@@howlbastionremember most people in zelda can't see koroks so they don't see you torturing a korok when driving your flaming crucifixion mobile they just see you as that weirdo driving a flaming cross around 😜
Let’s put it this way: If I had a girlfriend like Zelda who talked about her “friend” the way Zelda talks about Link, we’d have some real problems in keeping a relationship.
Yea, she is keeping him in the "Friend Zone" hoping his status will increase. I bet that "Friend" had a major thing for her and she loved the fact he gave her attention when you were not around.
@@johnjay6370 That would be the logical step to make given that's the type of move a woman would make. But given its a fantasy world? I like to believe they are together myself. Bout time the hero gets recognition
Alright, but..sometimes women don‘t want to say the truth, because some are shy, some can’t really realise their feelings, there might be even a longer list for reasons. That is why some women say a very good friend, he is one that always helps me… I think Zelda fits in that type of women. And also some people in hyrule find link attractiv… those two maybe not in a relationship yet because there is a lot of stuff to do in hyrule, but they are clearly in love
Interesting thing to note: If you watch the scene at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom where Link tries to grab Zelda's hand, pay attention to the audio. When Link fails to catch Zelda, you can hear him gasping in distress. This is pretty significant since Link very rarely shows any emotion. But this situation made him so distressed that he ever so slightly dropped the mask he puts up and was distressed. This at the very least shows he cares about her a lot. Also, the man just got his whole arm destroyed by Ganondorf. And yet he doesn't hesitate for a second to ignore his own pain, reach out with his ravaged arm and try to grab her with everything he has. To me, that's not just a knight's devotion. That's love.
Something to note is that, if you beat the Champion's Ballad and put the picture up, it will be at the same place in ToTK, showing it's still Link’s house
not necessarily. that picture is close to zelda's heart as well meaning she probably would have kept it there. they could have had a copy made from granteson, who is a good painter.
@@Curbotron There is implied to be only one passed down from the court poet to Kass and then Link. The court poet also saw Link and Zelda pre-calamity and was jealous of them. Kass tells us this. It's also in the same place Link hung it and with the same frame.
@@kit76149 she stole the picture from Link like she stole his house. Like a neighbor stole my basement cell (put his own lock on it, so I broke it open and put a new lock on it)
There's a LOT more in Breath of the Wild that you left out, or didn't know about... in the Japanese version, Link's quest descriptions are formatted more like personal notes/journal entries, and he says that he wants nothing more than to see her smile again. In Zelda's diary, she reveals the reason why Link doesn't talk... Link _actually_ told her why with words. She's one of the few people he's actually spoken out loud to. Additionally, Paya has a crush on Link. In her diary she questions whether or not a relationship between them would work out, she says no because the look in Link's eyes says otherwise... she then talks about Zelda by saying that she wonders if Zelda and Link are in love, and says that she would give that relationship her full support. Lastly, in the Champion's Ballad DLC, Kass talks about his teacher who was a Shiekah poet. He worked alongside Zelda a lot of the time and developed a love for her... but its specifically stated that Zelda did not reciprocate those feelings because "she only had eyes for her appointed knight."
@@kotlc_zelink_loz_fan I'm not sure because I don't actually speak or read or play japanese, I learned it from other analysis videos from people who know how to translate it. I'm pretty sure its one of the main quests, either "Destroy Ganon" or the one for getting all the memories...
A cool detail is that you don’t even need the dlc for Kass to sing Link the song or tell him about his teacher, it’s base game even. Though the dlc is canon since the picture shows up in TotK if you’ve completed the dlc on the same profile, and the dlc references and tells of canon events. Also, the one where he says “Even it’s just a moment sooner, I want to save her as soon as possible. I want to see her smile again with these eyes of my own.” I believe that is the final entry for the completed memories quest, but only when directly translated from Japanese.
Having finished the game just recently it feels hard to argue against the notion that there are very clear romantic undertones intended between Link and Zelda. I mean I thought it was pretty clear in botw, and there are things in totk that seem to substantiate that, ESPECIALLY the final scenes of the game. Although I doubt it’ll be officially confirmed
So are you gonna ignore the hints and suggestions that they are involved? Let alone retcon everything their relationship has build up to since Breath of the Wild?
@@masonstewart6232 They need to measure up since there are evidences that Link and Zelda are heavily involved in their relationship since the Princess is in love with her silent knight. Now I understand not everyone agrees with because of the sick toxication of the shipping wars from the fandoms. But these are signs we cannot ignore.
I’ve always thought of the Silent Princess as a symbol of Link and Zelda’s romantic connection, especially after Bolson’s “falling petals represent infinite love”. The petals that fall in the true ending of BotW belong to that very flower. And where do we get a surplus of said flower in Tears of the Kingdom? After Dragon Tear #12, where Zelda sacrifices herself. As far as she knew, those final moments before her transformation would be her last words, and what does she say? “Link! Protect them all!” It’s a plea to him, one she isn’t even sure he’ll hear. What gets me even more about this Tear is Link’s reaction afterwards. It’s the closest he truly gets to emoting, and it’s because of the Silent Princesses his beloved princess left for him after realizing what has become of her. “But there’s no proof of Link reciprocating!” And yet Zelda was awoken “…by a loving embrace”. He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but cmon. Also, Link is still able to sleep in the bed at Hateno. I doubt he’d allow himself to do that if him and Zelda are just friends. ESPECIALLY when you consider that Link cannot sleep in Purah’s bed, whom he has known for roughly the same time as Zelda. Food for thought, anyways lmao.
Also, Zelda's bed is the same size as other married couples in Hateno. And Link can vote in the election meaning he is an addult and a citizen of Hateno. Plus, you can see a picture of the pond of lovers in the house. Aaaaand to top it all of, you can find Link's hair band in Zelda's secret room. Prunia even tells us that Zelda used to carry it around. It is very crear at this point
I think the “I was awoke by a warm, loving embrace” at the end of the game is the nail in the coffin for me. Sure, that could still be interpreted as nothing more than a platonic love/devotion and if that’s your interpretation I won’t take that away from you, but personally I see that as a sign of something more. I still think Skyward Sword is where that relationship was most explicitly stated (I mean, look at how desperately distraught Link is every time he barely catches up to Zelda only to lose her again, ESPECIALLY when she seals herself in the Temple. That man LOVES her).
To be honest there really isn’t ANY ambiguity with Zelda’s feelings on Link it was confirmed since BotW by Kass that it was Zelda’s love for her appointed knight that allowed her to awaken her power. Also Kass’s mentor was in love with Zelda but she only had eyes for her appointed knight. From a meta standpoint they would not include these two direct statements of her feelings for Link unless it was meant to confirm her love for him. The only ambiguity is if Link reciprocated her feelings or if she ever even confessed her feelings to him. I like to think yes in both cases. I personally think they are in an romantic relationship in TotK. But we will never get 100% confirmation of this unless a future game cites a future Zelda as their descendants.
I mean it doesn't even need to cite it or say it out loud. Much like with Skyward Sword's implication, if there's a game chronologically after totk and there's a Zelda, it happened. The way Zelda talks about Link and how close they are there is zero chance she is suddenly picking a random npc.
@@kit76149 true I just mean there is no way it will be 100% confirmed unless they outright cite it. Even if it’s 90% confirmed there will still be doubters or people delusional enough to believe Zelda just ends up with some generic NPC
I never considered that Link might not be reciprocating. That would be hilarious if this whole time Zelda is simping for Link, and all the while he's just going "hahaha shield surfing go brrrr."
Theres also an NPC named Pitar that gives you the Yiga Mask and says that hes planning to confess his love to a lady named Nobo hes searching for and that they are meant to be so fate will guide them together. He even says he got a matching outfit to go with hers. He then tells Link "I hope you find your love too." It just so happens Link is looking for Zelda and wears a matching champion's armor that she got him whenever they are together.
Them being in a relationship just makes the entire game more special for myself. Im a romantic at heart lol. Especially the ending with the final dive to save her. It's moment that will stick with me forever. I do like that they leave it open for people to determine. We all create our own little stories of what happens after. That being said........wedding dlc? lol
Agreed. It just makes it more personal since their relationship is like that and not just some save the princess and move on with life. Like in TP they were never close but this game they are extremely close and heck even live together and do it all together.
A post-game DLC package that’s separate from the main game would be great. I’d love something like that-like you, I’m a hopeless romantic and after playing this game I’d like to actually see an unambiguous statement of their relationship.
I think they do have a thing for each other! Kass even says in botw that his former teacher knew that the princess has feelings for her silent knight. And how they were together in every memory in botw, how could they not have a thing for each other? Ive been shipping them since then and im hoping they end up together at the end of totk ❤
There's some pretty subtle and noteworthy hints that they may be a couple already before the start of the game. The fact Zelda is living in Link's house from BoTW, and the place seems to be set up for two people yet only one bed - and it's the only non inn bed Link can sleep in.
@@CountDracula2727 Zelda went to the Lover's Pond and took a photo for that quest, but I don't recall anyone ever mentioning Link accompanying her. Although, I doubt she'd go there alone, given the pond's backstory.
@@Hyperion_21 Nothing explicitly states that she went there with Link, but given she states in her diary that Link accompanies her where ever she goes and that she would go to the pond specifically at night, as if to avoid other people, strongly suggests they went together
@@Hyperion_21 Link always travels with her so they’re almost certainly going there together. No one puts focus on Link since he’s usually just looked at as a body guard, so they’re not gonna focus on Link being with her. To them he’s a nobody, but they just don’t know how close they are and their relationship together
I do love how Rauru and Sonia both pulled the "Ohhoho, you like him?" That so many grandparents and aunts or uncles pull with younger kids/teenagers 😂 It was just really wholesome, even though they both are, quite literally, some of her oldest ancestors. King Rhoam is weeping in his grave over how badly he failed for seventeen years to show his daughter he loved her, while this fluffy dragon man, his sister, and his hylian wife showed her more love and compassion than Rhoam ever did... within like, a matter of months, I'm assuming. Maybe a year? How long Zelda was with them is very unclear, but... like they showed her so much familial love and support within such a short amount of time, and she grew much stronger because of it. I feel like if Rhoam was half the family to her that these three had been, Zelda probably could have handled the Calamity easily, unlocking her power wouldn't have been a problem at all, but because she constantly had to adjust to her father's boundaries and orders, I feel like she probably put a wall up to protect herself... like even if she knew he loved her deep down, the concern of taking an emotional lashing was just too much to stay vulnerable. I feel like she did that with her citizens to, because of that, so she also couldn't save them, because even if she loved and cared about them, there was this invisible wall between herself and everyone else. She was protecting herself from the people's opinions of herself, from her father's opinions, because to her it was "This is business" and not "I love these people" first. Link was one of the very few people who weren't left behind that wall, she loved him, likely on many levels, and it wasn't a facade she had to put up to make him respect or care about her, she was able to be vulnerable, she was able to be herself without judgement or anger in response. I feel that's probably why she was able to save him, and unlock her power at that time, because she wasn't scared to love Link, like she wasn't scared to love the other champions either, if she had the chance to, she probably could have unlocked that power if she had tried to save them, as well. But that's where these three got it right, they didn't expect her to be all powerful, they didn't expect a mastery of skill, they just loved her, unconditionally. They treated her like a person, cared about her concerns, cared about her well-being, and she grew from that. She thrived on training as well, because again, they were patient, and it was completely her own choice to train, they never forced her to, or guilt tripped her into doing it like her father did.
This is an amazing character analysis, I'm so glad Zelda got to meet her ancestors and have that unconditional family support she didn't have in her original timeline. She's truly become my favorite iteration of the character, she's just so layered and complex but feels more real.
If there was ever a game for these two to be 'romantic' in, it's this one. Zelda isn't just 'the objective' in this game, she's a genuine person Link is close to and has to save because SHE IS HIS 'FRIEND'. She is his closest relationship next to someone like Impa who is an old woman and Puarh who is more like a teacher/ alley. Link knew her before the last game, knew her long enough to teach her things and for Link to open up about himself and for Zelda to cry on his shoulder in her darkest hour. Zelda awakened her power BECAUSE she felt the urge to save, Link. And this is something that is implied to be comparable to Mipha using her powers and thinking about how she loves Link. Zelda held out for 100 years, sealed along with the calamity for 100 years, FOR LINK. The whole deal with the last game isn't just to defeat Ganon it's to find and save her too. It's very obvious these two stayed close off screen in-between botw and totk. Zelda literally moved into his house, keeps his picture of the champions, and his hair band in her secret room. The first part, of tears of the kingdom is Link trying to jump in front of Zelda to save her/ jumping forward into a chasm to save her from falling. Remember this. The whole objective through out the game isn't JUST to beat back the corruption that Ganondorf has put through the land it is to FIND PRINCESS ZELDA. And Zelda risks everything for Link. She tries to change the past to help him but when that doesn't work out she makes an ultimate sacrifice play to make sure she can help him in the only real way she can. She doomed herself to an eternity of being a mindless dragon just to help him get his master sword back in top condition. Because she has faith in Link. Now I know you can just say 'oh well they're royalty and heroes they need to help each other because it helps save the world' but it's not just that. These two are doing what they can for the sake of saving each other as much as they are doing it to save the world. Also think of the kinda of relationships Link has outside of Zelda. Sidon for all the 'haha these two dating would be funny' jokes, are genuinely good friends. And Sidon gets a partner who brings him up. Mipha sadly missed her shot and died. None of the other champions really have any romantic connection to Link, it's just Zelda. And after everything, after you beat the demon king and purge the world of his corruption... you're not done. The one thing, you HAVE to do to beat the game- is catch Zelda. To make up for what Link failed to do at the beginning you both fall through the sky and Link grabs her and holds her as they fall into the water. There is no other game besides maybe something like Skyward sword, wind waker, or spirit tracks where the relationship between Zelda and Link is just so damn relevant to the plot. I feel like these two are heavily meant for each other and I don't see how else their relationship can be taken.
