Rupee
| |
| A Blue Rupee | |
| Rupee | |
| Origin | Hyrule |
| Type | Currency |
| Debut | The Legend of Zelda |
Rupees are the standard currency used throughout the Zelda series. They are essentially hexagon shaped and come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The colors and sizes determine the value of the Rupee, although the series is not always consistent.
Information
Rupees come in several denominations:
- Green - 1 Rupee
- Blue - 5 Rupees
- Yellow - 10 Rupees
- Red - 20 Rupees
- Purple - Fifty Rupees
- Orange - 100 Rupees
- Silver - 200 Rupees
These are generally consistent throughout the series, though there have been the addition of giant green rupees worth 50 or 100 rupees. Silver and Orange rupees have been somewhat inconsistent at first, but have maintained their above values in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. In Four Swords, there is also a "Black Rupee" which reduces Rupees by a random amount.
Rupees are not just currency, but also have a certain magical trait to them. In most Zelda games, Rupees are often used to summon Great Fairies from wishing pools. As explained in Rupeeland, it's often because of the purifying aspect that Rupees have on pools. Despite this, they can bring both happiness and misery due to the greed they induce. This factor is exploited by Uncle Rupee whose greed for Rupees has been used to transform innocent people into a 'Tingle' to collect Rupees for him.
In general rupees can be found anywhere. Abandoned in grass, found in pots, carried by monsters, inside chests, and just about anywhere. In Four Swords, Rupee shards can be collected and assembled into a single Rupee worth 500 Rupees. Typically in most Zelda games, there is a certain limit to how many Rupees can be carried. Larger wallets are required to carry more Rupees.
In Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Tinglecan only survive as long as he has Rupees. In his adventure, he finds several Super Rupees that are square shaped and have no specific monetary value. These types of Rupees were full of power and were able to create extremely powerful monsters. Their actual use was to unlock the large Master Rupee, which was silver colored and necessary to reach Uncle Rupee with. During Tingle's battle with Uncle Rupee, he used Rupees his ammunition.
Trivia
- Rupees are also the name of the real-world currency used in India.