Here is something you know how each champion has a journal as well as Zelda in the Japanese release the shika slate is links journal not just a mission log
It's also worth looking into the Japanese translation of the game. There is already a RUclips video about this, but in the quest log for the Japanese version of botw, most of the quest details are written in the first person, as if written by Link. One of the quest actually explain how Link wants to see Zelda's smile again, and what's the last thing we see in botw? Zelda's smile :)
You forgot to say that the first time links talks with nasha after the sandstorm in totk she asks link if he have someone special in him heart and the main answer for that question is ¡yes!
holy, you might be the only person I have seen that has put that together XD tadaima. Doesnt have the same meaning as Im home, its just the closest thing english has. Its a form of affection, only used around family, or loved ones where you feel comfortable. And in Japanese, Zelda says exactly that. Tadaima
for me the biggest evidence is the “find princess zelda” quest. it is the single longest lasting quest in the game. technically, destroying ganondorf is a secondary quest - the goals were aligned, and it was the right thing to do, so of course link would do it. but every lead he chases down, every dungeon he completes and everything he does, everything is intended to find princess zelda. it was never about hyrule. it was about her.
"A hero sacrifices one person to save the world, a villain sacrifices the world to save one person" if Link truly was prioritizing his dragon wife over the kingdom, then that explains why he tortured all those koroks.
To be fair, that was a different game with a different background. For example, she's not a princess in SS, so, thus they would have less of a class divide to contend with
@@soloknight7197 Yeah. She's only the reincarnation of a Goddess and the daughter of a Headmaster while Link is just a Knight in training. No divide there.
In the german version, the gerudo teacher literally asks Link if he has a girlfriend and he says "Oh yes"" and she tells Link he is very direct and if you say "No..." the teacher doesn't fully believe you
I don't think it was anything so intellectually challenging. Given what we know about Draconification and the dragons, it seems they each have a Geas, the other 3's Geas seems to be tied to their temple and possibly maintaining their aspect of the Triforce, which would be why Zelda has to visit their springs of power to receive her sealing ability per ritual, but Zelda's animating Geas is to protect and nurture the Sword for the purpose of supporting Link's defeat of DKG, at that moment everything draws her to Link to complete that task. We can reason this because becoming the immortal dragons they lose all sense of self but all still show a distinct purpose or path, With Ganondorfs being victory and destruction of Hyrule.
something to note: zelda's journal refers to her house as "my house." but in the japanese translation, she refers to it as "our house." in the final cutscene, she says to link "i'm home," which in japan, is only something you say to someone you have a familial or loving bond with. im assuming in the japanese translation, this line is supposed to have a double meaning, "i'm home" referring to their shared house and referring to "the home is where the heart is." in zelda's diary, she mentions that she is making a new champions tunic JUST for link, also saying that (paraphrasing here) she "cannot wait to see the look on his face when [she] surprises him with it." she also says that she will hide it in the castle. now, why would she hide it in the castle? because in their shared home, link could come home and find it! their house also only has one bed! and link can sleep in it, and link can only sleep in beds that he owns or rented out via inn. so in short, they live together, the house only has one bed, zelda has to hide her gifts for him outside of their house because he would find it, because he lives there...
@@falconeshieldProbably because there are some people who want to see Link as a completely blank slate, even though that’s not really true nowadays. I find the frequent hiding of Zelink weird as well- they’re just a wholesome couple doing their thing LOL
The creators want the game to be free for all kinds of speculation. As how they also don't want to keep consistencies 100% to the timeline, they let (the players) speculate if they are in love or not. Also that's partly my own speculation bc they have been vocal about letting players speculate etc
There is one other bed link can sleep in that isn’t his own or from a inn, but that bed is in a house where if you read the diary of the owner it says that everyone can rest in that bed.
In the distant past in TOTK, Sonia drops a remark to Zelda about how she has to return home to put Link's mind at ease. When Rayru asks Zelda about Link, it's obvious that Sonia and Rayru pick up on her love for him from her reply.
The animators did a lovely job on Zelda's facial expressions when she tells them about Link in that memory. It's so subtle and soft, much like how warm and coy she looks in BotW when the Deku Tree tells her "Words intended for him would sound much... better in the tones of _your_ voice, don't you think?" and her quiet "Yes," in return.
I LOVE that cutscene because of this. The way she speaks about him, her tone of voice while the music subtly plays the main theme which has come to represent Link, and her quick but soft smile when she finishes what she says, and then Rauru and Sonia totally realizing this girl is down bad LOL. Love it.
another huge thing that proves link loves zelda is how heartbroken he looks when the dragon's tears quest is done. when he's surrounded by the silent princesses, he looks SO SAD. we hardly ever see him emote like this and it's so 😭
There will never be enough proof for the people that just don't like the pairing. The writers could come forward and spell it out and it wouldn't be enough, they will always say "well actually Link is a blank slate character so he feels whatever I want to feel". Except Link is not a blank slate. He has a backstory, opinions and a personality (even if we kinda got robbed of it in the English translation).
Yeah I feel as though those people are a minority because ever since skyward sword and by proxy the developer changed there has been a shift in how link and Zelda’s relationship is portrayed cause in skyward sword it’s stated that every Zelda descended from the first Zelda and link and Zelda where the only people on the surface at the end of the game so oi oi. But generally the dynamic between the 2 is just more romantic than the older games
He's intended as a blank slate, but ultimately (especially since Skyward Sword) he still has some personality of his own. His choices of answers can note a liking to be sassy for example.
@@slynthehedgehog8061, he's not meant as a blanck slate, because he's not blanck at all in any sense and even has his own personality although he always has a heart of gold, he's meant as a character of his own with his own being but still made for us to be able to relate to him and live his adventures through him
@@slynthehedgehog8061 The things you mentioned are exactly what makes him not a blank slate character. A blank slate character has its personality, tastes and story built and dictated by the player's choices. Link is his own person. You play as Link, but Link isn't you.
@@doloresgronenberg5882 he was originally intended as a blank slate but that lasted for like 2 games. its why his name is link, he was a link for the player and the game
I’d also want to add that in Age of Calamity, when Link gets the master sword, it activates only when Link reaches out to Zelda trying to desperately save her, directly mirroring Zelda saving Link. Further supporting your point that their love is what ultimately awakens their power.
Shit I never thought of that is definitely not a coincidence since in age of calamity Zelda also saved link out of her love for link presumably because unlike btow we don’t have conformation that Zelda loves link in aoc but it is very likely
In the memory where Ganon awakens in BOTW, after Zelda comes back from the Spring of Wisdom to no avail of awakening her power, Mipha was going to say something that she does while she heals that could help Zelda. While we never knew what she was going to say, we can assume that she must think about something important to her to heal effectively and who else was on her mind enough other than Link, who she loved and wanted to marry. Because when Zelda's power finally awakened, it was out of desperate desire to save Link, the only person who she had left after losing everyone else she loved.
@@painkiller9310 Yeah this. It's werid people totally ignore that scene. Link is looking at Zelda, then Mipha notices that, gasps, then looks a bit sad, then tries to give Zelda advice and she says that it's something she's embarrassed about, then Ganon cuts her off before she can tell Zelda what she was going to say.
I never expected to love the relationship between Zelda and Link in BOTW and TOTK as much as I did. They really do have a sweet and loving romance. Zelda loves Link for always being there to support her, and Link loves her for being a quirky nerd who is obsessed with history, nature, and science. I imagine him always listening attentively to her talking about her interests, his love growing stronger with each passing minute. Plus, the two of them together also have a bit of a chaotic energy to them, with Link being a wild warrior and Zelda the overly-enthusiastic scientist wanting to try any kind of crazy experiment. Makes me wish we got to see more scenes of them together in Hyrule getting into all kinds of wild situations. 🥰
Someone pointed out he also seems to be quite the nerd because of his giggles when fusing and In Japanese he’s the on filling out the companion discriminations and naming the depths stuff
@@That-girliscrazy That sounds great! Maybe Zelda's nerdiness rubbed off on him? Although I guess it's a logical progression from him becoming an enthusiastic cook in BOTW; he ends up developing new hobbies and interests too.
Important bit from Breath Of the Wild that indicates Link's love for Zelda. He's supposed to be a knight. Only. A knight. And so in the memory, "Despair," when Zelda trips in the mud while they run from the Calamity, Link doesn't grab her arm and tell her they need to go. He doesn't do what a knight would do and stick to his duty by trying to get her out of there. He knows that she isn't okay and she needs to just stop for a minute to cry. She bursts into tears and ends up falling into his arms. Link walked forwards, PUT AWAY THE SWORD-THEIR ONLY MEANS OF PROTECTION-and listened to her. Look in his eyes he looks like he's about to cry. He knows Zelda and he knows her well. He knows that she just needs love right now and he wants to be that person.
Not to mention the master sword which he drops (again in the prologue of TOTK when Zelda falls) is the sole reason for his position. Without it, he wouldn’t be Zeldas knight. Without the master sword, he wouldn’t have any duties towards her. But even without the master sword, as both times it was very damaged and almost useless in a fight, he still saves Zelda.
yes!! there's so so so many other little crumbs throughout the games, too: paya's journal in breath of the wild suspects that link is in love with zelda; at the end of the champion's ballad dlc, kass says that his teacher's love for zelda was never reciprocated because "she only had eyes for her knight,"; in tears of the kingdom, in the "voe & me" class, link has the option to say that he's in love with someone; AND other npcs refer to the hudson dream house as being for a family/the furnished room has four chairs, etc.!
Link does love someone botw talks mentioned him and Mipha loving each other in the original japanese version so it wouldn't surprise me that he would say yes
@@LR_Bushido I can read japanese and the japanese version never implied that, it DID however have this line implied to be Link's feelings about Zelda: 彼女の笑顔を もう一度 この目で見たい I want to see her smile with my own eyes
one thing to note about the ending cutscene is when zelda says she felt a warm loving embrace, link actually smiles widely. there is a tumblr user who managed to change the camera settings in an emulator and aimed it at link’s face. even though his face isn’t seen in the cutscene, it’s interesting that the zelda team deliberately took the time to animate his expression. maybe they initially wanted to include it but then changed their mind later, or maybe it was a hidden easter egg meant for only the zelda team to know. but either way, it sort of confirms that zelda is referring to link about the “warm loving embrace”. edit: youtube will usually delete comments with url links but the username of the tumblr account with the video is mistress-light, if you scroll down their page you will eventually find the video.
I saw it too! I hate that someone actually took the time to animate the whole sequence but we don't get to see it bc the final version of the scene has the camera facing their back sides. Even zelda's relief when she says "thank you" I kinda wish we had that seen with no game mods :'I
Another thing I liked is that in the memory in BOTW where Zelda says "tomorrow is my 17th birthday", she and Link rode horses together to the spot. She says " Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. That's the only way it will know how you truly feel" and thanks Link for the advice. So he does speak to her more casually too, not only during the diary. It's cute as fuck.
In the cutscene of Link letting Zelda cry into him, his eyes have such a deep expression, you can almost hear the words that he wants to say. He desperately wants to console her and try to tell her everything will be okay, but he can't, because he knows that he would be lying to her. And Link loves her too much to lie to her, so he just has to kneel there and protect her until he can try to make things better for her. Look at Link's eyes between 18:08 and 18:18
I think anyone would feel very emotive if all their friends died and a literal Calamity was happening. It is actually surprising that he doesn't shed a single tear in both games. I don't really think there is no definitive proof that Link does or does not love Zelda simply because he doesn't express feelings as much as she does.
in my head, in hateno village, in their house, Zelda is usually the second one to finally get home after a long day of working and being with the children in the school, and when she does she probably always announces to Link that she’s home, so when she says it at the end “Oh Link… I’m home!” she’s 100% saying that to him with that same mindset just with obviously added emotional baggage
That would make Link the housekeeper 😂 Amazing food is definitely a plus 🍲🍰🥞🦞 But I can't imagine him being particularly good at cleaning. 🧹 Not that he won't do it , but his methods would be questionable at best.
16:40 Also, as this was made by a Japanese company, it's good to note that how a character says "I'm home" can hold a lot of meaning. Kids usually yell "I'm back!" while a loveless couple will plainly say "I'm back/I'm home." A couple in love will be genuinely happy to be back, no matter how long or short their time apart, and Zelda's was definitely more "I'm here with you" rather than "I'm back in this era."
There is actually more too it then that the specific “tamida” used at the end is only for people you live with or are lovers with since it is a form of affection so it’s basically nitendos way of confirming zelink in my eyes
also, just a cute little thing if you haven't mentioned it before: in the japanese version of the game where, you know, the quests tab is basically a diary for link, in one of the stable quests where the zonai investigators or whatever they're called go out in their underwear, the name of the quest is called 'My Sweet Princess' and i find that VERY adorable lol
One of the things I really liked about the 'Find Zelda' quest was that it wasn't resolved when you got all the memories, know that Zelda became the light dragon, and then find the light dragon and take the sword from it's head. When I played through, I thought that Zelda was just the dragon forever now, and I expected to see the 'Find Zelda' quest fulfilled when you got the master sword or something since you've now figured out she is the dragon and have 'found' her though in a tragic way. I was honestly perplexed when the quest wasn't resolved and didn't know why at first. Eventually I figured that they might just bring her back because tragic endings are sad. Though there was another possibility I considered. I think of the quests as being reminders or something like that that Link actually makes for himself (If I remember correctly, in the Japanese version the quests are written in the first person implying Link is actually writing them), so I also thought that maybe he didn't put it all together yet and the ending would be him mourning at the loss of Zelda. The actual ending surprised me though when I went through it. Zelda got brought back because of Link! The reason Link never dismissed the quest to find her was because he was determined to find a way bring her back no matter the difficulty! It didn't matter that even the Zonai with their almost godlike abilities couldn't figure it out. He wouldn't give up on her because he loves her!
