History Characters / TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildLinkAndZelda

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Previous incarnations of Zelda were already adept at magic and most met Link when his quest is underway. This Zelda is insecure about her inability to unlock her powers and has known Link for quite some time before the game begins. In addition, instead of being [[DistressedDamsel being kept captive by the villains]], she's instead the one [[SealedEvilInADuel keeping Ganon trapped in Hyrule Castle]].

** Link will eat anything you can throw into a pot, including rocks, frogs, and [[CensoredForComedy dishes so hideously disgusting that they can't be shown on television]].

* TeensAreShort: Link is implied to be around the same age as Zelda, who is only just seventeen, and he's shorter than most characters in the game (emphasized as many of the races of Hyrule are much taller than regular Hylians anyway, making him seem even shorter). However, in ''Tears of the Kingdom'', which has a TimeSkip of a few years, thereby making him, at minimum, a young adult, he's still just as short. In fact, he's actually slightly shorter than Zelda is if you compare them during the opening sequence.

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda was not raised as a warrior, so she initially has no combat prowess and she hasn't awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and combines her innate powers with Sonia and Rauru's to help them destroy a swarm of Molduga, initially prevents an assassination attempt on Sonia, and confronts Ganondorf alongside Rauru and the Sages, where she is shown to weaponize her time magic against him. As a dragon, while she doesn't actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn't aware of what's going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

'''Link and Zelda''' | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildChampions Champions]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildGanonAndYigaClan Ganon and Yiga Clan]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildMonstersAndMooks Monsters and Mooks]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildHyliansAndSheikah Hylians and Sheikah]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildOtherRaces Other Races]] | [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWildOthers Others]]]]]]-]

* ImpliedLoveInterest: To each other. While Link’s feelings are more ambiguous Zelda’s love for Link is confirmed multiple times throughout the game, and that it was her love for him that allowed her to [[spoiler:awaken her powers]]. Multiple characters lampshade and support their relationship, such as The Great Deku Tree, Kass, Urbosa, and Paya. The latter having a crush on Link herself, yet she notes Link and Zelda would make a splendid couple. Despite the clear romantic undertones of their relationship, Link and Zelda’s relationship remains only implicit due to Zelda’s AbortedDeclarationOfLove. Link can, however, learn about Zelda’s feelings by completing all of Kass’s quests.
** In a side quest called “From The Ground Up”, Link helps a man named Hudson build Tarry Town and eventually helps with Hudson’s wedding. At the end of the wedding, a shower of flower petals falls, according to Bolson the infinite flower petals represent endless love. If Bolson’s statement is to be taken seriously, then it paints the true ending of the game in a different light. In the true ending of the game, Zelda tells Link they’re going restore Hyrule to its former glory together, but as they begin to walk off, the camera pans out to show a shower of Silent Princess petals.

* ImpliedLoveInterest: To each other. While Link’s feelings are more ambiguous in the Western version of ''Breath of the Wild'', in the Japanese version his feelings are more explicit as all the Adventure Logs are written from his perspective. When all thirteen memories have been collected he expresses in the Adventure Log how he wants to save her as quickly as possible and to see her smile again with his own eyes. Zelda’s love for Link is confirmed multiple times throughout the game, and that it was her love for him that allowed her to [[spoiler:awaken her powers]]. Multiple characters lampshade and support their relationship, such as The Great Deku Tree, Kass, Urbosa, and Paya. The latter having a crush on Link herself, yet she notes Link and Zelda would make a splendid couple. Despite the clear romantic undertones of their relationship, Link and Zelda’s relationship remains only implicit due to Zelda’s AbortedDeclarationOfLove. Link can, however, learn about Zelda’s feelings by completing all of Kass’s quests.
** In a side quest called “From The Ground Up”, Link helps a man named Hudson build Tarry Town and eventually helps with Hudson’s wedding. At the end of the wedding, a shower of flower petals falls, according to Bolson the infinite flower petals represent endless love. If Bolson’s statement is to be taken seriously, then it paints the true ending of the game in a different light. In the true ending of the game, Zelda tells Link they’re going restore Hyrule to its former glory together, but as they begin to walk off, the camera pans out to show a shower of Silent Princess petals. The petals falling in the same way as Hudson’s wedding possibly, representing the endless love they will share.

