Princess Zelda
Princess Zelda is not Link. She is the royal the games are named after, usually a Hylian princess tied to the goddess Hylia. In most adventures she advises or needs rescue. That sentence stopped being the whole story in 2024.
Last checked:
Names she has already used
In Ocarina of Time she hides as Sheik, and Sheik is not a second character I give a separate page. In The Wind Waker she is the pirate Tetra until the story says otherwise. Skyward Sword is the game that ties the royal line to Hylia, which is why later princesses inherit a sealing power instead of merely inheriting a castle. I keep those three identities in one paragraph so a reader does not open three tabs and think they are three people.
Shigeru Miyamoto has said the name comes from Zelda Fitzgerald. That is a naming anecdote, not a plot point. Patricia Summersett is the English voice in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. I will not extend that credit backward to the 1986 game, which does not have that performance.
When she is the one you play
Echoes of Wisdom, 26 September 2024, is the first mainline game she leads. The Philips CD-i games Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure also put her in front, and those discs are outside the 21. Hyrule Warriors spin-offs let you fight as her too. “Always the rescued princess” is a description of older games, not of the shelf in 2026.
The live-action film casts Bo Bragason as Zelda, with a United States date of 30 April 2027. The film page has the rest of the cast. I am not going to invent the movie’s plot from the games.
FAQ
Is Zelda the main character?
The series is named for her. Link is the lead in every mainline game except Echoes of Wisdom. Both facts fit.
Is Sheik a different person?
In Ocarina of Time, Sheik is Zelda in disguise. This page keeps that identity here instead of opening a second biography.
Related
Sources
| Claim | Status | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|
| Character, lore or historical details | 1 accessible source: Wikipedia | Read the named encyclopedia entries. Zelda Wiki returned HTTP 403 and is listed as additional reading, not counted as a verified second source. |
- Wikipedia, Princess Zelda — checked 2026-11-10
- Zelda Wiki (additional reading; HTTP 403 at audit), Princess Zelda — checked 2026-11-10
- Wikipedia, The Legend of Zelda (film) — checked 2026-11-10
Page updated 2026-11-10. Site check date 2026-11-10.