Mipha (Breath of the Wild)

About

Mipha is a character introduced in the 2017 video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A Zora, Mipha is a spirit in the game (depicted as a red-and-white mermaid-looking humanoid) and helps Link by controlling the Divine Beast Van Rutah and offering the healing spell Mipha's Grace. Her past is revealed in memories played out in cutscenes, and she appears to have had romantic feelings toward Link. Mipha was widely beloved by players of the game, leading to a bevy of fan art and memes following BotW's release.

Origin

Mipha first appears in Breath of the Wild, released on March 3rd, 2017. In the game, she heals Link with Mipha's Grace and is the spirit unlocked by defeating the boss Divine Beast Van Rutah. She was notably the older sister of Prince Sidon. It is heavily implied she has romantic feelings for Link in the game, but she never makes these known.^[1]

Spread

Due to the romantic tension Mipha has with Link, much of the fan art created for the character ships her with Link. For example, on June 7th, 2017, DeviantArt^[2] user MichaelJLarson posted art of Link and Mipha in a romantic situation, gaining over 530 likes in six years (shown below, left). On September 19th, 2017, the Twitter account @ZeldaInformer^[3] reposted art by maskedgolem, gaining over 30 retweets and 150 likes in roughly five years (shown below, right).

The character has also been adapted into various meme templates. For example, on April 25th, 2023, Redditor HeavyTanker1945 reposted a How To Pick Up X meme made by u/AmandaGrey613 to the /r/Mipha^[4] subreddit, gaining over 750 points in a month (shown below, left). On March 24th, 2020, Redditor TheOnlyFallenCookie posted a Do You Have Brain Damage? meme featuring Mipha in the same subreddit,^[5] gaining over 190 points in three years (shown below, right).

The /r/Mipha^[6] subreddit has notably gained over 3,700 followers since its inception on March 12th, 2017.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References