Link is like Tony Hawk, in that no one recognizes who he is without Zelda there, the same way no one recognizes Tony Hawk without a skateboard and helmet
It’s similar to Miles and Gwen from Spider-Man. The movies, the comics and some of the games have always put Miles and Gwen together so when she isn’t there it’s like Miles who? Even if she or he isn’t there one or the other are bound to join each other
I want to add that Hudson recognizes link in tarrey town, and thanks him for helping him build the town. This mission in botw is only unlocked after buying link’s house. That means it is definitely link’s house in totk
@@faithsherrer9783 i think the reason to this is that, to bolson, link is just another customer. However Hudson remembers him as the person that helped supply recourses for his town, attract residents, and link is even the reason that Hudson met his wife, so link would stick around in Hudsons memory.
A lot of these people not recognizing link is either a) due to nintendos inconsistency or b) they intentionally did this for new coming players who never played botw
@@modcon-based113Yeah not even Hestu or the Zora remember Link. So it’s not an argument. Anyways, Symin in Hateno recognized Link and says “you’re BACK IN TOWN.” I.e he lives there.
one more point to add, Link never actually introduces himself to most npcs, the ones that know him, just know who he is, the ones that don't just assume he's a traveler and he just goes with it, some people even hear his name and think "oh he has the same name as the princess's knight, must be hard living up to that name, there's absolutely no way the two of you are one and the same, nuh-uh" so taking all of that into account, and the fact that even in BotW he didn't use the house much, it makes sense that he doesn't leave a big impression on your average joe.
I think a lot of NPCs that don't know Link personally also have a hard time recognizing Link is the princess's knight because he doesn't look like much. He's shorter than the average adult hylian, has a lean build, and and blonde hair which is not uncommon. Most people would assume the savior of hyrule and knight of the princess would be a big buff dude who would stand out. There is even a quest where the Yiga try to find Link but they only know he is blonde, brave, a good climber, and goes out of his way to help others so they were trying to get every blonde man they could find to do errands to see if they were Link or not.
I've always just taken it that Link is just another guy to most of the people of Hyrule, the citizens of Hanteo didn't notice him living there. When Princess Zelda started staying in the village however, everyone just presumed it was her house and that Link was her bodyguard. Its still his house as far as I'm concerned, paid for it fair and square.
Well if that’s the case then why don’t they call him a bodyguard? I think the most logical explanation is that the devs didn’t want every conversation to start with “hey I remember you!” So they decided to have most characters not recognize you even when they should.
Also, Symin teaches the students about the great calamity 100 years ago and says the hero saved them all but doesn’t say it was Link because link is standing RIGHT THERE lol
Link and Zelda moved in! That is why Link got his own Bachelor Crib. Link and Zelda living together in Hateno Village is quite wholesome to think about.
@@l.aliban5122 there are several Zelink fan manga of them living together. Most of them japanese. And come on! Most of the Japanese Zelda fans are Zelinkers. Nintendo knows What is doing! Otherwise they wont even have to be so “direct” and with all this implications. They just love the drama of the shipping. Zelink is canon and yes they are living together, and yes if link and zelda are still virgins well at the end of the game i dont think they will loss time AGAIN.
@@adrianagalarza6305 Even the guy who wrote this game is a Zelinker. He wrote Skyward Sword. Miyamoto is a Zelinker too. And I’m assuming so is Aonuma or else he wouldn’t approve of Zelink in the games. (Plus he approved of killing Mipha, etc.)
I would also add. If link wasn’t staying in the house, why would Zelda need to hide the new champions tunic elsewhere and not just use her own house if link wasn’t also living there. She had to hide the tunic at the castle so link wouldn’t find it.
Well if Link is Zelda's personal guard, then he must follow her around quite a bit, almost never leaving her alone, hence showing that if Zelda hid the champion's tunic in her house, which she visits a lot according to the villagers and children of Hateno village, Link would have seen it somewhere eventually. (also its just a side quest made to make the game more difficult than just giving it to you)
@@Zeldabarthe fact that it's a side quest and "designed so they don't have to just give it to you" as you put it. They still made a lore explanation for it being there, and they had Zelda explain her reasoning behind why that reasoning is what it is. *Therefore, it is canon.*
@@Zeldabar It is a very interresting argument, that Zelda can hide it easily within the castle where she is surrounded by Hylian Soldiers (allowing Link to wander around or go on errands), but not in Hateno, where for practical reason only Link as her personal guard would be around.
Link and Zelda being married privately and living in a small village just makes perfect sense to me. With her as the princess, they wouldn’t have announced that to the whole world, but also since the kingdom didn’t exist for a century, it’d be much easier to hide. Also the fact that Zelda hasn’t been crowned queen despite being the presumable heir (depending on how their succession works) fits with this too since she’s living a more private life as she works to rebuild the kingdom.
she deserves it after all she went through for 100 years, she comes back and informs all the people of hyrule shes alive and they are prob happy about it.
Knowing Zelda's insatiable curiosity about all historical things, the fact that she's staying in Hateno instead of Kakariko has to be because of Link. The little girl that hangs out near the house says that Zelda would always tell her when she was leaving so Zelda was coming and going a lot too. I'm not concerned about sleeping arrangements, he could be sleeping on a pallet on the floor downstairs and stowing it under the staircase during the day. These were my thoughts anyway.
@@HealingIzaiahThe bed in the house is the exact same bed that the dye shop guy and his wife have. Just different colours. Therefore, married couples have the same bed.
After everything they’ve been through, and how close they grew together 100 years ago. It honestly makes little sense for them not to live together. Also I assume the reason nobody in Hateno seems to remember Link is because he’s canonically a very quite and reserved person that he doesn’t leave much of an impression on people who don’t actively know his accomplishments, those people of course being the people closer to Hyrule Castle. People forget that Hateno is basically in the outskirts as far away from the effects of Calamity Ganon as possible. Even Zelda isn’t really know in Hateno for be the princess, she is more known for her passion of learning and promotion of education.
Plus we all know that Link doesn't handle social pressure well. He became silent because of the expectations of being the choosen one. And I figure Link prefers being casual and people honest to him, rather than fans lovebombing him. So I think it is his choice to not be known. He doesn't want the attention.
Yeah Link helped those NPCs once half a decade ago. We don’t know the exact time difference between the games, but based on the age of Mattison it’s probably been something like 5-6 years (I go with 6 since it’s the amount of time IRL but obviously that’s not real evidence). Is someone really going to remember a guy who collected 10 frogs for them 5 years ago and lives on the outskirts of town? Especially when he’s a quiet guy who lives with a much more noteworthy person. And even then, the only people who really talk about Zelda in Hateno are the people connected to the school, not random people in town, so she’s probably not walking around like a celebrity, I don’t even think people refer to her as Princess there.
@@willbowden6897 Even if they saw Link in Uniform next to Princes Zelda: He would be even more unnoticeable. Offcourse the princes has a body guard - Offcourse he his were ever she is. Offcourse he sleeps in the same house. Imaging an overnight Jiga attack on Zelda!
@@sarowie I figure some more people might recognize him as her guard if he atleast wear the mastersword, it being that one thing that stood out from the rest.. Also, his usual hood obscures his face quite a bit, so even less likely his face would make someone remember. Oh, and.. how well do you recognize those that live in the outskirts or atleast several buildings away and never really interact with you irl? =p
@@kargothmortthere are quests where people mention, paraphrasing here "you share the same name as that swordsman, but you aren't wearing his legendary sword so you must not be him"
Honestly I think the developers put in these subtle hints very intentionally because considering those hints it’s hard to imagine coming to any other conclusion. They most certainly must be together.
@@ethancarey6799 That's kind of the opposite of what was said. And I quote: "Voice actress Patricia Summersett loves the relationship between Link and Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Voice actress says Link and Zelda “are in a relationship” Pretty easy to lie when you think people aren't going to check you on it huh?
It would make total sense for their relationship to be largely unknown if that's the case. If Link is known only as Zelda's bodyguard, then it's safer because potential enemies would see a well protected princess. If everyone knew they were in an intimate relationship though, potential enemies might become more radical and bolder and might put both in more unnecessary danger. They would know they can also try to capture link and turn him into a bargaining chip.
This is exactly what the Yiga Clan is aiming for, to take out Link then Zelda would presumably be easier to pick off. Unfortunately for them, Link is the protag and nefariously clever with his stuff.
Zelda's voice actor said they are in a relationship. It isn't just her headcanon, but something that was told to her during the voice recording process but never made it into the game.
I think people equate Link not having a voice actor to Link not talking. Link talks plenty because in dialogue, people responds to what he says. He explains what he's done on quests to people, for example.
It's canonical that he doesn't speak much. In Breath of the Wild Zelda comments that she never knows what he's thinking because he's always so quiet and doesn't speak his mind. Link only talks when it's absolutely necessary to explain things, otherwise he keeps it to himself
@@AndrewSkatesBadlyHe certainly didn't speak much pre-Calamity, because of the weight of expectations placed on him as prodigy and Hero of Hyrule, but that's it. Everything else is just a silent protagonist, fill it yourself type of thing.
@@AndrewSkatesBadlyactually you're missing two important things there. One is that she says that telling the beginning of their story. But it is made clear that they then get more intimate - and, if you know any introverted person, you know that means he would express himself a lot more around her. Second is the lose of memory he suffers waking up in the first game, and I've seen comments that the creators themselves commented something on how that had an impact on how Link puts himself. A lot of his very serious acting had to do with the pressure he felt when becaming a knight (and that's backed up by Mipha's diary). When he wakes up without the memories, his personality is different, which explains why he interacts much more with people compared to the memories.
I think it’s funny that zelda elegantly made a well she can work in privately and link, controlled by us, just HYAH’d his way into it and read her shit and took his hair tie and went about his way saving the kingdom. All while wearing some insane armor. An elegant gentleman.
I believe that it is pretty doable to assume that people in hateno knows zelda but not link because first: she's the princess of hyrule, so even people who she may not have interacted directly would recognize her and be aware of her living in the town, and second: maybe zelda was doing work in the town like establishing the school while link was out training or something else because zelda wouldn't need a bodyguard while wandering the town, or even if he was accompanying her, most people wouldn't pay him any mind, if a celebrity moved near you I doubt you would recognize their bodyguards if they showed randomly We also know their involvement with the people in hateno wasn't that deep because they're not even aware of the events that transpired in the castle during the upheaval, unlike other characters who are surprised to see link because they're close enough to be aware of their disappearance
Zelda pretty much describe link as quite man. So link probably just go home sleep and go to work. he doesn't interact with anyone. Zelda interact with people in hateno link didn't. It's quite common for a couple living in village and one of them completely antisocial but the other one is very social
@@rockzs74r that’s… pretty random and it probably isn’t that deep. It’s as op said, the ppl will recognize the princess of their kingdom regardless of if she’s introverted or extroverted, if she interacts with anyone or she doesn’t. The same can’t be said for her bodyguard.
Her diary explicitly says that Link always remained by her side, which implies that he would be with her whenever he possibly could. I doubt he would just go off on his own to train while she does important stuff, and he's already been shown to refuse to follow her orders if it means risking her safety (not even towns are safe, as is made obvious by some side quests in the game, particularly the one with Reede where you need to defend some pumpkins from monsters).
@@daniel8181 They really don't, pretty much only the zoras recognize Link because they knew him from 100 years ago, only the people close to the champions descendants knew who link was and in gerudo town everyone just address you as the guy friend from riju who she allowed to walk around for some reason
Just a heads up that there are actually quite a few beds Link can sleep in without paying. Selmie's Place has a bed he can sleep in, there is a bed on the shore of the East Reservoir Lake by the dam facing the Zora Domain, as well as Calip's cabin and Link's house. These were all also free beds Link could use in BOTW as well. Obviously those don't apply to this question, but just in case anyone missed them!
the bed in Korok forest is also free from what i remember. but a point is he can't sleep in another NPC's bed, unless that NPC gives permission i think.
I thought the inn in Tarrey Town, run by Kapson, was also free to stay in. Or is that only in BOTW, and in TOTK, you have to pay for a bed there? Edit: The Lurelin Village inn is also free after you complete the side quest to save their town.
There's only two possibilities. If romance? Simple. They're in the same house. If platonic? Also simple, they're in the same house if only for Link to protect Zelda from the Yiga threats and to accompany her on her trips. Regardless for both, Link may be coming and going at odd hours too. May be waking up early in the morning and away from the house and coming back late when they're the village probably just because he likes his privacy.
well its implicitly stated that link isnt private, hes stoic, and at least in botw/totk canon hes stoic and silent because of the weight put on his shoulders after picking up the master sword, the sword only meant for the one with the spirit of the hero, thats a pretty heavy burden. but i dont think its about him being private, its about him showing unyielding dedication in the face of evil.
Link and Zelda are both 15 when Calamity hits. TotK takes place a few years after BotW. Hudson's daughter looks and acts like a four year old. Link and Zelda mught be 19, maximum 20. And I think a lot of parents don't like the thought that two Teenagers sleep together in one bed. Or as an unmarried couple. Nintendo has international customers. Children play this game. I don't think the Devs are so stupid to make parents angry. So the made it very subtle so it's more up to interpretation if they are an unmarried teenager couple that sleeps in one bed.
For the single bed in Link's house, I like to think he did offer his bed, but she refused. So he offered to buy a bigger bed, but she refused and used him as her bed.
Yeah brought up a lot of good points it should be obvious that he lived there with her but people tend to forget that a Zelda is confirmed to be in love with link witch is stated at the end of the champions balid in btow. So she cares for him alot plus his hairband is in her study kinda sus for someone to keep around someone else’s clothes if they don’t live there huh
Maybe they both live there, but Link just often has to go elsewhere because of his work and Zelda can stay more in town. It could also be that Link doesn't want to be recognized everywhere considering that in botw it is stated that the reason for his silence is the pressure he faced from being the hero so he keeps a low profile when visiting the village.
@@1234andrewjacksmithThe Gerudo women at one of the stables actually talk about Link and think that he must be the stereotypical super tall and muscular hero but when we talk to them they think there's no way that Link could be him on account of his height.
I personally really like the theory that Link and Zelda got married between games. I think it would explain a lot of their motivations. I dont think it can entirely hold up with the rest of the story, but it's still a fun theory. Imagine how powerful it would have been if right before going to fight Ganondorf someone like Purah just casually mentions Link and Zelda's wedding. It would be a total bombshell and an awesome plot twist! Now we really want to beat Ganon! And it would make the already emotional diving catch to save Zelda at the end even more emotional.
side quests aren't canon? since when? That's a new one to me. Its clear to me that they are in a relationship together, its how I like to see things and gives TotK more of an impact. I do like its vagueness. If someone hates the idea of them being together in that form, then fine, its open to interpretation.
I’m on board with your line of thinking: Nintendo is a smart enough company and so skilled at environmental storytelling that they can set this up to be ambiguous. If you want to be believe Link+Zelda are living together, there’s evidence for that. If you want it strictly platonic between them, there’s evidence for that, too.
@@CordeliaWagner They are NOT teenagers. They were 17 when the calamity hit (some evidence suggests Link may even have been 18). Then in totk, Hudson and Rhondson have a child who looks about 5, 6 or 7 years old. That child did not exist in botw and we even set her parents up in the first place. Link and Zelda are 20 minimum but that child does not look 2 years old. Other characters have grown significantly as well like Tulin and Riju and Kass's kids. It's more about the rating, etc.
@@CordeliaWagner Link and Zelda are at the very most 1 year apart in age with Link being the older one (able to make the spring of wisdom trip on Zelda’s birthday) and now that Link can legally drink (which would put his physical age at least 20, the minimum age to drink in Japan, biological age at 120), that would mean Zelda is at least 19 physically, 119 biologically, potentially both 20/120… point being, their both adults
If side quests wouldnt be canon A LOT of shit wouldnt work Like why is it links house in the first place then He never set foot in that house in the main story Its literally a side quest of botw that this theory even begins to exist
I think it would be very unlikely that Link would go off and leave Zelda undefended. I see it that people in Hatato don't know Link because he was forgettable to them when Zelda was around. He's her silent body guard and she's this amazing, talkative princess. Any time they may have noticed him, they probably either quickly forgot about him because he is so in the background or discounted him as just a lowly body guard. It's only the people who really KNOW who he is that recognise him. Even in the school lessons when the kids learn about the hero from the calamity, they don't tell them that it was Link. He's not a show pony and wouldn't like the attention such knowledge would give him. I think for the most part, he likes going around unnoticed. So, while the house was Link's, when Zelda moved in people came to recognise it as Zelda's house because she was the memorable one.
Exactly. People generally pay a lot more attention to celebrities than their bodyguards. Knowing Link, he probably just stands awkwardly to the side while Zelda talks with people. Heck, maybe he even intentionally throws people off by wearing different armor sets every day so people think she has multiple guards
Considering the photo of the champions that impa took is still up there and was put up by Link himself and is his direct property yeah Link and Zelda are definitely living together, whether they got married is debatable but unmarried couples living together is actually extremely common
Agreed. The picture of the Champions would be exhibit A in my argument that Zelda moved in with Link. (Also, I *think* it’s Purah who takes the picture on the Sheikah slate at the end of the Champion’s Ballad DLC quest as opposed to Impa, but I’m not 100% on that.)
@@britt6184 It definitely is Purah. In the memory where the picture is taken the person says "Click! Snap!" just before taking the picture, which is Purah's signature move.
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
"it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed)." I hate to tell you this, but that is not true at all. In Japanese, the well title is ゼルダの家の井戸 which you can translate a couple ways. Either, literally, "Zelda's house's well" or "The well at Zelda's house." Her journals also don't talk about possessiveness of the house. When talking about how she commissioned the secret area in the well, she calls the house: 家. Which is just "house" or "the house." She doesn't say "my house" (like she does in English), and she also doesn't say "our house" as some people have suggested. And just to note. I do think they both live there. I am just correcting this misconception about the Japanese. It is no more explicit in Japanese over English. There are some things in Japanese that are really close to explicit; but not that.
Good point! Also if you go to gerudo town with the gerudo teacher she'll ask you if you have someone special in your heart and you can answer yes or no
Link and Zelda have become a couple and have moved in together. That’s why Zelda is living there and why Link is able to sleep in the bed. The only beds Link can actually sleep in in the game are beds he’s allowed to sleep in, either at an inn/stable, the Korok’s making a bed for him in the forest and the bed in the house you make in Tarrey Town. It’s pretty clear Link and Zelda are a couple and living together.
Some interesting things to note are that the Zora, Rito, Goron, and the Gerudo who knew link was a Voe all recognise link from his actions in BOTW. The people that don’t are typically civilians that have no established connection to link or that link had no significant impact on People are also aware of the swordsman who saved the kingdom, but they don’t recognise Link as that swordsman so his name and appearance were never publicised possibly due to Link’s own request The kingdom’s guards also still exist and interact with the princess, and while they recognise Link civilians may see Link and think he’s simply another guard assigned to the princess. Unless they were caught having a romantic moment no one would think the two were together due to their different statuses. This would also lead to the basic assumption that the house belonged solely to the princess not her guard There’s also the possibility that Link and Zelda don’t want to publicise their relationship and that Link’s stuff like an extra pillow are put away when he’s not there to keep people from finding out
Nintendo kinda dropped the ball by not just being explicit about them being together. The story is so much more emotionally impactful to go through if you assume that they are in a romantic relationship. If it's just a guy and how he interacts with his boss, the story loses a lot of personal stake. In a platonic relationship means the story is touching, but that's it. In a romantic relationship, the story is devastating.
I think it's left up to the player because the whole point of LoZ is to not have any definite relationships that the player is locked into. Going all the way back to Princess Ruto, Malon, Zelda, and Saria, in OoT it was clearly up to you what head cannon you wanted to entertain- to the point they never let you follow up on any of these relationships.
Link is the most eligible bachelor in all of Hyrule and everyone, male, female, rock, bird, etc. wants him, but none will make a move because they all think he's with Zelda who friend-zoned him over a century ago and because she's the princess can make them disappear without a question about it.
@Noisy Cricket I completely agree with you. Nintendo will never have an absolute when it comes to Link's relationship status. There are tons of hints throughout the games that each support a different ship, but nothing is ever stated outright. They clearly want the player to be able to decide who Link loves, not be forced into accepting one "canon" relationship that they may or may not be happy about. While TotK has a lot of evidence going for Zelink, the same could be said about many other ships, including MiphLink and RijLink (Riju X Link) For example, there are many people in Gerudo Town who openly express how lucky Link and Riju are to have each other, and how they hope to someday find a voe who will love them as much as Link loves Riju. This was most likely put in the game specifically for those fans who support RijLink over other ships. To sum up this long comment, Nintendo doesn't have a canon relationship for Link. They want the player to have the ability to choose to ensure the most general satisfaction. While a canon acknowledgement of a specific relationship sounds great, it would likely do more harm than good for the series.
@@Drew.Mellow Zelda has been breaking conventions with nearly every game they release. They didn't do an open world till BotW. They didn't do voice acting until BotW. They basically put a canon relationship, and a very narrowly defined Link in Skyward sword. There is no reason for them to not tell a more intimate story, that is defined. They don't because of two reasons. 1. Japan 2. "Kids game" Japan and Japanese (the language) puts a lot of cultural weight into subtlety and implied meaning. And relationship/affection are, very often, reserved for private situations. Holding hands can be seen as too much PDA to some Japanese people. That culture carries over to their media. There reasoning could be like this: "This is a kids game, therefore it needs to be appropriate for kids, therefore we cannot have an overt romantic story, we have to tell it subtly." But again, they are breaking conventions often. They've managed, between BOTW and TOTK to tell a very touching and impactful story. And it would be much better if they realized that kids do not care about the story at all. They can be overt. I think, eventually, they will realize that. It's the direction they are heading, and it's getting more obvious with each game.
There's also the point that Hudson was said to have been hired by Zelda herself to rebuild Hyrule. She could have easily hire him to build her a house that suits her needs, but she instead decided to live with Link
I feel like Nintendo is doing it on purpose, instead of just some random reason of “Zelda needs a house”. As you said, Zelda could live anywhere (I mean, the house Bolson was staying in at night would be a perfect choice if they do not want to imply anything. Link’s house will still be the same) Plus if Nintendo designed this solely for the TOTK-only-new players to experience building Link’s house, they could have easily destroy his house the same as they did to the cuckoo guy’s house. This particular choice is definitely a hint of their relationship
Something else to keep in mind about people not knowing Link - there are a TON of NPC’s that, while they don’t know what he looks like, they have HEARD of the Hero who defeated the Calamity and saved the Princess. Sometimes all they know about him is that he wields the Master Sword. There’s a trio of Gerudo women near a stable that talk about finding a Voe, and they bring up the Hero. They assume he must be taller then them and built like a brick house. (Oddly enough, Ganondorf fits this criteria lol) My point is that Link is so busy helping Hyrule rebuild that he never stays in one place for too long so people don’t get to know who he is unless they themselves play an active roll in the effort to rebuild - so I believe he offered to let Zelda stay at his house since he wasn’t using it very often. I bet they still stayed there together a few times though.
I head cannoned that they were coupling together in Hateno prior to the release of TotK so I was literally delighted to see that their house had been Zelda-fied when I got there. I (admittedly biased) think that they were both staying there and the people of Hateno are just kind of oblivious. Like, that's their whole thing, a kind of general lack of awareness of the outside world, and with Link being so quiet they just kind of missed him. Also, probably the most obvious place for Zelda to stay if she wasn't moved in with her BF, would be the Hateno Research lab, as Purah had moved out at that point. But she didn't, did she?
It makes more sense to me that they would both be using the Castle as their main residence while they worked on rebuilding the kingdom, all the NPCs at Lookout Landing seem to be familiar with Link so I would have to imagine he was spending a lot of time in Central Hyrule leading the military in protecting the kingdom, while Zelda was obviously spending time in Hateno nurturing the next generation it makes sense that Link would let her stay at his house and make it her own.
My head cannon is that after botw and the first rounds of touring hyrule w zelda, link offered zelda the house he was temporarily using for her research as he roamed hyrule helping people rebuild and kill leftover monsters/ deal with encampments. Zelda is far more diplomatic and Link is more action oriented so it makes sense he didnt ever settle down.
People dont recognize link because he was always just teleporting into the house to get it on with zelda. 😂 Who needs to walk or ride a horse when you got a fancy sheika slate/purah pad.
@@lieutenant-grant If anything it was a downgrade imo... Like why the hell would you remove all the cool powers on the state and essentially turn it into a IPhone? And Ik its for the sake of saving space and to not give the player too many powers in the TotK, but I'd at least like a better explanation.
Notice the two places at the dinner table in the house at Hateno. When Link builds the new house in Tarrey Town, it’s got 4 places at the table as well as the house being much bigger. Methinks that it’s time to move up from the starter home to make room for the new additions: little Zink and Lelda.
I think people forget that mass communication isn't a thing in BOTW/TOTK. Sure Link could've saved Hyrule, people know his name and his title of Hero from word of mouth, but there's no way they could have gotten his face out there, so it makes sense that a lot of people don't recognize him. Plus, you're right, Zelda could have easily stayed with her former attendant Impa in Kakariko or even with Purah at the tech lab, but she chose to live in Link's house in Hateno. Plus, Zelda's journal also specifies that Link never leaves her side, so do people honestly believe he'd just leave her unattended for hours and hours to go sleep in a DIFFERENT house? I feel like the reason Zelda stands out more to the kids and Hateno villagers is only because Zelda is supposedly so beautiful and captivating that people probably don't notice he's there when they're socializing with her.
As an introvert who doesn’t talk to people very often. I can relate to being a person in the background. Most often those are the kind of people that no one knows, or knows very well. Especially kids who would naturally gravitate towards zelda and not interact with a quite person. The only people who know link very well are the ones you help save or change their communities, link zora and gerudos. You only ever do side quest in hateno so it makes sense no one would know link. Thats why most evidence points to zelda/link relationship. Plus, you can see how different zelda treats link in totk. Its like they could be married its so intimate
The chest in the well study doesn’t have a lock of his hair (it would be weird if it did), it’s just his old hair tie that can put his hair in a ponytail
The biggest one you missed is the fact that Zelda hid Link's new tunic in Hyrule Castle so Link wouldn't find it. Even if the secret well room was built because of the kids rather than Link, well... that doesn't explain why she put the tunic in Hyrule Castle.
@@crimsonrose1508 Or Link is gone for months and then interacts with them like... a minute? With other travelers coming and going Link wouldn't leave a big impression on most people.
I think it was great that Nintendo took your save data and ported over the most subtle things that adds that spice of accomplishment and makes it a true sequel.
Yeah I think Zelda did move in with Link at the end of botw. I think they live together and share a bed. Even though that bed looks big enough for one person, I think they sleep together lol. 😆❤❤
I’ve liked thinking that while Zelda was managing the school, Link was training people to be warriors. It isn’t like all the monsters across Hyrule vanished, and Link may have been asked to do this by Zelda. After watching this video, I think him training soldiers would be a reasonable explanation for his absence in the village. Also, even when he was in the village, he’d still be wearing the uniform and helmet, preventing anyone from recognizing him without them.
10:26 It is obvious why the kids don't recognize link. He has been gone for about ~5 years. They simply don't remember him from when they were 5 or younger.
It’s totally believable. I can imagine that between him not being a super social dude and looking different, they may not recognize him. I think there are characters in Hateno that probably should recognize him, but I’m fine that they don’t. It makes sense for gameplay. I like the idea that she left things mostly as is, but she put her own spin on the place. I like to think that link moving to Akkala was so that he can build a bigger place with accommodations for both of them
Heck if they're traveling all the time why shouldn't they have another house in those places? Cheaper in the long run in comparison to stables. And if she wants to build more schools...
Another thing to note is that the Yiga clan is still around whether the calamity exists or not, and they still absolutely despise Zelda, but mostly Link as he has directly harmed their master Kogha. So it doesn't really make much since to just leave Zelda on her own outside of trusted groups of people since the Yiga are still after them both yes- but Zelda in particular doesn't have the self defence skills of Link to take on others on her own. But it could make since if he gave her his old house to live in a relatively peaceful place while giving her her own private space, while he goes out and takes care of any Yiga members that may stray towards the village while she's staying in it.
Also, on the topic of marriage politics, it was apparently okay for Mipha, who is also a princess, to propose to link. I realize that Zora's Domain is a lot smaller than Hyrule, but the point kinda still stands. He's got enough of a standing to marry into royalty. And all that's before he became a literal figure of legend in the 100 years after the Calamity. I feel like if they did get married, people would not be griping that the legendary swordsman who fought Calamity Gannon and saved Hyrule from destruction was at some point in the distant past born in Hateno.
it's confirmed in botw that at the very least zelda had the hots for link, so seeing as zelda has now moved into his house, it seems pretty cut and dry that their relationship ain't just princess and her knight. either that or link sleeps in the shed.
Maybe part of the reason people dont recognize Link is because the timeline of BoTW is actually very short. Link was just passing through towns and villages for essential plots and never stay or revisit just to dye his armor or help people find their chicken. After the event, they were always on the move, visiting places that need to be rebuilt and researched l, including Hatteno, so it’s quite reasonable that not many people would get to know him or recognize him (who’s just a bodyguard at that point). Only those who are essential to the the BotW plot had actually interacted with him, other NPCs had not.
Exactly on everything you said, plus It's plain as day that they were a couple, I don't see why people are so against it. In the Champion's Ballad, Kass says (not sure on exact, but similar) his teacher had a crush on Zelda but she only had eyes for her swordsman. You can see in Zelda's eyes, in flashback memories in BOTW, that she's in love with him. People can argue, why doesn't he just live in the house, well Zelda is missing, maybe he doesn't want to stay there without her. People can deny it all they want, but the signs are there.
Link also doesn’t talk much, so he wouldn’t talk to villagers or anyone in the kingdom. Also, link would probably be physically helping the kingdom while Zelda organized the restoration
In Lurelin Village you find out through some dialogue that Zelda frequently visited the Lovers Pond and you can even find a painting of it made by Zelda in a building there. That's all I'm gonna say.
i like to think in the future when the kingdom of Hyrule is once against established and recovers from the upheaval this would be their special vacation spot a place to connect to the people and the land, while also relaxing from the stress of politics
Also can we just take a second to think about how dope a TotK sequel with King Link and Queen Zelda setting out together to save their kingdom that they worked so hard to rebuild together would be? Running around as Link with Zelda following you, doing all the same things you do, climbing next to you, gliding around with you, and then you could just swap between playing Link and Zelda whenever you want.
"The person who owned in this house went to fight in WWI and never returned..." Something about that being the real world equivalent makes the whole scenario feel... heavy.
Very well crafted arguments w/valid points and explanations. I enjoyed your very simple yet realistic explanations that acknowledge all lines of thought. Solid video! Your work definitely earned a subscription.
To start, I like to believe that Link and Zelda live together. (BOTW/TOTK and Skyward Sword are the only games where I actively ship Zelink though.) I just simply feel like their relationship in BOTW/TOTK is really cute and would make so much sense if they shared the same house and were (maybe) in some sort of romantic relationship. And, having read every comment in this comment section, I can agree with the frequently-mentioned idea that Zelda would only have a secret well if she shared the house with someone. But moving on, I think having Zelda and Link in a relationship would add so much depth and emotion to the game (especially the main focus being to find and reunite with Zelda.) Of course, I'm also aware of the ambiguity concept that Nintendo often uses, where players are allowed to play the game based off their own interpretations of it, so I'm open to any ideas both ways. Anyways, I don't know if this is relevant to the argument or not, or if it's entirely false because I don't remember it that clearly, but here's something I somewhat recall from the previous game. At some point in BOTW, I was talking to one of the NPCs in Tarrey Town, and they mentioned something about how the town was considered a place to purchase a vacation home. I don't know if I dreamed this up or not, but for some reason I recall an NPC calling Tarrey Town a place for vacation homes, and I suppose that stuck with me throughout the rest of the game for some reason. I'd like to tie this in with the whole "Dream Home" side quest where you can purchase and personalize a new home for Link, overlooking Tarrey Town. This seems to prove to many people (who are against the idea of Zelink sharing a home) that Link really did just hand the house over to Zelda, especially if teleporting over to Tarrey Town and building his own house there is an option. However, my interpretation of the whole living situation is that Link and Zelda DO live together in Hateno Village, but Link bought a "vacation home" in Tarrey Town to surprise Zelda with when she returned. Again, this is just my interpretation, so if you think differently, I totally respect that! And if anyone can confirm that the whole NPC vacation home thing really IS just a figment of my imagination, please let me know! :)
I think you're referring to the rich guy that pays link to defeat the 2 guardians in akkala purely for his enjoyment. He's the same guy who's now charging 20 rupees to use the tarrey tram in totk... I also agree about links new dream home is a vacation house... at least that what I had in mind when designing it for both link and zelda..
I don’t remember the vacay home part BUT I think Rhondson says something about a home for just you or to share with someone special or something along those lines
I would argue the abandoned house was not Link's in the past pre-Calamity. Yes they said that the person who lived there never came back, but this is a 'correlation is not causation' type scenario. Just cuz it happened to be abandoned is therefore not inherently proof it used to be his. There's TONS of destroyed villages and the like all over Hyrule post-Calamity, in both BotW and TotK. There's just as much chance that Link was from one of those long-lost places.
Pretty simple to assume that Link has been staying there, but he's a silent protagonist and probably quietly working, so he has a limited ibteraction woth other non-story characters. Seems very intentional to indicate they are moved in together, whether a couple or not.
If you watch the dragon tears cutscenes it more than alludes to Zelda being well and truly in love with link and her first concern after waking up is how link is, she didn’t even consider herself until afterwards.
I refuse to believe Zelda just kicked link out of the house. I definitely believe more so that they just live there together as a possible couple or romantic relationship. Sure the game doesn't fully come out and say they're in a romantic relationship but there's plenty of hints in both BOTW and TOTK the allow fans to come to these conclusions and even Zelda's English voice actor believes that Zelda and Link are together in a romantic relationship.
Is it really that unusual for celebrities and their bodyguards to share a space? Seems like it'd make the job a heck of a lot easier. I do think these two eventually end up together though. They've been through way too much together. Nobody else in Hyrule could possibly understand either of them.
I like your interpretation. I've always wanted or hoped for a more romantic relationship for Link and Zelda. As far as other NPC's not recognizing Link....well, when it comes to the kids, it might depend on their age. Some older kids may remember Link and Zelda but they don't recognize him because of the lapse in time. I've only just started playing Tears of the Kingdom, so excited to get to Hateno Village for myself. And get Zelda's horse. Not sure how though....yet. Might have to cheat and watch a video.
Link is a Noble he isn't a commoner. Link is a Knight and he was born from a family of Knight and Knight. A royal knight is part of lower nobility. Notice that People who recognised Link but not close enough to be his friend called link Master Link or Sir Link. So if Royalty can only marry Noble Link is the only person qualified to marry Zelda
I think these are signs of time travel similar to the link to the past on super Nintendo. The magic mirror still has a design on the game & I think it could exist. I sure hope I'm right, it would be cool to see everything on the game b4 it was destroyed. The flash back at hyrule castle showing it not destroyed may also be a hint.
You can also sleep freely above a water fall and zora’s domain and the old man’s cabin on the great plateau as well as a cabin in the herba mountain range
Link and Zelda been living in sin since BOTW, y’all! 😮 (Stares at TOTK with disapproving Auntie eyes). 🤣😂🤣 While I think their relationship can be interpreted in different ways, I think the devs are pointing us in the direction of romantic relationship. Not every iteration of Link and Zelda are romantic. But this whole cycle started with Hylia taking Zelda away from Link. Since BOTW and TOTK have some loose ties to SS, I’d say Link is always trying to find her. Yes, he cares about Hyrule and it’s people, but it’s always about her. It’s subtle but that’s how I’ve interpreted this particular game. Now…if this was TP Link and Zelda, that was a business transaction 😂🤣🤣🤣
I’ve always wanted this to happen though. I’ve always theorized that a Link exists because a Zelda is born to thwart the evils of Ganon’s curse to always seek power. It’s a revolving door of reincarnation. I’m all for this being the beginning of a more canon relationship between them.
Consider the characters and their interests. Zelda is essentially homeless after BotW, so of course Link would offer up his home to her. Not only because he is duty-bound, but because he is kind. Also, another bed Link can sleep in charge-free is inside the Deku tree, near where Link’s sword has been recharging since the events of the last game. My guess is that, while Zelda has been living in the safety if Hateno, protected by nearby Sheikah, Link has been living mostly in the woods, as all iterations of Link tend to do, guarding his sword, which is also why the forest was hit so hard during the upheaval. Dunno, just my thoughts. I tend to see their relationship as deep but platonic.
If the kids do not recognize Link, it's because Link purchase the house 5-6 years prior. The kids were probably babies back then. Link seems like the dude who is out there training or hunting than a person who studies indoors like Zelda. It's more likely Link gave her the house because he does not use it often.
Doesn't explain Zeldas need for privacy and Links hairband in the well. Link is definetly gone most of the time, but since she needed to hide his new tunic somewhere else, Link MUST live there, otherwise there is no risk of him finding it if he doesn't use the house too. I never woul skoop around the house of another person, even if I lived there previously 😂
@@DundG well to be fair Link does go into pretty much everybody’s house uninvited and takes anything not nailed down lol. I’m surprised nobody seems to care when he wakes them up in the middle of the night to talk about the quest they gave him
I don't understand why anyone would refuse the idea that Link and Zelda were living together. Zelda was fighting the Calamity for 100 years, during which the castle where she lived her whole life fell into ruin, What kind of appointed knight would Link be if he didn't offer zelda a place to live. Marriage wise I kinda imagine something like in Dishonored where you have the Empress with a daughter but no apparent husband, I don't think Link would ever want to be king instead in my headcannon officially Zelda and Link are Queen and knight, unofficially a married couple, not that I think anyone in hyrule would oppose an official marriage
For me, "it depends on what kind of fanfiction you want to write." I think it is entirely possible that they're together and Link's just low-key enough that people don't really know that he's more than her knight. I also think that they might not be in any more than a friendship and/or Zelda-is-pining-and-Link-is-unsure relationship and Link gave and / or sold the house to Zelda because she needed a base for the Hateno-projects and he's barely there, anyway. He lives on the road - staying at stables and camping in the wilds. (I know that I was hardly ever home in Breath of the Wild and even spend more time away from my fabulous Tarrey Town-adjacent dream home than in it). Isn't it funny how video games allow us to live our wildest fantasies, like being a homeowner? Heh. So, yeah, I do think that alternate shipping for Link or aro and/or ace Link is *possible* if you're thinking "Oh, he's on the road a lot, doing independent missions or out huntin' and fishin' all the time."
Despite I believe that Link and Zelda love each I think that they are just roommates (Maybe Link sleeps in the floor lol) besides he is still her royal guard he can't be living far away from her.
Considering Zelda's power is unlocked to protect Link, no one else including her father, I would say it was due to love. When everything has changed, and the last living royal/Goddess is in charge, she can do as she pleases. Take those most basic thoughts into account I would say that yes they are together (much like Skyward Sword) and living in the home together. Take it from someone who has been with their S/O for almost 24 years, who made the world stand still when our eyes met, they are together.
Personally I feel like they have a very professional relationship despite the romantic implications. I only say this because Link has always been a character who cares about the people he knows as well as sees in trouble. Twilight Princess Link's entire character arc is his ride or die attitude toward the people around him - Ilia, the kids from his village, Midna, and even Zelda. He's always been a "if something happens to my friends I'll travel the whole world to save them" kind of character. Someone strong enough to face fear for those who need him. Zelda being an incredibly important friend for him, and also his professional relationship with her would probably dictate he be willing to give his house to her because she's the princess and he's her royal guard. This version of link to me really feels like he feels a lot of honor for the job he had with Zelda. She's important to him, had been fighting Ganon for over a hundred years, and she needed a place to rest because the castle was decimated and unlike stereotypical monarchy she didn't place focus on fixing her castle but on her duty to her people. I think in that circumstance of course Link would give her his house.
SPOILER- They definitely lived together and were romantically engaged, nearly everything points to that and you get the cherry on top at the end when Zelda says she finally woke up to Link's loving embrace
Here is a fun theory. ZELDA is considered royalty. As far as i know, royals can't just have relationships. There is a process and a ceromony and marriage. Maybe zelda and link are not ready to wed, and link is not ready to be king, so what do they do? They keep their relationship a secret, and maybe they convinced every body in town to keep it a secret, even from them.. thats why everybody acts like they dont know link because they are acting. All this is to keep order in hyrule and keep zelda in power. If people found out that the princes is having relationships and not following royal codes that would bring hyrule to further chaos.
Also what happened to zeldas old horse in breath of the wild because she has on new horse in this game, I know link got her horse but surely he would give it back to her right, she disowned that horse or something
Link is like Tony Hawk, in that no one recognizes who he is without Zelda there, the same way no one recognizes Tony Hawk without a skateboard and helmet
Underrated comment
It’s similar to Miles and Gwen from Spider-Man. The movies, the comics and some of the games have always put Miles and Gwen together so when she isn’t there it’s like Miles who? Even if she or he isn’t there one or the other are bound to join each other
Plus based on some of the TOTK gameplay I have seen, he might as well be Tony Hawk
Give him a shield and a mountain and he IS him...
THIS!!
I want to add that Hudson recognizes link in tarrey town, and thanks him for helping him build the town. This mission in botw is only unlocked after buying link’s house. That means it is definitely link’s house in totk
Yea he buys the house in TOTK (with Zelda lost/ gone) but he didn’t own it between BOTW and TOTK.
Buuuuttttt, Bolson doesn’t remember Link! And that’s how the Hudson quest starts. Very odd indeed
@@faithsherrer9783 i think the reason to this is that, to bolson, link is just another customer. However Hudson remembers him as the person that helped supply recourses for his town, attract residents, and link is even the reason that Hudson met his wife, so link would stick around in Hudsons memory.
A lot of these people not recognizing link is either a) due to nintendos inconsistency or b) they intentionally did this for new coming players who never played botw
@@modcon-based113Yeah not even Hestu or the Zora remember Link. So it’s not an argument. Anyways, Symin in Hateno recognized Link and says “you’re BACK IN TOWN.” I.e he lives there.
one more point to add, Link never actually introduces himself to most npcs, the ones that know him, just know who he is, the ones that don't just assume he's a traveler and he just goes with it, some people even hear his name and think "oh he has the same name as the princess's knight, must be hard living up to that name, there's absolutely no way the two of you are one and the same, nuh-uh" so taking all of that into account, and the fact that even in BotW he didn't use the house much, it makes sense that he doesn't leave a big impression on your average joe.
Except on people like Hudson.
@@slynthehedgehog8061 I mean you DID help him build Tarrey Town AND are technically the reason he's married.
@@edgarjuarez2241 exactly
Good point
I think a lot of NPCs that don't know Link personally also have a hard time recognizing Link is the princess's knight because he doesn't look like much. He's shorter than the average adult hylian, has a lean build, and and blonde hair which is not uncommon. Most people would assume the savior of hyrule and knight of the princess would be a big buff dude who would stand out. There is even a quest where the Yiga try to find Link but they only know he is blonde, brave, a good climber, and goes out of his way to help others so they were trying to get every blonde man they could find to do errands to see if they were Link or not.
I've always just taken it that Link is just another guy to most of the people of Hyrule, the citizens of Hanteo didn't notice him living there. When Princess Zelda started staying in the village however, everyone just presumed it was her house and that Link was her bodyguard. Its still his house as far as I'm concerned, paid for it fair and square.
Agreed
Well if that’s the case then why don’t they call him a bodyguard? I think the most logical explanation is that the devs didn’t want every conversation to start with “hey I remember you!” So they decided to have most characters not recognize you even when they should.
Also, Symin teaches the students about the great calamity 100 years ago and says the hero saved them all but doesn’t say it was Link because link is standing RIGHT THERE lol
I wish that they would actually give Link some recondition for saving them
I think it’s just that almost no one knows what Link actually looks like.
Link and Zelda moved in! That is why Link got his own Bachelor Crib. Link and Zelda living together in Hateno Village is quite wholesome to think about.
Ya know there is a manga of them living in the house right?
@@l.aliban5122 really? please share!
@@l.aliban5122 WHERE??
@@l.aliban5122 there are several Zelink fan manga of them living together. Most of them japanese. And come on! Most of the Japanese Zelda fans are Zelinkers. Nintendo knows What is doing! Otherwise they wont even have to be so “direct” and with all this implications. They just love the drama of the shipping. Zelink is canon and yes they are living together, and yes if link and zelda are still virgins well at the end of the game i dont think they will loss time AGAIN.
@@adrianagalarza6305 Even the guy who wrote this game is a Zelinker. He wrote Skyward Sword. Miyamoto is a Zelinker too. And I’m assuming so is Aonuma or else he wouldn’t approve of Zelink in the games. (Plus he approved of killing Mipha, etc.)
I would also add. If link wasn’t staying in the house, why would Zelda need to hide the new champions tunic elsewhere and not just use her own house if link wasn’t also living there. She had to hide the tunic at the castle so link wouldn’t find it.
Well if Link is Zelda's personal guard, then he must follow her around quite a bit, almost never leaving her alone, hence showing that if Zelda hid the champion's tunic in her house, which she visits a lot according to the villagers and children of Hateno village, Link would have seen it somewhere eventually. (also its just a side quest made to make the game more difficult than just giving it to you)
@@Zeldabarthe fact that it's a side quest and "designed so they don't have to just give it to you" as you put it. They still made a lore explanation for it being there, and they had Zelda explain her reasoning behind why that reasoning is what it is. *Therefore, it is canon.*
@@lordnul1708 read the part above it.
@@Zeldabar It is a very interresting argument, that Zelda can hide it easily within the castle where she is surrounded by Hylian Soldiers (allowing Link to wander around or go on errands), but not in Hateno, where for practical reason only Link as her personal guard would be around.
@@sarowie but in the castle there are many more hiding places then to just hide it in a house where it cannot be visible.
Link and Zelda being married privately and living in a small village just makes perfect sense to me. With her as the princess, they wouldn’t have announced that to the whole world, but also since the kingdom didn’t exist for a century, it’d be much easier to hide. Also the fact that Zelda hasn’t been crowned queen despite being the presumable heir (depending on how their succession works) fits with this too since she’s living a more private life as she works to rebuild the kingdom.
she deserves it after all she went through for 100 years, she comes back and informs all the people of hyrule shes alive and they are prob happy about it.
Knowing Zelda's insatiable curiosity about all historical things, the fact that she's staying in Hateno instead of Kakariko has to be because of Link. The little girl that hangs out near the house says that Zelda would always tell her when she was leaving so Zelda was coming and going a lot too. I'm not concerned about sleeping arrangements, he could be sleeping on a pallet on the floor downstairs and stowing it under the staircase during the day. These were my thoughts anyway.
Link is totally the kind of guy who would sleep on the floor so Zelda could have a bed
The bed in the house looks like it fits two people
I thought the same thing
@@HealingIzaiah I thought so too, but there's only 1 pillow, soooo...
@@HealingIzaiahThe bed in the house is the exact same bed that the dye shop guy and his wife have. Just different colours. Therefore, married couples have the same bed.
After everything they’ve been through, and how close they grew together 100 years ago. It honestly makes little sense for them not to live together.
Also I assume the reason nobody in Hateno seems to remember Link is because he’s canonically a very quite and reserved person that he doesn’t leave much of an impression on people who don’t actively know his accomplishments, those people of course being the people closer to Hyrule Castle. People forget that Hateno is basically in the outskirts as far away from the effects of Calamity Ganon as possible. Even Zelda isn’t really know in Hateno for be the princess, she is more known for her passion of learning and promotion of education.
Plus we all know that Link doesn't handle social pressure well. He became silent because of the expectations of being the choosen one. And I figure Link prefers being casual and people honest to him, rather than fans lovebombing him.
So I think it is his choice to not be known. He doesn't want the attention.
Yeah Link helped those NPCs once half a decade ago. We don’t know the exact time difference between the games, but based on the age of Mattison it’s probably been something like 5-6 years (I go with 6 since it’s the amount of time IRL but obviously that’s not real evidence).
Is someone really going to remember a guy who collected 10 frogs for them 5 years ago and lives on the outskirts of town? Especially when he’s a quiet guy who lives with a much more noteworthy person. And even then, the only people who really talk about Zelda in Hateno are the people connected to the school, not random people in town, so she’s probably not walking around like a celebrity, I don’t even think people refer to her as Princess there.
@@willbowden6897 Even if they saw Link in Uniform next to Princes Zelda: He would be even more unnoticeable.
Offcourse the princes has a body guard - Offcourse he his were ever she is. Offcourse he sleeps in the same house.
Imaging an overnight Jiga attack on Zelda!
@@sarowie I figure some more people might recognize him as her guard if he atleast wear the mastersword, it being that one thing that stood out from the rest..
Also, his usual hood obscures his face quite a bit, so even less likely his face would make someone remember.
Oh, and.. how well do you recognize those that live in the outskirts or atleast several buildings away and never really interact with you irl? =p
@@kargothmortthere are quests where people mention, paraphrasing here "you share the same name as that swordsman, but you aren't wearing his legendary sword so you must not be him"
Honestly I think the developers put in these subtle hints very intentionally because considering those hints it’s hard to imagine coming to any other conclusion. They most certainly must be together.
It was confirmed in an interview actually.
the voice actor literally said they are not in a relationship if you would just google things instead of assuming 🤣
@@ethancarey6799 That's kind of the opposite of what was said. And I quote: "Voice actress Patricia Summersett loves the relationship between Link and Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Voice actress says Link and Zelda “are in a relationship”
Pretty easy to lie when you think people aren't going to check you on it huh?
@@ethancarey6799 yeah your goose got cooked
@@Rune_Scholar She corrected herself and said that's not what she meant.
It would make total sense for their relationship to be largely unknown if that's the case.
If Link is known only as Zelda's bodyguard, then it's safer because potential enemies would see a well protected princess.
If everyone knew they were in an intimate relationship though, potential enemies might become more radical and bolder and might put both in more unnecessary danger. They would know they can also try to capture link and turn him into a bargaining chip.
This is exactly what the Yiga Clan is aiming for, to take out Link then Zelda would presumably be easier to pick off. Unfortunately for them, Link is the protag and nefariously clever with his stuff.
@@RudockAviar and he would whoop them easily
Zelda's voice actor said they are in a relationship. It isn't just her headcanon, but something that was told to her during the voice recording process but never made it into the game.
@@RudockAviar Not really, this Link isn’t too smart and the Yiga Clan tricks him all the time
@@Jaxagain. he always falls for the obviously placed as a trap bananas
I think people equate Link not having a voice actor to Link not talking. Link talks plenty because in dialogue, people responds to what he says. He explains what he's done on quests to people, for example.
Seriously. He even responds with dumb puns too.
It's canonical that he doesn't speak much. In Breath of the Wild Zelda comments that she never knows what he's thinking because he's always so quiet and doesn't speak his mind. Link only talks when it's absolutely necessary to explain things, otherwise he keeps it to himself
@@AndrewSkatesBadly big difference between not speaking much and not speaking at all
@@AndrewSkatesBadlyHe certainly didn't speak much pre-Calamity, because of the weight of expectations placed on him as prodigy and Hero of Hyrule, but that's it. Everything else is just a silent protagonist, fill it yourself type of thing.
@@AndrewSkatesBadlyactually you're missing two important things there. One is that she says that telling the beginning of their story. But it is made clear that they then get more intimate - and, if you know any introverted person, you know that means he would express himself a lot more around her.
Second is the lose of memory he suffers waking up in the first game, and I've seen comments that the creators themselves commented something on how that had an impact on how Link puts himself. A lot of his very serious acting had to do with the pressure he felt when becaming a knight (and that's backed up by Mipha's diary). When he wakes up without the memories, his personality is different, which explains why he interacts much more with people compared to the memories.
I think it’s funny that zelda elegantly made a well she can work in privately and link, controlled by us, just HYAH’d his way into it and read her shit and took his hair tie and went about his way saving the kingdom. All while wearing some insane armor. An elegant gentleman.
zelda is 100% Link's impulse control.
@@ghoulchan7525oh absolutely she is. Lmao
I believe that it is pretty doable to assume that people in hateno knows zelda but not link because first: she's the princess of hyrule, so even people who she may not have interacted directly would recognize her and be aware of her living in the town, and second: maybe zelda was doing work in the town like establishing the school while link was out training or something else because zelda wouldn't need a bodyguard while wandering the town, or even if he was accompanying her, most people wouldn't pay him any mind, if a celebrity moved near you I doubt you would recognize their bodyguards if they showed randomly
We also know their involvement with the people in hateno wasn't that deep because they're not even aware of the events that transpired in the castle during the upheaval, unlike other characters who are surprised to see link because they're close enough to be aware of their disappearance
Zelda pretty much describe link as quite man. So link probably just go home sleep and go to work. he doesn't interact with anyone. Zelda interact with people in hateno link didn't. It's quite common for a couple living in village and one of them completely antisocial but the other one is very social
@@rockzs74r that’s… pretty random and it probably isn’t that deep. It’s as op said, the ppl will recognize the princess of their kingdom regardless of if she’s introverted or extroverted, if she interacts with anyone or she doesn’t. The same can’t be said for her bodyguard.
Her diary explicitly says that Link always remained by her side, which implies that he would be with her whenever he possibly could. I doubt he would just go off on his own to train while she does important stuff, and he's already been shown to refuse to follow her orders if it means risking her safety (not even towns are safe, as is made obvious by some side quests in the game, particularly the one with Reede where you need to defend some pumpkins from monsters).
Except literally every rando in hyrule recognized THE GUY WHO SAVED THE WORLD.
@@daniel8181 They really don't, pretty much only the zoras recognize Link because they knew him from 100 years ago, only the people close to the champions descendants knew who link was and in gerudo town everyone just address you as the guy friend from riju who she allowed to walk around for some reason
Just a heads up that there are actually quite a few beds Link can sleep in without paying. Selmie's Place has a bed he can sleep in, there is a bed on the shore of the East Reservoir Lake by the dam facing the Zora Domain, as well as Calip's cabin and Link's house. These were all also free beds Link could use in BOTW as well. Obviously those don't apply to this question, but just in case anyone missed them!
the bed in Korok forest is also free from what i remember.
but a point is he can't sleep in another NPC's bed, unless that NPC gives permission i think.
@@ghoulchan7525 Correct
Zora's Domain he can sleep for free at Ruta Lake...
Also, interestingly, Selmie is a minor character that is implied to somewhat recognise Link.
I thought the inn in Tarrey Town, run by Kapson, was also free to stay in. Or is that only in BOTW, and in TOTK, you have to pay for a bed there?
Edit: The Lurelin Village inn is also free after you complete the side quest to save their town.
There's only two possibilities.
If romance? Simple. They're in the same house.
If platonic? Also simple, they're in the same house if only for Link to protect Zelda from the Yiga threats and to accompany her on her trips.
Regardless for both, Link may be coming and going at odd hours too. May be waking up early in the morning and away from the house and coming back late when they're the village probably just because he likes his privacy.
well its implicitly stated that link isnt private, hes stoic, and at least in botw/totk canon hes stoic and silent because of the weight put on his shoulders after picking up the master sword, the sword only meant for the one with the spirit of the hero, thats a pretty heavy burden. but i dont think its about him being private, its about him showing unyielding dedication in the face of evil.
Link and Zelda are both 15 when Calamity hits. TotK takes place a few years after BotW. Hudson's daughter looks and acts like a four year old. Link and Zelda mught be 19, maximum 20.
And I think a lot of parents don't like the thought that two Teenagers sleep together in one bed. Or as an unmarried couple.
Nintendo has international customers. Children play this game. I don't think the Devs are so stupid to make parents angry.
So the made it very subtle so it's more up to interpretation if they are an unmarried teenager couple that sleeps in one bed.
What? Link and Zelda are 17 when it hits.
Maybe Link is visiting Paya?
@@Aqsticgod It is also stated that Link losens up 100 Years later.
For the single bed in Link's house, I like to think he did offer his bed, but she refused. So he offered to buy a bigger bed, but she refused and used him as her bed.
Ayo?
Ayooo 🤨📸
🤣
You all need the lord 😂😂😂
tf y’all saying ‘ayo?’ for??? Sleeping together is like, a normal thing??? for couples to do????
Yeah brought up a lot of good points it should be obvious that he lived there with her but people tend to forget that a Zelda is confirmed to be in love with link witch is stated at the end of the champions balid in btow. So she cares for him alot plus his hairband is in her study kinda sus for someone to keep around someone else’s clothes if they don’t live there huh
Maybe they both live there, but Link just often has to go elsewhere because of his work and Zelda can stay more in town. It could also be that Link doesn't want to be recognized everywhere considering that in botw it is stated that the reason for his silence is the pressure he faced from being the hero so he keeps a low profile when visiting the village.
Yeah, it’d probably be a preferable change for him.
Also that even a newspaper person even when link tells him he is Link does not know he is the link the hero
Imagine him intentionally trying to avoid recognition by wearing different armor every day so people think Zelda has a bunch of different guards
@@1234andrewjacksmithThe Gerudo women at one of the stables actually talk about Link and think that he must be the stereotypical super tall and muscular hero but when we talk to them they think there's no way that Link could be him on account of his height.
I personally really like the theory that Link and Zelda got married between games. I think it would explain a lot of their motivations. I dont think it can entirely hold up with the rest of the story, but it's still a fun theory. Imagine how powerful it would have been if right before going to fight Ganondorf someone like Purah just casually mentions Link and Zelda's wedding. It would be a total bombshell and an awesome plot twist! Now we really want to beat Ganon! And it would make the already emotional diving catch to save Zelda at the end even more emotional.
if not married yet. they were probably making plans too.
bro not cool, spoiler
side quests aren't canon? since when? That's a new one to me. Its clear to me that they are in a relationship together, its how I like to see things and gives TotK more of an impact. I do like its vagueness. If someone hates the idea of them being together in that form, then fine, its open to interpretation.
Looking at parents who think two TEENAGERS sleeping in one bed is a bad idea...
I’m on board with your line of thinking: Nintendo is a smart enough company and so skilled at environmental storytelling that they can set this up to be ambiguous.
If you want to be believe Link+Zelda are living together, there’s evidence for that. If you want it strictly platonic between them, there’s evidence for that, too.
@@CordeliaWagner They are NOT teenagers. They were 17 when the calamity hit (some evidence suggests Link may even have been 18). Then in totk, Hudson and Rhondson have a child who looks about 5, 6 or 7 years old. That child did not exist in botw and we even set her parents up in the first place. Link and Zelda are 20 minimum but that child does not look 2 years old. Other characters have grown significantly as well like Tulin and Riju and Kass's kids.
It's more about the rating, etc.
@@CordeliaWagner Link and Zelda are at the very most 1 year apart in age with Link being the older one (able to make the spring of wisdom trip on Zelda’s birthday) and now that Link can legally drink (which would put his physical age at least 20, the minimum age to drink in Japan, biological age at 120), that would mean Zelda is at least 19 physically, 119 biologically, potentially both 20/120… point being, their both adults
If side quests wouldnt be canon A LOT of shit wouldnt work
Like why is it links house in the first place then
He never set foot in that house in the main story
Its literally a side quest of botw that this theory even begins to exist
I think it would be very unlikely that Link would go off and leave Zelda undefended. I see it that people in Hatato don't know Link because he was forgettable to them when Zelda was around. He's her silent body guard and she's this amazing, talkative princess. Any time they may have noticed him, they probably either quickly forgot about him because he is so in the background or discounted him as just a lowly body guard. It's only the people who really KNOW who he is that recognise him. Even in the school lessons when the kids learn about the hero from the calamity, they don't tell them that it was Link. He's not a show pony and wouldn't like the attention such knowledge would give him. I think for the most part, he likes going around unnoticed.
So, while the house was Link's, when Zelda moved in people came to recognise it as Zelda's house because she was the memorable one.
Exactly. People generally pay a lot more attention to celebrities than their bodyguards. Knowing Link, he probably just stands awkwardly to the side while Zelda talks with people. Heck, maybe he even intentionally throws people off by wearing different armor sets every day so people think she has multiple guards
With all the new clothing style, the town is attracting a lot of newer people that wouldn’t be familiar with link.
Maybe people eat these psychedelic looking fashionshrooms...
Considering the photo of the champions that impa took is still up there and was put up by Link himself and is his direct property yeah Link and Zelda are definitely living together, whether they got married is debatable but unmarried couples living together is actually extremely common
Agreed. The picture of the Champions would be exhibit A in my argument that Zelda moved in with Link.
(Also, I *think* it’s Purah who takes the picture on the Sheikah slate at the end of the Champion’s Ballad DLC quest as opposed to Impa, but I’m not 100% on that.)
@@FrothyRemorse It most likely is Purah. Her voice in this game sounds the same as the person who took the photo.
@@britt6184 It definitely is Purah. In the memory where the picture is taken the person says "Click! Snap!" just before taking the picture, which is Purah's signature move.
I think Link gave the picture to Zelda since it means a lot to her.
@@Matagu1 It's in the same place he put it after he got it from kass. Something that is done while Zelda is still holding back ganon
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
Can you tell me more about the livers pond quest? I’ve been trying to find it myself
"it claims to be Link and Zelda’s house (they lived, eat and sleep together in one single bed)."
I hate to tell you this, but that is not true at all. In Japanese, the well title is ゼルダの家の井戸 which you can translate a couple ways. Either, literally, "Zelda's house's well" or "The well at Zelda's house."
Her journals also don't talk about possessiveness of the house. When talking about how she commissioned the secret area in the well, she calls the house: 家. Which is just "house" or "the house." She doesn't say "my house" (like she does in English), and she also doesn't say "our house" as some people have suggested.
And just to note. I do think they both live there. I am just correcting this misconception about the Japanese. It is no more explicit in Japanese over English. There are some things in Japanese that are really close to explicit; but not that.
Good point! Also if you go to gerudo town with the gerudo teacher she'll ask you if you have someone special in your heart and you can answer yes or no
Also there is 2 chairs at the table (idk if this was also in botw)
and imo that pillow on the bed is kinda long
@@CSYKOIt doesn’t matter if there’s just one pillow bc other married couples in Hateno also just have one pillow.
Link and Zelda have become a couple and have moved in together. That’s why Zelda is living there and why Link is able to sleep in the bed. The only beds Link can actually sleep in in the game are beds he’s allowed to sleep in, either at an inn/stable, the Korok’s making a bed for him in the forest and the bed in the house you make in Tarrey Town. It’s pretty clear Link and Zelda are a couple and living together.
Some interesting things to note are that the Zora, Rito, Goron, and the Gerudo who knew link was a Voe all recognise link from his actions in BOTW. The people that don’t are typically civilians that have no established connection to link or that link had no significant impact on
People are also aware of the swordsman who saved the kingdom, but they don’t recognise Link as that swordsman so his name and appearance were never publicised possibly due to Link’s own request
The kingdom’s guards also still exist and interact with the princess, and while they recognise Link civilians may see Link and think he’s simply another guard assigned to the princess. Unless they were caught having a romantic moment no one would think the two were together due to their different statuses. This would also lead to the basic assumption that the house belonged solely to the princess not her guard
There’s also the possibility that Link and Zelda don’t want to publicise their relationship and that Link’s stuff like an extra pillow are put away when he’s not there to keep people from finding out
Nintendo kinda dropped the ball by not just being explicit about them being together.
The story is so much more emotionally impactful to go through if you assume that they are in a romantic relationship. If it's just a guy and how he interacts with his boss, the story loses a lot of personal stake.
In a platonic relationship means the story is touching, but that's it. In a romantic relationship, the story is devastating.
I think it's left up to the player because the whole point of LoZ is to not have any definite relationships that the player is locked into. Going all the way back to Princess Ruto, Malon, Zelda, and Saria, in OoT it was clearly up to you what head cannon you wanted to entertain- to the point they never let you follow up on any of these relationships.
Link is the most eligible bachelor in all of Hyrule and everyone, male, female, rock, bird, etc. wants him, but none will make a move because they all think he's with Zelda who friend-zoned him over a century ago and because she's the princess can make them disappear without a question about it.
@@SideshowDooM that's an...interesting take on the story. Whatever floats your boat.
@Noisy Cricket I completely agree with you. Nintendo will never have an absolute when it comes to Link's relationship status. There are tons of hints throughout the games that each support a different ship, but nothing is ever stated outright. They clearly want the player to be able to decide who Link loves, not be forced into accepting one "canon" relationship that they may or may not be happy about.
While TotK has a lot of evidence going for Zelink, the same could be said about many other ships, including MiphLink and RijLink (Riju X Link)
For example, there are many people in Gerudo Town who openly express how lucky Link and Riju are to have each other, and how they hope to someday find a voe who will love them as much as Link loves Riju. This was most likely put in the game specifically for those fans who support RijLink over other ships.
To sum up this long comment, Nintendo doesn't have a canon relationship for Link. They want the player to have the ability to choose to ensure the most general satisfaction. While a canon acknowledgement of a specific relationship sounds great, it would likely do more harm than good for the series.
@@Drew.Mellow Zelda has been breaking conventions with nearly every game they release.
They didn't do an open world till BotW. They didn't do voice acting until BotW. They basically put a canon relationship, and a very narrowly defined Link in Skyward sword.
There is no reason for them to not tell a more intimate story, that is defined. They don't because of two reasons.
1. Japan
2. "Kids game"
Japan and Japanese (the language) puts a lot of cultural weight into subtlety and implied meaning. And relationship/affection are, very often, reserved for private situations. Holding hands can be seen as too much PDA to some Japanese people.
That culture carries over to their media. There reasoning could be like this: "This is a kids game, therefore it needs to be appropriate for kids, therefore we cannot have an overt romantic story, we have to tell it subtly."
But again, they are breaking conventions often. They've managed, between BOTW and TOTK to tell a very touching and impactful story. And it would be much better if they realized that kids do not care about the story at all. They can be overt.
I think, eventually, they will realize that. It's the direction they are heading, and it's getting more obvious with each game.
I feel that Link and Zelda are together. There was something about Zeldas smile at the end of BOTW that eluded to them being in love
There's also the point that Hudson was said to have been hired by Zelda herself to rebuild Hyrule. She could have easily hire him to build her a house that suits her needs, but she instead decided to live with Link
I feel like Nintendo is doing it on purpose, instead of just some random reason of “Zelda needs a house”. As you said, Zelda could live anywhere (I mean, the house Bolson was staying in at night would be a perfect choice if they do not want to imply anything. Link’s house will still be the same)
Plus if Nintendo designed this solely for the TOTK-only-new players to experience building Link’s house, they could have easily destroy his house the same as they did to the cuckoo guy’s house.
This particular choice is definitely a hint of their relationship
Something else to keep in mind about people not knowing Link - there are a TON of NPC’s that, while they don’t know what he looks like, they have HEARD of the Hero who defeated the Calamity and saved the Princess. Sometimes all they know about him is that he wields the Master Sword. There’s a trio of Gerudo women near a stable that talk about finding a Voe, and they bring up the Hero. They assume he must be taller then them and built like a brick house. (Oddly enough, Ganondorf fits this criteria lol)
My point is that Link is so busy helping Hyrule rebuild that he never stays in one place for too long so people don’t get to know who he is unless they themselves play an active roll in the effort to rebuild - so I believe he offered to let Zelda stay at his house since he wasn’t using it very often. I bet they still stayed there together a few times though.
I head cannoned that they were coupling together in Hateno prior to the release of TotK so I was literally delighted to see that their house had been Zelda-fied when I got there. I (admittedly biased) think that they were both staying there and the people of Hateno are just kind of oblivious. Like, that's their whole thing, a kind of general lack of awareness of the outside world, and with Link being so quiet they just kind of missed him.
Also, probably the most obvious place for Zelda to stay if she wasn't moved in with her BF, would be the Hateno Research lab, as Purah had moved out at that point. But she didn't, did she?
It makes more sense to me that they would both be using the Castle as their main residence while they worked on rebuilding the kingdom, all the NPCs at Lookout Landing seem to be familiar with Link so I would have to imagine he was spending a lot of time in Central Hyrule leading the military in protecting the kingdom, while Zelda was obviously spending time in Hateno nurturing the next generation it makes sense that Link would let her stay at his house and make it her own.
My head cannon is that after botw and the first rounds of touring hyrule w zelda, link offered zelda the house he was temporarily using for her research as he roamed hyrule helping people rebuild and kill leftover monsters/ deal with encampments. Zelda is far more diplomatic and Link is more action oriented so it makes sense he didnt ever settle down.
People dont recognize link because he was always just teleporting into the house to get it on with zelda. 😂 Who needs to walk or ride a horse when you got a fancy sheika slate/purah pad.
lmao oh boy
But Zelda has the pad? Also wtf happened to the slate
@@modcon-based113i think they just upgraded it into the pad between games
@@lieutenant-grant If anything it was a downgrade imo... Like why the hell would you remove all the cool powers on the state and essentially turn it into a IPhone? And Ik its for the sake of saving space and to not give the player too many powers in the TotK, but I'd at least like a better explanation.
🤨
Notice the two places at the dinner table in the house at Hateno. When Link builds the new house in Tarrey Town, it’s got 4 places at the table as well as the house being much bigger. Methinks that it’s time to move up from the starter home to make room for the new additions: little Zink and Lelda.
The bed is probably the same reason why there's a guardian on top of the tech lab but literally nowhere else. The developers didn't want to redo it.
I think people forget that mass communication isn't a thing in BOTW/TOTK. Sure Link could've saved Hyrule, people know his name and his title of Hero from word of mouth, but there's no way they could have gotten his face out there, so it makes sense that a lot of people don't recognize him. Plus, you're right, Zelda could have easily stayed with her former attendant Impa in Kakariko or even with Purah at the tech lab, but she chose to live in Link's house in Hateno. Plus, Zelda's journal also specifies that Link never leaves her side, so do people honestly believe he'd just leave her unattended for hours and hours to go sleep in a DIFFERENT house? I feel like the reason Zelda stands out more to the kids and Hateno villagers is only because Zelda is supposedly so beautiful and captivating that people probably don't notice he's there when they're socializing with her.
As an introvert who doesn’t talk to people very often. I can relate to being a person in the background. Most often those are the kind of people that no one knows, or knows very well. Especially kids who would naturally gravitate towards zelda and not interact with a quite person. The only people who know link very well are the ones you help save or change their communities, link zora and gerudos. You only ever do side quest in hateno so it makes sense no one would know link. Thats why most evidence points to zelda/link relationship. Plus, you can see how different zelda treats link in totk. Its like they could be married its so intimate
The chest in the well study doesn’t have a lock of his hair (it would be weird if it did), it’s just his old hair tie that can put his hair in a ponytail
The biggest one you missed is the fact that Zelda hid Link's new tunic in Hyrule Castle so Link wouldn't find it. Even if the secret well room was built because of the kids rather than Link, well... that doesn't explain why she put the tunic in Hyrule Castle.
In Breath of the Wild, the people of Hateno never recognized Link, even after he bought the house.
They must of all had short term memory lost
@@crimsonrose1508 Or Link is gone for months and then interacts with them like... a minute? With other travelers coming and going Link wouldn't leave a big impression on most people.
Yeah lmao they don't mention you living there in botw either.
I think it was great that Nintendo took your save data and ported over the most subtle things that adds that spice of accomplishment and makes it a true sequel.
Yeah I think Zelda did move in with Link at the end of botw. I think they live together and share a bed. Even though that bed looks big enough for one person, I think they sleep together lol. 😆❤❤
All the couples in the game have a small bed so bed size doesn’t matter
I’ve liked thinking that while Zelda was managing the school, Link was training people to be warriors. It isn’t like all the monsters across Hyrule vanished, and Link may have been asked to do this by Zelda. After watching this video, I think him training soldiers would be a reasonable explanation for his absence in the village. Also, even when he was in the village, he’d still be wearing the uniform and helmet, preventing anyone from recognizing him without them.
10:26 It is obvious why the kids don't recognize link. He has been gone for about ~5 years. They simply don't remember him from when they were 5 or younger.
It’s totally believable. I can imagine that between him not being a super social dude and looking different, they may not recognize him. I think there are characters in Hateno that probably should recognize him, but I’m fine that they don’t. It makes sense for gameplay. I like the idea that she left things mostly as is, but she put her own spin on the place. I like to think that link moving to Akkala was so that he can build a bigger place with accommodations for both of them
Heck if they're traveling all the time why shouldn't they have another house in those places? Cheaper in the long run in comparison to stables. And if she wants to build more schools...
Another thing to note is that the Yiga clan is still around whether the calamity exists or not, and they still absolutely despise Zelda, but mostly Link as he has directly harmed their master Kogha. So it doesn't really make much since to just leave Zelda on her own outside of trusted groups of people since the Yiga are still after them both yes- but Zelda in particular doesn't have the self defence skills of Link to take on others on her own. But it could make since if he gave her his old house to live in a relatively peaceful place while giving her her own private space, while he goes out and takes care of any Yiga members that may stray towards the village while she's staying in it.
it is also a valid reason why Zelda doesn't live in Kak as Yiga can very easily blend in with the villager at Kak. Look at Dorian for example.
Also, on the topic of marriage politics, it was apparently okay for Mipha, who is also a princess, to propose to link. I realize that Zora's Domain is a lot smaller than Hyrule, but the point kinda still stands. He's got enough of a standing to marry into royalty. And all that's before he became a literal figure of legend in the 100 years after the Calamity. I feel like if they did get married, people would not be griping that the legendary swordsman who fought Calamity Gannon and saved Hyrule from destruction was at some point in the distant past born in Hateno.
I'm 210 hours in the game and I still haven't made it to Hateno village yet.
it's confirmed in botw that at the very least zelda had the hots for link, so seeing as zelda has now moved into his house, it seems pretty cut and dry that their relationship ain't just princess and her knight. either that or link sleeps in the shed.
The very first thing I did after getting the paraglider was to go to links house. I was pleasantly surprised.
Maybe part of the reason people dont recognize Link is because the timeline of BoTW is actually very short. Link was just passing through towns and villages for essential plots and never stay or revisit just to dye his armor or help people find their chicken. After the event, they were always on the move, visiting places that need to be rebuilt and researched l, including Hatteno, so it’s quite reasonable that not many people would get to know him or recognize him (who’s just a bodyguard at that point). Only those who are essential to the the BotW plot had actually interacted with him, other NPCs had not.
Exactly on everything you said, plus It's plain as day that they were a couple, I don't see why people are so against it. In the Champion's Ballad, Kass says (not sure on exact, but similar) his teacher had a crush on Zelda but she only had eyes for her swordsman. You can see in Zelda's eyes, in flashback memories in BOTW, that she's in love with him. People can argue, why doesn't he just live in the house, well Zelda is missing, maybe he doesn't want to stay there without her. People can deny it all they want, but the signs are there.
Link also doesn’t talk much, so he wouldn’t talk to villagers or anyone in the kingdom. Also, link would probably be physically helping the kingdom while Zelda organized the restoration
In Lurelin Village you find out through some dialogue that Zelda frequently visited the Lovers Pond and you can even find a painting of it made by Zelda in a building there. That's all I'm gonna say.
I had a funny thought wherein Zelda had the secret study built because she KNOWS how Link snoops around reading everyone’s diaries.
Doesn't make sense.
Zelda's diary is lying openly on Link's Desk. And there you read about her "secret" study.
i like to think in the future when the kingdom of Hyrule is once against established and recovers from the upheaval
this would be their special vacation spot a place to connect to the people and the land, while also relaxing from the stress of politics
to clarify: the chest with "a lock of link's hair" actually contains his elastic hair-tie from botw
Also can we just take a second to think about how dope a TotK sequel with King Link and Queen Zelda setting out together to save their kingdom that they worked so hard to rebuild together would be? Running around as Link with Zelda following you, doing all the same things you do, climbing next to you, gliding around with you, and then you could just swap between playing Link and Zelda whenever you want.
"The person who owned in this house went to fight in WWI and never returned..." Something about that being the real world equivalent makes the whole scenario feel... heavy.
Very well crafted arguments w/valid points and explanations. I enjoyed your very simple yet realistic explanations that acknowledge all lines of thought. Solid video! Your work definitely earned a subscription.
To start, I like to believe that Link and Zelda live together. (BOTW/TOTK and Skyward Sword are the only games where I actively ship Zelink though.) I just simply feel like their relationship in BOTW/TOTK is really cute and would make so much sense if they shared the same house and were (maybe) in some sort of romantic relationship. And, having read every comment in this comment section, I can agree with the frequently-mentioned idea that Zelda would only have a secret well if she shared the house with someone.
But moving on, I think having Zelda and Link in a relationship would add so much depth and emotion to the game (especially the main focus being to find and reunite with Zelda.) Of course, I'm also aware of the ambiguity concept that Nintendo often uses, where players are allowed to play the game based off their own interpretations of it, so I'm open to any ideas both ways.
Anyways, I don't know if this is relevant to the argument or not, or if it's entirely false because I don't remember it that clearly, but here's something I somewhat recall from the previous game. At some point in BOTW, I was talking to one of the NPCs in Tarrey Town, and they mentioned something about how the town was considered a place to purchase a vacation home. I don't know if I dreamed this up or not, but for some reason I recall an NPC calling Tarrey Town a place for vacation homes, and I suppose that stuck with me throughout the rest of the game for some reason. I'd like to tie this in with the whole "Dream Home" side quest where you can purchase and personalize a new home for Link, overlooking Tarrey Town. This seems to prove to many people (who are against the idea of Zelink sharing a home) that Link really did just hand the house over to Zelda, especially if teleporting over to Tarrey Town and building his own house there is an option.
However, my interpretation of the whole living situation is that Link and Zelda DO live together in Hateno Village, but Link bought a "vacation home" in Tarrey Town to surprise Zelda with when she returned. Again, this is just my interpretation, so if you think differently, I totally respect that! And if anyone can confirm that the whole NPC vacation home thing really IS just a figment of my imagination, please let me know! :)
I think you're referring to the rich guy that pays link to defeat the 2 guardians in akkala purely for his enjoyment. He's the same guy who's now charging 20 rupees to use the tarrey tram in totk... I also agree about links new dream home is a vacation house... at least that what I had in mind when designing it for both link and zelda..
I don’t remember the vacay home part BUT I think Rhondson says something about a home for just you or to share with someone special or something along those lines
@@AikoSea Yes and an Npc at the stable nearby.
Thanks to all of you for clearing that up! :)
It’s not a lock of hair, it’s a hairband
I would argue the abandoned house was not Link's in the past pre-Calamity. Yes they said that the person who lived there never came back, but this is a 'correlation is not causation' type scenario. Just cuz it happened to be abandoned is therefore not inherently proof it used to be his. There's TONS of destroyed villages and the like all over Hyrule post-Calamity, in both BotW and TotK. There's just as much chance that Link was from one of those long-lost places.
I don't know for sure, but in the Japanese version in Zelda's diary it says "our house"
Pretty simple to assume that Link has been staying there, but he's a silent protagonist and probably quietly working, so he has a limited ibteraction woth other non-story characters. Seems very intentional to indicate they are moved in together, whether a couple or not.
If you watch the dragon tears cutscenes it more than alludes to Zelda being well and truly in love with link and her first concern after waking up is how link is, she didn’t even consider herself until afterwards.
Link can also sleep for free in the lurelin village inn and in his “new” house after he builds it during the dream house quest
Link can also sleep for free on a "table" on north west ish side of the east reservoir lake
I refuse to believe Zelda just kicked link out of the house. I definitely believe more so that they just live there together as a possible couple or romantic relationship. Sure the game doesn't fully come out and say they're in a romantic relationship but there's plenty of hints in both BOTW and TOTK the allow fans to come to these conclusions and even Zelda's English voice actor believes that Zelda and Link are together in a romantic relationship.
Totk in tarrey town they remember link building the town
Is it really that unusual for celebrities and their bodyguards to share a space? Seems like it'd make the job a heck of a lot easier.
I do think these two eventually end up together though. They've been through way too much together. Nobody else in Hyrule could possibly understand either of them.
such facts, i think this is the most concise and in depth case as to why the house was links for a while
I like your interpretation. I've always wanted or hoped for a more romantic relationship for Link and Zelda. As far as other NPC's not recognizing Link....well, when it comes to the kids, it might depend on their age. Some older kids may remember Link and Zelda but they don't recognize him because of the lapse in time. I've only just started playing Tears of the Kingdom, so excited to get to Hateno Village for myself. And get Zelda's horse. Not sure how though....yet. Might have to cheat and watch a video.
Link is a Noble he isn't a commoner. Link is a Knight and he was born from a family of Knight and Knight. A royal knight is part of lower nobility. Notice that People who recognised Link but not close enough to be his friend called link Master Link or Sir Link. So if Royalty can only marry Noble Link is the only person qualified to marry Zelda
zelda's diary almost outright confirms they were living together.
They fact she leaves her diary out, which contains secrets she doesn’t want him to know, outright confirms they weren’t living together.
@@dearthofdoohickeys4703 bro all the npc let the diary open with secret inside ... its a game dont forget
@@dearthofdoohickeys4703 you can’t be serious lol. That’s a common RPG trope.
I'm pretty sure the devs made it zelda's house so that they could have that tarrey town side quest where you build your own house in totk
Zelda was stuck holding back calamity ganon when the house was being torn down
I think these are signs of time travel similar to the link to the past on super Nintendo. The magic mirror still has a design on the game & I think it could exist. I sure hope I'm right, it would be cool to see everything on the game b4 it was destroyed. The flash back at hyrule castle showing it not destroyed may also be a hint.
in the german version it says zeldas house on a text pop up
Zelda took the house in the divorce
You can also sleep freely above a water fall and zora’s domain and the old man’s cabin on the great plateau as well as a cabin in the herba mountain range
Link and Zelda been living in sin since BOTW, y’all! 😮
(Stares at TOTK with disapproving Auntie eyes). 🤣😂🤣
While I think their relationship can be interpreted in different ways, I think the devs are pointing us in the direction of romantic relationship. Not every iteration of Link and Zelda are romantic. But this whole cycle started with Hylia taking Zelda away from Link. Since BOTW and TOTK have some loose ties to SS, I’d say Link is always trying to find her. Yes, he cares about Hyrule and it’s people, but it’s always about her. It’s subtle but that’s how I’ve interpreted this particular game.
Now…if this was TP Link and Zelda, that was a business transaction 😂🤣🤣🤣
They could be married off-screen! The monarchy is no more, so I don't think politics are so much of a factor.
I’ve always wanted this to happen though. I’ve always theorized that a Link exists because a Zelda is born to thwart the evils of Ganon’s curse to always seek power. It’s a revolving door of reincarnation. I’m all for this being the beginning of a more canon relationship between them.
Consider the characters and their interests. Zelda is essentially homeless after BotW, so of course Link would offer up his home to her. Not only because he is duty-bound, but because he is kind.
Also, another bed Link can sleep in charge-free is inside the Deku tree, near where Link’s sword has been recharging since the events of the last game. My guess is that, while Zelda has been living in the safety if Hateno, protected by nearby Sheikah, Link has been living mostly in the woods, as all iterations of Link tend to do, guarding his sword, which is also why the forest was hit so hard during the upheaval.
Dunno, just my thoughts. I tend to see their relationship as deep but platonic.
12:34 Actually there are three: The one at Korok Forest inside the Great Deku Tree
The bed made especially for The Great Mr. Hero. The best bed in fiction.
If the kids do not recognize Link, it's because Link purchase the house 5-6 years prior. The kids were probably babies back then. Link seems like the dude who is out there training or hunting than a person who studies indoors like Zelda. It's more likely Link gave her the house because he does not use it often.
Doesn't explain Zeldas need for privacy and Links hairband in the well. Link is definetly gone most of the time, but since she needed to hide his new tunic somewhere else, Link MUST live there, otherwise there is no risk of him finding it if he doesn't use the house too. I never woul skoop around the house of another person, even if I lived there previously 😂
@@DundG well to be fair Link does go into pretty much everybody’s house uninvited and takes anything not nailed down lol. I’m surprised nobody seems to care when he wakes them up in the middle of the night to talk about the quest they gave him
I don't understand why anyone would refuse the idea that Link and Zelda were living together. Zelda was fighting the Calamity for 100 years, during which the castle where she lived her whole life fell into ruin, What kind of appointed knight would Link be if he didn't offer zelda a place to live.
Marriage wise I kinda imagine something like in Dishonored where you have the Empress with a daughter but no apparent husband, I don't think Link would ever want to be king instead in my headcannon officially Zelda and Link are Queen and knight, unofficially a married couple, not that I think anyone in hyrule would oppose an official marriage
Considering Link doesn't sleep in other people's house in TOTK but can sleep in the house in Hateno is telling.
For me, "it depends on what kind of fanfiction you want to write."
I think it is entirely possible that they're together and Link's just low-key enough that people don't really know that he's more than her knight. I also think that they might not be in any more than a friendship and/or Zelda-is-pining-and-Link-is-unsure relationship and Link gave and / or sold the house to Zelda because she needed a base for the Hateno-projects and he's barely there, anyway. He lives on the road - staying at stables and camping in the wilds. (I know that I was hardly ever home in Breath of the Wild and even spend more time away from my fabulous Tarrey Town-adjacent dream home than in it). Isn't it funny how video games allow us to live our wildest fantasies, like being a homeowner? Heh. So, yeah, I do think that alternate shipping for Link or aro and/or ace Link is *possible* if you're thinking "Oh, he's on the road a lot, doing independent missions or out huntin' and fishin' all the time."
Despite I believe that Link and Zelda love each I think that they are just roommates (Maybe Link sleeps in the floor lol) besides he is still her royal guard he can't be living far away from her.
Considering Zelda's power is unlocked to protect Link, no one else including her father, I would say it was due to love. When everything has changed, and the last living royal/Goddess is in charge, she can do as she pleases. Take those most basic thoughts into account I would say that yes they are together (much like Skyward Sword) and living in the home together. Take it from someone who has been with their S/O for almost 24 years, who made the world stand still when our eyes met, they are together.
Personally I feel like they have a very professional relationship despite the romantic implications. I only say this because Link has always been a character who cares about the people he knows as well as sees in trouble. Twilight Princess Link's entire character arc is his ride or die attitude toward the people around him - Ilia, the kids from his village, Midna, and even Zelda. He's always been a "if something happens to my friends I'll travel the whole world to save them" kind of character. Someone strong enough to face fear for those who need him. Zelda being an incredibly important friend for him, and also his professional relationship with her would probably dictate he be willing to give his house to her because she's the princess and he's her royal guard. This version of link to me really feels like he feels a lot of honor for the job he had with Zelda. She's important to him, had been fighting Ganon for over a hundred years, and she needed a place to rest because the castle was decimated and unlike stereotypical monarchy she didn't place focus on fixing her castle but on her duty to her people. I think in that circumstance of course Link would give her his house.
SPOILER-
They definitely lived together and were romantically engaged, nearly everything points to that and you get the cherry on top at the end when Zelda says she finally woke up to Link's loving embrace
Here is a fun theory.
ZELDA is considered royalty.
As far as i know, royals can't just have relationships.
There is a process and a ceromony and marriage.
Maybe zelda and link are not ready to wed, and link is not ready to be king, so what do they do?
They keep their relationship a secret, and maybe they convinced every body in town to keep it a secret, even from them.. thats why everybody acts like they dont know link because they are acting.
All this is to keep order in hyrule and keep zelda in power. If people found out that the princes is having relationships and not following royal codes that would bring hyrule to further chaos.
Also what happened to zeldas old horse in breath of the wild because she has on new horse in this game, I know link got her horse but surely he would give it back to her right, she disowned that horse or something
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I really liked this video, Beautiful Editing and the teories were interesting and good :D
Canonically, they share the house. According to me, she stole it since I don’t remember ever telling her it was hers
Well done. Examined most aspects and makes perfect sense.