Daily Debate: Does The Zelda Series Need More Relatable Villains?

The Legend of Zelda has always been a classic tale of good versus evil, and it hasn’t ventured far from that path. Heroes do what they do best, and antagonists cause chaos simply because they’re the bad guy. With this in mind, I think Zelda villains in general could do with a bit more nuance in their motives.

Hilda from A Link Between Worlds is a great example of a villain with a deeper, more relatable motive. Time and time again, she has failed to return Lorule to prosperity after the loss of its Triforce. So she devises a desperate, manipulative strategy to steal Hyrule’s counterpart. Hilda’s people have been suffering and the land itself has become warped and decayed. The absence of a Triforce has stunted the very lives of her people. I don’t blame Hilda for one second for adopting such desperate action to her politics.

I’d like to see more of this type of thing from a villain in the Zelda series. I understand that these games and their stories can be simplified to accommodate a younger audience but it can be done in the right way. I’d like to see a villain so well written that you can’t deny the practicality to their motives and actions. This is my prayer for the next Zelda sequel.

Would you like to see more relatable villains in the Zelda series? Let us know what your ideal villain would be like in the comments below!

Artwork by Lyra Cat