There are a lot of Dungeons and Dragons classes out there. The game started in 1975, so there have been quite a few additions since then. It would be almost impossible to track every one down in order to classify specific characters from The Legend of Zelda.
For that reason, this list cannot encapsulate every single character from that giant universe. That would be a massive undertaking even for just the main cast. To minimize that difficulty, this list is focused on the main classes for Dungeons and Dragons with some of the most iconic heroes and villains from The Legend of Zelda, from across an assortment of the games.
10 Link: Ranger
The more obvious answer would have been to classify Link as a Fighter. However, he is an adventurer and explorer, not just some ruthless, bloodthirsty warrior. On top of that, he uses a bow, a standard for most Rangers. He handles it quite well in Breath of the Wild.
Of course that may be other media influencing that idea too, but either way, Link is most definitely a Ranger. This holds true for a majority of the games, but not necessarily all of them. Link from Wind Waker isn't a Ranger, for example.
9 Zelda: Cleric
Clerics have gone through a huge upheaval over the years in Dungeons and Dragons. They used to be mainly focused on healing and support, but now they can be pretty useful in combat too.
Zelda really isn’t battle ready, but in terms of the games she has been called a priestess, or something close to it. Since she has holy magic, that makes her as good a fit as any for the Cleric. In Hyrule Warriors, she can kick a lot of butt too.
8 Ganon: Warlock
Ganon was a bit trickier to pin down a class for. Is he a Sorcerer? No, he’s much too powerful for that label. How about a Wizard? No, those tend to be heralded as good keepers of magic.
Warlocks, on the other hand, tend to be favored by evil, or at least shady individuals. Of course, that depends on who is playing the class, because anything can be good, or evil. The point here is to make an observation on generalities.
7 Sheik: Rogue
If we had the entirety of the class system to pick from, Sheik would definitely be a ninja. Since this article is focused on the base entries though, she most closely resembles a Rogue. That brings this question to mind: Did Zelda create a cross class character? They are the same person after all.
We're not sure how popular Cleric/Rogue combinations are, but that is indeed the full breadth of Zelda’s powers. It still doesn’t make sense how she became Sheik in Ocarina of Time, but that deduction is best saved for another day.
6 Impa: Paladin
When you think of Paladins, the depiction of a big burly knight clad in holy armor probably comes to mind, right? While Impa is never shown to be wearing thick armor, she is at least devoted to her duty as much as any Paladin would be.
She is Zelda’s guardian and Zelda is her Goddess. Impa would gladly give her life to save the princess’, and there is nothing nobler than that. She probably can’t do a lot of that in Breath of the Wild though.
5 Midna: Druid
Saria, the forest guardian in Ocarina of Time and childhood friend of Link, would probably be a better fit for the Druid class. However, for the sake of mixing up the series representation, Midna has to get on this list and this is the closest thing she can relate to. She is more like a Glitch Druid.
No, she is not in tune with nature, but her connection with the beastly form of Link is close to how Druids befriend Familiars. In her other form, she may even be considered a Sorcerer.
4 Orca: Fighter
Orca? Who is that? That is the weapon trainer from the beginning of Wind Waker. That is an obscure pick to be sure, but he was the best fit for the Fighter. He is trained in the fine arts of combat and while it is never shown, you can just tell that this grizzled old warrior has seen a thing or two in his years.
Of course, a child beat him in a training match so he may not be as good as he used to be, but Orca deserves respect anyway.
3 Kass: Bard
There have been a lot of musical mischief-makers in The Legend of Zelda series over the years. There is a whole band that gets together in Wind Waker, a game in which Link controls the weather like he is conducting an orchestra.
There is also the musical fish in Link’s Awakening. There are others, but in recent memory, Kass is the most haunting. He appears with his accordion at random intervals in Breath of the Wild to give players clues on how to proceed. Just how much does Kass know?
2 Vaati: Sorcerer
Vaati is an underrated villain in these games. Unlike most of the other examples, he has appeared more than once, making him as close to a rival as Ganon will ever see. He is a powerful magic wielder to be sure, but not on the scale of Ganon’s might.
That’s why he would be a Sorcerer. He is powerful in his own right, but not enough to bend Hyrule to his knee. Vaati lacks the Triforce of Power, which is a huge handicap. Still, Nintendo, bring back Vaati!
1 Darunia: Barbarian
Darunia, or any of the other members of the Goron race, could class themselves in one of two ways. Since a majority of them fight without armor and their fists alone, they would be Monks.
Darunia does not wear armor, but he does use a hammer in Hyrule Warriors. Because of this he is more in line with a Barbarian. Another great pick here would have been Daruk, but this list is Breath of the Wild heavy as is. However they are categorized, Gorons are not to be trifled with.