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    Zelda

    Character » appears in 44 games

    Zelda is the titular figure of The Legend of Zelda. She is most often depicted as the princess of Hyrule.

    Short summary describing this character.

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    Overview

    Illustration of Princess Zelda for the original The Legend of Zelda.
    Illustration of Princess Zelda for the original The Legend of Zelda.

    Zelda is the title character of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Like the series protagonist Link, she is not a single character, but numerous characters that appear throughout the Legend of Zelda timeline that share common traits and characteristics. She is most commonly depicted as the presiding princess of the fictional land of Hyrule. Her creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has been quoted as saying that her name was inspired by the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

    Zelda traditionally represents one of the three pieces of the Triforce; specifically, the Triforce of Wisdom, for her wise and benevolent nature. The other pieces of the Triforce, the Triforces of Courage and Power, are traditionally represented by Link and Ganon, respectively.

    Despite the franchise's title, Princess Zelda does not actually appear in every Zelda game. Link's Awakening, for example, only makes a fleeting reference to her existence, but otherwise she is not mentioned, nor does she appear. Likewise, in the Game Boy Color Zelda games Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, there is almost no mention of Princess Zelda in the main plot. The two games must be played in succession with the use of the password system that connects them in order to reveal the overall plot of the games, and Zelda's connection to it.

    Characteristics

    Personality

    Zelda first appears in the game The Legend of Zelda as a damsel in distress, having being captured and held prisoner by the evil Ganon. Princess Zelda's only hope is to be rescued by the protagonist, Link. Prior to her capture, however, she has the forethought to break the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and scatter them across Hyrule to prevent Ganon from claiming it for himself. Later games in the Legend of Zelda series expand on these basic themes in varying ways.

    Unlike Link, who is a silent protagonist, Zelda is commonly portrayed with speaking roles. The specifics of her personality tends to vary between incarnations, as each has her own history. Some, such as the Zelda seen in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, are warm, gentle, and kind, while the Zelda depicted in Twilight Princess is much more mature, somber and serious.

    Appearance

    Zelda's
    Zelda's "older" Ocarina of Time design.

    Though incarnations of Zelda exist in which she is not depicted as royalty, her incarnations as a princess bear a number of common characteristics. A member of the Hylian race, she has long, elf-like ears. She also typically has blue eyes, though her hair has been depicted as a variety of colors, including red, brunette, and varying shades of blonde.

    Princess Zelda commonly wears an ornate circlet of some design on her forehead, as well as a dress comprised of white and colors ranging in varying shades of violet and purple. The dress is also commonly adorned with the emblem of the Triforce.

    Zelda has been depicted as varying ages, depending on the game. Some, such as The Wind Waker, cast her as a young girl, whereas in Twilight Princess, she's an older teenager. In Ocarina of Time, which features a story that sends Link forward and backward in time, she is depicted as both a youth of about ten and a young woman of about seventeen.

    Depictions of Zelda

    As numerous incarnations of Zelda have come to exist, some have also come to bear alter-egos and hidden histories. Below are some examples.

    Sheik

    Ocarina of Time

    Sheik in Ocarina of Time
    Sheik in Ocarina of Time

    Throughout The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the supposedly male Sheik helps Link by giving him hints about where to go and teaching him the songs for teleporting to the temples on his harp. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Sheik is actually Zelda in disguise.

    Tetra

    The Wind Waker

    Tetra in Wind Waker
    Tetra in Wind Waker

    The feisty young pirate captain Tetra, who first appears in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, initially comes into contact with Link when Link's sister, Aryll, is kidnapped, while the intended victim was Tetra. This leads to Tetra aiding Link in his quest throughout the game, offering reluctant help when Link is in need. She uses a gossip stone to communicate to him. It is later revealed in the submerged Hyrule Castle that Tetra is, in fact, the direct descendant of Princess Zelda. With this new knowledge, Tetra/Zelda is endowed with the Triforce of Wisdom and its powers. Her identity now revealed, Ganondorf kidnaps Zelda and takes her to his castle, where Link must rescue her in the final stage of the game. Once freed, she aids Link in defeating Ganon by firing Light Arrows (an item that is used by Zelda in many titles) at Link, which he must deflect with his shield.

    Phantom Hourglass

    Despite being the direct sequel to Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass features a pirate-garbed Tetra. Although she and her crew now knows her heritage, she would rather remain known as Tetra, captain of her ship and band of pirates than as Princess Zelda of Hyrule. In the opening cutscene, Tetra is captured by the Ghost Ship, prompting Link to launch into a valiant quest to save her. Later, it's revealed that she has been turned to stone. Link then has to defeat Gufuu, to turn her back into her standard form.

    The First Zelda

    Skyward Sword

    Pages from the Skyward Sword prequel manga published in Hyrule Historia depicting Zelda's divine origin, Hylia.
    Pages from the Skyward Sword prequel manga published in Hyrule Historia depicting Zelda's divine origin, Hylia.

    The first Zelda is not a princess, nor does Hyrule as a land yet exist when she is born. As depicted in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, she is a girl of Skyloft and a student of the Knight Academy that she and her childhood friend Link attend. But unbeknownst to her, she is also the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, who chose to give up her divinity and live as a mortal. Throughout the game, Zelda is pursued by Ghirahim, who requires her latent divine power to resurrect Demise.

    The story of Hylia herself, as well as the first Link, was chronicled in a special manga published in the Legend of Zelda art/chronology book Hyrule Historia. The manga chronicles the events that lead to Hylia giving up her divinity.

    Hyrule Warriors

    Zelda's appearance in Hyrule Warriors.
    Zelda's appearance in Hyrule Warriors.

    In Hyrule Warriors, Zelda appears as a playable character alongside Link and a host of other characters from across the Legend of Zelda timeline. She fights using a rapier and can summon a bow of light as a special attack. Her design in the game meshes more traditional dress elements with pieces of armor.

    Hyrule Warriors marks the first time in the series that Zelda is Queen of Hyrule. The decision to cast her as queen in the game was based on the thought that the increased power in station was a better fit for her role in the story. For example, as queen, Zelda has full command of the army and is free to enter battle alongside her own troops.

    Zelda is able to use multiple weapon styles in the game, including a rapier and batons like the Wind Waker.

    Zelda's alternate persona in Ocarina of Time, Sheik, is also a playable character on the roster separate from Zelda. Sheik fights using a harp and daggers as weapons. Her connection to the Zelda of Hyrule Warriors is unclear at the time.

    Super Smash Bros.

    Zelda's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, based on her Ocarina of Time design.
    Zelda's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, based on her Ocarina of Time design.

    Princess Zelda appears as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, along with her Ocarina of Time Sheik persona. Her first appearance as a playable character in the series came in Super Smash Bros. Melee, in which she has the unique ability to shift back and forth between her "Zelda" and "Sheik" forms. Each form has a completely different set of moves and abilities.

    Princess Zelda is also playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and again can shift back and forth between her Zelda and Sheik personae. Zelda's design in this game is based on her appearance in Twilight Princess, and as such, Sheik's visual design was tweaked to reflect her being an alternate persona of the Twlight Princess Zelda.

    In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and NIntendo 3DS, Zelda and Sheik are once again playable. However, they are now separate characters with completely independent abilities and attributes, and cannot transform from one incarnation to the other.

    Voice Actresses

    Though The Legend of Zelda traditionally does not feature full voice acting, Zelda has been given voice with various vocal sounds such as grunts, laughs and gasps since Ocarina of Time. Actresses that have portrayed Zelda in such a manner include the following:

    Trivia

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