Midna

"Link... I... See you later."

- Midna

Midna, the Twilight Princess (ミドナ, Midona), is a character in the The Legend of Zelda game, Twilight Princess. She is a resident of the Twilight Realm and a descendant of the ancient Twili people. At first she seems to be a strange, dark creature with an agenda of her own and little regard for Link, but she ends up changing her attitude towards those who are willing to help her.

Midna is one of the Twili, a race descended from wielders of powerful and evil magic who were banished to an alternate dimension by the goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru. This alternate dimension, out of which the sublimated descendants could only exist as shadows, eventually became known as the Twilight Realm. She remains as an imp-like creature through most of the game. In recent time, the Twili have been converted to fearsome "Shadow Beasts" and Midna into an imp-like form by the self-appointed Twilight King, Zant. Midna reveals this information to Link in the Gerudo Desert.

Upon meeting Princess Zelda, Midna proclaims her as the Twilight Princess. She finds Link, in wolf form, locked in a prison cell, and aids him in his escape. With this comes the new ability to talk to Midna whenever Link chooses, by pressing "up" on the directional pad (Wii), or "Z" on the Gamecube to "give her a sign". Even further along in Link's journey, doing this allows him to choose from several of Midna's abilities, such as teleporting via portals throughout Hyrule or transforming Link into Wolf Link on demand.

Backstory
"Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know. But... never forget that there's another world bound to this one."

- Midna

After rescuing Link, in return for Midna's help, Link finds the Fused Shadows for Midna. The power of the Fused Shadows can be used to destroy Zant, returning Midna and the other Twili to their true form. Midna does not tell Link, however, that she wants the Fused Shadows for the benefit of herself and her world. After collecting all Fused Shadows, Midna is gravely injured by Zant. Wolf Link carries Midna to Zelda who revives Midna, at the cost of her light essence. After seeing the unselfish acts made by Zelda and Link, Midna has a change of heart and vows to help save Hyrule from Zant. The duo now set off to repair the Mirror of Twilight, a portal to Zant's stronghold, the Palace of Twilight.

After the Twilight Mirror is rebuilt, having being destroyed by Zant, the Sages reveal that Midna is the true Twilight Princess and ruler of the Twili race, not Zelda, who had previously been defined as the Twilight Princess by Midna herself, presumably to keep a cover on her identity. Zant, after usurping the throne from Midna, placed a curse on her that gave her the form she maintains for most of the game. This curse could presumably not be lifted until Ganondorf, the source of Zant's power, was defeated.

Once Link has faced Zant in battle, Midna uses the Fused Shadows to destroy Zant. She uses only a fraction of the power that the Fused Shadows hold to do this, and is utterly bewildered by their power. The Fused Shadow's power is also used to break the pyramid-shaped barrier around Hyrule Castle. Midna uses the power to transform into a giant, spider-like beast with a large pole-arm weapon (see below). This same form is used in an attempt to destroy Ganondorf during the ending sequences of the game, but ultimately fails. Shortly thereafter, Ganondorf is seen holding up the helmet part of the Fused Shadows that was Midna's trademark garment, breaking it in his hand.

After Link, with some assistance from Zelda, defeats Ganondorf once and for all, the Light Spirits revive Midna and break the curse placed on her by Ganondorf and Zant, allowing Midna to regain her true form. In a comical moment when Link first sees her true form, she is amused by his silence and asks, "Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?"

Before going back to the Twilight Realm, she bids everyone farewell and sheds a single tear, which, upon contact with the Twilight Mirror, destroys it completely, just before she returns to the Twilight Realm. She vows to Link that she will "see him later," however this it is unknown if what she says comes true, as the Mirror was the only known link to the Twilight Realm. As another last word, she asks that everyone "...remember that there is another world bound to this one." She may be hinting about the Hour of Twilight, mentioned in a conversation between Link and Rusl, and Rusl states that the two worlds intersect when the sun sets.

During this ending sequence, as her tear begins to float toward the Mirror of Twilight, Midna addresses Link, beginning with the word "I..." but never finishes her sentence.

In 2006, Nintendo Power magazine's readers voted Midna "best new [video game] character".

True form
"What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?"

- Midna


 * See also: Midna Gallery

Standing a head taller than Princess Zelda, Midna possesses red hair, red eyes and a pale complexion from the Twilight Realm. She wears a hooded cloak in similar design to Zant's leading some to believe that this may be some kind of royalty garb. With this, she wears a half-dress that reveals one leg bare, and a headdress (or crown). Strangely, she slightly resembles Veran.

Midna as the Twilight Princess
"I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive our carelessness... O Twilight Princess."

