10 Zelda Characters With DISTURBING Backstories

Jovani “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)

We’ve seen several characters in the series punished for their greed, such as the wealthy family cursed to take on the forms of Skulltulas in “Ocarina of Time.” But the case of Jovani in “Twilight Princess” is actually a bit more disturbing. You see, where the family was cursed for amassing wealth, Jovani was cursed in search of it. He sold his soul, for more money than he could ever need, to the Poes, creepy ghosts that only a fool would trust. By the time Link meets him, he’s long been a statue of gold, unable to move. You get to bask in his wealth should you collect all 60 pieces of his soul. But even though he gets his body back, he remains sorrowful upon learning the woman he loved found another man after Jovani went missing.

Hilda “The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” (2013)

The Princess of Lorule was born into an unwinnable situation. Long before the events of the game, her forebears destroyed the kingdom’s Triforce in an effort to stop the constant warring over it. Unfortunately, this caused the world around them to slowly decay and fall into ruin. Once she came to rule, Hilda learned of a way to fix her problem: by stealing the Triforce of Hyrule, the land that served as Lorule’s mirror dimension. To doom an entire kingdom and its people to the fate you yourself have long been suffering is pretty messed up. But doing so in order to save your home is a strong motivation for a villain. Of course, she plays friendly with Link until he’s of no more use to her.

Dorian “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

This member of the Sheikah is certainly one of the saddest characters in “Breath of the Wild.” Before the events of the game, Dorian had defected from his tribe like many others to be a member of the Yiga, an offshoot that sought the resurrection of Ganon. But when he fell in love, he put those ways behind him, returning to the Sheikah and starting a family. Sadly, the Yiga didn’t take kindly to that. They murdered Dorian’s wife in retaliation and threatened to do the same to his daughters, Koko and Cottla, if he didn’t feed them information. The sadder part about this is seeing how it affects the two girls, with Koko visiting her mother’s gravestone every morning, and the younger Cottla not fully understanding that her mother is gone.

The Poe Collector “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)

In the future, Link can meet the Poe Collector right next to the entrance of Hyrule’s castle town. And the strange little man will pay him good money for the souls of Poes. This guy seems to take delight in the current, horrible state of the world, which makes sense. Because in this same spot, seven years in the past, Link will find a Hyrulean guard who complains that there isn’t enough trouble in the world. And at night, he’ll talk about his fondness for ghosts. Yearning for an end to peace in a world where, canonically, a bloody civil war just occurred, is definitely inhumane. It’s no wonder that, seven years later, the Poe Collector is thriving.

Pamela’s Father “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

In Ikana Canyon, Link will come across a house designed like a music box. After luring a young girl named Pamela outside, he can head in to meet her father, who has been cursed to slowly turn into a Gibdo, a mummy-like creature. You can put his mind at ease with the Song of Healing, but how he got to be this way is unsettling to say the least. The father and daughter moved here so that he could study the spirits haunting the canyon. Moving past how unsafe it is to put a child in a situation like that, Pamela’s father was cursed when trying to enter the nearby well. Worse, a Poe caused the river powering their music box house to dry up, which was keeping Gibdos away. And Pamela believes they lurked outside to try and take her father with them, into the depths of the well. Good thing Link showed up.

The Shadow Beasts “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)

The Shadow Beasts are the main forces of Zant, the primary villain of “Twilight Princess.” While they act as enemies, and help him begin to take over Hyrule, you later learn there’s more to them. They were originally members of the Twili, Zant’s own people, which he morphed into mindless monsters to do his bidding. That’s already disturbing, but you later learn the same thing can be done to Hylians, and it’s the fate of most of Kakariko Village’s citizens. Tragically, there is no way to transform them back. In the Palace of Twilight, Link is able to save some since they’re mid-transformation. But for those he’s fought, and seemingly killed, throughout the game, there’s nothing you could have done for them.

Igos du Ikana “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

Ikana Canyon is certainly dark. Several forms of the undead haunt every corner, and the monarch of this horrid place is Igos du Ikana. As Link explores further, he learns that this kingdom has a long history of war and bloodshed. The skeletal citizens have returned from beyond, as have their greatest foes, ninja-like spies known as the Garo. If there ever was a time where Igos’ land and people knew happiness, it was so long in the past that none of those memories remain. His kingdom has been defined by conflict, to the point where it likely led to its downfall. And since it perpetuates after he’s been forced to rise from the grave, the war can’t have had a victorious ending.

Bongo Bongo “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)

Much of Bongo Bongo’s history is inferred by the player instead of outright stated. But the evidence speaks for itself. The spirit and boss of the Shadow Temple has had his hands severed. And the glowing red eye that serves as a weak spot looks like a neck that’s had its head removed. We know there was a civil war not long before the events of the game, and Bongo Bongo escapes from below the Kakariko Village well. Both there, as well as inside the Shadow Temple, you’ll find remnants of Hyrule’s dark history, namely torture and execution devices, even guillotines. We don’t know who he was in life, but it seems Bongo Bongo was an enemy of the kingdom, and paid a nasty price for it.

The Deku Butler’s Son “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

Both the Goron and Zora masks, which let Link transform into those races, appear after Link heals the lost souls of specific characters. While it initially seems like the Deku Mask solely comes from the Skull Kid’s curse at the beginning of the game, it too comes from a lost soul. After he’s cursed, Link comes across a twisted tree, which Tatl tells him he resembles. Later, Link meets the Deku Butler, who challenges him to a race, reminding him of his son who left home long ago. These two points come together during the end credits, where we see the Deku Butler mourning over this twisted tree. It seems his son came across the Skull Kid before Link, who turned him into a husk and cursed Link with his essence.

The Hero’s Shade “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)

This one might be cheating, since you actually play through part of this character’s history. But when talking about disturbing backstories, it wouldn’t feel right leaving him off. The Hero’s Shade is a spirit who teaches this version of Link several useful skills. He does so because his life ended unfulfilled. Canonically, this spirit has been confirmed to be the Hero of Time, the Link of “Ocarina of Time” and “Majora’s Mask.” That Link goes through a lot, most of it not all that happy. We don’t know what happens to him following “Majora’s Mask.” But to know that his life seemingly never got better, that he died with enough regret to manifest as a spirit in search of purpose, is almost too much to take.

Which character’s backstory disturbed you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments. And if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!