Legend Of Zelda: The Best (& Worst) Versions Of Princess Zelda

The Legend of Zelda series tells an atypical story, since it takes place over hundreds of years and across multiple generations. Most games in the franchise ultimately boil down to some variation of Link saving some variation of Princess Zelda from some variation of Ganondorf. This means that even the titular character is an entirely different person in most games, so her personality, appearance and abilities vary. As a result, it’s only natural that some of her iterations will be more popular among fans, but which of her many incarnations is the best Princess Zelda?

At the very end of Skyward Sword, Link defeats Demise, who places a curse on Link and Zelda before being sealed away within the Master Sword. This curse not only causes Demise’s hatred to reincarnate infinitely, but also the spirit of the hero and even the Goddess Hylia herself. As such, each Zelda is both the next princess in the royal bloodline and a new reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia. These princesses have access to the powerful sealing magic of the goddess, which has been used in unique ways in many of the Zelda games.

For the sake of simplicity, the only versions of Zelda counted in this list are those from canonical games. This means the Zelda from each of the Phillips CDI games, from Hyrule Warriors and from Cadence of Hyrule are not included. Zelda also doesn’t appear in every title, being absent in games like Link’s Awakening and Triforce Heroes, so those aren’t accounted for, either. Versions of Zelda with overlapping aesthetics and personality traits, like the ones from the Four Swords titles or the original games, are grouped together. With these rules intact, here are each of the incarnations of Zelda, ranked.

#9 The Legend of Zelda & Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link Zelda

These two are actually two separate characters, but they function so similarly and add so little to their respective games that it’s easy to forget they’re separate people. In the first two Zelda titles, Zelda mostly just waits for Link to come to save her, but the context is different. In Zelda 1, players save her from Ganon’s lair after collecting the eight Triforce pieces, and in Zelda 2, Link needs to awaken her from a sleeping spell. Aesthetically, they look almost the same, with the only real difference being height and age. Their designs are also easily the most dated on this list. With all of this in mind, it’s not hard to understand why she hasn’t been seen since the NES era.

#8 A Link To The Past Zelda

Zelda plays a relatively minimal role in A Link to the Past, just like the previous pick, but her design is slightly better. Players rescue her from Hyrule Castle at the very beginning of the game, but after that, she takes a back seat for the majority of the game. She gets captured by Ganon, and Link goes out to save her, as usual. Her blue dress helps her stand out, but she’s a rather simple Zelda, from a characterization perspective. She makes an appearance in Oracle of Ages and Seasons when the two games are linked, but she’s mostly just used as a sacrifice by Twinrova to resurrect Ganon again.

#7 The Four Swords & Minish Cap Zelda

In this grouping, there are technically three Zeldas, since each of these games takes place in a different period of time, but each version is very similar. They all use a variation of the Wind Waker design, so they look great, but there’s little depth to their characters. They each get kidnapped by Vaati, but they accomplish little else. In Minish Cap, Link and Zelda are good friends, despite her royalty, but she spends almost the entire game turned to stone, so the relationship hardly gets explored. It would have been cute to see Zelda shrink down in size and meeting the Minish, but her role is sadly still a mere damsel in distress.

#6 Twilight Princess Zelda

Twilight Princess is a gritty take on Ocarina, and, as such, it’s often criticized for being one of the safest entries in the franchise. This title’s incarnation of Zelda is the embodiment of that complaint. Much like Link’s Twilight Princess design, Zelda looks like a gritty version of her Ocarina of Time design. This would be fine, but just like the previous Zeldas on this list, she’s absent for much of the story. However, she does have some awesome moments, like saving Midna from the brink of death and being possessed by Ganondorf for a memorable boss battle at the game’s ending. Overall, she’s far better than the worst Zelda incarnations, but there’s still a handful of games with a more interesting princess.

# 5 Ocarina Of Time Zelda

This is the first incarnation of Zelda that took the initiative to fend off Ganondorf herself. She teams up with Link to acquire the Triforce and attempt to stop Ganondorf as a child, which ultimately blows up in her face. Ganondorf gets his hands on the Triforce, and her green-clad hero is out of commission for the next seven years. After Link awakens, Zelda disguises herself as Sheik in order to hide from Ganondorf while still assisting Link in finding the remaining sages. She’s not the most interesting Zelda, but her design is iconic, and her growth from a naive child into a wise and capable adult is compelling.

#4 A Link Between Worlds Zelda

Super Smash Bros. fans used to Zelda’s Twilight Princess look were likely surprised to learn she would be instead based on A Link Between Worlds‘ Zelda in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Personality-wise, she’s the typical sweet and soft-spoken type, but she is clearly very caring and compassionate, too. After acquiring the Triforce at the end of the game, she generously uses her wish to restore Lorule’s Triforce, which has no direct benefit for her. Her design is also one of the most charming yet, but the rest of the Zeldas simply have more character development and personality than this one.

#3 Skyward Sword Zelda

The cute friendship between Link and Zelda originally seen in Minish Cap is accomplished far better in Skyward Sword. Since Zelda actually has a reasonable amount of screen time in this game, that relationship has time to be explored. Zelda puts aside her relationship with Link to focus on her duties as the Goddess Hylia, which is one of the most interesting things to watch develop throughout the game. If the rumors of Skyward Sword coming to the Switch end up being true, new players will have a chance to see this Zelda’s unique story.

#2 The Wind Waker & Spirit Tracks Zelda

It might seem strange to group The Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks‘ Zeldas together, but their personalities and strengths are quite similar. Wind Waker Zelda is revealed to be Tetra, a rough pirate captain with an attitude and who isn’t afraid of anything. Spirit Tracks Zelda can also be snarky, but she actually tags along with Link for his entire quest, which almost never happens in the series. These versions of Zelda stand out because of their amazing cartoon designs and for pushing the character into less dainty and more adventurous roles.

#1 Breath Of The Wild Zelda

Medieval Fantasy princesses aren’t typically the most relatable characters, but this version of Zelda pulls it off. She’s awkward and nerdy, she’s obsessed with machinery and technology, and her parental figure demands she focuses her life on avenues other than where her passions lie. So many people understand what it’s like to grow up feeling pressured to be something they don’t want to be, and that is Breath of the Wild Zelda’s character arc. She’s powerful and emotionally complex, and she’s one of the most aesthetically unique depictions of the princess to date. She also spends much more time in the forefront of the story, since she appears in many of Link’s memories, which detail her struggles to awaken her sealing powers as the reincarnated goddess. Plus, she’s one of the most unique playable characters in Age of Calamity.

Even though her name is in the title of each game, Zelda has always played a smaller part in the series than Link. Nintendo’s insistence on putting her in the role of damsel in distress has made it difficult to tweak her character in interesting ways. Still, Zelda has proven to be an engaging character when written well and incorporated into the story. Her best incarnations are always the ones where she plays a more pivotal part in how events unfold, whereas her weakest appearances are the ones where she just waits to be saved. The Zelda from Breath of the Wild might be the best in The Legend of Zelda series, but the other versions of Zelda will likely be just as loved for years to come.

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