A lot of my friends are under the impression that Zelda and Link are more than just friends, but I believe that their relationship is strictly platonic. What do you think?
I couldn't agree more. I have never thought Link and zelda to be anything more than platonic. In fact i would classify their relationship as more business-partners than anything. Know I know that sounds funny, but seriously think about it. The two of them are in the business of saving the world together. Now, when you are in business with something that deep, of course there is going to be some residual emotion, the world is going to end unless they get it right! Personally, I saw nothing in OoT or TP that showed me any other type of relationship between them. The other games I'm not well enough versed in the plot to comment heavily on. (I don't feel one play through or quick internet summery is enough to allow me to understand it fully) I do however see Link having a romantic relationship with other characters from the games, but Zelda has never been on that list.
To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen Link perform any action or gesture that implies that he has a connection with a female that is more than friendship, nevermind when you narrow it down to just Zelda, so personally, I believe that there is never going to be anything going on between Link and Zelda other than friendship.
This is true as well the lack of evidence is overwhelming. Almost everything is implied. As to the hand holding, I hold my best friends hand, my sisters had, some of my school friends, and my boyfriends, so I don't see the evidence in that. Durion also said in this post, that he has seen many instances in literature and real life where two individuals hold hands but it doesn't mean there is a romantic relationship. As I said before, they just went through a near apocalypse.
I'll be completely honest, part of the reason I do not see Link and Zelda as anything more than business associates is the fact that I really don't like Zelda as a character. I find her fairly useless and don't like the damsel in distress syndrome she has going on. I have no problem with helping out once in awhile, but at the beginning of every game, Zelda gets herself kidnapped or in serious trouble and I have to go save her butt. Now, of course, this is basis for the games, and I love the games, but as the character that fills this roll, I have grown to dislike her very much. This come out especially when she pulls moves like she did in OoT, when the Master Sword landed beside her and she didn't think it necessary to throw it to me, she let me suffer. In the same situation, her stopping to scream every time I took a hit as we are running down a collapsing tower. *rolls eyes* In TP, I didn't want to trust her with the golden/light bow and arrow. I wanted her to give it to me, "let me do it, I can shoot better than you" were my words to her exactly. I would like to thank Ghosi for agreeing with me. lol.
There are many threads that have discussed this already. I think Miyamoto does not want to establish Link and Zelda's real relationship so that it makes things less complicated, leaves more opportunities, story-wise, open, and lets us use our imagination. It is like this with a lot of conflicts and mysteries in Zelda
On a more serious note, I think this statement is exactly right. Nintendo doesn't want to nail down anything specific. Remember, Link has
grown into a character. He was originally intended to be just a 'link' for the player to enter the game and be the character. He was intended to be you. Therefore, all the people you encountered were your interpretation, which may be different from the next guy playing. Also, when things are told outright, there is no room for movement. Not only does Nintendo wants people to theorize and explore the world they have created. Also, if they nail something that large down, they run the risk of cornering themselves for future game development. Have you ever wondered why they make prequels, then prequels to the prequels, and only ever single direct sequels? Because they want the freedom to move around in the plots and if they have committed to something as Link and Zelda's relationship, they can't do that.
Lore-wise, it wouldn't really make sense. Zelda is a princess. No matter how heroic Link is, he's still a commoner, and her parents (and probably the whole of Hyrule) would probably want her to marry some lord/king/prince of another country so that the Hyrulians would have more allies in case of war or something (assuming that there are other places in the same dimention besides Hyrule)
This is a very good point I hadn't thought of. The games are set in medieval times, when social factors were much different. As royalty, Zelda probably would not be allowed on any level to be with Link. The friendship might even be frowned upon by her father, but a business partner, now that is probably okay.
They have to save the world after all. Even still in OoT, Zelda's father doesn't believe that Hyrule is going to be overcome with darkness, so he would probably still disapprove of the common boy in a green skirt hanging around with his princess.
One thing that I'm amazed has not be brought up in this thread. The theory that Link and Zelda are siblings. This is another theory that is completely ridiculous to me and because of that I have very little to comment on about it. This would mean though that Link is a royal family member though, which doesn't seem possible to me. I think it is way to big of a stretch for Link to be a lost royal child. In OoT specifially, this would mean that Link's mother was the Queen. Now, you tell me if you think this fits the storyline. I think seeing as how Like was about 7 when we start our quest with him, we would still hear rumblings of the King looking for his lost wife and child. Not to mention, this would also mean that Link and Zelda would have to be different ages. Twins are possible, but then I think even more we would know about it.