When I read Revali's journal, I was struck by how much he wrote about his own self-doubt- it's concealed, but it's there. I didn't take his pride in his abilities as a sign of arrogance, not after he asked for an archery range to be built in his honor; if he were truly arrogant and believed in his own hype, he would have asked for a statue and allowed his skill to stagnate. But he didn't- he asked for a shooting range to be built for him instead. To me that suggested that he secretly felt inferior, lacking self-confidence; and that knowing how many other Rito looked up to him and relied on his strength made it all the more stressful. Having a shooting range would let him keep his skills in top form, and probably be a place of peace and solitude (especially considering how far one has to travel to get there). Bear in mind, he was simply a skilled archer among the Rito, and not anyone in a position of prestige; not a leader like Daruk; not a princess like Mipha; not a chieftain like Urbosa; and not an appointed knight of Hyrule like Link. And remember also that the other three champions had their abilities for a long time; Revali had to develop his Gale on his own, using his own sweat and tears, battering his own body and ego to untold limits- and in the process, making Revali's Gale that much more personal. He probably showed off to Link repeatedly just to get some recognition from someone he personally (though never openly) respected as someone with skill and strength. To admit any of his weaknesses, even if he internally realized they were there (and I'm certain he did), would be too crippling for him. With so much riding on him and so many Rito looking up to him, that facade was probably the only thing keeping him going. In a way, he was much like Link in being overwhelmed with an important burden, the difference being that Link handled the pressure by saying almost nothing and hiding his emotions beneath a veneer of stoicism; while Revali flaunted and boasted for the same reason, hiding his fears and insecurities behind a veneer of pride. As arrogant as he was on the surface, I can't bring myself to hate him.
You know what I fully agree. I think theres more to him than just arrogance. I feel like he's only an asshole cause he's got a complex and some issues to workout. I feel his character actually has the most depth to it out of all the champions, not to say that the other champions dont have interesting character, theres is just easier to see
Totally agree with you. He worked his butt off to show his worth and it paid off, nobody can use his bow or his technique a 100 years later, I think it proves everything. I feel bad he has no loved ones left or any descendants or great great great nieces or nephews, apparently he wasn't an adult yet, so most likely he didn't get to have kids before he died. I feel he's the best champion along Mipha. Too bad Nintendo killed them all. I wish they would have been broguht back at the end. It kinds of feel cheated that Zelda shows no wrinkles after a hundred years because magic statis while the champions stays dead after a century trapped in their beasts. So much waste of characters. they all need their own spin-offs.
The sad thing about Revali is that in his diary at Rito Village he talks about how he wanted to be friends with Link but his complete silence and how emotionless he is makes Revali hate him. He was trying to impress Link but he had no reaction at all... Anyways, thats it.
WilliamAlterwoodYT If you go back and beat Windblight Gabon a certain amount of times Revali tells you to not believe the diary because he didn't write it.
He was stoic before his near-death because of the impossible levels of expectations piled upon him. It's how he dealt with the stress of being the big hero. After his little century nap, he doesn't have the memory of years of *everyone he knows* making it very clear that he's supposed to be the Best Ever and that any mistake is therefore failure. The real Link can come out a little.
I dislike how he shows basically no emotion in cutscenes. This is a step back from the latest 3D Zelda games, strangely. In Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, Link has a very expressive face and visibly reacts to everything. In Skyward Sword he also had dialogue options more frequently than in many other games, and several of those were pretty funny. Breath of the Wild keeps the dialogue options but outside of that he doesn't seem to have a distinct personality at all. I get that he has that backstory of wanting to "silently bear every burden" because he has so much pressure on him and has been in that position for his entire life since he was born into a family of the Royal Guard. But I don't think Nintendo could be excused if they did the same thing in the next Zelda game. They can't just do another one where Link has lost his memory and finds out everything about what he did in his past later on. I want to go back to the tradition where Link is basically a nobody at the beginning of each game and starts out laid-back or even goofy. When you see his humble beginning and then watch him set out on an adventure for the first time, grow as a person and get more skilled, you feel like you know him better and establish a more personal relationship to him. But that's just my opinion. (I feel like they sacrificed some elements in this game to be able to focus on building a good open world, one of them being Link's characterization, but now that they've done a huge overworld once hopefully they will be able to focus on improving other elements in the next game. It's also possible that they made Link more stoic here because they want the player and their freedom to be at the center, not the protagonist per se.)
Fun Fact - Birds' eyes are formed in a way that the muscles behind their iris will focus on certain topics. Objects that the bird focuses on will become enlarged in their vision. I suppose Nintendo wasn't intending for the similarity, but it's a cool thing to see Revali use it in the flashback.
