"Ruto" redirects here, for the location, see Ruto Town.

Princess Ruto,^(OoT)[3] also known as simply Ruto,^(HW)[8] is a recurring Zora character in The Legend of Zelda series. She is the daughter and only child of King Zora, the ruler of the Zora population residing in Hyrule, and serves as the attendant of the Zoras' patron deity Lord Jabu-Jabu, preparing his meals.^[9] Despite her royal beauty as the princess of the Zoras, as a child, Ruto appears to be a tomboy and is shown to be very strong-willed and stubborn even in the face of danger, a trait she would temper and yet benefit from in her adult years when danger once again threatened her people.^[10] Though she initially shows a selfish streak in her youth,^[11] she grows to become much more benevolent in her adult years, especially after she is awakened to the knowledge that she is the Sage of Water that guards the Water Temple beneath Lake Hylia.

It is implied that Princess Ruto's mother passed away some time before the events of Ocarina of Time, though she gave Ruto the Zora's Sapphire at some point in her youth. Ruto's mother told her that the Spiritual Stone serves as the so-called "Zora's Engagement Ring" by tradition, and instructed her to give it to the man that would one day become her husband, who happens to be Link, the Hero of Time.^[6]

Biography

Ocarina of Time

Ruto is first mentioned when Link comes to Zora's Domain as a child in search of the Spiritual Stone of Water in Ocarina of Time.^[12] When the young hero arrives, Zora's Domain has been thrown into a state of disarray with the sudden disappearance of Ruto, the Princess of the Zoras. After learning of Ruto's disappearance and earning the Silver Scale from the Diving Game, Link makes use of the object to investigate Ruto's disappearance, as her father, King Zora, does not seem to be able to give any attention to Link's quest while his daughter remains missing.^[13] Taking the shortcut leading from Zora's Domain to Lake Hylia, the hero discovers a bottle with a note inside it at the bottom of the lake. The note is signed with her name and reveals that she has been swallowed by the Zoras patron deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu, and requires rescue.^[14] Showing the important letter to King Zora at his throne room, the Zora ruler commands Link to rescue his daughter and allows him access to see Lord Jabu-Jabu.^[15] It is later revealed that Ruto accidentally dropped the Spiritual Stone of Water, also known as Zora's Sapphire, inside Lord Jabu-Jabu and lost the gem.^[16] Instead of getting help, Ruto chose to go deeper within Lord Jabu-Jabu hoping to find the stone on her own.

Link finds Ruto fairly quickly upon his entry into Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly.^[17] Despite being found to be rescued by the young hero, the feisty Zora princess denies knowledge of the letter Link had found in Lake Hylia and initially tries to deny any need for assistance, telling him she could care less about her father's worry and ordering the young hero to leave her.^[2] However, Link continues to pursue her, attempting to convince Ruto to either come with him or accept his help in recovering what she had lost.^[18] Princess Ruto eventually reconsiders her opposition to the idea and accepts Link's assistance, deciding to have him carry her around Lord Jabu-Jabu's interior while they search for the Zora's Sapphire together.^[19] Eventually, the two find the stone resting upon a raised platform deep within Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly. Link tosses Ruto up onto the platform, where she recovers the stone,^[16] though this causes the platform to suddenly rise into the chamber above them with the Zora princess still on it. The platform descends again carrying a Big Octo, which Link is forced to battle. After defeating the monster, Link jumps onto the platform and rises into the chamber above, but finds no trace of Ruto. Eventually, Link battles against Barinade and, once he defeats it, Ruto is shown angrily waiting for him. The visibly shaken Zora princess scolds the young hero for the time it took him to rescue her, but the two are soon transported outside via the portal.^[20]

Once outside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly, standing on a branch-like log, Ruto's demeanor toward Link changes entirely, with the Zora princess having grown quite fond of him, even almost kissing him before the young hero falls into the water startled, and asking Link what reward he would ask for rescuing her and helping her recover the Spiritual Stone.^[21][22] Link himself requests the Zora's Sapphire, and Ruto happily hands it over to him, calling it her most "precious possession", and revealing that the mystical stone also effectively acts as the "Zora's Engagement Ring",^[12] meaning that she now considers the two of them engaged to be married. Despite this, Link is unaware of his engagement to Princess Ruto, only knowing that he had finally obtained the three Spiritual Stones to complete Princess Zelda's request.^[23]

