The 10 best animal companions in The Legend of Zelda

Link has been aided by many sidekicks throughout the adventures in The Legend of Zelda, and not all of them have walked on two legs. With a variety of intelligent creatures inhabiting Hyrule and every other land he’s visited, some of Link’s most helpful allies have been the animals that he’s come across during his journeys. Whether they were characters in themselves who talked any ordinary person, or were just friendly wildlife who welcomed human interaction, these are the ten best animal companions who have joined us in The Legend of Zelda.

10. Giant Turtle

Let’s give credit to the Giant Turtle from Majora’s Mask simply for being willing to help Link in the first place. Despite being woken up from a very long, peaceful sleep, the enormous sea creature is chatty and jovial. The rest of us would be groggy and probably would need a cup of coffee to get started. The Giant Turtle is more than happy to provide Link safe transportation to the Great Bay Temple, which is surrounded by a violent storm powerful enough to send Gerudo Pirates and their boats flying.

9. Fishmen

When you need information in The Wind Waker, there is nobody better to seek out across the Great Sea than the talkative Fishmen. So long as you have a batch of All Purpose Bait in hand, the Fishmen can give you the scoop on an island’s secrets, while also filling out a portion of your Sea Chart. Their cartography skills are that much more impressive when you consider that they somehow keep the paint from washing off their brushes while swimming. The Fishmen are also willing to dole out Rupees if you give them some acupuncture treatment with your Bow. There are not very many creatures in the world that will reward you with money for shooting them with arrows, but the Fishmen are a rare breed, to say the least.

8. Dimitri

After years where Dodongos served only as voracious enemies, along came Dimitri to show a gentler side to his species. Once Link helps the young Dodongo out of a bind in either Oracle of Seasons or Oracle of Ages, Dimitri proves to be an invaluable ally. He is a remarkable swimmer, able to wade through rapids and even up waterfalls to carry Link to places the hero could never reach. True to his nature as a Dodongo, Dimitri can also gobble up enemies in a single bite.

7. Moosh

Long before Breath of the Wild let us ride wild bears, the Oracle games introduced us to a big, blue bear who could do a lot more than just scurry about on four paws. Amazingly enough, Moosh can fly for short distances, able to carry Link across otherwise impassable fissures in Holodrum and Labrynna. We’re still not sure how he manages that with such hilariously tiny wings. Moosh has quite the appetite for bananas, so maybe it’s all that potassium in his diet. He’s more than just an amusing means of aerial transportation, too. Moosh can put his girth to good use by slamming into the ground, where the force of his impact knocks nearby enemies senseless.

6. Ricky

It is unlikely that we will ever see a kangaroo again in The Legend of Zelda, so Ricky remains one of the single most unique characters that Link can befriend on one of his adventures. The down and out marsupial needs a bit of a pep talk when you first meet him, but once you get his boxing gloves back to him, Ricky makes traveling across Holodrum and Labrynna a whole lot easier. He can bound over pits, leap up cliffsides, and punch out any enemies in his path. Even in a video game series filled with powerful warriors and magic users, never underestimate how effective a good one-two jab combo can be.

5. Loftwings

No matter where Link is in the skies over Hyrule, one whistle is all that’s needed for his loyal Loftwing to come soaring to his side. Believed to be symbols of Hylia’s divine protection, Loftwings form an inseparable bond with the people of Skyloft. The great birds are strong enough to carry a person while flying, yet can still nimbly weave around any object in the sky, making them the choice mount for Skyloft’s knights. Loftwings, whose appearance is inspired by shoebills, come in a variety of different colors, but none are more stunning than Link’s crimson Loftwing. Their likeness can be seen on the crest of the goddess Hylia, while Link’s crimson Loftwing in particular is depicted on the Hylian Shield.

4. Sand Seals

If Sand Seals don’t return in Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo is doing something very, very wrong. Going forward, The Legend of Zelda needs to fully embrace the brilliance that is attaching yourself to a girthy land mammal and letting it pull you along as it swims through the sand like a dolphin in water. Horses can’t enter the Gerudo Desert, and trudging through all of that sand by foot is a total slog (even with Sand Boots), but the friendly and lovable Sand Seals make traversing that arid region a breeze. The Gerudo have the right idea by domesticating them, and Riju has every good reason to be such a fangirl for them. Whether it was following after the rampaging Vah Naboris with Riju, racing to get a new record in the Sand Seal Rally, or chasing down a Molduga, the best times in Breath of the Wild’s Gerudo Desert were always with a Sand Seal leading the way.

3. Wolf Link

After saving both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm during the events of Twilight Princess, Wolf Link returned to The Legend of Zelda as the most helpful ally Link could ask for in Breath of the Wild. Those fans lucky enough to own the Wolf Link and Midna amiibo from Twilight Princess HD could summon Wolf Link to their aid while exploring the overworld, in what is the single best implementation of amiibo to date. There is no better buddy that you could ask for to have at your side for expeditions through Hyrule’s perilous wilderness, as Wolf Link will fearlessly join you in battle against any foe and chase after elusive wildlife to fill up your inventory with meat items. Perhaps his most helpful ability is when he puts his keen senses to work to sniff out whatever object you have set to the Sheikah Sensor.

2. Kaepora Gaebora

Link is just a young boy as he sets out from Kokiri Forest on a dangerous adventure to save all of Hyrule, but Kaepora Gaebora dutifully keeps a watchful eye out for him from high above. From Hyrule Castle all the way to the depths of the Haunted Wasteland, Kaepora Gaebora is willing to fly anywhere to lend a helping wing to the youthful hero. The great owl is never short on hints or information to provide Link, offering all sorts of advice to make the quest in Ocarina of Time just a little bit easier. Some fans might say Kaepora Gaebora rambled, but that’s probably because they were too impatient and smashed away on the A-button rather than listen graciously to his wise words. Kaepora Gaebora is also known to occasionally offer a thrilling means of travel by taking Link in his talons and bearing the boy through the sky to a far off destination.

1. Epona

Fans have seen Epona as both a shy foal and as a majestic warhorse, yet no matter her age or size, she remains the single most beloved animal in The Legend of Zelda. Epona’s loyalty is without equal, racing to Link’s side at the sound of her eponymous song, which has become one of the most well-known melodies in the series. She has served as his most faithful companion throughout multiple adventures, from as far back as Ocarina of Time, to as recent as Breath of the Wild (if you happened to have a certain amiibo). Between traveling across the overworld, taking part in the many horse-themed minigames, and carrying Link into battle, Epona has been an integral part of so many memorable moments in The Legend of Zelda. If it’s true that a dog is a man’s best friend, then Epona proves that a horse is a hero’s best friend.