While the King of Hyrule has shown up in several Zelda titles, he doesn’t always have a very big role to play in the game. Even though there have been games like The Wind Waker where the King of Hyrule was a very central character, it is actually much more common for a King of Hyrule to not even appear. Usually, this is because the King has somehow passed away, as is the case in Ocarina of Time where the King of Hyrule is mentioned to have been killed as Ganondorf takes over Hyrule. One such King of Hyrule who leaves the land of the living early is the one from A Link to the Past, but he actually has a much more powerful impact on the world than you might think.
In A Link to the Past, the King has actually been killed as of the very start of the game. His skeleton rests on the throne in Hyrule Castle and can be seen during the opening cutscene, having been recently slain by Agahnim. In the manual to A Link to the Past, we are given a bit more detail about the King and the events that transpired before the beginning of A Link to the Past. The King of Hyrule was attempting to research the Dark World to stop the pain it was causing Hyrule, when Agahnim used his magic to help. This led the king to name Agahnim chief advisor, which brought him close enough to the King to enact his evil plan. After killing the King, Agahnim was in the perfect position to seize control of Hyrule, brainwashing the soldiers of Hyrule and putting out wanted posters for any that would oppose him, which is why the Hyrulian soldiers are always chasing after Link in A Link to the Past.
When Link actually makes it to the throne room, however, the skeleton of the King is gone. This isn’t really ever addressed or referenced, and seems to hold no real significance, but, once the game has been completed, the King can be seen alive and well during the credits sequence. Having been revived by the power of the Triforce, the King stands next to Zelda and the Six Maidens in the section of the credits titled, “The Return of the King.”
The presence of the King of Hyrule has always been an interesting one to me. Considering the Princess often holds such power and influence, it often begs the question of her father’s status. I personally found the case of the King of Hyrule in A Link to the Past particularly interesting, as what happened with the King is pretty important to set the stage of a Hyrule that Link eventually must fight through. Not to mention, Agahnim is treated as the core villain, but the details of his backstory of betraying the King are hiding in the manual of all places! One of the primary reasons I wanted to talk about the King of Hyrule was to spread knowledge of the details of his backstory, as I find it enriches the story and world of A Link to the Past.
