Skyward Sword: Impa

Wii · 2011Switch HD · 2021Switch 2 · backward compatible

Sources reviewed:

Two bodies, one assignment: protect the goddess reborn. The young Sheikah and the small woman in the red hood are the same person at two times.

She is Sheikah, chosen by Hylia to guard the reincarnation in a later age. Near the Earth Temple she pulls Zelda away from bokoblins. At the Temple of Time she fights Ghirahim long enough for Zelda to pass the gate, then she breaks that gate and stays in the past. Those are the beats I will put in a guide. A comparison with Impa in Ocarina of Time or Skyward’s other eras is a series essay, and Nintendo has not issued a sentence that identifies them as one biography. I mark that cross-game talk as series commentary, not as a fact this cartridge states.

The visual split matters because players think they have met two women. Young Impa is tall. The elder is short and hooded in red. Same mission, different century of her life. HD does not add a third design.

If you are looking for the person who knows Zelda’s route while Link is still collecting tablets, it is this Impa, not Gaepora and not Fi.

The bracelet links the two appearances of Impa across the Gate of Time. Her duty is to protect Zelda during the ritual, while Link follows the surface route and strengthens the sword. Their objectives meet again at the Temple of Hylia in the past.

Original illustration of floating islands over a teal cloud sea
Original illustration. Not a captured game frame.
Original illustration of a stone gate with teal flames
Original illustration of a trial gate. Not a captured game frame.

FAQ

Is the old woman Impa?

Yes. The short elder in the red hood is the same Sheikah, later in her own life.

What happens to the Gate of Time?

She destroys it after Zelda goes through, and she remains in the past.

Official overview trailer

Sources

Next: Zelda · Ghirahim · Earth Temple