The 10 saddest moments in The Legend of Zelda series

One of the biggest reasons why the Legend of Zelda series resonates so deeply with players is because of its ability to create powerful and emotional moments. These are the moments that stick with people years after they have played the games. There are plenty of scenes that have made Zelda fans laugh with joy and jump up in triumph, but there are also times when the Zelda series has made its fans cry.

There are bittersweet farewells, touching reunions, and even overwhelming grief. With such rich narratives and beloved characters, it is no wonder that these games have the capability to make even the most seasoned Zelda fans shed a tear.

10. Grandma Misses Link and Aryll

Very few games depict Link having any sort of family, yet The Wind Waker breaks the mold with Link’s grandmother and sister. From the beginning of the game, it is clear how much love Link holds for his little family, so it is all the more tragic when Aryll is kidnapped and Link must depart Outset Island to search for her. As Link departs the island, he waves to his Grandma, who can only watch helplessly.

When Link is able to return to Outset Island, he finds his Grandma bedridden and overcome with grief in the absence of her grandchildren. The music of the house has changed to a much sadder tune, and Grandma is so sick, she cannot even see that Link is returned to her.

9. Zelda Cries in Link’s Arms

One of the memories that Link recalls in Breath of the Wild shows a heartbreaking moment of vulnerability from Zelda. After watching Zelda struggle to awaken her powers during so many memories, she finally breaks as she and Link try to escape the raging Guardians.

Unable to run any longer, Zelda collapses in grief. After all her hard work, after pleading with the goddesses for help, after everything she tried, Zelda failed. She believes that her failure caused the deaths of her father, her friends, and countless Hylians. And it is hard not to cry with Zelda as she falls into Link’s arms and sobs.

8. Byrne’s Sacrifice

Despite being a villain for most of the game, Byrne returns to the side of light in his valiant effort to hold back Malladus in the final battle of Spirit Tracks. Villain redemption stories are epic when done well, and Byrne is a perfect example of this.

An epic remix of Byrne’s theme and “Zelda’s Lullaby” plays as he protects Zelda from Malladus and allows her to reclaim her body. However, Byrne was weakened after his fight with Link and used the last of his strength to create the shield that blocked Malladus. He was powerless to stop Malladus’s magic from completely obliterating him. His death was not in vain, as Link and Zelda use their grief to channel their strength and rid Hyrule of Malladus once and for all.

7. Zelda Saves Midna

After Zant nearly kills Midna, a frenzied Wolf Link rushes his dying friend to the only woman who might be able to help her: Zelda. The emotions in this scene are high, especially when the camera shows the pale and weakened form of Midna lying limply on Wolf Link’s back. With “Midna’s Desperate Hour” playing in the background, it feels almost like all hope is lost.

But Zelda has other plans. Using her Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda relinquishes the last of her power and transfers it to Midna in order to save the Twili’s life. While Midna is saved, she screams in protest as Zelda fades away, finally submitting to Zant’s power and becoming Puppet Zelda.

6. Fi’s Farewell

Fi’s relationship with Link evolves so much over the course of Skyward Sword, going from a cold and robotic companion to learning the meaning of love after her adventure with Link. Despite her annoying tutorials throughout most of the game, Fi has become a close friend to Link.

With Fi’s duties complete, she must enter the Master Sword for her endless slumber. In her last moments of clarity, Fi tells Link that she treasured their time together more than any of the other data she collected. She thanks Link for everything they experienced together and wishes that they meet again in some other lifetime.

5. Midna Shatters the Mirror of Twilight

In keeping with the theme of farewells, Midna’s farewell is one of the more emotional moments in the Zelda series. With Hyrule safe, Midna prepares to return to the Twilight Realm. She turns to Link and tells him that should the Mirror of Twilight remain, they could still meet again in the future.

A tear falls down Midna’s cheek and she guides the tear toward the Mirror of Twilight, causing t to crack. Midna cannot seem to find the words she wants to say to Link, only saying “See you later” before disappearing in a burst of light and shattering the mirror. Because Midna is the true ruler of Twilight, the Mirror of Twilight has been permanently destroyed, ensuring that she and Link will never see each other again.

4. Pamela Reunites with her Father

As Link enters the Music Box House, he encounters what appears to be a Gibdo. When he goes to attack, Pamela, a young girl, rushes in front of the monster and protects him from Link. She claims that he is her father and begs Link not to hurt him. When Pamela’s father went to investigate the well in Ikana Canyon, a curse was placed upon him that began to mummify him.

Link then plays the “Song of Healing” to Pamela’s father, which lifts the curse and returns the man to normal. In tears, Pamela rushes to her father, overjoyed to have him back after watching him slowly lose himself to the curse. When her father asks what had happened to him, Pamela responds by saying it was just a bad nightmare.

3. Anju and Kafei Reunite

Anju, in the final hours before the Moon falls and crushes Termina, waits anxiously in her room beside her wedding dress. Instead of running from her impending doom, she decides to wait for Kafei, her fiancé, to return to her after he had gone missing due to the curse placed on him by Skull Kid.

Just as the moon is about to fall, Kafei bursts through the door of the inn, true to his promise to Anju that on the night of the Carnival of Time, they would exchange masks and speak their oaths. When they exchange their vows, the masks fuse and become the Couple’s Mask. As the moon falls, Kafei and Anju make no moves to take shelter, stating that they will greet the morning together.

2. Zelda Seals Herself Away

After spending over half of the game trying to reunite with Zelda, Link finally finds Zelda in the Sealed Temple in the past. However, this reunion is bittersweet. In order to protect herself from Demise and his minions, Zelda must seal herself away in amber until Link is able to properly defeat Demise.

As Zelda seals herself away, Link runs toward her, only to be a second too late as he slams against the amber encasing his beloved Zelda. He slams against the amber, desperate to get her out, but to no avail. Before she falls into a deep slumber, Zeldaasks Link to wake her up later, and Link bows his head to hide his tears.

1. King Daphnes Stays Behind

After the final battle of The Wind Waker, King Daphnes’s final wish on the Triforce is fulfilled and Hyrule begins to flood. He accepts that he lived tied to the memory of Old Hyrule for far too long and chooses to go down with his former kingdom.

His speech to Zelda and Link is incredibly powerful, as he tells the pair to strive for a better future in a new Hyrule. He summons bubbles around the pair and begins to lift them up toward the surface. As Link reaches out toward the King, the King reaches back, only to reject his hand in the end, choosing to drown with the rest of Hyrule.