King Tuft

King Tuft is the king of Hytopia who appeared as a supporting character in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.

Background

Tuft was a jovial and energetic older man who acted as the king of Hytopia. His only known family his daughter, Princess Styla. He doted on her, although he also disapproved of the mischief that she could cause by sneaking out of the castle.

During the events of Tri Force Heroes, Styla had fallen victim to Lady Maud's curse, which trapped her in a set of unflattering tights. This caused the princess to lock herself away in her room out of embarrassment. Tuft bemoaned his daughter's situation and sought out a solution in the form of a legendary group known as the Tri Force Heroes. He put out a call for potential heroes to explore The Drablands and promised to reward any that succeeded in undoing The Lady's curse.

One potential hero eventually stepped forth in the form of Link, who worked with either two identical boys or a pair of Doppels. After the prospective heroes completed the first area of the Drablands, the Woodlands, Tuft summoned Link for an audience. He started to see Link's potential and urged him to continue overcoming the challenges of The Drablands. His image also appeared on the map after an area was completed, to alert the player that Drablands Challenges were now available for the given area. Whenever all Drablands Challenges were completed for an area, Tuft would also reward Link with a rare item (specifically, items that could otherwise only be won at the Coliseum).

Eventually, the heroes defeated The Lady, and Link returned with all of the materials that Madam Couture needed to craft The Lady's Ensemble, a duplicate of Maud's outfit that had the power to reverse the curse. Tuft was informed of this by Couture, and he then witnessed as Link used the outfit's power to restore Styla to her preferred style of dress. With the curse undone, Tuft decided not to press any serious charges against Lady Maud. He proceeded to praise Link and called him a true Tri Force Hero. He insisted on holding a ceremony to celebrate Link's victory. There, Tuft showed off his own ability to form a totem by lifting Link above his head, and Sir Combsly then lifted Tuft to form a three-person totem.

During the post-game, Tuft summoned Link back to the castle with a letter promising him his reward for saving his daughter. There, Link found Tuft and Styla, who gave him the reward. The reward ended up being the Kinda Cursed Tights, which Styla had worn, as Tuft referred to it as a one-of-a-kind collector's item. He then encouraged Link to continue taking on the challenges of The Drablands.

Trivia

• His name, 'Tuft', can refer to clusters of fabric or hair. His Japanese name is 'King Curlking', simply in reference to the curls in his hair and his role as a king.
• In Breath of the Wild, one area is named Tuft Mountain in reference to him.