) and Ganondorf's castle by himself.
• Suddenly Speaking: As the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess, he goes from pure Voice Grunting to having text dialogue.
• Super-Strength: With the Goron's Bracelet and later the Silver and Golden Gauntlets. While it doesn't translate to greater attacking power, all three increase his lifting strength to the point where he can move gigantic stone objects.
• Took a Level in Badass: After the Time Skip in the Sacred Realm, which gives him the ability to wield much more powerful and effective weapons than his child self could.
• Tragic Hero: Despite defeating Ganondorf and saving Hyrule, Link has been forced to grow up prematurely and been sent back to his childhood form to resume his life. In the end, this caused a lot of suffering for him, with Twilight Princess showing that he became a ghost filled with regret.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: For his love interests in the future, they can never be with him anymore since he is sent back to the past, despite knowing him from their childhood. And while it is possible for Link to tie the knot with one of his childhood friends in his new past, they are not the same person he knew from the future.
• Unskilled, but Strong: He never really gains much more combat training than a typical child ever does, and most of his attacks are widely telegraphed slashes. He still comes out on top either way, and, if the Golden Gauntlets factor into his physical might, he eventually gains enough strength to toss a giant pillar of pure stone quite a ways behind him. Twilight Princess would later reveal that he grows out of this off-screen, becoming a skilled Master Swordsman.
• Weapon Twirling: In the 3DS remake, he twirls his sword in his hand if he locks onto a foe and doesn't attack, a development backported from his descendant in Twilight Princess.
• Wolverine Publicity: Ocarina of Time Link is widely considered to be the most iconic version of the Hero of Hyrule. He's the base design for the general Link in the first two Super Smash Bros. games (and gets a separate trophy to himself [and Navi] specifically in the 3DS version of the fourth game), the design used for a Soul Calibur appearance, his actions are the linchpin and splitting point for the Zelda timeline, and has a costume in Hyrule Warriors for his adult self; he also appears playable as his child self in Super Smash Bros. Melee and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an unlockable character, as well as Hyrule Warriors as a DLC character (though all of the child appearances has some added influence from Majora's Mask). He's also the first Link to appear in another Link's game.
• Would Hit a Girl: He has to as he's releasing Jiro and his carpenters after they were all kidnapped by the Gerudo Bandits. He also does this with the Poe sisters and Twinrova (Kotake and Koume).
• Younger Than They Look: While Link's body aged 7 years, his mind was frozen in time, so mentally, he's this. Ironic, as the Kokiri are typically Older Than They Look. Although, the implication is that, while a child, Link is fairly mature for his age.

Navi

Navi

Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi

"The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

Link's Fairy Companion. She is mainly useful for learning enemy weaknesses and searching for clues around the environment.

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• Allergic to Evil: In the penultimate confrontation, the darkness emanating from Ganondorf prevents Navi from getting close enough to target him; she can only do so after he's stunned with a Light Arrow. She doesn't let him hold her back again when the finale rolls around, promising Link that this time, they fight together.
• Anti Poop-Socking: The 3DS remake adds a couple of pieces of advice for her to dole out periodically, one of which is telling you that she's tired and you (too) should take a break.
• But Now I Must Go: In the ending. The manga implies she is leaving Link's side because he has emotionally matured into an adult, and thus doesn't need her anymore, as fairies were entrusted to Kokiri children, though Link is still physically a child.
• Captain Obvious: She'll pipe up on occasion to give Link a reminder about his next objective, but unless you're inside a dungeon, she isn't programmed to consider whether or not he's already fulfilling that objective, which leads to a few instances of this. Some of her observations of puzzles or enemies are also a bit on-the-nose.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Not all that apparent as others, but Word of God is she was jealous of Zelda and romantically attracted to Link, another parallel to Peter Pan.
• Exposition Fairy: The Trope Codifier, and first of many in the series. She serves as Link's guide throughout his adventure.
• Fairy Companion: The Trope Codifier. While a fairy companion is nothing new, she is the first and most iconic example in the Zelda franchise.
• I Will Find You: It is heavily implied in the beginning of Majora's Mask that Link is looking for her after she left him in Ocarina of Time, only to be sidetracked by the Majora's Mask-possessed Skull Kid. Hyrule Historia eventually confirms that this is the case.
• Meaningful Name: She helps you Navigate. There's a second Genius Bonus meaning. Navi is an old Hebrew word for prophet.
• Nice Girl: The few chunks of dialogue that reference Navi (mostly by the Deku Tree) or are her talking about herself strongly hint at her being meant to be one of these. This is in sharp contrast to every other Fairy Companion in the franchise (Manga and Cartoon counting), who all feature at least a certain degree of temperament.
• Spark Fairy: Ocarina of Time was the first game where fairies appeared as balls of light with wings, setting the precedent for the portrayal of fairies in future Zelda games.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Compared to past and future Exposition Fairies, her tips on enemies are frequently simple, ineffectual and vague. There are even some boss encounters where she'll straight-up tell you she doesn't know what their weak points are. Of course, an ordinary fairy from Kokiri Forest wouldn't be guaranteed to be knowledgeable about every subject Link encounters.
• Undying Loyalty: Despite her initial doubts of the boy, she eventually becomes one of Link's most loyal companion, following him out from Kokiri Forest and only leaving him when his destiny is complete.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Word of God reveals that she had feelings for Link, but he doesn't appear to reciprocate (though knowing Link, it's hard to tell). At the end of the game, Navi disappears in the Temple of Time, so things didn't work out well for her and Link.
• You Are Not Alone: Ashamed of how she was held back in their last battle, she assures Link she has his back when Ganon reveals himself and resolves not to be kept at bay again.

Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda

Voiced by: Jun Mizusawa

"Let’s get the Triforce before Ganondorf does...and then defeat him!"

The Princess of Hyrule. Despite her young age, she is wise beyond her years. She is aware of Ganondorf's plans to conquer the entire world and she has her own plans to stop him. MAJOR unmarked spoilers ahead.

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• Action Girl: Downplayed. She doesn't directly fight the majority of the time, but she has powerful enough magic to freeze Ganondorf in the final battle and call the Sages to seal him away.
• The Atoner: In the end, she laments her mistakes and that Link was robbed of his childhood because of the events that occurred when Ganondorf accessed the Temple and stole the Triforce. Because of this, she sends him back in time so he can regain the years he lost. Sadly, this only made things worse for everyone.
• Barrier Maiden: She and the other Sages seal away Ganon after Link defeats him. In the timeline where Link dies, she and the Sages are forced to seal him in the Sacred Realm, instead turning the holy place into the Dark World.
• Cassandra Truth: Zelda's father did not believe her warnings about Ganondorf because her visions were just that and it may as well been only a dream. While her father had no solid evidence that Ganondorf was plotting to take over Hyrule, the fact that he didn't even bother to hear her out causes her visions to become a reality.
• Cool Crown: Part of the outfit.
• Damsel in Distress: Averted until the end for the first time in the series. Most Zeldas after followed suit, often taking a more active role in the adventure.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Deconstructs the Kid Hero, as she initially believes that by working with Link, they can pre-emptively stop Ganondorf and be heroes to their kingdom. However, because they are playing with supernatural powers beyond their understanding, Zelda's plan to save the kingdom falls through since her childlike nature leaves her with less knowledge than what she needs for her plan. It's only after several years when she and Link grow older that they are able to grow strong, wise, and courageous enough to defeat Ganondorf.
• Didn't See That Coming: Her prophecy told her of The Chosen One from the forest carrying the Spiritual Stones. But because she's a child, she doesn't pause to consider that maybe Ganondorf isn't an idiot or of what would come after that part, because he plays her and Link for suckers and steals the Triforce from under their noses right as it seems like Link was supposed to fulfill his destiny. Cue a new dark age under the Big Bad and the hero stuck in the Sacred Realm for the next seven years.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: She had a prophetic dream about Ganondorf betraying her father. Guess what happened after Ganondorf swore loyalty to the king.
• Ermine Cape Effect: Unlike the previous Princess Zelda in A Link to the Past, this one is always seen in formal dresses to better convey her royal status.
• Fallen Princess: She was forced to give up her life of royalty to masquerade as a Sheikah warrior for seven long years, all to hide from Ganondorf until the return of the Hero of Time.
• Fatal Flaw: In a striking case of Irony, the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom is completely lacking in foresight and utterly fails to know her enemy, falling for Ganondorf's plots more than once. In many ways, she makes the game A Tragedy of Impulsiveness.
• High-Class Gloves: She wears a pair of elbow-length gloves as an adult.
• Holy Hand Grenade: Pins Ganon down with a blast of light magic during the final battle.
• I Got Bigger: The timeskip ages her cute child form into the beautiful maiden fans know.
• Informed Attribute: For someone assigned with the Triforce of Wisdom, she really made some bad choices that could have been avoided entirely.
• Irony: Despite being the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, she has no conception of Ganondorf's intellect or vision, and not only does she advance his plans, she steps right into his Batman Gambit near the end of the game.
• It's All My Fault: She openly stated that everything that had occurred was due to her young mind not able to handle the consequences of the Sacred Realm.
• Lady and Knight: The Bright Lady to Link's White Knight, as Link is essentially sworn to help her defend Hyrule from Ganondorf.
• Legacy Character: Just like Link. She is descended from a long line of Hyrulean royals who often name their daughters Zelda.
• Leitmotif: Zelda's Lullaby. It first appeared in A Link to the Past, where it was associated with all seven of the Maidens, but this game gives the piece its title and its sole association with Zelda.
• Master of Unlocking: Zelda uses her magic to undo the locks when Ganondorf's Tower is collapsing.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Professes profound sorrow over her meddling with the Sacred Realm, the subsequent ruin of her kingdom, and the loss of seven years of Link's life. When Ganon is defeated, she sends the hero back in time to regain his childhood. Unlike most cases, this also horribly backfires for the heroes.
• Mystical Waif: Young, naïve, inexperienced, has magical powers, the villain is after her. Yup.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Repeatedly. Almost every major decision Zelda makes causes people grief, and usually advances the cause of evil.
  • First, her plan to safeguard the Triforce by gathering all the Spiritual Stones together backfires tremendously — not only is she actually doing Ganondorf's work for him, she enables him to waltz right into the Sacred Realm at his leisure. He rubs this in the player's face after they draw the Master Sword for the first time.
  • Second, her decision to emerge from hiding and reveal herself near the end of the game is exactly what Ganondorf had gambled she would do, allowing him to snatch her up in the space of a moment.
  • Third, because she feels guilty for the first two and all the trouble resulting from them, she sends Link back in time to right before they met... and dooms the boy to wander unfulfilled in a world where nobody knows him. Every single relationship he'd built after leaving the Kokiri Forest? Ret-Gone. His relationship with the Kokiri? Doomed to fade. This leads to the Hero of Time becoming the Hero's Shade.
    • This also inadvertently causes Twilight Princess; because Link somehow kept his Triforce of Courage when he was sent back in time, the Triforce got split anyway, allowing Ganondorf to gain the Triforce of Power, survive execution and start the plot of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
    • Finally, removing the Hero of Time from her own timeline proved to be a colossal mistake, since anybody who's seen the intro to The Wind Waker knows that there's no Hero of Time to stop Ganondorf when he came back, leading to Hyrule being destroyed.
  • Fourth, involving Link with her entire plan has long term consequences whether Link survives by returning him back to his time and inadvertently setting off the plot of Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess and Wind Waker or he dies, resulting in the third timeline that began in A Link To The Past. All in all, she indirectly caused as much damage as Ganondorf himself.
• Parental Abandonment: Her father was presumably killed right when she runs away with Impa.
• Pimped-Out Dress: She wears a very fancy formal dress an adult, complete with the sigil of her kingdom.
• Princesses Prefer Pink: She wears white and pink.
• Properly Paranoid: Zelda suspects that Ganondorf intends to overthrow her father and locate the Triforce, a suspicion that is implied to not be taken seriously. Turns out, she's right.
• Rebellious Princess: When her kingdom falls, she becomes a ninja instead of hiding out the old-fashioned way.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Although she stays mostly in the sidelines as a child, she takes on a more active role as an adult.
• Royalty Super Power: Her powers are something passed down her bloodline.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Humility; Princess Zelda gave up her royal status and life, taking on the identity of Sheik and working alongside Link to defeat Ganondorf. She also accepts that everything that went wrong during the game was her fault for not realizing the consequences of her actions.
• Supernatural Sealing: Seals Ganondorf into the Sacred Realm at the end of the game alongside the other Sages.
• Tomboy Princess: An Informed Attribute of hers, coming from a Gossip Stone, and possibly a foreshadowing of her time as Sheik.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: If The Wind Waker and its missing Hero of Time is referring to what happens in this game, her sending Link back to the past to re-experience his childhood properly means there is no Hero of Time in the future — but Ganon's seal broke far earlier than could be expected, and thus has no one capable of stopping him in a new split timeline unaffected by a young Link's actions creating its own future. This version of Hyrule is subsequently flooded and cast to ruin.
• Waif Prophet: She has prophetic dreams, which is why she is so receptive to the idea of Link being The Chosen One.
• Warrior Princess: To some extent. Not only is she running around Hyrule disguised as a Ninja, but she also helps out a bit in the final battle, where she helps unlock the barriers keeping them from escaping the castle and helps Link pin Ganon down so he can land the final blow. She improves in this area over time.
• The Wise Prince: Gender Flipped. Though Ganondorf outsmarted her, even as a child she is very perceptive and intelligent.

Ganondorf

Ganondorf

Great King of Evil

^{Click to see Ganon}

Voiced by: Takashi Nagasako

"As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm... Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!"

Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, and, not much later, Great King of Evil. He seeks the power of the Triforce, but, due to his unbalanced heart, causes it to split into its three basic components, and is only able to seize one of them: The Triforce of Power, the one virtue most prevalent in his heart. Of course, one third of the power of the goddesses isn't a bad share on its own, granting him tremendous physical and magical power and making him nearly immortal, and with it he easily takes over Hyrule in the seven years of Link's absence. However, just one piece of the Triforce still isn't enough to grant him his wish. And so, his search for the remaining pieces continues…

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• Adaptational Jerkass: The manga amplifies his evil by revealing that many of Ganondorf's pet monsters were actually innocent creatures corrupted by his dark magic, most notably Volvagia, and that he actively brainwashes his people rather than just leave them at Gerudo Valley oblivious to his actions.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Zelda invokes this In-Universe after Ganondorf is seemingly killed by Link.
  Zelda: Ganondorf... pitiful man... without a strong, righteous mind, he could not control the power of the gods... and...
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Ganondorf's model within the game is always an odd shade of green, though his pre Time Skip official artwork depicts his skin as olive.
• Ambition is Evil: He desires the power to rule the world more than anything. This is the reason the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage rejected him, as Power was the only thing he ever wanted.
• And I Must Scream: After being defeated by Link, Ganondorf is banished by Zelda and the Six Sages into the Evil Realm, formerly known as the Sacred Realm. As he spirals into the white void of nothingness, Ganondorf can do little more than scream revenge upon his enemies' descendants before the gateway is sealed.
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: After he's sealed away, all the races of Hyrule (including his own people, the Gerudo) celebrate his defeat at Lon Lon Ranch.
• Animalistic Abomination: His Ganon form, which he takes after wishing on the Triforce of Power for the strength to overcome Link and Zelda. It's bipedal, and has the ability to Dual Wield oversized swords, but that's as "human" as it gets. It has a vaguely porcine, tusked face with massive, curling, sheep-like horns, an ape-like build with long arms and short legs, goat-like legs with cloven hooves for feet, and a short, stumpy, reptilian tail.
• Arch-Enemy: This is where his centuries-long antagonism to many Links and Zeldas to come began. And this particular game has mutual antagonism with Link to him. Link never speaks, but his reaction when they first meet when Link is a child is to instantly draw his sword. By the endgame fight, after everything else, Link is just about done with Ganon.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: Many of his early crimes, such as cursing the Deku Tree and blocking the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, were done when he supposedly left Gerudo Desert to curry favor with the other races of Hyrule.
• Badass Cape: Wears a long cape after the timeskip.
• Badass Long Hair: His hair grows out quite a bit during the Time Skip.
• The Bad Guy Wins: In the "Hero Defeated" timeline, he actually does manage to kill Link, but ends up getting sealed anyway, leading to the events of A Link to the Past and other games. And, of course, the whole second half of the game starts with him actually getting to the Triforce and using its power to rule Hyrule for seven years.
• Batman Gambit: Uses Link and Zelda to gather the Spiritual Stones and open the Door of Time, then walks in and grabs the Triforce. If the Triforce hadn't fragmented, Ganondorf would have won.
• Beast Man: This time, his Ganon form is a humanoid combination of various powerful animals rather than just being a boar.
• Big Bad: The main villain and source of conflict, direct or not, for the game.
• BFS: As Ganon, carries two swords that are bigger than Link is.
• Black Knight: Ganondorf is an example of this trope without an helmet in his outfit, this gives him a resemblance to Darth Vader, and to an extent, a vague, predictive resemblance to Sheev Palpatine which can also be noted in his treachery against the King of Hyrule. In a curious dualism, he is the antagonist to Link, a hero who resembles both Luke and, predictively, Anakin Skywalker.
• Boss Corridor: Has several before Link fights him; in addition to the torch-lined stairway before the actual boss door (which leads into the pit below Ganondorf's throne room), there's a stained-glass-lined stairway between this room and the throne room door, which leads to the main upper part of the boss room and the actual throne room. Then the exit corridor from the castle before he emerges from the rubble as Ganon counts.
• Boss Subtitles:
  • In his first form:
    Great King of Evil

