Is there another series of video games that manages to straddle the line between adventure and the warm familiarity of home so well as Zelda? While a few games in TheLegend of Zelda series share a couple of reoccurring characters, each title takes place in vastly separate periods of time (or, indeed, separate timelines entirely).
Thankfully, one crucial element helps tie each of the games together: the diverse races of Hyrule. Appearing from the 1986 adventure classic original to Tears of the Kingdom, each of these iconic peoples populate the landscape and helps give a sense of continuity, history, and life to a franchise famous for its tenuous timelines and shifting geographies.
9 Hylians / Humans
While Hylians and humans appear, dress, and behave just about the same, they are considered quite distinct from one another in the lore (the main physical difference being the Hylians' pointed ears, which they use to "hear the gods"). Humans appear more frequently in the outer parts of Hyrule and beyond, particularly in Holodrum and Labrynna from the Oracle and Seasons games.
Hylians hail from Skyloft, as seen in Skyward Sword, and descend from those who lived with the goddess Hylia before descending to the surface and establishing Hyrule. As with many other fictional elves in literature, Hylians were thought to have been powerful magic users in ancient times, but their abilities have, for the most part, faded. It is assumed that the technology-embracing people of Termina from Majora's Mask are Hylians from a parallel reality.
8 Sheikah
Keen-eyed players may have noticed symbols of the Sheikah throughout their time with the series. However, besides Impa in Ocarina of Time, the "shadow folk" lived up to their mysterious name and only appeared in full force late in the Zelda timeline in Breath of the Wild. Their red eyes help differentiate them from Hylians, from whom they are thought to have been split.
With incredible acrobatic and technological prowess, they built the ancient shrines and towers that dot the landscape of post-calamity Hyrule. Tragically, despite being assigned by the goddess Hylia to protect the royal family (and her mortal incarnation, Zelda), their advanced knowledge of magic and technology put them at odds with the king of Hyrule, who scattered them across the landscape.
7 Korok / Kokiri
Thought to have descended from Hylians, the Kokiri are beings that take the form of children garbed in green, always accompanied by a fairy. Link, a Hylian raised among the fairy children in Ocarina of Time, is sometimes thought to be a Kokiri because of his verdant attire and fairy accomplice. However, the fact that he grows up proves otherwise.
After Hyryule was flooded, the Kokiri changed their forms and become the small, tree-like beings known as Koroks. Like deku scrubs, another plant-like creature seen across Hyrule and Termina, their leaf-like appendages helped them fly high in the air, high above the ocean or land, making them difficult but rewarding to find in the wild.
6 Gorons
One of the oldest and most enduring races, the Goron are legendary smiths and rock eaters. They usually make their homes on mountains (where they can get the best downhill rolls) and have no problem dealing with extreme heat. Just like non-sentient rock formations, some members can grow extremely large, such as Biggoron, famous for having crafted Biggoron's Sword, and stow many secrets under their stony exterior.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their stone-like nature and form, Goron have changed little since their first appearance in the series during Skyward Sword. Given this lack of change, it's likely that they have little trouble dealing with local threats and monsters.
5 Twili
Also known as the "Interlopers," Zelda fans only got a glimpse of the Twili (albeit in their corrupted form: the Shadow Beasts) in Twilight Princess. Ancestors of the modern tribe, powerful Hylian sorcerers, were sent into the Twilight Realm, banished from the World of Light, as punishment for trying to claim the Triforce for themselves.
Over time, the magic of the magic users who would become Twili diminished, and they became a "shadow" of their former selves. They are characterized by their glowing red eyes and luminous glyphic markings covering their skin, which signify the clan they belong to.
4 Zora / Rito
Not to be confused with river Zora (or Zola), the monsters that shoot fireballs at Link in the top-down games, the mysterious sea-dwelling Zora have taken many incarnations over the course of the Legend of Zelda series. After the Great Flood event, which happened prior to The Wind Waker, many Zora were unable to survive in the unnatural water and evolved into the bird-like Rito.
When they first appeared in Wind Waker, they had humanoid features besides a beak nose and the ability to sprout wings from their arms. Thousands of years later, In their Breath of the Wild incarnations, they have far more developed bird traits, such as prominent feathers and taloned feet.
3 Zonai
While a mysterious armor set (The Ancient Hero's Aspect) heralded their appearance in the series, the Zonai first appeared in Tears of the Kingdom. But apparently, this lost race has been with Hyrule since the beginning of its long and tangled timeline. TotK even establishes one member of the Zonai, Rauru, as being the founding king of Hyrule, along with his Hylian wife, Queen Sonia.
The Zonai describe themselves as being descendants of the gods. They are animalistic in appearance and have a third eye, which they keep closed except during magic use. Not only are they powerful magic users, but they also have great mastery over technology. One example of their designs is found in the Steward Constructs on the Great Sky Island.
2 Gerudo
Some races of Hyrule are made of stone, and others of wood. The desert-dwelling Gerudo are entirely made up of women. Tall, powerful, and expert survivors (thanks to their fierce environment), they have a matriarchal society for the most part, although the Gerudo held that when a male is born (once every 100 years or so), he is destined to become king.
Since Ganondorf was the last man to be born among them, the Gerudo have mysteriously stopped producing males altogether. While they began with a more human appearance in the N64 games (with rounded ears), their later appearances have them with pointed ears. In Breath of the Wild, the Gerudo explained that this was because their shame over bringing Ganon into the world "opened their ears to the Goddesses."
1 Blins (Moblins, Boarblins)
These guys have been around since the very first Legend of Zelda hit the shelves in 1986. While they began with bulldog features, they have gradually gained pig-like appendages and snouts and a more goblin-like stature. The more pig-like types were given the name "Boarlins" to differentiate them from the others. They are not particularly bright and tend to follow the leadership of the most powerful and evil entity around (usually Ganon).
While they appeared as weak, trash enemies in the top-down games, they are more formidable in the 3D titles, requiring a little more combat finesse than a sword swing. Being the stock henchmen-type bad guy, there is little information about them in the games besides their penchant for rupees and violence.