Revali's voice actor will always be the best to me. You can hear the pain/self-doubt in his voice before he notices Zelda arrives. And then after he took a moment to gather his bearings, his voice goes back to the overly confident tone he always uses around other people. Showing once more that Revali really isn't as confident as he lets on and I think that's a great aspect of his character that his voice actor manages to capture perfectly
BlockSquad1000 Yeah Sean Chiplock did an excellent job portraying him. I don't know what it is but there's something rather endearing about his cocky attitude.
Read how diary, it shows you just how arrogant and distrusting he is, and when u are reading the parts where he is gloating about him self just think, who died, and who didn't ha ravioli?!
Midget Man everyone died. Link is only alive due to quick thinking and that he wasn’t alone. and there’s a part about why he was arrogant and distrusting while he was alive
Of all the Champions, Revali stands out because he's the only one we see actually training. He even has a shooting range built specifically to hone his skills. As arrogant as he seems, he came by his skills honestly, training and honing his abilities to the utmost, giving him good reason to be proud. He has no royal heritage, no grand prophecy proclaiming his greatness, no lighting magic or healing spells, just his wings, his bow, and his skills. *He doesn't need anything else.*
I think part of the reason why Revali despises Link but respects Zelda is that he can emphasize with Zelda. For Revali, it's evident in this cutscene that he had to work hard to gain his skills -- he sees that in Zelda's nonstop persistence to get her sealing power. And although Link probably does work hard for his sword mastery, Revali can't see that. So I interpret Revali's "rudeness" as a challenge to Link. He's much like how Zelda was initially to Link.
I think revali, zelda and link are all similar in that they all have the same drive to fight harder, push themselves farther. Revali is here trying to prove himself to himself really that he can control the whirlwind, and pushes himself more even when he's hurt. That's probably why he's such an entitled ass, because he knows he's cool. But at least he works for it. Zelda spent her whole life trying to study and awaken the ancient power in herself, and pushes herself just as much. Like urbosa said she once stayed so long in the spring that she passed out from the cold. And she blames herself for not being able to awaken it. Both revali and Zelda seem to be very hard of themselves. And link I think is also similar, like we're told in Zelda's diary that the reason he's so quiet is because he feels he needs to be the epitome image of the hero. Zelda tells him not to push himself so hard and be so reckless in one of the memories. Although we don't see it as outwardly, link probably also pushes himself as hard as revali and Zelda and takes his duty very seriously. It just makes me love them all more. 😢😢😢😢
Confession: i love Revali's design, voice, characterization to the point that I want a dakimakura of him and would even consider naming my child after him
I can't bring myself to hate this bird. I just can't. The way he pushes himself is so goddamn moving. He knows he had to work for his power, unlike the rest of the Champions, he is simply a Rito with special skills. Not born of noble blood and not used to everyone depending on him. While the others are most definitely strong and on equal ground as him, or atleast that's what they present themselves to be, they have had more experience with the burden of leadership. While he, he is simply a Rito who aspired to fly above the rest. Telling himself "Not enough." means that he isn't trying to impress others, he tries to impress himself. But when he suddenly gets so much attention at such a young age with no experience at all in leadership, he feels important and needed. While he is definitely in the wrong for being an ass, I can sympathize with him. In this essay I'll---
Sean Chiplock, voice of Revali, said that after the DLC, he realised that Revali had reverse performance anxiety. He does better when people are watching because that installs him with confidence. He does his worst when no one is watching, because he doesnt know if he's doing anything correctly and gets nervous. This is the reason for why Windblight Ganon beat him in BOTW, and why (SPOILERS FOR AGE OF CALAMITY) when Teba and Link help him out, he's able to be better and actually defeat Windblight.
0:47 THAT, along with his brief smile at Mipha, his fearful concern for Link when taking serious damage from Windblight Ganon, and his praising of his allies in Age of Calamity, is the true Revali. When you see that his arrogance is simply a mask because he's so afraid of being vulnerable in front of others for fear of their judgement, you can't really be mad at him for his bitterness. It must hurt so much as well that he had to work the hardest out of the other Champions to get to his position. Deep down, he's a misunderstood person, who just wants to be accepted. He deserved so much better 😭
I always hated him until I got to the village and read his dairy and saw how much he worried and how he wanted to be friends with link. It hurt me hard and made me love him so much.
Just saying, Mipha and Revali are my favourite characters. Mipha is shy and yet a strong person, and Revali seems like a dick but really he's just desperate to prove himself. I like how the characters are done. Nintendo, have a beer.