Yeah and In creating a champion it said link sacrificed his life for her again in tears of the kingdom he risked his life messing with gloom and got his arm taken because of that he also jumped after her and at the end he covered her head before they hit the water they both risk so much for each other to go on they are like sole mates
I have yet to beat the game, but I already knew that that dragon of light was Zelda. It was the only thing that fit when I found that there were 4 dragons instead of 3. As I get more time to play the game (ADHD and a heavy work schedule make it hard), I look forward to the whole story being revealed.
This comment is so well written! They are so cute and their relationship is so wholesome in this game. My heart melted at the ending when Link grabbed her hand and pulled her close. And when his hand was over her head too 😭
In Gerudo town one of the Vais asks Link if he is in a relationship and your choices are either "yes" or "no..." implying that Link is also dating someone. Add the house to the mix, Princess Zelda talking about like to Rauru and Sonia, and the loving embrace quote at the end and it's hard to say they are not in a relationship.
I really like Dragon Tear Memory 8! In this tear memory, Sonia and Rauru would like to meet Link as Zelda speaks highly of him (since I can tell she’s blushing on the Hero of Hyrule and how much she admires his dedication). It may sounded crazy but I feel her ancestors are the kind of parents Zelda needed since her father King Rhoam is always cold towards his own daughter, as well as forbidden her from being A scholar and calls her a failure. They would have accepted Link as her boyfriend since the pair do lived together in his childhood home in present day Hateno Village. This is a real Zelink define moment! ^^
Obvious is obvious. The only reason why they don't outright confirm it is because Link is very much still intended to be a "link" between the player and the game,meaning they wanna give you the freedom to imagine your own outcome.
Nailed it, the ambiguity is a major factor in keeping the player's choices & personal feelings relevant. It gives an additional roleplaying aspect to the game where you can either be a sigma knight who is doing his sworn duty or a bf taking care of his girl. Almost the same exact gameplay can cause both types of players to immerse themselves in the plot.
Honestly, I rly do genuinely think that this iteration of Zelda and Link is romantic. There is just so much tension between the two back in BOTW. And TOTK seems to strengthen that bond they had, especially in the scene where she was talking about Link to Sonia and Rauru. I freaking love the BOTW/TOTK universe, Ik it’s prob not gonna happen BUT I’d love to see this version of the Zelda series completed as a trilogy, I fell in love with the BOTW universe, im just not ready to move on to another Zelda game, yknow what I mean?
It’s so crazy to me to see so many people would rather think that Zelda is some horrible person that kicked Link out of his own house to steal it than to understand that they’re a couple
@@TheRuggedEchinda "I want to see her smile with my own eyes" in jpn botw + (spoilers) . . . . . . . Recall scene Link's facial animation coming out of memory 12 The ending The whole crisis at hyrule castle sequence
@@kit76149 but that doesn’t mean romantically driven by link’s perspective. I merely see that a cherished relationship, like a sister or best friend. I would say if this Link has canonically loved anyone romantically it would realistically be Mipha by the diary entry and him literally quivering with emotion after remembering what Mipha meant to her along with accepting the Zora armor which is a method of proposal by Royal Zora women.
There's also the fact that in BotW Kass reveals that his teacher knew that the Princess 'fell for her knight' (though no confirmation that he felt the same way back) and in the cutscene after the credits in TotK (spoiler warning) I THINK it's implied that the sages were going to say 'Princess Zelda and Link'?? Also the addition of being able to find a hairband in a chest in Zelda's well is a cute touch, even if it's only implied to be Link's and not confirmed. Edit: After rewatching the final cutscene I think it's just because they messed up and didn't say the same thing lmao
I like how King Rauru and Queen Sonia are much similar to Link and Zelda... just like how the pair are a metaphor to the Silent Princess flower. My hope for Tears of the Kingdom is we get to see Zelda accompanied by Link as they traveled together, helping to restore Hyrule, researching ancient artifacts, and spending time together since Zelda plans to take him to the Lover’s Pond.
They are at least thematically similar, yeah. Zelda's power is the same as Sonia's, and Link can seal darkness (with his sword) like how Rauru does with his light powers.
@@_TheDoctor Lurelin npc. Zelda painted a picture of lover's pond after going there and gave it to the mayor's family. The npc then wonders why zelda used to visit lovers pond only at night. If you visit the pond at sunset there's fairies and then later fireflies appear. Nintendo as usual likes to be vague and not say it outright, but Link never lets Zelda wander the wilderness alone. Creating a Champion states he continued to remain by her side post calamity ganon. Zelda's diary also says he is always by her side to the point his clothing is getting worn. Safe to say Link was there when she went to Lurelin. Therefore they probably went to the pond together.
@@kit76149 I mean add Zelda has her own study area in the well....why would she need that if it was just her home. Clearly distractions if someone else was living with her....for example. A certain knight named Link. Hehehe. She can't keep her eyes on her work when he's around. And Link can only sleep in a bed that is HIS...not in other homes. More strong indication they live together. Link more likely just let Zelda decorate the home. I mean even the table is set for 2. Not 1. And the single bed...that's the standard bed. Even for married NPC's..
In the Japanese version of the game, the house is not dubbed as "Zelda's house".... it says "Our house". And also the quests in BOTW are written from Link's POV, where in one of them he says he wants to see her smile again with his own eyes, which leads me to believe that if he didn't love her during the age of the Calamity, he definitely fell in love with her over the course of revisiting his lost memories, or maybe even those memories reignited his forgotten feelings. Then there's the issue of Kass's mentor, who was in love with Zelda, but as Kass said, "she only had eyes for her knight", which was hinted at in a few occasions during the story, and then you have the song that Kass's mentor wrote about them. So yeah I absolutely believe that these incarnations of Link and Zelda are in love with each other and the natural progression of it would be to live together while they work to restore Hyrule.
I truly believe this Zelda & Link is in a relationship. I have no problem either by letting the player decide based on their own opinion. That's why I do feel like there are plenty of reasons to believe it. Speaking of Zelda's Diary, from what I understand in the English version, the house is said to belong to Zelda. However, from what I heard in the Japanese version is that Zelda refers to the house as Ours. Theirs also evidence that both went to the 💙 shaped pond.
About the pond part, I really need to know where to find that because all I got from the dialogue which talks about her going to the pond was that it is implied.
@gentlemanbronco3246 In Lurelin village, there's a guy staring at a painting of the pond painted by zelda. If you talk to him, he will tell you how the lake declined in popularity. However, he also says that zelda always at least goes to visit the lake during the evenings however he doesn't know why. According to Zeldas personal diary, she states that Link has always been by her side. So connecting the two implies that she did bring him to the heart shaped lake multiple times as they visited Lurelin Village
"However, from what I heard in the Japanese version is that Zelda refers to the house as Ours." I can tell you, for a fact, this is not true. Sadly. The diary in their house, Zelda uses the word "家" (pronounced: ii-eh). It's just the Japanese word for "house" or "the house." She doesn't use any possessive pronouns. Not "my house" but also not "our house." It's just neutral.
I think they’ve all but confirmed it, honestly. The reason the romantic angle of it is absent is because it’s not important really to the narrative, it’d just be to satisfy the cravings of shippers and they don’t really care for that. But the deep affection and trust is important and so they depict it. The reason the romance is depicted in Skyward Sword is because it’s thematically relevant to the coming of age story for both characters.
I think they do care for that, since Miyamoto, Fujibayashi and Aonuma all seem to ship it. But maybe it generates more hype to just heavily imply it? Idk.
@@Angel_Auraa Yeah like fujibayashi straight up uses the words "icha icha" or flirting to describe their relationship in botw in the botw making of documentary
think they may be married so they dont care to confirm or deny it as in aoc and botw link and zelda showed they loved each other look at links expressions threw out the game you can tell also the way sonia and rareu want to meant think implys heavy that there involed romanicly
When Zelda falls at the beginning, Link tries to catch her hands and seems doesn’t care about that damaged master sword at all. He knows how important the master sword is and it can be repaired even if it’s damaged (based on the first memory cutscene in the Korok forest). He even decides to fall in the darkness with her if Rauru’s hand doesn’t come to save him. In botw, Zelda can’t awaken her sealing power even she saw her kingdom was ruined by the calamity and her dad was killed by the guardians, but she finally got that power when she thought Link was gonna dead😂
Japanese authors have very different style of depicting romantic relationships, culturally speaking. They don't show people frenching all the time like in Hollywood. In older movies and even modern movies, sometimes the only indication of people being a married couple is when one of them is taking action once the other is put in a harm's way. Even in anime people can never be shown to have much affection physically, only to have kids after a time skip. Yes it's very strange for us as foreigners that they have such modest traditions of showing love and romance while we think that their baseline sensibilities are that of harems, ecchis and hentai, but those genres don't actually have the same amount of influence and impact on the bigger culture.
Easy. If they confirm it, fans will expect this dynamic going forward every game and thus lockinh themselves into a permanent dynamic. Leaving it ambiguous gives them more room for freedom. Regardless. Both Skyward Sword and TOTK/BOTW are incredibly romantic coded and really shouldn't have to be discussed
@@wildbard4112 So, they’re basically doing the same thing as Mario and Peach. Enough implied material to say they’re in a relationship. (Kissing behind a curtain, blushing, hand holding, sharing a house, etc.)
100% they are. They confirmed it in a subtle way. The way she talked to him in the opening, the fact that she needed a private study next to her (their) home…
Something i noticed but i think everyone either knew or dismissed. During the falling scene where Link misses Zelda's hand, he intentionally let go of the sword before taking a reckless leap to catch her. A new big bad just showed up out of the blue and the last thing u wanna be is weaponless to defend urself and the girl ur supposed to "protect" but link DROPS THE MASTER SWORD, this super ultra holy nuke sword from the gods that can kill evil, just to try and grab Zelda and u can see the desperation on his face as he throws himself into an abyss just to catch her
One of the biggest things for me that proves that, at least Link loves Zelda is when she falls. He doesn't jump to grab ahold of a rock and catch her, he just immediately jumps. There's no deliberation, just instinct. He probably knows that even if he catches her, they may not survive the fall, but he does it anyways, and as some other commenters point out, he does it with his injured hand. To me, that's not someone trying to protect her, that's someone who loves her.
Thought i should mention this, but in the Japanese version of breath of the wild, the adventure log is written in first person, and is confirmed to be Link’s own thoughts on events. All I will say is that it’s quite interesting on what he thinks about Mipha and Zelda.
Yeah if you’ve played the entire story - beat the game, not to mention caught certain other Easter eggs, it’s hard to imagine thinking they aren’t already a couple prior to the opening scene and clearly still are by the end.
Something I noticed about Tears of the Kingdom’s ending is that the field in which Link and Zelda find themselves is filled with forget-me-nots. This is extremely cool, because the forget-me-not represents true/eternal love, fidelity, and remembrance. Despite being separated from one another for centuries, Link and Zelda’s love for one another never faltered, and Link never gave up on getting Zelda back; it was his first priority, even more important than destroying Ganondorf. Likewise, Zelda still managed to remember Link even after she lost herself to draconification, and her memories returned to her fully when Link restored her to her original self. They are absolutely ride or die for one another, and they went to incredible lengths to help each other save Hyrule. These two are madly in love and nothing can stop them from being together forever.
Speaking of the house, if you completed all the BotW DLC and placed the final photo on the wall in the house, then that photo is in the house in TotK. I also saw mention somewhere (though I can't confirm) that in the diary of Zelda, where she says she hired Bolson to build a secret well that isn't in the plans of "my house" that the Japanese text actually says "our house"
Just to confirm it is in fact still Link's house in Hateno, if you're playing on the same switch you played BOTW and finished the champions ballad dlc, the portrait you get from Kass is still on the wall and in the same exact spot.
I like how there must have been an executive decision about Link beeing shirtless in the end xD. Maybe to make obvious that his injury is gone an his arm is restored.
How I like to put is that Breath of the wild was Zelda’s way of showing that she loves link. Tears of the kingdom is Links way for showing his love to Zelda
True this is more true than I think people realize Zelda In btow saves link due to her love for link awakening her power now when we take this into account since well it’s 100% cannon because the game says it outright lamo but Zelda describes the thing that woke her up as a “warm loving embrace” and too note if you go out of bounds during that cutscene link similes on the word “loveing” so it was his love that she felt so in both games it’s basically the story of how far each person is willing to go too see each other again
I'm really hoping that this turns into a Trilogy and the next game takes much further into the future because it would be really awesome to see an older more grizzled king- link and queen Zelda. In the current game I do think they are in some kind of relationship even if it hasn't progressed to being a couple yet
I've had the same thought. You could squeeze one more game out that map by setting it in a restored Hyrule many years later - more/expanded towns, forts, outposts etc. Give Link a kid and have that kid in danger like Links sister in Wind Waker. Link goes on one last big adventure to save his daughter would have a unique emotional weight especially if Zelda was the mother.
@@ennanhamill yessssss! This gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! I hope Nintendo scratches this itch for us because they (the incarnations in this time) are so freaking adorable together😭💕
@@JockenN Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Like in Zelda 2 when they needed Links blood to revive Ganon - do that but with the Yiga clan looking to get Link and Zelda's child for a revival ritual. High stakes emotion using the established lore and characters. It would be great.
