History Memes / TheLegendofZelda

* The famous [[http://i.imgur.com/ViiLG.png "''Zelda'' rant" meme]], where a portrait of series creator Shigeru Miyamoto explodes into a profane (and sometimes [[JapaneseRanguage slightly racist]], although versions exist without the broken phonetic English) tirade about the fickle and cyclical nature of the series' fanbase, always treating the last game in the series as a SacredCow above criticism and angrily hating on the newest game for changing [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too much]], [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks not enough]], or ''both at the same time'', only to suddenly change their tune and decide said game is VindicatedByHistory the second another installment comes out. It's usually followed up by ashamed fans owning the criticism. Some versions, like the one posted, even have him declare it's the reason Nintendo decided to pivot to more general family audiences with the Wii.

* The famous [[http://i.imgur.com/ViiLG.png "''Zelda'' rant" meme]], where a portrait of series creator Shigeru Miyamoto explodes into a profane (and sometimes [[JapaneseRanguage slightly racist]], although versions exist without the broken phonetic English) tirade about the fickle and cyclical nature of the series' fanbase, always treating the last game in the series as a SacredCow above criticism and angrily hating on the newest game for changing [[ItsDifferentNowItSucks too much]], [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks not enough]], or ''both at the same time'', only to suddenly change their tune and decide said game is VindicatedByHistory the second another installment comes out. It's usually followed up by ashamed fans owning the criticism. Some versions, like the one posted, even have him declare it's the reason Nintendo decided to pivot to more general family audiences with the Wii.

* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's retort whenever Zelda mocked him in the animated series. It's since become a popular response to criticism.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Age of Calamity]]
* TFW this comes out before ''Scramble.'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Persona'' fans had been waiting for any news on the localization of ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' (at the time known by its Japanese name, ''Persona 5 Scramble'') since its February 2020 release in Japan, with Atlus saying nothing about if the game would even be coming out at all until a random stock report confirmed it. The game wouldn't even get an actual release window until a week after this game came out. A game created by the same developers being announced and released in the West '''before''' ''Strikers'' was seen as perfectly dark comedy.[[/labelnote]]
* "''[[VideoGame/HaloReach Current Objective: SURVIVE]]''"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This beings being the final mission of the game, as ''Halo Reach'' also has a cast DoomedByCanon due to it being a prequel.[[/labelnote]]
* ''The Legend of Zelda: [Fake Prequel Name]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]It's popular to edit the game's title from ''Hyrule Warriors'' to the more standard ''Zelda'' title followed by a fake tagline referring to prequels from other video game franchises. While it's not always the case, the prequels in question usually tend to be games also known for being about a cast of DoomedByCanon heroes, such as ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', and ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 The Golden Country]]''.[[/labelnote]]
** ''[[EverybodyDiesEnding EVERYONE FUCKING DIES]]: Age of Calamity'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Related to the above, a far more blunt summary of the DoomedByCanon TheBadGuyWins nature of the story summed up by a more appropriate title.[[/labelnote]]
*** ''[[spoiler:[[SparedByTheAdaptation EVERYONE FUCKING LIVES]]: Age of Calamity'']] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler:Due to the game's SurprisinglyHappyEnding where all the champions survive and Calamity Ganon is successfully defeated before the events of ''Breath of the Wild'' has led to this being summed up by fans who had expected the above to happen.]][[/labelnote]]
* ''Urbosa Warriors: Age of Urbosa'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Fans have been especially excited for the chance to play as Urbosa.[[/labelnote]]
* "We've got some ''Zelda'' to tide us over until ''Zelda''." [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Age of Calamity'' got its first announcement more than a year after the ''Breath of the Wild'' sequel was announced, but is getting released first, which inspired many jokes about the odd release schedule and SequelGap. Eiji Aonuma even said himself it was a tide-over treat until the sequel main course.[[/labelnote]]
* Purah's appearance prior to her [[FountainOfYouth aging down]] has led to some ''VideoGame/{{Ninjala}}'' jokes and [[https://preview.redd.it/6686zo8ont061.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8098b65364dd1c190609cb5cfc752c82d7b70ace comparisons]], due to the latter game's backstory also involving scientists turning back into children.
* "He's gonna kill you all! [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment To DEATH!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The second "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has Master Kohga say this ridiculously redundant line. Fans instantly took a shine to it since it fits how LaughablyEvil Kohga is, with many comparing it to [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight "People die if they are killed,"]] or [[ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis "I'll kill you! I'll kill you to death!"]][[/labelnote]]
* Paraglider Daruk [[labelnote:Explanation]]The third "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has a shot of Daruk using a paraglider. Fans originally latched onto the sight both for how hilarious and unlikely it is, and for how potentially terrifying a flying Goron could be.[[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:R.I.P. ''Breath of the Wild'' and its sequel]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: Because of the game's ending and the lack of development updates surrounding ''[=BotW=]'''s sequel, it's been joked that Nintendo is allowing you to [[{{Vaporware}} cancel the sequel]] due to this game's ending preventing the events of ''Breath of The Wild'', which means [[ButterflyOfDoom that game's story never happening meaning that the sequel to it will never be made]] thus giving a reason why no news of the sequel has popped up since its announcement. Subverted after E3 2021, where the sequel got a gameplay reveal and a 2022 release date. However, the sequel got delayed again and as of the September Nintendo 2022 Direct, It was revealed with a release date and the title "Tears of the Kingdom".]][[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:Teba]] meeting Revali and his reaction towards the latter's real attitude (among other things) made fans joke about various scenarios, like [[spoiler:Teba]] tearing down Revali's Landing, or commenting on Revali's shortness.
* "STEEL YOURSELF!" "I AM READY!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]That's Impa's special attack quote. She's the first playable character in the game who doesn't just speak in grunts, and her being one of the most powerful and easy-to-use fighters in your arsenal means many players will regularly use the royal advisor, and thus hear her {{Narm}}y voice acting for a large chunk of their adventure.[[/labelnote]]
* The scene where [[BigEater Link]] eagerly devours a Rock Roast given to him by Daruk is often treated as one of the game's most hilariously surreal moments by fans. To clarify, Link successfully and greedily eats [[ExtremeOmnivore a hunk of molten rock that is bigger than his torso]] as Zelda and Impa watch on in amazement and disbelief at sight.

[[folder:Tears of the Kingdom]]
!!!Pre-release:
* Rehydrated Ganondorf [[labelnote:Explanation]]The E3 2019 reveal trailer for the game prominently featured an intimidating and desiccated undead corpse that is widely assumed to be Ganondorf. This inspired lots of fanart of a revived version of the corpse in the same skimpy clothes but with fully un-decomposed flesh, usually for {{Fanservice}}. Example [[https://twitter.com/siobhanchiffon/status/1138980222487842817 1]], [[https://twitter.com/s_kinnaly/status/1139995031131942912 2]]. The meme was revived when the third trailer dropped, alongside [[https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1646519086271328270?s=20 art of a fully revived Ganondorf]], when it showed the fully revived Ganondorf [[IKnewIt buff, handsome and basically shirtless]].[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda's haircut. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The reveal trailer showed Zelda's hair to be much shorter than it was in ''Breath of the Wild'', leading to theories and jokes about how and why it got cut so short. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsNAD4L8sV8 For]] [[https://youtu.be/2dMw4Hei2RQ example...]][[/labelnote]]
** Give us Playable Zelda, you cowards![[labelnote:Explanation]]Zelda's new short haircut in the game's original 2019 teaser trailer, combined with Link and Zelda exploring the underground catacombs together, made players hopeful that she would be playing a far more active role than in ''Breath of the Wild'' as [[PromotedToPlayable a playable character]]. The fact that every teaser since would downplay Zelda's presence caused this to morph from pure speculation to a fandom demand, hence the "you cowards" part of the meme.[[/labelnote]]
*** Protagonist Zelda [[labelnote:Explanation]] Plenty of fanart depicts Zelda in Link's place, Zonai arm and Master Sword included. However, people quickly realized that Link's TOTK outfit exposes the right side of his upper torso, which when applied to Zelda... [[NotSafeForWork is a different matter entirely]]; some depict her with a chest wrapping to cover up, but plenty don't. This became somewhat of a meme among artists and numerous fans wishing to have a playable Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[{{Mondegreen}} Please, lend me your power!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is what many fans interpret Zelda's last line at the end of the February 2023 trailer to be, which naturally leads to speculations if Zelda has finally been PromotedToPlayable. This interpretation is quickly debunked by fans pointing out that the line is most likely "Please, lend ''him'' your power!", meaning Zelda is referring to Link and not herself. But the misinterpreted line itself has become a popular phrase to express the desire for Zelda to be playable.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Punished "Venom" Link]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the E3 2021 trailer, Link is shown with a prosthetic arm after losing his right arm. Naturally, lots of ''MGSV'' memes came along with it.[[/labelnote]]
* Everything always comes back to [[{{Precursors}} the Zonai]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Zonai, an enigmatic tribe responsible for many of the ancient ruins found in ''Breath of the Wild'' (and whose name is a {{Pun}} on the Japanese word "nazo" meaning "mystery/mysterious"), have been a subject of [[EpilepticTrees intense fan speculation]] ever since the sequel's first teaser, which showed Link and Zelda exploring a cave system filled with Zonai architecture. In the two year gap between the game's first and second trailers, theorists ran wild trying to figure out who the Zonai were, what happened to them, and what role they'd play in the story, while also trying to connect them to just about everything else in the series they could, long before they had any substantial information about them.[[/labelnote]]
** "Is that a spiral? ZONAI CONFIRMED!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One motif that was commonly associated with the Zonai in ''Breath of the Wild'' was a spiral pattern, found carved into much of their architecture. Since spirals are also incredibly common throughout the ''Zelda'' series in general, fans started joking that ''every single instance'' of a spiral, no matter how innocuous, must have ties to the Zonai as a jab at how tenuous some of the Zonai theories were getting.[[/labelnote]]
* "FI WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Upon seeing the destroyed Master Sword in the delay announcement trailer, many fans expressed their concern about Fi, the spirit the resides in the Master Sword, with comments much like this one.[[/labelnote]]
** Extending from the above, people drawing Fi's humanoid form with the rust and damage seen in the trailer.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' Link beating the crap out of ''Breath of the Wild'' Link.[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Skyward Sword'' is the game in which we are introduced to Fi as an ExpositionFairy, and that Link is the one who created the Master Sword from the Goddess Sword and had a very close bond with her. So it's agreed on that he'd be [[UnstoppableRage less than happy]] to see the Master Sword's current state.[[/labelnote]]
* No wonder it was delayed. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The day before the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that the Direct itself would not be streamed in the UK due to national mourning surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This Direct included the title reveal for ''Tears of the Kingdom'', a fact which some viewed to be a direct contribution to the showcase's delay, citing it as Nintendo getting around some very unfortunate timing.[[/labelnote]]
* Upon the reveal of the title, people were quick to call the game ''The Legend of Zelda: Music/TearsForFears'' as a play on the title.
* "Releasing 5 December, 2023" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because the UK livestream of the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct was cancelled out of respect for the death of UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, British fans and streamers who still wanted to watch the Direct live had to watch the American version. In Britain (and most of the rest of the world), dates are ordered as Day/Month/Year, but Americans order it as Month/Day/Year -- and the release date in the trailer said "5-12-2023". This left many Brits initially dismayed by the apparent 15 month wait before they realized that the game was actually releasing on May 12.[[/labelnote]]
* "Surfin' Bird" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link is shown crouched atop a bird-shaped glider as it flies in the 2022 trailer, leading many to recognize the unintentional VisualPun.[[/labelnote]]
* ''S U A V E M E N T E'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]On 1 May 2023, the entire game leaked on the Internet, meaning it could be played before its release date, but among the legitimate copies was an NSP file (the ROM format the Switch uses) that looked like the legitimate game at first glance, but was [[BaitAndSwitch actually]] a {{UsefulNotes/Unity}} program consisting of the Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM3HuNmOSYY video]] of [[WebAnimation/SomethingAbout TerminalMontage]]'s homage to Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente" on a loop with an animation of Link's model from Breath of the Wild gyrating overlaid on top. It also had all sorts of meme-related files in it to pad out the file size so people would think it was the real thing. In response to its surge in popularity following the leak, [[Creator/JeremyChinshue TerminalMontage]] followed it up with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNCgpaMlOcs a sequel video]], to the delight of many fans.[[/labelnote]]
* "The Legend of Zelda: Nuts & Bolts" [[labelnote:Explanation]]After the February 2023 trailer showed off Link driving what appeared to be several custom vehicles, many were quick to make a comparison between this game and ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts.''[[/labelnote]]
* "[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants OH NO HE'S HOT!!!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]By far the most common [=SpongeBob=] meme used in reference to Ganondorf's reveal in the final trailer for the game, in reference to [[https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope/status/1646519086271328270 how incredibly buff he is in this game]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Link, you must find me..." And the fans took that as a challenge.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The final trailer for the game ends with a shot of Zelda on a platform overlooking Hyrule, urging Link to come and find her. The fandom quickly took her up on her request, with [=YouTuber=] Looygi Bros. in particular using the background landmarks to [[https://youtu.be/n_6fdet5cdo?t=434 recreate the shots]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' and pinpoint her location as somewhere near the Temple of Time.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/GarrysMod Zelda's Mod]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's new power in this game to fuse things together to create new weapons and automations has gotten numerous comparisons to ''Garry's Mod''. Due to using ''Breath of the Wild'' as base, many people have jokingly started to call it Zelda's Mod as a comparison.[[/labelnote]]
* "Our last line of defense will be Link." [[labelnote:Explanation]]In response to the part of the third trailer where Link is stated to be everyone's last hope, fans joke that Link might not be the best choice considering all the bizarre antics the player could get into throughout ''Breath of the Wild''. This soon led to people making edits of the third trailer where, after this exchange happens, it cuts to ''Breath of the Wild'' footage of Link dying/hurting himself in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5rySsg1J7s increasingly]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxsCxix3EdM ridiculous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E94c4KpYT1o ways]] or by making increasingly convoluted and sometimes immature contraptions. An alternate trend has also appeared where the footage is of insanely [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV9QqH07iy0 high]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X5DUTOkzfU level]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W0uGjb6vM play]] showing off intricate trick shots and combat techniques from players skilled enough to turn the game inside-out.[[/labelnote]]
* The Saxophone [[labelnote:Explanation]]The soundtrack for the third trailer (and likely for the game) unexpectedly uses a ''Saxophone'' for the score. Despite it being a bizarre instrument choice for a Zelda game, the saxophone section has become a fan favorite.[[/labelnote]]

