Purah is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Purah is a Sheikah ancient technology researcher who can be found in the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab of Hateno Village in the East Necluda region. Despite her appearance, she is actually the elder sister of Impa and lived during the Great Calamity.
Biography[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Impa's Elder Sister[]
Purah is the elder sister of Impa who was apparently born in Kakariko Village into a family with a strong Sheikah lineage according to Paya though unlike her sister Purah was born with red eye color that is traditionally associated with the Sheikah. The women of her family were charged with protecting the Sheikah Heirloom, a piece of Sheikah technology that her and Impa's family had been protecting for generations upon generations awaiting for the heirloom's prophecy that a hero would be chosen by the Heirloom and receive a blessing. Purah herself would later dedicate herself to the study of ancient technology presumably intrigued as a child by the technology of heirloom which presumably she was unable to research due to family traditions. As Impa and Paya guard the Heirloom in the present, its implied Impa was tasked with guarding it presumably to prevent Purah from recklessly experimenting with it as Purah notes Impa was responsible for keeping Purah out of trouble with her crazier antics and is more responsible than her elder sibling. Despite her tendency to go overboard with her experiments, Purah became a respected researcher of ancient Sheikah technology and an expert in her field. Meanwhile her more responsible and patient younger sister became an advisor to the Royal Family of Hyrule whom their family had secretly served for generations. After a prophecy foretelling Calamity Ganon's return was imminent, Purah and the other Sheikah loyal to the Royal Family began excavating and studying Ancient Sheikah technology designed to combat Calamity Ganon such as the Guardian and Divine Beasts. During this time, the Sheikah Guardian researcher Robbie became Purah's subordinate and colleague. Purah implies Impa used her influence as royal advisor to fund the creation of the Royal and Hateno Ancient Tech Labs, though Princess Zelda may have also been one of the "bigwigs at Hyrule Castle" Purah is referring to.
Zelda's Research Team[]
- "Today I met with Impa of the Sheikah tribe and began my research into the ancient technology in the earnest. Impa introduced me to Purah and Robbie, other respected members of her tribe. Tomorrow I embark on an excavation with them. We hope to find ancient tech with which to operate the Guidance Stones."
- — Zelda's Research Notes
According to Zelda's Research Notes before the Great Calamity, Princess Zelda met with Purah's sister Impa and at this time she was introduced to Purah and her subordinate Robbie both of who Zelda referred to as respected members of their tribe. According to Purah's Diary, Purah was in her 20s at the time making her older than the teenage Zelda who later would turn 17 on the day of the Great Calamity. However despite Zelda's youth, Purah accepted the Princess as a fellow researcher due to her interest in scholarly research and Zelda's unwavering support of the Sheikah's research efforts which Zelda herself hoped to contribute to as it allowed her to help prepare for Calamity Ganon's return without her sealing powers which she had been struggling to awaken. The day after meeting Purah and Robbie, Zelda set out on an excavation with Purah and Robbie hoping to find ancient tech with which to operate the Guidance Stones. During their excavation they discovered a rectangular object, small enough to be held in Zelda's two hands, and made of the same stone-like material as shrines. The next day Purah decided to name the stone relic the Sheikah Slate as the relic was slate made by the Sheikah and they had found no references to a name for it in the ancient texts, however Zelda herself felt the name was a bit on the nose, though the Princess decided it was not an argument she could win and wisely decided not to push the issue any further. After some tinkering, they eventually managed to restore functionality to the Sheikah Slate's Camera Rune, album, and Hyrule Compendium. During their research, Zelda and her team became convinced it may have a function that could control Guidance Stones which later proved correct.
In the "Champions' Ballad" DLC, in a memory, though only heard not seen, she was the one who took a group picture of the Champions with the Sheikah Slate's Camera Rune. This picture was later printed and the printed photo became the cherished possession of the Royal Family's court poet an unnamed Sheikah who mentored the Rito Kass whom later inherited the photo which he later gives to Link after he assists Kass in completing his teacher's unfinished work The Champions' Ballad. If Link has purchased the old house in Hateno Village during "Hylian Homeowner" the picture will appear framed near Link's bed as a cherished memento of his time with the Champions.
In addition to their Sheikah Slate and Guidance Stone research, Purah, Zelda, and their team also oversaw the four Champion training to pilot their respective Divine Beasts. The Zora Princess Mipha mastered Vah Ruta with ease. Daruk had trouble at first but soon got the hang of controlling Vah Rudania thanks in part to adjustments made by Zelda during a visit to Goron City by her and Link. Urbosa and Revali managed just fine as well, making them hopeful that they would be able to stop the rise of the Calamity.