@@ennanhamill I was thinking maybe them exploring lands outside of Hyrule maybe 1 or 2 years after the whole Demon King situation in another game forming relationships with other kingdoms to help rebuild Hyrule since we know there is other lands beside Hyrule because of Sidon's wife and expanding more on Link and Zelda's relationship.
In Breath of the Wild, Zelda’s love for Link is what awakens her sealing powers in the final memory. Thus, Kass’s last song shows how the Princess has feeling with her appointed knight based on what his instructor implies. And lastly in her diary in the study room, she describes Link as a glutton when it comes to food and she has gotten him to be more open up on why he was silent all the time and it’s because the burden he didn’t asked for (which is similar to what Zelda has gone through). She would like to talk with him more. Those are the examples that depicted her feelings towards her appointed knight as they bonded.
There are evidences Zelda loves Link since before and after the events of Breath of the Wild. Thus, there are so many hints and Suggestions that their relationship evolved into lovers in Tears of the Kingdom. One example is when you go Hateno Village to check in Link’s old home. It’s called Zelda’s house. In the Japanese version however, it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed). Another example is from Dragon Tear Memory 8, where Zelda speaks highly about Link to Queen Sonia and King Rauru as she blushes. Next is you get to see her second dairy in a her secret study room beneath their home where Zelda wrote about a surprise she was gonna give to Link after their investigating the underground caverns of Hyrule Castle. And lastly, you encounter a NPC after rebuilding Lurelin. He show you a photograph image of a Lover’s Pond where someone in disguise went there, then later implies that Zelda went there with Link. Those examples are heavily implied that this version Zelink is canon.
"One example is when you go Hateno Village to check in Link’s old home. It’s called Zelda’s house. In the Japanese version however, it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed)." I'm sorry to tell you this, but this is not true. I am not fluent in Japanese, but I know enough to be dangerous. In Zelda's journal, in Japanese, she uses the word 家 which is Japanese for "house" or "the house." She doesn't use any possessive language to indicate it is "her house" or "our house." In the English journal she calls it "my house" so the Japanese is more neutral. It could be her house, or it could be her and Link's house. The title of the house is also, still, just "Zelda's house" in Japanese. Walking up to the well pops up the location title, and in Japanese it is: ゼルダの家の井戸 Which is literally: Zelda's house's well Or better translated as: The well at Zelda's house I still think they live together. But this is just correcting that the Japanese is equally as neutral.
I think they really are in a relationship. When staying with the gerudo, one of them asks you if there is someone special for Link. And you have the option to say yes so I believe is up to you to define what kind of relationship you have with Zelda.
its nice to know after the calamity, zelda and link can live peacefully together while helping rebuild hyrule. tho question is how will they get hyrule castle back to ground lvl l0l
Even if the bed is not very large and have 1 pillow it does not exclude their relationship for 2 reasons: - From a lore point of view, children and villagers go to the house to visit Zelda. Maybe the couple doesn't want to expose itself yet since this is not the time to say "yahoo, a new royal couple" because the kingdom is being rebuilt. - From a development perspective, we see in other Zelda games that their relationship is ambiguous. So a king size bed would be a huge piece of evidence for their couple.
Hudson and Karson recognize link. Tarrey Town exists which only happens if Link is involved and buys the house in the first place, which was about to be torn down. Also this is a fairly irrelevant point to make anyway, as some of the zora such as Bazz, who are supposedly his childhood friends, don't recognize him either.
In addition to everything you mentioned in the video there is another factor that IMO strongly implies link and Zelda relationship: link new tunic! I think Zelda's plan to give Link his tunic is a callback to Mipha in the first game.
Being very early in the game (I've yet to do anything but Shrines, grab enough Korok Seeds to roughly double my starting capacity, and a few quests here and there) I'd have to say yes, absolutely. Why? Because I found Zelda's diary in a hidden room under Link's home. A home with a picture of Zelda's favorite Golden Horse (indicating co-habitation). When do people write in their diary? Right before bedtime. *Link has ONE bed.* If this didn't make it abundantly clear that Link & Zelda have been shacking-up at least on weekends for the last 3-6 years (given the age of Mattison being somewhere between three-to-five and allowing one year for Hudson & Rhondson to have her), then I don't know what does. I don't use the age increase for Purah as a metric as to how much time has passed between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as Purah has a habit of changing her physical age via experiments. Unless Mattison is ten, in which case I really cannot tell the ages of video game children at _ALL._ Besides, who else are they gonna get together with? Everyone they knew from pre-Calamity Hyrule outside Impa, Purah, and Robbie are _dead._ I'm not seeing any cute redhead farm girls trying to woo Link (unless that comes later in TotK), and foreign dignitaries with marriage proposals has never been a thing in Zelda (just how intertwined IS your Family Tree, Zelda?!).
Think on this: Zelda's father's name was King Rhoam Bosphoramus (sp?) Hyrule. He must have been a royal cousin, since it would be very strange for a king to take his wife's surname in most cases. He was not King Consort...he was _King._ His wife was obviously a woman of the royal bloodline as she carried the blood of the Goddess that she passed on to Zelda. I do not think that the royals were forced to marry anyone they didn't like, but somewhere in BotW (one of Kass's songs, if I remember right) hinted that Link wasn't even of the nobility, so at least he's clearly unrelated to Zelda in this lifetime. Link and Zelda probably married several times over time, but the next Zelda is always of royal descent and the next Link is always of the spirit of the Hero, reborn and somehow crossing paths with the Princess.
I'm confused on the timeline between BOTW and TOTK. I got the impression that Link and Zelda have been missing for a while and that considerable time has passed since the Upheaval. So how close is the TOTK prologue to the end of BOTW? How much time has passed between the Upheaval (the prologue event) and Link awakening in the sky?
@@howlbastion Zelka does mention that the tunnels go a lot deeper than they thought. If you still take that first trailer into account, they originally brought one of those beasts with them loaded with supplies that they had to leave behind at some point.
One of Purah’s diaries in totk (can’t remember which one) states that she indeed used the experiment to change her age to adult again :) So we really can’t use her to guess how long has been since botw, Mattison is the better metric
If you have played the Champions ballad in Botw on the same Switch, the picture of the champions, Zelda and Link also hangs in their house in Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda and Link are bound by fate, immortalized through time. Zelda gave up everything even her own self in faith of him, Link was ready to do everything even without any knowledge of his self and her. I have no questions in my mind, their relationship is sacred and I think this is the most idealistic and sacred depiction of Love.....
I have another topic for you. The fact that there are no bugs and everything just works without noticeable flaws makes you feel like you can execute Links abilities in the real world. I often drop something and have to remember that I can't recall it... Or maybe I'm just playing it too much😂
I'm in total agreement. I think at this point, people who refuse to admit it are just in denial. Just one thing you missed in the Hateno house that I thought it was further confirmation: The table is set for two. If the study isn't enough to confirm she is not living alone, the table should be.
One thing you forgot to mention that takes the implication of Zelda’s love awakening because of link to being confirmed is that kass states that “the princess love for her fallen knight awakens her power” within his song aditonaly his teacher fell in love with Zelda but rejected him because “she only had eyes for her knight attendant” so it’s cannon Zelda is in love with link confirmed by Nintendo themselves
I think they are in deep love with each other and it's beautiful. Also hidden detail the only beds you can sleep in without paying is Zelda's (or yoyr house in Terry Town but thay costs to build) In my play through imagined after collecting the tears, collecting the Master Sword and seeing a vision of Zelda in the past from a Sage whenever anyone asked Link where is Zelda he would get really quiet and he would look up at the Light Dragon, a single tear rolling down his face hidden from the asker as he looks up he knows it's Zelda for sure because he realizes she's following him around Hyrule watching over him. It would be a lot harder for Link not knowing of Zelda was conscious or not, selflessly waiting patiently for literally thousands of years for her Love to come get his Sword and strike down the Demon King. I also believe it was Link's Love for Zelda that helped save her this time, his will to be with his Lover again perhaps? I think it adds a lot to the story.
You can also mention in breath of the wild if you complete Hudson side quests where you get Hudson and Rhondson together. At the wedding scene you see falling petals more specifically the silent princess. If you talk to Bolson after the wedding he tells Link that the fallen petals symbolizes endless love. One of the end scenes where Link and Zelda are about to go on a grand aventures you can see the same fallen pedals at the end of the scenes. I think you need to complete most of the game to view this scene. I don’t really remember how to view this sense. There is also a diary in Tears of the Kingdom where Zelda talks about Link (I’m not going to say where it is in case people want to find this diary by themselves). In the diary Zelda talks about Link’s habits and again talks about their relationship. At some point in time thorough out their travels Link opens up to Zelda and told her why he choose the oath of silence. This was one of Link most vulnerable parts and the fact that he told her show how close they are in this timeline. Also I think if you go back to Link’s old house it tells you that his old house. At least when I played and walked up to his house the text said it the location was Link’ house. I could be remembering wrong.
Honestly, after all the shit they've been through together, I don't see them going seperate ways. I see them being in a intimate relationship. I can see Link passing on his knowledge of fighting on to future generations. I can see Zelda rebuilding Hyrule with the occasional aid of Link for the more serious buisness.
I think there's no doubt that they're in a relationship. All the evidence is there, and when it comes to evidence for whether something is canon or not, even if it's not explicitly stated, why have the evidence there if it's not canon? Things don't always need to be flat-out stated to confirm something, there's this thing called visual storytelling. And it's not just what goes on between Link and Zelda, but what other characters say goes on between them. Also, you left out the meaning of the Silent Princess flowers.
I don’t think there’s any reason for them to clarify it any more explicitly. The shippers (like myself) will be very satisfied with the clues we currently have, and people who prefer a platonic reading have plausible deniability. This satisfies everyone.
Theres also the fact that we saw her rush to Link's side after he swatted away a couple of keese. "Oh, my God, Link! Are you OK?! Did they hurt you!?" "What, the _BATS!?"_ "Ohhh, poor baby, you're so brave!" "I'm OK with this."
If you talk to purah wearing link's hair band, she will comment on it that its the hairband that the princess has and it was a classic look on Link, and the hairband itself can be found on Zelda's secret well. The house too is clearly still Link's since if you have completed the DLC quests the champions picture will be in the house. And th yellow flower is still there, and there are several items in the house that is clearly for 2 people.
In Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity, whether its canon or not, in a certain scene Zelda is trying to flirt with Link when they get interrupted. At least that is how I interpreted it. And I would say this is the „parallel“ scene to BotW when Link saves Zelda from the Yiga Clan. So to me its a possible evidence that Link and Zelda are destined to be together. And also, in BotW when you defeat Thunderblight Ganon and take back control over Vah Naboris, Urbosa starts talking to link and says „Take care of the princess, oh and take care of Hyrule 😉“. This wink of hers was another hint for me implying that Link will be King of Hyrule. In the opening of TotK when Link took the torch, this moment seemed kinda weird to me. Weird in the sense that it was so fluent. As if the 2 hadnt just been good friends but in a relationship with each other and their bond was so strong that words or certain gestures werent needed anymore. In the memory where Zelda talks about Link, in the English version to me it sounded more like Zelda was just admiring Link. But in the German version it really sounded like she was in love with him. To me in TotK Links old home is not evidence for him and Zelda being together. At least not the bed, because this single bed only has a single pillow. Yes couples share the same bed. But do they also share the same pillow??????😂 I do believe the home belonging to Link in BotW is „canon“ because when you play through the BotW Expansion „the champions ballad“, at the end you are rewarded with a group photo of Link, Zelda and the Champions, which you can place on the wall in Links home. And TotK takes over this game data thus even though now its Zelda’s home, and she threw out my precious weapons/shield collection which had a strong sentiment (All 4 Champions weapons/shield and Korok weapons and shield, because I consider them all Link’s friends) at least she kept the group photo. 14:55 this is where I stop the video, because I havent yet defeated Ganondorf. I have seen too many ToTk thumbnails in YT that spoiled the end to me partially. But at least the intricacies of the end is where I will try to stay spoiler free.
I think an thing that gets glossed over a bit is that in the very beginning of the game, they’re both wearing their BotW outfits (for the most part) save one major difference. Zelda has a hood and Link no longer has his. Think what you will, but I have never seen a relationship where the mans clothing doesn’t end up on the girl at some point and the fact that they both don’t have hoods…that’s all you need to know.
There is a lot more when you analyze certain in-game stuff too on BoTW, first Zelda's diary, where we learn the reason to why Link doesn't speak. So he open up to Zelda but not to Mypha, that's interesting, it could be a case at that point both of then are just friendly kind of strangers, so they are okay opening to each other, or recognize that they share similar burdens. But let's keep going, because we are not done yet, through BoTW you may come across NPC's and there are a few that mention details about the Silent Princess flower, it's not only recognize as the flower that the princess liked a lot, but also as a sign of love. There is even a couple that it's looking for it just before they marry. Next, something that wasn't translated properly for a reason or another. In BoTW, i don't know about ToTK yet, but every sidequest and main quest in Japanese is an entry in Link's own diary, from stuff like his love for food, to implications that on the old times he would may have through about accepting's Mytha's marriage proposal in the past, his insecurities about being able to fulfill his role as a hero, but also there is quite a lot details regarding Zelda from find her voice beautiful to wanting to save her so he can see her smile once again. At the past it could be possible that while Link had all of his memories he was torn between Mytha and Zelda, but at the present after all the tragedy, it's express that he wants her to be happy. And this is put in his dairy, this is not if or buts. He may have affection for both of then but at the present he wants Zelda to smile. And what do we see at the end of BoTW, a field of Silent Princess observing as Link walks right beside Zelda who finally looked at him and gave him a smile showing how happy she is. Tell me this isn't romantic, after all the context i have give you above in this comment
I have thought about this a lot, I think that it’s a little strange that Zelda is still the princess because of the information we has she is the only one left in the royal family, so she should actually be the queen
Link didn't have an alternative residence in BotW besides that house that they both now share in TotK, there is a strong implication that they warmed up to each other during the course of the last game with the vague implication that they consummated their relationship before TotK. Of course, it would clearly be a private matter & not openly discussed for both personal & political reasons, but anyone doubting the Silent Princess ship at this point probably has severe autism or an aversion to boats.
