Being A Hero In The Legend Of Zelda Is Overrated (& I Can Prove It) (2025)

The Legend of Zelda gives Link the same role in most games, although Echoes of Wisdom is now an exception, with Zelda stepping into the leading role. However, the standard set-up features Link as the Hyrule with a heavy destiny on his shoulders, and he performs that role well, even when he expects to live a normal life, like in Ocarina of Time or Skyward Sword. I always feel like a hero when playing a Zelda game, but I also can't deny that I have become a menace to society when controlling Link.

Zelda games tend to have a recurring set of characters filling the same roles, although that's not the case in every title. However, the types of help, resources, and allies that Link has access to while working to fulfill his quest to save Hyrule vary greatly across titles. In Wind Waker, he has the help of the King of Red Lions boat, and in Link's Awakening, he has to collect a bunch of musical instruments to help accomplish his goal. While working to save the world, Link can sometimes forget to be a good person.

Link Becomes A Menace To Society When Trying To Save The World

He Needs Resources, Sometimes With Hilarious Results

It takes a lot of preparation to save the world as you know it, and Zelda players are familiar with a few classic ways to gather Rupees and pay for better equipment, arrows, and any other number of items that get you through dungeons. I know the first method I pick is usually cutting tall grass with my sword, since Rupees can often be found there, especially in older games. Of course, that's far from the only way to get Rupees, but it's probably not the best course of action for the environment, particularly if you want to help pollinators.

As far as the animal population goes, I've certainly culled a few species in games like TOTK for the sake of cooking recipes for food buffs. Since buffs from recipes don't last too long, and there are situations where you end up using a lot of food in a short amount of time, like when you need resistance to hot or cold weather during dungeons. Several towns are already struggling from the monsters, gloom, and bizarre weather changes, so I'm definitely not helping them by culling what might be their best food option for survival.

That brings us to the most iconic way that Link is a menace to whatever society he's part of for the current game: breaking pottery. It's basically a meme now that Link enters people's homes, breaks their pottery, steals any Rupees inside, and then leaves. When you think about it, it would be jarring to be going about your day, then somebody shows up, robs you, and leaves you with a mess to clean up and money that you probably needed to pay for daily living costs.

I know that Zelda: BOTW and TOTK make it easier to get Rupees through other means instead of breaking pottery, such as completing the many side quests scattered across the map. In some ways, the different style for these games takes away the need to break pots and cut grass to get Rupees, and one factor for that has to be the weapon degradation system. Link has to spend way more in those games, because he keeps getting items when his previous ones break. But like I said earlier, gathering items to sell has different consequences for the locals.

Link Tortures Others In Tears Of The Kingdom

Ultrahand Is Its Own Weapon

When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was rather new, I remember seeing all the creative ways that players came up with using Ultrahand. From there, it didn't take long for players to fuse Koroks to vehicles in TOTK, especially for the Korok Seed quests that had you reunite a Korok with his friend in a nearby location. The intended way to do these quests is to build a little vehicle for the Korok using nearby materials and Zonai Devices, then use Ultrahand to set the Korok on the vehicle and move them to their friend.

However, there are always some players who get extra creative when using abilities like Ultrahand, and they decided to turn Link into a complete menace for Koroks. The vehicles that they built go beyond transportation, and some of them can only be described as torture devices that the Koroks were then fused to, as players discovered that Koroks act like objects when you use Ultrahand, so you can stick them to other items. Somehow, the Koroks still love you even if you torment them during quests.

I'm a little sad that this doesn't apply to other quests. There's one side quest where you have to lift an NPC out of a little crater by building a vehicle that can float him up and over its ledge. Unlike with the Koroks, this NPC is easily spooked, and I had to keep rebuilding my vehicle because he would board it, then complain that it didn't seem safe and get off of it. If you're going to let me be a menace for some side quests, then just let me be a menace for all of them, or at least have the option. It would be much quicker.

Link Is A Hero, But Not Always A Good Person

He Shouldn't Have To Be

Maybe Link isn't the ideal hero at all times, and there are ways that he might cause more issues for some people than a hero should. However, Link has a huge burden to deal with, and maybe if he had more ways to get supplies and resources, he wouldn't need to go around hunting animals for ingredients, stealing from homes he breaks into, or cutting all the tall grass he comes across. He was forced into the position of hero, and it's unreasonable to expect somebody to make the right decisions every time.

I love Zelda games, but I also think they have some unintentional humor in the design of mechanics, especially those that are associated with earning Rupees and shopping. I'm certainly not the only one to think so, either, if the memes about Link breaking into houses to destroy pottery are a sign. In the end, maybe it's more fun to let Link have the ability to be a menace to society. He is, after all, the standard hero who saves Hyrule repeatedly in The Legend of Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda

Movie(s)

The Legend of Zelda (Live-Action)

Created by

Shigeru Miyamoto , Takashi Tezuka

Upcoming Films

The Legend of Zelda (Live-Action)

First TV Show

The Legend of Zelda

First Episode Air Date

September 8, 1989

Cast

Jonathan Potts , Cyndy Preston

Character(s)

Link , Princess Zelda , Ganon

Summary

The Legend of Zelda franchise follows the adventures of Link, an elf-like Hylian, and Princess Zelda as they protect the land of Hyrule from the evil warlord-turned-demon king Ganon. The series is known for its mix of action, adventure, and puzzle-solving elements, often revolving around the collection of the Triforce, a powerful relic left by the goddesses who created Hyrule. Each game features different incarnations of Link and Zelda, maintaining core elements while introducing new characters and settings.