Kakariko Village

Kakariko Village
Type	Village
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Kakariko Village is a small village within Hyrule which is a recurring location in various Zelda games.

General Information

In most of its appearances, Kakariko appears to be a humble and peaceful village. The village also has an agricultural slant and usually contains various Cuccos. However, there are some versions of the village which depict a darker underside to the village. Due to the discrepancies between the village's geographical location and appearance, it is likely that there are several different Kakariko Villages throughout Hyrule's history.

A Link to the Past

In A Link to the Past, Kakariko Village was located near the entrance to the Lost Woods. It contained various small businesses such as a pair of smithies and a library, as well an outdoors merchant. The only sign of darkness in this Kakariko was one house which used to be a hideout for Blind the Thief. The centerpiece of the town was a statue with a weather vane of a bird, and the bird could be brought to life with the ocarina. The villagers were mostly friendly, but some of them had been convinced by Aganhim's Wanted posters that Link was a threat and would call for soldiers to arrest him. The village was also known for being home to Sahasrahla. Its counterpart in the Dark World was the Village of Outcasts, with the dungeon Thieves' Town located underneath.

The same Kakariko Village appeared in Four Swords Adventures. Kaepora Gaebora claimed that it had been home to kind people until it was corrupted by darkness, costing many people their humanity and making the village a very dangerous place. When the four Links arrived there, it had been ravaged and set on fire by thieves. The Links had to put out the fires and round up the thieves in a pen, and only after that was the gate out of the village opened for them.

The village appeared in A Link Between Worlds, where it was nearly identical to its appearance in A Link to the Past, as this was set just several generations after the game. It still had a blacksmith and an outdoor merchant, and Sahasrahla still lived in the village. It also had several new shops and a milk bar. Kakariko also had a counterpart in Lorule called Thieves' Town, which was very similar to the Dark World town from A Link to the Past.

Ocarina of Time

Kakariko Village was heavily expanded upon in Ocarina of Time, where it was found at the foot of Death Mountain. Kakariko Village was originally a Sheikah village, but Impa later opened Kakariko up to the public after the Sheikah fell into decline. The town was filled with a variety of villagers, mostly of humble origins, and it also contained a graveyard. Other features included a potion shop, a windmill and a gate to Death Mountain's trail that was guarded by a soldier of Hyrule. Beneath the graveyard and the town's well were a series of catacombs that were filled with supernatural and undead monsters. The entrance to the dark Shadow Temple was also hidden in the graveyard. Not all of Kakariko Village's dangers were underground, as there was also a cursed house which turned those who lived there into Skulltula-like creatures.

Over the seven years of Ganondorf's reign, Kakariko Village also accepted various refugees from Hyrule Castle Town and Lon Lon Ranch. Impa also worked to protect the village from Bongo Bongo, the shadow beast that had been sealed at the bottom of the well. It ultimately was Link who defeated Bongo Bongo.

Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Kakariko Village was similarly located near the foot of Death Mountain, but it was located in a more cliff-like area. This version of the village was much smaller and emptier. The only inhabitants shown in the game were Renado, his daughter Luda and the bomb salesman Barnes. Other villagers are mentioned to have been killed during attacks by shadow beasts. This Kakariko had its own graveyard, and as Zoras considered the area to be a sacred place, there was a hidden cove were Zoras (including Zora royalty) were buried, and it also contained a hidden passage to Lake Hylia.

During Twilight Princess, it was also temporarily home to the Ordon Village children, the sick Zora Prince Ralis and visiting Gorons. Malo in particular opened up his own business there that became popular enough to branch out to Hyrule Castle Town. The shadow beast attacks were also stopped when Link awakened the protective light spirit Eldin. Although the Bulblin King later made another quick raid on the village, Link was able to defend it that time.

Oddly enough, this game also contained another village known only as the Hidden Village which was more similar in description (particularly its Sheikah background) to the Kakariko from Ocarina and also had a sign referring to it as "Old Kakarico".

Other Appearances

Video Games

• The Twilight Princess version of Kakariko Village was the setting for the third stage in Link's Crossbow Trainiing, where Link could take down a variety of targets near the Malo Mart.

Trivia

• "Kakariko" is named after a the French onomatopoeia for rooster calls.