T𒁃he couldn’t hav🅰e asked for a better launch title than . Revitalizing and alike, BotW was arguably everything a video game should be, prioritizing player freedom above all else. As deserving of its title as masterpiece as the game is, however, Breath of the Wild’s characterization didn’t quite live up to the franchise’s reputation. Aside from Link and Zelda themselves, the Champions were more caricatures than nuanced characters.
For as much flak as ’s story has go🐻tten for adding time travel into Breath of the Wild’s backstory, doing so has allowed to tell a narrative where BotW’s underutilized cast are front & center. Age of Calamity's main characters ar🃏e full of the depth expected from The Legend of Zelda.
10 Princess Zelda: Fated To Carry The Weight Of Hyrule
Narratively, the main reason for adding time travel into A🌸ge of Calamity’s story seems to be as a means of giving Zelda a fuller character arc. By only adapting BotW’s backstory, Zelda’s arc ends with more or less defeated, hoping against hope Link will actually resurrect. The Egg’s visions of the future force Zelda to confront her failure outright, fleshing out a more defined arc for the Princess than was seen in Breath of the Wild.
Zelda is still carrying t𝔉he weight of Hyrule on her shoulders and knowing she’s destined to fail only worsens the situation. Her insecurities are downplaye🀅d, but what’s highlighted instead is Zelda’s sheer frustration coupled with intense self doubt. Rather than lashing out at Link, AoC’s Zelda is more prone to introspection now aware of Ganon’s decisive victory.
9 King Rhoam: Defier Of Prophecy
Even though King Rhoam ends up surviving the events of Age of Calamity, the game actually does show his canonical death scene in full detail. While Link’s assault on Hyrule Castle꧙ doesn’t happen in the main timeline, all signs point to Rhoam having actually managed to flee Calamity Ganon’s initial attack, fighting his way to the Great Plateau where he & his retainers are surrounded and killed by possessed Guardians. Adding further evidence to this being Rhoam’s death in-canon is his title in-game: Defi๊er of Prophecy. Only through Zelda’s rune does Rhoam make it through Age of Calamity alive.
8 Impa: The Voice
Age of Calamity might be Impa’s most substantial game yet, to the point whe👍re she rounds out the main 🧜cast alongside both Link and Zelda. Although Link and Zelda are the story’s two leads, with the latter in particular serving as the proper main character, Impa stands out as the voice among the main trio.
Where Link chooses not to speak anღd Zelda main🅰ly introspects about her personal failings, Impa helps to move the plot along by offering exposition, getting characters where they need to be mentally, and generally just giving Zelda someone to talk to who can actually talk back.
7 Mipha: Downplayed Romance
Mipha’s crush on Link was arguably her most defining feature in Breath of the Wild. While this was a charming reference to Ruto’s own crush w🧜ith the Hero of Time in the days of yore, it undermined the history Mipha shared with Link by turning her into someone almost entirely consumed by her crush. It does add pathos to her death and relationship with Link, but at the expense of character nuance.
Age of Calamity chooses to downplay Mipha’s crush on Link considerably. While she still clearly has feelings for him, Mipha is more often paired up with other characters so not to tie her so intimately to Link. Both Sidon and Daruk bring out positive elem💞ents of Mipha’s per⭕sonality that go unseen in BotW.
6 Revali: Resolving The Rivalry
Revali is a resentful character who doesn’t come to terms with his rivalry with Link until it’s too late. Breath of the Wild shows just how spiteful he was, showing the Hero of the Wild little to no respect. This holds true for most of Age of Calamity as well, but ♍Revali’s survival forces him to come to terms with Link – albeit in his own snide manner.
Revali puts the hostility of their rivalry beneath him after Link saves the day in Chapter 5, but the Rito Champion maintains his bad attitude. Funnily enough, even Teba makes note of Revali’s behavior, coming away slightly disappointed at how much of ෴a jerk his ancestor actually is.
5 Urbosa: Zelda’s Surrogate Mother
Urbosa’s relationship with Zelda is incredibly fascinating, especially in how it contrasts Ganondorf’s own relationship with the Gerudo. A friend of Zelda’s mother, Urbosa fills in a motherly role for the princess following the Queen of Hyrule’s death. Urbosa always directs Zelda directly when the Champions🧜 are together, actively asks about her emotional wellbeing, offers sound advice, and generally hangs around Zelda the most of her retainers save for Link.
Urbosa functions as a surrogate mother for Zelda, instilling values in her much the same way Koume and Kotake did for Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time. ✅Where Ganondorf is raised to become the tyrannical King of Hyrule, Urbosa keeps Zelওda on the straight path by nurturing her emotional stability in a way Rhoam actively ignores.
4 Daruk: Link’s Real Rival
When it comes down to it, Daruk is the closest thing Link has to an actual rival in Age of Calamity – perhaps even extending to Breath of the Wild. Where Revali’s rivalry comes from a bitter and ཧhostile place that Link actively ignores, his relationship with Daruk is far more amicable. The two even share scenes where Link chomps down on rocks to earn his respect.
Daruk also makes not of wanting to fight Link every time they do ✤battle in a side mission. Revali wants to settle a score that doesn’t exist to prove himself superior, but Daruk just wants to see what Link is made up firsthand, genuinely liking the Hero of the Wild as a person.
3 Kohga: A Title Above All Else
Despite Kohga’s appearance and behavior in Age of Calamity, he actually isn’t the same character as seen in Breath of the Wild. While the Yiga should theoretically be able to live a long time just𒅌 like the Sheikah, Kohga is clearly a middle aged man and experiences no change whatsoever in the cent𒊎ury between AoC and BotW.
In truth, Kohga is just a title the leader of the Yiga Clan adopts as their name. The same might also be true for Sooga, but it’s hard to say considering he has no modern equivalent. This difference in leadership might also explain why AoC Kohga submits to 🔯Princess Zelda whereas BotW Kohga actively sends the Yiga after Link: they’re simply different people.
2 Astor: Shades Of Agahnim
Functionally, Astor shares many similarities with Agahnim from A Link to the Past. Both serve as arbiters for Ganon who undermine Hyrule through trickery, ultimately being phased out of the plot unceremoniously🧜 at the last hour so that Link can fight the King of Evil himself. Curiously, Astor also has parallels to other Zelda villains.
Astor brands his clothing with the Gerudo insignia like Onox & Veran in t𒅌he Oracle games, wears simi♌lar jewelry to Yuga from A Link Between Worlds, and outright looks like a modern redesign of Vaati from the Four Swords trilogy.
1 Link: Awakens The Master Sword For Zelda
One of the biggest retcons Age of Calamity makes to Breath of the Wild’s lore is Link’s relationship with the Master S൩word. In canon, Link suddenly appears with the Master Sword one day as a boy. It’s not explained where he got it, but it proves himself a Hero in his own right. This isn’t the case in Age of Calamity.
Instead, Link’s first encounter with the Master Sword is in Korok Forest while fighting Astor. Link loses his sword in the process wi𓃲th Zelda nearly killed. In desperation, he reaches out to the Princess, his feelings for her awakening the Master Sword and deeming him worthy of ꦕthe Blade of Evil’s Bane. This notably parallels how Zelda awakens her powers for Link.