Littered throughout the long and winding history of Hyrule are repeated figures. There's the reincarnation of the hatred of Skyward Sword's villain Demise, a sword-wielding hero named Link, and the mortal embodiment of the goddess Hylia called Zelda. The Legend of Zelda series has offered many iterations of these characters, and while the Ganons and Links of the world maintain largely the same personalities, none has seen as much variation as Zelda.
While she has a penchant for getting kidnapped and becoming the game's MacGuffin, Zelda has played wildly varying roles in her tenure as princess. From pirate to scholar, leader to spy, here's every mainline Legend of Zelda incarnation of Zelda, ranked from worst to best.
S Tier
- Breath of the Wild: The memories of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offer players a view into Zelda's character and personality, seeing as how she is absent from much of the game. Players learn that she was a passionate scholar, endlessly curious about ancient technology and dedicated to preventing the ominous prophecy of Ganon's return from coming true. Her plight to awaken the power to seal the darkness offers a glimpse into her struggles with self-doubt and fear of loss. Throughout the memories, players watch her grow and learn, and her character arc reaches its chilling climax in the final memory at Fort Hateno when she unlocks her power and saves Link. Zelda's story in Breath of the Wild is that of a hero through and through, from her character flaws to her relationships to her interests to her fears, and finally to her triumph.
- Spirit Tracks: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is notable largely for the fact that Zelda is playable in the majority of the game. After Zelda's body has been captured, she becomes a spirit version of herself and aids Link on his journey. Players can use Zelda to solve puzzles and defeat enemies, and Zelda is often even stronger than Link. Additionally, as a direct descendant of Tetra, Zelda has inherited some of Tetra's signature sass. It's refreshing that is not only Zelda present for the entire story of Spirit Tracks, but she is also just as much the hero of the story as Link is.
- Wind Waker: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker took the idea of Zelda in disguise that Ocarina established, and turned it up to 11. Link meets the pirate Tetra at the beginning of the game, who agrees to help link find Link's kidnapped sister. They embark on a journey across the sea, and in the process, they discover the hidden history of Hyrule, along with the fact that Tetra is Zelda. Like most of the more recent titles, Tetra helps Link take down Ganondorf in the final battle, saving Hyrule. While Link is traditionally the embodiment of courage, Link learns to be courageous from Tetra in Wind Waker, turning a trope of Zelda lore on its head.
A Tier
- Ocarina of Time: Players don't get to see very much of Zelda's personality through dialogue in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but she has some crucial actions that speak to her character much more than words ever could. For one, as a child, she goes up against Ganondorf alongside Link. When she fails, she trains for seven years with the Sheikah to become a spy so that she can help Link when he wakes up. The reveal that Sheik was actually Zelda went a long way for establishing that Zelda didn't have to be a typical princess in every game.
- A Link Between Worlds: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds establishes Lorule, the dark twin world of Hyrule. Along with it, players are introduced to Lorule's princess, Hilda. With Link traveling between Hyrule and Lorule, both Zelda and Hilda are major characters in the game. While Zelda is (predictably) captured for the majority of the game, Hilda works with Link to help him rid the darkness enveloping Lorule and take down the villain Yuga. It's Hilda's late-game villain reveal, though, that solidifies her as one of the best incarnations of Zelda. Audiences have seen Zelda act as a hero for her people here and there, but this was the first time a version of Zelda got to play the villain.
- Skyward Sword: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Zelda is canonically the first Zelda to exist. Her friendship with Link is established and fleshed out early on, and the late-game reveal that Zelda is Hylia incarnate serves to enhance the relationship between the two. Zelda explains to Link that, although she is the physical embodiment of the goddess, she is still his Zelda. It's this character moment that elevates her from a two-dimensional side character to the foundation upon which every other Zelda would be built. Knowing that Skyward Sword's Zelda is the progenitor of all Zeldas to come retroactively informs the princess' in every game, both past and future.
B Tier
- Twilight Princess: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess gives Zelda some much-needed agency throughout the course of the story. Crucially, this is the first Zelda in the list to not get abducted, which is progress. Though Zelda is absent for a good chunk of the game, she has some critical involvement in the plot toward the end when she sacrifices herself to save Midna's life. The fight against Puppet Zelda at the end also stands out as one of the game's best fights, and she steps up to help Link fight Ganon in the final battle.
C Tier
- The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Four Swords Adventures: These Zeldas are technically different from one another, but their roles in their respective games are largely the same. All of these Zeldas are captured by Vaati, and Link has to save them. At the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Zelda is shown to be close friends with Link, which is definitely an improvement from them being complete strangers in the first three Zelda games, but her role in the story is the same nonetheless.
- Phantom Hourglass: The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass is the direct sequel to Wind Waker, meaning it carries over Link and Zelda/Tetra from that game. While Wind Waker's representation of Zelda is phenomenal, Phantom Hourglass's use of Tetra falls abysmally short of the standard set by its predecessor. Tetra spends the majority of the game turned into stone, and Link has to rescue her. Turning Zelda into a plot device is not new for the Zelda series, but knowing that this is the same Zelda who valiantly braved the high seas in Wind Waker makes her character regression hurt so much more.
D Tier
- A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages: This Zelda is kidnapped a whopping three times. She's held in Hyrule Castle at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, kidnapped again toward the end of the game, and then captured by Twinrova for the bonus combined ending of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The only thing putting her higher than the original two Zeldas is the fact that she has slightly more dialogue, but it doesn't consist of much more than asking Link to save her.
- The Legend of Zelda & Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link: The Zeldas in these two games are technically different from one another, even though the Link is the same, but since they effectively serve the same function as an object for Link to save, they're getting lumped together. The Zelda in the original Legend of Zelda is kidnapped by Ganon, and Link has to save her. The Zelda in Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link is an ancestor of the Zelda from the original, who has been under a sleeping curse since before the first game. Link's mission in Zelda 2 is to wake her from her eternal slumber. Beyond these old-fashioned plot points, neither game offers very much of anything in the way of characterization of the Zeldas. That's why they're at the bottom of this list.