List of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time characters


The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth main entry in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first to both be on the Nintendo 64 and in 3D. It was developed by Nintendo, with series protagonist Link tasked with rescuing Hyrule from the villain, Ganondorf. Link interacts with a variety of characters throughout the game, some friendly and some antagonistic. The game's cast had various points of inspiration, including works by J. R. R. Tolkien and the TV series Twin Peaks. The staff was told to focus less on the plot and more on the characters, and emphasis was put on giving them interesting and realistic animations to make them more real. Some members of the cast were also intended as references to previous The Legend of Zelda games.

Conception and development

Inspiration for the characters in Ocarina of Time came from a variety of sources, including J. R. R. Tolkien, whose Hobbit race served as the basis for the Deku Scrubs. Shigeru Miyamoto also said that the characters were partially inspired by the American television series Twin Peaks. Miyamoto wanted various characters to fulfill certain roles, citing Kaepora Gaebora being a "grandfather figure" and for girl characters like Saria and Malon to be included since Link is a boy. In a 1999 interview Miyamoto said he focuses less on plot and more on making the cast interesting, feeling that the characters are the most interesting part of a The Legend of Zelda game. The game has more than 60 characters, with each taking about 2-3 days to create. Character designer Yoshiki Haruhana recounts a fellow staff member saying that the characters he makes, such as Dampé the Gravekeeper, are freaks, though he notes that this is not his intention. Character designer Satoru Takizawa noted that they intended to make them feel real, and thus gave them interesting and realistic animations. Takizawa also noted that character creation was difficult, as he was worried about changing the initial character designs too much, The game made references through its characters to earlier games; for example, the six sages other than Princess Zelda are named after towns from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Malon and Talon are based on Marin and Tarin from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Main characters

Link

is the main protagonist of The Legend of Zelda: ''Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda series as a whole. This incarnation of Link is designated as the Hero of Time. He reappears and as a supporting character in Twilight Princess'' as The Hero's Shade, with his spirit training the protagonist, his descendant the Hero of Twilight.

Navi

is a fairy who is Link's "navigator" in Ocarina of Time. The Great Deku Tree in Kokiri Forest instructed her to assist Link in his quest to stop Ganondorf. All Kokiri have companion fairies, but because Link is actually a Hylian, he does not receive one until Navi joins him near the beginning of Ocarina of Time. In gameplay, Navi functions primarily as a guide that points out clues in the environment and helps the player learn the controls and advance in the game. Most of her hints are about how to progress in the story or defeat enemies. She can also be used to lock onto enemies, items and other characters in the game. She is one of the few characters with any voice-acting in the series, and one of the few characters who uses English words, such as "Hey", "Look", "Listen", "Watch out", and "Hello". Navi leaves Link at the end of the game after he puts the Master Sword back in the Pedestal of Time. In Majora's Mask, Link's search for a "beloved and invaluable friend", who is implied to be Navi, leads him to enter Termina. GamesRadar editor Mikel Reparaz ranked Navi as the most irritating female character, stating that she would have been bearable if she did not interrupt the gameplay as often. Fellow GamesRadar editor Tom Goulter listed her as the second most annoying sidekick ever.

Princess Zelda/Sheik

Ganondorf

Epona

is Link's horse, who was introduced in Ocarina of Time and appears in other games in the series, including Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom, the former being the same horse as in Ocarina of Time. She comes to Link's aid after being called by Epona's Song, which he plays on the ocarina in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and on a blade of "horse grass" in Twilight Princess. Shigeru Miyamoto said that Epona was chosen as Link's main mode of transport so that he could get in contact with other characters. In Ocarina of Time, she is first encountered at Lon Lon Ranch, where Malon teaches young Link "Epona's Song". Later, Link frees her from Ingo's control and she becomes his steed. Charlotte Krol of NME chose the experience of riding Epona in Ocarina of Time as one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, noting that the speed at which players traverse the game world felt revolutionary at the time. Chris Hoffman of GamesRadar praised the subtle bond between Link and Epona and described her as his steadfast companion throughout the game.