However unfortunately despite all of Zelda and teams efforts they were unable to enter most of the shrines, though they did discover the Shrines contained trials to train the hero and Purah developed a theory that the Sheikah Slate was key to opening them, a theory which was supported by Zelda herself, though she found herself unable to open the Tena Ko'sah Shrine in Tabantha Frontier which Zelda surmised was due to the Shrines being designed only to be accessed by the Master Sword's Chosen One whom she and Purah knew was Link. However Zelda resented Link's talent and never thought to seek his aid in accessing them. It is unclear if Purah was aware of this though it is likely she was or suspected it. Unfortunately the Shrines did not have power as the Sheikah Towers were buried and neither Zelda or Purah realized the true nature of the Sheikah Slate until much later. In addition to Purah and Robbie, the Royal Family's court poet assisted Princess Zelda in a survey of the Shrines knowledge he would pass on to Kass. However it is unclear if he had any official connection with Purah's research team as he may have simply been assisting the Princess with whom he was implied to be infatuated with.
However Zelda and her team did manage to uncover the Shrine of Resurrection which they discovered as they speculated was a medical facility. They also discovered it had a long term stasis function called the Slumber of Restoration that could be activated and maintained until healing was complete. Fearing the power Calamity Ganon must possess to necessitate such a facility, Zelda and her team worked to make all the adjustments to restore it to full working order. Eventually King Rhoam forbid Zelda from researching to force her to focus her every waking moment to awakening her sealing powers as he considered her research little more than Zelda playing at being a scholar. As a result Purah lead the research team without Zelda. Before her father forbid her research efforts, Zelda observed the Sheikah test a Guardian and believed that they could defeat Ganon with the Guardians and Divine Beasts which they had learned to control through Purah, Robbie, and Zelda's research efforts. This was in sharp contrast to a previous test in which a Guardian went out of control forcing Link to destroy it which lead to his appointment to the Imperial Guard assigned to protect Zelda, indicating Purah and her team had some early failures and mishaps through they managed to learn from these early mistakes. Zelda did manage to go on one last survey before her seventeenth birthday according to the description for Recovered Memory #14 as she had just returned from said survey when the memory takes place. Unfortunately the Great Calamity would occur the next day as well.
The Great Calamity[]
Though Impa, Purah, Robbie, and the Champions thought they were fully prepared to confront Calamity Ganon with the Guardians and Divine Beasts, they never foresaw the possibly that Ganon, after having been defeated by the same technology in the past would decide to turn that very same technology against Hyrule. Ganon used his power to corrupt the Guardians and created four phantoms of himself to kill the Divine Beasts' Champion pilots and imprison their spirits becoming the Scourges of the Divine Beasts which took control of the Divine Beasts giving Ganon control over them. Ganon's revenge was swift and brutal with much of Central Hyrule destroyed and Hyrule Castle soon fell to Ganon. The Royal Ancient Tech Lab was destroyed as well though Purah and Robbie escaped with their most of their research and two Guidance Stones. Link and Zelda survived and fled from Hyrule Castle stopping briefly when Zelda broke down out of grief and hopelessness of their situation. The fled to the boarder of Necluda, but were cornered by corrupted Guardians. Wielding the Master Sword which gleamed with its true power due to Ganon's influence within the Guardians, Link valiantly defended Zelda and Fort Hateno however eventually the Master Sword's true power faded leaving Link ill prepared to face the onslaught of Guardians though he refused to abandon his duty even when Zelda begged him to flee.
After Zelda selfless attempts to convince Link to flee failed she tried to shield the exhausted Link from an attacking Guardian which suddenly caused her sealing powers to finally awaken which freed the Guardians of Ganon's influence shutting them down. However despite her success Link collapsed from his injuries near death. As Zelda wondered what to do as she could not defeat Ganon without him, she heard the ancient voice of the Master Sword that only she could hear inform her Link could be saved reminding Zelda of the Shrine of Resurrection. Found by two Sheikah warriors Zelda insisted Link be transported to the Great Plateau. After reuniting with her remaining allies Zelda requested Impa, Robbie, and Purah to protect him as she guided by the Master Sword still had a role to play. Purah and Robbie thus took him to the Shrine of Resurrection in order to hide him and heal, though they were forced to resort to the untested Slumber of Restoration in order to save Link's life. Robbie and Purah witnessed Link's battle scars and took possession of his Champion's Tunic which was given to Impa though left chests containing clothes and the Sheikah Slate formerly owned by Zelda in the Shrine for Link when he awoke though the clothes eventually deteriorated into an Old Shirt and Well-Worn Trousers. Unbeknownst to Purah or Robbie, King Rhoam's spirit chose to watch over Link as the Old Man taking advantage of his ghostly form to watch over and protect Link as he slept whom was being hunted by evil Sheikah of the Yiga Clan. King Rhoam apparently did so due to his regrets both as a father and as Hyrule's last reigning King. Zelda entrusted the Master Sword's protection to the Great Deku Tree and Korok tribe as Korok Forest which was surrounded by the fabled Lost Woods which provided a nature barrier protecting it from any who might seek it. Zelda informs the Great Deku Tree of her plans and noted to the Master Sword that its master may suffer amnesia whenever he awakes but has faith he will find and reclaim the sword.
