Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is the main character in Nintendo's video game series The Legend of Zelda. Shigeru Miyamoto created her and included her in the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. She is a pivotal character in the series, having appeared in multiple incarnations over the course of three decades. In the series' fictional storyline, she is a princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, a friend of the protagonist Link, and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Despite being the eponymous character, Zelda's story role is frequently that of a damsel in distress or a donor who aids Link. In many games, Zelda is kidnapped by the antagonist Ganon, forcing Link to come to her aid. In some games, she is one of the Sages or Champions whose bravery is required to defeat Ganon; in others, such as Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, she takes on different personas to play a more active role in the plot. She is established in Skyward Sword as the mortal reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, which grants her incarnations a variety of magical powers. In addition to The Legend of Zelda series, she has appeared 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.

First appearance: The Legend of Zelda