History TearJerker / TheLegendOfZelda

* The death of [[spoiler: the first Link.]] Although Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link, who suffered betrayal and imprisonment four years, is mortally wounded and choose not to join his comrades. As Link lays dying on the surface, he admits that he wanted to go up to the sky and ride with the Loftwing, but his wounds made it impossible for him to do so.]] The scene becomes even more heartbreaking when Goddess Hylia discovers [[spoiler: the recently-deceased Link lying nearby and mourns for her hero's passing, revealing that Link's imprisonment was intentional as a means to turn him into [[TheChampion her chosen hero]]. [[TheAtoner Regretting her actions]], she swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn while [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword she shall shed her divinity so that they shall meet each other again as simple humans.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: the first Link.]] Despite Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link, who suffered betrayal and imprisonment four years, is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he admits that he desires to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently apologizes that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After sealing Demise away, the Goddess Hylia returns to the surface and discovers the recently-deceased Link lying nearby. She mourns for her hero's passing, revealing that she was one responsible for Link's imprisonment as a means to turn him into [[TheChampion her chosen hero]]. [[TheAtoner Regretting her actions]], she swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn and [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword that they shall meet each other again as Link and Zelda.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: the first Link.]] Despite Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link, who suffered betrayal and imprisonment four years, is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he admits that he desires to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently apologizes that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After sealing Demise away, the Goddess Hylia returns to the surface and discovers the recently-deceased Link lying nearby. She mourns for her hero's passing, revealing that she was one responsible for Link's imprisonment as a means to turn him into [[TheChampion her chosen hero]]. [[TheAtoner Regretting her actions]], she swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn and [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword that they shall meet each other again in another life.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: the first Link.]] Despite Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link, who suffered betrayal and imprisonment four years, is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he admits that he desires to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently apologizes that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After sealing Demise away, the Goddess Hylia returns to the surface and discovers the recently-deceased Link lying nearby. She mourns for her hero's passing, revealing that she was one responsible for Link's imprisonment as a means to make him her chosen hero. [[TheAtoner To make up for her actions]], she swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn and they shall meet together again as [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword Link and Zelda.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: Pre-SS!Link.]] Although Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he remarks that he truly wish to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently apologizes that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After sealing Demise away, Goddess Hylia returns to the surface and discovers the dead body of Link lying nearby. Hylia mourns for her hero's passing, stating that Link's imprisonment was intentional on the her part and regrets the suffering he had to endured. She swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn and they shall meet together as [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword Link and Zelda.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: Pre-SS!Link.]] Although Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he remarks that he truly wish to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently apologizes that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After sealing Demise away, Goddess Hylia returns to surface and discovers the dead body of Link lying nearby. Hylia mourns for her hero's passing, stating that Link's imprisonment was intentional on the her part and regrets the suffering he had to endured. She swears to Link that his spirit shall be reborn and they shall meet together as [[TheLegendofZeldaSkywardSword Link and Zelda.]]]]

* The death of [[spoiler: Pre-SS!Link.]] Although Skyloft was successfully lifted away to the sky, [[spoiler: Link is mortally wounded and could not join his fellow friends even when they pleaded him to come. As Link lays dying on the surface, he remarks that he truly wish to fly up to sky with the Loftwing and silently regrets that he could no longer fulfill that promise. After Hylia sealed Demise away, she finds dead body of Link and grieves for his passing. After mourning her fallen hero, Hylia promises that she and her hero will be reborn in SkywardSword.]]

* In the end, Skyloft successfully raises toward the heavens. Though the Demon King was sealed away, manga Link never makes it to the sky and dies from his wounds due to his last battle with Demise. Hylia finds him and grieves for her deceased hero promising that they will be reborn as the Link and Zelda.

* [[spoiler: Shadow's]] death. [[spoiler: He knew that by sacrificing himself for a world that would never appreciate what he'd done, would never care for a "shadow" like him, he was casting away his life for a bunch of ungrateful and unknowing people who would celebrate the four Heroes and yet he still did it because he wanted to show them he was a hero too, that not all dark things were bad.]] The most heart breaking part of this was when the four Links are gathered at [[spoiler: Shadow's]] grave, and they talk about him. Violet even refers to them, the four heroes of light, as [[spoiler: Shadow's]] family, despite him being what he was and what he did.

* [[spoiler: Shadow's]] death. [[spoiler: He knew that by sacrificing himself for a that world would never appreciate what he'd done, would never care for a "shadow" like him, he was casting away his life for a bunch of ungrateful and unknowing people who would celebrate the four Heroes and yet he still did it because he wanted to show them he was a hero too, that not all dark things were bad.]] The most heart breaking part of this was when the four Links are gathered at [[spoiler: Shadow's]] grave, and they talk about him. Violet even refers to them, the four heroes of light, as [[spoiler: Shadow's]] family, despite him being what he was and what he did.

* [[spoiler: Shadow's]] death. [[spoiler: He knew that by sacrificing himself for a world would never appreciate what he'd done, would never care for a "shadow" like him, he was casting away his life for a bunch of ungrateful and unknowing people who would celebrate the four Heroes and yet he still did it because he wanted to show them he was a hero too, that not all dark things were bad.]] The most heart breaking part of this was when the four Links are gathered at [[spoiler: Shadow's]] grave, and they talk about him. Violet even refers to them, the four heroes of light, as [[spoiler: Shadow's]] family, despite him being what he was and what he did.

**** That could easily count as both a tear jerker ''and'' FridgeHorror / NightmareFuel.

* Why hasn't anyone mentioned [[spoiler: Shadow's]] death? [[spoiler: He knew that by sacrificing himself for a world would never appreciate what he'd done, would never care for a "shadow" like him, he was casting away his life for a bunch of ungrateful and unknowing people who would celebrate the four Heroes and yet he still did it because he wanted to show them he was a hero too, that not all dark things were bad.]] The most heart breaking part of this was when the four Links are gathered at [[spoiler: Shadow's]] grave, and they talk about him. Violet even refers to them, the four heroes of light, as [[spoiler: Shadow's]] family, despite him being what he was and what he did. Makes me cry every single time.
** Ah Four Swords Adventure's manga. This troper was combined Tears and OhCrap when Link's father found his son unconsious in the castle. Why OhCrap? [[spoiler: It's Shadow Link. I was screaming [[LittleNo No.]] [[BigNo NO!]] NONONONONO!]]
* I don't know if this goes for everyone else, but when I was playing SkywardSword, I went into a state of shock when Zelda got kidnapped. This is mainly due to having one of my best friends recently going AWOL on us during a camping trip and she didn't show up for another week. And so when I saw my childhood gaming icon fall down towards the tornado, I couldn't help but cry out in fear. It also didn't help that she was cosplaying Minish Cap Zelda a few weeks prior.
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** Also, speaking of [[ForTheCelOfIt toon-verse Zelda]] [[GameOver game overs]], the one from TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThXvLA4IcfU is basically, like, explicitly telling you to cry.]] [[InelegantBlubbering WAAAAAAAH!!!]]

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* SkywardSword seems to have a TearJerker before it's even been ''released'', [[BeyondTheImpossible somehow]], due to the ForegoneConclusion that Phi is going to have to sacrifice her life to become the Master Sword.
** [[spoiler: Zelda going to sleep for 1,000 years to ensure Demise is sealed away. She asks Link to wake her up when she's ready]].

** The {leaked} ending apparently has [[spoiler: Zelda going to sleep for 1,000 years to ensure Demise is sealed away. She asks Link to wake her up when she's ready]].