    Ganondorf
  • Subverted to great effect to indicate this is the final fight when he assumes his monstrous form, which plainly states:
    GANON
• Breakout Villain: An interesting example. As the Big Bad of the franchise, Ganondorf was always meant to be popular, but Ocarina of Time is the game that made Ganondorf the man more popular than Ganon the demon beast. This was the main reason why Nintendo decided to go back to this design in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate after the design had been absent since the second game.
• Card-Carrying Villain: "The Great King of Evil", anyone?
• The Chessmaster: He plots to get into the Sacred Realm and acquire the Triforce, which goes off without a hitch. And when he fails to obtain the complete Triforce, he decides to use Link to locate Zelda for him.
• Determinator: While prone to getting overconfident, he doesn't quit when things get difficult for him. Even losing a fight with Link and being crushed by his own castle, he still refuses to give up.
• Depending on the Artist: In the official artwork of Ganondorf before the timeskip, he has an olive skintone, but his ingame model is always a shade of green.
• Despotism Justifies the Means: More than happy to commit genocide by proxy upon the entire Goron and Zora races as a warning to others who would dare oppose him.
• Devil in Plain Sight: Both the child and adult timelines. See Obviously Evil for the first. In the adult one, everybody seems to know where he resides, but seeing as he's in a castle floating over a giant lava pit, even Link can't go after him for most of the game.
• Dual Wield: Does this with swords when he finally transforms into Ganon in the final battle.
• Dying Curse: He swears to destroy all of Link and Zelda's descendants just as he is being sealed. This mirrors the curse that Demise placed on their ancestors in Skyward Sword.
• Energy Ball: This is his primary attack when he's fought at the top of Ganon's Tower. He can either use a single ball, or conjure up a storm of them as a Desperation Attack. You get a taste of this after getting all three Spiritual Stones.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: They never interact onscreen, but Ganondorf trusts his adoptive mothers, Koume and Kotake, enough to guard the Gerudo's sacred Spirit Temple and the Oracle games imply that he brought them Back from the Dead in the Downfall timeline.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite bringing most of Hyrule to ruin during his tyrannical rule, Gerudo Valley is left largely intact, with most of the Gerudo going about their lives like it's business as usual and still idolizing their king. The Wind Waker would later imply that part of Ganondorf's Start of Darkness was due to desperation for his people's survival, lending more credence to this idea.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Implied after his "death" during the first fight, Zelda claims without a kind and righteous heart, he could not control the power of the Triforce, and that's why he failed.
• Evil Gloating: Does an Evil Laugh whenever he hits Link in the boss fight, or is allowed to shake off the energy ball's stun.
• Evil Is Bigger: Even as a Gerudo he's a giant.
• Evil Genius: He successfully manipulates everyone in the child part of the game and is granted access to the Triforce without much effort.
• Evil Is Hammy: Even with all his shouting, Link is nowhere nearly as theatric as him.
• Evil Is Not Well-Lit: The battle against Ganon has him cloaked almost entirely in shadow except for his glowing eyes and swords. The 3DS version downplays this effect due to the smaller screen size.
• Evil Laugh: Lets one out, almost a Verbal Tic, when things go his way, such as landing a hit on Link in their battle.
• Evil Makes You Monstrous:
  • After the timeskip, Ganondorf's eyes are yellow orange and his ears are pointed. In contrast to the game, his artwork also only depicts Ganondorf as green after the seven year timeskip.
  • Ganondorf uses the Triforce of Power to revive himself and turn into the monstrous Beastman Ganon.
• Evil Overlord: He takes over Hyrule in the seven-year time skip. When Link wakes up, he finds the world in chaos.
• Evil Redhead: While this is a trait of the Gerudo, Ganondorf takes it further by almost entirely abandoning his people to the rule of his surrogate mothers while he becomes the Demon King.
• Evil Sorcerer: Has learned the art of magic from his surrogate mothers, and the Triforce Of Power boosts his abilities to Physical God levels.
• Evil Sounds Deep: He has a deep, booming voice that's fitting for the King of Evil.
• Evil Tower of Ominousness: Ganon's Castle. It's tall, black, and just in case that wasn't enough, floats above a pit of lava.
• Fair-Play Villain: Replenishes Link's health and magic prior to their final duel.
• Faux Affably Evil: He's well-cultured and charismatic enough to get the King's good grace, but it's merely a mask to hide his wicked, beastly self that only Link and Zelda could see in his eyes. After he shows his true colors, he still remains polite and respectful to Link which barely conceals his actual contempt for the young hero. When Link defeats him for the first time, the shocked Ganondorf drops this facade and becomes a raging beast of hatred both figuratively and literally.
• Final Boss: You first fight him in Gerudo form, then he goes One-Winged Angel.
• Final Boss Preview: The first time Link meets Ganondorf face to face, Ganondorf blasts him aside as though he's an afterthought. After Link's victories over Ganondorf's previous bosses it's a sobering reminder of the gap between them.
• Final Solution: He revives the evil dragon Volvagia to devour every Goron alive as a warning to the races who dare oppose him.
• Fisher King: The stark contrast in atmosphere across Hyrule once he's in power can't be understated - upon walking out of the Temple of Time, you're greeted to stormy skies that approach as one comes to Castle Town's entrance from Hyrule Field, which is now home to Poes. The town itself is in ruin, with the square having gone from a bustling and merry hub to a ravaged ghost town filled with ReDeads. And where Hyrule Castle was once surrounded by lush greenery and flower fields and accesses by a natural pathway roamed by guards, in the future it's just Ganon's Castle: a towering fortress surrounded by jagged black rocks and isolated from the rest of the world by a gaping moat of lava. The visual changes are nowhere more overt than around the castle, but the rest of Hyrule isn't untransformed either - Zora's Domain is frozen over while Octoroks thrive in the waters leading there, and Kokiri Forest is overgrown with Deku Babas while Moblins prowl the Sacred Forest Meadow. It's implied Ganondorf's own twisted desires upon touching the Triforce caused much of these changes.
  Rauru: He obtained the Triforce [of Power] from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil... His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters.
• Flight: When fighting him, he flies in the air out of sword reach. Most of the boss fight is spent trying to bring him down.
• Flying Brick: He can fly, is super-strong, and is invulnerable to anything short of the Master Sword and Light Arrows.
• Full-Boar Action: His Ganon form has some traits of a boar, primarily in the form of its tusks and nose, but more accurately just looks like an Animalistic Abomination.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: Normally, the Biggoron's Sword is more powerful than the Master Sword. Against him, however, since it's basically needed to kill him as far as the story's concerned, it's the opposite.
• Genius Bruiser: He's an incredibly powerful sorcerer, and also a powerful warrior. In addition, he is also a pretty good strategist. He makes this clear when he uses both Zelda and Link to access the Sacred Realm, taunting Link for leading him right to the gateway. And then years later, he uses Link to reveal Zelda's location and almost immediately kidnaps her once she unmasks herself.
• Green and Mean: Ganondorf and his surrogate mothers have green skin, unlike the other Gerudo, and are much more evil as well. Artwork indicates this would initially be gained after the timeskip.
• Ground Punch: One of his attacks in his Gerudo form's boss fight has him punch the ground to break the floor. He'll also do this if you get too close to him while he's in the air.
• Half-Human Hybrid: As the Gerudo are a One-Gender Race, his father would most likely be a Hylian man. But who he is, or even if he's still alive, is never explained or mentioned.
• Happily Adopted: One of the rare evil versions. By all accounts his foster-mothers deeply cared for him and he trusts them enough to put them in charge of corrupting and guarding his hometown's temple.
• Hate at First Sight: His very first interaction with Link consists of him noticing the boy staring through a window, and then returning his gaze with a malevolent sneer. Thus, a millennia-long rivalry is born.
• The Heavy: He's Link's fated enemy, hence he was part of why the Deku Tree took Link in as a child and every area Link has to save has been affected by him in some way.
• Hellish Horse: With glowing red eyes. The German version even claimed that it was from Hell.
• Heroic Build: Or rather, Villainous Build. This is the only game where Ganondorf is outright athletic. In his later appearances, he's still very muscular but is also older, bulkier and less trim; The Wind Waker depicts him as an extreme Top-Heavy Guy due to the art style, while Twilight Princess gives him thicker legs and a wider waist.
• Honor Before Reason: He goes out of his way to replenish Link's health and magic before their battle, even though that gives the hero a greater advantage.
• Hot-Blooded Sideburns: Incredibly hammy, with sideburns to match.
• Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: Ganon is introduced as Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, and his name all but gives away his status as the franchise's recurring Big Bad. But his iconic Pig Man form is not seen until the very end of the game when he uses the Triforce of Power to transform himself into a demon. This transformation links the human thief to the classic pig demon, and the boss subtitle even describes the monster as just Ganon, as if it's telling veteran players that this is the Big Bad they all know and love from the previous games.
• Invincible Villain: Ganondorf isn't even mildly inconvenienced until the game's final twenty minutes. Even when he is defeated, it's only after shrugging off multiple blows from the Master Sword and Light Arrows (both of which have the explicit power to destroy evil), and he has to be ganged up on by Link, Zelda, and all six sages. Even that isn't enough to kill him, so they settle for locking him in the Sacred Realm, which he is able to escape from in two continuities. That's not getting into the third timeline where he does kill Link.
• I Shall Taunt You: Get hit by his energy ball and Ganondorf will laugh at your face.
• Kick the Dog: He froze the Zora Domain in ice for no apparent reason other than because he could.
• The Kingslayer: Implied to have killed the king of Hyrule given Impa and Zelda's sudden flight from the castle and lack of the king being mentioned in the future. This is outright stated in the manga adaptation, where Ganondorf uses this to taunt Zelda and Impa.

  Ganondorf: I've put the King to sleep... forever.

