Alfonzo

Alfonzo is a Royal Engineer in Spirit Tracks. In the past, Alfonzo was known as the greatest swordsman in all of Hyrule and used to serve the Hyrulean army, as did his ancestors; however, he left his position there for reasons unknown to become a train engineer instead. He lives in Aboda Village, where he acts as Link's mentor as he trains the young hero to become a successful train engineer.

Biography
Alfonzo first appears in the game after Niko tells the sleepy Link the story about the war between the Spirits of Good and the Demon King. He scolds Link for still being in the village and reminds him about his important day: the day he becomes an official train engineer. Alfonzo then promptly leaves to the station to wait for the young hero so the two of them can depart to Hyrule Castle, where the Engineer Graduation Ceremony will be held. Once the young hero goes to the station, Alfonzo pulls out his train from his house and mentions to Link that he will be the one to conduct the train to Hyrule Castle as his final exam. The exam consists of driving from Aboda Village to Hyrule Castle Town in less than 300 seconds without getting hit by other trains. As Link is driving to his destination, Alfonzo will explain the controls of the train, such as how to slow down, speed up, stop, and blow the whistle.

After Link and Alfonzo arrive to Castle Town, Alfonzo will stay behind as Link goes to his graduation ceremony and obtain his Engineer Certificate to prove his status as an engineer. The young hero comes back after a while with Princess Zelda at his side. Surprised, Alfonzo asks the princess what she is doing out in the open without a proper escort, and asks Link if he is responsible for this. Princess Zelda explains to Alfonzo that she asked for Link's assistance so that she could get to the Tower of Spirits and find the reason as to why the Spirit Tracks have begun to disappear. Furthermore, Zelda asks for Alfonzo to join them as well since she would feel safer at his side due to his experience in swordsmanship, for if something were to happen, his skills would be of much aid. Although Alfonzo hesitates at first since he is no longer a swordsman, he agrees to accompany the pair ; however, as they are making their way to the Tower of Spirits, the Spirit Tracks they are riding on begin to vanish, forcing Link to use the emergency break. The group then witnesses the Tower of Spirits breaking apart as well as the escape of the Demon King from his prison. Shortly after, Chancellor Cole and Byrne appear, where Cole reveals his true form as a demon and mentions that the only thing he needs to complete the true resurrection of the Demon King is "a little help" from Princess Zelda. Alfonzo quickly steps in the way in an attempt to protect the princess with his sword in hand. However, Alfonzo is soon confronted and greatly over powered by Byrne when the two engage in battle, as he is tossed away and lands in front of the train, unconscious. Although Link tries to protect the princess, he too is easily defeated, allowing Cole and Byrne to kill Princess Zelda and take her body away.

Alfonzo and Link are taken to Hyrule Castle to recover but Alfonzo, unlike the young hero, is gravely injured and cannot move; as such, he tells Link that until he can get up, he will be responsible for the princess's safety.

When Princess Zelda and Link retrieve the Snow Rail Map and start to head out to the Snow Realm, a pair of Bullbos begin to attack their train, and Zelda suggests that they go back to Castle Town and see if Alfonzo can help them. Link goes to see Alfonzo, who is now feeling better but feels bad that he was not able to protect the princess. After Link explains the situation to his mentor, Alfonzo mentions to Link that his train is not strong enough to stand up to the enemies that have begun to roam the realms. As such, he offers to help Link by installing a cannon on his train, but to do so, they must first travel back to Aboda Village. Once Alfonzo finishes installing the cannon, he will tell Link to head to the Snow Realm so that he can help the princess recover her body.

Later on in the game, Link can bring Ferrus, a train enthusiast who is Alfonzo's number one fan, to Aboda Village so that he can meet his idol. Ferrus speaks to the humble train engineer thinking that Alfonzo is known as a "legendary engineer" and even asks for his autograph. However, Alfonzo negates such claims, saying that he was known as a legendary swordsman for having broken a record in sword training, which greatly disappoints Ferrus.

Once Link obtains train cars from the Trading Post, he can talk to Alfonzo any time at his house, who will change up the train parts as Link sees fit.

Alfonzo is last seen during the ending credits, where he is seemingly doing maintenance work on the Spirit Train.

Trivia

 * Alfonzo bears the same physical traits as Gonzo, one of Tetra's Pirates in The Wind Waker, and both of their names are similar as well. As he claims that his family has served the royal family for generations. The guidebook Hyrule Historia says that Alfonzo is Gonzo's descendant.
 * Some time throughout the game, it is mentioned that Alfonzo's highest score for the Sword Training game in Hyrule Castle was 900 hits.
 * Alfonzo's Japanese name,, is the nickname of the C62 type of steam locomotive. It can be translated as "castle of the nation", referring to its significant place in the Japanese railway history.
 * The name Alfonzo means "noble and ready", fitting his family's fealty to the kingdom.