Vaati

Vaati is a fictional character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Introduced as a Wind Mage and later portrayed as a powerful sorcerer, Vaati serves as the primary antagonist in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2002) and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004). He is closely associated with the Four Sword, a legendary weapon capable of splitting the wielder into four copies and amplifying Vaati's magical power.

In Four Swords, Vaati uses the Four Sword to gain influence and threaten Hyrule. Link must join forces with three other versions of himself to defeat Vaati and seal him within the Four Sword, ending his threat for the time being. The Minish Cap presents Vaati with a more developed backstory: a Minish sorcerer who seeks to conquer both the Minish world and the human world by exploiting the sword's power. Link, aided by Ezlo, a talking Minish hat, defeats Vaati and again seals him inside the Four Sword.

Vaati's appearances have contributed to the recurring Zelda motif of a wind-themed antagonist tied to the Four Sword. The character’s role helped establish the idea that the Four Sword is a powerful, if dangerous, artifact capable of altering reality when wielded by a strong mage. Vaati remains a notable example of a villain who relies on magical artifacts and transformation.

Outside of the Zelda canon, the name Vaati is also associated with VaatiVidya, a prominent YouTube creator who produces lore-focused videos about video games, including the Zelda series. This usage is separate from the in-game character.