• Knight of Cerebus: The whole game gets much Darker and Edgier once he starts getting active, especially after meeting Link.
• Leitmotif: He even plays it on his Ominous Pipe Organ while you travel through his castle. It gets louder the closer you get to him.
• Large and in Charge: Hyrule Historia states his humanoid form as 7 foot 6. And let's not get started on Ganon.
• Last Villain Stand: One of the most iconic in all of gaming. After being defeated by Link and having his castle crumble on top of him, Ganondorf emerges from the rubble with glowing eyes, holds up the Triforce of Power, and transforms into Ganon for one final showdown.
• Light Is Not Good: Ganondorf's Signature Move is to charge up a ball of light that he can throw at Link. His personal chamber is modeled to look like a cathedral hall, complete with an organ and a sun-patterned door.
• Load-Bearing Boss: As you defeat him, he casts a spell which causes his castle to crumble, in an attempt to bury Link and Zelda. Sadly for him, it fails. Sadly for them, it also fails to kill him.
• Magic Missile Storm: His Desperation Attack as Ganondorf is to gather a large orb of power and fire five of his energy orbs at once. Ironically this is easier to deal with than his standard attack, as Link's Spin Attack will deflect all of the bolts and at least one is promised to hit him with no chance for him to reflect it. Or, alternatively, the attack's long charge time allows Link to be able to disrupt it from ever going off with a quick light arrow, stunning Ganondorf and allowing him to be attacked with Link's sword.
• Mighty Glacier: As Ganon, he's much slower, but wields swords that can smash stone (and Link, just as easily).
• Mirror Character: Chronologically, he succeeds Vaati as the main threat to Hyrule. Vaati was a slim Bishounen who used short-term planning and brute force to achieve his goals, while Ganondorf is a husky Black Knight that worms his way into the King's confidence so he can plot against the other races of Hyrule. Vaati worked largely alone, while Ganondorf employs a wide variety of monsters and warriors. Vaati admired the evil that Hylians were capable of and modeled his new body on one, while Ganondorf envies them for their land and takes every opportunity to torment them.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: This time around, Ganon is a combination of various animals instead of just being a humanoid boar. To list, Ganon has a boar-like face with tusks, ram like horns gorilla-like arms, goat-like feet and hooves, and a scaled, serpentine tail.
• Narcissist: From his colossal ego, to his Lack of Empathy, to his megalomaniacal ambitions, and his utter disbelief at being bested by someone else, Ganondorf ticks all of the boxes.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: Granted by the Triforce of Power. You can count all weapons that were ever able to hurt him on one hand. Even getting his own castle dropped on him does little to stop him.
• Not Bad: His reaction after Link defeats Phantom Ganon, admitting that he "did quite well".
• Not Quite Dead: He survives having his castle fall on him.
• Nothing Can Stop Me Now: After he gets the Triforce of Power.
• Obviously Evil: Even as a child, Zelda can tell he's up to no good. The King of Hyrule seems to be rather oblivious to him, though.
• One-Winged Angel: He transforms into Ganon as one last effort to defeat Link.
• Orcus on His Throne: Justified; he is waiting for Zelda to reveal herself so he can secure the Triforce of Wisdom and lure Link to his castle to get the Triforce of Courage in one fell swoop.
• Origins Episode: This game explains how Ganon became the dreaded, pig-like monster he is in the other games, building off of the information presented from A Link to the Past.
• Ornamental Weapon: He wears a short sword in his earlier appearances, but never uses it. In the manga, he only uses it twice; once to strike Link with the pommel, and once to parry one of his blows before striking him with magic.
• Pet the Dog:
  • During his first encounter with Link, Ganondorf spares him after Link pulls his sword, impressed by his courage. Granted, he needed Link to open the Door of Time for him, but he still takes a moment to commend the young hero's bravery and initially doesn't try to harm him once he’s served his purpose.
  • One of the few half-decent things he ever does as King of Hyrule is give the long-suffering Ingo control over Lon Lon Ranch. Even then, Ingo's quick to become an abusive, selfish owner who mistreats Malon and the horses, and he panics at the idea of displeasing his new benefactor.
  • Its heavily implied the Poe Collector was a Hylian guard that was dissatisfied with the King of Hyrule's rule, rather than killing the Poe Collector like the other guards or rewarding him like a traitor deserves, Ganondorf leaves the ex-guard unharmed, allowing him to set up a ghost shop in the ruins of Castle Town.
  • He leaves his own people the Gerudo unharmed so long as they don’t betray him, and with how they speak of him and what’s revealed in Wind Waker, it’s heavily implied that, to some extent, he cares about the Gerudo even after succumbing to his power lust.
  • He seemingly revived Koume and Kotake, his surrogate mothers, after achieving victory over Link in the Downfall timeline.
• Physical God: With the Triforce of Power in his hand, his powers have increased tenfold and is practically immortal. Defeating him the first time only makes him angry enough to transform into an all-powerful demon pig and thus he can only be permanently defeated by sealing him away into the Evil Realm. It turns out he is the successor or reincarnation of Demise, an ancient God of Evil.
• Pig Man: The rare Big Bad example of this trope. Although less so than his past appearances. This is mainly in the face due to his piggish nose and boar like tusks, but he also has traits of other animals in his beast form. With the 3DS version's upgraded models, he now more properly resembles the Pig Man he supposedly is.
• The Power of Hate: After being mortally wounded by Link and presumed dead when his castle collapsed, Ganondorf is revived by his pure hatred for the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny. Channeling his hatred into the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf transforms into Ganon for the first time.
• Psychotic Smirk: He spends about 95% of the game wearing one.
• Raised by Grandparents: He was raised by the witches Twinrova. Navi calls them "Ganondorf's surrogate mothers" if you ask her about them in battle.
• Red Baron: The Great King of Evil in the future. In the past, he is referred as the King of Thieves.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: His fate at the end of the game is to be imprisoned in the Evil Realm since he is too powerful to physically kill. Ganondorf swears that as long as the Triforce of Power is in his hand, he'll break free to wreak havoc upon Hyrule again.
• Sinister Schnoz: Again, a trait of the Gerudo is a hawkish nose, and he's the Big Bad of the game.
• Shock and Awe: His main attack in his humanoid form is gathering electricity into a ball and throwing it.
• Shockwave Stomp: Of the Ground Pound variety in his humanoid form.
• The Sociopath: Ganondorf is defined by his malice upon the races of Hyrule and his lust for the Triforce. He puts on a charming persona to fool the Hylians, with only Zelda seeing him for who he really is. When he cannot get his way, he brings vengeful retributions upon those who opposed him. Even the Gerudo, the people he rules over as king and is implied to care for, haven't been getting any benefits from his agenda. When he finally gets the Triforce, his heart is so imbalanced by his power lust that it breaks the Triforce into three pieces, leaving him with only the Triforce of Power.
• Sorcerous Overlord: He already is one due to being King of the Gerudo and a powerful wizard, but after his plan to get the Triforce succeeds, he moves on to conquer and desecrate both the Sacred Realm and then Hyrule, ruling the latter for 7 years and causing a lot of misery.
• Sore Loser: Upon being defeated, Ganondorf uses his magic to collapse his own castle in an attempt to kill Link and Zelda. When they survive that, he uses the Triforce of Power to transform into his Ganon form, becoming a monstrous, feral berserker hellbent on crushing his enemies. And when he's defeated again and the Sages seal him in the Evil Realm, Ganondorf curses Link, Zelda, and the Sages while sporting an unhinged look on his face, swearing to one day escape and exterminate their descendants.
• Stout Strength: Inverted. This version of Ganondorf is relatively lithe, making him the only depiction of the character who isn't built like a powerlifter.
• Tactical Suicide Boss: Two of three attacks he has in his humanoid form can be sent back at him, and the only other one he has can't reach Link if he's too far away.
• Take Over the World: His entire motive to steal the Triforce, and he gloats about it in his proper introduction.
  Ganondorf: I am Ganondorf! And soon, I will rule the world!
• Taking You with Me: After you defeat him at the top of his tower, he uses his last breath to destroy the whole castle, with you and Zelda in it. It doesn't work. However, that wasn't quite his last breath either...
• Tennis Boss: In his first phase, he arrogantly throws energy balls at Link and casually deflects them when Link strikes the balls back. It eventually blows up in his face, causing the King of Evil to drop this tactic when he transforms into Ganon.
• This Cannot Be!: He expresses his utter disbelief when Adult Link grievously wounds him.
• Token Minority: As a member of the vaguely Arabian Gerudo, Ganon has a different skintone compared to the Hylian characters within the game.
• The Usurper: He gets into the King of Hyrule's good graces, only to betray and overthrow him in order to take over the kingdom for himself.
• Villainous Breakdown: He's shocked at the fact that a mere teenager could defeat him. When he realizes Link and Zelda survived the castle's destruction, he gets pissed, his eyes glow, and he doesn't even say a word.
• Villain Respect: Acknowledges that Young Link has guts for a kid when the former confronts him. When Adult Link defeats Phantom Ganon, the watchful Ganondorf tells him that he did well and admits that Link has grown a bit stronger, but warns that the real deal won't be as easy.
• We Will Meet Again: As he's sealed away by the Sages, Ganondorf swears to return and exact his revenge on them, Zelda, and Link. By the time of The Wind Waker, he's risen again to follow through on this threat.
• Who Dares?: In the Yukawa Ming Manhua adaptation, after cutting eachother with their swords, Ganondorf calls out Link for daring to stain his body with his blood.
• Wicked Cultured: Only a classy villain would play the organ.
• Would Hurt a Child: Downplayed, when Young Link confronts him, Ganondorf blasts him with an energy ball to knock him down as a way of showing how out of Link's league he is. Though the energy ball doesn't actually hurt Link at all, so he may have holding back out of respect for Link's bravery. That said, he was also chasing after Zelda, who was also a child at the time, most likely with the intent to capture or kill her and secure his hold over Hyrule.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Ganondorf's eyes have yellow sclera, and he is one Manipulative Bastard.
• You Have Failed Me: Ganondorf is none too pleased to see that his "phantom" had failed to kill Link in the Forest Temple, thus he resolves to banish it to the gap between dimensions as punishment for its failure.

Sheik

Sheik

Voiced by: Jun Mizusawa

"I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah..."

A mysterious Sheikah warrior that claims to be the Last of His Kind. Sheik teaches Link the various songs to teleport him to the various temples around Hyrule. MAJOR unmarked spoilers ahead.

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• Ambiguously Brown: Sheik's skin is noticeably darker than Zelda's, though not as much as the Gerudo and it's more pronounced in official art.
• Art Evolution: Despite being stated that Sheik is actually Zelda in disguise, she was given a masculine design, as seen on the right, to not make the fact too obvious. This was dropped in the remake to make the nature of the disguise more realistic and obvious.
• Badass Normal: Downplayed. Contrary to some posters and advertising material, she doesn't fight in combat alongside Link, but she does rescue Ruto from the ice (off-screen) and evade being captured or killed by Ganondorf for seven years on her own.
• Breakout Character: Though this game is Sheik's only canonical appearance in the series, she/he has left a big impact on the franchise overall. Sheik typically appears as a separate character from Zelda in spinoff material such as the Super Smash Bros. series and Hyrule Warriors, was briefly planned to appear in Twilight Princess, and the idea of a disguised Zelda was eventually revisited in The Wind Waker with Tetra.
• Canon Character All Along: The mysterious stranger Sheik, who guides and teaches Link after the Time Skip, is only revealed to be the missing Princess Zelda near the very end.
• Hammerspace: Sheik has no way of storing her harp on her, so it's a wonder where it goes when she's not playing it.
• Harp of Femininity: Sheik teaches Link music with a harp.
• Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Her hair always covers her left eye, adding to her mysterious nature.
• I Never Told You My Name: Sheik lets a single "Link" slip at the end of the first "conversation" with Link in the Temple of Time despite being literally the first person to encounter him in the future and no one else seeming to recognize him from when he was a child. An early indication that Sheik is someone you know.
• Kung-Fu Wizard: A Ninja who, as Zelda, possesses magical powers.
• Leitmotif: A soothing theme utilizing a harp plays whenever Sheik shows up.
• Ninja: In all but title, complete with sudden vanishing acts whenever Link looks away for a moment, using deku nuts as flash bombs^note although it's hinted that she actually stuns Link with them, and quickly leaves while he's frozen, making it look like she vanished from his point of view, and using height to hide on more than one occasion.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The usually stoic Sheik flips out once Bongo Bongo escapes, bordering on a nervous breakdown as she mentions that Impa went to the Shadow Temple. Qualifies as Foreshadowing to Sheik being Zelda, since Impa was Zelda's caretaker and someone she really cared about.
• Purple Prose: Sheik has a tendency towards flowery language, especially when teaching Link new songs.
• Primary-Color Champion: Sheik wears blue and white clothing with a red emblem on the chest, and has blonde hair. Upon revealing herself to be an adult Zelda, she transitions to a pink and indigo dress with gold jewlery. The color schemes help set her apart as the overall Big Good of the story.
• Samus Is a Girl: Reaching It Was His Sled levels, Sheik is eventually revealed to be Zelda.
• Sarashi: For good reasons. There are also bandages in other parts of the body to make the Sarashi look less obvious.
• Significant Double Casting: Sheik and Zelda's Voice Grunting are both done by the same actress, for obvious reasons. This makes Sheik's few voiced grunts (Like when she blinds Link with a Deku Nut), a form of foreshadowing as they're actually quite feminine if you manage to listen to the seconds long clips.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: Sheik is Zelda's male-presenting disguise, and Ruto mistakes her for a man and refers to her as "him" when asking Link to give Sheik her thanks for saving her.
• Theme Song Reveal: Their Leitmotif contains a snippet of Zelda's Lullaby, one of several hints that they're actually the same person.
• Walking Spoiler: Less so nowadays, but the game sets up Sheik's true identity as Zelda as a big climactic surprise.
• Warrior Poet: Sheik is lean, agile and lithe, and also very philosophical and well-spoken.

Kaepora Gaebora

Kaepora Gaebora

"You will encounter many hardships ahead...that is your fate. Don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times!"

The wise old owl who shows up around Hyrule. He appears to give the player hints as to where to go next and what to do. However, his long-winded text conversations and Exposition Break manner of speaking made him annoying in any playthrough but the first one.

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• Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: He's an owl, so he commonly rotates his head 270 degrees.
• Animorphism: He's actually Rauru in owl form.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Kaepora has enormous feathers radiating out from his face over his eyes.
• Dub Name Change: He's called Methusa in German.
• Exposition Break: "Do you want to hear what I said again?"
• Exposition Fairy: Not as consistently as Navi, but he also guides Link through his quests, and sometimes gives him lifts.
• Giant Flyer: He's a large owl that can carry child Link at a few points.
• The Omniscient: Kaepora is already aware of the 'legends of the boy who travels through time', the many trials and hardships he will face, before Link's journey has even begun.
• The Owl-Knowing One: He's a wise old owl that knows a lot about Hyrule and its inhabitants. Whenever Link encounters him, he offers some advice to Link.
• Reincarnation: The Gossip stones hint that he is the reincarnation of an ancient sage. All There in the Manual confirms that he's Rauru.
• Shall I Repeat That?: The Trope Codifier. While he's not the first video game character to ask if the player wants to hear their information again (e.g. Buzz Buzz from EarthBound delivers the game's famously quirky humour by asking this question while he's dying, and won't actually die until the player selects "No" to his question), his long-winded and trivial speeches, asking the question almost every time he appears, switching between "Did you get all that?" and "Do you want to hear what I said again?" with the cursor always defaulting to the option that makes him repeat himself regardless of how he words it, and appearing in a reputable title from one of Nintendo's core franchises, has ensured his infamy.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Appears to be based on the owl from Link's Awakening, and serves a similar purpose as a source of exposition.
• The Watcher: Supports the Hero of Time in his adventures across Hyrule and Termina as much as he can, even when he believes Link has come of age and no longer needs assistance, he promises to continue to watch over him.

The Sages

General

The Seven Sages

• Barrier Maiden: After Ganondorf seizes the Sacred Realm, the five temples of Hyrule—the place where the two worlds intersect—become corrupted and begin radiating evil power, warping the land in horrible ways. The Sages' duty is to absorb and seal that power, which in turn cleanses Hyrule of darkness.
• The Chosen Many: Link isn't the only destined hero—all five of the "awakened" Sages are called to their role.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: They're each associated with one color: Light/Yellow, Forest/Green, Fire/Red, Water/Blue, Shadow/Purple, and Spirit/Orange.
• Elemental Powers: Of a sort—the first five represent commonly seen elements in video games (Light, Forest, Fire, Water, and Shadow), with Spirit as a notable exception (the Spirit Temple is sand-based, but presumably the "Sage of Sand" didn't fit the pattern). Subverted in that none of the Sages are shown as having power over those elements—they more embody them.
• Jumped at the Call: The "awakening call" of the Sacred Realm reached out to all five of the earthbound Sages, and they immediately traveled to their respective temples to deal with the evil that had conquered them. Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, is something of an exception, but then she was brainwashed at the time (see her entry below).
• Legendary in the Sequel:
  • Each of them has a stained-glass image in their likeness surrounding the Master Sword's pedestal in The Wind Waker.
  • In Breath of the Wild, both Ruto and Nabooru are revered by their respective tribes and credited as the namesakes of the Divine Beasts Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris. The latter is also implied regarding Darunia being Vah Rudania's namesake, although it's never directly acknowledged by the Gorons or anyone else.
• Party of Representatives: The Sages represent all of Hyrule's major humanoid races. There's a Hylian (Light), Kokiri (Forest), Goron (Fire), Zora (Water), Sheikah (Shadow), and Gerudo (Spirit), with a second Hylian (Zelda) as their leader.
• Rainbow Lite: Each Sage is associated with one color of the rainbow except indigo. Sheik/Zelda, the leader of the Sages, does technically fill in that color by wearing a dark blue bodysuit most of the time.
• Theme Naming: They're all named after towns from Zelda II, aside from Impa and Zelda who are Legacy characters. Mido also follows this naming scheme as a bit of Red Herring. Interestingly there's no character named Kasuto.
• Uncertain Doom: There are vague implications that at least some of them were killed on their way to awakening as Sages. Mido sadly accepts that Saria is never coming back, and he and King Zora are seen mournfully staying out of the festivities at Lon Lon Ranch in the ending. Saria and Impa are never encountered inside the dungeons they went missing in, Darunia is not seen in the Fire Temple’s boss room, implying he was eaten by Volvagia, and Ruto vanishes after meeting her in the Water Temple despite swimming up towards a dead end (possibly meaning she was a ghost). The fact that (some of) their counterparts in The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild explicitly were killed also seems to imply that this is a Recurring Element that started in Ocarina of Time. However, there are certain chronologically subsequent games such as A Link to the Past, The Wind Waker, and A Link Between Worlds where the new Sages are either explicitly or implicitly the descendants of the Ocarina Sages, which would seem to indicate that they actually survived in this game. Furthermore, Nabooru is explicitly alive as Koume and Kotake intend to brainwash her again, and later games explicitly state that Sages must be replaced if they die.

Rauru

Rauru, the Sage of Light

"Wake up...Link, the chosen one..."

The last of the original Sages remaining, and the Sage of Light. Rauru explains to Link that he sealed Link away for seven years in the Sacred Realm so he could age into the intended Hero of Time, that Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule, and assigns him to awaken the reincarnations of the remaining sages.

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• Animorphism: He and Kaepora Gaebora are one and the same, with Rauru taking the form of the owl to watch over Link during his adventure.
• Dub Name Change: He's called Raul in Italian and Korean.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Despite its tempting power, he chooses to stay and guard the Triforce rather than use it for himself. He is the Sage of Light for a reason.
• Justice Will Prevail: Even if we wait seven years to act while the King of Evil takes control of Hyrule, Rauru believes the power of the Sages will seal the Dark Realm and help Link become the Hero of Time to defeat evil.
• Last of Their Kind: He's the last of the Ancient Sages.
• Light Is Good: He's the Sage of Light who guards the Sacred Realm from evil.
• Mr. Exposition: He delivers a heavy Plot Dump when Link wakes up.
• Precursors: He is one of the original Sages who created the Temple of Time and the Temple of Light to protect the Triforce from evil.
• Sealed Good in a Can: Unlike the other Sages, he's in the Sacred Realm and is only met once the entrance is opened.
• Sole Survivor: He's the last of the original sages.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Patience; Rauru waits seven years for Link to grow up and mature into a proper hero, looking after him all the while.
• Time Abyss: According to Hyrule Historia, Rauru sealed the Sacred Realm before the Kingdom of Hyrule was established, and he's still around in Ocarina of Time.

Saria

Saria, the Sage of Forest

"When you play my ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."

Link's childhood best friend. She is later revealed to be the Sage of Forest.

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• Accent Slip-Up: When shown the Keaton Mask in the Japanese version, Saria gets so excited that she accidentally uses the Kokiri Verbal Tic "jora" (or "Kokiri accent" as she says). Saria's embarrassed by her slip-up.
• Childhood Friend Romance: She's implied to have a crush on Link, hence another reason Mido picks on him is out of envy. Although Link's feelings are left unclear, it's unlikely it would have worked due to the inherent problem in him being able to age to an adult while she can't and she ultimately has to become a sage, preventing any potential romance.
• Dub Name Change: She's called Salia in German and Sharia in Taiwanese.
• Elemental Hair Colors: She has green hair and is revealed to be the Sage of Forest.
• Fan of Underdog: A slight example; when Link was a kid and didn't have a fairy, he didn't have any friends in the village... except Saria herself who went out of her way to be his friend when the rest of the Kokiri shunned him.
• Girl Next Door: The kind, supportive friend who grew up with The Hero.
• Leitmotif: Saria's Song, which plays in full in the Lost Woods and lets Link contact her when played on his Ocarina.
• Little Miss Badass: She may not get the chance to show it, but she regularly navigates the mysterious Lost Woods, which are brimming with hostile beasts, to reach a special grove. Later, after being called to the Forest Temple as its new Sage, she goes back through the woods—which are now full of even scarier monsters, including ten-foot Moblins—and navigates the sacred space for at least some time without being captured.
• MacGuffin-Person Reveal: She turns out to be the Sage of Forest.
• Magic Music: She gives Link his first ocarina, and later teaches him Saria's Song, which allows her to communicate with him all over the world via the power of the forest spirits.
• Nice Girl: She classifies as this almost by default, really, since she was the only Kokiri in the village willing to befriend Link back when Link didn't have a fairy.
• Older Than They Look: Kokiri don't physically age beyond ten years old, so it's possible that Saria was older than ten years old when Link was a child. She's at least seventeen by the Time Skip, despite still looking like a ten year old.
• Only Friend: To Link in the Kokiri Forest. It's implied that Link didn't have many friends in the Kokiri Forest except for Saria.
• Plucky Girl: She made her way through the monster infested Forest Temple, which must've taken a lot of courage. She was also a loyal friend to Link, not caring that he was considered a misfit by the other Kokiri.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Charity; Saria gives Link an ocarina as a token of friendship, and is willing to sacrifice her carefree life for the sake of Hyrule.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: In a manga-exclusive story, as the Fairy Princess for a play being performed for the Kokiri Festival.
• Tomboy: Saria wears shorts where other major girls wear dresses and jewelry, has the shortest haircut of the major female characters, and is among the more active girls, investigating the corrupted temple despite being only a child.
• Voice with an Internet Connection: Once Link learns her song, he can use it to speak with Saria from anywhere in Hyrule, and even when she’s inside the Sacred Realm.
• Waif Prophet: Of a sort—she can commune with the forest spirits better than any other Kokiri (which in turn gives her glimpses of the future that she uses to help Link), and often serves as the Great Deku Tree's mouthpiece.

Darunia

Darunia, the Sage of Fire

"I am Darunia! I’m the big boss of the Gorons!"

The chief of the Goron people. He at first rejects Link, but later comes to accept him after he clears Dodongo's Cavern of monsters. He gives Link the Goron Ruby and inducts him in as a member of the tribe. Seven years later, he attempts to rescue his people from the dragon Volvagia by going to the Fire Temple. He is revealed to be the Sage of Fire.

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• Action Dad: Having a son didn't stop him from going to rescue the rest of his people.
• Ancestral Weapon: Subverted. The Megaton Hammer is technically his since he's descended from the Goron hero who fought Volvagia in the past, but he decides to hold the line against the dragon to send Link to save the Gorons and get the hammer.
• The Big Guy: He's not only physically imposing, but is very strong.
• Big "YES!": His reaction to Saria's Song, the best tune he's heard in ages.
• Fantastic Racism: Admits to hating Gerudo due to Ganondorf if Young link shows him the Gerudo Mask, this appears to change after he becomes a sage.
• Informed Ability: He's implied to be a powerful warrior given he wants to use the Megaton Hammer and the fact that there's a spear on his throne that is absent when Darunia goes to challenge Volvagia, but his skills are never shown onscreen.
• Intergenerational Friendship: It's never stated how old he is, but he he has a long-standing alliance with the King of Hyrule. Compare to Link, who starts the game as a ten-year-old boy.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although he acts rude and dismissive towards Link at first, he does care deeply about his people. He does lighten up into a fun Nice Guy after Link plays Saria's song for him.
• Large Ham: Breaks out into wild dancing when Link play's Saria's Song in front of him. And later, after Link defeats King Dodongo, pats him on the head with nearly enough force to knock him over.
  Darunia: "Something just came over me! I suddenly wanted to dance like crazy!"
• Perpetual Frowner: Before Link defeats King Dodongo, he wears a deep frown.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Unlike the other Gorons in the city, Darunia is a warrior that initially refuses outside help.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Temperance; Despite his wild demeanor, Darunia is dedicated to the protection of his people and is open to making new allies. He becomes a Sworn Brother to Link after the latter defeats King Dodongo.
• Sworn Brothers: Gladly declares himself and Link to be Sworn Brothers after Link clears Dodongo's Cavern and saves his people from starving to death (though the gesture goes over Link's head). Seven years later, Darunia even names his son after Link. After his people are rescued from the Fire Temple, Darunia reaffirms his decision by calling Link a "true brother".
• Took a Level in Kindness: When Link clears Dodongo's Cavern, Darunia warms up to him instantly and becomes significantly nicer to him.

Ruto

Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water

"I was just lonely, that's all...just a little!"

The princess of the Zora Fish People. Link first meets her Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly, where she is searching for the Zora's Sapphire that Jabu-Jabu swallowed. Later revealed to be the Sage of Water.

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• Adaptational Modesty: Ruto's "developments" have been censored in Ocarina of Time 3D; she has scales that looks like she's wearing a dress.
• Animal Motifs: According to an interview with Koizumi, her extra eyes and odd head are meant to resemble the face of a hammerhead shark.
• Arranged Marriage: She arranged herself to be married to Link back when both were kids, as the Zora Sapphire is meant to be used as a really fancy wedding bond.
• Childhood Friend Romance: She's loved Link since they were children, but they don't get together due to her duties as a Sage.
• Childhood Marriage Promise: Link unwittingly promises to marry her in exchange for the Zora's Sapphire.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Not only do later Zelda games establish that the Zora are Long-Lived (somewhere over 200 years on average), Breath of the Wild in particular shows that they have Proportional Aging to go along with it (i.e. a 20-30 year old Zora still looks like a child). In Ocarina of Time, though, Ruto is indicated to be around the same age as Link, grows at the same rate as him and other Hylians, and has nary a hint of Mayfly–December Romance.
• Fastball Special: She can be an unwitting participant in this while inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly. Though the game doesn't tell you this, picking up Ruto and throwing her is a viable way to hit switches that are out of reach or to damage enemies.
• Fish Person: More than previous Zoras, she's entirely humanoid with blue-white skin and fins. The remake added a dorsal fin.
• Interspecies Romance: She's a Zora who has a crush on the Hylian hero Link, but when they meet again, she makes it clear that their engagement must be put on indefinite hold as her duties as a sage will always come first.
• Missing Mom: Ruto's mother is never seen in the game. Neither Ruto nor King Zora talk about where she is or if she’s alive.
• Non-Mammal Mammaries: She has breasts, or at least breast-like swellings on her chest.
• Older and Wiser: While she still has her crush on Link after the time skip, she is far more mature and is concerned about the state of her people.
• Prized Possession Giveaway: A twofold case. After being helped by Link on the quest for Zora's Sapphire, and later saved from Big Octo and Barinade, Ruto gives him the Sapphire itself. She reveals that it's her most valued possession, inherited from her mother who told her that she would only give it to her future husband. While they ultimately don't marry due to their respective duties, Ruto is still supportive of him, and hands him over another valued possession (the Water Medallion) after he helps her cleanse the Water Temple from Morpha's influence.
• Rebellious Princess: She went into Jabu-Jabu to get her pendant herself, not caring what her father thinks of her vanishing act.
• Rescue Romance: She only started showing interest in Link after he saved her from Barinade.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: When her people's lives are threatened in the future, the Zora princess ventures into the Water Temple to save them.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Chastity; Despite wanting to marry Link, Ruto chooses to suspend her vow so that she may serve as a Sage.
• She's All Grown Up: She's noticeably more developed after the time skip.
• Tomboy Princess: Her attitude makes her different from a typical Princess Classic.
• Tsundere: A classic Harsh example. She's snarky and rude at first, but after Link helps her, she's practically making kissy faces at him. By the time Ruto is an adult, she subverts this. She snaps into modern Harsh when she chastises Link after saving her from Barinade, complete with Luminescent Blush and insult.

  Ruto: You... You're late! What took you so long? You're useless! I was just lonely, that's all... Just a little!!

• The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: King Zora is a Gonk and Adipose Rex, which makes one wonder where the family resemblance comes from.
• Uptown Girl: She's a princess and Link is an orphan.
• Water Is Womanly: She's elected to be the Sage of Water, representing the Zora race and watching over the well-being of the aquatic biomes of Hyrule (Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia). While there are other female Sages as of this game's events (namely Saria for Forest, Impa for Shadow and Nabooru for Spirit), she's the one who develops the most affectionate bond towards Link, offering him marriage after she gives him Zora's Sapphire.

Impa

Impa, the Sage of Shadow

"I am Impa of the Sheikah. I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda. Everything is exactly as the Princess foretold."

Zelda's nursemaid who is a Sheikah warrior who helps Zelda escape the castle when Ganondorf invades. She is later revealed to be the Sage of Shadow.

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• Ascended Extra: While Impa’s been part of the series from the very beginning, up to this point she had always been relegated to the instruction manuals, where she served as little more than Ms. Exposition. Ocarina of Time marked not only her first appearance in the games proper, but also the first time she was actively involved in the game’s plot, and she’s been a key character in the series ever since.
• Dark Is Not Evil: She's the Sage of Shadow, and one of the good guys.
• Faux Action Girl: Despite her reputation as being tough, we don't see her do any actual fighting in the game. Her most prominent action scene is fleeing with Zelda from Hyrule Castle, but running away is a lot more acceptable when you're the only protection a ten year old sole surviving heir has. Then again, like Sheik, we never got to see what she did during all those seven years.
• It May Help You on Your Quest: Teaches Link "Zelda's Lullaby", probably the most useful piece of music in the game.
• Last of Her Kind: The last surviving member of the Sheikah. For real, given Sheik is just a disguise. Oddly, Breath of the Wild, confirmed to take place more than 10,000 years after Ocarina of Time, has a thriving Sheikah race.
• Legacy Character: Impa is a name given to all of Zelda's caretakers in the series. Interesting to note is that while Impa existed as a character prior to this game, she never appeared in-game, only briefly mentioned in the story scroll for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Otherwise, the bulk of her significance was limited to the story in the instruction manuals.
• Ninja Maid: Without the costume, but seeing that she is Zelda's nursemaid, she still qualifies.
• Ornamental Weapon: Impa has a sheathed kodachi on the small of her back, but never draws it. Her manga counterpart uses it to save Zelda from a Stalfos, and uses a longer, straight-bladed sword after the Time Skip.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Diligence; Impa devoted her life to protecting Princess Zelda and to defending Kakariko Village.
• Supernatural Sealing: Sealed Bongo Bongo within the Bottom of the Well before it escaped.
• Team Mom: She's Zelda's nursemaid. It's possible that she taught Zelda to disguise herself and the ways of the Sheikah.
• Took a Level in Badass: A Meta Example. Impa had existed as a character prior to this game but never made an actual appearance, was only mentioned in-game once, and as a little old woman who only provided exposition. Cue Ocarina of Time, and Impa debuts as a tall Amazonian warrior.

Nabooru

Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit

"Though we're both thieves, I'm completely different from Ganondorf."

The second-in-command of the all-female Gerudo thieves who secretly despises Ganondorf. She attempts to break into the Spirit Temple to retrieve the Silver Gauntlets, but is captured and brainwashed by Twinrova instead. She is revealed to be the Sage of Spirit.

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• Affectionate Nickname: She calls Link "kid", even when he is an adult.
• Bastard Understudy: Being second in command of the Gerudo, she seems to be this to Ganondorf, who claims to be acting for his people. She actually opposes him by the time Link meets her.
• Bedlah Babe: Like most Gerudo, she wears a bedlah.
• Black Knight: She's involuntarily trapped inside a suit of armor by Twinrova.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: By Twinrova. It's also strongly implied that her Brainwashed and Crazy status is the reason why she served as Ganondorf's second in command in the Adult Timeline.
• Classy Cat-Burglar: Although unabashedly a thief, she refuses to steal from women and children. She also refuses to kill, and is disgusted that Ganondorf is willing to.
• Commander Contrarian: To Ganondorf, before she becomes a Sage. Zigzagged by the fact that her misgivings about Ganondorf are legitimate concerns and that her motivations aren't fundamentally evil, unlike his.
• Dark Action Girl: Involuntarily as she's brainwashed by Koume and Kotake, wearing armor similar to an Iron Knuckle and wielding a giant axe.
• Developer's Foresight: Has dialogue for Link wearing the Gerudo mask in the short timeframe you can talk to her.
• Dub Name Change: She's called Naburu in Italian to preserve the sound of her name, as "oo" would just be pronounced as a long "o". (Although in the original Japanese her name is pronounced with a long "o" instead of a "-oo" sound like in moon.)
• Everyone Has Standards: While she's a thief, Ganondorf's actions are too much even for her to stomach.
• Gentleman Thief: She insists strongly that there is Honor Among Thieves and the Gerudo as a whole should be this.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: When she learns the player's name she says "what kind of a name is that?" — even if the player's name is also Nabooru.
• Honor Among Thieves: Nabooru is a thief but has a firm code including not hurting people.
• Improbable Age: Koume notes how such a "little girl" commands so much respect from the other Gerudo, seeming to imply that Nabooru isn't much older than a teenager, despite being Ganondorf's second-in-command. Though it could also just be an insult, as well, considering Kotake and Koume's age can be measured in centuries.
• It's Personal: When Link talks to her in the Sacred Realm, it's clear that Nabooru is furious at being brainwashed by Ganondorf. She's thus very excited about getting a personal revenge on him as the Sage of Spirit.
• Mini-Boss: The only Sage Link actually has to fight, but she is brainwashed for it; Nabooru is the third and final Iron Knuckle encountered in the Spirit Temple (she only takes half the damage of the other two), and she's fought between passing through the dungeon's boss door and the corridor that leads to the actual boss, Twinrova.
• Rebellious Spirit: Her initial motivation for seeking the Silver Gauntlets was to "steal the treasure and mess up [Ganondorf's] plans". Later in the Chamber of Sages she chuckles at the prospect of getting back at Ganondorf via her role as a Sage.
• Samus Is a Girl: The third Iron Knuckle miniboss is her.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Kindness; Nabooru is appalled by the actions of her king Ganondorf, and put a young Link's safety above her own when attacked by Twinrova.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: As she stated to Link, she knows that Gerudo law requires that she bow down to Ganondorf due to his being the first male born in a century to the group, but she doesn't care and will not acknowledge Ganon as her king due to the atrocities he committed.
• The Starscream: A rare heroic example. Though she serves as Ganondorf's second-in-command, she openly despises him and protests his cruelty towards innocents. Her initial attempt to invade the Spirit Temple is explicitly stated to be an attempt to mess up the King's plans.
• Token Good Teammate: She's the only one of the Gerudo who openly opposes Ganondorf.
• Token Minority: Like the other Gerudo, she is of a different ethnicity than most of the Hylians.
• Unlikely Hero: She's a thief from Ganondorf's own people who helps to return peace to the world. Even she is surprised when she is called to be a Sage:
  Nabooru: "...Isn't it funny? That a person like me could turn out to be the Sage of Spirit!"

Other Characters

Great Deku Tree

The Great Deku Tree

"Long have I served as the guardian spirit...I am known as the Deku Tree..."

