Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise has grown to be one of the greatest IPs in the company’s history. These spellbinding adventure titles feature inspired boss battles, brilliantly designed dungeons (and The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s infamous Water Temple) and, of course, unforgettable characters.

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The series’ core cast and more obscure NPCs alike tend to be brimming with personality, but sometimes they can become iconic for the wrong reasons. From our dashing hero Link himself to the proud, preening Revali, Here are some of the most (and least) popular characters in series history.

10 Most Likable: Grandma (The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Let’s all face facts here: Link’s Grandma in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker isn’t just the most adorable character in the series’ history, she’s the sweetest, most wholesome person in the history of (fictional or otherwise) humankind.

Wind Waker’s cel-shaded art style, of course, makes Ganondorf himself look cute and cuddly, but Grandma just takes the cake. From giving Link his first shield to tearfully waving him off from the shore of Outset Island, from growing sick with worry for her two grandchildren to making Link that wonderful soup, her expressive face makes the player feel the depths of her emotions right along with her.

9 Fans Hate: Tingle (The Legend Of Zelda Series)

Tingle is a real anomaly. Like Pokémon's Mr. Mime, he’s a deeply creepy blight on an otherwise wholesome and whimsical series. What is it we find most unsettling about him? Is it his outfit? The fact that he still wears it at his age? Perhaps the fact that he’s wearing those red underpants on the outside like Superman? His behavior? His catchphrase, kooloo-limpah?

It’s all these things, and several more. Tingle may be another quirky NPC doing his part to keep the Zelda world vibrant and interesting (it takes all sorts, as they say), but he’s never been popular.

8 Most Likable: Saria (The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time)

In gameplay terms, Saria has only a brief role in Ocarina of Time. However, the time she spends with Link proves super significant, for a number of reasons.

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We first meet this young Kokiri very early in the game, in Kokiri Forest. She and Link have spent their childhoods together, and she buoys him along on his journey as he embarks upon it. At the Sacred Forest Meadow, she teaches him Saria’s Song, which proves to be the link to his past (pun intended) as far as his quest takes him from it. Later, they save the world together, as Saria is revealed to be the Forest Sage.

7 Fans Hate: Ganondorf (The Legend Of Zelda Series)

As with the pesky elven man-child Tingle, it was inevitable that Ganondorf was going to find himself on the wrong side of this list. After all, you don’t want to bring the Gerudo prince of evil home to meet your folks, do you?

Ganon/Ganondorf’s dastardly deeds are well documented. He’s the less scaly Bowser of the Zelda universe, though he sometimes has to share the main antagonist spotlight in a way that the Koopa King rarely does. Nevertheless, he’s objectively among the most hateful characters in Zelda history.

Just as inevitable as Ganondorf’s appearance, the Hero of Time himself slots into the most liked section of our list. Kind of by default, really, as he’s the main hero and everything, but this is a tough one to dispute nonetheless.

Granted, Link speaks only in KYAAAHS and HYYAAAHS, but this is part of his charm. He’s intended as an avatar for the player, which makes his countless adventures more personal and engaging. Long-time fans have been through a heck of a lot with the many different iterations of the character, and have formed a real bond with him along the way. While he doesn’t speak, he’s incredibly expressive (as the cel-shaded Toon Link in particular).

We’re sorry to drag you into this, King Harkinian, we really are. The noble King of Hyrule and father of Zelda probably doesn’t deserve it, but still. Did we, poor Zelda fans, deserve to be subjected to Link: The Faces Of Evil and Link: The Wand Of Gamelon? You’re darn right we didn’t.

These two titles were released in 1993 for the Phillips CD-i, infamous black sheep of the Zelda family. Rushed games that have since been shunned, they’re odd side-scrolling adventures with some very questionable cutscenes. These two characters have the misfortune of being eternally associated with them, and as the faces of the games (Gwonam being a wizard who advises Link throughout) along with our hero himself, are the personification of Phillips CD-i Zelda.

4 Most Likable: Princess Zelda (The Legend Of Zelda Series)

The final member of the core Zelda trio, we couldn’t cover both Link and Ganondorf without adding the titular princess herself to the mix. Zelda’s role in the games is often limited, sometimes just for the story’s sake, but she’s a more multi-faceted character than many of her counterparts and is very popular for it.

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Unlike the often-passive Princess Peach, Zelda tends to be very proactive, bringing something to the battle against evil that Link cannot. Her potent magical abilities have saved both our hero and the world itself, and we’ve come to learn more about her as the series has progressed (through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s memories, for instance).

3 Fans Hate: Revali (The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild)

Speaking of Breath of the Wild, the latest installment in the series features a hero who differs from Link in all the wrong ways. Revali, the Rito Champion, is preening and arrogant, dismissive of Link and his mission and claiming that he makes a better hero at every chance he gets.

The Rito’s greatest archer, Revali basks in his renown in a way we haven’t seen since Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston (we can imagine Revali bursting into a self-congratulatory song at any moment). While he eventually expresses a begrudging respect for Link for defeating Windblight Ganon in his stead, his unpleasant demeanor easily made him the least likable of the Champions.

2 Most Likable: Midna (The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

There’s no denying that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a bit of an experimental title. This 2006 GameCube/Wii adventure took a darker turn than usual (excluding The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask), introducing a number of mechanics that would get a bit of a mixed reception from fans.

Wolf Link and his eternal ‘rider,’ Midna, are great examples of this. Midna is a member of the Twili who aids Link in his harrowing journey between worlds and grows to truly care for him. She’s a bit of an anti-hero, a roguish and cheeky character who struck a chord with many players. She’s not exactly a conventional hero’s companion, after all.

1 Fans Hate: Navi (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time)

Link talking to Navi

Hey, listen! Speaking of hero’s companions, we’ll draw this list to a close with perhaps the most infamous and meme-worthy character in series history.

Navi does have a crucial role to play in Ocarina of Time, true enough. The game’s world was huge for its time, after all, so pointers about objectives and enemy weak spots were crucial. It was really just the limited technology of the time that caused this little fairy’s soundbites to be so repetitive, shrill and irritating.

NEXT: Link’s Awakening: The 10 Most Interesting Characters, Ranked