Ah, Zelda, the classic fantasy adventure game. With every new game that comes out, Nintendo manages to surprise us with new elements, characters, and gameplay. And while the games do have their flaws, you’re bound to have a good time with any Zelda game.
My favorite Zelda game would probably either be Wind Waker or Breath of the Wild. Wind Waker had such a unique visual style that’s still fun to look at, and I feel its story is one of the strongest in the series. But I also love the sheer scope of Breath of the Wild and the direction it went with a post-destruction Hyrule. Both games are seriously enjoyable, so you can’t go wrong with either one.
Zelda is a very popular series and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. Breath of the Wild also showed that the creators aren’t afraid to branch out and go in different directions than the games have in the past, which is also fun. (I’m still kind of hoping they do a modern type of Zelda game. That would be so interesting.)
But since there are so many games that deal with different stories and characters, there’s bound to be some confusion. And whether you’re a big fan, or you’re relatively new to Zelda, there probably are a few things you thought about Zelda that weren’t quite correct.
So here are 20 things that everyone gets wrong about the Zelda games. Let’s debunk some myths!
Think we missed some good misconceptions? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below!
20 Does He Look Like A Zelda?
You’d think it would be obvious who’s who in this game, but if you’ve never even played any of the Legend of Zelda games, it would be a bit easy to mistake Link as Zelda. After all the title of the games is Legend of Zelda, and the person you see the most associated with the games is a guy dressed in green, so that has to be Zelda, right? Wrong.
This has become a pretty popular joke among fans, and has turned into a meme. Poor Link; he’s the guy out there fighting monsters and risking his life, and still all people remember is the name Zelda.
19 They Are One Being
In the case of Ganon and Ganondorf, it’s not that surprising that people get confused. And it would make sense to assume that they were two different people. But Ganon and Ganondorf are the same being. He just goes by different names depending on the game and his form. Ganon is usually his monster form, while Ganondorf is usually the human form.
So why does he go by these different names? Who knows? Part of it was just that the games sometimes called him different things, and it’s only recently that Nintendo said that all the Ganons and Ganondorfs were actually one person.
18 There’s A Lot Of Bad Dream Fuel
A lot of people assume that if the game is from Nintendo, it’s usually going to be family friendly. Considering Nintendo tends to make a lot of games for the family, it makes sense for people to make that assumption. And a lot of people assume that any Legend of Zelda game is going to be kid friendly. Well, they’re wrong.
The Zelda games have some freaky stuff.
While none of the games get overly violent or bloody, a lot of the Zelda games will have some imagery that’s pretty creepy. Ocarina of Time has some freaky moments, Twilight Princess is actually rated T, and don’t get me started on Majora’s Mask. While it’s nothing too intense, it may not be what your little kid needs to see.
17 Which Is His Sword Arm?
In many of the games, it’s shown that Link is left-handed and handles a sword with his left hand. From there, a lot of fans assumed that every version of Link is left-handed and it was because the creator Shigeru Miyamoto was also left-handed. But that’s not quite true.
There have been games where Link is right-handed, most notably Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, where the motion controls required it. And some of the older games have him switching hands, depending on what side he was facing. So, Link’s not always a lefty, unfortunately. And we never got a confirmation from Miyamoto on why he is left-handed sometimes.
16 He’s (Not) An Adult
Ocarina of Time is basically split into two times: Link as a kid and Link as an adult. And you can go back and forth between times, which creates some interesting gameplay and story elements. But there’s one thing that’s not quite accurate about this, and it’s calling older Link an adult.
When we first meet Link in this game, he’s probably around 10. And when we fast forward in time to when he’s older, it’s a 6-year time skip. So that would put older Link at around 16. I don’t know about you, but a 16-year-old is not an adult in my book. In fact, I think the oldest version of Link wasn’t much older than 17. That is one young hero!
15 He’s Not Always Goldilocks
Quite a few versions of Link have him with light blond hair. It’s become a pretty iconic look, so most people assume that he’s always a blond in the games. But that’s not quite true. He’s sported some other looks than those golden locks.
Link has had darker hair before.
Link has had darker hair in games, like Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. While his hair in these games may not be strictly brown, it’s definitely not the light blond we’ve seen in the past. And considering we hardly ever saw Link’s hair in the older games, who knows what color of hair his was?
14 The Ship That Hasn’t Happened Yet
Link and Zelda are probably one of the most popular couples that fans like to ship in the Nintendo games. And it’s not hard to see why. The two work really well together, and each game shows their sacrifices to protect each other and the land they love.
But here’s the thing; they actually aren’t officially a couple. Nintendo has never confirmed these two to have romantic ties; it’s been implied in a few games (Skyward Sword heavily implied it), but nothing was confirmed. I wonder why? Maybe the writers just want to leave it open to fans’ interpretation. Or maybe they just like messing with fans.
13 He’s Not Always A Winner
Since Link is the hero of the game, you would assume that he’s always victorious in the end. In these types of games, the good guys win and the bad guys are defeated. And in most Zelda games, this is true. But there are a couple of instances where Link has actually lost.
Since Ocarina of Time split the timeline into three branches, one of the branches is where Link is actually defeated by Ganondorf. It’s kind of an alternate universe, but it’s there. And most recently is Breath of the Wild, where when Link goes up against Calamity Ganon for the first time, he loses. Badly. It just shows that even the Legendary Hero isn’t always victorious.
12 This Battle Can Be Won
When you encounter the Skull Kids in Ocarina of Time, it seems like all you can do is interact with them. There is one that you can fight if you get the questions wrong, but it seems impossible to beat him. And many fans believed that the Skull Kids couldn’t be beaten. But that’s actually not true.
You can actually beat the Skull Kid.
If you keep fighting the Skull Kid, then you can eventually beat him. And even better, when you do beat him, you get a 200 rupee, which is a pretty awesome prize! The idea of Skull Kids in general is pretty creepy since they’re kids who got lost in the Lost Woods. Poor kids.
11 Defeating Bad With A Bottle
While Ganondorf seemed to be this all-powerful being, there was one weapon that could always defeat him: the Master Sword. This legendary sword was made to repel evil and seal away Ganondorf’s power. It’s assumed that only the Master Sword can defeat the King of Evil. But that’s not quite true.
In Ocarina of Time, you can actually fight Ganondorf without using your sword. You can repel his attacks by just swiping with a bottle. (This works with Phantom Ganondof too.) It’s a funny game mechanic that’s spawned a lot of memes. Yeah, you do need the sword in the end, but the fact that you can fight Ganondorf with a bottle is pretty funny.
10 You Will Never Win Against This Guy
In Ocarina of Time, you come across a guy who loves to run. And at some point, he will challenge you to a race. You basically have to get to a location he gives you, which is usually somewhere on the other side of Hyrule. And you can’t warp. But every time you reach the location, the Running Man is always there, having just beat you.
Now some players believed that you could actually beat the Running Man if you just went fast enough. There was a player that even claimed to have done it. But it’s been proven to be impossible. It looks like the Running Man will keep his title as champion.
9 No Triforce For You
In several of the Zelda games, the goal is to get the Triforce. But there are games where you don’t actually come across the Triforce during your adventures. And one of them is, surprisingly enough, Ocarina of Time. The game talks about the Triforce, and you do have the power of the Triforce of Courage, but we never actually see it.
You can't actually get the Triforce in Ocarina of Time.
Now, a couple of fans were convinced there was a hidden part of the game that contained the Triforce if you completed certain tasks. But that was proven to be false. So no, you can’t get the Triforce in this game.
8 He’s Not Always There
Considering Ganondorf is known as the King of Evil, you would assume that he is the main villain of all the Zelda games. And many people thought that Ganondorf was the main baddie in every game. But that’s not the case.
While Ganondorf does show up in the majority of Zelda games, there are some that he either plays a very minor role in or doesn’t even appear. He’s mentioned in the Oracle games and shows up at the very end. And he never shows up in Majora’s Mask, or isn’t even mentioned. So, while Ganondorf is a pretty iconic villain in the series, he isn’t there all the time.
