Rupee (The Legend of Zelda series)
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Rupees are the unit of currency in the fictional lands of Hyrule, Koholint Island, Termina, Labrynna, and Holodrum in The Legend of Zelda series of video games by Nintendo, acquired primarily by defeating enemies, by cutting tall grasses or bushes, or from treasure chests, and used primarily to purchase items in shops.
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[edit] Values
Rupees are otherwise identical gems of various colors, each color marking a specific denomination. The first three (Green, blue, and red) are standard for every game except the original game.
- Green - 1
- Blue - 5
- Red - 20
There are also several colors whose values vary from game to game.
- Yellow
-
- 1 (The Legend of Zelda)
- 10 (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess)
- Purple
-
- 50 (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess)
-
- 5 (Ocarina of Time) These were used only for puzzles; A player must obtain all the silver rupees in a room to unlock the door
- 100 (Majora's Mask)
- 200 (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess)
-
- 200 (Majora's Mask)
- 200 (Ocarina of Time)
- Orange
-
- 100 (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess)
In The Legend of Zelda players were limited to carrying 255 rupees (the maximum value an unsigned 8-bit integer can hold). In A Link to the Past, this limit was extended to 999. In Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker, the rupee limit began low (99, 99 and 200 respectively) but could be increased by acquiring larger wallets. The final maximums for each game were 500, 500, and 5000, respectively. The Minish Cap also allowed the player to upgrade their wallet, with the final maximum being the classic 999. BS The Legend of Zelda: Stone Tablets of Antiquity featured an incredible maximum of 99,999 rupees, far more than any other Zelda game, but strict time limits made this nearly impossible to attain.
In Majora's Mask, rupees are one of the items that cannot be taken back in time with Link; however, there was a bank at which rupees could be deposited, and the player retains their bank balance throughout the game, though the bank itself had a limit of 5,499 rupees.
[edit] Spelling
Although later games have been more consistent, the manual for the original Legend of Zelda referred to the gems as rubies, while the scrolling screen in the game itself called them rupies (singular rupy). Thus, the origin of this word is likely a misinterpretation of the word ruby rather than an intentional reference to the real-life Indian currency, the Rupee. This is supported by the similarity between the ビ (bi) and ピ (pi) characters in Japanese. Also note that the name of the currency in the French and German translation of the Zelda no Densetsu games is rubies. The spellings rupees and rupies are often used interchangeably.
[edit] Use
Although rupees are used most often to buy items in shops, occasionally they have other uses. In the original Legend of Zelda, one rupee is used up every time Link shoots an arrow. In A Link to the Past, if a set amount(100) of rupees were thrown into a certain fairy fountain, a fairy would appear and increase Link's carrying capacity for bombs or arrows, at the player's choice. In Ocarina of Time, collecting all the Silver Rupees in a particular dungeon room unlocks the locked doors. Rupees are also central to the gameplay in the multiplayer Four Swords. As such, this game adds black rupees, which causes rupees to scatter across the ground; and rupee shards, which when collected can add up to a rupee of great value. In Twilight Princess, the optional Magic Armor is powered by rupees, and when Link is hit, he loses rupees instead of hearts. If Link runs out of rupees while wearing the armor, his mobility is greatly reduced.
The only titles to feature monetary systems other than Rupees are Oracle of Seasons, where the Subrosians would only accept Ore Chunks as currency, and Four Swords Adventures, where the player(s) collects Force Gems rather than Rupees and although not an official currency in Hyrule, they are sometimes spent in exchange for something (such as a divination in Kakariko). Rupees were also absent in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which had no currency system.
[edit] Origins
It has been reported as of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess that the basic monetary unit of the Rupee is made in nests by bees. "They collect Nectar from flowers and turn it into Rupees!" However this was in a demo, so it might have been changed. [1]
[edit] Appearances in other games
- Ingots, from Clu Clu Land, highly resemble Rupees from the original game. However, Clu Clu Land came first, meaning it is most likely intended as a cameo, much like the Book of Magic originating from Devil World
- Sometimes when looking through drawers in Animal Crossing, a message will say "You found 100 rupees! Too bad you can't use them here."
- In Donkey Kong Country 3, after the refusal to buy a shell from Bazaar Bear, he claims that some guy named Link didn't have enough Bear Coins but wanted to pay in Rupees instead. After that he left, muttering about his shell being the wrong shape or something, which also references the shells Link collects in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
| Master Sword · Rupee · Triforce · Gossip Stone |
| Rupees | |
|---|---|
| Current | Indian rupee | Indonesian rupiah | Maldivian rufiyaa | Mauritian rupee | Nepalese rupee | Pakistani rupee | Seychellois rupee | Sri Lankan rupee |
| Defunct | Afghan rupee | Bhutanese rupee | Burmese rupee | Danish Indian rupee | (British) East African rupee | French Indian rupee | German East African rupie | Gulf rupee | Hyderabad rupee | Italian Somaliland rupia | Netherlands Indian roepiah | Portuguese Indian rupia | Riau rupiah | Travancore rupee | West New Guinean rupiah | Zanzibari rupee |
| Fictional | Hyrulean rupee |
| See also | History of the rupee |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Link Speaks to Villager: See 3:39 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6760524994902687555&q=legend+of+zelda%2C+twilight