After Zelda choose to seal Ganon in Hyrule Castle, in Kakariko Village Impa, Purah, and Robbie decided to separate to ensure at least one of them would survive to aid Link when he finally awoke. However Purah insisted Robbie escort her to Hateno Village, they eventually made their way to Fort Hateno where they parted company with Purah leaving Robbie behind while he was looking at the defeated Guardians privately lamenting his focus of Guardian research prevented him from developing more advanced weapons capable of combating the Calamity. By the time Robbie prepared to continue onwards Purah had already left and Robbie decided to leave for Akkala confident Purah could make the rest of the journey on her own. Purah set up shop in the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab where she worked as director researching Runes to assist Link when he will come back. As the Slumber of Restoration was untested, neither Zelda, Purah, Robbie, or Impa knew how long Link would remain in stasis and like Zelda feared the process might rob Link of his memories, though hoped that was not the case.
Age of Burning Fields[]
Fortunately for Purah, the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab had been constructed before the Calamity with funding from Hyrule Castle which she implies Impa and possibly Zelda where responsible for. It is implied the 20 year old Purah spent ten years helping the village rebuild after the Great Calamity and installing her lab's equipment such as her Guidance Stone and Furnace powered by Blue Flame retrieved from the Ancient Furnace near Zelkoa Pond and installing stationary Lanterns to make the process of relighting her furnace easier.
At thirty years old, Purah began continuing her research focusing on Runes and discovered the existence of runes she was previously unaware of such as Stasis and Remote Bombs. She also developed the Sheikah Sensor+ an upgrade which linked the Sensor with the Hyrule Compendium which took her 50 years to complete as she was 80 years old when it was finished though was unable to add them to the Sheikah Slate for Link as by that time she was too old to make the journey to the Great Plateau thus planned to give it to Link along with the other Runes she discovered when he awoke. As she aged Purah grew concerned that the Sheikah that survived would not live to see Link's return which caused her to develop the idea to use technology to combat the effects of aging so she and the other elderly Sheikah could be restored to their physical prime allowing them to better aid Link and even survive beyond their natural lifespans if need be.
Over the years Purah mentored Nanna and later Jerrin who was later sent by Impa to assist Robbie whom she eventually married. At some point, Nanna returned to Kakariko Village settled down and had a family, though later regretted not heeding Purah's ideas and warnings about the dangers of growing old indicating she was aware of Purah's age reversing research, though apparently did not assist her in the endeavor thus explaining Nanna's regret in old age. While Purah remained single, her sister started a family having at least one child and eventually a grandchild named Paya thus making Purah a great aunt. Though most of the villagers in Hateno Village grew to respect her over the years with most having known of her their whole lives and respectfully refer to her as the "Director", they generally do not bother her and even the elders of the village who lived during the Age of Burning Fields are not aware of the nature of her research though apparently the children of the village do not and it is implied she had to deal with their occasional curiosity which apparently caused her to gain a reputation for disliking children as the years went by. Purah used the blue flame from the Sheikah Furnace found in Hateno Village to power her Guidance Stone and laboratory, though would occasionally have to relit her lab's small furnace when the flame went out which became more difficult as she aged. As a result, the people of Hateno Village came to associate the blue flame with the director though few understood its true purpose. It is also implied Purah helped rebuild Hateno Village following the Calamity as the town has lampposts with low tech lanterns that function as streetlights. She also installed Lantern Torches throughout Hateno Village which could kit with Blue Flame making the process of lighting her Furnace easier. It is also implied she was responsible for the village's survival after Link's battle at Fort Hateno allowed it to survive the Calamity and rebuild, as the town has survived for a century despite the presence of monsters and Yiga Clan as well as her labs large telescope which allows her to keep an eye on the road leading to the village.
Age-reversing Rune[]
As she got older, Purah began researching an age reversing rune to strengthen the Hyrulean army to fight the inevitable return of Calamity Ganon. The research was implied to have begun well before the Great Calamity, originally as a way to restore elderly knights and soldiers back to their physical prime and Purah apparently struggled to develop it before the Great Calamity but failed though revived the research as she grew older herself presumably to help herself and other elderly Sheikah (and Zora Council of Elders) regain their lost youth so they might combat Ganon alongside Link. Symin was sent by Impa to assist her in her old age. Purah would later complain about his uselessness in a letter sent to Robbie and Jerrin. At 120 years old, Purah decided to test the experimental rune on herself and after 20 seconds of exposure to its rays she felt extreme fatigue and broke into a fever, forcing her and Symin to cease the experiment. Unable to stay awake Purah went to bed immediately deciding she'd find out what went wrong the next day.
However the next day she was grateful her extreme body fatigue had subsided though she noticed her appearance had changed as her hair became thick and floor length while her wrinkles once deep as trenches had faded without a trace causing her to realize her rune had worked frighteningly faster than Purah had anticipated. After waking up that morning Purah immediately kicked Symin out of bed to run a full physical exam of Purah's condition. The research results initially proved fruitful as it reversed her age at first to a Sheikah woman in her early fifties, however she feared she might wake up and find herself in the body of an infant frightened that she had regressed 70 years in a single night. However fortunately her age regression slowed down afterwards causing Purah to feel confident and more hopeful while being remindied of her past as she regained her lost youth. Her age continued to regress to a woman in her thirties then twenties, later to a teenager going through puberty, and eventually stopped at the age of a six year old girl. She began working on a Rune to reverse the process, but her Guidance Stone ran out of energy, and she was unable to relight the furnace that powered her tech lab. Symin proved to be unsuited to this task, and she was forced to light them herself. A girl in the village saw her and she was thus forcing her to resort to gas powered lights. When Robbie wrote her a letter about sending his son Granté to study under her, she replied not to send anyone, presumably embarrassed by her current state which is reinforced by her choosing to keep her condition a secret from even her own family as neither Impa nor Paya are aware of it. She also became frustrated waiting for Link to awaken, even wanting to travel to the Great Plateau to kick him awake, though doubted Symin would support her in reaching the Plateau as she could not reach it alone in her six year old body.
