Impa, the Enigmatic Sheikah, Sage of Shadow

[Diddy Kong]

Well, I see nothing wrong with Impa having a new Up B and borrowing this as an idea for a Down B. Though, really, I never seen Sheik use a Deku Nut for Vanish in Melee or Brawl.

 

[Frostwraith]

How about those specials, Diddy?

B: Reflect Shield
Impa makes a shield that deflects projectiles. Similar to how she blocks Ghirahim's attack in Skyward Sword.

Up B: Deku Nut Vanish
Throwing a Deku Nut, Impa vanishes in an instant to the direction of the control stick. Similar to Sheik but different, because as soon as the Deku Nut hits the ground she immediately teleports to the desired place. On air, she throws the nut anyway, but the move is performed more like Sheik.

Side B: Knife Throw
Kind of fits her. She could throw a sharp knife, like a ninja would throw a kunai or something. Would attack on a straight line and would be a fast move. No KO potential, though. Meant to be used as an approaching move.

Down B: Shadow Bomb
A chargeable attack, Impa uses her powers to charge a ball of darkness in her hand, while holding B. Release B and she lets it go, hitting the ground and causing it to explode in a sphere of darkness. The longer you charge, the bigger the area would be and the more damage would be dealt. Similar to her energy ball move she uses before escaping to the Time Gate, but with darkness theme to reference her appearance as the Sage of Shadow in OoT.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Dude, that's awesome and you're a total bro you know that?

 

[volbound1700]

Could Impa have two forms (her old self and young self) and use down B just like Zelda/Sheik combo? Perhaps the older Impa would use more magical attacks like Zelda.

 

[FalKoopa]

Could Impa have two forms (her old self and young self) and use down B just like Zelda/Sheik combo? Perhaps the older Impa would use more magical attacks like Zelda.

That's one of the funniest, yet most original and interesting idea I've ever seen about Impa.

Is old Impa referring to fat Impa? Then I can see her fighting like DK.

 

[Diddy Kong]

That's one of the funniest, yet most original and interesting idea I've ever seen about Impa.

Is old Impa referring to fat Impa? Then I can see her fighting like DK.

Spoilerz:

This is Old Impa:

Spoiler

This is Young Impa:

Spoiler

Explanation:

Spoiler

The Old Impa is an old woman Link meets the first time he left from the Skyworld to the Surface (aka the world below, the Hyrule of old days). She doesn't reveal her name, or anything specific about herself, but leads Link to fulfill his 'destiny'. And she also guided Zelda, who came to visit her before Link. In the meanwhile of Link's adventure, Young Impa guides and protects Zelda on her way, while Old Impa is also there, giving hints and advice and whatnot. It's only revealed after beating Demise -the final boss- that Old Impa aka Granny is actually Impa. She has a major double role in Skyward Sword, and it definitely signifies her overall importance in the series.

Also, she can live for thoussands of years and not turn to dust in the meanwhile. Gotta respect that.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Heh. I was thinking about that the young/old combo awhile ago, but decided I didn't really like it. If you're thinking an actual clone of Sheik AND Zelda, I just don't think Zelda's moveset feels especially "shadowy". And, well, I don't really imagine old Impa moving, let alone fighting. I feel like a big part of her ability to survive that long is probably finding a comfy spot and meditating there for centuries. Besides, something I like about Impa more than Sheik is that Impa is a combination of agility AND protective/deceptive magic.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Sheik really had nothing to work with regarding fighting moves anyway. Yeah, Vanish maybe. But other than that, her sole role was basically teaching Link songs, and then disapear. Also, make Link question her gender time and time again. Doubt that would be moveset material though.

So yeah, that and Sheik's overall irrelevance to the series made me think Impa is a much better character, and deserves to be in Smash over Sheik. As well as Zelda / Sheik failing to be a balanced duo character for two games now. I found it much better to have Impa as a separate 'Sheik'. People raged about the idea. Now, I'd prefer keeping both Sheik and Impa. But if it had to come down to choosing, I'd pick Impa any day of the week.

But both are awesome to. Lookie here yourself:

Because teacher vs student is always an awesome theme in fighting games.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Impa looks a bit like a spidery monster in that first picture, ha. But the second picture's cool!

