Spoiler Byrne

[A Link In Time]

I'm curious to see what my fellow forumers think about this antagonist from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. While rarely discussed, I find Byrne to be one of the most powerful personas not only among the the handheld Zelda installments but the series in general.

Byrne's greatest character asset is his dynamic personality. During the first half of the game he is hellbent on gaining power from Malladus surpassing that of the Spirits of Good. After he realizes he was duped, however, Byrne has a change of heart and informs Link and Zelda of the Compass of Light which the pair use to enter the Dark Realm.

It's only natural therefore that one of the series's most melancholy moments is Byrne sacrificing himself in order to protect Zelda's body from Malladus's spirit. This is also one of the most outstandingly unique scenes in the entire franchise. Not before or since has a villain shown remorse for prior wrongdoings and perished battling the cause he once supported.

What are your thoughts on Byrne as a character? Does he rank among your favorites or did you find him one dimensional? Should future models model Byrne's alteration of allegiance?

 

[JuicieJ]

I love Byrne. He's a very efficient character and has one of my favorite boss fights in the franchise. Nintendo really pulled him off with flying colors.

 

[Ventus]

I actually have to obtain a copy of Spirit Tracks so I'll know what I'm talking about...but from what I watched of videos, Byrne took a change for the worst speaking realistically (lol he died), but as a character, he took a change for the greatest. His having a heart, despite being a villain, is something I love out of initial antagonists. Him sacrificing himself selflessly, while most likely due to his trying to get revenge for being tricked, was still a selfless act in and of itself. Byrne is easily a great character from a video watching point of view...I just wish I could play the game over again to ascertain the truth. :yes:

 

[r2d93]

Byrne is a fantastic character. It's refreshing to see such a cool threatening villain change his ways for good.

Plus his theme is awesome

 

[Dragoncat]

Oh noes I have been attacked by the spoiler beast I am just now going to the sand temple in my game...I knew Malladus kills him though. *kicks self*

 

[SNOlink]

I love Byrne. He'd probably be in my top ten villain list somewhere. I mostly like the crazy claw arm he has. It makes him look so cool.

 

[Terminus]

Byrne was one of my favorite bits of ST. Not a huge fan of the execution, though.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Byrne, without doubt, is one of the best characters in the series. In addition to him changing sides on Cole and Malladus and sacrifysing himself, he still has some mystery revolving around him. For example, if all the Lokomos are on wheelchairs, why is he able to walk perfectly? What was his role in the war between the Spirits and Malladus? All these factors contribute to him being a great character.

 

[Sydney]

Bryne is easily my favorite character from Spirit Tracks. His character dynamic changing from an evil antagonist, to a courageous protagonist was executed flawlessly. Originally thinking he was Hylian, to my surprise, he was Lokomo. On top of that, he was Anjean's apprentice, something of which had my jaw drop. His past began to unfold before my eyes, and all I could do was gaze in awe. Being betrayed by Malladus, realizing his mistakes and poor choices he made from the very beginning, he does something unexpected; he sacrifices himself for Zelda's safety. Something only a true hero could do. <3

 

[ZeldaFAYZ6251]

Byrne was amazing! I thought Nintendo did an amazing job creating him! One of the best things in ST. I play it again just to see and fight Byrne. Is that weird? :O

 

[A Link In Time]

Byrne, without doubt, is one of the best characters in the series. In addition to him changing sides on Cole and Malladus and sacrifysing himself, he still has some mystery revolving around him. For example, if all the Lokomos are on wheelchairs, why is he able to walk perfectly? What was his role in the war between the Spirits and Malladus? All these factors contribute to him being a great character.

Very interesting reply, PhantomTriforce. There is no definitive to either of the bolded questions from your original response but we can always theorize.

Why is Byrne able to walk perfectly? The age argument comes into play here. Byrne is much younger and thus more able bodied than the other Lokomo. That said, he is still over 100 years old. Perhaps he altered his body with mechanical parts? This isn't as far fetched as it sounds given Byrne's left arm resembling a clawshot. Perchance his legs were artificially constructed as well.

Regarding the war alluded to between the Spirits of Good and Malladus in the game's introductory scene, I don't believe Byrne participated in the event. As mentioned earlier, he's only slightly older than a century and such events usually occur at least a millenium prior to the start of the narrative in Zelda lore. Take Ocarina of Time. How much time elapsed between the creation of Hyrule by the Golden Goddesses and said game's events? Likely dozens of centuries.

 

[Vanessa28]

I love Byrne. He's a very efficient character and has one of my favorite boss fights in the franchise. Nintendo really pulled him off with flying colors.

I sooo agree with that!! I loved him too! I also loved hios character development. He is one of my most fav characters

 

[skippymisfits24]

I think Byrne had alot of potential. He seemed alot more complex than some of the other characters throughout the series. Almost like something square enix would cook up, but not so over the top. Id like to see Nintendo do alot more with Byrne as a character, maybe give him a big ol sword to go with that gauntlet?

 

[MsNerrrrd]

Yes, he was a truly a formidable opponent, yet an interesting character.

 

[Aedan Garcia]

Byrne is probably the best character in that whole game. He has an amazing way that you battle him, his character is very well-developed, and he backhands Link with his non-robotic arm and sends him flying. (I love it when guys do stuff like that) He's probably my favorite character in any handheld Zelda game, though Midna takes the spot for overall.