Link has been through a lot in his many iterations. Throughout The Legend of Zelda series, he’s been “skyward bound, adrift in time [and] steeped in the glowing embers of twilight” (according to Zelda’s speech during Link’s knighting ceremony). But Breath of the Wild brought about a very different kind of trial for the hero, one that no other incarnation has experienced (even if they wish they could): amnesia.
Link wakes up in an unfamiliar place with no memory, no direction and barely any clothes. Stumbling off the Great Plateau, barely wrapping his head around the tale King Rhoam told him about the Calamity, he is at the whims of the largest and harshest Hyrule we’ve seen so far in the series. Monsters and natural hazards abound, and poor Link will run out of his three small hearts with any misstep. Given Breath of the Wild‘s unprecedented size and complexity for a Zelda game, this Link’s story is a fascinating one, especially considering that there are two halves to it: that of Link the stoic knight, and of Link the wayward hero.
Link the wayward hero is a goofball: He hangs out with Koroks, catches frogs and insects, takes cheeky selfies with Lynels, and enters races all over Hyrule using horses, gliders and Sand Seals. He tends to take the more flippant routes of dialogue in his various interactions across Hyrule. He’s excited to take on new challenges, barreling head-first into adventure and peril without a second thought. You may think I’m only describing my own reckless habits as a player, but these personality quirks that Link is capable of are very important to his development, especially once he learns who he used to be.
Upon reaching Kakariko Village at Rhoam’s behest, Link learns from Impa the Sheikah that he had an entire life 100 years ago, before the loss of his memory. Tasked with recovering those memories, Link traverses Hyrule in search of key locations that will jog his recall. Through these eighteen vivid flashbacks, he learns that he was a royal knight in the footsteps of his father, personally serving Princess Zelda herself. This is where we begin to meet Link, the stoic knight.
A hundred years ago, Link was chosen to be Zelda’s personal guard, after proving his worth many times over: besting adults in combat as a child, lifting the Master Sword at a young age and taking down a rogue Guardian with nothing but a pot lid. Link was a quiet fellow, serious about his duties to Her Highness, even though she thought rather lowly of him, at first.
Zelda was in the midst of her frustrations as the heir to a sacred power that she could not yet harness, the power to seal away Ganon. This led her to resent Link for being assigned to protect her. Link carried on his duties regardless of the princess’s opinions of him, knowing his responsibilities. Eventually, this careful sensibility came in shiningly handy when Zelda was cornered by Yiga Clan foot-soldiers, at the mercy of their sharp, steel sickles. Link came to the rescue, dashing and steadfast, and Zelda finally began to appreciate Link for who he was rather than why he was there.
It was from this point that the two began to talk privately, and through Zelda’s diary, the player can learn the true reason behind Link’s impassivity and silence. In the princess’s words:
It’s the first time in a Zelda game that we’ve been given a canonical reason for Link’s status as a silent protagonist
“When I finally got around to asking why he’s so quiet all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well… For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings. I always believed him to be simply a gifted person who had never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was…”
Link stayed silent so as to focus on his sworn duty to Hyrule’s royalty. He remained stoic because of the weight of so many expectations on his shoulders. He couldn’t afford to show weakness, which is what irked Zelda in the first place as she suffered the indignity of her own inabilities, thinking that Link was a perfect specimen with no troubles. It’s the first time in a Zelda game that we’ve been given a canonical reason for Link’s status as a silent protagonist, and it adds nicely to the depth of the character.
One last piece of knowledge to bring up before tying my thoughts together is another fact that Zelda mentions in her diary when getting to know Link better:
“Bit by bit, I’ve gotten Link to open up to me. It turns out he’s quite a glutton. He can’t resist a delicious meal!”
This trivia snippet is echoed by Daruk in his private writings, emphasizing that Link has quite the voracious appetite, despite his size. What exactly is important about this, you ask? Well, it shows us that Goofball Link, the wayward hero, was there all along, hiding behind the stoic knight! Link has always liked to loosen up and be quirky. And what is the biggest difference between Link of 100 years ago and Link of the present day? Responsibility. When he wakes up with no memory, he is bound by no oath. He has no expectant peers watching his every move, as he used to. He has no active responsibility, nor does he remember a time when he did.
This Link is the Link that players fall in love with during their stay in Hyrule, and the one Zelda wishes she could have seen all along.
This easing of the tension on Link’s shoulders allowed his true self to shine through: the Link that will eat a plate of Dubious Food, however disgusting, just for that extra heart and a half; the Link that will spend his days picking up stray rocks to see if there’s a friendly face underneath; the Link that will shamelessly snap a pic of a dangerous enemy to add to his collection seconds before a near-fatal interaction. This Link is the Link that players fall in love with during their stay in Hyrule, and the one Zelda wishes she could have seen all along.
Link’s emotional journey in Breath of the Wild is one of rediscovery; he is both a fearless warrior and loyal friend, and a goofy glutton who won’t hesitate to hit the Plus button and take a snack mid-battle. Reconciling these two halves of himself is what finally earns him his place in the hearts of his peers and the players, as the true Hero of the Wild.
