Summary
A barely noticeable (but thought-provoking) character design inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandBreath of the Wildmay have a much deeper explanation.TOTKandBOTWshare many things: a common map, a closely related final boss, and,most obviously, an identical art style. It’s rare for two consecutiveZeldagames to look so similar, as the design principles change to fit its shifting settings. Characters who were once young may suddenly appear old, ancient ruins may suddenly appear new, and cartoonish faces may suddenly appear realistic.
But that’s not the case withBOTWandTOTK: as direct sequels to one another, they maintain the same exact style throughout. Hyrule has been slightly rebuilt, chasms have opened up in the ground, and some characters appear to have aged realistically in the intervening years, but other than that, the recurring elements between both games appear more or less identical. The same goes for some of its recurring characters,one of whom employs a fascinating design element that may have escaped some players' notice. However, it may have a much deeper meaning when placed in the proper scientific and cultural context.
Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Proves BOTW & TOTK Are The Series’ Future
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom continues the series' ethos of exploration that was introduced in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Why Do Zelda: TOTK’s Sheikah Get So Much Shorter When They’re Older?
A Simple Design Choice With A Complicated Explanation
Reddit userJames_Blond_006raises an interesting question on theZeldasubreddit:why do the Sheikah appear to get smaller as they get older, anyway? The most noticeable cases are Impa and Robbie, who appear in a much younger form in theHyrule Warriorssubseries. There, Impa’s of average - even above average - height with an average, realistic build. But by the time of her appearance inTOTKandBOTW, she’s only half Link’s height, with an exaggeratedly large head.
Impa’s height is listed at 6'3" in the official guide forHyrule Warriors, and 4'9" inBOTW. However, fan calculations ofLink’s height inBOTWvary significantly, making it difficult to tell whether her height is accurately reflected in-game.
Unlike Purah’s age-altering experiments,there’s no official, in-game explanation for why Sheikah get so much shorterover the years. Impa’s wizened appearance in the later-setZeldagames befits her changing stature, her newfound dignity as the elder of Kakariko Village. However, there are many theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon, ranging from the simple to the scientific.
The Sheikah’s Changing Height In Zelda: TOTK May Reflect A Simple Reality Of Aging
Why People Get Shorter As They Get Older
Perhaps the simplest explanation for Impa and the other Sheikah’s varying height is the scientific one:people get shorter as they age. There are various underlying physiological causes for decreasing height: the cartilage and muscles between bones weaken and lose mass, causing an overall smaller appearance. The discs between vertebrae flatten, causing the spinal column to become shorter. Of course, the average real human may only grow up to three inches shorter; Impa’s one-and-a-half foot height difference is exaggerated for artistic effect. She’s also 120 years old, so the additional aging may have decreased her height even further.
Pikango’s entirely different physique supports this theoryby proving an exception. Pikango is another Sheikah, living in the same village as Impa, but doesn’t demonstrate any apparent height loss at all. In fact, he’s a little taller than Link. He may not be as old as Impa and Robbie, but there’s another potential explanation. Unlike Impa and Robbie, who are mostly sedentary due to the administrative qualities of their respective jobs as a village elder and an inventor, Pikango lives an active lifestyle. He’s constantly trekking across Hyrule, searching for beautiful vistas to paint. These may be located halfway up mountains, across mighty rivers, or deep within monster territory.
Zelda: TOTK - 10 Best NPCs From BOTW & What They’re Doing Now
There are great NPCs in Zelda: BOTW, but in Zelda: TOTK, they have plenty of new updates and life changes to share with Link when he finds them.
Exercise is recommended by theCleveland Clinicas a way to stave off bone and muscle loss, and thus reduce the risk of shrinking with age. So, it may be thatPikango’s constant on-foot travels are keeping him fit, and preventing him from getting shorter. Although Impa travels occasionally, she mostly remains in one place, and thus is a more likely candidate for age-related height loss.
Zelda: TOTK’s Impa May Rely On A Common Anime/Manga Trope
Shortness Is Visual Shorthand For Aging
Depictions of Impa as a little old lady go back as far as her debut in the originalLegend of Zelda. Back then as it is now,Impa’s appearance may have intentionally employed a common manga trope in which shortness is a form of visual shorthand for age. Drawn and animated forms of media tend to exaggerate certain traits as a form of characterization. It’s why characters' eyes get bigger, and sparkly flowers fill the air around them when they’re in love - immediately, without a word of dialogue, players understand exactly what the character is feeling.
Visual shorthand such as this can be used to make a work more visually interesting, heighten plot stakes, express emotional nuance, or create recognizable character designs. Impa’s is a case of the latter:her character design immediately communicates her age, and that’s mainly due to her height. Her shortness is exaggerated, but so is her age: she’s older than all but the record-setting oldest humans, so naturally, she’s shorter. Her oversize head creates a recognizable silhouette, especially when she assumes her signature hunched posture.
Zelda: TOTK Already Has The Ingredients For A Perfect Sheik Game
A Sheik game would be a fun way to shake up the Zelda series, and Tears of the Kingdom already puts a lot of strong elements in place for one.
The size of Impa’s head also implies her experience. She’s one of few living people to have seen the pre-Calamity period firsthand. As a result, her head is full of both knowledge and wisdom. Much as her height betrays her age, her profile betrays her personality. The result is that, simply by clapping eyes on Impa for the first time,the player immediately recognizes her two primary character traits, and knows exactly what kind of role she’s going to play in the story. The same goes for Robbie, whose messy hair and giant goggles scream “man of science.”
So, while there are scientific and cultural justifications for older Sheikah’s decreasing height, the simplest explanation is often the most accurate. In Impa and Robbie’s case, it’s probably just a case of good, recognizable character design. Their shorter stature sets them immediately apart from the other Sheikah, representing their bigger and more specific role in the story. It also makes the two of them some of the most recognizable and likable characters inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Sources:James_Blond_006/Reddit,Cleveland Clinic
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
