Revali

Revali
The Legend of Zelda character
Revali, as he appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
First Episode Appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Final Episode Appearance	Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020)
Designed by	Naoki Mori Hirohito Shinoda
Character played by	Sean Chiplock (English) Noboru Yamaguchi (Japanese) Marcel Navarro (EU Spanish) Enzo Fortuny (LA Spanish) Dirk Petrick (German) Massimo Di Benedetto (Italian) Hervé Grull (French) Nikolay Bystrov (Russian)
In-universe information
Race	Rito
Gender	Male
Title	Rito Champion
Occupation	Rito Warrior
Affiliation	Kingdom of Hyrule
Fighting style	Revali's Gale
Weapon	Great Eagle Bow
Origin	Rito Village
Nationality	Hyrulean

Revali is a fictional character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. He first appears as one of the major characters in Breath of the Wild, where he is the Rito tribe's top warrior who specializes in archery. Revali is the tough, arrogant pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh, one of the four Divine Beasts, and is one of the four Champions, alongside Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa, who help Princess Zelda and Link to defend Hyrule from Calamity Ganon. He also appears in the hack-and-slash video game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a playable character. Like the other Champions, Revali has a unique skill that is used in gameplay, which is the ability to control the power of wind. He has received a positive reception from both fans and critics alike due to his characterization and story arc.

Concept and creation

Sound director Hajime Wakai said that Revali is his favorite character out of the Champions. In the book Creating a Champion, cinematic designer, Naoki Mori stated that the Champions were designed as a throwback to characters in earlier games. He thought it would be interesting to create a character that does not accept Link as a hero like the other Champions, but wanted to ensure that Revali is not disliked due to overconfidence. The lead artist of NPCs, Hirohito Shinoda, said that Revali was the first Rito character to be created for the game and that this defined the other Rito designs. Various bird motifs were used, including swallows and woodpeckers, before the team chose birds of prey. Shinoda also said that it took a lot of experimentation to create a character that sees Link as his rival but is unable to be honest about it.

Character design

Revali is a Rito, an anthropomorphic bird of prey with a slim body, a golden hooked beak, tail feathers, dark talons and white sharp claws. He has slate gray-blue plumage as well as some white feathers on his head, wings, fingers, abdomen, legs, and tail; he also keeps his head feathers in four braids, held by jade ring accessories, which are also worn on his ankles. He wears traditional Rito garments consisting of a white vest, dark red armor, brown shoulder pads with light blue wing accessories, silver armor plates covering his chest and upper back, and a beige zig-zagged kilt around his waist. Before becoming a Champion, Revali initially wore a white tribal scarf around his neck with a Rito symbol on it, but once he became the Champion, he started wearing a blue scarf with the Divine Beast Vah Medoh emblem and he added a blue ribbon to his Great Eagle Bow. Revali often keeps his signature Great Eagle Bow attached to his back most of the time but when he is in battle, he can be seen carrying them with his talons and can shoot his targets in midair with Bomb Arrows.

Portrayal

In both Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Revali is voiced by Sean Chiplock. His Japanese voice actor is Noboru Yamaguchi.

Characteristics

Revali is shown to be a fierce proud Rito warrior out of his kin. He is the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh and the wielder of the powerful Great Eagle Bow. Revali is usually arrogant and sarcastic, but he is shown to have a mature side to him as well and he takes his passions seriously, and is shown to not have formed special bonds with anyone in his village and instead strives to be the best warrior he can be, though it is implied that he would sometimes feel alone. Revali is the pride of the Rito, who won several archery tournaments and set exceptionally high scores. Even though he wasn't too happy with his role in operating a Divine Beast to merely assist Link, he eventually accepts his call to become Vah Medoh's pilot, but even then, he is often in poor spirits due to his role in supporting Link given that he was already confident in his own skills and the belief that he was the key to defeating Ganon. Revali eventually made the request to the elder to have the Flight Range constructed at Dronoc's Pass where the constant updrafts helped him train further and develop his move which would be called Revali's Gale, an updraft that propels the user into the air, which was a breakthrough for the Rito, who can primarily glide with natural updrafts under their wings but cannot ascend on their own. He longed to teach the next generation of warriors and would later open it as a practice spot for young children and a platform would later be named after him. Link’s second memory shows his interaction with Revali, who goes on to brag about his skills and using them to defeat Calamity Ganon while showing clear disdain towards Link for being chosen to fight Calamity Ganon because he has the Master Sword, and the fifteenth cutscene has him show genuine concern and clearly somber regarding Zelda’s dormant sacred power and his journal shows that he is trying to be empathetic, while admitting his struggles with understanding the problems of those who aren't as talented as he is. Revali is also noted to be very insecure of his abilities and himself which shows during the Champion Revali's Song cutscene when he chastises himself after failing to perfect his signature move and longing to feel loved and appreciated by others, which was a driving force for him developing Revali's Gale. Revali is also shown to have a soft spot for children as shown in Age of Calamity's "Guardian of Remembrance DLC 2 Pack" in his interactions with Teba's only son, Tulin.