- The Sages

In the game, after hearing Zelda's story about the Twilight Realm and how it came to be in Hyrule, Zelda asks Midna why the Shadow Beasts have been searching so hard for her. Midna, not wanting to reveal her identity, replies, "Why indeed? You tell me!" She is the only one of the Twili who has not been turned over to Zant in the course of the game, as Link finds out. How she managed to evade capture while the rest of her race was taken is not mentioned in-game, although the flashback where she is transformed implies she may simply have been exiled from the inhabited areas of the Twilight Realm.

Midna is revealed to have been touched by not only Zant, but Ganondorf as well. This is only because of her true identity as the Twilight Princess, whereas Zant has taken the throne by force.

Abilities
Throughout the course of the game, Midna portrays several abilities both in the Light and Twilight worlds. The most notable one is that she is able to warp Link through the portals of the Twilight at any given time (provided that Link can transform into a wolf without no one noticing him). She seems to do this with ease, and is capable of it with any kind of object or person: at one point, Midna warps a bridge and a giant rock from Death Mountain in order to help Link during his quest. Another ability seen in the beginning of Twilight Princess is the capability of walking through walls and other objects, as witnessed when she easily disintegrates and reintegrates as she gets through Link's cell in Hyrule Castle. Moreover, she can easily change her appearance and transform into other people: Midna changes her appearance to look exactly like Ilia and Colin as she reminds Link of who else he needs to rescue.

After Link gathers a sword and a shield for Midna to use, she tries to use them, but is displeased by their power, so she vanishes them into the Twilight and keeps them for Link until they are needed. These powers are just some of the many other abilities that Midna seems to possess, another being that she easily frees Wolf Link from his chain and imprisonment by simply concentrating a small ball of energy between her hands. The most important power contained within the true Twilight Princess is the ability to utterly shatter the Mirror of Twilight. Zant, the Usurper King, was only able to destroy the mirror into fragments, and it's only Midna's true powers that can completely obliterate the Mirror.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
"...and a tendency to act on whims"

- A portion of Minda's Trophy description

Although she is not playable or an Assist Tropy, Midna makes several cameos in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Midna appears as two stickers, One of them has her riding Wolf Link while the other is just of her floating. Midna's Desperate Hour is a song in the game that can be unlocked and played on Bridge of Eldin while brawling (though the song's name was renamed Midna's Lament in the game). Also, she appears as two trophies. Like her two stickers, one trophy depicts her riding Wolf Link. The other is of Midna alone. Her trophy description reads:

"A mysterious masked being. Midna was a princess in the Twilight Realm who was transformed into an imp by Zant. Midna's personality is characterized by a sharp tongue and a tendency to act on whims. Midna pairs with Link to save the world. She also possesses powerful magic skills, such as the ability to warp through space."

Relationship with other characters
"Sorry, but as romantic as this is, I'm not going to stay here with you. I'm getting out!"

- Midna

Link
Upon meeting Link while he is in wolf form, Midna suggests a deal: she will help him escape from his prison if he does exactly as she says. Midna is often condescending to Link, frequently jeering at him. As they progress further on their adventure, Midna and Link grow closer. When Zant attacks both Link and Midna, she pleads for him to help himself, and carry on with their quest. Because of the heroism of both Link and Zelda, the latter having sacrificed herself to save Midna, she gains a true respect for the people of the light.

From then on, Link and Midna maintain a strong friendship, and she is far less disdainful and more amiable to him. Towards the end, Midna sacrifices herself as a last desperate attempt to kill Ganon, sending Link and Zelda to safety. She appears to be defeated however, and Link mourns her death after killing Ganon. Shortly after the Light Spirits restore her, and with Ganondorf's power lifted, she is in her true form, and jokingly says to Link, "What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?" This could also be a nod to Link's being a silent protagonist.

Midna, Zelda, and Link return to the Mirror of Twilight, where she breaks the Mirror, seemingly sealing the world of Light and Twilight from each other. It is unknown if the two worlds are truly sundered, as certain characters, such as Zant, seem to be able to walk between the worlds without the benefit of the Mirror of Twilight--although he may have been using Ganondorf's power. Her parting words are "Link... I... See you later." However, this is not what the Japanese text translates to. Her last words, in Japanese, were "リンク…ま…またな…", which translates to "Link...s...see you."

Some fans of the series have noticed a possible love connection between Midna and Link. Some have interpreted scenes when Midna lays her hand on Link's cheek, or when Link cradles Midna in his arms and they gaze at each other for several seconds. The words Midna says as she parts are up to high debate, and some fans have interpreted Midna was about to profess love to Link, and lost her nerve at the last second. There have been theories that the English Nintendo put it here as a clue, surely they knew what it would cause. This theory has not been confirmed. Then again, though Midna and Link do seem to have a powerful friendship, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are romantically involved.