At this point, I pretty much agree. I think Sheik's character design is really cool, but I never felt like the Zelda/Sheik transformation gimmick actually worked out. Gameplay-wise, it is just really poorly implemented. The transformation process leaves you vulnerable so you can realistically only do it safely after you or your opponent has died and is taking a few seconds to respawn... Besides, it's not like the characters were very balanced feeling in the first place. Generally speaking, Sheik was better in Melee and Zelda is more usable in Brawl. It's unfortunate but... I just feel like the characters would be better off separated and then balanced by a team of people who know what they're doing.

Is there anyone in this thread that actually enjoys actively switching between Zelda and Sheik mid-battle? From my experience, it seriously is like picking a character that only has three special moves instead of having a character that has six like you might think.

In the end, I'd be MOST happy if we ended up with Zelda, Sheik, and Impa all as separate characters. That'd make everyone happy except the small number of people that actually switch in between the two.

 

[Diddy Kong]

No Sheik was always better in both games. But that's beside the point. The point was that both characters where mean to 'balance out each other'. The 'adviced playstyle' of these characters is ; rank up damage with Sheik, finish off with Zelda. This never worked well, cause Sheik had always very good attacks, and despite being fast- she had quite some killing moves (in Melee, not in Brawl). While Zelda's moves where all slow, unsafe and uneffective in their purpose.

Separate Sheik shouldn't happen. That's why I always advocated for a full replacement.

So in my opinion, Impa has all these options:

1) She becomes a tag team character with Zelda (Skyward Sword inspired)
2) She becomes an own character separate from Zelda, and replaces Sheik with an own unique moveset mostly
3) She replaces Sheik as a separate character and inherrits her moveset
4) She is a newcomer who appears alongside Zelda / Sheik

 

[LaniusShrike]

Huh, yeah, guess I was drawing more on my personal experience from uncompetitive play than the tierlist. I loved playing Sheik in Melee but her/his complete lack of killing capability in Brawl turned me off. In Brawl, Zelda certainly was improved over Melee... Agh, Din's Fire.

Having Sheik as a separate character would help me conceive of him/her as an awesome, badass ninja. I don't feel like Zelda's character actually would have been proficient in the fighting techniques of the Sheikah, so it just feels weird to me being reminded that it's supposedly the princess running around and tossing needles. Also, as a separated character, Sheik could represent Ocarina of Time and would no longer have any need to have a graphical update alongside Zelda, simplifying her design process for sure.

Also, well, having Sheik be a separate character would allow the possibility of Sheik and Impa sharing the same character slot and moves and just be alternate costumes of one another. I would be genuinely sad to see Sheik no longer be represented in the game, I'd like to see both Sheik and Impa in, however that would be.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I'd do it in the opposite way, make Sheik the costume of Impa. Sorry, but looking at how things are in the Zelda franchise, Impa deserves the separate spot a lot more than Sheik would.

 

[FalKoopa]

Impa deserves the separate spot a lot more than Sheik would.

Agreed. Sheik doesn't make sense without the transformation gimmick. However, I think the transformation is here to stay.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Agreed, Impa's clearly more important to the series than Sheik ever was. However, if they shared a spot, pretty sure it would be with Sheik as the main face and Impa being an alternate... I'm pretty sure tradition means a lot to Sakurai, and it's clear that people object heavily to the idea of Sheik being demoted in any way, heh.
In the end, adding things is the way to make the audience happy.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Could end up both ways. I think Sheik will either get in now, and stay forever no questions, or be finally relaced by Impa now that they have a propper replacement character for her. Cause I still view her inclusion in Brawl is a lucky one, considering the roster was decided in 2005, and TP was released a year later. It's likely that at that point, Sheik was still planned for Twilight Princess- thus was re-added to Brawl's roster. She also was a lot more popular in the Melee days than she is now. So that might've warranted her stay to. But now, I've seen Impa on quite a lot of people's rosters, and see her being requested quite a lot when people are speaking of Zelda characters for Smash. It's not a whole lot, but it might be enough to get Impa in. Considering Zelda, Sheik and Young Link wheren't the most popular Zelda characters either, but still got in Melee, Impa could meet the same fate.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

If Impa's character and popularity were transferred back to the time of OoT I think she would have been in melee. The only thing holding her back now is the fact that veterans get special treatment. Its this reality of the roster bothers me more than anything else.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Same here. But seeing as Sheik is only a 'secondary' character to Zelda, she could be the only exception to this more easily.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Gingerbread, did you mean get into Brawl? I mean, Melee did get the OoT designs for Ganondorf, Zelda and Sheik after all. I actually did like OoT Impa as well, even if she wasn't explored as a character very much. Good guys with shadow magic do it for me. (Though, honestly, she was explored as a character about as much as, say, Zelda and Link were).