Seven years after Link is placed into suspended animation by the Master Sword, evil returns to Zora's Domain when Ganondorf uses the power granted to him by the Triforce of Power and causes the entire area and its inhabitants to be frozen under a thick layer of Ice. This fate also befalls Ruto initially, but she is rescued from beneath the cursed ice by Sheik. She then goes to the Water Temple in the hope of finding a way to save her people from being eternally frozen.^[24] This is where she and Link meet again for the first time in 7 years, now grown-up like he is. Although the Zora princess is quite happy to see her fiancé again, she is aware that this is not a time to talk about love. Ruto asks the Hero of Time to assist her in saving the Zoras by destroying the monster at the heart of the temple and informs him of the workings of the Water Temple.^[25] After this, she leads the Link into one of the temple's upper chambers but mysteriously vanishes. The hero does not see Ruto again until he defeats the Giant Aquatic Ameoba Morpha, the monster responsible for the sad state of both Zora's Domain and the nearly dry Lake Hylia. Inside the Chamber of Sages, Link learns that Ruto is the new Sage of Water that guards the Water Temple. She tells Link that she still loves him dearly, but their engagement must be put on indefinite hold due to her duty as a Sage, and he must continue his search for Princess Zelda, whom she is aware of.^[26] Right before he returns to Hyrule, Ruto gives him the Water Medallion and bestows him her power,^[27] and asks him to thank Sheik for saving her if he sees him again.^[28]

Ruto again appears within the water room inside Ganon's Castle after Link dispels the Water Barrier protecting the castle, where she urges the Hero of Time onward to rescue the captive seventh Sage and their leader, Princess Zelda herself. After Link ultimately defeats Ganondorf, both in his Gerudo form and as the Demon King Ganon, Ruto combines her power with that of the other five Sages to cast the King of Evil back into the tainted Sacred Realm and to create a powerful seal that would imprison him there for a very long time. She is last seen alongside several of the other Sages atop Death Mountain, overlooking a jubilant Hyrule now freed of Ganon's evil tyranny by the Hero of Time and fellow princess Zelda.

Although Ruto finally managed to fulfill her duty as a Sage at this point, Link had been sent back to the past by Zelda and therefore no longer existed in their timeline. Thus, the Zora Princess was sadly unable to marry the Hero of Time.

Minor References

Majora's Mask

Although Princess Ruto herself does not appear in Majora's Mask, like some other characters from Ocarina of Time who has a counterpart in Termina, a female Zora strongly resembling her named Lulu, is the singing member of the famous Zora band from Great Bay, the The Indigo-Go's.

The Wind Waker

While Princess Ruto does not physically appear in The Wind Waker, one of the stained glass windows in Hyrule Castle's basement, where the Master Sword now rests, depicts her as the Sage of Water, in reference to the events of Ocarina of Time. The fact that the Rito evolved from the Zora combined with the fact that Laruto, another Zora Sage with a very similar name, is Medli's ancestor, which led some to believe that Laruto herself is a likely relative or descendant of Princess Ruto.

Phantom Hourglass

Treasures called Ruto Crowns appear in Phantom Hourglass, where they are said to have been worn by a Zora princess.^[29]

Spirit Tracks

Ruto Crowns reappear in Spirit Tracks, where they are said to have been worn by many princesses of the Zora royal family.^[30]

Breath of the Wild

In Breath of the Wild, the fifth Stone Monument, entitled the History of the Zora, Part Five, details the story of Ruto.^[31] She lived in a time before the Great Calamity and the creation of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.^[32] It is known that she was the attendant to the Zora's patron deity and was widely beloved.^[33]

When an evil man threatened Zora's Domain, Ruto awoke as a Sage and fought against him with the princess and the hero of legend.^[34] Her achievements are forever etched into the history of Hyrule, passed on and remembered by the Zora.^[35] This story is a direct reference of Ocarina of Time's events. Divine Beast Vah Ruta, which would later be piloted by another Zora princess, was named in honor of Ruto.^[36]

Tears of the Kingdom

In Tears of the Kingdom, Sidon recounts Princess Ruto's story on a Stone Monument titled Learnings of the Zora - Part Two, similar to the above writings from the game's prequel. Sidon ends with saying that as Ruto's descendant, he shall carry on her legacy and bravery.^[7]

