Project #4 - Case Study 1 - Midna

I guess it goes without saying that I began with yet another Legend of Zelda case study. However I have intimate knowledge of a  number of the series' games, and it is also my understanding that the particular game I am looking at presents a good example of a nonhuman character, to begin with. The game I refer to is Twilight Princess. 

Okay, so technically Link isn't referred to as human, since he has elven ears and is a part of the 'Hylian' race which is never actually specified as human or non-human, however I'm not talking about Link for once. One of the best written supporting characters of the series, in my opinion, is Midna. 

(Dislaimer: Obviously, explaining why Midna is a good/popular non-human character is going to mean that there will be some spoilers, as usual ;) )

 

Midna is a member of the race known as Twili. Little to nothing is known about her during the beginning of the game apart from the fact that she is an imp-like creature that is a little horribly manipulative, especially towards Link when she encounters him. Personally, I thought that I was going to find her as irritating as Navi in Ocarina of Time, since she was a particularly nasty little creature for a while - using Link to selfishly meet her own ends.

However, that's just the thing. You don't know what those ends are, and you don't know why she's in Link's realm and not her own. Not just yet. 

Midna has a surprisingly big fan-base, actually. A lot of players consider her the best written character in Twilight Princess, and I believe that's largely due to her deep character development:

Through the beginning of the game, the player is led to believe that must just be the nature of Twili to be as horrid as she is - in fact not all that different to the twilight monsters she helps you fight. She even admits to Link that she didn't care what happened to him, only that it was convenient she came across him as she could use him to achieve her own goals. Initially, you don't know what those goals are, and it's easy to assume that those goals aren't of the benevolent kind.

Then, when Link does the usual heroic thing and saves her, Midna actually shows that she has a heart. Without realizing she does come to care about what happens to Link, and she opens up to him. You learn about the twilight realm, how the twili were banished there and ultimately why Midna isn't particularly fond of the people in Hyrule as a result. Midna is under a curse, as it turns out, a monarch thrown out of her own kingdom. As crude as usual, she apologizes to Link by way of asking for his help and admitting that she needs to save both worlds. 

The oh-so-ever-noble Link accepts, of course. This is a pivotal point in the game wherein Midna changes, and you realize that Midna could very well have been reflecting her own hurt and frustration onto Link as a result of her own suffering. I think her design is very clever since her nature up until that point is very impish, much like her non-human appearance.

Link and Midna's relationship changes

I think her design is very clever since her nature up until that point is very impish, much like her non-human appearance. Ultimately her change in attitude and her acceptance of Link drives her to support him all the way in defeating Ganondorf, after which the curse is broken over Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, and Midna too - revealing her true form:

 

While her imp form is humanoid to an extent, the physical appearance of the Twili is very close to that of humans, albeit with different proportions (a very moot point there). As a noon-human character Midna is believed to have some of the deepest characteristics, with the biggest character development since she was disguising her own internal problems and trying to solve them the wrong way until Link helped her see the error of her ways. In a way this goes back to the discussion of people being able to relate to a character of any culture as long as there is a relatable circumstance.

Internal struggles are common in everyone, even non-human characters it seems. Not only that, but Midna helps Link to understand that the twilight isn't so bad either. In fact dusk is a beautiful part of the day.