!!!Post-release:
* "...and that was all you could do?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The game opens with a CurbStompBattle where Ganondorf cripples Link's arm and shatters the Master Sword. Given that Rauru had proudly warned Ganondorf that Link and the Master Sword would be his doom, and considering Ganondorf is a BloodKnight who looked forward to the fight, the Demon King is rather disappointed. The shot of him saying this line while smugly raising an eyebrow is a popular "reaction meme" image.[[/labelnote]]
* "I'd like nothing more than to smash the Demon King." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally an innocent line from the Sage of Fire, many fans voiced they would also like to "smash" Ganondorf after seeing his new design.[[/labelnote]]
* Rauru’s disgust at how Link uses his replacement arm. [[labelnote: Explanation (Slightly NSFW)]] Rauru replaces Link’s arm with his own after Link’s is destroyed by Ganondorf. It took the [[https://twitter.com/franmm127/status/1661168604698615811?s=46 dirtier-minded fans]] no time at all to joke about how Rauru would react to Link [[BreakingInOldHabits using his replacement arm to masturbate.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Korok Torture Simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] The game allows you to weld the backpack-wearing Koroks to objects, so due to the fandom's [[BaseBreakingCharacter opinion]] of them, videos that involve them getting hurt in creative ways (such as launching them into the stratosphere or ''crucifying them'') have become popular on social media.[[/labelnote]]
** Fallout: New Hyrule [[labelnote:Explanation]]Some players [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/13hw9hq/fallout_new_hyrule/ drew]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2593957-crucified-korok#trending-bar comparisons]] between players' treatment of Koroks and Caesar's Legion's treatment of prisoners in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''.[[/labelnote]]
* Addison [[labelnote: Explanation]]Addison is an employee of Hudson's construction company, and he is periodically seen trying to erect signs advertising the business. Link is supposed to create an Ultrahand build to keep his sign from falling over so he can secure it in place, but some players do stuff like build the most elaborate contraption possible to accomplish the simple task, trap Addison within the build so he'd realistically have no way of securing the sign or leaving, or even attaching rockets to the build to launch the sign into the air.[[/labelnote]]
* "These trees are trying to kill me. F#@k you nature."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Evermean is a new type of enemy that is basically a disguised tree, that will jump up when Link gets close, walk over, and start trying to slam him using its body. It didn't take WebVideo/ProJared fans long to make the connection to his VideoGame/{{Hydlide}} videos.[[/labelnote]]
** "EVEN SOME OF THE TREES ARE ON GANON'S SIDE!!!" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Some fans immediately thought of this line from ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' upon encountering the Evermeans.[[/labelnote]]
* Korok Space Program [[labelnote:Explanation]]A play of VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. The game introduces Koroks who need to be guided to their friends and can be attached to devices using Ultrahand. People have fun torturing the little guys, or in some cases, lauching them into space like the titular Kerbals. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/13jdvnv/totk_oc_the_korok_space_program/ And, of course, people just HAD to make a logo or two for the Korok Space Program]][[/labelnote]]
* If it works, it works [[labelnote:Explanation]] A phrase that’s been making the rounds on the community in regards to the more ridiculous constructs people have come up with. The level of freedom with ultrahand building has led to people making ridiculous, immature, or downright bizarre creations. This phrase has become the most common excuse.[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda [[VideoGame/AmongUs sus]] [[labelnote:Explanation ('''spoilers''')]]Near the end of the game, it's revealed that the "Zelda" seen throughout much of the game is actually a disguised Phantom Ganon being used by Ganondorf to sow discord and confusion throughout Hyrule, as well as to keep Link occupied while the real Ganondorf regained strength. Jokes about Zelda being [[VideoGame/AmongUs the imposter]] were inevitable, especially since "imposter" is the exact term used by characters (such as Yunobo and Purah) to describe the false Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
* In ''Breath of the Wild'', some fans made jokes about Link using [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders The World or Star Platinum]] with Stasis. Here, Rewind can be compared to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Moody Blues]].
* Zelda stole Link's house. [[labelnote:Explanation]]While it's implied they live together/Link gifted the house to her, Link's house in Hateno Village is repeatedly referred to as Zelda's house (at least in the English Translation), leading to fans joking that she stole it/used eminent domain to seize it. Other jokes have been made about her making him sleep outside/on the floor have also been made. The game having a sidequest about Link buying ''another'' house doesn't help matters either.[[/labelnote]]
* Link is Tony Hawk. [[labelnote:Explanation]] The fact that quite a few people fail to recognize Link even when they really should (such as people in Hateno) has led to the joke that Link has Tony Hawk levels of popularity; everyone knows who he is, but no one recognizes him when he's right in front of them. It helps that he can fuse stuff like minecarts to his shield to make a makeshift skateboard, plus the addition of rail grinding in the game. [[/labelnote]]
* We miss the Guardians...[[labelnote:Explanation]]Guardians, the most terrifying enemies from ''Breath of the Wild'' are absent in this game. Instead, the player can encounter Gloom Spawn, a writhing mass of hands with eyeballs in the palms that can appear out of the ground, turns the sky blood red when they approach, and will grab and squeeze Link when they get within range, poisoning him with Gloom.Not helping things is when the Gloom Spawn is defeated, [[spoiler: Phantom Ganon spawns in to finish the job.]] When faced with the Gloom Spawn, a lot of players lament that they would much rather face a Guardian instead.And then [[https://www.tumblr.com/ketrindarkdragon/718387004655763456/doubled-up-nightmare?source=share someone had the bright idea to create a Guardian-Gloom Spawn hybrid.]][[/labelnote]]
* War Crime Simulator 2023[[labelnote:Explanation]]Given the game lets you build ''anything'' with Zonai parts, people have already taken to building giant war machines to fight enemies with. With how effective some of them are, many joke that ''Tears for the Kingdom'' is just a war crime simulator.[[/labelnote]]
** It runs on pure hatred/spite.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A way people often use to sum up their builds.[[/labelnote]]
* Ascend is the new Cryonis.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Just like the Cryonis ability in ''Breath of the Wild'', there is a prevalent tendency for players to constantly forget that the Ascend ability exists, and as a result are completely stumped whenever they encounter a situation where you're intended to use it.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ganon_laugh.png Ganondorf's deranged face]][[labelnote:Explanation]]After he [[spoiler:murders Sonia]], Ganondorf's exaggerated grin has become an instant meme once fans saw [[NarmCharm how ridiculous and yet terrifying]] it is. It's used for various reactions on the Internet, most often to mock Zelda theories that have been debunked thanks to ''Tears of the Kingdom'''s release or just the idea that Ganondorf could actually be a good guy for once.[[/labelnote]]
* Goron Crack Epidemic[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Gorons becoming addicted to marbled rock roast quickly drew comparisons from players ([[https://youtu.be/r78XFHk91B4 and]] WebAnimation/DoobusGoobus) to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_epidemic_in_the_United_States the US crack epidemic of the 1980s]]. It doesn't help that their predicament doesn't seem as extreme as a deadly blizzard, sludge falling from the sky, or a horde of insectoid monsters combined with a sandstorm.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[=BotW=]'' Tulin[[labelnote:Explanation]]Tulin becoming an AscendedExtra in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' led to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/botw_tulin_model.png his design]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' (with the image being taken from his character folder on Website/ThisVeryWiki) becoming a meme due to [[UglyCute how off-putting]] he looked back then.[[/labelnote]]
* Sonia is a Furry[[labelnote:Explanation]]Queen Sonia is a Hylian married to Rauru, a member of the ambiguously animalistic Zonai race. Naturally this led to jokes and memes about her being a furry.[[/labelnote]]
** Similarly, "I'm not a furry but Mineru..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the weeks since the game's launch, there have been a lot of players who have expressed bewilderment in public spaces that, although they don't consider themselves part of the furry fandom, they've found Mineru to be conventionally attractive. The jokes have run wild that Mineru has turned into something of a gateway to the broader furry fandom for a lot of players.[[/labelnote]]
* [[DoubleEntendre We can ride Zelda!]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: It's revealed in the final Dragon Tear that Zelda transformed into the divine Light Dragon, which Link can stand on. Dirty-minded players quickly began to make jokes about how Link can now "ride" Zelda in both senses of the word.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender "My first girlfriend turned into a dragon." "That's rough, buddy."]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]After learning that Zelda became the Light Dragon, many players drew comparisons to an ''Avatar'' scene where Sokka laments that his first girlfriend turned into the moon, swapping in Link for him and one of his companions for Zuko.[[/labelnote]]
** "Would you still love me if I was a wyrm?" [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]A variation of the "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" meme. Fans joked that Zelda would ask Link this very question, either before or after her transformation.[[/labelnote]]
** [[PopularWithFurries She's cuter as a dragon anyway.]][[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]When a lot of people discovered that the Light Dragon was actually a draconified Zelda, people waste ''absolutely no time'' making designs and art of a anthropomorphized version of said draconic form. On top of that, this lead to people lamenting that her transformation was entirely undone at the end of the game and that her decision to become a dragon should've still had permanent physical consequences, such as her still having a draconic form even after regaining a humanoid body. Of course, you can imagine people who expose this opinion either aren't keen on the perceived AssPull reversion to status quo for Link and Zelda at the end, find anthro!Light Dragon Zelda to be cute/hot, or both.[[/labelnote]]
* Why'd you do it?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally a {{Mondegreen}} of Yunobo's line "I can do it!", this became popular as an unintentional WhatTheHellPlayer for subjecting Yunobo or other [=NPCs=] to VideoGameCrueltyPotential.[[/labelnote]]
* Goatse shrines.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The new design of the shrines (resembling two hands tearing open a hole in the center) was noted to be more than a little reminiscent of [[ShockSite Goatse]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Hi I'm Link, welcome to ''Series/{{Jackass}}''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]With how ridiculous some of the contraptions built can end up being plus the kinds of self-harm one can inflict on Link in the process of testing them out, a lot of fans have joked that the entire game is one gigantic ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' simulator, with many stunts and contraptions being akin to the kind of stuff you'd see Johnny Knoxville and co. engage in.[[/labelnote]]
* "Glory to Master Kohga."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend of social media posts in which fans pretend to be Yiga Clan members, proclaiming their love of bananas and their hatred of Link in various goofy ways, [[https://twitter.com/MaciRollFights/status/1667305651016540164 as]] [[https://twitter.com/Oceanmaster1776/status/1667324384439050240 one]] [[https://twitter.com/k1ng_mang0/status/1667399039476719617 can]] [[https://twitter.com/wildfloweromine/status/1667317221373214723 see]] [[https://twitter.com/LordSooga/status/1667230748657459211 here.]][[/labelnote]]
* [[ParrotExposition "Demon King? Secret stone?"]] [[labelnote: Explanation with spoilers]] When you clear a temple, Link and his partner get an exposition from a Sage about the Demon King, the secret stones that the sages used, and the Imprisoning War. Link's partner will say "Demon King? Secret stone?" since they have no idea what those are. Due to the non linear nature of the game, the cutscenes are basically repeated for each dungeon cleared with little to no variance between them. Ergo, expect to hear "Demon King? Secret stone?" a lot.[[/labelnote]]
* "Mommy" [[labelnote:Explanation]]While Purah's adult design existed more or less since ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'', her new design for ''Tears of the Kingdom'' after she managed to reverse her de-aging back to her early twenties won her a lot of popularity, with the amount of fanart of her exploding, particularly memes where she tells Link to "call her Mommy".[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 "[NPC]... my long shadow..."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]When it was discovered that players can snatch [=NPCs=] from their programmed stationary locations with creative uses of various objects and Zonai devices, some posted gameplay videos under the context of Link taking them out for a romantic rendezvous, particularly with [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TOTK/comments/13osgqt/i_brought_purah_to_the_sky/ Purah]] and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/tearsofthekingdom/comments/14blvrj/took_paya_out_on_a_date/ Paya]]. Jokes about [[spoiler:the Light Dragon, aka Princess Zelda]] finding out and reacting accordingly ensued, including this memetic meltdown reaction from ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3''.[[/labelnote]]
* York[[labelnote:Explanation]]When attempting to perform searches about the game using the abbreviation "TOTK", Google would autocorrect it to "York" leading people to find information about the English city rather than what they wanted. This in turn led to memes making fun of the phenomenon.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Looney Tunes simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] Due to the amount of ways players can build things, ''Looney Tunes'' inspired traps and contraptions aren’t that uncommon. There’s also the fact that a player’s constructs can fail spectacularly, (a cart breaking at an inconvenient time, a Zonai device flipping on Link etc.) which can lead to moments reminiscent of one of said cartoons. [[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Other]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's retort whenever Zelda mocked him in the animated series. It's since become a popular response to criticism.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Looking good, Princess Zelda -- especially from THIS angle!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]The first words out of Link's mouth in the series, spoken to a Zelda in her undergarments on a balcony below. Zelda, having heard that, immediately gets a coat to wear.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwk59K0KMQ Link, he come to town...]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Joe Pleiman's 1998 song based off the series, "Zelda", which is often [[MisattributedSong misattributed]] to Music/SystemOfADown, has grown quite popular, both within and outside of the fandom.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/zeldas-response Zelda's response to being told "I love you"]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A 6-panel image showing the responses of 6 different Zeldas from 6 different games to being told "I love you", reflecting their differences in personality. It has been common to replace Zelda with a different character, as well as changing what is being told and the reactions that follow.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/female-link 1986 Female Link]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Artwork from the Japanese magazine ''Shonen Captain'' depicted Link as a pink-haired woman, predating Linkle and the "What if Zelda was a girl?" meme by several decades; as well as Link to the Past's pink haired Link. When [[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/01/random-artwork-in-retro-japanese-magazine-depicts-link-as-a-female high-quality scans]] surfaced in 2022, this design proved to be quite popular with the fandom, resulting in a surgence of fanart. While RuleSixtyThree Link is not a new concept by any means, depicting her with long pink hair is specifically a reference to this magazine.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fandom Memes]]
* "[[FandomEnragingMisconception GANNON-BANNED]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A satirical punishment doled out to ''Zelda'' fans (sometimes {{troll}}s) who get details wrong regarding the series. It originates from the original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', which had a typo in the story prologue that erroneously refers to Ganon as "Gannon", and is used to mock those who don't realize that "Gannon" is a typo.[[/labelnote]]
* '99% Confirmed.' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Shortly before E3 2010, the website Zelda Informer posted [[https://www.zeldadungeon.net/breaking_news_latest_zelda_wii_rumors_confirmed/ a bunch of "inside info"]] about the then-upcoming ''Skyward Sword'', known at the time simply as "Legend of Zelda." The header for the image was the early artwork with "99% Confirmed" printed over it in big, bold letters. Their alleged source? Someone whom they claimed was Miyamoto's English translator... [[EpicFail whom they also said happened to be German.]] A few days later, E3 came along and debunked all of their claims, prompting the main moderator of the site to post a video where he seemingly shoved a Wii Remote up his nose, which he said he would do if he was wrong. The website has yet to live it down, and "99% confirmed" has become a joke on other fansites, even non-Zelda ones.[[/labelnote]]
* What if Zelda was a girl? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A form of trolling intended to invoke a FandomEnragingMisconception by [[ProtagonistTitleFallacy referring to the player character as Zelda]], who is a girl. This meme also saw resurgence with the official reveal of Linkle, Link's DistaffCounterpart in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', as well as the "1986 Female Link".[[/labelnote]]
** What if Zelda was a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin grill]]? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A further mutation of the above meme with an intentional typo for added humor.[[/labelnote]]
** Zelda is the Princess. The green guy is [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A BaitAndSwitch where the meme appears to be {{discredited|Meme}}, only to continue the joke of the protagonist being misnamed.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Twilight Princess]]
* Twilight 8.8 [[labelnote:Explanation]]The fan rage when ''Twilight Princess'' was given a score of 8.8 out of 10 was large enough to spread across the internet. It also gave a name to a now disambiguated trope.[[/labelnote]]
* "I know you have bugs...." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by [[CreepyChild Agitha]] the [[CloudCuckooLander Bug Princess]] whenever you leave her house with new bugs you haven't given her.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPuiS3-TWs NOT TAKE MIRROR!]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]After getting to the second mirror shard in Snowpeak Ruins, Yeta the Yeti gets corrupted by its influence and does not allow Link to take it, screaming the quote to them with a [[NightmareFace terrifying face]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Wait, is that a fishing rod?" [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]When fighting Ganondorf, you can get him to be distracted by your fishing rod. The fact that the villain of the series gets distracted by something so silly is very comical.[[/labelnote]]
* GET A JOB! GET A JOB! [[labelnote: Explanation]]The music that plays when fighting [[spoiler:Beast Ganon]] has some strange chanting in the background. Fans joke around about what the chanters are saying, with many believing that it sounds like [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] saying "get a job".[[/labelnote]]
* [[JustForPun Jokes involving]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Twilight Sparkle]] also cropped up.
* Just as this was invoked in-universe, the Malo Mart dance also became a meme online -- see [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search=Search&search_query=malo%20mart%20dance here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MaloMartUDC2007/videos here]].

[[folder:Spirit Tracks]]
* While at first, several topics used the pre-existing "This topic sucks and is now about trains" meme to discuss the game, it soon became known as "''Soul Train''" over several boards.
* Ever since the last trailer, the meme "The Phantom wears a dress" surfaced.
* The Demon Train was also known at one point as the "Ganon-train" due to how similar it looked to cel-shaded Ganon. Of course, Ganon never appears in this game, but the name has still stuck.
* [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/choo-choo-motherfucker "Choo Choo Motherfucker"]] originated on a Website/FourChan post about the leaked concept art of Link in a conductor's outfit.

[[folder:Skyward Sword]]
* Demon Lord [[FanNickname Debbie]] is so ''[[SissyVillain fabulous]]''.
** I think you mean [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry FURIOUS!]] [[MilkingTheGiantCow OUTRAGED!]] [[EvilIsHammy SICK WITH ANGER!]]
** Ghirahim's [[OverlyLongTongue tongue.]]
** ''This news has just filled my heart with rainbows!''
** Ghirahim is a veritable FountainOfMemes. No exceptions.
* And now in the same vein of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', we have: *Something* Score: 7.5 [[labelnote:Explanation]]The score [=GameSpot=] gave. Not by the same guy, though.[[/labelnote]]
* Have you been getting your Gratitude Crystals from the thankful women? [[labelnote:Explanation]]Gratitude Crystals are strange little PlotCoupons given to you by completing quests. The "thankful women" part is probably just [[DoubleEntendre the product of someone's dirty mind]].[[/labelnote]]
* Wanna play the "How loud can you scream" game? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A friendly monster that kidnapped (but not really) a child likes playing this game. Alone. With a child. It doesn't take a genius [[MistakenForPedophile to see how people]] (in-universe) could get the wrong idea.[[/labelnote]]
* There is a __% chance... [[labelnote:Explanation]][[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect Fi likes statistics.]] A lot.[[/labelnote]]
* Think about what you can do with a stranded girl and mushrooms. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A girl gets trapped on an island because her Loftwing was injured. You need to give it medicine, which is mushrooms. Again, dirty-minded players had a field day with this.[[/labelnote]]
* The Bokoblin's[=/=]Moblin's undergarments. [[labelnote:Explanation]]They're apparently so obsessed with their cheetah print underpants that according to Fi, they can literally COME BACK FROM THE DEAD DUE TO THEIR ATTACHMENT TO THEM.[[/labelnote]]
* The Legend of Groose: The Groosenator of Grooseland [[labelnote:Explanation]]Groose has become the resident MemeticBadass.[[/labelnote]]
** The Legend of Groose: [[AnimeHair Skyward Hair]]
* [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Squidward]] Sword [[labelnote:Explanation]]A series of photoshops replacing various things with Squidward and other characters from ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''.[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda likes to push Link off of cliffs. [[labelnote:Explanation]]In-game, she pushes Link off of a cliff. Twice. Jokes are often made that this is Zelda's way of either showing affection toward, or friend-zoning, Link, among other things.[[/labelnote]]
* Groose's theme goes with everything. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Similar to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Guile]]'s theme, Groose's theme has been used for a variety of things.[[/labelnote]]
* Before the game came out, fan speculation on the then-unnamed Fi ran amok, culminating in her being called 'Steve'.
* "WE HATE YOU GROOSE!" "Groose, you're awesome!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Many players hated Groose at the start of the game for how he bullied Link and got in the way of one of the most popular ships in video game history. However, as Groose was given a healthy amount of CharacterDevelopment and more than one chance to display that he genuinely cared for Zelda, he grew on fans. By the time he stopped pining for her and started supporting Link as a good friend, [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap he became one of the most popular characters in the game]].[[/labelnote]]
* The part of the trailer where Link jumps off of the cliff has been turned into countless [=GIFs=], typically with captions claiming that he is committing suicide over the game. Or [[Creator/{{Tobuscus}} swan diving into the logo]].
* Parodies and snowclones of Groose intercepting Link in mid-skydive have begun popping up already, many of them involving someone's face superimposed over Groose's, such as [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Saxton]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7j5opukqXHU Hale]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZGm1_b8oY0 Trollface]]. Heck, Link's shocked face itself has become quite exploitable.

[[folder:A Link Between Worlds]]
* "Mumbo jumbo, mumbo jumbo..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The masked cult in Lorule's CatchPhrase, which has become a humorous phrase passed between ''Zelda'' fans.[[/labelnote]]
* "GIMME BACK MAH RUPEES!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by a Hinox in Lorule [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment if you refuse to spare him]].[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:CDI Games]]
* [[FunetikAksent MAH BOI!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The King is actually saying "My Boy". The King's lines are often a source of parody videos on Website/YouTube. The screenshot often used, with the King raising his pointer finger, is actually from when he says "...strive ''for''".[[/labelnote]]
** "This peace is what all true warriors strive for." [[labelnote:Explanation]]The line said directly after the above, and the source of the King's pointer finger image.[[/labelnote]]
** "I wonder what's for dinner?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Another oft-parodied line by the King. It's one of two namers behind the "[=SpaDinner=]" subgenre of YouTubePoop, since many of those videos like to replace random words with "dinner".[[/labelnote]]
** "After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The King's punishment to Duke Onkled after the latter begs for mercy. Typically, the punishment is replaced with something else in [=YouTube=] Poops.[[/labelnote]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMYgcS53Ezk King Harkinian and Zelda's laugh]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] King Harkinian and Zelda's faces are seriously OffModel and the first part of King Harkinian's laugh has been used as reaction sound effects or remixed into songs. Just like in the game, their laughter is also used to end the video in most Zelda CD-I Youtube Poops.[[/labelnote]]
* "Squadala! We're off!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Gwonam, a wizard from ''The Faces of Evil'' as he flies off with his carpet. Gwonam's scenes are some of the most popular to edit in [=YTPs=], with this line being the most popular.[[/labelnote]]
* "Lamp oil? Rope? Bombs? You want it? It's yours, my friend, as long as you have enough rubies." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Morshu, the storekeeper from ''The Faces of Evil'', when talking to him.[[/labelnote]]
** "Sorry, Link. I can't ''give'' credit. Come back when you're a little... MMMMM... ''richer''!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Morshu's second line when trying to buy something too expensive. Made famous thanks to his MMMMM being used in plenty of remix videos.[[/labelnote]]
** "[Person] explaining why [they did some humorous and/or offensive thing]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A meme format where a caption along these lines is put above a sped-up GIF animation of Morshu's [[MilkingTheGiantCow greeting cutscene]].[[/labelnote]]
* "[[DisproportionateRetribution You DARE bring light to my lair?! YOU MUST DIE!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Line said by Ganon once you face him in ''The Wand of Gamelon''. [=YouTube=] Poops will swap out "light" with anything else.[[/labelnote]]
** "Join me, Link, and I will make you a Face[[note]]Often written as "your face"[[/note]], the GREATEST in Koridai! Or else you will '''DIE'''."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Line said by Ganon once you face him in ''The Faces of Evil''. The "die" in this line and the one above are often used in videos whenever someone dies.[[/labelnote]]
** "'''NO'''! Not into the pit! IT BUUUUUURNNSSS!!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Ganon's last words in ''The Faces of Evil''. Whenever something involves fire or burning, this line can be expected.[[/labelnote]]
* "I can't ''wait'' to bomb some Dodongos!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Link's lines at the beginning of ''The Faces of Evil'', which caught on and, like most of these quotes, has been frequently mutated in YTP.[[/labelnote]]
** "Gee, it sure is boring around here." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's very first line in ''The Faces of Evil'', which is often edited or mutated so Link can call other things boring.[[/labelnote]]
* "This is illegal, you know!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote from Mayor Cravendish, a character in ''The Wand of Gamelon'', which is typically used in [=YouTube=] Poops when something illegal or questionably legal occurs.[[/labelnote]]
* Actually, let's just say every single line from the CD-i games is a meme.
--> ''"And I thought Zelda CD-i was the lowest form of YouTubePoop."''
* [[WebVideo/GameGrumps ♫Looks like you've got]] [[WithLyrics a baby penis...♫]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Lyrics for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GC1MR8q5oM overworld map theme]] from ''The Wand of Gamelon'', courtesy of [[Music/NinjaSexParty Danny Sexbang]].[[/labelnote]]
* "[Insert rapper here] has nothing on Morshu" [[labelnote:Explanation]]There's a large amount of videos using Morshu's lines for remixes and even ''covers'' of various songs, some of which feature him rapping at insane speeds (Such as [[https://youtu.be/kllk4Dqe8As this cover]] of ''Music/{{Eminem}}'''s Rap God). This has made him something of a MemeticBadass who can beat anyone in a rap battle.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[https://youtu.be/O5jKUBzz9l4 He's only got two lines in the entire game!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Related to the above, it's very common to see commenters pointing out that Morshu only has two lines in the entire game - and by extension, the entire series - which can apparently be sentence mixed to just about anything.[[/labelnote]]
** Google actually lists [[https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/comments/kfgawn/cdi_morshu_is_listed_as_a_musical_artist_on_google/ Morshu as a musical artist]].
** [[https://youtu.be/GTh5J0HsIAg?si=VZV_N3e4sy56qH3m Morshu Reads The Entire Bible!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]a [=YouTuber=] by the name of Competitive and Casual made a video of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Morshu reading the entire bible]], which gotten notoriety on the internet for it's extremely long runtime and showing up on people's reccomendation feeds, yet also being impressively well done despite using a Text-to-Speech program that uses sentence-mixing.[[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hyrule Warriors]]
* Link's scarf. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's ScarfOfAsskicking has become very popular with the fan base, so much so that a lot of fans are asking for it to be part of Link's canon design from here on out. Nintendo is aware of how this little piece of clothing has taken the fan base by storm, since they gave a replica in the Collector's Edition.[[/labelnote]]
* Groose or Riot. [[labelnote:explanation]]The request for Groose from ''Skyward Sword'' to be playable. The phrase is very popular on ''Hyrule Warriors'' Direct.[[/labelnote]]
* Ganondorf and hair-care products. [[labelnote:explanation]]Ganondorf's new long hair has prompted a lot of jokes about how dedicated the Demon King is to maintaining it. It got to the point that Nintendo of Europe [[https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope/status/513296742557970432 got in on it]].[[/labelnote]]
* "I think we all know who deserves to be in Hyrule Warriors." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Followed by an image of a random supporting character, such as Link's Grandma from ''Wind Waker'', or Navi.[[/labelnote]]
* "Hyrule Harem" or "Link's Harem" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Barring Darunia, Link is the only playable male character of the main Hyrulean Forces alongside eight females, two of which are confirmed to have crushes on him (Zelda and Lana, three if you count Sheik), one that was technically engaged to him in another game (Ruto), and one that left Link speechless (kind of) due to her beauty at the end of the game she appeared in (Midna). That's not even counting Cia.[[/labelnote]]
* [[http://images.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/peculiar_outfits_and_details_revealed_for_twilight_princess_hyrule_warriors_dlc/large.jpg "Postman Link"]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The minute the DLC for the ''Twilight Princess'' pack was revealed, this costume became very, ''very'' popular. [[MrFanservice The reason]] should be obvious.[[/labelnote]]
* "Tingle's rape face is ready!" started popping up after his announcement and seeing his design.
* With the reveal of Linkle, a pseudo DistaffCounterpart to Link, being a playable character in ''Legends'', the "What if Zelda was a girl?" meme has experienced a major resurgence.
* As a bit of crossover meming, Marin will occasionally announce that she is "[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 really feeling it]]".

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tri-Force Heroes]]
* Depicting Link in a princess dress [[labelnote:Explanation]]In the game you can dress Link in various costumes, one of them being Zelda's dress. Link crossdressing has always been a thing in the fandom due to his effeminate looks but it had never been depicted canonically. The princess dress has the most fanworks out of all the costumes, though the cheerleader outfit is also popular.[[/labelnote]]
* With the reveal that this multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' game only features three Links instead of the usual four seen in other multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' games, many jokes about Purple Link's absence have been made (R.I.P. Purple Link). This has become HilariousInHindsight, since there's an unused dopple in the story mode main hub, which would most likely become Purple Link.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Breath of the Wild]]
* Real horses don't run into trees very often. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Aonuma explaining how Epona was going to be given her own AI to allow her to navigate on her own while the player is preoccupied with other things.[[/labelnote]]
* Being able to remove [[MrFanservice Link]]'s clothes and being able to [[WalkingShirtlessScene play the entire game this way]], especially after a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59M89AKefs&t=2m55s Treehouse stream from E3]] where two female Nintendo employees [[EatingTheEyeCandy forced Link to walk around shirtless in a blizzard so they could enjoy the view]].
* Naked Pyromaniac Link [[labelnote:Explanation]]Extending from the above, the ability for Link to be a WalkingShirtlessScene and being able to KillItWithFire to enemies, weapons, environment, ''everything'', resulting in... patterns of play with the demo shown at UsefulNotes/{{E3}}. [[/labelnote]]
** [[https://i.imgur.com/JXqhp3c.gif The Legend of Zelda: BURN EVERYTHING]]
** Further mutated with the discovery that Link can ride bears... after setting said bear on fire. Usually captioned with the phrase "WHO'S THE CALAMITY NOW!?"
* LINK, WHERE ARE YOU?! [[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the huge amount of [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer optional sidequests and other time-wasting activities]], it's popular to portray Link as spending most of his time cooking, hunting for Koroks, mountaineering, and just generally doing anything and everything except actually saving Hyrule. Zelda will typically be shown either wondering what's taking him so long, or watching in frustration as Link spends several weeks collecting bugs.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain L Has Come To]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Thanks to some cleverly edited Breath of the Wild trailer footage combined with the song ''Sins of the Father'' and the resulting snowclones, some fans have strongly associated ''Breath of the Wild'' with ''The Phantom Pain''.[[/labelnote]]
-->From LINK Two Phantoms Were Born\\
He played us like a damn Ocarina!\\
Punished Link, A Hero Without A Kingdom\\
"You're a legend (of Zelda) in the eyes of those who live on the Hyrule Field, so you'll have to handle this quest yourself. That's how Groose would want it. Gerudo Valley is a big place. I expect you'll become quite familiar with that tablet as you find the next dungeon. How and where you explore... well that's up to you. Now go! Let the legend (of Zelda) come back to life!" ... "Did you get all of that?" (No/Yes)
* The Legend of Zelda: (Other Franchise)[[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the vast environments, weapons, and situations in the game, some users on Miiverse have taken to posting screencaps of their games with these sorts of captions; such as Link dying in soldier armor and calling it "The Legend of Zelda: [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Dark Souls]]", Link in a shrine with "The Legend of Zelda: VideoGame/{{Portal}}", or recipes with "The Legend of Zelda: [[VideoGame/CookingMama Cooking Mama]]".[[/labelnote]]
* Windows XP[[labelnote:Explanation]]The game's minimalistic piano soundtrack has been compared to many sound effects from Windows XP, and its many grassy fields have drawn comparisons to XP's default wallpaper, Bliss[[/labelnote]]
* Some people seem to haven become fixated with [[https://twitter.com/royalpizzaboy/status/819802293893677056 Zelda's eyebrows]] in this game. Some because they think they look good, some because they think they don't.
* [[https://68.media.tumblr.com/4257707ccf8939abc0506b6a40e9eaf5/tumblr_ojr414CF2C1r0hpzko1_500.gif Zelda crying in Link's arms]]. By far, the most talked-about moment in the entire Switch Presentation trailer. The moment it appeared, it became [[SignatureScene instantly iconic]] and social media EXPLODED with countless gifs, fanart, and even videos comparing the scene in different languages.
* Due to a magazine cover by [[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/02/07/march-2017-cover-reveal-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild.aspx game informer]], jokes about Zelda being pregnant have begun to surface.
* It's time... to scrub all the floors in Hyrule! [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the weapons obtainable in the game is [[MundaneMadeAwesome a wooden mop]]. Combine that with the phrase from the Zelda [=CDi=] games, and you get this meme.[[/labelnote]]
* Link's TrademarkFavoriteFood being apples. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The first food item shown off were apples. Fans instantly began depicting Link as apple obsessed[[/labelnote]]
* "Link is hot". [[labelnote:Explanation]]The line comes from an interview where Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime was questioned about how female gamers are drawn to the game due to Link being a MrFanservice. Reggie ended up replying with the quote[[/labelnote]]
* Lynels' reputation. [[labelnote:Explanation]]People ''really'' hate them for being DemonicSpiders and ''common''.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders ZA WARUDO!!!]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Once you obtain and upgrade Stasis, you can temporarily freeze your enemies in time to take them out quicker. Fans caught on with this and Website/YouTube videos will often will have Dio's CatchPhrase in the title.[[/labelnote]]
* Related to the stasis mechanic, the ability to build up kinetic energy in objects and then use them as an improvised vehicle has been compared to [[Manga/DragonBall Mercenary Tao]].
* The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles!!![[labelnote:Explanation]] By (ab)using stasis, it's possible for Link to travel long distances quickly by using it on a rock and then climbing on the side of it, which many people compared to the WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants episode "Pizza Delivery", [=SpongeBob=] can inexplicably use rocks to travel[[/labelnote]]
* If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best! [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Master Sword at literally any given point of time. If you use it too much (even in Hyrule Castle when it's in its uninhibited form), it will run out of energy and give you a ''very'' long cool-down time before you can use it again. In addition, you have to have at least thirteen heart containers before you'll even be able to ''retrieve it''. Some people interpret it as Fi testing him out of spite because Link ditched her for the last century.[[/labelnote]]
* Shark husbando/fish husband. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Prince Sidon grew ''really'' popular among both the UsefulNotes/{{furry|fandom}} and non-furry fandom, with going head over heels for him. [[EvenTheGuysWantHim Even the guys.]][[/labelnote]]
** I'd fuck that fish. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The more explicit love for Sidon by fans.[[/labelnote]]
** Fish bro. [[labelnote:Explanation]]From pretty much everyone else.[[/labelnote]]
* "That fucking robo-[elephant/camel]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]The two most difficult dungeons in the game (by popular opinion) are Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris. Ruta is likely because it's likely the first dungeon the player would experience in this format and the "Divine Beast Controls" on the map are easy to miss. On the ''other'' hand, Naboris is just difficult overall. While the other three dungeons had 1, 3, and 2 configurations you can arrange the map into, Naboris has ''twelve''.[[/labelnote]]
* The Puzzle-Skip Shrine [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Myahm Agana Shrine [[SomeDexterityRequired is frustrating if done as intended]], so a ''lot'' of people either turn it over and use the flat side, or... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZteCNx8e-Y whatever this is]]. [[/labelnote]]
* "I couldn't find the second ball, so I had to improvise." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Primarially originating from the Breath of the Wild Reddit, a common post often involving the Vah Naboris dungeon is that people not finding the second electric sphere needed for a puzzle and get around it by chaining an electrical current through metal weapons to the second 'socket' to open the gate. Althrough creative at first, the sheer number of people who post this to the Reddit, using this exact phrase in their header, has caused it to go from interesting to downright grating for many. It's gotten to the point of [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/6i6fq6/didnt_have_enough_metal_weapons_with_me_so_i_had/ outright parody.]][[/labelnote]]
* Killing Yiga Clan members in ridiculous ways. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Ever since a Switch update allowed users to share videos of Switch gameplay, it's become common for ''Breath of the Wild'' players to confront disguised members of the Yiga Clan, only to kill them immediately after the conversation is over in increasingly absurd ways. Tricks include [[DeathFromAbove dropping boxes on them]] or [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks hurling a weapon at them]].[[/labelnote]]
* Divine Beast Vah Room [[labelnote:Explanation]]A nickname for the motorbike (Master Cycle Zero) from the Champion's Ballad DLC, after the onomatopoeia of an engine revving up.[[/labelnote]]
* "It runs on apples!" / Apple engine. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The motorbike from the Champion's Ballad DLC requires fuel use. Fuel which is basically anything you have clogging up your inventory, including apples. The sheer absurdity of this quickly became memetic.[[/labelnote]]
* "Yahaha! You found me!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A line spoken by Koroks when you discover their hiding places. Due to the sheer amount of Koroks you need to find, and the fact that the line pops up every time you find one, it became infamous as a result.[[/labelnote]]
* "Irule". [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Latin American Spanish dub translates Hyrule as "Irule", pronounced "eh-ru-le".[[/labelnote]]
* [[DoubleEntendre Press A to Mount]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A screenshot from the "Silent Princess" memory of Zelda [[MaleGaze bent over in front of Link]] with the A button cue to mount horses photoshopped in, often used in the context of jokes regarding instant turn-ons that are far from sensual in nature (ex: "When she has Smash Bros", etc.).[[/labelnote]]
* Hylian Deadpools. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because of their similar red and black outfits and goofy behavior, the Yiga clan has often drawn comparisons to Deadpool from Marvel comics.[[/labelnote]]
* Putting the bookshelves in Hyrule Castle [[SelfImposedChallenge in weird and/or difficult to reach places, like in front of Link's house or on Akkala Tower.]]
* The Elder Pots have returned. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The guardians are based on Jomon pottery, which is one of the most ancient types of pottery in the world - it's actually pointed out in-game by an NPC that they look like upside-down pots. So obviously fans started joking that the Elder pots came to take revenge from Link for breaking them in all the previous games.[[/labelnote]]
** [[Franchise/TheIncredibles It's bigger... It's badder... Ladies and gentlemen, it's TOO MUCH FOR MR. LINKREDIBLE!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Guardians bear some strong resemblance to the various Omnidroid models (CyberCyclops, segmented legs with claws) from the much-beloved Pixar superhero franchise, and are also capable of kicking Link's ass just as easily, much like the Omnidroids V8, V9 and V10.[[/labelnote]]
* This game's Game Over screen and the accompanying jingle are beginning to become synonymous with ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''' infamous "YOU DIED" screen because of [[YetAnotherStupidDeath how often it appears,]] sometimes with the two being used interchangeably.
* Due to The Stolen Heirloom sidequest having a FadeToBlack as Impa asks Link to guard Paya for the day, followed by Paya thanking Link in her bedroom at night, some players interpreted this as a SexyDiscretionShot and turned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27beLk410g4 "Sleep with Paya" into an actual speedrun objective]]. It even got the nickname "Get Laid%".
* Playing ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Some ''Breath of the Wild'' players will go out of their way to perform [[https://twitter.com/Axk_000/status/1317043594608353281 outrageous]] [[https://twitter.com/smaho_neko/status/1353337928450150400 stunts]] that contrast greatly with the game's seemingly minimalistic combat system, leading to comparisons with StylishAction games like ''Devil May Cry'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''.[[/labelnote]]
* "It is my pleasure..." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Mipha says this every time Mipha's Grace is used, much to the annoyance of some fans. Often, it's used as a PhraseCatcher for any OneHitKO a player suffers, just to emphasize how powerful a certain enemy/boss is.[[/labelnote]]
* Flowerblight Ganon [[labelnote:Explanation]]A nickname for the infamous flower lady Magda, who gets really angry if Link steps on her flowers (and eventually attacks him off-screen), which surround a shrine in a small maze-like fashion.[[/labelnote]]
* Recently, it has become popular to edit the intro to the Guardians' theme over sped-up videos of people or animals running towards the camera.
* "Am I the only dumbass who thought Vah Naboris was an elephant?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originates from [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/14t7f2e/am_i_the_only_dumbass_who_tought_vah_naboris_was/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1 this]] Reddit post where the poster initially [[ViewerSpeciesConfusion mistook the camel Divine Beast for an elephant]], despite Vah Naboris' camel inspiration being pretty obvious, only realizing their mistake after seeing the ''actual'' elephant Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Scores of parody posts quickly followed that substituted various other characters for Vah Naboris, even if they look nothing like elephants, and the joke soon spread into other subreddits.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fr2um0tigtjda1.jpg Link's Awakening]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]This was the game where the interpretation of Link as nonbinary ''really'' went into overdrive thanks to being able to have him crossdress as a Gerudo. Combined with the Switch remake of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening the series' 4th installment]] releasing in 2019, some people made the obvious pun on the title.[[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Age of Calamity]]
* TFW this comes out before ''Scramble.'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Persona'' fans had been waiting for any news on the localization of ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' (at the time known by its Japanese name, ''Persona 5 Scramble'') since its February 2020 release in Japan, with Atlus saying nothing about if the game would even be coming out at all until a random stock report confirmed it. The game wouldn't even get an actual release window until a week after this game came out. A game created by the same developers being announced and released in the West '''before''' ''Strikers'' was seen as perfectly dark comedy.[[/labelnote]]
* "''[[VideoGame/HaloReach Current Objective: SURVIVE]]''"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This beings being the final mission of the game, as ''Halo Reach'' also has a cast DoomedByCanon due to it being a prequel.[[/labelnote]]
* ''The Legend of Zelda: [Fake Prequel Name]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]It's popular to edit the game's title from ''Hyrule Warriors'' to the more standard ''Zelda'' title followed by a fake tagline referring to prequels from other video game franchises. While it's not always the case, the prequels in question usually tend to be games also known for being about a cast of DoomedByCanon heroes, such as ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', and ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 The Golden Country]]''.[[/labelnote]]
** ''[[EverybodyDiesEnding EVERYONE FUCKING DIES]]: Age of Calamity'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Related to the above, a far more blunt summary of the DoomedByCanon TheBadGuyWins nature of the story summed up by a more appropriate title.[[/labelnote]]
*** ''[[spoiler:[[SparedByTheAdaptation EVERYONE FUCKING LIVES]]: Age of Calamity'']] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler:Due to the game's SurprisinglyHappyEnding where all the champions survive and Calamity Ganon is successfully defeated before the events of ''Breath of the Wild'' has led to this being summed up by fans who had expected the above to happen.]][[/labelnote]]
* ''Urbosa Warriors: Age of Urbosa'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Fans have been especially excited for the chance to play as Urbosa.[[/labelnote]]
* "We've got some ''Zelda'' to tide us over until ''Zelda''." [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Age of Calamity'' got its first announcement more than a year after the ''Breath of the Wild'' sequel was announced, but is getting released first, which inspired many jokes about the odd release schedule and SequelGap. Eiji Aonuma even said himself it was a tide-over treat until the sequel main course.[[/labelnote]]
* Purah's appearance prior to her [[FountainOfYouth aging down]] has led to some ''VideoGame/{{Ninjala}}'' jokes and [[https://preview.redd.it/6686zo8ont061.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8098b65364dd1c190609cb5cfc752c82d7b70ace comparisons]], due to the latter game's backstory also involving scientists turning back into children.
* "He's gonna kill you all! [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment To DEATH!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The second "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has Master Kohga say this ridiculously redundant line. Fans instantly took a shine to it since it fits how LaughablyEvil Kohga is, with many comparing it to [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight "People die if they are killed,"]] or [[ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis "I'll kill you! I'll kill you to death!"]][[/labelnote]]
* Paraglider Daruk [[labelnote:Explanation]]The third "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has a shot of Daruk using a paraglider. Fans originally latched onto the sight both for how hilarious and unlikely it is, and for how potentially terrifying a flying Goron could be.[[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:R.I.P. ''Breath of the Wild'' and its sequel]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: Because of the game's ending and the lack of development updates surrounding ''[=BotW=]'''s sequel, it's been joked that Nintendo is allowing you to [[{{Vaporware}} cancel the sequel]] due to this game's ending preventing the events of ''Breath of The Wild'', which means [[ButterflyOfDoom that game's story never happening meaning that the sequel to it will never be made]] thus giving a reason why no news of the sequel has popped up since its announcement. Subverted after E3 2021, where the sequel got a gameplay reveal and a 2022 release date. However, the sequel got delayed again and as of the September Nintendo 2022 Direct, It was revealed with a release date and the title "Tears of the Kingdom".]][[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:Teba]] meeting Revali and his reaction towards the latter's real attitude (among other things) made fans joke about various scenarios, like [[spoiler:Teba]] tearing down Revali's Landing, or commenting on Revali's shortness.
* "STEEL YOURSELF!" "I AM READY!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]That's Impa's special attack quote. She's the first playable character in the game who doesn't just speak in grunts, and her being one of the most powerful and easy-to-use fighters in your arsenal means many players will regularly use the royal advisor, and thus hear her {{Narm}}y voice acting for a large chunk of their adventure.[[/labelnote]]
* The scene where [[BigEater Link]] eagerly devours a Rock Roast given to him by Daruk is often treated as one of the game's most hilariously surreal moments by fans. To clarify, Link successfully and greedily eats [[ExtremeOmnivore a hunk of molten rock that is bigger than his torso]] as Zelda and Impa watch on in amazement and disbelief at sight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tears of the Kingdom]]
!!!Pre-release:
* Rehydrated Ganondorf [[labelnote:Explanation]]The E3 2019 reveal trailer for the game prominently featured an intimidating and desiccated undead corpse that is widely assumed to be Ganondorf. This inspired lots of fanart of a revived version of the corpse in the same skimpy clothes but with fully un-decomposed flesh, usually for {{Fanservice}}. Example [[https://twitter.com/siobhanchiffon/status/1138980222487842817 1]], [[https://twitter.com/s_kinnaly/status/1139995031131942912 2]]. The meme was revived when the third trailer dropped, alongside [[https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1646519086271328270?s=20 art of a fully revived Ganondorf]], when it showed the fully revived Ganondorf [[IKnewIt buff, handsome and basically shirtless]].[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda's haircut. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The reveal trailer showed Zelda's hair to be much shorter than it was in ''Breath of the Wild'', leading to theories and jokes about how and why it got cut so short. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsNAD4L8sV8 For]] [[https://youtu.be/2dMw4Hei2RQ example...]][[/labelnote]]
** Give us Playable Zelda, you cowards![[labelnote:Explanation]]Zelda's new short haircut in the game's original 2019 teaser trailer, combined with Link and Zelda exploring the underground catacombs together, made players hopeful that she would be playing a far more active role than in ''Breath of the Wild'' as [[PromotedToPlayable a playable character]]. The fact that every teaser since would downplay Zelda's presence caused this to morph from pure speculation to a fandom demand, hence the "you cowards" part of the meme.[[/labelnote]]
*** Protagonist Zelda [[labelnote:Explanation]] Plenty of fanart depicts Zelda in Link's place, Zonai arm and Master Sword included. However, people quickly realized that Link's TOTK outfit exposes the right side of his upper torso, which when applied to Zelda... [[NotSafeForWork is a different matter entirely]]; some depict her with a chest wrapping to cover up, but plenty don't. This became somewhat of a meme among artists and numerous fans wishing to have a playable Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[{{Mondegreen}} Please, lend me your power!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is what many fans interpret Zelda's last line at the end of the February 2023 trailer to be, which naturally leads to speculations if Zelda has finally been PromotedToPlayable. This interpretation is quickly debunked by fans pointing out that the line is most likely "Please, lend ''him'' your power!", meaning Zelda is referring to Link and not herself. But the misinterpreted line itself has become a popular phrase to express the desire for Zelda to be playable.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Punished "Venom" Link]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the E3 2021 trailer, Link is shown with a prosthetic arm after losing his right arm. Naturally, lots of ''MGSV'' memes came along with it.[[/labelnote]]
* Everything always comes back to [[{{Precursors}} the Zonai]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Zonai, an enigmatic tribe responsible for many of the ancient ruins found in ''Breath of the Wild'' (and whose name is a {{Pun}} on the Japanese word "nazo" meaning "mystery/mysterious"), have been a subject of [[EpilepticTrees intense fan speculation]] ever since the sequel's first teaser, which showed Link and Zelda exploring a cave system filled with Zonai architecture. In the two year gap between the game's first and second trailers, theorists ran wild trying to figure out who the Zonai were, what happened to them, and what role they'd play in the story, while also trying to connect them to just about everything else in the series they could, long before they had any substantial information about them.[[/labelnote]]
** "Is that a spiral? ZONAI CONFIRMED!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One motif that was commonly associated with the Zonai in ''Breath of the Wild'' was a spiral pattern, found carved into much of their architecture. Since spirals are also incredibly common throughout the ''Zelda'' series in general, fans started joking that ''every single instance'' of a spiral, no matter how innocuous, must have ties to the Zonai as a jab at how tenuous some of the Zonai theories were getting.[[/labelnote]]
* "FI WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Upon seeing the destroyed Master Sword in the delay announcement trailer, many fans expressed their concern about Fi, the spirit the resides in the Master Sword, with comments much like this one.[[/labelnote]]
** Extending from the above, people drawing Fi's humanoid form with the rust and damage seen in the trailer.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' Link beating the crap out of ''Breath of the Wild'' Link.[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Skyward Sword'' is the game in which we are introduced to Fi as an ExpositionFairy, and that Link is the one who created the Master Sword from the Goddess Sword and had a very close bond with her. So it's agreed on that he'd be [[UnstoppableRage less than happy]] to see the Master Sword's current state.[[/labelnote]]
* No wonder it was delayed. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The day before the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that the Direct itself would not be streamed in the UK due to national mourning surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This Direct included the title reveal for ''Tears of the Kingdom'', a fact which some viewed to be a direct contribution to the showcase's delay, citing it as Nintendo getting around some very unfortunate timing.[[/labelnote]]
* Upon the reveal of the title, people were quick to call the game ''The Legend of Zelda: Music/TearsForFears'' as a play on the title.
* "Releasing 5 December, 2023" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because the UK livestream of the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct was cancelled out of respect for the death of UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, British fans and streamers who still wanted to watch the Direct live had to watch the American version. In Britain (and most of the rest of the world), dates are ordered as Day/Month/Year, but Americans order it as Month/Day/Year -- and the release date in the trailer said "5-12-2023". This left many Brits initially dismayed by the apparent 15 month wait before they realized that the game was actually releasing on May 12.[[/labelnote]]
* "Surfin' Bird" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link is shown crouched atop a bird-shaped glider as it flies in the 2022 trailer, leading many to recognize the unintentional VisualPun.[[/labelnote]]
* ''S U A V E M E N T E'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]On 1 May 2023, the entire game leaked on the Internet, meaning it could be played before its release date, but among the legitimate copies was an NSP file (the ROM format the Switch uses) that looked like the legitimate game at first glance, but was [[BaitAndSwitch actually]] a {{UsefulNotes/Unity}} program consisting of the Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM3HuNmOSYY video]] of [[WebAnimation/SomethingAbout TerminalMontage]]'s homage to Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente" on a loop with an animation of Link's model from Breath of the Wild gyrating overlaid on top. It also had all sorts of meme-related files in it to pad out the file size so people would think it was the real thing. In response to its surge in popularity following the leak, [[Creator/JeremyChinshue TerminalMontage]] followed it up with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNCgpaMlOcs a sequel video]], to the delight of many fans.[[/labelnote]]
* "The Legend of Zelda: Nuts & Bolts" [[labelnote:Explanation]]After the February 2023 trailer showed off Link driving what appeared to be several custom vehicles, many were quick to make a comparison between this game and ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts.''[[/labelnote]]
* "[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants OH NO HE'S HOT!!!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]By far the most common [=SpongeBob=] meme used in reference to Ganondorf's reveal in the final trailer for the game, in reference to [[https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope/status/1646519086271328270 how incredibly buff he is in this game]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Link, you must find me..." And the fans took that as a challenge.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The final trailer for the game ends with a shot of Zelda on a platform overlooking Hyrule, urging Link to come and find her. The fandom quickly took her up on her request, with [=YouTuber=] Looygi Bros. in particular using the background landmarks to [[https://youtu.be/n_6fdet5cdo?t=434 recreate the shots]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' and pinpoint her location as somewhere near the Temple of Time.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/GarrysMod Zelda's Mod]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's new power in this game to fuse things together to create new weapons and automations has gotten numerous comparisons to ''Garry's Mod''. Due to using ''Breath of the Wild'' as base, many people have jokingly started to call it Zelda's Mod as a comparison.[[/labelnote]]
* "Our last line of defense will be Link." [[labelnote:Explanation]]In response to the part of the third trailer where Link is stated to be everyone's last hope, fans joke that Link might not be the best choice considering all the bizarre antics the player could get into throughout ''Breath of the Wild''. This soon led to people making edits of the third trailer where, after this exchange happens, it cuts to ''Breath of the Wild'' footage of Link dying/hurting himself in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5rySsg1J7s increasingly]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxsCxix3EdM ridiculous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E94c4KpYT1o ways]] or by making increasingly convoluted and sometimes immature contraptions. An alternate trend has also appeared where the footage is of insanely [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV9QqH07iy0 high]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X5DUTOkzfU level]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W0uGjb6vM play]] showing off intricate trick shots and combat techniques from players skilled enough to turn the game inside-out.[[/labelnote]]
* The Saxophone [[labelnote:Explanation]]The soundtrack for the third trailer (and likely for the game) unexpectedly uses a ''Saxophone'' for the score. Despite it being a bizarre instrument choice for a Zelda game, the saxophone section has become a fan favorite.[[/labelnote]]

