Top 15 Legend of Zelda Moments

(NOTICE: All rights to pictures and videos go to their respective owners. I am only using these to illustrate my countdown)

The Legend of Zelda is an amazing franchise that a lot of game developers and gamers alike owe a lot to. Shigeru Miyamoto is a true legend in game design, and this series is the biggest reason why. It just seems to always surprise us with every new game. Every game feels pretty different from another and they each have their own type of beauty or shine to it. Throughout the 28 years of this wonderful series, there have been moments in the games that have just been epic, beautiful, emotional, or all 3. Today I am here to count down the top 15 greatest moments spanning all games in the series. Yes, you will see more than one from the same game. I didn’t put in any rules restricting that, so let’s go!

15. It’s dangerous to go alone! (Legend of Zelda)

The original Legend of Zelda game really does show that the series has come a very long way. The only thing that the other games haven’t really done yet except for the newest one A Link Between Worlds that this game has done is the feel of non-linearity and the open world for you to explore to your heart’s desire.  The very first thing you ever do in that game is going up to the opening in a cave and entering it to be greeted by an old man. This old man helps you constantly throughout the game, but the most helpful thing he does is give you your very first weapon while telling you that it’s dangerous to go alone. This has gone on to become a popular meme. The thing that’s so great about this part is that it’s the first time in Zelda history (not the official timeline, the history o he franchise) that you ever get a sword, one of if not the most important item in any Zelda game. It was the start of many great moments to come.

14. Lifting the giant rock (Ocarina of Time)

So after getting the Golden Gauntlets, you head back to Ganon’s Castle and lift a HUMUNGOUS rock and throw it at least 10 feet in the air! It’s just a cool little sequence. Too bad that was like the only use for the Golden Gauntlets in the game.

13. Skull Kid’s backstory (Majora’s Mask)

Majora’s Mask is a generally emotionally empowering game with plenty of moments that are just unmatched with in any games from both the Zelda series and video games in general. Basically what I’m saying is that this is only the first of quite a few Majora’s Mask moments that are on this list. Anyway, so you come across Skull Kid at the very beginning of the game-well, a corrupted Skull Kid. By the time you get your Ocarina back from him and talk to the people who live in Termina, you’ll know that Skull Kid is one hell of a troublemaker. However, when you come across a little carving in the woods, Tatl, your companion that got stuck with you, gives you a backstory of Skull Kid showing you that he wasn’t always such a bad guy. He used to be friends with the 4 giants of Termina and was very playful. One day, in order to protect Termina, the giants had to split the land into 4 pieces, leaving Skull Kid in the process. Being upset and feeling neglected, Skull Kid started causing trouble around Termina and was forced to leave. According to Anju’s grandmother, he “departed to the heavens” but according to Zelda Wiki, this might’ve just been a hyperbole. One day he returned to Termina on a stormy night, finding shelter with Tatl and Tael, who me meets and befriends. Eventually Skull Kid is in the crossroad between Hyrule and Termina and finds the Happy Mask Salesman. He steals Majora’s Mask from him and is corrupted by the evil powers of the mask. What puts this story on here is how it’s so emotionally deep due to Skull Kid being abandoned by the giants, who weren’t leaving him for any personal reasons, but to protect their land. It comes to show that Skull Kid really isn’t that bad and he was just corrupted by neglect, emptiness, and of course the mask itself.

12. Midna in trouble/ getting the master sword (Twilight Princess)

Poor Midna...

So, you’ve cleared the Lakebed temple and have gathered all 3 of the Fused Shadows. You’re sitting there wondering just what is going to happen next and then all of a sudden Zant appears. Midna had already talked about Zant beforehand and you know that he’s up to no good. Zant severely injures Midna and puts a curse on you that makes it so you are permanently stuck as a wolf. Midna tells you to go to Princess Zelda since she can heal you. At that point it seemed like Midna wanted to die and let you live so he can rid Hyrule of its twilight. You rush to the castle while a beautiful theme accommodates your journey there, known as Midna’s Lament. Too bad the theme goes away when you have to fight monsters. Oh well. You get there and Zelda tells Midna that she has to live and sacrifices her physical appearance and powers to heal Midna. She tells you that the only way to break Zant’s curse is to find the Master Sword, as it is the blade of evil’s bane and since curses are evil, the Master Sword will be the thing to cure you. You make your way to the sacred realm and in an epic cutscene, you turn back into a human and claim the Master Sword. This is probably my favorite Master Sword pulling scene in the entire series due to the epic presentation and build-up. A very similar cutscene is seen in the Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

