Princess Zelda



Princess Zelda (Japanese: ゼルダ姫 Zeruda-hime ) is a member of Hyrule's Royal Family and plays an integral role in the Legend of Zelda series. Though she is the titular character, she is not playable except in the CDi games, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Instead, the player takes control of Link. Usually, Zelda is in some way kidnapped or imprisoned by Ganondorf. In some games she appears as one of the sages or as a prophet.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Zelda makes her first appearance in the series in Melee. She is a slow character who has powerful attacks that do not hit the enemy easily. She also wields the ability to transform into her alter-ego from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sheik, who is much more powerful a fighter than Zelda. She can transform into Sheik by using her down special or if the player holds down the A button until the match begins. Seperate trophies of both her and Sheik are rewarded upon clearing classic, adventure or all-star mode with either.

Zelda also appears in numerous event matches, one of which is called Girl Power, in which she, Princess Peach Toadstool and Samus Aran are fought on Fountain of Dreams by any character.

Her trophies read:

Classic (Zelda) - ''The crown princess of Hyrule. Zelda entrusted Link with the future of Hyrule after a revelation came to her in the world of dreams. She knows much about the Triforce; in fact, the only person who likely knows more about Triforce lore is Ganondorf himself, whom Zelda evaded in Ocarina of Time by transforming into her alter ego, Sheik.''

The Legend of Zelda, 07/87

Adventure (Zelda) - ''Zelda is a bit slow and, because of her light frame, easy to send flying. On the other hand, her magical skills lend her reliable and explosive attack power. Zelda's easier to use if you focus on waiting and countering rather than pressing attacks. She can use Nayru's Love to reflect projectile attacks or as an offensive weapon.''

(B: Nayru's Love, Smash B: Din's Fire)

All-Star (Zelda) - ''Zelda's midair Lightning Kick centers immense magical power in the ball of her foot. If she strikes perfectly, the attack is as strong as can be. If her aim is slightly off, it'll be exceedingly weak. Farore's Wind again utilizes Zelda's magical prowess, this time by transporting her great distances. It's vital to know the lay of the land before using this move.''

(Up & B: Farore's Wind, Down & B: Transform)

Classic (Sheik) - ''This is Zelda's alter ego. Using a variation of the name of the ancient Sheikah tribe, she appears before Link and teaches him melodies instrumental to his success. It's believed that she's not just a quick-change artist, but rather that she is able to instantaneously alter her clothing and her eye and skin color by using her magical skills.''

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [11/98]

Adventure (Sheik) - ''Strategically switching between Zelda and Sheik is key. Compared to her Zelda form, Sheik is nimble and has gorgeous moves, but she lacks a strong knockout attack. The number of needles thrown in Needle Storm is based on how long you hold the B Button before releasing it. Use the Control Stick to wave the Chain after brandishing it.''

All-Star (Sheik) - ''The best strategy to use when playing as Sheik is to let her flow from one powerful attack into another, like a river of quicksilver. Zelda has some techniques with more punch, however, so in one-on-one battles, use Transform as needed. Sheik only travels a short way when using Vanish, but the move comes with a small explosion that damages foes around her.''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Zelda is once again a starting character in Brawl. Even though her appearance is taken from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, she has her Ocarina of Time/Melee appearance as a color change. Sheik made no appearance in Twilight Princess, though her appearance was based on a model not used in Twilight Princess. Zelda is significantly better than she was in Melee, ranking higher than Sheik, who has suffered a huge nerf from Melee.

Their trophies read:

Zelda - ''The princess of Hyrule. In other games, her role changes between titles. In Ocarina of Time, she was hunted by the would-be conqueror, Ganondorf. She deceived him, however, by adopting the persona of Sheik. In Twilight Princess, she surrendered to Zant and was held as his prisoner.''

Legend of Zelda

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Sheik - ''The persona Zelda adopted to escape from Ganondorf. She completely hid all traces of her Zelda identity and appeared to Link as the last member of the Sheikah tribe. She taught Link essential ocarina melodies and then vanished in an instant. She didn't appear very often--rather, she would show up to support Link in crucial situations.''

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Trivia

 * Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that her name was inspired by author Zelda Fitzgerald.
 * Actor Robin Williams has named his daughter Zelda after the princess.
 * Bass player Jeph Howard of Utah Rock band The Used also named his dog Zelda due to his love of the games.


 * According to Zelda's card in the official trading card deck for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, she is supposed to be Queen of Hyrule rather than Princess. Zant's invasion came a few days before her scheduled coronation, thus preventing it from taking place. Meanwhile, the game manual for Brawl, which uses Zelda in her Twilight Princess appearance, does refer to her as the Queen of Hyrule, implying that once Link lifted the Twilight, the coronation took place as planned.
 * The french magazine IG featured Zelda on its cover drawn in Cooking Mama style along with Princess Peach Toadstool and Samus Aran and with numerous other female video game characters.
 * Hacking of Brawl ' s game code has revealed character files for "Toon Zelda/Sheik". It is entirely possible that Wind Waker versions of Zelda and Sheik were to be included in the game but were scrapped at the last minute. However, Sheik never made an appearance in Wind Waker, fueling speculation that Toon Sheik referred to the Wind Waker character Tetra. It is also possible that Sheik had a model unused in the game, or that a new model was to be created for Brawl.