7 Reasons Why Revali Doesn’t Deserve So Much Hate

If there’s a single character who garnered at least half of the hate toward Breath of the Wild, that’s Revali, the proud Champion of the Rito. He’s received tons of mean tweets from people who think he deserves that all for being who he is. But is Revali being taken the wrong way? Is arrogance all he has to his personality? Here are 7 good and perfectly logical reasons why Revali doesn’t deserve so much hate, and why he is really a good person who is often misunderstood.

7. He Became a Champion for Zelda’s Sake

In Revali’s DLC-only diary, he admits that Zelda’s speech to him was incredibly corny, but adds that he couldn’t forget the “look in her eyes.” This, besides the desire to prove himself to the world, is the reason why Revali agreed to join the Champions. He knew that the princess needed him to save Hyrule, and he isn’t the kind of person who would ditch all of her hopes so quickly. Most of all, his soft spot could see she was an honest person who deeply cared to protect her land against Calamity Ganon.

6. He’s a Relatable Person

Underneath his arrogant facade, Revali is insecure and relies on his exterior personality to make it appear that he is a naturally confident person. But he’s not. He’s a perfectionist, always desiring to make himself better and push himself harder no matter what. His physical limits are nothing but just another barrier he’s determined to break. In his own words, he “won’t rest until” he succeeds. Most people can relate to him in their struggles to please their peers and prove themselves to the world.

5. He Admitted His Wrongs

If you skipped the ending cutscene of Divine Beast Vah Medoh, you have to search it up on YouTube and watch it. This is finally where Revali swallows his pride and admits that Link is skilled enough, worthy of his special ability, and gifts his long-practiced Revali’s Gale to the young knight. While he covers it up by saying Link was merely lucky, other words spoken in this confession speech contradict this and reveal that Revali really does think of Link as good enough.

4. He Has the Skills to Back Up His Claims

Okay, his battle with Windblight Ganon really didn’t make any sense, but in all other cutscenes and in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, he really does have the skills to back up his boastful claims. He says he’s the most skilled archer of all the Rito, and he can perfectly aim three explosive bomb arrows at the bullseyes of three faraway targets with little time to aim (yikes!). He says he can fire at the speed of a gale, and he unleashes a myriad of arrows within two seconds in Link’s battle against him in AOC. And finally, he says he invented a skill that is unique even among the avian Rito, and he’s proved multiple times he’s the only one who can carry himself into the sky with his very own updraft. Even Teba, the leading Rito Warrior, is jealous now.

3. He Chose To Build the Flight Range

In his diary, Revali detailed how he surpassed his previous archery records and was requested by the elder to choose his prize. Remember that the elder had set no criteria for this reward; he simply told Revali he could have anything he wanted. But Revali didn’t choose a statue of himself, his name carved into stone, the ability to kill Link, or the position of the Rito Warriors’ leader. He chose the building of an archery training ground. He then invited the Rito children and other Warriors to train there. What’s so special about this, you ask? Out of every possible thing in the world, he chose something that would help his people and wasn’t shy to share it with aspiring younglings. It proves he’s not really that full of himself.

2. He Had to Work for His Gift

Think about it. Mipha was born with her healing power, Urbosa likely inherited the power to control lightning from being the Gerudo Chief, and Daruk had his Protection via bloodline (proved by Yunobo’s having the same ability due to being Daruk’s grandson). But in the DLC “EX Revali’s Song” memory obtained after re-beating Windblight Ganon, Revali is shown creating and still mastering his Gale, and he speaks of his “inventing” the gift of the skies in his diary. His archery skills also had to be arduously practiced as he was just a Rito Warrior before rising to the rank of Champion. All the other Champions were naturally gifted.

1. He Loves His People

There are tons of facts that point to Revali’s passionate love for his people, starting with his DLC extra dialogue. “You again? Well, since you’re here… tell me, how is Rito Village faring? Everyone seems to be doing well, as far as I can tell,” he says to Link. He then gets emotional. “I can’t fathom that it’s been 100 years… There’s no one left who would even know me. But even so, it will always be my home.” He clearly cares for the Rito enough to ask Link how they’re doing (his spirit is trapped in Vah Medoh, like the other Champions). And he loves them enough to be fine with the fact that no one knows him and acknowledges he’s the pride of the Rito anymore. He still treats the village as his beloved home. If he didn’t love the Rito, he wouldn’t have chosen to build the Flight Range to train new warriors, and he wouldn’t have worked so hard to perfect his archery skills if he didn’t want to protect them with his life.

Shoutout to: Artylepepino, Plasma7007, H4isenberg, TheMathNut, Electrifyer1289, NotASOOFTWEARGORE