In their many incarnations, Link and Zelda from the Legend of Zelda have had many kinds of relationships – rescuer and rescuee, knight and princess, and perhaps… maybe… something more? In an interview with The Gamer, Zelda’s voice actress Patricia Summersett, in discussing Zelda’s character in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, also touched upon whether Link and Zelda are… you know…
Instead of answering how I would have (which is “of course they’re married have you LOOKED at them”), Summersett gives a very thoughtful and lovely description of their relationship. “… I personally love the ambiguity and that if there is something there it’s left to us,” she says. “I guess in my own life, I can respect and celebrate relationships that aren’t conventional.”
“It also dodges the ending, and you’re always wondering what may occur which keeps the relationship active. There’s a tension in that, and this defiance of a definition is something really nice. I always come back to that, and I really love it as both an actor and as a human. Those relationships are super important to portray too, and I think they’re the best relationships we have in life, whether it be friendship or something that doesn’t have to fit a definition. I know that [Link and Zelda] are in a relationship with each other, it’s active, there’s a lot of care and a lot of listening, and I just love that about it.”
It’s such a touching and nuanced take on a relationship that she’s clearly put a lot of thought into. More than just saying they’re an item, she highlights how their bond defies traditional labels of friendship or romance, and how the ambiguity allows us all to connect to their relationship in a way that speaks to us – while also stressing that, above all else, the two truly do care for each other.
It really is just the sweetest way you could describe the whole situation. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to write fan-fiction about the two of them cuddling.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
