Everyone knows the bird. If you've spent any time at all in the sprawling hills of Hyrule since 2017, you have a specific, visceral reaction to the sound of a hawk’s cry and the sight of blue feathers. Revali is, without a doubt, the most polarizing figure in the modern era of the franchise. Some players find him absolutely insufferable. Others see him as the only character in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with a shred of realistic personality.
He’s arrogant. He’s loud. He’s incredibly skilled. Honestly, he's kind of a jerk to Link for no apparent reason, right? Well, not exactly. If you actually look at the lore tucked away in the Champions' Ballad DLC and the Creating a Champion art book, the "jerk" persona starts to crack. You realize Revali isn't just a peacocking archer. He’s a guy who worked ten times harder than anyone else only to be told he was second best to a kid with a glowing sword.
The Problem with Revali in Legend of Zelda Lore
Most characters in Zelda are archetypes. Zelda is the struggling scholar. Daruk is the big-hearted warrior. Mipha is the tragic, pining healer. Then you have Revali. He doesn't fit the "noble hero" mold because he refuses to play the part of a supporting sidekick.
In the Rito Tribe, status is earned, not inherited. While Link was essentially "chosen" by the Master Sword because of his bloodline or destiny, Revali had to build his power from nothing. He didn't just wake up one day and know how to create vertical updrafts. He spent years at the Flight Range, pushing his body until his feathers were bloody and his wings were failing.
- He mastered the Great Eagle Bow.
- He invented Revali’s Gale, a feat of magic/physics that no other Rito could replicate.
- He became the undisputed best pilot for Divine Beast Vah Medoh.
Think about it from his perspective. You are the pinnacle of your race’s achievement. You have mastered the skies. Then, a silent teenager from the ground shows up, and suddenly you’re expected to follow him into battle? It’s a bitter pill to swallow. Revali’s insecurity is the most human thing about the game's narrative. He's not mean because he's evil; he's mean because he's terrified of being irrelevant.
Why the "Asshole" Trope Actually Works
Let's be real. Link is a bit of a blank slate. That’s intentional, of course—he’s the "link" between the player and the world. But because Link doesn't talk and rarely shows extreme emotion, the world can feel a bit... polite? Everyone loves Link. Everyone respects Link.
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Revali is the only one who looks at Link and says, "Wait, why is this guy in charge?"
This creates a necessary friction. In Age of Calamity, we see even more of this rivalry. The cutscenes show Revali constantly testing Link's reflexes. It’s a classic "Hard Work vs. Natural Talent" dynamic. People hate Revali because they see themselves in Link, and nobody likes being talked down to. But if you step back, Revali’s snark is the only thing keeping the Champion group from being a boring group of yes-men.
He adds texture. Without him, the story of the Four Champions is just a group of people who died being sad. With him, it's a story of a team that had to overcome ego and internal conflict before they were ultimately wiped out by Calamity Ganon.
The Tragedy of Vah Medoh
There is a specific line of dialogue in the DLC where Revali’s ghost speaks to Link after you beat Windblight Ganon again. He’s still arrogant, sure, but there’s a softness to it. He realizes that his pride didn't save him. He died alone on that Divine Beast, likely realizing in his final moments that all his training wasn't enough to stop the blight.
Windblight Ganon is a cruel irony for Revali. The monster uses laser sights and long-range projectiles—the very things Revali prided himself on. Revali was out-sniped. For a warrior whose entire identity was built on being the best shot in the world, that’s a horrific way to go out.
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The Gameplay Reality: You Need Him
Regardless of how you feel about his attitude, Revali’s Gale is objectively the best ability in Breath of the Wild.
- Exploration: It breaks the game’s climbing stamina gate.
- Combat: It gives you instant bullet-time access for headshots.
- Speedrunning: It’s a core component of moving through Hyrule efficiently.
Funny, isn't it? The character players claim to hate the most is the one they rely on every five minutes to skip a mountain climb. It’s the ultimate irony of the Revali Legend of Zelda experience. We roll our eyes at his ghost, but we spam his ability the second it off-cooldown.
What Age of Calamity Changed
If you haven't played Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, you're missing half the story. The game serves as an alternate timeline, but the characterizations are canon-adjacent. We see Revali's interactions with Teba—his future admirer. Seeing Revali realize that his legacy survives through the Rito of the future is one of the few moments where he drops the act.
He cares about his people. Deeply. His arrogance is a shield for a village that looks up to him as a god. He feels the weight of the Rito's survival on his shoulders. If he isn't the best, they don't have a protector.
How to View Revali Now
If you’re replaying Tears of the Kingdom or going back to Breath of the Wild, try reading the Rito journals again. Look at the way the children talk about him. To the world at large, he was a hero. To Link, he was a rival. To himself, he was never quite good enough.
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That complexity is why we’re still talking about a blue bird eight years after his debut. He isn't a hero because he's nice; he's a hero because, despite his fear and his massive ego, he still stood on that deck and fought a demon until the very end.
Next time you hear that "Good luck, Ganon-slayer" line, listen to the tone. It’s not a taunt. It’s a passing of the torch.
Mastering the Rito Legacy
To truly appreciate the depth of Revali's character and his impact on your playthrough, you should focus on these specific actions in your next save file:
- Read the Diary: Locate Revali’s diary in the Rito Village (added in the DLC). It’s hidden, but it provides the only first-person look at his internal struggle and his genuine respect for Zelda’s hard work.
- The Flight Range Challenge: Spend time at the Flight Range in the Hebra Mountains. Trying to hit all the targets in one go makes you realize just how difficult Revali's "natural" skill actually was to develop.
- Upgrade the Snowquill Set: Fully upgrading the Rito armor set (which bears his aesthetic) allows you to move through the coldest parts of the map, effectively letting you play the game with the mobility Revali intended.
- Listen to the Theme: Pay attention to Revali's Theme music. It uses the "Hina's Theme" motifs but plays them on a sharp, biting woodwind instrument. It’s a musical representation of a brittle, sharp personality that is nonetheless beautiful.
Stop treating him like a meme and start looking at him as the most successful failure in Hyrule. He lost his life, but he paved the way for the wind that eventually guided Link to victory. That’s more than most heroes can say.