Skyward Sword Characters

Link

Link is our hero in Skyward Sword and he starts off the game as a young man living in Skyloft who attends a boarding school. He's a very active young lad who goes skydiving and bird riding to impress Zelda and his other classmates. He is very close friends with Zelda and they seem to care greatly for each other. Early on in his quest, Link successfully wins a bird race conducted by the Ceremony Leader and this allows him to win a prize presented by Zelda.

While Link and Zelda are riding off through the clouds, a sudden tornado has been summoned, causing Zelda to fall off her bird and get sucked down into the land below. Link goes after Zelda, but appears to be knocked out cold by the huge fall. He is awakened by Phi, the spirit of the Skyward Sword, and Phi will stick with Link throughout his quest, serving as a spiritual guide. Link also comes across an old man who lives in Skyloft and he entrusts him with his green tunic.

Link will travel down to the land below in search of Zelda. Throughout his quest, he will use a standard set of inventory items as he battles through the overworld and dungeons, attempting to save Hyrule from the evil that lurks there. Part of his quest will take him to the Silent World where he must collect tear-shaped items and avoid gardians without the aid of his sword. He will fight many foes along the way, but perhaps none fiercer than the Demon Lord Ghirahim. Ghirahim is also in search of Zelda and has no problem bringing Link within an inch of his life. It's up to our hero to defeat Ghirahim, rescue Zelda, and save the lands of Skyloft and Hyrule.

Zelda

Zelda is a resident of Skyloft, a classmate of Link and one of his closest friends. She too enjoys soaring through the clouds on top of her own bird. Despite being a normal girl in the town, Zelda seems to have some special status amongst the people of Skyloft. Early on in the game, Zelda gives out a prize to whomever wins the flight race.

After Link successfully wins the race, Zelda leaps off of the ledge from Skyloft, dropping down onto Link's bird to congratulate him. Things eventually take takes a turn for the worse when Link and Zelda are flying about. A huge tornado is summoned causing Zelda to fall off her bird and get sucked to the land beneath the clouds. As she falls to the ground, she appears to be swallowed by a giant whale. It turns out that the whale is likely a servant of the Goddess and after being snatched up, Zelda is taken to the Sky Temple.

Both Link, his rival, and the evil Ghirahim set out to look for Zelda. Link is out to rescue her while Ghirahim seeks her holiness for some unknown end. She apparently has been taken to the Sky Temple, but appears to leave or is taken elsewhere before either Link or Ghirahim have a chance to reach her. It is uncertain who will find her first and what will become of her.

Demon Lord Ghirahim

One of the game's antagonists, the demon Ghirahim is a tall and slender man with grayish skin and albino hair. His bodysuit and mantle are decorated with diamond patterns. He is skilled in the ways of magic, his sorcerous powers allowing him to teleport, conjure knives, and summon a distinct black sabre with which he is incredibly skilled.

He is one of several members of a tribe that rules over the surface world. His standing in this tribe, whether it be leader or merely a member, is uncertain. They seek Zelda's holy power and in an attempt to capture her, Ghirahim uses his considerable magical powers to form the massive tornado which was intended to kidnap Zelda. Before she could fall into their hands however, a servant of the goddess shaped like a whale snatched her away, a fact which greatly enraged Ghirahim.

Ghirahim's regard for himself is incredibly high. He prefers to be referred to by his full title, Lord Ghirahim and he constantly mocks Link's ability in combat. His arrogance is second only to his depravity. Ghirahim enjoys bloodshed, and in his anger at the whale's interference he attacks Link and toys with him. He enjoys appearing out of nowhere and taunting his victims from close behind, and constantly licks his lips and at the air when he is excited about violence.

Unfortunately for Link, Ghirahim's arrogance seems justified. Link barely survives his tornado and the battle with Ghirahim himself, only surviving because of the Skyward Sword. Link's life doesn't matter to Ghirahim but he offers Link mercy after their battle, threatening to kill him if he ever interferes again.