Sages

Kaepora Gaebora / Rauru

is a wise owl who guides Link throughout various games in the series. He also appears in Majora's Mask and Four Swords Adventures. Screen Rant described the character as "arguably Ocarina of Time's most hated character", noting his lengthy speeches, which rarely provide useful advice. Devin Ellis Friend reported that interacting with the character had caused particular frustration, as at the end of his speeches he asks players if they want the advice repeated; as the cursor defaults to yes, this can cause players to accidentally repeat the advice.
In Ocarina of Time, he is the reincarnation of the Sage of Light, a fact hinted at by one of the in-game Gossip Stones and confirmed by Hyrule Historia. Rauru is a Hylian high priest and the Sage of Light, as well as the last of the ancient Sages. He cares for Link during his temporary imprisonment in the Sacred Realm and provides him with information about the Sages and the events of the past seven years. He then tasks Link with finding the five remaining Sages and gives him the Light Medallion.

Saria

is a Kokiri girl and Link's childhood friend. She is encountered on a bridge leading out of Kokiri Forest, where she gives him the Fairy Ocarina, an instrument that the player uses to learn several songs. She is later encountered in the Lost Woods, where she teaches Link Saria's Song. Saria eventually sacrifices herself by becoming the Sage of the Forest Temple to help Link on his quest.

Darunia

is the leader of the Goron tribe, a race of rock-eating giants, and the Sage of Fire. Link first meets him in Goron City, but he refuses to speak to him until he hears Saria's Song, which changes his mood and causes him to start dancing. He also appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors.

Ruto

is a Zora who is both their princess and the Sage of Water. After the Zora refused to follow Ganondorf's rule, he punished them by sealing their entire domain in ice. However, Sheik saved Ruto and traveled to the Water Temple to break Ganondorf's curse. Ruto later reunites with Link, whom she was engaged to as a child due to a misunderstanding, and guides him through the temple. After Link kills Morpha, the source of the curse, Ruto awakens as the Water Sage and reluctantly puts her marriage on hold to aid him. She also appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors.

Impa

Nabooru

is a Gerudo and the Sage of Spirit as well as the second-in-command of the Gerudo tribe, a race of thieves. She protested Ganondorf's cruelty toward innocents and traveled to the Spirit Temple to interfere with his plans, recruiting Young Link to recover the Silver Gauntlets for her. However, Twinrova, Ganondorf's surrogate mothers, kidnap Nabooru and brainwash her into becoming his follower. After Link defeats them, Nabooru awakens as a Sage and decides to seek vengeance against her captors.

Other characters

Great Deku Tree

The is an ancient, large tree with a humanoid face and big mustache. In Ocarina of Time, he is charged with watching over the Kokiri, a childlike race of forest spirits who inhabit the Kokiri Forest. He suffers from a curse Ganon cast upon him, as he wishes to gain the power of the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. The Deku Tree sends Navi to retrieve Link to destroy the cause of the curse, and he serves as the first dungeon. Although Link succeeds, he ultimately succumbs to the curse. Seven years in the future, Link discovers a little sprout which grows into the Deku Sprout, his successor. In The Wind Waker, the Great Deku Tree appears as the guardian of the forest. He also appears in Breath of the Wild, where Zelda tasked him with guarding the Master Sword in Korok Forest until Link is ready to claim it. In Tears of the Kingdom, the Great Deku Tree has been poisoned by Gloom, requiring Link to cleanse the tree by defeating the Gloom Hands and Phantom Ganon.

Dampé

is an old gravekeeper who appears in several games. He was introduced in Ocarina of Time, where he is found in the Kakariko Village graveyard and provides a guided tour of the graveyard as well as help child Link find treasures. When playing as adult Link, Dampé is dead and Link must enter his grave and challenge his ghost to a race to claim the hookshot. In Majora's Mask, he is found in the Ikana Graveyard looking for a treasure, which Link helps him find. In Four Swords Adventures, he is found at the graveyard in the swamp area and tells Link about the Forest of Light. In The Minish Cap, he is found in the Royal Valley, where Link can fuse kinstones with him to unlock rewards and locations. He also appears as a graveyard caretaker in A Link Between Worlds. In the Nintendo Switch remake of Link's Awakening, he runs the Chamber Dungeon editor, where players can assemble custom dungeons. In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, he appears as an engineer who creates automatons that function similarly to echoes.