Running Man
From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
| Running Man | |
|---|---|
 The impossible-to-beat Running Man | |
| Race | Hylian |
| Gender | Male |
| Game(s) | A Link to the Past Ocarina of Time |
| Counterpart(s) | Postman (Majora's Mask) |
The Running Man[1] is a character in A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.
Contents |
Biography
A Link to the Past
The Running Man[2] is an otherwise unnamed man wearing a distinctive red hat and a red jacket standing very close to the old woman with a broom in Kakariko Village. He takes off whenever Link gets too close to him due to believing him to be the villain who kidnapped Princess Zelda. He is incredibly fast, and cannot be caught or spoken to at this time. Later on when Link acquires the Pegasus Boots, he can chase down the Running Man to catch up him. The Running Man says he doesn't look like a villain, and advises Link to dash into objects, such as trees in the village as he could find various objects hidden in them.[3] He will continue in his cowardly behavior and will always run from Link however. Later in the game, the man cannot be found in Kakariko Village again and does not return until the ending sequence.
Ocarina of Time
The Running Man in Ocarina of Time runs around Hyrule Field when Link is young after Link has obtained all three Spiritual Stones. He has an obsession with rabbits, and speaks about how Hyrule Field used to be filled with them. The Bunny Hood may be sold to him; he even believes the long ears will help him hear the voices of the gods. He will pay an incredible sum of money to obtain the mask. Interestingly, the exact amount he pays Link for the Bunny Hood is not set; he will simply give Link as many Rupees as it takes to fill his current wallet, so it is recommended that Link obtains the Giant's Wallet before doing this. Once he has the Bunny Hood, the Running Man will gain an incredible burst of speed, akin to Link using the Pegasus Boots in A Link to the Past.
As an adult, Link can meet him inside the carpenters tent in Gerudo Valley. He'll mention that he wanted to try to run through Haunted Wasteland; however, he had second thoughts for undisclosed reasons.[4] To make matters worse, the Gerudos tore down the bridge before he could escape, trapping him.[5] When the carpenters fix the bridge, he will challenge Link to a race from the tent to the bridge outside the Kokiri Forest.[6] No matter how fast Link is, he will always win by a mere second, although Link's fastest time will be recorded in Link's House in Kokiri Forest. Not even with the use of a cheat device is it possible for Link to beat him.
Myths
Many myths surround the race against the Running Man in the Ocarina of Time. Theories say that Link may beat him if he uses certain items, beats a certain time, or does certain things. There are also various myths about what happens if the man is beaten, usually involving strange items. These are not true. Despite the fact that he cannot be beaten in Ocarina of Time, you can run faster than him in A Link to the Past using the Pegasus Boots.
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See the myth pertaining to this subject: |
Trivia
- The Running Man's obsession with rabbits and how they can hear the voices of the gods in Ocarina of Time may be a reference to Link's rabbit form in the Dark World of A Link to the Past.
- Unlike Link, the Running Man wears the Bunny Hood over his eyes like an actual mask.
- The Running Man is the Hyrulean counterpart of the Terminan postman from Majora's Mask.
- In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario had to race a masked man named Il Piantissimo. Under his mask is the face of the Running Man, except darker-skinned.[7]
Gallery
The Running Man in Ancient Stone Tablets
The Running Man talking to Link
Challenging the Running Man in Ocarina of Time
Defeated by the Running Man in Ocarina of Time
References
- ↑ "I'm the wandering running man! I've run all over this land in search of true competitive spirit. I beat all my challengers, man and beast." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "On Link's first trip to Kakariko Village, he saw a man standing in the path outside a house filled with chickens. He approached the fellow, but the man ran away. Only after winning the Pegasus Shoes could he catch the Running Man and make him talk. In this way, Link learned to collect things by Dash Bashing trees." (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo of America Inc.), pg. 115)
- ↑ "I can't believe you caught me! With your speed it must have been easy to kidnap Zelda... You don't look like such a bad guy, though... Anyway, because you have such quick feet, it might be a good idea to run and bash into many things... For example the trees in this village have many unseful things hanging in their branches... Well, just try it, ok?!" — Running Man (A Link to the Past)
- ↑ "I'm the wandering running man! I've run all over this land in search of competitors who have a true killer instinct! I came here to run through the Haunted Wasteland, but it doesn't look like good timing for that." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "Though I want to go back to Hyrule Field, the bridge is...well, you can see it from here. So I'm stuck here, inside this tent. I don't think I can accept your challenge right now. Heh heh!" — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "You're an athletic guy, and you look like you might have a true killer instinct, too. Now that the bridge over Gerudo Valley is complete, I'm looking for a challenger to have a commemorative race against." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ Ripped model of Il Piantissimo
 Names in Other Regions 
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|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
| Japanese | 
|
走の男 さすらいの走り屋 
|
Running Man The Wandering Street Racer |
| French | 
|
Le marathonien errant
|
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| German | 
|
Der reisende Rennläufer
|
The wandering Race-Runner |