** The Japanese version favors [[spoiler:Zelda over Mipha. In that language, the journal entries of the Adventure Log are written by Link himself, and he often reflects his thoughts on them. In many entries, specially those from later in the game, Link talks about Zelda with quite significant romantic undertones]]. This was completely removed from the Western localizations, though.
** ''Tears of the Kingdom'' references that after the events of the previous game Zelda moved into Link's house, though it's never specified whether or not their relationship is romantic (though there is notably only one bed in the house).

* UnevenHybrid: Potentially. [[spoiler: Given the heavy implications that the Ancient Hero was a Zonai/Hylian Hybrid, and was the incarnation of Link before the events of ''Breath Of The Wild'' that wielded the Master Sword. Furthermore, several [=NPCs=] seems to make a connection between Link and the Ancient Hero should Link take on his appearance. This would mean that there is a strong possibility that Link is part [[BeastMan Zonai]].]]

* AwesomeByAnalysis: [[spoiler:In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', despite having no context for Ganondorf besides one encounter with a zombie vaguely resembling him and Rauru stating that he had the situation well in hand, Zelda can't get off one thing: Ganondorf's name. Unlike everyone else, she's intimately familiar with the name of Calamity Ganon, and knows this isn't coincidence. Thus, despite Rauru's insistence to leave it to him, she secretly works with Queen Sonia to prepare a trap for Ganondorf. This [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong nearly averts catastrophe then and there.]] [[YouCantThwartStageOne Unfortunately]], Zelda FailedASpotCheck in Ganon[[note]]''dorf''[[/note]] being the [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda videogame originator]] of VillainTeleportation.]]

* AwesomeByAnalysis: [[spoiler:In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', despite having no context for Ganondorf besides a first encounter with him and Rauru stating that he had the situation well in hand, Zelda can't get off one thing: Ganondorf's name. Unlike everyone else, she's intimately familiar with the name of Calamity Ganon, and knows this isn't coincidence. Thus, despite Rauru's insistence to leave it to him, she secretly works with Queen Sonia to prepare a trap for Ganondorf. This [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong nearly averts catastrophe then and there.]] [[YouCantThwartStageOne Unfortunately]], Zelda FailedASpotCheck in Ganon[[note]]''dorf''[[/note]] being the [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda videogame originator]] of VillainTeleportation.]]

* AwesomeByAnalysis: [[spoiler:In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', despite having no context for Ganondorf besides a first encounter with him and Rauru stating that he had the situation well in hand, Zelda can't get off one thing: Ganondorf's name. Unlike everyone else, she's intimately familiar with the name of Calamity Ganon, and knows this isn't coincidence. Thus, despite Rauru's insistence to leave it to him, she secretly works with Queen Sonia to prepare a trap for Ganondorf. This [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong nearly averts catastrophe then and there.]] [[YouCantThwartStageOne Unfortunately]], Zelda FailedASpotCheck in Ganon[[note]]''dorf''[[/note]] being the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda videogame originator]] of VillainTeleportation.]]

* TerseTalker: An upgrade from being a complete SilentProtagonist in past iterations. He (mentally unhealthily) internalized all the weight on his shoulders being the Chosen Knight of the Master Sword in the past by being nigh-silent, but Zelda got him to open up a bit. In-game, it manifests as rather terse dialogue option responses and unvoiced stand-in animations of him regaling pertinent information to NPCs.

* UnevenHybrid: Potentially. [[spoiler: Given the heavy implications that the Ancient Hero was a Zonai/Hylian Hybrid, and was the incarnation of Link before the events of ''Breath Of The Wild'' that wielded the Master Sword. Furthermore, several [=NPC=]'s seems to make a connection between Link and the Ancient Hero should Link take on his appearance. This would mean that there is a strong possibility that Link is part [[BeastMan Zonai]].]]

* {{Bishonen}}: Is one of the more feminine-looking Links. This makes the point in the game where [[spoiler:you have to cross-dress to get into the Gerudo city]] extra funny — and more believable.

A new incarnation of the [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTheTriforceWielders Legendary Hero]] that has saved Hyrule countless times in the past. A mysterious young man who wakes up in an isolated chamber, devoid of any recollection of why he was there. Upon leaving, he finds himself in a land that was parched by a great evil over a century before. He sets out on a quest to destroy the one who wrought the havoc on the land and a discovery of his true self.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Before the Calamity hit, she had just turned 17. However, in the present time of the game, [[spoiler:she's technically 117 years old. She didn't age due to her being locked in a magical battle with Ganon for 100 years, which kept her physical body in stasis. This is taken up to eleven in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' when she's aged up to her early twenties at minimum, but she goes back to the past and lives 10,000+ years as a dragon]]. Even before that, like Link, she looks pretty much exactly the same as she did in ''Breath of the Wild'' (aside from a haircut), despite a several-year gap of time between games.