If Link visits the lab before receiving the Locked Mementos quest from Impa, Purah will even pretend that Symin's the lab's director and that she is his assistant as a practical joke and will continue this ruse until Link receives the quest.
Locked Mementos[]
After seeking out Impa, Link is informed that his Sheikah Slate is missing some of its components and Impa tells him to seek out the director of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab to get it fixed. Upon arriving at the lab, Purah plays a joke on Link by pretending that Symin is the director, though Symin tells him the truth and Purah reveals herself to be the labs true director. She explains that her current condition is the result of an experiment gone wrong but tells him he should read her diary to learn more about it. She takes a look at Link's Sheikah Slate and is surprised to find it has Remote Bombs, Magnesis Rune, Stasis Rune, and Stasis Runes which Link acquired inside the Shrines located on the Great Plateau, yet lacks standard runes such as the Camera Rune, Album, and Hyrule Compendium. She states she her Guidance Stone can restore the missing components, but first her lab's furnace must be relit with the Blue Flame as her lab is powered by it. Link can find a Torch inside the Lab and can obtain the Blue Flame from the Ancient Furnace inside Hateno Village. He can light special lanterns along the way incase he loses the flame, making it easier to relit if it goes out. Link is unable to light the lanterns or the lab's furnace if it raining. Once Link lights the labs furnace, power is restored to the lab's Travel Gate and Guidance Stone. Purah tells Link to place the Sheikah Slate in the Guidance Stone which restores the missing components and fixes all corrupted data. This unlocks the Camera Rune, Hyrule Compendium, and restores the pictures originally stored in the album. Purah suspects that the images were taken by Princess Zelda when it was in her possession as the pictures are of locations as they appeared before the Great Calamity. Purah suggests he talk to Impa as she was close to Princess Zelda and would likely know more. She also mentions that if Link brings her some ancient parts, she will give him something good and tells him to speak to Robbie at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab as he has been working on something that might aid him. Interestingly, despite her telling him to read her diary earlier to learn more about her condition and even points out its location, she insists he not read it. If Link reads Purah's diary, she will punish him by taking his Sheikah Slate and seemingly erasing all its components, however when Link checks it, he discovers nothing is missing and Purah reveals she had played another joke on him, even imitating the Guidance Stone's voice to fool him, indicating she really has no problem with Link reading her diary and was simply pranking him, thus explaining her contradictory behavior. Link can also find two manuals written by Purah, the Sheikah Slate Manual and Camera Manual on the table next to her which provide instructions on the Sheikah Slate and Camera Rune respectively.
Slated for Upgrades[]
If Link asks her about the something good she promised, she explains that in exchange for ancient materials she can power-up Link's runes, such as the Sheikah Sensor for three Ancient Screws, Remote Bombs for three Ancient Shafts, and Stasis for three Ancient Cores. Link can also ask her about Ancient Materials which Purah reveals are what Guardians drop when he defeats them or by examining broken Guardians.
Upgrading the Sheikah Sensor links it to the Hyrule Compendium allowing it to detect the objects Link records in the Hyrule Compendium when he takes pictures of them with the Camera and causes Symin to want to test it by having Link use it to find a Sunshroom behind the lab and take its picture leading to the "Sunshroom Sensing" side quest. After Link completes Symin's side quest, Symin discovers Purah's Guidance Stone has photographic data stored in its memory which can be uploaded to the Hyrule Compendium to fill in missing entries. Purah permits Link to try it out for free but afterwards forces Symin to charge Link for this service justifying it out of necessity to fund their research. The pictures he can purchase are separated by type though the picture of that type received is random and the free test run picture is completely random as Link cannot select the type. These pictures are lost if its entry's picture is overwritten. Unlike rune upgrades Link purchases these pictures from Symin.
Upgrading the Remote Bombs increases their power while decreasing their recharge time. Upgrading the Stasis Rune allows it to effect enemies.
Link can also ask her about Robbie who she explains is her subordinate who runs the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab and tells Link he should bring Ancient Materials to Robbie as well. This leads to the side quest, "Robbie's Research".
