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The Many Characters We Hope To Play As In Hyrule Warriors
The creators behind Hyrule Warriors are calling the upcoming Dynasty Warriors Zelda mash-up a celebration of the Zelda series, saying you will be able to play as your favorite characters. The Zelda series has a huge cast of characters both big and small, and these are some of the ones we hope make the final cut before release on September 26.
To see the confirmed cast of Hyrule Warriors fighters, head here.
NES
The Legend of Zelda – Old Man in cave
There aren’t a lot of characters in the original Legend of Zelda. We’ve learned plenty about the main cast – Link, Zelda, and Ganon – but we’ve never found out more about the man in the cave. He deserves some time in the spotlight.
Special attack: stealing swords from enemies to give to Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link – I AM ERROR
Much like the first Zelda, there haven’t been many enduring characters other than the main cast in Zelda II. There is, however, I AM ERROR, the bearded man in purple clothing in town that people seem to remember.
Special attack: awkwardly glitching through the battlefield causing enemies to spontaneously combust
SNES
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past – Link’s Uncle
Link’s uncle wanted to help, and he tried his best, but he failed spectacularly, unfortunately dying in the game’s opening few minutes. The rain had not even let up before Link’s uncle threw in the towel. Maybe Hyrule Warriors could be his chance to shine?
Special attack: tripping and injuring himself on the way into battle, forcing himself to sit the rest of the game out.
Nintendo 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Malon
If the ten-year-old Agitha from Twilight Princess can enter the battlefield, why not Malon the farm hand from Ocarina of Time? I always liked Malon, and felt like there could have been a romance between her and Link if the whole saving the world thing had not gotten in the way.
Special attack: calling in a huge herd of cows to trample the enemies
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask – Skull Kid
Of all of the games in the Zelda series, Majora’s Mask is perhaps the most ripe with memorable secondary characters. Everyone has a story, and if you want to get every mask Link has the opportunity to touch every one of their lives in ways both big and small. The best candidate though, after some consideration, has to be Skull Kid with Majora’s Mask.
Special attack: Calling down the moon to decimate the battlefield
Nintendo GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Tingle
Tingle has appeared in a number of different Zelda games (including his own), but among his appearances in Zelda titles, he serves the most important role in Wind Waker. I would be surprised if he doesn’t show up in the game.
Special attack: throwing a handful of glitter at the enemies, instantly realizing he is in way over his head, and running away
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – Vaati
A young, very powerful, very evil wizard, Vaati deserves a chance to show off some of his impressive magic on the battlefield.
Special attack: taking on his final form as it appeared in Four Swords, and rolling over the battlefield crushing everything in his way
Nintendo Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Hero's Shade
The Hero’s Shade shows up a few time in Twilight Princess to teach Link some fancy sword tricks. Who he is and where he’s from are left to mystery, but there are some very convincing fan theories pointing to the Hero’s Shade being the long deceased spirit of the Hero of Time – the version of Link that appeared in Ocarina of Time.
Special attack: playing the Song of Storms on an ocarina to call in a deadly rain, proving that he is in fact the Link from Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – Groose
The red-headed bully turned friend of Skyward Sword was an interesting character because he understood his calling and was willing to change in order to do what needed to be done. Hyrule Warriors could give him a chance to use the skills he learned being a bully to good use.
Special attack: building an elaborate mine-cart track in the middle of the battlefield and riding it while shooting off a canon
Game Boy
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening – The Wind Fish
I have no idea how this would work considering the size discrepancy compared to all the other characters, but I love the idea of a giant whale running around the battlefield beating up on moblins.
Special attack: rolling around
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons – Nayru and Din
Two games means two characters. Nayru is the Orcacle of Ages personified, and Din is the Oracle of Seasons personified. Their roles to the overall Zelda story is an important one, and to get a chance to play as them would be wonderful.
Special attack: calling in the power of fire and water to clear out waves of enemies
Game Boy Advance
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap – The Postman
The Postman began his life as a marathon runner, but eventually found his calling delivering letters in Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Minish Cap. He’s also an entertaining weirdo, and I would love to see how he handles combat.
Special attack: Sprinting at inhuman speeds, bowling through every enemy that has the poor luck of standing in his way
Nintendo DS
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass – Captain Linebeck
Captain Linebeck has a boat and a very fancy overcoat. He’s also kind of a jerk, but he comes around eventually. He seems like the kind of guy who could throw a punch if pushed into a corner.
Special attack: calling in his boat from the sky and dropping it on enemies
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – An Anouki
The Anouki are a race of peaceful creatures that only appeared in the two Zelda DS titles. They have antlers on their heads and appear to have fins (though they could be wearing jackets). They have yet to gain the same level of appreciation fans have for races like the Zora and Goron. I’m curious to see what they could do with those antlers on the battlefield.
Special attack: running head down, antlers faced forward through swaths of enemies
Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – Ravio
Ravio is the worst roommate in the history of video games. He invites himself into your house, pushes all of your stuff out of the way, and turns your bedroom into a retail shop. He also withholds incredibly important items you need to save the world so he can sell them to you for profit. I would love the opportunity to play as him.
Special attack: entering the enemy’s zone, claiming it as his own, beating up everyone who claims it doesn’t belong to him, and then charging them for healing items
For more of our hopes regarding what characters we’d like to see in Hyrule Warriors, check out this discussion between Jeff Cork and myself.
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