Legend of Zelda love interests, ranked from worst to best

Despite the fact that Link constantly voyages to save Princess Zelda and stop the evil Ganon/Ganondorf/Calamity Ganon, he actually has a plethora of love interests throughout the series!

As everyone knows: love makes the world go ’round, and we’re certainly suckers for romances stories. And guess what? Link’s relationships are fun to follow and make his grand adventures all the more interesting!

Before going on, we should be clear about two things:

1. “Worst” doesn’t mean bad. Even the lower relationships have their merits. Usually…

2. This isn’t shipping. There’s nothing wrong with shipping, of course, but there is a difference: shipping combines any two random characters for the pleasure of adoring fans, while we’re examining relationships that have been canonically established. Usually…

Now that’s finished, let’s get to it and check out the-

Love interests in Legend of Zelda from worst to best!

(And yes, many of these will be different Zeldas)

Just Friends – The Kiddos

Sometimes, Link is a kid! Since there could clearly be a relationship with these folks when everyone grows up, we’ll give them recognition. However, until they’re older, these are simply Link’s candidates for BFF:

Medli (Wind Waker)

I’ve been looking for a cute wallpaper and i found this. I instantly fell in love. from zelda

Medli has a great story that we find incredibly sad: after saving Dragon Roost Island and helping her brother find courage, Link realizes that sages need to constantly worship the gods to actualize the Master Sword’s power. Poor Medli is then dropped in an underground temple indefinitely, likely to become one of the withered sages from Breath of the Wild.

But if that wasn’t the case, Link could’ve been great friends with this adorable Rito kid. Hopefully, Link will bring the pirate ship around every once in a while to say “hello” and “thanks for saving us”!

Oh, and for Makar as well.

Purah (Breath of the Wild)

Purah from Zelda Breath of the wild #Zelda #ゼルダの伝説 pic.twitter.com/cqMDyBtcKd

— Daz / Arthur Charlon (@ArthurCharlon) February 15, 2019

Ah, one of Link’s many platonic Breath of the Wild crushes! It becomes especially platonic when she turns herself from a 100-year old woman into an intelligent and peppy child of, what, 7 years?

Still, now that Link and Zelda are back together and scouring the land for new horizons, we’re sure they’ll enjoy the occasional visit to Hateno Ancient Tech Laboratory every once in a while.

Tetra (Wind Waker)

Yeah, she’s also Zelda. However, we call her Tetra because – much akin to Sheik’s character switch – she has an entirely different personality in and out of costume! Tetra plays up the swank, smack-talking pirate queen role and constantly jokes with Link. Frankly, she’s pretty badass for a kid! The moment she becomes Zelda in Hyrule’s ruins, Tetra suddenly reverts a delicate princess in need of saving.

For that reason, Tetra, not Zelda,  is our top choice for Link’s friends!

Relationships

Now begins the true quest!

Princess Ruto (Ocarina of Time)

Overly Attached Ruto from zelda

Full disclosure: while relationships with Zoras like Ruto and Mipha are blantantly obvious, they make us a bit sad. Why, you ask? Because their love is almost totally unrequited and yet they’re unswayed regardless! We might even consider this particular relationship “bad”…

Here’s why: Princess Ruto sees Link for the first time and says, “You’re gonna be my husband, deal with it, yo”. That would be okay if the decision was passed off as the capitulations of a strong-willed young princess, but when they grow up she’s still chasing the pipe dream of a relationship. Link had a relationship with Mipha, but no love has formed here. 

The necessary time to develop a connection is important for story and relationships in general.

Now, we aren’t going to claim this relationship only gets attentions because some fans find adult Princess Ruto hot… We WILL say that she was intended to be comedic relief and works well as such! It can be pretty funny to watch her chastise Link for taking his time showing up to save Hyrule.

But is this a good, healthy relationship? No. Absolutely not.

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Zelda (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link)

Zelda from “Zelda II” is the only one we’ve included from the originals. Why? Because most of these titles don’t show anything between Link and the princess! In the first game, you simply quest to find Zelda as a heroic night, and in “A Link to the Past” the princess telepathically butt dials calls you to her aid shortly before your uncle gets brutally killed in Hyrule’s defense.

So, yeah, not much there…

At the very end of Zelda II, however, Link gets a solid hug from Zelda, which is enough to imply there’s something romantic happening. It’s happens quick, it’s at the very end, but it’s there!

And sorry about your uncle, Link. Press F.

Saria (Ocarina of Time)

Always Saria over Zelda from gaming

Ah, poor Saria.

Aside from having a great song and taking care of the Kokiri people, Saria supports Link with the other sages. Similar to poor Medli, that means she’s destined to be a sage for a very, very long time.

Still, she’s a great character that takes care of others and even journeys to the Forest Temple in response to spirits calling her to help. Props to her!

Unfortunately, once she becomes an adult there’s not much between Saria and Link. They meet briefly and he helps her before she’s sage-ified. Otherwise, this relationship would have way more potential!

