The Legend of Zelda/Characters

The games in the Zelda series take place in different points in Hyrulean history, so the characters will always be different between games. For this reason, each game has its own character page. For a lineup, see this.

Link


The main playable character(s) and hero(es) of the series. You play as a different incarnation of Link in every series of games, but he always has some world-saving destiny at hand. Garbed in his green tunic with sword and shield in hand, he's out to save the world (and frequently, the princess) from whichever Big Bad comes his way. He holds the Triforce of Courage, though not in every game.


 * Adorkable: Especially in his Toon Link form.
 * Animorphism: In A Link to the Past, he turned into a rabbit, and in Twilight Princess, a wolf.
 * Badass: Oh, yes.
 * Badass Adorable: Well, look at him. Even the older Links tends to get a "d'aww" out of fans when they get their cute on.
 * Baleful Polymorph: His wolf transformation in Twilight Princess, his Deku form in Majora's Mask, and his rabbit-form in A Link to the Past.
 * He does usually manage to find ways to put his transformations to good use though, especially once he manages to gain control of them.
 * Berserk Button: Don't hurt the Ordon Village kids, don't hurt his little sister, and, above all, in all the games don't hurt Princess Zelda.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: He's generally portrayed as a friendly, kindhearted young man who tends to go out of his way to help those in distress. He is also the avatar of Courage, and has a history of beating the hell out of everything from dragons to demigods.
 * Big Brother Instinct: To Aryll in The Wind Waker, and to pretty much all the kids in Ordon Village in Twilight Princess.
 * Bishonen: When he's not being a Cute Shotaro Boy.
 * Bow and Sword In Accord: While he has a vast array of weaponry, he is rarely seen without a sword or a bow.
 * The Champion: Zelda's, whenever she's more than a cameo. Kind of the point, really.
 * Chaste Hero: Generally, although subject to a few exceptions:
 * He is kissed by Zelda once in The Adventure of Link and again in the Oracle series.
 * There is also Puppy Love between Link and Zelda in Spirit Tracks.
 * It could be argued that Malon, Marin, Ilia and Midna are love interests, though it's left open to interpretation.
 * Subverted by Skyward Sword, though, in which he and Zelda actually go on a date.
 * Chick Magnet: He doesn't get much female attention in most games, but he apparently has the ability to charm most girls that he meets. Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword's Links are prime examples.
 * The Chosen One: In A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, the Oracle series, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. "The Hero Chosen by the Gods," indeed. The major exception is The Wind Waker where he is The Unchosen One and he has to find the Triforce of Courage himself and prove his worthiness to be the hero.
 * Played with in The Adventure of Link; despite possessing a mark on his hand indicating that he is the only one worthy of obtaining the Triforce of Courage and awakening Zelda, he still has to prove himself by recovering all the pieces.
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome
 * Clothes Make the Legend: To the point that, in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks, there is a reason as to why he wears the so-called "Hero's Clothes".
 * Conveniently an Orphan: Link never has his parents appear in-game, and it's usually implied that they died some time before. He's occasionally lucky enough to have a few blood-relatives.
 * Cool Sword: It's called the friggin' Master Sword!
 * Crazy Prepared: Has a weapon/item for every possible situation.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy: In his younger forms.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy With Psycho Weapon: In Wind Waker, when he gets the Skull Hammer added to his arsenal. It's creepy looking, and twice his size!
 * Depending on the Artist: The different Links have often wildly divergent appearances. The only real constants are his green tunic and hat.
 * Though in the last decade or so, Link's appearance has largely standardized to just two blond models: the young "Toon Link", and the older more realistic teenage Bishonen. Previous Links had different hair colors like brown or auburn, and the art style shifted wildly. Today Nintendo seems content to just stick with just these current two styles.
 * Also, his eyes are usually very blue, but in The Wind Waker, they're black.
 * David Versus Goliath: Very frequently takes the role of David. It's actually to his advantage, as most attacks send him flying and give him room to recover.
 * The Determinator: Practically his superpower.
 * Instant Expert: ...unless it's this.
 * Die, Chair, Die!: All Links seem to share an instinctive hatred of pottery and tall grass.
 * Featureless Protagonist: Was this for the first few games (well, sort of), but with additions over time of backstory, family members, and motivations other than "save Zelda", seems to be beginning to grow out of it.
 * Hello, Insert Name Here: Although his Canon Name "Link" is used extensively here and on many a fansite, you get to name the lad in almost every game.
 * The Hero: Of course.
 * Heroic Mime
 * Except when he has a Dialogue Tree.
 * Also at some points in The Wind Waker, where he very clear calls out "Come on!" during the escort missions.
 * And again averted in Twilight Princess. Not the main Link, he's as silent as ever, but