Zelda
When Link first meets Zelda, Midna addresses her as "Twilight Princess", and seems to be very aggressive and supercilious of her and her decision to choose Hyrule being turned to Twilight over death. Midna often mocks Zelda throughout the game. It isn't until Zelda sacrifices herself, imbuing Midna with her Light to save her life that she gains respect for her and the people of the Light.

During the final battle, Ganondorf possesses Zelda's body, and Midna tries to use her own to protect the princess. When this fails, Midna looks ready to attack Zelda, but softens and sadly places her hand on Zelda's cheek, and is attacked by Ganon's Puppet Zelda. When she awakens from the attack, Midna uses the Fused Shadows to eradicate Ganon's presence from Zelda, placing her out of harms way. When Dark Beast Ganon is defeated, the light Zelda gave Midna is returned to her. Zelda says that she and Midna's hearts were as one briefly, and she understands Midna's suffering.

When Ganondorf resurfaces later, Midna sacrifices herself to attempt to defeat him, and sends Zelda and Link away to safety. Although it appears as if she has died, Midna is later returned to her true form after Ganon's defeat. At the Mirror of Twilight, Midna intends to leave, as well Zelda says that light and shadow can´t mix. The true Twilight Princess says "your words are kind, and your heart is true", but later she departs regardless, shattering the Mirror.

Zant
"Traitors, ha! You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils... Did you think we'd forget our ancestors who lost their king to such greed?"

- Midna

The Usurper King Zant turned the Twilight Princess, Midna, into an imp to prevent her from retaking the throne and as punishment for defying him. Midna seeks nothing else than to destroy him, using Link to collect pieces of the Fused Shadows that may defeat Zant. Nothing is known of Zant and Midna's previous relationship, but it is nothing but hatred when the game begins. Fans speculate that Zant and Midna both belong to the royal family, hence Zant's expectation that he would ascend to the throne.

Ganondorf
Although Midna doesn't know it initially, it is Ganon who pulls the strings behind Zant, who overthrew Midna and changed her into an imp with Ganondorf's power. He intended to become ruler of both the Twilight and the Light, and Midna says to him she will do everything to deny him. Midna also attempts to kill Ganondorf using the power of the Fused Shadows, but fails.

Future Games With Midna
"But if we hear enough voices wanting her back, how can we not?"

- Eiji Aonuma

There is a growing fanbase dedicated to the return of Midna in a future game, known as Want Midna Back (WMB). This initiative has already launched several projects including a WMB CD, a mass email, made WMB shirts available for purchase over the internet, commissioned Midna figurines to be sent to Nintendo, and even has an official website at http://www.wantmidnaback.com.

Trivia

 * The name Midna may come from the word "midnight".
 * On an interview with Game Informer, Eiji Aonuma was asked if Midna would return for another game. Aonuma stated: "Because of the way Twilight Princess ended, I don’t see her making a reappearance, but who knows? If we hear enough voices for her to come back, how can we not?"
 * In the Wii version, Midna's right eye is covered by the Fused Shadow, but in the GameCube version (as well as promotional images), her left eye is covered. This is because during development, the entire game had to be mirrored to make Link fit with the Wii's general right-handed controls (Link is traditionally left-handed). Because of this, the markings covering her body are also reversed in the two versions.
 * The first notes of Midna's theme seem to be based upon the first notes of Zelda's Lullaby played in reverse, or at least the timing and relation to one another in reverse (as the key is obviously different). The theme can be heard whenever Link speaks to her, as well as at key moments in the story.
 * At one point in the game Midna hums part of her theme song. Part of the theme song is also played at the end of the Twilight Princess intro sequence.
 * When Link is in wolf form but doesn't have Midna riding on his back, his shadow's appearance indicates that she is still riding him. It's also noted that if you're in front of a mirror (such as the one in Link's basement), or anything reflective (like the ice in the Snowpeak Ruins) Midna will have no reflection, possibly because she is a shadow being.
 * One thing questioned about Midna's appearance in her primary form is the fragment of the Fused Shadows on her head, which features an eye closely resembling the eyes on Majora's Mask, insinuating that the Fused Shadows and maybe even the Twili had something to do with Majora. This could also mean that Midna's transformed figure (with the aid of the Fused Shadows) could be that of Majora beast.
 * Midna has a tendency to say the phrase, "see you later," throughout the game, usually when leaving right before a Light Spirit comes to talk to Link. Ironically, although she says the phrase in a whimsical tone, when she returns to the Twilight Realm, the phrase is said in a more melancholic way, as neither Link nor Zelda will be able to see her anymore because of the mirror's permanent rupture.