The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlives up to its title by being one of the most emotionally-driven titles in Nintendo’s fantasy franchise. Since its origins on NES in 1986,The Legend of Zeldahas not only been one of Nintendo’s darkest video game series, but has also produced some of the most heart-wrenching moments in gaming history.
Related:The Complete Chronological Order Of Legend Of Zelda Games
From tear-jerking moments involving characters you only encounter during side quests, to momentous moments in each game’s main story,The Legend of Zeldahas too many emotional moments to count. However, these stand-outs as the times in the video game series that were the most memorably heart-breaking.
10Link Plays For Flute Boy
One of the saddest stories in the entireZeldafranchise comes early on in the franchise, inA Link to the Pastfor the SNES. In the Haunted Grove, Link can encounter an apparition of a boy who disappears every time Link gets near. However, Link must find the boy’s flute buried in the Light World using a shovel given to him by the boy’s Dark World version.
When Link finally plays the flute in front of the boy’s Dark World version, the boy’s alternate form turns into a tree and stops appearing in the Light World as apparition. The most heartbreaking part, however, is Link having to find the boy’s father to inform him of what happened, only for the father to solemnly understand and allow Link to keep the flute.
9Link Wakes Up
Link’s Awakeningoriginally released on the GameBoy in 1993, and was recently upgraded asLink’s Awakening HDon the Switch in 2019. The game’s story centers on Link washing ashore on Koholint Island, where he is tasked with helping to wake up the Wind Fish using eight mystical instruments in order to return himself to his home world.
Related:Link’s Awakening: The Most Interesting Characters, Ranked
The ending of the game, however, finds that when Link finally does awaken the Wind Fish, Koholint Island and all of its citizens cease to exist. Link wakes up back at the beginning of the game, realizing it was all a dream. Despite this, some fans have found it quite heartbreaking that all of these innocent civilians never actually existed.
8The Great Deku Tree Dies
The Nintendo 64 was a turning point forThe Legend of Zeldaboth in terms of gameplay and storytelling. The 1998 titleOcarina of Time, often considered one of the best games in the franchise, starts off heavy on the emotional aspects. After Link is summoned by the Great Deku Tree to rid him of an evil curse, the leader of the Kokiri Forest sadly passes away.
It’s quite a stunning moment for the game to start off with as the first mentor Link ever has dies. There’s a positive side to it, however, when Link returns to the Kokiri Forest after exiting the Temple of Time as a young adult, he discovers a young sprout has taken root, and future titles in the franchise depict a healthy and alive Great Deku Tree in the Lost Woods.
7Two Lost Lovers Are Reunited
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Maskis one of the darkest entries in the entire franchise, revolving around Link exploring the land of Termina, which is doomed to be destroyed in three days' time. Part of the game’s many side quests involve Link interacting with the citizens of Termina’s Clock Town, including one involving the lovers Anju and Kafei.
After Kafei istransformed into a child by the Skull Kid, he abandons his fiancée Anju the day before their wedding. Link helps communicate between the two, so they can reunite, where Anju embraces Kafei anyway and the two decide to face the incoming apocalypse together. Though it’s more heartwarming than others, their resignation to their fate is quite shattering.
6The Deku Butler Finds His Son
Among one of the more memorable yet emotionally devastating moments inMajora’s Maskinvolves the Deku Butler, who appears during the Deku Palace sequence. He tells Link his son has unfortunately run away from home, leaving the Deku Butler to not hear from him, though Link unknowingly encountered the twisted-up tree earlier in the game.
Related:The Legend Of Zelda: Most Disturbing Things That Happen In The Games
Though this story is heartbreaking enough without confirmation that the deformed tree from earlier is the Deku Butler’s son, the fact is confirmed during the game’s end credits sequence. While many other characters relish in their chance to survive another day, the Deku Butler must spend his time mourning for his son, whose soul was taken by Skull Kid.
5A Return To Link’s Grandma
Little is revealed about Link’s family tree throughout theZeldafranchise, thoughThe Wind Wakergoes a long way by making Link’s sister Aryll and his grandmother key characters, especially during the game’s early sections on Outset Island. At the game’s beginning, Link’s grandma bestows him his iconic green clothes before he sets off to rescue Aryll.
Giventhe nature ofThe Wind Wakerwith an open-world ocean as its map, players can return to the starting island to visit Link’s grandma anytime they’d like. However, they’ll find her spending her days sleeping and worrying sick about her children. In order to cure her, Link must obtain a fairy to give to her, which will replenish his grandma to full health.
4Midna Goes Home
Throughout most ofTwilight Princess, another contender for the darkestZeldagame, Link is accompanied by a companion inMidna, an impish Twili who opposes Zant’s rule. As it’s revealed later in the game, Midna was the benevolent queen of the Twili who is usurped by Zant and transformed into the cursed, powerless form she embodies for most of the game.
Once she befriends Link and aids him in defeating Ganon, however, Midna resumes her true form, which is that of a beautiful Twili woman. Although she departs from Hyrule on good terms, her leaving through the Mirror of Twilight destroys it, severing the connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm for good, meaning Midna can never reunite with Link.
3Fi’s Goodbye
In a similar moment to Midna’s return to the Twilight Realm, Link must part ways with Fi, the spirit of the legendary Master Sword, at the end ofSkyward Sword.Although some fans were bothered by Fi’s presence throughout the game, others bonded with the character enough to where they were sad to leave her in the Pedestal of Time for the next hero to discover.
However, Fi’s promise to Link that they’ll meet in another life is somewhat fulfilled byBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, where the Master Sword is often referred to as a “she” and Zelda makes reference to hearing a voice calling from inside of it. Sadly, Fi does not physically appear in either of those titles like she did inSkyward Sword.
2Zelda Breaks Down
Most of the story behindBreath of the Wildis revealed through flashbacks that Link can acquire throughout his adventure. Though some players may find these Memories in a scrambled order, they nevertheless tell the story of Link and Zelda uniting the four Champions to oppose Calamity Ganon, though their plan doesn’t seem to work.
Related:The Legend Of Zelda: Zelda’s Biggest Mistakes & Failures Ever
During their battle against Calamity Ganon, the four Champions are killed, resulting in a found Memory where a wounded Link and Zelda find themselves in a Hylian forest. Zelda laments their deaths, crying into Link’s arms in the rain, in one of the more profound and heartbreaking sequences throughout the entire franchise.
1Ganondorf Takes Control
For a game likeTears of the Kingdom,there are many new layers to theZeldauniverse that fans will find heartbreaking. However, none are as chilling as the moment when Ganondorf takes control of Hyrule, killing Queen Sonia and threatening to kill Princess Zelda as she comforts her, while Ganondorf grows ever more powerful.
What’s truly heartbreaking about this scene is the reaction of King Rauru to Sonia’s death, as she blocks Ganondorf’s killing blow towards Zelda in order to give the Hylian princess time to transport them away to safety. Still, it proves that even in flashbacks, the consequences of Ganondorf’s destruction can be felt greatly by players.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now on Nintendo Switch.
More:Theories About The Story Of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
