Not everyone can be a Link, a Zelda, or a Ganondorf. Some characters in The Legend of Zelda might just be there to make the Hyrule towns less empty, fading into obscurity as most NPCs do. However, this time around, I am going to give the characters who excel at standing out the praise they deserve. How do they stand up? By being weird, of course.
So, prepare your rupees for some map purchasing and bring extra paper in case someone needs it. Here are the Top 5 weirdest Zelda characters.
5. Tingle
While I don’t get why many lists award Tingle the title of the weirdest Zelda character of all time, I kind of get their point. Tingle is, in fact, very weird. He is a grown man in a full-body suit who sells maps and blasts confetti every time he makes a sale. Given his disturbing design, it makes perfect sense: no one wants to be near this guy!
However, I refuse to call him the weirdest character in Zelda because, other than being a contrarian, there are a bunch of weirder characters that depend on things other than straight-up awkwardness. Besides, they don’t have their own video game series, so they certainly need the spotlight! Kooloo-Limpah!
4. Error
He is Error, and make no mistake, he means business. Error is simply him, and with a single catchphrase, he managed to make himself immortal. Contrary to popular belief, Error is quite useful during your travels in The Adventure of Link, pointing the way toward the Island Palace, so he is far from a one-trick pony.
But yeah, reading “I AM ERROR” is certainly weird. Not as weird as replaying The Adventure of Link, also known as the black sheep of the Zelda series, but weird nonetheless.
3. Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr.
What happens when you give cuccos a human head? You get a one-way ticket to the Uncanny Valley, and no, that’s no Zelda level. Ooccoo and Oocoo Jr. made me question reality the first time I encountered them in Twilight Princess. I mean, look at them! A female chicken-like creature with a floating head as a son.
No wonder the oocca live in the clouds! And no, I refuse to make use of your teleporting powers, Ms. Ooccoo, thank you very much! No hate, though, the devs are to blame after all. You evil geniuses.
2. Happy Mask Salesman
There is a reason Majora’s Mask is regarded as the creepiest Zelda game of the bunch. And that reason is, of course, the characters. And what can be as weird as a histrionic, emotionally unstable, and guilt-ridden fellow such as the Happy Mask Salesman? You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?
Seen first in Ocarina of Time, the Happy Mask Salesman becomes your guide in the alternative reality world that is Termina. He is perhaps the character with the most emotional range in the game, and he surely loves shaking Young Link until he passes out. Oh, and he teaches you the Song of Healing, so he is the GOAT (I love that song, sorry not sorry).
1. ???
Yeah, there is no question about who takes the first spot. There is, however, a question that we all made back in the day: “WHY IS A HAND EMERGING FROM THE TOILET?” Based on Japanese ghost stories, ??? suffers the worst fate of them all, which I would never wish even on my worst enemy: it ran out of toilet paper.
Thankfully, you can get rid of very important letters and help out this mysterious figure in exchange for a Piece of Heart. Why would you ever receive something from ??? is beyond me, but hey, to each their own.
As you can tell, The Legend of Zelda has a good assortment of weirdness in its characters. It is that weirdness, however, that makes them unique and memorable. So, if you are “weird,” be happy, you’re one of a kind. But please, no green bodysuits. That’s just unsettling.
