In a first for Nintendo’s long-running fantasy series, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild actually gives an answer to why Link is a silent protagonist. Over three decades of Seldom Game, Link seemingly never said a word, a facet that quickly became a cornerstone of his character. BOTW is the first game in the series to grapple with this directly, but its explanation for Link’s silence isn’t exactly thorough, and even highlights a major misconception about The Legend of Zeldas leading hylian.
Link is a name that actually refers to a number of different characters, a result of The Legend of Zelda Typically being an anthology series, where eEach entry is inextricably connected to the other, but does not immediately continue the same story. There are exceptions, however, included Breath of the wilds direct sequel, Tears of the kingdom. Many Seldom games have a protagonist named by the player, but they are all canonically iterations of Link, inheriting the spirit of the hero and destined to fight with Ganon, the manifestation of Demise’s evil, forever along with the mortal descendants of the Goddess Hylia, Princess Zelda. Many incarnations.
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Zelda explains why Link from Breath of the Wild doesn’t speak
And echoes of wisdom expand
Breath of the wild Establishes a unique relationship between it and Tears of the kingdoms versions of Link and Zelda. By recovering memories scattered across Hyrule, BOTWS Link remembers his past from before the Second Great DisasterWhen he was a knight of Hyrule and personally accompanied Princess Zelda on a quest to awaken the powers bestowed on her by the Goddess. Each memory cutscene features fully voiced characters, another first for these Seldom series, but Link remains stoic and silent.
However, players can explore Princess Zelda’s room Breath of the wilds version of Hyrule Castle. here, Link has the option to read Zelda’s diaryAnd if he does, he comes across a passage that reads:
“Little by little, I’ve gotten Link to open up to me. […] When I finally had to ask why he was so quiet all the time, I could tell that it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes on him, He feels that it is necessary to remain strong and bear every burden silently. A feeling that I know everything well… For him it meant that he stopped using expressions to express his thoughts and feelings. I always believed that he was simply a talented person who never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was… everyone has struggles that are not for the world… I was so busy with my own problems, I couldn’t see his. I wish to talk with him more and see what lies beneath that calm water, to hear him speak freely and openly… and perhaps I too can open my soul to him and share the spirits that plague me. All these years.”
This entry provides a very powerful insight into The Legend of Zeldas protagonist, or at least this iteration of him. BOTWLink’s is unique in the series in that the full gravity of Hyrule’s potential fate is made clear up front – Calamity Ganon returns, and he must protect the princess so she can stop the Second Great Calamity – rather than suddenly being thrust into reckoning with his fate like his predecessors. Link is understandably reluctant in the face of his dutyBut even this diary entry reveals a fallacy in seeing Link as a silent protagonist.
But because Seldom is an anthology series, Different entries explain Link’s silence in different ways. To this end, the last Zelda-focused title Echoes of wisdom offers a completely different explanation. In it, Hyrule is in danger due to a series of rifts – holes in the very fabric of reality – opening up around the world. Many have fallen in, and an NPC in Suthorn Village explains that everyone who comes back with “Something lost– For Link, this was his voice; He fell into a ravine as a child, and came back physically unable to speak.
Link has never really been a silent protagonist
We just don’t always hear him
Although Link has never spoken verbally in a Seldom game (except for the occasional interjection when rolling or attacking), He is not a language in the worldAnd nowhere is this more evident than in Breath of the wild And Tears of the kingdom. Throughout both games, Link is often seen conversing with NPCs, both through dialogue options chosen by the player, and through implied speech – usually gesticulating while the screen fades to black. Although this is especially obvious BOTW And TOTK, Link occupied the space as a non-voiced, but not silent protagonist throughout The Legend of Zelda.
And Link is voiced in at least a handful of Seldom MediaAlthough usually not to great acclaim. He was played by Jonathan Potts in the 1989 TV cartoon, and by Jeffrey Rath in the infamous CD-i duology, The faces of evil And The stick of gamelon. It’s only rarely implied that Link is canonically silent – more often, he’s a man of few words, who simply isn’t voiced so players can project their own personalities onto him.
Will Link ever speak?
What the Zelda movie means for Link’s future
With a live action Seldom Movie apparently in this way, The franchise needs now more than ever to make a decision about Link’s continued silence. Movies with silent protagonists are not unheard of; The lack of dialogue can be quite moving, and evocative of a larger atmospheric choice. Mostly-silent protagonists work equally as well in The good, the bad and the ugly As they do in wall-eAs long as they compensate for their relative silence in other ways.
Link can be silent in the live-fight Seldom Movie, however Good casting is vital. Anyone who winds up playing a silent link would need to be incredibly expressive with his face and body alone. This would make an interesting, if challenging, role for the right actor. The Seldom The movie would also need to rely a bit more on visual storytelling, with stunning vistas of Hyrule’s lush greenery and ominous dungeons, to keep things engaging during long stretches of silence.
The protagonist of the series has always been a stand-in for the player, especially in the earliest Seldom Games. While giving Link a voice would provide an opportunity for more characterization, it would deal a major blow to the series’ attempts to draw the player into the game, putting them in the shoes of Hyrule’s hero. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild May be the first game in the series to give a reason for Link’s silence, but this iteration of the iconic character is largely no different from the links that came before.