Phi

Link's sidekick in this game appears as a female spirit-like entity called Phi. She is the very embodiment of the Skyward Sword itself, which allows Link to travel freely between the sky realm and the surface world below. Her origins are a mystery. She appears from the sky above Link after he's thrown off his bird by Ghirahim's tornado and saves Link from the fall. Later Link brandishes the Skyward Sword and with her advising and aiding him he journeys to the Sky Temple, where he fights Ghirahim. The Demon Lord himself states that the Skyward Sword is the only thing that kept Link alive during their fight.

Phi's humanoid form appears by expanding out of a light from the hilt of the Skyward Sword and disappears by shrinking and returning to that light. Before she appears you hear a loud beep coming from the sword. She doesn't seem to act human, speaking to Link like a robot as she analyzes his items and surroundings and gives him information about them. When she talks to like she refers to him as master. Why she acts this way is also, like her origin, a mystery.

The Skyward Sword is somehow important to the forging of the Master Sword. Exactly how has yet to be revealed.

Sky Birds

These are creatures native to the sky realm in which Link and Zelda's hometown of Skyloft is located. They are crucial to the culture of Skyloft; images of the birds appear all over Skyloftian carvings and clothes. The people of Skyloft each own a bird partner whom they trust with their lives as they dive straight off the floating island, trusting that their bird will hear their call and catch them as they fall.

Two specific sky birds belong to Link and Zelda; Link's is red and Zelda's is blue. The two birds appear to be close friends just like their owners, as they can be seen flying together even with Link and Zelda present. The sky birds are crucial to the bird-rider's ceremony in which several competitors ride their birds and attempt to chase down a bird carrying a statue. The victor will be rewarded with a special gift from none other than Zelda herself! It is uncertain what happens to Zelda's blue bird when she is sucked towards the surface by Ghirahim's tornado, but Link's supposedly special red bird is later seen with him as he searches for Zelda.

Link's Bird

Link’s feathery friend is his mode of transportation when traveling amongst the clouds. Link can leap off ledges and call his bird as he falls. Link’s bird will swoop right underneath him giving Link a perfect landing spot. Link can use his bird to travel between the various islands in the sky.

Link’s bird seems to have some sort of connection with Zelda's bird, as the two can be seen flying together even when Link and Zelda are not with each other. Link's bird can hold more than one passenger at a time, as Link and Zelda are both riding on the bird simaltaniously at one part in the game.

It has been stated that Link's bird is somehow special. Exactly how or why is unclear, but it seems likely that he will play a special part in the story.

Zelda's Bird

Much like Link, Zelda has her own feathery friend to ride on when adventuring above the clouds. Zelda will leap off the ledge and land on top of her bird, just like all the other folks in Skyloft do. Whenever Zelda is seen flying, she always has her bluish-purple friend nearby.

Things take a turn for the worse when a tornado is summoned to kidnap Zelda. Both Zelda and her bird are falling down to the land below the clouds when Zelda is swallowed by a giant whale. Zelda’s bird is not shown being swallowed by the whale, therefore we do not know of its whereabouts.

Ceremony Leader

The Ceremony Leader is first seen standing next to the old man at the beginning of the Bird Rider's Ceremony. Wearing a decorative blue sash across his shoulders similar to that of the old man he seems to be an authority on bird riding. Presumably the instructor of the skill of birdriding to the youths of Skyloft and overseer of the race.

Before the race he gives Link and three other Skyloft youths the instructions for the ceremony. He attaches a ceremonial bird statue, (brought by Zelda) to a small gold bird and tells the children that whoever catches the bird and claims the statue will be this year's champion. Giving quick instructions on how to control the birds he then goes on to say that the champion will receive a gift from the lovely Zelda. Before the race begins he tells Link and three other Skyloft youths to show him just how well they have practiced. He asks to see good clean flying with no interfering with the other flyers. Then upon his command the competition begins.

Old Man

This old man seems to hold some position of authority in Skyloft, slightly higher than the ceremony leader. He observes the ceremony, offering a scolding remark to a troublesome birdrider. His decorative red sash is similar to the ceremony leader's except that it features four golden triangles, as well as the Skyloftian bird symbol on its back. His belt also has a bird design. The symbol on his back is nearly identical to Zelda's and he may be her father. His robes bear a striking resemblance to those of Rauru, who credited himself as one of the ancient Sages who constructed the Temple of Time. He also has long eyebrows much like Kaepora Gaebora, said to be a reincarnation of an ancient Sage. Some even think he resembles the Kings of Hyrule who appears in Adventure of Link, The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap.

