Tears of the Kingdom Voice Actress Says That Zelda and Link Are 'In a Relationship'

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s voice actress for this version of the game’s princess states that the two main characters of Link and Zelda are in a relationship. When it comes to Nintendo, there are many iconic characters that are typically seen together, sometimes putting the relationship at the forefront of the game, or in the background with supplemental promotional material. Among the many iconic Nintendo couples throughout the years, Link and Zelda, or Zelink in some circles, is one of the most recognizable and integral to the overall franchise, romantic or platonic. The iterations of Link and Zelda in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in particular have been greatly appreciated by shippers.

These versions of the characters and, by extension, couple have been praised for being a much different dynamic than what was seen in past games. The princess-knight dynamic between Zelda and Link remains, but the circumstances and characterization of the two are explored in Breath of the Wild in memory flashbacks, with Tears of the Kingdom expanding upon it too. The scenes with Link and Zelda investigating the ruins in the prologue allow for the two to bond after the events of the previous game, along with the two sharing a house in Hateno Village. Zelda’s voice actress, Patricia Summersett, comments on how she believes the two to be in a relationship.

In an interview with The Gamer, she comments on how this relationship affected her portrayal. In particular, Summersett states that she loved the ambiguity of Link and Zelda’s relationship over the years, and how that’s something that is left for interpretation. Moreover, she states that the relationship between the two has stayed active, and it’s important to portray them. She finishes her comments with “I know that [Link and Zelda] are in a relationship with each other, it’s active, there’s a lot of care and a lot of listening, and I just love that about it.”Summerset once commented on the possibility of Link and Zelda being a couple in 2017, back when Breath of the Wild had just been released on the Nintendo Switch. Back then, she stated that the ambiguity between Link and Zelda’s relationship was one of the most alluring aspects of the narrative and that they don’t necessarily need to be a couple, though jokes that they should have a “lovely kiss,” or something along those lines, before laughing it off.

Regardless of whether fans ship them or not, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s iteration of Link and Zelda have quite a strong bond, which fans can read romantically or platonically. At the very least, Patricia Summersett is a big fan of how the two are linked together in these games.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.

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