Jump to content

Purah: Difference between revisions

Add links
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
mNo edit summary
Tag: Reverted
Okay I'm going to roll this back because this is a lot less copyeditting and more a pretty blatant attempt at steadily gutting the article...
Line 14: Line 14:
}}
}}


{{nihongo|'''Purah'''|プルア|Purua|lead=yes}} is a character in [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series. She originally appeared in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'', where despite being elderly, she appears as a young girl because of a science mishap. A young-adult version of Purah is depicted in ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', which is set 100 years before ''Breath of the Wild''. She appears as this age once again in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'', having aged herself up since ''Breath of the Wild''. In Japanese, she is voiced by Ayano Shibuya, while in English she is voiced by [[Kate Higgins]].
{{nihongo|'''Purah'''|プルア|Purua|lead=yes}} is a character in [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series. She originally appeared in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'', where despite being elderly she appears as a young girl due to a science mishap. A young adult version of Purah is depicted in ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', which is set 100 years before ''Breath of the Wild''. She appears as this age once again in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]],'' having aged herself up since ''Breath of the Wild''. In Japanese, she is voiced by Ayano Shibuya, while in English she is voiced by [[Kate Higgins]].


Purah's appearance in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' received significant praise; several media outlets voiced approval of her redesign in comparison to her childlike appearance in ''Breath of the Wild''. Many fans approved of her attractiveness in this new iteration and often sexualized her; searches on [[PornHub]] for content related to the character rose dramatically after the game's release. Additional praise was given for the character's expanded role in ''Tears of the Kingdom'': she was described as integral to the game's story and as a driving force for its narrative.
Purah's appearance in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' received significant praise, with several media outlets voicing approval of her redesign in comparison to her child-like appearance in ''Breath of the Wild''. Many reactions from media outlets and fans alike voice approval for her attractiveness in this new iteration. Purah was often sexualized by the latter, with searches on [[PornHub]] for content related to the character rising dramatically after the game's release. Additional praise was given for the character's expanded role in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', and how she was an integral part of the game's story and a driving force for its narrative.


==Conception and design==
==Conception and design==
Purah was created for ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'' and is a member of the Sheikah clan in the game. Lead artist Hirohito Shindoa developed this clan, a technologically advanced culture that became oppressed by the local kingdom, around the concept of a "hidden village away from the eyes of the world". Unified in appearance by their completely white hair, the clan members also have outfits with a "Japanese aesthetic" to differentiate them from other characters. Their hats, accessories and poses help differentiate members of the clan from one another.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion |date=November 20, 2018 |publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]] |isbn=9781506710181 |pages=101,107 }}</ref>
Purah was created for ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'', and is a member of the Sheikah clan in the game. A technologically advanced culture that became oppressed by the local kingdom over time, lead artist Hirohito Shindoa developed them around the concept of a "hidden village away from the eyes of the world". Unified in appearance by their completely white hair, their outfits were given a very "Japanese aesthetic" to help differentiate them from other characters in the game at a glance, as well as utilizing hats, accessories and poses to further differentiate the members of the clan from each other.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion |date=November 20, 2018 |publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]] |isbn=9781506710181 |pages=101,107 }}</ref>


After completing the design of fellow Sheikah character [[List of The Legend of Zelda characters|Robbie]], designers began work on Purah, building her concept around the [[magical girl]] archetype. She resembles a young child because of a botched experiment to reduce her age. She is motivated by her desire to gain money for her research. Initial designs portrayed her as "languid and unenergetic", and she was built around a "punk rock girl" theme. In this design, she utilized heavy eyeliner to illustrate that she was "not just some kid"; she also wore a large purse on her midsection and an oversized collar, remnants of her appearance before her transformation. Of these elements, only the eye makeup remained, and she was given a cheerful and strong personality. While her original outfit was meant to resemble Robbie's, it was changed to a dress with a frilled interior, and chopsticks held up her hair in a topknot. Though she wears ornate red glasses, she has a set of butterfly-shaped gold goggles as well.<ref name="CreaChampP91">{{Cite book |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion |date=November 20, 2018 |publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]] |isbn=9781506710181 |pages=106}}</ref>
After completing the design of fellow Sheikah character Robbie, they began work on Purah, building her concept around the [[magical girl]] archetype and resembling a young child due to a botched experiment to reduce her age. Her characterization meanwhile was motivated by wanting money for her research. Initial designs portrayed her as "languid and unenergetic", built around the theme of a "punk rock girl." In this design she utilized heavy eyeliner to illustrate she was "not just some kid", while she wore a large purse on her midsection, and an oversized collar around her neck from before she transformed herself into a child-like appearance. Of these elements only the eye makeup remained, as she was given a cheerful and strong personality instead. While her original outfit was meant to resemble Robbie's, it was changed to a dress with a frilled interior, while chopsticks held up her hair in a topknot. Though she wears ornate red glasses, she was given a set of gold goggles as well, meant to be shaped like a butterfly.<ref name="CreaChampP91">{{Cite book |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion |date=November 20, 2018 |publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]] |isbn=9781506710181 |pages=106}}</ref>


In ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', a game set before the events of ''Breath of the Wild'', she is portrayed as a woman in her twenties, wearing a long beige coat and a black skirt.<ref name="inverse">{{cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/hyrule-warriors-age-calamity-secret-ending-purah-breath-wild-botw2 |title=''Age of Calamity''{{'s}} secret ending makes 1 hero crucial to ''Breath of the Wild 2'' |website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |first=Corey |last=Plante |date=2020-12-02 |accessdate=2024-02-13 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213155329/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/hyrule-warriors-age-calamity-secret-ending-purah-breath-wild-botw2 |url-status=live }}</ref> In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'', a sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'', she is portrayed as a significantly taller mature woman, wearing a dress with a tight slit, red stockings, blue gloves and high heels. Her hair frames her face, giving her a more adult appearance.<ref>{{cite book |pages=114-115 |asin=B0BV9NKGJ4 |title=Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition Artbook |language=Japanese |publisher=[[Nintendo]]}}</ref>
In ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', a game set prior to the events of ''Breath of the Wild'', she was portrayed as a woman in her twenties, now wearing a long beige coat and a black skirt.<ref name="inverse">{{cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/hyrule-warriors-age-calamity-secret-ending-purah-breath-wild-botw2 |title=''Age of Calamity''{{'s}} secret ending makes 1 hero crucial to ''Breath of the Wild 2'' |website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |first=Corey |last=Plante |date=2020-12-02 |accessdate=2024-02-13 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213155329/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/hyrule-warriors-age-calamity-secret-ending-purah-breath-wild-botw2 |url-status=live }}</ref> In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'', a sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'', she is portrayed as a mature woman, now significantly taller and wearing a dress with a tight slit, and red stockings and high heels, while a set of blue gloves cover her hands. Her hair now frames her face, meant to give her a more adult appearance.<ref>{{cite book |pages=114-115 |asin=B0BV9NKGJ4 |title=Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition Artbook |language=Japanese |publisher=[[Nintendo]]}}</ref>


==Appearances==
==Appearances==
Purah first appears in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'' as a character who assists the protagonist, [[Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link]], in his quest to save [[Hyrule]] and [[Princess Zelda]] from [[Ganon|Calamity Ganon]]. Link, who spent the past 100 years recovering from injuries, discovers that Purah, who was an elderly woman at the time, recently de-aged her body into that of a child because of a scientific mishap. She, alongside [[Impa (The Legend of Zelda)|Impa]] and [[Robbie (The Legend of Zelda)|Robbie]], is one of only three Sheikah who were alive during the Calamity 100 years ago. She helps Link by upgrading his Sheikah Slate’s abilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-story-age-explained/ |first=Jacqueline |last=Zalace |accessdate=2024-02-13 |date=2023-11-14 |title=''The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom'' - Who Is Purah? |website=[[TheGamer]] |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114162929/https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-story-age-explained/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Purah first appears in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]]'' as a character who assists the protagonist, [[Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link]], in his quest to save [[Hyrule]] and [[Princess Zelda]] from [[Ganon|Calamity Ganon]]. Link, who spent the past 100 years recovering from his injuries, discovers that Purah, who was an elderly woman at the time, recently de-aged her body into that of a child due to a scientific mishap. She is one of only three Sheikah who were alive during the Calamity 100 years ago, alongside [[Impa (The Legend of Zelda)|Impa]] and [[Robbie (The Legend of Zelda)|Robbie]]. She helps Link by improving his Sheikah Slate through upgrading its abilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-story-age-explained/ |first=Jacqueline |last=Zalace |accessdate=2024-02-13 |date=2023-11-14 |title=''The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom'' - Who Is Purah? |website=[[TheGamer]] |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114162929/https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-story-age-explained/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


