Daily Debate: What Zelda Game’s Ending Still Owes You Closure?

Every year, I try to replay most of the games in the Zelda series, especially my favorites. It’s a tradition that makes me happy and allows me to see how my interpretation of the games changes over time. I’m not sure if I have been feeling more sentimental of late or what, but as I just finished my most recent play through of Twilight Princess, I was shocked at how sad I was at the end (which is hilarious because I’ve seen the end countless times). Yet this time when Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight and Link is shown leaving Ordon and riding off into the unknown, I felt a sense of devastation.

I never realized it before, but I need closure when it comes to the Hero of Twilight’s story. Does he ever find Midna again? Where is he heading off to at the end and why did he not care to be with Ilia? Does he have feelings for Midna? Is he fated to have an unfortunate ending like his ancestor the Hero of Time?

I didn’t realize I had so many questions about this game until now. And of course, that brought up more questions about other games in the series with more ambiguous endings. For example, what on earth happened after the Hero of Time saved Termina? Did he find Navi? How did things end for the Hero of Winds when he discovered New Hyrule with Tetra? Did the Link in Link’s Awakening need therapy after waking up from his dream of Koholint Island, knowing that he destroyed an entire civilization and will never see Marin again?

Sometimes the ambiguous endings kill me inside. But I guess that’s where the fan theories come into play.

What about you? Is there an ending to a Zelda game that you still need closure from? Let me know in the comments!

Chakell Herbert

Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.