!!!Post-release:
* "...and that was all you could do?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The game opens with a CurbStompBattle where Ganondorf cripples Link's arm and shatters the Master Sword. Given that Rauru had proudly warned Ganondorf that Link and the Master Sword would be his doom, and considering Ganondorf is a BloodKnight who looked forward to the fight, the Demon King is rather disappointed. The shot of him saying this line while smugly raising an eyebrow is a popular "reaction meme" image.[[/labelnote]]
* "I'd like nothing more than to smash the Demon King." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally an innocent line from the Sage of Fire, many fans voiced they would also like to "smash" Ganondorf after seeing his new design.[[/labelnote]]
* Rauru’s disgust at how Link uses his replacement arm. [[labelnote: Explanation (Slightly NSFW)]] Rauru replaces Link’s arm with his own after Link’s is destroyed by Ganondorf. It took the [[https://twitter.com/franmm127/status/1661168604698615811?s=46 dirtier-minded fans]] no time at all to joke about how Rauru would react to Link [[BreakingInOldHabits using his replacement arm to masturbate.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Korok Torture Simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] The game allows you to weld the backpack-wearing Koroks to objects, so due to the fandom's [[BaseBreakingCharacter opinion]] of them, videos that involve them getting hurt in creative ways (such as launching them into the stratosphere or ''crucifying them'') have become popular on social media.[[/labelnote]]
** Fallout: New Hyrule [[labelnote:Explanation]]Some players [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/13hw9hq/fallout_new_hyrule/ drew]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2593957-crucified-korok#trending-bar comparisons]] between players' treatment of Koroks and Caesar's Legion's treatment of prisoners in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''.[[/labelnote]]
* Addison [[labelnote: Explanation]]Addison is an employee of Hudson's construction company, and he is periodically seen trying to erect signs advertising the business. Link is supposed to create an Ultrahand build to keep his sign from falling over so he can secure it in place, but some players do stuff like build the most elaborate contraption possible to accomplish the simple task, trap Addison within the build so he'd realistically have no way of securing the sign or leaving, or even attaching rockets to the build to launch the sign into the air.[[/labelnote]]
* "These trees are trying to kill me. F#@k you nature."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Evermean is a new type of enemy that is basically a disguised tree, that will jump up when Link gets close, walk over, and start trying to slam him using its body. It didn't take WebVideo/ProJared fans long to make the connection to his VideoGame/{{Hydlide}} videos.[[/labelnote]]
** "EVEN SOME OF THE TREES ARE ON GANON'S SIDE!!!" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Some fans immediately thought of this line from ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' upon encountering the Evermeans.[[/labelnote]]
* Korok Space Program [[labelnote:Explanation]]A play of VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. The game introduces Koroks who need to be guided to their friends and can be attached to devices using Ultrahand. People have fun torturing the little guys, or in some cases, lauching them into space like the titular Kerbals. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/13jdvnv/totk_oc_the_korok_space_program/ And, of course, people just HAD to make a logo or two for the Korok Space Program]][[/labelnote]]
* If it works, it works [[labelnote:Explanation]] A phrase that’s been making the rounds on the community in regards to the more ridiculous constructs people have come up with. The level of freedom with ultrahand building has led to people making ridiculous, immature, or downright bizarre creations. This phrase has become the most common excuse.[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda [[VideoGame/AmongUs sus]] [[labelnote:Explanation ('''spoilers''')]]Near the end of the game, it's revealed that the "Zelda" seen throughout much of the game is actually a disguised Phantom Ganon being used by Ganondorf to sow discord and confusion throughout Hyrule, as well as to keep Link occupied while the real Ganondorf regained strength. Jokes about Zelda being [[VideoGame/AmongUs the imposter]] were inevitable, especially since "imposter" is the exact term used by characters (such as Yunobo and Purah) to describe the false Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
* In ''Breath of the Wild'', some fans made jokes about Link using [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders The World or Star Platinum]] with Stasis. Here, Rewind can be compared to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Moody Blues]].
* Zelda stole Link's house. [[labelnote:Explanation]]While it's implied they live together/Link gifted the house to her, Link's house in Hateno Village is repeatedly referred to as Zelda's house (at least in the English Translation), leading to fans joking that she stole it/used eminent domain to seize it. Other jokes have been made about her making him sleep outside/on the floor have also been made. The game having a sidequest about Link buying ''another'' house doesn't help matters either.[[/labelnote]]
* Link is Tony Hawk. [[labelnote:Explanation]] The fact that quite a few people fail to recognize Link even when they really should (such as people in Hateno) has led to the joke that Link has Tony Hawk levels of popularity; everyone knows who he is, but no one recognizes him when he's right in front of them. It helps that he can fuse stuff like minecarts to his shield to make a makeshift skateboard, plus the addition of rail grinding in the game. [[/labelnote]]
* We miss the Guardians...[[labelnote:Explanation]]Guardians, the most terrifying enemies from ''Breath of the Wild'' are absent in this game. Instead, the player can encounter Gloom Spawn, a writhing mass of hands with eyeballs in the palms that can appear out of the ground, turns the sky blood red when they approach, and will grab and squeeze Link when they get within range, poisoning him with Gloom.Not helping things is when the Gloom Spawn is defeated, [[spoiler: Phantom Ganon spawns in to finish the job.]] When faced with the Gloom Spawn, a lot of players lament that they would much rather face a Guardian instead.And then [[https://www.tumblr.com/ketrindarkdragon/718387004655763456/doubled-up-nightmare?source=share someone had the bright idea to create a Guardian-Gloom Spawn hybrid.]][[/labelnote]]
* War Crime Simulator 2023[[labelnote:Explanation]]Given the game lets you build ''anything'' with Zonai parts, people have already taken to building giant war machines to fight enemies with. With how effective some of them are, many joke that ''Tears for the Kingdom'' is just a war crime simulator.[[/labelnote]]
** It runs on pure hatred/spite.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A way people often use to sum up their builds.[[/labelnote]]
* Ascend is the new Cryonis.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Just like the Cryonis ability in ''Breath of the Wild'', there is a prevalent tendency for players to constantly forget that the Ascend ability exists, and as a result are completely stumped whenever they encounter a situation where you're intended to use it.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ganon_laugh.png Ganondorf's deranged face]][[labelnote:Explanation]]After he [[spoiler:murders Sonia]], Ganondorf's exaggerated grin has become an instant meme once fans saw [[NarmCharm how ridiculous and yet terrifying]] it is. It's used for various reactions on the Internet, most often to mock Zelda theories that have been debunked thanks to ''Tears of the Kingdom'''s release or just the idea that Ganondorf could actually be a good guy for once.[[/labelnote]]
* Goron Crack Epidemic[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Gorons becoming addicted to marbled rock roast quickly drew comparisons from players ([[https://youtu.be/r78XFHk91B4 and]] WebAnimation/DoobusGoobus) to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_epidemic_in_the_United_States the US crack epidemic of the 1980s]]. It doesn't help that their predicament doesn't seem as extreme as a deadly blizzard, sludge falling from the sky, or a horde of insectoid monsters combined with a sandstorm.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[=BotW=]'' Tulin[[labelnote:Explanation]]Tulin becoming an AscendedExtra in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' led to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/botw_tulin_model.png his design]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' (with the image being taken from his character folder on Website/ThisVeryWiki) becoming a meme due to [[UglyCute how off-putting]] he looked back then.[[/labelnote]]
* Sonia is a Furry[[labelnote:Explanation]]Queen Sonia is a Hylian married to Rauru, a member of the ambiguously animalistic Zonai race. Naturally this led to jokes and memes about her being a furry.[[/labelnote]]
** Similarly, "I'm not a furry but Mineru..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the weeks since the game's launch, there have been a lot of players who have expressed bewilderment in public spaces that, although they don't consider themselves part of the furry fandom, they've found Mineru to be conventionally attractive. The jokes have run wild that Mineru has turned into something of a gateway to the broader furry fandom for a lot of players.[[/labelnote]]
* [[DoubleEntendre We can ride Zelda!]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: It's revealed in the final Dragon Tear that Zelda transformed into the divine Light Dragon, which Link can stand on. Dirty-minded players quickly began to make jokes about how Link can now "ride" Zelda in both senses of the word.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender "My first girlfriend turned into a dragon." "That's rough, buddy."]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]After learning that Zelda became the Light Dragon, many players drew comparisons to an ''Avatar'' scene where Sokka laments that his first girlfriend turned into the moon, swapping in Link for him and one of his companions for Zuko.[[/labelnote]]
** "Would you still love me if I was a wyrm?" [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]A variation of the "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" meme. Fans joked that Zelda would ask Link this very question, either before or after her transformation.[[/labelnote]]
** [[PopularWithFurries She's cuter as a dragon anyway.]][[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]When a lot of people discovered that the Light Dragon was actually a draconified Zelda, people waste ''absolutely no time'' making designs and art of a anthropomorphized version of said draconic form. On top of that, this lead to people lamenting that her transformation was entirely undone at the end of the game and that her decision to become a dragon should've still had permanent physical consequences, such as her still having a draconic form even after regaining a humanoid body. Of course, you can imagine people who expose this opinion either aren't keen on the perceived AssPull reversion to status quo for Link and Zelda at the end, find anthro!Light Dragon Zelda to be cute/hot, or both.[[/labelnote]]
* Why'd you do it?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally a {{Mondegreen}} of Yunobo's line "I can do it!", this became popular as an unintentional WhatTheHellPlayer for subjecting Yunobo or other [=NPCs=] to VideoGameCrueltyPotential.[[/labelnote]]
* Goatse shrines.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The new design of the shrines (resembling two hands tearing open a hole in the center) was noted to be more than a little reminiscent of [[ShockSite Goatse]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Hi I'm Link, welcome to ''Series/{{Jackass}}''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]With how ridiculous some of the contraptions built can end up being plus the kinds of self-harm one can inflict on Link in the process of testing them out, a lot of fans have joked that the entire game is one gigantic ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' simulator, with many stunts and contraptions being akin to the kind of stuff you'd see Johnny Knoxville and co. engage in.[[/labelnote]]
* "Glory to Master Kohga."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend of social media posts in which fans pretend to be Yiga Clan members, proclaiming their love of bananas and their hatred of Link in various goofy ways, [[https://twitter.com/MaciRollFights/status/1667305651016540164 as]] [[https://twitter.com/Oceanmaster1776/status/1667324384439050240 one]] [[https://twitter.com/k1ng_mang0/status/1667399039476719617 can]] [[https://twitter.com/wildfloweromine/status/1667317221373214723 see]] [[https://twitter.com/LordSooga/status/1667230748657459211 here.]][[/labelnote]]
* [[ParrotExposition "Demon King? Secret stone?"]] [[labelnote: Explanation with spoilers]] When you clear a temple, Link and his partner get an exposition from a Sage about the Demon King, the secret stones that the sages used, and the Imprisoning War. Link's partner will say "Demon King? Secret stone?" since they have no idea what those are. Due to the non linear nature of the game, the cutscenes are basically repeated for each dungeon cleared with little to no variance between them. Ergo, expect to hear "Demon King? Secret stone?" a lot.[[/labelnote]]
* "Mommy" [[labelnote:Explanation]]While Purah's adult design existed more or less since ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'', her new design for ''Tears of the Kingdom'' after she managed to reverse her de-aging back to her early twenties won her a lot of popularity, with the amount of fanart of her exploding, particularly memes where she tells Link to "call her Mommy".[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 "[NPC]... my long shadow..."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]When it was discovered that players can snatch [=NPCs=] from their programmed stationary locations with creative uses of various objects and Zonai devices, some posted gameplay videos under the context of Link taking them out for a romantic rendezvous, particularly with [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TOTK/comments/13osgqt/i_brought_purah_to_the_sky/ Purah]] and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/tearsofthekingdom/comments/14blvrj/took_paya_out_on_a_date/ Paya]]. Jokes about [[spoiler:the Light Dragon, aka Princess Zelda]] finding out and reacting accordingly ensued, including this memetic meltdown reaction from ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3''.[[/labelnote]]
* York[[labelnote:Explanation]]When attempting to perform searches about the game using the abbreviation "TOTK", Google would autocorrect it to "York" leading people to find information about the English city rather than what they wanted. This in turn led to memes making fun of the phenomenon.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Looney Tunes simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] Due to the amount of ways players can build things, ''Looney Tunes'' inspired traps and contraptions aren’t that uncommon. There’s also the fact that a player’s constructs can fail spectacularly, (a cart breaking at an inconvenient time, a Zonai device flipping on Link etc.) which can lead to moments reminiscent of one of said cartoons. [[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's retort whenever Zelda mocked him in the animated series. It's since become a popular response to criticism.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Looking good, Princess Zelda -- especially from THIS angle!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]The first words out of Link's mouth in the series, spoken to a Zelda in her undergarments on a balcony below. Zelda, having heard that, immediately gets a coat to wear.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwk59K0KMQ Link, he come to town...]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Joe Pleiman's 1998 song based off the series, "Zelda", which is often [[MisattributedSong misattributed]] to Music/SystemOfADown, has grown quite popular, both within and outside of the fandom.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/zeldas-response Zelda's response to being told "I love you"]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A 6-panel image showing the responses of 6 different Zeldas from 6 different games to being told "I love you", reflecting their differences in personality. It has been common to replace Zelda with a different character, as well as changing what is being told and the reactions that follow.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/female-link 1986 Female Link]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Artwork from the Japanese magazine ''Shonen Captain'' depicted Link as a pink-haired woman, predating Linkle and the "What if Zelda was a girl?" meme by several decades; as well as Link to the Past's pink haired Link. When [[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/01/random-artwork-in-retro-japanese-magazine-depicts-link-as-a-female high-quality scans]] surfaced in 2022, this design proved to be quite popular with the fandom, resulting in a surgence of fanart. While RuleSixtyThree Link is not a new concept by any means, depicting her with long pink hair is specifically a reference to this magazine.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fandom Memes]]
* "[[FandomEnragingMisconception GANNON-BANNED]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A satirical punishment doled out to ''Zelda'' fans (sometimes {{troll}}s) who get details wrong regarding the series. It originates from the original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', which had a typo in the story prologue that erroneously refers to Ganon as "Gannon", and is used to mock those who don't realize that "Gannon" is a typo.[[/labelnote]]
* '99% Confirmed.' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Shortly before E3 2010, the website Zelda Informer posted [[https://www.zeldadungeon.net/breaking_news_latest_zelda_wii_rumors_confirmed/ a bunch of "inside info"]] about the then-upcoming ''Skyward Sword'', known at the time simply as "Legend of Zelda." The header for the image was the early artwork with "99% Confirmed" printed over it in big, bold letters. Their alleged source? Someone whom they claimed was Miyamoto's English translator... [[EpicFail whom they also said happened to be German.]] A few days later, E3 came along and debunked all of their claims, prompting the main moderator of the site to post a video where he seemingly shoved a Wii Remote up his nose, which he said he would do if he was wrong. The website has yet to live it down, and "99% confirmed" has become a joke on other fansites, even non-Zelda ones.[[/labelnote]]
* What if Zelda was a girl? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A form of trolling intended to invoke a FandomEnragingMisconception by [[ProtagonistTitleFallacy referring to the player character as Zelda]], who is a girl. This meme also saw resurgence with the official reveal of Linkle, Link's DistaffCounterpart in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', as well as the "1986 Female Link".[[/labelnote]]
** What if Zelda was a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin grill]]? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A further mutation of the above meme with an intentional typo for added humor.[[/labelnote]]
** Zelda is the Princess. The green guy is [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A BaitAndSwitch where the meme appears to be {{discredited|Meme}}, only to continue the joke of the protagonist being misnamed.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zelda I]]
* Various quotes, oddly worded at best and [[BlindIdiotTranslation downright mangled and cryptic]] at worst, including:
** "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by the old man who gives you your first sword. In addition to it being a part of video game pop culture in general, there are some images of someone handing out something that are captioned with the line. The most common meme of this--one of TheOldestOnesInTheBook--offers a meowing kitten.[[/labelnote]]
** "Dodongo dislikes smoke." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by the old man in a dungeon. He's trying to tell you to [[FeedItABomb feed Dodongo a bomb]] or to blind it with the bomb's smoke.[[/labelnote]]
** "Grumble, grumble..." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A monster says this, [[GuideDangIt not getting across that you're supposed to give him food]]. Many English-speaking fans assume that it's supposed to be a growling stomach, but that's not what the Japanese text shows.[[/labelnote]]
** "It's a secret to everybody."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by the moblins hiding in caves who give you money. Why do they give you money? [[EpilepticTrees Who knows?]] Maybe they're rebelling against Ganon and trying to help you on your quest. [[Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily Maybe they're actually bribing you to keep a secret.]] In any case, this phrase tends to get referenced at least OncePerEpisode in later games in the series.[[/labelnote]]
** "Let's play money making game." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A NPC introduces a BettingMiniGame whose odds happen to be more than a little unfavorable to the player.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]
* "I AM ERROR" [[labelnote:Explanation]]This is a line said by an [=NPC=] who apparently refers to themselves as "Error". This was intended to be a joke on the fact that there's a PaletteSwap of the character in the same game named Bagu, which means "bug" in Japanese. However, Bagu's name didn't get translated unlike Error's, whose original Japanese name is Erā, prompting a lot of confusion by English gamers. Like "It's dangerous to go alone", it's since become famous in video game pop culture, though to a lesser extent.[[/labelnote]]
* [[KillItWithFire "IF ALL ELSE FAILS USE FIRE."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A line said by an [=NPC=] in Rauru, which became famous for how completely random it is.[[/labelnote]]
** You have water come to my house. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Characters tend to help you if you bring them useful items. Some items are not so useful.[[/labelnote]]
* [[GameOverMan GAME OVER - RETURN OF GANON]][[labelnote:Explanation]]What the GameOver screen says after you run out of lives, followed by a picture of a shadowy Ganon revived and laughing. [[NintendoHard You will be seeing this a lot.]][[/labelnote]]

