| Main characters | Link, Impa, Princess Zelda, Dark Link (final boss) |
|---|---|
| Spell teachers | 8 townspeople, one in each town that has a spell (see the spell list below) |
| Quest helpers | Bagu and the River Man (the bridge at Saria) |
| Healers | The woman in a red dress and no hat restores your Life for free, and an old woman in orange restores Magic |
Impa sets the quest in motion when she sees the Triforce mark on Link’s hand. Princess Zelda sleeps on an altar until you bring the Triforce of Courage back. The rest of the cast is spread through the towns: wise old men and women who teach spells, a river guard who needs Bagu’s note, and townsfolk who give hints. The sections below name each character and say where to find them.
Table of Contents
Main characters
Link
You play as Link. He starts with three lives, four Heart Containers and four Magic Containers. He gains EXP from enemies and spends it on Attack, Magic and Life.
Impa
Impa is the nursemaid who knew Link from his earlier adventure. When she sees the Triforce mark on his hand, she sets him on the quest to restore Zelda. She is the one who starts the adventure.
Princess Zelda
Zelda lies under a sleeping spell on an altar in North Palace. Only the Triforce of Courage can break it, so the whole quest is about gathering the crystals and reaching the Great Palace.
Dark Link
Dark Link is a shadow copy of Link that mimics his moves. It waits in the last room of the Great Palace, after Thunderbird. See the bosses page for how to beat it.
Spell teachers
Each spell is taught by a townsperson, usually an old man or old woman found in a basement or a back room. Most need you to talk to a townswoman in purple or red first to get inside.
| Town | Spell | How to get the teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Rauru | Shield | Follow the woman in purple outside a house into it, then go right to the old man. |
| Ruto | Jump | Show the Trophy to the red-dress woman, then find the old man in the basement. |
| Saria | Life | Find the man in the basement of the purple-dress woman’s house after you return the Mirror. |
| Mido | Fairy | Give the Water of Life to the old woman in purple, then talk to the man downstairs. |
| Nabooru | Fire | Bring fountain water to the thirsty red-dress woman, then find the old man in her basement. |
| Darunia | Reflect | Talk to the old woman in purple to get in, then find the old man in the house on the third section. |
| New Kasuto | Spell | Go to the old man on the second town screen, through the house with the open door. |
| Old Kasuto | Thunder | Find the old man in the first house. |
Two swordsmen in Mido and Darunia teach sword moves instead of spells. The swordsman in Mido Town’s church teaches the Downward Thrust; a soldier in the chimney house in Darunia teaches the Upward Thrust.
Healers and magic restorers
Red-dress woman (healer)
Every town has a woman in a red dress with no hat. Talk to her and she restores your Life to full. She is the first stop when you need health before a dangerous area. Do not mix her up with the red-dress woman who leads you to a spell teacher: that one steps out of her house and walks back and forth.
Orange old lady (magic)
In the towns, an old woman in orange restores your Magic to full when you talk to her. Visit her before a palace or a long walk.
Quest helpers
Bagu
Bagu lives in a cabin in the forest north of the river, past Saria Town. He gives you a note to show the River Man. Bagu’s cabin is reached through the forest path north of the bridge.
River Man
The River Man guards the bridge at the dock in Saria Town. He lets only townsfolk across until you show him Bagu’s note. After that he builds the bridge, and you can cross south toward Death Mountain.
Woman in purple with the sick child (Mido Town)
In Mido Town, the old woman in purple is looking after a sick child. Bring her the Water of Life, found in a boulder-blocked swamp cave north-west of Bagu’s cabin, and she lets you into her house, where the Fairy spell is taught.
Townspeople with hints
Error
Error is a townsman in Ruto Town. His greeting, “I AM ERROR,” is the most famous line in the game. Later he gives directions toward the Island Palace: south of King’s Tomb. Other townsfolk have hints too, such as “Magic key opens locks in palaces” and “If all else fails use fire”.
The robed figure with the Triforce of Courage
After you defeat Thunderbird in the Great Palace, a small robed figure shows you the Triforce of Courage from a high platform and vanishes. Your shadow steps down to fight, and beating it wins the Triforce.
