The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild offers players a vast open-world that they can spend hours exploring. This world is also populated by numerous characters with diverse backgrounds and abilities. Some characters have the immense strength of the Goron's and others can fly like the Rito, but intelligence is a characteristic found across all Hyrule people. This list will rank some of the best characters based on their intelligence.
Intellectual ability is difficult to measure, especially with videogame characters, so this list will focus really on feats of cleverness and/or occupations that would require a high degree of mental acuity. All of these characters are clever in one way or another, but only one can claim the title of the smartest in Hyrule.
Revali
The arrogant Rito may be an expert shot with the bow and arrow, but that does not mean his mind is equally sharp. Revali's main character flaw is that he is overconfident in his abilities, believing that he should be the one to wield the Master Sword against Ganon. By the end of the game, he learned a lesson in humility thanks to being rescued by Link. If his skills and abilities matched what he thinks of himself, then Revali would be much higher on this list.
Daruk
The Goron champion ranks low on this list not because he is stupid, but because of the power of his competition. Daruk is a gentle giant of immense physical strength who takes command when danger arises. However, his main strategy is to use brute force against his opponents. He may be charismatic and a good friend, but if the solution does not involve complete shock-and-awe, then it is most likely out of Daruk's ability.
Riju
The Gerudo leader may be at the bottom of the list, but that does not mean she is dumb by any measure. After Urbosa's death during the Great Calamity, the Gerudo rule fell to Riju's mother and then herself. She may be young, but she has proven herself to be a competent leader. When the nearby Divine Beast reactivated, Riju took it upon herself to investigate the machine. Her diary shows her insecurities with her role as a leader, but she already proved herself as capable and intelligent in her short tenure. That being said, her age and lack of experience do knock her back from being higher on the list.
Link
As the main character of the game, Link's intelligence can vary due to certain factors. His memory loss means that much of his mental abilities are locked behind amnesia. The cooking skills and other features must be taught or discovered as a result of his memory loss.
However, Link shows great proficiency in puzzle solving because of the numerous shrines and hidden koroks located throughout the world. Link's memories show that the hero is not especially smart, though he is hyper-competent in martial skills. Both in the past and the present, Link relies on more intelligent characters' advice to guide his path.
Jiahto
The advisor to the Zora kingdom has plenty of smarts because of his job. Being both the advisor to the king and the Zora people's historian, Jiahto must have a good memory. The naturally long life-spans of Zora mean that even the younger of the kingdom the Great Calamity 100 years prior.
Jiahto is old even by this standard, meaning his experience goes back even further than the game's events. Blaming Link for Mipha's death, the historian is initially hostile towards the main character. However, he does mellow when he learns about Mipha's feelings towards the Hylian. Jiahto's accomplishments are rather limited in the game, with only a few mentions of his profession and little else. This lack of work influences his ranking.
Urbosa
Emotional intelligence is its own strength and the former Gerudo chief proves this. When the weight of the world becomes too much for Zelda, Urbosa is the one to comfort her and encourage her abilities. Being the chief of her clan also means that she possesses plenty of istrative abilities as well. Urbosa may not have the flashiest type of intelligence that involves science and reasoning, but hers is just as valuable.
Mipha
The tragic princess of the Zora processes both the emotional and logical intelligence needed to be a good ruler. Her relationships with the other Champions show that she understands how to properly communicate with others to work as a team. Her education under Jiahto also means that she has a proper understanding of the demands a kingdom possesses. The only thing holding Mipha back from cracking the top three is that she had few opportunities to show how smart she is.
Robbie
This Sheika inventor takes the bronze in this list thanks to the powerful creations he can give players. One of the few characters alive during the Great Calamity, Robbie's age means he had years to study the ancient technology left behind by his ancestors. This study paid off because he created immensely useful tools such as the Ancient Arrow that can destroy most enemies in a single shot or the stylish Ancient Armor. Robbie is in third place because most of his creations are cobbled together pieces from Ancient Technology. Other researchers used their skills to fully recreate Sheika technology instead of being powerful but ramshackle originals.
Princess Zelda
The Princess of Hyrule ranks highly on this list because of her numerous scientific pastimes and accomplishments. Before the Great Calamity, Zelda spent much of her time catag the various flora and fauna native to Hyrule. Zelda also played a key role in discovering and researching ancient technology left by the Sheika. Her efforts led to the use of Guardians and the Divine Beasts by the forces of good. Ganon may have corrupted much of her work in the end, but Zelda's efforts show a vast amount of intelligence lays within the Princess. She receives the penultimate spot because she had a supervisory position with much of the ancient technology, letting others do the research in her stead while trying to awaken her powers.
Purah
The eldest of the Sheika clan is undoubtedly one of the smartest characters in Breath of the Wild. Her childlike form is deceiving because Purah is actually 124 years old. Due to an experiment with ancient Sheika technology, Purah's physical body reverted to that of a child. Her mind, however, remains just as sharp as ever. Her years of research unlock new abilities for the Sheika Slate, such as an the sensor and other runes the device possesses. Without her help, Link could not have his memories found and restored. Literal decades of research and development of Sheika technology give Purah the most intelligent character in the game.