In ''[[Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity]]'', Purah appears alongside other members of her clan as a non-playable character. In this game, she helps train people to pilot Divine Beasts, Sheikah-produced [[mecha]] intended to help prevent a looming disaster. With her help, heroes can travel back in time and defeat Ganon in the past.<ref name="inverse"/> Purah later appears in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'', a sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'' set some years later. In this game, she helps rebuild Hyrule and has also managed to age herself up into an adult body. Providing Link with a paraglider, she helps him explore the game's dungeons. She is the central quest giver in the game and provides several side quests for Link.<ref name="gamerant"/>
In ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity'' Purah appears alongside other members of her clan as a non-playable character. In this game, she helps train people to pilot the Divine Beasts, Sheikah-produced [[mecha]] intended to help prevent a looming disaster. With her help, they are able to travel back in time and defeat Ganon in the past.<ref name="inverse"/> Purah later appears in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]'', a sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'' set some years later. In this game, Purah is assisting in rebuilding Hyrule, and has also managed to age herself up into an adult body. Providing Link with a paraglider, she helps him to explore the game's dungeons, acting as the central quest giver in the game and providing several side quests for Link.<ref name="gamerant"/>


In all appearances, Purah is voiced in English by Kate Higgins and in Japanese by Ayano Shibuya.<ref name="vg247"/><ref name="va"/>
In all appearances, Purah is voiced in English by [[Kate Higgins]], and by Ayano Shibuya in Japanese.<ref name="vg247"/><ref name="va"/>


==Critical reception==
==Critical reception==
The character has had a generally positive reception. Madeline Carpou of ''[[The Mary Sue]]'' praised Purah’s sex appeal and said that Purah's redesign is "the best thing they could have done", noting its deviation from a particular [[Trope (cinema)|trope]] often found in media, in which a childlike character is actually supposed to be a "mature" adult. She noted that while the game’s narration gives no real explanation about why Purah quickly became an adult again, she appreciated it nonetheless. She also questioned the inclusion of younger Purah in the previous game.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[The Mary Sue]] |first=Madeline |last=Carpou |title=This ''Tears of the Kingdom'' Character Had the Best Glow-Up From ''Breath of the Wild'' |date=2023-05-15 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |url=https://www.themarysue.com/this-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-had-the-best-glow-up-from-breath-of-the-wild/ |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005215253/https://www.themarysue.com/this-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-had-the-best-glow-up-from-breath-of-the-wild/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The character has received generally positive reception. Madeline Carpou of ''[[The Mary Sue]]'' praised Purah's redesign as "the best thing they could have done", noting its deviation from a particular [[Trope (cinema)|trope]] often found in media in which a childlike character is actually supposed to be a "mature" adult, and praising her sex appeal. She noted that while there was no real explanation given in the game's narrative, she appreciated it nonetheless and questioned the younger version's presence in the previous game.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[The Mary Sue]] |first=Madeline |last=Carpou |title=This ''Tears of the Kingdom'' Character Had the Best Glow-Up From ''Breath of the Wild'' |date=2023-05-15 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |url=https://www.themarysue.com/this-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-had-the-best-glow-up-from-breath-of-the-wild/ |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005215253/https://www.themarysue.com/this-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-had-the-best-glow-up-from-breath-of-the-wild/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ana Diaz of ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' described Purah's "amazing" redesign as an improvement over her previous childlike appearance, and noted that while she didn't do anything "particularly sexy" in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', it resulted in viral fan videos of the character on social media outlets such as [[TikTok]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Ana |last=Diaz |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=2023-05-14 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' players are obsessed with Purah’s glow-up |url=https://www.polygon.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom/23723061/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-fans-react |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213165714/https://www.polygon.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom/23723061/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-fans-react |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[VG247]]''{{'}}s Oisin Kuhnke stated that despite an adult redesign for Purah first appearing in ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity'', her iteration seen in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' brought more exposure to the concept and helped make the game feel "directly targeted at [[not safe for work|NSFW]] content lovers".<ref name="vg247">{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-players-are-insatiably-thirsty-for-purah |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' players are insatiably thirsty for Purah |date=2023-05-16 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |website=[[VG247]] |first=Oisin |last=Kuhnke |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114085851/https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-players-are-insatiably-thirsty-for-purah |url-status=live }}</ref> In a later article, she noted following the game's release pornographic website [[Pornhub]] experienced a large uptick in searches related to the Zelda series, particularly a 42,257% rise in searches related to Purah.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-nsfw-zelda-search-spike |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' causes NSFW Zelda search spike, even if it is a bit weird |date=2023-05-16 |website=[[VG247]] |first=Oisin |last=Kuhnke |accessdate=2024-02-12 |archive-date=August 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823025613/https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-nsfw-zelda-search-spike |url-status=live }}</ref>


