It's rare these days for our hero Link to embark on an adventure where he doesn't make a companion for himself. The formula is well solidified. Soon after the quest begins Link joins forces with his companion, they work together to overthrow the villain, and then at the end, the companion leaves Link, much to his dismay. Out of the main companions to date, which has the most important role? Which is the most loved by fans? Which is the most hated?
It's easiest to start with the most hated, because quite clearly, it's Navi. Link was pretty much the only one upset by Navi's departure, because majority of the players definitely weren't. I'm not sure if it's her insults that Link's lazy, her incessantly demanding 'hey' and 'listen', or her tedious instructions on how to open a door when I've played Ocarina of Time 25 times, but few people seem to like Navi. Pros include Z-targetting, cons include everything else. Navi had no significant role to play in Ocarina, and although the original companion, she's far from the best.
Majora's Mask simply changed Navi's name to Tatl and then gave her some personality; some attitude. Tatl receives nowhere near as much hate as Navi for some reason though, maybe it's because she has more of a purpose, and because her character development is detrimental to the story. Tatl and Tael, in fact, are extremely more loved than Navi, but it's definitely worth asking ourselves why.
The next 3D installment, The Wind Waker, instigated a different companion. One that isn't a fairy, and one that isn't with Link all of the time. Despite the differences, The King of Red Lions, was a much better companion. He had an important role to play and was actually somebody, not just a random fairy. He knew what had to be done and guided Link to achieve it. He was wise, and simply cool. He helped Link to travel throughout the Great Sea, and as a matter of fact, saved Link's life. Link would have drowned after his first Forsaken Fortress escapade if our trusty boat hadn't come along. The King simply flogged his fairy competition as the best companion.
The Minish Cap was the first handheld to have a companion, presenting itself in the form of the legendary hero's hat. Ezlo seems to receive mixed feelings. Some people love his humor and styling, others wish he would just shut up. Like the King of Red Lions, he does have a purpose in the story, and is out to get revenge on Vaati, just like Link. While clearly more popular than the two fairies, a little green hat just can't seem to beat a boat.
We now come to Mrs. Most Popular, Midna. She has everything that players want in a companion, supposedly. Being a cool shadow creature, having attitude and humor, and even some hints of a romance with Link. These two really make a team, even better than damn Samwise and Frodo. They got the job done. Midna had a purpose in the story and was useful. She had her own little dialogue too, which was cute. Clearly Midna is the fan favorite; so maybe I'm just not a fan then!
The latest installment, Phantom Hourglass, returns to the idea of the fairy companion, with Ciela and co. She's easily the favorite of the fairies, but not much beyond that. She was once again just Navi reinvented, with the same annoying calls. At least she had a purpose to the storyline though. There was also Linebeck who, whilst not being a main companion, did help Link greatly and fight with Link until the end, and I mean that literally. His comic release was funny and pleased fans, but neither of the possibilities from Phantom Hourglass can top the almighty Midna. She has a strongly secured position as the fans' favorite.
In perspective, what ever companion is your favorite is simply a matter of 'whatever floats ya boat', and The King of Red Lions is the only boat that's floating, so I swing that way. Who knows, maybe this kickass Phantom from Spirit Tracks will be the fans' favorite before the year is out. But until then, who's your favorite?
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I tend to agree with KoRL being the best, closely followed by Ezlo.
Triforce of the Gods, true form Midna isn't really a companion, and how can she be hot, she's another species?
I'd have to say Linebeck is definately my favourite. Sure, he wasn't with you all the time, but his dialogue included far more then "go here" and "go there". The guy actually had humour. I almost litteraly rolled over from laughter at some points during the game.
Yet despite her apparent annoyance, Navi ranks in as second with me. Sure, she would sometimes interrupt gameplay to state the obvious, but she actually was useful from time to time. She had some useful advise, like using Z to cut corners to avoid the Moblins, she turned green at certain spots so you knew there was something special there, and she would inform you where you needed to go, which was especially helpful after not having played for months and loading up an old save.
Besides, anyone who thinks Navi's annoying, probably has forgotten about that damned friggin owl Kaepora Gaebora and his walls of utterly useless text.
Companions aren't really a new addition to the series. I would classify both Sahasrahla and maybe even the Old Man from Z1 as companions. (Though he wasn't really as personally involved.)
Tatl didn't keep forcing you to listen to inane stupid things, that anybody could figure out. That's why I suppose I liked her better than Navi. (Plus that tinkling noise, is way less grating than 'hey' or 'listen' ever was.)
I've never really thought about which companion I liked the most. Although I have to say Midna is probably my least favourite. She just didn't appeal to me at all. Her moaning was just as annoying to me as Navi's, contextual or not. After thinking about it my order is probably:
1. Sahasrahla
2. King of Red Lions
3. Tatl
4. Navi
5. Ezlo
6. Midna
I haven't played PH, so I can't comment about Linebeck or Ciela.
definitely my man linebeck
dude had jokes for days
Sahasrahla wasnt really a companion.