7 Wait, There’s A Plan Here?
It’s safe to say that the official Zelda timeline that Nintendo came out with is pretty... complicated. You’ve got a part where the timeline splits into three parts, and the whole thing can get a little confusing. But it’s fine because Nintendo knows what they’re doing, right?
Wrong. Well, at least the creator doesn’t really have a plan with the timeline. Miyamoto has been said that he doesn’t really care about the timeline and that he’s just making games. So maybe fans shouldn’t worry too much about the timeline since it doesn’t seem to be all that solid.
6 Not The First (Not Even Close)
For many fans, Ocarina of Time was their first look into the Zelda series. And it was our first look at Hyrule in a 3D format, which was pretty awesome. And considering this game started a whole slew of other Zelda games and it’s a good game to start if you’re new to Zelda, it wouldn’t be too crazy that people assume it’s the first game chronologically.
Ocarina of Time isn't the first game chronologically.
But that’s not true. While Ocarina of Time is relatively early in the timeline, it’s not the first. That title belongs to Skyward Sword, which predates the creation of Hyrule. But Ocarina of Time is the game responsible for splitting the timeline, so there’s that.
5 We Are One
When we met Sheik, we didn’t know what to think. Here was this mysterious ninja-like person that would appear randomly, give Link some cryptic advice, teach him one of the warping songs, and then disappear. It’s later revealed that Sheik was Zelda in disguise, which was a pretty cool plot twist.
But for some reason, a lot of people believe that Sheik and Zelda are two different people, and that Sheik is a guy. It probably didn’t help that Super Smash Bros Wii U presented Zelda and Sheik as two separate characters. But Nintendo has confirmed they are the same person. Sheik is Zelda and Zelda is Sheik.
4 That’s A Lot Of Links
Since every protagonist in the Zelda games is named Link, people are bound to get confused. And one thing a lot of people believed is that the Link in the games is the same Link in every game. Makes sense, right? He’s that kid in a green outfit named Link, so he’s got to be the same guy. But that’s not correct.
Practically every Link in the games have been different Links (Except for Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask). The explanation for this is that each Link is the reincarnation of the legendary hero. Which would explain things like why sometimes he’s right-handed or has darker hair. So, while you want to lump them all together into one person, each Link is a different guy.
3 This Isn’t His First Rodeo
One of the biggest elements of Twilight Princess was the fact that Link would turn into a wolf every time he was exposed to the Twilight world. It definitely made for interesting gameplay and created a pretty interesting story. And a lot of people assume that this is the first time the Zelda series has done anything like this.
Link has been transformed into animals before.
But this isn’t the first time Link has been transformed into an animal. In A Link to the Past, when Link has to travel to the Dark Lands, he gets transformed into a pink bunny. Why a pink bunny? Who knows. I think the writers were having fun. But this isn’t Link’s first time as an animal.
2 It’s A Unique Experience Each Time
Since the Legend of Zelda has a lot of games, you would think that they would be all the same. And a lot of people assume that if you’ve played one Zelda game, you’ve played them all. But that’s pretty far from the truth.
While the Zelda games do have some similar aspects and themes, the gameplay, story, and visuals can all be widely different. And Breath of the Wild proved that further by coming out with an open world game, something that the Zelda series hasn’t seen before. You could play every Zelda game and get something unique and interesting out of each one.
1 She Will Take You Down
I think Zelda gets more hate than she really deserves. Yes, some of the earlier games made her out to be a pretty, helpless damsel in distress, so it’s not surprising that a lot of people think she’s a pretty useless character. But this lady is stronger than you think.
In fact, in many Zelda games, you can’t defeat Ganondorf without Zelda’s help. And often times, Zelda is the only one who’s holding Ganondorf back from taking total control. Not to mention that she became an actual ninja in Ocarina of Time, and that she was legitimately a general in Hyrule Warriors. This lady may be many things, but useless is not one of them.