History Franchise / TheLegendofZelda

* LegendFadesToMyth: The explanation, by fandom consensus, for the various inconsistencies when referring to previous games in later ones, up to and including Hyrule's geography, to say nothing of its history. The more vocal proponents, when the question of the aforementioned details arises, are quick to point out the franchise's title: the '''''LEGEND''''' of Zelda, meaning such details as those are unimportant as the games' stories are just legends, and thus the details can be altered to fit the story.

* TheLegendOfX

''The Legend of Zelda'' is Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy medieval fantasy]] ActionAdventure video game series. It's one of its [[VideoGameLongRunners longest running series]], beginning in 1986 on the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' (UsefulNotes/{{N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES, 1986): The evil Ganon has claimed the Triforce of Power, and Princess Zelda has broken the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces to keep them from his wicked clutches. Only Link can collect the pieces of the Triforce, vanquish Ganon, and save Hyrule.
* ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' (UsefulNotes/{{N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES, 1987; direct sequel to ''The Legend of Zelda''): To save an ancestor of Princess Zelda (from whom the first Zelda's name was taken) from a powerful sleeping spell, and to prevent the forces of darkness from reviving Ganon, an older Link sets off on a quest to reclaim the Triforce of Courage.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' (UsefulNotes/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES, 1991; distant prequel to the NES games): When the wicked wizard Agahnim starts kidnapping maidens from across Hyrule, Link heeds Zelda's call to seek out the Master Sword, sending him on a journey that will see him travel between worlds of Light and Darkness.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoy, 1993; direct sequel to ''A Link to the Past''): Link awakens on the shores of a mysterious island after his ship runs aground, and cannot leave until he seeks out and awakens the mythical Wind Fish. There is much more to this island than meets the eye, however...
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, 1998; distant prequel to all prior games): With the evil Ganondorf seeking to take over Hyrule with the Triforce, Link, a young boy from a secluded forest village, sets out on a journey to vanquish the vile conquerer, a journey that will see him transcend time itself!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, 2000; direct sequel to ''Ocarina of Time''): An encounter with the enigmatic Skull Kid sees Link travel to Termina, a realm that is doomed to be crushed under a falling moon in three days time unless someone intervenes!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'': ''Oracle of Seasons'' and ''Oracle of Ages'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, 2001[[labelnote:Sequel?]]While ''Hyrule Historia'' (2011) states that they're direct interquels between ''A Link to the Past'' and ''Link's Awakening'', ''The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia'' (2017) says the ''Oracle'' games are not connected to the others and take place well after them. In the games themselves, there's no hard evidence for a specific placement on the timeline, though all four share the same art style and the ''Oracle'' ending has Link get on a boat that could be connected to the shipwreck that starts ''Link's Awakening''.[[/labelnote]]).: Two games, one journey! Over the course of both games, Link travels to the realms of Holodrum and Labrynna, where he must rescue the Oracles of Seasons and Ages, Din and Nayru (respectively).
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' (the multiplayer mode for the ''A Link to the Past'' GBA port; UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2002): When the wicked wizard Vaati kidnaps Princess Zelda, Link will call upon the power of the Four Sword, a blade that quadruples his power by calling forth copies of himself!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2002; distant sequel to ''Ocarina of Time''): In a Hyrule radically changed by a great flood, Link joins forces with the pirate captain Tetra, and a sentient ship known as the King of Red Lions, to rescue his kidnapped sister.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2004; sequel[[note]]Originally implied, though not outright stated, to be a direct sequel; but ''Hyrule Historia'' classifies it as a distant sequel.[[/note]] to ''Four Swords''): Shadow Link kidnaps Zelda and the seven maidens while she is attempting to strengthen the seal on Vatti. After Link accidentally breaks Vatti's seal by pulling the Four Sword, it is now up to him to stop the two villains.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2004; distant prequel to ''Four Swords''): When the wicked wizard Vaati unleashes a hoard of monsters upon Hyrule and turns his friend Zelda to stone, Link will need to work together with Elzo, a sharp-witted hat, to save the day.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2006; distant sequel to ''Ocarina of Time''[[note]]Yes, the same designation as ''Wind Waker''. This is where the ContinuitySnarl trouble really starts.[[/note]]): Together with the mysterious imp Midna, Link embarks on a journey to stop Zant, the "King of Twilight", from taking over the worlds of light and dark, traveling through both worlds to do so.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007; direct sequel to ''The Wind Waker''): In pursuit of a mysterious Ghost Ship, Tetra vanishes! With the power of the Phantom Hourglass, Link must find her!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2009; distant sequel to ''Phantom Hourglass''): Just as the kingdom of Hyrule is restored, Princess Zelda has her soul separated from her body by the forces of evil! Link, now a Royal Engineer, must embark on a journey across the kingdom, via a locomotive on the Spirit Tracks, to save her!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2011; distant prequel to all prior games): Link and Zelda, denizens of the floating islands of Skyloft, become separated by a mysterious wind storm. Now on the surface world below, he must work with Fi, the spirit residing in the Goddess Sword, to find and save her!
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2013; distant sequel to ''A Link to the Past''): The wicked sorcerer Yuga is turning the people of Hyrule into paintings! It is up to Link to stop him on a journey across not only the breadth of Hyrule, but also the dark alternate dimension of Lorule, ruled over by the dark Princess Hilda.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTriForceHeroes'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015; direct sequel to ''A Link Between Worlds''[[note]]While there's no in-game evidence of this, Nintendo stated its connection to ''Between Worlds'' at its release.[[/note]]): In the kingdom of Hytopia, the fashionable Princess Styla has been cursed to become unfashionable! It is up to Link, Link, and Link to use the power of different outfits to right this heinous wrong.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2017; distant sequel to all prior games(?)[[note]]WordOfGod[[invoked]] and an in-game monument state that the game takes place in the far future of the series, but with multiple {{Alternate Timeline}}s in play the devs [[ShrugOfGod explicitly did not choose WHICH far future]]. ''Tears of the Kingdom'' later throws even this into doubt, seeming to contradict prior continuity on several points, leading to speculation that it's a ContinuityReboot.[[/note]]): Link awakens 100 years after the rise of the Calamity Ganon, a malicious entity that destroyed the kingdom of Hyrule, with only Zelda managing to hold it back from inside Hyrule Castle… and even that can’t go on forever. With no memories of what happened before and only a few clues to go on, he sets out across the radically altered realm to regain his strength and identity, and finish the fight that began a century ago.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2023; direct sequel to ''Breath of the Wild''): While exploring the depths underneath Hyrule Castle, Link and Zelda find the ruins of Hyrule’s ancient founders, The Zonai… and the reawakening Demon King Ganondorf. Robbed of his strength and his Master Sword, and with Zelda being lost to an unknown place, Link must set out on another journey across a changed Hyrule in order to regain his strength, find Zelda, stop Ganondorf and his machinations, and finish the fight the Zonai started in a bygone era.

