Daily Debate: Is an Implied Romance Between Link and Zelda Necessary?

From the moment you first become the hero of Hyrule, standing next to Zelda, Triforces of Wisdom and Courage held aloft, an implied romance between Link and the princess sparks. And how could it not? The requited love between hero and distressed damsel goes hand-in-hand with the light, archetypal storytelling favored by Nintendo. And it can be really fun! But does it have to be there?

As the series progressed, the depth of Link and Zelda’s relationship waxed and waned. Sometimes they’re complete strangers, other times they are age-old friends. With very little exception, however, there is an undercurrent of romance. In the most recent console games, that undercurrent bubbles right up to the surface.

Take Skyward Sword. The Zelda in that game wears her heart on her sleeve! Her crush on Link is easy to read in their first scene together. Coupled with a side quest that gave the series the closest thing it’s had to a dating sim, and you’ve got the thirstiest game of the lot.

Breath of The Wild cooled things off a bit, but we still see Zelda struggling with her desire for the silent protagonist. The scenario writers wove some nice complexity into their potential love story by showing Zelda battle feelings of inadequacy. And any move made to be with Link were made harder for her by Link’s tragically-ended relationship with Mipha, a mutual friend and ally. I loved this formula since most of the nuanced story points were up to the player to track down.

Personally, I’ve always enjoyed the feeling of destiny between Link and Zelda, but what do you think? Do the game designers want the player to ship Link and Zelda? Is their romance a necessary component of a Zelda game? For that matter, do you interpret Link and Zelda’s relationship as romantic in general throughout the series? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Andrew Millard

Andrew is a writing teacher in the American Upper Midwest. He has been playing Zelda games since 1990.