3D Zelda Stage Roster

3D ZELDA STAGE ROSTER

And here is our stages for the 3D Zelda games. If this were a real roster from a real game, which stage would you pick to play on first?

Water Temple

WATER TEMPLE

Although temples come in numerous different varieties throughout the series with tons of different themes, most of them are already well-represented by the stages not necessarily representing temples. The one type of temple so notorious for their frustrating spikes in difficulty that they warrant representation apart from their connected biomes is the infamous water temples.

There are hundreds of different water temples in the series, including the Water Temple of Ocarina of Time, the Great Bay Temple of Majora’s Mask, and the Ancient Cistern of Skyward Sword. Water Temple or Ancient Cistern are my faves to act as representatives, but honestly a stage featuring elements of all, with all of their moving parts and changing water levels, would work best.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u836fuFuE7A

The Sealed Grounds

THE SEALED GROUNDS

Though Skyloft is obviously the most prominent location for Skyward Sword representation, another location in the game bears similar importance and prominence. In the region of Faron, Link encounters a spiral pit with a seal at the very bottom, where a great evil has been locked away and is trying to break through.

This stage will be set there. There are two ways we could go here, one set down in the pit with the different levels acting as platforms, or one set on the Groosenator as it moves on its track around the pit while the Imprisoned rages and makes his way up the pit, finally reaching the top and slamming its claws on the track, disrupting the fight. Personally, I prefer the second option.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWgemDEFfD0

Skyloft

SKYLOFT

Skyward Sword is an easy one to represent. The beginning of the game and several periods afterward are spent on the floating island of Skyloft where Link and Zelda were born and have lived most of their young lives.

Once again, Smash already has this one perfected. A touring stage that takes you around it and drops you off at the various locations is the best way to represent it. I don’t even entirely feel the need to toss in a few NPCs so it wouldn’t feel empty the way Delfino Plaza did. You could throw in some if you wanted though.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-t6GyCmylU

Sandship

SANDSHIP

Another stage concept that is here simply because I felt it was too cool to let simply fall by the wayside. This one is pulled entirely from the Lanayru region presented in Skyward Sword, with the time stones changing the region from barren desert to open sea in a flash of light.

This stage will be set on the second dungeon area found in the region, an ancient ship run by the Ancient Robots that went down centuries ago. A time stone will rest in the crow’s nest of the ship which will activate when struck by any fighter, switching the stage between a barren, abandoned vessel and a bustling ship in its prime.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncTj6BavvVk

Death Mountain

DEATH MOUNTAIN

One of the most notable features of Hyrule, featuring prominently in almost every major game in the series, is the perpetually active volcanic region. Sometimes known as Eldin Volcano, Death Mountain acts as the home of the Goron race and the location of most lava-themed temples.

This stage will be set high on the cliffs of the volcano, with lava running around the platforms, creating a hazard. One section of the stage will feature a long ramp perfect for Gorons to roll down. Occasionally, the stage will erupt and rocks will fall from the sky.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJUlJ5MqiQ

3D Zelda Roster

3D ZELDA ROSTER

And here's our 3D roster, covering all characters debuting in Ocarina of Time through Skyward Sword with Hyrule Warriors attached. If this were a real roster from a real game, who ya mainin'?

Demise

DEMISE

Link, Zelda, and Ghirahim carry on their own respective quests, working against each other to stop or bolster the release of Ghirahim’s imprisoned master. Ultimately though, Ghirahim will manage to get the upper hand and an ancient god of destruction will be resurrected.

This demonic being is Demise, the ancient nemesis of the Goddess Hylia, who had sealed him away and reincarnated herself into the mortal form of Zelda, with Link as her chosen hero. An epic battle ensues, ultimately ending in Demise’s defeat. Before he dies, he lays a curse on Link and Zelda, swearing that an inheritor of his spirit will rise again and again, dooming their own successors to fight an eternal battle against him.

As a fighter, Demise will be similar in many stats to Ganondorf, if most likely much stronger magically and physically, given that Ganondorf is more of a diluted inheritor of his sheer power. His moveset will pull from his final battle with Link.

Likelihood rating: Could happen.

Ancient Robot

ANCIENT ROBOT

Link’s third destination will take him to a vast desert called Lanayru. As he explores, he will find evidence of an ancient civilization that had once lived there, when it had been a lush jungle area bordering on a sea. This area’s primary inhabitants had been a race of ancient machines that spent most of their time mining for Time Stones.

Striking the mined Time Stones causes them to activate, sending the surrounding area and everything in it back in time, waking these ancient robots and allowing Link to interact with the distant past. One of these robots will even become an ally to Link, helping him deliver large items between the different locations in the game.