⚫
Joshua Furr of ''DualShockers'' examined the character's popularity since her ''Tears of the Kingdom'' redesign, speculating that the appeal came from how the game presented her in that "the camera pans up her legs when introducing her, the way she removes her mechanical glasses is clearly flirtatious", though he felt games had become more subtle about the [[male gaze]]. He nonetheless argued that certain "archetypes of desirability" were also a factor particularly in dominant women, noting Purah's aggressive personality in the game and drawing comparisons to ''[[Resident Evil]]'' character [[Lady Dimitrescu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/zelda-not-sexiest-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-anymore/ |title=Sorry, Zelda. You're Not The Sexiest ''Tears Of The Kingdom'' Character Anymore |date=2023-07-09 |accessdate=2024-02-11 |website=DualShockers |first=Joshua |last=Furr |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718111323/https://www.dualshockers.com/zelda-not-sexiest-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-anymore/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Iain Harris of ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' noted the presence of a large amount of posts expressing sexual attraction for the character on social media websites, and joked that the community "wasted little time in coming to an agreement over who the best character is".<ref>{{cite web |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |title=Zelda fans are down bad for ''Tears of the Kingdom''{{'s}} Purah, a mommy researcher who is over 100 years old |date=2023-05-16 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-fans-are-down-bad-for-tears-of-the-kingdoms-purah-a-mommy-researcher-who-is-over-100-years-old/ |first=Iain |last=Harris |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629074409/https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-fans-are-down-bad-for-tears-of-the-kingdoms-purah-a-mommy-researcher-who-is-over-100-years-old/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ana Diaz of ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' described Purah's "amazing" redesign as an improvement over her previous childlike appearance and noted that while she did not do anything "particularly sexy" in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', her redesign resulted in viral fan videos of the character on social media outlets such as [[TikTok]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Ana |last=Diaz |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=2023-05-14 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' players are obsessed with Purah’s glow-up |url=https://www.polygon.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom/23723061/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-fans-react |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213165714/https://www.polygon.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom/23723061/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-fans-react |url-status=live }}</ref>


''[[VG247]]''{{'}}s Oisin Kuhnke stated that although an adult redesign for Purah first appeared in ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity'', her iteration in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' brought more exposure to her redesign and helped make the game feel "directly targeted at [[not safe for work|NSFW]] content lovers".<ref name="vg247">{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-players-are-insatiably-thirsty-for-purah |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' players are insatiably thirsty for Purah |date=2023-05-16 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |website=[[VG247]] |first=Oisin |last=Kuhnke |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114085851/https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-players-are-insatiably-thirsty-for-purah |url-status=live }}</ref> In a later article, Kuhnke noted that after the game's release, pornographic website [[Pornhub]] experienced a large uptick in searches related to the Zelda series, particularly a 42,257% rise in searches related to Purah.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-nsfw-zelda-search-spike |title=''Tears of the Kingdom'' causes NSFW Zelda search spike, even if it is a bit weird |date=2023-05-16 |website=[[VG247]] |first=Oisin |last=Kuhnke |accessdate=2024-02-12 |archive-date=August 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823025613/https://www.vg247.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-nsfw-zelda-search-spike |url-status=live }}</ref>
Jared Carvalho of ''Game Rant'' singled out Purah's role in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' in praising the game's deeper involvement of supporting characters whose roles prior often consisted of brief interactions with the protagonist. He noted Purah's impact on the narrative that included setting up the final confrontation with main villain Ganondorf, in addition to doing the "heavy lifting" of "acting as a leading figure in Hyrule" in the absence of [[Princess Zelda]], which he felt enhanced the game's player experience and [[worldbuilding]].<ref name="gamerant">{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-side-main-quests-paraglider-pad-discovery-good/ |first=Jared |last=Carvalho |accessdate=2024-02-11 |date=2023-06-03 |title=Zelda: ''Tears of the Kingdom''{{'s}} Purah is Much More Than 'The Paraglider NPC' |website=[[Game Rant]] |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705084104/https://gamerant.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-side-main-quests-paraglider-pad-discovery-good/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The staff of ''DualShockers'' named her one of the best video game characters of 2023 for her expanded role, stating that while her altered appearance offered a lot towards her popularity, "any character that appears on both sides of a massive time skip is bound to be a fan favorite."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/best-video-game-characters-2023/#purah-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom |title=DualShockers Definitives: 10 Best Video Game Characters Of 2023 |date=2023-12-12 |first=Jack |last=Coleman |accessdate=2024-02-12 |website=DualShockers |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215024525/https://www.dualshockers.com/best-video-game-characters-2023/#purah-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom |url-status=live }}</ref>

