Though The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series in the whole world, it is a franchise that is not known for its narrative complexity. To be fair, most Nintendo games rarely have deep and complicated main stories. Rarely, if ever, would you witness a Mario game that isn’t simply about Mario saving the Princess from Bowser. This isn’t a criticism towards Nintendo; what works, works. The Legend of Zelda games do generally have epic stories, however, they rarely get more complex than Link stopping Ganon.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any themes or hidden plot lines in the games. In fact, there are plenty of hidden story elements in the franchise, many of which fans have failed to recognize. Some of the strongest story parts in the game are found within these plot points. While almost every Legend of Zelda is boiled down to a simple story of Link overcoming a great villain, there is actually a lot of concealed pathos within the narrative. Several of these hidden plot points are buried underneath the main story itself, while others are trapped in the realm of optional side quests.
For example, did you realize that in most Legend of Zelda titles Link comes from humble beginnings, which is a contrast towards the princess, Zelda? Did you also understand that Majora’s Mask is a game all about destruction, or that there is a Satoru Iwata tribute in Breath of the Wild? There are some strong themes within these games; you just have to sometimes look very closely to recognize them. In order to help you out, these are 20 Hidden Plot Lines That You Probably Missed In The Legend Of Zelda.
20 Cawlin’s Love Letter (Skyward Sword)
Cawlin is one of Link’s bullies from Skyloft in Skyward Sword. There is a side quest in which Cawlin would request Link to hand over a love letter to his crush. The player is then left with two options; give the love letter to Cawlin’s crush, or give it to a ghostly hand in the toilet. Either way, Cawlin ends up being the loser. If you give the letter to the crush, she would reject him, and her own crush would then quickly confess to her. If you give the letter to the ghostly hand, the ghost would think the letter is meant for her. She would then begin to stroke Cawlin’s hair when he sleeps, giving him bad dreams.
19 The Backstory Of Skull Kid And The Four Giants (Majora’s Mask)
There are a lot of things about Majora’s Mask that are left intentionally vague, which ultimately help the story. You can get the full backstory of the Four Giants from Anju’s Grandmother. According to her, the Four Giants were the protectors of Termina until they decided to split the land into four, and chose to protect the grounds while in slumber. After they went to sleep, their imp friend became upset and decides to cause a ruckus in Termina as a result. The imp’s disturbance was so bad, that the citizens of Termina were forced to awaken the Four Giants and banish the imp. The imp was heavily suggested to be the Skull Kid.
18 Skull Kid May Actually Be Immortal
Skull Kid, as his name suggests, acts and looks like a kid. However, there are enough context clues to suggest that Skull Kid is an immortal being. Not only was he around for the time of the Four Giants, but there is also a version of the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess takes place years into the future from Majora’s Mask. It is possible that the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess may be a different one from Majora’s Mask. However, the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess knew how to play Saria’s Song, which was taught to him by Link in Ocarina of Time.
17 Linebeck And Jolene (Phantom Hourglass)
While Link is almost always a blank canvas for gamers to project their own personality onto, The Legend of Zelda has always prevailed with its side characters. Saria, Tetra, Midna, and many other side characters from the franchise have proven to be bonafide iconic side characters. Linebeck, the cowardly and greedy ship captain from Phantom Hourglass, is no different. He walks a fine line of being hated and likable. Jolene, a pirate chasing after Linebeck, has a past with Linebeck. All the context clues suggest that Jolene and Linebeck were romantically together until Linebeck betrayed Jolene. It is hard to imagine Linebeck loving anyone other than himself, yet Jolene implies that there may is some good within Linebeck.
16 Ladies Throughout Time Have Had Crushes On Link
For a mute guy with an obsession with wearing green clothing and pointy hats, Link gets a lot of adoration. Ocarina of Time is really the first game that sets up the template of ladies falling for Link, with Saria, Ruto, and even Nabooru suggesting they have romantic feelings for Link. Twilight Princess also implies there is some romance between Link and his childhood friend Ilia. Even Midna from that same game may actually have feelings for Link as well. Other females who have feelings for Link include Mipha from Breath of the Wild, Lana and Cia from Hyrule Warriors, and Marin from Link’s Awakening. Weirdly enough, romantic implications between Link and Zelda don’t really become apparent until Skyward Sword.
15 Link’s Coming Of Age Story (Wind Waker)
Link often or not doesn’t really go through a character arc in the Legend of Zelda games. He never speaks, and he rarely showcases much personality other than being really brave. Wind Waker’s Link is a little bit different; he actually does go through a character arc. He starts off the game as a lazy boy, who is forced to wear a green tunic for his birthday. When his sister is stolen, however, Link decides to team up with pirates to search for her and save her. Not only does Link grow up throughout the game, but the story ends with Link officially leaving his island and traveling the world with the pirates.
14 Link’s Always The Underdog
Have you ever notice that every incarnation of Link comes from humble beginnings? He’s generally born as an orphan and is often working in a low-class job. In Twilight Princess he’s a farmer, while in Spirit Tracks he’s a train conductor. This is a contrast to Zelda, who is always reborn into royalty. Even Ganon has a greater reputation than Link. He is the first male birth of the Gerudo in a hundred years, which automatically makes him their king. By giving Link a more humble origin, it makes him more of an underdog, thus making his adventure to stop great wrong more enduring. Link’s humble beginnings suggest to players that anyone is capable of saving the world, including a farmer.
13 The Satoru Iwata Tribute (Breath Of The Wild)
Satoru Iwata’s passing in 2015 was probably one of the saddest moments in the gaming industry. Fans and people within the industry mourned profoundly for the passing of Nintendo’s President. For the work he has done for the company, Iwata was seemingly immortalized within the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In the game, you can come across a traveling salesman named Botrick. Botrick has more of a passing resemblance towards the late Iwata, with both sharing similar glasses and black hair. Botrick will talk to Link about the Lord of the Mountain, who lives on top of Satori Mountain. On top of Satori Mountain there is a serene pond, and at night the Lord of the Mountain shows up.
12 Brigo, The Preventer (Breath Of The Wild)
Since we are always controlling Link, we know what he is doing and the desired outcome of his actions. We know that Link will be all right since we are controlling him, and even if he doesn’t make it, it is a simple game over for us. For NPCs within the world of the game, they perceive Link’s actions a little different. In Breath of the Wild, if you stand on the ledge of the Proxim Bridge, a man name Brigo may walk past you and try to convince you not to jump. While we know Link wouldn’t be harmed by the fall, Brigo does not. If you don’t jump, Brigo will try talking to you and offers some help.
11 Jovani’s Curse (Twilight Princess)
Jovani from Twilight Princess is a greedy man, who made a deal with Poes to gain an immeasurable amount of wealth. Poes are ghost-like enemies that Link faces throughout the game. Jovani gets his wish; however, he and his cat are turned into gold. Link can help him if he defeats every Poe in the game, and regain a piece of Jovani’s soul from each Poe. Once Link has collected all pieces of Jovani’s Soul, Jovani is turned human. Initially ecstatic to be normal again, he tries looking for his girlfriend, only to find out she has moved on with someone else. For the remainder of the game, he is in a funk.
10 Zunari Is A Cheap Merchant (Wind Waker)
Zunari is a traveling merchant from Wind Waker, who set up a shop on Windfall Island. In a side quest, he requests Link to make trades with traveling merchants that are found across the world. While he gives Link things to trade with these merchants, the player still needs to fork over some rupees to complete the trade with a lot these merchants. You end up paying a lot of money in this side quest, and Zunari never refunds you because he is cheap. You eventually get useful items like the magic armor, but the end goal item you receive is a trophy of Zunari.
9 Ganon Won (In One Of The Timelines)
The Legend of Zelda timeline has always been confusing, even before Nintendo released the official timeline in one of the art books. Each game focuses on a different incarnation of Link and Zelda, so the assumption is that each game took place centuries apart. Nintendo complicated the whole timeline by revealing that the timeline is actually split into three. What makes it more confusing is the fact that the games are not in chronological order. The timeline that has A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, the original Legend of Zelda, and Zelda II happens in the future where Ganon wins in Ocarina of Time. So that means Ganon does beat Link in one of the timelines.
8 Mila And Maggie Subplot (Wind Waker)
Mila and Maggie are two girls in Wind Waker that live on Windfall Island. They began the opposite of each other. Mila began as a spoiled rich girl, while Maggie was a poor person. However, everything changes when both are taken by Ganon and are returned home by Tetra’s pirates. The pirates force Mila’s father to pay them with all his riches, making him poor. Meanwhile, the pirates took pity with Maggie’s family and chose not to charge her poor father. Instead, one of the pirates, who developed a crush on Maggie, decides to give her a really expensive necklace. Maggie’s father becomes rich, making Maggie and Mila switch roles. Maggie was now super rich, while Mila has lost everything.
7 The Deku Mask Has The Soul Of The Butler’s Son (Majora’s Mask)
Majora’s Mask begins with Skull Kid transforming Link into a Deku, small forest creatures made of wood and branches. While chasing after the Skull Kid, you come across a deformed tiny tree. Apparently, the tree used to be a Deku, and the Skull Kid tore out his soul. Later, you come across a Deku Butler, who tells Link that his Deku form looks a lot like his son, who mysteriously disappeared. During the game’s credits, the Deku Butler is seen mourning in front of the deformed tree. It is implied that the deformed tree is the Deku Butler’s son and that his soul was used to turn Link into a Deku.
6 Link And Zelda’s Love Transcends Time (Skyward Sword)
It’s interesting with how much the games showcase the many women of Link’s life being in love with him, yet rarely is Link’s relationship with Zelda anything more than platonic. There is definitely a connection between all the different versions of Link and Zelda, but their relationship doesn’t become specifically romantic until Skyward Sword. Since Skyward Sword is the earliest point in the Zelda timeline, every reincarnation of Link and Zelda originated from Skyward Sword. Zelda is reborn throughout the timeline because the Zelda from Skyward Sword was the reborn goddess Hylia. However, Link was no one particularly special, though he continued to be reincarnated to protect the reborn Zeldas.
5 The Forgotten Purple Link (Tri Force Heroes)
This is more of a theory than a hidden plot line. Nonetheless, it is a tantalizing concept that is hard to believe that it was not the developers’ intention. Tri Force Heroes is, in many ways, a spiritual successor towards the Four Swords spin-off games. Both are multiplier games where you and your friends take control of several versions of Link. Four Swords, as the name implies, has four different Links, while Tri Force Heroes only has three. The purple Link is sadly excluded in Tri Force Heroes. Or is he? If you play Tri Force Heroes by yourself, two of the Links are replaced by stone statues. One these statues is found in the main hub world, suggesting there was a fourth Link.
4 Marin Was Reborn As A Seagull (Link’s Awakening)
Despite how charming and lighthearted Link’s Awakening is, the game is actually secretly unhappy. After spending the whole game getting to know the citizens of Koholint Island, Link finds out the whole island is a fabrication of the Wind Fish’s dream. This is extra sad considering that Link begins having feelings for a girl named Marin. Of course, Link still awakens the Wind Fish and the whole island is erased. If there is a silver lining, it is the fact that Marin may have been spared. She told Link earlier that she wanted to be a seagull, and the last image of the game is a picture of Marin with a seagull flying by. It is implied that Marin got her wish.
3 The Hero’s Shade May Be A Past Incarnation (Twilight Princess)
The Hero’s Shade from Twilight Princess is the spirit of a past warrior who passed away unfulfilled. He shows up several times throughout the game, teaching Link new techniques to use in his fight. The Hyrule Encyclopedia paints a very tragic story for the Shade. It is implied in Twilight Princess, and mostly confirmed in the Encyclopedia, that the Hero Shade is a past reincarnation of Link. Not just any Link, but the Hero of Time version of Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. It is suggested that the Shade may be a Stalfos, skeleton warriors that are created when men become lost in the Lost Woods. The Shade may have been a Link that retired to the Lost Woods.
2 Everyone May Have Perished (Majora’s Mask)
One of the most popular theories and headcanons among the fandom is that everyone in Majora’s Mask, including Link, has all passed on. The land of Termina, the world of Majora’s Mask, is just purgatory and every citizen in the area is learning how to move on. While there isn’t a confirmation if this theory is true or not, the theme of mortality is undeniably present within the game. The Skull Kid has summoned the moon to crash into Termina and wipe out everyone. All the characters are dealing with their inevitable demise in their own way. Many characters are dealing with the passing of loved ones, and the masks that Link wears contains the souls of people who passed on.
1 Childhood’s End (Ocarina Of Time)
No matter how old and outdated the graphics get in Ocarina of Time, the eyes on Saria’s face when Link leaves his hometown for the first time is one of the most powerful moments in the franchise. Despite the simplicity of the overall narrative of Ocarina of Time, there is truly a story about the end of innocence. Link’s travel through time and turning into an adult is a metaphor for how quickly one must age in order to endure the struggles of the real world. Him saying goodbye to his childhood friend Saria showcases the true tragedy of growing up, as it forces you to give up the friends you made as a child while you take on the world.