After her reunion with Link, Purah happily writes about it in her diary. She laments not testing the Slumber of Restoration in light of Link's amnesia but writes it off as a learning experience. She notes he got the furnace lit and cheekily notes it might be a good opportunity to get him to do other chores for her. However she never completes her age boosting rune though this implied to be due to her financial situation as she notes to Link in conversation she could do more research on new items if she had a few hundred million rupees thus explaining her lack of process with the age boosting rune and why she force Symin to charge Link to upload picture data. However she is more than happy to chat with Link when he visits though finds it annoying if he tries to talk to her while standing the table next to her though humorously documents the behavior which she attributes to being due to the Slumber of Restoration however she refuses to chat unless he is standing on the floor even losing her patience at times demanding he get off the table if he wants to talk. She is shown to be aware of Robbie's conversion of his Guidance Stone into the Ancient Oven Cherry though has trouble recalling Cherry's name though she is aware it is a statue that creates ancient soldier gear. She admits Robbie is a top-tier researcher and that she respects him a great deal. She also explains her relationship with Impa though notes their differing personalities however admits she still loves her little sister regardless of their differences. Robbie is not surprised to learn of Purah's condition as it explains her recent behavior and he notes she hasn't changed.
If he speaks to her without body armor, she notes the scars from his injuries from the Great Calamity have mostly healed though if Link walks up to her without body armor she will note to herself "Fascinating". She also recognizes Remote Bombs if Link pulls one out though this is not surprising as she created a Rune upgrade for them. Humorously if he detonates one near her she will point out it cannot harm her by saving "That won't work on me!" lampshading the fact Remote Bombs cannot harm friendly NPCs such as Purah herself. However, Purah may have also developed technology to defend against them. Like most characters, Purah reacts frightened of Link if he wears the "Phantom Equipment", "Tingle", or "Phantom Ganon armor sets though will speak to him as she does normally. The same thing applies to the "Radiant" Armor set at night.
Physical appearance[]
She appears to look like a six year old girl due to using a Rune to reverse her aging that went too far. Interestingly, she is the only member of her family to have inherited the Sheikah's traditional red eye color, as Impa and Paya both have brown eyes (much like depictions of Impa before the release of Ocarina of Time). However like her sister and grandniece, she has white hair which she has tied up in a bun. She wears a pair of glasses and a mask with Lizalfos-like eyes on her head which are identical to the ones her subordinate Robbie wears. She wears Sheikah clothing which takes the form of a dress with a frilled skirt and Mary Jane shoes. She wears Sheikah gauntlets and leggings. She wears a backpack like device on her back with what appears to be a flute attached to it.
She also lacks the Sheikah eye crest tattooed on her forehead like Impa and Paya despite coming from a family with a strong Sheikah lineage as it is customary for Sheikah with such lineage to tattoo the crest or their forehead, though presumably this may be out of vanity or it is concealed by her hair and/or the bandana also concealed under her hair. Additionally it is possible that because Purah studies ancient technology, she doesn't follow Sheikah tradition as faithfully as her sister and grandniece, as the Sheikah had given up much of their ancient technology, while Purah herself embraces and studies it. It may also be due to the fact that Purah is a scientist and may reject such practices as superstition as the Sheikah eye chest is considered a protective talisman. There is, potentially, some hinting that she still honors her heritage, as her glasses are designed with the same pattern as the Sheikah crest's "eyebrow" (slightly mimicking the Lens Of Truth).
Personality[]
- "You may already know this, but although Impa looks a looooot older than me, she's actually my little sister. She's incredibly responsible, but at what cost? She's wound up waaaay too tight, if you ask me. Love her though! Heh. People have always noted how we're nothing alike, even though we're sisters. I'm the type who charges ahead once I'm inspired! Impa prefers to wait and see. But mostly wait and wait and wait. In any case, this research facility was founded by order of some Hyrule Castle bigwigs. Despite her frail appearance, Impa was a valued and distinguished advisor to the royals at Hyrule Castle. You...see where I'm going with this, I assume? Basically, she's the one who puts a stop to some of my crazier antics. And that's the story of me and my little sis, Impa."
- — Purah on her relationship with Impa
Unlike her sister, Purah is shown to be playful and somewhat mischievous as she takes advantage of Link's amnesia to play practical jokes on Link whom she affectionatelly calls "Linky". She has a habit of posing like she's having her picture taken and saying "Snap". Her behavior resembles, and is apparently modelled after, girls in today's social media based culture which fits with her role restoring the Camera Rune which allows the Sheikah Slate to function similarly to modern day smartphones. She is also somewhat vain which is one of her reasons behind her anti-aging research and even obsesses about a pimple when she regresses back to a teenager going through puberty though it is stated that her mental state had regressed to that of a teenager due to hormones. Not surprisingly she enjoys having her picture taken and poses for Link to test out the restored Camera Rune. She respects Link's skill as a knight having witnessed the aftermath of his battle near Fort Hateno and the wounds he received as a result, yet believed he would ultimately defeat Ganon once properly healed with the assistance of herself and fellow Sheikah. However she does become impatient waiting for him to awaken and it doesn't stop her from playing pranks on him by taking advantage of his amnesiac state. If Link stands on her table and speaks to her, she may take notes on his behavior concluding awakening from the Slumber of Restoration seems to have give him a desire to look down on others in an attempt to annoy them as much as possible. Other times she will simply order him to get down from the table if he wishes to talk. This indicates she is either annoyed by his rude behavior or dislikes being reminded how short she is due to her age which is only intensified by him standing on the table and looking down on her. However she apparently attributes this behavior as being a symptom of awakening from the Slumber of Restoration like Link's amnesia. She also exams his scars if he talks to her with his body armor removed and notes they have mostly healed. Presumably she views Link's case as worthy of study as he is the first subject she has examined to have been healed through the Slumber of Restoration.