Other Appearances

Reception

Like Navi, Princess Ruto is one of the most disliked characters of The Legend of Zelda series, specifically when she was a child in Ocarina of Time. This is primarily due to her strong-willed behavior and short temper in the face of danger comparable to that of Tatl from Majora's Mask^[2][18][20] and the requirement of carrying her across Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly.^[19] Because of this, alongside the Dungeon itself being claimed to be tedious not unlike the Water Temple where Ruto is once again found as an adult, many players call the character a "spoiled brat", a mean "fish girl", or a horrible princess for her kind. Others often claim she is arguably the most annoying female character of the franchise and wanted to "beat the crap out of her". In addition, the idea of Link - a Hylian, being canonically a possible husband of a Zora^[25] is not without controversy, especially since this was spoken by Ruto herself at a young age after the Hero of Time rescues the princess,^[6] and the hero himself was never aware of being her fiancé in-game (implying he was "forced" to marry her). Some also utterly believe two separate races/species are not compatible even though she is a humanoid and therefore view Link and Princess Ruto together in a romantic relationship as "creepy", unlike with Princess Zelda or Malon; This is reflected on social media based on the Zelda franchise where fans commonly depict the main protagonist being very uncomfortable with the Zora princess, refuse of getting married (or having it botched), or herself stalking the hero. Despite this, however, similarly to the aforementioned Fairy, the character actually does have a small fanbase among the community today due to her unique royal beauty appearance compared to most other Zoras especially as an adult or otherwise accepting the lore, as well as Ruto's role as a Warrior in Hyrule Warriors.

Ironically and perhaps strangely, Link's relationship with Saria, who is a Kokiri and doesn't age into an adult, is significantly less criticized in comparison.

Trivia

• Ruto, like the other Sages from Ocarina of Time, shares her name with a town from The Adventure of Link.
• She is the first female character to explicitly fall in love with Link in the core series.
• As seen in official artwork and her original Nintendo 64 model, as well as the Ocarina of Time manga adaptation by Akira Himekawa, Ruto does not appear to be wearing any clothing, including as an adult, revealing her breasts. In the 3DS remake and Hyrule Warriors, as this was deemed inappropriate, she was slightly redesigned so her fins cover them up and drape past her waist to avoid controversy.
  • She is not the first female character to have such an explicit case, as the Hippo Model and Mermaid in the Japanese version of Link's Awakening also revealed themselves to be nude, and were therefore changed in the international release.
• Princess Ruto is the first and one of few female Zoras to appear in The Legend of Zelda series, as the vast majority of the race are male.
• Princess Ruto in Ocarina of Time shares the same voice actress as Princess Zelda - Jun Mizusawa. In Hyrule Warriors, however, she was voiced by Ikumi Nakgami.
• According to Yoshiki Haruhana, a character designer for Ocarina of Time, Princess Ruto's design, specifically her head, is based on a hammerhead shark, and in the original N64 version, the holes on the sides of her head as a child are actually an extra set of eyes (implying she can see almost all directions), before they move inside and leave blowholes as an adult. Official artwork and Ocarina of Time 3D, however, show those eyes the same regardless of age. Due to their shiny appearance, however, some fans otherwise believed them to be gems, instead. As Ruto's Terminan counterpart Lulu shares a very similar appearance to herself, this is also likely the case.
• After Link speaks to Ruto after meeting her at the Water Temple and the player immediately looks up toward her from directly below as she swims above to lead the hero to the dungeon's upper levels, the Zora princess can be seen indeed vanishing.
• If Link were to say "Nothing, really" to Princess Ruto during when she asks him what does he wishes for his reward after rescuing her, she will suggestively say to him not to be shy and she can tell what he is thinking, and will still grant the Zora's Sapphire to the young hero as if he desired for it.
• Due to Link's seemingly romantic relationships with two different princesses in Ocarina of Time - Ruto and Zelda ^[26], as well as Saria and Malon, it is widely believed by fans that the Hero of Time is in a love triangle, despite he is technically engaged with Princess Ruto upon obtaining the Spiritual Stone of Water.