@@spore9428 And to add more, they channeled their powers through Link. It doesnt have to be explicitly explained but it is quite obvious they couldn't do it without him. Even if it was love or not, Link already had beaten (or at least should've according to most players' playstyle) many sanctuaries as well, allowing him to have enough of this "light" power that Rauru expected you to have to use better the zonai'd arm and also to get rid of the malice Ganondorf puts on Link at the beginning of the game.
I'm just a simple person and all I know is that if the storyline goes beyond time and space for something beyond yourself to another.......that's simply love.
Personally I think Nintendo intentionally makes it vague just so that people can theorize whatever without being able to disprove anything. So everyone can be rewarded by “being right”, which is the entire premise for the direction the series is going in
Which is dumb. Indecisiveness isn't fun or quirky. It's annoying and will only frustrate people further. As time goes on people will bring up this point. For now either it isn't a concern or people will just dismiss my point entirely. Until years later they are feeling annoyed and I end up correct.
@@lastmanstanding7155 ehhhh it’s more so a matter of preference. Some people REALLY enjoy open ended things. I personally also don’t like that sort of thing but there’s definitely a large group of people who do
@@lastmanstanding7155 I totally agree with that. Within the setting of the game and even the series at times, it can feel almost important to define it. And it’s for sure frustrating in those moments that we’ll probably never get an answer. I think if you get really nit picky about lore and everything though, I don’t know if it’d be a good idea for them to confirm that due to the specific natures of the two characters reappearance throughout the series, as link is the same person just reincarnated while zelda is just a bloodline. If they were to confirm it at any point then that’d make future Zelda’s related by blood to whichever Link that’d be. They wouldnt really be able to do it ever again after that because link would be with his own descendant. To be fair though, I don’t think that is something most people would really care about or even realize
@@jonah.w7397 I don't think the Link spirit works like that if I'm tbh. (Oh and I agree with everything you said) I just always figured the spirit of the hero just finds a way to come back. Just like Gannon. Atleast that's how I'd explain windwaker link. Otherwise that timeline would be doomed. So personally while perhaps the zelda boodline may be important I don't think it's that big a deal if theif kids go on to make a future link or zelda. But usually every link ever is just some guy. Like a really strong and skilled guy but really just a dude. A farmer. Some random bloke in a house. An unlikely orphan among unusual kids.
a few things to add hinting towards their romance in totk: in the description of the light dragon in the compendium, it says that "its presence is somehow comforting (presumably to link)" meaning that even in dragon form, zelda is "comforting" to him you already pointed out how, in botw, link cares about zelda way more than his job description demands, but that goes doubly so in totk. i'm sure he no longer holds the title of "appointed knight", considering not only is the one who gave that order (king rhoam) long dead, but link has also fullfilled that role tenfold, in a kingdom that no longer exists, meaning that, realistically, his obligations as zelda's bodyguard are pretty much over. however, many npcs recognize him as "zelda's knight", or "her favourite swordsman", and i swear someone even calls him her shadow. what this means is, long after he fullfilled his duty, link still chooses to devote his life to zelda, protect her and stay by her side, which, needless to say, you don't do for just anyone and lastly, tho this one is more of a crack point, but after zelda wakes up at the end of the game and sees link half-naked in front of her, she has no reaction to that, whatsoever. now, of course it's because they didn't want to draw attention to that during an otherwise dramatic scene, but *what if* that isn't the first time she sees him topless, so she hasn't got much of a reason to be fazed/embarassed by it? combined with the theory that they share a house/bed in hateno... yeah
There's also that tear memory where Zelda is having tea with Sonia, and Sonia notices how Zelda talks about Link, and practically teases Zelda about it
The way that Zelda talks about Link when she first meets Rauru and Sonia is so adorable. You can tell how much she loves and admires him 🥲 Another cute detail is that she captures him in the picture she took at the beginning of the game!
Just a little nitpick: 1. The events of the imprisoning war don't happen 10 thousand years ago, it is much, much more ancient, probably millenia before ToTK. 10 thousand years ago was the battle between the sheikah, the hero and the princess against the calamity, which if you complete all shrines it is revealed the hero was a zonai. 2. Draconification while forbidcen it's not evil. The ember, frostbite and charged sets talk about an ancient ritual, and the outfits resemble Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh respectively, which were probably the clothes this ancient people wore before becoming dragons. Present day hyruleans believe this dragons are protecting the land, so probably this ancient ritual was to become a powerful being capable of protecting their people at the cost of their mind, which in turn made it a forbidden act. 3. The biggest demostration of love by Link imo is when Zelda falls he just jumps into the void and letting go the master sword in hopes of just being able to save Zelda, even with his hand in a very bad and probably hurtful state. Irrational, desperate, he needs to save her, not because he's a knight but because it's Zelda. Other than that I agree, the only way their love could be more obvious is if they themselves said I love you to each other
Personally, i think in ToTK The zonai cant be more than 100.000 years ago, if more, Death mountain and the temples would've been gone or changed completely due to volcanic activity and erosion, the Sheikah are 10.000 years ago, but 1 thing is wierd, Ganondorf made sure that Rauru and Mineru are the last of the zonai, but the Sheikah refer to a zonai, which should be impossible at the Time. (Thats one flaw/plot hole)
Not related to the video but adding my own theory to the point 3, I like to think there were zonai tribes. They all wore the clothes related to the three goddesses (Din, Nayru, and Farore), Rauru and Mineru were from the Farore/Farosh tribe bc their clothes are so similar to the Charged Armor. These zonai were leaders or volunteers that draconified to keep peace in the land! If you look at the dragons they all have white manes unlike Zelda dragon
Don’t forget! One big thing that proves Link’s love for Zelda in BoTW is his journal! The japanese version is told through his perspective… and in it. His one wish is to see her smile again… and what do we get at the very end of BoTW??? A goofy lovable smile from Zelda as a reward ❤❤
@@wondertooniis It's the adventure log. The English version, when you see the quests, and complete them, it kinds of treats them like normal. However, the original japanese version, it's written in the form of links POV. It's treated like his diary. Look up "BoTW Japanese Adventure Log."
@@wondertooniisin the Japanese version, the quests in the "Adventure Log" of your sheikah slate are actually diary entries written by Link. It's in first person and written with lots of emotions unlike the English version which is written like a quest log telling you what to do
I also would like to point out that after botw, they believed that Ganon was gone for good. And Zelda has freaking powers of light that banishes evil, so I'm pretty sure Link's duty to stay with her and protect her would no longer be needed. And yet it's clear from totk that in the time between games they stayed together to go pretty much everywhere, even somewhat settling down at Link's house in Hateno. If they were "just friends" they could have both gone on their marry way and met up on weekends or something, but they choose to stay together. And that's not duty anymore, that's desire.
My favorite piece of evidence that they are in a relationship is in totk, when you go back to your house (or Zelda's house), the one you bought in botw, you will see that there are 2 dinner plates and 1 bed in the house.
Unfortunately I think it's implied that Link no longer lives there. The NPC's of Hateno do not recognise Link at all and they explicitly go out of their way to tell you that. They treat him like a tourist. Even the NPC's which keep a close watch on Zelda's house and even one of them who cleans it daily doesn't recognise Link at all. That being said, I still do think they both romantically love each other regardless.
@@ultimatedumbass4640 That might be true but there still is that second dinner plate so maybe i dunno also another thing is that only people significant to the storyline and some quests are really the ones to recognize link, not just in hateno. Might be story related or just game design but I would like to believe that they are in that house together.
Nintendo aren't sticklers for continuity between games. They call it zeldas house and don't recognise link and also there was 2 plates in botw. But it's obvious that zelda and link are a thing, they leave it just ambiguous enough that all the alt-shippers won't be upset
Another thing is I think it's not JUST Link's romantic love My theory is it's like Sonia's motherly love for her (It looks like that was kinda how things were played for her in the story) Rauru's teammate love for her (She's part of the Sages, helped in the Imprisoning War) Link's romantic love for her (Duh) It's mostly Link's romantic love carrying the team. Like he's 2/3, and Rauru and Sonia are 1/3 together. It's them knowing what to do and using Link's power to do it.
I think it was a mix of all of the perfect conditions. Link's unwavering motivation to protect Zelda, Sonia and Rauru's powers to reverse time and purify evil, and Zelda's memories that Link collected (so he could "give them back" to her). And, of course, the affection all three of them have for Zelda.
Something I am very surprised you didn’t mention that proves Link’s love for Zelda in Breath of the Wild is his facial expressions in the memories. It’s very subtle, but in the very beginning, you see Link’s emotionless expression. He gives no hint to how he’s feeling in the first few memories. As time goes on, however, you see it begin to change. One example is the memory of when they both were in the flower field looking at the silent princesses. While he doesn’t show too much expression, he does tilt his head to the side, which usually represents curiosity. He’s listening to Zelda’s interests and wants to know more about them. When Link trains a bit in another memory while Zelda sits under the tree, waiting for the rain to stop, we see him break his concentration and look at Zelda when she speaks to him. The second to last memory, where they are in the woods, not only do we see Link put the sword away and go to Zelda when she’s grieving, if you look at his eyes, you can see there is a hint of sadness and empathy. He’s hurting just as much but is also upset to see Zelda upset, which he would’ve NEVER shown in the beginning. In the VERY final memory, when Link tries to defeat the guardians, we see him hunched over, a look of pain and anger on his face. Again, would’ve NEVER shown that in the very beginning of Breath of the Wild, but because he’s opened himself up to Zelda, he’s allowing himself to no longer silently bear the burden. He’s in physical pain and is angry at everything that has been happening while also determined to keep Zelda safe. Like I said, the progression of Link showing his emotions in the memories is a bit subtle, but it is there if you pay more attention, and knowing what we know because of Zelda’s diary, he’s allowing himself to be vulnerable, something that NONE of the champions who were also his friend got to see. Only Zelda saw his vulnerability, showing how much he loves and trusts her
Not to mention, but the main points you’ve made are also shown in the games icon. For BOTW, you can see the flower that releases the love petal next to the master sword, and in TOTK, you can see two dragons in the ring/circle.
A thing I saw floating around the internet is that Zelda making the new champion’s tunic for Link in TOTK mirrors Mipha making the Zora armour for Link in preparation to propose to him. It could add more explanation to why Zelda was so excited to see Link’s reaction, and why she hid it so well in the castle’s throne room of all places!
You also missed the moment in the "Voe and You" class in BotW when the teacher asks Link if he already has someone that he cares about and his reaction is bashful, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. Another great bit in BotW for Zelda is what a lovely job the animators did on her facial expressions when she takes the sword back to the Deku Tree. There's so much warmth to her expression when she asks him to relay a message to Link, along with the blatant implication of what her message _is_ with "Tell him I-" Her soft, coy look when the Deku Tree tells her, "Words intended for him would sound much... better in the tones of _your_ voice, don't you think?" followed by her soft "Yes," with the folded hands against her chest basically confirms that her message was going to be "Tell him I love him".
Let's not forget that back in Japan's past, a male and female living together usually meant they were married or that they would be. Being asked to live together was somewhat of a marriage proposal. I don't know if its the same today, but there's a little tidbit of info too that my mind immediately went to when its heavily implied that Link and Zelda live together.
I got the impression that they did not live together but that he merely gave her the house to use while overseeing the founding of the school. This is because, when Link shows up in Hateno, no one there recognizes him, but everyone in Lookout Landing recognized him immediately. This to me suggests he left her there and went to LL to help out--but not because he didn't love her but because he wanted to (A) be of as much help as possible and (B) didn't want to sully the princess' reputation by giving the impression that they were "shacking up."
@@Hylian_Reploid Symin says he's returned, and literally says he's back in town, and Manny calls it "the house she was staying at". Additionally, lookout landing probably wasn't built until after the upheaval, because the telescope is pointing at the castle, which was on the ground before the upheaval happened.
@@kit76149 Purah and Symin lived in Hateno while they both worked at the ancient tech lab there, and Symin was well acquainted with Link from his dealings with Purah in BotW, hence his recognizing him despite a lengthy absence. His referring to Link's "return" pertains to the fact that he was no longer missing, and Link surely lived in the house until he turned it over to Zelda, so it makes sense to say he's "back in town." Notice how all of the decor in the house is Zelda's, none of Link's remain except the Champion group shot. And the two sets of dishes on the table were already there in BotW, and they obviously weren't living together at time either. As for LL, if it had been built after the upheaval, hardly anyone there would have recognized Link when he arrived, but everyone there immediately recognized him. I'm thinking the telescope was set up after the upheaval (or was adjusted accordingly) as part of the search effort.
@@Hylian_ReploidIn the house there is a diary saying that Zelda requested a secret room and that it is a nice place to work alone, If Link wasn’t living with Zelda she could just work in her house alone. Why would she need a secret room?