11. Forming the Triforce (Skyward Sword)

After some ridiculous padding to the story, you finally obtain all 3 pieces of the Triforce. What I really like about this moment is the epic and beautiful presentation of Skyward Sword showing its beautiful self and that it’s the first time in the official timeline that the Triforce is formed on camera. As much as I hate the built-in instruction bookl- I mean Fi, she accompanies the scene very well as she tells you what you must do, which is to make a wish for the Trifroce to grant you. All seems well and it looks like peace has been restored, but then Ghirahim all of a sudden captures Zelda as she wakes up from her deep slumber. I mean, most people who would’ve played Zelda by now could’ve guessed that the game wasn’t over yet as there wasn’t a proper final battle yet, but this plot twist was handled very well as the game treated you like you had saved the day when you haven’t.

10. Restoring Lorule’s Triforce (A Link Between Worlds)

After an epic boss fight with Yuga-Ganon, you and Zelda have found the Triforce and are ready to make a wish. However, seeing that Lorule is still in pain without a Triforce of their own, you decide to make the wish to restore peace to both Hyrule and Lorule. The thing I like so much about this part is that it really feels like you and Zelda are being generous and want what’s truly best for everyone, which is what a true hero should strive for.

9. Vs. Dark Link (Zelda II: Adventure of Link)

I personally haven’t gotten this far in Zelda II (I haven’t even beaten the first dungeon!), but I know about the final battle of the game. It’s very simple yet very epic. It’s you vs. your own shadow. The theme that accompanies this battle is epic and really puts you in the right kind of mode for the fight you’re in. It’s an epic sword-and-shield-to-sword-and-shield battle that doesn’t rely on a certain item or spell for you to use, but just pure skill. I chose this one over the Dark Link battle from Ocarina of Time because while it was pretty cool, I just feel that this one is more epic. Whether or not it’s less forgiving is beyond me as I have yet to get to this part but knowing Dark Link in Ocarina of Time and how hard he was (well, in the original version. He’s fine in the 3DS version) and taking the fact that Zelda II is one HARD ass game, I’d say it’s safe to assume that this Dark Link is a lot harder.

8. Receiving transformation masks (Majora’s Mask)

What I’m talking about here are the parts when you first get the Goron and Zora mask, not so much the Deku mask. When you play the Song of Healing at the time you need to, you activate a cutscene that shows the pain and misery the characters you’re getting the transformation masks for have suffered. The thing that really hits the spot in these scenes is the Song of Healing, a song that I can describe as a song that understands your pain and is there to comfort you while telling you to stay strong. It’s just how I interpret it. After you see the depressing cutscenes, you get their mask and you can now assume their roles. The more emotional one is definitely the one with Mikau in it as he dies right after you play the Song of Healing and his remains are left behind via a mask. Truly powerful moments that come to show how deep of a game Majora’s Mask is.

7. Getting the Triforce (A Link to the Past)

After a long and hard journey, you’ve finally defeated the big bad Ganon once again and you are finally able to see the Triforce with nothing standing in your way. The thing I like the most about this moment that puts it up here is the epic and empowering theme that fits perfectly with the situation and how you make a wish to restore peace to Hyrule. You then see everything rebuilt. It’s a truly great feeling of accomplishment and that’s all that really needs to be said.

6. Tetra turns into Zelda (Wind Waker)

You return to Hyrule castle after rescuing your sister and witnessing Tetra being CHOKED. When Tetra regains consciousness, you’re at the saem castle you got the Master Sword from and the king himself, Daphne Nohansen Hyrule, it is revealed that Tetra really is Princess Zelda as Ganondorf suspected back at the Forsaken Fortress. The thing that puts this moment on the list is the epic animation for the king reuniting the piece of the Triforce of Wisdom on Tetra’s neck with the other half of it. An epic remix of the title theme of A Link to the Past accompanies this scene, which is just awesome. Sadly, this pushes Tetra/Zelda out of the story for a little while because if she returns to the surface Ganondorf can find her, but the epicness of the transformation is what makes this such a great moment in the Zelda series.