Linebeck wasn't a true companion but I'd have to say he's my favorite of the bunch. He had character, humor, and a bit of development.
Navi? Despite how flat and 2D she may be, she's my favorite of the fairies. And she's one of my favorite companions. She seemed to be the one that Link bonded with the most even if we couldn't quite see it. I wish that Nintendo would have went more in depth with their relationship.
Tatl was a spunkier, and admittedly cute, revamp of Navi that I enjoyed. She had her brother Tael whom she obviously was devoted to caring for and her tinkling was much better than those good old Navi cries.
Now as for Ciela... eurgh. I'm not a big fan of her at all. When it came to the point that she's the Spirit of Courage all I could do was shake my head at her.
King of the Red Lions was a great companion and important to the story. Honestly, I hadn't thought much of him until this article. For an old king he was pretty kick ass.
Ezlo? Didn't love him, but I didn't hate him. He was alright but didn't have much of an impact on me.
Aahaha Midna. I hate to say it but she's my least favorite Zelda companion. Don't get me started on her.
Am I the only one who dislikes Link's companions -- especially Midna -- because the only real purpose they serve is to hold your hand through the game? We need Zelda games to be harder, not easier. They take away so much of the feeling that the Zelda worlds are open, free for you to explore. They encourage you to stay on a linear path. I don't need to be reminded that we should go see the King or go save so and so.
Tatl is my favorite, but only because of her performance during the moon scene. Midna comes in at a close second.
It's understandable why most fans prefer Midna over the others, but she's certainly not the best we should expect or hope for. Hopefully TP marked the beginning of greater character development within the series. I would expect the next companion to accompany Link (If there is one.) will have greater character development than Midna.
"forgotten about that damned friggin owl Kaepora Gaebora and his walls of utterly useless text."
That was the worst. I hated how every new area you ran into him at, the text at the end as to whether you wanted to hear the info again would shift from top to bottom, so if you accidentally scrolled up or down expecting to hit "I understand" or something, you'd have the listen to the whole thing again. Drove me out of my mind!
My favorites are actually Navi (SHOCK), Tatl, and Midna. I liked all three of them (though, admittedly, Navi got on my nerves). So, there's my favorites =D I can't tell you which is my true favorite, just that those three are my favorites.
MIDNA,no more questions, she is my favorite
1. Tatl
2. Midna
3. The King of Red Lions
4. Navi
No one else matters. ;)
So if we're counting the King of Red Lions as a sidekick, even though he wasn't with you all the time, mostly just gave you outside advice, got you places, and had a role in the story, then couldn't we also say that Sheik is a companion? She helps Link figure out where to go in the adult timeline, gave you the tools you needed to get those places (or told you where to get those tools) without being intrusive and annoying. She trusted you to figure it out on your own from there. She's more involved than Sahasrahla, but just a bit less than TKORL, and plays an important role in the story. So...
1. Sheik
2. Navi (she didn't start to annoy me until about the 25th playthrough...whereas Midna started to drive me nuts before I even finished the first playthrough.)
2. tatl (they're closely related)
3. King of Red Lions
I can't stand Midna. Shoot me or something, but she drives me up a wall. Least favorite.
I hate Midna (go ahead, run me over for it). From the very first meeting, the way she mocked you and played with you really got on my nerves. She didn't get any better as the game went on.
Navi got on my nerves too, but I liked her way better. She's one of my favourites. (run me over again if you want to).
Ciela, I liked, but I found her role to be kind of silly. I didn't like the way she just kept getting more and more powers throughout the whole game.
Haven't played WW or MM, so I can't comment on KORL or Tatl.
Ezlo was actually my favourite. I liked his wit the most out of all of them. Plus, he wasn't all that obtrusive to the adventuring. He was just, your hat... that talked...
P.S. I have high hopes for the Phantom in ST.
Midna's my favorite, but King of Red Lions is pretty awesome too (it probably helps that for some reason, every time I read his text, he ends up sounding like Sean Connery).
Midna got everybody's attention with the whole scene at the end, but while she's a good companion, I'm still going with KORL. And mostly just the WW game in general, because I loved not being bugged by "Hey! Listen!" or that Midna giggle every five seconds so they can tell me something. Link was actually free to do something without people's help!
I'd have to say Linebeck was my favorite. He wasn't annoying, he was funny and he was pretty cool in the last two battles.
I don't really recall Nazi being that annoying. In fact, i've always loved Navi. It may be the fact that i grew up playing Ocarina of Time and she was the one person who helped you no matter what in the game. When your 7 years old, she helps out a LOT. It's probably been a year or so since i've played Ocarina of Time, But I'm a die-hard Zelda fan anyway. To Tell you the truth, i found that every side-kick character was a fun experience for the game. Yes, granted, they made the games way to easy, but then again, even without them the games would still be too easy.
