The Legend Of Zelda has never cared for being firm with its setting, giving us countless versions of the same characters over the years. Direct sequels occur, such as Majora's Mask and Tears of the Kingdom, but these are rare. Instead, we get a world told like a folktale from various perspectives.
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Aside from the expected trio of Link, Zelda, and Ganon, multiple NPCs have held firm places in the franchise. Some aren't relevant today, only recurring during a specific time in the series' history, while others are more scattershot, coming and going like the Great Sea's wind. Regardless of how often they appear, it's always nice to see a familiar face.
Updated June 17, 2023 by Hilton Webster: In the years since this article was first published, we've had a few extra Zelda games, both spin-offs and mainline games, released. With these, some characters have had a few more appearances, so this list has gotten a nice little overhaul to match.
Despite only having a measly four appearances, Skull Kid has become one of the most recognizable characters in the series. A large part of that comes from their prevalence in Majora's Mask, but they're a wonderful character, even when they're not being controlled by an ancient, evil mask.
They first appeared as a mysterious child in the Lost Woods of Ocarina of Time, with their last mainline appearance in Twilight Princess, once again guiding Link through the woods. They also got a playable role in Cadence of Hyrule alongside that dreaded mask.
Game Appearances
Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Cadence Of Hyrule
For whatever reason, a lot of players tend to dismiss Syrup. Known by fans almost exclusively as "the witch," Syrup is that kind old lady who's always sniffing for mushrooms. She's Hyrule's resident potion seller and manages to pop back up on Koholint Island, Holodrum, and Labrynna. That alone makes Syrup the most well-traveled 2D Zelda NPC.
She hasn't been seen since The Minish Cap, aside from her reappearance in the Link's Awakening Remake, however, with the granddaughter Maple briefly standing in as the resident witch. Interestingly, A Link Between Worlds introduces a new young witch, Irene, and even features dialogue hinting that the older witch in the game is an older Maple.
Game Appearances
A Link To The Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle Of Ages, Oracle Of Seasons, The Minish Cap
The Zelda series has produced plenty of memorable bosses, though aside from primary antagonists, those bosses don't tend to have much of a character. Twinrova, the combined form of the Gerudo sisters Kotake and Koume, are the exception.
Undyingly loyal to Ganon (aside from their appearance in Majora's Mask), these twins appear as an old couple with an age beyond remembering. Actually having a character has served them well, having appeared in five games in the series so far.
Game Appearances
Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle Of Ages, Oracle Of Seasons, Tears Of The Kingdom
Tingle is a character saddled with an unfortunate reputation. He's a weird guy, by all means, but he means well. He's comedy relief with a more endearing edge. Yes, he is a grown man seeking fairies, but who's he harming? If anything, he's quite a help to Link!
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And though much of the fanbase may have disagreed, Nintendo loves this guy. Not only has he had five mainline appearances, but he also has a series of spin-off games centered around him. The outfit is also something really special, reappearing in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for Link to don.
Game Appearances
Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Oracle Of Ages, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap
Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, TIngle's Balloon Fight DS, Too Much Tingle Pack, Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love
With the hunchbacked grave keeper introduced in Ocarina of Time, it only made sense to bring Dampé back for Majora's Mask (alongside almost every other NPC.) Notably, he was one of few Majora's Mask NPCs not to return for an Oracle game.
Dampé would later appear in The Minish Cap, tying 2D Hyrule closer to 3D Hyrule, and he'd appear yet again in A Link Between Worlds, now tying him to A Link to the Past's little vacuum of continuity. He most recently appeared in the Link's Awakening remake, serving as the face for an entire selling point: dungeon maker.
Game Appearances
Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, A Link Between Worlds, Link's Awakening
Finally hitting the series' more familiar mainstays, Epona was introduced in Ocarina of Time and held a very steady presence in the series. She was notably (as horses wouldn't really beat a boat in the sea) absent from The Wind Waker, but otherwise appeared in almost every mainline Zelda game up to Twilight Princess. After that, however, Epona took a very long break from games.
She most recently appeared in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom - a rather lengthy gap. Even then, she's locked away behind amiibo, a cruel fate for a noble steed. Maybe someday soon, Epona will return as the beloved character she truly is.
Game Appearances
Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Breath Of The Wild, Tears Of The Kingdom
Introduced as the Running Man in Ocarina of Time, the character has been known as the Postman ever since he was recontextualized as such for Majora's Mask. It makes sense; delivering the mail is far more interesting than just running around a field. Since then, his most prominent appearance has been in Twilight Princess.
