Summary
“It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!”, “Hey, Listen!”;The Legend of Zeldafranchise is so undeniably influential and iconic that it is filled to the brim with memorable lines that gamers always quote, even to this day. But there’s a specific type of line that is arguably more important than any other: the final line said at the very end of each game.
Legend of Zeldatitles almost always have exciting and emotional plots that are famous for theirincredible ending cutscenes, so it’s important for their characters to close off the experience with one final sentence that will remain in gamers’ minds forever. This franchise has a lot of great final lines to choose from, but the following are the absolute best ones.
Despite its polarizing reputation,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordis an incredibly important title, due to the fact that it’schronologically placed at the very start of the series’ infamous timeline. After defeating Demise, Zelda and Link can finally go to the Surface and start a new life there, which prompts her to ask him this question.
Link simply responds by smiling, before the camera pans to two Loftwings flying onto the horizon.Skyward Sword’s final line is particularly interesting because it signifies that this is not just an ending for Link and Zelda: it’s a new beginning. Since Demise is gone (for now) and they’re free to explore the Surface, the rest of the timeline can truly kick off after this game’s ending.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomholds the important distinction of being the first Nintendo-developed gamein the series to feature Princess Zelda as its sole playable character. She is not alone, however, as an ethereal being named Tri accompanies her throughout the adventure and gives her the main item of the game, the Tri Rod.
After both of them defeat Null with the help of Link, Tri’s mission is officially over, so they have to say goodbye to their new friend. It’s important to keep in mind that this character showcased an almost robotic personality throughout the entire game, but they slowly learned what human emotions are. With this touching final line, Tri reveals that not only do they understand what gratitude is now (which is quite a big deal for them), but they also feel comfortable enough to thank Princess Zelda for her friendship.
The ending ofThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastis noteworthy because it’s the first instance in which the lore and mechanics of the Triforceare fully revealed to the player. Link finds this mysterious power after defeating the evil Ganondorf, and it explains exactly how it works: the person who touches the Triforce will have a wish granted to them.
Ganondorf was evil-hearted, so his wishes were naturally evil. But Link is good-hearted, so the Triforce encourages him to make one final wish to set everything right. Link obliges, and he uses his wish to restore the Dark World and turn it back into the Golden Land it once was before Ganondorf’s interference.
The ending ofThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakeris quite bittersweetbecause even though Link and Zelda managed to defeat Ganondorf, they sadly had to say goodbye to the King of Hyrule before witnessing him and his land being buried by the sea. After this emotional event, Zelda goes back to her Tetra identity, reunites with her pirate crew, and sets sail once again.
As the title of the game suggests, wind is an important narrative element inThe Wind Waker, so Tetra’s final line closes off the story in a thematically fitting way, while also implying that this is just the beginning of her and Link’s new adventures across the sea. She was obviously not wrong, considering thatPhantom Hourglasscanonically takes place after the events ofThe Wind Waker.
Link has had a lot of different companions throughout the series and, curiously enough, mostLegend of Zeldagames conclude with him having to say goodbye to his new friends. There isn’t a better example of this phenomenon thanThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessand its legendary companion, Midna, a lovable Twili that forms a close friendship with Link throughout the game’s dark story.
After Ganondorf’s satisfying defeat, Midna regains her true form and is finally able to go back to her home, the Twilight Realm. Nevertheless, she says this melancholic phrase right before her departure, and immediately sheds a tear, further confirming that she has grown to appreciate her new friend and that she’s quite sad to say goodbye to him. This is undoubtedly one of the most emotional endings and final lines in the series.
There isn’t aZeldatitle more iconic thanThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as the series’ first foray into the world of 3D graphics changed gaming forever, and it’s still considered one of the best video games ever made. As a result, its ending is also one of the most well-known and beloved in the industry.
After Adult Link manages to defeat Ganondorf with the help of Princess Zelda and the other Sages, he has to go back to his original time so, in their final conversation, the Princess thanks the Hero of Time and gloomily says farewell to him. However, this final line stands out from others because it’s elevated by its subsequent post-credits scene, in which Link immediately goes to meet Zelda when they were kids, meaning that their departure was just temporary, and now they can grow up together while also preventing another tragedy from happening.
At first glance,The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningmay seem like the quintessentialZeldaexperiencethat takes place in another location and has a generic main antagonist as its final boss. But the unexpectedly tragic ending of this game made it stand out from other 2D titles in the series.
After defeating the Shadow Nightmare, Link has to awaken the Wind Fish, who warns the hero that all of Koholint Island and its inhabitants are going to disappear when its dream is over. Wind Fish’s final order is extremely bittersweet because, by playing the Song of Awakening, Link will be indirectly responsible for the disappearance of all the friends he made throughout his adventure, even if they were all part of a dream. This one action resulted in one of the most shocking and heartbreaking endings in the entire series.
The most recent 3D entry in the series,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, features what is arguably Princess Zelda’s biggest role yet. Not only did she travel back in time and discover the origins of both Hyrule and Demon King Ganondorf, but she also turned herself into a dragon and stayed in that form for thousands of years, before helping Link during the game’s climactic final battle.
This Princess Zelda definitely went through a lot and yet, she still has a lot of love for her kingdom, which she still wishes to protect. So, with this inspiring and heroic final line, she asks all of her trustworthy friends – the five Sages and Link – to use their strength to stand with her so they can all keep fighting for Hyrule. This may have been the conclusion to one of the most epic and most ambitious adventures inThe Legend of Zeldaseries, but it also feels like these incredible heroes are going to keep protecting their home for many years to come.
