Old Man


 * This article is about the recurring characters. For the character from A Link to the Past, see Lost Old Man.

Old Men are recurring characters in the Legend of Zelda series. They have different purposes in the various games they appear in and may both help Link in his quest as well as prevent his progress.

The Legend of Zelda
The Old Man is a bald character with a white beard and is dressed in a red gown. He is usually found in dungeons or inside caves, most commonly standing between two magic flames he controls. Attacking the Old Man results in fireballs shooting from the flames. The Old Man is used for several things in the game, ranging from giving Link advice on how to move forward in his adventure to providing him with important items. Though very helpful, he is sometimes unpredictable, occasionally gambling with Link for Rupees and even mugging him. His female counterpart is the Old Woman.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
In all, eight Old Men appear in towns scattered throughout Hyrule. If Link talks to them, he is taught different spells. Sometimes, the path to the Old Man's locations are not always obvious and require some thinking on the part of the player; additionally, Link must usually aid one of the villagers in some way before being allowed to meet the village's Old Man. There is some speculation that the Old Men who teach Link spells in the various villages are all the same Old Man from The Legend of Zelda, or at least based on him. This, however, is unproven.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
Old Men are found in various dungeons and caves throughout both games. Dressed in green robes, they act very similar to their The Legend of Zelda counterpart. Old Men found in caves below trees or rocks on the Overworld will either reward Link with Rupees, telling him not to tell anyone, or thank him for paying to fix his door as he takes Rupees from Link. Several Old Men appear in Eyeglass Isle Library searching for a way to clense the poisoned Zora Seas.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Although he didn't appear in the game, a series of unused sprites for the Old Man were found in the game's data. The sprite is, aside from being monochrome, identical to the one used in the Oracle games.

Zelda LCD games
An old man appears in the top corner of the screen, near the hearts display. He appears to be casting magic but has no effect on the game.

The Legend of Neil
Old Man, as well as his brother Oold Man, appear many times in the series, often giving the protagonist Neil advice, all the while mocking him for his lack of skill. In the first episode, Old Man recognizes Neil to be Link, the prophesied Hero of Hyrule. He gives Neil a sword and shield and explains the function of the Magic Delicious Heart Cookies dropped by enemies. Inside of dungeons, Neil encounters his brother Oold Man (who is different from is brother by being left-handed and having a severe case of Tourette syndrome), who provides Link with poorly worded advice, analogous to the original Old Man from The Legend of Zelda. While one may believe that Old Man and Oold Man are one and the same, as does Neil, both Old Man and Oold Man appear in "Les Neilérables", a musical episode of the series where the two sing a song called "Every Hero Needs a Mentor". Both Old Men are portrayed by Mike Rose.

Translation
The Old Man is known for his vague and/or badly translated advice in the original version. It should be noted that nearly all of the game's text was like this, not just the Old Man's quotes. In the version on the Nintendo GameCube promotion disc, the GBA version, and the Virtual Console version, the translation was improved.

Examples of Old Man Quotes

 * "10TH ENEMY HAS THE BOMB."
 * "SPECTACLE ROCK IS AN ENTRANCE TO DEATH."
 * "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE."
 * "LET'S PLAY MONEY MAKING GAME."
 * "EYES OF SKULL HAS A SECRET."
 * "EASTMOST PENNINSULA IS THE SECRET."
 * "LEAVE YOUR LIFE OR MONEY."
 * "GO TO THE NEXT ROOM."
 * "PATRA HAS THE MAP."
 * "GO IN DIRECTION OF THE ARROW."