The top 5 instances of voice acting in The Legend of Zelda…before Breath of the Wild!

With the release of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment we are perhaps witnessing the end of an era — one that started back in 2017. Breath of the Wild’s impact is still being felt almost a decade later, as its newest spinoff still features some of the same characters and art direction that were introduced over eight years ago. But in addition to fighting the same type of Bokoblins and hearing some of the same leitmotifs, there’s something else wholly new to the franchise Breath of the Wild introduced that Age of Imprisonment has in spades. With Imprisonment boasting 3-4 hours of fully-animated cutscenes, let us not forget what we used to live without: full voice acting.

We might take it for granted now, but before the 2016 Breath of the Wild trailer graced us with Princess Zelda’s first-ever spoken dialogue (not counting the CDi, Navi/Tetra’s Trackers, or the 80’s cartoon at the moment), The Legend of Zelda franchise used to be a series full of text boxes, grunts, and synthesized sound effects. But that being said, it was not completely devoid of voice acting! Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the best, most iconic voice clips in The Legend of Zelda franchise preceding Breath of the Wild. Ready? “Hiyaa!”

5. Navi in Ocarina of Time

Love it or hate it, you cannot escape from Navi’s endless shrill barrage of “Hey!”, “Watch out!”, and “Hello!” voice clips throughout Ocarina of Time. This served an important function in drawing players’ attention to interactable objects in the world with the game’s innovative Z-targeting system. But it also lent a lot of personality to our little fairy companion. Who knows if the upcoming live action film will feature a fairy like Navi, but if it does it will be a cardinal sin not to hear them yell “HEY!” in homage to this instantly-recognizable voiced character.

4. Beedle in The Wind Waker

An unprepared player may be taken aback when first entering Beedle’s Shop Ship in The Wind Waker. If your volume is just a little too high, expect to be blown away by this iconic shopkeeper’s greeting to you. There are other great examples of NPC sound bites in this Zelda game such as Salvatore’s “splooosh” and “ka-BOOM,” but Beedle’s welcoming “OOOOOOOOHHHH!!” and “THANK YOOUU!” were so impactful that the character has continued to appear in almost every mainline entry since.

3. Midna in Twilight Princess

Midna is lauded as one of the best compaion characters in The Legend of Zelda franchise — and for good reason! She’s a strongly written character, and this is enhanced in how the player hears her voice whenever she speaks. While not traditionally voice acted, her modulated and scrambled voice clips in Twilight Princess add a diegetic element to what is otherwise standard “text box” dialogue in the rest of the game. This tradition of giving fictional language/speech to the side companion was continued with Fi in Skyward Sword.

2. Link (multiple games)

Despite being known as one of the most (if not the most) famous silent protagonists in all of video games, Link sure has a lot to say! From little grunts to his iconic battle efforts, from getting burned by lava to meowing during a stealth mission, there is no shortage of sound bites featuring Link well before Breath of the Wild came out. We may (or may not?) get to hear him fully speak in the upcoming live action film, but it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever be rid of Link conveying his feelings in the universal language of grunts, groans, and yells.

1. Ganondorf in The Wind Waker

As a villain, Ganondorf has an incredible presence in the series, and especially in The Wind Waker. He’s an imposing figure with a striking design and a deep voice — one you get to hear in several cutscenes sprinkled throughout the game. But what makes the Gerudo leader really take the crown on this list is a singular unforgettable moment at the end of the game: The King of Red Lions has beaten Ganondorf to the punch, touching the Triforce and subsequently plunging Old Hyrule into the depths of the ocean forever. His defeat imminent, Ganondorf lets out a long, manic peel of laughter. It’s chilling, it’s impactful; it’s the best voice acting this series has ever seen.

Honorable Mention: Breath of the Wild’s Old Man (in Italian)

Yes, Breath of the Wild may have properly introduced full voice acting to the series, but it also has its share of grunts and mumbles from NPCs. And the Old Man, specifically in Italian, makes a sound we just had to include on this list. So, in the spirit of honoring non-traditional voice acting in the Zelda series, please enjoy this little gem: