Sheik

In the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link has the shocking experience of being in a deep slumber for seven years. After awakening, he finds that the world has changed drastically — monsters are lurking all around, and evil Ganondorf is the ruler of Hyrule. Even more alarming for Link is that he can’t find Princess Zelda anywhere.

Thank goodness, the guy soon meets a new friend, Sheik. This character looks like a young Sheikah warrior. Throughout the game, Sheik helps Link in many frustratingly difficult situations. In fact, Link would not be able to accomplish his mission without this support. For example, Sheik teaches Link how to travel in time using the Master Sword and how to perform various warp melodies.

When the game is almost over, Sheik reveals their true identity. It turns out that Sheik was Princess Zelda all the time. She disguised herself to hide from Ganondorf and still be able to support Link in his mega important quest.

This appearance of Sheik in Ocarina of Time is the only canonical presence of this hero in the core Zelda games. Beyond that, you can meet Sheik in Hyrule Warriors, a hack-and-slash spin-off.

Sheik in the Super Smash Bros. series

Both Princess Zelda and Sheik joined the SSB roster in Super Smash Bros. Melee, both having their appearance from Ocarina of Time. Sheik wasn’t a standalone character but rather a transformation of Zelda that provides players with a different moveset.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sheik has a bit different design. Like the other characters from the Zelda universe, she gets an appearance based on Twilight Princess (despite not being present in that game).

Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U is the first game that has Sheik as a standalone fighter. 

Sheik in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

This time, the developers decided to adopt the appearance of Sheik to the style of Breath of the Wild. She is a much faster character than Zelda. Sheik uses weapons instead of magic, and her general fighting techniques strongly remind those of ninja.

Sheik is a light and fast Smash character. Many players use her as a hit-and-run fighter — her moves have quick frame data. It’s pretty easy to link her attacks into combos, with Forward and Down Throws as very good starters.

Being lightweight has some disadvantages, though. If a heavy opponent (such as Donkey Kong, Bowser, or Ganondorf) lands their blow, Sheik gets significant damage with the risk of flying far away from the platform. Her horizontal recovery options are not very good.

To unlock Sheik in SSBU:

• Play VS Matches — Sheik is the 47th unlockable character here
• Sheik is 5th to appear in the Classic Mode if you play Donkey Kong or anyone from his unlock tree
• Sheik is obtainable in the story mode World of Light