  

• Princess Ruto is the first character other than Link in the series (excluding the BS-X avatars for the Japan-only Satellaview games) to perform the iconic "got item" jingle while holding the item in the air, as seen when she obtains her Zora's Sapphire as a child in Jabu-Jabu's Belly.
  • She is also the first besides the hero himself to scream when falling from a great height, though unlike Link, Ruto doesn't take damage.
• Just before the boss battle against Morpha in the Water Temple, a voice is heard warning Link about the water not being normal. Although commonly assumed to be Navi, it is implied the voice actually belonged to Princess Ruto, as the speech text is white rather than blue (with it being more explicit in the Japanese version where the voice used speech quirks exclusive to Ruto).^{[citation needed]}
• If Link were to wear the Zora Mask and talk to Princess Ruto, she will react with excitement, saying to the hero that he is ready to become a Zora and requests would he agree to marry her now (the options box won't appear, however).
  • Ironically, the hero can transform into a Zora by the similarly named Zora's Mask in Majora's Mask. Even more so is that the mask's basis, Mikau, was the possible husband of Ruto's Terminan counterpart Lulu.
• Ruto as a child shares the same giggling sound effect as fellow Sage Saria.
• It is possible that Princess Ruto was inside Barinade during the boss battle in Jabu-Jabu's Belly, as when it was defeated, she can be seen rising out of the ground, and explaining her shaken behavior toward Link.
• Mipha, Princess Ruto's descendant in Ocarina of Time and one of the Champions, is a reference to the character in that she is herself another Zora princess who falls in love with Link, that case the Hero of the Wild incarnation.
• In the Ocarina of Time manga, Princess Ruto as an adult completely assists Link in the Water Temple and even fights Morpha alongside him. During the battle, she can produce a force field made of water.

  

• Interestingly, although Princess Ruto does not play any role whatsoever in Majora's Mask, she as an adult can be spawned through ROM hacking, as her model remains in the game's code. This is because it itself reuses Ocarina of Time's engine and Ruto was most likely set by the developers as the basis for her counterpart Lulu's design. It is unknown if this applies to Ocarina of Time 3D.
  • In Hyrule Warriors, Ruto herself does have an unlockable costume based on Lulu's.
• Princess Ruto, alongside Princess Zelda and Malon, are the only three characters from Link's childhood to grow up into an adult once he becomes the Hero of Time.
• Ruto's near-kiss towards Link upon rescuing her from inside Lord Jabu-Jabu is possibly a parallel to Princess Peach of the Mario franchise when saved by Mario/Luigi, as she herself is indeed a princess.
  • It could also be a reference to The Adventure of Link's ending, where Princess Zelda is seen giving Link direct affection.
• In the original N64 version of Ocarina of Time, as an adult, Princess Ruto's fins periodically move. However, they remain still in Ocarina of Time 3D.
• Princess Ruto's personality of being a tomboy is a coincidence to Princess Zelda's (and possibly Princess Daisy from the Mario series), though in her case it is shown more strongly.
• Notably, as the Spiritual Stone of Water is the "Zora's Engagement Ring", when Princess Ruto gives it to Link, she tells the young hero off-screen to not tell her father. This implies that she was not supposed to vow her marriage to an individual that is not of her race, since the main protagonist himself is a Hylian. Of course, the Zora leader does not know about this for the rest of the game.
  • In the manga, she does tell King Zora that she had given the Zora's Sapphire to someone but never said it was Link, in which he reacted in shock.
• Ruto's "Eep!" sound when she is thrown by Link in Jabu-Jabu's Belly as a child is shared with Navi of when the Fairy hits the wooden wall in Kokiri Forest heading toward Link's house in the cutscene of being sent by the Great Deku Tree.
• In Ocarina of Time 3D, in the cutscene where young Princess Ruto attempted to kiss Link after saving her, she was moved slightly further back from him compared to the original N64 version to be less apparent.
• Despite this never occurring in any official media based on Ocarina of Time, if Link the Hero of Time were to actually marry Ruto, due to her title as the princess of the Zoras, it's likely he himself would become their prince.

