Twili

A recently cured Twili.
Twili
Type	Shadow being
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Twili are a tribe of shadowy beings that inhabit the Twilight Realm. They were introduced in Twilight Princess.

Information

Long, long ago the ancestors of Twili, their original race unknown, were mighty sorcerers who were among the first to try and seize the power of the Triforce by trying to attacking the Sacred Realm. Their efforts failed, and they were banished to the Twilight Realm by the light spirits through the Mirror of Twilight. The culmination of their magic were sealed within Fused Shadows, which each resembled a piece of a helmet. In the centuries since, their appearance changed to resemble shadowy beings with pale faces and slender, tall bodies.

They established their own kingdom within the Twilight Realm. They existed there in peace for centuries. This changed when one of the servants of the royal family, Zant, had hopes of being the one to succeed to royal family. He despised them for not doing anything to end the suffering of Twili. Because of his obvious greed and ambition, Midna was selected to become the Twilight Princess. Zant became consumed with anger and hatred at his tribe. It was in this time that Ganondorf, who had been imprisoned in the Twilight Realm some time ago, came to Zant posing as a god. Ganondorf still retained the Triforce of Power and made a deal that allowed Zant to become the Usurper King, transform most of the Twili into Shadow Beasts, and turn Midna into a imp-ish creature. His dominion was absolute, but Ganondorf had Zant continue his conquest into the world of light, particularly the land of Hyrule.

Twili in their corrupted Shadow Beast form.

Midna struck an alliance with Link who had been transformed into a wolf form from entering the Twilight Realm. Midna herself still possessed various special powers despite her curse, including the power to open portals and to produce arms made out of some sort of energy to grab others. The two worked together to try and gather the Fused Shadows in order to defeat Zant and they also drove the twilight out of all of Hyrule's provinces to foil Zant's attempt to merge the realms. However, before they could complete the Fused Shadow, Zant arrived and stole it. He then exposed Midna to one of the light deities, which critically injured her. He also transformed Link into his wolf form permanently.

Princess Zelda healed Midna by apparently transferring her spirit into Midna. Link and Midna then traveled to claim the Master Sword so Link could return to his old form. They then worked to repair the Mirror of Twilight, which Zant had shattered. It was said that only the true leader of the Twili could truly break the mirror, and as the mirror's shards were still intact, this confirmed that Zant was not the true leader of the Twili. When it was at last repaired, they stormed Zant's castle, freed the other cursed Twili using Sols, and defeated Zant himself, with Midna finishing him off. They then discovered Ganondorf was the mastermind. Midna reclaimed the Fused Shadows and used their power in the final battles, which transformed her into a monstrous and powerful creature with multiple arms that seemed to be composed of energy. At Hyrule Castle, Midna and Link defeated Ganondorf. Afterwards Midna returned to her original form. After bidding farewell to Link and Zelda, she used her magic to permanently shatter the Mirror of Twilight after she had entered it, ensuring the Twili and Hyrulians would never meet again.

Trivia

• The only Twili in the game, besides the Shadow Beasts, are the ones encountered outside Zant's castle. Once Link 'frees' them of Zant's control, they appear to be short impish creatures - unlike Zant and Midna's true forms, which are both tall, slim creatures and more humanoid. However, it is possible that they were also transformed into imps like Midna and returned to their original form after Ganondorf's defeat.
• The Twili also are aware of the Hero and believe that he will appear in the form of a divine beast (which turns out to be true when Midna meets Wolf Link).
• When the backstory of the tribe is told, they are symbolically represented through forms resembling dark versions of Link and Ilia.
• Oddly enough, the backstory of the Twili is strangely similar to the story of a similar dark tribe that was mentioned in Four Swords Adventures. All that is known about them is that they were a "dark tribe" that tried to invade Hyrule long ago and wound up being imprisoned in the Dark Mirror. It is uncertain whether they are intended to be the same (although it is unlikely given the differences between the mirrors), or if the story idea was simply reused and expanded upon for Twilight Princess.
• A trophy and sticker of the Shadow Beast appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.