Midna, well... I loved the girl. Her constant change of attitude and heart really got you feeling for her. Not to mention Link's expressions toward her started to shift from aggravation to sympathy. I loved the King of Red Lions. He had such an air about him as you talked and traveled with him. Definently a joy to be with. Unfortunatly for me, i never got to play Minish Cap, so i don't know about Ezlo. Tatl and Tael where also excellant because again, they had feeling behind their words. But, In My opinion, the best companion Link has ever had is Epona ;3 Not to mention she pops up in more than one game.
I think the problem a lot of people have with Midna is there's too much of her and she has too much unwarranted "attitude". She feels more like an executive marketing decision than a living character who belongs in the story. I didn't hate her, but could have lived without, too.
Matt had a good point, though. I'd like to see a new Zelda game that deliberately deprives the player of a helper, and has new puzzles designed for an audience who's gotten accustomed to being tipped off.
Anyway, Linebeck was definitely the most entertaining. His "change of heart" midway through the game was hilarious.
The Lion King is a close second, in my book. The fairies in MM had a great backstory with the Skull Kid. Ezlo was pretty useful, but not very interesting. Navi isn't really much of a character. ...and Sahasrahla has a sweet name.
Just because everyone likes Midna doesnt mean you start hateing her. Dont try to be different because thats just plain silly. You know you love her. Anyways those who love Linebeck and Midna are prabably just getting to know Zelda. Play Oot awesome newbies!
1.Sheik (yup)
2.Midna
3.Ezlo, Red Lion (cant choose)
4.Navi
Yeah, considering phantom hourglass was my first game, I am still a newbie, but I've played the older zeldas and I hate Navi, no question. Midna is my fave and even though Linebeck wasn't a "companion" (he always ran away the sissy coward) I loved him too! The more personality the better, really. I am not a fan of the fairies at all. They're just little glowing balls with wings and all they do is talk at you. It's annoying.
Kaepora Gaebora. ;D
Not to sound like everyone else, but my favorite Zelda companion was Midna. She had an attitude, a big part in the storyline, and had her own cute language. I never really had any problems with Navi unless I was doing a side quest on Ocarina of Time and she would occasionally say "There is an icy breeze coming blah blah blah" . The only real thing that bothered me about Navi was her sudden departure at the end of the game. She said "goodbye" and was gone...it wasn't too heartfelt or anything... Linebeck kind of annoyed me *I think it was because I don't really like Phantom Hourglass too much* but I'll admit that he could seriously be funny. KORL was awesome because of his laughing. End of story XD Ezlo was cute because he was a snappy old man with a curly "hair-do". Tatl makes me want to stab her with a tree branch and hold her over a pit of fire. Her attitude was a bit understandable because she missed her brother, Tael, but her harsh words didn't hold any hint of friendliness like Midna's. Umm I feel like I'm missing someone but oh well...I've already typed a whole lot.
For people that are saying that the companions make the Zelda games easier...think about poor old Link here! He'd get so lonely during his adventures!!! :'(
*I couldn't really include anyone from my favorite game of the series, A Link to the Past, because I don't consider anyone a companion of Link's...
I personally hate Midna soooo much, I don't think I could EVER be considered a fan then. First, I liked her, then she started getting close to Link romantically, and ruined my impression.
Towards the middle, she went "Oh, Link, Imma damsel in distress! Save me!" and went all "Okay, it's all your fault, but since I'm supposed to be a goody goody MarySue in this game, I'll take the blame on me and NOBLY sacrifice myself for the glory." ...
And then Zelda got in there and saved her butt because she fell for her illusion of fake loyalty. I think Midna just faked that "No! Zelda! Don't do it!" scene, but internally she was happy because she got to "sacrifice herself" without the real "sacrifice". The real goody goody awesomeness in this game was Zelda.
And so, I was jumping in joy when she went away and left Link and Zelda alone because even she recognized them as the best couple in Hyrule.
In conclusion... I think I like Navi a hundred times better than Midna.
~Heroine of Time
My favorite had to be:
Linebeck: To me, he was like a Zelda-tized Johnny Depp (Kinda looked like him, too, right? ;P). And man, he had to be the funniest part of the game! His jokes were hilarious (like what he says before you leave Goron Island with that "Maybe it's just that time" line? I couldn't stop laughing 'cause it instantly made me think of Ciela being on her period!), he had the weirdest reactions (like when Oshus said that he could have a wish, and he, um, "changed his mind"?), and he was the last boss after being possessed by Bellum (I couldn't help it but think "Poor guy!" at that point). He's just an all around awesome guy!
The King of Red Lions was cool, but after I found out he was King D.N.H. in disguise, all I could think of about him was that I was riding around in an old guy the whole time. Eww on so many levels.
I simply can't wait to see how Zelda fares as an assistant to Link! (Must be awkward to have your to-be girlfriend stuck in the armor of one of your worst enemies for pretty much the whole game...)
Definitely the hot (in true form) Midna.