Are Link and Zelda the same person in every Zelda game?
We’ve seen iterations of Link and Zelda in a majority of The Legend of Zelda games. While most of them have different versions of the characters in them, there are some Zelda games, like Breath of the Wild, where the protagonist and Princess Zelda seem to be the same physical figures.
Is there one Link and one Zelda in all of the Zelda games?
If you’re looking for a short answer about whether Link and Zelda are the same person, or if Link is Zelda reincarnation or not, then no, they aren’t the same physically, across the franchise.
It’s important to remember that there are multiple iterations of the Zelda games in the Nintendo Switch games, so there are some games that do have the same physical versions of these characters. However, the sheer number of games in the franchise to date mean that they aren’t the same physically the majority of the time. Take a look at the chart below to see which Zelda games see the same characters.
Is Link and Zelda’s essence the same across The Legend of Zelda?
However, if we take the idea of reincarnation, then yes, there does seem to be a loose form of continuity in The Legend of Zelda, across different game series. This can be explained by the fact that Link and Zelda are reincarnated across The Legend of Zelda franchise multiple times.
While the in-game lore presents this idea to us first in Breath of the Wild and its expansion, it first started in the first chronological game, Skyward Sword. In this game, Zelda holds the power of the Goddess Hylia and Link is her familiar. At the end of the game, however, a boss named Demise curses himself, the Hero, and the Goddess, stating that they will be reborn to continue the fight.
Obviously, this led to Demise becoming Ganon, the Hero becoming Link, and the Goddess becoming Zelda. However, the Legend of Zelda timeline spans thousands of years, so in that time there were more reincarnations of these two.
Reincarnating doesn’t imply that the consciousness travels through time. It is simply an essence that remains, in different iterations throughout the franchise, in different Zelda games.
So, if The Legend of Zelda wants you to think about the meaning of everlasting struggle for its most loved characters, it can still be delightfully playful in its timeline and story presentation.
Is Link Demise in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword?
Yes, as we said above, Demise becomes Ganon, the Hero becomes Link, and the Goddess becomes Zelda. However, in Skyward Sword, it may be a bit more literal than all of that. While it seems no, Link is not Demise, the game is sort of a prequel to the rest of the Zelda timeline, and Link is meant to be the Avatar, a creation of the Goddesses, so there are a lot of ways he could be Demise.
