Zelda Love

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Introduction

In most RPG's, Adventure, and other games, there is some type of love involved. And Zelda is exactly the same way, although the misconceptions that there is none. The first point that I need to make, is that there is a time line.

It has been confirmed by the man behind the Legend of Zelda series that for every time evil is at work in Hyrule, a hero name Link is destined to appear to protect the land. This confirms the multiple-Link theory many people have supported for a long, long time. Still, there is no official order in which the games should be placed in, most people agree that Ocarina of Time is the first game in the timeline, followed by Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker.

The release of The Wind Waker gave new life to the Timeline debate, and while it also cleared up many things, it certainly made other things unclear. Many have tried to explain these events with a so-called "multiple timeline theory", meaning that when Link went back in time after defeating Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, he actually created another time line. We do not support this, as We believe that since he is infact the Hero of Time, that gives him the ability to manipulate time -- in other words go back to his childhood after defeating Ganondorf, and at the same time keep the King of Evil locked up in the Sacred Realm. The Timeline and the Multiple-Link theories are key points in the "Love" theory of The Legend of Zelda.


The Possibilities
Saria, Malon, Cremia, Princess Ruto, Zelda

Saria

Right at the very beginning of the adventure, it's clear that Saria is very fond of Link. Some have said that since they are mere children, they would not be in love. For one thing, that assumes that "love" is defined to be some full-blown thing that only adults could experience. For another thing, it's true that she has the body and spirit of a child, but she has a magnificent maturity to her, a maturity that makes perfect sense when she is chosen as a sage. She sees things on a deeper level than others, and proclaims that she knew that Link would one day leave. This maturity could be significant-does she have feelings for Link?

We also learn that Mido likes Saria, and as a result is jealous of Link because he's her favorite. He tries to get Saria to like him, but it's certainly not very effective. He's a bully, but there's something more large-scale and sinister to his status as bully, something more adult-like. And this too clues us in that at least some of the Kokiri are not entirely what they seem.

Link too, has Saria in a prominent place in his own heart. We see that even at the beginning, especially the way he backs up hesitantly from her on the bridge and then runs off. He doesn't express his emotions well, perhaps because he was a bit of a social outcast. At any rate, he's very fond of her, and thinks she's special in a way that almost no one else could be. Both Saria and Link constantly think about each other.

In the end, however, we have no concrete evidence either way. It's simply ambiguous. They love each other greatly as friends, but it's impossible to tell whether or not there's any crush in there too. They're the best of friends, and have an amazing chemistry together, but we can't really tell anything. Drawing the line between the "best friends" kind of love and the "best friends love" with a crush attached is extremely difficult, as it is so often in real world relationships.

Nevermore

It isn't until Link is an adult that we get our first real interpretable evidence for anything.

After defeating the Forest Temple, Saria says the following:

"Thank you...

Because of you, I could awaken as a Sage . . .

I am Saria.

The Sage of the Forest Temple . . .

I always believed that you would come. Because I know you . . .

No . . .

You don't have to explain it to me . . .

Because it is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world.

I will stay here as the Forest Sage and help you...

Now, please take this Medallion . . ."

Their meeting is painful. They have that great friendship between them, and there's a rift in it because of time and circumstances. They are painfully aware of their separation, and although they want to rectify it, they know they cannot.

What happens next is perhaps even more interesting. Against a white screen, a text box says, "Saria will always be . . ." Pause. Then it says, "Your friend . . ."

But even more to the point is what Mido tells you afterwards:

"Oh . . . I see . . .

Saria won't ever come back . . .

But . . . I . . . I made a promise to Saria . . .

If Link came back, I would be sure to tell him that Saria had been waiting for him . . ."

Then Mido has a hard time getting out the next part:

"Because Saria . . . really . . .

liked . . ."

He falters and says, "Hey, you." Which is an interesting bit of text because not only does it ironically belong to the previous sentence, but also to the next:

"If you see him somewhere, please let him know . . .

And also . . .

I'm sorry for being mean to him.

Tell him that, too."

Taking these quotes together, we can see that there's no question where Saria's affections lay-with Link. And Link? What does he think? Once again, he seems a bit clueless about it. But as for reciprocating that romantic love, that special bond, it's hard to say. It's easy to imagine that if somehow, the circumstances allowed for it, and if she had plucked up the courage to be open with him about her feelings, he would have been happy with the idea. But we can't ponder the "what if" questions, because these quotes make it clear that Saria is gone from his world. The idea is that they could have grown even beyond being just best friends, but that they couldn't because this was a new life. It's part of the larger theme of time in Ocarina of Time. The passing of time and the brutal new reality meant that Link would have to give up that age of childhood. Saria symbolizes a past age, an age which could never again be claimed. Link's past was a wonderful time, a time of love and joy and innocence and the green and simple things of the world, but now that life could not be reclaimed. It's a painful thing, but it's part of the pathos of the game.

Conclusion

Link and Saria. They were the best of friends, tied together by an incredible bond. But did they feel anything "more" than that? On Saria's part, it seems that she certainly did. On Link's part, he seems rather clueless as usual. He probably was too "simple-minded," to to speak, to think of her as something more than a best friend. I would remind you that it wasn't until Cremia hugged him in Majora's Mask that we see him having true "fuzzy feelings." This was something new to him, which means that he hadn't felt like that before that time. Cremia had to do something obvious for him to open his eyes to what he feels about Malon back home. So it does seem likely that if Saria had strongly encouraged a special relationship in that kind of obvious manner, then his eyes would have opened to the kind of wonderful person Saria was. But that could not to be, because the message of the game is clear, that Saria and Link are of two different worlds, and a romance would never spring up between them because of the painful reality of time and circumstance.

Malon & Cremia

Ocarina of Time is of course the game in which Malon appears, meaning that we are dealing with Link I here, and not his descendants. At first glance, Malon appears to be simply another one of various girls who adores Link. The fellow has a good number of girls after him, but he's generally completely oblivious to it. As a friend of mine said, "Typical guy." Link doesn't seem to think in romantic terms, and so he typically does not recognize the girl's love unless it is practically shoved in his face (his "I'm shocked!" animation at Ruto's talk of marriage is but one example of this). Keeping this in mind, Malon, Saria, and Ruto are all quite interesting possibilities.

There are a few key points about Malon to consider. First, as a child, Talon asks you if you would like to marry Malon. It is most unusual in that it presents you with a "yes-no" option for something like that. The fact that Nintendo added interaction with the player on that particular point adds emphasis to it. Regardless of how you answer, he laughs, saying that he was joking and that Link is too young for that. Ultimately, this does not really tell us very much, at least not by itself. Second, there is the gossip stone that says, "They say that Malon of Lon Lon Ranch hopes a knight in shining armor will come and sweep her off her feet someday." This forms an interesting connection with Talon's earlier question. Link is too young to truly consider marriage at that early age, but when he becomes older he could "sweep her off her feet." This connection hints towards a future relationship between the two of them. I am cautious as to whether or not this is true, but sources say that this gossip stone actually referred to a scene that was originally part of the ending, in which Link and Malon ride into a sunset on Epona. If so, that would indicate that Nintendo pointed towards a Link and Malon relationship.

A case could conceivably be made for a match up between Link and Malon based on Ocarina of Time alone. But to get the full picture, we must turn to two other games.

Link's Awakening

Link's Awakening is a truly fascinating game, with a storyline of pure genius. What is relevant to us, however, is that there is a parallel between Talon and Malon and two of the characters in Link's Awakening: Tarin and Marin. Aside from their parallel names, they are connected by their personalities and, most importantly, by their rather obvious reference to the Mario games. Except for his more realistic proportions, Talon almost looks identical to Mario, even down to the clothes. Ingo looks like Luigi. Malon looks like Peach, although in this case she is the daughter of "Mario." Malon even wears a Bowser emblem. Tarin of Link's Awakening bears even more resemblance to the cartoon style of Mario than Talon does. He even shares a fondness for mushrooms.

Now, in an earlier article, I identified The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia. Some people wrote in to tell me that I was in error. Actually, I was correct; it was the first book C.S. Lewis wrote, even though it is not the first book in terms of the mythic storyline. This raises an important point. We must not only think in terms of the game timeline, but of the publishing timeline. If we think in those terms, we find out that Nintendo made Link's Awakening before they made Ocarina of Time. We can safely say, then, that Malon and Talon were based off of the characters in Link's Awakening.

Here's the interesting part. Those of you that have played Link's Awakening (and I certainly hope you have!) know that Marin and Link fall in love. The Hero of Time falls in love with someone who is the daughter of someone based on Mario (can you guess who the mother could be?). But when the Wind Fish awakens, the whole island of Koholint vanishes, Marin included (although she "survives" if you complete the game without dying). For our purposes, the only thing that matters here is that Nintendo based Malon on Marin, and that the "romance" aspect of the character was preserved in the transition to Ocarina of Time. In that light, it seems relatively clear that a Malon-Link relationship was intended.

But if we truly want to understand the relationship between Link and Malon, we must move from Koholint to Termina.

Majora's Mask

The designers said quite explicitly that one of the most important aspects of Majora's Mask was that it gave you a greater insight into the characters that you had encountered in Ocarina of Time. (Of course, the characters also give you insights into the designers. We know that the carpenters' grumblings about not finishing in time corresponds to the game makers' fear of not finishing the game on time.) No doubt you noticed that Malon happens to have two parallel characters in the world of Termina: Cremia and Romani.

Like younger Malon, Romani likes Link (even more explicitly, actually). Like older Malon, Cremia is more mature about it. "Wait, what did you imply, Trahald? Cremia likes Link?" Well, do you still have your Nintendo 64 and copy of Majora's Mask? Good. Using an old file, make sure you already have the Romani Mask. Now go save the cows from the Poes once more. The next day, join Cremia for the wagon ride. As you ride along, Cremia tells you that she's lonely, and then opens up to you, even mentioning the marriage of her friend Anju (remember, Cremia once loved Kafei, but he chose Anju). When the thieves attack, loose your arrows into them and save the wagon once more. Now that you've saved the milk, Cremia will be rather happy, and will smile and sway a bit, saying "Thank you . . . You were pretty cool . . ." Since you already have the mask, one of two things happens. In one case, she gives you a Huge Rupee. But the other case is very interesting. When the translator mentioned that many people would not even see a large portion of the text in the game, he wasn't kidding. What happens next is hilarious. It's best to see it first hand, so I recommend you go see it right now.

For those of you who are lazy, I'll describe it to you as best as I can. The camera shifts to a unique position, with the horse and Clock Town behind Cremia and Link. She grabs him and hugs him in a, um, rather interesting manner, to say the least. It's completely not what you would expect from a Nintendo game. With the horse bobbing its head in the background, she pulls his head into her chest. This scene lasts for several surprisingly long moments. When the little scene has finished, a happy noise plays, and a text box pops up. It says, in pink (!) text, "You did it! You helped Cremia!" "You feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Sigh . . .You could get used to this!" Yes, the game actually tells you, using the unusual pink text, what Link feels. Yes, Nintendo actually employed text to convey Link's emotions. Cremia has (literally) put herself "in Link's face," and this has aroused the idea of love in Link's young brain, but he still does not entirely understand it yet. The implication? Link has a thing for Malon, or will have a thing for Malon

Conclusion

Ocarina of Time, Link's Awakening, and Majora's Mask. Link them together and compile the evidence you find in each of those games. I find that it becomes quite clear that Nintendo intended for Link to fall in love with Malon.

Ruto.

She was one of the most memorable characters in Ocarina of Time, and the one thing that tended to stick out most about her in most people's minds was her crush on Link. No one could deny her of her love. A good many people also happen to think that Link should return that love. Did Nintendo intend for Link to marry Ruto? It is to that question that we will now turn.

Link's Feelings

Ruto likes Link. That much is obvious, and in fact it functions as comedic relief. But what does Link think of Ruto? As a child, his reaction is not a favorable one. And yet at the same time, he does not entirely understand her meaning, as is clear by the game text upon receiving the Sapphire.

As an adult, nothing indicates that he has changed his attitude. I remind you that we cannot assume feelings between characters when they are in scenes together. The Nintendo 64 may provide subtle touches to the cinematics, but these subtle touches are done through rather distinct, unmistakable animations. When any two characters stand around, think of them as cardboard cutouts. They look no different than when they are standing apart from each other. Any romance between cardboard cutouts must be supplied by the imagination. (This, by the way, is the main error of those who are so obsessed with wanting the Hero of Time and Zelda to have a relationship that they say things like, "Scene XYZ makes Link and Zelda look like they're in love," when the two characters are actually doing absolutely nothing that indicates one thing or the other.) We can only tell what one of them is feeling when the game text tells us so, or when the game plays a specific animation, keeping in mind that these animations are often reused. That said, the game data itself gives us little indication of Link's thoughts about Ruto. Perhaps the most critical point is when Ruto mentions their engagement as an adult, and the game plays Link's "I'm shocked!" animation. The most basic meaning is probably that Link didn't quite "get" Ruto's love for him until she explicitly referred to him as her fiancé. His reaction isn't favorable, but that doesn't mean he couldn't change later. In any case, after Morpha's defeat, Ruto brings up romance again. The general emphasis at that point is that as she realizes her position as a sage, she comes to the sad realization that romance can never be.

So, the basic game evidence itself seems to point away from a Link-Ruto relationship, for at least the duration of the game. Even Link-Ruto shippers will usually admit to that. But if they admit to that, then why do they cling to the idea that Link and Ruto will marry? "Because they are destined for one another." Essentially, the shippers argue that because Link and Ruto made an oath, they must marry. And that, my friends, is actually a wonderful argument, to which we will now turn.

Never Break an Oath

For most of human history, oaths have been taken very, very seriously. The game portrays a fantastical society, which is at least in appearance based on ancient and medieval culture. A few examples of the importance of oaths in antiquity will do.
Among the Greeks and Romans, we find that they believe that even the gods themselves are unable to break oaths. This can be seen throughout their literature, but one of the most famous examples is from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The sun god has a son named Phaethon. Well, naturally no one believes Phaethon when he tells them that his dad is the sun god. So Phaethon travels to his father and complains about his plight. The father says to Phaethon, "All right, I'll prove your lineage! Ask me anything, and I'll do it for you! I swear it by the River Styx!" The River Styx was the river of the underworld, and swearing on it was the highest vow the sun god could have made. Well, Phaethon asks to drive the sun god's chariot (and thus the sun) through the heavens. The sun god is distraught, for he knows that Phaethon will die as a result. The climb across the sky is treacherous, filled with perils and monsters. Yet since the sun god made that oath, he must let his son have his wish. If you don't mind reading a relatively archaic translation, you can read the story in Metamorphoses I just referred to here (note that "the Nether Lake" is the River Styx). And I remind you, this is but one simple example of how much the Greeks and Romans valued oaths. If you dishonored the oath, not only would you face the wrath of the gods, but you would also be socially ostracized, a horrible thing in ancient cultures (which generally were not individualistic like ours).

Of course, in the case of Ocarina of Time, we're dealing with a sort of betrothal vow. That is really quite another topic, but suffice it to say that the general sociological principles that apply to oaths in general also apply to specific vows revolving around marriage. Well, I won't bore you with further details on the history of oaths, but suffice it to say, the integrity of an oath was a very important issue for the ancients, and it was an issue that continued for a long time. The L&R shippers are indeed asking the right question. "Is Link obligated to marry Ruto?" This isn't to say that they view it as a kind of socially forced marriage. It doesn't seem as though Link wouldn't think of her as a friend, and so I suppose it would be fairly easy on his part to marry her. He doesn't like the idea at first, but that doesn't mean he couldn't warm up to the idea if he came to the realization that by accepting "her most precious possession" he was obligated to marry her.

Counterpoints

However, there are some important counterpoints to consider. The most obvious one is that Hyrule is not the ancient world. We have no way of knowing the customs and sociological values of Hyrule. We are left with what Nintendo gives us, and, in fact, based on Ruto's seeming resignation that she cannot have Link's love, it seems as though it is not a Hyrulian value to consider engagement to be binding. That isn't surprising, for the game is the product not of the ancient world but of the modern world. The modern world does not consider betrothals to be legally binding, especially if one of the two has no idea what he is doing. Although the face of the game may imitate a distant past, it is strongly influenced by modern culture, Japanese and Western. For instance, if the game developers were trying to implement full-fledged ancient or medieval culture into the game, they probably would have not have had Ruto, a princess, even have the option of choosing who she will marry, no matter how headstrong she is.

What's more, Link was not part of mainstream Hyrulian society. He was one of the Kokiri. He grew up in a world very different from that of the Hylians, Gorons, and Zora beyond the borders of the wood. He grew up in a world where everyone remained eternal children. If the Zora people believed that Link could not back out of the marriage, Link would not feel very obligated to conform.

Conclusion

Does Link reciprocate Ruto's feelings? The game would tell us that he probably doesn't. But the real question is, as the Z-R shippers like to emphasize, "Is Link socially obligated to marry her?" The answer is "probably not," mostly since the game is the product of the modern world. I might also add that there are actually other reasons why Link couldn't marry Ruto, but those reasons have to do with The Wind Waker. But as I like to say, "That's for another day."

Princess Zelda

And they got married and lived happily ever after." Romantic love is important to people not only in real life, but in stories and myths. The Zelda games, however, seem to lack any kind of fully developed romance. But the fan fiction, art, and discussions the games have spawned are full of references to romance (yet ironically, you would be hard pressed to find references to dungeon puzzles). Even if the main topic of the fan fiction or fan art has nothing to do with romance, people slip in hints as to who they think Link should hook up with. Most people ask the question, "Who should Link hook up with?" But I like to ask the question a bit differently. Asking the question, "Who would I rather see Link fall in love with?" brings in too much subjectivity and bias into the picture for my tastes. A question I prefer to ask is, "Did the game designers point towards a relationship between Link and one of the ladies?" Periodically I will write articles looking at the games with that question in mind, by looking at each "potential love interest" in turn. First up is, of course, Zelda.


A bit of groundwork

Before we see if the game designers actually intended for Link and Zelda to have a thing for each other, let's make a few things clear. For one thing, the timeline theories are critically important to any discussion of this topic. When writing about romance, most of the Zelda fan sites seem to perfectly ignore the fact that there is more than one Link and more than one Zelda, even though those sites tend to hold very strongly to that idea in other parts of their pages. Now, an important part of the Zelda timeline is that each Link and Zelda is descended from a previous Link and Zelda. This means two things. First, Link and Zelda do both marry someone and have children. Second, each generation of Link and Zelda can't marry each other, because that would end up being, well, rather sick.

To designate which Link and which Zelda I'm talking about, I'm going to add numbers to the end of their names as is the custom in writing about historical figures. But as games are released, those numbers can change. Keeping in mind that it doesn't include The Wind Waker yet, I'm going to use the suffixes used by the ZU timeline, just to keep things clear.

Love in the 2-D Era

Nearly everyone, when dealing with the romance, focuses on Link I-in other words, the Link that appears in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. This is probably mostly an effect of the transition to 3-D. But if we want to know what the designers intended, we must look at the 2-D games too.

Adventure of Link is the last game in the series chronologically. The game features Link III and Zelda IV. In it, Zelda IV is asleep for the whole game. But at the very end of the game, when she is awoken, she gives Link III a kiss as the curtain descends in front of them. It's very much a cliché, and Zelda IV and Link III didn't exactly interact beforehand, but it is fairy tale romance all the same. Of all the games before the 3-D era, Adventure of Link is the only one with even a real hint at romance between Link and Zelda. But the ending to that game is a kind of fitting finale for the Legend as a whole.

A Different Question

We now turn to Link I and Zelda I. This is, of course, the potential Link-and-Zelda couple that gets the most attention. The term "shipper" is usually applied to someone who thinks that Link I and Zelda I should fall in love. But again, they are asking the question, "Who would I rather see get together?" It's a fine question, but it's almost entirely subjective, so a more important one is, "Did Nintendo intend to hint that Link I would fall in love with Zelda I?" Since the shippers are asking a different question, most of their arguments turn out to be quite, well, lame for our purposes. Need an example? "Zelda gave Link the light arrows and the Ocarina of Time, which is more useful than anything any other girl gave him-therefore he likes her!" To be blunt, that sort of logic doesn't even deserve to be taken seriously. Or about how about the argument that "Link took risks to help her and to save her; therefore he's in love with her." No, Link is like that because he's a good guy, helps everyone out, and is in fact chosen by the Triforce for his courage (even if "love" is part of the equation, let's not forget that love is not restricted to romantic definitions-in fact, the ancient Greeks had four words for different kinds of love). Likewise, the idea that Zelda was used as "bait" for Link because Ganon "knew that they were in love" is similarly flawed. In addition, it ignores the fact that Ganon wanted the whole Triforce, and Zelda had part of it. "Who would I rather see get together?" is a decent question, but it doesn't get us as far as "What did Nintendo hint at?"

That Scene in the Sky

There is practically only one scene that could possibly be hinting towards a connection between the two of them. And that is the scene that takes place immediately after the defeat of Ganon. Link I and Zelda I are standing in the middle of the sky, and Zelda tells him that they must return to their own time. Link must hand back the ocarina. He does so, but he lets go of it only reluctantly. That is the moment that some have interpreted to mean that Link and Zelda are "holding hands," that they do not take their hands away because they are enjoying the moment in which their hands touch. This is a possible interpretation, but I find it quite unlikely based on at least two things you can find in the context.

First, the battle with Ganon. Link has just had a harrowing battle with the holder of the Triforce of Power, not to mention what came before that. Now imagine Link's emotions. You, the courageous warrior, have just gone through terror upon terror and have finally slain the horrible beast that brought curses and monsters onto Hyrule. Now it's all over, and you're standing in the sky, weirdly enough. Yes, your quest is complete. Yes, you're ready to head home. But what you went through was an incredibly powerful experience, to say the least. You saw things you never imagined when you lived as a Kokiri. And now you are now surprised that you now have to give back your ocarina, a precious instrument that has taken you through many troubles. You know what you must do, but you don't want to do it. You have a hard time letting go of the ocarina (for a semi-parallel example, think of how, in Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo had such a hard time giving up the Ring). So, you hold on partially because you don't entirely want to give it up the ocarina, and partially because you're still in shock and wonder at the moment. You certainly aren't thinking about romance-you're thinking about what has gone on before, what has changed, and what will become of you (and the ocarina). You're not going to break the dramatic pacing and just chuck the ocarina into Zelda's hands and say, "OK! Enough of that! I'm headed home! Let's seal off the way to the future for good! All of the stuff I just went through wasn't a big deal, so I won't pause to reflect!" Likewise, Zelda wouldn't just rip the ocarina out of Link's hand upon contact. "Hey! That's MINE!"

Second, the theme of the game as a whole. (This ties in very much with the previous point.) Time was obviously Link the First's major theme. The idea of the passage of time was stressed constantly throughout Ocarina of Time. The theme wasn't just about the passage of time per se, but the consequences of the passage of time, mostly those consequences that have to do with friendship. In fact, friendship too is a big theme for both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. There is a kind of sadness at loosing the friends and innocent wonder of childhood. Of course, how these themes are developed is a topic for another article on another day, but I might point out that the words of Zelda (disguised as Sheik) were often used to convey these themes. It would be far more in keeping with these themes to interpret the "scene in the sky" in a non-romantic way. This is a big moment-the story isn't going to take a diversion and hint at romance, but instead is going to conclude the theme begun from the time Link was said to be "the boy without a fairy." Link must pause now, as he returns to the old days, and gives up entirely this new life which he has been leading. And he must give up adulthood, and the fast road to it.

Conclusion
Link III and Zelda IV, the final characters in the Legend, did fall in love. That much is clear. But what about Link I and Zelda I, which people seem to care about more? There is only one scene that could plausibly be interpreted as hinting to a romance, and even that interpretation is unlikely because of the context. Those who actively want to see romance between Link I and Zelda I will interpret the scene as such, but that is the result of asking the wrong question. In the end, it is even more unlikely that Nintendo was hinting towards a Link I and Zelda I relationship, given what we know about Link's other possible love interests. Of course, that lies beyond the scope of this particular article. When I take a look at those characters, I think it will become even more clear that Zelda I is not "the one" for Link I, at least not in the eyes of the game designers.

Homecoming

The world knew nothing of the boy without a fairy. And yet, as The Wind Waker put its, he came as if from nowhere, and shook the foundations of the world, conquering the darkness. But "after battling evil and saving Hyrule," he "crept away from the land that had made him a legend." And so, "done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey." We all know this as the introduction to Majora's Mask. That was the last game on the Nintendo 64. Now that we have witnessed the rise of the Hero of Winds, a major question arises in our minds. "What really happened to the Hero of Time?" Did he return from Termina? Did he, like Odysseus of Greek fame, return to his homeland, or was he trapped forever in a parallel world?

Staying in Termina

Many Zelda fans believe that Link did not and could not have returned from Termina. The primary reason they give is that Link entered Termina by falling down a chasm, and there would be no way for him to get back. But this argument is based on the assumption of a non-fantasy world where we know what would and would not work. To use the example of the Chronicles of Narnia again, there is more than one way of traveling between Earth and Narnia. It is implied that the Mask Salesman can travel between worlds. Apparently he has great magic power, as evidenced by his knowledge of the Song of Healing, and by his vanishing act at the end of the game. More clearly, the Skull Kid was obviously able to travel between the worlds, although it might be argued that Majora's Mask is what gave him this power. So there are two reasons why it is perfectly reasonable to believe that Link could return. The first is that there may be other ways back to Hyrule, which Link would use now that he had completed the task he had agreed to do in exchange for being restored to his true form by the Mask Salesman. The second is that magic can do a lot in a fantasy world, be it through the ocarina, a mask, the gods themselves, or some other means. The game does not explain how many things happen, and nor does it need to, since it is a fantasy.

A more significant argument is that in The Wind Waker, it sounds as if the last we hear of Link is that he vanishes to a new land. Yet what would we expect? If he returned, he would settle in relative obscurity for several reasons. First, Ganon did not return until long after Link had returned. He would have done no more great deeds when he returned, and so functionally speaking, his greatness ended with his passage to Termina (indeed, we are told that he was separated from the elements that made him a hero at that point), and no more word of him would pass down many hundreds of years, surviving even the Flood. Second, it is in keeping with his personality as a loner. As Majora's Mask begins, Link is alone on Epona, deep in the Lost Woods. If he returned, and if he finished his searches for Navi at the edges of the world, he would settle in a familiar, hidden place in the forest, away from the cities and view of men. Third, even if some people managed to catch a glimpse of him, they might not truly recognize him for the hero that he is. In Ocarina of Time almost no one recognized him as a great hero. Just about the only ones that came to recognize his true nature were those with great power. In general no one sees him for who he is in either Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask until the deed is done, and even then he doesn't get a huge fanfare like we see at the end of Star Wars Episode I.

As a side-note, that leads us to ask the question, how did he become "the legendary one" in the first place? Clearly, from those who were in the know. Whose legend is this? It's the legend of "Zelda," and the royal family. Zelda's father wouldn't believe her portents early in Ocarina of Time, much like Cassandra of Troy. Now that Hyrule is shifted back in time to the earlier period, Ganon is "no longer a threat." Skirting aside the issue of the enormous contradictions generated by time travel, we look at it with the simplicity of Nintendo and think of the situation as it is. Is everyone suddenly going to recognize Link as a mighty hero? No. How could they? There isn't much proof. In order for the truth to disseminate to the common people-and even the King-Zelda (and perhaps the other sages) must establish the legend as true. And to do that takes building up a reputation of wisdom, and that takes time. By that time, Link is gone. Zelda heard of how he vanished to Termina, and "no one saw him again." Perhaps people did "see" him again, but they didn't see him with true understanding. If they caught glimpses of him-for that is all they would get, since Link was a loner-they didn't know he was the legendary one until they found out that the legendary one even existed in the first place. Some might say something like, "Hey, it's that guy who saved my chicken!" But it would be a while before they would think, "Hey, it's that time-traveling guy who saved the world!" By then Link has wandered and settled in the far reaches of Hyrule or is perhaps even dead. That is the nature of legends. In any event, there is no reason to believe that there would be any significant enough story about the Hero of Time after his return to Hyrule to survive down to the times of The Wind Waker.

Returning to Hyrule

But what does Majora's Mask itself say? In my book, it seems fairly clear in saying that he did return to Hyrule. Granted, there is no text explicitly saying it, but the end of the game shows him on Epona in the same place where the game began. This not only makes sense in terms of storytelling, but it's a cinematic way of explicitly telling us that he did indeed return. Not only that, but the sequences before that emphasize departure. The ending isn't just, "By crikey, Termina is happy, nice little place, and I'm going to settle here." It rather has a slightly sad tone, the sadness of departure. That's because it emphasizes the "Goodbye" part, and isn't goodbye to Hyrule. It's, "Goodbye. I'll likely never see you again, but we'll be friends anyway."

On the other hand, there may be a small something in Majora's Mask that indicates Link stays in Termina. After saving Romani Ranch, Romani tells Link that because the poes will attack in later years, Link should stay there with their family. "And you can have Romani's bed!" She then grins (as when she tells you "You're cute!") as she closes it off with the statement, "So then, it's settled!" Since the games avoid putting words in Link's mouth as much as possible, they sometimes use that sort of text to inform us that Link has agreed to something. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing in this case whether Romani is simply assuming Link is agreeing to it, or if the game really is trying to use that to tell us that Link will stay there after he saves the world.

So Majora's Mask itself appears to indicate on the whole that Link did indeed return to Hyrule. But there are more reasons why it is more believable to think that Link returned. Why would Nintendo close the door on making any more games with him? It does seem that the first direction they were going for the next game was to use adult Link. Of course they later scrapped that, but the point is that it would be very uncharacteristic of Nintendo to shut the book on a hero like that. And in fact, in Nintendo's own mind, Link did return from Termina. Before The Wind Waker, the official timeline had Link returning from Termina. That particular timeline is no longer valid, but it nevertheless shows that Nintendo thought Link returned to Hyrule. In addition to such evidence, we might also point to the context of the other games. Link could not have had descendants in Hyrule (as we know to be true) if he did not live in Hyrule (unless you suppose that his descendents were the ones who traveled back to Hyrule!).

The nature of the storytelling of Majora's Mask, Nintendo's own comments on the game, a bit of logic, and the weak evidence on the side of the naysayers all point to one conclusion. Link did indeed return to Hyrule, settled into relative obscurity, and did no more great deeds that would be remembered for centuries, at least in part due to the long peace.


Wind Waker Love

The characters of The Wind Waker are brimming with personality. Perhaps the most vibrant character in the game is Zelda herself. After all, in what other game did she give Link so many winks, or boss him around and even fight alongside him, for that matter? Indeed, we have a much better idea of her personality because we see her so much more. Since Zelda and Link interact so often, there is ample opportunity for Nintendo to hint at some kind of childhood romance . . .

The Clue of the Fairy Queen

Like no Zelda game before it, The Wind Waker emphasizes again and again that Link is but a child. The young Hero of Time was silent with a steely resolve, propelled by the desire for justice. Just about everything about the Hero of Winds, on the other hand, is childlike. We wouldn't expect him to have a crush on Zelda, since most boys don't think in such terms at that age. But a certain cinematic in the game with Zelda's only potential "competitor" demonstrates that things are different for the Hero of Winds.

That "competitor" is the Queen of the Fairies. Some have joked that the scary Great Fairies of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask had a thing for Link, but now in The Wind Waker, the Queen of the Fairies actually takes a liking to Link. After the Fairy tells Link that he's just her type, Link's reaction conveys exactly what he thinks of the idea. He certainly likes it! Of course, the King immediately gives him a look as if to say, "In your dreams. Get a hold of yourself." Clearly then, the "competitor" is not a plausible potential love interest, due to her extremely different nature. But the scene is nevertheless very important, because it reveals something about the personality of the Hero of Winds. For unlike the Hero of Time, who was rather clueless about such things, the Hero of Winds is quite aware of romance, and is actually keen on the idea.

The Little Hints

Unfortunately, most of the evidence specific to Zelda is ambiguous. It is true that when Tetra and Link go down under the sea, Link looks rather concerned for Tetra, but this could just as easily be a reflection of Link's general concern for others. This could be said of most of his later animations in reaction to Zelda. Does he not act in essentially the same way towards his sister? On the other hand, at the very end, he is rather "buddy-buddy" with her, and it is possible to interpret that as something more than friendship, even if not explicitly. But keep in mind that nothing can be concluded from the scene at the end of the credits, in which an image of Link's face is placed next to an image of Tetra winking.

One of the animations, however, may be clearer. After Tetra is revealed as Zelda and she apologizes, Link motions as if to say, "No biggie." The nature of his facial animation, his laugh, and his ensuing brisk departure could be interpreted as giving a hint of the fact that he likes her. Yet even this is hardly a sure thing.

There are two main pieces of text that may help us. In the Bomb Shop, Tetra doesn't seem to want her underlings to know that she's concerned about Outset Island for reasons other than acquiring the treasure. It seems as if she doesn't want them to know that she has a soft spot for Link, which she didn't have at the beginning of the adventure, in keeping with her tough, sassy personality. This may imply some kind of love for Link.

After Tetra sells the bombs to Beedle, the shopkeeper teases Link, saying that he can see Link blushing at the mention of the pirate girl. Beedle seems to be a bit of a nut-case, so we ought to take what he says with a bit of a grain of salt, but the most likely explanation is that this is the game's way of hinting at a bit of love between Link and Zelda, because it shows that it was on the minds of the designers.

Conclusion

Did Nintendo intend for the Hero of Winds to fall in love with Zelda? The evidence is certainly no where near as clear as the evidence for the connection between the Hero of Time and Malon, but there do seem to be some subtle hints in The Wind Waker that point to such a relationship between the hero and the princess. Some of what might otherwise be evidence is too difficult to interpret, but it is possible to make a decent case for a love connection based on some of the hints. At the very least, the episode with the Queen of the Fairies tells us that just because Link is a young boy doesn't mean that he thinks Zelda has cooties. Rather, he seems to like the idea of love, making the other little hints all the more real. As Link and Zelda sail off into the horizon to find a new future and a new Hyrule, it isn't a big stretch to say that they just might well have a future together. We can only await the release of the game, "The Legend of Zelda" 2005.

Final Statements

The fact is, is that there are is love in Zelda. We can't be sure of any of it. But, we can always consider the facts, and ponder. Which makes all the fun!

As a great book says: "You'll have to fill in the rest of the holes for yourself."

First off, I'd just like to say thanks to the sites, and people that helped with this
post

zeldauniverse.net - articles
Trahald from Zelda Universe - awesome articles.

Especially Trahald, his theory's are amazing, and hard to argue with.

If you'd like to see some of the articles he's made. Go to:
http://zeldauniverse.net/404.php

I hope you enjoyed the post.

[Caveman 0]

I'm in awe of how someone actually took the time to write that

[biscuitrat 0]

Wow...I don't think that Link and Saria would be a good match. They seem to have a very strong friendship, though. Zelda seems too ethereal for Link and it's too standard of a fantasy romance to have the beautiful princess marry the hero who saved her. Malon and Link or Romani and Link would be a good match. He already shied away from Ruto in Ocarina of Time, so she'd probably find one of her own people to marry.Not to mention the hundreds of Gerudo and Nabooru herself that have "claims" to Link.

[Caveman 0]

Malon would be the ideal match, IMO. God, I feel like such a dork

[nancmu 0]

I'm like the zelda's leagend all versions. I started play the game in GB console, the game is normally and none attracttly but i still played it(i don't know, why?). After that i found the game on nintendo64. Wowww!! i love in it - The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask BINGO!!

Game introduce

Thrown into a parallel world by the mischievous actions of a possessed Skull Kid, Link found a land that was in grave danger. The dark power of a relic called Majora's Mask had wreaked havoc on the citizens of Termina, but their most urgent problem was a suicidal moon crashing toward the world. Link had only 72 hours to find a way to stop its descent, so he traveled through time and worked ceaselessly until he reached his goal.

The game was developed . It's different with the other versions - 3D graphic, sound, scene, and character . The best Zelda game ever . Very detailed and fantastic Zelda gameplay. The 3 day time I didn't? I think was going to be cool at first but when I started to play and watch things change depending on things I did, only then did I fall in love with the game. Being a Deku isn?t as much fun as the others the best thrill in the game is rolling as a Goron or swimming as a Zora. The game is a fantastic close to Ocarina Of Time and perfect to play after. Well story wise it happens next and it would make sense to play after Ocarina Of Time but also you have the feel and style down to a science by the end of Ocarina Of Time. Not being new to the concept really helps draw out the gameplay feel behind Boombers Notebook and everyone's lives in Clock Town. With the Notebook, Heart Pieces, Mask, Upgrades and typical Zelda style levels and items to tackle, the game is one of the best game I ever played. Infact I even played it again. So saddle up Epona and get ready for the best Zelda to date because Majora?s Mask is a game that drags you for a ride and just keeps on giving.

You can visite Zelda Website or the site around you if you impress in the game .

[ZerudaHime 0]

My view on the whole Link loves [insert girl's name here] by ReRush is a few months too late but that's all right. I know that Link loves Zelda. First and most importantly, the Ocarina of Time manga, written by the two-person team known as Akira Himekawa, is copyrighted by Nintendo, which means that they approve of all that happens in it. Now that Ive said that, you should drop by http://www.zeldalegends.com/ and download it for yourself and read it. This is a REALLY GOOD manga! In this manga, there is irrefutable evidence that they are in love. Even Malon thinks so. (Chapter 5) She says, Hey, why did you yell the princesss name out like that? What relationship do you have with her? And then goes on to say sadly, I know without asking, from looking in your eyes Implying that she already knows how Link feels about Zelda. (A side note: Throughout the whole manga, Link is almost constantly thinking about Zelda. Seriously. Its so cute!!) (Chapter 4) Zelda kisses Link on the cheek and hes so happy about it, he dashes around like a wild man and ends up breaking almost everything in the castle. (Chapter 7) First of all, they look like they love each other in this one and in anime, if there are sparks or something (like the fairy dust or whatever that is that Navis leaving behind) it usually means that the two people have feelings for each other and secondly, this is as close as youre going to get to a love scene because this is the Legend of Zelda, which doesnt even have that much romance in the game to begin with, they cant exactly have them doing it/making out/ and I guess not even kissing. Holding hands is the most youll see. (Chapter 8) Link is sitting with Nabooru and lamenting that he hasnt yet touched Zelda. He states that, All I could do was brush her handI still havent touched Zelda. If that isnt proof that he loves Zelda and/or theres some serious sexual tension between them, then I dont know what is. And in the last story chapter (Chapter 9) Link tells Zelda that he didnt come to her rescue because he had to, it was toand then he trails off, but with the atmosphere and the look on his face, its a bit obvious it would have something to do with his feelings for her. And in the next scene Link says, No matter when, no matter wherefor the sake of Hyrule, and you, Princess Zelda (Notice this underlined bit.) I shall fight. So basically Link loves Zelda. Its kind of obvious and why would Nintendo have the hero with a girl besides the one he rescues? Maybe they might want to mix things up a little but I think they would mostly stick with the usual ending. (Like with Mario and Peach or Daisy, depending on which game you play.) And besides they did copyright and support this so they must have meant for the two to get together. They wouldnt support something that completely contradicted the truth. Even though, no in the game Zelda and Link didnt meet at the Spirit Temple, and yes they were in the sky at the end, but Akira Himekawa didnt change it to contradict everything, they changed a few things to make it seem more realistic and I bet Nintendo agreed on it. Because how and why were Link and Zelda just randomly in the sky at the end anyway? And why should Link go all the way to the Temple of Time if Sheik could just show up where Link was last, the Spirit Temple? The manga provided answers for some of those mysterious questions and it reinforced what was already there. Like *cough Link and Zeldas love cough*. But still, everyone interprets things in their own way so my views might not match someone elses and that's allright. I just had to get this out before I burst.Anyway, I love the Legend of Zelda and cant wait for the new game to come out. Does anyone have any idea when that is? I heard late winter but I have no clue. And has anyone seen the new artwork? Zeldas got a sword! I wonder if she uses it... P.S. I love ninjas!

[Gorillaz 0]

Finally, Zerudahime! Another Z/L person like me and most of the people out there! Anyway, I got a few bones to pick with ReRush, too.

 

....as a child, Talon asks you if you would like to marry Malon. It is most unusual in that it presents you with a "yes-no" option for something like that. The fact that Nintendo added interaction with the player on that particular point adds emphasis to it...Second, there is the gossip stone that says, "They say that Malon of Lon Lon Ranch hopes a knight in shining armor will come and sweep her off her feet someday." This forms an interesting connection with Talon's earlier question. Link is too young to truly consider marriage at that early age, but when he becomes older he could "sweep her off her feet." This connection hints towards a future relationship between the two of them. I am cautious as to whether or not this is true, but sources say that this gossip stone actually referred to a scene that was originally part of the ending, in which Link and Malon ride into a sunset on Epona. - ReRush

First off that point with the gossip stone and the question doesn't really mean anything. Maybe you're looking to much into it, like someone once told me, "Sometimes, a tree is just a tree." Meaning, that sometimes things do always have hidden meanings, they just are. Like the gossip stones, that one about sweeping Malon off her feet is just giving background information about her, just like the "Contrary to her elegant image, Princess Zelda is really a tomboy!" is just giving a little more information about the character. Shigeru Miyamoto said that if the person playing Zelda isn't sucked into the world, he hasn't done his job. He's making the characters seem more real by telling you more about them. It's kind of like fun facts.

 

And that scene where Link and Malon ride off into the sunset, it was never going to be the ending. It's just a rumor started by some Malon and Link fans. They even made a picture of it off of photoshop.

 

Secondly, that question that Talon's dad asks Link, again Miyamoto-san is trying to suck you into the world again by adding a little interactivity into the game, just like when other people give you interactive questions that really don't change the game. Like when Zelda asks you ALL those questions when Link and her are discussing Ganondorf and saving Hyrule, no matter what you answer, you still have to save Hyrule.

 

Here's the interesting part. Those of you that have played Link's Awakening (and I certainly hope you have!) know that Marin and Link fall in love...For our purposes, the only thing that matters here is that Nintendo based Malon on Marin, and that the "romance" aspect of the character was preserved in the transition to Ocarina of Time. -ReRush

And that part with Marin, "Wow" is all I can say to you. Well, except for - MIYAMOTO-SAN HIMSELF SAID THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ZELDA!!!!! NOT MALON!!!! Which would mean (since this is supposedly a dream) that Link was dreaming about Zelda and FELL IN LOVE WITH HER. Hmm....

 

...With the horse bobbing its head in the background, she pulls his head into her chest. This scene lasts for several surprisingly long moments. When the little scene has finished, a happy noise plays, and a text box pops up. It says, in pink (!) text, "You did it! You helped Cremia!" "You feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Sigh . . .You could get used to this!" Yes, the game actually tells you, using the unusual pink text, what Link feels. Yes, Nintendo actually employed text to convey Link's emotions. Cremia has (literally) put herself "in Link's face," and this has aroused the idea of love in Link's young brain... -ReRush

Moving on to the Majora's Mask thing about Cremia liking Link, that is sick. That's pedophelia (Just like Saria and Link, disgusting) and I don't think that Nintendo intended for that to be in the game. Malon/Cremia didn't really strike me as a pedophile but you proved me wrong, especialy with that scene that you wrote about. Eww. Michael Jackson and R. Kelly all over again. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Link would have felt that way if any other girl stuck his head in her chest. He's a guy and I'm not surprise that he would feel warm and fuzzy inside after getting his face stuck in some girl's chest. Eww...that is still so disgusting! Sorry about that...

 

...there is more than one Link and more than one Zelda, even though those sites tend to hold very strongly to that idea in other parts of their pages. Now, an important part of the Zelda timeline is that each Link and Zelda is descended from a previous Link and Zelda. This means two things. First, Link and Zelda do both marry someone and have children. Second, each generation of Link and Zelda can't marry each other, because that would end up being, well, rather sick. -ReRush

On to incest! Just kidding. But no, each Link and Zelda isn't descended from the previous Link and Zelda. Only Zelda is because she's a princess. Nintendo even said so. For instance in the Windwaker, it states that the tradition is for young boys to don the hero's clothing in hopes that they will show as much courage as he once did. Which means that this Link is just a random kid, he wasn't descended from Link, the people are just practicing a tradition. Which makes it entirely possible for Link and Zelda to get together and have kids because then each Link and Zelda getting together wouldn't be incest.

 

In it, Zelda IV is asleep for the whole game. But at the very end of the game, when she is awoken, she gives Link III a kiss as the curtain descends in front of them. It's very much a clich?, and Zelda IV and Link III didn't exactly interact beforehand, but it is fairy tale romance all the same. Of all the games before the 3-D era, Adventure of Link is the only one with even a real hint at romance between Link and Zelda. But the ending to that game is a kind of fitting finale for the Legend as a whole. -Rerush

The Adventure of Link wasn't the only game to feature Zelda kissing Link, both Oracle games did too. And gues what happened after Zelda kissed Link? Little red HEARTS popped up on the screen. I wonder what the red hearts could possibly mean? I don't know, LOVE, maybe?

 

There is practically only one scene that could possibly be hinting towards a connection between the two of them. And that is the scene that takes place immediately after the defeat of Ganon. Link I and Zelda I are standing in the middle of the sky, and Zelda tells him that they must return to their own time. Link must hand back the ocarina. He does so, but he lets go of it only reluctantly. That is the moment that some have interpreted to mean that Link and Zelda are "holding hands," that they do not take their hands away because they are enjoying the moment in which their hands touch. This is a possible interpretation, but I find it quite unlikely based on at least two things you can find in the context.

First, the battle with Ganon. Link has just had a harrowing battle with the holder of the Triforce of Power, not to mention what came before that. Now imagine Link's emotions. You, the courageous warrior, have just gone through terror upon terror and have finally slain the horrible beast that brought curses and monsters onto Hyrule...So, you hold on partially because you don't entirely want to give it up the ocarina, and partially because you're still in shock and wonder at the moment. You certainly aren't thinking about romance-you're thinking about what has gone on before, what has changed, and what will become of you (and the ocarina)...Second, the theme of the game as a whole. (This ties in very much with the previous point.) Time was obviously Link the First's major theme. The idea of the passage of time was stressed constantly throughout Ocarina of Time. The theme wasn't just about the passage of time per se, but the consequences of the passage of time, mostly those consequences that have to do with friendship...Of course, how these themes are developed is a topic for another article on another day, but I might point out that the words of Zelda (disguised as Sheik) were often used to convey these themes. It would be far more in keeping with these themes to interpret the "scene in the sky" in a non-romantic way.-ReRush

Ah yes, the scene in the sky...cute, if I may say so myself. Yes, it's true that Link just got out of a horrible battle, but Zelda was there, too. She might not have beat Ganon to a pulp, but she did have to watch it all and stay concious, which is a task in itself. Watching something bad happen is horrible, but not as horrible as having it happen to you. So she could feel a bit off in the "Scene in the Sky" like Link does, but that doesn't mean neither one of them can't be thinking about each other romantically. Just because he went through all of those troubles doesn't mean he can't think of love. And yes he might be thinking about what's going to happen to him, what has gone on before, and what has changed but that doesn't mean he can't include Zelda in those thoughts. Including what's going to happen to them when he goes back in time. Truthfullly, we don't know Link's thoughts but it does seem to be pointing more towards romance at this point, especially since Link and Zelda are high up (Hey, many people relate love to a "high" feeling. Huh? Huh? Oh well...) and seem to be in their own little world with just the two of them. That may be the reason why they are up in the air and not in...the Temple of Time for instance.

 

Before I point out something I would like to say that Sheik also said,"...young love turns into deep affection." That pretty much went past the friendship thing. And I'm pretty sure that Sheik/Zelda was talking about herself and Link. It would make more sense then her talking about Link and Malon, really. And by the way, you just contradicted yourself. You said that Sheik kept mentioning friendship and that was how the game was supposed to be (which doesn't seem to be true). But before that you're saying how Link and Malon should be together. Seems like a double standard to me. It's quite alright for there to be romance in the game when it comes to Link and Malon, but when it comes to Link and Zelda, there's no romance in the game, only friendship.

 

The world knew nothing of the boy without a fairy. And yet, as The Wind Waker put its, he came as if from nowhere, and shook the foundations of the world, conquering the darkness. But "after battling evil and saving Hyrule," he "crept away from the land that had made him a legend." And so, "done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey."...Zelda heard of how he vanished to Termina, and "no one saw him again." Perhaps people did "see" him again, but they didn't see him with true understanding...In my book, it seems fairly clear in saying that he did return to Hyrule. Granted, there is no text explicitly saying it, but the end of the game shows him on Epona in the same place where the game began. This not only makes sense in terms of storytelling, but it's a cinematic way of explicitly telling us that he did indeed return. Not only that, but the sequences before that emphasize departure. -ReRush

I do, however, wholeheartedly agree with you on the Link returning to Hyrule from Termina topic. I really didn't think people disputed this; I figured it was a given. True that scene with Romani could mean that he was going to stay, but it doesn't mean he's going to stay forever. If getting back through the supposed "chasm" is as hard as it seems, Link would probably appreciate a free place to stay.

 

Of course both of our theories could be thrown out the window if Nintedo had Link with another girl, but mainly I think they left it open (thought Nintendo strongly hinted towards a certain girl *clears throat but utters something that sounds a lot like 'Zelda'*). Miyamoto-san said that he never answered all the questions (ie. Who does Link love?) because he wants the gamer to use his/her imagination. Even though the true answer could be something not generally accepted, like Miyamoto-san stating that he "...saw Link as a boy at the age of eight" which means that Link would be fifteen after he pulled the sword out of the stand in the Temple of Time. Although, most Zelda fans believe that Link is seventeen when he pulls the Master Sword out of the stand. I don't think the eight-year-old Link will catch on anytime soon.

 

Well, my time is up and I hope somebody enjoys reading this because I liked writing it!

 

Notice from BuffaloHELP:

Start using

tags for your quotes. Then you don't have to use tags for your actual post. You must use

tags for writings that is not of your own, always.

Edited May 23, 2005 by BuffaloHELP (see edit history)

[Gorillaz 0]

Ok, sorry! I couldn't help myself, but I promise this post won't be as long as my last (not that it matters, no one's replying). Is there really an edit button? Because I can't find it. Anyway, I think (and this is why I'm ending it here) that debating this is ridiculous. Mainly because it's freakin' obvious who Link likes. Zelda. Trying to prove this is like trying to prove that the ocean contains water or that you have to breathe to live. IT'S OBVIOUS! Plus, the makers of the Zelda series agree with me. I actually got this from another website that I can't remember the name of. But here goes:

 

In an interview with Aonuma-san about the next Zelda game (The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess)...

CN: We have received a lot of e-mails in which our readers ask us "Will Zelda and Link someday have a romance?" This is a question that we couldn't let go.

 

Aonuma: Ha, ha. Good question, at the moment in this new title we're using a teenage Link and, as you all know, teenagers are emotional beings, so there are possibilities of seeing Link showing his feelings towards the princess. We don't know what could happen in the future.

Miyamoto-san even stated in an interview that if OoT had been about love it'd been between Link and Zelda.

 

The last thing I'm going to say for now in this debate is that even Ganon agrees that Link and Zelda are meant to be.

 

Quote:

"I have taken your precious Zelda."

 

Edited May 23, 2005 by BuffaloHELP (see edit history)

[iGuest 3]

Name:SugarchanHmmm...Well said Zerudahime and Gorillaz. I did read the manga and its so romantic...(I wish they made more like that..Sigh ) but any who, I have really nothing to add to this topic because Zerudahime said everything that was meant to be heard. My hero!! ^.^ j/k Ps. Z/L people rule!-Sugarchan

[Aeara 0]

I concur with the zelda theories about Link and zelda's relationships. However there are some conflicting factors about Link having multiple lives, that being that it's probably not a link being a descendant of another, I think he might just be a randomly manifested creature created by the goddesses to restore order for whenever the triforce is in jeopardy.

[Okara KAmi 0]

I agree with Aeara because Link's descendants would be highly unlikely. Why? Because Link's descendants wouldn't be random children because the Gods would always look after them because of his deeds. Well that's just a basic assumption. Also, if Link did have descendants they would all pretty much be expert warriors because he would teach his children how to fight and so on.I also think it's cruel to think that all Links and Zeldas have two different lineages, cutting off any possible 'interaction' in the past, before Wind Waker. Also, if you look throughout OoT, we can find many... MANY instances where Link is portrayed to be simple minded. For example, with the Ruto marriage situation as you mentioned and so on. I think the game makers wanted to match link with a person of his mind set, someone as simple as him but as ambitious as well. Malon seems perfect. Link and Malon growing old on a farm with Epona and some cows is ideal. Also, Epona, one of Link's best friends is from Malon, already developing a strong link that binds them two together. Good write ReRush, very good insight and excellent presentation.

[iGuest 3]

Whoa, hold it! Just b/c you like the fact of it being a "cute princess" story doesnt mean all of you can batter someone for actually taking the time to write this report! I mean the manga and the game are two totally diff. Things! The games hint to both Zelda and Malon so we really don't know who it will be untill they actually make that happen. I myself am a Malon and Link fan but I don't mind Zelda either. So whatever happens is how it will be. I like the fact that they left it up to the gamers to think for themselves b/c then you can have it the way you want it to be. Now just because someone has a diff. Opinion than you doesnt mean you can critisize them for it so back off! Oh and if you watched after the credits of Twilight Princess it shows him returning to Ordan village w/ Ilia waiting for him. And Zelda wasnt much interested in him and neither was link interested in her! Not to mention if, you read the guide book, under zelda it states that she is 20 or 23 (I cant exactly remember off the top of my head) and Link is 17! She is older, taller, and not focused on him. However Ilia is 16, shorter and loves link. Also he clearly cares for her like many of the scenes fortell. Thats what I believe and I'm stickin to it!

-reply by denae

[iGuest 3]

C'mon people give up already! I'm not going to say that Link I ended up with anybody. But something I can say is that he sure as hell didn't end up with Zelda I. I mean there is so much evidence that he didn't that I'm laughing my *bottom* off when people say they did. "Gorillaz" and "ZerudaHime" you guys have nothing. And by the way; one of you said that Cermia's a pedophile for hugging Link. Then what the hell's Zelda? She's older than him (Which is a known fact). I mean he's 17 when she's 23 or something. (I'm not saying that women can't be older than men!) But c'mon he's not even 18 yet. Zelda doesn't see Link that way. It is obvious.

And oh by the way. Link saves Malon (and her ranch for that matter!) without any obligations! He just saves her because she needs him. And he saves Zelda because she's in the way of killing Ganon. I mean he was already set on saving the world BEFORE Zelda's kidnapped or WOMEN-napped however you guys want it "Gorillaz" and "ZerudaHime" you guys just know you're wrong, that's why you get soooo pissed at people who are stating FACTS! Which is that Link I most likely ended up with MALON! 

And no Ganon does not agree on anything! He's the fu'king villain. He'll take Rauru if he stood there with Link and say the same the*and thing.

Ganon: "I've taken your precious Rauru." Ha.

And what the H*ll? That Sheik says something about love means nothing! I mean c'mon I talk about love to people I don't know and I don't love them. I mean dude...

So yeah. I've said it before and I'm saying it again. People that say that Link and Zelda love each other got nothing. Cause Zelda don't see Link like that. Not in OoT or MM or TP. And by the way. In WW they say that Link has no connections to the real hero what so ever!

I rest my case!

-reply by estwst

[iGuest 3]

Okay if anyone has played Twilight princess I would say that the game proves that link will always end up with the "Farm Girl" and not any kind of princess at all. And in Majora's mask Zelda was just a distant memory, with that it should seem as though she is not that important to him anyway. In Twilight Princess, the time Zelda and Link spend together is limited to two scenes and teaming up to fight Ganondorf. And really if the tri-force is past on through like genes and family ties, at one point that would make Zelda and Link related and that would be incest...Like when Laya kissed Luke in Star Wars. And if Link is just a random manifestation, then his life after the world was out of peril would be meaningless and unimportant, and he would probably leave like he did at the end of Ocarina of Time. I really think that Twilight Princess was made to put these theories to rest and make everyone accept that there is nothing between them. Now if you want to say he WANTED to be with Midna, I would totally agree. And if you play SSB Melee, she likes it when Marth grabs her but not when Link does, same thing in Brawl.

[iGuest 3]

I know this thread is horribly old, but I couldn't help but reply after stumbling upon it.First off, the Ocarina of Time manga, whether or not it has theNintendo Official Seal, doesn't prove anything. It certainly doesn'tMean quality or canon. Nintendo has officially approved worseMerchandise, eg, horrible Wii and DS games with the same seal, so theNOS means zip. If it didn't happen in the game, and especially not in the correctOrder like in the manga, it's not canonical and shouldn't be consideredAs such, despite how much it fulfills your Zelink wet dreams. The gameVersus the manga is like when Hollywood makes a book into a movie. TheyAdd things in or take things out, and generally screw things up, butOverall, your official canon lies in the original source, the games,And not the pandering to the hormonal female masses with a manga that'sCompletely opposite and out of order from the Ocarina of Time game. An example of such butchery would be Majora's Mask - forget all theOther stories that make up the game and make it awesome, let's justMake it all about Kafei and Anju's tragic romance, oh my God! - but thePrime example is A Link to the Past, where it's nothing but sappyRomance and a contrived, hurried, and hacked storyline. So cringeWorthy. Ugh."In an interview with Aonuma-san about the next Zelda game (The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess)...CN: We have received a lot of e-mails in which our readers ask us"Will Zelda and Link someday have a romance?" This is a question thatWe couldn't let go.Aonuma: Ha, ha. Good question, at the moment in this new titleWe're using a teenage Link and, as you all know, teenagers areEmotional beings, so there are possibilities of seeing Link showing hisFeelings towards the princess. We don't know what could happen in theFuture."lol, I love when Zelink fans use this quote to support Zelda/Link because it's absolutely false. This infamous "Zelink" quote is not about Zelda and Link. The princess he's referring to is Princess MidnaAs we now all know, whom Link obviously has feelings for in this game.Ilia and Midna are the blatant romances in Twilight Princess, supportedBy Nintendo itself. Miyamoto even said himself, in reply to anInterviewer, "You think everyone wants Link to end up with thePrincess?" Not exact verbatim, but he was suggesting that it wouldn'tPlease everyone if that happened, and Miyamoto is all about openEndings, letting you the player, Link, choose yourEnding, and pleasing all, and not simply the screaming majority, so IWouldn't be so quick to judge when it comes to Link's only option inLove tediously being Zelda.

-reply by Perpetually Exasperated Zelda Fan