5. Revisiting the Forsaken Fortress (Wind Waker)

So the moment where Tetra turned into Zelda was epic, wasn’t it? Well what if I told you the events that lead up to that were ven more epic? After pulling the Master Sword, you go back to the Forsaken Fortress, which you had to sneak around the last time you were there. You can now beat the living shit outta the guards and even get a cool new hammer! You find your sister there and Tetra and her crew. They take care of your sister while you defeat the Helmarock Kin gin an epic boss fight. Then you’re about to go and confront Ganondorf and just when you think you’re almost done with the game, Ganondorf tells you that the Master Sword isn’t powerful enough yet and that he must reforge it in order to face Ganondorf. He finds out that Tetra is the one who has the Triforce of Wisdom, which was who he was looking for, and Tetra is unaware of this. He then picks her up and chokes her (which is a big fuck you to whoever thought Wind Waker was a “kiddy game”). Luckily you’re both rescued in time for Tetra to survive. She did pass out, but she ended up fine. Truly epic.

4. Final Battle (Twilight Princess)

When I mean the final battle, I don’t only mean the final part, I mean the entire 4-part final battle of Twilight Princess and man is it epic. The epic presentation of Twilight Princess really shines here as the cutscene in which you make it to Ganondorf’s throne is dark, atmospheric, and exciting. You’ve made it to the top of a tower that had you fighting 2 Darknuts at once and now you’re ready to bring light back to Hyrule. Ganondorf takes Zelda’s body and possesses it to make Puppet Zelda, whose fight is very similar to the first part of the final battle in Ocarina of Time. After playing some dead man’s volley, Zelda is back to normal. However, Ganondorf turns into Ganon, whom you have to have a battle full of pure strength with. It’s an epic fight that makes you transform into a wolf halfway through. Afterwards, you take it outside into Hyrule field with you and Zelda on Epona and Ganondorf on his horse. Zelda asks the spirits to give her Light Arrows in an epic cutscene with a great remix of Zelda’s lullaby before the battle. You have to wait for Zelda to charge her Light Arrows to shoot at Ganondorf. After that, you must hit him with your sword. He sends out an army of ghost-like things as an offense. After that, the real epic shit happens. Remember that Gamecube tech demo from way back when? You know how it showed Link and Ganondorf dueling it out sword-to-sword? Well, we finally have a boss battle like that and it’s AWESOME. The theme and atmosphere are PERFECT for the situation and even though it’s really easy, the atmosphere and buildup and fact that it’s just Link vs. Ganondorf with nothing but swords more than makes up for it. It’s just pure skill. It’s like playing Smash Bros. on Final Destination with no items, except with more atmosphere. Holy crap this fight is awesome. After delivering the final blow, you’re done with the main story of the game and get to watch Zant cracking his neck and Ganondorf dying. This 4-part boss battle is just plain awesome and probably my favorite final battle in the Zelda series.

3. Waking up after 7 years (Ocarina of Time)

The reason why I put this moment so high on the list is not only because it’s epic and everything, but also for personal reasons. So after Zelda throws you the Ocarina of time and you plant the 3 Spiritual Stones and open the Door of Time and there lays the Master Sword. You pull it, with epic music the accompany the moment, not sure of what is to come of pulling it, and then Ganondorf reveals to you that he was waiting for you to open the Door of Time so he could enter the Sacrd Realm and steal the Triforce, making him king of Hyrule. Rauru, the sage of light, then awakens you. He gives you a bit of a backstory and then tells you that you’ve traveled 7 years into the future and are no longer a child, but rather a young adult. You were too young to be the Hero of Time, so when you pulled the Master Sword, your spirit was locked away for 7 years. Rauru gives you your first medallion and tells you to find the other sages to save Hyrule. A mysterious character named Sheik tells you where you can find the sages and to look for the Forest Temple first. After taking a step outside and walking into Castle Town, or what used to be it, you look at all the damage Ganondorf has caused and that the Hyrule you used to know is no longer. The personal impact this moment has on me is that I was playing Ocarina of Time and enjoying it, sure, but after that one cutscene where I found out that time travel was in the game and just everything that was going on, I was shocked. It kept me wanting to play the game even more and it really did make me fall in love with the game, which lead me to playing other Zelda games and immersing myself in one of if not the best gaming franchise of all time.

