With the September 2022 announcement of the upcoming The Legend Of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, fans of the Zelda franchise are even more eager for the May 2023 release. The title will be a direct sequel to The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so players will get a rare opportunity to see what happens to the versions of Link and Zelda that fought to take down Calamity Ganon.This is especially exciting, considering Breath of the Wild provided Princess Zelda with her most prevalent role in a game yet. This allowed this version of Zelda’s character to show through since she made up a significant part of all the game’s cut scenes, and these intriguing qualities, as well as other aspects of the character, are easily summed up in the memes shared on the internet.
Zelda, Link, Same Difference
In early Zelda games, it was easy to see how players could confuse the names of the title’s two main characters. There was minimal dialogue or cutscenes, so it would have been a simple mistake to think that the hero’s name was Zelda.
However, as the Princess’ character has become more prevalent in the games’ stories, the mix-up has become all the more frustrating to die-hard fans. Surely, Zelda would not stand for people to call Link by her name so frequently.
Zelda Isn’t Having It
The idea of the princess falling for her hero is a tale as old as time. However, the Zelda games have never adhered strictly to this trope. Sure, sometimes there might be some observable chemistry between the two characters, but romance is never at the forefront of their minds.
Several other characters have tried to win Link’s heart over the years (most notably the Zora princesses), but Zelda is not one of them. After all, she often has a kingdom in turmoil to run. If Link wants a token of thanks in the form of a kiss, he will likely not get it from the princess.
Zelda Is Waiting On Her Hero
Many Zelda games follow a similar premise: Zelda is in trouble, and Link needs to go help her. This is typically presented as a pretty urgent matter, like in Breath of the Wild, but with so many fun side-quests, players rarely make it to Zelda’s rescue very quickly.
Since the amount of time that Link spends seal racing or cooking isn’t typically taken into account in the storyline, Zelda’s reaction to the dawdling is never shown. However, given her fiery personality in Breath of the Wild, she surely wouldn’t be amused.
Zelda Is The Legend
A unique aspect of the Zelda games is that the characters, while bearing the same name and similar appearance, are not typically the same from game to game. Instead, they are incarnations of the princess, hero, and villain from the series’ canonical first game, Skyward Sword.
Over the years of Zelda games, Link’s character is remembered in different ways by the people of Hyrule. However, Princess Zelda is consistently seen as the wise leader of the kingdom. Her sacrifice is remembered, again and again, reminding audiences why the series title is The Legend of Zelda.
The Biggest Zelda Plot Twist
Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for the Legend of Zelda franchise and video games as a whole. It introduced breathtaking 3D graphics and a complex storyline full of exciting plot twists that made many gamers officially fall in love with the series.
One of the biggest of these plot twists was the reveal that the stealthy Sheika that had been assisting Link was Princess Zelda in disguise. It gave Zelda a more consistent role for the first time and solidified her as one of fantasy’s coolest damsels.
Don’t Pick Sheik In Smash
Sheik was such a cool character in Ocarina of Time that fans were beyond excited to see she would be included in the Super Smash Bros fighting games. At first, the Sheika fighter was only available by transforming Zelda during a match, but Ultimate added her to the roster as her own playable character.
The downside, Sheik’s kill power in Smash is hugely lacking, making her one of the worst characters to use in the game. She has several great abilities that, if used properly, can win a match, but given her light weight, her direct attacks do very little. Turns out Zelda might have been stronger in her own form after all.
Zelda Logic
Ocarina of Time was the first game in the franchise that Zelda proved that she was just as physically capable as she was wise. She spent the majority of the game disguised as a Sheika man and followed Link around with ease. She teleported into dangerous temples and often disappeared without a trace— very mysterious and impressive.
However, at the end of the game, when she and Link had to escape from a crumbling tower, all these skills seemed to have vanished. Suddenly, she was not only terribly slow, but she screamed in distress whenever a monster appeared and provided Link no help. What happened to Zelda’s logic and wisdom when it was needed?
Excuse Me, Princess
Part of what made Zelda’s character so interesting in Breath of the Wild is that she demonstrated a fiery will that had little been seen in the Zelda franchise. As the story started, Zelda had a very low opinion of Link and went through every effort to make his job harder than it needed to be.
As loved as this version of Zelda is, she is perhaps the most similar to one of her least appreciated forms: that of the Legend of Zelda cartoon series from the 1980s. This vintage show had one of few Links who could talk, and he often expressed his exasperation over Zelda’s fiery displeasure with a catchphrase: “Well, excuuuse me, Princess!”
So Many Zeldas To Choose From
The various version of Zelda in the Legend of Zelda games had different personalities and strengths. Ocarina of Time demonstrated a devoted princess who wasn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands. Twilight Princess saw a tired ruler who just wanted to repair her broken kingdom, and Wind Waker introduced a young pirate utterly unaware of her destiny.
In the end, it’s hard for fans to choose their favorite version. Breath of the Wild may have given the character the most attention within the story, but there is no question that every version is worth noticing (especially in post-Ocarina of Time titles).
Zelda Never Lost Hope
Things really didn’t look good for Hyrule in Breath of the Wild. The defenses that Zelda’s father had put in place to protect against Calamity Ganon turned and ended up becoming the kingdom’s biggest threat. Then, Zelda, who knew that she needed the power of the Triforce to be successful, was repeatedly denied her birthright.
Despite some of her darkest moments of doubt, Zelda pulled it all together to put faith in herself and the hero that had become her confidant. Ultimately, Zelda’s strongest quality was her unending hope. It may have taken over 100 years, but she was eventually rewarded for her dedication.
