The Legend of Zelda series races

The Legend of Zelda series of videogames has a diverse range of races/species living in the games' worlds. Each of them has their own abilities and roles in the games' storylines and worlds.

Humans

Hylians

The term "Hylian" generally refers to a member of the Hylian race, who are sometimes capable of using magical abilities. They have pointed pixie-like ears, and resemble elves. It is believed that these ears allow them to hear the gods and that they were created to tell the other races their message. According to the A Link to the Past manual, "with their magic infused blood, the Hylian people were endowed with psychic powers and skill in wizardry. It was also said that their long, pointed ears enabled them to hear special messages from the gods, so they were held in high esteem by many people in Hyrule. Their descendants settled in various parts of the world and passed on their knowledge and magical lore to all people." The Royal Family of Hyrule is traditionally Hylian.

"Hyrulean", on the other hand, means from or related to the mythical land of Hyrule. Note that not all inhabitants of Hyrule are Hylian: only those with pointed-ears, such as Link, are Hylian. Unlike Hylians, Hyruleans are sometimes not granted with magical abilities, and they do not have pointed ears. The spelling "Hyrulian" was used interchangeably for "Hyrulean" by fans until Nintendo announced that the latter is the official and correct spelling. However, "Hyrulian" is still sometimes used.

In Ocarina of Time, most Hylians principally live within the fortified walls of Hyrule Castle Town. Besides living in the bustling marketplace, other citizens of the kingdom inhabit territory outside of the protected city. Talon owns and lives in Lon Lon Ranch along with his daughter Malon and their ranch servant, Ingo. In southern Hyrule, Lake Hylia's two lone residents are the Lakeside Scientist and the Fisherman. The remaining Hylians dwell in the northern plateau hamlet of Kakariko Village.

During the Ocarina of Time, Hylians were seen as a common race. However, during The Wind Waker, Hylians are rare. Also during this period, girls with pointed ears (Hylians) have been known to be kidnapped by giant birds.

The Language of the Hylians

The Hylian written language is derived from Japanese hiragana, katakana, and romaji. The script is syllabic or more precisely moraic, and each symbol represents either a vowel, consonant-vowel combination, or a syllable final n.

Note that the character set and structure of the written language varies significantly between games. The Hylian text in Ocarina of Time is simpler and less complex than the one used in The Wind Waker. The OOT version of the script made no distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants, palatalised consonants and geminate consonants. The WW version of the script makes all these distinctions. Also the WW script is more suited to being written with a brush whereas the old script was more angular, suited to being carved on stone.

The script used in Twilight Princess is not the same as The Wind Waker's, according to Japanese Zelda fans who have seen the Hylian in current Twilight Princess footage.

The Hylian Text was uniquely different in the Japanese and English versions of A Link to the Past. See main article: A Link to the Past#Japanese-English differences

For more information on Hylian writing see Old Hylian and Modern Hylian on the website Omniglot

Sheikah

The Sheikah were an ancient clan of ninja-like warriors that swore to protect the Hylian Royal Family, even after death; as such they were known as "the Shadows of the Hylians". The most famous members were Impa, the maid of Princess Zelda, and Sheik, the guised alter ego of Zelda herself. They were skilled in magical and combative arts, and their cultural pendant was an eye with three triangles above it (as if to imitate eyelashes or symbolize the Triforce) and a teardrop to either show mourn for the dead, or to symbolize the betrayal of the Royal Family (the latter is according to the official Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga). The symbol was blood red, as were both Impa’s and Sheik’s irises. Young males pierced their ears as a traditional rite of passage (according to the manga). Not much is known about their lifespan or other details about their lives. The only thing known about their lifespan is that it is very long in comparison to other races.

By the time of the Imprisoning War, the Sheikah were relatively few in number (although there was reference to a hidden Sheikah warcamp). By the time of the Great Flood, the race was most likely extinct. Impa and her daughter fled on a uncharted island (mountain top of Hyrule) However, the Forsaken Fortress at which Ganondorf operates may have previously belonged to the Sheikah, given the presence of their eye and tear drop symbol.^*

Note: There is a person on Dragon Roost Isle, during Wind Waker, that says he needs a way to get to the top of the cliff. On his back, is a tattoo extremely similiar to the Shiekah symbol.