2. Wind Waker ending (Wind Waker)

So for this one I’m putting the ensing of the game on here. Why? Because it was awesome! After collecting the Triforce shards, you go back to Hyrule and can finally break the barrier that was surrounding the castle. The scene in which you do this is just plain epic. Then you reach the final dungeon of the game, where in order to proceed, you must re-battle 4 bosses you encountered in your travels. After opening the door with the symbols of the bosses you had to face, you face off against Phantom Ganon one more time in a rather atmospheric battles where his sword drops and points to the door you need to go through to proceed, which I think was a slight touch of genius. After defeating him, you get the Light Arrows, which can take anything out in one hit besides bosses. You then face Ganon’s 3 puppets and a rope is let down for you. You climb all the way up and make your way to the final battle. This takes you outside to where Ganondorf with Zelda unconscious. He explains his motives, which actually make you feel a little sorry for the guy since he’s been corrupted by greed and isn’t just evil because of his bloodline. He then actually attacks both you and Zelda as he tries to take your Triforce piece away. He has already obtained the other 2. He succeeds and when he’s about to make his wish, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule all of a sudden blocks him from getting to the Triforce and makes a wish of his own; to flood Hyrule away with Ganondorf. The goddesses go right to work, but you still must fight Ganondorf. He starts laughing like a maniac before the battle begins. The first part of the fight is about having Zelda stun him with Light Arrows and getting in a parry attack on him. The second part is a little harder as Ganondorf starts dodging the arrows, but once you successfully reflect a Light Arrow onto him, you deliver an absolutely epic final blow to him where you stab him in the forehead and he turns to stone. This battle is just plain epic as everyone is about to drown in water as the fight is going on. After Ganondorf is gone for good, the king tells you and Zelda that you must rebuild a new Hyrule and sacrifices himself for you, which is a very sad moment as you watch you and Zelda drift away from the Master Sword, Ganondorf, and the king. However, once you surface you find everyone to be ok. This includes your sister, Zelda’s pirates, Medli, and Makar. You and Zelda simply wave at them and like that the game is over. This moment is captured so well and this is one of the many reasons why Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game of all time. It just does everything so damn well. When the credits rolled, I thought to myself, “man this game was absolutely amazing”. The only question left is what can POSSIBLY top this extraordinarily well delivered moment? I think you might be able to guess just by knowing your Zelda games.

Before I reveal what moment I picked for number 1, I want to start off with a little…hint if you will. We all know that one Zelda game in particular is very emotionally deep and many because of this love it. This game wasn’t very popular when it first came out, but over time people saw it for the truly beautiful game it is. This has happened with just about every Zelda game after Ocarina of Time, but the moment from this particular game just pretty much tops any experience you could possibly feel in any video game out there. What game is this? Majora’s Mask.

No need for a video, this drawing sums it all up.

1.   Final hours (Majora’s Mask)

I don’t even know if I have to defend this one. It’s so emotionally powerful and beautiful that it takes this game to a completely different level beyond just being a great game. This moment right here just comes to prove how great of a series The Legend of Zelda truly is and makes the games feel like so much more than games, but rather experiences. The final hours of the final day of Majora’s Mask are on a completely different level than any other Zelda moment on this list. The moon that has been up there in the sky, all creepy looking and everything, is almost ready to crash into Termina and destroy everything around it. You have 2 options: the first is to wait for it to happen and follow the creepy cutscene afterwards that has the Happy Mask Salesman creepily laughing at you while saying, “you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” And the second option is to play the Song of Time, which takes you back to the first day and erases all of your good deeds that you might’ve done for Termina’s citizens in just a few seconds. The theme that plays during the final hours is probably the saddest theme I have ever heard in video games period. I always get chills from it and I have sometimes cried from listening to this song. Everyone is going insane and you really feel for the world around you as they’re all about to die. Some people are doing what they can to stop it, some people are panicking and hiding in corners, and others are still in denial. Talking to the people around you has some real emotional weight to it and really makes the world around you feel more real than ever. It’s very rare for a game to make its world feel so real and to make you feel so bad for everyone around you. Everything about this moment from the atmosphere, the experience, the emotion all just blends in perfectly and is really something you have to experience for yourself. My words about this moment barely serve it justice as I can barely explain the beauty of it. So if you haven’t already, please go get Majora’s Mask and experience this for yourself. You can get it on Wii virtual console or you can dwnoload an emulator and rom, I don’t care what you do, just play the game up to at least this moment. This one moment right here questions my verdict of Wind Waker being my favorite Zelda game. The reason why it still is is because in my honest opinion, Wind Waker is just more perfect and does more things right than Majora’s Mask, but I would be lying if I said that Majora’s Mask wasn’t damn close to being my favorite Zelda game. Have a nice day everyone, and while you’re at it maybe play some Zelda. It’s good for your soul.