He’s a joke. Honestly, that is the first thing anyone says when you bring up Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan. He’s got the belly, the temper tantrums, and an obsession with bananas that borders on the pathological. If you’ve played Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, you probably remember him more for falling down a hole than for being a legitimate threat to Hyrule.
But looking at Kohga as just a "meme boss" is a mistake. A huge one.
Behind the slapstick comedy and the weirdly flamboyant hand gestures, Kohga leads a fanatical cult of Sheikah defectors who have successfully survived in the shadows for ten thousand years. That doesn't happen by accident. You don't maintain a secret society dedicated to the literal resurrection of ancient evil just by being a clown. Kohga is the glue holding the Yiga together, and his evolution across the recent Zelda timeline reveals a character that is way more complex—and competent—than his boss fights suggest.
The Man Behind the Mask
Who is he, really? We know the Yiga Clan formed ages ago when a faction of the Sheikah felt betrayed by the Royal Family of Hyrule. They traded their loyalty to the Goddess for a blood oath to Calamity Ganon. Kohga is the current inheritor of that legacy.
He isn't just a general; he’s a deity to his followers.
The Yiga treat him with a level of reverence that is genuinely unsettling. They call him "The Top Banana." They mimic his combat style. They are willing to die—literally poofing into a cloud of smoke and paper charms—just to stall Link for five seconds so Kohga can finish his lunch. This isn't just employment. It's a personality cult. Kohga’s charisma is his greatest weapon, even if that charisma looks like a mid-life crisis to the rest of us.
His "Magnificent Belly" isn't just a design choice. It's a statement. In a world where everyone is struggling to survive in the ruins of a fallen kingdom, Kohga is well-fed. He is living large. He represents the excess and "freedom" the Yiga claim to have found by abandoning the strict, ascetic life of the Sheikah monks in Kakariko Village.
Why the Comedy is a Tactical Choice
Nintendo is smart with how they use humor. By making Kohga ridiculous, they lower your guard.
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Think about the first time you infiltrated the Yiga Clan Hideout in Karusa Valley. The atmosphere is tense. The guards are one-shotting you if you get spotted. It’s a high-stakes stealth mission. Then you get to the arena, and there he is. He’s dancing. He’s conjuring giant boulders and then accidentally dropping them on his own head. You laugh. You think, This guy is a pushover.
But then look at what he actually accomplishes.
In Age of Calamity, we see a slightly more desperate version of the character. He’s a survivor. When the chips are down, Kohga is the one who rallies his troops. He’s surprisingly sentimental about his "underlings," which is a trait you rarely see in villains serving a mindless force of destruction like Ganon. He cares. That makes him dangerous because his followers aren't serving him out of fear—they’re serving him because they actually like him.
He’s also a master of ancient tech. People forget that. He can teleport, manipulate gravity, and create force fields. In Tears of the Kingdom, he takes it a step further. He heads into the Depths—a literal subterranean nightmare filled with Gloom and monsters—and establishes a massive industrial operation. He’s mining Zonaite. He’s building tanks. He’s building planes.
He’s an engineer of chaos.
The Depths and the "Magnificent" Industrial Revolution
If you spent any time exploring the Depths, you’ve seen the Yiga schemas. Kohga didn't just go down there to hide; he went there to innovate. While Link was busy helping Hylians fix their signs, Kohga was busy reverse-engineering the technology of the gods to build a weapon of mass destruction.
- He successfully weaponized the Autobuild ability.
- He organized logistics chains across a dark, poisonous wasteland.
- He discovered the "Great Abandoned Central Mine" before the researchers did.
It’s easy to dismiss him when he’s shouting about "the one who shall not be named" and throwing a tantrum, but the sheer scale of the Yiga infrastructure in the Depths is a testament to his leadership. He is the CEO of a startup that happens to want to end the world.
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The Bananas: More Than Just a Meme
We have to talk about the Mighty Bananas. It’s the Yiga trademark.
On the surface, it’s a funny quirk. But from a gameplay perspective, the Yiga’s obsession with bananas serves as a brilliant environmental storytelling tool. It tells us about their culture. They are obsessed with strength and "Mighty" buffs. They value physical power over the spiritual wisdom of their Sheikah cousins.
Also, it’s a brilliant trap. How many times did you see a random banana on the ground and think, "Hey, free food," only to have a Yiga Footsoldier jump out and try to shank you? Kohga has turned a piece of fruit into a psychological warfare tool. It’s brilliant in its simplicity.
Facing the "Final" Boss
The boss fights with Kohga are always multi-stage affairs that highlight his ingenuity. In Tears of the Kingdom, the fight isn't even really about him—it’s about his creations. You fight him on a boat. You fight him on a plane. You fight him in a giant mech.
He is the only boss in the game that evolves alongside the player's understanding of the physics engine.
When you finally "defeat" him, he doesn't just die. He exits. Usually in a way that involves him being launched into the stratosphere or deeper into a hole. This is the "Team Rocket" energy that keeps him relevant. He can’t be killed because he’s an idea. As long as there is resentment against the Royal Family, there will be a Kohga.
What Most Players Miss About the Lore
There’s a theory floating around the Zelda community that "Master Kohga" is a title, not a name.
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If the Yiga have been around for 10,000 years, and the current Kohga looks and acts the way he does, it’s highly unlikely he’s the same guy from the original Great Calamity. Or is he? Some suggest that the Yiga have found their own version of "eternal life" through their distorted Sheikah tech, or perhaps Kohga is simply a mantle passed down to the most "charismatic" (read: loudest) member of the clan.
This adds a layer of tragedy to the character. He’s playing a role. He’s keeping a legacy of hatred alive, wearing a mask (quite literally) to hide whatever humanity he has left.
How to Effectively Handle the Yiga Clan in Your Playthrough
If you’re struggling with the Yiga or just want to see everything Kohga has to offer, you need to be proactive. Don't wait for them to find you.
- Infiltrate the Hideout Early: Getting the Yiga Armor set is a game-changer. It changes how the NPCs interact with you and allows you to access the Lightning Helm, which is arguably the best headpiece in the game for dealing with thunderstorms.
- Farm the Depths: Kohga’s bases in the Depths are loaded with Large Zonaite and Crystallized Charges. Beating him in the four main mines is the fastest way to max out your battery.
- Watch the Trees: In the overworld, if you see a travel-weary NPC standing in the middle of nowhere, just look at their feet. If they’re wearing the Yiga sandals, get your sword ready. Or better yet, drop a banana and see what happens.
The Legacy of the Top Banana
Master Kohga works as a character because he provides a much-needed break from the self-serious tone of the "End of the World" narrative. Ganon is a force of nature. Zelda is a figure of tragic destiny. Link is a silent knight carrying the weight of a kingdom.
Kohga is a guy who just wants to eat fruit and be told he’s the best.
He’s the most human character in the game because he’s flawed, arrogant, and surprisingly resilient. He represents the part of us that doesn't want to save the world—the part that just wants to build a cool car and cause a little bit of trouble.
So, next time you see him spinning around or falling into a pit, don't just laugh. Appreciate the hustle. He’s been trying to kill you for ten thousand years, and he’s still not giving up. That’s a level of dedication most of us can only dream of.
If you're looking to wrap up the Yiga storyline in Tears of the Kingdom, make sure you've tracked him to the Great Abandoned Central Mine, the Grove of Time, and the Kara Kara Mine. Completing the "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" questline isn't just about the boss fight—it's about getting the Earthwake Technique, a secret combat move you can use without a weapon equipped. It's the ultimate way to show the Yiga that you've mastered their own style.