Daily Debate: Why Do You Think Zelda’s Powers Wouldn’t Awaken in Breath of the Wild?
Posted on May 18 2024 by Chakell Herbert
With Breath of the Wild‘s version of Zelda having appeared in three different games showcasing her fantastic character arc, she has now become my favorite incarnation of the Princess of Hyrule. Recently, I have been revisiting the start of her story in Breath of the Wild and it’s been fascinating to see how far she has come when compared to her future self in Tears of the Kingdom. However, something that I have always wondered about is this powerful princess’ sealing powers.
She inherited her power from the original Zelda, who was the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, and also gained powers from King Rauru and Queen Sonia’s lines as well. With this in mind, I wonder why, even after years of training and commitment and so much power in her blood, this Zelda still struggled to access it to seal Calamity Ganon away when Hyrule needed it most.
In my eyes, because this Zelda is so logical and scholarly, I always wonder if she depended more on the logistical side of unlocking her power, rather than realizing that it is tied to her emotions (or in other words, to her love of Link and desire to protect him and her people). It would also make sense that she suppressed her emotions for years from dealing with awful grief after losing her mother at a young age, and receiving constant shame from her father. If that was the case, then she understandably would not have been connected to her powerful, righteous, confident emotions that allowed her to access her power. It makes sense that her being able to confide in Link and build deep relationships with those around her that finally allowed her to feel something other than guilt, shame, frustration, and anger. But those are just my thoughts!
Breath of the Wild‘s post-apocalyptic setting really makes it one of the darkest stories in the franchise, and even years later, there is still so much to unpack when we look closer at the circumstances of the Calamity.
Why do you think Zelda’s powers didn’t awaken in time? Let me know in the comments!
Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