@@ashtonwu252 If this were the only clue we had to go on, I'd probably suspect they were living together too, but when all the other clues are factored in, it paints a different picture. Consider the following: 1. The vast majority of the decor in the house now belongs to Zelda. 2. The two sets of dishes were already there in BotW. 3. No one in Hateno except Symin (who was already well acquainted with Link due to his past business with Purah) recognized Link when he showed up. 4. Everyone in Lookout Landing DID recognize Link when he arrived. 5. Link is able to sleep in a number of beds that don't belong to him, such as the one in Dr. Calip's cabin, the one in Selmie's cabin, and the one on the dam in Zora's Domain. Considering the fact that Zelda has been overseeing the founding of the school, it's likely that she got a lot of visits from the children in town. Plus, being the princess, others may have had business dealings with her as well. By having the secret study well added, she could be home without appearing to be home, thus having the opportunity to work undisturbed.
Niche detail: in Breath of the Wild, Link’s home in Hateno isn’t displayed on the map. This property is carried over to Tears of the Kingdom. So why, if his home has been inhabited by Zelda, is there one bed? Why did Zelda feel the need to have a secret room constructed? Couple this with the repeated mentions of the two being inseparable, AND the photo of Lover’s Pond in Lurelein Village that the chief EXPLICITLY SAYS Zelda took. But aren’t you supposed to go there with the person you lo-………. They’re dating, your honor.
If it is his home in totk why doesn't anyone know him? Seems the the canon ending of botw shows we for 1 didn't get the master sword and two we didn't buy the house or people wouldn't see us as a stranger.
@@LR_Bushido basically everyone in Hateno knows him, and those who don’t are elsewhere/ clueless. I sincerely doubt Link and Zelda advertised how they vanquished the Calamity. Hateno was a dusty old city before Cece shows up, and I assume that’s shortly before TotK. I also assume Link uses the Master Sword to defeat Calamity Ganon, since he has it at the start of TotK. Besides, the princess herself makes mention that Link is always by her side in the journal she keeps in her secret room. Why construct a secret room if she’s the only inhabitant in the house? What’s also weird is the bedroom segment, which still has the picture you get from beating the DLC in BotW, where the house is solely Link’s. Plus he can still sleep in the bed in TotK. I doubt he’d let himself do that if it was strictly Zelda’s home.
The Japanese version of the totk ending scene (not the tadaima part) also emphasizes Link’s love. It is a different translation than the english, but it says 大きな温かくてものに包まれて目が覚めたor literally “I woke up enveloped in something big and warm” BUT the kanji used for warm implies it was not something like light or weather, but something physical that she could feel OR feelings (like love). The english translation contextually translated it as “loving”. Cool stuff :)
@@wiskerfall4519the translation is correct since it has the same general meaning. It's just that (like very often), the japanese version is way more specific and leaves less room for debate
@@docomega7862 so basically the “loveing is a correct translation” I guess it makes sense to contextually translate it as so in English since love is a “large/great warm feeling” so basically it’s correct in English. I find it so weird that sometimes the translation can be spot on in some cases but others it’s completely off like gannondwarfs motives ironically the Japanese version is completely different in both totk and botw when they explain gannons motives. I’ve also heard some memory’s have some changed words but in this case it’s correct
Some mission log entries lost in translation and changed have Link’s personal thoughts written down in it and while the TOTK one has not been deciphered, there are entries in it that seem to confirm Link has reciprocal romantic feelings towards her as well, such as at the very start of the game when Link notes that the strange woman’s voice he’s hearing (Zelda’s) is beautiful. Then there’s one of the more well known ones where he says he wants to see her smile again having regained all his memories. But the reason I think they’re being very roundabout regarding the topic is that it’s not super important to explore the romantic angle of it, unlike Skyward Sword where it was more relevant thematically. Now we’re settling for little hints that their friendship has taken some more steps forward, like the fact that she’s moved into his house in Hateno, how Link can tell the Gerudo Dating Class Teacher that he does actually fancy someone, these little things that supplement the more obvious intimacy between the two. Enough to imply it, but not enough for it to distract from anything.
Yeah I tryed my hand at translating the Japanese and I can confirm it still is in the first person although i cannot say what exactly is being said since translating from Japanese to English requires a certain amount of interpretation since the two languages work very differently so I’m going to leave the interpretation to people who can actually read Japanese lol
I like the scene when Sonia explains to Zelda how to use recall effectively. I dont rememeber verbatim what was said, but it was along the lines of, the better you know something, like its feelings, and history, etc, make the power work stronger. Sure thats cool, but Link recalled Zelda from tens of thousands of years. What kind of familiarity is required there. And its not like you needed her memories to do it either, regardless of how much of the game you complete, in the end, you always bring Zelda back. You just dont get an explanation for maybe why, until after you have all the memories.
Something else of note also relates to mission names. In BOTW the final, ultimate mission is, "Defeat Ganon". Simple enough. TOTK though, you dont get that mission until after you fight Phantom Ganon in the castle. Your new mission? "Destroy Ganondorf" Not defeat. DESTROY. Link is so angry upon seeing Ganondorf use a corrupt perversion of Zeldas image to further his scheme, that he doesnt plan on leaving ANYTHING left of Ganondorf.
Another thing i noticed in TOTK is the worry Zelda has when link fights the Keese in the begining, one of the weakest enemies in the game. Going so far as to personally check on him afterwards
omg I LOVED that part! lol! She asks him if he's hurt after killing two keeses and he just turns and looks at her like really? 😂 You can feel the chemistry between them, it's perfect!
@@Hylian_Reploid WE RIDE!!! The amount of chemistry they got is amazing. But fr, the amount of worry given does not scale up to the danger lol. Like hes fought the embodiment of evil and then theres these little pests flying around lol.
I'm just surprised nobody noticed this at the beginning of TOTK: When Zelda was geeking out about the mural discovery, she was reaching for the Purah Pad and Link took the torch from her immediately so she could use both hands. (She was like "Oh!") It's a cute little gesture that shows how much Link supports her passions since she didn't have much of it early on in her life.
The Link/Sonia/Rauru power smash to reverse draconification is reminiscent of wishing on the triforce, and the fact that his "wish" is to reverse draconification would also prove how much he loves her.
Another thing you could had mentioned was the moment when Link gets the master sword back in TotK from Zelda. The sword is covered in petals as they fall off revealing it all healed up.
Also a detail that I feel people have not noticed yet is the situation with Paya in TOTK. In BOTW Paya had a obvious crush on link , she would show her feelings when he was around and also states her crush on link in her diary as well as her anxieties that he’s already in love with someone else(Zelda) 6 years later in TOTK her crush on link has completely disappeared. Makes you think what had to make her move on from her feelings…possibly from seeing Zelda and link become official during the time between the ending of BOTW and the beginning of TOTK? I also get the idea that it also could possibly be her just moving on from her feelings from becoming head chief of kakariko village, but it seems the devs were definitive on her showing zero feelings toward link now like why not a possible hidden diary showing the crush is still there but her new found responsibilities have gotten in the way ? In my opinion it seems that her once crush has been taken presumedly by his love (Zelda) anyone agree with me ???
Could be, but the game also tells you about how she suddenly had to step up as being the new chief of Kakariko. Almost also Impa implying she wanted her to show more her mature side (because she knew she was ready, she wasn't used to being the leader as her own grandma was the chief). She might have stopped having the crush bc she wouldn't even have time and/or she grown from those feels. But could be both opinions at the same time tbf.
I haven't finished the story yet so I can't watch this through (yet), but I will say it's downright silly for anyone to suggest there isn't a mutual interest in both sides. There are so many details I've run into in both BotW and TotK. Hell, the Voe & Me teacher asking if you have someone you're in love with, if you respond in the affirmative, it's definitely obvious by the tone of the conversation afterwards that we're not talking about respect here. It would be harder to argue against it if they didn't sterilize the English localization in BotW of feeling as it pertains to Link and his motivations.
Well from what I’ve heard the lady who asks you if you love somebody in the other localizations (witch are more accurate to Japanese than English) you have the choice to say yes! Or no… so and if you say no the lady doesn’t fully believe you lamo so we basically get to decide if link is shy about admitting he is in love with Zelda witch we already know since it’s cannon
Literally no one talks about the akalla quest in totk where the chicken talks about how he can read the persons mind. And then talks about how link feels about Zelda. You can find out yourself at the South Akkala stable 32:59
There's also another piece of evidence in BOTW. In the japanese version of the game the journal is written in Link's pov. After you collected all memories he says in the journal how he wants to see Zelda's smile with his own eyes again. Really dislike how the localization team changed that it gives him so much more personality.
After watch it,I just realize... botw is about link's memories about zelda (like a point of view of zelda from link) and totk is about zelda's memories about link (how she's believe in link will prevail)
I like in age of calamity the love triangle zelda and mipha got and how they both acknowledge it by giving each other a very awkward smile basically implying that they know theyre in a love triangle but as someone said way too polite to act nasty towards each other about it
@@azaelrhododendron6558 yeah it's interesting to see which one link would of went for since that a timeline where mipha is alive. I think it's definitely a toss up he could go for either one there's evidence to show he had feelings for both. In the original timeline likely zelda cause she's the only one alive but if mipha was around it would complicate things and be a big love triangle like we saw in age of calamity.
@@azaelrhododendron6558 well in age of calmity link it's way more expressive and responsive and show a lot more personality than he does in breath of the wild. He doesn't talk still but it's easier to make out what he's thinking through his actions and expressions
@marioandultrachap for your first message- honestly yeah we can't really tell who he had feelings for if either at all. though zelda was going through it in age of calamity and in turn wasn't very nice to link, who I'm sure didn't really take it personally, but i don't see him developing much of a crush (though zelda obviously did) on her bc of it. we don't get many mipha link interactions but we know they've known each other since they were kids so it's definitely possible. to your second message- he is more expressive but whenever mipha/zelda are interacting with him or looking at him his expression always was carefully neutral, at least that's what I remember
@@azaelrhododendron6558 he did show some expression for zelda I remember that when zelda was getting attacked in the lost woods they reached out for each other and the master sword stopped the threat from attacking zelda. Or when mipha brought up she wanted to fight with link link walked over towards her not much facial expression but him walking over there I say met something. I think he would of picked one of them. Which one idk. Mipha makes the most sense cause they known each other longer but who knows maybe link liked zelda more romantically. So that's why I say it's a toss up but I'd say mipha cause they known each other since childhood and link went to Vist her on his own accord zelda was out of duty though it was evidence some of it was out of duty so who knows
Also ALSO realizing that Zelda never really needed to be physically or magically powerful because she was always protected. Especially by Link and his persistent, unwavering presence. The moment her protection failed she could have cowered and waited for death like she usually does. In the DLC scene with Urbosa she was literally frozen in fear and didn’t move a muscle: all she could do was shout when she thought Urbosa was about to get hit. However not only did she learn courage from Link she also learned to be protective of him. Actually stepping between him and the danger not even grabbing him so they could run. I’m so proud of my girl.
I can just add. the tear when Zelda is outside with Raru and Sonya and Raru says something about how Zelda keeps talking about how amazing link is. Then zelda processed to blush and look embaressed.
I love Link and Zelda's relationship so much in these two games. There's everything you mentioned in the video, but there's other, smaller details that I also enjoy. The fact that Link and Zelda walk side by side in TotK instead of Link following behind her like he did in BotW. Or during the beginning of TotK when LInk wordlessly takes Zelda's torch so she can use the Purah Pad is also very sweet.
If you think about it, when Link jumped to save Zelda from falling to the abyss, what was he trying to do? There is no way he could save her, he didn't have his glider. By jumping he was giving his life in vain an leaving Hyrule defenseless. Still, he just throwed himself at her. He didn't care about any of that. If she was about to die, he wanted to make sure he was at least holding her hand to the very end, and they would end it all together.
Such a beautiful story. 😭❤️❤️ I also think Zelda was able to be changed back because her intentions when she swallowed the stone were so pure. And since Link was at the heart of her thoughts when she transformed, his love was able to recall her to her former self.
I think there's another hint that Link loves Zelda too and it happens when you free Urbosa's spirit in BotW- she tells Link to "Take care of the princes" before winking and saying, "take care of Hyrule". I think Urbosa was pushing those 2 to be together and by her telling Link to take care of Hyrule, I interpreted that as she wanted them to get married. Now that might not be definitive evidence, but I just took it as such.
Apart from all the stuff said in the video. The moment I loved the most is actually the beginning bit where they were investigating the underground. With Zelda geeking over the drawings and wanted to take pictures, it is like Link knows what she is thinking (He probably do know) and offered to hold her torch. It all seemed so natural, like this happened a thousand times already. Link is always by her side and knows her so well. It is not big hints like Link/Zelda's house in Hateno, but I found it extremely cute.
I think people who say they aren't in a relationship or at the very least in love, are straight up delusional. Its pretty clear that Nintendo intended for them to be together. Especially considering that both BOTW and TOTK are heavily inspired by Ghibli movies, movies that depict love in a subtle, pure way. Zelda waiting and putting her faith in Link for 100 years, Link rescuing Zelda even though he doesn't remember anything ,Link catching Zelda, Zelda as a mindless dragon still having the instinct to sace and help Link and Zelda sacrificing her will and heart to give Link the *chance* to defeat ganon, are bigger acts of love than a kiss could ever be
Yeah but it allso has to do with the culture it comes from now I’m not claiming to represent Japanese culture but from what I’ve heard love is not as openly expressed and is shown through symbolism and subtle ways like in btow and ghibi
Exactly. I can think of another couple in japanese fiction that never once explicitly say they love each other but their feelings are obvious based on their actions, especially the man in the relationship.