@@cf1179 Yeah, out of all the voices Sean and Elizabeth are the most seasoned and give the best performances, and they're the only ones I really recognize from other roles alongside Kate Higgins in Age of Calamity.
I play trumpet and I fell in LOVE with the part from 2:09-2:27 and I’ve been wanting to play it for MONTHS. Just today, I finally figured it out and played along with the recording. I’m currently crying because this means so much to me
You can really see in this scene how his character really is. A hard worker, who is insecure about himself cause he knows he'll never match his own standards and of course Link. He puts on his arrogant mask to look tough and unmatchable cause he is scared that people wouldn't like him anymore when people see his true self. What a sad story. He probably is the most complex out of the four champions.
The thing about Revali that really interests me is that he is working for more. I’m not sure why he feels like he needs to push himself harder or gain more skills but even though he is the most skilled archer and the greatest flyer he won’t stop. I’m not sure if it’s an outside force or himself. I sure would like to know why he feels that way though. I feel like he’s hiding something I’m just not sure what. 🤔
One of the Ritos in Rito Village says that all Rito males are pushed to be the greatest warriors from birth, so I'm sure Revali felt that pressure and worked harder than anyone to prove himself when Link came along and dethroned him. He wanted his hard work to be worth something and to be recognized for it
I loved him from the start. Even though, from the start, I knew it was a nutty decision to make, choosing him as my favorite. But then, I also love Shadow the Hedgehog and Papyrus the skeleton. Cocky, conceited characters that are waaaaaaaaaay more than just the arrogant ass we see on the surface.
In his diary, he seems to have a level of respect for both Link and Zelda, he just seems to be using a mask of arrogance to hide the fact that Zelda saw him at his most vulnerable time, and with Link he seems almost intimidated, so he puts up the facade to try and reach his level.
windblight was created specifically to counter Revali. he had tornadoes that could disturb air, rendering Revali's Gale and any flying abilities useless, then once Revali was on the ground windblight could shoot the bejesus out of him with lasers.
That's how each of the Champions fell, their respective secretary's were created specifically to kill them, which just screwed them over in various ways.
2:08 Has anyone tried doing this with Revali's bow in the actual game? It's super cool. I'm afraid to try it myself though because I don't want to break his bow. I decided early on in my playthrough to only use the Champions' weapons during the Ganon battle, as revenge! (I've only defeated Ganon once and I plan to do it again, but the first time I struck the final blow by parrying a laser with Urbosa's shield. Never even got the chance to use her sword, but next time I'll try to get the opportunity!)
yeah, i tried. Sadly, it is impossible to aim that fast with a pro controller. and with motion/gyroscopic controls on the gamepad it's *nearly* impossible to aim because you actually have to turn. maybe it's been done by someone with complete mastery of the gamepad. i said nearly impossible, not totally impossible. it can be done. probably. how about you test it? if you get 10 luminous stones you can trade them in for a diamond at zora's domain, which is the hardest ingredient for repairing the Great Eagle Bow. if you do try, please get back to me, because that is some *sick shit dude*
That's cool! Thanks for replying. I thought of how I actually could just bring the bow (I usually keep it in my house) and reload the save afterwards to save durability, but I think it has pretty high durability anyway since it's a rare weapon, so maybe it would be worth it if I did pull it off. And diamonds are a non-issue, I have 38! I'll tell you how it goes if I try it :)
HikariMichi42 If the bow ever breaks, there's a guy in Rito village that can make a new one with a diamond, a swallow bow, and five bundles of wood. Just thought I'd let you know!
I have done it and its very fun, it was a quite interesting and i think the only reason i completed the challenge tebas kid offered by destroying all of the targets
Every single time I see Revali, in a cutscene, image, or just hearing his music, I can't help but fall in love with the character more and more. At this point I even like him more than Mipha, the perfect fish girl.
I think Link’s and Revali’s rivalry can be based upon the naturally gifted against hard work. Revali wanted to be friends with Link but his silence is what pushed him away. Revali could’ve interpret it as Link looking down on him which pushed Revali into honing his skills.
@@Altair584 id say theyre probably the same, with maybe revali working a little harder and link being a bit more naturally talented, but revali doesnt know link very well at all. all revali knows is hes a good fighter who got “chosen” by the greatest weapon around, so he assumes that Link was just given his prowess (which is only half true) and like OP said, when link’s closed off personality sort of shuts revali out, revali probably assumes link looks down on him, reinforcing this thought process even more. this idea is deffo supported by revalis diary
Sometimes I just feel like Revali ...lost in hard work and lost in stress of impressing everybody ....Love him and the game soooo much can’t wait to play BOTW 2
Jay OXO loads better than Skyward Sword's text boxes; white font on a light yellow background?? No! Fi's speech bubble (boxes) were much easier on the eyes to read.