* [[TearJerker/{{Ptitle6ibfdbcv}} The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]

** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime
** [[TearJerker/{{Ptitle6ibfdbcv}} The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass
** TearJerker/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A Link to the Past]]
* ''A Link to the Past'' did it best with the Flute Boy scene.
** This troper seconds that.
---> "I just wish I could have seen him... one more time."
*** ''A Link to the Past'' did it with the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJh3D_zX0To credits music]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Link's Awakening]]
* Lets not forget Link's Awakening where [[spoiler: the whole island ends up being inside the Windfish's dream and when you wake him up so Link can leave the island, everyone you got to know in the game blinks out of existence - with the scene hanging on Marin singing for a few moments before ending. Put this together with the realization that the monsters attacking you were pretty much just trying to keep you from destroying their existence, makes this a fairly depressing game]].
** And the music that accompanies it, the Ballad of the Wind Fish... it's so... melancholy * sniff* ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOKPIG23vgY unadorned version]]; the actual ending is more embellished, but the melody is so... haunting... lachrymosic * sob* ). [[IncrediblyLamePun Link]] was broken, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWEJMGxTBs here]] is one that will bring tears to your eyes.
** And your very last image of [[spoiler: Tarin? Is him ''beaming and holding up a mushroom'' as he slowly fades out of existence.]]
** Though if you beat the game without dying (not even once!) then Marin turns into a seagull at the end instead of [[spoiler: dissapearing into nothingness]]. It really happens, my brother was so upset with the orignal end, he played the whole thing all over again and made sure not to die.
** Hey you thought that was depressing? Think about this one for a minute: [[spoiler: After love interest Marin realizes that Link is going to leave the island, and some hinting that perhaps she had even realized the true nature of her existence, her only request was for Link to never forget her or her song. The character has never appeared or even been mentioned again in any other Legend of Zelda game. Ever. Neither has the song.]] Twilight Princesses' ending doesn't really compare to [[spoiler: being obliterated AND forgotten.]] Who would have thought that the most depressing game in existence was a monochrome gameboy game from 1993? Oh, and also? [[spoiler: The song you use to wake the wind fish and erase the island is the love song that she taught you.]] Nothing can escape from the black hole of hopelessness that is this game's ending, except maybe a [[spoiler:seagull.]]
*** You're wrong. The memory might be corrupted and decayed, but somehow, against all odds, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrlWZoyEouY someone remembers]].
*** The Links in subsequent games are [[LegacyCharacter different Links]], chances are the one you play as in that game never did forget.
*** That's worse, actually. He'll never see her again. Ever.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ocarina of Time]]
* ''Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' when Link leaves the Kokiri Forest and says goodbye to Saria really got to this troper for some reason. Probably thanks to Link's silence (even though Link doesn't say anything in the entire game). A very powerful scene.
** The whole scene was very sad and touching, but what put [[@/TheNerdyNinja This Troper]] over the edge was how, after taking the Ocarina, Link, not knowing how to react, ''just runs off'' as fast as he can, not even looking back.
*** The look on her face after Link runs off is truly devastating.
** Even worse is before entering the Forest Temple, where you hear Saria has gone in alone and is surrounded by monsters, suggesting, though not stating outright, that [[spoiler:each potential Sage must die to become a Sage, and Darunia, Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru soon follow.]]
*** After each time you receive a medallion, the cutscene text says "[name of sage] awakens as a Sage and adds [his/her] power to yours!" ''Awakens''. That's as close to an outright statement as you can get in a Zelda game. Not to mention the weird things they do (appearing diagonally in the wall when the barriers are dispelled, turning into balls of light, etc.) that can only be described as ghostly.
*** In one case, it's a bit blunter than that. [[spoiler: Darunia goes into Volvagia's room to fight it without the hammer. He's not in there when you go in. Make of that what you will.]]
* Am I the only one who cried when they saw the Gorons in the Fire Temple the first time? Let's look back, shall we- a proud, happy, if not hungry race on the top of DeathMountain. They're very nice to you, allowing you to use their facilities and natural resources at no cost, and are very hospitable. You gain good standing with the chief, and are treated with the highest respects, calling you "Brother" and (almost) giving you giant ''hugs''- fast forward seven years when the majority of them are reduced to shriveled heaps of brown jello, muttering about not wanting to be devoured by a large fire dragon; needless to say, this troper used a walkthrough to make sure she freed all of them and beat that dragon to a bloody pulp.
** Read the manga. You probably won't feel the same way.
** Oh gosh, the MANGA. "Li...nk." * cries*
*** FYI, you can't beat the Fire Temple until they've all been saved, so there's no chance of leaving any behind.
**** As if any player with the slightest inkling of a soul ''would.''
*** Then there's [[spoiler: Link hallucinating Volvagia in the Desert of Illusion. "Li... Link.. It hurts, Link..."]]
** Darunia becoming the Sage of the Fire Temple. Many manly tears and a few unmanly ones were shed.
* "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6XMKtjtvaM He's not moving anymore....]]]" Made even sadder by the fact that the vast majority of people will never know he was even in the game.
* [[http://fanboys-online.com/comics/20110609.jpg This]]. It's just its own comic in the Fanboys archive, so you're flipping through jokes about consoles and then WHAM.
** "[[spoiler:Only his saw is left. Hee hee.]]" Fucking Fado.
* Since ''Majora's Mask'', ''Ocarina of Time'' now has a ''huge'' downer ending for me. Let's review: [[spoiler:no one remembers anything Link did, he's effectively a ShellShockedVeteran in a ten-year-old's body, and even his best friend, the one with him through thick and thin, doesn't remember half of what they did together and thinks he'll be better off without her. Majora's Mask says he isn't. He really isn't. Add that to the fact that not only can he probably not go back to the Kokiri Forest, he's seen way too much to grow up like a normal Hyrulean kid, and he probably can't go live with any of the other species.]] Zelda, you're normally awesome, but wow, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero nice job breaking the Hero]].
** Honestly, this troper felt worse for Zelda than she did for Link at the end of ''Ocarina of Time''. The princess spends a good portion of her childhood and basically all of her teen years in disguise hiding out, with risk of being captured/killed by Ganondorf. All that waiting, only to part with Link, possibly the last person she can relate to [[spoiler:assuming the rest of the sages, including her pseudo-mother figure Impa, are [[DeadForReal dead for real]] ]]. Zelda sent Link back so he could regain the seven years he lost, but ''she'' will never get them back. It's also worth considering that Link gets sent back to pre-Ganondorf Hyrule where everything is still intact and dandy, while future-Zelda is stuck with a destroyed kingdom to rebuild. It's even worse when you learn in Wind Waker [[spoiler: that her Hyrule's eventually destroyed again thanks to Ganondorf's return]]. Downer ending indeed.
** "Link, give me the ocarina."...She looks so sad, and she just holds his hand in hers, knowing that she will never see him again, and she just wants one last moment with him. "When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say goodbye...." My heart just shattered into a million tiny pieces.
** Though canonically split into two timelines, a determinist understanding of time travel could nicely wrap up the previously mentioned tear jerkers, [[spoiler: if Shiek was actually Link all along. Hear me out on this one, Link goes back in time after defeating Ganondorf, knows all this stuff, and spends the next seven years learning the harp. The Zelda reveal is fabricated for Links benefit, more for mindfuck reasons than paradox issues. I came up with this theory when I first played it, and SuperSmashBros goes and ruins everything. ]]
*** Thank you for that unhelpful dollop of WMG.
** The ending of [=OoT=] was a huge one for this troper. The entire sequence was so beautifully done, with emotional scenes and perfect music. Seeing Link having to depart back to the past from Zelda (who it looked like was falling in love with him), seeing all the landscapes and realizing you had saved the world, the celebration of all the characters, the reappearance of the Sages on the mountain and then viewing Link as a 10 year old child once again with time restored. Then, most surprisingly, Navi the fairy (who had been quite annoying for most of the game), leaves Link in a very subtle scene of emotion as if to say; 'job done, now live your own life' and Link turns around and leaves the temple with the [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome epic and majestic]] close-up of the Master Sword.
*** And then of course, there is his reunion with a child Zelda that ends with the two just standing and staring at each other.
** There's a part in [=OoT=] that makes this troper feel awful. I want you to imagine a soldier who protects the princess. This soldier is strong, proud, and loves his job. Now, let's skip to where Ganondorf is chasing the princess. The soldier tries to fight off Ganondorf soldiers, and he fights to the end. Injured, he limps to a back alley. You pass him, and asks you if you got what Zelda wanted to give to you, and tells you, slowly, to go to the Temple of Time. You try to talk to him again. No response. And that's what happens when you explore around Hyrule after Zelda is kidnapped.
*** Also, if you never found him before? He died alone in the alley, never knowing if the princess was going to be alright. Good job, jerk.
* This troper set down his controller for a minute and just stared as the Great Deku Tree shriveled up at the beginning of Ocarina of Time. I was thinking "But...but...I saved you. I went in, I killed Gohma, I SAVED YOU DAMMIT!" That moment stuck with me so long that when I dealt the final blow to Ganon at the game's ending, I thought "And that one was for the tree."
** Although, in a sense, killing Gohma ''does'' save the Deku Tree, considering that it was implied that Gohma being inside of him was keeping him alive but tortured, and destroying Gohma [[MercyKill allows him to die in peace]].
*** Unless, of course, you look at it the way I did after playing through that multiple times. The tree always dies, no matter how fast or how slow you are to kill Gohma. Even if you sit there in front of the tree for days, it won't die until after you kill Gohma. With that in mind, how do you know that you weren't the one to kill the Great Deku Tree, and Gohma wasn't actually keeping it alive?
* When you talk to Mido as Adult Link in ''Ocarina of Time'', after beating the Forest Temple.
-->Oh...I see... Saria won't ever come back... But...I...I made a promise to Saria... If Link came back, I would be sure to tell him that Saria had been waiting for him... Because Saria...really... liked... Hey, you. If you see him somewhere, please let him know... And also... I'm sorry for being mean to him. Tell him that, too.
** Made even sadder by considering that Mido may still carry the guilt from being mean to him, due to never ''really'' getting to apologize to Link himself (even though he ''did'', but Mido doesn't know that).
*** Another possible explanation: He ''does'' realize it's Mr. No-Fairy, but even with all his guilt, he pretends not to know for the sake of his pride.
* Doesn't anyone realize Saria's sacrifice at the end of the temple? She agrees to give up living in Hyrule forever. To leave her friends, her home, the Lost Woods, everything she knows for something she knows next to nothing about.
* How about the scene where you return to the Sacred Forest Meadow as an adult and you watch/hear Link slowly and mournfully stride up to Saria's sitting-stump and then stopping right in front of it while the camera lingers on it for awhile. And people praise Portal for simplistic, yet emotional, storytelling....
* This troper always felt bad for Malon post-TimeSkip, but until recently had never been to Lon Lon Ranch at night as Adult Link. While Ingo is asleep in Talon's bed, Malon stands in the middle of the corral, quietly singing Epona's Song...because she isn't ''allowed'' to sing it under Ingo's oppression. Winning Epona had never been quite so satisfying.
* A "happy tears" TearJerker moment was definitely the credits of ''Ocarina of Time''. First the beautiful music that plays as the game leads you through an abandoned Gerudo Fortress and Kakiriko village. Where did everyone go? They're having a great big party, celebrating their freedom after toiling for seven years under a CompleteMonster. Then, you get the misty-eyed moment of the Sages, who (as previously noted, are ''implied to be ghosts'') watching a newly-liberated Hyrule with big smiles on their faces (special mention to Talon and Ingo finally getting along like old buddies). But even that's not the end of it. In what has got to be one of the most beautiful ending scenes in VideoGame history, Link is returned the the Master Sword's pedestal as a child once more. Navi, her duty done, floats away, out of the window, and as Link turns to walk away, the camera pans on the Master Sword, pristine, as bells ring out. You were ''bawling'', admit it.
** Yes, and it's hard to ''not'' bawl ''[[BeyondTheImpossible even more]]'' when you see the scene right after it: The camera fades into the castle courtyard, where Zelda is still doing her window spying, when she hears footsteps quietly trekking toward her from behind. The nervous look she used take the glance over her shoulder immediately turned into surprise when she saw Link standing there, perhaps with an air of much greater maturity since she last saw him after considering [[TraumaCongaLine everything that had happened to him before he was sent back]]. The camera switches between the two of them just staring at each other before it finally decides to settle on both of them, and not once during these cuts do the characters remove their mutual gaze. Cue the freeze-frame and the slow fade into sepia tone, solidifying the fact that all the new experiences you just witnessed are now simply memories. To only add to the tears, do you want to know the only words that could be uttered during that scene?
-->"''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time''
--->THE END"
* Navi's "let's do this together!" line, referring to fighting the last boss, made this troper shed a lot of tears. Especially if you remember what happened to her during the previous boss fight.
** Navi [[TheScrappy gets a lot of hate]] on the internet. That scene in particular is a large reason why this troper cannot and will never agree with the hate.
*** This troper agrees, though it didn't make him cry...
* This troper doesn't feel as bad for Princess Ruto as she does for her father. Until you save Ruto as a child, he's a blubbering wreck. Then, in the future, it gets worse. [[spoiler: Not only does he lose her ''again'', but he is frozen at the time and powerless to stop it or even say goodbye]]. And, as if that wasn't enough, [[spoiler: she ''doesn't'' come back this time, and is hinted to have died in order to awaken as a sage.]] Imagine what the future must be like for him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Majora's Mask]]
* When you discover that [[spoiler:the Deku tree with the horrified expression you come across at the start of the game is in fact the Deku Butler's ''son'']]. Part {{Nightmare Fuel}}, part Tear Jerker.
** Then, of course, there's Darmani and Mikau's deaths, which become worse when you realize that you're effectively impersonating them in their societies...
*** Which if one thinks about it, just [[FridgeBrilliance further exemplifies Link's heroism]]. Link does what he does, not out of a desire for recognition, or for glory, but simply because it's the ''right thing to do''. And if doing the right thing means having to make the people think their hero is still alive so as to rekindle the hope within them, or letting them attribute all your hard work to another warrior, then so be it.
**** I don't believe that was what the previous troper meant. What happens when Link leaves? Suddenly, Mikau and Darmai are just...gone. No explanation, no reason, nothing. There one day, gone the next. Worse with Mikau, as his LoveInterest expresses her relief that Mikau didn't hurt himself, when you've already been forced to bury him. And then you have to play that song for her and their children...
* The Cutscene you get after you heal Darmani's ghost will make even the mos hardened zelda fan feel funny. The cutscene starts with Darmani's Ghost smply floating all alone in darkness when suddenly the roomlights up showing all of his goron friends and family cheeing him on with the song of healing playing in the background. It wold go under heartwarming, but Darmani is dead and unable to help his fellow gorons at all. The scene ends with him resigning himself to link in mask form knowing full well he failed his people.
** He might have failed, yes, but was still so determined to help his people that he lingered behind as a ghost. I take the cutscene as him finally being able to move on, and the Gorons he sees are welcoming him into the afterlife. The mask left behind is his physical body in its prime for Link to use in his stead, so he was able to help after all.
** This editor isn't sure which is more effective, helping Anju and Kafei reunite barely an (in-game) hour before [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the moon hits]], or, if you screwed up, talking to Kafei after he returns to an empty room.
*** The dialogue between Anju and Kafei makes it all the worse. [[spoiler: "Please take refuge. We are fine here. We shall greet the morning... together."]] I believe I speak for everyone when I quote the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Heartwarming/TheLegendOfZelda Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] page, "...[[HeroicResolve yes. You will.]] If you'll excuse me, I have a mask to destroy..."
*** Indeed. Now, whenever I go back to beat Majora's Mask, I tend to redo the entire Anju/Kafei storyline, as well as Romani Ranch, as it just seems to make so much sense to do so before going and squashing the [[BigBad Big Bad]].
*** If you fail to stop the conveyor belt before the Sun's Mask gets to the end (which will really only happen if you choose to let it, seeing as it's a rather slow conveyor and the rooms are easy enough), you and Kafei are trapped inside Sakon's hideout. You can warp out, but Kafei is stuck there. [[HeroicBSOD And he won't talk. He just stands there with that blank expression.]]
** Then there is the part of the game where you meet a little girl who seems to live alone in a house in the middle of Ikana Valley (a desolate wasteland of death and ghosts). Upon invesigating her house you come across a closet and open it... and find a ''horribly'' disfigured half mummy/half human object. Turns out that that's her '''father!''' Simply imagining all the suffering the girl has had to go through wihout a father and all alone is a large tearjerker.
*** The good news though is that he is healed and and that they become a family again which quite frankly is one of the most [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming touching moments in the game]] which considering the game, is really saying something.
** This troper had completely forgotten this scene. On being reminded of it again, she promptly burst into tears.
** It should be noted that the Deku Butler's son is whom you transform into, most likely. You transform into Mikau and Darmani [[spoiler: after they die]], so it would make sense because the son is, well-- dead. Skull Kid must have had something to do with it. </wrists>
*** EpilepticTrees say that Skull Kid killed the Deku Butler's son specifically to fuel the curse he puts on you.
**** The Deku Butler crying in front of the tree during the credits counts as well. He's one of the few to not get his happy ending...
***** This troper likes to think that Link brought Darmani, Mikau, and the Deku Butler's son back to life somehow at the end. It's just Wild Mass Hoping, but it fits with the "Healing" theme of the game.
**** What I happen to find even WORSE is that, in the manga version of this, the [[PrincessClassic Deku Princess]] apparently had [[UnequalPairing a crush on said Deku Butler's son]]. She understands that he's dead and at first begins to ask Link if he'd stay there, but takes it back, understanding that he has other things he has to do, and so settles for just being able to see his (the Deku Boy's) face once more. I find this incredibly sweet and very sad, [[ThisIsUnforgivable making me hate Majora all the more.]]
** The whole story of the swordsman always got me. He's really arrogant and brave for the three days then in the final hours he's hiding and completely terrified that the world is ending. Majora's Mask was a powerful game!
** Try waiting until the final hours of the third day, then talk to as many people as you can, sadness peaks for characters like the mail man who is so bound by duty that he feels unable to leave.
** The gate guards also deserve mention. Usually, when you try to leave town as normal Link they stop you because they can't allow a child to go out on his on, but then let you go after they see you have a sword. In the third day, however, they stop you because they are desperate to know if there's an official evacuation order and they they tell you how much it crushes them to still see kids playing around town.
** Then there's Cremia and Romani, if you see them at night on the final day after you've solved their other problems. Cremia is telling her little sister that she is giving her a Romani mask AND letting her drink some Chateau Romani for the first time (which means she is considered an adult). What makes this a tear-jerker is that Cremia knows the world is going to end tonight -- she knows Romani isn't going to live to see adulthood. That scene certainly makes this troper teary.
*** To add to that. If you talk to them after they leave the barn to go to the house they both say "see you tomorrow", but in different ways. Romani says it as she would if it were any other day seeing as she doesn't know that there may not be a tomorrow. Cremia pauses for a moment, as if debating whether or not to say it when she knows it may not be true.
** You think the scene when you succeed is bad? Fail at the part where you need to defend the barn from aliens. Romani is taken along with the cows, her fate unknown. Come back the next morning and enter the barn. Cremia is sitting there, sobbing to herself, not even reacting when you talk to her. She sits there for nearly a whole day. Come back the next day, and she'll be outside, staring at you with no emotion at all. The game lacks voiceacting, but you can just imagine her speaking totally monotone. I cried for nearly fifteen minutes. Then I played the Song of Time and did the goddamn thing right.
*** Doesn't help when this troper actually had to do this 15. Freaking. Times. Before she got it right.
**** Really? Just use the bunny hood and run around the barn.
** This Troper got to the ranch for the first time on the Third Day, not knowing he could use Powder Kegs to get in early. He entered the location, heard the familiar and awesome Lon Lon Ranch theme begin, and as he run up to the main house he see Epona in her pen with Romani sitting on a crate nearby and tought "yay, I found Lon Lon Ranch!" Then he approached the Romani and saw her staring off into space with a blank look on her face, and enterrf the barn to find the place empty of animals, with Cremia standing alone in the middle of the barn crying. Five words came to mind "What the hell happened here?" Then this troper went back in time, got to the ranch on the first day when both sisters are bright-eyed and cheerful like Malon was, and you get to set things right so those horrible third day versions of the two never happen. This troper did indeed cry seeing the Ranch as it ''should'' be on the third day after such a dark first impression
** I tried stopping the moon after only saving three of the four giants, just to see what would happen. That was...it wasn't a good idea.
** ''Dawn of [[spoiler:a New Day]]''. * sniffle*
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SZiNSM8-E Particularly the part with the Skull Kid]]
*** Seconded. When he starts quivering and the fairies hug him...that's hard. But then, the Giant starts singing the Oath To Order...and I'm gone.
*** It's even better if you've listened to the stories from Anju's grandmother and realize how very, ''very'' old the Skull Kid must actually be, and the fact that he spent most of that time thinking that his friends no longer cared about or remembered him.
** For this troper just hearing the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDX4ZwUeOok Song of Healing's full version]] is enough... though that's probably because it conjures up the images that accompanied it in-game.
** This troper has some small knowledge of meteor hits, and the evacuation attempts really get to him when he realizes that with an impact of such magnitude as the moon, ''nothing on the planet would survive'', no matter how far away they are from the blast, meaning unless you actually destroy the moon, the evacuation attempts are absolutely futile.
*** The game actually makes a point of not-so-subtly implying this. The people that are evacuating are desperately trying to find a safe place, that probably ''won't'' be safe. Under many conditions, Anju (and a few others) will relocate to Romani Ranch to ask Cremia for shelter. Unfortunately, people at the ranch are well aware that this isn't going to help, since they mention the ranch isn't safe either. There's also one person who uses a Spider House as essentially a bomb shelter, but whether even that would protect him from the moon is unclear (unlikely though).
**** It would be even worse if it did. Imagine exiting your little shelter, having survived the apocalypse, [[FridgeHorror and realizing you're the only living thing left on the planet]]. And that's assuming a Class 5 ApocalypseHow...[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel now imagine returning to a Class 6]].
***** Um... pretty sure Classes 5 and 6 would appear basically the same.
* This troper got teary-eyed when her older brother told her that the reason the bomber kids were still in Clock Town was because '''''no one''''' bothered to tell them that the moon was going to crash into the town. As annoying as they can be they're freaking '''''kids'''''.
** I always thought it was because they didn't have anywhere to go. They don't seem to have any parents or anyone else to look after them except each other. I had thought they had just been left behind.
* The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdfqKRD94wg Midnight of the Final Day music]], which also doubles as HighOctaneNightmareFuel.
** This is the song of the apocalypse. A song of unfinished duties and lost hope, dreams and goals and personal desires being put to the side as evident destruction awaits us, ready to pulverize us in our eternal unhappiness.
* The (chicken herding) dude with the mohawk always made me very sad. His backstory is nonspecific, but suggests that he has lead an incredibly lonely, sad life. And then he just accomplishes one thing. And then he's ok with dying. He doesn't ask for his wasted life back. He just wants to do one thing and then die.
* On the second day, Anju goes to the Clock Town laundry pool in hopes of seeing Kafei. If you talk to her, Anju breaks down crying and admits that she's afraid to talk to him because she'd have to ask why he left, and thinks it's because he doesn't love her anymore. Damn, just... ''damn.''
** You know what's worse? If you overheard a conversation Anju has with her mother following the night of the second day, her insecurities of Kafei's love to her stemmed from her mom being 100% convinced he left her at the altar for her best friend, Cremia, because according to Mom she's prettier and Kafei will gain much more from the business Cremia has than the Inn Anju tried to run.
** To add to it, the family's already been through a similar incident, as the above conversation and another at the ranch reveal; Anju's father left at some point, and her mother had spent some time hoping he'd return one day, to no avail. She's come to believe it's happening all over again to her daughter. Sure, she turns out to be wrong about Kafei and Cremia. Still, given that she's just trying to keep Anju from through the same heartbreak she did, especially at a time when their own survival is in danger, it becomes a little more understandable why she'd say those things...even though said backstory gives Anju even more reason to feel that Kafei might have abandoned her, possibly eloping a close friend of hers.
* The meeting that decides the fate of Clock Town; nobody's the bad guy, it's a room full of people who can't or won't understand the magnitude of what's happening. Of particular note is the guard commander strenuously arguing in favour of a full evacuation inside the room, then instantly snapping "the mayor's orders are absolute!" when questioned outside as if he's trying to remind ''himself'' of that. The fact that they're debating having a carnival everyone ought to be happy and excited about only makes it worse.
* The Ikana soldiers. There's something terribly sad about soldiers who felt such loyalty to their captain that they won't abandon their posts even in death.
** What I always found touching is that you can tell certain soldiers that their jobs are finally over,they salute you one last time and then disintegrate. They couldv'e finally rested whenever they wanted to, but were/are ''that'' determined. Deep stuff.
** The soldiers, you say? How about the Skull Keeta himself? The scene right before you get his mask...* sniffle*
** Though the blow is dampened a bit when you realize that this is the same person that [[FridgeHorror made children (Remember all of the Stalchilds?) fight in his war...]]
* Here's something you may not've realized. It's possible to help everyone with their problems and still finish the game... except for 1 exception. Do you want to stop Sakon from mugging the old woman? That means Anju and Kafei will never be reunited. Want to help the young couple get married? That means you're allowing a nice old lady to get robbed. In terms of gameplay the choice is obvious, but you'll probably have to wrestle with the morality of allowing a local business to suffer for someone's relationship (and vice versa).
* Gorman, of all people, ends up getting one of these with your help. With the carnival canceled, Gorman doesn't know what to do anymore, seeing as their huge gig got blown at the same time. Unless you intervene, the guy will spend two straight nights being drunk and miserable at the local milk bar, with his troupe none the wiser. Said intervention being to play the song "Ballad of the Wind Fish" in the bar, this song being the catalyst of Gorman getting into show business in the first place. The effect on him is... touching, considering his overall unpleasant demeanor throughout the game. After deciding to come down with the facts to his troupe, he hands you a mask that is a literal [[TearJerker tear jerker]] to all observers. Especially to his even more unpleasant brothers. A short, yet very emotional sidequest.
** Also, if you do it on the first day, he won't go back to the bar the second day, instead opting to stay in the inn and playing cards with the juggling brothers. Nothing big, but still leaves you with the feeling that he's becoming nicer.
** Showing the mask to the Gorman brothers is a minor one as well. Seeing their brother's face, they weep for their wasted lives.
* ''Majora's Mask'' is such a TearJerker-fueled game that even [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Mf2mp6fms the commercials]] are bawl-worthy.
** [[{{HSQ}} Holy shit]], what the [[PrecisionFStrike fuck]] was [[ManlyTears THAT?]]
** Makes you kinda sad when you consider that the commercials for Majora's Mask all featured a kid saving the world by beating Majora's Mask in three days...
* The Moon's Tear, when you think about it. The moon is ''crying''. Even it doesn't want to go through with this. [[http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=1517 This]] BrawlInTheFamily strip manages to sum it up pretty well.
* I'm surprised no one mentioned the monkey in the Deku Temple. I can't remember it exactly but if you go back immediately after he tells you to rescue the princess, [[spoiler:they dip the monkey into the boiling pot. TWICE. The first time he comes up saying that it's really hot and he tries to get free. The second time, his body is lifeless, completely with glassy eyes.]] That was one of the main reasons I tried my best to free that princess...I didn't want that to be on my hands for the rest of the game...
* Am I the only one who felt horrible [[spoiler:after playing hide-and-seek with those mask-children on the moon?]] There was just something about the way [[spoiler:the boy wearing Majora's Mask sat under the tree with all this calm, serene scenery surrounding him, all alone, lamenting how the other kids were gone... Then asking if you wanted to play with him.]] I mean, I know how horrible that mask made everyone's lives in Termina, but still... It gets me every time.
* The Postman sidequest. It all resolves around the postman and his inability to flee the city because [[InsaneTrollLogic its not is schedule]]. If you play the game a certain way, you can finally make it so that he is ordered by his boss to flee the city and override the shedule. Upon recieving the news,he simply jogs out of the bar he was in slowly and happily proclaims his freedom. He finally removes his hat and runs out of town, finally going back to what he has always done best, being the running man from Ocarina of Time. A Zelda fan should understand why its so touching.
* Am I the only one who tears up at the questions of the Lunar Children ("I wonder... If you do the right thing... Does it really make... everybody... happy?" "Your friends... What kind of... people are they? I wonder... Do these people... think of you... as a friend?" etc.) It makes me think that they aren't the bad guys; they're just misled and ignorant. And very lonely.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Oracle of Ages/Seasons]]
* That [[TheScrappy annoying guy]] who's been pestering you throughout ''Oracle of Ages'' is revealed to be the future descendent of the possessed queen... and he is prepared to kill his own ancestor, [[GrandfatherParadox erasing his own existence]], if that's what it will take to stop the BigBad.
--->'''Ralph:''' Fine! If I slay you, I vanish! Maybe it is terrifying... But if I must, I must. To do nothing and live just isn't me.
** The reunion of Ambi and her lost lover, the Pirate Captain in a linked game of ''Oracle of Seasons''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wind Waker]]
* This troper just outright ''bawls'' at the point in ''The Wind Waker'' where [[spoiler:Tetra is revealed to have really been Princess Zelda]] -- just... that ''music'' and [[spoiler:her parting words]] and fsmnslflfgng
* Speaking of ''Wind Waker'', this troper is moved to tears by [[spoiler:everything the King says just before and after the final battle]]. Making the player [[spoiler:''not'' want to save Hyrule]] is quite something, especially when you think it was a potential final game in the series.
--> "I have scattered the seeds of the future."
** [[spoiler:Ganondorf's]] speech just before said [[spoiler:final battle]] nearly did it for this troper. While he was [[WellIntentionedExtremist doing it all wrong]], all he really wanted was for his people to stop dying...
*** At least prior to getting a taste for [[AGodAmI godhood]]...
*** Summarized and then parodied [[http://hiimdaisy.livejournal.com/17710.html#cutid1 here]]. Again, spoilers.
*** An alternate interpretation to his death quote can make him feel kind of sympathetic in light of his goals, almost as though, in his dying moments, much like [[spoiler: The king]], he's realized link as a hero of a magnitude similair to the hero of time, and realizes that, in some way shape or form, he will bring hyrule back to life (And [[TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks He did]]).
--> "The wind...it is...blowing."
*** The above quote can be viewed as a tear jerker or FridgeHorror, depending on which "wind" you think he's referring to. The tear jerker option is the wind that blew through Hyrule-- the one he was referring to in saying "I coveted that wind, I suppose"-- and it's kind of nice to think that, regardless of what he did, [[spoiler: he got to experience it one last time before death.]] On the ''other'' hand, he could be referring to the wind that blew through the Gerudo Valley-- the destructive wind. Either is an entirely feasible option since [[spoiler: Hyrule has been restored for some small amount of time while Link's been fighting through the castle... but it's also true that Hyrule is pretty much screwed at this point.]]
* Also in ''Wind Waker'', when Prince Komali arrives to find [[spoiler:Medli has left (to become a sage, although he doesn't know that)]]. What makes it worse is when you come back, he's still waiting for her to return, to give her a flower. Come back even later, and the flower's wilted... but he's still waiting.
* My god, nobody has mentioned Link's poor Grandmother yet? seriously, that actually made me cry, honestly! When she was having those nightmares (Courtesy of Ganondorf I'm guessing), it just made me cry.
** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGgnrlfR1os&feature=related music]] does it for me every time.
** This troper's reaction was....[[ItsPersonal slightly different]], which made giving Ganondorf the beating of a lifetime [[spoiler: as well as a Master Sword ''lobotomy'']] all the sweeter at the end. Almost as satisfying as destroying the Helmaroc King. Whether they're fictional or not, ''[[KnightTemplarBigBrother you leave]] [[PapaWolf this troper's family]]'' ''''' [[AFateWorseThanDeath alone.]]'''''
* How can no one have mentioned the ending of Wind Waker? That whole final fight is just one giant heart wrenching tear jerker, with the King reminiscing over all his guilt and having spent every single day since the fall of Hyrule beating himself over having not saving it from being flooded, and asking Zelda and Link to forgive their ancestors for leaving them nothing but ocean. It's cemented when Zelda asks him to come with them to rebuild Hyrule, and the King just smiles and says it'd be their land, not Hyrule. The absolute clencher though, is when finally, all the water finally gives way, and Link and Zelda are forced up to the surface, and Link, who has bonded with the King over this entire journey, reaches out to him as he's being dragged away, and the King, for a moment, reaches out too, only to solemnly drop his hand back down. I argue this ending is just as sad as Twilight Princess's ending, because Link tries to hard to get to the king, and the king is equally heartbroken to see Link go.
** This troper felt the same way, but when she saw that [[spoiler: the eyes of the King of Red Lions were closed during the epilogue, she just let out a torrent of tears that she had held back since the flooding.]]
* The first time you enter the sunken Hyrule Castle, but before claiming the Master Sword. Everything is frozen and grey. The castle is in ruins, overrun by monsters. And that creepy, sorrowful reed music plays in the background. After having spent so much time saving Hyrule again and again in the previous games, it made me sad to see it at its end.
* Ladies and gentlemen, I present [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aO50pX6uLE Departure]], which only plays two times over the course of the game-- both equally heart-wrenching. The first is when Link sets out with the pirates, toward the Forsaken Fortress, waving to his Grandma, and the second... [[spoiler: is when Link sets out with the pirates at the end of the game, beginning the search for New Hyrule.]] The positions are roughly reversed, with [[spoiler: Aryll]] running the length of the dock to wave to him, as they set off. The music alone makes me tear up years after experiencing it for the first time ''and'' multiple play-throughs later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Minish Cap]]
* Was [[{{@/Dmboogie}} This Troper]] the only one who was sad when [[spoiler: Ezlo has to return to his home dimension, presumably leaving Link forever]]?
** ''"It suits you... little hero."'' Oh, god! D;
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Twilight Princess]]
* "Link I.... see you later" had me in tears
* The ending of ''[[LegendOfZelda Twilight Princess]]'', when [[spoiler: the Mirror of Twilight begins to crack and Link and Zelda realize that they will never be able to see Midna again.]]
** [[http://www.mediafire.com/?2qmmkbmogxm That has to be the most depressing moment in the entire series, especially for Link]]. Is it any surprise that [[spoiler:fans really, really [[http://wantmidnaback.com/ want her back]]?]]
*** No, of course not. It's also a sign of good storytelling; [[spoiler: when Midna first visited Link in the dungeon, I hated her and found her almost as grating as Slippy Toad. The more the character developed and the more you learned about her, though, it just made it seem that much more like you never appreciated her until it was too late, which makes it all the worse.]]
**** It flat ''snuck up'' on me. [[spoiler:Midna was annoying at first, but I just got used to her as the plot went along, knowing she'd be there virtually the entire time. Then I was so wrapped up in the game that I didn't realize I actually liked her until that moment. It was a profound moment.]]
**** This troper [[YourMilageMayVary doesn't particularly care for Midna,]] but that scene still almost made her cry. It wasn't Midna, it was Link. Just... when he realized she [[spoiler: broke the mirror]]... his ''face''... [[NotSoStoic it's just so...]]
** You can't forget the part when Midna [[spoiler: is mortally wounded and Link runs with her on his back in wolf form taking her to Zelda as a melancholy piano piece sweeps in.]]
*** And when you reach Zelda, does Midna ask Zelda to [[spoiler:help her? No. Despite being mortally wounded and close to death, the reason she wanted you to "hurry to Zelda" was so that she could ask Zelda to help ''Link'', who had had the wolf-curse reapplied on him through Zant's evil magic. She may as well be on her ''deathbed'', and Midna doesn't say a word about her own condition.]]
**** She ''is'' on her deathbed. She's a creature of darkness who has just gotten a full blast from a ''spirit of light.'' She fully asks Link if he could manage without her.
---> Midna: Link . . . you can . . . get there without me . . . right?
**** This troper was so struck by that segment in the game that she actually decided to name her then-three-week-old puppy "Midna". Said dog is now a year old and is every bit as intelligent and devious as you'd expect a Midna to be.
*** And so, Nintendo decided that particular scene was gut-wrenching enough. No, wait, [[spoiler:Zelda performs a HeroicSacrifice to save Midna. And the worst part is? Midna is ''protesting,'' practically ''begging'' Zelda not to do it...''but she does anyway'', with a serene, encouraging look on her face the whole time. And then she's gone.]] [[ManlyTears Dammit...]]
** Let's not forget Queen Rutela. The scene after she gives Link the Zora Armor was a tear jerker for this troper.
*** [[spoiler: "If you see him again, please pass on this message... Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing. Tell him she wanted him to be brave and live on as the king of our people. And... Tell him his mother...loves him without end. Tell him... Please tell my son when he wakes...]] Sniff...sniff...
*** Of course, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jXTWOM6i3c the music]] played in that scene really helps stir the well if you get my meaning.
**** Thats the Serenade of Water from Oo T. Definitely {{Crowning Music of Awesome}}
*** No love for the scene in the credits, where Prince Ralis is sitting at the edge of the river and the Queen is watching over him? And then Ralis stands up, and looks as if he swore he could've seen something. * sniff*
** ''Twilight Princess'' cements [[spoiler: OOT Link]]'s downer ending: [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that the spirit that passes his techniques to Link is the Link from ''Ocarina of Time'', finding himself unable to move on with his life]]. Dammit, Nintendo, it's like you ''enjoy'' torturing him.
** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied that the spirit is Link's father, or at least a closely-related ancestor (great-grandfather?), who regrets not being able to teach his son/descendant anything, so much that he won't pass on until he teaches someone all his hidden moves.]]
*** Taking into consideration the amount of time that has passed since OOT (~100 years), the two may be one in the same.
* It's a much smaller moment than most of the examples here, but the look of absolute devastation on Yeto's face after the fifth boss in ''Twilight Princess'' (Blizzeta) certainly tugged at this troper's heartstrings.
** Although the reconciliation was [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming heartwarming]] enough to make up for it.
* If you decide to play the talk-to-all-the-cats game in the Hidden Village, the cucco says that they have short memory spans (or something like that) and if you leave the village before you've talked to all twenty, they'll ''forget you were ever there''. This is clearly just meant to be a more creative way of saying "the game resets if you leave the area", but the way the cucco talks about how lonely the kitties are, coupled with the fact that they probably won't even remember playing with you...this troper had to take a break from the game to cry her eyes out.
** This troper likes to think that the cats just really, really want to make sure everybody gets played with, and likes to remind herself that cats in RealLife have very good memories. I know applying real world facts to games doesn't always work, but dangit, it makes me feel better!
** I didn't think of it that way before. YouMonster.
* How about when you return to Ordon village after being turned into a wolf, all of the townspeople are beating themselves up over how the children are missing, and Link is viewed as a monster. I just wanted to shout: "It's me, people! I'm safe! I want to help!" so badly, I almost cried. AndIMustScream.
** This counts as definitely in-universe for Link. If you don't manage to avoid Rusl, imagine how Link feels when one of his closest friends slashes him with a sword? Makes me wish Link would later, once human again, [[WhatTheHellHero point out that his wolf-self never moved to attack Rusl anyway and for all Rusl knew, didn't mean any harm.]] Not to mention pretty much all the [human] NPC's in the game treat Wolf!Link like a [[WhatMeasureIsANonhuman monster that has no soul]] ''when he just looks like your average wolf.'' Even if it's supposedly in self-defence, normally the player doesn't ever move to even use an attack near any humans, yet they still treat him badly. Unless it's ''Midna'' they're freaking out about, but, well, [[YourMileageMayVary she doesn't look THAT scary,]] and considering the guy in the forest who gives you your latern at the beginning as well as Agitha both never mention Midna if you speak to them as the wolf, I always thought she was InvisibleToNormals unless she doesn't want to be.
** Coro, the man in Faron woods who gives you the lantern, is one of the only humans who doesn't freak out when he sees Wolf Link. He actually calls him a good pup or something to that effect, it's cute.
** He even lampshades the reaction Wolf Link gets from other humans. The other prominent one who isn't frightened by Wolf Link is Agitha, but she's... a little [[CloudCuckoolander funny in the head.]]
* Was this troper the only one who thought Twilight Princess had the saddest ending of any of the 3D Zelda games? Think about it for a moment - [[spoiler: Midna shatters the mirror to prevent her returning to the light world, robbing Link of his one true companion throughout the adventure. Although he had some help from others, none of them really understand the extent of Link's hardships and the battles he's fought. Sure, he still has Ilia, but in the final scenes of the credits, we see the goat herder go to Link's house to call on him for help. Then we see Ilia watching as Link, in full hero garb, rides off on Epona, out of Ordon and back into Hyrule, a not-so-subtle indication that Link has left behind his life and friends in Ordon to continue looking for Midna - much like [=OoT=]'s Link went searching for Navi. He'll never have any peace of mind again, even though he's defeated Ganondorf and saved the world. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice job traumatizing Link, Midna.]]]]
** This troper finds that...ironic considering the game is VERY similar to [=OoT=] in a LOT of ways. She now [[FridgeHorror fears]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt for the]] [[TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask sequel.]]
* This troper seems to be alone here, but when Link walks into Telma's bar for the first time after dispelling the Twilight, and Ilia looks straight at him and doesn't recognize him at all--the look on his face was pretty heartbreaking to me.
** Don't worry, this troper was wimpering when that happened as well. "Did she not see him? No, she looked ''right at him''..."
* Okay more of a tearjerker caused by nostalgia but admit it, you shed at least one tear when you opened the door to the entrance to the temple of time and got hit by that music. Thank you, Nintendo, thank you.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Phantom Hourglass]]
* For this troper, there was a huge tear-jerker in ''Phantom Hourglass'': The final battle. It looks like Link and Tetra are about to get all of their life-force sucked out of them by Bellum for good, but suddenly, Linebeck, of all people starts to fight the monster off. This must be, like, the hugest character development in a Zelda game EVER! (Not even Midna accomplished to change her ways ''that'' much). After all you've gone through so much alongside this JerkWithAHeartOfGold, he's finally proven that he's more than just a selfish idiot... and suddenly, Bellum comes up, possesses him and transforms him into a monster himself. Your only choice is to fight him, right after he got his CrowningMomentOfAwesome. Even made worse by the fact that he weakly calls out to Link, just before the transformation is done.
** It's even better in the (little known) manga, where he almost ''commits suicide'' to stop Bellum, and it takes a time sphere to stop him!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Spirit Tracks]]
* Although it probably has more effect if you played ''Phantom Hourglass'' beforehand, finding [[spoiler:Linebeck's grave]] in ''Spirit Tracks'' is pretty darn depressing. In a mixture of [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Heartwarming]] and {{Tear Jerker}} though, [[spoiler: the message on the grave calls Linebeck something along the lines of 'A Legendary Sailor']].
** [[spoiler: "Here rests the legendary Captain Linebeck."]]
* Also, [[spoiler: Right before the final boss of Spirit Tracks, when Malladus kills Byrne. In my opinion, that was uncalled for.]]
* When I saw the trailer for ''SpiritTracks'' that included the scene where [[spoiler:[[ShipTease Link and Zelda hold hands]]]], I practically squealed and told myself I'd be a very happy gamer when I got to that part. Well, when I did...[[spoiler:It wasn't (just) that they were holding hands because they liked each other. They were holding hands because the Lokomo, their best allies, and Byrne, the man who pulled a HeelFaceTurn and sacrificed himself to save their lives, had just [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended to a higher plane of existence]]. They had just been through the toughest, most exhilarating, craziest adventure in their lives, and ''they were the only ones who came out of it still alive.'' The clasping hands wasn't just a ShipTease moment -- it was an affirmation that all they had left was each other.]] I frickin' ''bawled.'' ...yes, I am a male troper. Can I get away with claiming they were ManlyTears?
** Permission to cry: Granted.
*** [[InelegantBlubbering Damn it, guys! I was almost all the way through!]]
* Disorientation Station. It's one of the many optional minigames/sidequests in SpiritTracks. A guard from Hyrule Castle is all the way out at that little station in the middle of nowhere, and he tells you that he and his friend went to find the treasure in the maze. He backed out after encountering a giant fire-breathing plant, but his friend continued searching, and hasn't come back. He asks you to go in and find him. While navigating the maze, you may encounter a message from the lost guard:
-->To my eternal friend and treasure-hunting partner, I can't seem to find the way out. I believe I am hopelessly lost. I don't think I have much longer left, so I want to apologize to you. I had originally intended to claim the treasure for myself... Even though you always looked out for me. When you ran off, I thought nothing of it and went on to find the treasure. I was a fool. I want you to know that you shouldn't waste any worry on me. Just move on with your life and please, think of me every once in a while. You are, were, and will always be my dearest friend. Farewell.
** And it only gets sadder when you leave the maze and tell the first guard about the message. It's a surprisingly tragic conversation for an NPC who bears no relevance to the main plot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Others]]