The guardian spirit of the Kokiri tribe. He is cursed by Ganondorf at the beginning of the game, and dies shortly after Link breaks the curse. A new Deku Tree grows in his place when Link is older, which retains all memories from the first, who tells Link that he is a Hylian and not a Kokiri.

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• Fisher King: Once the Deku Tree dies, Kokiri Forest goes to seed and stays like that until the other Fisher King, Phantom Ganon, is destroyed and the Deku Tree Sprout is born.
• Genius Loci: He's a sentient tree so big he serves as the first dungeon, and the wisest you'll ever see.
• Legacy Character: The first Deku Tree in the series. The Deku Tree seen in The Wind Waker is explicitly descended from him.
• Leitmotif: Has a dire, somber theme.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: Serves as the Kokiri's mentor, but kicks the bucket not long after the game starts due to Ganondorf's curse.
• Nature Spirit: The spirit of the Kokiri Forest. Shortly after he dies and Ganondorf gets the Triforce of Power, malignant monsters take up residence in Kokiri Village and stay there until Phantom Ganon is killed in the Forest Temple, which bring the tree back to life as a sprout.
• Non-Mammalian Hair: Has a mustache for some reason.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Is killed off early in the game, right after completing the first dungeon, which is his insides and roots (this is in spite of Link killing the parasite Gohma, who had already taken enough life from the tree).
• Wise Tree: He serves as the Kokiri's guardian, giving them advice whenever they seek him.
• World Tree: The Deku Tree is the guardian of the Kokiri Forest. When it dies, it allows for monsters to invade the village, especially after Link is unable to prevent the "wicked man of the desert", Ganondorf, from getting into the Sacred Realm; the monsters will be waiting for Link in the future and don't go away until the sprout awakens upon completing the Forest Temple and waking Saria as the Forest Sage.
• Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Loses this trait upon reincarnating into the new Deku Tree Sprout.
• You Are Too Late: After Link breaks the curse, he reveals that even before Link started, he was suffering from it for so long that he was going to die regardless and that the whole affair was to see if he was capable enough for his quest.

Kokiri

The Kokiri

The children of the forest who are under the protection of guardian fairies and the Great Deku Tree. They aren't allowed to leave the forest. They don't age, keeping the appearance of children.

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• Adaptational Nice Guy: While Mido did pick on Link in the game, from what was seen in the Yukawa Ming Manhua adaptation, he appears to be on better terms with Link who mentions having an innocent and happy childhood.
• All of the Other Reindeer: Pretty gently applied. Link was supposedly treated as an outcast by the rest of the Kokiri for having no Fairy Companion, but it seems more like he never truly fit in than he was being actively ostracized. Most of them are nothing but nice to him in the story proper (after he gets a fairy, granted) and Saria adored him from the get-go, with Mido being the only one shown to actually give Link a hard time.
• Beta Bitch: Fado is implied to be one for Mido, and the one Kokiri that seems to take Mido's "boss of the Kokiri" title at face value. While she's normally nice to Link, she'll threaten to tell Mido if you creep her out with any mask she isn't a fan of.
  Fado: (reacting to the Gerudo Mask) Yeeeeah! I-I'm gonna tell Mido to beat you up!
• Cannot Spit It Out: When Mido is talking to adult Link after defeating the Forest Temple, he has difficulty saying that Saria always liked Link. It could be that Mido had feelings for Saria and was jealous of Link being the object of Saria's affections, which is why he struggles to complete the sentence.
• Creepy Child: Fado, the blonde Kokiri Link meets in place of Grog. She states that everyone who enters the Lost Woods turns into a Stalfos. She ends the conversation by asking Link if that will happen to him, too… and giggles. Even creepier, it's revealed in the Historia that's exactly what happens to him.
• Despair Speech: Mido gives one about Link and Saria.
• Fiery Redhead: Mido. At first, he's bossy and domineering and happens to be redheaded. Even after he shows a nicer side, he's still got an attitude.
• The Friends Who Never Hang: Fado seems to mention Mido the most out of all the Kokiri, implying they share some kind of bond. Of course because of the nature of the game you'll never see the two interact with each other.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Mido is jealous of Link over his close relationship to Saria.
• Heroic BSoD: Even though he’s not that heroic, Mido is despondent over Saria becoming the Sage of Forest and is seen sitting together with King Zora during the credits sequence rather than celebrating Ganondorf’s defeat.
• Hidden Elf Village: The Kokiri village is hidden in a forest southeast of Hyrule, and is normally forbidden to non-Kokiri.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: Or around 10 in this case. Link is a Hylian adopted by the Deku Tree and ages normally. However, he blended in without suspicion for his entire childhood showing that Kokiri probably age the same way until they hit double digits and stop. He leaves home right around the time the truth would've been exposed anyway since he'd start to look older than the 9-12 limit.
• Jerkass Has a Point: While he may have said it to partially bully Link, Mido was right in that Link needed to find a sword and a shield before he could see the Great Deku Tree since there were monsters on the way to and inside the Great Deku Tree.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mido definitely. It's implied that he has antagonized Link in the past and continued to do so in the beginning. However, he seems to like Saria and even promised to guard the Secret Forest Meadow for her. In the future, he voices his regret for picking on Link and never apologizing to him.
• Meaningful Name: Mido. It sounds like the Japanese word for green (midori). As in, green with envy. Though this is probably a coincidence given he was named for the Town of Mido in Zelda II. (He's the only non-sage character to follow their naming scheme.)
• Musical Theme Naming: Saria is derived from Aria. Mido and Fado's names are composed of solfege syllables.
• Never Grew Up: The Kokiri are a race of children that remain ten forever. Link is an exception because he's really a Hylian.
• Nominal Importance: Only three Kokiri have names. Saria, Mido, and Fado. Saria has some serious plot importance, Mido is the "boss" of the Kokiri, and Fado has a bit of importance to the Biggoron Sword quest (and it's theorized she was being considered to be the Sage of Wind when a Wind Temple was being considered in-game). Every other Kokiri is nameless. Heck, Fado's name isn't even mentioned in-game either.
• Our Fairies Are Different: They resemble Hylian children, have their own flying Fairy companion, and are closely attuned to the Kokiri Forest. Many people outside of the Forest refer to them as "forest fairies" or "fairy children".
• Punny Name: Depending on how you pronounce it, Mido sounds like meadow, which is also meaningful as he guards the Sacred Forest Meadow in the adult timeline.
• Real Men Wear Pink: One of Mido's taunts early on is that Link's lack of a Fairy Companion apparently prevents him from being considered a "real man".
• Took a Level in Kindness: Mido softens up a bit when Link becomes an adult, and seems to lament that he was so cruel to him. Ironically he confesses all this to Link himself without knowing.

Malon

Malon

"You're not from around here, are you? Ohh...you're a fairy boy from the forest!"

The girl from Lon Lon Ranch. She teaches Link Epona's Song.

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• Affectionate Nickname: She most often refers to Link as "fairy boy", thanks to noticing right away that he comes from Kokiri Forest.
• Bilingual Bonus: The patterns on her dress are Hylian for "Lon".
• Cheerful Child: As a kid, she's always seen smiling or singing.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Unrequited version; In the manga adaptation, Malon develops a crush on Link after they meet, which grows stronger after he saves her from Ingo. However, when she realizes how fond Link is of Zelda, she realizes that her love for him won't work out. Ironically, this is in stark contrast to the games, where Malon is never explicitly stated to be in love with Link.
• Childhood Marriage Promise: Her father offers to let young Link marry her after he wins the Super Cuccoo game on Lon Lon Ranch, even though he was teasing.
• Dub Name Change: She's called Maron in the original Japanese version.
• Farm Girl: She lives on Lon Lon Ranch with her father.
• Friend to All Living Things: She introduces Link to Epona as her friend.
• Girl Next Door: A cute, down-to-Earth Farm Girl who gets Ship Tease with the hero.
• Informed Ability: A Gossip Stone informs us that she set the record for the horseback obstacle course. At no point in the actual game does she ride a horse, though.
• Missing Mom: Her mother is implied to have been dead for a while. If Talon's reaction to the Gerudo Mask is any indication (it reminds him of his wife), her mom might be a Gerudo (explaining the red hair).
• Ship Tease: The way she calls Link "fairy boy" can be taken as being a sign of a crush on Link. Also, one Gossip Stone states that Malon wishes to meet a Knight in Shining Armor that would sweep her off her feet, implying she develops feelings for Link should he rescue her from Ingo.
• Shout-Out: She wears a broach in the shape of Bowser's face on her ascot.
• Small Role, Big Impact: She only has to be talked to for a grand total of one time in the entirety of the game's plot, and is a pure side character that otherwise is only notable for helping Link meet and tame Epona, an entirely optional matter. Epona herself would go on to be a Legacy Character in the series thanks to this, and Malon's one mandatory event helps you wake up Talon so you can clear the way to meeting Princess Zelda, unwittingly becoming one of the only side characters in the entire game to directly aid Link in his journey just by searching for her lazy father.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Quite a few attached to her—Malon is a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for Marin from Link's Awakening, who was a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for the Zelda from A Link to the Past.
• The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Talon isn't very good-looking, but his daughter is a very cute girl who grows into quite the beauty.

Talon & Ingo

Talon and Ingo

Malon's father (Talon) and the farmhand (Ingo).

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• Brainwashed and Crazy: Ganondorf brings out Ingo's resentment toward Talon and makes him evil in the adult years. He gets better after you defeat him in a race and get Epona. This is more obvious in the manga than the game.
• Bumbling Dad: Talon, to the point where your first introduction to him is finding him asleep in the middle of his job delivering milk to Hyrule Castle (with his daughter Malon — who gives you a cucco to wake him up — implying this is not an uncommon occurrence).
• Corrupted Character Copy: Ingo is a clear pastiche of Luigi much like Talon is a take-off of Mario, right down to the color scheme. However, while Luigi beneath his cowardice and Always Second Best blues is a Nice Guy who would never hurt a fly, Ingo is a utter Jerkass who helps out Ganondorf, betraying and tormenting Talon and his beautiful daughter Malon in the process, even gaining the latter's servitude by threatening to harm the horses she tends to. He becomes nicer after Link beats him in a race, though.
• Dub Name Change: Talon is called Taron in the original dub, Tairong in Chinese and Tairon in Taiwanese, while Ingo is called Basil in German.
• Forgiveness: Basically the character arc of these two characters. During childhood Ingo resents Talon's laziness and eventually is granted ownership of the ranch by Ganondorf, becoming its cruel owner. When Link restores things to the way they were, both seem to come to terms with their past sins; by the ending, it's all apparently water under the bridge, as they can be seen (seemingly very drunk) with an arm around the other's shoulders smiling and dancing in celebration.
• Have We Met?: When Link talks to him as an adult, Ingo asks if they met before.
• Hourglass Plot: Ingo starts as the embittered, hardworking farmhand while Talon is the kind-hearted but lazy ranch owner. Ganondorf's influence sees them switch places, with Ingo taking over the ranch and throwing Talon out. Fortunately, the trope here comes to its happier ending, with Ingo and Talon both learning from their experiences and becoming better people for it.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Ingo is correct that Talon is a Lazy Bum of an employer, and even the latter's own daughter doesn't deny it. Ganondorf later takes advantage of Ingo's resentment and turns him into the tyrannical ruler of Lon Lon Ranch.
• Lazy Bum: Talon falls asleep easily and is hardly ever seen actually working, though he changes his ways later.
• Shipper on Deck: Talon jokingly asks Link if he'd like to marry Malon.
• Shout-Out:
  • Talon and Ingo look a bit like Mario and Luigi. Talon also counts as a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for Marin's father Tarin from Link's Awakening, who in himself was a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for Link's Uncle from A Link to the Past. The Super Mario Bros. Movie would return the favor by making Mario's father and uncle look like the duo.
  • Talon, like his daughter, wears a broach of Bowser's face.
• Sore Loser: Win the first race against Ingo and he'll insist on a rematch. Win that rematch and he'll lock you inside the ranch.

The King

The King of Hyrule

The ruler of the Kingdom of Hyrule, and Zelda's father.

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• Adults Are Useless: Subverted.
  • In the main events of the game, he in no way directly aids Link's mission to stop Ganondorf, forcing Zelda to intervene. He is however, responsible for the current era of tranquility, and tries to keep his people safe.
  • Even he appreciates Zelda being right in the Child Timeline ending when Link from the future appears wielding the Triforce of Courage — irrefutable evidence that Ganondorf is plotting against him.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Before the events of Ocarina of Time, the land was engulfed in a fierce war and many lives were lost. The king stepped forward to personally end the conflict, unifying the people.
• The Ghost: Mentioned several times throughout the game, but never directly seen. He is only ever seen in one panel of a prequel manga made for the German Nintendo Power.
• Hero of Another Story: 9 years prior to the events of the game, the King single-handedly ended the Hyrulean Civil War and united the country under one banner.
• Horrible Judge of Character: The king genuinely believes Ganondorf is a sincere man, and has his allegiance.
• Noodle Incident: Orders the road to Goron Village to be closed to Hylians due to Death Mountain's eruptions, but banning his people from journeying to Zora's Domain (via magic) is never explained and can only be speculated.
• Not Now, Kiddo: Is more concerned with running his kingdom than listening to his own daughter's warnings. This has profound consequences for both him and the realm.
• Poor Communication Kills: He refuses to believe his daughter's prophetic dreams of Ganondorf's imminent threat to the age of peace are anything more than dreams. He even says so himself in the manga.
  Young Zelda: Father! Father, please! Don't meet with that man!
  King of Hyrule: Is this about your dream again? Ridiculous! We live in a time of peace!!
• Posthumous Character: Heavily implied to have been murdered along with his court by Ganondorf in the Adult Timeline, once the Gerudo King emerged from the Sacred Realm welding the Triforce of Power.

Sharp & Flat

Sharp and Flat

Two brothers who served Hyrule's royal family as musical composers.

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• Dub Name Change: Besides literal translations, they're called Bémol & Dièse in European French (specifically, their names are reversed), and Johann & Ludwig in German.
• Driven to Suicide: It's implied that they chose to kill themselves rather than let their work fall into the hands of Ganondorf.
• Large Ham: Defeating them in their Poe form will prompt them to start loudly and theatrically lamenting your "killing" of them, until they recognize Link and immediately switch off the histrionics.
• Let's You and Him Fight: Sharp and Flat will attack you on sight, believing you to be a follower of Ganondorf. They'll only realize you're not after being defeated. They're also among the few people who recognize Link as an adult.
• Magic Music: Together they composed the Sun's Song, which can summon the day and the night.
• Meaningful Name: Sharp and Flat are musical terms, thus fitting names for composers. Even their Dub Name Change share the musical motif, Bémol & Dièse being musical notes and Johann & Ludwig being allusions to Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.
• Posthumous Character: Not that that stops them from fighting and chatting it up with Link.
• Shout-Out: The two brothers are colored red and green, and the elder is shorter and fatter while the younger is taller and leaner.

Gorons

The Gorons

The people who dwell inside the mountains. They are, or at least appear to be, made of stone.

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• Bilingual Bonus: In a bit of a Stealth Pun, they are named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for rolling rocks.
• Eat Dirt, Cheap: They eat rocks.
• The Glomp: The Gorons love giving hugs to their friends, which freaks Link out for obvious reasons.
• One-Gender Race: They all appear to be male and call each other "brother".
• Picky Eater: The Gorons can eat any rocks, yet they refuse to eat anything other than the "delicious" rocks within Dodongo's Cavern, to the point that they'd seemingly rather starve than eat anything less.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Gorons as a whole actually don't seem to exhibit this trait. While later games would see them becoming more warlike, the Gorons in this game are a fairly laid-back and peaceable society who frequently need the help of a more-warlike visitor to bail them out.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony. By the time Link meets them, the Gorons have become a race of fastidious gourmets, and their trouble is not that they lack for food—they can eat any rocks they want, they just don't want to—but that access to their preferred rocks in Dodongo's Cavern has been cut off.
• Too Dumb to Live: Gorons can eat other rocks, but they've been eating the delicious rocks of Dodongo's Cavern for so long that they refuse to eat anthing else. Ganondorf sealing the entrance to the cavern is enough to cause the entire civilization to starve to death.
• Verbal Tic: In the manga, they commonly tack "-goro" onto the ends of their sentences or words.

