The New Hyrule Warriors' English Translation Defines Link and Zelda's Relationship As Just Friends, But Fans Say The Game is 'Not Fooling Anybody'

Nintendo fans are rejecting a caller statement recovered wrong Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment that describes Link and Princess Zelda arsenic conscionable friends.

An in-game diary introduction from Zelda's state Lenalia claims that the princesses' sword grooming was inspired by "a knight — and person — from her ain time." But portion this statement seems clear-cut, fans person compared it to the substance recovered successful the game's archetypal Japanese connection mentation — which simply refers to Link arsenic a "familiar knight," without the explicit "friend" label.

This latest snippet has reignited the statement implicit whether Link and Zelda are much than conscionable pals — thing that Nintendo itself has kept mysterious for decades.

Of course, Lenalia's diary introduction is conscionable that — 1 character's signaling of what she has been told by Zelda, who whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person been speaking truthfully. In 1 societal media station that has present gone viral, Zelda instrumentality IvyfulWorld enactment it thus: "she is not fooling ANYBODY."

"I conjecture 1 mentation could beryllium she tried to downplay it retired of shyness," replied big_asutaro.

"Nintendo of America's localization squad has this happening for wanting to represent Link and Zelda's narration arsenic purely platonic by adding things that aren't adjacent contiguous successful the archetypal text," claimed different fan, verieas.

“and friend” she is not fooling ANYBODY pic.twitter.com/IwULR3vRhd

Throughout its astir 40-year history, The Legend of Zelda bid has often suggested that Link and the princess are romantically involved. The brace clasp hands successful the finale of Spirit Tracks, and are implied to beryllium settling down arsenic a mates to recovered Hyrule astatine the extremity of Skyward Sword. Zelda adjacent kisses Link (on the cheek) during Oracle of Ages, sending hearts fluttering from the swordsman's eyes.

Most recently, some Zelda and Link look to beryllium sharing a location successful Tears of the Kingdom — which features the incarnations of Link and Zelda referenced successful Age of Imprisonment.

Zelda dependable histrion Patricia Summersett, who has voiced the aforesaid incarnation of Zelda seen from Breath of the Wild onwards, raised eyebrows successful 2023 erstwhile she stated that she believed the brace were definitively "in a relationship." However, Summersett swiftly walked backmost the comments conscionable days aboriginal saying her words had been "misconstrued." (Nintendo did not remark connected this kerfuffle astatine the time, though fans noted it had been antithetic for anyone extracurricular the institution itself to sermon its characters successful specified a manner.)

So what has Nintendo itself said? Perhaps the clearest indicator of Link and Zelda's narration presumption came from the series' legendary shaper Eiji Aonuma, who told IGN the pursuing successful December 2023 erstwhile asked for an authoritative ruling connected the subject:

"I volition permission it to everyone's imaginativeness [whether Link and Zelda are successful a relationship]. I don't deliberation that Zelda is simply a benignant of crippled wherever the improvement squad says, 'This is what Zelda is, this is what the communicative is, this is what the crippled is.' Everything that the improvement squad wants to convey has already been placed into the game. And the remainder is up to the player's imagination, and their reflection connected however they feel… what they've experienced successful the game."

Considering the astir caller Zelda crippled features a location lived successful by Link and Zelda (with Nintendo placing conscionable a azygous furniture into the bedroom), immoderate fans took Aonuma's remark to beryllium the clearest motion yet that Nintendo does so spot the 2 arsenic a mates — adjacent if it doesn't privation to explicitly use that statement in-game.

Regardless, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however Nintendo handles the 2 characters successful its upcoming The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, which precocious began shooting successful New Zealand pursuing the casting of its 2 cardinal roles earlier this year.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social