The Average Middle-Aged Man is a character in A Link to the Past.[1]

Biography

The man is a former Thief who specialized in picking locks who now lives at the entrance of the Desert of Mystery under the guise of being a ordinary man in silent meditation, sitting by a sign that tells people to leave him be. If Link picks up or slices his Sign, the man will break his silence and follow Link until he leaves the area.[2]

After hearing about the "average" man from a former thief located in a cave near the Ice Palace or from a Thief in the Lost Woods,[3][4] Link can return to him with the Locked Chest found in the Village of Outcasts. The man offers to open the Chest for Link in exchange for him not telling anyone about his true identity.[5] He gives Link the Magic Bottle that was inside in exchange for Link's silence. Afterwards, he will not care whether or not his sign is taken by Link.[6]

Trivia

The man asking Link to keep his identity a "secret from everyone" is a reference to the famous quote from The Legend of Zelda .

. During the ending credits, the man can be seen back to his old ways trying to pick locks in the Desert of Mystery.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions Language Name Meaning English UK Average guy Japanese へんなおじさん (Hen-na Ojisan) Strange Old Guy French EU Vieil original Old eccentric German Irgendwer Somebody Italian Uomo comune Common man Spanish EU Tipo de los más normal Really normal guy