 * Heroic Lineage: Some of the Links in the series are descendants of others. This is notably subverted by the Hero of Winds, who is not related to the Hero of Time, but manages to be a hero anyway.
 * Heroic Spirit: Whether the obstacles are diabolic puzzles or demon kings, nothing stops Link when people need him. Lampshaded in Skyward Sword, which explains that he's The Chosen One specifically because of this.
 * Horse Archer: Originally, the only thing that he could use while riding Epona was his bow.
 * Iconic Item: His trademark green clothes and the Master Sword.
 * Ideal Hero: The games, or at least the supplementary material, almost always describe as the ideal choice to be the hero of Hyrule.
 * Jaw Drop: Happened in The Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks when he meets Zelda for the first time. Even accompanied by a long gasp in Spirit Tracks. Blush Stickers, too.
 * This can also happen when he sees a big scary boss monster...or when a boss is Not Quite Dead yet.
 * Kid Hero: Though only when he's a kid.
 * Kleptomaniac Hero: If it even vaguely looks useful and isn't nailed down, Link will nab it.
 * And anything that is nailed down? He will brave a dungeons depths just to get something he can use to pry it up so he nab that as well.
 * Knight in Shining Armor: Oh, hell yes. Twilight Princess even gives him magic armor that makes him invincible, but eats his money in exchange.
 * Legacy Character: There have been ten Links in the series (so far), per Word of God and Hyrule Historia.
 * Leitmotif / Bootstrapped Leitmotif: The main theme of the series has been used as his ever since The Wind Waker.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Almost always very light on his feet, and strong enough to throw around or clash swords with foes much larger than him. In at least one case, he's able to overpower Ganondorf in a contest of strength.
 * Magic Knight
 * Magic Music: Take your pick.
 * Maybe Ever After: So many times.
 * Meaningful Name: His official name refers to the fact that he is the player's "link" to the game world. And by pure coincidence, this left-handed hero's name just happens to be German for "left."
 * Nice Guy
 * Nice Hat: Would he really be Link without it? It practically even got its own game.
 * One-Man Army: Repeatedly shown to be utterly superior to Hyrule's official army.
 * Only the Chosen May Wield: The Master Sword does not appear in every Zelda game, but when it does, a Link is always the chosen wielder.
 * Pants-Free: Played straight in most of the earlier games, where the art made it clear he wasn't wearing much under the tunic. After Ocarina of Time, though, they started showing him wearing tights, and in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, he is finally given real pants.
 * Parental Abandonment: In every single one of his incarnations. The closest he ever came to having parents was Ocarina of Time (in which they were revealed to be dead). He gets to have an uncle in A Link to the Past and a Grandma and Grandpa in Wind Waker and The Minish Cap (respectively), but that's about it.
 * Player Surrogate: This is the reason his name is Link.
 * Plot Tailored to the Party: No matter how bizarre the magical knicknacks he picks up, he'll find some way to kill at least one giant monster with it.
 * Rewarding Vandalism: Link's primary source of income is smashing random objects. Especially pottery.
 * Second Person Narration: With a few exceptions that can be written off as typos, the narration always refers to Link as "you", e.g. "You found ten rupees!".
 * Showy Invincible Hero: We all know he'll win, but dear Gods, it's fun to watch him win.
 * Smarter Than He Looks/Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: A portion of the fandom doesn't think much of Link's intelligence, possibly due in part to his Nice Job Breaking It, Hero in Ocarina of Time (when he was all of ten, following Zelda's advice, and was raised in a Hidden Elf Village). Virtually every game in the series relies on figuring out all manner of puzzles, including some nasty Puzzle Boss opponents. He may be goofy on occasion, but even the Master Sword isn't the sharpest weapon in his arsenal.
 * The Southpaw: Though it isn't relevant to both the gameplay and the plot, the fandom considers it an integral part of all incarnations.
 * Interestingly, early official art for the first game shows him holding his sword in his right hand. The left-handedness came about because of his Ambidextrous Sprite appearance in that game, and it was decided to make the southpaw status canon.
 * However, in the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Link holds his sword in his right hand, to mimic how most players would be holding the Wiimote. Skyward Sword does this as well, being the first game since the original where the official art depicts him as right-handed.
 * Spirit Advisor: He both has and is one in Twilight Princess, as the Hero's Shade who guides TP!Link is in fact Oo T!Link according to Hyrule Historia.
 * Wall of Weapons: A sword, shield, bow, boomerang, bombs and a hookshot. And those are just his standard items.
 * Hammerspace: Dear God, the Hammer Space...
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: Yes, the outfit he wears is a tunic. But his Zora form in Majora's Mask has no excuse. That is not a kilt, Link. That is a tiny green miniskirt, and he still looked badass in it.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: The Links from the original Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening have Type C.

Princess Zelda


The series's namesake(s). The Princess(es) of Hyrule, when not getting kidnapped, is usually the one to send Link on his quest or to help him along the way. Like Link, she appears in different incarnations throughout the series, in honor of the Zelda from Skyward Sword.


 * Action Girl: In Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, and Spirit Tracks.
 * Also implied in Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword, although we don't get to see it on screen.
 * The Archer: The bow is her weapon of choice.
 * Badass Damsel: Mostly in her Action Girl incarnations. But even when she's not, she always keeps her cool and dignity.
 * Badass Princess
 * Barrier Maiden
 * Battle Couple: With Link in more than one Final Battle.
 * Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Typically supports Link as an archer while he does the up close and personal.
 * Sword and Sorcerer: Except in Four Swords Adventures uses an Energy Ball to attack instead.
 * Big Good
 * Demonic Possession: Used on
 * Happens again in Spirit Tracks, only this time her soul's been put in a suit of armor. Multiple suits of armor, in fact. Also in Spirit Tracks, inhabits her empty shell as part of a boss battle.
 * Damsel in Distress: Although in many games this doesn't happen until right before the very end, contrary to what many people believe.
 * Deuteragonist: The second most important character in the series (despite it bearing her name) after Link.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Played straight in all of the games except for Skyward Sword, where she is not a princess.
 * : Specifically Skyward Sword's Zelda, . Considering the strong implication that most-to-all of the Zeldas in the series are reincarnations of each other, it's very probable this trope applies to them, as well.
 * Heroic Lineage: All Zeldas are females born into the royal family, and they always have a crucial role to play in the Links' battle against evil.
 * The High Queen: Particularly in Twilight Princess.
 * Implied Love Interest: A lot of fans see her as Link's one true love even though their relationship in many of the games is purely platonic. Arguably averted in Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword, which play up the romance angle.
 * Lady of War: She becomes one in the final boss battles of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Spirit Tracks.
 * Legacy Character: Females born into the royal family were often named Zelda in honor of the one from Skyward Sword. The Backstory of The Adventure of Link explained that this eventually became every female in the family (at least within its timeline).
 * Leitmotif: Zelda's Theme (better known among fans as Zelda's Lullaby). First appeared in A Link to the Past and officially named in Ocarina of Time.
 * Light'Em Up/Holy Hand Grenade: Usually in the form of the Light Arrow but sometimes as a Kamehame Hadoken, Instant Runes or an Energy Ball.
 * Little Miss Badass: Give her younger forms a weapon and you get this.
 * Parental Abandonment: Although the King has appeared in two games so far, and offscreen in a third.
 * Pimped-Out Dress
 * Princess Classic: Until Ocarina of Time.
 * Princesses Prefer Pink: About half of Zelda's outfits.
 * Psychic Powers: She is often clairvoyant and telepathic.
 * Taken for Granite: In The Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass.
 * White Magic: Her powers are almost always defined as divine in origin.
 * Xenafication: Initially just a Damsel in Distress, after Wind Waker she's not as capable of Link but is able to competently assist him in battle by providing Light Arrow support fire. Skyward Sword even goes so far as to have her successfully infiltrate the Skyview Temple and get a good distance to the Earth Temple on her own.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: In the first three games, the Oracle games, and Twilight Princess. Every other game has her with at least one quality which defies the Yamato Nadeshiko character type deeply.