Purah describes herself as the type who charges ahead when inspired while her sister prefers to wait patiently though Purah thinks she's wound up way too tight and waits too much implying Purah herself is too impatient as she gets frustrated waiting a century for Link to wakeup unlike her younger sister who waited patiently and even starting a family during that time which resulted in her gaining a granddaughter Paya showing Impa used her time waiting wisely while Purah remained single mindedly focusing entirely on her research missing out on being a mother and grandmother showing when inspired she charges ahead causing her to miss out on things which also may be another reason behind her anti-aging research as it would allow he to relive her lost youth. She also admits Impa is responsible for keeping Purah from crazier antics indicating Impa is more responsible than her elder sister who's tendency to charge ahead when inspired apparently causes her to take insane risks or not think things through as a scientific researcher should. This is shown by her anti-aging research which well intentioned to allow the elderly Sheikah including Purah and Impa to be restored to their physical prime however without Impa around to keep a close eye on Purah she risked testing the experimental rune on herself rather than trials with animals or plants, resulting in her age regressed condition which could have had potentially serious results such as reverting to an infant which she only worried about after her initial results proved promising instead of before even attempting to use on herself. However despite their differences Purah admits she loves her little sister and even recognizes her own faults and Impa's role in keeping herself out of or causing trouble with her crazy antics, as well as recognizing Impa's ability as a royal advisor.
She tends to treat her assistant Symin poorly, even kicking him awake to run tests after she used the anti-aging rune on herself. It is implied that this is due to her considering him inept compared to her past assistants and due to being close to her brilliant student Jerrin whom Symin had replaced after Impa ordered Jerrin to assist the elderly Robbie whom Jerrin later married. She warned her former assistant Nanna about the dangers of aging which Nanna ignored until she became an old woman and even wished she had listened to Purah, indicating she was dismissive of her anti-aging research but later regretted not helping Purah perfect it when she reached old age and understood Purah's reasoning. She also became frustrated with waiting for Link to awaken, even humorously wanting to go kick him awake through doubted Symin would assist her and it would be hard for her to reach the Great Plateau with her six year old body. This implies the jokes she pulls on Link are payback for making her wait a century.
Some of the Hateno villagers dislike her personality to the point that some, such as Thadd, describe her as a yappy old woman and warn travelers to avoid her lab. Others imply she dislikes children, which is ironic considering her personality and condition. She admits to Link that she was not as close to Princess Zelda as her sister, though she and Zelda worked well together due to their shared interest in ancient technology. It should be noted that although Zelda felt the name Sheikah Slate was a bit too on the nose, she decided not to challenge Purah on the name indicating even Princess Zelda was wary of arguing with Purah. However Purah respects Zelda and cares about her well-being. She and Zelda also got along on a professional level and accomplished a lot of work together such as studying the Divine Beasts, discovering the Sheikah Slate, and Shrine of Resurrection. Both also share similar headstrong personalities when it comes to their passion for scholarly research such as when Zelda tried to force Link to consume a Hot-Footed Frog raw as part of an impromptu field experiment after catching one failing to realize it had to be cooked into an Hasty Elixir in her excitement. However Purah was left to continue her work with Zelda due to King Rhoam forbidding her from further research to focus on awakening her powers. As a result, Purah and Zelda where unable to complete their research on the Shrines which she admits she and Zelda didn't even understand the basics at the time as the Shrines lacked power. Zelda however did realize the Shrines were designed to only be accessed by the chosen hero which she noted after failing to access the Tena Ko'sah Shrine with the Sheikah Slate. It is unclear if Purah also knew this or if Zelda kept her in the dark due to her resentment of Link as she nor Purah apparently never tried to have him assist them in accessing the Shrines, though this may be due to Zelda refusal to seek his assistance as she hoped to try and work around the Shrine's design to gain entry but none of her efforts were successful according to Purah whom was apparently busy with her own research and preparations to confront Ganon whom Zelda, Purah, and their allies all underestimated as Purah believed at the time their forces where prepared their offense solid and defenses impenetrable.
Perhaps because of how well she and Robbie get along, he is not surprised to learn of her mishap with the anti-aging rune, even noting she hadn't changed, indicating that she possibly suffered similar experimental mishaps in the past and is likely aware of how Impa kept her sister out of trouble. Amira and Nikki are also implied to even suspect the truth while gossiping, that the Sheikah girl that had been spotted at the lab might be Purah herself, indicating they too would not be surprised by it, though can't fathom how such a thing would be possible as they are unfamiliar with Sheikah technology unlike Robbie. She and her student Jerrin also apparently got along well as Jerrin even picked up Purah's habits such as playing jokes and even impersonating Purah's mannerisms.