It’s incredibly obvious that Zelda has the hots for link, but it’s hard to tell what Link is feeling, or if either of them have actually acted on their feelings. It’s a lot like with Mipha. Mipha clearly loved Link and planned to propose to him, but there’s nothing indicating that Link even knew she felt that way about him. In Skyward Sword, it seemed clear to me that both Zelda and Link had romantic feelings for one another. Even without Link speaking, his reactions to her actions make it obvious. In BotW/TotK, I have absolutely no idea, probably since we don’t get to see the two of them *together* as much. The only indication is Zelda referring to Link holding her at the end of TotK as a “loving” embrace. The house in Hateno is now referred to as “Zelda’s house”, not “Link and Zelda’s house”. To me, that sounds like he gave her the house. He probably felt that she needed it more than he did, since she wanted to start a school. One NPC says that Zelda just lets people walk right in and make themselves at home in her house, which may be an alternate explanation for her wanting some privacy in a well. I hope they end up making a third game with these incarnations, specifically because I want some closure. And frankly, I feel like there are enough unanswered questions to warrant one. What happened to the rest of the zonai race? Where did they really come from? My guess is that BotW3 will take us to the moon. The zonai are actually moon rabbits and something on the moon has a connection to the secret stones, which is why the blood moon exists.
I mean……could you imagine playing Link and Zaldas kid? Probably a girl. In a BOTW style game as the 3rd in the trilogy and having to save your parents and hyrule as a kid with Links swordsman time powers (flurry rush and bullet time) with Zeldas light magic powers?
Dude, you are factually correct because it is canon. The developers stated "The timeline can be interpreted in a number of ways, and may change depending on new discoveries that have come to light and on the player's imagination". Fan imaginations are official canon.
I can't say for sure and I usually don't like ZeLink ships when it doesn't feel like the relationship was earned. It's one thing to be told it, but a lot of showing needs to take place. Like how in Spirit Tracks, when Link and Zelda hold hands at the end, it feels earned because Zelda was a character on the whole of Link's journey and they fought side by side. All of the memories with Zelda make ZeLink feel more earned in BotW and TotK. I still feel, to an extent, that it is still up to the player to interpret everything themselves because the player can skip all the memories across both games, which to their experiences would make Link seem more like a homeless guy who doesn't think he has any other purpose than to rescue Zelda. Link definitely has this soldier mentality. At the same time, there are more signs in TotK for a relationship, but I think if they wanted the house to be a more deliberate representation for their relationship, they would have added another pillow to the bed. Granted, treating the house as a side quest and therefore not canon is definitely wrong because of the pictures in the house, there is the picture you get at the end of the Champion's Ballad, the picture that Link can put up in the house. It's a little sneaky, to be sure, as Nintendo isn't usually so forward with Link and Zelda. Heck, the first time Link was really "forward" was when we got text for the rare occurrence of helping Cremia and getting the reward of a hug instead. The hand holding in Spirit Tracks would be more forward if Zelda wasn't back to doing her royal duties, leaving it again to be interpreted by the player.
I stopped at the part for TOTK since I haven't yet beaten it. But IMO you're right and it's quite obvious that their is a romantic component to their relationship; the video to this point breaks it down quite well. Still, it probably is worth discussing that relationships in practice aren't neat binaries, either friendship or romance. Many enduring love relationships bleed out of friendship, and are shaped also by circumstance. Link and Zelda in the BotW saga have endured extremely traumatizing events together. Zelda in particular is portrayed as an adolescent coming into her own as an adult, balancing duty, authority, and attachment. (Think of all the cutscenes with her father, with Urbosa, at the Springs, etc.) This is the context in which her relationship with Link is formed and developed. He represents a loyalty and security that seems frankly impossible in a universe where evil and tragedy continue to reassert themselves in shocking fashion. Would a properly-conceived character (Zelda) fall in love with someone who represents those ideals (Link)? I mean, sure seems like it to me. Link is a tougher case. No doubt he cares deeply about Zelda. But the backstory we get is that he grows up extremely fast, in large part due to his outrageous combat prowess and bravery. His vow of silence is a consequence of this burden; Zelda's diary says Link told her he is silent because "[w]ith so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden." Zelda further remarks that is "A feeling I know all too well... For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings." Frankly, I sort of doubt that the storywriters would endorse such a naive stoicism. Link's bottling of himself is not something to be celebrated; it is something he feels he needs to do, wrongly or rightly. Zelda's hope is that she can "talk with him more and to see what lies beneath those calm waters," and in turn "bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all these years." These are teenagers who forge a relationship out of their terrible circumstance. Link may or may not reciprocate-he may or may not repress even the capacity to hold someone in such affection. But the invitation from Zelda is there, and given her comfort around him, it's hard to conclude it has always been met only with cold duty.
The funny thing is... he pretty much abandoned that silent stoicism by the time he wakes up in BOTW. Not the part of him not speaking much, just the whole i have to keep everything to myself part. Which makes sense, as the only reason he had that in the first place is that he felt like all eyes were on him expecting he'd win against a Ganon that had a deadline. Losing suddenly lifted that deadline and made it so Link could take as long as he felt he needed to take the fight back to Ganon. That included helping regular people with the small stuff and no real expectations other than 'Get to Ganon at some point.' Effectively going from 'Strong silent type.' to 'Silent Bob.'
nintendo: you can think whatever you want to of the story, that is why link doesnt talk, YOU are link zelda fandom: **proceeds to argue over what relationship is canon or not canon**
A big nail in the coffin is you still have the final photo in your bedroom from the BotW DLC if you're playing with your save file on the same console.
My dream would be to have them continue this story in this Zelda universe and maybe even have Zelda actually be part of the game for once instead of the whole story being about a rescue mission. I think they could pull off some kind of twist on the game where they're both playable characters or something like that. At the very least some kind of spinoff would be nice. Not sure if the devs are going to abandon the usual formula where they essentially reset the universe every couple of games but this time around they've made the characters have so much more personality and built up the relationships between them that it wouldn't really feel the same if everything got wiped. Considering how the last 2 games kinda said screw it to the usual complicated timeline these games have maybe they'll start building a new timeline that actually makes sense
considering that totk pick up with seemingly every narative significant side quest completed, its at least implied that if not before beating ganon then after link went around and did all that stuff so yes, the house is almost certainly his, also add on that you can sleep in the bed at any time with no prior conditions met, which to my knowledge no other bed has this property, always some fee or quest/objective completed first edit: could be wrong but i think the house was a prerequisite to building tarry town so the town being there, links interference in the relationships there included, pretty much confirms it
Yup. The house was about to be torn down in botw before Link buys it, and it's how he meets and ends up helping Hudson in the first place. Age of Calamity or at least the promotion of it as well as Creating a Champion and some npc dialogue ("They say this house belonged to a knight who left for Hyrule Castle a hundred years ago and never returned") implied it was always Link or his family's property. Considering knights usually own some kind of land it also just makes sense.
Funnily enough, the first quest you get in the game is not about anything but a specific person. “Find Princess Zelda.” That’s Link’s first quest and it’s his very last quest. It’s only completed once you finally bring her back, not when you find out what happened to her through draconfication.
I think it's very clear they are in a relationship. Lots of examples you can find where clearly they have lover for me each other, living together, sacrificing for one another etc. Sure some people will think since they don't hug/kiss or anything that means there isn't anything there but that's silly talk honestly
I stopped at the spoiler part, so I'm sure covered it, but Zelda lives at Links house and he can sleep in the bed. That says enough to confirm it for me. That mixed with the falling petals at the end of BotW
I didn't really see it mentioned in comments (though I can't read through all 500+ of them) is that if you played and completed the Champion's Ballad in BotW, that picture will be in the house. In the footage displayed there is no picture hung up from the group photo, but on my console where I do have a save that contains that picture obtained and is on the wall. That is clearly a possession of Link's even if he gifts it to Zelda since she's also in it; she could have moved it to any other place in the house if it was gifted, but she left it. Yes the weapon and sheild stands were taken down, but I believe this to be a choice on the developers to push you to buy the house gimmick over in Tarrey Town as if you visit realatively early on in your playthrough (like many did) you'd have many lower tier weapons that aren't really worth storing. By the time you get more established items you'll have the cash to build a safehouse (Tarrey Town house) to keep your interesting or good fused weapons you keep for a rainy day or the game's finale. The other thing to take into consideration is that many of the game's objects are asset flips (not meant negatively, that's just the reality of it) and all beds in the game are what some could consider "double" sized despite in houses where there are parents and kids alike inside. You have to rely on previously established in-game texts, nonverbals that the devs had to intentionally make and pose, and voice lines recorded which have to have a director confirm the takes are correct. The cutscenes are all major things so the director's eyes will be on that like a hawk and will add or root out things that don't fit their vision.
There must be a relationship. She moved into his house, took Down all his stuff, ( weapon and shield racks) and moved in all her stuff. 🤔😆
She took the house. What’s next? The kids? We don’t even have kids, but if we did, they’d be hers.
@@lojika1majik Well, to be fair we'd be a pretty crappy father. Never home, always off somewhere torturing koroks.
@@howlbastion nah, I’d deffo visit the virtual kiddos. We could have some fun family bonding experiences.
Such as torturing Koroks.
Pretty bold to assume link can get it up.
@@howlbastionremember most people in zelda can't see koroks so they don't see you torturing a korok when driving your flaming crucifixion mobile they just see you as that weirdo driving a flaming cross around 😜
Let’s put it this way:
If I had a girlfriend like Zelda who talked about her “friend” the way Zelda talks about Link, we’d have some real problems in keeping a relationship.
Yea, she is keeping him in the "Friend Zone" hoping his status will increase. I bet that "Friend" had a major thing for her and she loved the fact he gave her attention when you were not around.
@@johnjay6370 That would be the logical step to make given that's the type of move a woman would make. But given its a fantasy world? I like to believe they are together myself. Bout time the hero gets recognition
Alright, but..sometimes women don‘t want to say the truth, because some are shy, some can’t really realise their feelings, there might be even a longer list for reasons. That is why some women say a very good friend, he is one that always helps me… I think Zelda fits in that type of women. And also some people in hyrule find link attractiv… those two maybe not in a relationship yet because there is a lot of stuff to do in hyrule, but they are clearly in love
@@johnjay6370 its not like they finally ended your 100 year fight to hold off the demon king
@@johnjay6370 dawg he’s the savior of the world and has a small harem of women pining for his attention, how much more “status” does link need
Interesting thing to note:
If you watch the scene at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom where Link tries to grab Zelda's hand, pay attention to the audio. When Link fails to catch Zelda, you can hear him gasping in distress. This is pretty significant since Link very rarely shows any emotion. But this situation made him so distressed that he ever so slightly dropped the mask he puts up and was distressed.
This at the very least shows he cares about her a lot. Also, the man just got his whole arm destroyed by Ganondorf. And yet he doesn't hesitate for a second to ignore his own pain, reach out with his ravaged arm and try to grab her with everything he has. To me, that's not just a knight's devotion. That's love.
they are dating or married tho we get screwed over with the english version as the japense version shows more into it
@@CountDracula2727 I wish I knew Japanese. Nintendo America ruins everything in their translations
To me it would’ve been more impactful if he managed to catch her but his arm fell apart trying to pull her up
@@sentientmustache8360 that’s devious I like it
@@sentientmustache8360 I think that would have been way too graphic for a Nintendo game lol
Something to note is that, if you beat the Champion's Ballad and put the picture up, it will be at the same place in ToTK, showing it's still Link’s house
not necessarily. that picture is close to zelda's heart as well meaning she probably would have kept it there. they could have had a copy made from granteson, who is a good painter.
@@Curbotron There is implied to be only one passed down from the court poet to Kass and then Link. The court poet also saw Link and Zelda pre-calamity and was jealous of them. Kass tells us this. It's also in the same place Link hung it and with the same frame.
@@kit76149 she stole the picture from Link like she stole his house.
Like a neighbor stole my basement cell (put his own lock on it, so I broke it open and put a new lock on it)
@@jonson856 nah, Zelda wouldn’t do that to Link. She canonically loves him, she ain’t gonna steal his stuff
Well that’s weird. I beat the DLC and the first thing i did when i got into the house is look for that picture and it wasn’t there.
There's a LOT more in Breath of the Wild that you left out, or didn't know about... in the Japanese version, Link's quest descriptions are formatted more like personal notes/journal entries, and he says that he wants nothing more than to see her smile again. In Zelda's diary, she reveals the reason why Link doesn't talk... Link _actually_ told her why with words. She's one of the few people he's actually spoken out loud to.
Additionally, Paya has a crush on Link. In her diary she questions whether or not a relationship between them would work out, she says no because the look in Link's eyes says otherwise... she then talks about Zelda by saying that she wonders if Zelda and Link are in love, and says that she would give that relationship her full support.