[[folder:A Link to the Past]]
* I love the Power Glove, it's so bad.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A joint meme with, and referencing Film/TheWizard, with an item that happens to share its name with the NES accessory made by Creator/{{Mattel}} (Link later finds an upgraded version called the Titan's Mitt).[[/labelnote]]
* Players, especially in the [[VideoGame/ALinkToThePastRandomizer randomizer community]], will often refer to Sahasrahla by anything other than his actual name. Any long word or string of gibberish, as long as it starts with S, is acceptable.

[[folder:Link's Awakening]]
* Link checked the chest. Wow! [[AccidentalInnuendo This is a nice chest!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote that, due to its wording, can be interpreted differently by more dirty-minded people.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Ocarina of Time]]
* [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper Hey! Listen! Hey! Listen!]] [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=42 Hey! Listen!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The level of irritation caused by Navi is considered the standard by which all annoying video game sidekicks must be judged.[[/labelnote]]
* Don't tell my father. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Ruto goes into a dungeon alone in ''Ocarina of Time''. Contrary to her wishes, you must tell her father in order to continue.[[/labelnote]]
** There's also the Zora King taking at least a half-minute to move so that Link can pass. And the "Ouweep...ouweep....ouweep..." sound he makes while moving.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmARqH4qrls WHAT A HOT BEAT!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Darunia of the Gorons has a dance sequence. That's all the context you're getting.[[/labelnote]]
* HOLY CRAP! [[UrbanLegendOfZelda THERE'S AN UPSIDE-DOWN TRIANGLE ON LINK'S SHIELD! THE FOURTH PIECE IS OUT THERE!]]
** Even the rumor of finding the Triforce in ''Ocarina of Time'' is memetic. [[FandomEnragingMisconception But we all know what happens to those who say things like this...]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]In-game, it is stated that the Triforce of Courage resides in Link's heart. There is no physical Triforce in the game.[[/labelnote]]
* Did you get all that?
** >No
** Yes
** Do you want to hear what I said again?
*** >Yes
*** No [[labelnote:Explanation]]Kaepora Gaebora in ''Ocarina of Time'' goes on long-winded speeches... [[ShallIRepeatThat and frequently tricks the player into listening to them more than once.]] This made the character garner an infamous reputation, with he and his dialogue being parodied many times.[[/labelnote]]
* Song of Storms [[labelnote:Explanation]]A song that has become famous for being addicting to hear.[[/labelnote]]
* Link finds [x] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A Website/{{YTMND}} fad where Link opens a chest in the game and finds different items.[[/labelnote]]
* [[UrbanLegendOfZelda I beat the]] [[UnwinnableJokeGame Running Man]]![[labelnote:Explanation]]As Adult Link, one of the optional minigames you can do is race a running man from Gerudo Valley to Kokiri Forest. No matter how fast Link runs, the running man will always beat him by one second, [[MindScrew even if the player uses a cheat device to trick the game into registering a time of 0 seconds]]. Naturally, rumors spawn about supposedly beating him, but they have all been proven false.[[/labelnote]]
* [[ThatOneLevel DAMN YOU WATER TEMPLE!]] / [[ScrappyMechanic Iron Boots on, Iron Boots off]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Water Temple is the most hated level in ''Ocarina of Time'' due to the fact that many players spend hours there and the fact that you need to repeatedly put on and take off the Iron Boots (which, in the original version, involved repeatedly going into and out of the pause menu, eating up even ''more'' time; the remake allowed the player to assign the Iron Boots to a button, making it much simpler to take them on and off).[[/labelnote]]
* Meme Speedrun Categories
** Ouweep% [[labelnote:Explanation]] A meme catagory where the goal is to reach King Zora sliding over as fast as possible. [[/labelnote]]
** Dank% [[labelnote:Explanation]] Another joke catagory created by the [=YouTuber=] [=EZScape=] where the goal is to use the ocarina items glitch on a burning deku stick (which makes Link look like he’s smoking a giant blunt) in record time. [[/labelnote]]
* Ocarina of Time speedrunners hate the game. [[labelnote:Explantion]] In response to an IGN article of the demo included in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' (which gives a pitiful 5 minutes of playtime) being beaten using a glitch, people in the replies accused speedrunners of hating the game because they aren’t taking time to enjoy the game and are being spiteful to the devs. People pointed out that not only was this not true, [[FridgeLogic it doesn’t make any sense to put thousands of hours into perfecting the speedrun of a game you hate]].[[/labelnote]]
* SOLD OUT[[labelnote:Explantion]]An often little-noticed "item", which appears in your inventory after you've sold a mask but have yet to return to the Happy Mask Salesman. The item's image, which is simply text reading 'SOLD OUT', is often used as an emote or reaction to, what else, being a SellOut.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Majora's Mask]]
* Dawn of the ''x''th Day -- ''y'' Hours Remain [[labelnote:Explanation]]Often used as a countdown to highly anticipated events. (The fact that the original game uses these screens as a countdown to imminent doom never seems to occur to anyone.)[[/labelnote]]
* [[ItMakesSenseInContext Bottle the Princess]] / HOW DOES SHE FIT IN THERE? [[labelnote:Explanation]]The most absurd bottled item in any ''Zelda'' game happens to be the Deku Princess, who tells Link to put her in some container to get her out of Woodfall. Even though the bottles are way too small for her to fit, [[MindScrew she still manages to fit in the bottle, complete with Link swinging the bottle at her]]. Became an [[AscendedMeme ascended meme]] in the spin-off ''VideoGame/CadenceOfHyrule'' where the protagonists can ask the Deku Princess if she can fit into a bottle, much to her ire.[[/labelnote]]
* You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Happy Mask Salesman's speech once you run out of time and the Moon crashes on Termina, but he brings you back to day one. It's infamously associated with the Ben Drowned creepypasta listed below.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WebVideo/BenDrowned BEN.DROWNED]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A popular {{creepypasta}} involving a copy of Majora's Mask that's haunted by the spirit of a boy named Ben who drowned.[[/labelnote]]
** You shouldn't have done that... [[labelnote:Explanation]] Another line that's commonly associated with Ben Drowned.[[/labelnote]]
* Try thinking about the Garos without also [[CantUnhearIt thinking about them talking in the same voice as]] [[WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers Bob]].
* Cremia's hug[[labelnote:Explanation]]After successfully completing a sidequest where Link has to use his bow to defend a shipment of milk from the Gorman Brothers, the following cutscene depicts her rewarding him by hugging him. Because Link is a small child and Cremia is an adult woman, the height disparity results in her [[MarshmallowHell appearing to shove his face into her breasts]], accompanied by text about how Link feels "warm and fuzzy inside." The suggestive appearance in the scene resulted in a number of jokes and fanart playing it up.[[/labelnote]]
* The Moon has been subject to many photoshops on the Internet, usually swapping out other moons with it.

[[folder:The Wind Waker]]
* 'Hoy, small fry! [[labelnote:Explanation]]The fishmen who fill out Link's Sea Chart use this as their CatchPhrase, and this is always their first line. Considering that the fishmen give useful hints towards OneHundredPercentCompletion and that a fully mapped out Sea Chart has its own benefits... expect to read this line a lot.[[/labelnote]]
** Che~yyy! [[labelnote:Explanation]]This is the voice effect the fishmen make when they say their CatchPhrase.[[/labelnote]]
* '''''C'MON!!!''''' HeroicMime, ''subverted''.[[labelnote:Explanation]]How Link tells a Tower statue/Medli/Makar to follow him if they weren't already.[[/labelnote]]
** '''''Meow!''''' Likewise.[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is what Link does to make a would-be thief think he's just a cat. If she can't see him, that is.[[/labelnote]]
* CHICKACHICKACHICKA[[labelnote:Explanation]]The entirety of the background music of the battle against the boss, Molgera, has a lot of chicka, as heard [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlF0-Qs2xkI here]]. Any rendition of the song will be flooded with comments judging how much better a remix is based on whether or not the chickas were kept intact.[[/labelnote]]
* Link taking selfies. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Wii U remake allows Link to take selfies with his pictograph. It didn't take long for players to start using this new feature humorously; for example, having Link take selfies during otherwise serious moments, like boss fights.[[/labelnote]]
* For obvious reasons, there's a lot of Videos on Website/YouTube, featuring this game and Music/TheLonelyIsland's 2009 song "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin I'm On a Boat]]". There's a ''[[http://www.levelupstudios.com/on-a-boat t-shirt]]'', too, courtesy of Ninja Bot.
%% * [[Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}} The King of Hyrule is a Jerk]] %%Context?
%% * Salvatore during the Fleet Game. %%Requires context as to why it's a meme.
%% -->"Spleeesh." "Ka-BOOM!"
* The opening cutscene on Outset Island has a moment where a groggy Link is looking at Aryll with [[https://i.imgur.com/bI82x4B.png a really bored-looking expression]], which has become fairly popular as a profile picture and a reaction image. There's also a fanmade image related to this where [[https://www.deviantart.com/gradientghoul/art/Zelda-Wind-Waker-Link-in-the-morning-RECREATED-339555462 Link has a cup of coffee]], which is also common as a profile pic.
%% * "There's like this castle in a bubble on the ocean floor. I went there on my talking dragon boat." %%Needs context
* "Pass it on," a phrase used by people who use the Tingle Bottle in the Wii U version to distribute Nintendo Gallery-compatible pictographs.
* Pausa [[labelnote:Explanation]]Several techniques used to {{Speedrun}} the HD version (such as the Manual Super Swim and the Item Slide) involve pause-buffering. Since these speedruns are done on the Spanish and Italian versions of the game due to them having the fastest text, this word appears repeatedly on screen when performing the technique, leading it to become a meme.[[/labelnote]]
* Barrier skip. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The barrier around Hyrule Castle prevents you from going to Ganon's Tower if you don't have the fully powered Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage. If you could somehow bypass it, then you would have access to the endgame from the first visit to Hyrule before reaching the halfway point of the game. This is easier said than done, as the devs made the barrier too tall to glitch over, it's surrounding the entire castle so you can't go around it, and there's even a ''second'' barrier behind the first if you somehow get past the part that knocks Link back. The legendary "Barrier Skip" thus became ''infamous'' as the Holy Grail of the speedrunning community, as it would cut hours off the game's speedrun time if accomplished. It was such an massive roadblock that, at one point, people were offering a ''2,000 US dollar'' reward for anyone who managed to find a way past it. It wasn't until years later, long after the reward had been abandoned, did someone ''finally'' figure out how to get past it. Even then, it's still notorious for how finicky and precise you need to be to pull the trick off.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/press-a-to-let-go (A) Let Go]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A close-up image of Link with this text has become a reaction image for when someone wants to let go of something.[[/labelnote]]
* "Thank you!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Beedle when you buy items from him, which will be heard ''a lot'' if you need to buy many items. The usage of the voiceline in many [=YouTube=] videos has made it memetic.[[/labelnote]]
%% * Look at this neat Doritos I got[=/=]HEY EVERYONE! CHECK OUT THIS KID'S DORITOS![[labelnote:Explanation]]The Triforce pieces look like Doritos. The original post this meme came from used Wind Waker screencaps, specifically of Toon Link holding the Triforce of Courage and Ganondorf holding a defeated Toon Link in one hand, about to steal his Doritos- sorry, Triforce.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Twilight Princess]]
* Twilight 8.8 [[labelnote:Explanation]]The fan rage when ''Twilight Princess'' was given a score of 8.8 out of 10 was large enough to spread across the internet. It also gave a name to a now disambiguated trope.[[/labelnote]]
* "I know you have bugs...." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by [[CreepyChild Agitha]] the [[CloudCuckooLander Bug Princess]] whenever you leave her house with new bugs you haven't given her.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPuiS3-TWs NOT TAKE MIRROR!]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]After getting to the second mirror shard in Snowpeak Ruins, Yeta the Yeti gets corrupted by its influence and does not allow Link to take it, screaming the quote to them with a [[NightmareFace terrifying face]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Wait, is that a fishing rod?" [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]When fighting Ganondorf, you can get him to be distracted by your fishing rod. The fact that the villain of the series gets distracted by something so silly is very comical.[[/labelnote]]
* GET A JOB! GET A JOB! [[labelnote: Explanation]]The music that plays when fighting [[spoiler:Beast Ganon]] has some strange chanting in the background. Fans joke around about what the chanters are saying, with many believing that it sounds like [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] saying "get a job".[[/labelnote]]
* [[JustForPun Jokes involving]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Twilight Sparkle]] also cropped up.
* Just as this was invoked in-universe, the Malo Mart dance also became a meme online -- see [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search=Search&search_query=malo%20mart%20dance here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MaloMartUDC2007/videos here]].

