Summary
- Tingle is a quirky ally with fairy obsessions, earning love or hate from Zelda fans due to his high service fees.
- Revali from Breath of the Wild is a champion who belittles Link, but provides crucial help and eventual reconciliation.
- Ghirahim from Skyward Sword is a sadistic demon prince who torments Link and pursues Zelda relentlessly.
The Legend of Zelda is an iconic franchise, with a long history of myth and heroism for fans to lose themselves in. The illustrious tale of Hyrule and its associated regions has gone through a lot of twists and turns over the years, and the various incarnations of the hero Link are constantly encountering new perils to overcome and people to meet.
The franchise is famous for its characters. Iconic heroes like Link and Zelda are fan favorites, of course, but stranger, quirkier NPCs like Beedle and Agitha often stick out in fans' memories as well. Unfortunately, not everyone can be as lovable as these. There are some despicable NPCs that Link must contend with on his journeys to save Hyrule.
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10 Tingle
A Strange And Greedy Man
- First Appearance: Majora's Mask
Tingle is one of The Legend of Zelda's most notorious side characters. Every Zelda fan is bound to have strong opinions on the man, whether they're positive or negative. In the games, Tingle is best known for his obsession with fairies and his skill with charts and maps. This does make him an invaluable ally to Link, especially in Wind Waker, where Link must navigate the endless waves of the Great Sea.
Unfortunately, despite his utility, his fairy-themed delusions make Tingle a hard man to get along with, even for other NPCs. In Wind Waker, he's even thrown in jail for theft, and Link must spring him in order to enlist his help. Tingle then goes on to charge notoriously high fees for his services, despite his chart-deciphering skills being vital in the quest for the legendary Triforce.
9 Revali
A Callous Champion
- First Appearance: Breath of the Wild
The four Champions of Hyrule are stalwart heroes, tragically cut down by Calamity Ganon before the events of the game. As noble as these heroes are, however, Revali stands out as an unlikable figure. The Rito Champion constantly belittles Link, taking every opportunity to show him up and make him feel weak. Even when Link arrives in the present to liberate Revali's spirit from the Divine Beast, the deceased champion is dismissive, quick to make excuses for his defeat and critique Link's abilities.
The two heroes do reconcile somewhat after Link defeats the Blight at the center of Revali's Divine Beast, and the power Revali bestows upon Link is invaluable in navigating the world of Hyrule. Players who try the Champions' Ballad DLC can learn about the insecurities plaguing Revali and causing him to act out, which might encourage them to treat him with a bit more clemency.
8 The Happy Mask Salesman
Far Too High A Price
- First Appearance: Ocarina of Time
While the sinister Happy Mask Salesman first appeared as the manager of a trading side quest in Ocarina of Time, fans are likely much more familiar with his role in the sequel, Majora's Mask. This enigmatic, eerie figure appears alongside Link in the strange realm of Termina, which is being terrorized by the titular Mask, an artifact of grand, evil power which was recently stolen from the Salesman.
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The Happy Mask Salesman is ostensibly an ally, guiding Link in his quest to recover the mask and save Termina. However, his motives are suspect at every turn. It's never revealed how the Salesman came to acquire Majora's Mask, or what he intends to do with such a deadly artifact after Link recovers it.
7 Vaati
An Evil, Ambitious Mage
- First Appearance: Four Swords
The sinister Vaati hasn't had as many chances to terrorize Hyrule as Ganondorf has, but he's a memorable villain nonetheless. This Minish wind mage became fascinated, and eventually corrupted, by the evil lurking in the hearts of humankind. The more this darkness tempted him, the more power he began to crave.
By the time Vaati first appears in Four Swords, his lust for power has utterly consumed him. He is an arrogant, merciless, and cruel sorcerer who will stop at nothing to exert his monstrous will over the world around him.
6 Yuga
An Artist Of Evil
- First Appearance: A Link Between Worlds
Yuga is a sinister mage who uses evil paint-based magic to trap the Seven Sages in paintings and absorb their power, even going so far as to resurrect Ganon himself in order to fuse with the legendary evil and claim his power for his own. It's revealed that Yuga is working for Princess Hilda of Lorule, in an underhanded scheme to steal Hyrule's Triforce and use it to save her world.
However, Yuga betrays Hilda, planning to claim all the power for himself and plunge both realms into darkness. This evil wizard has no respect for anyone but himself, and his quest to attain "true beauty" at all costs puts two worlds at risk.
5 Null
The Devouring Void
- First Appearance: Echoes of Wisdom
Null might be one of the oldest entities in the history of the franchise. This primal being existed alone in the endless void before the creation of Hyrule. The creature craved solitude, and would devour anyone and anything that appeared in the expanse they called home. Eventually, Null was sealed away by the three Golden Goddesses, allowing Hyrule to flourish.
Null desires nothing less than the total obliteration of everything, and will stop at nothing to achieve these goals. This vile creature uses Rifts to tear apart the world of Hyrule piece by piece. They even adopt the loathsome strategy of creating duplicates of people to spread discord and further their nihilistic goals.
4 Zant
The Mad King Of Twilight
- First Appearance: Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess stands out for its dark atmosphere and style, and the imposing Twilight King Zant exemplifies this very well. This powerful Twili sorcerer, driven to despair by his peoples' fate trapped in the Twilight Realm, was turned into a zealous fanatic of Ganondorf. He now spreads despair and Twilight in his name.
While Zant first appears as a calm and collected tyrant, this facade cracks when Link and Midna confront him with their full power. The twisted despot goes berserk and attacks in a wild frenzy, before being destroyed by the Fused Shadow. Zant was a cruel, iron-fisted king who ushered in an age of tragedy for the realms of Twilight and Hyrule alike.
3 Ghirahim
A Sadistic Sword
- First Appearance: Skyward Sword
Ghirahim's most despicable qualities are evident from Link's first encounter with the villainous demon prince. Ghirahim is arrogant, cruel, and sadistic, delighting in the pain he causes others at every opportunity. His sycophantic loyalty to his master Demise causes him to relentlessly pursue Zelda across the world, devising new ways to torment Link all along the way.
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As Zelda continues to evade Ghirahim's cruelties, the demon becomes more desperate and unhinged, making him all the more intimidating whenever he and Link cross paths. In addition to his flagrant cruelty, Ghirahim is terrifyingly unpredictable. Players will likely be on edge whenever he appears.
2 Demise
The Root Of All Evil
- First Appearance: Skyward Sword
While Demise's actual screen time in Skyward Sword is comparatively small, his legacy on the series as a whole is cataclysmically far-reaching. This primordial Demon King challenges the earliest known iteration of Link in a bid to conquer the world. With the fully-empowered Master Sword in hand, Link is able to defeat him.
In his dying moments, Demise lays a curse on Link and Zelda that reverberates throughout the entire timeline, afflicting their later incarnations with darkness and suffering into eternity. Almost every apocalyptic threat faced by the two heroes in every game in the series can be traced back to the hatred and spite of this villainous demon.
1 Ganon
The Prince of Darkness
- First Appearance (As Ganon): The Legend of Zelda
- First Appearance (As Ganondorf): Ocarina of Time
Ganon is the Legend of Zelda series' ultimate villain, the wielder of the Triforce of Power and archenemy of the Kingdom of Hyrule. In his various incarnations, either as a dark beast or as the humanoid archvillain Ganondorf, Ganon constantly works to claim the whole Triforce for himself and ascend to the power of the gods themselves.
In all his forms, Ganon is characterized by cruelty, unchecked ambition, and an undying thirst for power. He never shows any hint of kindness or mercy in his endless pursuit of the Triforce, and his vast, implacable evil constantly threatens to consume all of Hyrule. Most of the greatest tragedies to befall the realm can be laid at this demon's feet, making him one of the most loathsome figures in all of Hyrule history.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- N/A
- Cross Save
- N/A
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