Zora

The Zora

The people who dwell in a cave at the end of a river.

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• Actually Pretty Funny: Wearing most masks around the Zora King will amuse him, remarking he finds Hylians to be funny creatures. Wearing the Zora mask, however, makes him very displeased.
• Adipose Rex: King Zora. He's so fat and huge that just moving to the side to let Link pass behind him (with a pretty funny "Ouweep" sound) takes a while.
• Childhood Friends: King Zora XVI and Biggoron are friends from childhood.
• Decomposite Character: Later games establish them as separate from the Enemy Zoras.
• Elves Versus Dwarves: The prequel manga in the German Nintendo Power mentions that there was a war between the Zora and Gorons in the past.
• Fish People: Unlike previous Zoras from the previous games, these Zoras are much more beautiful and human-like.
• Gonk: Most of the zora are very humanoid and beautiful fish humanoids, King Zora looks like a giant Goldfish with spindly arms and legs.
• Good Parents: Based off King Zora’s interactions with Ruto, he seems to be a good dad. He becomes concerned once he learns his daughter has been eaten by Lord Jabu-Jabu and is grateful to Link for saving her.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Their king and they are all unaware Ganondorf cursed Jabu-Jabu.
• Non-Mammal Mammaries: Judging by Ruto and the Zora females seen in other games, this is typical of the race. The male Zoras themselves have visible pecs.
• Our Mermaids Are Different: They have traits of mermaids as well as Fish People. They have legs with flippers, sea-resistant skin and can breathe underwater. They have the tail of the aquatic animal they're based on instead of hair. They are able to live on land, but can dehydrate quickly.
• Schmuck Bait: They believe wholeheartedly in the "Legend of Zora" that visitors should feed Lord Jabu-Jabu to bring them happiness. It's the only way to progress in any case.
• Sealed Good in a Can: The entire race gets frozen into the ice of their aquatic home by Ganondorf, though they probably aren't conscious for it. The only ones to escape this fate are King Zora (who's frozen in red ice and can be rescued with blue fire), Princess Ruto (who is ultimately saved from the ice by Sheik), and the Shopkeeper (who seems to be sealed inside his shop by red ice, but is otherwise fine).
• Smooch of Victory: Hilariously offered to you by King Zora XVI, and declined by Link, if you save him and already have the Zora Tunic in your possession.

Jabu-Jabu

Lord Jabu-Jabu

A giant fish/whale hybrid. To acquire the Zora Sapphire, which he swallowed, Link must go into his belly and find both it and Princess Ruto.

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• The Assimilator: In Master Quest there are cows being absorbed alive into his stomach lining, disturbingly.
• Bigger on the Inside: His belly is much bigger than you'd expect looking at him.
• Bilingual Bonus: A naming Stealth Pun, Jabu-Jabu is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for water splashing.
• Bizarre Alien Biology: Jabu-Jabu has moving Floating Platforms inside of him, which are useful for traversing the multi-layered stomach.
• Dub Name Change: His original name literally translates as Lord Splish-Splash.
• Electric Jellyfish: His stomach is infested with them. According to Ruto, this is not normal.
• Extreme Doormat: You can whale on him with your sword all you want. He'll never lift a fin to stop you.
• Extreme Omnivore: He prefers fish, but he's not picky about what he eats, considering all the stuff one can find within his belly.
• Gentle Giant: Don't let his size fool you: he's a kind soul.
• Getting Eaten Is Harmless: King Zora upon finding out his daughter is inside the god beseeches Link to rescue her immediately. Ruto explains she's being going inside Jabu-Jabu since she was little, without issue. It's currently Ganondorf's curse that is making the deity's belly dangerous.
• Odd Job Gods: He's the patron deity of the Zora race.
• Shock and Awe: The deity maybe equal parts eel as well as fish and whale. All the parasitic enemies found in his belly, like Bari, Biri, BiriStinger, Tailpasaran, Parasitic Tentacle, and the boss Barinade, are draining the god of his life energy, weaponizing his power against you. Jabu-Jabu's own body (Red Jellies) will obstruct Link's progress, and give him an electric shock if comes in contact. They're invincible, but if Link stuns the fleshy blocks with the Boomerang it will temporarily stun them, allowing the hero to use them as platforms to the next area.
• Swallowed Whole: Link is inhaled by him after giving him an offering.
• Super-Toughness: Unlike the Great Deku Tree, he won't succumb to Ganondorf's death curse so easily. Stabbing the god's belly with your sword, setting off bombs (accidentally or intentionally) will hurt him, but never leave lasting damage.
• The Voiceless: He never speaks a word. It's unknown if he even can talk.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After Ganondorf takes over, Jabu-Jabu is mysteriously absent, leading many gamers to speculate what exactly happened to him. ^note Although a Dummied Out scene shows Jabu during the game's end credits
• Womb Level: Uniquely in the Zelda series, he serves as not only a character, but an entire dungeon as well.

Gerudo

The Gerudo

An all-female desert people. One male is born to their species every hundred years and is crowned their king; normally, they seduce Hylian men to reproduce.

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• Action Girl: Nearly all the Gerudo are blade-wielding warriors, with only Twinrova being an exception. Even then, Twinrova is a powerful sorcerer boss.
• Affably Evil: The Gerudo are thieves, but they harbor little malice towards anyone and eventually allow Link to freely walk among them once he proves his strength.
• Amazon Brigade: The entire race is female, and it is required by law that they obey their king, the sole male born in 100 years.
• Anti-Villain: They're Desert Bandits, but they have a code of honor and only follow Ganondorf out of a sense of duty. Additionally, The Wind Waker heavily implies that they only steal because of the harsh conditions of the desert, making them even more sympathetic.
• Bedlah Babe: Many of them wear Bedlahs.
• Defeat Means Friendship: After realizing that Link is a Worthy Opponent, they agree to let him join their group and give him access to their fortress. They seem to be unaware he was Ganondorf's foe.
• Desert Bandits: They work as thieves.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: They have a vaguely Middle Eastern culture (being desert-dwellers) with a star and crescent as their initial symbol until it was changed in future versions. Some have also seen a dash of Romani influence.
• Elite Four: When rescuing the carpenters from the fortress, you get to confront four dual sword wielding Gerudo guards. They are like the Stalfos, but a bit more agile. They also have a spinning attack that will knock Link out immediately if it connects; this will prompt the guard to mock Link before he's thrown back into a cell.
• Heel–Race Turn: Some Gerudo are seen celebrating Ganondorf's defeat among the Hylians, Zora, Gorons, and Kokiri, implying that they've given up on thievery and made peace with the other races of Hyrule now that their tyrannical king is gone.
• Honor Among Thieves: It's subtly implied that not all the Gerudo may not have actually wanted to serve Ganondorf in the adult years, as several were seen celebrating Ganondorf's defeat at Lon Lon Ranch. Granted, they weren't quite as brave about it as Nabooru, who was willing to defy him and their ancient traditions, but still.
• Invulnerable Civilians: An unusual variant; the Gerudo are initially hostile to Link, but because they are intended to become non-hostile civilians after the player completes the necessary questline, the player is actually unable to kill them. Patroling Gerudo during their hostile phase can be temporarily knocked unconscious complete with Circling Stars over their head by shooting them with an arrow, but will revive unharmed when Link returns to the area. Even the "miniboss" Gerudo aren't killed at the end of their fight, but instead flee to safety once Link overwhelms them.
• Mini-Boss: Four of the Gerudo in their hideout actually need to be fought by Link in duels; they are fast and tricky, but each one drops a key for a carpenter cell.
• Naginatas Are Feminine: All of the guards use naginatas.
• Noble Demon: They're thieves, but they genuinely respect worthy adversaries and some of them are less than satisfied with Ganondorf's megalomaniacal ambitions.
• One-Gender Race: Save for the exception noted above. Gossip stones imply that they tend to marry (or at least seduce) men from the rest of the country to propagate themselves. Only one male Gerudo is born every hundred years and he is to lead his female companions. Ganondorf is this man during the events of the game.
• Punch-Clock Villain: They only seem to be going along with Ganondorf's plans because he's their king. It's implied that they were negatively influenced by Twinrova's leadership. After Link frees the carpenters, they see him as a Worthy Opponent and stop attacking him.
• Toxic Friend Influence: It's implied Twinrova's influence was making the Gerudo worse, and their deaths improved the tribe for the better.

Bosses

Gohma

Gohma

Parasitic Armored Arachnid

A giant spider infesting the Great Deku Tree, and the boss of it at the very start of the game.

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• Boss Subtitles:
  Parasitic Armored Arachnid: Gohma
• Empty Room Until the Trap: When the door to her chamber locks behind you, you have to look up and find her on the ceiling.
• Flunky Boss: She can lay eggs that hatch into Gohma spawn (an enemy that can be met a couple of rooms prior to her lair).
• Giant Spider: She is considered an arachnid, crawling along the ceiling coated with web. But she's more of a hybrid between a crab and spider, and it's not obvious at first glance.
• Go for the Eye: Her huge, single eye is her weak spot.
• She Was Right There All Along: Gohma doesn't appear until you look up at the ceiling.
• Mook Maker: After taking enough damage, she'll crawl up the wall and onto the ceiling, and start laying eggs which will hatch into enemies. You can break those eggs before they hatch, or even stop Gohma before she lays a single egg with a Slingshot seed to the eye.
• Parasites Are Evil: She's outright called a parasite in her Boss Subtitles, and she's the reason the Great Deku Tree ultimately dies. The manga shows she was outright eating the Great Deku Tree alive from the inside.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Her eye turns blood-red when she launches her direct attacks on Link or laying her eggs. That's also the cue for when to slingshot her in the eye to stun her.
• Starter Villain: Gohma's presence is why the Deku Tree calls out to Link, along with being the first opponent Link faces that isn't a common enemy. Her defeat is long before Link even meets Zelda or learns who cursed the Deku Tree in the first place.
• Warm-Up Boss: Understandably for the first boss, Gohma is the easiest boss in the game. Her attacks aren't very damaging, and her weak spot is obvious.

King Dodongo

King Dodongo

Infernal Dinosaur

King of the fire-lizards, he has taken residence in Death Mountain as the boss of Dodongo's Cavern.

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• Boss Subtitles:
  Infernal Dinosaur: King Dodongo
• Breath Weapon: One of his attacks is spitting a large fireball at you. However, he takes a long time to inhale, giving you the opportunity to Feed It a Bomb.
• Dinosaurs Are Dragons: He's referred to as a Dinosaur, but like a Dragon that breathes fire.
• Feed It a Bomb: How you defeat him. Throw a bomb in his mouth as he inhales to prepare his fireball, and he becomes vulnerable to your sword.
• King Mook: He's a much larger version of the Dodongo enemies seen throughout Dodongo's Cavern.
• Large and in Charge: The king of the Dodongos and the biggest by far.
• A Molten Date with Death: Upon being defeated, he'll try to roll away, but he's been so weakened by the fight that he careens off course and ends up in the lava pool in the center of the arena where he sinks inside and dies.
• No Body Left Behind: Averted as a rarity for a Zelda boss. His body will remain stuck in the cooled-down lava, and will still be there if you return to the Dodongo's Cavern as an adult.
• Playing with Fire: King Dodongo can breathe fire on Link, but he's not invulnerable to it, as seen when he burns in the lava pool after you defeat him.
• Rolling Attack: His other attack, which he uses after taking a hit or spitting a fireball.

Barinade

Barinade

Bio-Electric Anemone

A parasite infesting Lord Jabu-Jabu, and the boss inside his belly.

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• Body Horror: It's eradicated by Jabu-Jabu's antibodies in a very gory fashion.
• Boss Subtitles:
  Bio-Electric Anemone: Barinade
• Electric Jellyfish: Can surround itself in electricity, though Barinade is anemone in this case. It is, however, protected by larger Bari, which are electric jellyfish.
• Dub Name Change: It's called Cnidade in Italian.
• Flunky Boss: Barinade uses its super-sized jellyfish to defend itself; these jellyfish must be killed in order to kill IT.
• King Mook: As a giant jellyfish, it is this to all the Bari and Biri inhabiting the belly.
• Life Drain: It's sucking the energy from inside the whale/fish god Lord Jabu-Jabu to use against you.
• Sequential Boss: There are several sequences in the fight with Barinade. First Link has to sever its connection to Jabu-Jabu, then destroy its protective jellyfish, then you get a crack at the body.
• Shielded Core Boss: After severing Barinade from Jabu-Jabu, you then have to kill all the protective jellyfish on its body to attack it directly.
• Shock and Awe: It and the Bari attack with electricity. Even says so in the Boss Subtitles.
• Spin Attack: Most of its attacks involve it spinning its limbs or itself.
• Wake-Up Call Boss: By the time you face it, you should be more equipped and experienced, but Barinade will put your knowledge of offensive and defensive techniques to the test. If you haven't yet learned how to quickly lock-on to targets and get a good handle on strafing and sidestepping, this boss will severely punish you.

Phantom Ganon

Phantom Ganon

Evil Spirit from Beyond

A spirit left behind by Ganondorf as the boss in the Forest Temple.

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• Actually a Doombot: Link first believes him to be Ganondorf, but then once he's defeated, the real Ganondorf speaks to him telepathically about how he only defeated a clone of himself and that fighting him won't be as easy.
• Boss Subtitles:
  Evil Spirit from Beyond: Phantom Ganon
• Dark Is Evil: Rides a Hellish Horse and sports a dark color scheme.
• Devil's Pitchfork: Wields a trident in reference to Ganon's iconic weapon in previous games and happens to be villainous (although Ganon himself in this game wields two swords with a trident-like shape instead).
• Doppelgänger Spin: As the first phase of the fight continues he summons fakes in the other pictures to distract you; the fake is darker, and will immediately turn around and run off when it reaches the picture frame while the real one comes out and attacks (the fake's colors are lightened a little bit in the 3DS remake).
• Empty Room Until the Trap: At first, his arena is empty, at which point you try to leave upon realizing this, but a spiked gate rises up preventing you from leaving, triggering the fight.
• Energy Ball: In the main phase, he twirls his scepter around and throws these at you.
• Final Boss Preview: Once he loses the horse, Phantom Ganon fights like a simplified version of the real Ganondorf.
• Hellish Horse: Much like the real deal, he has a horse, except his looks more demonic.
• Portal Picture: He has the ability to leap into the Spooky Paintings all over his arena, and once he comes out of one of them, he will deliver a devastating lightning attack if you don't attack him first. When he leaps into his paintings, you have to scan each painting carefully to determine which one the real one will pop out of, while a fake will try to distract you and immediately turn around and run off when it reaches the picture frame, allowing the real one to attack you.
• Shell Game: In the first phase of battle, Phantom Ganon retreats into one of the paintings surrounding the arena, and Link must has a small window of time to figure out which painting he will jump out of lest he get attacked.
• Sequential Boss: There are two stages to the Phantom Ganon battle; first Link must shoot him with arrows to force him to dismount his horse, and then there's the Tennis Boss sequence.
• Shock and Awe: Blasts Link with electricity if not shot as he emerges from one of the paintings.
• Skull for a Head: He at first looks identical to Ganondorf, until he reveals his face is a mask, and his real head is a horned skull.
• Spooky Painting: All of the paintings in his arena depict a spooky road. He will dive into those paintings during the first phase of his boss fight, then come out of one of them to deliver a devastating electric attack.
• Tear Off Your Face: Rips off his own face before starting the fight. Its implied the skull was his true face that the phantom was somehow concealing.
• Tennis Boss: As a sort of Final Boss Preview, you also have to send balls of energy back at him.
• You Have Failed Me: After Link kicks its ass, the real Ganondorf banishes it to 'the gap between dimensions'.

Volvagia

Volvagia

Subterranean Lava Dragon

A dragon ruling over the Fire Temple as its boss.

