Daily Debate: Should the Zelda Series Have More Sympathetic Villains?
Posted on March 05 2018 by Michaela El-Ters
For much of its history, the Zelda series is known for having villains that were evil simply for the sake of it, committing heinous crimes in the name of power and nothing else. While it’s been rare for the Zelda series to divert from this standard, there have been rare exceptions, such as Ganondorf in The Wind Waker, Skull Kid in Majora’s Mask, and Hilda in A Link Between Worlds. The villainy of these villains isn’t always for the pure sake of being evil; Ganondorf envied the lush, thriving world of Hyrule while his people suffered, leading him to pursue the Triforce. Skull Kid felt abandoned and betrayed by his friends, causing his pranks to go too far when he found Majora’s Mask and became possessed by it. And Hilda, desperate to save her kingdom, was willing to steal the Triforce from a parallel world and condemn it to death if it meant her people could be saved.
These villains are notable for having goals that can be sympathized with, helping the audience understand their fall into villainy. For the rare times that the Zelda series has delved into developing sympathetic villains, the results are incredibly effective. I’m hoping that Nintendo will continue to incorporate more sympathetic villains in their future Zelda games. What do you think? Are you interested in seeing more sympathetic villains? Let us know in the comments!
Background of featured image by mentalmars
Michaela El-Ters is a Senior Editor for Zelda Dungeon. She is also an Senior Writer for Boss Rush Network, and writes blogs and streams games on Objection Network. Her favorite Zelda game changes with the seasons, but the series as a whole is near and dear to her heart.