[[folder:Spirit Tracks]]
* While at first, several topics used the pre-existing "This topic sucks and is now about trains" meme to discuss the game, it soon became known as "''Soul Train''" over several boards.
* Ever since the last trailer, the meme "The Phantom wears a dress" surfaced.
* The Demon Train was also known at one point as the "Ganon-train" due to how similar it looked to cel-shaded Ganon. Of course, Ganon never appears in this game, but the name has still stuck.
* [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/choo-choo-motherfucker "Choo Choo Motherfucker"]] originated on a Website/FourChan post about the leaked concept art of Link in a conductor's outfit.

[[folder:Skyward Sword]]
* Demon Lord [[FanNickname Debbie]] is so ''[[SissyVillain fabulous]]''.
** I think you mean [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry FURIOUS!]] [[MilkingTheGiantCow OUTRAGED!]] [[EvilIsHammy SICK WITH ANGER!]]
** Ghirahim's [[OverlyLongTongue tongue.]]
** ''This news has just filled my heart with rainbows!''
** Ghirahim is a veritable FountainOfMemes. No exceptions.
* And now in the same vein of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', we have: *Something* Score: 7.5 [[labelnote:Explanation]]The score [=GameSpot=] gave. Not by the same guy, though.[[/labelnote]]
* Have you been getting your Gratitude Crystals from the thankful women? [[labelnote:Explanation]]Gratitude Crystals are strange little PlotCoupons given to you by completing quests. The "thankful women" part is probably just [[DoubleEntendre the product of someone's dirty mind]].[[/labelnote]]
* Wanna play the "How loud can you scream" game? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A friendly monster that kidnapped (but not really) a child likes playing this game. Alone. With a child. It doesn't take a genius [[MistakenForPedophile to see how people]] (in-universe) could get the wrong idea.[[/labelnote]]
* There is a __% chance... [[labelnote:Explanation]][[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect Fi likes statistics.]] A lot.[[/labelnote]]
* Think about what you can do with a stranded girl and mushrooms. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A girl gets trapped on an island because her Loftwing was injured. You need to give it medicine, which is mushrooms. Again, dirty-minded players had a field day with this.[[/labelnote]]
* The Bokoblin's[=/=]Moblin's undergarments. [[labelnote:Explanation]]They're apparently so obsessed with their cheetah print underpants that according to Fi, they can literally COME BACK FROM THE DEAD DUE TO THEIR ATTACHMENT TO THEM.[[/labelnote]]
* The Legend of Groose: The Groosenator of Grooseland [[labelnote:Explanation]]Groose has become the resident MemeticBadass.[[/labelnote]]
** The Legend of Groose: [[AnimeHair Skyward Hair]]
* [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Squidward]] Sword [[labelnote:Explanation]]A series of photoshops replacing various things with Squidward and other characters from ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''.[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda likes to push Link off of cliffs. [[labelnote:Explanation]]In-game, she pushes Link off of a cliff. Twice. Jokes are often made that this is Zelda's way of either showing affection toward, or friend-zoning, Link, among other things.[[/labelnote]]
* Groose's theme goes with everything. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Similar to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Guile]]'s theme, Groose's theme has been used for a variety of things.[[/labelnote]]
* Before the game came out, fan speculation on the then-unnamed Fi ran amok, culminating in her being called 'Steve'.
* "WE HATE YOU GROOSE!" "Groose, you're awesome!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Many players hated Groose at the start of the game for how he bullied Link and got in the way of one of the most popular ships in video game history. However, as Groose was given a healthy amount of CharacterDevelopment and more than one chance to display that he genuinely cared for Zelda, he grew on fans. By the time he stopped pining for her and started supporting Link as a good friend, [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap he became one of the most popular characters in the game]].[[/labelnote]]
* The part of the trailer where Link jumps off of the cliff has been turned into countless [=GIFs=], typically with captions claiming that he is committing suicide over the game. Or [[Creator/{{Tobuscus}} swan diving into the logo]].
* Parodies and snowclones of Groose intercepting Link in mid-skydive have begun popping up already, many of them involving someone's face superimposed over Groose's, such as [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Saxton]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7j5opukqXHU Hale]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZGm1_b8oY0 Trollface]]. Heck, Link's shocked face itself has become quite exploitable.

[[folder:A Link Between Worlds]]
* "Mumbo jumbo, mumbo jumbo..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The masked cult in Lorule's CatchPhrase, which has become a humorous phrase passed between ''Zelda'' fans.[[/labelnote]]
* "GIMME BACK MAH RUPEES!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by a Hinox in Lorule [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment if you refuse to spare him]].[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:CDI Games]]
* [[FunetikAksent MAH BOI!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The King is actually saying "My Boy". The King's lines are often a source of parody videos on Website/YouTube. The screenshot often used, with the King raising his pointer finger, is actually from when he says "...strive ''for''".[[/labelnote]]
** "This peace is what all true warriors strive for." [[labelnote:Explanation]]The line said directly after the above, and the source of the King's pointer finger image.[[/labelnote]]
** "I wonder what's for dinner?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Another oft-parodied line by the King. It's one of two namers behind the "[=SpaDinner=]" subgenre of YouTubePoop, since many of those videos like to replace random words with "dinner".[[/labelnote]]
** "After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The King's punishment to Duke Onkled after the latter begs for mercy. Typically, the punishment is replaced with something else in [=YouTube=] Poops.[[/labelnote]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMYgcS53Ezk King Harkinian and Zelda's laugh]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] King Harkinian and Zelda's faces are seriously OffModel and the first part of King Harkinian's laugh has been used as reaction sound effects or remixed into songs. Just like in the game, their laughter is also used to end the video in most Zelda CD-I Youtube Poops.[[/labelnote]]
* "Squadala! We're off!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Gwonam, a wizard from ''The Faces of Evil'' as he flies off with his carpet. Gwonam's scenes are some of the most popular to edit in [=YTPs=], with this line being the most popular.[[/labelnote]]
* "Lamp oil? Rope? Bombs? You want it? It's yours, my friend, as long as you have enough rubies." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Morshu, the storekeeper from ''The Faces of Evil'', when talking to him.[[/labelnote]]
** "Sorry, Link. I can't ''give'' credit. Come back when you're a little... MMMMM... ''richer''!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Morshu's second line when trying to buy something too expensive. Made famous thanks to his MMMMM being used in plenty of remix videos.[[/labelnote]]
** "[Person] explaining why [they did some humorous and/or offensive thing]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A meme format where a caption along these lines is put above a sped-up GIF animation of Morshu's [[MilkingTheGiantCow greeting cutscene]].[[/labelnote]]
* "[[DisproportionateRetribution You DARE bring light to my lair?! YOU MUST DIE!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Line said by Ganon once you face him in ''The Wand of Gamelon''. [=YouTube=] Poops will swap out "light" with anything else.[[/labelnote]]
** "Join me, Link, and I will make you a Face[[note]]Often written as "your face"[[/note]], the GREATEST in Koridai! Or else you will '''DIE'''."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Line said by Ganon once you face him in ''The Faces of Evil''. The "die" in this line and the one above are often used in videos whenever someone dies.[[/labelnote]]
** "'''NO'''! Not into the pit! IT BUUUUUURNNSSS!!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Ganon's last words in ''The Faces of Evil''. Whenever something involves fire or burning, this line can be expected.[[/labelnote]]
* "I can't ''wait'' to bomb some Dodongos!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Link's lines at the beginning of ''The Faces of Evil'', which caught on and, like most of these quotes, has been frequently mutated in YTP.[[/labelnote]]
** "Gee, it sure is boring around here." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's very first line in ''The Faces of Evil'', which is often edited or mutated so Link can call other things boring.[[/labelnote]]
* "This is illegal, you know!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote from Mayor Cravendish, a character in ''The Wand of Gamelon'', which is typically used in [=YouTube=] Poops when something illegal or questionably legal occurs.[[/labelnote]]
* Actually, let's just say every single line from the CD-i games is a meme.
--> ''"And I thought Zelda CD-i was the lowest form of YouTubePoop."''
* [[WebVideo/GameGrumps ♫Looks like you've got]] [[WithLyrics a baby penis...♫]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Lyrics for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GC1MR8q5oM overworld map theme]] from ''The Wand of Gamelon'', courtesy of [[Music/NinjaSexParty Danny Sexbang]].[[/labelnote]]
* "[Insert rapper here] has nothing on Morshu" [[labelnote:Explanation]]There's a large amount of videos using Morshu's lines for remixes and even ''covers'' of various songs, some of which feature him rapping at insane speeds (Such as [[https://youtu.be/kllk4Dqe8As this cover]] of ''Music/{{Eminem}}'''s Rap God). This has made him something of a MemeticBadass who can beat anyone in a rap battle.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[https://youtu.be/O5jKUBzz9l4 He's only got two lines in the entire game!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Related to the above, it's very common to see commenters pointing out that Morshu only has two lines in the entire game - and by extension, the entire series - which can apparently be sentence mixed to just about anything.[[/labelnote]]
** Google actually lists [[https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/comments/kfgawn/cdi_morshu_is_listed_as_a_musical_artist_on_google/ Morshu as a musical artist]].
** [[https://youtu.be/GTh5J0HsIAg?si=VZV_N3e4sy56qH3m Morshu Reads The Entire Bible!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]a [=YouTuber=] by the name of Competitive and Casual made a video of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Morshu reading the entire bible]], which gotten notoriety on the internet for it's extremely long runtime and showing up on people's reccomendation feeds, yet also being impressively well done despite using a Text-to-Speech program that uses sentence-mixing.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Hyrule Warriors]]
* Link's scarf. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's ScarfOfAsskicking has become very popular with the fan base, so much so that a lot of fans are asking for it to be part of Link's canon design from here on out. Nintendo is aware of how this little piece of clothing has taken the fan base by storm, since they gave a replica in the Collector's Edition.[[/labelnote]]
* Groose or Riot. [[labelnote:explanation]]The request for Groose from ''Skyward Sword'' to be playable. The phrase is very popular on ''Hyrule Warriors'' Direct.[[/labelnote]]
* Ganondorf and hair-care products. [[labelnote:explanation]]Ganondorf's new long hair has prompted a lot of jokes about how dedicated the Demon King is to maintaining it. It got to the point that Nintendo of Europe [[https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope/status/513296742557970432 got in on it]].[[/labelnote]]
* "I think we all know who deserves to be in Hyrule Warriors." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Followed by an image of a random supporting character, such as Link's Grandma from ''Wind Waker'', or Navi.[[/labelnote]]
* "Hyrule Harem" or "Link's Harem" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Barring Darunia, Link is the only playable male character of the main Hyrulean Forces alongside eight females, two of which are confirmed to have crushes on him (Zelda and Lana, three if you count Sheik), one that was technically engaged to him in another game (Ruto), and one that left Link speechless (kind of) due to her beauty at the end of the game she appeared in (Midna). That's not even counting Cia.[[/labelnote]]
* [[http://images.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/peculiar_outfits_and_details_revealed_for_twilight_princess_hyrule_warriors_dlc/large.jpg "Postman Link"]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The minute the DLC for the ''Twilight Princess'' pack was revealed, this costume became very, ''very'' popular. [[MrFanservice The reason]] should be obvious.[[/labelnote]]
* "Tingle's rape face is ready!" started popping up after his announcement and seeing his design.
* With the reveal of Linkle, a pseudo DistaffCounterpart to Link, being a playable character in ''Legends'', the "What if Zelda was a girl?" meme has experienced a major resurgence.
* As a bit of crossover meming, Marin will occasionally announce that she is "[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 really feeling it]]".

