Sheik

Princess Zelda (ゼルダ姫) is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series.

She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda.

As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations.

Zelda is the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the series protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Zelda's role has often been that of a damsel in distress or donor who assists Link.

In many games, she is captured by the antagonist Ganon, necessitating Link to come to her rescue.

In several games she is one of the Sages whose heroism is essential to defeating Ganon; in others, like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, she adopts alternative personas to take a more active role in the story.

In Skyward Sword, she is established as the mortal reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, which gives her incarnations a range of magical powers.

Zelda has been described as one of the most recognisable princesses in video gaming.

She has appeared in branded merchandise, comics and manga, and an animated television series.

In addition to The Legend of Zelda series, she has appeared as a playable character in a number of spin-off games and other game series, including Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

She also appears as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Critics have responded positively to her development into a strong female character and have listed her as one of the greatest female video game characters of all time.

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, co-creator of The Legend of Zelda series, Princess Zelda's name was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, an American novelist, dancer, and socialite, as well as the wife of fellow novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Miyamoto had decided to name the first game "The Legend of X", but did not know what the X would stand for.

He said that a public relations planner had suggested the name when proposing an illustrated story for the game involving the rescue of a princess who was defined as an eternal beauty.

Miyamoto explained: "I couldn't really get behind the book idea but I really liked the name Zelda. I asked him if I could use it, and he said that would be fine. And that's where the title The Legend of Zelda was born."

Zelda was established as a princess in the first game, with few details given about the Royal Family of Hyrule until later games.

She is a princess in most games except in Skyward Sword, which takes place before the founding of Hyrule Kingdom.

Like Link, there are multiple incarnations of Princess Zelda in the series who are all connected by The Legend of Zelda timeline, which spans thousands of years of fictional history.

Each version of Princess Zelda is a descendant of the first who founded the royal line and Hyrule.

The instruction booklet for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link establishes that Zelda's name reoccurs because the prince of the kingdom orders that "every female child born into the royal household shall be given the name Zelda".

In Ocarina of Time, Zelda's role was expanded by giving her an alter ego as a surviving member of the Sheikah clan named Sheik (シーク).

To hide from Ganondorf and protect the Triforce of Wisdom, she disguises herself as a ninja warrior.

During the game, she acts as a guide and helps Link on his quest to defeat Ganondorf until near the end of the game when she reveals herself to be Zelda.

Sheik's gender was the subject of debate, with some fans believing that Zelda transforms herself into a male character in Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen responded that Sheik is a woman: "simply Zelda in a different outfit".

In a 2011 interview with GamesRadar+, series producer Eiji Aonuma commented on the possibility of Tetra reappearing within the Zelda series: "Personally, I really like the character, but the director on the DS games after that, Mr. Iwamoto, said he didn't really like her, so he didn't want to use her".

Zelda was given a more active role in Spirit Tracks by adventuring alongside Link in spirit form, which made a sharp contrast to her damsel in distress role in earlier installments.

Aonuma explained that this decision reflected the desires of fans and developers alike.

A survey conducted in the United States signified consumers preferred more independent female characters, including Zelda's alter-egos Sheik and Tetra.

Director, Daiki Iwamoto, also expressed an interest in making Zelda "a more integral part of the game" during the game's development.

In 2016, Miyamoto revealed in an interview that the development team had considered the possibility of producing a spin-off game with Sheik as the protagonist.

A game starring Sheik was reported to be in development at Retro Studios but was eventually cancelled.

Another alter ego of Zelda named Tetra (テトラ) was introduced in The Wind Waker and its Nintendo DS sequel, Phantom Hourglass.

Like Sheik, she plays a major role in the storyline as a young pirate captain who helps Link to find his sister, Aryll.

In this incarnation, Zelda is unaware of her royal bloodline until the end of the game.

Her true identity is revealed when the Triforce of Wisdom is restored, which results in her physical transformation to her princess form.

The Phantom Hourglass follows on from The Wind Waker with Link and Tetra exploring the sea.

Tetra is captured on a ghost ship, and Link must defeat the monster Bellum to save her.