Gerudo

Quick witted, aggressive, and fiery tempered, the Gerudo are a tribe of thieves from Ocarina of Time (and Four Swords Adventures). Their race consists entirely of women, but according to Nabooru in Ocarina of Time, one man is born every hundred years, and this man is destined to become the King of the Gerudo. It is stated by a Gossip Stone in "Ocarina of Time" that Gerudos travel to Hyrule Village to search for boyfriends with whom to breed. This is also evidenced by the panicked reactions the player gets when talking to male NPCs when wearing the Gerudo Mask gotten from the Happy Mask shop. ^*

They have dark, tanned skin, red hair, non-pointed ears, and some say they have a rather bird-like appearance; in the manga, they appear most as Arab harem-style figures. They are known to have relations with Hylian men, with whom they form relationships or simply use for procreation.

In Majora's Mask, which is set in Termina, the Gerudo are pirates rather than thieves, and not as much is known about them. However, it is assumed that the same rules apply because, as with the Hylian Gerudo, the tribe consists entirely of females, and they dress and look the same.

Link first encounters the Gerudo when he is a child. Princess Zelda tells him to look through the window, and he sees Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo and soon to be "Dark Lord". He later confronts Ganondorf outside of Hyrule Castle and is promptly defeated. However, this encounter results in Link receiving the Ocarina of Time from Princess Zelda. Link continues on his quest. He travels to the Temple of Time and uses his Spiritual Stones and ocarina to reach the Chamber of the Master Sword. He grabs the sword, hoping to use it against the Gerudo king, but is imprisoned for seven years so that he may become a true hero. Meanwhile, Ganondorf enters the Sacred Realm through the portal the Master Sword left, stealing the Triforce of Power and becoming the new King of Hyrule.

Seven years later, Link wakes up and continues on his quest.

The last overworld area Link encounters as an adult is Gerudo Valley, home of Gerudo Fortress, the desert stronghold the Gerudo call home. Link sneaks into the Gerudos' tightly-guarded compound and frees several unjustly-captured prisoners inside. A Gerudo who has been following him comes out of the shadows and praises his abilities. She then gives him the "Gerudo Membership Card," a proof of ID letting all Gerudos know that he is a friend. From this day forward, Link becomes an honorary Gerudo. An interesting fact about this particular Gerudo is that her outfit changes color to match whatever tunic Link is wearing.

The Gerudo happily help Link train with his bow on their archery range and let him test skills in their Gauntlet. Once Link has completed the Gauntlet, he receives the fabled Ice Arrows. The Gerudo tell him that he must cross the Haunted Wasteland to reach the Spirit Temple, which is a dungeon.

When Link crosses the Haunted Wasteland at the edge of Gerudo's Fortress, sure enough, he finds the Spirit Temple. According to the mysterious Sheikah, Sheik, he must return to the Temple of Time and become a child again to finish his work in the area and gain full access to the next sage. Link does so and returns to his childhood. He then returns to the temple where he meets the second significant Gerudo character.

The woman he meets is Nabooru, the second in command of the Gerudo tribe. Nabooru is a celebrated thief who hates Ganondorf and his evil ways. When she finds out that Link agrees, she enlists his help in finding the Silver Gauntlets, the only way into the body of the Spirit Temple (and a fine piece of treasure).

Link retrieves the Gauntlets, but meets up with Nabooru too late. She is captured by Koume and Kotake, two old Gerudo witches who are Ganondorf's surrogate mothers and most loyal servants. Once Nabooru disappears, Link keeps the gauntlets for himself so he can use them as an adult to gain access to the Spirit Temple and try to save Nabooru. He returns to adulthood and sets on his way.

Once Link has braved the trials of the Spirit Temple, he fights an Iron Knuckle, who turns out to be Nabooru under the spell of the Twinrova sisters. The two return to re-imprison Nabooru and subsequently start a fight with Link. They use their powers of ice and fire to try to destroy the young hero, but to no avail. Link has already found the Mirror Shield and uses it to reflect their powers back on them. The witches countered by merging into Twinrova, but were still killed. Link finds Nabooru in the Chamber of the Sages. She is the sixth sage, the Sage of Spirit.

Link, having awakened the sages, travels to Ganondorf's dark castle and faces him in battle. Ganondorf, being brought up by accomplished sorceresses, tries to destroy Link with magic power, but fails and is killed. With his "final breath," he knocks down the castle. Link escapes with Zelda and faces Ganondorf in a final battle. Ganondorf unleashes the true force of the Triforce of Power and turns into Ganon, the true King of Evil. Once felled, the former Gerudo king is imprisoned until further games in the Sacred Realm (Golden Land).

