Note: The Real Legend series contains explicit language and some adult themes. Viewer discretion is advised.
Legends never truly die, and one fan-animated series based on The Legend of Zelda is no exception. Nearly eight years after the last episode, The Real Legend has returned once again to follow the more humorous side of Link’s journey as the Hero of Time. As the series’ title suggests, the comedic shorts depict what might have really happened in the Hero’s quest to overthrow the King of Evil.
Created, animated, and produced by 3D artist Jerry Padilla, The Real Legend 5 picks up where the previous left off, following Link and Navi as they infiltrate the Shadow Temple behind Kakariko Village.
“I have very much love for The Legend of Zelda franchise and it felt wrong to leave the series hanging,” said Padilla in an email to Zelda Universe. “Years after I stopped animating them I still was getting mails asking for continuation (some less friendly than others) and decided to continue it and conclude it, for the people that supports [sic] the series and for my peace of mind.”
The first episode made its debut on Newgrounds back in December of 2003. Now, nearly 16 years later, the legend continues on both Newgrounds and Padilla’s YouTube channel.
“I have much more experience now than I had back then,” wrote Padilla. “I still work in the animation industry, so applying new techniques like 3D elements and composition tools that I learned along the way came in handy for certain desired effects… I’m sure the quality of the animations are just going to improve with time, like it did on the latest episode.”
Padilla plans on finishing the series, but as with any side project he predicts new episodes might take some time to complete. Nevertheless, Padilla is optimistic about the future.
“The series started with a fanboy animating out of love for the Zelda franchise and will end probably the same way, even if that boy is 80 years old by then,” said Padilla.
All five episodes can be found in Padilla’s video archive on Newgrounds, along with some of his other work.
