Despite the vast and lonely landscape of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, there are a lot of NPCs that Link can encounter should he know where to look. For the most part, Link can find conversation partners in towns or at stables or even roaming the roads of Hyrule. But some NPCs may be found in the strangest of places, even ending up in rather precarious positions. These NPCs are often quite memorable, leaving lasting impressions on both Link and the player.
Gruve takes the statement “having friends in high places” quite literally, as he can be found at the top of Lanayru’s Sheikah Tower before reaching Zora’s Domain.
As one of Sidon’s Zora soldiers, Gruve was tasked with finding a worthy Hylian warrior who could help quell Vah Ruta which had been rampaging throughout their domain. Gruve clearly takes his job very seriously, which is why he “accidentally” fell asleep on the job. However, Gruve was in the wrong place at the wrong time since he woke up among the clouds when Link activated the Sheikah Towers.
Speaking to Gruve further shows a bit more of his personality and charm. He fears diving off the tower to the waters below which is a pretty dangerous task, even if diving is a pastime for Zoras featured in previous installments of the Zelda franchise. He could just climb down, but that would still subject him to his fear of heights, and not everyone can climb mountains like Link.
From this conversation, I was beginning to think that Gruve would never make it off the tower. Between his fear of diving from an extreme height and the rest of the Zoras unable to hear his cries for help, Gruve’s predicament seemed pretty hopeless.
However, Gruve surprised me with a literal leap of faith.
After meeting with Sidon, Link finds Gruve back at Zora’s Domain. He explains to Link how he dove off the Shiekah Tower, completing a dive equal to that of Olympic divers. Right before Gruve reached the water, he saw his reflection and determined that people were at their most beautiful when they are diving into water. He later asks to see Link perform a dive as well and is delighted when Link does so expertly.
Gruve transformed from a silly, one-off character to a thrill seeker, thirsting for adrenaline. While Gruve is a bit of an extreme case, he does embody taking leaps of faith. If he let his fear get the better of him, he may never have found his true passion, nor would he have been able to return home. He also is not one-dimensional, proving that even the most forgettable of NPCs can change.
Gruve is perhaps one of the best examples of how Breath of the Wild’s NPCs truly make the world feel lived in. He shows the player that through a bit of courage even in the face of danger, anything is possible, and turns a moment of great fear into one of his greatest passions. If anyone else is as deserving of the Triforce of Courage as Link, it would be Gruve.
