Princess Zelda

The bearer of wisdom who stands as the eternal shield against darkness.

Princess Zelda is a central character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game. She serves as the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule and bears the Triforce of Wisdom. While often appearing as a damsel in distress captured by Ganon to necessitate Link's rescue, her role frequently expands into that of an active hero. In several games, she acts as one of the Sages essential for defeating Ganon or adopts alternative personas like Sheik and Tetra to take charge of the story. Her lineage traces back to the goddess Hylia, establishing a bloodline with magical powers.

Quick Facts

Series: The Legend of Zelda
First game: The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Creator: Shigeru Miyamoto
Also known as: Sheik (Ocarina of Time), Tetra (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass)
Race: Hylian
Origin: Hyrule

Lore & Background

In many entries, Zelda is captured by Ganon, but in titles like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, she adopts disguises to play a more active role. In Ocarina of Time, she hides from Ganondorf as Sheik, a ninja warrior from the Sheikah clan, guiding Link until revealing her true identity near the game's end. This led to fan debate regarding gender, which Nintendo clarified by stating Sheik is simply Zelda in a different outfit. In The Wind Waker, she appears as Tetra, a pirate captain unaware of her royal bloodline. Skyward Sword reveals her first incarnation as the mortal reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, expanding her significance beyond royalty to divine origin.

Reader's Guide

Princess Zelda has evolved from a rescue target in early games to a playable protagonist in Echoes of Wisdom, where she is the first mainline lead. Originally intended for Link, Aonuma decided she was ideal for the game's echoes concept due to player demand. Her design history includes original pink gowns and red hair in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, a scrapped sci-fi outfit for A Link to the Past, and a tabard featuring Sheikah and Hyrule crests in Ocarina of Time. Tetra's swirl hair mimicked wind and smoke, while Twilight Princess illustrations portrayed her as pensive and anxious but not gloomy. Critics have listed her as one of the greatest female video game characters of all time for her development into a strong figure.

Did You Know?

Shigeru Miyamoto named the character after Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, after hearing the name from a colleague or reading about her.
The instruction booklet for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link establishes that every princess born into the royal family is given the name Zelda by order of the prince.
In Echoes of Wisdom, Zelda serves as the main playable character for the first time in a mainline game, marking a historic shift for the series.
Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi stated that Zelda's shorter hairstyle in Tears of the Kingdom was designed to make her feel more realistic and actively mobile.