⚫
Joshua Furr of ''DualShockers'' examined the character's popularity since her ''Tears of the Kingdom'' redesign, speculating that Purah's appeal came from how the game presented her. Though he felt that games had become "more subtle about the [[male gaze]]," he noted that in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', "the camera pans up [Purah's] legs when introducing her, [and] the way she removes her mechanical glasses is clearly flirtatious". He argued that "certain archetypes of desirability" were also a factor, particularly dominant women. Accordingly, he noted Purah's aggressive personality in the game and drew comparisons to ''[[Resident Evil]]'' character [[Lady Dimitrescu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/zelda-not-sexiest-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-anymore/ |title=Sorry, Zelda. You're Not The Sexiest ''Tears Of The Kingdom'' Character Anymore |date=2023-07-09 |accessdate=2024-02-11 |website=DualShockers |first=Joshua |last=Furr |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718111323/https://www.dualshockers.com/zelda-not-sexiest-tears-of-the-kingdom-character-anymore/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Iain Harris of ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' noted that many social media posts expressed sexual attraction for Purah, and he joked that the "Tears of the Kingdom community [...] wasted little time in coming to an agreement over who the best character" was.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |title=Zelda fans are down bad for ''Tears of the Kingdom''{{'s}} Purah, a mommy researcher who is over 100 years old |date=2023-05-16 |accessdate=2024-02-12 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-fans-are-down-bad-for-tears-of-the-kingdoms-purah-a-mommy-researcher-who-is-over-100-years-old/ |first=Iain |last=Harris |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629074409/https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-fans-are-down-bad-for-tears-of-the-kingdoms-purah-a-mommy-researcher-who-is-over-100-years-old/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Jared Carvalho of ''Game Rant'' singled out Purah's role in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' in praising the game's deeper involvement of supporting characters whose roles prior often consisted of brief interactions with the protagonist. He noted Purah's impact on the narrative that included setting up the final confrontation with main villain, Ganondorf, in addition to doing the "heavy lifting" of "acting as a leading figure in Hyrule" in the absence of [[Princess Zelda]], which he felt enhanced the game's player experience and [[worldbuilding]].<ref name="gamerant">{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-side-main-quests-paraglider-pad-discovery-good/ |first=Jared |last=Carvalho |accessdate=2024-02-11 |date=2023-06-03 |title=Zelda: ''Tears of the Kingdom''{{'s}} Purah is Much More Than 'The Paraglider NPC' |website=[[Game Rant]] |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705084104/https://gamerant.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-purah-side-main-quests-paraglider-pad-discovery-good/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The staff of ''DualShockers'' named her one of the best video game characters of 2023 for her expanded role, stating that while her altered appearance offered a lot towards her popularity, "any character that appears on both sides of a massive time skip is bound to be a fan favorite."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/best-video-game-characters-2023/#purah-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom |title=DualShockers Definitives: 10 Best Video Game Characters Of 2023 |date=2023-12-12 |first=Jack |last=Coleman |accessdate=2024-02-12 |website=DualShockers |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215024525/https://www.dualshockers.com/best-video-game-characters-2023/#purah-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom |url-status=live }}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 01:23, 8 January 2025

