Bodyguard

Bodyguards (用心棒 Yōjinbō) are both characters and an integral gameplay element from Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. Since Tingle is not much of a fighter himself, early on he is forced to hire and team up with one of the many Bodyguards around if he wants to continue his journey. Each Bodyguard has their own set of traits that alters the way one moves through the many islands subtly. Generally, Bodyguards are to be hired in Bodyguard Salons.

Functioning
Bodyguards, once hired, accompany their employer throughout the continent and aid in battles with the local wildlife. They can fight independently or with their employer, which in the latter case means they also protect their employer from much damage. When they lose health as a result of the battles, the employer is supposed to take care of them and heal them with potions. This should be done in time, because if their health completely depletes and they collapse due to their wounds, potions won't do anymore. Instead, the employer is to re-hire them and pay them again for their services. Some time is given for this, but if they are not paid, they will go back to the Bodyguard Salon without warning. A new Bodyguard can be hired at any time, but this will destroy the contract with the old Bodyguard.

The three main traits of a Bodyguard are related to their continent of work, their size class and their behaviour. Bodyguards cannot travel between continents and are instead bound to the continent in which they are hired. If the employer were to go to another continent, they will find themselves alone there and would have to hire one of the local Bodyguards for help - at the cost of the contract on the other continent. If no other Bodyguard is hired though, the old one will loyally await their employer's return to their continent. Each continent has the same set of nine types of Bodyguards, though with power levels appropriate for their continent. The types consist out of one of three size classes and one of three behavior patterns. The size class' immediate use is the ease with which enemies are destroyed. Small-sized Bodyguards need more healing and take longer to destroy an enemy whereas large Bodyguards can handle nearly any battle with ease. The size classes come with a secondary function, a so-called "sepcial ability". In dungeons, some treasure chests are out of reach because they lie deep in a small hole, are located beneath a locked door or are obstructed by a large boulder. Small Bodyguards can crawl into holes to fetch the treasure, medium Bodyguards are skilled lock-pickers and large Bodyguards have the strength required to lift the boulder out of the way. Behavior is what sets the members of one size class apart. There's passive Bodyguards who will not engage in battle unless forced into, not even when they are commanded to attack. Aggressive Bodyguards in turn attack everything in sight, whether they can defeat it or not and whether it ruins the chances of getting multiple enemies in one fight or not. Generally the most useful and therefore most expensive Bodyguards are the assertive ones, who only engage in battle if ordered or if their employer is in trouble.

Drifter Bodyguards
There are three Drifter Bodyguards to be employed in Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. They work very differently from the normal Bodyguards, both being easier and more difficult to handle. They work without a license, so they cannot be hired in the Bodyguard Salons. Instead, the potential employer has to stumble upon them by coincidence, at first to win their respect, then later to actually hire them. They are exceedingly more powerful than regular Bodyguards and are capable of trademark moves during battle. Not being bound to a Salon also means they can travel with their employer across continents. However, Drifter Bodyguards do not take potions when injured and refuse to re-sign the contract when they have collapsed, leaving the length of their use limited. To re-hire them, they have to be sought for once more.

Trivia

 * Since the Stalfos pirates are deathly afraid of dogs, Tingle can't go to their hideout when one of the dog Bodyguards tags along.
 * It seems Tingle's sidekicks from Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip, are based on the three Bodyguard types. Kakashi's smaller size, Buriki's ability to solve puzzles and Lion's strength are alike to the small, medium and large size classes' special abilities.