Lastly, in the Champion's Ballad DLC, Kass talks about his teacher who was a Shiekah poet. He worked alongside Zelda a lot of the time and developed a love for her... but its specifically stated that Zelda did not reciprocate those feelings because "she only had eyes for her appointed knight."
@@kotlc_zelink_loz_fan I'm not sure because I don't actually speak or read or play japanese, I learned it from other analysis videos from people who know how to translate it. I'm pretty sure its one of the main quests, either "Destroy Ganon" or the one for getting all the memories...
A cool detail is that you don’t even need the dlc for Kass to sing Link the song or tell him about his teacher, it’s base game even. Though the dlc is canon since the picture shows up in TotK if you’ve completed the dlc on the same profile, and the dlc references and tells of canon events.
Also, the one where he says “Even it’s just a moment sooner, I want to save her as soon as possible. I want to see her smile again with these eyes of my own.” I believe that is the final entry for the completed memories quest, but only when directly translated from Japanese.
I think that the way Zelda talks about Link in Tears of the Kingdom answers that question definitively.
It’s clear that she does love Link since Breath of the Wild.
Also her diary underneath their house really sells it as well
plus she takes him to couples pond everything there in lurelin village
@@gandalfpotter2149 pun intended?
@@CountDracula2727
Where does it say that she takes him to the Lover's pond?
Having finished the game just recently it feels hard to argue against the notion that there are very clear romantic undertones intended between Link and Zelda. I mean I thought it was pretty clear in botw, and there are things in totk that seem to substantiate that, ESPECIALLY the final scenes of the game.
Although I doubt it’ll be officially confirmed
So are you gonna ignore the hints and suggestions that they are involved?
Let alone retcon everything their relationship has build up to since Breath of the Wild?
@@a.jthomas6132 ? Did you read my comment correctly?
@Darcy I have read the comment. But why would he ever doubted it?
@@a.jthomas6132 He said he doubts the Zelda team will ever outright say it's canon.
@@masonstewart6232 They need to measure up since there are evidences that Link and Zelda are heavily involved in their relationship since the Princess is in love with her silent knight.
Now I understand not everyone agrees with because of the sick toxication of the shipping wars from the fandoms.
But these are signs we cannot ignore.
I’ve always thought of the Silent Princess as a symbol of Link and Zelda’s romantic connection, especially after Bolson’s “falling petals represent infinite love”.
The petals that fall in the true ending of BotW belong to that very flower. And where do we get a surplus of said flower in Tears of the Kingdom?
After Dragon Tear #12, where Zelda sacrifices herself. As far as she knew, those final moments before her transformation would be her last words, and what does she say?
“Link! Protect them all!” It’s a plea to him, one she isn’t even sure he’ll hear.
What gets me even more about this Tear is Link’s reaction afterwards. It’s the closest he truly gets to emoting, and it’s because of the Silent Princesses his beloved princess left for him after realizing what has become of her.
“But there’s no proof of Link reciprocating!” And yet Zelda was awoken “…by a loving embrace”. He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but cmon.
Also, Link is still able to sleep in the bed at Hateno. I doubt he’d allow himself to do that if him and Zelda are just friends. ESPECIALLY when you consider that Link cannot sleep in Purah’s bed, whom he has known for roughly the same time as Zelda.
Food for thought, anyways lmao.
"it's the closest he gets to emoting" 💀 bros in Fortnite jk jk
Also, Zelda's bed is the same size as other married couples in Hateno. And Link can vote in the election meaning he is an addult and a citizen of Hateno. Plus, you can see a picture of the pond of lovers in the house. Aaaaand to top it all of, you can find Link's hair band in Zelda's secret room. Prunia even tells us that Zelda used to carry it around. It is very crear at this point
I think the “I was awoke by a warm, loving embrace” at the end of the game is the nail in the coffin for me. Sure, that could still be interpreted as nothing more than a platonic love/devotion and if that’s your interpretation I won’t take that away from you, but personally I see that as a sign of something more.
I still think Skyward Sword is where that relationship was most explicitly stated (I mean, look at how desperately distraught Link is every time he barely catches up to Zelda only to lose her again, ESPECIALLY when she seals herself in the Temple. That man LOVES her).
To be honest there really isn’t ANY ambiguity with Zelda’s feelings on Link it was confirmed since BotW by Kass that it was Zelda’s love for her appointed knight that allowed her to awaken her power. Also Kass’s mentor was in love with Zelda but she only had eyes for her appointed knight. From a meta standpoint they would not include these two direct statements of her feelings for Link unless it was meant to confirm her love for him. The only ambiguity is if Link reciprocated her feelings or if she ever even confessed her feelings to him. I like to think yes in both cases. I personally think they are in an romantic relationship in TotK. But we will never get 100% confirmation of this unless a future game cites a future Zelda as their descendants.
I mean it doesn't even need to cite it or say it out loud. Much like with Skyward Sword's implication, if there's a game chronologically after totk and there's a Zelda, it happened. The way Zelda talks about Link and how close they are there is zero chance she is suddenly picking a random npc.
@@kit76149 true I just mean there is no way it will be 100% confirmed unless they outright cite it. Even if it’s 90% confirmed there will still be doubters or people delusional enough to believe Zelda just ends up with some generic NPC
I never considered that Link might not be reciprocating. That would be hilarious if this whole time Zelda is simping for Link, and all the while he's just going "hahaha shield surfing go brrrr."
Theres also an NPC named Pitar that gives you the Yiga Mask and says that hes planning to confess his love to a lady named Nobo hes searching for and that they are meant to be so fate will guide them together. He even says he got a matching outfit to go with hers. He then tells Link "I hope you find your love too." It just so happens Link is looking for Zelda and wears a matching champion's armor that she got him whenever they are together.
Them being in a relationship just makes the entire game more special for myself. Im a romantic at heart lol. Especially the ending with the final dive to save her. It's moment that will stick with me forever.
I do like that they leave it open for people to determine. We all create our own little stories of what happens after. That being said........wedding dlc? lol
I would actually unironically love a DLC like that
If there is wedding DLC it's probably gonna be for Sidon and Yona tho. Maybe in BOTW3/TOTK2 tho? XD
Agreed. It just makes it more personal since their relationship is like that and not just some save the princess and move on with life. Like in TP they were never close but this game they are extremely close and heck even live together and do it all together.
A post-game DLC package that’s separate from the main game would be great. I’d love something like that-like you, I’m a hopeless romantic and after playing this game I’d like to actually see an unambiguous statement of their relationship.
@@kymo6343 There was a sort of wedding for them…
And Link and Zelda are totally meant to be in my opinion :)
I think they do have a thing for each other! Kass even says in botw that his former teacher knew that the princess has feelings for her silent knight. And how they were together in every memory in botw, how could they not have a thing for each other? Ive been shipping them since then and im hoping they end up together at the end of totk ❤
There's some pretty subtle and noteworthy hints that they may be a couple already before the start of the game. The fact Zelda is living in Link's house from BoTW, and the place seems to be set up for two people yet only one bed - and it's the only non inn bed Link can sleep in.
@@Crichjo32 plus the lurelin village questline where they go to couples pond everytime they go to lurelin village
@@CountDracula2727 Zelda went to the Lover's Pond and took a photo for that quest, but I don't recall anyone ever mentioning Link accompanying her. Although, I doubt she'd go there alone, given the pond's backstory.
@@Hyperion_21 Nothing explicitly states that she went there with Link, but given she states in her diary that Link accompanies her where ever she goes and that she would go to the pond specifically at night, as if to avoid other people, strongly suggests they went together
@@Hyperion_21 Link always travels with her so they’re almost certainly going there together. No one puts focus on Link since he’s usually just looked at as a body guard, so they’re not gonna focus on Link being with her. To them he’s a nobody, but they just don’t know how close they are and their relationship together
I do love how Rauru and Sonia both pulled the "Ohhoho, you like him?" That so many grandparents and aunts or uncles pull with younger kids/teenagers 😂
It was just really wholesome, even though they both are, quite literally, some of her oldest ancestors. King Rhoam is weeping in his grave over how badly he failed for seventeen years to show his daughter he loved her, while this fluffy dragon man, his sister, and his hylian wife showed her more love and compassion than Rhoam ever did... within like, a matter of months, I'm assuming. Maybe a year? How long Zelda was with them is very unclear, but... like they showed her so much familial love and support within such a short amount of time, and she grew much stronger because of it.
I feel like if Rhoam was half the family to her that these three had been, Zelda probably could have handled the Calamity easily, unlocking her power wouldn't have been a problem at all, but because she constantly had to adjust to her father's boundaries and orders, I feel like she probably put a wall up to protect herself... like even if she knew he loved her deep down, the concern of taking an emotional lashing was just too much to stay vulnerable. I feel like she did that with her citizens to, because of that, so she also couldn't save them, because even if she loved and cared about them, there was this invisible wall between herself and everyone else. She was protecting herself from the people's opinions of herself, from her father's opinions, because to her it was "This is business" and not "I love these people" first. Link was one of the very few people who weren't left behind that wall, she loved him, likely on many levels, and it wasn't a facade she had to put up to make him respect or care about her, she was able to be vulnerable, she was able to be herself without judgement or anger in response. I feel that's probably why she was able to save him, and unlock her power at that time, because she wasn't scared to love Link, like she wasn't scared to love the other champions either, if she had the chance to, she probably could have unlocked that power if she had tried to save them, as well.
But that's where these three got it right, they didn't expect her to be all powerful, they didn't expect a mastery of skill, they just loved her, unconditionally. They treated her like a person, cared about her concerns, cared about her well-being, and she grew from that. She thrived on training as well, because again, they were patient, and it was completely her own choice to train, they never forced her to, or guilt tripped her into doing it like her father did.
Poor girl had terrible daddy issues :(
This is an amazing character analysis, I'm so glad Zelda got to meet her ancestors and have that unconditional family support she didn't have in her original timeline. She's truly become my favorite iteration of the character, she's just so layered and complex but feels more real.
I completely agree! Rauru and Sonia are so sweet and the way the treated Zelda made me very happy.
If there was ever a game for these two to be 'romantic' in, it's this one.
Zelda isn't just 'the objective' in this game, she's a genuine person Link is close to and has to save because SHE IS HIS 'FRIEND'. She is his closest relationship next to someone like Impa who is an old woman and Puarh who is more like a teacher/ alley.
Link knew her before the last game, knew her long enough to teach her things and for Link to open up about himself and for Zelda to cry on his shoulder in her darkest hour.
Zelda awakened her power BECAUSE she felt the urge to save, Link. And this is something that is implied to be comparable to Mipha using her powers and thinking about how she loves Link.
Zelda held out for 100 years, sealed along with the calamity for 100 years, FOR LINK.
The whole deal with the last game isn't just to defeat Ganon it's to find and save her too.
It's very obvious these two stayed close off screen in-between botw and totk. Zelda literally moved into his house, keeps his picture of the champions, and his hair band in her secret room.
The first part, of tears of the kingdom is Link trying to jump in front of Zelda to save her/ jumping forward into a chasm to save her from falling. Remember this.
The whole objective through out the game isn't JUST to beat back the corruption that Ganondorf has put through the land it is to FIND PRINCESS ZELDA.
And Zelda risks everything for Link. She tries to change the past to help him but when that doesn't work out she makes an ultimate sacrifice play to make sure she can help him in the only real way she can. She doomed herself to an eternity of being a mindless dragon just to help him get his master sword back in top condition. Because she has faith in Link.
Now I know you can just say 'oh well they're royalty and heroes they need to help each other because it helps save the world' but it's not just that.
These two are doing what they can for the sake of saving each other as much as they are doing it to save the world.
Also think of the kinda of relationships Link has outside of Zelda. Sidon for all the 'haha these two dating would be funny' jokes, are genuinely good friends. And Sidon gets a partner who brings him up. Mipha sadly missed her shot and died.
None of the other champions really have any romantic connection to Link, it's just Zelda.
And after everything, after you beat the demon king and purge the world of his corruption... you're not done.
The one thing, you HAVE to do to beat the game- is catch Zelda.
To make up for what Link failed to do at the beginning you both fall through the sky and Link grabs her and holds her as they fall into the water.
There is no other game besides maybe something like Skyward sword, wind waker, or spirit tracks where the relationship between Zelda and Link is just so damn relevant to the plot. I feel like these two are heavily meant for each other and I don't see how else their relationship can be taken.
Yeah and In creating a champion it said link sacrificed his life for her again in tears of the kingdom he risked his life messing with gloom and got his arm taken because of that he also jumped after her and at the end he covered her head before they hit the water they both risk so much for each other to go on they are like sole mates
@@That-girliscrazy I mean they kinda literally are soul mates since the first Zelda and link were in love with each other lol
I have yet to beat the game, but I already knew that that dragon of light was Zelda. It was the only thing that fit when I found that there were 4 dragons instead of 3. As I get more time to play the game (ADHD and a heavy work schedule make it hard), I look forward to the whole story being revealed.
If it’s a game for these two to be «romantic» in, it’s Skyward Sword, but other than that, I agree
This comment is so well written! They are so cute and their relationship is so wholesome in this game. My heart melted at the ending when Link grabbed her hand and pulled her close.
And when his hand was over her head too 😭
If you find the Gerudo from BoTW that asks Link if he has someone special, you get an option that outright says he's in a relationship in ToTK.
Like what
Can you tell me which npc, I am having a hard time finding her
@@Erb730 Ashai.
