The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, even though every new entry features an entirely new story. However, many of the characters of the Zelda franchise returns, sometimes in every single installment. Others have simply remained recurrent due to Easter Eggs, fan popularity, or their re-purposed function in the world of Hyrule.
With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally out, many fans will have their eyes peeled to see which frequent Zelda characters return to the new installment. While some are basically guaranteed to return, others may satisfy longtime fans of the franchise. These characters are among the most frequent to appear throughout the franchise's history.
10 Link
By far the most recurring character in The Legend of Zelda is Link, who serves as the main protagonist in pretty much every installment of the series. Though his look changes over time, he often sports a green tunic, the Master Sword, and blonde hair. However, his aesthetic has varied from cartoonish to a darker, more realistic depiction in certain titles.
The only Zelda games that Link has not made an appearance in are spin-off titles, such as Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. However, even lesser-known spin-off titles like the Zelda games for the CD-i and the rhythm game Cadence of Hyrule feature Link in prominent roles. Suffice it to say, there's no The Legend of Zelda without Link.
9 Zelda
The second most frequent character in the Zelda franchise is, surprisingly, Zelda herself. The character has appeared in all but three entries of the series: Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, and Tri Force Heroes. However, her role is often as a supporting character or damsel-in-distress for Link to rescue from evil forces that invade the land of Hyrule.
There are only a few entries where Zelda is actually playable. Some of these include the two Hyrule Warriors games, as well as Cadence of Hyrule and the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Other titles, like Spirit Tracks, incorporate a spirit of Zelda that inhabits the armor of a Phantom Guardian, allowing Link to utilize her to complete puzzles.
8 Ganon
By far the most well-known villain from The Legend of Zelda is Ganon, who on some occasions appears in his human form, Ganondorf. Unlike variations of Link and Zelda in many of the series' entries, it is implied that the Ganon who appears in the franchise is the same character in every title, who is forever destined to be reincarnated for eternity.
However, there are many entries in the series in which Ganon, as well as Ganondorf, do not appear. Some of these include Majora's Mask, Four Swords, Spirit Tracks, and Skyward Sword, albeit in the latter his original form, Demise, appears and is defeated by Link for the very first time, beginning the cycle that Ganon would later become trapped in.
7 Impa
Out of all the recurring characters in Zelda games, Impa takes on the more diverse range of appearances. The character was first name-dropped as the Old Woman in the instruction manual of the first NES game, later making a more fully-fledged appearance in the Nintendo 64's Ocarina of Time. There, a younger Impa took on the role of Zelda's protector.
Future appearances of Impa in the series have elaborated on the characters' elderly wisdom and young combat skills. Titles like Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild significantly feature the character in both forms. Impa also makes appearances in A Link Between Worlds and Oracles of Ages and Seasons, both portable titles in the franchise.
6 Tingle
Tingle originally appeared in Majora's Mask as one of the stranger characters in the land of Termina, selling Link maps of the land in exchange for Rupees. The character's cartography skills are later put to use in Oracle of Ages, as well as The Wind Waker, the latter of which players must free him from prison before utilizing his map-making skills.
While also having supporting roles in other Zelda titles, Tingle mainly gets his reputation from his own solo games. In spin-off titles like Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland and Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, Tingle takes center-stage for his own adventures, making him the only non-Link character in the series to helm his own solo game.
5 Dampe
One of the most surprising Zelda characters to appear frequently throughout the series is Dampe, the goofy gravedigger of Hyrule. The character first appeared in Ocarina of Time, dying during the seven-year time skip and re-appearing as a ghost to race Link and reward him with the Hookshot. However, other appearances of Dampe are very much alive.
Dampe later appears returning to his role of gravedigger in Majora's Mask, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, and A Link Between Worlds. The character was also added to the Nintendo Switch remake of Link's Awakening, where he helps Link create custom Chamber Dungeons in his shack that replaces the Photographer's from the original game.
4 Beedle
Beedle is a relatively new addition to the Zelda canon, first appearing as a seabound merchant in The Wind Waker. He has continued to make frequent appearances in Zelda titles with similar aesthetics, such as Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, both of which find him operating as a salesman for various items throughout Hyrule.
Beedle has also made appearances in The Minish Cap, with varying items to buy as players progress through the game, as well as Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS. He's also one of the few non-Link or Navi characters in the franchise to utilize recurring voice acting, which means he's been special for a long time in Nintendo's eyes.
3 Skull Kid
Most Zelda fans remember Skull Kid as the main antagonist of Majora's Mask, as an abandoned forest boy who becomes possessed by the titular evil mask. However, Skull Kid's debut appearance was the previous game, Ocarina of Time, who can be found playing a flute in the Lost Woods and will give Link pieces of Hearts if he plays a song with them.
The Skull Kid remained absent from the Zelda series from a long time until Twilight Princess, appearing as a guide for Link through the Sacred Grove en route to the Master Sword. Skull Kid also appeared as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors, featuring his design from Majora's Mask, and is also playable in Cadence of Hyrule.
2 King Of Hyrule
There have been many incarnations of the King of Hyrule, though not many of them have appeared on-screen or prominently in the Zelda series. Oftentimes, Princess Zelda is the only member of the Hylian Royal Family that players get to meet, though on few occasions the King of Hyrule has taken over that role.
The most prominent Kings of Hyrule in the franchise appear in The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild, both with similar designs featuring a big white beard. Hylian Kings also appear in The Minish Cap and the infamous Zelda spin-off games on the CD-i. The King of Hyrule also makes a cameo during the ending sequence of A Link to the Past.
1 Epona
Horse-riding wasn't added to The Legend of Zelda until Ocarina of Time as a means for Link to traverse the expansive world of Hyrule. Specifically, Epona appeared in that game as a horse Link has to tame as an adult. Though there's no relation between any of the subsequent horses Link rides, Epona is often a re-purposed name for these specific horses.
After also appearing in Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, Epona can also be obtained in Breath of the Wild. While Link can tame pretty much any horse he finds in the wild, a horse that resembles Epona can only be found if players scan the right Amiibo figure. Nevertheless, nothing compares to riding Epona through the Switch game's open world environment.