It definitely does seem likely that Sakurai leans towards preserving tradition instead of risking new ideas to try and improve things. Unless, of course, it comes to things like adding in randomized tripping mechanics. The jerk.

 

[Diddy Kong]

If that's true, he wouldn't ever consider replacing Ness with Lucas in Melee if Mother 64 was actually finalised.

 

[LaniusShrike]

I don't really know the details of what you're talking about and don't feel like looking them up. However, I CAN note that Ness was not replaced and cloney Lucas is in as well... so in the end, it both kept tradition and added a not-very-risky character.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Speaking of, Impa could easily be the Lucas of Sheik. Then again, wouldn't people think it's weird having a semi-cloned Sheik, when Sheik herself is part of a double character? Seems a bit like, having a semi-clone of Charizard playable.

 

[FalKoopa]

Speaking of, Impa could easily be the Lucas of Sheik. Then again, wouldn't people think it's weird having a semi-cloned Sheik, when Sheik herself is part of a double character?

Weird, maybe. But I can easily imagine most Sheik mains using her as a secondary, since she would be Sheik plus Down B minus Transformation gimmick.

Seems a bit like, having a semi-clone of Charizard playable.

Ridley?

 

[Deleted member]

Impa = What Zelda/Sheik would be if the two styles were combined into one character.

A semi-clone that borrows moves from both.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Only if Waluigi also draws from Luigi and Wario.

But seriously though, it's a way of looking at it. But still way simplified. Yes, she should be a fast combo-based character with magic. But for all you know her style is more like Lucario or Lucas'.

 

[Deleted member]

>I give serious idea that makes sense towards a character you made me dislike in attempt to contribute to discussion.
>You respond by trolling me with a crap idea for a character I like that is irrelevant the thread.

Never change.

 

[LaniusShrike]

I mean, to me shadow magic implies less "throwing fireballs" and more illusions and mysticism. Having Impa as a separated clone with a new Down B would appease me well enough. As it is now, Sheik was pretty much given the moveset that Impa (the actual Sheikah) would have had. As much as I prefer having unique and fully separated characters, I have really enjoyed playing the clone characters. In Melee I mained Dr. Mario but really didn't like playing normal Mario and in Brawl I've mained Toon Link and Lucas while disliking Link and Ness. A well-balanced Sheik clone with a new Down-B could be fantastic.

Edit: Also, unrelated, but I'm pretty sure Waluigi DOES draw from Wario and Luigi. He's like Wario except he's got the awkwardness of Luigi. Perhaps not the best point, but no worries.

 

[Deleted member]

I only recall Zelda throwing fireballs for one move.
Aside from that, I was more or less going along the lines of Impa borrowing some of Zelda's and Sheik's non-Specials while having Specials of her own.

 

[Diddy Kong]

>I give serious idea that makes sense towards a character you made me dislike in attempt to contribute to discussion.
>You respond by trolling me with a crap idea for a character I like that is irrelevant the thread.

Never change.

No problem.

But I'm kind of serious though. Waluigi could draw from both Wario and Luigi just as easily. He's at least as wacky as both of them combined. And it's often been suggested he could use a Kart from Mario Kart as his Side B, much like Wario does it with his bike. Whirl-Luigi as his special from Mario Power Tennis, which people also suggest a lot for his moveset, could be similar to Luigi's Down B, or Wario's Up B, or a sort of combination of both.

See where I'm coming from now?

Am totally cool now with people thinking Impa would be a 'clone' cause people here mostly don't even mind the clones we had in Smash thusfar. Even though I think she could be unique, there's always people who gonna say she's not. I don't mind. But still I find Impa one of the most likely Zelda newcomers. And I think we're overdue for one.

 

[Deleted member]

It still doesn't make sense.
Wario has his style due to WarioWare (which Waluigi is not in as of yet), and plenty of his moves work towards his body type, which is in stark contrast to Waluigi's. I mean, other than Whirluigi being like Corkscrew, you really have to stretch to make it work to where it makes sense.

As for Waluigi copying Luigi, where is the logic in that if Wario has nothing in common to Mario in Brawl?

At least with my suggestion for Impa, it isn't unreasonable to see her performing Sheik's acrobatic attacks, and a few tweaked versions (i.e. using dark magic due to being the Sage of Darkness in OoT) of Zelda's magic-based attacks.
And I even said that her Specials could be her own, rather than taking from Sheilda there.