According to The Wind Waker, the Gerudo were apparently wiped out by the flood that sank Hyrule. Whether there are still Gerudo elsewhere in the world, or in the alternate world of Termina; it appears that Ganon is the last of the Gerudo.

Terminans

The Terminan race of Majora's Mask inhabits the land of Termina. Although they physically resemble their Hyrulean counterparts, Terminians are different from Hyruleans in that they do not have the same religion as most Hyruleans, since they believe in four giants who inhabit the areas of the four compass directions. They also seem more technologically advanced, being able to create machines and more advanced items, such as clocks and plumbing systems.

Terminian races include the Goron, Zora, Deku, Human, and Gerudo races.

Zoras

Zoras (Rōmaji: Zōra) were originally an aquatic enemy (river Zoras, also called Zolas), appearing mostly in 2-D games. They are now protrayed as a proud, but peaceful, aquatic race of amphibious humanoids (ocean Zoras), appearing paticularly in the 3-D games. It is speculated that Zoras were transformed into the Rito sometime between the events of Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker.

Biology

Zoras can live on land and in the water. They come in two different variants: saltwater and freshwater Zoras. They are very sensitive, especially in the water. Zoras are also scaled; their scales are silver, but from a distance they appear pale blue. Many have dark blue spots as well. They lack ears in the traditional sense, but do have noses. Though they have no visible gills but nonetheless can breathe underwater.

Males typically have long heads shaped much like the tails of dolphins. The female Princess Ruto, unlike her male counterparts, possesses a head far wider to accommodate for what would appear to be two more eyes on the sides of her head (this may not be a trait attributable to her gender and instead related to her royal heritage). Ruto also appears to have a semblance of breasts, although it would seem to be merely a distinctive feature rather than a practical one. Additionally, Laruto, a female Zora Sage seen in the Wind Waker, has the tail-like extension on her head.

Zoras lay eggs which need to be kept in cold, clean water in order to be healthy, and each egg must be kept together with its counterparts in order for all of them to hatch. After hatching, infant Zoras are tadpole-like with a circular body and a long skinny tail ending in a fluke.

In Majora's Mask, Saltwater Zoras who have obtained even a small amount of magical power have the ability to create charged electric fields around their bodies, much like an electric eel.

In OoA, Zoras that live in the fresh water of rivers and streams are violent and uncivilized, unlike the Zoras that live in the ocean. The ocean Zoras have learned the art of building and build their houses in inaccessible places deep under the sea, as seen in OoA and MM. In MM, the entrance to their city is located in an underwater cave, protected by monsters. In OoA, the Zoran city is very difficult to reach while Veran's poison remains; one must utilize the Harp of Ages to make small movements in both time periods to eventually reach the city.

Culture

Zora culture revolves around the water, swimming, and fishing (at which they excel). Zora government is monarchical, and as with Deku Scrubs and Gorons, royalty has a different appearance than commoners.

Religion

In Hyrule, Zoras worship Lord Jabu Jabu VII, a giant fish. He lives in a lake outside of Zora's Domain, and they offer him smaller fish on a regular basis. In The Wind Waker, however, though Zoras do not make any appearance (aside from the ghost of the Earth Sage), an organism similar to Jabu Jabu named Jabun would probably serve as the object of the Great Sea Zoras' worship.

Notable Zoras

Deku Scrubs

Deku Scrubs (Deku Nuts in the Japanese version) are a race or species of plant-like humanoids introduced in Ocarina of Time.

Dekus have leaves on their heads where humans have hair (and are perhaps photosynthetic), red glowing eyes, and their mouths are short, wide, hollow tubes that they can not shut tight, preventing them from swimming without drowning. They can, however, "water-hop" (hop across the surface of the water) due to their (presumably) low body density. They can shoot Deku Nuts out of their mouths, similarly to how Octoroks shoot rocks. Dekus with magic abilities can spit magical bubbles of an unspecified liquid. Dekus have bark rather than skin, and may be made entirely out of wood; they perish quickly if set on fire. Deku Scrubs typically live inside Deku Flowers, and spring out of their flowers momentarily to attack any intruder. They can also use the flowers growing out of their own bodies as helicopters to fly. Upon initial damage, Dekus pop out of their grounded, floral homes and talk only when they think the player is going to attack them (the exception being Mad Scrubs, which just get destroyed).

