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Tarin is a character in Link's Awakening.[2][note 1]He is the father of Marin.

Biography[]

Link's Awakening Manual Description
Link's Awakening logo
Tarin
Tarin is Marin's father. He bumbles a bit but is kind-hearted. He loves mushrooms and often goes to the forest in search of some for his dinner.

When Link wakes up after being shipwrecked, Tarin prevents him from leaving the house until he gives Link his Shield back.[5][6] He also informs Link that something else, his Sword, has washed up on the beach.[7] After Link retrieves his Sword, Tarin gets lost in the Mysterious Forest and is transformed into a Raccoon after eating a Sleepy Toadstool.[8] In his Raccoon form, he becomes a trickster and uses his magic to change the forest path, preventing Link from reaching the Treasure Chest containing the Tail Key.[9] Link can break the curse by sprinkling Magic Powder on him, but Tarin says he has no recollection of what happened to him and thinks it was a dream.[8]

After Link removes his curse, Tarin can then be found inside his house asleep. He can later be found eating some Bananas inside after Link clears the Bottle Grotto, and recommends he visits Sale's House O' Bananas on Toronbo Shores if he wants some.[10] After the Key Cavern is completed, Tarin is found standing next to an Honeycomb in Ukuku Prairie. He asks for a Stick to knock down the hive, and is subsequently chased off by a swarm of angry Bees. Link can then pick up the remaining Honeycomb. Afterwards, he tells Link that he has lost his taste for honey.[11]

In the ending scene, Tarin can be seen picking Sleepy Toadstools in the Mysterious Forest.

Other Appearances[]

Link's Awakening (Fujiaka)[]



Link's Awakening (Cagiva)[]

In the Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva, Tarin is Marin's father, with whom he lives. After the shipwreck, Link wakes up inside their House. After hearing Link's story, Tarin invites him to stay for dinner. While at Toronbo Shores, Marin tells Link that Tarin has not returned from the Mysterious Forest. Once there, Link finds Tarin being attacked by a Boarblin. After being saved, Tarin returns to his home.

In volume 2, Tarin gives permission to Marin to leave Koholint Island with Link; however, they fail to make it out of it. Tarin is last seen singing the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" as Link plays it one last time to wake the Wind Fish.

Trivia[]

  • In an Ocarina of Time developer's interview, script writer Toru Osawa said that Talon and Malon from Ocarina of Time are based on Tarin and Marin. It was intended that players who have played Link's Awakening would recognize the reference.[12]
  • Tarin is intentionally similar to Mario from the Mario series. Both sport a similar look, an affinity for Mushrooms, and both transform into a Raccoon at one point.[13]

Nomenclature[]

Tarin's name may be a corruption of "Mario", replacing the first and last letters. It is also similar to his daughter Marin's name, replacing just the first letter.

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapaneseタリン (Tarin) (LA | LANS)
FranceFrenchEUTarkin (LA)[14]
GermanyGermanTarin (LA | LA | LADX)[15][16]
de-niwa:TarinTarin (LANS)
ItalyItalianTarin (LANS)
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

Notes

  1. This character is also referred to as Raccoon after eating a Sleepy Toadstool in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening — Nintendo Player's Guide by Nintendo of America and on Zelda.com's encyclopedia.[3][4]

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 232
  2. "Tarin" — N/A (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
  3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening — Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 24
  4. "Raccoon
    When Link attempted to enter the Mysterious Woods during his exploration of Koholint Island, he was constantly harassed by an unusual Raccoon. Soon, Link discovered that the Raccoon was actually his friend Tarin who had been cursed."
    The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia, Zelda.com (archive), retrieved January 24, 2022.
  5. "Whoa, boy! Where ya off to in such a hurry? Set a spell—I got somethin' ta tell ya!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
  6. "Well, Link, ya finally snapped out of it... Name's Tarin. Hope yer feelin' better... What? How did I know your name? You think it's weird, eh? Well, I saw it on back of this shield!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
  7. "Oh, yeah... Some other stuff like this washed up on the beach... If'n you go look, watch out for monsters! Ever since you showed up, Link, I've seen 'em all over the place!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
  8. 8.0 8.1 "The last thing I kin remember was bitin' into a big juicy toad-stool... Then, I had the darndest dream... I was a raccoon! Yeah, sounds strange, but it sure was fun!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening DX)
  9. "Heh heh heh ho! You're goin' ta be lost, thanks to me! Heh heh!" — Raccoon (Link's Awakening DX)
  10. "I was hungry somethin' fierce so I went and got bananas at the beach... Link, if you want some, you should go and get some!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening DX)
  11. "Unnnngh! Owwwww! ... ... ... ... I've sure lost my taste for honey!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening DX)
  12. "A father and daughter named Marin and Tarin that were introduced in Link's Awakening for Game Boy also appeared in this Zelda game. We're hoping that people who've played the Zelda series from the very beginning will recognize them. If you wonder 'is this a reference to then?' we'll be happy." —Toru Osawa (Ocarina of Time Developers Interview)
  13. "I remember that we made Link’s Awakening in a really peculiar frame of mind. We began in the free spirit of an afterschool club, so the contents are quite unrestrained. If you look at it, you can tell. Characters similar to Mario and Luigi appear and Yoshi Dolls appear, too." —Takashi Tezuka (Iwata Asks - Zelda Handheld History (2. Kirby and Chomps in Zelda))
  14. Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 233
  15. "Endlich bist Du wieder auf den Beinen, [Name]… Heiße übrigens Tarin... Bist Du okay? Was? Woher ich Deinen Namen weiß?? Der steht auf der Rückseite von diesem Schild… Hier!" — Tarin (Link's Awakening, German version)
  16. Encyclopedia (TOKYOPOP) pg. 233
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