Despite her negative personality traits and quirks, Purah is a loyal Sheikah like her sister and grandniece who is dedicated to combating Ganon by using her research to discover the purpose of the ancient Sheikah technology left behind by their ancestors and takes her research seriously even authoring several manuals on the Sheikah Slate and its Runes. As a result, Purah is a respected expert in her field and even helped Zelda uncover several important discoveries such as the Sheikah Slate and the purpose of the Shrine of Resurrection. She also began her anti-aging research originally so retired warriors could be returned to their prime to further strengthen the Hyrulean Army against Calamity Ganon's return though the work was difficult and Great Calamity occurred before she could complete it though Purah would continue the anti-aging research as she herself grew older so she and the elderly Sheikah could fight alongside Link and Zelda. Also despite her pranking Link, she respects his abilities and worked hard to develop rune upgrades, though she does require him to trade Ancient Materials in order to support her research. Fortunately her lab is not in as desperate need for funding as Robbie is, as her lab was created before the Great Calamity, with funding from Hyrule Castle, while Robbie built the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab out of the old lighthouse in Deep Akkala during the Age of Burning Fields. Eventually, however, she decides to force Symin to charge Link to use her Guidance Stone to upload photos to the Hyrule Compendium after letting Link test it out for free, justifying it as a contribution to their research though it may also be due to Purah's admitted dislike of people using her Guidance Stone for free. She also helps Link by directing him to Robbie and even suggests he speak to her sister about using the pictures Zelda took to restore his memory as she knew Zelda more personally. Even the villagers of Hateno Village respectfully call her the director and it is implied most have known her their whole lives as she has lived there for a century. However they tend to leave her alone to do her research, apparently respecting the signs warning people to enter at their own risk and to respect the Blue Flame lanterns. Purah herself is apparently very secretive about her research, presumably to protect it from being misused and/or from the Yiga Clan though she doesn't hide her Sheikah status and it would be obvious to anyone aware of ancient Sheikah technology including the Yiga Clan that her research involves ancient Sheikah technology as shown by her lab. The village street lights made from lanterns are implied to be due to Purah's ingenuity and technical knowledge being applied to less advanced technology and her lab has gaslights should her Furnace's flame go out.
- "I don't normally like letting people use my little Guidance Stone for free, but... I kind of want to see what'll happen, so just this once I'll let it pass."
- — Purah
Like Robbie, Purah prizes her lab's Guidance Stone which she dotes on like her baby. She even admits to disliking people using it for free though makes exceptions for Link and allows her assistant Symin to examine its data as part of a research diagnostic. She refuses to allow it to be used for free as Link restoring power to it and her lab qualified as payment for restoring the Sheikah Slate and she requires materials to be traded to upgrade its runes, and Rupees to add pictures to the Hyrule Compendium after permitting a one time free trial which she only allows at Symin's insistence and to test the upload process out of intellectual curiosity, all of which benefit her lab and research as she decides the force Symin to charge Link Rupees to use her Guidance Stone to upload pictures to generate some revenue for the lab. She explains to Link after talking about her and her sister, Purah notes that with no further funding from Hyrule Castle since the Great Calamity, she's had to rely on her own personal funds and notes if they only had a few hundred million Rupees, she could do research on new items explaining why she is only able to supply Link three Rune upgrades, as her personal funds are running dry. It also explains why she forces Symin to charge Rupees as it provides enough funding to keep the lab going until Ganon is defeated and the Kingdom is restored allowing her to continue her research for Hyrule's betterment and reconstruction or purely for scholarly and academic value depending on how things work out as her research was mainly intended to be used for confronting and combating Calamity Ganon. However fortunately her lab runs on free renewable energy provided by the Blue Flame from the Ancient Furnace thus allowing her to devote her funds to her research. However she seems to have developed a philosophy that no funds means no fun for her due to her lab's finance situation. She is also aware of Robbie's modifications to his Guidance Stone Cherry and despite not remembering the name Robbie had given it, she knows it can manufacturer ancient soldier gear and respects Robbie's ability to develop it though it is unclear if she is aware of her student Jerrin's contributions and improvements on it during its development.
Though she mentions developing an age boosting rune in her diary before the flame went out, she never tests it out after power is restored to her lab, indicating she either had second thoughts or it turned out to be a dud. Alternatively since Link has awakened, she may have decided to hold off until after Ganon is defeated and has access to better funding as well as support from Princess Zelda who is a capable researcher in her own right.
Abilities[]
As an expert on ancient Sheikah technology, Purah is familiar with technology such as Ancient Furnaces, Guidance Stones, Travel Gates, Sheikah Towers, and Shrines. She also recognizes Remote Bombs produced by the Remote Bomb Rune though this is not surprising as Runes and the Sheikah Slate are her area of expertise and even developed an upgrade for them. She also has access to more low tech technology such as gaslights. Her team was responsible for the discovery of the Sheikah Slate which Purah named herself and the Shrine of Resurrection. She was also involved with Guardian and Divine Beast research along with Zelda and Robbie.