After Zelda is taken by the tornado, Link goes to the old man to tell him of Zelda's fate and ask for help. The old man, perhaps with personal reasons if Zelda truly is his daughter, equips Link with a green tunic and sends him off to find Zelda.

Link's Rival

This fellow birdrider appears throughout the game in different ways. He has a thing for Zelda and is determined to win the birdriding competition to impress her. He competes very roughly with Link, and tries to knock him around to prevent him from taking the bird statue first. He also has his friend throw eggs at Link to slow him down. The ceremony leader specifically warned against this behavior just before the contest began, and the old man singled out this competitor as someone who is prone to not play by the rules. He will probably be trying to rescue Zelda before Link does, but it isn't known whether he will be a help or a hindrance to Link's quest.

Mogmas

The Mogmas are a new race in Skyward Sword, their appearance a kind of cross between a prairie dog and an ape. These large creatures have the ability to dig and live in a volcanic mountain region on the surface, popping suddenly out of the ground. Two of them appear when Link visits this region, talking about a key for the nearby temple. They broke the key into several pieces and Link must use Phi's treasure detecting ability to locate them.

Because they are found hiding the key, it is unclear what the intentions of these Mogmas are. They may be trying to protect this temple or keep Link from it.

Goron

This Goron looks more like one that you would see in The Wind Waker than in Ocarina of Time. He appears to be some sort of travelling merchant, away from his probable home on Death Mountain and exploring the wooded area near the Sky Temple. His purpose is very unclear at this point, though he carries a Triforce symbol with him - the only one seen so far outside of the Siren World. He may be able to aid Link on his journey somehow.

Goddess

The people of Skyloft appear to worship only one goddess, and have no knowledge of the Triforce. This goddess is also known by Ghirahim, the Demon Lord of the land below. She sends her whale servant to snatch Zelda from his grasp.

A massive statue of the Goddess can be seen looking over the city of Skyloft. Not much is known about this statue, but it has a real world similarity to the Christ the Redeemer statue that looks over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Whale

An unknown creature from the land below. During Link and Zelda's flight through the clouds, a tornado is summoned by Lord Ghirahim and knocks Zelda off of her bird. The giant whale below apparently swallows her, saving her from the demon's grasp. Afterwards it appears that the whale takes Zelda to the Sky Temple.

Later on when Link is speaking with Ghirahim, the evil lord mentions that a servant of the goddess snatched her away before she could fall into his grasp. This could very likely be referring to the giant whale.

The figure itself very much resembles a whale, and its teeth bare a resemblance to Lord Jabu Jabu from Ocarina of Time. While not much is known as this point, this whale figure could well be Lord Jabu Jabu himself.

The Tinkerer

Judging by the wrench on his family or personal crest, this man is a mechanic by trade. He is seen tinkering with some object on a counter. This character is responsible for upgrading most of Link's equipment throughout the game as he acquires items that can be found by killing enemies and can be combined with his existing equipment. It is likely that the Tinkerer, along with the other townsfolk of Skyloft, will be interacted with constantly throughout the game as Link frequently returns to Skyloft.

The Soup Lady

This woman can be found inside one of the Skyloft homes preparing soup in her kitchen. It's unclear who she is or how important she will be in the story, but she is only of the townsfolk that has a shot in a trailer dedicated to her, though possibly for nothing more than effect. It's likely however that, like many of the townsfolk, she will be involved in sidequest activities and character interaction as Link returns to Skyloft throughout the game. It is possible she may be the mother of one of the youths enrolled at Skyloft's boarding school, though this is only speculation.

Bulbapenguin

This creature is found in some kind of wilderness and seems to disguise itself as a normal bush. It emerges to talk with Link when he approaches, in a similar manner to the Business Scrubs of Ocarina of Time. It is unclear if this simply an odd little animal in the world of Skyward Sword or a full-blown race, nor what its actual role will be in the gameplay or story. Its actual name and identity is unknown, though it vaguely resembles a Tanooki from Japanese culture, or even a penguin or squirrel.

Others

Statue Admirer (from Comic-Con trailer) Two more birdriders Random townspeople