Just to add a bittersweet note to this: Link didn't like going back to the empty home he and zelda shared in Hateno so he bought the house in Terrey Town so he didn't have constant reminders of her around until she came back ;u;
I also recommend looking up the Japanese adventure log for BotW because it translates as being in first person rather than the second person we got in English, meaning it's actually written by Link himself. Some of the statements he makes about Zelda further lean in to how he feels about her, and his reactions and thoughts about NPCs in side quests gives a lot of insight into his personality in general.
The English logs are not actually in third person if this where the case then every time it says “you” it would be replaced with “link” but besides that this is correct
@@wiskerfall4519 I graduated from high school 20 years ago and went to art school for college. It's been a minute. lol Would that be second person, I guess?
@@kriscynical yeah the journals are actually a very complex topic with alot of different narratives going around however. The reoccurring message I get when talking to Japanese ppl is that it is written by link
It mostly is dependent on the game for ZeLink imo Skyward Sword is pretty obviously ZeLink BotW and TotK is obviously ZeLink -- unless you don't pay ANY attention at all to the story at all
Awesome argumentation. We have to consider that TLOZ has a Japanese narrative, so the love between Link & Zelda is showed in an oriental way. Also, when Zelda realizes that Link has defeated Ganondorf, she says: I have so much to tell you! The vibes of her speech is related to the bond and the importance of Link in her life, and she can say that 'cause the trust each other and they respect each other as an oriental couple. I Love Zelda, and I love Tears of the kingdom
I’ve seen this mentioned somewhere else but the “I’m home” in the Japanese version of the game has a larger significance than in the English version it’s because your only sopposed to say I’m home to some you live with or love ones
This could be totally written off but I just wanted to add the trending theme of clasped hands throughout TOTK. At the beginning Link fails to reach Zelda's hand as she falls, a little later she transfers the time sage's power to link by grabbing his hand, the other sages follow this pattern transferring their own individual vows through clasping Link's hand. In the end Rauru and Sonia transfer their power through Link to transform Zelda and return Link's arm by laying their own hands on his. Link then dives to save Zelda and how does he save her? By grabbing her hand with his now original hand and pulling her to him. It could just be a poetic way to tie the story together but I think there may be something else here to prove this theory. Or I'm just a hopeless Zelink stan, either way it's a beautiful detail that adds to the story a lot in my opinion.
I find a detail in TOTY that evidence link loves Zelda . When you dive into the tears of dragon, there is a plot:the chatting between Zelda and Sonia in the pavilion. Zelda carelessly broke a cup, and then Sonia use the time power to let the cup been restored, told Zelda:the key to restore a thing is to memorize the things that very impressive.That means Link has a deep memory of Zelda and it’s strong enough to let a huge dragon back to 10000years ago.What a time power!! Only deep love can do this.
Let's be real, most of us can see that they're probably is canon, or very close to being so, but some deny it because they simply just don't like it. Which is completely fair and why I like Nintendo being vague about it. [I'm not a big zelink (is that the ship name?) fan either] But this is a very well-put and thought out video! Kudos
Lol honestly I'm cool with either zelda or mipha I more for zelda cause mipha IS a fish after all but if we took that out of the equation either one would be a good pick in my opinion. I think mipha would be hurt the most if link picked zelda cause she's known him longer and probably had the most feelings
@marioandultrachap I'm a miphlink shipper but I doubt that's going to be canon as in the main universe she's sadly dead lmao, but either way I don't think zelink will be either bc I doubt Nintendo would want it outright
Also, in BOTW there's a scene where Zelda talks to the Deku tree and she asks him to tell link she... and the tree interrumps to say that the words that come from the heart must be said in person.
Don't forget. Link had the Recall ability and it was amplified by the King and Queen. The Recall ability also rewound time on Link's arm too to before Ganondorf made it necessary for Rauru to amputate the old arm and place his on.
Thats a cool idea but in the game recall can't be used on living things like enemies or people only on objects like weapons and items and other things like rocks and trees, recall also only changes the position in time of an object not how it looks or how it was before, if it did than link or Zelda in the past could've just used recall on the master sword to fix it
@@whitedonut5920 recall sent the Master Sword to Zelda. Remember the glowing orb? The only reason it can't work on living beings is Link only has a small amount of control over it. Sonia and Rauru had to combine their powers with his to reverse the Draconification.
The fact that Link feels that he can freely be valuable near Zelda is amazing, not only that, but it proves that Link has actually spoken to her in private. The diary entries obviously spell this out for you, but the memory where she literally quotes a piece of advice that Link gave her also proves this, "'Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount, that's the only way it will know how you truly feel.'" She then looks over to Link and says, "You're advice was quite helpful" He feels he is able to speak to her freely, romance or friendship, it still proves he undoubtedly trusts her.
Yeah for me that tiny detail confirmed the romance between them considering all the other details that show link loves her. He has journal entries in the Japanese version that were not brought up but it basically confirms he loves her he mentions how her beauty is unparalleled while riding a horse and how her voice is beautiful. When he learns that Zelda is in love with him he says “I have accepted Zelda’s feelings” and lastly when he has all 13 memory’s he says “I want to see her smile again with these eyes of my own” this combined with the silent princess symbolism confirms that they are in love too me
there's also the fact that Link is associated with light. its quite literally one of the first things Zelda tells him when he wakes up in botw, and Ganon says something along the lines of how Link is insufferable because he's bathed in light (I dont remember exactly). Plus he's got Rauru's arm, and sort of takes Rauru's place in the fight against Ganon with all the sages. And sure is interesting that Sonia and Zelda have the same look about them and have the same powers. So Zelda has time and light powers but light powers only ever comes up when Link is around. What a coincidence, huh? It could almost be interpreted as Link and Zelda being two parts of one whole. To me it's just so bafflingly obvious that the implication is meant to be romantic. I don't yuck anyone's yum if they truly can't stand the pairing, and the romantic undertones aren't super in your face for that reason I reckon. But it feels just plain silly to deny that Nintendo put it in there because Link and Zelda are to be interpreted as a couple, lol.
Status quo i think has never been "there is no love between link and Zelda", rather "it's up to our imagination what the relationship could have been like between the two"
Didn't need a full video to explain it. I knew exactly what their relationship was when I saw the Hateno house and Zelda tossed all of Link's stuff 😂 That's peak move in girlfriend behavior.
@@jeremygriffin620 ? What else am I supposed to call it? The Zelda gang? The Zelda buddies? A community will have positive elements to it, but it will always have toxic ones. Think of how people praise artists, theories, comics, and so many other things. It's just that most people hate it when you shove tasteless romance into every plot imaginable and parade around the internet insisting to everyone that it's canon.
Great vid. I'm surprised you didn't use the Japanese translations of the shiekah logs. Anything in the Japanese translations is considered canon after all. In the logs it's more like a diary for Link and he actually has personality in them. There are videos that show this
Great video! I’m currently playing Breath of the Wild now. I don’t mind spoilers though as I know what happens in that game and Tears of the Kingdom. One additional clue in TotK that proves Zelda loves Link is when Sonia brings up Link and Rauru asks who Link is, Zelda has a big and bright smile as she describes him.
not to mention in the gerudo settlement Link can respond to one of the Gerudo asking if “he too has a loved one?” or something like that and you can respond “yes i do” i feel like that’s pretty significant
I’ve always these twos relationship as less of an “if” as opposed to a “how.” For example, the literally narrative of a royal falling for their knight is, in general, a tired trope for fantasy, so what better way than to leave it to the player to shape that trope to their liking. You can also see this in Skyward Sword with the “puppy dog” “friends to lovers” trope, though that one is a tad more explicit.
I never knew that about the falling flower petals! That's really cute! Also, to add onto the proof, you should check out something someone found in an "out of bounds" camera shot in the final scene of TotK: The title of the video is TOTK Ending Cutscene: Link’s smile hidden out of bounds!
Ive heard there's a clip going around somewhere of someone editing the camera during the final cutscene and apparently Link smiles when Zelda mentions a loving embrace? Haven't seen it for myself though.
Just wanted to say, this is a really good video, not only because of the excellent arguments, but how well it is put together, it really helps with understanding your point, really nice!!
It should be noted that Zelda's implied to have not expressed her true feelings to Link during the Deku Tree flashback in BotW. Which would at least somewhat imply that even though Zelda did likely have romantic feelings in that game, it wasn't until the gap between the ending of BotW and TotK that they entered it, particularly given her diary and journal in TotK (plus the fact that Link's house in BotW is now called Zelda's house in TotK and Link's hairband being in Zelda's secret study in the well) seem to imply that she didn't leave those feelings unspoken during said time skip.
I agree they love each other, but the ending with Rauru and Sonia helping Link save Zelda can be more like a super Recall on Zelda and Link: Reverting Zelda to before Draconificaction and Link to having his Arm again. Kinda like how Zelda helped Sonia and Rauru boost his light magic to a Light Beam killing the Molduga in that one Memory. I do think Zelda and Link love each other and are probably already even a couple if they share the house by Hateno Village and the bed is the only other bed Link can sleep in for free besides in. That means Zelda and Link sleep together ~~damn link~~ and are 99.99% already a couple.
Watch me react to your comments on THIS video! ruclips.net/video/rn8aEmmWgNs/видео.html
Here is something you know how each champion has a journal as well as Zelda in the Japanese release the shika slate is links journal not just a mission log
It's also worth looking into the Japanese translation of the game. There is already a RUclips video about this, but in the quest log for the Japanese version of botw, most of the quest details are written in the first person, as if written by Link. One of the quest actually explain how Link wants to see Zelda's smile again, and what's the last thing we see in botw? Zelda's smile :)
You forgot to say that the first time links talks with nasha after the sandstorm in totk she asks link if he have someone special in him heart and the main answer for that question is ¡yes!
Zelda tells Link "I'm home" at the ending. In Japan, you only tell that to the people at familial level or people that you live with.
holy, you might be the only person I have seen that has put that together XD tadaima. Doesnt have the same meaning as Im home, its just the closest thing english has. Its a form of affection, only used around family, or loved ones where you feel comfortable. And in Japanese, Zelda says exactly that. Tadaima
Thank dear God I have a love hate relationship with the Japanese language but for stuff like this I love the amount of social rules.
finally someone who says this!!
What did she say in Japanese?
I was thinking the same when i saw that dude, its wild nobody talks about this
for me the biggest evidence is the “find princess zelda” quest. it is the single longest lasting quest in the game. technically, destroying ganondorf is a secondary quest - the goals were aligned, and it was the right thing to do, so of course link would do it. but every lead he chases down, every dungeon he completes and everything he does, everything is intended to find princess zelda.
it was never about hyrule. it was about her.
You’re a lovely poet and I love you mate
@@wadesstyrofoamsurprise2234 im flattered lmao
"A hero sacrifices one person to save the world, a villain sacrifices the world to save one person" if Link truly was prioritizing his dragon wife over the kingdom, then that explains why he tortured all those koroks.
He willing to travel a country just for that zussy
Yes
After Skyward Sword and how obvious it was that Zelda and Link loved each other in that game, Nintendo can't lie anymore.
Some of the games, the link and Zelda Romance relationship make sense while some other games it doesn't.
@@alexjackyperson101 I agree. Skyward Sword is Zelink but Twilight Princess, definitely not
To be fair, that was a different game with a different background. For example, she's not a princess in SS, so, thus they would have less of a class divide to contend with
@@soloknight7197 Yeah. She's only the reincarnation of a Goddess and the daughter of a Headmaster while Link is just a Knight in training. No divide there.
@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 Exactly. It depends on the incarnations in each game.
In the german version, the gerudo teacher literally asks Link if he has a girlfriend and he says "Oh yes"" and she tells Link he is very direct and if you say "No..." the teacher doesn't fully believe you
Don’t forget that Dragon Zelda went to Link even when she didn’t have any memories! That’s how strong their love is
I think the large drawings created by her tears helped her keep some of her memories. That's why these drawings exist. That's what I think anyway
I don't think it was anything so intellectually challenging. Given what we know about Draconification and the dragons, it seems they each have a Geas, the other 3's Geas seems to be tied to their temple and possibly maintaining their aspect of the Triforce, which would be why Zelda has to visit their springs of power to receive her sealing ability per ritual, but Zelda's animating Geas is to protect and nurture the Sword for the purpose of supporting Link's defeat of DKG, at that moment everything draws her to Link to complete that task.
We can reason this because becoming the immortal dragons they lose all sense of self but all still show a distinct purpose or path, With Ganondorfs being victory and destruction of Hyrule.
@@sophitiaofhyrule The big ass Nintendo switch to remind her of what tho? This is a jk btw
something to note:
zelda's journal refers to her house as "my house." but in the japanese translation, she refers to it as "our house." in the final cutscene, she says to link "i'm home," which in japan, is only something you say to someone you have a familial or loving bond with. im assuming in the japanese translation, this line is supposed to have a double meaning, "i'm home" referring to their shared house and referring to "the home is where the heart is."
in zelda's diary, she mentions that she is making a new champions tunic JUST for link, also saying that (paraphrasing here) she "cannot wait to see the look on his face when [she] surprises him with it." she also says that she will hide it in the castle. now, why would she hide it in the castle? because in their shared home, link could come home and find it!
their house also only has one bed! and link can sleep in it, and link can only sleep in beds that he owns or rented out via inn.
so in short, they live together, the house only has one bed, zelda has to hide her gifts for him outside of their house because he would find it, because he lives there...
