How Saria’s Bond With Link – And The Player – Redefined Friendships in the Zelda Series
Posted on May 27 2019 by Michaela El-Ters
It goes without saying that Ocarina of Time‘s impact on the video game industry was monumental. We could talk all day about how the 3D graphics and Z-Targeting mechanic defined so many aspects of video games that we find commonplace now, but for me, there was something else I found far more interesting about Ocarina of Time. The thing that Ocarina of Time showed me as a kid was the potential video games had to tell an emotional, deep story with great characters. My first realization of how video games could be more than just “mindless and violent,” as outsiders are wanton to do, was Saria.
Saria and The Boy Without A Fairy
Saria is a bright and enthusiastic Kokiri girl who resides in the Kokiri Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree and is Link’s best friend. She’s kind and supportive, and after Link learns of his destiny from the Deku Tree before his demise, she is the only one to say farewell to Link before he leaves in a scene that still breaks my heart to this day. She’s not in the early game a lot, and yet her friendship with Link is conveyed so strongly in those few scenes.
Why Her Friendship With Link Is Important
Saria’s friendship with Link is a fundamental part of his journey. Link’s status as an outsider in the place he’s called home his whole life is represented by his lack of a fairy, but Saria represents something akin to a home and family he didn’t really have. She’s a true friend and gives Link a reason to remember the Kokiri Forest fondly.
Based on early conversations with the Kokiri Children, they seem to mostly tolerate him. None of them seem like they are especially close to him, and Mido’s deep-seeded hatred and jealousy towards Link stems from his friendship with Saria. Because of that, I have to wonder: would Link have been sad to leave if Saria wasn’t there? Probably not. I think getting the opportunity to leave the tiny forest and journey to the land of Hyrule would have been something Link would have been overjoyed by. But because of Saria, leaving his home suddenly becomes a hard thing to do. His journey is more than just, “Travel from Point A to Point B because you were told to.” Now it’s, “You have to leave for an important reason, but don’t forget the people you met here.”
Seven years later, Link goes to rescue Saria after she became trapped in the Forest Temple only discover that she is the Forest Sage, resulting in yet another goodbye after a short-lived reunion. If the Forest Temple didn’t have such a valuable, necessary item, I would put off completing it as long as possible because that reunion and goodbye is sad to watch. But that’s part of why this friendship is so important. Despite the fact that Link doesn’t speak, it has surprisingly tragic qualities that reinforce Saria’s impact on the story, and our main character. I’m reminded of this passage from the Nintendo Power Player’s Guide:
“…but Link was too preoccupied to listen. He still had Saria on his mind. Rescuing her from the Forest Temple was exciting enough for him, but discovering that his Kokiri friend was the Sage of the Forest was an even more shocking experience. Now Saria’s world was that of the Sacred Realm. Link began to miss her, and he wished for things to be as they had been in childhood, when he and Saria were the same age and in the same world. Determined to recapture his youth, Link returned to the Temple of Time.”
Saria represents a part of Link’s life that he doesn’t want to change. Link’s desire to return to his youth, back to the way things were, is so that he can spend time with her again. Something else I find particularly tragic about their friendship is within the second timeline Zelda created after she sent him back to live out his childhood. In this branch, he retains the knowledge that not only is Saria the Forest Sage, meaning that one day she may have to awaken to her destiny, but that he is a Hylian, not a Kokiri. Even if he could grow up as normal, he can’t stay in the Kokiri Forest forever because he truly doesn’t belong there.
They were destined to live apart for more reasons than one, and in light of Link’s fate in Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess as the Hero’s Shade, a ghost filled with regret, I would argue that destiny forcing them to live worlds apart was probably more heartbreaking for Link than maybe we ever knew.
What Saria and Link’s Friendship Means For The Player
On a very surface level, her friendship with Link services the story, being introduced early on as a childhood friend to foreshadow her ultimate fate later on. It’s smart storytelling, and it works incredibly well in Saria’s favor, getting the players engaged and invested in her story. Unlike many of the Sages throughout the Zelda series that Link has to save (who are often times complete strangers), Saria is his best and only friend, as well as his one constant before destiny called.
It’s also why I genuinely think there’s a reason why Saria is the first character that we, as the player, meet after being woken up by Navi. After a horrific nightmare and being bossed around by a strange fairy, Saria is a calming presence not just for Link, but the player, too. Within the opening sequence, her presence informs the player of three things:
- That Link didn’t have a fairy before, but now he does and can be considered a true Kokiri.
- That what Navi is saying about meeting the Great Deku Tree is true.
- That, most importantly, she is supportive and genuinely happy for Link.
Right away, Saria establishes herself as a character that both Link and the player cares about and likes to spend time with. I always liked being able to communicate with Saria through the Fairy Ocarina, but it was especially amusing when she would offer far more valuable advice than Navi ever did. She’s a likable character, and it made me more invested to save her than any other Sage in the series.
It’s also why their brief reunion and second goodbye after rescuing her in the Forest Temple is so meaningful. As the player, this is a character who we’ve grown to care about, and to witness her having to say goodbye to her best friend again after seven years of separation is hard to watch.
How Saria Impacted The Zelda Series
For me, Saria represents the first, best example of a friendship that impacts the story and characters in a meaningful way. From here on out, the Zelda series started placing more emphasis on the value of forging these friendships, not just as Link, but as the player, too. Characters like the King of Red Lions, Midna, and Fi are written to be more than side characters who assist Link (and by extension, the player) on their journey. They develop friendships with Link, making the player invested in their stories.
Saria may not be the first close friend Link has had in the series, but her story and character has a stronger legacy. Saria’s legacy is remembered across two of the branching timelines, in the form of a stained-glass window in the basement of Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker and in the Sacred Grove in Twilight Princess, where a subdued, melancholic version of her theme song can be heard playing in the background. Perhaps more so than any other side character, Saria is remembered through these small, but meaningful, tributes. I think these tributes exist not just for the players who remember Ocarina of Time and Saria fondly, but I also think it ties into this greater notion of the Hero’s Spirit being reincarnated.
Link may be reborn as a new person, but there are aspects of his core personality and friendships that remain true throughout each of his lifetimes. Saria’s character may be exclusive to Ocarina of Time, her stained-glass window and song returning in later games helps reinforce that she was an incredibly important person to one of the past incarnations of Link, and that her importance to him continues to be felt long after she’s gone.
Every time I play Ocarina of Time, I’ll go to the Sacred Forest Meadow so I can hear her play her song and am reminded of how her story and friendship not only showed me that video games had the potential to tell deep stories, but that she also redefined how important these friendships are for Link as well.
Featured image by @kumaekaka
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.