When time and time again by himself he failed, the presence of his rival and transformation to his arrogant self allowed him to succeed. Without that arrogance there was only self doubt. Link motivated him to be a better fighter.
I like that Revali was able to perform his Gale once he had an audience. Once he had people to perform for and people to show his skills to it allowed him to flourish not because of arrogance, but because he needed to show that he was capable of being a Guardian.
The Revali haters are always complaining about how much better he thinks he is than everyone else, but in reality he would mop the floor with the rest of the champions.
Uh...No? I can easily see his overconfidence not sufficing against the other four(well, three. Mipha is not on a good spot) for varied reasons. Urbosa could one shot him, with no effort at all I might add(Lightning > Height. A snap of her fingers and he would be a nice thanksgiving dinner, his flight abilities meaning jack and shit here. Lightning comes form above, you know. And even if he survived the initial strike he would fall and be at the mercy of her scimitar...and that's a place he would not want to be in). Link is resourceful enough to find himself on air too(and while Revali can shoot multiple arrows at once, Link has a speed advantage with the Flurry Rush. It says a lot he managed to beat the creature that killed the bird in the first place. He never was the best one, and contrary to what it looks like his fighting style has fatal flaws. When on air you're dead locked into air currents, making you a predictable target. Would an enemy reach him into melee range he could do jack shit to defend himself, he's cripplingly overspecialized, while Link shits on him when it comes to versatility BIG TIME. There's a reason HE is the chosen one and not Revali, he's not useless in close quarters combat). Daruk could pretty much tank his shit for long enough to not matter at all if he can't reach him initially(he can allow himself that, but even then he's a GORON. His ground mobility makes him a pretty damn fast target). Stamina is not on Revali's side either as he would have to go down eventually and THEN he would get a smackdown he would NOT be able to tank, which can't be said viceversa. Endurance over agility(he's tougher than him even without his Flame Shield, but add that and he just can brush aside his puny arrows like they're nothing). Mipha...yeah, she's fucked(unless there's water when they fight, as that would lead to a stalemate), but that's one out of four that is genuinely helpless against him(and even then it's relative). Shit, even if it was true, it would NOT change he's a massive ass of the kind nobody likes to be around. It's like Goku fans, wether or not he can beat Superman means little to how much of an asshole each one of them is. There's a reason he needed some humble pie and BADLY(kissing your own ass cuts away so much perspective you're bound to fuck up. And he fucked up indeed).
Seeing how desperate Revali wanted to be the best just because he wanted to be remembered by everyone… It makes me wanna cry more about his death. I wanna beat up Windblight Ganon now…
Revalis song with lyrics: Fuck u Fuck u all I'm better than u I'm the best I love myself so much (I don't like him even less after the DLC...thought that would have changed...)
i have always loved revali, even before finding his diary and before getting the DLC pack. his character was always so unique compared to the others. when i payed more attention to the cutscene where he tells link he wants to fight on medoh, i noticed he seemed off. my heart broke when i found his diary, and i cried when i saw this cutscene. he really reminds me of myself ngl
I kinda feel sorry for Revali. Everyone else was just born with a champion ability, he had to tirelessly work for it. I get why he doesn't like Link when he gets no acknowledgement
I wanna be like this guy, not of his cocky personality but how he pushes himself, he may not be the one who seals the darkness, but also do play a big part as a support. It’s been 105 years, Rest In Peace Revali.
This is the cutscene that made Revali for me, i've always disliked pretencious or arrogant people, so when i first saw him i didn't like him, but then i saw this cutscene, and it dawned on me, that he had developed a flying technique NONE had even imagined before, on top of that he was the best archer of his tribe, in his position i admit i would've like to show off a bit aswell. This cutscene showed me that, indeed Revali was a big mouthed jerk, but he definetly had the prowess to back it up.
The beginning of this cutscene really does it for me. Revali in the main game just seems like a stuck-up pain in the cloaca, but… just seeing Revali struggle like that…
Not only is Revali the only one of the four who didn't originate from a famous bloodline/royalty but he's the only who's unique power was the result of training rather than something he inherited
I just love Revali's voice and design. He has the most backstory and thats why hes my favorite of the 4 champions. (I know there are 5 but Link honestly doesn't count right now lol. He may seem arrogant and rude and flaunting his skills, but in his diary it reads that he only ever wanted to impress Link...🫤 I love this bird-