As fighters, the Ancient Robots will be small but powerful, with strong aerials owing to their propellers that allow them to fly. Their moveset will pull from all of their demonstrated abilities and the technology that they had once made use of.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Mogma

MOGMA

After defeating Ghirahim, Link must then travel to the Earth Temple in a volcanic province to the north. While there, he stumbles across a race of friendly mole people who live and work around the volcano.

These are the Mogmas, the current residents of the Eldin Province, who I assume went extinct prior to the previous games to make room for the Gorons. They like to dig and spend most of their time half-buried in the ground, though they can walk around when needed.

As fighters, they will be heavily ground-based fighters with sorely lacking aerials, but with the ability to dig into the ground to evade harm. Their movesets will pull from their own demonstrated abilities and the power-ups Link receives from them, as well as a few features of their volcanic home.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Ghirahim

GHIRAHIM

Armed with his new sword and companion, Link heads down with his Loftwing to the surface world far below the clouds, where he will encounter a vast forest and a spiraling pit guarded by a strange old woman. He will learn from her Zelda’s destiny and his fate to assist her. His first step in the journey is to travel to the nearby Skyview Temple, which will act as his first dungeon. At the end of that dungeon, he encounters a strange flamboyant man likewise pursuing Zelda.

This is Ghirahim, the villain of this game and the spirit of the sword that would become Ganondorf’s sword. He spends the game working to break the seal on his master, held at the bottom of the spiral pit, and pursues Zelda to use her power to do so.

As a fighter, Ghirahim will be fast and agile, with quick devastating strikes and good defense. His moveset will pull from his multiple boss battles throughout the game.

Likelihood rating: Strong.

Fi

FI

Despite Groose’s best efforts, Link comes out on top every time, eventually winning the title of champion to participate in their village’s festival and share a special moment with Zelda. Flying on their Loftwings after the ceremony, Link and Zelda suddenly find themselves caught up in a hurricane that knocks out Link and sweeps Zelda away. Waking up back on Skyloft, Link follows a strange voice to a secret chamber hidden under the village’s goddess statue, where he encounters a sword inhabited by an angelic blue-and-purple spirit.

This spirit is Fi, the soul of the titular Skyward Sword that would someday become the Master Sword. She acts as Link’s guide throughout his adventure, and likewise being the source of all his sword-related powers, for obvious reasons.

As a fighter, she will be graceful and floaty, dancing her way across the battlefield as she does in both Skyward Sword and Hyrule Warriors. Her moveset will pull from her own abilities and the abilities of the Skyward Sword as demonstrated in game.

Likelihood rating: Strong.

Groose

GROOSE

Along came the Nintendo Wii era, complete with its motion controls, leading to several great games and other games that were held back from greatness by their wonky controls. Sadly, Skyward Sword fell into that second camp, with beautiful graphics and great stories but sorely lacking controls. The story was set thousands of years prior to every other game in the series, set on an island floating high in the sky, where young knights trained to fly around on giant birds called Loftwings. Our new Link was one of these knights, a childhood friend of this game’s Zelda, constantly competing for her affections with a big pompous bully with a pompadour.

This is Groose, a thug and an idiot when you first meet him, who you will see grow into a hero in his own right as he learns to work alongside Link to find Zelda and protect the land that would become Hyrule from an ancient evil sealed beneath the ground.

As a fighter, he will have a lot of muscle behind him, but he will also be light and floaty, making great use of his Loftwing, being the natural choice to inherit everything connected to them. His moveset will also pull from his patented Groosenator machine built to fight the Imprisoned.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility.

Beedle

BEEDLE

With a personal boat at your disposal, you are now free to roam the open ocean, visiting various islands and looking for treasure. Here and there you just might find a small submarine carrying an enthusiastic merchant looking to sell some stuff.

This is Beedle, a merchant sailing the seas looking for profit. He would reappear again and again through the series, mostly in games with a slightly cartoonish bent to them, often in vehicular shops befitting the game’s world and theme, such as a flying contraption in Skyward Sword, a hot air balloon in Spirit Tracks, and simply a large backpack in the hiking-heavy Breath of the Wild.

As a fighter, he will not have much in the way of brute physical strength himself, instead using his wares and his shops themselves to cause damage. His moveset will pull from all of his shops and the various things he often sells.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Bokoblin

BOKOBLIN

As Toon Link and Aryll look on, the giant bird is shot out of the sky by cannons from Tetra’s pirate ship, causing the bird to drop her into the forest at the far end of the island. True to his inherited spirit, Link heads up there to find her and make sure she’s okay, coming face to face with his first assortment of baddies.

