Purah

Key takeaways

Purah belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Purah to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Purah from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Purah (Japanese: プルア, Hepburn: Purua) is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. She originally appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where despite being elderly she appears as a young girl due to a science mishap. A young adult version of Purah is depicted in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which is set 100 years before Breath of the Wild. She appears as this age once again in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, having aged herself up since Breath of the Wild. In Japanese, she is voiced by Ayano Shibuya, while in English she is voiced by Kate Higgins. Purah's appearance in Tears of the Kingdom received significant praise, with several media outlets voicing approval of her redesign in comparison to her child-like appearance in Breath of the Wild. Critics voiced approval for her attractiveness in this new iteration, while, fan-produced sexualized content and searches for such saw a large uptick as reported by multiple outlets. Additional praise was given for the character's expanded role in Tears of the Kingdom, and how she was an integral part of the game's story and a driving force for its narrative. She has also been analyzed as an example of the mad scientist archetype, and the Zelda series' positive portrayal of strong, older women.

Conception and design Purah was created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and is a member of the Sheikah clan in the game. Lead artist Hirohito Shindoa developed this clan, a technologically advanced culture that became oppressed by the local kingdom, around the concept of a "hidden village away from the eyes of the world". Unified in appearance by their completely white hair, the clan members also have outfits with a "Japanese aesthetic" to differentiate them from other characters. Their hats, accessories and poses help differentiate members of the clan from one another. While initial designs intended to portray her as "languid and unenergetic", built around the theme of a "punk rock girl", Purah's finalized concept was built around a magical girl archetype, and made to resemble a young child due to a botched experiment to reduce her age and motivated by wanting money for her research. Purah's outfit changed several times during development, with her "punk rocker" concept using heavy eyeliner to illustrate she was "not just some kid", while she wore a large purse on her midsection, and an oversized collar around her neck from before she transformed herself into a child-like appearance. Of these elements only the eye makeup remained, as she was given a cheerful and strong personality instead. While her original outfit was meant to resemble another notable member of the clan, Robbie, it was changed to a dress with a frilled interior while utilizing chopsticks to hold up her hair in a topknot. Though she wears ornate red glasses, she was given a set of gold goggles as well, meant to be shaped like a butterfly. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a game set prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, she was portrayed as a woman in her twenties, now wearing a long beige coat and a black skirt. In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a sequel to Breath of the Wild, she is portrayed as a mature woman, now significantly taller and wearing a dress with a tight slit, and red stockings and high heels, while a set of blue gloves cover her hands. Her hair now frames her face, meant to give her a more adult appearance.

Appearances Purah first appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a character who assists the protagonist, Link, in his quest to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon. Link, who spent the past 100 years recovering from his injuries, discovers that Purah, who was an elderly woman at the time, recently de-aged her body into that of a child due to a scientific mishap. She is one of only three Sheikah who were alive during the Calamity 100 years ago, alongside Impa and Robbie. She helps Link by improving his Sheikah Slate through upgrading its abilities. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Purah initially appears as a non-playable character before being added as a playable character in downloadable content, where she forms a single unit with Robbie. In this game, set in an alternate timeline around the Great Calamity, she helps train the Champions and fine-tune the Divine Beasts, Sheikah-produced mecha intended for use against Calamity Ganon. With her help, the Sheikah transport the Champions and their allies to the final battle against Ganon, averting the Calamity. Purah later appears in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a sequel to Breath of the Wild set some years later. In this game, Purah is assisting in rebuilding Hyrule, and has also managed to age herself up into an adult body. Providing Link with a paraglider, she helps him to explore the game's dungeons, acting as the central quest giver in the game and providing several side quests for Link. In all appearances, Purah is voiced in English by Kate Higgins, and by Ayano Shibuya in Japanese.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Purah

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Purah claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Purah before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Purah ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Purah

In research: Purah appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Purah in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Purah is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Female characters in video games, Fictional female scientists, Fictional scientists in video games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Purah outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Purah in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Purah means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Purah out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Purah in simple terms?

Purah (Japanese: プルア, Hepburn: Purua) is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. She originally appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where despite being elderly she appears as a young girl due to a science mishap.

Why does Purah matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Purah?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Purah.