11 Fishy Facts You Didn’t Know About Mipha

The Zora Champion Mipha is much more than just the dainty sweetheart of the Zoras.

She’s agile, beloved by her people, and is an emotionally powerful healer by both her magical powers and fragrant love. But there’s more to her than the introverted, gentle princess we see on the outside. Here are 11 fun facts you don’t know about everyone’s favorite Zora sister!

11. Removes Forehead Piece As a Champion

A tiny detail only a handful of people have noticed is the absence of Mipha’s forehead jewelry. As the Zora Princess, she has her metal tiara adorning her head and sides, and a small hanging forehead piece with a raindrop-shaped sapphire in the center. But once she becomes a Champion, this extra piece is gone. Does this symbolize that Mipha has shed part of her royal status to protect Hyrule? While it is unknown why this forehead piece is forever gone, it is a notable change in Mipha’s look.

10. Headpiece Bears the Zora Crest

If you haven’t already noticed, Breath of the Wild incorporates some of the most classic Zelda symbols as tiny costume details. For Mipha, it’s the famed Zora crest from Ocarina of Time, the same one found on the Zora Princess Ruto’s Zora Sapphire (the Zora version of an engagement ring). Mipha bears it on the dangling silver pieces of her headpiece that rest against the flaps on the sides of her face. And guess what! Hanging from the middle of the two crescent-shaped sides of the crest is a sapphire. There’s no way this isn’t a reference to the Zoras’ signature gem.

9. Revali Secretly Likes Her

It’s subtle but sweet. The same Rito Champion who resents Link secretly likes Mipha, the girl who adores Link so much that she plans to marry him. You can see Revali being rude to all the Champions in the “Subdued Ceremony” memory except for the quiet Mipha, but that’s only the beginning. As Mipha takes deep breaths in the “Champions’ Ballad” cutscene, tense from being so close to Link in the public, Revali watches her with a genuine smile. What can I say? Opposites attract.

8. Knew Link Since His Toddler Years

Mipha and Link didn’t share the “love at first sight” story many stereotypical lover characters do. In fact, they started out no more than mere acquaintances. Mipha first met a bruised, reckless toddler Link during a formal meeting (this is what she refers to in the “Mipha’s Touch” memory), and healed him. Link then looked up at her with adorable blue eyes, allowing the Zora Princess to instantly befriend him. As the two of them grew together, Mipha eventually developed feelings for the knight and finally planned to marry him shortly before her abrupt death.

7. First to Master Her Divine Beast

In Zelda’s research notes (in Princess Zelda’s Study in Hyrule Castle), Zelda explains the Divine Beasts’ training, insights into the ancient Sheikah technology, and the choosing of the Four Champions. She also mentions that Mipha was the first to master her Divine Beast, Vah Ruta. It obviously took Zelda by surprise, as Mipha was always gentle and kind to everyone around her, but she learned that the little Zora also had serious skill. Ruta quickly “chose” Mipha as the pilot after seeing her as worthy.

6. Passed a Quote Down to Sidon

The sweetest thing in Zora history has just happened. In the DLC-only memory “EX Mipha’s Song,” Mipha shows her baby brother how to glide up a waterfall, at the top telling Sidon to lead her people well while she’s away from Zora’s Domain. “I believe in you,” she whispers encouragingly to the tiny fish. And Sidon didn’t let his sister’s words go to waste. As he assists Link in freeing Vah Ruta, he tells Link the exact same words as the Hylian climbs one of Ruta’s side waterfalls. It’s a bittersweet remembrance of Mipha, proving just how much she made a mark on him.

5. Shorter Than the Average Zora

When Mipha stands beside Zelda or Link, she doesn’t seem that short. That’s because she’s the average height of the average Hylian woman. She stands about 5’2, with Link being about a few inches taller than her. She is shorter than normal Zora women her age, though. The average Zora lady is about 5’9 inches tall, while Mipha is 7 inches shorter than this. This didn’t stop her, however, from still effortlessly being a model princess for her people regardless of her unusual height. (Don’t mention her and Sidon’s height difference, please. I know she looks like his daughter.)

4. Spoke Through the Lightscale Trident

As written on one of the ten Zora Monuments, the Zora people missed Mipha so much that they would break into tears at the mere thought of her. The best they could do was provide her spirit with peace by sending the Lightscale Trident down the Zora River. But, as the trident drifted down, the Zora watching the special moment saw it glow and heard Mipha herself speak. To comfort them, she told them to let go of sadness and find happiness again.

3. Her Theme Has Her Name’s Notes

Many players have already noticed that Zora names come from music notes (Mipha = mi, fa; Sidon = si, do; Dorephan = do, re; Zora = so, la). But unless you know music notes and how they sound like, you won’t notice that Mipha’s Theme has her name’s notes recurring throughout it: mi and fa. This (almost) confirms that Nintendo took inspiration from music notes as they named Zora royalty, in particular Mipha.

2. The Zora Didn’t Want Her Piloting Vah Ruta

Not only was King Dorephan reluctant to let Mipha become a Champion, but also many of the Zora who were close to her, such as Officer Seggin and Master Muzu, were heartbroken when she accepted the heavy task. It was a dangerous job, after all, and putting their beloved princess in danger was the last thing they wanted to do. Mipha knew she was forcing her friends and family through such emotional pain, but chose to go through with it since it was the only way she could help Link.

1. Thinks Vah Ruta Is Cute

Not everyone can first imagine a giant icicle-shooting elephant as cute. In fact, it might even appear terrifying to some, but Mipha pictured it as quite the opposite at her first meeting. She wrote in her diary that she was surprised by Divine Beast Vah Ruta’s cuteness, describing it as “big and round with a long, awkward nose.” It’s adorable in itself that Mipha’s so dreamy about even her most important tasks. This isn’t the first time she’s thought something was cute, though: she described toddler Link’s eyes as cute. At least it’s a little easier to share this admiration for Link’s cuteness.