There are 3 main kinds of Deku scrubs:

Deku Scrubs: These are the most common type of Scrub and have green leaves, They often are looking for a conversation.
Mad Scrubs: These have red leaves, move more quickly, and do not talk. They tend to be the most violent form of Deku Scrub, hence the name.
Business Scrubs: These Scrubs have arms, speak, and offer to sell an item at an increased cost when approached. When the player defeats a Business Scrub, it will speak to them either about hints on playing certain sections of the game, or selling items for Rupees. The Business Scrub makes a comeback in The Minish Cap.

Society

In Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages Deku Scrubs do not look much like the original ones, in fact they look more like Octoroks. That was probably due to the size of the sprites which lacked detail. There was also a new kind of Deku Scrub in the game's who loved music and would often give Link some information or would fill up his Seed Satchel.

In Majora's Mask, Link is able to turn himself into a Deku Scrub; at the beginning of the game, he is stuck in this form for some time, leaving him virtually powerless. The form has a number of useful abilities, however, such as stunning enemies by spinning into them, hopping across the surface of water, blowing magical bubbles at enemies to damage them and utilizing Deku Flowers to hover through the air. However, ordinary Deku Scrubs have never been observed doing any of these.

Found in the alternate world of Termina is the kingdom of intelligent Deku Scrubs, who have connections with the Woodfall Dungeon. These Deku demonstrated a form of government, with a "Deku King" that presumely rules over all other Deku in the land of Termina. Deku society was depicted similar to the Zora, with a Royal family with attentance of commoners that resided in a domain. If Link used his Deku transformation, he could converse with them more openly and the Deku were shown to be quite intelligent.

Dekus play large pipes which they use for ceremonies. In Majora's Mask, the Deku Princess can use one, and usually does to gain access to the Woodfall Temple. Link can use one when he turns into a Deku as a replacement for his ocarina.

Deku Flowers

Deku Flowers are bush-like flowers from Majora's Mask. Deku scrubs hide in these bush-like plants, which they sometimes use to shoot themselves up in the air to launch or fly. They shoot deku nuts at people or other creatures as defense. (Usually being Link.)

These flowers come in two breeds: pink and yellow. The pink ones have a few green leaves at the bottom, four pink petals, and a yellow center. The yellow ones have many dark yellow leaves at the bottom, yellow petals, and a green center. The flowers have different launch strengths, pink being the weaker, and yellow being the stronger.

These flowers also appear in Oracle of Seasons. The flower can only be used in spring because in the other seasons, the flower will be a bud. In Majora's Mask, Link can enter the flower if he is a Deku Scrub only. In the beginning of the game, Link has no choice to be a Deku scrub, until slightly later in the game. These flowers help Link in his Deku Scrub form throughout the game when he uses the Deku Mask to turn into a Deku Scrub. They help launch Link to pass difficult tasks and to reach high places.

Gorons

Gorons are a humanoid, rock-eating race that dwell in the mountains. Despite their hulking appearance, Gorons are a relatively peaceful species. Gorons are usually considered, perhaps superficially, to be of low intelligence, although there is no particular indication of this in the games. They may also be fooled by appearances due to bad eyesight, similar to moles, as they are a subterranean species. All Gorons say "goro" at the end of most of their sentences, but this was removed from the English versions of the games, save for a few rare cases such as the Goron tourist in Majora's Mask.

Goron biology

Gorons are physically larger than a average human. They maintain a strict diet of rocks and iron which, as a result, develops a rocky formation on their backs as they age. From the size of the Goron Elder's growths in Majora's Mask, it would seem that these continue to grow throughout their lives. Due to their enormous weight, they are helpess on water because they will sink to the bottom. It is apparent in the Goron world that some Gorons grow to exaggeratedly huge sizes (though very rare), as seen in the case of a massive Goron named Biggoron, who was several hundred times larger than the normal species. Another feature of Goron biology is their ability to curl into a fetal position (with their heads tucked between their legs). This is the Goron's position when left unattended, or when they are sleeping. Gorons use this form for transportation as well. Best illustrated in Majora's Mask, Gorons roll rapidly at speeds up to 60-70 MPH. Gorons who are endowed with fairy magic can grow metal spikes, which can be used as weapons. Gorons are also resistant to heat, to the point of being able to walk through lava. This is a valuable capability when searching for food inside mountains. Most of them also have tattoos on their arms (and occasionally on other parts of their bodies), which are often tribal-style symbols and the most common symbol is a spiky pawprint shape resembling The Mask of Truth or the Goron's Ruby (belonging to the tribe leader, Darunia, in OoT). They consider shields to be a delicacy, and they chew them for a bit before spitting them out.

