The Legend of Zelda is a gaming series that lives up to its name: Legendary. With nearly 30 releases and a narrative that spans centuries, it is a franchise of fantastical simplicity and depth. Set primarily in the mythical world of Hyrule, the storylines of Zelda include big overarching narratives and stories unique to individual games. From the main threads dominated by our titular character and the Hero of Time, Link to the textual ruins offered by the numerous characters that players interact with within each game, there are countless arcs that provoke intrigue. While it is often the incomplete stories told by the odd villager or roaming ghost that produce the most interest, there are several character arcs of epic proportions that serve as the backbone of the entire series.
5 Link, The Hero of Time
Outside the odd spin-off, Link is the lead protagonist and main character in every entry of The Legend of Zelda. Every arc involving Link might be considered epic given the fact they drive every game forward. Yet, there is one that is fundamental in sowing all the narrative threads of Hyrule together.
Link is the Hero of Time, a legendary figure foretold to return time and again when Hyrule is at its greatest need. Throughout the entire series of games, there have been over ten iterations of Link, reborn into the world to defeat evil, save Hyrule and routinely rescue the Hyrulean Royal Family. The Hero of Time narrative is most prominent in The Ocarina of Time. After Link obtains the Triforce of Courage, he falls into a seven-year sleep and wakes to claim The Master Sword and become The Hero of Time.
4 Princess Zelda
While players of the franchise will be familiar with witnessing every storyline through the eyes of Link, there is one omnipresent character arc in the background of almost every game. Zelda, the namesake of the entire series, began her journey under the guise of being a helpless princess in need of rescue. This facade is often enacted in many of the franchise’s games, fans of the series know she is much more.
While appearing as an overarching quest for Link to save, Princess Zelda is often a much more active participant in the heroes’ quests and the fate of Hyrule. Over the years, Lady Zelda’s deeds have brought with them numerous honorable titles including the Princess of Destiny, Triforce Guide, Leader to a New World, Four Swords Protector, Light of the Kingdom and Master of Disguise Who Manipulates Time. This final moniker is a testament to this great heroine’s abilities to go undercover and use her powers for good. As is the case when she plies her heroism under the names Sheik, Tetra and the Goddess Hylia.
3 Ganon
While the rebirthed Hero of Time and Princess Zelda are said to possess either the heritage or spirit of their predecessors, Hyrule’s primary antagonist Ganon appears to be an evil spirit consistently reincarnated throughout time. With his primary goal being domination and annihilation, Ganon is the ultimate evil in the world of Hyrule.
The Prince of Darkness is known for his demonic boar-like form and wields the Triforce of Power in his attempts at destroying the world. In his human form The King of Thieves, also goes by the name Ganondorf. It is in this guise that he is able to topple the Hyrulian Royal Family and usher in his most successful era, The Fallen Hero timeline.
2 The Golden Goddesses
The eternal deities of Hyrule are a trio of beings who brought order to the chaos that existed before time itself. They are known as, Din, The Goddess of Power, who is represented by fire and the colour red, Nayru, The Goddess of Wisdom, represented by water and blue, and Farore, The Goddess of Courage, represented by wind and green. Additionally, The Golden Goddesses, whose power is spread across Hyrule and beyond in the form of acquirable magic, are each closely aligned with the Oracle of Seasons, Ages, and Secrets.
To create the world, Din shaped the material realm, Nayru provided the realm with law and order and Farore brought forth the life that would inhabit the land. Whence their creation was complete, the goddesses left to dwell in the heavens, leaving behind the embodiment of their power, the Triforce.
1 Hyrule
While many may question the inclusion of land as a character arc, it is important to recognize that Hyrule is a sentient landscape that has its own story to tell. With each entry into The Legend of Zelda series – as game development improves – the map of Hyrule has grown from an ill-defined block of pixels that represents the lake, graveyard, Spectacle Rock, Death Mountain and the Lost Woods zones to the expansive worlds that feature in The Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The growing map is now home to regions such as Hebra, Akkala, Gerudo Desert, Faron and Hyrule, all of which have their own towns, villages and unique inhabitants.
As with some of Zelda’s other character arcs, the land of Hyrule has its own rebirth storyline. At a time when the Hero of Time is not present, Ganon breaks from his imprisonment and causes the destruction of all the land via a Great Flood. It was during this period that the events of The Wind Waker take place with the primary geography the Sacred Realm and the Great Sea that has swallowed the land. After hundreds of years, the returning Hero of Time and newly incarnated Princess Zelda re-establish a new Hyrule.