Get ready to learn all about Zelda’s Protector as we check out 20 Impa Zelda facts that will wow all you friends at parties.
They’ll also help you at any Zelda-themed pub quizzes (not guaranteed), and hopefully they’ll make you love this epic series even more.
Impa is a bit of an enigma; what is her main purpose in the game, and how did she come into being? Where did she live, and why is she always following Zelda around.
Whether you’ve played Zelda since the early days on the NES or have just joined the series at Age of Calamity, here are 20 Impa Zelda facts to help you understand who Impa is, the role she plays, and just how awesome she really is.
**Warning – This article contains some sneaky spoilers. If you haven’t played a Zelda**
game before, then prepare to read some stuff that you will never forget
from this moment on!
Table of Contents
1. Impa Is Princess Zelda’s Guardian
Impa is Princess Zelda’s nursemaid, but more importably, her guardian. As a member of the Sheikah tribe, she is bound to Zelda by the goddess Hylia, tasked with protecting the royal bloodline.
We see this the most in Skyward Sword, with Impa aiding Zelda in her quest through the world below, but also when Zelda flees Hyrule Castle with Impa in Ocarina of Time.
2. She Was Originally Supposed To Be a Guardian Of The Triforce
Hyrule Historia, that compendium of everything that we know and love Zelda related, has a little snippet about the origins of the entire series and how, at first, Impa was set to be a guardian of the Triforce.
The main cemented idea of Ganondorf holding the Triforce of Power with Link and Zelda holding the other pieces came in Ocarina Of Time, the story that, as we know, is one of the greatest of all time and a huge influence on the gaming world.
Can you imagine what it would have been like if Impa had been the holder of the Triforce of Power. She would have been even more impressive in Hyrule Warriors then!
3. Impa First Appeared In The Instruction Booklet for A Legend Of Zelda On The NES
Impa only appeared as a guide for Link in the instruction booklet of the first couple of Zelda games and not actually in the games themselves. She looks very different to the Impa that we see today, but then again, that first NES game looks a lot different to Breath of the Wild too!
In these early instruction booklets, Impa is still Zelda’s nursemaid and serves as a guide to the player, giving them advice as she shows Link certain scenes and hints to help people with the gameplay.
4. Her Name Comes From ‘Impart’
Apart from protecting Princess Zelda, Impa’s role is to ‘Impart’ knowledge to the Link of the time and, in those early games, to the player.
According to Shigeru Miyamoto in my favourite book (you guessed it – Hyrule Historia), Impa is essentially telling ‘the legend of Zelda’ throughout each game.
In that sense, Impa is one of the most pivotal characters in the entire series.
5. The First Time We See Her Is In Ocarina Of Time
I still remember the first time that I met Impa after leaving Hyrule Castle as Young Link. Proud, strong, and mysterious, you can immediately tell that she’s someone that shouldn’t be trifled with but that still has a caring side to her.
Essentially, she has Zelda’s best interests and safety at heart at all times, and she’ll do anything to protect her.
Ocarina was the first game that we ever saw her in person, and she has since gone on to become a firm fan favourite in many other Zelda games.
6. Impa Grew Up In Kakariko Village
We know this more from playing Breath of the Wild, but those of you that have played Ocarina will no doubt know that Impa has always had strong connections with her home of Kakariko Village.
Kakariko is the home of the Sheikah, though back in the early days there weren’t many people there at all bar the guard to Death Mountain, Dampe the Gravekeeper, the Song of Storms guy, the Cuccu lady, a guy stargazing, and a load of builders.
Oh, and don’t forget that weird Skultulla family too!
7. You Can Visit Her House In Ocarina Of Time
How’s this for sweet Impa Zelda facts – Impa’s house is still there in the Ocarina of Time version of Kakariko Village. Admittedly it’s not as impressive as her place in the BotW version of the village, but it’s still cool that you can actually go in and take a look around.
For some reason, she has a caged off area with a cow inside it inside. I’m not sure who feeds this cow; I’m hoping it’s Cucco Lady.
If you can find your way into the cage, there’s a piece of heart waiting for you too!
8. Impa Explains How Zelda Scattered The Pieces Of The Triforce Of Wisdom Across Hyrule
In the original The Legend Of Zelda game, Link saves Impa after Ganon’s forces track her down and corner her. She then explains how Zelda thwarted Ganon by spreading the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom through the land, stopping him from getting his hands on the full Triforce.
Ganon has been after this for a long time hasn’t he!
Impa had been tasked by Zelda to go and find a man who could beat back Ganon, and said man saves her right in the nick of time.
Funny coincidence that, right?
9. She Has Physically Appeared In Six Of The Main The Legend Of Zelda Games So Far
Behold Impa over the years! She’s certainly changed a lot, hasn’t she!
Impa has featured in 6 main games in the series thus far; Oracle of Ages/Seasons, Ocarina of Time, A Link Between Worlds, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild.
She’s also appeared in the Hyrule Warriors spin-off series too as well (spot the cheeky cameo from that game in the still above) as well as a title called The Wand Of Gamelan.
Check out our list of all the Legend of Zelda Games in order to get more info on that last one!
10. Impa Is 120 Years Old In Breath Of The Wild
The latest appearance of Impa in a major Zelda title was in Kakariko Village in Breath of the Wild, 100 years after the great calamity erupted and Hyrule went to pot.
Impa is 120 years old in BotW, and she’s still very knowledgeable and tenacious for such a ripe old age!