EDIT: The only way having a Luigified Wario would make sense if is Sakurai decided to screw the rules and add Waluigi as an honorary WarioWare character with an original design, but even then, quite a few moves would have to be changed to accommodate his body frame, as well as replacing the farts, hot dog chomping, possibly the bike (if he doesn't make Waluigi a biker), and the superhero thing. But then you got a case like Jigglypuff where there is a few similarities to another character, but not enough to label them as even a semi-clone.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Yeah, that sounds about right, then. While none of Sheik's A moves seem empowered with magic, Impa's would be. I just meant that Zelda's magic generally seems kind of like "High Fantasy" Magic-with-a-capital-M, while Impa's would be a combination of Ninjitsu and a hint of stereotypical Gypsy mysticism. More subtle.
Lucario's pretty clearly channeling chi for his moves... I would personally prefer more of what GoldenYu's talking about than Lucario's kind of slower, focused hits. Acrobatic roguery instead of wise and passive.

 

[Diddy Kong]

It still doesn't make sense.
Wario has his style due to WarioWare (which Waluigi is not in as of yet), and plenty of his moves work towards his body type, which is in stark contrast to Waluigi's. I mean, other than Whirluigi being like Corkscrew, you really have to stretch to make it work to where it makes sense.

As for Waluigi copying Luigi, where is the logic in that if Wario has nothing in common to Mario in Brawl?

At least with my suggestion for Impa, it isn't unreasonable to see her performing Sheik's acrobatic attacks, and a few tweaked versions (i.e. using dark magic due to being the Sage of Darkness in OoT) of Zelda's magic-based attacks.
And I even said that her Specials could be her own, rather than taking from Sheilda there.

EDIT: The only way having a Luigified Wario would make sense if is Sakurai decided to screw the rules and add Waluigi as an honorary WarioWare character with an original design, but even then, quite a few moves would have to be changed to accommodate his body frame, as well as replacing the farts, hot dog chomping, possibly the bike (if he doesn't make Waluigi a biker), and the superhero thing. But then you got a case like Jigglypuff where there is a few similarities to another character, but not enough to label them as even a semi-clone.

I think some aerials of Wario would suit Waluigi really well. Think the Forward Air and Down Air. Also his aerial movement suits Waluigi.

I have harder time imagining Impa doing moves similar to Zelda's. Yeah, magical based, but overall her style would be more similar to Sheik's but with magical enchanted attacks on a few moves. But even if she'd be similar in style, as you said, Kirby and Jiggz also share similarities but it's not enough to even call them semi-clones.

While Sheik has her own sort of style, Impa could easily have kungfu type of moves. Fighting more with her palms than with her legs. Kinda like a faster, lighter Lucario, but heavily combo-based.

 

[Frostwraith]

For Impa supporters, two signature icons, one based on her Ocarina of Time appearance and the other based on her Skyward Sword appearance.

 

[Diddy Kong]

That's some great **** my man!

 

[FalKoopa]

I like the first one because it looks sharper.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I like Impa cause shes awesome and ****

 

[HylianHeroBigBoss]

I like Impa cause shes awesome and ****

 

[Diddy Kong]

Well, ever since she was announced with the Skyward Sword trailers there was alot of speculation about her. There was mass hype when it was confirmed this character was Impa. It's not crazy why she's requested for Smash.

 

[Frostwraith]

It's not crazy why she's requested for Smash.

Requested by you alone?

Impa can get in... only if Sheik returns. Actually... scratch that, no cuts are always welcome.

Impa and Sheik? Yes, more characters are always welcome.
Impa replacing Sheik? Hell no! Impa has enough potential to be different from Zelda's alter ego.

That sums my thoughts.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Roy was outprioriticed by Ike
Lucario by Mewtwo
Young Link was replaced for Toon Link

Why wouldn't Impa replace Sheik?

 

[LaniusShrike]

Fair enough. Cuts suck... there's a reason people want Mewtwo and Roy back. I still wish Zelda and Sheik were separated and just balanced properly though. Not much left to really discuss about it all, but... I'll say it again. Let Sheik represent Ocarina of Time and let the three Triforce characters keep up with the series on the whole.
And give Toon Link new specials and Vaati as his villain counterpart.

Fin.

Impa definitely has enough potential. She can represent the more magical, mystical, and divine side of the Sheikah while Sheik can keep her unique ninja tools.