These enemies are Bokoblins, new variations of the Moblin designed to be smaller and smarter than their larger cousins. Bokoblins would quickly become a staple, forming a big and small dynamic with the Moblins, and almost ending up replacing them as the core enemy type.

As fighters, they will be much smaller and faster than their counterparts, but with still a good deal of strength behind them. While you might think they’d be echoes, both the Moblins and Bokoblins do enough on their own to be fully separate.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility.

Chuchu

CHUCHU

Ocarina of Time proved a rampant success, perfectly cementing The Legend of Zelda’s place in the future of 3D gaming and prompting a quick sequel produced two years later with all the same graphics and engine and a lot of reused character models. This time, we saw Link, fresh off his Ocarina adventure, wandering the woods in search of Navi, only to be attacked by a possessed Skull Kid, chasing him to a new land called Termina, and getting turned into a Deku Scrub. As Link works to return to human form and stop whatever the Skull Kid is up to, he wanders out of Termina’s central city and onto a sprawling field where he encounters his first new enemy.

These are the Chuchus, amorphous blobs that act basically like your typical slime from Dragon Quest, with a few differences. Similar enemies have appeared throughout the series, including Zols, Gels, and Buzz Blobs, and I’m really not sure what the difference is besides their name. Either way, this was the first time Chuchus by that name appeared.

As fighters, they will be basic and weak for the most part, but will be able to take a hit well. Their moveset will pull from all of their various appearances and variants, which come in more varieties than you might expect.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Lizalfos

LIZALFOS

Darunia will be distrusting of Link at first, and will ask Link to prove himself by heading down to a nearby cave, which was once the main source of their food until Ganondorf blocked it off and filled it with monsters to starve them into giving up the ruby, and clearing it out.

One of the monsters filling this cave are loud squeaking lizard creatures brandishing swords. These are the Lizalfos, who will go on to be regular players in the Zelda series, appearing in almost every major installment alongside their slightly bigger cousins, the Dinolfos.

As fighters, Lizalfos will be quick and agile, with great jumping abilities and decent strength. Their moveset will pull from all of their major appearances, incorporating moves from the Dinolfos as well and the wings of their aerial cousins, the Aeralfos.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Impa

IMPA

Getting back to his quest, Link will try to get into the castle to talk to the Princess Zelda, but will find his way barred by the security guards around the gates. Sneaking in through a back way, he will come to a courtyard where he will find the young Princess Zelda and her maid.

This maid is Impa, a warrior of the nearly extinct Sheikah Tribe and Zelda’s loyal protector. This is not the first appearance of Impa, as a version of her appears in the backstory of the original game and its sequel, but only in the booklet and not the actual game. This is her first in-game appearance, so I’ll be treating it as her true debut. The character of Impa will appear again and again, one of the few characters with almost as many appearances as Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. In Ocarina specifically, she will eventually be revealed as the sage of the shadow temple.

As a fighter, Impa is a skilled warrior trained in the ninja-like arts of the Sheikah Tribe, and will have well-honed strength and speed. Her moveset will pull from most of her major appearances, especially Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword, as well as her moveset from Hyrule Warriors.

Likelihood rating: Strong.

Deku Baba

DEKU BABA

Link sets off after Navi, heading down the forest trail to where the Great Deku Tree grows. Along the path, he encounters some of his first enemies, living man-eating plants that sprout from the ground and snap at him.

These are the Deku Babas. I suppose if Piranha Plant could make it, they could too, but they’re not here simply for that. Rather, over the course of the series, Deku Babas have appeared in many forms, most of them basically identical to their original incarnation, but just enough variance here and there to warrant a moveset.

As fighters, they will be similar in most stat aspects to Piranha Plant, if maybe a little stronger and heavier. Their moveset will pull from across the series, and every major variant of note.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause, practically the defining example.

Captain Stalfos

CAPTAIN STALFOS

As Link explores Subrosia, he might come across the House of the Pirates, where a number of Stalfos pirates dwell. Turns out, they’d been stranded there for centuries, and if you talk to their captain, you just might fight a surprising connection to Queen Ambi of Oracle of Ages.

This special type of “Pirate Stalfos” is a trope that would recur again and again throughout the series, either as allies or bosses, including Cap’n, the long lost lover of Queen Ambi from the Oracles games, as well as Captain Stalfos from Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland and LD-002G Scervo from Skyward Sword.

This fighter will be an amalgam of all three of these characters, possibly with their names applied depending on the color swaps, and their stats will be similar to your standard Stalfos. Their moveset will pull from all three versions of this character and their Stalchild pirate minions.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen.