Daily Debate: Do You Wish Link Had More Family Members in Zelda Games?

Link, our favorite hero of Hyrule, has had many different incarnations throughout the Zelda series. However, apart from the commonalities of wearing green, wielding a magical sword, and having a trusty steed and companion, there’s another similarity nearly every Link has: little to no family members.

There are a few exceptions of course, like in The Wind Waker, where Link’s sister Aryll’s kidnapping is the triggering event that sets him out on his journey. His beloved grandma who suffers from depression in this game also represents the heartbreaking reality of what most family members would go through if they were constantly worrying about Link risking his life day-to-day.

Apart from the Hero of Winds, we only get minimal interactions with a grandpa in The Minish Cap and a dying uncle in A Link to the Past. We also know that the Hero’s Shade is an ancestor to the Hero of Twilight in Twilight Princess, but we don’t get much information other than that. Furthermore, we only get mere mentions of a gravely injured mother who stumbled into Kokiri Forest with her baby boy in Ocarina of Time, and the mention of Link following his knightly father’s footsteps in Breath of the Wild.

Other than that, Link is usually portrayed as an orphan, or his family isn’t mentioned at all in any other games, which is peculiar. Our hero is usually still on the young side throughout most adventures, so you would think he would still have some living family members at least! In fact, I really wish there were more in the series, and that this element is one the creators consider in future titles.

To me, the inclusion of a sister and a beloved grandma are part of what makes The Wind Waker have such moving themes and heart. Yes, sometimes its the lack of parents that gives us a reason to root for an underdog, orphaned character, but family members, even if not given a huge role, can add to the stakes and emotional depth of the adventure. To know that Link in Breath of the Wild was originally going to have a younger sister and a living father, and they were scrapped during development seriously guts me. I really wish we could have seen how our favorite short king dealt with the loss of beloved family members 100 years after the Calamity. It would have added an even greater need for vengeance against Calamity Ganon in the endgame.

But alas, we will have to see what future titles hold when it comes to Link’s kin. Do you wish that he had more family members in more titles? Let me know in the comments!

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Sorted Under: A Link to the Past, Breath of the Wild, Daily Debate, Games, Original Content, The Minish Cap, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess
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