Gender

The Gorons who appear in the games never show any visible cues to indicate their gender, and all Gorons who are referred to in the third person in in-game dialogue are called "he" and "him." Furthermore, in Goron culture it is customary to call other Gorons "brother," as well as those who have earned the title (like Link). Gorons are presumably all male, as outside of the manga no female or feminine-looking gorons have appeared. It is therefore unknown how they reproduce, but there would obviously have to be some way for them to because Darunia bears a son in Ocarina of Time, named after Link.

Goron males appear to remain fertile well into old age; the ancient Goron Elder of Majora's Mask has an infant son.

Feminine-looking Gorons have been known to appear in the Legend of Zelda manga, but the manga are considered non-canonical.

The Goron "special crop"

Gorons grow Bomb Flowers, their "special crop" which resemble bombs in both appearance and function. These look like a standard bomb with a flower growing on top, and 3 large leaves growing outwards. Bomb Flowers will only grow in a dark area. Underneath the "bomb" is the stem (with the leaves growing out), but normally this is not visible. Bomb Flowers break easily from their stems but once plucked they soon explode (although not as soon as would a regular bomb). The stem and leaves of the flower are bomb-proof so a bomb-flower can not blow itself up, perhaps a defense-mechanism. Apparently Gorons use the plant for mining. These plants make an appearance in the Wind Waker on Dragon Roost Island. Bomb Flowers are also grown in the northern region of Labrynna (it is the main export of the Rolling Ridge Goron tribe) and the volcanic world of Subrosia (specifically, in Lava Lake) in the Oracle games.

Notable Gorons

Ocarina of Time characters#Darunia
(Player Name): (Player Name) is the son of Darunia. He is named after the player for restoring Ocarina of Time places#Dodongo's Cavern, so his name is dependent on that chosen in the beginning of the game. However, one can assume his name would be Link, also.
Darmani
Biggoron
Goron Elder
Traveling Merchants
(Player Name) -goro: Goron staying at the Stock-Pot Inn. You can claim "your" key during the first day.
Goron Kid

Goron culture

Apparently Goron culture revolves around brotherhood, honor, and strength. It appears that they do not find mining their ancestors' corpses dishonorable or unethical. They are a peaceful, sometimes indolent race with little ability to defend themselves, although they are quite large and strong. Most Goron societies seem to rely on a few (sometimes only one) powerful warriors to protect the entire clan. Due to the toughness of the Goron race and the shortage of deadly predators in their environment, some tribes get along well with no warriors at all.

As mentioned above, Gorons are often considered to be dull-witted, though a more accurate description would be "simple." They prefer basic pleasures such as eating and dancing, though some are also skilled craftsmen, blacksmiths, or sculptors.

Kokiri

The Kokiri are a humanoid fairy folk in Ocarina of Time who inhabit the Kokiri Forest. Cautious, child-like, and secretive, the Kokiri believe that they will die if they leave the forest. (This is contradicted by the Kokiri appearing in the Lon Lon Ranch in one scene, however.) Therefore, most Kokiri never leave the forest and know nothing about the outside world and instead only the magics of the forest.

Though they appear as children, the Kokiri are actually ageless and never grow old. Each Kokiri has a guardian fairy that plays the role of friend, parent and teacher. They are watched over by the Deku Tree and later Saria the sage of the forest. Mido is a bully and appears to be some type of a boss-figure. The Kokiri are "the spirits of the forest" and were probably created by the Deku Tree. Kokiri always wear green tunics and have pointy ears. The males wear green hats. It is possible for a Kokiri to have green hair.

There have been two records of Kokiri sages known to have aided the legendary hero Link. The first is Saria, the Sage of Forest, whom was awakened by the Hero of Time in the Forest Temple at the end of the Sacred Forest Meadow.

