Daily Debate: Do You Enjoy Character Redemption Stories in the Zelda Series?
Posted on October 11 2020 by Michaela El-Ters
Redemption character arcs are some of my favorite stories in fiction. From Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Amir in The Kite Runner to Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia series and Riku in Kingdom Hearts, I have always enjoyed seeing the journey of a character unfold over the course of the story, particularly if they start out as villains. Character development that transforms a villain to a hero requires careful writing and compelling characterization, and when it’s done right, it’s fantastic. In general, I gravitate to characters and their stories; a novel can have a complex story and rich world-building, but if there isn’t a character for me to get invested in, there’s a good chance I won’t stick around for the ride. Luckily, the Zelda series isn’t lacking for characters, and more recent games have included a surprising level of depth for the characters and their arcs. In particular, my mind goes to Ravio in A Link Between Worlds as having a meaningful redemption arc that I wasn’t prepared for, but fully on board for.
If you had told me that the weird shopkeep with the freaky mask who basically stole Link’s house was going to have a compelling role in the story later, I wouldn’t have believed you. But it really works. Ravio is the foil for Link: he’s not courageous like him, and he ran away when he was needed most. Eventually, he realizes that he made a mistake and returns to support Hilda at a critical story juncture. It’s great stuff. It’s not a really complex character arc, per se, but he does redeem himself through his actions at the end. Other characters like Groose, and to a smaller extent, Komali are worth mentioning for having arcs of their own. But Ravio’s stuck out to me for being surprisingly relatable and a foil for Link, so it was really compelling. I really enjoy these arcs and would love to see more of them in future Zelda games. What do you think? Do you enjoy character redemption arcs in the Zelda series? Let us know in the comments.
Feature art by tsumi
Michaela El-Ters is a Senior Editor for Zelda Dungeon. She is also an Senior Writer for Boss Rush Network, and writes blogs and streams games on Objection Network. Her favorite Zelda game changes with the seasons, but the series as a whole is near and dear to her heart.