Nomenclature

Ruto's name may come from the Japanese word naruto, which means "spiral" or "whirlpool".^[37]

Names in other regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	ルト姫 (Ruto-hime) (OoT)[38] ルト (Ruto) (OoT)[39]	Ruto
	FrenchCA	Ruto (HWDE)
	FrenchEU	Princesse Ruta (OoT)[40] Ruto (HWDE)	Princess Ruta
	German	Ruto (HWDE)[41]
	Italian	Ruto (HWDE)
	SpanishEU	Ruto (HWDE)
	SpanishLA	Ruto (HWDE)
This table was generated using translation pages.

Gallery

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  Young Princes Ruto inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly from Ocarina of Time
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  Link carrying Princess Ruto above his shoulders inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly in Ocarina of Time
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  A startled young Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time
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  A visibly shaken Princess Ruto scolding Link inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly from Ocarina of Time
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  Young Princess Ruto nearly kisses Link after rescuing her from Ocarina of Time
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  Princess Ruto reacting to the Zora Mask in Ocarina of Time
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  Adult Princess Ruto inside the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time
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  Adult Princess Ruto in the Chamber of Sages from Ocarina of Time
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  Adult Princess Ruto praising Link for his heroic actions from Ocarina of Time
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  Princess Ruto inside the Sacred Realm from Ocarina of Time
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  Princess Ruto inside the Chamber of Sages from Ocarina of Time
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  Princess Ruto after dispelling the Water Barrier from Ocarina of Time
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  Princess Ruto during the game credits with Nabooru and Darunia from Ocarina of Time
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  Young Princess Ruto as she appears in Ocarina of Time 3D
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  Princess Ruto smitten toward Link in Ocarina of Time 3D
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  Adult Princess Ruto inside the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time 3D
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  Young Link seeing Princess Ruto for the first time, under attack, in the Ocarina of Time manga
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  Princess Ruto meeting Link in the OoT manga
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  Link saving young Princess Ruto from Barinade in the Ocarina of Time manga
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  Princess Ruto engages herself with Link in the OoT manga
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  Adult Link and Princess Ruto swimming underwater in the Water Temple from the Ocarina of Time manga
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  Link and Princess Ruto fighting Morpha in the Ocarina of Time manga
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  Princess Ruto awakening as the Sage of Water in the Ocarina of Time manga
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  Render of Ruto from Hyrule Warriors
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  Render of Ruto wielding the Silver Scale from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto's Standard Outfit (Master Quest) from Hyrule Warriors, based on Lulu from Majora's Mask
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  Ruto's Standard Outfit (Twilight) from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto's Zora Mask Costume from the Termina Map from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Dark Ruto portrait from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto Adventure Mode icon from Hyrule Warriors
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  Ruto head Adventure Mode icon from Hyrule Warriors
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  Render of Ruto's Standard Outfit (Lorule) from Hyrule Warriors Legends
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  Ruto's Standard Outfit (Wind Waker) from Hyrule Warriors Legends
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  Ruto's Standard Outfit (Grand Travels) from Hyrule Warriors Legends
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  Ruto's Standard Outfit (Great Sea) from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
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  Ruto Mini Map icon from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
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  Dark Ruto Mini Map icon from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
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  Ruto wielding the 8-Bit Clock from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
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  Ruto wielding the Sun Dragon Scale from Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

Video Gallery

Zora Scale gameplay from Hyrule Warriors

See also

• Dark Ruto
• Lulu

References

v · d · eCharacters in The Legend of Zelda Major Protagonists Link · Princess Zelda · Ciela · Epona · Ezlo · Fi · King of Red Lions · Linebeck · Midna · Navi · Tatl · Tetra Minor Protagonists Anjean · Daruk  · Darunia  · Din · Farore  · Great Deku Tree · Groose · Impa · King Rauru  · Maku Tree · Marin · Medli · Makar · Mineru  · Mipha  · Nabooru  · Nayru  · Queen Sonia  · Ralph · Rauru · Ravio · Revali  · Riju  · Ruto · Saria · Sidon  · Tingle  · Tulin  · Urbosa  · Yunobo Major Antagonists Bellum · Demise · Ganon · Ghirahim · Lady Maud · Majora's Mask · Malladus · General Onox · Shadow Nightmares · Twinrova · Vaati · Veran · Yuga Minor Antagonists Agahnim  · Byrne · Chancellor Cole · Dark Link · King Bulblin · Master Kohga · Princess Hilda · Shadow Link · Skull Kid · Vire · Zant Characters by Game