Best Zelda characters

Legendary Hero, Link wins 79% of his duels and tops the Zelda ranking ahead of Mischievous Imp, Skull Kid.

An 89-point gap separates Link from Skull Kid at the summit, the widest margin in the entire ranking. This distance speaks to Link's dominance as the franchise's protagonist, cementing his place above all other recurring characters. Twilight Princess, Midna claims third place with 1384 ELO, narrowly edging out Lord of Evil, Ganondorf by just 4 points in a tight battle for the podium's final spot. Princess Zelda rounds out the top 5 at 1331 ELO, trailing Ganondorf by 49 points. At the opposite end, Tingle sits at rank 18 with a 32% win rate, while Talon anchors the bottom at 992 ELO. The community has drawn a sharp line: the franchise's hero commands unwavering loyalty, while divisive and lesser-known characters struggle to escape the lower ranks.

This Zelda ranking draws from 1759 duels submitted by 32 players across 20 contenders, last updated on 12 October 2026. Whether you champion the stoic hero or root for underdog characters relegated to the bottom, VAINKEURZ lets you shape the leaderboard through head-to-head matchups. Cast your vote and influence which recurring characters rise or fall in the eyes of the community.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →