Nintendo Maintains Link and Zelda Are “Friends,” Despite Fan theories
TOKYO – Despite mounting fan speculation fueled by recent The Legend of Zelda games and comments from voice actors, Nintendo continues to officially characterize Link and zelda’s relationship as a friendship.The clarification comes as the highly anticipated live-action film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda begins filming in New Zealand.
The debate surrounding the protagonists’ relationship status resurfaced with the release of Tears of the Kingdom, which features Link and Zelda sharing a house-complete with a single bed-and references incarnations from Age of Imprisonment. Voice actress Patricia Summersett, who voices Zelda in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, initially stated in 2023 she believed the characters were “definitely ‘in a relationship,'” but later retracted the comment, stating her words had been ”misinterpreted.” Nintendo did not publicly address Summersett’s initial statement.
When directly asked for an official statement on the matter in December 2023, series producer Eiji Aonuma told IGN, “I’ll leave it up to everyone’s imagination whether Link and Zelda have a relationship. I don’t think Zelda is a type of game where the development team says, ’This is Zelda, this is the story, this is the game.’ Everything the development team wants to convey has already been incorporated into the game. The rest depends on the player’s imagination, on their reflection on how they feel, and what they experienced in the game.”
Though, a 2016 statement from Nintendo regarding Hyrule Warriors, a spin-off title, explicitly describes Link and Zelda as ”close friends.” This official stance contrasts sharply with the interpretations of many fans who believe the narrative of recent games hints at a deeper connection.
The live-action film, currently in production after casting its leads earlier this year, will offer a new interpretation of the iconic duo. Filming began recently in New Zealand, leaving fans to wonder how the film will portray the relationship between Link and Zelda.