Ganon/Ganondorf


The Prince of Darkness, King of Evil, and ruler of the Dark World. Although his original appearance was more like a giant blue pigman, the 3D games gave him a human form when they established his Start of Darkness. He holds the Triforce of Power and is the main villain for six games, and the final boss of a further two. He stated in Ocarina of Time that the Triforce of Power makes him immortal and this is reiterated in Twilight Princess. The Sages attempted to execute him, but this awakens the Triforce of Power which keeps him alive. He can be weakened, but as long as he has the Triforce of Power he cannot be permanently killed and will revive in strength. .


 * Ambiguously Brown: The Gerudo people all live in deserts, so it's probably justified. Ganondorf himself, however, is Ambiguously Green.
 * Animal Motifs: Pigs and Boars.
 * Arch Enemy: To more than half a dozen Links and Zeldas.
 * Back From the Dead: This happened if you got a Game Over in The Adventure of Link. Has presumably happened several times offscreen too.
 * The linked ending of the Oracle games features a Ganon revived from the dead.
 * Badass: Massively so. In fact, Link's badassness is the only one that can match Ganondorf's own. No wonder he's The Hero.
 * Badass Beard: In Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.
 * Badass Cape: Occasionally.
 * Badass Longcoat: In Wind Waker.
 * Beard of Evil: In Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.
 * Big Bad
 * Bigger Bad: In the Oracle games, where his surrogate mothers, Koume and Kotake, were trying to resurrect him.
 * Card-Carrying Villain
 * Dark-Skinned Redhead: Due to his Gerudo heritage.
 * Demonic Possession: He uses this on Zelda in Twilight Princess and it is implied that he did so on Agahnim in A Link to The Past.
 * Dimension Lord: Any time the Sacred Realm/Dark World appears, chances are he's ruling it.
 * Dual Wield: Does this in Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker.
 * Duel Boss: The fights against him in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, also recognized as some of the best boss fights in the series. (In Wind Waker, he's three times bigger than Link 'as a normal human'. In Twilight Princess, he's wielding a BFS that he pulled out of his own gut.)
 * Evil Is Bigger: He's Seven and a half feet tall!
 * Evil Laugh: Almost a Verbal Tic in Ocarina of Time.
 * Evil Overlord: Ganon
 * Evil Sorcerer: Ganondorf
 * Evil Tower of Ominousness: Ganon's Tower
 * Freudian Excuse: Revealed in Wind Waker.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Specifically, his being destined to be the king of a barren desert before seeing the fertility and peace of Hyrule.
 * It's even worse than that: It is implied in Skyward Sword that In other words, Ganon really had no other chance of being anything but evil.
 * Full Boar Action: His Ganon form, especially in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess.
 * Genius Bruiser: He's usually an incredibly powerful sorceror, and also a powerful warrior, with weapons or without.
 * Has Two Mommies
 * Hellish Horse: With glowing red eyes.
 * Hijacked by Ganon: Trope Namer. Four games and counting.
 * Honor Before Reason: A rare villainous example: During the final fight in Wind Waker, Ganondorf, after being hit by enough Light Arrows, approaches Zelda, and, instead of stabbing her, puts away his sword and simply backhands her. Also, he seems to have a habit of, whenever knocking down Link, waiting until he gets back up before he resumes his attack or does a finishing blow.
 * Humanoid Abomination: He was human (or very close to it) to start with, but after finding the Triforce, he's become something much, much worse.
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: A variation occurs in both Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker in terms of the finishing blows: in the former, Link, after Ganondorf was pinned down by Zelda, slices Ganondorf's face and then delivers the final blow by impaling his mouth, and in the latter, Ganon attempts to do a last ditch attack on Link, Link parries it, gains enough air, and then does a downward thrust through Ganondorf's head. Played completely straight in Twilight Princess with Link's finishing blow against him.
 * Joker Immunity: Despite dying on-screen several times, he usually finds a way back in time for the next game. The Triforce of Power is attributed for most if not all of these returns.
 * Laughing Mad: His reaction to the waves coming down on Hyrule from the Hyrulean King's wish to the Triforce in Wind Waker.
 * Leitmotif: He even played it on his organ one time, while waiting for Link to arrive.
 * Lightning Bruiser: In Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, he does away with taking on Link with spells from afar and fighting as a Mighty Glacier Ganon and proves to be an astonishingly agile opponent while still being bigger and stronger than Link and Stone Walling all but the most advanced sword attacks. Even when he is Ganon in Twilight Princess, he's incredibly agile, and turns human for the final form.
 * Magic Knight: He not only possess powerful magic, but is also unbelievably strong and skilled with a sword.
 * Older and Wiser: His depiction in Wind Waker.
 * One-Winged Angel: His pig-like beast form. The 2D games have him in this form all of the time.
 * Pig Man: The rare Big Bad example of this trope.
 * Physical God: Almost literal considering what powers him now.
 * Planet of Copyhats: In the backstory of A Link to the Past, he is said to be a masterful thief on account of how he came by the Triforce. Thievery ends up being one of the main defining features of the Gerudo.
 * Pride: What really keeps undoing Ganondorf again and again is his extreme arrogance. While he has recognized Links' skill on several occasions, the King of Evil refuses to believe that the Hero is a match for him no matter how much the latter accomplishes.
 * Prongs of Poseidon: The Trident of Power.
 * Raised by Grandparents: Sort of. Word of God is that he was raised by the witches Twinrova.
 * Scary Black Man: Though more along the lines of Ambiguously Green, his skin is dark enough to give off a Scary Black Man vibe.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can
 * Sinister Schnoz: As part of his Gerudo heritage, he has a long nose.
 * Stalker Without a Crush: To every Zelda he meets. He only desires her for the Triforce of Wisdom she carries.
 * Staying Alive: Several games imply or outright state it is due to the Triforce of Power making him immortal.
 * Tennis Boss: In Ocarina of Time and in Twilight Princess.
 * Unexplained Recovery: He has died. He has also appeared, perfectly healthy, in games that are chronologically some time after the game in which he has died.