Purah
The Legend of Zelda character
Purah's appearance in Breath of the Wild (right) and in Tears of the Kingdom (left)
First appearanceThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Voiced byEN: Kate Higgins[1]
JA: Ayano Shibuya[2]
In-universe information
RaceSheikah
NationalityHyrulean

Purah (Japanese: プルア, Hepburn: Purua) is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. She originally appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where despite being elderly she appears as a young girl due to a science mishap. A young adult version of Purah is depicted in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which is set 100 years before Breath of the Wild. She appears as this age once again in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, having aged herself up since Breath of the Wild. In Japanese, she is voiced by Ayano Shibuya, while in English she is voiced by Kate Higgins.

Purah's appearance in Tears of the Kingdom received significant praise, with several media outlets voicing approval of her redesign in comparison to her child-like appearance in Breath of the Wild. Many reactions from media outlets and fans alike voice approval for her attractiveness in this new iteration. Purah was often sexualized by the latter, with searches on PornHub for content related to the character rising dramatically after the game's release. Additional praise was given for the character's expanded role in Tears of the Kingdom, and how she was an integral part of the game's story and a driving force for its narrative.

Conception and design

Purah was created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and is a member of the Sheikah clan in the game. A technologically advanced culture that became oppressed by the local kingdom over time, lead artist Hirohito Shindoa developed them around the concept of a "hidden village away from the eyes of the world". Unified in appearance by their completely white hair, their outfits were given a very "Japanese aesthetic" to help differentiate them from other characters in the game at a glance, as well as utilizing hats, accessories and poses to further differentiate the members of the clan from each other.[3]

After completing the design of fellow Sheikah character Robbie, they began work on Purah, building her concept around the magical girl archetype and resembling a young child due to a botched experiment to reduce her age. Her characterization meanwhile was motivated by wanting money for her research. Initial designs portrayed her as "languid and unenergetic", built around the theme of a "punk rock girl." In this design she utilized heavy eyeliner to illustrate she was "not just some kid", while she wore a large purse on her midsection, and an oversized collar around her neck from before she transformed herself into a child-like appearance. Of these elements only the eye makeup remained, as she was given a cheerful and strong personality instead. While her original outfit was meant to resemble Robbie's, it was changed to a dress with a frilled interior, while chopsticks held up her hair in a topknot. Though she wears ornate red glasses, she was given a set of gold goggles as well, meant to be shaped like a butterfly.[4]

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a game set prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, she was portrayed as a woman in her twenties, now wearing a long beige coat and a black skirt.[5] In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a sequel to Breath of the Wild, she is portrayed as a mature woman, now significantly taller and wearing a dress with a tight slit, and red stockings and high heels, while a set of blue gloves cover her hands. Her hair now frames her face, meant to give her a more adult appearance.[6]

Appearances

Purah first appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a character who assists the protagonist, Link, in his quest to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon. Link, who spent the past 100 years recovering from his injuries, discovers that Purah, who was an elderly woman at the time, recently de-aged her body into that of a child due to a scientific mishap. She is one of only three Sheikah who were alive during the Calamity 100 years ago, alongside Impa and Robbie. She helps Link by improving his Sheikah Slate through upgrading its abilities.[7]

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Purah appears alongside other members of her clan as a non-playable character. In this game, she helps train people to pilot the Divine Beasts, Sheikah-produced mecha intended to help prevent a looming disaster. With her help, they are able to travel back in time and defeat Ganon in the past.[5] Purah later appears in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a sequel to Breath of the Wild set some years later. In this game, Purah is assisting in rebuilding Hyrule, and has also managed to age herself up into an adult body. Providing Link with a paraglider, she helps him to explore the game's dungeons, acting as the central quest giver in the game and providing several side quests for Link.[8]

In all appearances, Purah is voiced in English by Kate Higgins, and by Ayano Shibuya in Japanese.[1][2]

