Ravio

Ravio is a mysterious character in. Originally a resident of the kingdom of Lorule, he spends a vast majority of the game posing as a simple shopkeeper in Hyrule, renting various items to his Hyrulean counterpart Link in order to help him advance in his quest.

Appearance
Following the dark color scheme of the land, Ravio greatly resembles Link, albeit with green eyes and dark purple hair. Throughout the course of the game, Ravio wears a purple bunny outfit and hood in order to hide his true identity from Link. His outfit also includes a black and blue stripped scarf, and a belt inscribed with a green Rupee; this garb is likely a homage to Link's rabbit form from A Link to the Past, in which the hero would revert to upon entering the Dark World without the protection of the Moon Pearl.

Background
Prior the events of A Link Between Worlds, Ravio was a loyal servant of Princess Hilda in Lorule. He soon discovered, however, that Hilda was plotting to steal Hyrule's Triforce with Yuga, to compensate for the loss of their kingdom's own. Ravio was then forced to flee to Hyrule to search for a hero to stop them, as he lacked the courage to confront them himself.

Biography
Ravio introduces himself to Link after the hero's failed encounter with Yuga at the Sanctuary, claiming to be a travelling merchant who has been looking for a place to stay. After advising Link to report the abduction of Seres to Hyrule Castle, he asks that he be allowed to live in his house; when Link says yes, he gifts him with his bracelet in place of rent, which is later used by Link to exit from a wall after Yuga transforms him into a painting in the Eastern Palace, and subsequently, gain the ability to Wall Merge.

Ravio goes on to open a shop inside of Link's house, where the hero may rent and eventually purchase various items that are critical to reaching and completing certain dungeons. Most items are available from Ravio's Shop near the beginning of the game, allowing Link to proceed through the dungeons in a non-linear fashion. After Link obtains all three Pendants of Virtue, Ravio begins to sell the items that he rents out as well. After Link leaves the shop following this, Ravio tells him of the Quick Equip ability.

After Link purchases all of the items in Ravio's Shop, Ravio thanks the young hero for bringing him so many Rupees and decides to close his shop and enter retirement. In his retirement, Ravio can be found laying on the floor of Link's House, philosophizing over various things. Consequently, every time Link enters Ravio's Shop, Ravio will be laying on the floor saying something different, usually how his outlook on life has changed since retirement. He will also sing, claiming that it's been a long time since he was in the mood for singing.

Once Link has defeated Yuga for the final time, Ravio returns to Lorule and stops him from attacking Hilda, revealing himself as the hero's Lorulean counterpart. He confesses to his princess that he lacked the courage to stand up to her and Yuga and fled to Hyrule in search of a hero who could help him. Ravio goes on to convince Hilda against stealing Hyrule's Triforce, as it would only makes things worse for both worlds and ultimately go against the intentions of her ancestors. After successfully talking Hilda out of her plan, Ravio travels with her to Lorule's Sacred Realm and watches as she prepares to send Link and Zelda home. During his farewell to Link, Ravio states his gratitude at meeting such a courageous hero and his desire that some of Link's bravery may have been passed onto him.

After Link and Princess Zelda make a wish upon their Triforce upon returning to Hyrule, Ravio and Hilda are shown standing together as the slate connecting the two worlds shatters apart, knocking them both back. The two then watch as Lorule's rightful Triforce is restored, with Ravio smiling broadly as Hilda tearfully thanks Link and Zelda for their selfless wish.

Trivia

 * Satoru Iwata has noted that many fans have compared Ravio to Nabbit from the Super Mario series, but dismissed it as an unintentional coincidence.
 * When Link approaches Ravio's bag with a Rupee symbol on it in Link's house, he frantically stops Link, saying there's something "more important than life itself" inside.
 * When playing through the game in Hero Mode, the player can find a journal in the Vacant House in Lorule, which, judging by the entries within, the house's location in comparison to Link's residence in Hyrule, and the symbol on the cover, would seem to belong to Ravio. In it, he expresses his distrust toward Yuga and his desire to save Hilda from stressing over Lorule's impending doom, as well as his plans to travel to Hyrule and find someone to stop her.
 * Ravio is shown to be left-handed, as Link is, in his demonstrations of the items he rents out.

Etymology
It's possible that Ravio's name is a portmanteau of the Latin word for yellow, flavus, which could refer to his cowardly personality, and Link's Japanese name, Rinku.