The Sheikah Slate and its Runes seem to be her primary field of study and expertise. At first she was only aware of the Sheikah Sensor, Camera, Album, and Hyrule Compendium runes but during the Age of Burning Fields following the Great Calamity she discovered the existence of other runes such as Stasis, Cryonis, and Remote Bombs. She admits that she and Zelda failed to understand the basic function of the Shrine though Zelda is shown to be aware they were designed to be only accessed by the Master Sword's chosen hero. After Link's awaking and the appearance of the Sheikah Towers and Shrines activating, Purah quickly deduced that the Shrines lacked power until Link activated the Great Plateau Tower which activated buried towers throughout Hyrule restoring power to the shrines allowing Link to access their Guidance Stones with the Sheikah Slate. Even if Zelda had enlisted Link's assistance the Shrines would still lack power as the buried Great Plateau Tower was only revealed as a direct result of the Great Calamity which Link ended up activating after awaking. Purah managed to figure all of this out using what she knew thanks to being a top tier researcher.
She is also talented enough to develop rune upgrades and even an experimental rune capable to reverse aging however with unpredictable research as she had no control over the regression process through this is mainly due to it being completely experimental. She also planned to develop an age boosting rune to reverse the process after regressing too far. She is also capable of making her own working Sheikah Slate as mentioned in her diary. However her ability to conduct research and develop new items is tied to her and her lab's available funds which have been lacking since the fall of Hyrule forcing her to rely on her own personal funds which by the time Link awakens are starting to run out. According to Purah, developing new items would require a few hundred million Rupees indicating her research costs are pretty high despite her lab running on free energy. As a result, Purah is unable to develop more items for Link though this is mainly due to not developing a proper business model as Robbie did with the Ancient Oven Cherry which allows his lab to generate a study amount of income as Link must return to purchase Ancient Soldier Gear that breaks and Ancient Arrows. In contrast Purah through Symin charges Rupees for pictures which Link could obtain on his own for free. This indicates her business skills are not as sharp as Robbie's.
Additionally it is implied that like Robbie and Jerrin, Purah has some Sheikah physical training as she was able apparently able relight her furnace easily when she was in her physical prime (and when she regressed back to it). However she apparently struggled with it in old age and when regressed to a six year old. Additionally she managed to survive the Great Calamity and a century waiting for Link while avoided falling victim to the Yiga Clan, Guardians, or monsters roaming Hyrule despite during nothing to hide the fact she a Sheikah doing research which the Yiga Clan could have easily surmised involved ancient Sheikah technology and her relation to Impa through intel provided by Impa's blackmailed bodyguard Dorian. This indicates the Yiga Clan where either very lax or Purah was perceived as too dangerous to confront even by the fanatical Yiga Clan. She shares this trait with her younger sister though Impa has the advantage of being leader to a Sheikah village protected by a Great Fairy and Sheikah bodyguards while Robbie can create and design Ancient Soldier Gear designed to combat Guardians and Calamity Ganon. However Purah's access to runes and a working Sheikah Slate may explain how she could combat such enemies in addition to any Sheikah skills and/or weaponry she may have access to including those involving ancient technology the research of which she specializes in. Additionally the Guardians components that adorn her lab may have had their weapon components salvaged and repaired possibly to be used in the lab's defense or meant as a warning to both monsters and Yiga Clan against attacking it with either scenario fitting with Purah's personality and expertise.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Beta Development[]
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.
According to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, Robbie's design was completed first, and from there a number of designs were tried out for Purah based on the "magical girl" archetype. She ended up being a very cheerful, strong character, but her initial "punk rock girl" theme design was lauguid and unenergetic, essentially the opposite of her final design. Additionally the "punk rock girl" Purah was depicted as more greedy as demonstrated by a purse she wears around her neck and would originally have required Link to pay Rupees for her services. She also lacked her glasses, googles, and the unique skirt seen in her final design though her backpack was present though its design was practically identical to Robbie's save for a rod-like attachment featuring the Sheikah emblem. The "punk rock" design was also taller and Purah appears to be in her teens as she is only slightly shorter than Link himself. The "magical girl" Purah designs ultimately evolved into Purah's final design. One of the "magical girl" designs depicts an elderly Purah before her age regression. The "magical girl" designs differ from the final design as Purah lacks her glasses and googles though it has the same overall hairstyle and her cheerful energetic personality was present though her greed was the same as the "punk rock" design as her motivation for studying ancient technology was for monetary gain and to fulfil her dream of creating a peaceful world without aging or dying. Ultimately the final design toned down Purah's greed which she partially justifies as being due to her lack of research funding following the Great Calamity. The book also shows the finalized design sketch of Purah wearing her goggles and one of her with her eyes closed and not wearing her glasses or goggles.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
The source book also states Purah is actually enjoying her second childhood presumably explaining why she never attempts to test the age boosting rune mentioned in her diary even after Link restores power to her lab's furnace. The source book also confirms Purah is the oldest living Sheikah despite her appearance indicating she is older than Robbie as her being older than Impa is confirmed by the fact Purah is her elder sister.