@@That-girliscrazy "Have you found someone special?" and you can say "I have!"
In Gerudo town one of the Vais asks Link if he is in a relationship and your choices are either "yes" or "no..." implying that Link is also dating someone. Add the house to the mix, Princess Zelda talking about like to Rauru and Sonia, and the loving embrace quote at the end and it's hard to say they are not in a relationship.
Basically we can decide if Link is shy about it or not
I really like Dragon Tear Memory 8!
In this tear memory, Sonia and Rauru would like to meet Link as Zelda speaks highly of him (since I can tell she’s blushing on the Hero of Hyrule and how much she admires his dedication).
It may sounded crazy but I feel her ancestors are the kind of parents Zelda needed since her father King Rhoam is always cold towards his own daughter, as well as forbidden her from being A scholar and calls her a failure.
They would have accepted Link as her boyfriend since the pair do lived together in his childhood home in present day Hateno Village.
This is a real Zelink define moment! ^^
It wasn't Link's childhood home. During BOTW you can fix it up and buy it. But still the point is they're living together....it's obvious.
Obvious is obvious.
The only reason why they don't outright confirm it is because Link is very much still intended to be a "link" between the player and the game,meaning they wanna give you the freedom to imagine your own outcome.
Nailed it, the ambiguity is a major factor in keeping the player's choices & personal feelings relevant. It gives an additional roleplaying aspect to the game where you can either be a sigma knight who is doing his sworn duty or a bf taking care of his girl. Almost the same exact gameplay can cause both types of players to immerse themselves in the plot.
Honestly, I rly do genuinely think that this iteration of Zelda and Link is romantic. There is just so much tension between the two back in BOTW. And TOTK seems to strengthen that bond they had, especially in the scene where she was talking about Link to Sonia and Rauru. I freaking love the BOTW/TOTK universe, Ik it’s prob not gonna happen BUT I’d love to see this version of the Zelda series completed as a trilogy, I fell in love with the BOTW universe, im just not ready to move on to another Zelda game, yknow what I mean?
Absolutely feel the same way lol
I'd be down for a final third game but time will tell
It’s so crazy to me to see so many people would rather think that Zelda is some horrible person that kicked Link out of his own house to steal it than to understand that they’re a couple
Kass actually says that Zelda’s love for Link is what awakened her power
That is a fact
Agreed completely
But that doesn’t mean it’s reciprocated.
@@TheRuggedEchinda "I want to see her smile with my own eyes" in jpn botw + (spoilers)
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Recall scene
Link's facial animation coming out of memory 12
The ending
The whole crisis at hyrule castle sequence
@@kit76149 but that doesn’t mean romantically driven by link’s perspective. I merely see that a cherished relationship, like a sister or best friend. I would say if this Link has canonically loved anyone romantically it would realistically be Mipha by the diary entry and him literally quivering with emotion after remembering what Mipha meant to her along with accepting the Zora armor which is a method of proposal by Royal Zora women.
There's also the fact that in BotW Kass reveals that his teacher knew that the Princess 'fell for her knight' (though no confirmation that he felt the same way back) and in the cutscene after the credits in TotK (spoiler warning) I THINK it's implied that the sages were going to say 'Princess Zelda and Link'?? Also the addition of being able to find a hairband in a chest in Zelda's well is a cute touch, even if it's only implied to be Link's and not confirmed.
Edit: After rewatching the final cutscene I think it's just because they messed up and didn't say the same thing lmao
I like how King Rauru and Queen Sonia are much similar to Link and Zelda... just like how the pair are a metaphor to the Silent Princess flower.
My hope for Tears of the Kingdom is we get to see Zelda accompanied by Link as they traveled together, helping to restore Hyrule, researching ancient artifacts, and spending time together since Zelda plans to take him to the Lover’s Pond.
They are at least thematically similar, yeah. Zelda's power is the same as Sonia's, and Link can seal darkness (with his sword) like how Rauru does with his light powers.
@@GabbyIsFine And both Link and Rauru do mourn of their lovers before confronting the Demon King.
Where in TOTK does it say that Zelda plans to take him to Lover's Pond?
@@_TheDoctor Lurelin npc. Zelda painted a picture of lover's pond after going there and gave it to the mayor's family. The npc then wonders why zelda used to visit lovers pond only at night. If you visit the pond at sunset there's fairies and then later fireflies appear. Nintendo as usual likes to be vague and not say it outright, but Link never lets Zelda wander the wilderness alone. Creating a Champion states he continued to remain by her side post calamity ganon. Zelda's diary also says he is always by her side to the point his clothing is getting worn. Safe to say Link was there when she went to Lurelin. Therefore they probably went to the pond together.
@@kit76149 I mean add Zelda has her own study area in the well....why would she need that if it was just her home. Clearly distractions if someone else was living with her....for example. A certain knight named Link. Hehehe. She can't keep her eyes on her work when he's around.
And Link can only sleep in a bed that is HIS...not in other homes. More strong indication they live together. Link more likely just let Zelda decorate the home. I mean even the table is set for 2. Not 1. And the single bed...that's the standard bed. Even for married NPC's..
In the Japanese version of the game, the house is not dubbed as "Zelda's house".... it says "Our house". And also the quests in BOTW are written from Link's POV, where in one of them he says he wants to see her smile again with his own eyes, which leads me to believe that if he didn't love her during the age of the Calamity, he definitely fell in love with her over the course of revisiting his lost memories, or maybe even those memories reignited his forgotten feelings. Then there's the issue of Kass's mentor, who was in love with Zelda, but as Kass said, "she only had eyes for her knight", which was hinted at in a few occasions during the story, and then you have the song that Kass's mentor wrote about them. So yeah I absolutely believe that these incarnations of Link and Zelda are in love with each other and the natural progression of it would be to live together while they work to restore Hyrule.
Well said
“Our house” oh my goshhh
"OUR HOUSE"??!?!?!? DANG BRO
That’s 💯 confirmation if I’ve ever seen it
I truly believe this Zelda & Link is in a relationship.
I have no problem either by letting the player decide based on their own opinion.
That's why I do feel like there are plenty of reasons to believe it.
Speaking of Zelda's Diary, from what I understand in the English version, the house is said to belong to Zelda. However, from what I heard in the Japanese version is that Zelda refers to the house as Ours.
Theirs also evidence that both went to the 💙 shaped pond.
About the pond part, I really need to know where to find that because all I got from the dialogue which talks about her going to the pond was that it is implied.
@gentlemanbronco3246 In Lurelin village, there's a guy staring at a painting of the pond painted by zelda. If you talk to him, he will tell you how the lake declined in popularity. However, he also says that zelda always at least goes to visit the lake during the evenings however he doesn't know why. According to Zeldas personal diary, she states that Link has always been by her side. So connecting the two implies that she did bring him to the heart shaped lake multiple times as they visited Lurelin Village
@@uhmhmmyeah I remember hearing that whenever Zelda visited the pond. It was suspicious always at night.
"However, from what I heard in the Japanese version is that Zelda refers to the house as Ours."
I can tell you, for a fact, this is not true. Sadly.
The diary in their house, Zelda uses the word "家" (pronounced: ii-eh). It's just the Japanese word for "house" or "the house." She doesn't use any possessive pronouns. Not "my house" but also not "our house." It's just neutral.
@Velarieth
Ok, thanks.
I was never able to confirm if that was true when I first heard of it.
I think they’ve all but confirmed it, honestly. The reason the romantic angle of it is absent is because it’s not important really to the narrative, it’d just be to satisfy the cravings of shippers and they don’t really care for that. But the deep affection and trust is important and so they depict it.
The reason the romance is depicted in Skyward Sword is because it’s thematically relevant to the coming of age story for both characters.
I think they do care for that, since Miyamoto, Fujibayashi and Aonuma all seem to ship it.
But maybe it generates more hype to just heavily imply it? Idk.
@@Angel_Auraa Yeah like fujibayashi straight up uses the words "icha icha" or flirting to describe their relationship in botw in the botw making of documentary
think they may be married so they dont care to confirm or deny it as in aoc and botw link and zelda showed they loved each other look at links expressions threw out the game you can tell also the way sonia and rareu want to meant think implys heavy that there involed romanicly
When Zelda falls at the beginning, Link tries to catch her hands and seems doesn’t care about that damaged master sword at all. He knows how important the master sword is and it can be repaired even if it’s damaged (based on the first memory cutscene in the Korok forest). He even decides to fall in the darkness with her if Rauru’s hand doesn’t come to save him.
In botw, Zelda can’t awaken her sealing power even she saw her kingdom was ruined by the calamity and her dad was killed by the guardians, but she finally got that power when she thought Link was gonna dead😂
Link was just supposed to let her fall?
Japanese authors have very different style of depicting romantic relationships, culturally speaking. They don't show people frenching all the time like in Hollywood. In older movies and even modern movies, sometimes the only indication of people being a married couple is when one of them is taking action once the other is put in a harm's way.
Even in anime people can never be shown to have much affection physically, only to have kids after a time skip.
Yes it's very strange for us as foreigners that they have such modest traditions of showing love and romance while we think that their baseline sensibilities are that of harems, ecchis and hentai, but those genres don't actually have the same amount of influence and impact on the bigger culture.
Why cant they just confirm it? We are all dying to know!
Exactly. Nintendo has you hook, line, and sinker.
Easy.
If they confirm it, fans will expect this dynamic going forward every game and thus lockinh themselves into a permanent dynamic.
Leaving it ambiguous gives them more room for freedom.
Regardless.
Both Skyward Sword and TOTK/BOTW are incredibly romantic coded and really shouldn't have to be discussed
We likely won't get explicit confirmation, but the devs put enough evidence to imply they are in a relationship.
I’d imagine adding it also ups the rating of the game
@@wildbard4112 So, they’re basically doing the same thing as Mario and Peach. Enough implied material to say they’re in a relationship. (Kissing behind a curtain, blushing, hand holding, sharing a house, etc.)
100% they are. They confirmed it in a subtle way. The way she talked to him in the opening, the fact that she needed a private study next to her (their) home…
Something i noticed but i think everyone either knew or dismissed. During the falling scene where Link misses Zelda's hand, he intentionally let go of the sword before taking a reckless leap to catch her.
A new big bad just showed up out of the blue and the last thing u wanna be is weaponless to defend urself and the girl ur supposed to "protect" but link DROPS THE MASTER SWORD, this super ultra holy nuke sword from the gods that can kill evil, just to try and grab Zelda and u can see the desperation on his face as he throws himself into an abyss just to catch her
One of the biggest things for me that proves that, at least Link loves Zelda is when she falls. He doesn't jump to grab ahold of a rock and catch her, he just immediately jumps. There's no deliberation, just instinct. He probably knows that even if he catches her, they may not survive the fall, but he does it anyways, and as some other commenters point out, he does it with his injured hand. To me, that's not someone trying to protect her, that's someone who loves her.
The way Zelda talks about Link in the memory to Sonia makes it pretty clear that if they’re NOT in a relationship, Zelda really wants them to be.
Thought i should mention this, but in the Japanese version of breath of the wild, the adventure log is written in first person, and is confirmed to be Link’s own thoughts on events. All I will say is that it’s quite interesting on what he thinks about Mipha and Zelda.
Dont forget in BOTW you can read Zeldas journal! And she admits certain feelings as well as Kas flat out confirming she has feelings for him!
As well as she just about says it to the deku tree too
Yeah if you’ve played the entire story - beat the game, not to mention caught certain other Easter eggs, it’s hard to imagine thinking they aren’t already a couple prior to the opening scene and clearly still are by the end.
Something I noticed about Tears of the Kingdom’s ending is that the field in which Link and Zelda find themselves is filled with forget-me-nots. This is extremely cool, because the forget-me-not represents true/eternal love, fidelity, and remembrance. Despite being separated from one another for centuries, Link and Zelda’s love for one another never faltered, and Link never gave up on getting Zelda back; it was his first priority, even more important than destroying Ganondorf. Likewise, Zelda still managed to remember Link even after she lost herself to draconification, and her memories returned to her fully when Link restored her to her original self. They are absolutely ride or die for one another, and they went to incredible lengths to help each other save Hyrule. These two are madly in love and nothing can stop them from being together forever.
Speaking of the house, if you completed all the BotW DLC and placed the final photo on the wall in the house, then that photo is in the house in TotK. I also saw mention somewhere (though I can't confirm) that in the diary of Zelda, where she says she hired Bolson to build a secret well that isn't in the plans of "my house" that the Japanese text actually says "our house"
Just to confirm it is in fact still Link's house in Hateno, if you're playing on the same switch you played BOTW and finished the champions ballad dlc, the portrait you get from Kass is still on the wall and in the same exact spot.
Also thanks for the video, I've been dying for this conversation because I care way more than I need to.
Also, this confirms the only thing Zelda let Link keep was the flower next to the bed and that picture.
I like how there must have been an executive decision about Link beeing shirtless in the end xD.
Maybe to make obvious that his injury is gone an his arm is restored.
They literally lived together for 5 years, not only a relationship but a very committed one
How I like to put is that
Breath of the wild was Zelda’s way of showing that she loves link.
Tears of the kingdom is Links way for showing his love to Zelda
True this is more true than I think people realize Zelda In btow saves link due to her love for link awakening her power now when we take this into account since well it’s 100% cannon because the game says it outright lamo but Zelda describes the thing that woke her up as a “warm loving embrace” and too note if you go out of bounds during that cutscene link similes on the word “loveing” so it was his love that she felt so in both games it’s basically the story of how far each person is willing to go too see each other again
Saying link and Zelda just really really care about each other as friends has the same energy as "just gals being pals"
I see them more than just friends.
