The Postman is possibly the second most important reoccurring NPC after Beedle.
How else would we be gifted a worried grandma's savings or rescue a wedding in peril?
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How else would we learn about Beedle and Malo’s deals, get gossip that leads to quests, or have our rewards delivered?
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So let's take a closer look at these world-travelling, dungeon-diving, apocalypse-traversing heroes of the mail system.
The Postman's first appearance in the series is in Majora's Mask. You may think, "Wasn't he in Ocarina of Time first?" Yes and no. The model they used for Majora's Mask's Postman is the same model that was used for the Running Man in Ocarina of Time. He ran, but he didn't carry mail in that game.
His work is absolutely vital to completing one of the most fulfilling quests in the game - reuniting Anju and Kafei. The main part of the quest starts when Anju receives a letter from her missing fiancé and asks for your help. If the Postman didn't carry the lovers' mail back and forth, this quest wouldn't get off the ground. My appreciation for this shorts-wearing runner truly shines when you see him on the final day. The moon is falling. He's on the floor. He wants to run away and escape the end of his world so badly, but he adheres strictly to the mail schedule, and running away is not on the schedule. He even wrote and delivered a letter to himself, begging him to flee. But he stays strong and delivers his final letter in the last hours before the moon falls. His dedication to staying rewards you with two separate masks (one is technically a hat) and two heart pieces. My heart goes out to you, brave man. 🫡
The next postman is in Oracle of Ages, but Labyrinna's postmen seem to be less dedicated, so we'll skip him. No salutes for you.
The mail system in The Wind Waker is run by Rito. They fly from island to island to deliver mail. It is a job they take extremely seriously. The intrepid Ilari even delivers mail to a moblin in the Forsaken Fortress! Can you imagine dodging enemies to find a specific moblin? And then he has to wait for Moe the Moblin to read the letter and write a response.
They also keep good tabs on Link. They always manage to find the mailbox closest to him - even as he sails around the Great Sea. I'm sure Grandma is happy to have someone reliable like Quill delivering her well-wishes and meager savings to Link and hopefully reporting back with his whereabouts. (Her letter made me kind of emotional, actually. Keep your 20, Grandma. I'll be okay!)
Hm... This guy in the sorting department, Koboli, looks kind of familiar...
Eh, it's probably my imagination. I salute you, Rito postmen! 🫡
The Postman in Minish Cap continues the tradition of being a very punctual mail carrier. He won't stop to talk so he can stay on schedule, but he does grant you access to newsletters that give you hints on defeating enemies and getting items. Not much to say about him, but I salute him for doing his job even as the town around him falls apart under Vaati's influence. 🫡
Twilight Princess has my favorite mail carrier. This Postman will even traverse dungeons to deliver the mail! He recognizes Link in wolf form! He feeds unreadable mail to goats! He's not perfect, but he's got the spirit! The Cave of Ordeals is tough even for Link to traverse, but the Postman can be found right above the 50th floor. THAT'S dedication. 🫡
Just who is lost? Source
The Postman in Phantom Hourglass is lacking in integrity, but he has a lot of spunk. Sure, it's awkward to have your mail read aloud to you, especially when it's very obviously not your mail and he reads the entire letter anyway, but how else are you going to be updated on the latest deals? How else are you going to— wait, DID YOU JUST DELIVER A WHOLE SHIP PART?? That's an entire ship's hull! Made of GOLD! How did you carry that with your teeny little strapped-on wings? I salute your strength and enthusiasm, little guy! I won't shoot you from the sky with a slingshot - just like you asked!🫡
Spirit Tracks' Postman announces straight away that he won't read your letters aloud. Does that mean that they were still doing that during the entire 100 years since the last game? He also has the funniest introduction. He does the locomotion into view and gives a salute. "Hey, hey, howdy, mister. Me? Oh, I'm no good at long-winded introductions. I'm just an average guy who works the postman gig to get by. You can call me Postman. All my friends do. Now that you know my name, next time I see you, don't be shy! Say hello!"
A guy named Postman just works as a postman to get by? If you say so. The postmaster says he's hardworking and efficient, so he's fine by me! 🫡
Looking at the hardworking, dedicated, intrepid Postmen of the past, I can't really be surprised that a Postman is willing to traverse time and space through dark portals just to deliver the mail. Heroes don't only come in green and blue. Sometimes they wear red hats.
After randomly deciding I am fascinated with the Postman/Running man (OoT/MM/TP) all of a sudden, and coming to the realization that I have a very specific type of favorite character just 2 days ago, @rainbow-nijisaki blessed me with a drawing of Kusatsu (RFGoA) in his outfit. I completed the pair by drawing the Postman in Kusatsu's outfit.
I am asking for the universe to reveal all of the hardworking, unimpressive, red-flagged men that are left because clearly I am supposed to Collect them All.
