Zelda Companions ranking – who was Link’s best sidekick?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild brought a lot of changes to Hyrule. Amazing levels of freedom. Lots of shrines instead of themed dungeons. The link is in blue, not green. Slate Sheikh. Breakable weapons of varying degrees of irritation and much more. A change not often discussed was Link’s lack of a companion.
Starting with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link usually traveled with a buddy who gave him advice – such as how to target enemies – along with narrative exposition. In Breath of the Wild, Link went on an adventure alone, having only received a strange offer from his Shake Slate, creating an exciting solo adventure. Based on what we’ve seen in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we probably don’t have another buddy to travel with.
In the months leading up to the anticipated sequel, we’ve seen fit to look back at the companions that came before and naturally rank them from worst to best. Obviously, you are unlikely to agree 100% with our choice, so at the bottom you will find a poll in which you can also vote for your favorite.
Before we get started, please note that there are a few late game spoilers below. Also, as much as we love Epona and our trusty Crimson Loftwing, they don’t fit the criteria for this list to be a communicative partner with a character arc that spends most of the game on Link’s side.
#9 – Princess Zelda (spirit form)
Back in late 2009, Princess Zelda first joined Link for an adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. When the oblivious Chancellor Cole captured Zelda to resurrect the Demon King Malladus (standard Zelda fare), she escaped her body to help Link restore traces of New Hyrule’s spirit (not standard Zelda fare).
By no means an annoying companion, Zelda’s spirit form was in no way memorable. In fact, we’d even say that Spirit Tracks missed Zelda’s potential for the first time. Sure, she could have wielded Phantoms, but on this list, the iconic princess wasn’t quite as iconic a companion.
#8 – Siela
In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, there were two companions who assisted Link on his second sea adventure. Ciela, Link’s magical companion, did a great job getting us used to the finicky stylus controls. She also had a bit of personality when she played pranks on another companion, Linebeck.
Ciela plays a crucial role in the story in helping Link defeat Big Bad Bellum, but honestly we wouldn’t blame you if you forgot that the fairy in The Haunting Hourglass was more than just a marker of where you placed stylus on the screen.
#7 – Linebek
In Phantom Hourglass, Linbeck transports Link around Ocean King’s World on his boat, not out of the goodness of his heart, but rather out of greed. It ranks last on this list for two simple reasons. Firstly, he is not as memorable as the ones below, and secondly, for most of the game, Linebeck was frankly annoying.
A coward by nature, Linebeck spent most of his time hiding and running away. Sure, towards the game’s climax, he finds the courage to save Link, and there’s even a touching moment at the end when he gives up treasure to reclaim his sunken ship, but he’s not a companion, we have particularly fond memories. from.
#6 – Navi
“Hello!” “Listen!” “Carefully!”
These words are forever embedded in our psyche. No other companion is more iconic or annoying than Navi from Ocarina of Time. Like Ciela, Navi doesn’t have much of a personality, aside from being a bit cheeky.
While we were still sad to see the little ball of light leave Link during the final cinematic, there’s little to no character arc here. It functioned mainly as a clever way for Link to target enemies and give players hints and directions as to where to go and what to do – and she did her job well. There was nothing quite like Ocarina of Time in 1998 and she was our guide as we took our first steps in 3D Hyrule.
#5 – Ezlo
This small sentient green cap helped Link shrink to a tiny size in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and also served as his guide and, as companions usually do, gave clues. Ezlo, for his part, was both unobtrusive and humorous, which made for an almost perfect combination for a traveling companion.
Cursed by The Minish Cap villain Vaati – his former apprentice – to take on the form of a cap, he doesn’t have much room for character development while he and Link try to right the dastardly sorcerer’s mistakes, but we still felt bittersweet pain when he returned to his original form in the Minish world at the end of the game. We hope that one day the door of the Minish will open again and we will be able to meet his descendant.
#4 – Red Lion King
We spent most of our time playing The Wind Waker on this little red talking boat; helpful, patient, and often resentful, the Red Lion King was the least annoying companion Link ever traveled with. It probably helped that he was vacationing on the dock of the island where Link had business, but overall he made a great buddy for exploring the Great Sea.
The fact that he happens to be inhabited by the spirit of the long-lost King of Hyrule makes a slight twist, and while he hasn’t grown as a character all along, seeing him stay in this frozen Hyrule under the waves made for a mournful touch at the end of a beautiful adventure.
#3 – Fantasy
Yes, Skyward Sword held our hands too much, explaining Zelda’s most basic mechanics in excruciating detail. And yes, Fi was a big part of that, too often interrupting Link’s adventures both above and below the clouds.
However, as far as Link’s companions are concerned, Fi is considered one of the most accomplished; for most of the game, she shows little emotion as the robotic incarnation of the Sword Master, but after a stunning final battle with Demis, she reveals her feelings, expressing happiness from their adventure and hoping that they will meet again in another life. She really touched our Hylian feelings.
And in Skyward Sword HD, she also calmed down a bit.
