The Legend of Zelda: The 10 Most Important Side Characters In The Franchise

Highlights

• Side characters in
  Legend of Zelda
  , like King of Red Lions and Great Deku Tree, play vital roles in fleshing out the series’ rich world.
• Characters like Tingle and Beedle, though polarizing, are important in providing key items and services to Link during his adventures.
• Iconic characters like Epona and Impa have made significant appearances in multiple
  Zelda
  games, shaping the lore and storylines.

Although the Legend of Zelda series centers on the eponymous Princess Zelda and her stalwart companion and defender of the realm Link, there are many memorable and very important side-characters of Zelda who as well as being well-loved by fans, play important roles in the game series – sometimes even across several games.

Although these side characters can’t hold a candle to the main characters of the series, they’re well-loved and serve to flesh out the rich and expansive world of the Legend of Zelda series in a major way.

10 King of Red Lions

A Talking Boat

• First Appearance: Wind Waker

The King of Red Lions makes its first appearance in Wind Waker but has appeared in various other games including spin-offs such as Hyrule Warriors. What makes King of Red Lions interesting is that he’s both a mode of travel for Link and a companion, because he can talk.

King of Red Lions ferries Link from island to island in Wind Waker’s Great Sea setting, providing him the means to travel the world and do his thing. It provides a vital service to Link and keeps him company across long sea journeys too.

9 Great Deku Tree

Not Just a Really Big Tree

• First Appearance: Ocarina of Time

The Great Deku Tree is a giant talking tree. That’s cool already, but it’s also a giant talking tree with massive relevance to the nation of Hyrule and the world of the Legend of Zelda game franchise. With appearances across the franchise, from mainline games such as Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild to spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors and Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, the Great Deku Tree is a stalwart of the franchise.

The Great Deku Tree is the guardian of the forest and takes care of the creatures that live within it, including the Kokiri or the Koroks. He even sets Link on his journey during Ocarina of Time.

8 Tingle

The Guy People Love To Hate

• First Appearance: Majora’s Mask

Tingle is one of the Zelda characters with the biggest polarizing reaction among fans. Some fans love Tingle and his unusual appearance and approach to life, while others hate him and wish he’d never existed as a character. So it would be a stretch to call him a beloved character.

But Tingle is quite important in some of the games in which he appears, and his character has even starred as a playable character in some Zelda spin-off games too. Tingle is well known for selling important and useful maps and charts. So despite his polarizing personality and overall vibe, Tingle is absolutely one of the most important side characters in the Zelda series.

7 Beedle

In All the Right Places

• First Appearance: Wind Waker

Making his first appearance in Wind Waker, Beedle is a merchant who buys and sells many items, including quest items. Unlike some other merchants, Beedle doesn’t stay in one place. Instead, he’s a traveling character who can be encountered in many different locations in the games he appears in, making him a very useful merchant for Link on his journeys.

Beedle sometimes travels by ship or by airship, although notably in Breath of the Wild he’s always encountered travelling on foot. But Beedle aids Link on his many journeys and has sold many essential items to Link over the years.

6 Dampé

A Digger With Depth

• First Appearance: Ocarina of Time

Although at first Dampé seems like an ordinary old man with a slightly macabre job as a gravedigger, a little digging into his history and actions shows that he understands a lot more than he lets on. Dampé has a range of appearances, including in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. He even makes an appearance in Link’s Awakening for the Nintendo Switch.

Dampé has many useful interactions with Link, challenging him to games or providing him with powerful items and at times, hidden knowledge.

5 The Postman

The MVPostman

• First Appearance: Majora’s Mask

The Postman is a recurring Zelda character who is, not surprisingly, a postman. This guy is a postman with a difference, though, as he manages to get letters and other things delivered to Link in an astounding variety of locations – a bit like Skyrim’s Courier.

The Postman has appeared in many different games in the Legend of Zelda franchise, sometimes with comic relief aspects and sometimes without. This guy is the real MVP, delivering letters and important items for quests to Link across the centuries without fail.

4 Biggoron

Big Sword Guy

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• First Appearance: Ocarina of Time

Biggoron is exactly what his name suggests: he’s a really big Goron. This giant Goron is a fun character to see pop up in a game, but he’s more than just a neat cameo. Biggoron in most of his appearances allows Link to forge a powerful sword to use in his adventure.

Biggoron’s Sword is a powerful recurring item found in several Zelda games including Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

3 Epona

The GOAT of Horses

• First Appearance: Ocarina of Time

For a long time, Link had to just walk around everywhere. Across the whole of Hyrule, the Gerudo deserts, basically everywhere. Sure, there was the odd boat. But Ocarina of Time was the first game that Link was able to get a leg up – literally – with a much-needed boost to his traveling speed.

First encountered as a foal, Epona grew into a majestic horse and has made multiple appearances in Zelda games across the franchise. Although she doesn’t say much – except in Twilight Princess where Wolf Link can speak with her – she’s a stalwart companion for Link and literally carries the hero on her shoulders.

2 Twinrova

(Mostly) Evil Witches

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• First Appearance: Ocarina of Time

Twinrova, the pair of (usually) evil witches Koume and Kotake, play a major role in the Legend of Zelda games’ history. A pair of powerful Gerudo witches, Twinrova secretly controlled the Gerudo people and were also responsible for raising Ganondorf, the series’ biggest antagonist.

The twins have appeared in multiple games in the franchise over the years, usually as evil characters but make one appearance as helpful characters in Majora’s Mask, where they help Link on his quest. Twinrova even has a cameo appearance in Tears of the Kingdom.

1 Impa

The Dedicated Nursemaid

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• First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda

Impa is arguably the single most important side character to make an appearance in a Zelda game. To some, Impa may even be considered more than a side character given her many appearances. But Impa has an important role in many Zelda games, including Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Ocarina of Time.

Impa has been many things: a powerful Sage, a nursemaid to Princess Zelda, a warrior, and even a general in one appearance. Across her many incarnations, one thing has been true though: Impa is a person of importance not just to Princess Zelda, but to the entire kingdom of Hyrule.​​​​​​​