Ilia (Twilight Princess)

Ilia won last month's patreon character poll 🌱 pic.twitter.com/LWy9h97uXw

— Luisa (@_lulles_) May 14, 2018

Sometimes, Link has a relationship with Zelda. But in “Twilight Princess” he had an actual girlfriend and only meets Zelda a few times for frivolous things like getting info, saving Midna, and defeating Ganondorf!

Saria and Link start the game in Ordon village, where her father is the mayorchief. Long story short, she gets captured and loses her memory, then spends much of the game helping out in a bar and being used to torture Link with creepy visions, the weirdness of which rivals Major’s Mask!

Still, what screen time she gets is actually pretty good: Saria helps Link, makes sure he takes care of his horse, and helps save Prince Ralis, a wounded Zora. After Ganon is defeated, love is entirely possible!

Mipha (Breath of the Wild)

Mipha’s Grace from zelda

Aw yeah, Mipha’s awesome!

A great trident wielder with unrivaled fluidity and grace in battle, Mipha brings the bearing of a princess and the sweetness of a soft-spoken battle medic to this metaphorical table of romance.

So why does she fall so low?

Well, for one, she’s dead. Two, Link clearly has a relationship with Zelda that begins before and ends after his relationship with Mipha, making love a little difficult. Finally, like Princess Ruto, she declares Link to be her husband of choice! To be fair, though..

Mipha doesn’t delude herself: she understands Link cares deeply for Zelda and opts for helping him when possible, with healing and fitted Zora armor (a symbolic gift from a Zora to her beloved). We’ve decided to accept these actions as a commendable acceptance of their relationship status.

That’s very mature of you, Mipha!

Ghirahim??? (Skyward Sword)

Ghirahim is fabulous from zelda

Haha! Just making sure you’re paying attention.

Ghirahim is a ship, folks: there’s no reason Link would get together with this flamboyant, closeted demon sociopath. Still, he does have the Joker’s odd lovability, along with a few great boss fights, so we’ll give him that.

But only that. Don’t lick Link, dangit!

Zelda (Skyward Sword)

Zelda and Link begin the game as good friends with romantic inclinations, and they end with the decision to leave their floating home in Skyloft so they may live together happily on the surface world until the end of their days…

Which is AWESOME! It’s nice to have a relationship in Legend of Zelda that ends successfully with a loving companionship.

Of course, let’s address the elephant: Skyward Sword is hated by a lot of people. It’s one of the easiest Zelda titles and the controls (many of them being tested in preparation for the beloved Breath of the Wild, like the stamina mechanic) were a tad wonky, but…frankly, we thought it was nice!

It’s a good-looking game, we enjoy the pastel artwork, there are some good new characters introduced, the background into Hyrule’s past fills in some gaps, and the romance between Zelda and Link is wonderful!

Midna (Twilight Princess)

Midna and Link from RoleReversal

What can we say? Twilight Princess, despite all odds, is a favorite!

Midna is the twilight princess, a member of the Twili people, who were sent to a prison realm that was created by the gods to punish ancient wannabe triforce thieves. You meet her in an impish form as she accompanies you on a journey to stop Zant from bringing endless Twilight. In the end, the two worlds are separated once more and Midna, in her full form, gives Link a sad farewell before closing off a portal between the worlds.

Not only did we like their transition from arguing couple to good friends, we found her sacrifice impressive and sad. Anyone who’s played the game (and enjoyed it) probably found her departure as sad as Fi’s.

But hey, sometimes sadness can be a good thing.

Marin (Link’s Awakening)

I made Link and Marin at the beach! (22,000 perler beads and 6 full days of my life) from zelda

While one of the handheld games, we needed to include Marin for obvious reasons! She and Link have a worthy, well-formed relationship that ends with tragic beauty.

Link meets Marin on a mysterious island and they form a budding relationship before realizing the world is a dream formed by the Wind Fish. Basically, their quest to awaken it will terminate in the destruction of their universe! Still, they complete their noble quest and share a tearful farewell as the world disappears. Link is saved at the last moment…

When he awakens, the Wind Fish says his memories will always exist in his heart, and a secret ending reveals Marin has been granted her wish of becoming a seagull, truly free as a bird.

We might’ve cried. Seriously, no lie.

Zelda (Breath of the Wild)

Link and Zelda sleeping together [BotW] (crosspost from r/gaming) from Breath_of_the_Wild

Ah, a relationship 100 years in the making!

This particular Zelda met Link when he became her personal guard and the champion of Hyrule after being chosen by the Master Sword. From then on, they were inseparable and went on numerous quests together. Finally, at the end of Breath of the Wild, they’re reunited a century after their bitter defeat at the hoofs of Calamity Ganon!

Aside from being an amazing game, the relationship between Link and Zelda is well-established in the numerous flashbacks gathered throughout the game. Link may not talk, but their mutual love is clear to everyone, including the other members of the Divine Beasts Riders.

Finally, though this probably shouldn’t be permissible as evidence, the teaser trailer for Breath of the Wild’s Sequel shows the two back on the trail of mystery. While it probably won’t go well for them, we sure hope it ends happily this time around. Happy trails, you two!