10 times the Legend of Zelda series made the fans laugh

In all of the high-sweeping epic tales experienced in The Legend of Zelda, there is one hallmark characteristic that is unforgettable to the franchise: a hearty sense of humor. Few things are as uplifting as a good laugh from a Zelda game after a hard day. Let’s look back at some of the most memorable side-splitting moments from the series.

10. Cowardly Hylian Guards

Royal guards are a common sight around Hyrule Castle Town. But with so many of them stationed, why does Hyrule always get into trouble? Well, players can see for themselves in Twilight Princess. When monsters lurk in the land and an ailing Zora prince needs an escort, do the guards step up to the plate? No! They run away, every last one of them. Never mind that they’re actually trained for this job. Oh well. Looks like it falls on young Link to save the day again. 

9. Linebeck, Man of the Sea

Let’s face it, Linebeck shares a blatant resemblance to the witty Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. But he pulls off the gig in the Zelda environment so well, fans don’t mind a bit. Linebeck delivers plenty of moments that tickle the funny bone, and his introduction is a great example. It’s chock-full of slapstick (that Link is unfortunately on the receiving end of) while he carries on in his silly banter with Ciela. 

8. Yes, We Have too Many Bananas

In Breath of the Wild’s melancholic post-apocalyptic setting, there lies a terrible group of Sheikan descent. Their goal is to revive Calamity Ganon and eradicate the hero out of spite. These vile magical thugs are known as the Yiga. They’re sneaky, they’re nasty, and their favorite food is — bananas? Yes, that’s 100% accurate. Bananas. 

In pure Nintendo fashion, the Yigas’ quirky vice is a running joke throughout the game. Every Yiga that Link defeats drops bananas as a spoil, implying that they always have a bunch on hand. Some even crack witty banana puns. And the best joke of all? Baiting them with the yellow fruit while sneaking around in their spooky hideout! Their animations are quite the spectacle when they see one on the ground.

7. Darunia’s Brotherly Embrace

Hooray, Link did it! The young hero eradicated the dangerous Dodongos and made it safe once again for the Gorons to mine their delicious rock sirloins. This victory clearly gives cause for the Goron chief Darunia and his friends to celebrate. In true Goron style, he deems Link the prestigious honor of Sworn Brother — and rewards him with face-planting pats on the back. But that’s not all. The other Gorons can’t wait to reward their Sworn Brother with a great big, back-breaking Goron hug! But why is Link making a run for it? Pay no mind to his screams of terror. At least his new brothers had good intentions.

6. Princess Zelda as a Ghost

Most people would think of the fair Princess Zelda’s beauty and stature when it comes to her personality. But in Spirit Tracks, we see a whole different side: her humor! Zelda becomes undeniably hilarious once she realizes she’s a ghost and then learns what the villain wants to do with her stolen body. She truly is Tetra’s great-great-granddaughter in every way! Zelda’s funny demeanor will leave you chuckling all the way to the end. Who knew that the heir to the Hyrulean throne could be so entertaining? 

5. The Groose is Loose

Link’s goofy rival in Skyward Sword injects a generous dose of comic relief into the story, with one of the most memorable scenes being his clumsy descent to the Surface. Link is falling, as usual, minding his own business aiming for the land below. All of a sudden, here comes big, heavy Groose! The look on Link’s face is priceless seconds before they crash to the ground. Even the orchestra music is perfectly timed. Ouch. Need an ice pack?

4. Dastardly Dubious Food

Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game to incorporate the concept of eating for life energy. With so many recipe combinations, there’s a lot of room to experiment — and encounter a dash of Nintendo humor. If Link cooks an undesirable combination of ingredients, the player is rewarded with Dubious Food, a dish so disgusting its image is censored in the game! “It’s too gross to even look at,” touts the laughable description. “A bizarre smell issues forth from this heap. Eating it won’t hurt you though…probably.”

3. Ezlo’s Hilarious Lines

The idea of a talking hat is already wacky enough. But Link’s hat doing the talking? Absolutely seam-splitting. Enter Ezlo, Link’s snarky and heartwarming companion in The Minish Cap. Ezlo’s rich dialogue with Link is pure comedy gold. His crotchety lines rival some of the best Saturday Night Live one-liners, with the most nostalgic ranging from “Can’t you go any slower? Surely you’ve noticed I have no legs…” to “What’s that?! You’d send me to the cleaners!?” 

2. Tetra’s Infamous Catapult 

Who doesn’t remember Link’s comical catapult ride into the Forsaken Fortress? It would be a crime without mentioning it. From Link’s sheer disbelief that he’s stuffed into a barrel to screaming his way into faceplanting against a rock wall, the entire sequence is pure genius. Bonus points go to the pirates who see Link off as he goes flying. (It’s a wonder the racket he made wasn’t noticed by the enemy.) Was Tetra truly helping him, or was she playing a cruel joke? We may never know. Let’s just be glad Link didn’t fly through the window as they planned. The Helmaroc King would have probably shown him the door much sooner. 

1. “I am Error.”

Guffaws and giggles abound in the Zelda series, but today’s youngest generation of players might not catch one of the greatest memes of all time. In The Adventure of Link, our hero encounters a certain citizen in the town of Ruto who inexplicably introduces himself as “I am Error.” Could the text simply be mistranslated? Apparently not. In the Japanese version, the character’s text literally reads, “My name is Error.” It turns out that the Zelda staff was poking fun at common NES mishaps all along — like mistranslations! Who knew?