The 40 Greatest Moments in The Legend of Zelda – Part 1

40 years. More than 20 different games. One incredible legacy.

As The Legend of Zelda celebrates its 40th anniversary, the Zelda Universe staff has come together to determine the forty very best moments from across the series. These are story cutscenes that left us stunned, awe-inspiring locations that took our breath away, gameplay sequences that tested our mettle, boss battles that thrilled us from start to finish, and more. They come from the earliest days all the way back on the NES, to some of the most recent adventures that released on the Nintendo Switch.

In a series that that has delivered countless unforgettable memories, these are the moments that best define what The Legend of Zelda means, and why it has remained so beloved by fans around the world for four decades.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

40. Demon King Ganondorf’s health bar

Some moments are memorable because they strike fear into our hearts; others are memorable because they are downright hilarious. This moment is easily both! While it was absolutely no surprise that there would be a second phase for the ultimate battle with Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom, I don’t think anyone could have predicted his health bar growing to unreasonable proportions to the edge of the screen. In one way, Ganondorf had earned this; all along, he had been waiting countless ages for this moment, and I think Ganondorf was eager—no, starving—for a true challenge to test his awesome might. As it grew, it became clear that this would be no ordinary challenge. But at the same time, to cite Norm Macdonald from Saturday Night Live, it’s funny because it’s bigger than, ya know, a normal health bar.

– David Johnson

39. Link says goodbye to Grandma and Outset Island

Whether or not you considered The Wind Waker’s cel-shaded art style controversial at the time, one of its biggest features is its ability to convey expression and emotion in detail. A rather emotional scene occurs early in the game when Link prepares to leave his small island home and set sail into the unknown with a band of pirates on a quest to save his kidnapped little sister. As the ship departs, the townsfolk cheer him on and wish him good luck. Link waves back to them from the deck, but apprehension is clearly visible on his face, until he perks up in surprise. Link’s Grandma, his only other family member, has come out to see him off. Link’s expression turns to hope and longing as he waves her farewell. It’s all rather sentimental, until a sarcastic quip from Tetra interrupts the moment and kills the mood, adding a drop of humor to the scene. Although judging by Link’s cross expression, he doesn’t find it particularly funny.

– Shona Johnson

38. Stranded on Eventide Island

Looming in the distance on the Necluda Sea, Eventide Island is a location that most fans likely never touched until they had already put a fair amount of time into Breath of the Wild. If that was indeed the case, they were in for quite the surprise once they first stepped foot on the island’s shores. After being greeted by the voice of Sheikah Monk Korgu Chideh, just about your entire inventory is temporarily removed, save for the Sheikah Slate and a couple of other key items. This unique Shrine Quest takes you back to that feeling from the earliest hours of the game, where you had little to work with and were forced to slowly build up your arsenal as you scavenge your surroundings. Scouring Eventide Island is like a microcosm of Breath of the Wild’s game direction — a sandbox experience that challenges you to be resourceful, and to complete your objective by whatever means necessary with what the environment offers you.

– Jeffrey Pawlak

37. The battle with Koloktos

Reanimated by Ghirahim’s cursed energy, Koloktos is a towering boss who wields a decided weapons advantage over Link. Its multiple arms and enormous blades threaten to overwhelm you in battle from the get-go, and it only presses the advantage further when it rises to full height and brandishes six gigantic swords. Koloktos resembles a walking woodchipper when it starts whirling all six swords and advances forward, able to effortlessly pulverize the stone pillars throughout the arena. Defeating Koloktos means systematically removing its arms with the Whip and using its own weapons against it, even when they’re twice Link’s size. If any implementation of motion control fully immerses you in Skyward Sword’s action, it’s unquestionably the violent tugs and thunderous swings you use to tear down this mighty automaton of the Ancient Cistern.

– Jeffrey Pawlak

36. Link and Zelda team up to fight Ganondorf

Many fans would tell you that even in a world with Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Tears of the Kingdom, it’s The Wind Waker that claims the ultimate boss fight experience against Ganondorf. It was the first instance in history when Princess Zelda actively participated in a boss fight with you rather than get held at the sidelines (no offense Zelda, but we still think your aim leaves something to be desired). Despite its relatively easy difficulty, Ganondorf’s quick damage output still strikes fear into Three-Heart speedrunners. Even today the tension is palpable, the narrative is outstanding, the art direction is gorgeous, the music is undeniably epic, and the game design of the fight itself is marvelous in both the original and HD versions. Many elements of this fight were carried into and further refined in the Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf battle, which not only honors its legacy but provides greater length and difficulty.