Like the other Champions, Revali has a unique skill that the player uses during gameplay. In Breath of the Wild, Revali bestows a skill upon Link named Revali's Gale, which creates a powerful updraft that propels the user into the air. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, with the right combos, Revali can throw powerful tornadoes at his enemies.

Appearances

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Revali appears in Breath of the Wild as one of the major characters. He is one of four Champions - alongside Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa - who are given the mission of helping Link and Princess Zelda with protecting Hyrule from Calamity Ganon. He pilots the Divine Beast of wind, Vah Medoh, an ancient Sheikah technology used to defeat Ganon ten thousand years ago, with his desire to prove himself left unresolved. Revali was met with a tragic end with the other three Champions during the battle against Calamity Ganon. Throughout the game, Revali played a large role in the plot as it's revealed in Link's memories and his journal entries. In the cutscene, "Subdued Ceremony", Revali reminds Daruk that he came up with the ceremony for Link once the latter makes note of how depressing it was, and the Rito believes that he is on the same page as Zelda in their views on Link before Urbosa hushes him. in another cutscene, "Revali's Flap" Revali is shown to boast of his flight in conjunction to his archery skills while picking on Link for his lack of flight and being chosen to slay Calamity Ganon by King Rhoam just for having the Master Sword in his possession, believing that Revali should have led the charge rather than play an assisting role. In the fifteenth cutscene, "Return of Calamity Ganon", Revali somberly asks Zelda regarding her progress on awakening her power which she makes clear that she hadn't, and he takes flight to see Calamity Ganon emerging soon after.

In Revali's journal entries, he has documented on the progress of Revali's Gale that he was trying to improve and remained determined to master the summoning of a column of wind which was long thought impossible. Another entry covers his bitter relationship with Link, showing that he was also frustrated with Link's perpetual silence and lack of emotion when he notes that Link did not react or verbally respond to him when he tries to have a conversation with him and display his gale in front of him. In the present day, Revali appears as a spirit when Link wakes up 100 years later. When Link successfully purifies Divine Beast Vah Medoh, he appears to Link and grants him Revali's Gale and once he puts Vah Medoh into position, Revali learns to appreciate the role he has and understands Link's destiny better.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Revali returns as a playable character. The game acts as a prequel with events being set 100 years before the Breath of the Wild. The story takes place in an alternate timeline where a small Guardian named Terrako travels back in time to change Hyrule's fate after witnessing the chaos in the Breath of the Wild timeline to warn the Hyruleans in what they are in for, leading Princess Zelda to set off to recruit the Champions, with Revali being one of them. Even after a mishap at Rito Village was cleared up, it was the beginning of Revali's rivalry with Link.

Unlike what happened in Breath of the Wild, Revali and the Champions survive their encounters with the Blight Ganons with Terrako's help in bringing back the future warriors. Revali was rescued by Teba, who helps to hold off the monster until Link arrived and they were only able to make Windblight Ganon flee, while keeping Vah Medoh within Revali's control. Teba is noted to be shocked when he saw how abrasive Revali was towards Link, but despite this, he is still impressed by his skills, and continues to fight alongside him as they defend western Hyrule and they both destroy Windblight Ganon. In the Guardian of Remembrance DLC Pack 2, Revali helps Teba save the latter's son Tulin from the monsters in Korok Forest and has formed a special bond with him. He also helps the Hyrulean army defeat Astor and Calamity Ganon once and for all.

Other media

Revali appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Advanced Spirit.

Merchandise

For Breath of the Wild, Nintendo released an amiibo of Revali, which was reprinted for the launch of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Reception

Revali has received a largely positive reception. Sara Heritage of TheGamer ranked Revali as the eighth best side character for being one of the most beloved and interesting characters despite his arrogant personality and his development from being Link's rival to begrudgingly respecting him. Callum Archer remarked on Revali's skills in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, by saying that he is "easily one of the most powerful characters in Age of Calamity in large part due to his range but also due to his unique ability to fly over the heads of most enemies that not only put him out of reach of all but the tallest foes, but also gives him the best means to attack hordes of enemies". Daniel Alexander for TheGamer listed Revali in fifth place on the list of the ten best characters in Breath of the Wild, commenting that Revali's pretentious behavior makes him a bit arrogant initially, before it becomes clear that he is only a bit jealous of Link's position. Revali has been a popular choice for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, either as a group with the other Champions or on his own. Renan Fontes of Game Rant considered Revali to be the best-written character out of all the Champions, due to his resentment towards Link and his doubts over Link's inherent talents. Writing for Nintendo Wire, Logan Plant said that Revali is his favorite character in the series due to his overconfidence, which is an unusual trait in a Zelda character and considered that Revali brings an edge and attitude to the Zelda universe. Justin Loveland of Screen Rant ranked Revali as the best Champion for the subtle layers of depth in his character, stating that he has the most standout personality of all the Champions and that his pride is informed by both determination and insecurity. Oisin Kuhnke from VG247 reported that players lamented the absence of Revali's Gale in Tears of the Kingdom, describing it as the most useful of all the four Champion abilities.

See also

• Characters of The Legend of Zelda