According to Hyrule Historia, Ganon returns in the original The Legend of Zelda (after A Link to the Past) without hinting he had died before in games which at the time weren't released. Due to the ambiguity of what happens in-between, how he inexplicably recovers is unknown.

Several of the games including Ocarina of Time strongly imply if not outright state it is due to the Triforce of Power making him immortal. In Twilight Princess
 * Wicked Cultured
 * Xanatos Gambit: Many plots are like this.
 * Ocarina of Time. It doesn't matter who opens the Gate of Time, he'll still get a Triforce piece.
 * Wind Waker. The Master Sword is the only weapon that can defeat him, but Ganon already destroyed the sages granting its power AND freeing it gives him his powers back.
 * Wind Waker. The Master Sword is the only weapon that can defeat him, but Ganon already destroyed the sages granting its power AND freeing it gives him his powers back.

Dark Link/Shadow Link


Link's Doppelganger who first appeared as "Shadow Link" in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as the surprise final boss created by a wizard to test Link. He's something of a popular character with the fandom despite his infrequent appearances and lack of characterization. He appears most notably in Ocarina of Time as the mini-boss in the Water Temple, and in Four Swords Adventures as a Recurring Boss.

There are many different Dark Links, just as there are many different Links. The character is alternately known as Shadow Link (in The Adventure of Link and Four Swords Adventures) and Dark Link (in Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Ages, and Twilight Princess); it is unknown if there are any meaningful differences between the two names.
 * Big Bulky Bomb: He throws humungous bombs at you several times during Four Swords Adventures.
 * The Blank: In many of his appearances.
 * Bonus Boss: In the Game Boy Advance version of A Link to the Past and in Spirit Tracks.
 * Degraded Boss: In Oracle of Ages, Veran can create Dark Links as easily defeated Mooks.
 * Doppelganger
 * Duel Boss
 * Evil Twin
 * Enemy Without: In Zelda II, he is explicitly seen jumping out of Link.
 * Fearful Symmetry: One of his favorite combat tactics in boss battles.
 * Fighting a Shadow: In Four Swords Adventures, he retreats into the Dark World whenever you beat him.
 * Final Boss: In The Adventure of Link.
 * Paint It Black
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: In some of his appearances.
 * Sequential Boss: In A Link to the Past
 * The Trickster: In Four Swords Adventures

Twinrova


The twin sisters Koume and Kotake, who were Ganondorf's adopted parents in Ocarina of Time. They presumably taught him his dark magical abilities and set him on his Start of Darkness. Koume uses fire magic and Kotake uses ice magic. Their Fusion Dance forms a composite being that can use both. They were later seen trying to revive Ganon in the Oracle series. Interestingly, their Alternate Universe counterparts in Majora's Mask are good guys who run a potion shop and tour boat in southern Termina.