* ''Link's Awakening DX'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, 1998)
* ''A Link to the Past'' (UpdatedRerelease featuring ''Four Swords'', UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2002)
* ''Ocarina of Time: Master Quest'' (UpdatedRerelease as a PreOrderBonus for ''The Wind Waker''[[invoked]], UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2002)
* ''The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition'' (CompilationRerelease of ''The Legend of Zelda'', ''The Adventure of Link'', ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask'', UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2003)
* ''Classic NES Series'' releases of ''The Legend of Zelda'' and ''The Adventure of Link'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2004)
* ''Four Swords Anniversary Edition'' (UpdatedRerelease, Nintendo UsefulNotes/DSiWare, 2011)
* ''Ocarina of Time 3D'' ({{Video Game Remake}}s, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2011)
* ''The Wind Waker HD'' ({{Video Game Remake}}, UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2013)
* ''Majora's Mask 3D'' ({{Video Game Remake}}, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015)
* ''Twilight Princess HD'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2016)
* ''Link's Awakening'' (VideoGameRemake, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019)
* ''Skyward Sword HD'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2021)

* ''VideoGame/GameAndWatch'' games (UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch systems)
** ''Game & Watch: Zelda'' (1989; collected in ''Game & Watch Gallery 4'' for UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance)

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames'' (UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi)

* ''UsefulNotes/{{Satellaview}}'' games (''UsefulNotes/{{Satellaview}}'', 1995)

** ''VideoGame/FreshlyPickedTinglesRosyRupeeland'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2006)[[/index]]
** ''Tingle's VideoGame/BalloonFight DS'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007)[[index]]
** ''Videogame/RipenedTinglesBalloonTripOfLove'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2009)
* ''VideoGame/LinksCrossbowTraining'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2007)

** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[/index]]
*** ''Hyrule Warriors: Legends'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016)
*** ''Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2018)[[index]]
** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2020, direct prequel to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''[[labelnote:spoiler]]Though it takes places in an AlternateTimeline, making it a case of LooseCanon that fits into the canon timeline but can be ignored if desired.[[/labelnote]])[[/index]]
* ''My Nintendo VideoGame/{{Picross}}: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016; My Nintendo rewards program exclusive)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/CadenceOfHyrule: VideoGame/CryptOfTheNecroDancer featuring the Legend of Zelda'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019)

* SchizoTech: It's like a mish-mash of Medieval, Pirate, and Arabian themes, with a few borderline EasterEgg modern inventions (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, telephones, colour film cameras, and locomotives) thrown in for good measure. Notable examples include:

** There's a lot of foreboding and horror for a series that, before ''Spirit Tracks'', was [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids ostensibly]] [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications rated E]].

** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' uses quarter hearts as the smallest visual unit of the LifeMeter, it's not the smallest actual unit. Every quarter heart is worth 100 HP, which the player will only be able to notice if they enter a keep with a damage barrier, which deals small increments of HitPoints per second, so they're damaged without otherwise visual change. If the character is hit by an attack that activates the LastChanceHitPoint, that would leave the character with 1 hp, but it would be displayed as 1 quarter heart. The exact number of HitPoints is shown in the pause menu/results screen for the UsefulNotes/WiiU only, as the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch uses percentages instead.

** Zelda has progressively become more active in the games as the series went on. Originally just a classic DistressedDamsel, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', she gained the badass [[spoiler:([[SweetPollyOliver though in drag]]) alter-ego Sheik, who]] admittedly didn't do much against the actual BigBad [[spoiler:but was instrumental in Link dealing the final blow]]. But in the later games, starting with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'', it became her schtick to fire Light Arrows at Ganon during the final battle, and in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' she even [[spoiler:helps Link push his sword into Malladus' head]].

[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere It's Dangerous to Describe]] ''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere The Legend of Zelda]]'' [[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Here Alone! Take This.]]

''The Legend of Zelda'' is Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy medieval fantasy]] video game series that codified the ActionAdventure genre and [[VideoGameLongRunners began in 1986]] on the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]].

Created by Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto with the help of Takashi Tezuka, the series is now produced by Creator/EijiAonuma and directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi.

->"Many games have a story, only one is a legend."
-->--''The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition''.

* CheatCodes: Most ''Zelda'' games don't have them, but the 35th Anniversary ''Legend of Zelda'' VideoGame/GameAndWatch has some.
** For the original ''Zelda'', holding the A button for five seconds on a fresh save file will let you start the game with your Hearts maxed out at 20.
** For ''Zelda II'', holding the A button for five seconds on a fresh save will let you start the game with eight lives and maxed-out stats.
** For ''Link's Awakening'', holding the A button for five seconds on a fresh save file will let give you max Hearts once you leave Marin's house.
** For the Timer minigame, holding the A button for five seconds when setting the time changes the game to an EndlessGame, with the timer counting ''up'' instead of down, tasking you with surviving as long as possible.

* ''Majora's Mask 3D'' ({{Video Game Remake}}s, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015)

* ''Twilight Princess HD'' (UpdatedRerelease, UsefulNotes/{{WiiU, 2016)

* ''Ocarina of Time 3D'' and ''Majora's Mask 3D'' ({{Video Game Remake}}s, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2011 and 2015 respectively)
* ''The Wind Waker HD'' and ''Twilight Princess HD'' ({{Video Game Remake}}s, UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2013 and 2016 respectively)

* ''Skyward Sword HD'' (VideoGameRemake, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2021)

* Untitled Legend of Zelda film: (TBA)

* A live-action film adaptation to be directed by Wes Ball (''Film/TheMazeRunner'', ''Film/KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes''), produced by Avi Arad, and distributed by Creator/SonyPictures.

The story is repeated in many of the games, showing many eras, generations and {{Alternate Timeline}}s for the land of Hyrule, and [[LegacyCharacter as many young boys (or young men) named Link who find themselves forced to become heroes]]. While the above conflict is not present in every game, it is the one that pops up most commonly, and even games with a much different plot tend to be shaped by it in one way or another.

A given game typically goes like this: an evil [[SorcerousOverlord wizard]]/[[EvilOverlord king]]/[[DesertBandits thief]]/[[HumanoidAbomination monster]]/[[EldritchAbomination thing]], variously named [[BigBad Ganon]] or [[WasOnceAMan Ganondorf]] (but [[FandomEnragingMisconception not Gannon]]), has cast a great evil over the [[TheGoodKingdom land of Hyrule]], and a [[TheHero young]] [[TheChosenOne boy/man]] in a sort of green Franchise/PeterPan[=/=]Myth/RobinHood costume must save Hyrule by [[PlotCoupon recovering powerful artifacts]] that rest in [[TempleOfDoom places tainted]] [[DungeonCrawling by Ganon(dorf)]], typically by traveling across the game's overworld between a series of complex, puzzle-like dungeons that he must successfully navigate to reach the artifact at their end. [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Princess Zelda]] is his resourceful ally and sometimes [[ImpliedLoveInterest ambiguous love interest]]. He either must [[SaveThePrincess rescue her]] or is guided by her, if not both at once.