Why is the English translation so scared of Zelink? They could be married for all we know. Nothing scandalous of parthernship families either.
@@falconeshieldProbably because there are some people who want to see Link as a completely blank slate, even though that’s not really true nowadays. I find the frequent hiding of Zelink weird as well- they’re just a wholesome couple doing their thing LOL
She also had Link's old hairband in her private study room.
The creators want the game to be free for all kinds of speculation. As how they also don't want to keep consistencies 100% to the timeline, they let (the players) speculate if they are in love or not. Also that's partly my own speculation bc they have been vocal about letting players speculate etc
There is one other bed link can sleep in that isn’t his own or from a inn, but that bed is in a house where if you read the diary of the owner it says that everyone can rest in that bed.
In the distant past in TOTK, Sonia drops a remark to Zelda about how she has to return home to put Link's mind at ease. When Rayru asks Zelda about Link, it's obvious that Sonia and Rayru pick up on her love for him from her reply.
i’m so shocked he didn’t mention this bc i saw that cutscene and i was like !!!! it’s so obvious she loves him
Exactly! "Of course, you must make it back to put Link's mind at ease" like come on, the devs put that line in for a reason....
That was the biggest “dad” moment for Rauru. I was grinning from ear to ear when he’s just like, “oho! You never mentioned a boy!” Lol
The animators did a lovely job on Zelda's facial expressions when she tells them about Link in that memory. It's so subtle and soft, much like how warm and coy she looks in BotW when the Deku Tree tells her "Words intended for him would sound much... better in the tones of _your_ voice, don't you think?" and her quiet "Yes," in return.
I LOVE that cutscene because of this. The way she speaks about him, her tone of voice while the music subtly plays the main theme which has come to represent Link, and her quick but soft smile when she finishes what she says, and then Rauru and Sonia totally realizing this girl is down bad LOL. Love it.
another huge thing that proves link loves zelda is how heartbroken he looks when the dragon's tears quest is done. when he's surrounded by the silent princesses, he looks SO SAD. we hardly ever see him emote like this and it's so 😭
Bro I was wearing the Fierce Deity mask in this scene so I definitely missed that lmao
@@MCF4LL LMFAOOOO this made me CACKLE
Yeah it’s sad that’s people said he didn’t even show emotion
I had Cece hat and frost armor I definitely missed it
@@boonduckgod1655 My roommate always had the Glide mask equipped, so Link always looked like a startled bird during those cutscenes
There will never be enough proof for the people that just don't like the pairing. The writers could come forward and spell it out and it wouldn't be enough, they will always say "well actually Link is a blank slate character so he feels whatever I want to feel".
Except Link is not a blank slate. He has a backstory, opinions and a personality (even if we kinda got robbed of it in the English translation).
Yeah I feel as though those people are a minority because ever since skyward sword and by proxy the developer changed there has been a shift in how link and Zelda’s relationship is portrayed cause in skyward sword it’s stated that every Zelda descended from the first Zelda and link and Zelda where the only people on the surface at the end of the game so oi oi. But generally the dynamic between the 2 is just more romantic than the older games
He's intended as a blank slate, but ultimately (especially since Skyward Sword) he still has some personality of his own. His choices of answers can note a liking to be sassy for example.
@@slynthehedgehog8061, he's not meant as a blanck slate, because he's not blanck at all in any sense and even has his own personality although he always has a heart of gold, he's meant as a character of his own with his own being but still made for us to be able to relate to him and live his adventures through him
@@slynthehedgehog8061 The things you mentioned are exactly what makes him not a blank slate character. A blank slate character has its personality, tastes and story built and dictated by the player's choices. Link is his own person. You play as Link, but Link isn't you.
@@doloresgronenberg5882 he was originally intended as a blank slate but that lasted for like 2 games. its why his name is link, he was a link for the player and the game
I’d also want to add that in Age of Calamity, when Link gets the master sword, it activates only when Link reaches out to Zelda trying to desperately save her, directly mirroring Zelda saving Link. Further supporting your point that their love is what ultimately awakens their power.
Shit I never thought of that is definitely not a coincidence since in age of calamity Zelda also saved link out of her love for link presumably because unlike btow we don’t have conformation that Zelda loves link in aoc but it is very likely
Yeah, Link doing that is desesperate, not rational. It is clearly a love conducted act.
In the memory where Ganon awakens in BOTW, after Zelda comes back from the Spring of Wisdom to no avail of awakening her power, Mipha was going to say something that she does while she heals that could help Zelda. While we never knew what she was going to say, we can assume that she must think about something important to her to heal effectively and who else was on her mind enough other than Link, who she loved and wanted to marry. Because when Zelda's power finally awakened, it was out of desperate desire to save Link, the only person who she had left after losing everyone else she loved.
@@painkiller9310 Yeah this. It's werid people totally ignore that scene. Link is looking at Zelda, then Mipha notices that, gasps, then looks a bit sad, then tries to give Zelda advice and she says that it's something she's embarrassed about, then Ganon cuts her off before she can tell Zelda what she was going to say.
Which then link scared the ****** out of Mr prophecy man
I never expected to love the relationship between Zelda and Link in BOTW and TOTK as much as I did. They really do have a sweet and loving romance. Zelda loves Link for always being there to support her, and Link loves her for being a quirky nerd who is obsessed with history, nature, and science. I imagine him always listening attentively to her talking about her interests, his love growing stronger with each passing minute. Plus, the two of them together also have a bit of a chaotic energy to them, with Link being a wild warrior and Zelda the overly-enthusiastic scientist wanting to try any kind of crazy experiment. Makes me wish we got to see more scenes of them together in Hyrule getting into all kinds of wild situations. 🥰
Also, Link is known to be pretty obsessed with food and won't think twice about eating rocks.
@@h0m3st4r If Link was sent to the past instead of Zelda, he would have eaten the secret stone day 1
Someone pointed out he also seems to be quite the nerd because of his giggles when fusing and
In Japanese he’s the on filling out the companion discriminations and naming the depths stuff
@@That-girliscrazy That sounds great! Maybe Zelda's nerdiness rubbed off on him? Although I guess it's a logical progression from him becoming an enthusiastic cook in BOTW; he ends up developing new hobbies and interests too.
Great thoughts! Very poetic comment!
Important bit from Breath Of the Wild that indicates Link's love for Zelda. He's supposed to be a knight. Only. A knight. And so in the memory, "Despair," when Zelda trips in the mud while they run from the Calamity, Link doesn't grab her arm and tell her they need to go. He doesn't do what a knight would do and stick to his duty by trying to get her out of there. He knows that she isn't okay and she needs to just stop for a minute to cry. She bursts into tears and ends up falling into his arms. Link walked forwards, PUT AWAY THE SWORD-THEIR ONLY MEANS OF PROTECTION-and listened to her. Look in his eyes he looks like he's about to cry. He knows Zelda and he knows her well. He knows that she just needs love right now and he wants to be that person.
Not to mention the master sword which he drops (again in the prologue of TOTK when Zelda falls) is the sole reason for his position. Without it, he wouldn’t be Zeldas knight. Without the master sword, he wouldn’t have any duties towards her. But even without the master sword, as both times it was very damaged and almost useless in a fight, he still saves Zelda.
yes!! there's so so so many other little crumbs throughout the games, too: paya's journal in breath of the wild suspects that link is in love with zelda; at the end of the champion's ballad dlc, kass says that his teacher's love for zelda was never reciprocated because "she only had eyes for her knight,"; in tears of the kingdom, in the "voe & me" class, link has the option to say that he's in love with someone; AND other npcs refer to the hudson dream house as being for a family/the furnished room has four chairs, etc.!
I'm so glad they included chairs for when Sidon and Yona come over for dates /hj
Link does love someone botw talks mentioned him and Mipha loving each other in the original japanese version so it wouldn't surprise me that he would say yes
@@LR_Bushido mipha deserved better
@@LR_BushidoLink never said or implied he love Mipha even with Japanese version, I can debate you for this since I played in Japanese
@@LR_Bushido I can read japanese and the japanese version never implied that, it DID however have this line implied to be Link's feelings about Zelda: 彼女の笑顔を もう一度 この目で見たい
I want to see her smile with my own eyes
one thing to note about the ending cutscene is when zelda says she felt a warm loving embrace, link actually smiles widely. there is a tumblr user who managed to change the camera settings in an emulator and aimed it at link’s face.
even though his face isn’t seen in the cutscene, it’s interesting that the zelda team deliberately took the time to animate his expression. maybe they initially wanted to include it but then changed their mind later, or maybe it was a hidden easter egg meant for only the zelda team to know. but either way, it sort of confirms that zelda is referring to link about the “warm loving embrace”.
edit: youtube will usually delete comments with url links but the username of the tumblr account with the video is mistress-light, if you scroll down their page you will eventually find the video.
ohh i would love to see that post
I need to find this.
@@adriansala9282 youtube normally deletes my comments whenever i try to link a url but the the tumblr user’s name is mistress-light
I saw it too! I hate that someone actually took the time to animate the whole sequence but we don't get to see it bc the final version of the scene has the camera facing their back sides. Even zelda's relief when she says "thank you" I kinda wish we had that seen with no game mods :'I
I didn't believe the first time I heard about it, but it is really true
Another thing I liked is that in the memory in BOTW where Zelda says "tomorrow is my 17th birthday", she and Link rode horses together to the spot. She says " Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. That's the only way it will know how you truly feel" and thanks Link for the advice. So he does speak to her more casually too, not only during the diary. It's cute as fuck.
In the cutscene of Link letting Zelda cry into him, his eyes have such a deep expression, you can almost hear the words that he wants to say. He desperately wants to console her and try to tell her everything will be okay, but he can't, because he knows that he would be lying to her. And Link loves her too much to lie to her, so he just has to kneel there and protect her until he can try to make things better for her. Look at Link's eyes between 18:08 and 18:18
I noticed that with this incarnation of link his eyes are extremely expressive
I think anyone would feel very emotive if all their friends died and a literal Calamity was happening. It is actually surprising that he doesn't shed a single tear in both games. I don't really think there is no definitive proof that Link does or does not love Zelda simply because he doesn't express feelings as much as she does.
in my head, in hateno village, in their house, Zelda is usually the second one to finally get home after a long day of working and being with the children in the school, and when she does she probably always announces to Link that she’s home, so when she says it at the end “Oh Link… I’m home!” she’s 100% saying that to him with that same mindset just with obviously added emotional baggage
That would make Link the housekeeper 😂
Amazing food is definitely a plus 🍲🍰🥞🦞
But I can't imagine him being particularly good at cleaning. 🧹
Not that he won't do it , but his methods would be questionable at best.
@@zockingtroller7788 *Flashbacks to that one side quest in the gerudo canyon stable where I just used bombs*
Hey who says explosives are a bad thing… not my fault they were present
I always thought link would get home at like 3am after a long day of physically and emotionally abusing lynels.
@@ReadilyAvailibleChomperand koroks
Love that no one pointed out the fact the house that you made in BOTW is now Zelda's house in English, but in Japanese it's "Our house."
16:40 Also, as this was made by a Japanese company, it's good to note that how a character says "I'm home" can hold a lot of meaning. Kids usually yell "I'm back!" while a loveless couple will plainly say "I'm back/I'm home." A couple in love will be genuinely happy to be back, no matter how long or short their time apart, and Zelda's was definitely more "I'm here with you" rather than "I'm back in this era."
There is actually more too it then that the specific “tamida” used at the end is only for people you live with or are lovers with since it is a form of affection so it’s basically nitendos way of confirming zelink in my eyes
also, just a cute little thing if you haven't mentioned it before:
in the japanese version of the game where, you know, the quests tab is basically a diary for link, in one of the stable quests where the zonai investigators or whatever they're called go out in their underwear, the name of the quest is called 'My Sweet Princess' and i find that VERY adorable lol
Man what is all robed from the English dub. Glad the German Dub is way mote acurate
And in Chinese it was translated into “My Dear Princess”, which is equally adorable
@@hydroklowricacid3476 AWWWH
In the Japanese version Zelda's journal states "our house" implying that they did live together for a little while.
@@camcatdos
AYO 😳
One of the things I really liked about the 'Find Zelda' quest was that it wasn't resolved when you got all the memories, know that Zelda became the light dragon, and then find the light dragon and take the sword from it's head. When I played through, I thought that Zelda was just the dragon forever now, and I expected to see the 'Find Zelda' quest fulfilled when you got the master sword or something since you've now figured out she is the dragon and have 'found' her though in a tragic way. I was honestly perplexed when the quest wasn't resolved and didn't know why at first.
Eventually I figured that they might just bring her back because tragic endings are sad. Though there was another possibility I considered. I think of the quests as being reminders or something like that that Link actually makes for himself (If I remember correctly, in the Japanese version the quests are written in the first person implying Link is actually writing them), so I also thought that maybe he didn't put it all together yet and the ending would be him mourning at the loss of Zelda.
The actual ending surprised me though when I went through it. Zelda got brought back because of Link! The reason Link never dismissed the quest to find her was because he was determined to find a way bring her back no matter the difficulty! It didn't matter that even the Zonai with their almost godlike abilities couldn't figure it out. He wouldn't give up on her because he loves her!
I was a bit confused about that but it makes sense now lol
Im crying in the club rn
I still don't understand actually how she got changed back the explanation they give in the game made no sense to me
@@spore9428 seemed like rauru and Sonia used their time and spirit powers in conjunction to basically take her back to before she ate the stone
@@spore9428 And to add more, they channeled their powers through Link. It doesnt have to be explicitly explained but it is quite obvious they couldn't do it without him. Even if it was love or not, Link already had beaten (or at least should've according to most players' playstyle) many sanctuaries as well, allowing him to have enough of this "light" power that Rauru expected you to have to use better the zonai'd arm and also to get rid of the malice Ganondorf puts on Link at the beginning of the game.
I'm just a simple person and all I know is that if the storyline goes beyond time and space for something beyond yourself to another.......that's simply love.
Or hatred. Never forget that one
This is the most “in love” Link and Zelda have been since Skyward Sword. It’s not every incarnation but it’s definitely romance with these 2 eras.
Which is so appropriate since they’re canonically so far the first and last Zelda games on the timeline!
Personally I think Nintendo intentionally makes it vague just so that people can theorize whatever without being able to disprove anything. So everyone can be rewarded by “being right”, which is the entire premise for the direction the series is going in
Which is dumb. Indecisiveness isn't fun or quirky. It's annoying and will only frustrate people further. As time goes on people will bring up this point. For now either it isn't a concern or people will just dismiss my point entirely. Until years later they are feeling annoyed and I end up correct.
@@lastmanstanding7155 ehhhh it’s more so a matter of preference. Some people REALLY enjoy open ended things. I personally also don’t like that sort of thing but there’s definitely a large group of people who do
@@jonah.w7397
Well uhh imma just say they suck. I think it can work but honestly in this context it's just frustrating.
@@lastmanstanding7155 I totally agree with that. Within the setting of the game and even the series at times, it can feel almost important to define it. And it’s for sure frustrating in those moments that we’ll probably never get an answer. I think if you get really nit picky about lore and everything though, I don’t know if it’d be a good idea for them to confirm that due to the specific natures of the two characters reappearance throughout the series, as link is the same person just reincarnated while zelda is just a bloodline. If they were to confirm it at any point then that’d make future Zelda’s related by blood to whichever Link that’d be. They wouldnt really be able to do it ever again after that because link would be with his own descendant. To be fair though, I don’t think that is something most people would really care about or even realize
@@jonah.w7397
I don't think the Link spirit works like that if I'm tbh. (Oh and I agree with everything you said) I just always figured the spirit of the hero just finds a way to come back. Just like Gannon. Atleast that's how I'd explain windwaker link. Otherwise that timeline would be doomed. So personally while perhaps the zelda boodline may be important I don't think it's that big a deal if theif kids go on to make a future link or zelda. But usually every link ever is just some guy. Like a really strong and skilled guy but really just a dude. A farmer. Some random bloke in a house. An unlikely orphan among unusual kids.
a few things to add hinting towards their romance in totk:
in the description of the light dragon in the compendium, it says that "its presence is somehow comforting (presumably to link)" meaning that even in dragon form, zelda is "comforting" to him
you already pointed out how, in botw, link cares about zelda way more than his job description demands, but that goes doubly so in totk. i'm sure he no longer holds the title of "appointed knight", considering not only is the one who gave that order (king rhoam) long dead, but link has also fullfilled that role tenfold, in a kingdom that no longer exists, meaning that, realistically, his obligations as zelda's bodyguard are pretty much over. however, many npcs recognize him as "zelda's knight", or "her favourite swordsman", and i swear someone even calls him her shadow. what this means is, long after he fullfilled his duty, link still chooses to devote his life to zelda, protect her and stay by her side, which, needless to say, you don't do for just anyone
and lastly, tho this one is more of a crack point, but after zelda wakes up at the end of the game and sees link half-naked in front of her, she has no reaction to that, whatsoever. now, of course it's because they didn't want to draw attention to that during an otherwise dramatic scene, but *what if* that isn't the first time she sees him topless, so she hasn't got much of a reason to be fazed/embarassed by it? combined with the theory that they share a house/bed in hateno... yeah
There's also that tear memory where Zelda is having tea with Sonia, and Sonia notices how Zelda talks about Link, and practically teases Zelda about it
The way that Zelda talks about Link when she first meets Rauru and Sonia is so adorable. You can tell how much she loves and admires him 🥲
Another cute detail is that she captures him in the picture she took at the beginning of the game!
Just a little nitpick:
1. The events of the imprisoning war don't happen 10 thousand years ago, it is much, much more ancient, probably millenia before ToTK. 10 thousand years ago was the battle between the sheikah, the hero and the princess against the calamity, which if you complete all shrines it is revealed the hero was a zonai.
2. Draconification while forbidcen it's not evil. The ember, frostbite and charged sets talk about an ancient ritual, and the outfits resemble Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh respectively, which were probably the clothes this ancient people wore before becoming dragons. Present day hyruleans believe this dragons are protecting the land, so probably this ancient ritual was to become a powerful being capable of protecting their people at the cost of their mind, which in turn made it a forbidden act.
3. The biggest demostration of love by Link imo is when Zelda falls he just jumps into the void and letting go the master sword in hopes of just being able to save Zelda, even with his hand in a very bad and probably hurtful state. Irrational, desperate, he needs to save her, not because he's a knight but because it's Zelda.
Other than that I agree, the only way their love could be more obvious is if they themselves said I love you to each other
You do know that a millenia is 1000 years, right?
@@theonewhogotaway6384 nope lol I'm not a native english speaker my bad, I meant millions of years
Personally, i think in ToTK The zonai cant be more than 100.000 years ago, if more, Death mountain and the temples would've been gone or changed completely due to volcanic activity and erosion, the Sheikah are 10.000 years ago, but 1 thing is wierd, Ganondorf made sure that Rauru and Mineru are the last of the zonai, but the Sheikah refer to a zonai, which should be impossible at the Time. (Thats one flaw/plot hole)
* not to mention the temple of time in the sky (which is clearly seen)
Not related to the video but adding my own theory to the point 3, I like to think there were zonai tribes. They all wore the clothes related to the three goddesses (Din, Nayru, and Farore), Rauru and Mineru were from the Farore/Farosh tribe bc their clothes are so similar to the Charged Armor. These zonai were leaders or volunteers that draconified to keep peace in the land! If you look at the dragons they all have white manes unlike Zelda dragon
Don’t forget! One big thing that proves Link’s love for Zelda in BoTW is his journal! The japanese version is told through his perspective… and in it. His one wish is to see her smile again… and what do we get at the very end of BoTW??? A goofy lovable smile from Zelda as a reward ❤❤
Ohmygod where can you find Links journal?😮😭
@@wondertooniis It's the adventure log. The English version, when you see the quests, and complete them, it kinds of treats them like normal. However, the original japanese version, it's written in the form of links POV. It's treated like his diary. Look up "BoTW Japanese Adventure Log."
@@wondertooniisin the Japanese version, the quests in the "Adventure Log" of your sheikah slate are actually diary entries written by Link. It's in first person and written with lots of emotions unlike the English version which is written like a quest log telling you what to do
@@F1atmanWe were robbed I tell you. Robbed!
I also would like to point out that after botw, they believed that Ganon was gone for good. And Zelda has freaking powers of light that banishes evil, so I'm pretty sure Link's duty to stay with her and protect her would no longer be needed. And yet it's clear from totk that in the time between games they stayed together to go pretty much everywhere, even somewhat settling down at Link's house in Hateno. If they were "just friends" they could have both gone on their marry way and met up on weekends or something, but they choose to stay together. And that's not duty anymore, that's desire.
“That’s not duty anymore, that’s desire” YES! THANK YOU! 😭😭😭
And they were roommates
I think it’s even said in one of her diaries how he chose to stay by her side
My favorite piece of evidence that they are in a relationship is in totk, when you go back to your house (or Zelda's house), the one you bought in botw, you will see that there are 2 dinner plates and 1 bed in the house.
😏
Unfortunately I think it's implied that Link no longer lives there. The NPC's of Hateno do not recognise Link at all and they explicitly go out of their way to tell you that. They treat him like a tourist. Even the NPC's which keep a close watch on Zelda's house and even one of them who cleans it daily doesn't recognise Link at all.
That being said, I still do think they both romantically love each other regardless.
@@ultimatedumbass4640 That might be true but there still is that second dinner plate so maybe i dunno also another thing is that only people significant to the storyline and some quests are really the ones to recognize link, not just in hateno. Might be story related or just game design but I would like to believe that they are in that house together.
Nintendo aren't sticklers for continuity between games. They call it zeldas house and don't recognise link and also there was 2 plates in botw. But it's obvious that zelda and link are a thing, they leave it just ambiguous enough that all the alt-shippers won't be upset
@@ultimatedumbass4640 the teacher treats link like he lives there and sees him often
Another thing is I think it's not JUST Link's romantic love
My theory is it's like
Sonia's motherly love for her (It looks like that was kinda how things were played for her in the story)
Rauru's teammate love for her (She's part of the Sages, helped in the Imprisoning War)
Link's romantic love for her (Duh)
It's mostly Link's romantic love carrying the team. Like he's 2/3, and Rauru and Sonia are 1/3 together. It's them knowing what to do and using Link's power to do it.
i feel both sonia and rauru is a mom/dad love .
Well to be accurate more like
great great great great great great etc. grandparent love but I get what you meant
I think it was a mix of all of the perfect conditions. Link's unwavering motivation to protect Zelda, Sonia and Rauru's powers to reverse time and purify evil, and Zelda's memories that Link collected (so he could "give them back" to her). And, of course, the affection all three of them have for Zelda.
@@GOLDHAJIKVONGOLAZelda absolutely deserved having that parental love for once. King Rhoam was such a dick to her
So with what you’re saying I can conclude:
Homie’s on that hard carry
Something I am very surprised you didn’t mention that proves Link’s love for Zelda in Breath of the Wild is his facial expressions in the memories. It’s very subtle, but in the very beginning, you see Link’s emotionless expression. He gives no hint to how he’s feeling in the first few memories. As time goes on, however, you see it begin to change. One example is the memory of when they both were in the flower field looking at the silent princesses. While he doesn’t show too much expression, he does tilt his head to the side, which usually represents curiosity. He’s listening to Zelda’s interests and wants to know more about them. When Link trains a bit in another memory while Zelda sits under the tree, waiting for the rain to stop, we see him break his concentration and look at Zelda when she speaks to him. The second to last memory, where they are in the woods, not only do we see Link put the sword away and go to Zelda when she’s grieving, if you look at his eyes, you can see there is a hint of sadness and empathy. He’s hurting just as much but is also upset to see Zelda upset, which he would’ve NEVER shown in the beginning. In the VERY final memory, when Link tries to defeat the guardians, we see him hunched over, a look of pain and anger on his face. Again, would’ve NEVER shown that in the very beginning of Breath of the Wild, but because he’s opened himself up to Zelda, he’s allowing himself to no longer silently bear the burden. He’s in physical pain and is angry at everything that has been happening while also determined to keep Zelda safe.
Like I said, the progression of Link showing his emotions in the memories is a bit subtle, but it is there if you pay more attention, and knowing what we know because of Zelda’s diary, he’s allowing himself to be vulnerable, something that NONE of the champions who were also his friend got to see. Only Zelda saw his vulnerability, showing how much he loves and trusts her
Don’t forget the cutscene when link gets all of Zelda’s tears and stands heartbroken in the middle of many silent princess.
Not to mention, but the main points you’ve made are also shown in the games icon. For BOTW, you can see the flower that releases the love petal next to the master sword, and in TOTK, you can see two dragons in the ring/circle.
A thing I saw floating around the internet is that Zelda making the new champion’s tunic for Link in TOTK mirrors Mipha making the Zora armour for Link in preparation to propose to him. It could add more explanation to why Zelda was so excited to see Link’s reaction, and why she hid it so well in the castle’s throne room of all places!
You also missed the moment in the "Voe and You" class in BotW when the teacher asks Link if he already has someone that he cares about and his reaction is bashful, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.
Another great bit in BotW for Zelda is what a lovely job the animators did on her facial expressions when she takes the sword back to the Deku Tree. There's so much warmth to her expression when she asks him to relay a message to Link, along with the blatant implication of what her message _is_ with "Tell him I-"
Her soft, coy look when the Deku Tree tells her, "Words intended for him would sound much... better in the tones of _your_ voice, don't you think?" followed by her soft "Yes," with the folded hands against her chest basically confirms that her message was going to be "Tell him I love him".
Its so obvious that Nintendo wanted the player to think that they're in love.
Let's not forget that back in Japan's past, a male and female living together usually meant they were married or that they would be. Being asked to live together was somewhat of a marriage proposal. I don't know if its the same today, but there's a little tidbit of info too that my mind immediately went to when its heavily implied that Link and Zelda live together.
I got the impression that they did not live together but that he merely gave her the house to use while overseeing the founding of the school. This is because, when Link shows up in Hateno, no one there recognizes him, but everyone in Lookout Landing recognized him immediately. This to me suggests he left her there and went to LL to help out--but not because he didn't love her but because he wanted to (A) be of as much help as possible and (B) didn't want to sully the princess' reputation by giving the impression that they were "shacking up."
@@Hylian_Reploid Symin says he's returned, and literally says he's back in town, and Manny calls it "the house she was staying at". Additionally, lookout landing probably wasn't built until after the upheaval, because the telescope is pointing at the castle, which was on the ground before the upheaval happened.
