Link is the lone hero of every Zelda game, often starting out from rather humble beginnings. It’s often pointed out that he never has parents, even when the incarnations of him are rather young, but there are actually a few games hinting that he has had parents at one point before separating for various reasons.
Parents are also not the only types of Link’s familial relatives seen or hinted at throughout the series. Perhaps Link is not so lonesome after all.
We see Link’s first official relative in A Link to the Past. In this game, he is raised by his uncle, who we only meet for a fleeting moment as he passes away in an attempt to rescue the princess. Link takes his place as his uncle gives him the sword and shield he brought with him, teaching him one last technique before finally fading away.
In Ocarina of Time, we never get to meet her, but the Deku Tree — or rather the Deku Tree Sprout — tells Link the story of what became of his mother. She gave Link to the Great Deku Tree as a mere infant before passing away during the Hyrulean Civil War. While Link has (obviously) had to have had a mother in past and future games, this is the only time we are told of her existence and fate.
The Wind Waker was kind enough to allow Link to be part of a small family living contently on Outset Island. He lives with his grandma and his younger sister, Aryll. The quest to find and rescue Aryll after she is taken by King Helmaroc starts Link’s journey to becoming the Hero of the Winds. Grandma does suffer from this loss as well, but Link’s courage inspires her to help in any way she can, and so she does what grandmas do best: make delicious and healthy soup.
In The Minish Cap, Link also has an elderly relative; a grandfather this time around. His name is Smith, which is easy to remember as he is a blacksmith. He also smiths Smith’s Sword for the winner of the sword-fighting competition at the beginning of the game. Have I said Smith enough? Smith. Anyway, he is good friends with King Daltus, which results in Link and Zelda’s great friendship at the start of the game.
It’s a while before we ever hear of another relative of Link’s, and that’s just it. We only hear about it. Breath of the Wild mentions that Link’s father was a renowned knight for Hyrule Castle, which is likely where Link got his start because of it. Princess Zelda brings up this fact when questioning her own destiny, but that is as far as we know. He could have very well been fighting alongside his son during the final battle before Calamity Ganon took over or maybe he was long gone before then. Perhaps Age of Calamity will tell.
While these are the only canonical mentions or appearances of Link’s blood relatives, family does not always have to be tied together by biology. Certainly, it is fun to speculate who his parents may have been, but Link meets an array of wonderful characters throughout his journey, perhaps some that he can call his family. Through the father-like mentorship of Rusl or Mayor Bo in Twilight Princess, the bizarre brotherly bond of Niko in Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, the brotherly bond of Link and Gulley in A Link Between Worlds, or the parental watch that Alfonzo has over young Link in Spirit Tracks, I don’t think Link has ever really gone without someone who cares for him, helping him on his way to become the hero he is always destined to be.
