Highlights
- Zelda’s role in the Legend of Zelda franchise has mostly been as a non-playable character, but there is potential for her to become playable in the future.
- When asked about the possibility, series producer Eiji Aonuma stated that “there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future.”
- While there have been spin-offs where Zelda is playable, the closest players have come to controlling her in a mainline game is in Spirit Tracks, where they can control her spirit and have her assist Link.
The producer of The Legend of Zelda, Eiji Aonuma, has stated that the titular princess of the franchise may become a playable character in a mainline game in the future. Despite the importance of the character varying from game to game, Princess Zelda has rarely been a character that has been playable. Link has firmly been both the hero and main playable character of the franchise, though there have been some times when she’s been an equal partner to him in the story. Tears of the Kingdom‘s incarnation of Zelda is no exception, once again being a non-playable character.
There were theories floating around before the release of Tears of the Kingdom, especially around Zelda’s role in the story. There were some theories that Zelda was going to become playable in Tears of the Kingdom, but those ultimately turned out to be untrue. Despite that, Zelda has her own intricate story arc completely separate from Link that plays into the overall narrative. When Aonuma was asked about whether another incarnation of Zelda can become a playable character, Aonuma admitted that maybe it could happen in the future.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Developers Explain How They Characterized Ganondorf
The director and producer of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom explain how the developers approached the characterization of Ganondorf.
In an interview with IGN that took place before The Game Awards 2023, Aonuma was asked about Zelda’s role in Tears of the Kingdom and its potential to grow further from there. Aonuma commented on how despite the name of the series being The Legend of Zelda, it always had Link as the main character. He admitted that there’s room to expand on her and make Zelda playable. “I think there’s always room for thinking about this type of thing and Zelda’s role. And there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future,” Aonuma said.
This shouldn’t be taken as a definitive answer, however, as after the translator conveyed Aonuma’s answer, he quickly interjected by saying “Maybe. Maybe, maybe,” in English. Playable incarnations of Princess Zelda have existed before, though they have been in spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros., and Cadence of Hyrule, all of which are non-canon. The closest players have gotten to a playable Zelda in a mainline game would be in Spirit Tracks, with players being able to control Zelda’s spirit and have her possess Phantoms in order to have her assist Link in sealing the Great Demon King Malladus.
I think there’s always room for thinking about this type of thing and Zelda’s role. And there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future.
Other questions that cropped up in this interview include the role that Zelda played in the endgame, along with the nature of Zelda and Link’s relationship in Tears of the Kingdom, with Aonuma being asked if there’s anything romantic in nature as well. Aonuma remains neutral about the subject, stating that whether or not Zelda and Link have something going on is up to the player.
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is a Nintendo-exclusive adventure series starring Link. Spread across multiple consoles and generations in both 2D and 3D, The Legend of Zelda games feature action, exploration, puzzles, and unique items.
- Video Game(s)
- The Legend of Zelda , Zelda II: The Adventure of Link , The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past , The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening , The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask , The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages , The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons , The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures , The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker , The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap , The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass , The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks , The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword , The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds , The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes , The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild , The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Creation Year
- 1986