@@kit76149 Purah and Symin lived in Hateno while they both worked at the ancient tech lab there, and Symin was well acquainted with Link from his dealings with Purah in BotW, hence his recognizing him despite a lengthy absence. His referring to Link's "return" pertains to the fact that he was no longer missing, and Link surely lived in the house until he turned it over to Zelda, so it makes sense to say he's "back in town." Notice how all of the decor in the house is Zelda's, none of Link's remain except the Champion group shot. And the two sets of dishes on the table were already there in BotW, and they obviously weren't living together at time either. As for LL, if it had been built after the upheaval, hardly anyone there would have recognized Link when he arrived, but everyone there immediately recognized him. I'm thinking the telescope was set up after the upheaval (or was adjusted accordingly) as part of the search effort.
@@Hylian_ReploidIn the house there is a diary saying that Zelda requested a secret room and that it is a nice place to work alone, If Link wasn’t living with Zelda she could just work in her house alone. Why would she need a secret room?
@@ashtonwu252 If this were the only clue we had to go on, I'd probably suspect they were living together too, but when all the other clues are factored in, it paints a different picture. Consider the following:
1. The vast majority of the decor in the house now belongs to Zelda.
2. The two sets of dishes were already there in BotW.
3. No one in Hateno except Symin (who was already well acquainted with Link due to his past business with Purah) recognized Link when he showed up.
4. Everyone in Lookout Landing DID recognize Link when he arrived.
5. Link is able to sleep in a number of beds that don't belong to him, such as the one in Dr. Calip's cabin, the one in Selmie's cabin, and the one on the dam in Zora's Domain.
Considering the fact that Zelda has been overseeing the founding of the school, it's likely that she got a lot of visits from the children in town. Plus, being the princess, others may have had business dealings with her as well. By having the secret study well added, she could be home without appearing to be home, thus having the opportunity to work undisturbed.
Niche detail: in Breath of the Wild, Link’s home in Hateno isn’t displayed on the map. This property is carried over to Tears of the Kingdom.
So why, if his home has been inhabited by Zelda, is there one bed? Why did Zelda feel the need to have a secret room constructed?
Couple this with the repeated mentions of the two being inseparable, AND the photo of Lover’s Pond in Lurelein Village that the chief EXPLICITLY SAYS Zelda took.
But aren’t you supposed to go there with the person you lo-……….
They’re dating, your honor.
Yooo if you do go to Lover's Pond, do you know what you see in the sky across the pond?
Yeah. I rest my case.
If it is his home in totk why doesn't anyone know him? Seems the the canon ending of botw shows we for 1 didn't get the master sword and two we didn't buy the house or people wouldn't see us as a stranger.
@@LR_Bushido basically everyone in Hateno knows him, and those who don’t are elsewhere/ clueless. I sincerely doubt Link and Zelda advertised how they vanquished the Calamity.
Hateno was a dusty old city before Cece shows up, and I assume that’s shortly before TotK. I also assume Link uses the Master Sword to defeat Calamity Ganon, since he has it at the start of TotK.
Besides, the princess herself makes mention that Link is always by her side in the journal she keeps in her secret room. Why construct a secret room if she’s the only inhabitant in the house?
What’s also weird is the bedroom segment, which still has the picture you get from beating the DLC in BotW, where the house is solely Link’s. Plus he can still sleep in the bed in TotK. I doubt he’d let himself do that if it was strictly Zelda’s home.
@@colleens.279wait, what???
The Japanese version of the totk ending scene (not the tadaima part) also emphasizes Link’s love. It is a different translation than the english, but it says 大きな温かくてものに包まれて目が覚めたor literally “I woke up enveloped in something big and warm” BUT the kanji used for warm implies it was not something like light or weather, but something physical that she could feel OR feelings (like love). The english translation contextually translated it as “loving”. Cool stuff :)
another quick comment is the adjective 大きなor large/great which is NOT acting on the object but on the feeling of warmth! just an added touch 😊
Thanks a million for clarifying the anti zelink crowd really likes to translate these things without the added context so thanks for clarifying
so basically the translation into English is correct since she did feel love in both versions?
@@wiskerfall4519the translation is correct since it has the same general meaning. It's just that (like very often), the japanese version is way more specific and leaves less room for debate
@@docomega7862 so basically the “loveing is a correct translation” I guess it makes sense to contextually translate it as so in English since love is a “large/great warm feeling” so basically it’s correct in English. I find it so weird that sometimes the translation can be spot on in some cases but others it’s completely off like gannondwarfs motives ironically the Japanese version is completely different in both totk and botw when they explain gannons motives. I’ve also heard some memory’s have some changed words but in this case it’s correct
It just occurred to me that in 18:53 you can see Link's look of sadness as he sees Zelda break down and cry
Some mission log entries lost in translation and changed have Link’s personal thoughts written down in it and while the TOTK one has not been deciphered, there are entries in it that seem to confirm Link has reciprocal romantic feelings towards her as well, such as at the very start of the game when Link notes that the strange woman’s voice he’s hearing (Zelda’s) is beautiful. Then there’s one of the more well known ones where he says he wants to see her smile again having regained all his memories.
But the reason I think they’re being very roundabout regarding the topic is that it’s not super important to explore the romantic angle of it, unlike Skyward Sword where it was more relevant thematically. Now we’re settling for little hints that their friendship has taken some more steps forward, like the fact that she’s moved into his house in Hateno, how Link can tell the Gerudo Dating Class Teacher that he does actually fancy someone, these little things that supplement the more obvious intimacy between the two. Enough to imply it, but not enough for it to distract from anything.
Yeah I tryed my hand at translating the Japanese and I can confirm it still is in the first person although i cannot say what exactly is being said since translating from Japanese to English requires a certain amount of interpretation since the two languages work very differently so I’m going to leave the interpretation to people who can actually read Japanese lol
Btw i think you missed the part in kass's song where it said zelda only had eyes for her appointed knight.
I like the scene when Sonia explains to Zelda how to use recall effectively. I dont rememeber verbatim what was said, but it was along the lines of, the better you know something, like its feelings, and history, etc, make the power work stronger. Sure thats cool, but Link recalled Zelda from tens of thousands of years. What kind of familiarity is required there. And its not like you needed her memories to do it either, regardless of how much of the game you complete, in the end, you always bring Zelda back. You just dont get an explanation for maybe why, until after you have all the memories.
Something else of note also relates to mission names. In BOTW the final, ultimate mission is, "Defeat Ganon". Simple enough.
TOTK though, you dont get that mission until after you fight Phantom Ganon in the castle. Your new mission?
"Destroy Ganondorf"
Not defeat. DESTROY.
Link is so angry upon seeing Ganondorf use a corrupt perversion of Zeldas image to further his scheme, that he doesnt plan on leaving ANYTHING left of Ganondorf.
Another thing i noticed in TOTK is the worry Zelda has when link fights the Keese in the begining, one of the weakest enemies in the game. Going so far as to personally check on him afterwards
She just wanted to check him out.
Jokes aside, the way Zelda acts towards Link and talks about him is so sweet.
omg I LOVED that part! lol! She asks him if he's hurt after killing two keeses and he just turns and looks at her like really? 😂 You can feel the chemistry between them, it's perfect!
@@Hylian_Reploid WE RIDE!!! The amount of chemistry they got is amazing. But fr, the amount of worry given does not scale up to the danger lol. Like hes fought the embodiment of evil and then theres these little pests flying around lol.
@@starlightcross5396Well, he did die in her arms.
I'm just surprised nobody noticed this at the beginning of TOTK:
When Zelda was geeking out about the mural discovery, she was reaching for the Purah Pad and Link took the torch from her immediately so she could use both hands. (She was like "Oh!")
It's a cute little gesture that shows how much Link supports her passions since she didn't have much of it early on in her life.
"I know they have a relationship. There is care and mutual listening, and I love that." (Patricia Summerset, Zelda voice actress)
Totk zelink: And They Were Roommates
accurate summary
"Oh my god, they were roommates"
The Link/Sonia/Rauru power smash to reverse draconification is reminiscent of wishing on the triforce, and the fact that his "wish" is to reverse draconification would also prove how much he loves her.
Another thing you could had mentioned was the moment when Link gets the master sword back in TotK from Zelda. The sword is covered in petals as they fall off revealing it all healed up.
Also a detail that I feel people have not noticed yet is the situation with Paya in TOTK. In BOTW Paya had a obvious crush on link , she would show her feelings when he was around and also states her crush on link in her diary as well as her anxieties that he’s already in love with someone else(Zelda) 6 years later in TOTK her crush on link has completely disappeared. Makes you think what had to make her move on from her feelings…possibly from seeing Zelda and link become official during the time between the ending of BOTW and the beginning of TOTK? I also get the idea that it also could possibly be her just moving on from her feelings from becoming head chief of kakariko village, but it seems the devs were definitive on her showing zero feelings toward link now like why not a possible hidden diary showing the crush is still there but her new found responsibilities have gotten in the way ? In my opinion it seems that her once crush has been taken presumedly by his love (Zelda) anyone agree with me ???
I mean she has a hotter man around 💀
To be fair, she hasn’t totally given up. Try cruising by Kakariko Naked and she’ll be acting up again.
@@villager7804
Debatable. Link is widely known as a stud.
Doesn't her character profile literally say she has affection for Link?
Could be, but the game also tells you about how she suddenly had to step up as being the new chief of Kakariko. Almost also Impa implying she wanted her to show more her mature side (because she knew she was ready, she wasn't used to being the leader as her own grandma was the chief). She might have stopped having the crush bc she wouldn't even have time and/or she grown from those feels. But could be both opinions at the same time tbf.
I haven't finished the story yet so I can't watch this through (yet), but I will say it's downright silly for anyone to suggest there isn't a mutual interest in both sides. There are so many details I've run into in both BotW and TotK. Hell, the Voe & Me teacher asking if you have someone you're in love with, if you respond in the affirmative, it's definitely obvious by the tone of the conversation afterwards that we're not talking about respect here. It would be harder to argue against it if they didn't sterilize the English localization in BotW of feeling as it pertains to Link and his motivations.
Well from what I’ve heard the lady who asks you if you love somebody in the other localizations (witch are more accurate to Japanese than English) you have the choice to say yes! Or no… so and if you say no the lady doesn’t fully believe you lamo so we basically get to decide if link is shy about admitting he is in love with Zelda witch we already know since it’s cannon
I already knew they love each other but never knew they love each other this much, the details you pointed out is incredibly wholesome
Literally no one talks about the akalla quest in totk where the chicken talks about how he can read the persons mind. And then talks about how link feels about Zelda. You can find out yourself at the South Akkala stable 32:59
There's also another piece of evidence in BOTW. In the japanese version of the game the journal is written in Link's pov. After you collected all memories he says in the journal how he wants to see Zelda's smile with his own eyes again. Really dislike how the localization team changed that it gives him so much more personality.
After watch it,I just realize... botw is about link's memories about zelda (like a point of view of zelda from link) and totk is about zelda's memories about link (how she's believe in link will prevail)
I like in age of calamity the love triangle zelda and mipha got and how they both acknowledge it by giving each other a very awkward smile basically implying that they know theyre in a love triangle but as someone said way too polite to act nasty towards each other about it
and links just there with his blank stares
gotta love him lmfao
@@azaelrhododendron6558 yeah it's interesting to see which one link would of went for since that a timeline where mipha is alive. I think it's definitely a toss up he could go for either one there's evidence to show he had feelings for both. In the original timeline likely zelda cause she's the only one alive but if mipha was around it would complicate things and be a big love triangle like we saw in age of calamity.
@@azaelrhododendron6558 well in age of calmity link it's way more expressive and responsive and show a lot more personality than he does in breath of the wild. He doesn't talk still but it's easier to make out what he's thinking through his actions and expressions
@marioandultrachap for your first message- honestly yeah we can't really tell who he had feelings for if either at all. though zelda was going through it in age of calamity and in turn wasn't very nice to link, who I'm sure didn't really take it personally, but i don't see him developing much of a crush (though zelda obviously did) on her bc of it. we don't get many mipha link interactions but we know they've known each other since they were kids so it's definitely possible.
to your second message- he is more expressive but whenever mipha/zelda are interacting with him or looking at him his expression always was carefully neutral, at least that's what I remember
@@azaelrhododendron6558 he did show some expression for zelda I remember that when zelda was getting attacked in the lost woods they reached out for each other and the master sword stopped the threat from attacking zelda. Or when mipha brought up she wanted to fight with link link walked over towards her not much facial expression but him walking over there I say met something. I think he would of picked one of them. Which one idk. Mipha makes the most sense cause they known each other longer but who knows maybe link liked zelda more romantically. So that's why I say it's a toss up but I'd say mipha cause they known each other since childhood and link went to Vist her on his own accord zelda was out of duty though it was evidence some of it was out of duty so who knows
Also ALSO realizing that Zelda never really needed to be physically or magically powerful because she was always protected. Especially by Link and his persistent, unwavering presence. The moment her protection failed she could have cowered and waited for death like she usually does. In the DLC scene with Urbosa she was literally frozen in fear and didn’t move a muscle: all she could do was shout when she thought Urbosa was about to get hit. However not only did she learn courage from Link she also learned to be protective of him. Actually stepping between him and the danger not even grabbing him so they could run. I’m so proud of my girl.
I can just add. the tear when Zelda is outside with Raru and Sonya and Raru says something about how Zelda keeps talking about how amazing link is. Then zelda processed to blush and look embaressed.
