Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
- "The lowest-ranked members of the Yiga Clan. They've been dispatched all across Hyrule with a single task: seek out Link and end his life. They're a crafty bunch, sometimes disguising themselves as simple travelers or villager to get the jump on you. Be wary of suspicious people you encounter. They've very agile and carry a bow and a one-handed sword."
- — Hyrule Compendium
Yiga Footsoldiers are enemies from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They are renegade Sheikah soldiers of the Yiga Clan and followers of Calamity Ganon. Link confronts them at the Yiga Clan Hideout in their usual appearance or in Hyrule disguised as travelers. Once Master Kohga is defeated, they will start attacking Link more frequently across Hyrule.
Model Render of a Yiga Footsoldier
Yiga Footsoldiers are the lowest ranking Yiga Clansmen that serve as the group's primary soldiers. Before the Great Calamity, Yiga Footsoldiers attempted to assassinate Zelda twice while she was in Gerudo Desert. In the present, they are found across Hyrule disguised as ordinary travelers, waiting for Link to talk to them. They may sell Link Mighty Bananas before attacking him.
A Yiga Footsoldier disguised as an Hylian traveler
After speaking to Link, they remove their disguise and attack with Vicious Sickles or Demon Carvers. When defeated, they will drop Mighty Bananas, a random number of Rupees and often their wielded weapon. While intelligent and lethal assassins, footsoldiers are weaker than Yiga Blademasters, tending to rely on ambush tactics and deception to catch Link off guard.
After defeating Master Kohga, the Yiga begin seeking vengeance for him. As a result, many Yiga will abandon the traveler disguise and attack Link directly as he travels. These Yiga possess less HP than their disguised counterparts, and always wield Duplex Bows. These archers also defend Karusa Valley before and after Master Kohga's defeat as it leads to the Yiga Clan Hideout. There is also a Campfire near the eastern edge of the Gerudo Highlands where several Yiga Archers will spawn at all times.