Critical reception

The character has received generally positive reception. Madeline Carpou of The Mary Sue praised Purah's redesign as "the best thing they could have done", noting its deviation from a particular trope often found in media in which a childlike character is actually supposed to be a "mature" adult, and praising her sex appeal. She noted that while there was no real explanation given in the game's narrative, she appreciated it nonetheless and questioned the younger version's presence in the previous game.[9] Ana Diaz of Polygon described Purah's "amazing" redesign as an improvement over her previous childlike appearance, and noted that while she didn't do anything "particularly sexy" in Tears of the Kingdom, it resulted in viral fan videos of the character on social media outlets such as TikTok.[10] VG247's Oisin Kuhnke stated that despite an adult redesign for Purah first appearing in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, her iteration seen in Tears of the Kingdom brought more exposure to the concept and helped make the game feel "directly targeted at NSFW content lovers".[1] In a later article, she noted following the game's release pornographic website Pornhub experienced a large uptick in searches related to the Zelda series, particularly a 42,257% rise in searches related to Purah.[11]

Joshua Furr of DualShockers examined the character's popularity since her Tears of the Kingdom redesign, speculating that the appeal came from how the game presented her in that "the camera pans up her legs when introducing her, the way she removes her mechanical glasses is clearly flirtatious", though he felt games had become more subtle about the male gaze. He nonetheless argued that certain "archetypes of desirability" were also a factor particularly in dominant women, noting Purah's aggressive personality in the game and drawing comparisons to Resident Evil character Lady Dimitrescu.[12] Iain Harris of GamesRadar+ noted the presence of a large amount of posts expressing sexual attraction for the character on social media websites, and joked that the community "wasted little time in coming to an agreement over who the best character is".[13]

Jared Carvalho of Game Rant singled out Purah's role in Tears of the Kingdom in praising the game's deeper involvement of supporting characters whose roles prior often consisted of brief interactions with the protagonist. He noted Purah's impact on the narrative that included setting up the final confrontation with main villain Ganondorf, in addition to doing the "heavy lifting" of "acting as a leading figure in Hyrule" in the absence of Princess Zelda, which he felt enhanced the game's player experience and worldbuilding.[8] The staff of DualShockers named her one of the best video game characters of 2023 for her expanded role, stating that while her altered appearance offered a lot towards her popularity, "any character that appears on both sides of a massive time skip is bound to be a fan favorite."[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kuhnke, Oisin (May 16, 2023). "Tears of the Kingdom players are insatiably thirsty for Purah". VG247. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Shibuya, Ayano [@shibuya_ayanono] (November 21, 2020). 【出演情報】 チェッキー！！ 改めまして、昨日発売の『ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録』にプルアの声で出演しています！ もちろん私は絶賛プレイ中です！ よろしくお願いします！ [[Performance information] Checky! ! Once again, I am appearing as the voice of Purah in Zelda Warriors: Age of Calamity, which was released yesterday! Of course I am playing it highly! thank you!] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion. Dark Horse Comics. November 20, 2018. pp. 101, 107. ISBN 9781506710181.
  4. ^ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--Creating a Champion. Dark Horse Comics. November 20, 2018. p. 106. ISBN 9781506710181.
  5. ^ a b Plante, Corey (December 2, 2020). "Age of Calamity's secret ending makes 1 hero crucial to Breath of the Wild 2". Inverse. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition Artbook (in Japanese). Nintendo. pp. 114–115. ASIN B0BV9NKGJ4.
  7. ^ Zalace, Jacqueline (November 14, 2023). "The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Who Is Purah?". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Carvalho, Jared (June 3, 2023). "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Purah is Much More Than 'The Paraglider NPC'". Game Rant. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Carpou, Madeline (May 15, 2023). "This Tears of the Kingdom Character Had the Best Glow-Up From Breath of the Wild". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Diaz, Ana (May 14, 2023). "Tears of the Kingdom players are obsessed with Purah's glow-up". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  11. ^ Kuhnke, Oisin (May 16, 2023). "Tears of the Kingdom causes NSFW Zelda search spike, even if it is a bit weird". VG247. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  12. ^ Furr, Joshua (July 9, 2023). "Sorry, Zelda. You're Not The Sexiest Tears Of The Kingdom Character Anymore". DualShockers. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Harris, Iain (May 16, 2023). "Zelda fans are down bad for Tears of the Kingdom's Purah, a mommy researcher who is over 100 years old". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Coleman, Jack (December 12, 2023). "DualShockers Definitives: 10 Best Video Game Characters Of 2023". DualShockers. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purah&oldid=1268070573"