 * Crystal Ball
 * The Dragon: The twin sisters were Ganondorf's adopted parents. That probably explains a lot.
 * Dual Boss: You fight both witches at the same time, they eventually fuse together.
 * Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors
 * Evil Matriarch
 * Evil Old Folks
 * Hot Witch: When fused.
 * Flying Broomstick
 * Fusion Dance
 * Unexplained Recovery: In the Oracle series.
 * Wicked Witch

Vaati


The main villain of the Four Swords sub-series. The backstory from The Legend of Zelda Four Swords told of how a young hero imprisoned him in the titular Four Sword and how he escaped when the seal weakened. The Minish Cap is his Start of Darkness, explaining how he used the power of the Minish Cap to transform himself into a human sorcerer, and later a giant eyeball-cloud.


 * Big Bad: He plays this role in The Minish Cap and Four Swords.
 * Blow You Away
 * The Dragon: To Ganon in Four Swords Adventures. It is implied by the Hyrule Historia that in that timeline he has become intertwined in the cycle with Ganon, Link and Zelda.
 * Enfant Terrible: Even though his age is never mentioned, it's pretty obvious that he wasn't an adult in his human and his original Minish form, since his human artwork makes him barely taller than Link and his Minish-sprite is even smaller than that of a regular Minish. Additionally, he's so cute in these two forms that he's got almost more Fangirls than Link himself. Of course the knights of Hyrule suspected nothing, when a young boy signed up for the tournament...
 * Evil Sorcerer
 * Meaningful Name: "Vaati" resembles "Venti", the Italian word for "Winds".
 * Faceless Eye
 * Giggling Villain
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The plot probably wouldn't have been kickstarted after he revealed his true colors had he deduced that, and thus not turned Zelda into stone.
 * One-Winged Angel: A humungous floating eyeball-cloud.
 * Oculothorax
 * Peek-a-Bangs: Apparently he doesn't even use that eye, since he ditches it when he goes One-Winged Angel.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Sealed Evil in a Can

Impa


Impa is a name given to each Zelda's nursemaid. However, each character with the name are very different from one another.


 * Action Girl: In some incarnations. In general Impa is either a young Sheikah not unlike a ninja, or she's an old and possibly portly woman.
 * All There in the Manual: She never made an on-screen appearance until Wand of Gamelon/Ocarina of Time. In the NES games, she only showed up in the manuals.
 * Demoted to Extra: According to the Hyrule Historia, originally Ganon was just the bad guy and it was Link, Zelda and Impa forming a Power Trio that protected Hyrule. Then Ocarina of Time came around and Ganon became the third member of the trinity.
 * Legacy Character: One who actually looks different in each of her incarnations, having been everything from a feeble old lady, a muscular warrior, an overweight middle-aged woman, and a tall, thin ninja.
 * Ms. Exposition: She always explains the backstory. Even back when she only appeared in the manual, her role was still primarily to explain the backstory. In fact, according to Word of God, her name is derived from the word "impart" because she imparts the legend of Zelda.
 * Team Mom: She's Zelda's nursemaid.

Kaepora Gaebora


The wise old owl who shows up in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Four Swords Adventures. A similar owl also appeared in Link's Awakening, but was not named. 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.


 * Exposition Break: "Would you like me to repeat that?"
 * Exposition Fairy
 * Expy: Of the owl from Link's Awakening.
 * Giant Flyer
 * The Owl-Knowing One
 * Stop Helping Me!: "Would you like to hear what I said again?" [Yes is highlighted by default]
 * Shall I Repeat That?: Probably the most famous example.

Malon


This is the girl from Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time, who also appeared as a minor NPC in most other games, from Oracle of Seasons to The Minish Cap. She's the one who gives Link his horse, Epona.


 * Expy: Of Marin from Links Awakening. She herself does have two 1:1 Expies in Majoras Mask, Romani and Cremia.
 * Farm Girl
 * Friend to All Living Things
 * Missing Mom: Like Marin, she has only her Mario dad. However, her counterparts in Majora's Mask have both parents deceased.
 * The Nicknamer: In Ocarina of Time, Malon refers to Link as "Fairy Boy" because he's dressed like a Kokiri. In Majora's Mask, Romani refers to Link as "Grasshopper" because he dresses in green and patters about. In Link's Awakening, Marin along with everyone else will refer to Link as "THIEF" if you steal from the village shop.
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter: Inherited this from Marin. Her dad always looks like Mario.

