While his role was small, he reminds us that no legend is told without losing a few lives in the process.
Link always seem to be alone in the world, rarely seen with a mentor or parental figure at the start of his adventures. And whenever it is implied, it usually ends on a very tragic note. Thus we have Link's uncle from A Link to the Past.
There's very little to say about him as a character, really. This being on the Super Nintendo, A Link to the Past didn't have the expanded cutscenes of the 3D games, thus letting us wonder who he was exactly.
That doesn't mean he was completely forgettable. When the game starts, he bravely goes into Hyrule castle in order to fend off an unseen evil. From that moment you can tell that he loves Link as he instructs him to stay at home. Link, being the plucky hero that he is, defies his warning and goes into the castle, where he learns a horrible fact.
And with that, Link's greatest journey begins
He sees his uncle lying on the floor, mortally wounded. He demands Link to pick up his sword and save Princess Zelda, and gives him a vague statement about Link's involvement with Hyrule's royalty. Soon after, he dies.
The scene happens very quickly, and thus players likely didn't stop and ponder about the gravity of the situation. But once you do, you begin to realize that Link's first step into the whole adventure began with the loss of the only relative he ever knew, all while dying trying to protect the kingdom he loved. We may never know who he was exactly, but his sacrifice is one we will always remember.