11. That Means That She’s Around 20 In Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
The Impa we see in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity might be the most inexperienced version of herself that we’ve seen thus far, but she’s still one of the most powerful characters in the entire series.
As Age of Calamity takes place at the time during the calamity before Link is placed in the Shrine of Resurrection, we can assume that Impa is around 20 years old.
12. Purah and Impa Are Sisters
I know it doesn’t look like it in the picture above, but Purah and Impa are, in fact, sisters.
For those that have read Purah’s diary in BotW, it’s made apparent that she got a little out of control with a reverse ageing experiment and ended up taking on the appearance of a 6-year-old girl.
I guess the one saving grace is that they’re the same height now.
13. The Same Person Voices Impa In Both Breath Of The Wild & Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
Check this out for Impa Zelda facts soaked in continuity; the same voice actor voices both 120 year old and 20 year old Impa in the two latest Zelda games.
For gamers playing in English, Andi Gibson provides Impa’s voice in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity. And if you listen carefully, you can hear the same subtle nuances in both young and old Impa’s voices that tie the character together.
That’s the kind of attention to detail that we love!
14. And She’s The Best Character To Play As In The Game
Playing as Link is all well and good, but Impa has the best moves in this game. She’s both everywhere and nowhere at the same time, conjuring spirits, teleporting, riding around on a Cryonis block, and pulling off intense special moves that make mincemeat of everyone around her.
If you’re looking for the most versatile and powerful player in the game, then forget the Master Sword and go for Impa. I reckon she could show Jin Sakai a few things when it comes to combat!
15. Paya Is Impa’s Grandaughter
This might be one of our Impa Zelda facts that doesn’t surprise many of you, but it’s still a nice little nugget for those still excited by Purah and Impa being related.
Paya, the shy attendant in Impa’s residence, is Impa’s Granddaughter. She’s the next in line to be the Leader of the Sheikah, which means we might see a little more of her in Tears of the Kingdom.
We don’t see Paya’s mother, Impa’s daughter, in the game. Nor do we have any mention of Impa’s husband, presumably both deceased over the past 100 years while Link has slept.
This is something that we see in Riju’s story too, being a direct descendant of Urbosa and taking the position of Gerudo Chieftan after her mother passed. Zelda’s mother, a friend of Urbosa, is also mentioned as no longer being with us, possibly to keep the idea of ‘the new Hyrule generation’ paving the way for the future.
16. Impa Doesn’t Trust Sheik In The First Hyrule Warriors
We don’t usually see Sheik and Impa in the same place at the same time, but we do in Hyrule Warriors.
And Impa isn’t too happy about it.
The main premise behind the first Hyrule Warriors is that all of the main characters are direct descendants from the characters we know from Ocarina of Time, with each Princess Zelda passing on the secret of Sheik to the next.
Obviously as a Sheikah Leader, Impa is understandably a little confused when a new Sheikah appears and claims that Impa has always been her leader. That’s some serious gaslighting, Hyrule-style.
As Zelda’s protector, Impa is clearly already stressed about he sudden disappearance, and now this joker comes into her clan and starts spreading lies. No wonder she looks so tense!
17. Every Impa Is Different, And They’re All Tasked With Protecting Zelda And Aiding ‘The Link’ Of Their Time
If you’ve read our list of the best Ganondorf facts, then you’ll know all about how every Ganondorf we see through every Zelda Game is the same entity. Its part of the reason why there hasn’t been a Gerudo King since the King of Evil first came onto the scene.
Impa, however, is a different character in each of the games, bar the Impa we see in BotW and Age of Calamity who are the same character 100 years apart. The same can be said for the Impa in Skyward Sword.
Each Impa of each age is given information about the Link of their time in order to, once again, impart knowledge to them. I suppose while they don’t often fight side-by-side, they’re actually a super-team that not only protects Zelda but works together to make Hyrule a safer place.
Zelda should show them both a little more appreciation!
18. Impa’s Divine Role Stretches Across Time
Skyward Sword is a pretty complex game, especially once you consider the fact that Impa has to travel through time to meet her future self.
Yeah, things just got serious!
Impa’s words at the end of the game tell players that she will meet Link again someday, further cementing the fact that her appointed task of protecting Zelda, the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, will never end and be passed down through her bloodline.
19. Impa Will Leave Her House In Kakariko Village If You Bring A Monster In
If you bring a monster into Impa’s house in Breath of the Wild, she’ll grab her pillows and run outside sharpish, moving with the speed of her 100-year-younger-self.
We recently saw a video from a Reddit user by the name of ThornyFox showing a frozen Bokoblin being pushed up the stairs to Impa’s abode. It doesn’t serve any purpose whatsoever, but it’s a little Easter egg that we wouldn’t have found were it not for ThornyFox!
20. Impa Appears In A Window In The Windwaker
Impa might feature in The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker as an NPC to interact with, but she’s still there in the background!
When players dive into the world below the sea and discover the secret room under the statue in Hyrule Castle, then they’ll find stained glass windows of all the Seven Sages from Ocarina of Time.
And as the Sage of the Shadow Temple, Impa gets her own slick purple design!
And that’s a wrap!
Thanks for checking out this article on the best Zelda Impa facts of all time. Hopefully we’ve taught you a thing or two along the way, and I can guarantee you’re all going to try that Bokoblin trick asap!
What are your thoughts on Impa? Is she your go-to character in Hyrule Warriors too? Join the conversation over on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Don’t forget to check out our articles on Rupee Zelda Facts and Navi Zelda Facts!