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tri-Force Heroes]]
* Depicting Link in a princess dress [[labelnote:Explanation]]In the game you can dress Link in various costumes, one of them being Zelda's dress. Link crossdressing has always been a thing in the fandom due to his effeminate looks but it had never been depicted canonically. The princess dress has the most fanworks out of all the costumes, though the cheerleader outfit is also popular.[[/labelnote]]
* With the reveal that this multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' game only features three Links instead of the usual four seen in other multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' games, many jokes about Purple Link's absence have been made (R.I.P. Purple Link). This has become HilariousInHindsight, since there's an unused dopple in the story mode main hub, which would most likely become Purple Link.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Breath of the Wild]]
* Real horses don't run into trees very often. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Aonuma explaining how Epona was going to be given her own AI to allow her to navigate on her own while the player is preoccupied with other things.[[/labelnote]]
* Being able to remove [[MrFanservice Link]]'s clothes and being able to [[WalkingShirtlessScene play the entire game this way]], especially after a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59M89AKefs&t=2m55s Treehouse stream from E3]] where two female Nintendo employees [[EatingTheEyeCandy forced Link to walk around shirtless in a blizzard so they could enjoy the view]].
* Naked Pyromaniac Link [[labelnote:Explanation]]Extending from the above, the ability for Link to be a WalkingShirtlessScene and being able to KillItWithFire to enemies, weapons, environment, ''everything'', resulting in... patterns of play with the demo shown at UsefulNotes/{{E3}}. [[/labelnote]]
** [[https://i.imgur.com/JXqhp3c.gif The Legend of Zelda: BURN EVERYTHING]]
** Further mutated with the discovery that Link can ride bears... after setting said bear on fire. Usually captioned with the phrase "WHO'S THE CALAMITY NOW!?"
* LINK, WHERE ARE YOU?! [[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the huge amount of [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer optional sidequests and other time-wasting activities]], it's popular to portray Link as spending most of his time cooking, hunting for Koroks, mountaineering, and just generally doing anything and everything except actually saving Hyrule. Zelda will typically be shown either wondering what's taking him so long, or watching in frustration as Link spends several weeks collecting bugs.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain L Has Come To]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Thanks to some cleverly edited Breath of the Wild trailer footage combined with the song ''Sins of the Father'' and the resulting snowclones, some fans have strongly associated ''Breath of the Wild'' with ''The Phantom Pain''.[[/labelnote]]
-->From LINK Two Phantoms Were Born\\
He played us like a damn Ocarina!\\
Punished Link, A Hero Without A Kingdom\\
"You're a legend (of Zelda) in the eyes of those who live on the Hyrule Field, so you'll have to handle this quest yourself. That's how Groose would want it. Gerudo Valley is a big place. I expect you'll become quite familiar with that tablet as you find the next dungeon. How and where you explore... well that's up to you. Now go! Let the legend (of Zelda) come back to life!" ... "Did you get all of that?" (No/Yes)
* The Legend of Zelda: (Other Franchise)[[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the vast environments, weapons, and situations in the game, some users on Miiverse have taken to posting screencaps of their games with these sorts of captions; such as Link dying in soldier armor and calling it "The Legend of Zelda: [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Dark Souls]]", Link in a shrine with "The Legend of Zelda: VideoGame/{{Portal}}", or recipes with "The Legend of Zelda: [[VideoGame/CookingMama Cooking Mama]]".[[/labelnote]]
* Windows XP[[labelnote:Explanation]]The game's minimalistic piano soundtrack has been compared to many sound effects from Windows XP, and its many grassy fields have drawn comparisons to XP's default wallpaper, Bliss[[/labelnote]]
* Some people seem to haven become fixated with [[https://twitter.com/royalpizzaboy/status/819802293893677056 Zelda's eyebrows]] in this game. Some because they think they look good, some because they think they don't.
* [[https://68.media.tumblr.com/4257707ccf8939abc0506b6a40e9eaf5/tumblr_ojr414CF2C1r0hpzko1_500.gif Zelda crying in Link's arms]]. By far, the most talked-about moment in the entire Switch Presentation trailer. The moment it appeared, it became [[SignatureScene instantly iconic]] and social media EXPLODED with countless gifs, fanart, and even videos comparing the scene in different languages.
* Due to a magazine cover by [[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/02/07/march-2017-cover-reveal-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild.aspx game informer]], jokes about Zelda being pregnant have begun to surface.
* It's time... to scrub all the floors in Hyrule! [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the weapons obtainable in the game is [[MundaneMadeAwesome a wooden mop]]. Combine that with the phrase from the Zelda [=CDi=] games, and you get this meme.[[/labelnote]]
* Link's TrademarkFavoriteFood being apples. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The first food item shown off were apples. Fans instantly began depicting Link as apple obsessed[[/labelnote]]
* "Link is hot". [[labelnote:Explanation]]The line comes from an interview where Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime was questioned about how female gamers are drawn to the game due to Link being a MrFanservice. Reggie ended up replying with the quote[[/labelnote]]
* Lynels' reputation. [[labelnote:Explanation]]People ''really'' hate them for being DemonicSpiders and ''common''.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders ZA WARUDO!!!]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Once you obtain and upgrade Stasis, you can temporarily freeze your enemies in time to take them out quicker. Fans caught on with this and Website/YouTube videos will often will have Dio's CatchPhrase in the title.[[/labelnote]]
* Related to the stasis mechanic, the ability to build up kinetic energy in objects and then use them as an improvised vehicle has been compared to [[Manga/DragonBall Mercenary Tao]].
* The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles!!![[labelnote:Explanation]] By (ab)using stasis, it's possible for Link to travel long distances quickly by using it on a rock and then climbing on the side of it, which many people compared to the WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants episode "Pizza Delivery", [=SpongeBob=] can inexplicably use rocks to travel[[/labelnote]]
* If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best! [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Master Sword at literally any given point of time. If you use it too much (even in Hyrule Castle when it's in its uninhibited form), it will run out of energy and give you a ''very'' long cool-down time before you can use it again. In addition, you have to have at least thirteen heart containers before you'll even be able to ''retrieve it''. Some people interpret it as Fi testing him out of spite because Link ditched her for the last century.[[/labelnote]]
* Shark husbando/fish husband. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Prince Sidon grew ''really'' popular among both the UsefulNotes/{{furry|fandom}} and non-furry fandom, with going head over heels for him. [[EvenTheGuysWantHim Even the guys.]][[/labelnote]]
** I'd fuck that fish. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The more explicit love for Sidon by fans.[[/labelnote]]
** Fish bro. [[labelnote:Explanation]]From pretty much everyone else.[[/labelnote]]
* "That fucking robo-[elephant/camel]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]The two most difficult dungeons in the game (by popular opinion) are Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris. Ruta is likely because it's likely the first dungeon the player would experience in this format and the "Divine Beast Controls" on the map are easy to miss. On the ''other'' hand, Naboris is just difficult overall. While the other three dungeons had 1, 3, and 2 configurations you can arrange the map into, Naboris has ''twelve''.[[/labelnote]]
* The Puzzle-Skip Shrine [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Myahm Agana Shrine [[SomeDexterityRequired is frustrating if done as intended]], so a ''lot'' of people either turn it over and use the flat side, or... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZteCNx8e-Y whatever this is]]. [[/labelnote]]
* "I couldn't find the second ball, so I had to improvise." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Primarially originating from the Breath of the Wild Reddit, a common post often involving the Vah Naboris dungeon is that people not finding the second electric sphere needed for a puzzle and get around it by chaining an electrical current through metal weapons to the second 'socket' to open the gate. Althrough creative at first, the sheer number of people who post this to the Reddit, using this exact phrase in their header, has caused it to go from interesting to downright grating for many. It's gotten to the point of [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/6i6fq6/didnt_have_enough_metal_weapons_with_me_so_i_had/ outright parody.]][[/labelnote]]
* Killing Yiga Clan members in ridiculous ways. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Ever since a Switch update allowed users to share videos of Switch gameplay, it's become common for ''Breath of the Wild'' players to confront disguised members of the Yiga Clan, only to kill them immediately after the conversation is over in increasingly absurd ways. Tricks include [[DeathFromAbove dropping boxes on them]] or [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks hurling a weapon at them]].[[/labelnote]]
* Divine Beast Vah Room [[labelnote:Explanation]]A nickname for the motorbike (Master Cycle Zero) from the Champion's Ballad DLC, after the onomatopoeia of an engine revving up.[[/labelnote]]
* "It runs on apples!" / Apple engine. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The motorbike from the Champion's Ballad DLC requires fuel use. Fuel which is basically anything you have clogging up your inventory, including apples. The sheer absurdity of this quickly became memetic.[[/labelnote]]
* "Yahaha! You found me!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A line spoken by Koroks when you discover their hiding places. Due to the sheer amount of Koroks you need to find, and the fact that the line pops up every time you find one, it became infamous as a result.[[/labelnote]]
* "Irule". [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Latin American Spanish dub translates Hyrule as "Irule", pronounced "eh-ru-le".[[/labelnote]]
* [[DoubleEntendre Press A to Mount]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]A screenshot from the "Silent Princess" memory of Zelda [[MaleGaze bent over in front of Link]] with the A button cue to mount horses photoshopped in, often used in the context of jokes regarding instant turn-ons that are far from sensual in nature (ex: "When she has Smash Bros", etc.).[[/labelnote]]
* Hylian Deadpools. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because of their similar red and black outfits and goofy behavior, the Yiga clan has often drawn comparisons to Deadpool from Marvel comics.[[/labelnote]]
* Putting the bookshelves in Hyrule Castle [[SelfImposedChallenge in weird and/or difficult to reach places, like in front of Link's house or on Akkala Tower.]]
* The Elder Pots have returned. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The guardians are based on Jomon pottery, which is one of the most ancient types of pottery in the world - it's actually pointed out in-game by an NPC that they look like upside-down pots. So obviously fans started joking that the Elder pots came to take revenge from Link for breaking them in all the previous games.[[/labelnote]]
** [[Franchise/TheIncredibles It's bigger... It's badder... Ladies and gentlemen, it's TOO MUCH FOR MR. LINKREDIBLE!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The Guardians bear some strong resemblance to the various Omnidroid models (CyberCyclops, segmented legs with claws) from the much-beloved Pixar superhero franchise, and are also capable of kicking Link's ass just as easily, much like the Omnidroids V8, V9 and V10.[[/labelnote]]
* This game's Game Over screen and the accompanying jingle are beginning to become synonymous with ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''' infamous "YOU DIED" screen because of [[YetAnotherStupidDeath how often it appears,]] sometimes with the two being used interchangeably.
* Due to The Stolen Heirloom sidequest having a FadeToBlack as Impa asks Link to guard Paya for the day, followed by Paya thanking Link in her bedroom at night, some players interpreted this as a SexyDiscretionShot and turned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27beLk410g4 "Sleep with Paya" into an actual speedrun objective]]. It even got the nickname "Get Laid%".
* Playing ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Some ''Breath of the Wild'' players will go out of their way to perform [[https://twitter.com/Axk_000/status/1317043594608353281 outrageous]] [[https://twitter.com/smaho_neko/status/1353337928450150400 stunts]] that contrast greatly with the game's seemingly minimalistic combat system, leading to comparisons with StylishAction games like ''Devil May Cry'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''.[[/labelnote]]
* "It is my pleasure..." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Mipha says this every time Mipha's Grace is used, much to the annoyance of some fans. Often, it's used as a PhraseCatcher for any OneHitKO a player suffers, just to emphasize how powerful a certain enemy/boss is.[[/labelnote]]
* Flowerblight Ganon [[labelnote:Explanation]]A nickname for the infamous flower lady Magda, who gets really angry if Link steps on her flowers (and eventually attacks him off-screen), which surround a shrine in a small maze-like fashion.[[/labelnote]]
* Recently, it has become popular to edit the intro to the Guardians' theme over sped-up videos of people or animals running towards the camera.
* "Am I the only dumbass who thought Vah Naboris was an elephant?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originates from [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/14t7f2e/am_i_the_only_dumbass_who_tought_vah_naboris_was/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1 this]] Reddit post where the poster initially [[ViewerSpeciesConfusion mistook the camel Divine Beast for an elephant]], despite Vah Naboris' camel inspiration being pretty obvious, only realizing their mistake after seeing the ''actual'' elephant Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Scores of parody posts quickly followed that substituted various other characters for Vah Naboris, even if they look nothing like elephants, and the joke soon spread into other subreddits.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fr2um0tigtjda1.jpg Link's Awakening]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]This was the game where the interpretation of Link as nonbinary ''really'' went into overdrive thanks to being able to have him crossdress as a Gerudo. Combined with the Switch remake of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening the series' 4th installment]] releasing in 2019, some people made the obvious pun on the title.[[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Age of Calamity]]
* TFW this comes out before ''Scramble.'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Persona'' fans had been waiting for any news on the localization of ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' (at the time known by its Japanese name, ''Persona 5 Scramble'') since its February 2020 release in Japan, with Atlus saying nothing about if the game would even be coming out at all until a random stock report confirmed it. The game wouldn't even get an actual release window until a week after this game came out. A game created by the same developers being announced and released in the West '''before''' ''Strikers'' was seen as perfectly dark comedy.[[/labelnote]]
* "''[[VideoGame/HaloReach Current Objective: SURVIVE]]''"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This beings being the final mission of the game, as ''Halo Reach'' also has a cast DoomedByCanon due to it being a prequel.[[/labelnote]]
* ''The Legend of Zelda: [Fake Prequel Name]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]It's popular to edit the game's title from ''Hyrule Warriors'' to the more standard ''Zelda'' title followed by a fake tagline referring to prequels from other video game franchises. While it's not always the case, the prequels in question usually tend to be games also known for being about a cast of DoomedByCanon heroes, such as ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', and ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 The Golden Country]]''.[[/labelnote]]
** ''[[EverybodyDiesEnding EVERYONE FUCKING DIES]]: Age of Calamity'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Related to the above, a far more blunt summary of the DoomedByCanon TheBadGuyWins nature of the story summed up by a more appropriate title.[[/labelnote]]
*** ''[[spoiler:[[SparedByTheAdaptation EVERYONE FUCKING LIVES]]: Age of Calamity'']] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler:Due to the game's SurprisinglyHappyEnding where all the champions survive and Calamity Ganon is successfully defeated before the events of ''Breath of the Wild'' has led to this being summed up by fans who had expected the above to happen.]][[/labelnote]]
* ''Urbosa Warriors: Age of Urbosa'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Fans have been especially excited for the chance to play as Urbosa.[[/labelnote]]
* "We've got some ''Zelda'' to tide us over until ''Zelda''." [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Age of Calamity'' got its first announcement more than a year after the ''Breath of the Wild'' sequel was announced, but is getting released first, which inspired many jokes about the odd release schedule and SequelGap. Eiji Aonuma even said himself it was a tide-over treat until the sequel main course.[[/labelnote]]
* Purah's appearance prior to her [[FountainOfYouth aging down]] has led to some ''VideoGame/{{Ninjala}}'' jokes and [[https://preview.redd.it/6686zo8ont061.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8098b65364dd1c190609cb5cfc752c82d7b70ace comparisons]], due to the latter game's backstory also involving scientists turning back into children.
* "He's gonna kill you all! [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment To DEATH!]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The second "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has Master Kohga say this ridiculously redundant line. Fans instantly took a shine to it since it fits how LaughablyEvil Kohga is, with many comparing it to [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight "People die if they are killed,"]] or [[ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis "I'll kill you! I'll kill you to death!"]][[/labelnote]]
* Paraglider Daruk [[labelnote:Explanation]]The third "Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past" trailer has a shot of Daruk using a paraglider. Fans originally latched onto the sight both for how hilarious and unlikely it is, and for how potentially terrifying a flying Goron could be.[[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:R.I.P. ''Breath of the Wild'' and its sequel]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: Because of the game's ending and the lack of development updates surrounding ''[=BotW=]'''s sequel, it's been joked that Nintendo is allowing you to [[{{Vaporware}} cancel the sequel]] due to this game's ending preventing the events of ''Breath of The Wild'', which means [[ButterflyOfDoom that game's story never happening meaning that the sequel to it will never be made]] thus giving a reason why no news of the sequel has popped up since its announcement. Subverted after E3 2021, where the sequel got a gameplay reveal and a 2022 release date. However, the sequel got delayed again and as of the September Nintendo 2022 Direct, It was revealed with a release date and the title "Tears of the Kingdom".]][[/labelnote]]
* [[spoiler:Teba]] meeting Revali and his reaction towards the latter's real attitude (among other things) made fans joke about various scenarios, like [[spoiler:Teba]] tearing down Revali's Landing, or commenting on Revali's shortness.
* "STEEL YOURSELF!" "I AM READY!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]That's Impa's special attack quote. She's the first playable character in the game who doesn't just speak in grunts, and her being one of the most powerful and easy-to-use fighters in your arsenal means many players will regularly use the royal advisor, and thus hear her {{Narm}}y voice acting for a large chunk of their adventure.[[/labelnote]]
* The scene where [[BigEater Link]] eagerly devours a Rock Roast given to him by Daruk is often treated as one of the game's most hilariously surreal moments by fans. To clarify, Link successfully and greedily eats [[ExtremeOmnivore a hunk of molten rock that is bigger than his torso]] as Zelda and Impa watch on in amazement and disbelief at sight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tears of the Kingdom]]
!!!Pre-release:
* Rehydrated Ganondorf [[labelnote:Explanation]]The E3 2019 reveal trailer for the game prominently featured an intimidating and desiccated undead corpse that is widely assumed to be Ganondorf. This inspired lots of fanart of a revived version of the corpse in the same skimpy clothes but with fully un-decomposed flesh, usually for {{Fanservice}}. Example [[https://twitter.com/siobhanchiffon/status/1138980222487842817 1]], [[https://twitter.com/s_kinnaly/status/1139995031131942912 2]]. The meme was revived when the third trailer dropped, alongside [[https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1646519086271328270?s=20 art of a fully revived Ganondorf]], when it showed the fully revived Ganondorf [[IKnewIt buff, handsome and basically shirtless]].[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda's haircut. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The reveal trailer showed Zelda's hair to be much shorter than it was in ''Breath of the Wild'', leading to theories and jokes about how and why it got cut so short. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsNAD4L8sV8 For]] [[https://youtu.be/2dMw4Hei2RQ example...]][[/labelnote]]
** Give us Playable Zelda, you cowards![[labelnote:Explanation]]Zelda's new short haircut in the game's original 2019 teaser trailer, combined with Link and Zelda exploring the underground catacombs together, made players hopeful that she would be playing a far more active role than in ''Breath of the Wild'' as [[PromotedToPlayable a playable character]]. The fact that every teaser since would downplay Zelda's presence caused this to morph from pure speculation to a fandom demand, hence the "you cowards" part of the meme.[[/labelnote]]
*** Protagonist Zelda [[labelnote:Explanation]] Plenty of fanart depicts Zelda in Link's place, Zonai arm and Master Sword included. However, people quickly realized that Link's TOTK outfit exposes the right side of his upper torso, which when applied to Zelda... [[NotSafeForWork is a different matter entirely]]; some depict her with a chest wrapping to cover up, but plenty don't. This became somewhat of a meme among artists and numerous fans wishing to have a playable Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[{{Mondegreen}} Please, lend me your power!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is what many fans interpret Zelda's last line at the end of the February 2023 trailer to be, which naturally leads to speculations if Zelda has finally been PromotedToPlayable. This interpretation is quickly debunked by fans pointing out that the line is most likely "Please, lend ''him'' your power!", meaning Zelda is referring to Link and not herself. But the misinterpreted line itself has become a popular phrase to express the desire for Zelda to be playable.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Punished "Venom" Link]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the E3 2021 trailer, Link is shown with a prosthetic arm after losing his right arm. Naturally, lots of ''MGSV'' memes came along with it.[[/labelnote]]
* Everything always comes back to [[{{Precursors}} the Zonai]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Zonai, an enigmatic tribe responsible for many of the ancient ruins found in ''Breath of the Wild'' (and whose name is a {{Pun}} on the Japanese word "nazo" meaning "mystery/mysterious"), have been a subject of [[EpilepticTrees intense fan speculation]] ever since the sequel's first teaser, which showed Link and Zelda exploring a cave system filled with Zonai architecture. In the two year gap between the game's first and second trailers, theorists ran wild trying to figure out who the Zonai were, what happened to them, and what role they'd play in the story, while also trying to connect them to just about everything else in the series they could, long before they had any substantial information about them.[[/labelnote]]
** "Is that a spiral? ZONAI CONFIRMED!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One motif that was commonly associated with the Zonai in ''Breath of the Wild'' was a spiral pattern, found carved into much of their architecture. Since spirals are also incredibly common throughout the ''Zelda'' series in general, fans started joking that ''every single instance'' of a spiral, no matter how innocuous, must have ties to the Zonai as a jab at how tenuous some of the Zonai theories were getting.[[/labelnote]]
* "FI WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Upon seeing the destroyed Master Sword in the delay announcement trailer, many fans expressed their concern about Fi, the spirit the resides in the Master Sword, with comments much like this one.[[/labelnote]]
** Extending from the above, people drawing Fi's humanoid form with the rust and damage seen in the trailer.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' Link beating the crap out of ''Breath of the Wild'' Link.[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Skyward Sword'' is the game in which we are introduced to Fi as an ExpositionFairy, and that Link is the one who created the Master Sword from the Goddess Sword and had a very close bond with her. So it's agreed on that he'd be [[UnstoppableRage less than happy]] to see the Master Sword's current state.[[/labelnote]]
* No wonder it was delayed. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The day before the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that the Direct itself would not be streamed in the UK due to national mourning surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This Direct included the title reveal for ''Tears of the Kingdom'', a fact which some viewed to be a direct contribution to the showcase's delay, citing it as Nintendo getting around some very unfortunate timing.[[/labelnote]]
* Upon the reveal of the title, people were quick to call the game ''The Legend of Zelda: Music/TearsForFears'' as a play on the title.
* "Releasing 5 December, 2023" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because the UK livestream of the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct was cancelled out of respect for the death of UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, British fans and streamers who still wanted to watch the Direct live had to watch the American version. In Britain (and most of the rest of the world), dates are ordered as Day/Month/Year, but Americans order it as Month/Day/Year -- and the release date in the trailer said "5-12-2023". This left many Brits initially dismayed by the apparent 15 month wait before they realized that the game was actually releasing on May 12.[[/labelnote]]
* "Surfin' Bird" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Link is shown crouched atop a bird-shaped glider as it flies in the 2022 trailer, leading many to recognize the unintentional VisualPun.[[/labelnote]]
* ''S U A V E M E N T E'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]On 1 May 2023, the entire game leaked on the Internet, meaning it could be played before its release date, but among the legitimate copies was an NSP file (the ROM format the Switch uses) that looked like the legitimate game at first glance, but was [[BaitAndSwitch actually]] a {{UsefulNotes/Unity}} program consisting of the Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM3HuNmOSYY video]] of [[WebAnimation/SomethingAbout TerminalMontage]]'s homage to Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente" on a loop with an animation of Link's model from Breath of the Wild gyrating overlaid on top. It also had all sorts of meme-related files in it to pad out the file size so people would think it was the real thing. In response to its surge in popularity following the leak, [[Creator/JeremyChinshue TerminalMontage]] followed it up with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNCgpaMlOcs a sequel video]], to the delight of many fans.[[/labelnote]]
* "The Legend of Zelda: Nuts & Bolts" [[labelnote:Explanation]]After the February 2023 trailer showed off Link driving what appeared to be several custom vehicles, many were quick to make a comparison between this game and ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts.''[[/labelnote]]
* "[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants OH NO HE'S HOT!!!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]By far the most common [=SpongeBob=] meme used in reference to Ganondorf's reveal in the final trailer for the game, in reference to [[https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope/status/1646519086271328270 how incredibly buff he is in this game]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Link, you must find me..." And the fans took that as a challenge.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The final trailer for the game ends with a shot of Zelda on a platform overlooking Hyrule, urging Link to come and find her. The fandom quickly took her up on her request, with [=YouTuber=] Looygi Bros. in particular using the background landmarks to [[https://youtu.be/n_6fdet5cdo?t=434 recreate the shots]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' and pinpoint her location as somewhere near the Temple of Time.[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/GarrysMod Zelda's Mod]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's new power in this game to fuse things together to create new weapons and automations has gotten numerous comparisons to ''Garry's Mod''. Due to using ''Breath of the Wild'' as base, many people have jokingly started to call it Zelda's Mod as a comparison.[[/labelnote]]
* "Our last line of defense will be Link." [[labelnote:Explanation]]In response to the part of the third trailer where Link is stated to be everyone's last hope, fans joke that Link might not be the best choice considering all the bizarre antics the player could get into throughout ''Breath of the Wild''. This soon led to people making edits of the third trailer where, after this exchange happens, it cuts to ''Breath of the Wild'' footage of Link dying/hurting himself in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5rySsg1J7s increasingly]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxsCxix3EdM ridiculous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E94c4KpYT1o ways]] or by making increasingly convoluted and sometimes immature contraptions. An alternate trend has also appeared where the footage is of insanely [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV9QqH07iy0 high]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X5DUTOkzfU level]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W0uGjb6vM play]] showing off intricate trick shots and combat techniques from players skilled enough to turn the game inside-out.[[/labelnote]]
* The Saxophone [[labelnote:Explanation]]The soundtrack for the third trailer (and likely for the game) unexpectedly uses a ''Saxophone'' for the score. Despite it being a bizarre instrument choice for a Zelda game, the saxophone section has become a fan favorite.[[/labelnote]]