The other is Fado, the Wind Sage, who appears in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Also known for his excellent skill with the violin. He stayed in the Wind Temple and prayed for the Master Sword, until he was killed when the evil Ganondorf removed his soul.(some say Fado is a girl)

An interesting note is that all named Kokiri, except for Saria because she was named after a town from Zelda II: Adventure of Link, have their names created from the concatenation of 2 words from the solfege musical scale "do re mi fa so la ti do." Mido = Mi + Do. Fado = Fa + Do. A rare known fact is that the blonde, twin-bunned Kokiri left the Ocarina of Time Designers named Fado, but never mentioned her name in the game itself. It is likely they recycled this "unspoken" name when naming Fado, the sage from Wind Waker.

Notable Kokiri:

Other Forms of the Kokiri

The Majora's Mask characters#Skull Kid, a race that plays the flute and appear in the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, are suggested (by Ocarina of Time characters#Navi) to be what Kokiri become if they get lost in the woods and can't get back out. She also describes them as "unhappy not to have a face".

In The Wind Waker, the Kokiri took on a different form above the sea. They took on the form of leaf like creatures known as Koroks, and are the Great Deku Tree's cherished children.

Koroks

The Koroks are a race from The Wind Waker. They were originally Kokiri, but changed form upon leaving their original residence, perhaps a form of evolution. They come from an area called the Forest Haven, but spend most of their lives away from it.

They have wooden-like bodies (somewhat similar to Deku Scrubs) and wear what look like masks made from various types of leaves, as they have no real face, as can be seen by positioning the camera to look behind the leaf. Koroks are very light, and can travel on the wind by using sprouts as propellers. They make a hollow jingling sound when they move.

Most of the Koroks actually spend most of their lives far away from Forest Haven, planting the seeds of the Great Deku Tree; they only return to Forest Haven once a year, for an annual ceremony held when the Great Deku Tree bears seeds so they can take off again. The only Koroks that do not leave are Makar (who plays his violin at the ceremony) and Hollo (who studies potion-making and uses Boko Baba Seeds to concoct his brews).

Notable Koroks:

The Wind Waker characters#Makar

Rito

The Rito (or "Bird People") are a race of bird-like humanoids in The Wind Waker. Their main habitat is on Dragon Roost Island, in which all known Rito reside. They have a tribal elder, with numerous followers and elaborately dressed guards. They are believed to be the descendants of the Zoras of Ocarina of Time.No Rito is born with wings, and must visit the tribes' guardian, the great dragon The Wind Waker characters#Valoo, to receive one of his scales which enables them to grow wings. It is a coming of age ceremony of the Rito, to journey to the great Valoo to receive their scale. Children with no wings are called chicks.

Rito are viewed upon by outsiders somewhat dubiously. Some have an inexplicable bigotry directed towards them, perhaps out of jealousy. Still, Rito are widely accepted as mail carriers, as only they can traverse the seas without cumbersome ships. Rito are capable of flying quickly, and full-grown members can carry humans for a short time.

The Rito may be inspired by the Watarara race in one of the Zelda mangas (generally considered not to be canon). These people were more like giant birds than humans, but had a similar gaining of wings past a certain age and the same chieftain leadership structure.

Rito resemble condors, and seem to have some relation with the Andean culture: males have dark skin and the main theme of the Rito Island contains some andean instruments such as zampoña (aka pan pipes) and charango.

One Rito, Medli, tells Link that the Rito were once without wings, and it is also revealed in the game that she is a descendant of the Zora sage Laruto. Though, in the Japanese text of The Wind Waker, "descendant" is not used in the context of a direct relative, but rather Makar and Medli are descendants of the Sage Bloodline. It should be also be noted that the sages seem to be able to pass down their power and responsibility as seen in the maidens of A Link to the Past. This is also considerable when taking into account that it has been implied by a gossip stone that Kaepora Gaebora, from Ocarina of Time, was the reincarnation of a sage (also lending interpretations to why there are so numerous Links: they are reincarnations). Additionally, the Rito postman's figurine says he is descendant of a famous post man. They grew wings when Valoo gave them scales, despite what Medli says regarding the grappling hook.

The word Rito may be a play on "tori", the Japanese word for bird.

Notable Rito

Subrosians

Subrosians are a mysterious race from the subterranean world of Subrosia. They have large, glowing eyes, come to Link's knee in height, and always wear hooded cloaks. In Subrosia, their currency is "ore chunks" instead of rupees. They are nearly impervious to heat, and can often be seen "hot-tubbing" in lava pools. Subrosians also do a dance called the Subrosian Dance. If one does the Subrosian Dance well he can win many prizes such as a Boomerang and the Strange flute. They find outsiders strange and sometimes do not even understand their Logic.

