The Legend Of Zelda: 10 Characters That Were Totally Wasted

The Legend of Zelda games feature hundreds of unique characters, but these 10, in particular, deserved much more attention than they received.

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With dozens upon dozens of crucial recurring characters featured in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, some are bound to slip through the cracks. Be they wise sages offering advice to the Hero of Time or intimidating foes tragically lacking in backstory, some characters never received the attention they deserved.

Were the Zelda lineage to offer up unique and richly detailed lore for each and every character and companion, the titles would take eons to develop. However, it’s nonetheless upsetting to see Nintendo go to the trouble of establishing fan-favorite side characters only to subsequently ignore them.

10 Vaati (Various)

The principal antagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and The Minish Cap, Vaati is a recurring boss relegated to some of the least impactful entries in the Zelda series. While he does receive a fair amount of backstory in The Minish Cap, he’s almost completely irrelevant to the franchise.

Ganondorf assumes the role of the villain in the series’ most crucial outings, but that’s not to say that Vaati couldn’t become a truly integral evildoer. With monstrous alternate forms and command of powers dark and mysterious, Vaati stands out among the series’ suite of secondary adversaries.

9 Calamity Ganon (Breath of the Wild)

2017’s Breath of the Wild represented a bold new start for the series; something of a reimagining of the 1986 original, the title featured an expansive open world and allowed for an unparalleled level of player freedom.

However, Breath of the Wild’s hands-off approach to progression and pacing mostly worked, it resulted in the game’s villain, Calamity Ganon, taking a back seat for a majority of the adventure. While his presence can be felt during blood moons or when venturing too close to Hyrule Castle, Calamity Ganon is rarely directly seen or mentioned. In fact, many players likely forgot about him entirely as they were swept up in shrine quests and side missions.

8 Dampé (Various)

The graveyard keeper Dampé is encountered in several Zelda games, but he’s perhaps best known for his appearance in The Ocarina of Time. While Link can meet him in his child form, he plays a more integral role after the seven-year time skip. Perishing at some point over those seven years, Dampé will reward Link with the Hookshot for completing a subterranean race in Kakariko Village—one of the most memorable quests in Ocarina of Time.

Despite being a recurring character, Dampé remains fairly enigmatic, and, though he’s terrified of ghosts, he’s always seen maintaining gravesites. A paradoxical parody, perhaps, but it seems like there may be more to Dampé than what’s been told.

7 Demise (Skyward Sword)

Though he’s only directly encountered in 2011’s Skyward Sword—along with the recent HD re-release, of course—Demise is considered to be the overarching antagonist of the Legend of Zelda series, as Link’s longtime nemesis Ganon is considered to be a reincarnated form of this primal evil.

However, Demise’s introduction to the Legend of Zelda chronology feels like a pretty blatant retcon, as he’s more or less never mentioned outside of Skyward Sword. Adding to that, he’s only seen in his true form near the very end of the game, more regularly manifesting as a monster known as The Imprisoned. For such an apparently pivotal character, Demise is almost a non-entity.

6 Old Man (The Legend of Zelda)

Likely the first NPC players will encounter when beginning The Legend of Zelda on the NES, the Old Man is a mysterious beneficiary encountered by Link multiple times throughout his journey. Offering up important items and crucial tips, he’s most famous for offering the protagonist a sword along with the quote “it’s dangerous to go alone, take this.”

Obviously, it’s unfair to expect an 8-bit title to provide much characterization, but next-to-no information concerning this character. The opening moments of Breath of the Wild feature an homage to the Old Man, but these aren’t likely meant to be the same characters.

5 Medli (The Wind Waker)

Medli is an integral part of Link’s adventure in Wind Waker; an attendant to the Sky Spirit Valoo and the eventual Sage of Earth, her role in the game cannot be understated. She also helps Link through two of the game’s dungeons, with the player being able to direct control over her in the Earth Temple.

Unfortunately, she isn’t seen much outside of these instances, and Wind Waker was the only game in which she appeared. She was a playable warrior in the original Hyrule Warriors game, but her return in another mainline Zelda title remains unlikely.

4 The King of Hyrule (Ocarina of Time)

Albeit a very minor character in Ocarina of Time, The King of Hyrule plays a very major role in the Legend of Zelda storyline. Duped into trusting Ganondorf, he’s partially responsible for the events which befall the kingdom during Link’s seven-year absence. Yet, vital as he is, the Hyrulian ruler is never actually seen in-game.

Several Hyrule townspeople make reference to him, and players presumably see Ganondorf kneeling before him in a cutscene, but that’s it. Similar characters like King Daphnes and King Rhoam are encountered quite a bit in other games, but the same can’t be said for one of the land’s most important leaders.

3 Tingle (Various)

Best known as an eccentric cartographer in Majora’s Mask, Tingle is a peculiar character memorable thanks to his obsession with fairies. He’s seen in several Zelda titles, and he even starred in a couple of spin-off games, but his backstory is far from extensive.

In The Wind Waker, players can come across Tingle Island where they can meet Ankle and Knuckle, the character’s brothers, along with David Jr., a man Tingle seems to be holding captive. The island’s inhabitants don’t seem to hold Tingle in very high esteem, and it seems very likely that there’s more to him than his innocent facade would suggest.

2 The Happy Mask Salesman (Majora’s Mask)

While he’s seen in both Ocarina of Time and Oracle of Ages, The Happy Mask Salesman is best known for his role in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. An incredibly cryptic character, it’s hard to discern what his intentions may be, and his violent mood swings seemingly betray a sinister persona.

Just before the climactic finale of the game, the Happy Mask Salesman teaches Link the Song of Healing which turns “troubled spirits” into masks. This implies that all of the Salesman’s masks were once living beings, lending a nefarious aspect to his vocation.

1 Rauru (Ocarina of Time)

The architect of the Temple of Time and one of Link’s many allies, Rauru helps to facilitate many of the events that transpire during Ocarina of Time. Able to take the form of an owl to help Link in his journies, he works to ensure that the Hero of Time completes his quest and saves the kingdom of Hyrule.

Yet, not much is known about him, and his human form is only glimpsed for short periods during a few cutscenes. Rauru is instrumental in the fight against Ganondorf, but he’s relegated to a very minor role in the only Zelda game in which he makes a direct appearance.

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