!!!Post-release:
* "...and that was all you could do?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The game opens with a CurbStompBattle where Ganondorf cripples Link's arm and shatters the Master Sword. Given that Rauru had proudly warned Ganondorf that Link and the Master Sword would be his doom, and considering Ganondorf is a BloodKnight who looked forward to the fight, the Demon King is rather disappointed. The shot of him saying this line while smugly raising an eyebrow is a popular "reaction meme" image.[[/labelnote]]
* "I'd like nothing more than to smash the Demon King." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally an innocent line from the Sage of Fire, many fans voiced they would also like to "smash" Ganondorf after seeing his new design.[[/labelnote]]
* Rauru’s disgust at how Link uses his replacement arm. [[labelnote: Explanation (Slightly NSFW)]] Rauru replaces Link’s arm with his own after Link’s is destroyed by Ganondorf. It took the [[https://twitter.com/franmm127/status/1661168604698615811?s=46 dirtier-minded fans]] no time at all to joke about how Rauru would react to Link [[BreakingInOldHabits using his replacement arm to masturbate.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Korok Torture Simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] The game allows you to weld the backpack-wearing Koroks to objects, so due to the fandom's [[BaseBreakingCharacter opinion]] of them, videos that involve them getting hurt in creative ways (such as launching them into the stratosphere or ''crucifying them'') have become popular on social media.[[/labelnote]]
** Fallout: New Hyrule [[labelnote:Explanation]]Some players [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/13hw9hq/fallout_new_hyrule/ drew]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2593957-crucified-korok#trending-bar comparisons]] between players' treatment of Koroks and Caesar's Legion's treatment of prisoners in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''.[[/labelnote]]
* Addison [[labelnote: Explanation]]Addison is an employee of Hudson's construction company, and he is periodically seen trying to erect signs advertising the business. Link is supposed to create an Ultrahand build to keep his sign from falling over so he can secure it in place, but some players do stuff like build the most elaborate contraption possible to accomplish the simple task, trap Addison within the build so he'd realistically have no way of securing the sign or leaving, or even attaching rockets to the build to launch the sign into the air.[[/labelnote]]
* "These trees are trying to kill me. F#@k you nature."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Evermean is a new type of enemy that is basically a disguised tree, that will jump up when Link gets close, walk over, and start trying to slam him using its body. It didn't take WebVideo/ProJared fans long to make the connection to his VideoGame/{{Hydlide}} videos.[[/labelnote]]
** "EVEN SOME OF THE TREES ARE ON GANON'S SIDE!!!" [[labelnote:Explanation]] Some fans immediately thought of this line from ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' upon encountering the Evermeans.[[/labelnote]]
* Korok Space Program [[labelnote:Explanation]]A play of VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. The game introduces Koroks who need to be guided to their friends and can be attached to devices using Ultrahand. People have fun torturing the little guys, or in some cases, lauching them into space like the titular Kerbals. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/13jdvnv/totk_oc_the_korok_space_program/ And, of course, people just HAD to make a logo or two for the Korok Space Program]][[/labelnote]]
* If it works, it works [[labelnote:Explanation]] A phrase that’s been making the rounds on the community in regards to the more ridiculous constructs people have come up with. The level of freedom with ultrahand building has led to people making ridiculous, immature, or downright bizarre creations. This phrase has become the most common excuse.[[/labelnote]]
* Zelda [[VideoGame/AmongUs sus]] [[labelnote:Explanation ('''spoilers''')]]Near the end of the game, it's revealed that the "Zelda" seen throughout much of the game is actually a disguised Phantom Ganon being used by Ganondorf to sow discord and confusion throughout Hyrule, as well as to keep Link occupied while the real Ganondorf regained strength. Jokes about Zelda being [[VideoGame/AmongUs the imposter]] were inevitable, especially since "imposter" is the exact term used by characters (such as Yunobo and Purah) to describe the false Zelda.[[/labelnote]]
* In ''Breath of the Wild'', some fans made jokes about Link using [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders The World or Star Platinum]] with Stasis. Here, Rewind can be compared to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Moody Blues]].
* Zelda stole Link's house. [[labelnote:Explanation]]While it's implied they live together/Link gifted the house to her, Link's house in Hateno Village is repeatedly referred to as Zelda's house (at least in the English Translation), leading to fans joking that she stole it/used eminent domain to seize it. Other jokes have been made about her making him sleep outside/on the floor have also been made. The game having a sidequest about Link buying ''another'' house doesn't help matters either.[[/labelnote]]
* Link is Tony Hawk. [[labelnote:Explanation]] The fact that quite a few people fail to recognize Link even when they really should (such as people in Hateno) has led to the joke that Link has Tony Hawk levels of popularity; everyone knows who he is, but no one recognizes him when he's right in front of them. It helps that he can fuse stuff like minecarts to his shield to make a makeshift skateboard, plus the addition of rail grinding in the game. [[/labelnote]]
* We miss the Guardians...[[labelnote:Explanation]]Guardians, the most terrifying enemies from ''Breath of the Wild'' are absent in this game. Instead, the player can encounter Gloom Spawn, a writhing mass of hands with eyeballs in the palms that can appear out of the ground, turns the sky blood red when they approach, and will grab and squeeze Link when they get within range, poisoning him with Gloom.Not helping things is when the Gloom Spawn is defeated, [[spoiler: Phantom Ganon spawns in to finish the job.]] When faced with the Gloom Spawn, a lot of players lament that they would much rather face a Guardian instead.And then [[https://www.tumblr.com/ketrindarkdragon/718387004655763456/doubled-up-nightmare?source=share someone had the bright idea to create a Guardian-Gloom Spawn hybrid.]][[/labelnote]]
* War Crime Simulator 2023[[labelnote:Explanation]]Given the game lets you build ''anything'' with Zonai parts, people have already taken to building giant war machines to fight enemies with. With how effective some of them are, many joke that ''Tears for the Kingdom'' is just a war crime simulator.[[/labelnote]]
** It runs on pure hatred/spite.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A way people often use to sum up their builds.[[/labelnote]]
* Ascend is the new Cryonis.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Just like the Cryonis ability in ''Breath of the Wild'', there is a prevalent tendency for players to constantly forget that the Ascend ability exists, and as a result are completely stumped whenever they encounter a situation where you're intended to use it.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ganon_laugh.png Ganondorf's deranged face]][[labelnote:Explanation]]After he [[spoiler:murders Sonia]], Ganondorf's exaggerated grin has become an instant meme once fans saw [[NarmCharm how ridiculous and yet terrifying]] it is. It's used for various reactions on the Internet, most often to mock Zelda theories that have been debunked thanks to ''Tears of the Kingdom'''s release or just the idea that Ganondorf could actually be a good guy for once.[[/labelnote]]
* Goron Crack Epidemic[[labelnote:Explanation]]The Gorons becoming addicted to marbled rock roast quickly drew comparisons from players ([[https://youtu.be/r78XFHk91B4 and]] WebAnimation/DoobusGoobus) to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_epidemic_in_the_United_States the US crack epidemic of the 1980s]]. It doesn't help that their predicament doesn't seem as extreme as a deadly blizzard, sludge falling from the sky, or a horde of insectoid monsters combined with a sandstorm.[[/labelnote]]
* ''[=BotW=]'' Tulin[[labelnote:Explanation]]Tulin becoming an AscendedExtra in ''Tears of the Kingdom'' led to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/botw_tulin_model.png his design]] in ''Breath of the Wild'' (with the image being taken from his character folder on Website/ThisVeryWiki) becoming a meme due to [[UglyCute how off-putting]] he looked back then.[[/labelnote]]
* Sonia is a Furry[[labelnote:Explanation]]Queen Sonia is a Hylian married to Rauru, a member of the ambiguously animalistic Zonai race. Naturally this led to jokes and memes about her being a furry.[[/labelnote]]
** Similarly, "I'm not a furry but Mineru..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the weeks since the game's launch, there have been a lot of players who have expressed bewilderment in public spaces that, although they don't consider themselves part of the furry fandom, they've found Mineru to be conventionally attractive. The jokes have run wild that Mineru has turned into something of a gateway to the broader furry fandom for a lot of players.[[/labelnote]]
* [[DoubleEntendre We can ride Zelda!]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]] [[spoiler: It's revealed in the final Dragon Tear that Zelda transformed into the divine Light Dragon, which Link can stand on. Dirty-minded players quickly began to make jokes about how Link can now "ride" Zelda in both senses of the word.]] [[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender "My first girlfriend turned into a dragon." "That's rough, buddy."]] [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]After learning that Zelda became the Light Dragon, many players drew comparisons to an ''Avatar'' scene where Sokka laments that his first girlfriend turned into the moon, swapping in Link for him and one of his companions for Zuko.[[/labelnote]]
** "Would you still love me if I was a wyrm?" [[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]A variation of the "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" meme. Fans joked that Zelda would ask Link this very question, either before or after her transformation.[[/labelnote]]
** [[PopularWithFurries She's cuter as a dragon anyway.]][[labelnote: Explanation (spoilers!)]]When a lot of people discovered that the Light Dragon was actually a draconified Zelda, people waste ''absolutely no time'' making designs and art of a anthropomorphized version of said draconic form. On top of that, this lead to people lamenting that her transformation was entirely undone at the end of the game and that her decision to become a dragon should've still had permanent physical consequences, such as her still having a draconic form even after regaining a humanoid body. Of course, you can imagine people who expose this opinion either aren't keen on the perceived AssPull reversion to status quo for Link and Zelda at the end, find anthro!Light Dragon Zelda to be cute/hot, or both.[[/labelnote]]
* Why'd you do it?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally a {{Mondegreen}} of Yunobo's line "I can do it!", this became popular as an unintentional WhatTheHellPlayer for subjecting Yunobo or other [=NPCs=] to VideoGameCrueltyPotential.[[/labelnote]]
* Goatse shrines.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The new design of the shrines (resembling two hands tearing open a hole in the center) was noted to be more than a little reminiscent of [[ShockSite Goatse]].[[/labelnote]]
* "Hi I'm Link, welcome to ''Series/{{Jackass}}''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]With how ridiculous some of the contraptions built can end up being plus the kinds of self-harm one can inflict on Link in the process of testing them out, a lot of fans have joked that the entire game is one gigantic ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' simulator, with many stunts and contraptions being akin to the kind of stuff you'd see Johnny Knoxville and co. engage in.[[/labelnote]]
* "Glory to Master Kohga."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend of social media posts in which fans pretend to be Yiga Clan members, proclaiming their love of bananas and their hatred of Link in various goofy ways, [[https://twitter.com/MaciRollFights/status/1667305651016540164 as]] [[https://twitter.com/Oceanmaster1776/status/1667324384439050240 one]] [[https://twitter.com/k1ng_mang0/status/1667399039476719617 can]] [[https://twitter.com/wildfloweromine/status/1667317221373214723 see]] [[https://twitter.com/LordSooga/status/1667230748657459211 here.]][[/labelnote]]
* [[ParrotExposition "Demon King? Secret stone?"]] [[labelnote: Explanation with spoilers]] When you clear a temple, Link and his partner get an exposition from a Sage about the Demon King, the secret stones that the sages used, and the Imprisoning War. Link's partner will say "Demon King? Secret stone?" since they have no idea what those are. Due to the non linear nature of the game, the cutscenes are basically repeated for each dungeon cleared with little to no variance between them. Ergo, expect to hear "Demon King? Secret stone?" a lot.[[/labelnote]]
* "Mommy" [[labelnote:Explanation]]While Purah's adult design existed more or less since ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'', her new design for ''Tears of the Kingdom'' after she managed to reverse her de-aging back to her early twenties won her a lot of popularity, with the amount of fanart of her exploding, particularly memes where she tells Link to "call her Mommy".[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 "[NPC]... my long shadow..."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]When it was discovered that players can snatch [=NPCs=] from their programmed stationary locations with creative uses of various objects and Zonai devices, some posted gameplay videos under the context of Link taking them out for a romantic rendezvous, particularly with [[https://www.reddit.com/r/TOTK/comments/13osgqt/i_brought_purah_to_the_sky/ Purah]] and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/tearsofthekingdom/comments/14blvrj/took_paya_out_on_a_date/ Paya]]. Jokes about [[spoiler:the Light Dragon, aka Princess Zelda]] finding out and reacting accordingly ensued, including this memetic meltdown reaction from ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3''.[[/labelnote]]
* York[[labelnote:Explanation]]When attempting to perform searches about the game using the abbreviation "TOTK", Google would autocorrect it to "York" leading people to find information about the English city rather than what they wanted. This in turn led to memes making fun of the phenomenon.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Looney Tunes simulator]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] Due to the amount of ways players can build things, ''Looney Tunes'' inspired traps and contraptions aren’t that uncommon. There’s also the fact that a player’s constructs can fail spectacularly, (a cart breaking at an inconvenient time, a Zonai device flipping on Link etc.) which can lead to moments reminiscent of one of said cartoons. [[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Link's retort whenever Zelda mocked him in the animated series. It's since become a popular response to criticism.[[/labelnote]]
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 Looking good, Princess Zelda -- especially from THIS angle!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]The first words out of Link's mouth in the series, spoken to a Zelda in her undergarments on a balcony below. Zelda, having heard that, immediately gets a coat to wear.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwk59K0KMQ Link, he come to town...]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Joe Pleiman's 1998 song based off the series, "Zelda", which is often [[MisattributedSong misattributed]] to Music/SystemOfADown, has grown quite popular, both within and outside of the fandom.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/zeldas-response Zelda's response to being told "I love you"]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A 6-panel image showing the responses of 6 different Zeldas from 6 different games to being told "I love you", reflecting their differences in personality. It has been common to replace Zelda with a different character, as well as changing what is being told and the reactions that follow.[[/labelnote]]
* [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/female-link 1986 Female Link]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Artwork from the Japanese magazine ''Shonen Captain'' depicted Link as a pink-haired woman, predating Linkle and the "What if Zelda was a girl?" meme by several decades; as well as Link to the Past's pink haired Link. When [[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/01/random-artwork-in-retro-japanese-magazine-depicts-link-as-a-female high-quality scans]] surfaced in 2022, this design proved to be quite popular with the fandom, resulting in a surgence of fanart. While RuleSixtyThree Link is not a new concept by any means, depicting her with long pink hair is specifically a reference to this magazine.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fandom Memes]]
* "[[FandomEnragingMisconception GANNON-BANNED]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A satirical punishment doled out to ''Zelda'' fans (sometimes {{troll}}s) who get details wrong regarding the series. It originates from the original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', which had a typo in the story prologue that erroneously refers to Ganon as "Gannon", and is used to mock those who don't realize that "Gannon" is a typo.[[/labelnote]]
* '99% Confirmed.' [[labelnote:Explanation]]Shortly before E3 2010, the website Zelda Informer posted [[https://www.zeldadungeon.net/breaking_news_latest_zelda_wii_rumors_confirmed/ a bunch of "inside info"]] about the then-upcoming ''Skyward Sword'', known at the time simply as "Legend of Zelda." The header for the image was the early artwork with "99% Confirmed" printed over it in big, bold letters. Their alleged source? Someone whom they claimed was Miyamoto's English translator... [[EpicFail whom they also said happened to be German.]] A few days later, E3 came along and debunked all of their claims, prompting the main moderator of the site to post a video where he seemingly shoved a Wii Remote up his nose, which he said he would do if he was wrong. The website has yet to live it down, and "99% confirmed" has become a joke on other fansites, even non-Zelda ones.[[/labelnote]]
* What if Zelda was a girl? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A form of trolling intended to invoke a FandomEnragingMisconception by [[ProtagonistTitleFallacy referring to the player character as Zelda]], who is a girl. This meme also saw resurgence with the official reveal of Linkle, Link's DistaffCounterpart in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', as well as the "1986 Female Link".[[/labelnote]]
** What if Zelda was a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin grill]]? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A further mutation of the above meme with an intentional typo for added humor.[[/labelnote]]
** Zelda is the Princess. The green guy is [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A BaitAndSwitch where the meme appears to be {{discredited|Meme}}, only to continue the joke of the protagonist being misnamed.[[/labelnote]]

[[/folder]]

* GET A JOB! GET A JOB! [[labelnote: Explanation]]The music that plays when fighting [[spoiler:Beast Ganon]] has some strange chanting in the background. Fans joke around about what the chanters are saying, with many believing that it sounds like [[Franchise/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] saying "get a job".[[/labelnote]]

*** "[[{{Mondegreen}} Please, lend me your power!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is what many fans interpret Zelda's last line at the end of the February 2023 trailer to be, which naturally leads to speculations if Zelda has finally been PromotedToPlayable. This interpretation is quickly debunked by fans pointing out that the line is most likely "Please, lend ''him'' your power!", meaning Zelda is referring to Link and not herself. But the misinterpreted line itself has become a popular phrase to express the desire for Zelda to be playable.[[/labelnote]]

* "Wait, is that a fishing rod?" [[labelnote:Explanation(spoiler)]]When fighting Ganondorf, you can get him to be distracted by your fishing rod. The fact that the villain of the series gets distracted by something so silly is very comical.[[/labelnote]]

** DUH-nuh-nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh-nuh-NAAAA [[labelnote:Explanation]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDPT6Ehq_bI The series' iconic]] "puzzle solved" jingle.[[/labelnote]]

* Link checked the chest. Wow! [[AccidentalInnuendo This is a nice chest!]]

*** No [[labelnote:Explanation]]Kaepora Gaebora in ''Ocarina of Time'' goes on long-winded speeches... [[ShallIRepeatThat and frequently tricks the player into listening to them more than once.]][[/labelnote]]

* [[Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}} The King of Hyrule is a Jerk]]
* Salvatore during the Fleet Game.
-->"Spleeesh." "Ka-BOOM!"

* "There's like this castle in a bubble on the ocean floor. I went there on my talking dragon boat."

** "After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy!"

* "Squadala! We're off!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Gwonam, a wizard from ''The Faces of Evil'' as he flies off with his carpet.[[/labelnote]]

* "I can't ''wait'' to bomb some Dodongos!"
* "This is illegal, you know!"

* "Yahaha! You found me!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A line spoken by Koroks when you discover their hiding places.[[/labelnote]]

** [[https://youtu.be/GTh5J0HsIAg?si=VZV_N3e4sy56qH3m Morshu Reads The Entire Bible!]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]a [=YouTuber=] by the name of Competitive and Casual made a video of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Morshu reading the entire bible]], which gotten notoriety on the internet for it's extremely long runtime yet also being impressively well done.[[/labelnote]]

* ''S U A V E M E N T E'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]On 1 May 2023, the entire game leaked on the Internet, meaning it could be played before its release date, but among the legitimate copies was an NSP file (the ROM format the Switch uses) that looked like the legitimate game at first glance, but was [[BaitAndSwitch actually]] a {{UsefulNotes/Unity}} program that played the Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM3HuNmOSYY video]] of [[WebAnimation/SomethingAbout TerminalMontage's]] homage to Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente" on a loop with an animation of Link's model from Breath of the Wild gyrating overlaid on top. It also had all sorts of meme-related files in it to pad out the file size so people would think it was the real thing. [=TerminalMontage=] follows it up with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNCgpaMlOcs a sequel video]], to the delight of many fans.[[/labelnote]]