– Chelsea Reed

35. Entering the Moon

Majora’s Mask is one of Link’s wackier adventures, but an amazing one nonetheless. When Link succeeds in stopping the Moon from falling onto Termina, he and Tatl venture inside of it to stop Majora once and for all. What they see when they enter however, is not what they would expect. They are in what appears to be a huge field with single tree. Running around are some little kids, each with a mask representing one of the bosses you fight during the main game. At the center and sitting alone under the tree is one child wearing what appears to be Majora’s Mask. He explains that the other kids don’t want to play with him. If you have successfully received every mask in the base game, you can approach each of the other kids and in return for giving them a certain amount of masks, can play a “game” with them. Once you have played with all four of the kids, you can return to the lone child wearing Majora’s Mask. He then claims that he will play with you and since you do not have any masks of your own, he gifts you the Fierce Deity’s Mask, and what follows is an outstanding boss fight (made fairly easy though if you wear the Fierce Deity Mask).

– Jason Coleman

34. “Mah boi” and other CD-i nonsense

Unless you encountered the CD-i games back in 1993, your first reaction to them is likely to be one of utter horror and disbelief. The CD-i games are what you get when there are a lack of standards and rushed development without the steady hand of Nintendo to guide the project. However, one can choose comedy instead of tragedy and truly belly laugh at the product. The CD-i incarnations of the King of Hyrule and Link are perhaps some of the most memetic characters in all of history because of their sheer inanity. Sure, the gameplay is truly rough, and the animation is an eyesore if you look too closely, but the silly dialogue and cheesy delivery is something that is unforgettable, and those who get past that initial shock will forevermore recite the stupidest lines ad nauseum to all their friends until the end of time (to all the Zelda Universe staff I’ve worked with: #sorry #notsorry)

– David Johnson

33. Escaping Ganon’s Castle as it collapses

Mortally wounded and unable to comprehend his defeat, Ganondorf releases one last outpouring of power that shakes his castle to its very foundation. Thus begins one of the most nerve-wracking sequences in The Legend of Zelda, as Ganondorf attempts to bring down Link and Zelda with him by collapsing the very citadel they stand upon. When you remember the long climb it took to reach the top of the castle, the dire realization sets in just far you have to go to reach safety. Link and Zelda work as a team while racing down the crumbling stairways, with Link fending off enemies that attempt to slow their progress, and Zelda using her magic to open up blocked passages. Great chunks of flaming debris rain down around the two heroes during their desperate escape, threatening to crush them long before they even see the exit. For an entire generation of Zelda fans who grew up with Ocarina of Time on the N64, few other moments in video games sent our heart rates spiking quite like this did.

– Jeffrey Pawlak

32. Fi’s farewell

As a spirit created to assist Hylia’s Chosen Hero, Fi is an entity driven by duty. She is pragmatic, practical, and sometimes outright robotic. Yet, over the course of the adventure that is Skyward Sword, there are moments where she manages to reveal glimpses of a personality all her own, moments that prove there is indeed some semblance of a soul to the Sword Spirit. Most memorable of all is her bittersweet goodbye once Demise is defeated and she returns to rest within the Master Sword. Fi expresses gratitude for being able to accompany Link on his journey, during which they both fulfilled their fated purposes. In bidding Link farewell, she becomes one with the sacred blade that would go on to be used in the battle against evil for centuries to come, immortalizing Fi’s presence across The Legend of Zelda and its many stories.

“Thank you, Master Link. May we meet again in another life…”

– Jeffrey Pawlak

31. Link is catapulted into the Forsaken Fortress

It’s finally time for Link to swallow his fears and take on the mysteries of the Forsaken Fortress. The pirate lair looks absolutely unassailable, and it seems that he may never see his beloved sister Aryll again. But Tetra suddenly gets an idea, and her smirk means nothing good. At first Link seems to be unconcerned about being placed in a barrel until, wait a minute, you’re going to what!? The antics of this scene feel entirely Wile E. Coyote-esque as Link splats against a solid wall. As The Wind Waker was the first game to use cel-shaded graphics, this style of humor worked because of its cartoon style. And if you imagine hard enough, you can almost hear Tetra off-screen berating her incompetent pirate crew for yet another screw up before profusely apologizing to Link through her charm.

– David Johnson