Appears for the first time in the original The Legend of Zelda name on NES, Impa has been a background character in many Zelda games over the years and has often been essential to the plot and liberation of Hyrule in one form or another. Although she was generally an important and powerful character, in some games she has a much greater impact than in others.
Impa’s role in the Legend of Zelda series often changes dramatically, from being a nanny in most of the 2D games to a powerful ninja warrior and guardian in the 3D games, but regardless of her profession, Impa has proven herself to be an important role in the battle against Ganon in all its appearances.
Updated May 20, 2023 by Quinton O’Connor: We added Imp from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, because how could we not? Find out how much we love her by going through this list!
10 Connection between worlds
Despite the fact that Impa was a more fleshed out character at the time Connection between worlds was released, her role in this 3DS title was minimal at best. Like most of her two-dimensional appearances, Impa is Zelda’s babysitter, and all she manages to do is steal herself and transform herself into a painting of the title’s main villain, Yuga.
That being said, she’s still one of the legendary Sages with immense power—she’s just never given a chance to prove her worth before she’s kidnapped.
9 The Legend of Zelda
Although her name is only mentioned in the game’s manual, Impa appears in the original Legend of Zelda and is actively searching for a hero to save Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon. However, after finding Link and sending him on his first ever adventure, she did very little in the game and became more of a background character until the sequel, Adventure of Link.
Although this incarnation of Impa is not a warrior or a Sage, she was much more active in the plot and Zelda trusted her skills enough to leave her post and seek out a hero to save Gairul, so she must have been able to protect herself to some degree.
8 Link’s Adventure
Impa in the second NES title acts very similarly to her iteration in The Legend of Zelda, which is fitting since they are the same incarnation of the character. In the sequel, after seeing the Triforce mark on the back of Link’s hand, she tells him the story of the other Princess Zelda, who has been sleeping for generations, gives him six crystals and a piece of paper, and pushes him out the door to a new adventure.
Much like her role in the original Legend of Zelda, Impa is mainly there to drive the plot forward and point Link in the right direction, playing no real role in the story other than being a guide to the hero and nanny to the current Princess Zelda . . However, Impa seems to know a lot more about Hyrule’s history than was apparent in the first game, so she may be holding other secrets that have yet to be revealed.
7 Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons
While the incarnation of Impa in dual titles Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons is Zelda’s babysitter again, she actually has a lot to do in these Game Boy Color games besides aim Link at Ganon like a loaded gun.
In Oracle of Seasons, she disguises herself as a troupe cook to keep Dean safe, but ultimately fails and leaves the rest of Link. In Oracle of Ages, she appears a few times to help Link find hidden passages, most notably the hidden passage in Nayru’s house that leads to the Harp of Ages, though again, she doesn’t have much to do beyond that.
6 A breath of wild nature
This frail old woman, the first Impa to really invest much in the plot, was once a powerful Sheikah warrior who fought against Calamity Ganon when he first awoke. However, after Zelda’s disappearance and Link’s defeat, as well as the ensuing 100-year sleep, she rules as head of Kakariko Village until his return, heralded by the century.
Impa gives Link a shortened version of the events that lead to him knocking on her door a hundred years too late, tells him to find his memories of his past life as a Champion, and sends him on his way to defeat Calamity Ganon. While this incarnation of Impa is mainly there for exposition and giving Link the Champion’s Tunic, it’s hard to ignore how heavily involved she was with the original Big Bad and the central role she played in the battles against his forces.
5 Khairul Warriors
Based on Ocarina of Time iteration, Impa is far more violent than her previous incarnation, largely due to the gameplay Khairul Warriors, but she still has nothing to do with the plot. As a warrior, her Biggoron Sword and Naginata weapons are decent, but are largely overshadowed by King Daphnes and Volga, who have very similar weapons that function as better alternatives.
Her biggest contribution to the story is the awareness that something is wrong with the Sheik, as she knows full well who the members of her own dying clan are, although she is unable to understand that the Sheik and Zelda are one and the same. .
4 The era of disaster
As in Hyrule Warriors, Impa’s incarnation in The era of disaster is a powerful fighter and guardian of Princess Zelda, although this version, a younger incarnation of the old woman seen in Breath of the wildis easily one of the best characters in the game.
Although her fighting style is more Sheik than Impa from the original Warriors of Hyrule, she manages to stand out from the rest of the fighters due to her ability to clone, which giving her one of the highest DPS scores. Story-wise, she’s a bit lacking, though she’s constantly there to protect Zelda and tussle with Terraco when the script calls for levity between the heavy events of the Great Cataclysm.
3 Tears of the Kingdom
Impa’s run in Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity continues with the new launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and our favorite old lady in the hat has a lot more opportunities to get out and do things. wits than in BOTW. Content to let her granddaughter run things at home in the village of Kakariko, Impa set off on her own adventure.
Impa guides Link on a path to discerning the meaning of certain mystical patterns written on the very surface of Hyrule, and even joins him on a balloon ride high into the sky. (Though she thinks his driving skills leave a lot to be desired.) It’s great to see Impa don the mantle of an archeologist of sorts, and undoubtedly leads to one of her best appearances.
2 Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time’s incarnation of Impa may not have been as bad as her incarnation in the Warriors games, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t a key component to the destruction Ganondorf after he split the Triforce into three parts.
In this game, Impa seems to be doing the dual role of guardian and babysitter, banishing Zelda from Castle Hyrule to escape the wrath of Gandondorf before teaching her the ways of the Sheik Tribe to protect herself. Just as she was in A Link Between Worlds, Impa is also one of the sages that Link must find in order to defeat Ganondorf, leaving her unable to protect Zelda and handing over her duties to Link.
1 Heavenly sword
Impa may have been a major player in the first 3D Zelda title, Ocarina of Time, but perhaps her biggest and most important role was in Ganon’s origin story, Skyward Sword.
Here, not only is the elderly Impa the main character, sent forward in time to protect the first incarnation of the goddess Hylia, but her younger incarnation also plays a major role in the final victory over Demise once and for all. She sends Link to his older self, who in turn sends him to strengthen the Sword of the Goddess with three Holy Flames and transform it into the Master Sword, a blade that plays an important role in the story of almost every Zelda game in the series. canon.