Marin

Marin
Species	Human
Hair color	Red
Eye color	Blue
Relatives	Tarin (father)
Voiced by	Ruriko Aoki (2016) Unknown (2019)
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Marin is a supporting character from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Background

Marin was the daughter of Tarin, who resided in Mabe Village on Koholint Island. She was very friendly and fond of music. Marin often traveled back and forth between Mabe Village and its sister town, Animal Village, in order to perform for and entertain the denizens. She did so by singing for them, with her specialty song being the Ballad of the Wind Fish. Although she enjoyed her life on the island, she still felt constricted by the apparent reality that there were no other lands in the world outside of Koholint. She liked to spent time by the island's shore. There, she admired the seagulls and wished that she was one, so that she could fly freely throughout the world and sing for everyone. She wondered if the Wind Fish would grant her wish if he was awakened.

In Link's Awakening, she received newfound hope when a traveler, Link, was found washed up on the shores of Koholint. She found him and brought him back to her house to rest until he recovered. Marin would teach the Ballad of Wind Fish to Link after he found the Ocarina. Later on in the game, Link came to look for Marin so that she could sing for the walrus to wake him up. He found her on the beach, where she told him about all of her dreams and the hope that Link's arrival brought to her. Marin then followed Link around (various photo opportunities between the two were possible at this point in the DX version) until they arrived at the Animal Village, where Marin woke up the walrus with the Ballad of the Wind Fish. She then remained at the Animal Village for some time to sing for the locals.

Later on, Marin went to Mt. Tamaranch and attempted to awaken the Wind Fish by singing the Ballad in front of the Wind Fish's egg. This did not work, and she was chased by monsters until she was left stranded in the middle of a broken bridge. Link eventually found her and rescued her by grabbing her as he passed with his hookshot. She was about to tell Link something after she was rescued, but she was then called away by Tarin. If Link visited her at the village afterwards, she thanked him for everything and told him that he was the kindest boy she knew. Marin would also mention having made a secret wish to the Wind Fish. She knew that Link would leave some day, but she asked Link not to forget her.

At the end of the game, the Wind Fish was awakened by Link playing the Ballad of the Wind Fish. Koholint Island and all of its inhabitants were all just constructs of the Wind Fish's dream, so they all faded out of existence when it awakened. This included Marin, who was last seen singing at Mabe Village's square. However, if the player completed the game without dying once, then the ending would imply that the Wind Fish granted Marin's wish and allowed her to exist in the real world as a seagull.

In Other Zelda Games

Marin appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors, being available as a DLC character for the first two editions (purchased as part of a Link's Awakening DLC Pack) and an unlockable character in the Definitive Edition, where she was unlocked by completing Battle F4 on the Koholint Island map. In battle, she wields a Bell that allows her to utilize the Element of Water, and she can also summon the Wind Fish for some of her attacks.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Within the Super Smash Bros. series, Marin initially made an appearance as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Her trophy was unlocked with the Sound Test (in possible reference to her fondness for music) after all of the game's characters and stages were unlocked. Marin also appeared as a Support Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the effect of making the player immune to control reversals. In Spirit battles, she possessed Zelda and fought alongside Link (with a costume resembling his classic design) in a timed battle above a slumber-inducing floor.

Other Media

• Marin appears in Ataru Cagiva's manga adaptation of Link's Awakening. This version places a greater emphasis on the romantic connection between Link and Marin. At one point when Link attempts to escape his destiny of waking the Wind Fish, he attempts to leave the island on a raft and convinces Marin to come with him, but the ocean's waves return them to the island. At the end, Marin is not shown turning into a seagull, but the Wind Fish tells Link that Koholint and its denizens will live on in Link's heart.

Trivia

• There are a variety of words that the name "Marin" could be referencing, such as "marine", "marinus" (which means "of the sea"), and the prefix of "mar-" (which means "seagull" in Norse and "sea" in Spanish).
• The character of Malon in later Zelda games is loosely based on Marin. According to the Hyrule Historia, the existences of Marin and Tarin in the dream world may have been created from Link's memories of Malon and Talon.
• Although her official artwork and Melee trophy both depict her holding a harp, she is never seen playing one within the actual game.
• If Link plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish around Marin, she will remark that his playing is not very good, but then quickly pretend that she did not say anything.
• When traveling with Marin in Link's Awakening, she will express concern whenever Link harms a Cucco. However, if he continually does it, she will eventually cheer him on it to do it more, only to quickly claim that she did not mean it. This was later referenced in Hyrule Warriors, where some of her dialogue has her cheering for the destruction of her enemies, and one of them has her quickly denying that she says anything at all.
• The bonus scenes that can appear when traveling with Marin include her falling on Link if they jump down Mabe Village's well, and her playing the Trendy Game. When playing the Trendy Game, she will manage to grab the man running the game with the crane, who will then deduce that she must be a "pro" and kick her out of the establishment.
• Marin's fate in the special ending is depicted differently across the various versions. In the original Game Boy version, Marin's sprite is simply seen floating with a pair of wings attached, while making seagull sounds. In the Game Boy Color and Switch versions, Marin's image is seen in the sky while the Ballad of the Wind Fish plays; after the image and music fade, a lone seagull is seen flying through the sky. The Game Boy Color version also includes a transformation sound effect before the image fades.
• Seagulls would go on to have a recurring presence in the Zelda series, particularly in The Wind Waker, where Link's sister Aryll befriends seagulls.
• Additionally, Aryll's originally planned name resembled Marin's, and the pattern on her dress resembles the hibiscus that Marin wears in her hair.
• In Breath of the Wild, one area of Hyrule is named Malin Bay after her.
• In the Switch remake of Link's Awakening, entering "Marin" as the player's name will prompt a remixed version of Ballad of the Wind Fish to play.