Throughout the entire Zelda series there are characters that are essential to the game’s story and others that aren’t quite as important. Some characters are memorable because they deliver comic relief to an otherwise dramatic story. Other characters are molded into our memory forever due to extreme annoyances. These are the characters to make my top five minor character list.

5 — Navi

To me, Navi, while important to the story’s progression, makes this list because of her constant “Hey! Listen!” You guys know exactly what I’m talking about. Every time you get to something for the first time, you have to listen to what she has to say. When you walk up to a door with vertical bars, she proceeds to tell you that the door cannot be opened normally and you must find a way to open it. If you discover a door with a lock and chain on it, she tells you the door is locked and you have to get a key in order to open it. C’mon, Navi. It’s obvious that you need a key to unlock the door. She stops you ever so often to hint at what you should be doing or where you should go next.

4 – Castle Guards

I don’t know about you, but I love the Hyrule Castle guards. They look all tough in their armor with those silver helmets and jousting sticks. One of my favorite parts of this game is sneaking past all the guards. Not because it’s difficult, but because it’s fun. It makes me feel mischievous and there’s just something super cool about running around similar to a spy, having to avoid being caught and thrown out of the castle just to start the process all over again that’s so intriguing.

3 – Mido

Mido? Who does he think he is, the leader of the Kokiri Forest? He’s so smug. He’s only jealous because the Great Deku Tree has called upon Link. I will give him this, he has spunk. No matter what happened or how popular Link was to become, Mido never changed. He was true to himself. Personally, I think it’d have been cool to see Mido playing a much bigger role than just trying to stop you from seeing The Great Deku Tree and going into The Lost Woods later in the game.

2 – Kaepora Gaebora

Say what you will about Kaepora Gaebora’s ability to trick you into listening to his advice multiple times, but he is important. You first run into Kaepora Gaebora as you’re leaving Kokiri Forest and he gives you some advice. He basically emphasizes your need to meet Princess Zelda right away. He pops up in a few random places here and there. You see him at the top of Death Mountain and he compliments you on your progress thus far and offers you a quick lift all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Some say that he is a distraction that only makes it take a bit longer to complete the game due to having to hear his advice every time you bump into him. Kind of similar to Navi, although she is much more annoying than him.

1 – Malon

Number one on this list, and my personal favorite minor character is Malon. First off, she’s so adorable with her red hair and her little outfit. She’s such a sweet, innocent little girl who teaches you the song to call upon your noble steed, Epona. Once you learn this song, no matter where you are in Hyrule Field, you can play Epona’s song and she’ll come running to your side. Another reason I picked Malon is because without Epona, you’re left walking, rolling and jumping across Hyrule’s incredibly vast kingdom which often times takes much longer than riding Epona. To me, having an innocent child only teach you one thing that is immensely helpful throughout around eighty percent of the game, shows how much one person—be it a small child or an adult—can have such an effect on an entire adventure. Not to mention Malon made it much easier to progress through the quest to rid the Hylian kingdom of Ganondorf. Thank you, Malon, for making transportation faster.

The Legend of Zelda has always had a multitude of characters to know and love. Of course, some characters are chosen for major roles while others are cast as very minor roles. For example, Link’s companion in each game is a vital part of the storyline and is a major player. Others such as Malon, who teaches you a song to call a character that essentially has nothing to do with plot development, aren’t quite as important to the main quest. Ocarina of Time isn’t the only great game in the series, but it is one of the most important to me as it was the very first Zelda title I ever played. So that’s my top five minor character list from OoT. Which characters made your list?

By: Brandon Brock