Daily Debate: Fairies vs Red Potions: Which are better and why?

They’ve had different names over the years and haven’t always functioned the same from game to game, but which heart-filling items do you prefer stuffing into your bottles: Fairies or Red Potions?

Some titles in the Zelda series have made this choice easier than others. Fairies in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask always revived Link with full hearts, and Skyward Sword’s Red Potions (called Heart Potions in that game) could be upgraded to carry two servings per bottle.

We’re also not blind to the fact that quite a few Zelda games have offered heart-replenishing alternatives to Fairies and Red Potions. Link has restored his hearts with bottled goodies including Blue Potions, Milk, Grandma’s Soup, and — when especially depraved — Bee Larva. It’s also worth noting that more recent Zelda games have nerfed Red Potions pretty hard, sometimes letting it restore no more than six of Link’s hearts.

However, for the sake of keeping this Daily Debate focused, we’re brushing all the above variables aside and presenting readers with essentially the choice in the infographic above.

So, if given the choice between…

• Red Potions that cost some money, restore full health, and must be activated manually
• Fairies that are available for free, restore between six and eight hearts, and are activated the moment Link loses all health

…which would you choose and why? Do you think one choice is better than the other, or does it all come down to personal preference?

Why not both?

Did Princess Zelda ever choose to both protect and destroy her kingdom? Would Hyrule ever be saved if Link decided to both save the land and sleep all day like a lazy bum?

I mean, picture this: Link is eluding a gang of darknuts, beat within an inch of his life, and he reaches into his pouch for what he believes to be a Red Potion to save himself. Instead, he ends up choking on a dainty little sprite that dies a horrible, suffocating death in the dark recesses of Link’s throat while Hyrule’s Hero is slain by servants of Evil.

Do you want that to happen?

Alright, if you are indecisive and the thought of taking a stance on an issue and proudly standing by it like a decent human being frightens you, you may attempt to make a coherent argument for why Link should sully his inventory with an unsightly combination of bottled goods instead of a tried-and-true uniform selection.

So, feel free to debate your decision (or indecision) in the comments below!