Beedle

Beedle is a recurring character in. He is a small-time businessman, seen working on the high seas with his Shop Ship in and, within the gates of Hyrule Castle Town in , and in the skies of Hyrule with his Air Shop in  and SS undefined. Like other Shops and Business Scrubs, Beedle sells, and sometimes even buys back, quest-specific items, such as All-Purpose Bait and Picolyte, both of which are not plot-required, but add extra interest to the games. Unlike the other entrepreneurial businesses in The Legend of Zelda series, Beedle incorporates memberships into his line of work, rewarding Link with increased price discounts if he becomes a frequent, repeat customer.

In, Beedle is a local sea merchant who travels the Great Sea in search of profit. Although his sales pitch is unmatched, he unfortunately never seems to get any luck. His dangerous travels accommodate the perceptibility of his business, so there is certainly some point in Link's quest that he will come across this merchant. He sells a wide range of products, from Arrows and Bombs to Bait for fish and Hyoi Pears. As Link progresses and acquires different weapons, Beedle will provide him with the necessary ammunition to replenish that certain weapon. Most of his products are of important significance, such as the Bait Bag, which can purchased at the very beginning, and allows Link to collect various types of bait. His appearance and attitude may shock some, but he is a generous person who will give his customers affordable prices compared to other shops. Beedle often sends Link things through the mail system used throughout The Great Sea, including his very own chart to help the young hero locate Beedle.

Beedle dreams of opening a chain of trading posts where people can buy, sell, or trade anything. He currently owns and operates many Shop Ships across the Great Sea, and he will gladly buy anything Link happens to have in his Spoils Bag. He entices his customers with Silver and Gold Memberships in order to guarantee that they stay regular patrons. One of the rewards for these memberships is the Complimentary ID. When used, Beedle merely compliments Link, although most of his other rewards are useful. Beedle's favorite things are bugs, especially beetles. There is also a Masked Beedle, who appears to be the same person but with a gold-colored plate helmet on. He claims to not be Beedle at all. He owns rarer items that cost much more to buy. In, Masked Beedle sells one of the four Empty Bottles, a Piece of Heart, and a Treasure Chart that leads to another Piece of Heart. They are all sold for at least 500 Rupees.

The Minish Cap
In, Beedle appears after Link has cleared the dust off with the Gust Jar and he has obtained the Fire Element from the Cave of Flames. For some reason the townsfolk are expecting him to show up, which is odd considering he sounds rather excited when he makes a sale. He sells all kinds of Picolyte, but only in Hyrule Town.

Phantom Hourglass
In, Beedle acts just like in , selling various items in his boat. This time, he does not buy items and only sells. He sells different ship parts and treasures.

In contrast to, Beedle only has one ship in Phantom Hourglass. As seen early in the game, Beedle's ship is unaffected by cyclones. On some occasions, the player is greeted by the persona of Masked Beedle instead.

The concept of memberships was expanded to include two more levels of membership and member discounts. A Silver Membership gives a ten percent discount on all items, a Gold Membership gives a twenty percent discount, Platinum Membership gives thirty percent and the VIP Membership forty percent. Discounts or points do not apply to the Masked Beedle's items.

Along with Link, Tetra and Salvatore, as well as Tetra's Pirate Crew to some extent, Beedle is one of the few characters from to actually reappear in Phantom Hourglass.

Spirit Tracks
A possible descendant of Beedle's, sharing the name of his ancestor, runs a hot-air balloon shop during the events of. Link can see Beedle's balloon flying around the overworld prior to actually being able to shop in it. At a certain point in the game, Link will receive a letter stating that Beedle's shop is now open. The player can get Beedle's attention from then on when they see him by blowing the Spirit Train's whistle when he is nearby. He will land by the tracks, allowing the player to stop by it like any other outpost on the tracks to visit his shop. Similarly to previous appearances, Beedle offers the player a membership at his shop. The membership allow Link to save up a point for every ten Rupees he spends in the store, which lends itself to certain rewards (including membership upgrades) after Link passes point milestones. Interestingly, the reward for saving up 500 points in Beedle's Shop via his Membership Card is the Heart Container sitting at the back of the store.

Skyward Sword
Beedle appears again in SS undefined, this time selling wares in a flying house, Beedle's Airshop. He operates this ship by pedaling a bicycle which powers an electric generator that drives some gears. He sells Medals, additional Wallets, and his most valuable item, a Piece of Heart. Asking Beedle about his Piece of Heart before buying it will yield the response that he does not actually know what it is, and picked it up from somewhere nearby and decided to sell it. Should Link look at something of Beedle's and attempt to leave without purchasing anything, Beedle will rant at Link about how much effort he needs to exert to hold Link's weight and decides to punish him by activating a trap door under his feet.

During the night, Beedle and his ship retire to an island in the sky called Beedle's Island. Falling asleep in his ship will allow Link to visit the shopkeeper on his island during the night, and if the young hero falls asleep in his ship during the night will return him to Skyloft. While resting on his island, Beedle will sit and talk with Link whilst admiring the Horned Colossus Beetle caged in his lap. Here, his diction makes a dramatic change with an above average vocabulary and without the joyful yells he is known for. Link can ask about his altered demeanor, but Beedle does not appear to notice any difference, and will dismiss the question as unimportant.

After Strich settles in the Bug Rock, Beedle will inform Link that his Horned Colossus Beetle has gone missing and asks the young hero to help him look for his prized possession. If Link flies to Bug Rock, he will find out that Strich has discovered a Horned Colossus Beetle. Upon learning that the Bug belongs to Beedle, he states that he will only let Link have the legendary bug after he plays Bug Heaven, which requires the young hero to catch 10 Bugs in under 3 minutes. If Link succeeds, he will obtain the rare beetle from Strich, and can return the Horned Colossus Beetle to Beedle to receive 5 Gratitude Crystals. As an additional reward, the shopkeeper allows the hero to buy any item from his Airshop at half price.

Breath of the Wild
In, Beedle can be found walking around Hyrule, mostly close to Stables. He travels Hyrule on foot instead of by boat or airship like in previous titles. His backpack is shaped like a Beetle, which customers can remember him by. Beedle stocks items such as Arrows and Materials, claiming to carry many "special Bugs." He also offers to buy things from Link, offering a high price for Gemstones.

Trivia

 * Along with Navi, Beedle is one of the few characters that utilized a basic level of voice acting in main series games before the release of Breath of the Wild.

Nomenclature
Beedle's name may come from his love of beetles, demonstrated both in and Skyward Sword. Supporting this, in Breath of the Wild, he has a beetle-shaped backpack.