Talon


The owner of Lon Lon Ranch and Malon's father. He's good-natured, but somewhat lazy. He shows up in every game that Malon does.


 * Bumbling Dad
 * Expy: Of Tarin from Links Awakening and by extension, of Mario. It seems he gets more Mario like with each successive game. In Link's Awakening, Tarin's sprite looked a lot like Mario, but his character art was somewhat different. In Ocarina of Time he has the blue overalls and red shirt. In Oracle of Seasons, he has Mario's "M" logo on his hat, Mario's exact mustache, sideburns, nose, ears, and eyes. He even gives Link a mushroom as part of the trading sequence.
 * Heavy Sleeper: A Fetch Quest in Ocarina of Time and Oracle of Seasons involves finding an item to wake him up.
 * Lazy Bum
 * Shipper on Deck: In Ocarina of Time he talks about Link marrying Malon when they grow up.
 * Sleepyhead: Frequently found napping during the day.

Great Deku Tree


The guardian spirit of the Kokiri tribe in Ocarina of Time and the guardian of the Forest Haven in The Wind Waker. He is cursed by Ganondorf at the beginning of Ocarina, and dies shortly after Link breaks the curse. A new Deku Tree grows in his place when Link is an adult, who tells Link that he is a Hylian and not a Kokiri. This is the Deku Tree that later features in The Wind Waker.


 * Expy: The Maku Trees of the Oracle games are Expies of him.
 * Fisher King: Once the Deku Tree dies, Kokiri Forest goes to seed.
 * Genius Loci
 * Legacy Character
 * Nature Spirit
 * World Tree

Tingle


The goofy-looking man who rides around by tying a balloon to his belt, floating in the air drawing maps. He first meets Link in Majoras Mask, where he's jealous that Link has a Fairy Companion, because he thinks that he's the reincarnation of a fairy. He later appears in The Wind Waker, where he charges 398 Rupees apiece to translate the Triforce Charts. With 8 of them in the game, it's understandable why gamers would hate this obvious Money Sink mechanic.


 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Despite his eccentricities, he is a skilled cartographer and in Wind Waker you can't beat the game without his help.
 * Catch Phrase: "Kooloo-Limpah!"
 * Cloudcuckoolander: He's a 35-year-old ballooning map salesman who thinks he's a fairy.
 * Gonk
 * Intrepid Merchant
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: It's probably just a coincidence, but he does look kinda like Nintendo's own Koji Kondo.
 * Spin-Off: Freshly Picked Tingles Rosy Rupeeland.

Epona
Link's trusty steed. Link either has to obtain Epona from a ranch or starts with Epona from the beginning of the game, although in that case, it's guaranteed that Epona will soon run off, and Link has to find her again.


 * Automaton Horse: She never requires any sort of care, other than the meter that prevents unlimited spurring to full gallop.
 * Cool Horse
 * Horseback Heroism: For Link.
 * Horse Jump: Epona is required to jump numerous fences (some actually more than waist high) and even a chasm.
 * Horse Racing: In Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask.
 * Invulnerable Horse: She's completely impervious to enemy damage, to the point that trampling foes is a highly effective tactic. Her supposed injury at the beginning of Twilight Princess does not hinder her in any way.
 * Meaningful Name: She's named after Epona, a Celtic fertility goddess and protector of horses.
 * Powerup Mount: In all her major appearances.
 * Rearing Horse: With some victory close-ups in Twilight Princess.
 * Sprint Shoes: Her primary purpose is to get Link to places more quickly than running.

Beedle
A traveling salesman with some form of mobile shop in each game he shows up in save Minish Cap.


 * Exact Words: The Complimentary Cards in Wind Waker. You don't get stuff for free (that would be a Complementary Card), Beedle compliments you for being a good customer.
 * Not as useless as it sounds. If you redeem these cards while currently injured the compliments will heal you!
 * Honest John's Dealership: A mild case. His goods are quality and generally not overpriced, but there are still some shady business practices going on.
 * Intrepid Merchant
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: "Masked Beedle"