The world of Subrosia is connected to the land of Holodrum through a number of vortex-looking portals. The temple of Seasons, which was thought to vanish when Onox made it sink into the ground, was instead to be found in Subrosia. Link must return to this temple four times in order to complete the quest.

In Subrosia there is a Smithy where Subrosians combine Blue Ore and Red Ore to create Hard Ore, a rare raw material used to make special items such as an Iron Shield.

Notable Subrosians:

Rosa
The Strange Brothers
The Subrosian Smithy Boss
The sign loving Subrosian

Tokay

A race of lizard people who live on an island off the coast of Labrynna. They value possessions and are often quite deceitful.

Tokays steal the player's items when Link becomes shipwrecked on their island in the Oracle of Ages. In order to retrieve his stolen items, Link plays minigames and trades with the Tokays. Because they have never been off Cresent Island, they think that outsiders are tokay as well (They refer to Link as a "Strange Tokay").

The Tokay once played a game called Wild Tokay, where one person throws chunks of meat to a number of passing Tokay. A prize was to be given to the player if he managed to throw meat to each of the Tokay.

Zuna

In Four Swords Adventures, a race that lived near the Gerudo but deeper into the desert was introduced. They have green-colored skin not unlike Ganondorf, Twinrova and Veran, so they may in fact share a type of symbiotic relationship with the Gerudo, although the Zunas skin is of a lighter colour to that of the Gerudo. The Zunas ancestors were the builders of the Pyramid and the creators of the Trident of Power found inside the Pyramid. The inscription on the stone tablet behind the Trident shows that it was designed for evil purposes by an evil race. One of the maidens says to Link that a dark tribe tried to invade Hyrule, but were defeated and sealed inside the Dark Mirror, found inside the Temple of Darkness. It seems to fit that the evil tribe that was sealed inside the Dark Mirror, are the Zunas ancestors, as they may of used their Trident to attempt to take over Hyrule.

The Zunas dress is quite different to that of the Gerudo: some of them wear white ankle-length cloaks and a white turban that has what appears to be a Roc's Feather sticking out of the top. Others wear red ankle-length cloaks that cover their mouths and a red turban that has a red headress hanging down from it. There is also a small white flower atop the red turban.

Minish

The Minish (known to the Hylians as the Picori) first appeared in The Minish Cap. They are a tiny race the size of a thumb and can only be seen by good, well-behaved children. According to legend, they came from another world; this world can be reached when a door within Hyrule Castle courtyard opens once every century (although, in reality, you can reach them by using one of the many minish portals hidden around Hyrule). It is said that when monsters threatened mankind, the Minish gave a legendary sword and a golden light to a courageous man, now known as the Hero of Men, destined to ward off the monsters. Also, it is known that the Minish placed objects under rocks and weeds to "please people", which explains how the objects such as Rupees and items appeared under said objects in the previous games. The Minish exist to please humans (and presumably Hylians). They are ruled over by Festari.

Notable Minish (Picori):

Ezlo - Transformed into the Minish Cap in the game of the same name.
Vaati - An evil demon from the Minish Cap and the Four Swords games; originally a Picori.

Watarara

A race of bird-people found only in the Legend of Zelda manga. Although they somewhat resemble Rito, they are far more bird-like in appearance; however their social structure is very similar to their Wind Waker counterparts. They are a migratory race that hails from unknown lands. Children are not able to fly, much like Rito children. However, they do not require magic scales to gain their wings, but merely grow them when the fledglings are ready. They fly to new lands on the eve of the seasonal winds-a sort of ceremony for them. Coincidentally, Kaepora Gaebora has a striking resemblance to the attendant of the Watarara leader. It should be noted that the origin of this race is in Zelda manga, which would entail that it is not canonical.

Wind Tribe

The Wind Tribe is a group of people who live on the Cloud Tops and guard the Palace of Winds. They also built the Wind Ruins and the Wind Fortress in south western Hyrule. They are skilled at finding kinstones and seem to have a connection with the Minish who built the Armos statues that guard the Wind Ruins. These people might have been wiped out by Vaati since he is seen dwelling in the Palace of Winds later. It is possible that the Wind Tribe are, in fact, Rito (notice the tribe elder has a beak).

Shigrami

Race from the 1995 Nintendo Online Interactive Adventure "The Hyrulean Adventure".

Kani