The island of Dragon Roost is one of the only hometowns of the Rito, introduced to us in The Wind Waker, and is the first window we as players have into the life of the Rito people. Although the primary Rito characters that Link interacts with in The Wind Waker are Medli and Komali, two Rito who are closer in age to that of the hero, the Rito are actually led by Komali’s father, the Rito Chieftain, who, despite not being as significant as Komali and Medli, is a very important figure among the Rito people in Dragon Roost Island.
A man very dedicated to his tribe, the Rito Chieftain is known for his strictness and adored by his people. He’s one of the first people on the Great Sea that Link and the King of Red Lions seek help from after setting off and, after hearing the story of Link’s plight, he agrees to help as much as he can. The Chief does, however, make it clear that his priority as Chief of the Rito lies with solving the pressing issue of Valoo’s anger atop the mountain, and asks Link to impart some of his heroic courage to his son in the meantime. Unfortunately, Komali is not inspired by Link’s courage until Link himself solves the Valoo issue for the Rito, so the poor hero ends up running the errand for the Chief anyways.
The Rito Chieftain does not make another significant appearance in the main story, as the Rito are henceforth represented primarily by Medli and Komali in The Wind Waker. He is, however, given an in-game figurine with a description which describes him as “a very gifted leader” and that he “worries about his son”. Komali goes on to become a rather remarkable Rito after learning to fly and coming into his own as a confident heir to his tribe, perhaps a testament to the Chieftain’s parenthood. The Chieftain also happens to be the only Rito without red eyes in The Wind Waker, so it’s possible he may be of a slightly different subspecies from the rest of the Rito on Dragon Roost.
Ultimately, the Chieftain is a relatively very minor character considering his role as a leader of a major tribe and is generally overshadowed by the younger Rito, but something about him has always interested me. Perhaps it’s just the fond memory of playing The Wind Waker as a child that makes him stand out to me, but I’ll never forget being so unreasonably excited about receiving the Delivery Bag after the initial encounter with the Chief.