[[/folder]]

**** I don't believe that was what the previous troper meant. What happens when Link leaves. Suddenly, Mikau and Darmai are just...gone. No explanation, no reason, nothing. There one day, gone the next. Worse with Mikau, as his LoveInterest expresses her relief that Mikau didn't hurt himself, when you've already been forced to bury him. And then you have to play that song for her and their children...

* Okay more of a tearjerker caused by nostalgia but admit it, you shed atleast one tear when you opened the door to the entrance to the temple of time and got hit by that music. Thank you, Nintendo, Thank you.

[[folder:Others]]
* ''A Link to the Past'' did it best with the Flute Boy scene.
** This troper seconds that.
---> "I just wish I could have seen him... one more time."
*** ''A Link to the Past'' did it with the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJh3D_zX0To credits music]].
* Lets not forget Link's Awakening where [[spoiler: the whole island ends up being inside the Windfish's dream and when you wake him up so Link can leave the island, everyone you got to know in the game blinks out of existence - with the scene hanging on Marin singing for a few moments before ending. Put this together with the realization that the monsters attacking you were pretty much just trying to keep you from destroying their existence, makes this a fairly depressing game]].
** And the music that accompanies it, the Ballad of the Wind Fish... it's so... melancholy * sniff* ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOKPIG23vgY unadorned version]]; the actual ending is more embellished, but the melody is so... haunting... lachrymosic * sob* ). [[IncrediblyLamePun Link]] was broken, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWEJMGxTBs here]] is one that will bring tears to your eyes.
** And your very last image of [[spoiler: Tarin? Is him ''beaming and holding up a mushroom'' as he slowly fades out of existence.]]
** Though if you beat the game without dying (not even once!) then Marin turns into a seagull at the end instead of [[spoiler: dissapearing into nothingness]]. It really happens, my brother was so upset with the orignal end, he played the whole thing all over again and made sure not to die.
** Hey you thought that was depressing? Think about this one for a minute: [[spoiler: After love interest Marin realizes that Link is going to leave the island, and some hinting that perhaps she had even realized the true nature of her existence, her only request was for Link to never forget her or her song. The character has never appeared or even been mentioned again in any other Legend of Zelda game. Ever. Neither has the song.]] Twilight Princesses' ending doesn't really compare to [[spoiler: being obliterated AND forgotten.]] Who would have thought that the most depressing game in existence was a monochrome gameboy game from 1993? Oh, and also? [[spoiler: The song you use to wake the wind fish and erase the island is the love song that she taught you.]] Nothing can escape from the black hole of hopelessness that is this game's ending, except maybe a [[spoiler:seagull.]]
*** You're wrong. The memory might be corrupted and decayed, but somehow, against all odds, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrlWZoyEouY someone remembers]].
*** The Links in subsequent games are [[LegacyCharacter different Links]], chances are the one you play as in that game never did forget.
*** That's worse, actually. He'll never see her again. Ever.