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• Adaptational Heroism: It was a Childhood Friend of Link's in the manga adaptation, before being corrupted by Ganondorf.
• Ambiguous Gender: Volvagia is referred to as a "he" at one point, but this is changed to an "it" in the 3DS version's script.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: Encyclopedia says that Volvagia is "in essence, the spirit of Death Mountain." This would seem to mean it's the region's counterpart to the Deku Tree and Jabu-Jabu.
• Boss Subtitles:
  Subterranean Lava Dragon: Volvagia
• Breath Weapon: In one of its attacks, Volvagia flies around the arena while breathing fire.
• Chasing Your Tail: It often chases Link in circles.
• Collapsing Ceiling Boss: One of Volvagia's attacks has it rubbing the ceiling and causing rocks to fall from it.
• Dishing Out Dirt: It calls down a rockslide as one of its attacks.
• Dracolich: Volvagia is an ancient, undead dragon revived by Ganondorf to punish the Gorons for defying him.
• Dragons Are Demonic: Volvagia was an ancient dragon who terrorized the Gorons, devouring them alive, before being slain by a Goron wielding the Megaton Hammer.
• The Dreaded: Gorons are all absolutely terrified of it and with very good reason.
• Dub Name Change: It's called Volcania in French, Varubaja in Italian, and Valvagia in Korean.
• The End of the World as We Know It: If the fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland.
• Flaming Hair: Its hair is a flaming mesh of fire.
• Improbable Weapon User: It sweeps its hair around to attack. Or at least, it looks like hair — it might well be actual fire.
• Our Dragons Are Different: A serpentine, red-scaled dragon with only two forelegs and a fiery mane, which lives in a volcano and terrorizes the nearby population.
• Playing with Fire: The boss of the Fire Temple, and can breathe damaging flames and hide in lava.
• Resurrected for a Job: Volvagia is an ancient evil that devoured Gorons alive until defeated by the Hero of the Gorons. Ganondorf revives the evil dragon to exemplify the fate of the races who opposed his despotic rule.
• Skull for a Head: It appears to wear its skull on the outside, a big hint to its undead nature. And when it's beaten, it's the only part of it that remains, as if Ganondorf dug it up in the first place to perform his resurrection spell.
• Spell My Name With An S: Its name was previously romanized as "Barba" In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, but Ocarina keeps its Japanese name.
• To Serve Man: It likes to eat Gorons, and Ganondorf planned to feed the entire race to it.

Morpha

Morpha

Giant Aquatic Amoeba

An amoeba-like blob that is the main boss in the Water Temple.

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• Attack Its Weak Point: Its eye-like nucleus is the only part that damage can be caused to, and needs to be periodically exposed to be targeted so that Morpha can be brought down.
• Blob Monster: Is essentially a giant amoeba that is filling up a large pool. Its eye-like nucleus form is also just a blob.
• Boss Subtitles:
  Giant Aquatic Amoeba: Morpha
• Combat Tentacles: Can form water tendrils from its own body to strike Link.
• Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: While most bosses in the game have some explanation as to where they came from, this thing doesn't have any. It's not explained if Ganondorf created it or if something that just appeared.
• Fisher King: As long as it is alive, the Zora's Domain remains frozen and Lake Hylia's water level lowers considerably, the sky gets dark and stormy when Link stands on the central island of the lake, and when the Hero of Time finally slays it, the water level returns to its normal state. While not doing so in gameplay time, Zora's Domain also reverts to its previous state.
• An Ice Person: It's strongly implied that it bore the brunt of the responsibility of maintaining the frozen state of Zora's Domain.
• "Jaws" First-Person Perspective: We see Morpha's POV swimming in its own water before trying to attack Link.
• Making a Splash: It can manipulate water to create a body, and has drained and polluted Lake Hylia in addition to freezing Zora's Domain.
• Mega-Microbes: Morpha itself isn't the huge water tentacle it creates, but the vulnerable eye-like nucleus that serves as the boss's weak point.
• Murder Water: Although Morpha itself is just the nucleus, it manipulates the water as though it were part of its own body and uses it as its primary means of attack.
• That's No Moon: Ruto makes it clear that the giant blue pool Link encounters is not normal water.
• Waterfront Boss Battle: Morpha is fought in a room holding a large pool of water, with a raised edge and four platforms in the pool itself. Link spends the battle standing on these raised areas, while Morpha lurks in the water and uses its hydrokinesis to turn it into tentacles with which to attack Link. Morpha is invulnerable while underwater, so Link must use the Longshot to pull it on dry land and attack it while it crawls back into the pool.

Bongo Bongo

Bongo Bongo

Phantom Shadow Beast

A drumming beast that escapes from a well and hides in the Shadow Temple as its boss.

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• Boss Subtitles:
  Phantom Shadow Beast: Bongo Bongo
• Casting a Shadow: Bongo Bongo is first seen as a shadow that flies around Kakariko and wrangles Sheik, and then Link.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • Its first appearance has it flailing Sheik around shortly after escaping the well, and throwing the hapless Sheikah down hard enough to induce unconsciousness. The exact result of Link's failed encounter with it is unknown (the screen blacks out right when it approaches Link), although the vocal grunts imply that Bongo Bongo managed to defeat Link easily in a similar manner, and it was implied that Link was knocked out for several hours as a result.
  • Incidentally, you can Curb-Stomp Battle Bongo Bongo right back with the use of a glitch that allows you to drop a bomb on its hitbox before you even enter the boss arena. The dropped bomb puts it into stun mode, and you can jump down and kill it near instantly.
• Dark Is Evil: It's the boss of the Shadow Temple and is shrouded in darkness, forcing you to use the Lens of Truth to see it. Also, according to Sheik, Bongo-Bongo was sealed by Impa to protect the village.
• Eldritch Abomination: A mysterious, otherworldly beast sealed within the Bottom of the Well that can only be seen with the Lens of Truth.
• Giant Hands of Doom: Bongo Bongo has two disembodied hands, which it rhythmically slams into the arena to bounce Link into the air. Striking both limbs is necessary to expose the monster's weak spot, but damaging one of them causes the other to retaliate with a highly damaging punch. Moreover, firing an Ice Arrow at one of the hands will cause it to freeze over, forcing the other hand to punch it several times to free it; his eye will open during this timespan so you can attack it before it does its charge attack.
• Go for the Eye: Its eye is its weak point. However, to reach it, you must stun its hands first, then shoot an arrow in its eye.
• Invisibility: It can become invisible to the naked eye. The only way to see it when it turns invisible is to use the Lens of Truth. Though like other invisible enemies, it can still be locked onto.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Impa sealed it at the bottom of the Kakariko Village well years ago. Bongo Bongo is first introduced by escaping the well.
• The Spook: The only thing even resembling a hint about its origins is an extremely vague story about a guy who lived where the well was built and possibly invented the Lens of Truth.
• Tremor Trampoline: It pounds on a giant drum that happens to be your only footing in the room you fight him in, making your character bounce. Equipping the Hover Boots can lessen it slightly, though.

Twinrova

Koume and Kotake

Sorceress Sisters

"Look at that stupid kid! He came on his own to offer himself as a sacrifice to the great Ganondorf..."

Ganondorf's surrogate parents who operate as the boss of the Spirit Temple. Koume uses fire magic and Kotake uses ice magic. Their Fusion Dance forms a composite being that can use both. They return for Majora's Mask (the two in this game are completely different and are not evil), and then again as the secret Big Bads of the combined Oracle games.

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• Amazing Technicolor Population: Much like Ganondorf, they have a sickly grayish green skin. Their incredibly old age and usage of Black Magic must have something to do with it.
• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: When they're defeated they beam up into light (bickering all the way up).
• Boss Subtitles:
  Sorceress Sisters: Twinrova
• Climax Boss: They often appear to taunt you and cause problems throughout your journey through the temple, until you finally face them.
• Co-Dragons: The twin sisters were Ganondorf's adoptive parents and are normally the last boss fought prior to going up against Ganondorf. That probably explains a lot.
• Dark Action Girl: Koume and Kotake are powerful sorceresses who can literally combine their forces into one single entity and are very antagonistic.
• Dark Is Evil: Both are practitioners of Dark Magic.
• Dual Boss: You first fight both witches at the same time, and they eventually fuse together.
• Dub Name Change: They're called Birova in Canadian French and in Spanish, Killah Ohmaz ("Killah Granniez") in German, and Duerova or Kotakoume in Italian.
• Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Koume and Kotake attack respectively with fire and ice, and are weak to the other element.
• Evil Matriarch: They raised Ganondorf. It's possible they were the ones who started him on his path to villainy.
• Evil Old Folks: They're old, centuries old according to them, and serve the Great King of Evil.
• Evil Sorceress: They're a pair of witches who are called the Sorceress Sisters, and can fuse into one sorceress if they need to.
• Fire/Ice Duo: Kotake attacks with ice while Kotake attacks with fire and are weak to their opposite elements.
• Flying Broomstick: Koume and Kotake, as befitting of wicked witches, fly around on broomsticks. In their fused form, their broomsticks are repurposed into Magic Wands.
• Fusion Dance: Their Twinrova form is a combination of both their powers.
• Giant Woman: Their Twinrova form stands several times taller than Link.
• Greater-Scope Villain: As Ganondorf’s surrogate parents, it is very likely that they’re the ones who influenced Ganondorf onto a path of villainy, which would make them, along with Demise, indirectly responsible for all of the suffering and destruction brought upon by Ganondorf/Ganon throughout the franchise. However they only feature for one dungeon and boss fight in Ocarina of Time, and later as the collective Big Bad of the Oracle Duology.
• Green and Mean: Like Ganondorf, these evil witches stand out among the Gerudo for their villainy and bright green skin.
• Holy Halo: After their defeat, they realize their deaths upon seeing a Halo above their head. This is purely for comedic purposes, as both are unapologetically evil.
• Hot Witch: What their Twinrova form is. She gasps when hit, and gives an orgasmic scream when killed.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Koume has a red gem on her forehead and has a "Hee hee hee!" laugh, while Kotake has a blue gem on her forehead and has a "Ho ho ho!" laugh.
• Kill It with Fire: Koume attacks with fire, but is weak to ice.
• Kill It with Ice: Kotake attacks with ice, but is weak to fire.
• Leitmotif: They get a quite suitably quirky theme whenever they show up to Link.
• An Ice Person: Kotake uses ice attacks, and so can the combined Twinrova.
• Magic Staff: That transform into their broomsticks into two of these as Twinrova.
• Mind Control: They brainwash Nabooru with their magic, though they don't reveal how they did it beyond that they can do it again after dealing with Link.
• Miniature Senior Citizens: Very short when compared to how tall and shapely Gerudo are on average. Definitely not the case as Twinrova.
• Ms. Fanservice: Their Twinrova form is a much younger witch that gives a wink to Link when she appears.
• Platonic Co-Parenting: They're twin sisters who raised Ganondorf together.
• Playing with Fire: Koume uses fire attacks, and so can the combined Twinrova.
• Power Floats: They fly on magic broomsticks when they're separated, but Twinrova is able to hover on her own (and in fact, Links needs to bring her to ground level before he can strike her).
• Really 700 Years Old: Actually 400 years old, but one of the twins insists that she's "only" 380. The Twinrova fusion really doesn't look it, but their regular forms certainly do.
• Sequential Boss: Notwithstanding the possessed Nabooru Iron Knuckle that is fought immediately after passing through the boss door, there are two phases to the Twinrova fight; when they fight separately and shoot long streams of fire/ice that can be reflected, and then as a combined Twinrova where they fire short bursts that can be stored.
• Shout-Out: Their names and characterization are both references to Seishi Yokomizo's Village of Eight Graves.
• Sibling Fusion: They're twin witches and can merge into a single being called Twinrova, who has the two siblings' combined magical powers.
• Silver Vixen: Twinrova's fused form looks much younger and much much more shapely than her component characters, though she still looks older than the other Gerudo, including grey hair.
• Single-Minded Twins: They look and act exactly alike, except for being Palette Swaps of each other.
• Sinister Schnoz: They go beyond typical Gerudo noses by having noses about 1/3 the size of their heads, fitting their status as evil witches.
• Statuesque Stunner: Twinrova is at least 20 feet tall and rather shapely.
• Tactical Suicide Boss: If they didn't fight together, you wouldn't have one's magic to reflect at the other. Also, if they would fire their beams together instead of taking turns, they would be unbeatable.
• Tennis Boss: A variation, you reflect the magic fired from one witch into the other one; both the Fire and Ice Arrows don't work against them. Twinrova plays it straight, though you need to absorb three blasts of the same element before you can turn them back, allowing you to strike with your sword. Make sure you avoid absorbing the opposite element, for it cancels out the current element you already absorbed and deals damage at the same time.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Their influence was negatively impacting the Gerudo. Talking to the carpenters after Twinrova's death reveals the Gerudo aren't as scary anymore. It's also implied they may have fanned Ganondorf's evil desires for years.
• Vicariously Ambitious: Historia says they've ruled the Gerudo tribe from the shadows for many years.
• We Will Meet Again: Both threaten to come back to haunt Link as Poes. Proves to be an idle threat as neither can resist heaven's summons.
• Wicked Step Mother: Averted. While both Koume and Kotake are very evil, and likely put Ganondorf under that path as well, they get along well with their ward.
• Wicked Witch: Two nasty sorceresses with green skin, and long warty noses.

Minibosses

Deku Scrub Brothers

Deku Scrub Brothers

The first "miniboss" of the game, which is actually a set of three normal Deku Scrubs guarding the door to Gohma's lair.

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• Bullet Seed: Like other Deku Shrubs, they attack Link by shooting out Deku Nuts from their mouths.
• Mook Chivalry: The last Brother probably didn't have to tell you the secret of beating Gohma after defeating all of them, but made it seem like he didn't have a choice.
• Plant Mooks: They behave similarly to the enemy Deku Shrubs Link encountered before, the only difference being they get stunned when Link hits them.
• Plant People: They are living shrubs, like the rest of their species.
• Puzzle Boss: They have to be beaten in a certain order for Link to move on.
• Rule of Three: A trio of Deku Shrubs, though they actually have a fourth sibling encountered earlier.
• Stationary Enemy: They never move from their spots, unless to hide.
• This Cannot Be!: The last hit Deku Scrub couldn't believe that Link managed to figure out their secret way of beating them, and "has" to reveal the way of defeating Gohma.

Lizalfos

Lizalfos

Lizard men with swords, they are first encountered in Dodongo's Cavern. Later a more powerful version known as Dinolfos appears.

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• Degraded Boss:
  • Lizalfos first appear as a big Mini-Boss in Dodongo's Cavern, but later appear as regular enemies in the Spirit Temple and Gerudo Training Ground. In Master Quest, Lizalfos are particularly common mooks appearing as early as Jabu Jabu's belly, the very next dungeon. Multiple Lizalfos drop from the ceiling in the Master Quest versions of Fire and Water Temple.
  • Whilst a relatively formidable foe for Young Link, Adult Link can defeat them with only two slashes or simply one jump slash with the Master Sword, let alone the Biggoron's Sword.
• Elite Mook: Late in the game, Dinolfos, a stronger version of the Lizalfos with more health, appear in the Gerudo Training Ground and Ganon's Castle. They are also common in Master Quest where they also appear in the Spirit Temple.
• Mook Chivalry: The first pair of Lizalfos will take turns fighting Link, whilst the other avoids him and watches from the sidelines.

Big Octo

Big Octo

An enormous Octorok found Inside Jabu Jabu's belly.

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• Advancing Boss of Doom: Big Octo chases Link around a spinning platform throughout the fight.
• Attack Its Weak Point: The boomerang stuns it, but it can only be damaged by slicing it in the back.
• Back Stab: Can only be defeated by slashing its back with the sword.
• Cowardly Boss: After using the boomerang to turn it around, the roles are reversed and Link must chase the Big Octo to damage it.
• Empty Room Until the Trap: A large platform in the center of the room is inaccessible to you until after you defeat it. It's where Ruto finds the Zora's Sapphire, and after she takes it, the platform rises to the top of the room, taking her with it, and when it comes back down, Ruto vanishes and the fight with this monster begins.
  [Link is about to climb up onto the platform to grab Ruto so he can take her home, but it rises up]
  Ruto: Keeeyaaaah! What is this?! An octopus?!
  [the door Link and Ruto came in through seals shut, and as the platform comes back down, Ruto has vanished and Big Octo attacks!]
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: A very big Octorok.
• Funnel-Mouthed Cephalopod: All Octorocks have this, but Big Octo's is about half the size of its already large body.
• King Mook: A larger, boss version of an Octorok.
• Mini-Boss: Encountered in Lord Jabu Jabu's Belly; showing up out of nowhere seconds after Princess Ruto encounters it.
• Tentacled Terror: Even bigger, uglier, and more dangerous than this game's normal Octoroks.

