Template:Character Minister Potho is a character in The Minish Cap.[1] He is the minister to the Kingdom of Hyrule. He is a short man with white hair only on the sides with a bald top, a large white mustache, and large glasses. He functions as the caretaker and tutor of Princess Zelda by order of her father, King Daltus, the ruling King of Hyrule. In his capacity as Minister, Potho has great access to the Royal Family of Hyrule and resides with them at Hyrule Castle, serving largely as the king's major-domo.
Biography
When the story begins, Princess Zelda sneaks out of the castle without Potho's knowledge or consent in order to find her childhood friend,[2] Link, and attend the Picori Festival with him. Upon their return to Hyrule Castle soon after their visit to the festival, Potho is shaken to see that Zelda has been outside the castle walls without protection but soon brushes it aside as he accepts a Sword from Link that was made by Smith,[3] Link's grandfather, for the winner of the sword-fighting tournament of the Picori Festival. When the winner, Vaati, shows his true colors and prepares to blast open the Bound Chest, Potho is among the many that are ambushed by the wicked sorcerer before Princess Zelda is turned to stone by his evil magic. When King Daltus decides to send Link on a quest to restore the shattered Picori Blade to its former glory in order to break Vaati's curse and save Zelda, Potho gives Link the sword that was meant to be given to Vaati as the winner of the tournament,[4] Smith's Sword.
Later in the story, Potho is shocked at the change in demeanor of King Daltus, unaware that Vaati has abducted the real king and is now impersonating him in order to use the country's military to search for the mythical Light Force.[5] When Vaati successfully discovers the location of the Light Force within Princess Zelda, he transforms Hyrule Castle into Dark Hyrule Castle and turns all of its residents to stone, including Potho.[6] They are soon restored to normal however by Link, who now possesses the sacred blade known as the Four Sword that is capable of breaking Vaati's curse. He helps to search the castle for other victims of Vaati's dark magic while Link heads for the castle roof to confront the evil sorcerer and save Princess Zelda from death. This is the last time he is seen with the exception of the restoration of Hyrule Castle to its former state by Princess Zelda after Vaati's defeat.
| Minister Potho (Figurine from The Minish Cap) | |
|---|---|
 Minister Potho | The supporting pillar of Hyrule. He is also in charge of Princess Zelda's education, so when she goes missing, he gets frustrated. |
Trivia
The painting that resembles Tetra's Pirate Crew, with the character resembling Minister Potho and Mako at the bottom left-hand corner
- Minister Potho looks like the character corresponding to Mako on the wall painting hanging in the sunken Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker.
- In the Funday School, there is a statue that resembles Minister Potho just outside the classroom, and two more statues that resemble Potho outside the school.
- Potho also has a family member which he mentions when Link tries to fuse the Picori Blade in the Elemental Sanctuary; he says his grandmother told him stories about such things as the Minish and the Minish Door that opens in Hyrule Castle Garden once a century, stating that his grandmother had seen it in her youth.
- Potho's voice also resembles that of the Postman from Majora's Mask.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions 
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 |
Japanese | 大臣 テンガロ (Daijin Tengaro) | Minister Tengaro |
 |
FrenchEU | Tengaro le ministre | Tengaro the minister |
 |
German | Minister Friedrich | Minister Frederick |
 |
Italian | Ministro Tengaro | Minister Tengaro |
 |
SpanishEU | Impa, el secretario | Impa, the minister |
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 270
- ↑ "Goodness me! Princess Zelda! Did you sneak out of the castle and come all this way alone? The minister is sure to be worried about you! You know how he gets!" — Smith (The Minish Cap, )
- ↑ "Oh! Link! You brought the sword, did you? Then, as minister to the kingdom of Hyrule, I, Potho, accept this blade. You came just in time. The award ceremony will begin soon." — Potho (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "The Picori should know how to create a new sacred sword." — King Daltus (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "Have you noticed how strange the king has been lately? That's because that's not the king at all! It's Vaati! He's taken over!" — Guard (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ "One after another, he's turned all the people of the castle to stone!" — Guard (The Minish Cap)