* Was [[{{@/Dmboogie}} This Troper]] the only one who was sad when [[spoiler: Ezlo has to return to his home dimension, presumably leaving Link forever]]?
** ''"It suits you... little hero."'' Oh, god! D;

* That [[TheScrappy annoying guy]] who's been pestering you throughout ''Oracle of Ages'' is revealed to be the future descendent of the possessed queen... and he is prepared to kill his own ancestor, [[GrandfatherParadox erasing his own existence]], if that's what it will take to stop the BigBad.
--->'''Ralph:''' Fine! If I slay you, I vanish! Maybe it is terrifying... But if I must, I must. To do nothing and live just isn't me.
** The reunion of Ambi and her lost lover, the Pirate Captain in a linked game of ''Oracle of Seasons''.

* Ezero's good-bye at the end of the amazing ''Minish's Cap'' for the GBA. He's Link's partner for the entire game, and usually treats Link like CRAP , but in the end[[spoiler: he thanks him for by an amazing partner and for all the help]]. BAAAAAAW!!!

* Disorientation Station. It's one of the many optional minigames/sidequests in SpiritTracks. A guard from Hyrule Castle is all the way out at that little station in the middle of nowhere, and he tells you that he and his friend went to find the treasure in the maze. He backed out after encountering a giant fire-breathing plant, but his friend continued searching, and hasn't come back. He asks you to go in and find him. While navigating the maze, you may encounter a message from the lost guard:
-->To my eternal friend and treasure-hunting partner, I can't seem to find the way out. I believe I am hopelessly lost. I don't think I have much longer left, so I want to apologize to you. I had originally intended to claim the treasure for myself... Even though you always looked out for me. When you ran off, I thought nothing of it and went on to find the treasure. I was a fool. I want you to know that you shouldn't waste any worry on me. Just move on with your life and please, think of me every once in a while. You are, were, and will always be my dearest friend. Farewell.
** And it only gets sadder when you leave the maze and tell the first guard about the message. It's a surprisingly tragic conversation for an NPC who bears no relevance to the main plot.
[[/folder]]

<<|TearJerker|>>

*** An alternate interpretation to his death quote can make him feel kind of sympathetic in light of his goals, almost as though, in his dying moments, much like [[spoiler: The king]], he's realized link as a hero of a magnitude similair to the hero of time, and realizes that, in some way shape or form, he will bring hyrule back to life (And [[{{The legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks}} He did]]).

* Okay more of a tearjerker caused by nostalgia but admit it, you shed atleast one tear when you opened the door to the entrance to the temple of time and got hit by that music. Thank you, Nintendo, Thank you

** The whole scene was very sad and touching, but what put [[TheNerdyNinja This Troper]] over the edge was how, after taking the Ocarina, Link, not knowing how to react, ''just runs off'' as fast as he can, not even looking back.

** Though canonically split into two timelines, a determinist understanding of time travel could nicely wrap up the previously mentioned tear jerkers, [[spoiler: if Shiek was actually Link all along. Hear me out on this one, Link goes back in time after defeating Ganondorf, knows all this stuff, and spends the next seven years learning the harp. The Zelda reveal is fabricated for Links benefit, more for mindfuck reasons than paradox issues. I came up with this theory when I first played it, and SuperSmash bros goes and ruins everything. ]]

** The ending of OoT was a huge one for this troper. The entire sequence was so beautifully done, with emotional scenes and perfect music. Seeing Link having to depart back to the past from Zelda (who it looked like was falling in love with him), seeing all the landscapes and realizing you had saved the world, the celebration of all the characters, the reappearance of the Sages on the mountain and then viewing Link as a 10 year old child once again with time restored. Then, most surprisingly, Navi the fairy (who had been quite annoying for most of the game), leaves Link in a very subtle scene of emotion as if to say; 'job done, now live your own life' and Link turns around and leaves the temple with the [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome epic and majestic]] close-up of the Master Sword.

** There's a part in OoT that makes this troper feel awful. I want you to imagine a soldier who protects the princess. This soldier is strong, proud, and loves his job. Now, let's skip to where Ganondorf is chasing the princess. The soldier tries to fight off Ganondorf soldiers, and he fights to the end. Injured, he limps to a back alley. You pass him, and asks you if you got what Zelda wanted to give to you, and tells you, slowly, to go to the Temple of Time. You try to talk to him again. No response. And that's what happens when you explore around Hyrule after Zelda is kidnapped.

* Was this troper the only one who thought Twilight Princess had the saddest ending of any of the 3D Zelda games? Think about it for a moment - [[spoiler: Midna shatters the mirror to prevent her returning to the light world, robbing Link of his one true companion throughout the adventure. Although he had some help from others, none of them really understand the extent of Link's hardships and the battles he's fought. Sure, he still has Ilia, but in the final scenes of the credits, we see the goat herder go to Link's house to call on him for help. Then we see Ilia watching as Link, in full hero garb, rides off on Epona, out of Ordon and back into Hyrule, a not-so-subtle indication that Link has left behind his life and friends in Ordon to continue looking for Midna - much like OoT's Link went searching for Navi. He'll never have any peace of mind again, even though he's defeated Ganondorf and saved the world. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice job traumatizing Link, Midna.]]]]
** This troper finds that...ironic considering the game is VERY similar to OoT in a LOT of ways. She now [[FridgeHorror fears]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt for the]] [[TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask sequel.]]

* Was [[{{Dmboogie}} This Troper]] the only one who was sad when [[spoiler: Ezlo has to return to his home dimension, presumably leaving Link forever]]?

** And the music that accompanies it, the Ballad of the Wind Fish... it's so... melancholy * sniff* ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOKPIG23vgY unadorned version]]; the actual ending is more embellished, but the melody is so... haunting... lachrymosic * sob* ).

*** The above quote can be viewed as a tear jerker or FridgeHorror, depending on which "wind" you think he's referring to. The tear jerker option is the wind that blew through Hyrule-- the one he was referring to in saying "I coveted that wind, I suppose"-- and it's kind of nice to think that, regardless of what he did, [[spoiler: he got to experience it one last time before death.]] On the ''other'' hand, he could be referring to the wind that blew through the Gerudo Valley-- the destructive wind. Either is an entirely feasible option since [[spoiler: Hyrule has been restored for some small amount of time while Link's been fighting through the castle... but it's also true that Hyrule is [[{{Understatement}} pretty much screwed]] at this point.]]