[Top 10] Girls from The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is a relatively popular video game series (you’ve probably heard about it) chock-full of swords, magic, triangles, hats, fish people, talking shrubs, and girls.  Yes, you heard (or rather read) correctly: girls.  In the 26 years the franchise has been out (that’s longer than some of you kiddos have been alive!), The Legend of Zelda has given us great stories, compelling characters, and enough water dungeons to make you want to scream.

But this article isn’t about everything the Zelda series has to offer.  Instead, I’ll be talking about the 10 best girls in the games, because we all know you’ve fantasized about one or more of them at least once (or is it just me?).  *Ahem* Anyway, here we go!

Oh, and there are some spoilers for those of you who have not played these games.  Sorry in advance, but you’ve been warned.

10. The Oracles

Appeared In: The Oracle of Ages, The Oracle of Seasons, The Minish Cap, Ocarina of Time

I realize that the Oracles are technically three individual girls, but they’re also sisters and (kinda) goddesses, so I think I can break the rule and include them in one entry.  Besides, if I do, that’s more girls we get to include in the article, and I’m sure no one has an issue with that!

Anyway, the Oracles are Din (left), Farore (center), and Nayru (right), three women that share their names with the goddesses that, according to some legends, created Hyrule and the lands surrounding it.  We’ll start with Din.

Din is the Oracle of Seasons, meaning that she can decide when it’s winter (hopefully never), when we can all go swimming, when the leaves fall, and when it’s time for Spring Break.  In short, she’s pretty powerful.  She’s also a talented dancer and many believe that she’s an incarnation of Din, the Goddess of Power.

Farore is the mysterious Oracle of Secrets, and when I say mysterious, I mean it.  Her game, The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage was originally supposed to be released along the Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, but was scrapped.  Instead, Farore got stuck living in a tree and keeping track of incredibly powerful secrets that Link could learn if he traveled between the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna.  While it may seem like Farore got the short end of the proverbial stick, she is likely an incarnation of the Goddess of Courage (note: the goddess responsible for making Link), so she’s probably okay with living in a tree, it’s quiet there.

Nayru is the third and final Oracle and is also known as the Oracle of Ages.  In her main game, Nayru is a talented singer and can travel from the present to the past, and vice-versa, but apparently not into the future (Either that or she doesn’t let us know that she can.  Clever girl…).  She was possessed by the Sorceress Veran, but was later saved by Link and helped the Hero of Time save Labrynna from a dark fate.  Not bad.  Oh, and like the other two Oracles, Nayru is believed to the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom, who shares her name.

9. Anju

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, The Minish Cap

Anju has appeared in three different Zelda games (two of which are my personal favorites, guess which ones they are).  She’s most often a Cucco keeper, although why anyone would want to keep those murderous fowl as pets is beyond me.  However, Anju’s breakout role is in Majora’s Mask where she tells us her name and asks us to help reunite her with her fiancé Kafei.

If you’ve never played Majora’s Mask the storyline involves saving the evil-faced moon from crashing into Termina and destroying everyone in it.  Yeah, yeah, we know it’s a big deal, but in many ways reuniting Anju and Kafei seems so much more important.  Heroes are supposed to save the world, but saving a wedding isn’t something Link’s commonly called upon, so when he is, he makes sure the job gets done!

Anju is a nervous young woman who can’t cook to save her life (trust me on this), and to make matters worst, her fiancé has disappeared and her mother keeps telling her that he ran off with Cremia, Anju’s best friend.  However, Anju doesn’t despair and calls upon our hero Link to help her.

She shows her true courage near the end of the game when she’s finally reunited with Kafei and instead of running away from the doomed Clock Town, she and her fiancé decide to stay behind and greet the dawn together.

8. Saria

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Girl number eight likes taking long walks in the forest, listening to ocarina music, the color green, and sealing away ancient evil.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Saria!  She is Link’s best friend in Ocarina of Time (arguably the best Zelda game), and when I say “best friend,” I really mean “only friend.”

While everyone else is having fun mocking the Hero of Time, Saria plays it smart and sticks up for him, a good move in the long run.  Like the Oracles, Saria is not all that she appears to be.  Packed inside this three-foot-tall Kokiri lass is the power of the Sage of Forest.

Saria plays a pivotal role in Ocarina of Time by helping Link take the fight to Ganondorf and saving Hyrule from eternal darkness.  Not bad for a girl that’s eternally 10-years-old.

7. Princess Ruto

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Ruto and I had a love-hate relationship when I played Ocarina of Time.  I went charging ahead into Jabu-Jabu’s stomach to rescue her (Jabu-Jabu being a giant whale/fish creature), she decides that I should carry her around on my back, severely limiting my combat and “rescuing fish princesses” capabilities.  But whatever, it kept her from bitching at me the whole time, and if there’s one thing I and most other guys in the world hate, it’s getting bitched at.

Personal rant aside, Princess Ruto does a 360 when you meet her seven years later.  She’s no longer a selfish spoiled brat.  Instead, she’s become a confident and capable woman who takes her duties as the princess of the Zora quite seriously.  After narrowly escaping a freezing fate, Ruto dives headlong into the Water Temple, which any Zelda fan can tell you is the worst kind of temple (seriously, watch videos about Water Temples, they suck).

Oh, and Princess Ruto’s the only girl who is actually straightforward about her attraction to Link (*hint, hint* Zelda).