And about the Hateno house, "they were roommates" lol
Fr. r/Sapphoandherfriend but for a straight pairing
I have genuinely never seen an m/f pairing getting the "and they were roommates" treatment as much as Link and Zelda do, like why lol
I'm really hoping that this turns into a Trilogy and the next game takes much further into the future because it would be really awesome to see an older more grizzled king- link and queen Zelda. In the current game I do think they are in some kind of relationship even if it hasn't progressed to being a couple yet
I've had the same thought. You could squeeze one more game out that map by setting it in a restored Hyrule many years later - more/expanded towns, forts, outposts etc. Give Link a kid and have that kid in danger like Links sister in Wind Waker. Link goes on one last big adventure to save his daughter would have a unique emotional weight especially if Zelda was the mother.
@@ennanhamill yessssss! This gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! I hope Nintendo scratches this itch for us because they (the incarnations in this time) are so freaking adorable together😭💕
Kohga is still alive, so the Yiga clan could be involved in such a plot.
@@JockenN Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Like in Zelda 2 when they needed Links blood to revive Ganon - do that but with the Yiga clan looking to get Link and Zelda's child for a revival ritual. High stakes emotion using the established lore and characters. It would be great.
@@ennanhamill I was thinking maybe them exploring lands outside of Hyrule maybe 1 or 2 years after the whole Demon King situation in another game forming relationships with other kingdoms to help rebuild Hyrule since we know there is other lands beside Hyrule because of Sidon's wife and expanding more on Link and Zelda's relationship.
In Breath of the Wild, Zelda’s love for Link is what awakens her sealing powers in the final memory.
Thus, Kass’s last song shows how the Princess has feeling with her appointed knight based on what his instructor implies.
And lastly in her diary in the study room, she describes Link as a glutton when it comes to food and she has gotten him to be more open up on why he was silent all the time and it’s because the burden he didn’t asked for (which is similar to what Zelda has gone through). She would like to talk with him more.
Those are the examples that depicted her feelings towards her appointed knight as they bonded.
There are evidences Zelda loves Link since before and after the events of Breath of the Wild.
Thus, there are so many hints and Suggestions that their relationship evolved into lovers in Tears of the Kingdom.
One example is when you go Hateno Village to check in Link’s old home. It’s called Zelda’s house. In the Japanese version however, it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed).
Another example is from Dragon Tear Memory 8, where Zelda speaks highly about Link to Queen Sonia and King Rauru as she blushes.
Next is you get to see her second dairy in a her secret study room beneath their home where Zelda wrote about a surprise she was gonna give to Link after their investigating the underground caverns of Hyrule Castle.
And lastly, you encounter a NPC after rebuilding Lurelin. He show you a photograph image of a Lover’s Pond where someone in disguise went there, then later implies that Zelda went there with Link.
Those examples are heavily implied that this version Zelink is canon.
This is my first time hearing about the house name part
"One example is when you go Hateno Village to check in Link’s old home. It’s called Zelda’s house. In the Japanese version however, it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed)."
I'm sorry to tell you this, but this is not true. I am not fluent in Japanese, but I know enough to be dangerous.
In Zelda's journal, in Japanese, she uses the word 家 which is Japanese for "house" or "the house." She doesn't use any possessive language to indicate it is "her house" or "our house." In the English journal she calls it "my house" so the Japanese is more neutral. It could be her house, or it could be her and Link's house.
The title of the house is also, still, just "Zelda's house" in Japanese. Walking up to the well pops up the location title, and in Japanese it is: ゼルダの家の井戸
Which is literally: Zelda's house's well
Or better translated as: The well at Zelda's house
I still think they live together. But this is just correcting that the Japanese is equally as neutral.
I agree that Zelda loves Link but you are wrong about the name of the house in Japanese. It’s Zelda’s house there as well.
@@Velarieth thank you
these zelink shippers are hopeless
I think the house side quest is pretty much confirmed as canon because tarrey town exists and needed link‘s involvement to develop
I think they really are in a relationship. When staying with the gerudo, one of them asks you if there is someone special for Link. And you have the option to say yes so I believe is up to you to define what kind of relationship you have with Zelda.
They were living together during the time between the two games and that house only has one bed.
its nice to know after the calamity, zelda and link can live peacefully together while helping rebuild hyrule.
tho question is how will they get hyrule castle back to ground lvl l0l
Even if the bed is not very large and have 1 pillow it does not exclude their relationship for 2 reasons:
- From a lore point of view, children and villagers go to the house to visit Zelda. Maybe the couple doesn't want to expose itself yet since this is not the time to say "yahoo, a new royal couple" because the kingdom is being rebuilt.
- From a development perspective, we see in other Zelda games that their relationship is ambiguous. So a king size bed would be a huge piece of evidence for their couple.
I love this video! So sweet 🥹 Thank you for making it, the production value is really high! Great content.
Bolson doesn't recognize Link. Link worked for Bolson to rebuild the house in Hateno. I think Nintendo rewrote this storyline.
Doesn’t Bolton thank link when you first meet him in totk for helping building the town because I am pretty sure he does
Hudson and Karson recognize link. Tarrey Town exists which only happens if Link is involved and buys the house in the first place, which was about to be torn down. Also this is a fairly irrelevant point to make anyway, as some of the zora such as Bazz, who are supposedly his childhood friends, don't recognize him either.
In addition to everything you mentioned in the video there is another factor that IMO strongly implies link and Zelda relationship: link new tunic! I think Zelda's plan to give Link his tunic is a callback to Mipha in the first game.
Soo she wanted to marry him?
@@truthwillsetyoufree-23 we don't know. It's not literally, it's just a reference (I guess).
@@viniciusmartinssilva3018 Oh I thought that’s what you implied
Being very early in the game (I've yet to do anything but Shrines, grab enough Korok Seeds to roughly double my starting capacity, and a few quests here and there) I'd have to say yes, absolutely. Why? Because I found Zelda's diary in a hidden room under Link's home. A home with a picture of Zelda's favorite Golden Horse (indicating co-habitation). When do people write in their diary? Right before bedtime. *Link has ONE bed.*
If this didn't make it abundantly clear that Link & Zelda have been shacking-up at least on weekends for the last 3-6 years (given the age of Mattison being somewhere between three-to-five and allowing one year for Hudson & Rhondson to have her), then I don't know what does. I don't use the age increase for Purah as a metric as to how much time has passed between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as Purah has a habit of changing her physical age via experiments. Unless Mattison is ten, in which case I really cannot tell the ages of video game children at _ALL._
Besides, who else are they gonna get together with? Everyone they knew from pre-Calamity Hyrule outside Impa, Purah, and Robbie are _dead._ I'm not seeing any cute redhead farm girls trying to woo Link (unless that comes later in TotK), and foreign dignitaries with marriage proposals has never been a thing in Zelda (just how intertwined IS your Family Tree, Zelda?!).
The family tree is probably filled with cute semi-blonde wild boys who happen to wear a blue-green hilted sword.
Think on this: Zelda's father's name was King Rhoam Bosphoramus (sp?) Hyrule. He must have been a royal cousin, since it would be very strange for a king to take his wife's surname in most cases. He was not King Consort...he was _King._ His wife was obviously a woman of the royal bloodline as she carried the blood of the Goddess that she passed on to Zelda. I do not think that the royals were forced to marry anyone they didn't like, but somewhere in BotW (one of Kass's songs, if I remember right) hinted that Link wasn't even of the nobility, so at least he's clearly unrelated to Zelda in this lifetime. Link and Zelda probably married several times over time, but the next Zelda is always of royal descent and the next Link is always of the spirit of the Hero, reborn and somehow crossing paths with the Princess.
I'm confused on the timeline between BOTW and TOTK. I got the impression that Link and Zelda have been missing for a while and that considerable time has passed since the Upheaval. So how close is the TOTK prologue to the end of BOTW? How much time has passed between the Upheaval (the prologue event) and Link awakening in the sky?
@@howlbastion Zelka does mention that the tunnels go a lot deeper than they thought. If you still take that first trailer into account, they originally brought one of those beasts with them loaded with supplies that they had to leave behind at some point.
One of Purah’s diaries in totk (can’t remember which one) states that she indeed used the experiment to change her age to adult again :) So we really can’t use her to guess how long has been since botw, Mattison is the better metric
the house being bought by link in botw is canon to totk because if he didn't,
1. the house would be destroyed
2. tarrey town wouldn't exist
Also the Champion’s Ballad photo too.
The fact that they are living together in totk is pretty telling
If you have played the Champions ballad in Botw on the same Switch, the picture of the champions, Zelda and Link also hangs in their house in Tears of the Kingdom
(where Link had hung it in Breath of the Wild's DLC)
Zelda and Link are bound by fate, immortalized through time. Zelda gave up everything even her own self in faith of him, Link was ready to do everything even without any knowledge of his self and her. I have no questions in my mind, their relationship is sacred and I think this is the most idealistic and sacred depiction of Love.....
NintendoBlackCrisis: *doesn't makes Zelink video in TOTK*
AndresRestart: "fine, I'll do it myself"
Pretty shure he’s working on it eventually
@@wiskerfall4519 yes
There are also two thrones in the castle’s throne room.
I have another topic for you. The fact that there are no bugs and everything just works without noticeable flaws makes you feel like you can execute Links abilities in the real world. I often drop something and have to remember that I can't recall it... Or maybe I'm just playing it too much😂
I'm in total agreement. I think at this point, people who refuse to admit it are just in denial. Just one thing you missed in the Hateno house that I thought it was further confirmation: The table is set for two. If the study isn't enough to confirm she is not living alone, the table should be.
One thing you forgot to mention that takes the implication of Zelda’s love awakening because of link to being confirmed is that kass states that “the princess love for her fallen knight awakens her power” within his song aditonaly his teacher fell in love with Zelda but rejected him because “she only had eyes for her knight attendant” so it’s cannon Zelda is in love with link confirmed by Nintendo themselves
I think they are in deep love with each other and it's beautiful. Also hidden detail the only beds you can sleep in without paying is Zelda's (or yoyr house in Terry Town but thay costs to build)
In my play through imagined after collecting the tears, collecting the Master Sword and seeing a vision of Zelda in the past from a Sage whenever anyone asked Link where is Zelda he would get really quiet and he would look up at the Light Dragon, a single tear rolling down his face hidden from the asker as he looks up he knows it's Zelda for sure because he realizes she's following him around Hyrule watching over him.
It would be a lot harder for Link not knowing of Zelda was conscious or not, selflessly waiting patiently for literally thousands of years for her Love to come get his Sword and strike down the Demon King.
I also believe it was Link's Love for Zelda that helped save her this time, his will to be with his Lover again perhaps? I think it adds a lot to the story.
You can also mention in breath of the wild if you complete Hudson side quests where you get Hudson and Rhondson together. At the wedding scene you see falling petals more specifically the silent princess. If you talk to Bolson after the wedding he tells Link that the fallen petals symbolizes endless love. One of the end scenes where Link and Zelda are about to go on a grand aventures you can see the same fallen pedals at the end of the scenes. I think you need to complete most of the game to view this scene. I don’t really remember how to view this sense.
There is also a diary in Tears of the Kingdom where Zelda talks about Link (I’m not going to say where it is in case people want to find this diary by themselves). In the diary Zelda talks about Link’s habits and again talks about their relationship. At some point in time thorough out their travels Link opens up to Zelda and told her why he choose the oath of silence. This was one of Link most vulnerable parts and the fact that he told her show how close they are in this timeline.
Also I think if you go back to Link’s old house it tells you that his old house. At least when I played and walked up to his house the text said it the location was Link’ house. I could be remembering wrong.
Honestly, after all the shit they've been through together, I don't see them going seperate ways. I see them being in a intimate relationship. I can see Link passing on his knowledge of fighting on to future generations. I can see Zelda rebuilding Hyrule with the occasional aid of Link for the more serious buisness.
I think there's no doubt that they're in a relationship. All the evidence is there, and when it comes to evidence for whether something is canon or not, even if it's not explicitly stated, why have the evidence there if it's not canon? Things don't always need to be flat-out stated to confirm something, there's this thing called visual storytelling. And it's not just what goes on between Link and Zelda, but what other characters say goes on between them. Also, you left out the meaning of the Silent Princess flowers.
I don’t think there’s any reason for them to clarify it any more explicitly. The shippers (like myself) will be very satisfied with the clues we currently have, and people who prefer a platonic reading have plausible deniability. This satisfies everyone.
No I need more
@@wace9174 FR
Theres also the fact that we saw her rush to Link's side after he swatted away a couple of keese.
"Oh, my God, Link! Are you OK?! Did they hurt you!?"
"What, the _BATS!?"_
"Ohhh, poor baby, you're so brave!"
"I'm OK with this."
If you talk to purah wearing link's hair band, she will comment on it that its the hairband that the princess has and it was a classic look on Link, and the hairband itself can be found on Zelda's secret well.
The house too is clearly still Link's since if you have completed the DLC quests the champions picture will be in the house. And th yellow flower is still there, and there are several items in the house that is clearly for 2 people.
In Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity, whether its canon or not, in a certain scene Zelda is trying to flirt with Link when they get interrupted. At least that is how I interpreted it.
And I would say this is the „parallel“ scene to BotW when Link saves Zelda from the Yiga Clan.
So to me its a possible evidence that Link and Zelda are destined to be together.