Club Moblin

Club Moblin

A Giant Moblin that guards the entrance of the Forest Temple dungeon.

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• Bring It: The 3DS version shows the Moblin taunting Link when it sees him.
• Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: A barbaric monster leader that wields a mace, made from a boulder on a stick, as its weapon.
• King Mook: In Japan, it is specifically identified as the leader of the other Moblin Mooks found in the Forest Meadow and this is shown by its large size and fancier armor.
• Respawning Enemies: Unlike the other mini bosses, the Club Moblin respawns when the area is re-entered.
• Shockwave Stomp: Its only attack is to pound the ground with a giant club, sending a large shockwave in Link's direction that he has to dodge.
• Smash Mook: All the Club Moblin can do is smash its club to create shockwaves, it can't even turn around if Link comes behind it.
• Spikes of Villainy: The Club Moblin has noticeable spikes in its pauldrons and helmet, and it's one of Link's enemies.

Stalfos

Stalfos

Skeleton Knights first found within the Forest Temple before becoming a recurring boss.

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• Degraded Boss:
  • In later dungeons, Stalfos are fought as recurring Elite Mooks that are just as powerful, including Kid Link's version of the Spirit Temple.
  • In Master Quest, Stalfos appear in every adult dungeon.
• Dual Boss: In a few occasions, two Stalfos enemies are linked and must be defeated together within a time limit, or else a defeated Stalfos will re-assemble itself.
• Elite Mooks: Stalfos mooks are just as powerful as their boss counterpart and possess the same expansive moveset.
• Evil Is Bigger: Despite being human/Hylian skeletons, Stalfos are abnormally large with only a few NPCs like the Bazaar owner being roughly around their size.
• Expressive Skull: Their eye sockets appear to be glaring at Link.
• Mook Chivalry: If a Stalfos is Z-targetted, the other Stalfos will simply shield itself and wait its turn in the background. According to the developers, this was based off a play where several ninja fought the protagonist one at a time.
• Pulling Themselves Together: In both the Forest Temple and Ganon's Castle, a defeated Stalfos will eventually reassemble itself if its partner isn't defeated within the timelimit.
• Shield-Bearing Mook: Just like Link, they bear a shield and can't be damaged when they are blocking.
• Superpowered Mooks: Stalfos use the same sword and shield fighting style as Link, even having access to his jump slash and its double damage.
• Was Once a Man: According to the Kokiri NPC Fado, an adult getting lost in the Lost Woods results in them becoming a Stalfos.

Poe Sisters

Joelle, Beth, Amy and Meg

Four Poe sisters named Joelle, Beth, Amy, and Meg. In Ocarina of Time, they haunt the Forest Temple.

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• Big Boo's Haunt: They treat the Forest Temple like their own haunted mansion.
• Color-Coded Characters: Joelle (red), Beth (blue), Amy (green) and Meg (purple), all wear a respective colored robe and their souls leave behind the same colored flame when defeated.
• Cute Ghost Girl: Amy is slightly smaller and cuter than her sisters are.
• Dark Action Girl: They are antagonistic female Poes, and each take a turn in trying to fight Link.
• Dark Is Not Evil: According to an interview with the developers, they are not evil. In life, they were priestesses who worshiped at the Forest Temple, and Ganondorf's faction took advantage of their desire to protect temple to manipulate them into fighting Link.
• Doppelgänger Attack: Meg is capable of quadruplicating herself.
• Emerald Power: Amy is a supernatural being, and her cloak and fire are green. Though as stated all four sisters are four different colors.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Meg could be seen at a distance crying, presumably upset over the loss of her sisters, right before Link confronts her.
• Evil Laugh: Same menacing cackles as the regular Poe enemies.
• Faux Flame: The flames on their torches are actually their souls.
• Ghastly Ghost: Though it's debatable how "evil" they are, they're still hostile towards Link.
• Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: It's all what you can see of the Poe Sisters' faces.
• Invisibility: Like all Poes, they can turn invisible (except for their torches) to attack Link.
• Mini-Boss: They are all fought at the Forest Temple.
  • They are also fought as optional mini-bosses in the Spirit House in Majora's Mask. Presumably, these are their Termina equivalents.
• Purple Is Powerful: Meg is the eldest sister, and while she isn't nessesarily the toughest fight she does require the most effort to take out.
• Puzzle Boss: Downplayed with Amy. After Link shoots an arrow at her painting, blocks fall and Link has to solve it under one minute. As soon as he does he fights her like her previous sisters.
• Shadowed Face, Glowing Eyes: Only their eyes can be seen and the rest is entirely black.
• Spectacular Spinning: Usually while invisible, they attack by spinning their torches towards Link.
• Spooky Painting: Joelle, Beth and Amy are hiding in haunted paintings. Link has to fire arrows at their portraits to bring them out to fight them. The former two hide in three picture frames, and getting too close to the currently visible frame will cause them to disappear into another one. The latter, however, has to have one arrow fired at her portrait, so Link can solve a block puzzle to put her portrait together.
• Technicolor Fire: While Joelle's looks regular, the other's torches have blue, green, and purple fire. All of them are actually their souls.
• Theme Naming: They are named after the four female protagonists of the novel Little Women. ^note although that book's Jo's name was short for Josephine, not Joelle.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: They have glowing, yellow eyes and spend most of the time hiding, or attacking while invisible.

Flare Dancer

Flare Dancers

Tall, humanoid enemies partially made of fire. They are encountered in the Fire Temple.

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• Attack Its Weak Point: The core of its body, which can be pulled out with a hookshot or by using the Megaton Hammer to dissipate its fire.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: Not only are their "hands" long and pointy, but also their "feet". It's one of the ways it tries to hurt the Hero of Time.
• Cowardly Boss: The core will run away when its body is gone, forcing Link to chase and attack it. In fairness, it has no way of defending itself until it jumps back into its bonfire to reform.
• Dance Battler: Dances while attacking Link.
• Evil Laugh: Lets out a pretty creepy one when it spawns from the middle of the room.
• Fireballs: Its spin attack spawns a ring of these to damage Link.
• Mini-Boss: It's fought twice in the Fire Temple.
• Playing with Fire: Along with being made out of mostly flames, it can also circle around to leave a flaming trail.
• Punny Name: The "Flare" in Flare Dancer refers to its firey body and a type of dance move.
• Rule of Three: It respawns in three different colors.
• Sequential Boss: Downplayed as it fights the same way in each phase, with the difference being stronger and faster attacks.
• Spectacular Spinning: One of its attacks is to spin in place.
• Taking You with Me: Upon defeat, the Flare Dancer's core will explode as a last ditch effort to kill Link.
• Technicolor Fire: Their fire can spawn in multiple colors including orange, blue, and green.
• Turns Red: Each new color of the Flare Dancer's fire gives it increased speed and damage after each round.
• Tiny-Headed Behemoth: These enemies are very tall, but their heads are very tiny if you can get a close look. Though the creature's actual body is its black core.
• Waddling Head: Their cores are actually just balls with comically small feet.
• Wreathed in Flames: When regenerated, most of its body is made of fire.

Dark Link

Dark Link

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama

Link's Doppelgänger who first appeared as "Link's Shadow" in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as the final boss. Here, he appears as the mini-boss in the Water Temple.

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• Achilles' Heel:
  • He is completely incapable of blocking or dodging the Megaton Hammer, as long as you don't use Z-targeting.
  • Also, he will never block Din's Fire, though he'll often still try and dodge it, but the blast radius means he almost always gets hit.
• Blade Run: Dark Link is capable of doing this if you use the stab move to attack him by freezing Link in place somehow and jumping onto the blade. This can be used to your advantage, however; if you use a broken "Giant's Knife" he falls off. However, if you haven't figured out not to stab him before his Turns Red phase and aren't using a broken Giant's Knife (which is quite possible), he starts punishing your idiocy and will hit you while standing on your sword.
• Call-Back: His damage animation is the same as in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, but in 3D.
• Composite Character: In the manga, he replaces Bongo Bongo as the demon of the Kakariko Well.
• Damage-Sponge Boss: Doesn't inflict too much damage, but since his health mirrors how many Heart Containers you have, he can take a lot of punishment if your life meter is quite long. This can be inverted if you fight him with a short life meter.
• Doppelgänger: He is exactly like Link, but evil.
• Evil Counterpart: A dark doppelganger of Link.
• Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is very noticeably lower-pitched than Link's.
• Evil Twin: Looks exactly like Link, except completely black with red eyes.
• Fearful Symmetry: One of his favorite combat tactics is to mimic whatever move Link does.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: Just before you fight him in the Water Temple, watch Link's reflection in the water. When you pass the tree, it suddenly disappears...turn around, and whoa, there's Dark Link!
• Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: He pops up in the Water Temple, and is never mentioned again afterwards.
• Living Shadow: Your reflection that suddenly went missing after you walked across that little island? That's him.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Uses a shield just like Link and can block most of your sword swings with it.
• Mini-Boss: Of the Water Temple; he's guarding the upgraded Hookshot, the Longshot, which is in the room behind his, and you need to defeat Dark Link and get the Longshot to get to two of the final small keys required to reach the boss key and then get to the boss door.
• Mirror Boss: He copies your every move, and even has the same amount of total health as you have.
• Paint It Black: Aside from his red eyes, he is a pitch-black version of Link.
• Perfect Play A.I.: If the targeting ability is used on him he's almost impossible to hit as he'll either dodge any attack used on him or block it with his shield.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: His red eyes are the only thing about him that's not pitch-black.
• Turns Red: If he is attacked enough times without killing him, he'll eventually ease up on the Fearful Symmetry and get a lot more aggressive.
• Visible Invisibility: Though he becomes more solidly black as the fight goes on.
• When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Only copies Link's sword and shield, not any of his other items, but for the most part, that's all he needs.

Dead Hand

Dead Hand

A zombie-like creature encountered in both the Bottom of the Well and the Shadow Temple. They are generally viewed to be one of the most unsettling enemies in the entire series.

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• Attack Its Weak Point: Only its head can be damaged, and only with certain weapons.
• Bowdlerization: The red blood splotches were removed on the game's 3DS remake. It did very little to take away from the enemy's disturbing appearance.
• Creepily Long Arms: The infinite hands sticking out of the ground which accompanies Dead Hand are unnaturally long.
• Dub Name Change: It's called Poignant ("Gripping") in the French dub. In the Italian translation, it's called Smaniosso: a portmanteau of Smanioso ("Frenzied") and Osso ("Bone"). In the German dub it's called Großer Hirnsauger which translastes into Great/Big Brain-Sucker.
• Eating the Enemy: It bites Link if he gets closer, planning to make him one of the many corpses that make up the room.
• Ghostly Gape: It has black shadowed eyes and can open its jaws very wide.
• Fingore: If it had any hands on its original arms, the only things left are bloody-looking sharp stumps.
• Healing Factor: The arms grow back if Link gets rid of one.
• Humanoid Abomination: A giant zombie-like blob of decaying flesh with multiple arms sticking out of the ground, a long neck, and seemingly no eyes.
• Long Neck: More noticeable when it keeps its head all the way up until it's ready to bite.
• Man Bites Man: Its only way of damaging Link is to bite and presumably trying to eat him.
• Mini-Boss: Fought once as Young Link in the Bottom of The Well (where it guards the Lens of Truth), and later as an adult in the Shadow Temple (where it guards the Hover Boots)^note Fought, however, three times in the Master Quest version: once in the Well and twice in the Shadow Temple.
• Multi-Armed and Dangerous: It has multiple arms that stick out of the area, assumed to be part of the same creature.
• Nightmare Hands: Dead Hand is a creepy zombielike being, and true to its name, it has a bunch of creepy hands popping out of the ground that hold onto Link, keeping him from moving as Dead Hand itself closes in on him.
• Nothing but Skulls: The whole room it's fought in is made up of skeletons of previous victims.
• Our Zombies Are Different: It moves and acts like a traditional zombie, but the only thing vaguely humanoid about it is its deformed face.
• Recurring Boss: Fought once in the Bottom of the Well and later again in the Shadow Temple.
• The Spook: We have no idea what this... thing is, where it came from, or what it's doing at the Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple, with the only clue being vague hints from one NPC, which could also be interpreted as Bongo Bongo's origins.
• Tactical Suicide Boss: Slashing its face with a sword while its head is down is the only way to damage it. Though biting is its only way of attacking since the infinite hands only hold the Hero in place.
• Tombstone Teeth: It has long and large white teeth.
• White and Red and Eerie All Over: The abomination is mostly white with red "hands" and splotches covering it which are assumed to be bloodstains.
• Zombie Gait: Moves over to Link by slowly shuffling over to him. It helps that it doesn't have legs.

Iron Knuckle

Iron Knuckles

Large, armored Gerudo knights first encountered in the Spirit Temple^note One appears earlier in the Fire Temple for Master Quest.

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• Black Knight: Though they mostly wear gold, they are still very powerful enemies.
• Boss in Mook Clothing: Their strength combined with their armor and health make them one of the most challenging semi-recurring enemies.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: The third Iron Knuckle turns out to be Nabooru under that armor, who was brainwashed by Twinrova to fight Link against her will. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia reveals that all Iron Knuckles are armored Gerudo warriors, though it doesn't state if they're brainwashed like Nabooru was.
• Broken Armor Boss Battle: Their armor breaks off during the fight by using bombs or the Megaton Hammer.
• Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Iron Knuckles are armored hulks wielding large double-headed axes, swinging them in broad arcs capable of smashing through stone pillars.
• Damage-Sponge Boss: Thankfully they don't have the "can only attack from the back" weakness that Darknuts have, but they still take a long time to wear down.
• Dark Action Girl: All Iron Knuckles are Gerudo women serving as Ganondorf’s muscle with at least Nabooru being brainwashed.
• Dual Boss: Link has to fight two Iron Knuckles in Ganon's Castle.
• Evil Is Bigger: Downplayed, whilst still notably taller than Link, Iron Knuckles are one of the few humanoid enemies to not be truly gigantic.
• Foreshadowing: It's not a coincidence they have Gerudo patterns on their armor; Link and Navi find out who is underneath in the third fight with one.
• Heavily Armored Mook: Covered in heavy, gold armor.
• Ironic Name: Downplayed Trope, Iron Knuckles don't actually use their fists to fight Link, but their hands are covered in armor.
• Mighty Glacier: They are a lot slower than Darknuts, but are capable of removing four hearts from Link with one swing, the highest damage in this game and one of the highest in the whole series, and are also quite resistant to Link's physical attacks, taking many hits before they are defeated.
• Mini-Boss: Encountered a few times in the game, with three of them in the Spirit Temple^note Of the three in the aforementioned temple, one at the very end before the Boss turns out to be a brainwashed Nabooru.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: In the French translation, they are called Hache-Viande ("Meat Grinder").
• Recurring Boss: There are five of them in the original game, with seven in Master Quest.
• Rule of Three: Three Iron Knuckles are encountered in the Spirit Temple, with the third revealing to be a brainwashed Nabooru.
• Samus Is a Girl: Iron Knuckles are actually Gerudo in scary armor.
• Sequential Boss: They shed their armor and start running at Link when they are down to half HP.
• Shed Armor, Gain Speed: A mild example, as they gain movement speed after losing their armor, but not attack speed.
• Smash Mook: They are very powerful, but their only strategy is to just swing their heavy axe at Link.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They are Heavily Armored Black Knights like the more traditional Darknut enemies, who are nowhere seen in this game.
• Turns Red: They move faster when most of their armor is knocked off.

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