6. Impa

Zeldawiki.org

Appears In: The Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, The Adventure of Link

Impa is, for lack of better word, a badass (and very likely a ninja).  She made her first appearance in The Legend of Zelda (well, the manual) and is responsible for seeking out Link so Princess Zelda could be rescued and Ganon defeated.  She steps up her game in Ocarina of Time, where she is Zelda’s guardian and a Sheikah (a.k.a. a badass ninja, as previously mentioned).  In Skyward Sword, Impa’s retains her role as Zelda’s guardian, protecting the young girl and staying with her in the past.

While she doesn’t always play a prominent role in the games, when Impa’s around she’s usually out in the battlefield being awesome (I’m going to let the Oracle games slide).  She’s shown that she’s capable of duking it out of Ghirahim, she can turn invisible, and she can seal away ancient evil in a well.  All in a day’s work for Impa.

5. Fi

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Skyward Sword

While Eiji Aonuma says that Fi isn’t technically female (and as the man in charge of The Legend of Zelda, I’m inclined to agree with him), Fi is definitely feminine in appearance, and since every other companion for Link has been female, we’ll call her a girl.  Now that we’ve taken care of that, on to the meat of this particular entry!

Fi is the spirit of the Master Sword (a.k.a. the most powerful weapon in The Legend of Zelda) and also serves as the guide of its wielder (Link).  She’s also one of the first companions since Majora’s Mask to provide useful information when asked (in Midna’s defense she would point out the weaknesses of some bosses), which is so very nice.  Her last power is the ability to turn the Master Sword into a dowsing machine to help Link find treasure or people.

Once the day is saved from Ghirahim, Fi fades away into the Master Sword, never to be heard from again (unless she makes an appearance in the next game).

4. Malon

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time, The Minish Cap, Oracle of Seasons

Oh Malon, you were always my favorite girl (what, I have a thing for redheads, sue me!).  Now, before anyone gets up in arms about the picture, I just want to point out that Cremia and Romani (pictured) are the counterparts to adult and child Malon respectively.  So when you look at them, you pretty much see Malon at ages 17 and 10.

Anyway, Malon gets the number four slot because she provides Link with one of his greatest allies ever: Epona.  And she’s cute.  Malon comes across as very down to earth and is easily the more responsible of the two Lons (Seriously, her father is a lazy good-for-nothing!).  She spends most of her time raising horses, Cuccos, and cattle, but every now and then she takes a break to race or sing, and between you and me, she’s got an amazing voice.

Sadly, Malon has not made an appearance since The Minish Cap, which saddens me.  Did we really need Ilia?  I, for one, would have preferred this copper-haired beauty.

3. Midna

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Twilight Princess

I’ll give it to you straight, I hated Midna at first.  She was always ordering me around, making me collect stupid jewels for her against my will, treating me like a dog.  It was almost like having a terrible girlfriend, something I like to avoid as a general rule.  However, it wasn’t too far into the game where I began to love Midna.  We had just blown up a bomb warehouse, and the only thing she could think to say was “Well, I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

After that it was me and Midna, causing all sorts of trouble in our attempts to save Hyrule.  And once Princess Zelda was safe, Midna decided she had enough of being a two foot imp and turned into the picture above.  Not bad, not bad at all (she’s more human than Ruto at least).  Now if only she was able to tell me more about my enemies…

2. Princess Zelda

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Pretty much everything but Majora’s Mask and Link’s Awakening

I bet some of you are confused that Princess Zelda is only ranked at number two, despite the entire franchise being about her.  Well, I don’t know what to tell you, so I guess I’ll just write this entry and be done with it.

Zelda’s pretty boss, she’s the Princess of Hyrule, the Seventh Sage, the Oracle of Hope, and the Spirit Maiden.  In other words, she’s got a lot of work on her hands trying to keep Hyrule safe long enough for Link to clean up the mess.  She’s also apparently an incarnation of the goddess Hylia and is born again every couple hundred years alongside the Hero of Time.

My favorite part about the Princess Zelda is her ability to disguise herself and kick some serious ass.  In the Ocarina of Time she was Sheik, the “last of the Sheikah” and a badass ninja (just like Impa!).  In Wind Waker she disguised herself as Tetra, a young pirate captain that sailed around and didn’t follow anyone’s rules but her own.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Zelda is the fact that she and Link never tie the knot despite the fact that every fan of the series knows they should (it’s like Jim and Pam from The Office!).  However, given the fact that the two main character undergo reincarnation quite often, that’d almost mean that they’re related… possibly?  I don’t know, reincarnation’s not really my thing.

1. Navi

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Hey! Listen!  I’m pretty sure a lot of you are confused as to why I’d give Navi first place in this column, so hear me out.  Navi is assigned to protect and guide Link by the Deku Tree, and by God she does her best throughout the entire game.  Now I know that Navi is annoying as hell, shouting “Hey!” and “Listen!” more often than you breathe, but on the bright side she doesn’t ride you around the world or complain about some stupid kid with a mask ruining everything for her (I’m looking at you Midna and Tatl).

And let us not forget that Navi was a key part of the Z-Targeting system in Ocarina of Time, which was a pretty big deal at the time.  She changed the system from an upside down triangle into a mini encyclopedia about nearly every enemy monster in the game.  The only enemy that manages to throw off Navi is Ganon himself!  The Gerudo King is the only one strong enough to stop Navi from helping you out, how many other companions in any game are that loyal?

Once Ganon is defeated, Navi apologizes for her inability to help in that fight, but the moment the Prince of Darkness returns, she turns to Link (or so I’d assume, it’s kinda hard to tell given that she’s nothing more than a winged ball of light) and says: “There’s no way he’s going to hold me back again!  This time, we fight together!”

So yeah, Navi is the best Zelda girl out there.  No one else comes close, not even Zelda herself.