[Update] Meet The Cast Of Hyrule Warriors

Update:  Zant, Ghirahim, and the Great King of Evil himself are yours to command, with Impa and Lana arming themselves with new weapons.

Ever since traversing Hyrule in 3D for the first time in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, fans have been clamoring for more action-oriented Link. He made an appearance in Soul Calibur II, but now, in Wii U's Hyrule Warriors, he’s bringing some friends (and enemies) with him onto the battlefield to take down hordes of Moblins, Lizalfos Knights and Dodongos.

We'll continue to update this as more characters are confirmed. For now, check out some of the fighters and their more powerful attacks.

Link
The Hero of Time, Link is a master of both swords and staves. He can wield his trusty Master Sword, using his signature spin attack to take out surrounding enemies.

He also wields the classic fire rod, which offers more versatility than the master sword, acting as both a projectile weapon and a close-range flamethrower. In terms of garb, Link can ride into battle wearing his traditional green tunic (now adorned with a spiffy blue scarf) and the Twilight Princess version of the Zora’s Tunic.

This article previously listed the gauntlets as the ball and chain weapon from Twilight Princess, but it turns out Link can use these puppies for much more than swinging a spiky wrecking ball around. Not only can he lift enemies off their feet and throw them, he can also zap enemies directly or slam the ground to shock multiple foes at once.

Impa
Once portrayed as a frail, elderly nanny in the original Legend of Zelda, Hyrule Warriors’ Impa draws most heavily from the fierce guardian incarnation of Skyward Sword. Her movements are much more deliberate than Link’s, throwing her weight into each swing of her giant blade.

If you prefer to play as the white-haired warrior but want a little more speed, you can select her naginata. Imbued with elemental effects, this weapon makes Impa much more acrobatic than when lugging around the sword.

Zelda
The princess of Hyrule, Zelda brings both rapier and arrows of light into combat. Her movements are quick and swift, using the Triforce of wisdom and spells like Farore’s Wind to finish off hordes of foes.

And as if a rapier and arrows made out of light itself weren’t cool enough, Zelda can also orchestrate her foes’ doom with the legendary Wind Waker baton. Chiming up classic tunes like the song of storms, Zelda conjures powerful gusts to send moblins and stalfos alike flying and stuns them with electrified musical stanzas.

Midna
The princess of Twilight, Midna returns to cause some mischief on the battlefield. She rides atop a twilit wolf, who delivers lighter attacks, while she uses her ponytail and fused shadow relic on her crown to deal heavy damage.

Agitha
Who would’ve thought that someone with a hobby as innocuous as bug collecting could take on Poes? Agitha fights with her parasol in hand, summoning bugs to fend off enemies.

Zant
The Usurper King slithers onto the scene with a scimitar in each hand. He can grow to ridiculous proportions and belly flop onto the battlefield, as well as throw energy blasts.

Lana
A brand new, tome-wielding character, this blue-haired mage looks to bring a new twist on the crossover adventure. Lana conjures translucent blocks to squash her enemies and aid in acrobatics, shattering them with her magic to damage enemies with its shards. She figures into the story as a foil for antagonist Cia.

Lana can also use Deku-inspired items, too. She can swoop in on groups of enemies using the Deku Leaf, swing a wooden staff (not labeled as a Deku Stick, but oh well), and summon adorable little Deku Sprouts to mount and charge into battle.

Fi
Link’s faithful companion from Skyward Sword, Fi is the spirit of the Goddess Sword incarnate, which Link and Fi would go on to forge into the Master Sword itself. Fi dances around the battlefield damaging enemies with magical pirouette strikes and transforms into the Goddess Sword to land finishing blows.

Princess Ruto
The Zora princess and sage of water packs quite a wallop with her repertoire of water-based attacks. Not only can she bowl over crowds with crashing waves, she can also shoot a school of aqueous fish at fools (yes, you read sentence that correctly).

Darunia
The amiable ruler of Death Mountain’s Goron City, Darunia wields his people’s prized megaton hammer. And, yes, he can also curl into a ball and steamroll his opponents with his rocky hide.

Sheik
Although we first got a taste of Sheik’s fighting ability in Super Smash Bros. Melee, we’re about to see what other tricks Zelda’s alter ego has in store. Sheik cuts through bad guys with quick, open-handed strikes and plays Zelda tunes like the Bolero of Fire and Prelude of Light on a harp to conjure various spells.

Ghirahim
The cheeky villain of Skyward Sword, Ghirahim not only swings a sword in battle but transforms his entire body into one. In addition to channeling dark magic powers, he's still plenty ostentatious, displaying dance moves and sending his signature argyle remnants flying everywhere.

Ganondorf
The Gerudo King of thieves is back, and this time he's got a brand new hairdo, to boot. He wields dual swords to carve up all those around him, then sends them hurtling with bursts of his horrible magic.

In the August 4 Nintendo Direct on Hyrule Warriors, we learned Link and Zelda will have pre-order exclusive costumes based on their Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword appearances, while those who register their copy of Hyrule Warriors on Club Nintendo before October 23 can claim Ganondorf's Demon King costume set. Hyrule Warriors comes to Wii U September 26, but, for now, you can read our interview with the game's producers and check out our hands-on time with Darunia at Comic-Con.