King of Red Lions

The King of Red Lions is a character in The Wind Waker.

Biography
The King of Red Lions is a talking sailboat that Link meets after he is tossed out into the Great Sea upon being caught by the Helmaroc King in the Forsaken Fortress. It is with this boat that he is able to move from one island to another on the Great Sea. Good-spirited and filled with wisdom, the King of Red Lions is one of Link's greatest allies. The boat speaks to him and explains what is currently happening and what he needs to do next.

The boat can be operated with multiple items in Link's impressive arsenal. The Sail is the most commonly used of them. When attached to the mast, it allows for easy sailing to the prevailing direction of the wind. In, Link can obtain a Swift Sail from the nightly Auction at Windfall Island. The upgrade increases the boat's sailing speed and automatically changes the direction of the wind to the boat's heading. This assures full sailing speed in all directions and eliminates the need for the Wind's Requiem while at sea. The Grappling Hook can be used with the salvage crane to retrieve items from the bottom of the Great Sea, and Bombs will give the ship a mighty cannon to fire at enemies.

Later in the game, it is revealed that the boat is operated magically by Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the king of Hyrule who lives on under the sea.

The King can speak the ancient Hylian tongue, and does so on Link's behalf in conversations with Valoo and Jabun.

The King of Red Lions is seen at the end of the game, lifeless, as the King himself has died. The boat does not reappear in ; its absence is not elaborated upon. The imitator Nyeve sails a similar ship called the Prince of Red Lions.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The King of Red Lions makes a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, on the Pirate Ship level. Players can battle on it, although it's rather small. He is also a trophy and sticker that the player can collect.

Trivia

 * The symbol that appears on the sail that Link buys and uses also seems to appear on parts of the salvage crane and the cannon.
 * The King of Red Lions has no pupils at the end of the game and his eyes faded in color. This is most likely due to the king himself dying.
 * The Japanese mainland resembles the physical profile shape of the King of Red Lions.
 * Similar to the various enemies of The Wind Waker if the King of Red Lions is struck with any of Link's weapons, he will turn red, despite being a major ally.