* A live-action film adaptation to be directed by Wes Ball(''Film/TheMazeRunner'', ''Film/KingdomOfThePlanetOfTheApes''), produced by Avi Arad, and distributed by Creator/SonyPictures.

* {{Bishounen}}: Link, as the series has progressed. Aonuma stated that his ''Breath of the Wild'' incarnation was deliberately designed to be more androgynous, which suits Link's quest well when having to pose as a girl to enter the female-only Gerudo Town.

A series of novelizations
* ''The Legend of Zelda: Molblin's Magic Spear'' by Jack C. Harris
* ''The Legend of Zelda: The Count of Black Shadows'' by Akio Higuchi
* ''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' by Katsuyuki Ozaki
* ''Link and the Portal of Doom'' by Tracey West

Other Gamebooks
* ''The Legend of Zelda: Battle of Mirage Castle'' by Akio Higuchi
* ''The Legend of Zelda: An Original Version'' by Mitsunori Kitadono
* ''The Adventure of Link: The Legend of the Hero of Hyrule'' by Studio Hard
* ''The Adventure of Link: The Legend of the Dark Triforce'' by Shōbi Inoue
* ''The Adventure of Link: Counterattack from the Darkness'' by Studio Hard, Naoki Kusano, Shōko Uehara, Toresu Kuro
* ''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' by Studio Hard, Yoshihiko Tomisawa, Ken Sawafuji, Hiroshi Tominaga
* ''The Legend of Zelda'' by M's Company and Maekawa Yōko (Adapted from ''A Link to the Past'' rather than the first game despite sharing a title with it.)
* ''The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons'' by Craig Wessel
* ''The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages'' by Craig Wessel

** ''OcarinaOfTime'' is rather infamous for this, particularly for the Shadow Temple and the Bottom of the Well, which are decorated with bones, blood and torture devices. The Bottom of the Well is also home to Dead Hand, a miniboss who frankly would have looked right at home in a horror game.
** ''Skyward Sword'' is graphically and thematically more lighthearted than it's predessor ''Twilight Princess'' (which is DarkerAndEdgier than most entries), but that masks the fact that Ghirahim is [[AxCrazy the most psychotically insane villain seen by players]], as he takes pleasure in [[ToThePain describing what he wants to do to Link]]. [[spoiler:Additionally, you learn that the planet suffered [[ApocalypseHow a class 2 apocalypse]], which is why the sky islands exist, and the GreaterScopeVillain of the entire franchise is a bloodthirsty, genocidal demon lord who's brought back to life because he's in the process of ''digesting Zelda's soul''.]]
*** Also in Skyward Sword, half of the Ancient Cistern is unexpectedly rather creepy. While the top half is beautiful, ornate and lit with pleasant, golden light, the bottom half is murky, dark and populated by shambling undead zombie bokoblins.

** ''Skyward Sword'' graphically and mentally takes a step back from ''Twilight Princess'' (which is DarkerAndEdgier than most entries), but that masks the fact that Ghirahim is [[AxCrazy the most psychotically insane villain seen by players]], as he takes pleasure in [[ToThePain describing what he wants to do to Link]]. [[spoiler:Additionally, you learn that the planet suffered [[ApocalypseHow a class 2 apocalypse]], which is why the sky islands exist, and the GreaterScopeVillain of the entire franchise is a bloodthirsty, genocidal demon lord who's brought back to life because he's in the process of ''digesting Zelda's soul''.]]

* UniquenessDecay: The Triforce went through an inversion, then reversion of this trope. In the first game, it's made known that there are two different Triforces that are basically equal in influence. The second game introduces the third Triforce and reveals that all three have a SetBonus, where the person who has all three and summons the Golden Power is functionally {{Omnipotent}}. Then, the TimeyWimeyBall gets thrown into the series, where it's revealed that there's multiple timelines -- each with its own Golden Power (although there's no overlap between the timelines, thus never more than one unified Triforce). And then at last, in ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', it's revealed that there is at least one twin of Hyrule... complete with its ''own unified Triforce''.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Link, in his adult forms, is supposed to be around the age of 16 or 17, but artwork depicts him as looking around the age of 20 or 21.

* HenotheisticSociety: Hylians and Hyrulians as a whole generally worship the three Golden Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' introduces a fourth goddess named Hylia, who had previously only been alluded to by having a lake and species named after her. Hylia is an EthnicGod for the Hylians who [[spoiler:the original Zelda is a {{reincarnation}} of]]. By ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Hylia worship prioritizes worship over the Golden Goddesses. None of them are referenced, however Hylia statues and churches are seen throughout Hyrule.