Link's Uncle

Link's Uncle is a character featured in A Link to the Past.

Biography
A former knight in service to the royal family of Hyrule, Link's Uncle has been Link's guardian for some time. He teaches him how to effectively use a sword in the game.

Link, woken in the night by a telepathic plea from Princess Zelda, finds his uncle about to leave the house with a sword and shield in hand. Seeing Link wake, he tells him not to leave the house, promising to return for morning. Ignoring his instructions, Link sneaks into the palace via the sewers in an attempt to rescue the Princess himself. Here, Link finds his uncle mortally wounded, unable to go on. Entrusting him with the task of saving the Princess, he gives Link his sword and shield and teaches him the Spin Attack before dying.

At the end of the game, after Ganon has been defeated and Link makes a wish on the Triforce, Link's Uncle is shown to be alive and well in the credits, where he seems to be practicing sword fighting with Link in front of their house.

In the Game Boy Advance version of the game, Link's Uncle supposedly appears in the Palace of the Four Sword, wounded. However, when Link speaks with him, he transforms into Blind the Thief.

Trivia

 * Early in the game, Link's uncle says "Zelda is your..." before falling unconscious. This caused some people to speculate that the full sentence would have read "Zelda is your sister", possibly in relation to the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (less popular sentence endings included "ally" and "only hope"). The Japanese version of the game contains what is essentially the same line ("お、お前は、姫の…　…. ", literally, 'y- you are the Princess's...'). The later Game Boy Advance version omits this line, but it is present on the Virtual Console release.
 * Link's Uncle shares some of his physical traits to Tarin from Link's Awakening, especially how Link's Uncle is depicted on official artworks.
 * Link's Uncle also shares similarities with Rusl from Twilight Princess. They are both swordsmen who serve as Link's mentors, both were wounded during the game, they have the same in-game hairstyle, and they both have facial hair which is a different color than their hair.
 * The official Japanese soundtrack CD of A Link to the Past contained a short radio drama. In it, a young Link was placed under the care of Zelda's nurse, Egorowa, and her husband Alphon - who he calls uncle. It is unclear if this meant to be a prologue or an alternate history.
 * Link's Uncle is briefly be seen in the Japanese commercial for A Link to the Past.