I love Link and Zelda's relationship so much in these two games. There's everything you mentioned in the video, but there's other, smaller details that I also enjoy. The fact that Link and Zelda walk side by side in TotK instead of Link following behind her like he did in BotW. Or during the beginning of TotK when LInk wordlessly takes Zelda's torch so she can use the Purah Pad is also very sweet.
If you think about it, when Link jumped to save Zelda from falling to the abyss, what was he trying to do? There is no way he could save her, he didn't have his glider. By jumping he was giving his life in vain an leaving Hyrule defenseless. Still, he just throwed himself at her. He didn't care about any of that. If she was about to die, he wanted to make sure he was at least holding her hand to the very end, and they would end it all together.
I think it's more of a split second decision without actually considering the consequences until your in too deep
Such a beautiful story. 😭❤️❤️
I also think Zelda was able to be changed back because her intentions when she swallowed the stone were so pure. And since Link was at the heart of her thoughts when she transformed, his love was able to recall her to her former self.
I think there's another hint that Link loves Zelda too and it happens when you free Urbosa's spirit in BotW- she tells Link to "Take care of the princes" before winking and saying, "take care of Hyrule". I think Urbosa was pushing those 2 to be together and by her telling Link to take care of Hyrule, I interpreted that as she wanted them to get married. Now that might not be definitive evidence, but I just took it as such.
Apart from all the stuff said in the video. The moment I loved the most is actually the beginning bit where they were investigating the underground. With Zelda geeking over the drawings and wanted to take pictures, it is like Link knows what she is thinking (He probably do know) and offered to hold her torch. It all seemed so natural, like this happened a thousand times already. Link is always by her side and knows her so well. It is not big hints like Link/Zelda's house in Hateno, but I found it extremely cute.
I think people who say they aren't in a relationship or at the very least in love, are straight up delusional. Its pretty clear that Nintendo intended for them to be together. Especially considering that both BOTW and TOTK are heavily inspired by Ghibli movies, movies that depict love in a subtle, pure way. Zelda waiting and putting her faith in Link for 100 years, Link rescuing Zelda even though he doesn't remember anything ,Link catching Zelda, Zelda as a mindless dragon still having the instinct to sace and help Link and Zelda sacrificing her will and heart to give Link the *chance* to defeat ganon, are bigger acts of love than a kiss could ever be
Yeah but it allso has to do with the culture it comes from now I’m not claiming to represent Japanese culture but from what I’ve heard love is not as openly expressed and is shown through symbolism and subtle ways like in btow and ghibi
Exactly. I can think of another couple in japanese fiction that never once explicitly say they love each other but their feelings are obvious based on their actions, especially the man in the relationship.
I love that the king and queen’s powers only fully activate when link finally concentrates. That is my favourite part of that end scene.
Just to add a bittersweet note to this: Link didn't like going back to the empty home he and zelda shared in Hateno so he bought the house in Terrey Town so he didn't have constant reminders of her around until she came back ;u;
I also recommend looking up the Japanese adventure log for BotW because it translates as being in first person rather than the second person we got in English, meaning it's actually written by Link himself. Some of the statements he makes about Zelda further lean in to how he feels about her, and his reactions and thoughts about NPCs in side quests gives a lot of insight into his personality in general.
The English logs are not actually in third person if this where the case then every time it says “you” it would be replaced with “link” but besides that this is correct
@@wiskerfall4519 I graduated from high school 20 years ago and went to art school for college. It's been a minute. lol
Would that be second person, I guess?
@@kriscynical yeah it’s second person in English
@@wiskerfall4519 Gotcha. Thank you! Editing now.
@@kriscynical yeah the journals are actually a very complex topic with alot of different narratives going around however. The reoccurring message I get when talking to Japanese ppl is that it is written by link
It mostly is dependent on the game for ZeLink imo
Skyward Sword is pretty obviously ZeLink
BotW and TotK is obviously ZeLink -- unless you don't pay ANY attention at all to the story at all
Awesome argumentation. We have to consider that TLOZ has a Japanese narrative, so the love between Link & Zelda is showed in an oriental way. Also, when Zelda realizes that Link has defeated Ganondorf, she says: I have so much to tell you! The vibes of her speech is related to the bond and the importance of Link in her life, and she can say that 'cause the trust each other and they respect each other as an oriental couple. I Love Zelda, and I love Tears of the kingdom
I’ve seen this mentioned somewhere else but the “I’m home” in the Japanese version of the game has a larger significance than in the English version it’s because your only sopposed to say I’m home to some you live with or love ones
There's also the fact that Ganon used Zelda to seduce Link into his trap.
@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 yeah and in the Japanese she says “special memories of you and me”
And, the Japanese version of BotW Link has a journal where he hints he loves her.
Japanese version of botw shows his love to Mipha
@@LR_Bushido I think Link would be in a relationship with Mipha if she never died.
@@LR_Bushido Lol, no it does not.
@@LR_Bushido notice how you keep saying that but you don't provide any proof. it's obvious that you're making things up.
This could be totally written off but I just wanted to add the trending theme of clasped hands throughout TOTK. At the beginning Link fails to reach Zelda's hand as she falls, a little later she transfers the time sage's power to link by grabbing his hand, the other sages follow this pattern transferring their own individual vows through clasping Link's hand. In the end Rauru and Sonia transfer their power through Link to transform Zelda and return Link's arm by laying their own hands on his. Link then dives to save Zelda and how does he save her? By grabbing her hand with his now original hand and pulling her to him. It could just be a poetic way to tie the story together but I think there may be something else here to prove this theory. Or I'm just a hopeless Zelink stan, either way it's a beautiful detail that adds to the story a lot in my opinion.
I find a detail in TOTY that evidence link loves Zelda . When you dive into the tears of dragon, there is a plot:the chatting between Zelda and Sonia in the pavilion. Zelda carelessly broke a cup, and then Sonia use the time power to let the cup been restored, told Zelda:the key to restore a thing is to memorize the things that very impressive.That means Link has a deep memory of Zelda and it’s strong enough to let a huge dragon back to 10000years ago.What a time power!! Only deep love can do this.
Let's be real, most of us can see that they're probably is canon, or very close to being so, but some deny it because they simply just don't like it. Which is completely fair and why I like Nintendo being vague about it. [I'm not a big zelink (is that the ship name?) fan either] But this is a very well-put and thought out video! Kudos
Lol honestly I'm cool with either zelda or mipha I more for zelda cause mipha IS a fish after all but if we took that out of the equation either one would be a good pick in my opinion. I think mipha would be hurt the most if link picked zelda cause she's known him longer and probably had the most feelings
@marioandultrachap I'm a miphlink shipper but I doubt that's going to be canon as in the main universe she's sadly dead lmao, but either way I don't think zelink will be either bc I doubt Nintendo would want it outright
Also, in BOTW there's a scene where Zelda talks to the Deku tree and she asks him to tell link she... and the tree interrumps to say that the words that come from the heart must be said in person.
Don't forget. Link had the Recall ability and it was amplified by the King and Queen. The Recall ability also rewound time on Link's arm too to before Ganondorf made it necessary for Rauru to amputate the old arm and place his on.
Thats a cool idea but in the game recall can't be used on living things like enemies or people only on objects like weapons and items and other things like rocks and trees, recall also only changes the position in time of an object not how it looks or how it was before, if it did than link or Zelda in the past could've just used recall on the master sword to fix it
@@whitedonut5920 recall sent the Master Sword to Zelda. Remember the glowing orb? The only reason it can't work on living beings is Link only has a small amount of control over it. Sonia and Rauru had to combine their powers with his to reverse the Draconification.
The fact that Link feels that he can freely be valuable near Zelda is amazing, not only that, but it proves that Link has actually spoken to her in private. The diary entries obviously spell this out for you, but the memory where she literally quotes a piece of advice that Link gave her also proves this, "'Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount, that's the only way it will know how you truly feel.'" She then looks over to Link and says, "You're advice was quite helpful" He feels he is able to speak to her freely, romance or friendship, it still proves he undoubtedly trusts her.
Yeah for me that tiny detail confirmed the romance between them considering all the other details that show link loves her. He has journal entries in the Japanese version that were not brought up but it basically confirms he loves her he mentions how her beauty is unparalleled while riding a horse and how her voice is beautiful. When he learns that Zelda is in love with him he says “I have accepted Zelda’s feelings” and lastly when he has all 13 memory’s he says “I want to see her smile again with these eyes of my own” this combined with the silent princess symbolism confirms that they are in love too me
there's also the fact that Link is associated with light. its quite literally one of the first things Zelda tells him when he wakes up in botw, and Ganon says something along the lines of how Link is insufferable because he's bathed in light (I dont remember exactly).
Plus he's got Rauru's arm, and sort of takes Rauru's place in the fight against Ganon with all the sages.
And sure is interesting that Sonia and Zelda have the same look about them and have the same powers.
So Zelda has time and light powers but light powers only ever comes up when Link is around. What a coincidence, huh? It could almost be interpreted as Link and Zelda being two parts of one whole.
To me it's just so bafflingly obvious that the implication is meant to be romantic.
I don't yuck anyone's yum if they truly can't stand the pairing, and the romantic undertones aren't super in your face for that reason I reckon.
But it feels just plain silly to deny that Nintendo put it in there because Link and Zelda are to be interpreted as a couple, lol.
Status quo i think has never been "there is no love between link and Zelda", rather "it's up to our imagination what the relationship could have been like between the two"
Didn't need a full video to explain it. I knew exactly what their relationship was when I saw the Hateno house and Zelda tossed all of Link's stuff 😂 That's peak move in girlfriend behavior.
lol. Threw out his stuff and made a she-shed to get away from him while he sat in the house she had decorated "for them."
When the NPC said that Zelda makes routine trips to the pond of love I was convinced
As a solid ZeLink shipper I am going to show this video to everyone who isn't
Bro, this is the exact reason why the rest of the community hates Zelink shippers. They shove it down everyone else's throats.
@@coryfreake9070 Community? I will never understand why people who yell at each other on the internet over minutia call themselves a community.
@@jeremygriffin620 ? What else am I supposed to call it? The Zelda gang? The Zelda buddies? A community will have positive elements to it, but it will always have toxic ones. Think of how people praise artists, theories, comics, and so many other things. It's just that most people hate it when you shove tasteless romance into every plot imaginable and parade around the internet insisting to everyone that it's canon.
Geez who knew people will outrage over love. The world needs more of it not less
@@simonchai3040 It's a story, this is completely different.
Great vid. I'm surprised you didn't use the Japanese translations of the shiekah logs. Anything in the Japanese translations is considered canon after all. In the logs it's more like a diary for Link and he actually has personality in them. There are videos that show this
Great video! I’m currently playing Breath of the Wild now. I don’t mind spoilers though as I know what happens in that game and Tears of the Kingdom.
One additional clue in TotK that proves Zelda loves Link is when Sonia brings up Link and Rauru asks who Link is, Zelda has a big and bright smile as she describes him.
Such a well made video. The final petal cutscene got me. Well done
Them living together is enough for me to believe they were dating.
Not to mention the fact that the house only has one bed-
If Miyamoto is the one saying there's no romantic link, the undertones are likely added by the team behind his back.
Imagine if that was the case lol
did myamoto say it or is it your guess?
i legit got chills when you brought up the flower thing!
26:30 you can obviously sees her blush, knowing it’s his love she turns back
not to mention in the gerudo settlement Link can respond to one of the Gerudo asking if “he too has a loved one?” or something like that and you can respond “yes i do” i feel like that’s pretty significant
I’ve always these twos relationship as less of an “if” as opposed to a “how.” For example, the literally narrative of a royal falling for their knight is, in general, a tired trope for fantasy, so what better way than to leave it to the player to shape that trope to their liking. You can also see this in Skyward Sword with the “puppy dog” “friends to lovers” trope, though that one is a tad more explicit.
I never knew that about the falling flower petals! That's really cute! Also, to add onto the proof, you should check out something someone found in an "out of bounds" camera shot in the final scene of TotK: The title of the video is TOTK Ending Cutscene: Link’s smile hidden out of bounds!
And specifically when she says warm loving embrace that clip locked it in for me god I love this game
This man needs more subs. No one makes a 30 minute video without being dedicated
Ive heard there's a clip going around somewhere of someone editing the camera during the final cutscene and apparently Link smiles when Zelda mentions a loving embrace? Haven't seen it for myself though.
It is actually real.
It’s real
Just wanted to say, this is a really good video, not only because of the excellent arguments, but how well it is put together, it really helps with understanding your point, really nice!!
It should be noted that Zelda's implied to have not expressed her true feelings to Link during the Deku Tree flashback in BotW. Which would at least somewhat imply that even though Zelda did likely have romantic feelings in that game, it wasn't until the gap between the ending of BotW and TotK that they entered it, particularly given her diary and journal in TotK (plus the fact that Link's house in BotW is now called Zelda's house in TotK and Link's hairband being in Zelda's secret study in the well) seem to imply that she didn't leave those feelings unspoken during said time skip.
How do you only have 900 subs? This is a masterpiece.
I agree they love each other, but the ending with Rauru and Sonia helping Link save Zelda can be more like a super Recall on Zelda and Link: Reverting Zelda to before Draconificaction and Link to having his Arm again. Kinda like how Zelda helped Sonia and Rauru boost his light magic to a Light Beam killing the Molduga in that one Memory. I do think Zelda and Link love each other and are probably already even a couple if they share the house by Hateno Village and the bed is the only other bed Link can sleep in for free besides in. That means Zelda and Link sleep together ~~damn link~~ and are 99.99% already a couple.