The Legend Of Zelda: Are Link & Zelda In Love In BOTW And TOTK? (2024)

Link and Princess Zelda's relationship has been a questionable one throughout the Legend of Zelda series. It's not that the two don't know how they feel about each other, but rather, that fans can't quite figure it out for themselves. Link and Zelda's relationship is often left a bit ambiguous in most games, and that includes the latest in the series, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, making whether they're just friends, or something more, open for interpretation.

BOTW and TOTK are games that pride themselves on giving the player freedom of expression, and that philosophy doesn’t just apply to the gameplay. Series director Hidemaro Fujibayashi has repeatedly stated that aspects of TOTK's story and lore are intentionally left open for interpretation, making it just another puzzle for fans to solve. In that sense, it would be easy to write off Zelda and Link's romantic relationship as something left open for interpretation as well. However, perhaps surprisingly, Zelda and Link's relationship is one of the few things that BOTW and TOTK take care to explicitly spell out.

Things Get Off To A Rocky Start Between Link And Zelda In BOTW

Link and Zelda's relationship in BOTW starts platonic enough. Link is appointed her guardian knight, and he serves his role faithfully. However, Zelda resents the idea of being watched over in such a way and even begins to direct her negative feelings towards Link. When Calamity Ganon begins to overcome his seal, it's left up to Zelda to unlock her power to once again seal away the darkness, but her task proves difficult. She finds herself unable to tap into her power — an issue that Link has never had. Link even pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal with ease, making Zelda jealous that he seems to do so easily what she struggles with.

Over time, Zelda learns that she can confide in Link, and tell him things that she could never say to her father, the King. The weight of Zelda's burden is heavy on her shoulders, but Link helps her take the weight off, if only a little. Ironically, it takes things getting worse in the world for things to get better between Link and Zelda. When Calamity Ganon finally breaks free, Zelda's Champions can do little to bring the monster to its knees. After the Champions all fall in battle, Link fights with everything he has to protect Princess Zelda on his own. Zelda laments to Link her regret at not having the power to save her closest companions, and Link is the only one she has left.

In the end, it's Zelda's desire to protect Link that causes her to unlock her latent powers. Just before Link is about to be overcome by a Guardian, Princess Zelda steps in and uses her powers in order to save him. Zelda's strong desire to defend her friend is what caused her power to finally awaken. From then on, the two shared a much closer bond. Zelda gains a profound trust for Link, placing her own fate in his hands as she holds back Ganon's power in anticipation of Link's reawakening. After Link finally helps her defeat Calamity Ganon at the end of BOTW, Zelda develops an even stronger admiration for Link that grows into something more.

Link And Zelda's Living Situation Is Highly Suggestive Of Romance

There is a brief, unseen time period between the events of BOTW and TOTK that is never shown but only implied. From what is implied in the game's narrative, over the few years after Calamity Gabon was defeated, Link and Zelda's relationship blossomed. In fact, they apparently lived together, as shown by her diary and according to the statement of the citizens of Hateno Village. In fact, if Link goes down into the well behind his old house from BOTW, he'll discover that Zelda has set up a research laboratory there and even left Link's hair tie out for him. In the diary there, she details how she left him a set of new clothes at the castle. Princess Zelda holding onto Link's hair tie and leaving him freshly cleaned laundry are hardly things that only a mere friend would do.

Additionally, the kind of genuine trust shared between Link and Zelda was confirmed when Zelda literally gave her life to become the Light Dragon in the belief that Link would find a way to defeat Ganon. She had no way of knowing that Link would be able to bring her back with the help of Rauru and Sonia, so this was done entirely as a sacrifice and a way of leaving everything in Link's hands. To give her life with the faith that Link would be able to make it worthwhile is truly an act of pure trust that few emotions other than love are capable of instilling in a person.

What Zelda Has To Say About Her Feelings For Link

In TOTK, during her talk with Sonia during Light Dragon Memory #8, Zelda has nothing but good things to say about Link, telling her that "he is very strong… and his heart is good and true!" The admiration Zelda has for Link is clear, and it isn't missed on Sonia. "What a picture Zelda paints of him!" Sonia proclaims, half-jokingly. Even she can sense that Zelda's feelings for Link are far deeper than just those of a friend.

Zelda has expressed her love for Link in many words, but Link has never been one to say much. However, his actions definitely speak louder than words when it comes to his feelings for Zelda. While Link is always fighting for the fate of Hyrule, he is also fighting to protect Princess Zelda as well. Too often, Zelda's fate is inseparable from that of Hyrule anyway, but there are many times when Link risks everything to save Princess Zelda, even when it has no impact on the rest of the kingdom. One recent example of this was in the opening cutscene of Tears of the Kingdom. When Princess Zelda fell into the depths after awakening Ganondorf, Link had no way of knowing how pivotal she’d be in saving the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganondorf. Link diving immediately into the depths to save Zelda appeared to be an act of true concern for her safety, rather than just an act of duty to his kingdom.

Link And Zelda Have Always Been Bound By Fate

Ever since the Goddess Hylia chose Link to be her knight and wield the Master Sword, Link and Princess Zelda have been bound by fate. Even when they're not in a romantic relationship, the two are always close friends and allies in the fight against the powers of darkness. Link is always the hero that players take control of in TLOZ, and there is no Zelda game that doesn't at least make some mention of Princess Zelda in it, even if she doesn't appear in person in the game. That’s because they are destined to be at each other's side, whether they're in love or not.

This is truly powerful when considering that not every game features the same incarnation of Link and Zelda. Very often, they're two completely different people from one game to the next, and yet, they always find their way to each other. If anything, Link and Zelda's bond is even more powerful than love because, whereas lovers often say "til death do us part", not even death can keep Link and Zelda separated for long.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to the 2017 title, Breath of the Wild. Returning to this incarnation of the land of Hyrule, Link and Zelda will journey into the depths and heights of Hyrule as they discover the secrets of their ancient kingdom. The two will learn about the legend of dark entities that slumber below, and those of the mysterious kingdom in the sky. New abilities and puzzles await players in this rare Zelda sequel.

Franchise

The Legend of Zelda

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

May 12, 2023

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

Adventure

ESRB

Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes

How Long To Beat

59 Hours

Mode