Worth noting, the Postman sees a major redesign for Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, to the point where they could very well be considered separate characters. That said, they share the "Postman" moniker, and redesigns in The Legend of Zelda do happen quite often.
Game Appearances
Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle Of Ages, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks
"Lore" is a funny idea in The Legend Of Zelda. The fanbase is obsessed with it, seeking to find a connection in some grand mythos that ties all the timelines together. Nintendo does not seem to care all the time. Skyward Sword was an olive branch to give some semblance of continuity.
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What it did do was give the Golden Goddesses - Din, Nayru, and Farore - a more defined place in the world. They've never appeared physically, though have had plenty of depictions in statues and artwork. And if you want to consider the various dragons and oracles named after them as earthly manifestations, then the number of appearances jumps again. Gods work in mysterious ways.
Games Appeared
As Gods
A Link To The Past, Ocarina Of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword
As Manifestations
Oracle Of Ages, Oracle Of Seasons, Skyward Sword, Breath Of The Wild, Tears Of The Kingdom
Introduced as the Great Sea's resident shopkeeper, Beedle has returned rather consistently ever since he first appeared in The Wind Waker. It's to a point where Beedle has essentially replaced the series' generic shopkeeps. Beedle most notably returned in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as a bug seller, but he was already present in both Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword.
Worth noting, because Beedle appears in Skyward Sword, he's one of three recurring characters who's been a part of the series' chronology since the very beginning. The other two? Link and Zelda. That's right, Beedle's been around longer than Ganon. A good sales pitch is eternal.
Game Appearances
The Wind Waker, The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, Breath Of The Wild, Tears Of The Kingdom, Cadence Of Hyrule
A character who wildly oscillates between young and old in The Legend of Zelda, Impa has appeared more than ten times, and almost every single time has given her some new design. Though her youthful Ocarina of Time design is her most iconic, her older appearances tie much closer to her very original look.
Breath of the Wild has her once again as an aged member of the Sheikah, though at around 120 years old, much older than she's ever been. Impa has always offered sage advice to players, sometimes even as a literal Sage, and has established herself as one of the most prominent characters in the series.
Game Appearances
As Young Impa
Ocarina Of Time, Skyward Sword, Cadence Of Hyrule, Age of Calamity
As Old Impa
The Legend Of Zelda, The Adventure Of Link, Oracle Of Ages, Oracle Of Seasons, Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, Breath Of The Wild, Tears Of The Kingdom
Whether you know him as Ganon or Ganondorf, the Demon King is The Legend of Zelda's main antagonist. Appearing far more than any other villain in the series, Ganon's presence can be felt in games where he isn't even the main antagonist. He doesn't physically appear in Link's Awakening, but his shadow does. Similarly, he isn't in The Adventure Of Link except for on the Game Over screen.
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A manifestation of evil and a typical holder of the triforce of Power, he appears most frequently as the bestial Ganon. His forms as the Gerudo king, however, are what have truly struck terror in the hearts of players. His presence is omnipotent.
Game Appearances
As Ganon
The Legend Of Zelda, The Adventure Of Link, A Link To The Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle Of Seasons, Oracle Of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Breath Of The Wild, Four Swords Adventures, Cadence Of Hyrule
As Ganondorf
Ocarina Of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Tears Of The Kingdom
For a series named after her, it's fair to say Zelda has quite a few appearances in the series. That said, it's funny for her to not have the most appearances, and even funnier that there are games bearing her name that she doesn't even appear in.
With so many appearances to her name, it's important to note how she's been depicted as a character. Much of Ocarina of Time has her as Sheik, like many of the Wind Waker games have her as Tetra, both alter egos and different sides to the beloved princess. Even Tears of the Kingdom brings her in a wonderful new form.
Game Appearances
As Zelda
The Legend Of Zelda, Adventure Of Link, A Link To The Past, Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle Of Seasons, Oracle Of Ages, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, Breath Of The Wild, Age of Calamity, Tears Of The Kingdom
As Tetra
The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Four Swords Adventure
The only character to appear in every single mainline Legend of Zelda game, Link is the series' perpetual hero. Constantly reincarnated, Link has seen many adventures across his many lives, from soaring through the clouds to sailing the vast seas. He's the only character consistently strong enough to fight back against Ganon, and his lack of presence can lead to complete catastrophe, such as in Wind Waker.
Breath of the Wild gave our beloved hero a long overdue redesign, swapping green for blue, and giving a much wider set of clothing. Link is more than just the protagonist of the series. He's your link to the world, someone every player can put themselves in the shoes of. Where the Legend of Zelda series goes, Link follows.
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