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda was not raised as a warrior, so she initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and combines her innate powers with Sonia and Rauru's to help them destroy a swarm of Molduga, initially prevents an assassination attempt on Sonia, and confronts Ganondorf alongside Rauru and the Sages, where she is shown to weaponize her time magic against him. As a dragon, while she doesn't actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn't aware of what's going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and combines her innate powers with Sonia and Rauru's to help them destroy a swarm of Molduga, initially prevents an assassination attempt on Sonia, and confronts Ganondorf alongside Rauru and the Sages, where she is shown to weaponize her time magic against him. As a dragon, while she doesn't actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn't aware of what's going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and combines her innate powers with Sonia’s and Rauru’s to help them destroy a swarm of Molduga, initially prevents an assassination attempt on Sonia, and confronts Ganondorf alongside Rauru and the Sages which she is shown to weaponize her time magic against him. As a dragon, while she doesn’t actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn’t aware of what’s going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and uses her powers to help Sonia and Rauru destroy a swarm of Molduga, initially prevents an assassination attempt on Sonia, and confronts Ganondorf alongside Rauru and the Sages which she is shown to weaponize her time magic against him. As a dragon, while she doesn’t actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn’t aware of what’s going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. [[ZigzaggedTrope However,]] it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and weaponizes it against Ganondorf. As a dragon, while she doesn’t actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn’t aware of what’s going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* ActionGirl: Compared to the other Champions, Zelda initially has no combat prowess and she hasn’t awakened her powers yet, much to her frustration. After awakening her divine powers when saving Link’s life from a Guardian, however, she marched toward the Malice-infested Hyrule Castle and sealed Calamity Ganon inside alongside herself in a stasis for a hundred years, actively fighting him on the inside with her divine powers and holding him in place until Link awakens from his slumber and arrives to help her weaken Ganon enough to seal him away. She is an active participant in the fight with Dark Beast Ganon, pinning him in place in the middle of Hyrule Field with barriers created by her holy powers so he doesn’t destroy Hyrule and creating runes over his body for Link to shoot at. She even manages to deal the final blow to him, sealing him away with her holy power which is implied to be the Triforce itself. It’s downplayed initially in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' as her power has greatly diminished over the years fighting Calamity Ganon and she has to rely on Link for protection against some Keese. However, it’s played more straight [[spoiler:back in the past when she starts to learn how to control her time magic and weaponizes it against Ganondorf. As a dragon, while she doesn’t actively fight a draconfied Ganondorf and she isn’t aware of what’s going on, she subconsciously helps Link in the final fight by providing him a ride and a means to reach the draconified Ganondorf while shielding Link from his fireballs.]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: Before the Calamity hit, she had just turned 17. However, in the present time of the game, [[spoiler:she's technically 117 years old. She didn't age due to her being locked in a magical battle with Ganon for 100 years, which kept her physical body in stasis. This is taken up to eleven in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' when she's aged up to her early twenties at minimum, but she goes back to the past and lives 10,000+ years as a dragon]]. Even before that, like Link, she looks pretty much exactly the same as she did in Breath Of The Wild (aside from a haircut), despite a several-year gap of time between games.

** ''Tears of the Kingdom'' reveals that Zelda has moved into Link's house, but it's never actually made clear if they're living there ''together.''

* LegendaryInTheSequel: Not that they weren't fabled in the first title, but aside from those who lived long enough to know them, everybody only knew who they were from 100 year old stories about the Calamity. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', few know they are the same figures from the Great Calamity, but due to their defeat of Calamity Ganon, virtually ''everyone'' knows and reveres the two as the world's saviors and leaders in its restoration. Zelda is treated like a sage of peerless academics and wisdom universally, and Hyrule's warriors all but worship the ground Link walks on as a LivingLegend. Link is the only of the two ''not'' known by outright everyone, and that purely consists of those who either are only followers of Zelda's research and study pursuits, or are too young to really know Link personally, who is implied to have since spent most of his time traveling Hyrule to assist in its revival. Link's legendary nature, funnily enough, also means that while most people know ''of'' the hero who saved Hyrule, they don't know what he looks like and tend to imagine him as looking very different from Link, to the extent that some think Link just happens to have the same name as the hero.