And also, in BotW when you defeat Thunderblight Ganon and take back control over Vah Naboris, Urbosa starts talking to link and says „Take care of the princess, oh and take care of Hyrule 😉“. This wink of hers was another hint for me implying that Link will be King of Hyrule.
In the opening of TotK when Link took the torch, this moment seemed kinda weird to me. Weird in the sense that it was so fluent. As if the 2 hadnt just been good friends but in a relationship with each other and their bond was so strong that words or certain gestures werent needed anymore.
In the memory where Zelda talks about Link, in the English version to me it sounded more like Zelda was just admiring Link. But in the German version it really sounded like she was in love with him.
To me in TotK Links old home is not evidence for him and Zelda being together. At least not the bed, because this single bed only has a single pillow. Yes couples share the same bed. But do they also share the same pillow??????😂
I do believe the home belonging to Link in BotW is „canon“ because when you play through the BotW Expansion „the champions ballad“, at the end you are rewarded with a group photo of Link, Zelda and the Champions, which you can place on the wall in Links home. And TotK takes over this game data thus even though now its Zelda’s home, and she threw out my precious weapons/shield collection which had a strong sentiment (All 4 Champions weapons/shield and Korok weapons and shield, because I consider them all Link’s friends) at least she kept the group photo.
14:55 this is where I stop the video, because I havent yet defeated Ganondorf. I have seen too many ToTk thumbnails in YT that spoiled the end to me partially. But at least the intricacies of the end is where I will try to stay spoiler free.
I think an thing that gets glossed over a bit is that in the very beginning of the game, they’re both wearing their BotW outfits (for the most part) save one major difference. Zelda has a hood and Link no longer has his. Think what you will, but I have never seen a relationship where the mans clothing doesn’t end up on the girl at some point and the fact that they both don’t have hoods…that’s all you need to know.
I never thought of that
...
now i have to gaslight myself to like zelink, thank you for this information
There is a lot more when you analyze certain in-game stuff too on BoTW, first Zelda's diary, where we learn the reason to why Link doesn't speak. So he open up to Zelda but not to Mypha, that's interesting, it could be a case at that point both of then are just friendly kind of strangers, so they are okay opening to each other, or recognize that they share similar burdens.
But let's keep going, because we are not done yet, through BoTW you may come across NPC's and there are a few that mention details about the Silent Princess flower, it's not only recognize as the flower that the princess liked a lot, but also as a sign of love. There is even a couple that it's looking for it just before they marry.
Next, something that wasn't translated properly for a reason or another. In BoTW, i don't know about ToTK yet, but every sidequest and main quest in Japanese is an entry in Link's own diary, from stuff like his love for food, to implications that on the old times he would may have through about accepting's Mytha's marriage proposal in the past, his insecurities about being able to fulfill his role as a hero, but also there is quite a lot details regarding Zelda from find her voice beautiful to wanting to save her so he can see her smile once again. At the past it could be possible that while Link had all of his memories he was torn between Mytha and Zelda, but at the present after all the tragedy, it's express that he wants her to be happy. And this is put in his dairy, this is not if or buts. He may have affection for both of then but at the present he wants Zelda to smile.
And what do we see at the end of BoTW, a field of Silent Princess observing as Link walks right beside Zelda who finally looked at him and gave him a smile showing how happy she is. Tell me this isn't romantic, after all the context i have give you above in this comment
Since going home to Hateno I haven't had a second thought about it. It seems pretty obvious to me.
Her feelings are so obvious to Rarou and Sonia that they are downright mocking her in that memory lmao
I have thought about this a lot, I think that it’s a little strange that Zelda is still the princess because of the information we has she is the only one left in the royal family, so she should actually be the queen
Link didn't have an alternative residence in BotW besides that house that they both now share in TotK, there is a strong implication that they warmed up to each other during the course of the last game with the vague implication that they consummated their relationship before TotK. Of course, it would clearly be a private matter & not openly discussed for both personal & political reasons, but anyone doubting the Silent Princess ship at this point probably has severe autism or an aversion to boats.
In gerudo you can talk to a teacher that teaches a class on voe. She asks if link has eyes for anyone and you have the option to pick yes or no.
It’s incredibly obvious that Zelda has the hots for link, but it’s hard to tell what Link is feeling, or if either of them have actually acted on their feelings.
It’s a lot like with Mipha. Mipha clearly loved Link and planned to propose to him, but there’s nothing indicating that Link even knew she felt that way about him.
In Skyward Sword, it seemed clear to me that both Zelda and Link had romantic feelings for one another. Even without Link speaking, his reactions to her actions make it obvious. In BotW/TotK, I have absolutely no idea, probably since we don’t get to see the two of them *together* as much. The only indication is Zelda referring to Link holding her at the end of TotK as a “loving” embrace.
The house in Hateno is now referred to as “Zelda’s house”, not “Link and Zelda’s house”. To me, that sounds like he gave her the house. He probably felt that she needed it more than he did, since she wanted to start a school. One NPC says that Zelda just lets people walk right in and make themselves at home in her house, which may be an alternate explanation for her wanting some privacy in a well.
I hope they end up making a third game with these incarnations, specifically because I want some closure. And frankly, I feel like there are enough unanswered questions to warrant one. What happened to the rest of the zonai race? Where did they really come from? My guess is that BotW3 will take us to the moon. The zonai are actually moon rabbits and something on the moon has a connection to the secret stones, which is why the blood moon exists.
Zelda is living in Links house, Ofcourse they’re in Romantic relationship
I mean……could you imagine playing Link and Zaldas kid? Probably a girl. In a BOTW style game as the 3rd in the trilogy and having to save your parents and hyrule as a kid with Links swordsman time powers (flurry rush and bullet time) with Zeldas light magic powers?
I believe there’s just some random person in Hyrule that sees Link and Zelda together and is just like: “JUST KISS EACH OTHER ALREADY”
Dude, you are factually correct because it is canon. The developers stated "The timeline can be interpreted in a number of ways, and may change depending on new discoveries that have come to light and on the player's imagination". Fan imaginations are official canon.
I completely forgot about that part in Hyrule Historia. Well, the shippers are canon now.
I can't say for sure and I usually don't like ZeLink ships when it doesn't feel like the relationship was earned. It's one thing to be told it, but a lot of showing needs to take place. Like how in Spirit Tracks, when Link and Zelda hold hands at the end, it feels earned because Zelda was a character on the whole of Link's journey and they fought side by side. All of the memories with Zelda make ZeLink feel more earned in BotW and TotK. I still feel, to an extent, that it is still up to the player to interpret everything themselves because the player can skip all the memories across both games, which to their experiences would make Link seem more like a homeless guy who doesn't think he has any other purpose than to rescue Zelda. Link definitely has this soldier mentality. At the same time, there are more signs in TotK for a relationship, but I think if they wanted the house to be a more deliberate representation for their relationship, they would have added another pillow to the bed. Granted, treating the house as a side quest and therefore not canon is definitely wrong because of the pictures in the house, there is the picture you get at the end of the Champion's Ballad, the picture that Link can put up in the house. It's a little sneaky, to be sure, as Nintendo isn't usually so forward with Link and Zelda. Heck, the first time Link was really "forward" was when we got text for the rare occurrence of helping Cremia and getting the reward of a hug instead. The hand holding in Spirit Tracks would be more forward if Zelda wasn't back to doing her royal duties, leaving it again to be interpreted by the player.
I stopped at the part for TOTK since I haven't yet beaten it. But IMO you're right and it's quite obvious that their is a romantic component to their relationship; the video to this point breaks it down quite well.
Still, it probably is worth discussing that relationships in practice aren't neat binaries, either friendship or romance. Many enduring love relationships bleed out of friendship, and are shaped also by circumstance. Link and Zelda in the BotW saga have endured extremely traumatizing events together. Zelda in particular is portrayed as an adolescent coming into her own as an adult, balancing duty, authority, and attachment. (Think of all the cutscenes with her father, with Urbosa, at the Springs, etc.) This is the context in which her relationship with Link is formed and developed. He represents a loyalty and security that seems frankly impossible in a universe where evil and tragedy continue to reassert themselves in shocking fashion. Would a properly-conceived character (Zelda) fall in love with someone who represents those ideals (Link)? I mean, sure seems like it to me.
Link is a tougher case. No doubt he cares deeply about Zelda. But the backstory we get is that he grows up extremely fast, in large part due to his outrageous combat prowess and bravery. His vow of silence is a consequence of this burden; Zelda's diary says Link told her he is silent because "[w]ith so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden." Zelda further remarks that is "A feeling I know all too well... For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings."
Frankly, I sort of doubt that the storywriters would endorse such a naive stoicism. Link's bottling of himself is not something to be celebrated; it is something he feels he needs to do, wrongly or rightly. Zelda's hope is that she can "talk with him more and to see what lies beneath those calm waters," and in turn "bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all these years." These are teenagers who forge a relationship out of their terrible circumstance. Link may or may not reciprocate-he may or may not repress even the capacity to hold someone in such affection. But the invitation from Zelda is there, and given her comfort around him, it's hard to conclude it has always been met only with cold duty.
The funny thing is... he pretty much abandoned that silent stoicism by the time he wakes up in BOTW. Not the part of him not speaking much, just the whole i have to keep everything to myself part. Which makes sense, as the only reason he had that in the first place is that he felt like all eyes were on him expecting he'd win against a Ganon that had a deadline. Losing suddenly lifted that deadline and made it so Link could take as long as he felt he needed to take the fight back to Ganon. That included helping regular people with the small stuff and no real expectations other than 'Get to Ganon at some point.' Effectively going from 'Strong silent type.' to 'Silent Bob.'
nintendo: you can think whatever you want to of the story, that is why link doesnt talk, YOU are link
zelda fandom: **proceeds to argue over what relationship is canon or not canon**
A big nail in the coffin is you still have the final photo in your bedroom from the BotW DLC if you're playing with your save file on the same console.
If the light dragon is Zelda, who were the other dragons I wonder?
My dream would be to have them continue this story in this Zelda universe and maybe even have Zelda actually be part of the game for once instead of the whole story being about a rescue mission. I think they could pull off some kind of twist on the game where they're both playable characters or something like that. At the very least some kind of spinoff would be nice.
Not sure if the devs are going to abandon the usual formula where they essentially reset the universe every couple of games but this time around they've made the characters have so much more personality and built up the relationships between them that it wouldn't really feel the same if everything got wiped. Considering how the last 2 games kinda said screw it to the usual complicated timeline these games have maybe they'll start building a new timeline that actually makes sense
It is kinda conformed, since in the Japanese version, there is a sign in front of links house which says "our house"
(In totk)
considering that totk pick up with seemingly every narative significant side quest completed, its at least implied that if not before beating ganon then after link went around and did all that stuff so yes, the house is almost certainly his, also add on that you can sleep in the bed at any time with no prior conditions met, which to my knowledge no other bed has this property, always some fee or quest/objective completed first
edit: could be wrong but i think the house was a prerequisite to building tarry town so the town being there, links interference in the relationships there included, pretty much confirms it
Yup. The house was about to be torn down in botw before Link buys it, and it's how he meets and ends up helping Hudson in the first place.
Age of Calamity or at least the promotion of it as well as Creating a Champion and some npc dialogue ("They say this house belonged to a knight who left for Hyrule Castle a hundred years ago and never returned") implied it was always Link or his family's property. Considering knights usually own some kind of land it also just makes sense.
Funnily enough, the first quest you get in the game is not about anything but a specific person.
“Find Princess Zelda.”
That’s Link’s first quest and it’s his very last quest. It’s only completed once you finally bring her back, not when you find out what happened to her through draconfication.
I completely agree
Next game I want a romantic relationship between Link and Zelda
I you go to the Gerudo town there is a conversation with a girl that asks him if he has someone "in his hearth" and the first answer is "I have!".
I think it's very clear they are in a relationship. Lots of examples you can find where clearly they have lover for me each other, living together, sacrificing for one another etc. Sure some people will think since they don't hug/kiss or anything that means there isn't anything there but that's silly talk honestly
I stopped at the spoiler part, so I'm sure covered it, but Zelda lives at Links house and he can sleep in the bed. That says enough to confirm it for me. That mixed with the falling petals at the end of BotW
I didn't really see it mentioned in comments (though I can't read through all 500+ of them) is that if you played and completed the Champion's Ballad in BotW, that picture will be in the house. In the footage displayed there is no picture hung up from the group photo, but on my console where I do have a save that contains that picture obtained and is on the wall. That is clearly a possession of Link's even if he gifts it to Zelda since she's also in it; she could have moved it to any other place in the house if it was gifted, but she left it. Yes the weapon and sheild stands were taken down, but I believe this to be a choice on the developers to push you to buy the house gimmick over in Tarrey Town as if you visit realatively early on in your playthrough (like many did) you'd have many lower tier weapons that aren't really worth storing. By the time you get more established items you'll have the cash to build a safehouse (Tarrey Town house) to keep your interesting or good fused weapons you keep for a rainy day or the game's finale.
The other thing to take into consideration is that many of the game's objects are asset flips (not meant negatively, that's just the reality of it) and all beds in the game are what some could consider "double" sized despite in houses where there are parents and kids alike inside. You have to rely on previously established in-game texts, nonverbals that the devs had to intentionally make and pose, and voice lines recorded which have to have a director confirm the takes are correct. The cutscenes are all major things so the director's eyes will be on that like a hawk and will add or root out things that don't fit their vision.
Ngl, I've been a wingman of Link and Zelda since the beginning at this point
After what happened to Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom, Link BETTER be clapping that ass, in case something like that ever happens again