Summary
TheLegend of Zeldafranchise is one of the most popular gaming series of all time, with dozens of games across a complex and much-beloved timeline. Featuring many memorable characters who are reincarnated through the ages, the core characters in the franchise are its hero, Link, and the eponymous Princess Zelda herself.
Although many of the characters have wondrous and impressive achievements to their name, Princess Zelda is key to most of the franchise’s stories and has an irreplaceable role in the series. Here are Princess Zelda’s top achievements throughout the games.
10Repeatedly Protected The Kingdom Of Hyrule
A Princess’s Work Is Never Done
Although it’s part of thejob description as Princessof Hyrule, Zelda was a tireless defender of the land - and other locations - every single time she reincarnated. It’s said that some things are more of a vocation than a job, and Zelda perfectly embodies that.
Time and time again Zelda has defended the kingdom of Hyrule - whether by magic, careful planning, or by the sword. Although not as flashy as some of her accomplishments, Zelda’s steadfastness and dedication to Hyrule and its people is a major achievement.
9Ruled The Kingdom Of Hyrule Alone
Queen In All But Name
Although titled a princess, and sometimes having living parents, Princess Zelda spends an awful lot of time ruling and managing the Kingdom of Hyrule on her own.
Not exactly a hands-off princess, Zelda gets stuck into all sorts of problems and affairs in the Kingdom of Hyrule, from minor issues to decidedly major problems requiring the help of a legendary hero like Link. And she does it all without complaint, serving her people with grace and wisdom.
Way back in the originalLegend of Zeldagame, Zelda was already an icon, protecting her kingdom even at great personal cost. To save Hyrule from Ganon, Zelda split the Triforce of Wisdom, a mysterious magical force of great mystical power, into many pieces and scattered them far and wide.
Although Zelda’s act of resistancegot her imprisoned, it was just what was needed to allow Link, a legendary hero, to unite the Triforce and defeat Ganon to save the Kingdom of Hyrule.
Throughout theLegend of Zeldafranchise Princess Zelda has had many names and identities, and inThe Wind WakerZelda appears not as Princess Zelda but as the fierce pirate thief Tetra. But make no mistake, Tetra is Princess Zelda - even if she doesn’t know it until later on in the story.
But pirate thief Tetra is notable for being the first Zelda in the series to fight Ganon alongside Link, wielding a powerful Bow and Light Arrows.
Deep in the history ofBreath of the Wild,Princess Zelda was the leader of the Champions of Hyrule. A dedicated and intelligent scholar, Zelda was part of an expedition to protect the realm from Ganon. Although she failed in her charge, she continued to protect Hyrule after the Calamity by containing Calamity Ganon within Hyrule Castle.
She even helped guide Link along his journey to defeat Calamity Ganon, providing hints and guidance as a disembodied voice.
Princess Zelda in any of her incarnations is an accomplished young woman, but duringOcarina of Time, Zelda becomes a celebrated scholar. Not only that, but she becomes a Sheikah Sage - a very powerful group of scholars keeping important ancient knowledge.
But Princess Zelda didn’t stop there, as she became the Seventh Sage - the leader of all the other Sages. Assuming a secret identity, Sheik, Princess Zelda helped Link to awaken the other Sages and solve the problems facing Hyrule.
4Created The Three Timelines
Ocarina Of Time
InOcarina of Time, Zelda becomes a powerful Sheikah Sage, a keeper of ancient knowledge as well as being Princess of Hyrule. As the owner of the Triforce of Wisdom,Ocarina of Time’sPrincess Zelda is a powerful princess indeed, but she plays a pivotal role during the events of the game.
At the very end of the game, Zelda is responsible for creating thethree main timelinesin theLegend of Zeldafranchise, the Child Timeline, theFallen Hero Timeline, and the Adult Timeline. It’s not every day that someone creates a whole new timeline, even someone as accomplished as Princess Zelda.
3Destroyed Calamity Ganon
Breath Of The Wild
Together with Link, Princess Zelda helped to destroy Calamity Ganon during the events ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Imprisoned, Zelda was freed when Link defeated Calamity Ganon in his Dark Beast Ganon form.
Although tired and drained of power after a whole century of holding Ganon back, Princess Zelda was still able to defeat Calamity Ganon by destroying his very essence. Talk about dedication!
In theZeldaspin-off game,Hyrule Warriors, Princess Zelda is not only the leader of the Hyrulean Army but a warrior in her own right. This incarnation of Princess Zelda is notable for being a dedicated warrior, complete with a full range of weapons and spells at her command.
With a range of weapons including a rapier, her bow, and Light Arrows,Hyrule WarriorsZelda is an effective warrior who can also make extensive use of magic - and thanks to her wide selection of different outfits, looks fabulous doing it.
Thrown far into the past, Princess Zelda inTears of the Kingdomis left with an insurmountable problem: getting back to her own time to help Link and rule her kingdom. The problem is, that was never in the cards, as it was seemingly her destiny to be trapped in a time near the very start of the Kingdom of Hyrule.
But in trueZeldastyle, Princess Zelda found out exactly what her purpose was in the past: she needed to prepare things so that the future could be saved. So Zelda became a divine dragon and used her magical essence to power up the Master Sword so that Link could use it in the future to defeat Ganon.
